Mt. Singai

Last Monday was a Public Holiday (since our Merdeka Day falls on a Sunday), so me and my friend Allen and his ex-colleague and her church mates decided to hike up Mount Singai. Actually I almost climbed this mountain a few times because my family members have actually went up a few times before this. But every time they plan to go up, I have already made plans for myself. So I was quite excited to finally be able to climb the Holy Mount Singai.


kolo mee - the best breakfast itinerary

Our travel log started with breakfast at Batu Kawah old township famous meatballs kolo mee stall. We gathered there to fill our empty Kuchingites tummy with one of the best kolo mee in town (literally in suburb). Then we continued driving to our destination


Trailing Patrick's 4X4 pickup truck

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, we were greeted by our very own multi-legged friend.


Get out of my way

We started our climb at approximately 9:45am. Weather was perfect!


Heh-ho, heh-ho~~~

There were stations with a cross under a shelter for Christians and believers to stop and reflect with prayers. But I was too busy snapping photos of the sexy mother nature.


Louis boh eng


FPS - first person shooter... gun replaced with my camera phone


oh gosh, is that really the way up to heaven?

and after bout 35 minutes, we came to a plateau where the shrine of Mother Mary stands.


A place of worship


A huge stainless steel statue of Jesus


Shrine of Mother Mary (L) & Lady Fatima (unsure) with tears (L)

I said a simple prayer before embarking on the REAL journey.


Into the forest

The climb overall wasn't that challenging. I feel that being close to nature is my greatest reward on this trip. Imagine when people around the world are chanting about environment issues like global warming, green house effects, changing of climate across the globe, ozone thinning, deforestation etc. I am proud that we in Sarawak still have plenty of places of nature to go to.


Allen fell in love with the trees...and hugged them.

And...


Allen trying to push a tree down... (actually he was having cramps in his calf)


Me posing in front of two mating trees



Spiderman 4...LOL

And after 2 hours of hiking (with a lot of breathers in between :Þ) we finally made it to the top of Mt. Singai.


Top of Mt.Singai


View from the top


Recharging batteries

We took a rest for about half an hour and descended using the same path after that. Going down was much easier compared to going up, but still there were parts of the trail where it was tricky and vertical. We reached the foot of the mountain at about 2pm and drove straight for food.

I need a massage!

Note: Some of the pics here are taken by Allen. Thanks bro!

Sick

Yesterday, I was not feeling too well after lunch time. Despite putting on a very warm and fuzzy jacket, I never felt any colder. Asked my boss if he could excuse me for the afternoon, but he just smirked and thought I was just kidding him. So I soldiered on till 6pm.


My fingers were turning purple


Palm was white as a sheet

Geez... Upon reaching home, I went to bed straightaway.

I woke up at 830pm and my head was spinning like I have spent the past 2 hours in a whirlpool. My whole body was aching and felt like all the joints are going to give way soon. So I asked my dad to bring me to my panel doctor.



Doc: Whoa! Your temperature's 38.9°C leh!

Me: Really? I thought a normal person's body temperature is 36.9°C?

Doc:Ya la... You are having high fever. Are you having sore throat or flu?

Me: Only sore throat. No flu...

Doc: Let me see your throat. Say aaaaahhhhh...(while sticking an ice-cream stick into my mouth). Wa... you throat is inflamed too!

Me: Yeah lo... Can hardly swallow my own saliva.

Doc: Let me check your blood pressure... after applying all the apparatus on my left arm... hmmm...looks normal.


Doctor's table

Me: OK...

Doc: So you go home and take enough rest and dont forget to drink more water.

Me: Doc, can you grant me a Sick Leave for tomorrow? (with the kolien doggie eyes expression)

Doc: Hmmm.... Seems like your condition is pretty bad and I dont think you will recover overnight. OK la... I'll give you a day's sick leave.

Me: Thank you doc! (Yaaaaahooooooo! Don't have to go to work tomorrow)


Dispensary

Got my medicine and MC and went home.

Woke up this morning feeling much better, but not in tip-top condition.

Anime and Toys Convention

Does this place look familiar to you? Of course it does... it's Kuching largest shopping mall.


The Spring

I was there two weekends ago with Cal and Loi for a very important and special task (which will change the course of their entire life... like their lives depended on it. Hahaha...enough suspense??? Stay tune for more details, latest by end of this week). But we coincidentally came across this "Anime and Toys Convention" event which was organised by....erm...i don't know :Þ


1st of its kind in Kuching

It was held at the Spring from 20~31 August 2008.

I personally feel that this is more of a toy exhibition rather than an anime and toy CONVENTION. Anyways, just wanna share a few photos I took using my w810i camera (pardon the high noise and low MP).

There was Gundam


Too bad it was placed in a showcase

And there were many figurines too. Some were cute but some were just so sexy that I wonder how on earth would parents buy them for their kids to play with. If I was a dad, I would rather buy them and play with them MYSELF.... hahaha... just kidding.



