hullo 2006

Another year has gone by in a flash.

2005 has been one rollercoaster ride.
Experienced many changes during those 12 months and looking back am pretty amazed I survived some of them.

Highlights include:
- Walking out of Arc: Never been happier doing that
- Bumming around for the next 8 months
- Visiting places like Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Mt Kinabalu, Ho Chi Minh City, Houston and meeting all those fantastic people
- Fleeing Rita: Scary experience
- Getting a new job: New challenges, new people, new workplace dynamics
- Coping with family changes
- Coming to grips with what "I" really stand for

I've never believe in making new year resolutions, but will create one this year.
This list is meant to keep me on track. There are simply so much distractions in life.
I don't want to wake up one day and realise I've lost my way without knowing when or how it happened.

Year 2006
- Spend more time with family. Cherish every moment with them.
- Keep close friends in mind. Make an effort to keep in touch, no matter how busy.
- Spend time with myself. Learn to smell the roses and appreciate the finer things in life.
- Stand by my beliefs. Don't drift along .
- Never settle for 2nd best. Do my best (even if it may not be the world's best). That way, no regrets.
- Continue working out. If possible, take part in a 21 km run by year end.
- Never cease to wonder.
- Expect life to throw curve balls. Catch it or dodge it.

Looking forward to a fantastic year ahead.
As someone once told me, we have only one life. Live it!

Reply to Nan

hi Nan,

the reply's quite wordy so thought i should just publish it as a post :P
hope you'd find the information useful :)

1. is there restaurant at or near Hill Lodge? If we get there in the evening like 7.30 - 8pm do you think it's possible to still get dinner there?
Yes, when you reach the National Park at about that time, you can proceed to the Liwagu Restuarant, they still serve food there. Think they close at 9/9.30pm.

2. possible to deposit luggage at Hill Lodge reception - is there a reception in the first plc? do we have to pay for luggage deposit?
Once you reach the National Park, you will need to register with the reception.
On the day of the climb itself, you can deposit your excess luggage at the reception (for a fee of about RM5/ piece) and bring only the necessities up. Not sure if the price have changed since I last went.

3. where can we da-pao lunch before we begin KK climb?
The climb usually starts very early in the morning. Around 7am. The canteen is open at that time and you can pack food up. But perhaps you may like to consider bringing energy bars instead cos they're lighter and less bulky. It will take about 6 hours to reach Laban Rata. Once you've reached, this is where you will rest and have buffet dinner before departing again for the peak at 2am in the morning (to catch sunrise)

4. do you think it's humanly possible to climb down KK in about 8.5 hours (incl lunch)? we intend to climb down and head off to airport immediately on the same day to catch flight back to SIN at 1845hrs.
Errr... yes it's humanly possible. There was this italian guy who made it UP AND DOWN in less than 3hours in one of the marathons!

It all depends on your stamina and physical condition, I guess. Personally I had more difficulty coming down than going up (weak quads, strong gluts :P) haha...
Have you climbed any mountains before? If not, it's safer to budget for more time, just to avoid missing the flight.

5. who arranged for your transport in KK?
In KK, there's this bus terminal where you can buy a one-way ticket to the National Park. The buses depart on fixed schedules. Eg: 10am/ 2pm
Any bus that passes by the National Park would be fine. Costs about RM10/ pax altho some operators may charge RM15.

From the National Park back to KK, you can just wait at the same spot where you first alighted and take the opposite direction back to KK. However, this is slightly risky if you're travelling in a group cos there may not be enough seats onboard for everyone in your company.
The alternative is to hire a cab from the reception area. The cab can hold about 6 people and costs about RM120.

6. did you sign up with a tour package or you made your own arrangements? wld you recommend getting a tour package to save the hassle?
I made my own arrangements. If you're in a rush for time, then it'd be good to have a package arranged for you. Sutera Sanctuary Lodges (the organisation running the National Park) has a website that provides more information on the packages
http://www.suterasanctuarylodges.com.my/p1.htm

However, from my personal experience, I realised that it's best not to rush through the entire experience. I've climbed the mountain twice, but on my 2nd visit, I didn't make it all the way to the top due to altitude sickness. It takes the body a while to acclimatise and how long it takes differs from person to person. The first time I climbed, I had the luxury of staying at the National Parks (1,700m a.s.l) for 2 nights before the climb. The 2nd time, I stayed only 1 night, and felt sicker and sicker as I got higher and higher. In the end, just ended at Laban Rata before proceeding back down the next day. Symptoms of altitude sickness include, headache, nausea.

PS: btw, you need to ensure that you have lodging at Laban Rata before you start the climb, else they won't allow you to go up.

Too late for regrets

Event: 10km
Date: Sunday Dec 4, 2005
Chip Time/ Gun Time: 1h:20m:38s / 1h:26m:48s

Sigh... quite disgusted with myself. But I guessed I deserve it for not training harder :(
Was aiming for sub-75 or if on a better day sub-60.

Guess I'll have to try again next time. The problem is I'm always so lazy when it comes to training. But almost always, after the event I regret.

But while I didn't like the timing, I enjoyed the run tremendously. 9,000 pairs of feet pounding the pavement.


The results are posted online at RunPix which generates these amazing stats to show our placing in the entire field/ gender/ division.


1268th place with 1257 finishers behind. About 50% of finishers ahead.
[image source: runpix]

I love participating in events like these. They never fail to inspire me.

The atmosphere!
White carnival tents standing tall in the green field. The padang dotted with decorative bits and balloons. Chatters, laughters, children screaming with joy.
Athletes huddled in little groups warming up.
At that instant, I wished I had my camera with me. Or rather that I could somehow freeze that moment and keep with me forever.

The sky was very blue, dotted with the occasional cloud and little bundles of blue/ green balloons. Already looking out for next year's. This time round, will be aiming for the 21 klick.

And I've got to train for it. I've just got to...