Acrophobia anyone?

Fat Dragon & I had the pleasure of participating in the Skytrex Adventure Extreme Challenge at the Taman Pertanian in Bukit Cerakah Seri Alam Park, in Shah Alam, Selangor recently. Tucked away in the jungle, lie 3 obstacle circuits ranging from 3metres (abt 9 ft) to 22 metres (abt 66 ft) high & it is built high amongst the canopy of the forest. Not for the faint hearted & certainly not those fear of heights. But then again, call it mid life crisis, whatever, these 2 Roaring Fortiers decided to give it a go ….. & straight into the deep end…or more appropriate, the high end ~  for The Extreme Challenge. Typical ~ sigh!  

The first challenge, a flying fox challenge stretched across a river about 1 km long. Should be peanuts ….. or so I thought…. 

The start point involves climbing a rope ladder to a wooden platform built round a tree trunk. I was probably about 50 feet up in the air upon reaching the platform….. yup, only about 50 feet … the figure seems so miniscule on paper. The climb up the rope ladder seemed endless …. Imagine, by the time I reached the target … my hands were shaking from the strain & …. that so called ‘kacang puteh’ 50 feet seemed so daunting.  Hmmm… why oh why, did the younger participants ahead of me make it look so easy????????

Before I knew it …. I stood frozen on the platform when confronted with the flying fox across the river. My feet stayed planted on the platform, refusing to move!

The park instructor below was gesturing HARD with his hands urging me to “LET GO! Start flying!” …… I looked down at him. Without shame I told him … “TAKUT!!!!” ….. He replied … “TAK TAKUTLAH!” …..

AAAARRRRrrrrrrrrGGGGGHhhhhhhhhhhh …. GULP! The next platform seems so far away ….. the person there looks like a matchstick ……. YES YES, I know our bodies are held by safety harnesses with 2 safety cables attached to the main line with carabiners but …… What if the carabiner unlocks itself????? …. What if the safety line breaks with my weight????…… What if I hold the contraption wrongly &  I spin mid air?????? ……….. OH OH OH … WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO!!!!!!! Worse still, the river below looks so far below …… Huh… when in fear,  that 50 feet feels magnified to a hundred feet up!!!!!! 

MORE gesturing by the instructor. Panic panic. I looked down at him & showed him (again) that I was really scared by patting my chest repeatedly …. His eyes must have rolled up at that moment, but I was too high to see …. but I did see him waving his hand frantically urging me to GO! He was probably thinking “MORON…! Stop wasting time …. Vacate the platform for the next person climbing up!”.  

Yikes … I have to let go soon …. yikes yikes yikes….. I reached up, dug both my thumbs into the carabiner & held hard … now if only I could just relax… swing my legs out & sit on the harness …….I CAN’T .. I CAN’T  …… Oh NO, climber approaching platform … Have to go…HAVE TO GO!  COME ON …. COME ON… LET gOoooooooOOOOooooo!!!!!! Next thing I know, I was flying through the air … arms ultra tense with the grip ….. ….Don’t look DOWN …. DON’T LOOK DOWN …*I look down of course* ~ law of opposites prevails …OMG, OMG, OMG ~ even my heart felt like it was flying out ….. I was flying through the air for only 15-20 seconds but it felt forever ……….

And that was the end of the first challenge. A rude awakening for me. Never knew I had a fear of heights. Seriously didn’t realize it.  Boy was I relieved when I landed on the next platform with a big THUMP…………. Phew, I survived….. but that was just the beginning …. Onward to another rope ladder climb towards the next platform & another 20 challenges to come, only to emerge from the jungle 2 1/2 hours later! 

p.s. 

Wikipedia defines acrophobia as ”

Acrophobia (from the Greek: ἄκρον, ákron , meaning “peak, summit, edge” and φόβος, phóbos, “fear”) is an extreme or irrational fear of heights. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort that share both similar etiology and options for treatment.

Acrophobia can be dangerous, as sufferers can experience a panic attack in a high place and become too agitated to get themselves down safely.”

Well, technically I guess I don’t suffer from acrophobia 100% but …. the moments of hesitation that I felt when flying & standing high up in the platform really surprised me. Never realized that I’d be feeling weak at the knees like that …..

I have a confession to make …… I’m an addict!

According to Wikipedia: 

The term “addiction” is used in many contexts to describe an obsession, compulsion, or excessive physical dependence or psychological dependence, such as: drug addiction, crime, alcoholism, compulsive overeating, problem gambling, computer addiction, pornography, etc.

Oh dear … did I just see computer addiction in the definition … YIKES … I AM AN ADDICT!!!!!! A computer addict! A Facebook addict & A Flickr addict!  

Well you shouldn’t be surprised. The keyword for addiction is obsession & compulsion! So, it is only natural an OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE like me …… gets hooked easily…. on some habit!!!!!!!!!!! Phew, luckily, it does not include physical activities like trekking etc in the definition … or else I’d be labled a TREKKIE ADDICT or an ADRENALIN ADDICT too!!!!!! Off the hook there….. Thank goodness for that. Can’t afford rehab for so many addictions!!!!

Let’s talk about the source of my FB addiction first… You see, if was our trekking activities that got me started on it.  The people we met were mostly FB members… Well, since I was not an FB member back then, I obviously had to ask for people’s email addresses ~ So, I communicated via these portals. But after numerous treks, some of them who got familiar with me, started asking me repeatedly WHY WHY WHY aren’t you in FB. Ummm…well how about ‘preserving my privacy?’. Does that constitute a good answer? 