One of my fav... very decent and innocent looking girl


Look at those big eyes @_@


Am I sexy or what?


Come and get it... 2 durians for RM10.


Some dude managed to ask the girls in kimonos to pose with him... kawaii desu ^_^

Green Fingers

My dad loves gardening. But not me... I just love to take photos.

31 Aug 2008 - National day

Happy Merdeka(that's Independence in Malay Language) Day, Malaysia!

I pray that peace and unity will be bestowed onto the nation in the many many years to come.

Being a 51-year-old granny shouldn't stop you from rocking babe!

A photo a day keeps the shutter bug away

Just thought of posting this photo I took this morning under the blazing sun.

I have been snapping photos almost everyday but I still feel that my photos lack of "power". I know there's much to learn in photography. Some say you need talent to be good. But talen or no talent, I believe the only way to excellence is through sheer determination and hard work.

X-Fab Family Day 2008 - Tug-of-War

Back to my company's Family Day, we had a few interesting events which were carried out throughout the morning. One of the highlights of the day was the tug-of-war among 4 teams. The team members from Operations were hand-picked by my ex-navy boss.


My ex-navy boss

And naturally, he picked the biggest and strongest lot from operation module which encompasses Litho, Etch, TF and DF.


Operation's Hercules

This event was officiated by our COO, Mr.SJ.

SJ on your right

Our team showed great determination and grit.

they huffed...

and...


puffed...

But eventually, (maybe due to lack of experience) they lost the first round.

After the first lost, our side did not give up. They brainstormed for better strategies to face their next opponent.


did y'all have b'fast this morning?

But at the end of the day, they still lost and ended the day 1st from the rear.
No worries guys, just have fun!

This team from IT beat everyone's ass blue-black and emerged as CHAMPIONS!

this is how you should pull...

The Return of The KING!

Malaysia Next Top Political Leader?

After more than 10 years of struggle and sufferrings from being stripped of the post of Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia in 1998 and being accused of sodomy and corruption and being shoved into imprisonment for almost 6 years, the future leader of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has officially return to the Parliament of Malaysia. The de factor leader of Parti Keadilan Rakyat has achieved a "landslide" victory at the Permatang Pauh by-election with a majority of 15,671 votes.



Hopefully, this win will mark the dawn of a new political era of a more efficient and liberal government, replacing the scandalous and corrupted governing party of Barisan Nasional.

To the current so-called leaders of BN
"Your days are numbered... So why so serious???" (plagiarized from Batman: The Dark Knight)

To the PKR leaders
"Syabas! Reformasi, babeh!"

X-Fab Family Day 2008 - (almost) Car Show

X-Fab had its inaugural Family Day last Saturday. Themed "Chill Out", it was meant for their staffs to bring their family and friends "beramai-ramai" to the company. There were free food (which I didnt get to try cuz i was too lazy to queue), game stalls (targetted for the young ones) and bla bla bla...

Here I will post some photos of the (so-called... -_-") car show. Enjoy!


The familiar badge - GTR


Menacing



Monster from the Land of The Rising Sun



Tail-light


check out my butt


19" lightweight rims


Well-decorated (but didn't win)


from outer-space


The Champion - went home RM500 richer

2008 Beijing Olympics - Malaysia's achievement or underachievement

This is how Malaysia's achievement in the latest edition of Summer Olympic Games.

Should we jump up in jubilation?

I think only Datuk Lee Chong Wei is over the moon.

Schumi -My Life

Hi everyone, I am Schumi. You might have seen me in action in the earlier post of this blog (this goes way back in 2006). But those videos were taken about 1.5 years ago when I was still a naive and cheeky lil pup. I am almost 2 years old now. Things haven't changed much except for my size and the color of my fur.


Lying down on the green green grass and sticking out my tongue is my fav hobby

I used to be a small and adorable pup, but now that I am almost 2, I have grown into a handsome young Shitsu. My fur used to be a lot more brownish but now it has turned a lot more fairer.

I love to be free.

I love to be running around.

but...

I also love to dig holes in the ground (I am a dog, and that's what dogs do)

That's why my owner is not letting me to have all the freedom in the world to roam around within the house compound all the time. But every evening, my dear owner will either let me run around behind closed-gate or bring me out for a walk. And as a dominant male dog, I love to mark my territory whenever I have the chance to. Spray a little here and then spray a little there...

Oh yeah, I have to mention that recently I have a new playmate. His name is Shiro.


Shiro waiting on the opposite side of the gate

I thought I was small in size but to my surprise, he was even smaller than me! (That's cuz he is a Chihuahua) Everyday I would look forward to playing with Shiro, but most of the time, the big-bad-gate would be our barrier... hmmmmpppphhh...


My dear friend Shiro

I do enjoy life here...but honestly, I am kinda lonely sometimes. That's when I need a partner, someone who understands me and would play with me. Someone who would scratch my back for me and I would scratch her back in return... And most importantly, someone who would care and love me...

Please find me a partner! (showing u the kolien [pitiful - in hokkien dialect] eyes)

Halo

sorry for the photo quality, taken using my loyal w810i

This photo was taken one afternoon or noon actually bout 3 weeks ago when my colleagues and I were on our way to the car park to get our cars to go for lunch. I think this phenomenon lasted for at least 2 hours.

Is this a sign from above? I don't know...

All I know is, this is called a "halo".

"A halo (ἅλως; also known as a nimbus, icebow or Gloriole) is an optical phenomenon that appears near or around the Sun or Moon, and sometimes near other strong light sources such as street lights. There are many types of optical halos, but they are mostly caused by ice crystals in cold cirrus clouds located high (5–10 km, or 3–6 miles) in the upper troposphere. The particular shape and orientation of the crystals is responsible for the type of halo observed. Light is reflected and refracted by the ice crystals and may split up into colors because of dispersion, similarly to the rainbow."

- extracted from wikipedia -

An afternoon at UNIMAS

Two Saturdays ago, I accompanied my brother/fren/colleague to his alma mater UNIMAS to attend a function.

I took the opportunity to roam the new uni campus.


UNIMAS on chrome

As it was a weekend, we could hardly find anyone in the campus area. So the two of us just lepak around the campus checking out the "new" structures which my fren claimed "which is a thousand times better than his old campus".


Red is the color


Fully-equipped gym... lucky students


Pardon the weird WB setting... i was standing in the water while taking this shot


bougainvilea

I am slowly turning this blog into a photoblog... so any comments on the shots are very much welcomed.


The alumni

A couple of people actually thought I was the photographer for the function, so they all passed their cameras asking me to help them snap this group photo. Funny... Do i look like a pro?

Note: all the photos posted here are uneditted and are published here as how they are being taken.

My New Toy

I know, i know.... it's been ages since i dropped any words in this blog. And I admit, I have been busy with different activities.

I have just bought a new toy 2 weeks ago. Oh well, it's not the latest Canon EOS but after many expert's advise i have opted to get myself Canon 400D+18-55mm kit lens DSLR. I have also added a 50mm f1.8 II lens and a battery grip (cuz my palm is just too big for the stand-alone 400D).


Total damage = RM2199 + RM300 + RM540

Overall I think it's a good investment because the qualities of the photos that was taken with the 400D is significantly better than normal point-and-shoot digital cameras. But the settings (aperture, shutter speed, white balance, ISO...) on the DSLR surely need time to get used to.


Outdoors - UniMaS



Indoors - My Logitech keyboard

wtf

I came across this article a few days ago and i am totally tulan about Datuk Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah. Wondering who this "toot" is? Doesn't really matter who he is but what he said is the topic here.

source

The Malaysian government has really gotta wake up one of these days la. Can you be so naive to think that by giving the exclusive ownerships of APs to bumiputeras will "help" to develop Bumiputera entrepreneurs capable of competing and achieving progress in the automotive industry?????

This is 100% pure bullshit.

When is the government gonna stop spoon feeding these lazy bums? Why can't the government let them walk on their own and along their way learn from their mistakes. If non-bumiputeras can survive, I don't see the reason why bumiputeras cannot survive in the real world.

Wake up Datuk! Do you think we are still blind and stupid? Everyday you come and promote "fair-trade" but when come to APs, sorry-lah bang, hanya untuk Melayu saja (translated: sorry bro, only for Malays).

F**K!!!!!!!!@#$%^&*

Gundam feva

Recently, a few of my colleagues have been talking a lot on Gundam models. Before I knew it, I was suckered into this boyhood dream of robots. I have just placed my order for a MG 1/100 Strike Gundam +IWSP through the internet and expected time of delivery is within 2-3 days.

ooo... I just can't wait to get my hands on it.

sure you don't wanna go?

About a month ago, when I was having my holiday at KL, my boss called me up and asked me this question, "Eh, our company plan to send you to Japan for training, do you wanna go?".

"what's the catch?" (because after 2.5 years working in this company, I know that windfall does not just fall like that on your doorstep)

And true enough, he said, "No catch la, just go there for 2-week training then the company gonna bond you for 3 years..."

"What the fuck man! Go for 2 weeks, bond for 3 FUCKING YEARS!!!!???? No way I wanna go."

At first my boss tried to persuade me to go for this training by saying that it's good for my future (do I even have future here, I wonder), this course will increase my personal development value, chance of a lifetime ... and blah blah blah... But after seeing no chance of me giving in, he asked another colleague of mine to go.

Phew, I thought it was over.

And last Thursday morning, my boss' supervisor (in other words bigger boss) asked me again after morning meeting if I would change my mind to go for this Japan training. As cold as ice, I said "No" because to me it just would not make sense to go for 2 weeks and get your ass bonded for 3 years. Gosh...

I have no regrets though cuz I know that my future lies elsewhere...

"Health, Happiness, and Success... yeah right"
*the chant that i learned over the weekend at our team building course conducted by Dato' Lawrence Chan over at Santubong Kuching Resort*