However, one of the main activities of FB is the exchange of comments made on pictures after certain events & some of the exchanges are really hilarious!  Fat Dragon was kind enough to update me on the chit chat going on …. Well… given the high turnover of comments, FD just couldn’t cope with providing the service to me anymore  …… & so he offered to ‘open an account’ for me.

Well, he didn’t need to. I ‘opened an account’ myself.  Well, curiosity has killed the cat ~ or rather the horse 🙂  It’s only been about a month since I joined & there’s no turning back………. I’m hooked. Each time I log on to the computer, I sign on to FB on…..sigh….  this is bad.  Well, one good thing has come out of it though… Fat Dragon and I are having a blast of a time doing things like Rafflesia hunting &  waterfall hunting, activities made possible by outdoor groups in FB. Activities that we would not have been able to do ourselves. Some of the places we go to are remote & if you pay guides to help you go in, it would be expensive. FB has opened up a new avenue for Cuti Cuti Malaysia I would say, at backpacker prices.  So, this addiction is a small price to pay ….  I think … Hey, and I’m not alone you know. Do you know if you google ‘FB addiction’, you’d get 4.4million hits! This is a serious social phenomena, man!  But I take consolation in knowing that I’m just a drop in the ocean of FB addicts!!!!!!!  If you’re not sure whether you’re a facebook addict … well, check out THIS video & see how many YES’s you answer to the checklist given. 

My 2nd addiction is Flickr. Flickr is an avenue for sharing photos & videos. My Flickr account was set up half a year ago after Fat Dragon bought me a Lumix Panasonic digital camera as an anniversary present.  When I got the present, I thought to myself… Oh but I don’t take pictures ….! You see, coz I laugh at people cam whoring themselves to the max, taking picture after picture of themselves.  This Flickr addiction came full bloom from October actually. Before that I was just taking pictures of  objects in the house & then I graduated to animals in the zoo. But what got me hooked was when I visited other people’s photostreams & discovered the world of abstract photography, minimalism, creative photography & photoshop editing!!!!!!!

So now, I take pictures whenever I can, when I’m at home, when I’m out so that  I can  doctor them ~ & then I can’t wait to upload them every other day! In fact, some of the Flickr members have a project to upload a picture a day for 365 days.  Be warned though if you do pay the site a visit, whilst FD’s photostream is filled with beautiful sceneries & National Geographic type of pictures,  my pictures are quirky &  a product of my whim and fancy…. not everyone’s cup of tea I’m afraid… ahahahah! Well, they do say one man’s meat is another man’s poison!   

So there you go………… Now that you know, I’m an addict ….

Can I still be your friend???????  Muahahahhhhhhhhhh!

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!

I shan’t bore you with resolutions or a review of the past year this time round. Instead, I decided to pay tribute to the end of a good year 2008 & to start off the year with a photo collage ….  I took these pictures on the 30th of December in the heart of the city along Jalan Bukit Bintang, Jalan Sultan Ismail …..

It was a brilliant blue sky day .. the sun was shining brightly… it was a riot of colours, colours, colours & more colours …. such a pleasure to soak in this happy atmosphere that day! 

 A befitting end to a fantastic year & a sign of hope for better things to come in 2009!!!!!

Wishing everyone a Happy Healthy 2009 … may it bring you one step closer to your dreams & aspirations!!!!!!!  Thank you all for your friendship & love!

p.s. OK … maybe a little update on what’s been happening..

• bought a X’mas present for myself in December… to rephrase, HAD TO … buy myself a pair of  prescription reading glasses…  dog gone fonts for books seem to be getting smaller & blurrier..
• took up photography thanks to an anniversary present by Fat Dragon .. realised that I’ve got a talent for pointing & shooting … aahhaahahah… not necessarily fantastic pics .. but decent lah. Check them out here if you like …
• indulged in outdoor activities to the max … so I can now jog non stop for 5km in about 1/2 hr .. hope to push it to 10km under an hour this year!
• made numerous new friends who share a passion for eating, drinking and being merry – & most importantly – hunting for waterfalls & giant rafflesias! Absolutely great to be able to commune with kindred spirits.. fantabulous I say … (if there is such a word)
• bought myself a MAC BOOK … so am now in the midst of pulling my hair out trying to figure it out!!!!!!
• indulged into the world of translation for the very first time involving cartoons for a TV network .. am happy to report that the language used in these productions are totally inappropriate for young kids & absolutely filled with violence! What happened to things like Snoopy? or Scooby Doo? Sigh…. culture shock for me indeed!
• most importantly, was able to experience all this together with Fat Dragon! Thank you for sharing these moments with me!
• Resolution for the year: CLIMB MOUNT KINABALU!!!!!!!!!

Our virgin A1GP experience…

I only need 3 words to describe our virgin A1GP experience from 3pm to 4.30pm in Sepang last Sunday, the 23rd of Nov 2008 …… Pure adrenalin rush!

There were 5 of us at the race – Fat Dragon, KC, Faith,  Shawn & myself – all of whom have never been to a motor race in our lives. The only thing we knew was that we have a circuit in Sepang and there are F1 races held there in March every year (we know coz there’s a MEGASALE accompanying this event all the time). We know that F1 pits different car makers against each other. A1, pits nations against each other, so they drive cars of only one make i.e. Ferrari.  Well, that is all the information that the 5 of us (put together) knew. Kind of, pathetic, right?

So, why on earth would we brave the jam to go see an A1GP Feature Race (the 3rd race for the season)… a race we knew little about. Did we not have anything better to do than to watch 19 cars from different countries go round and round 34 times through the whole length of the circuit for an hour and 10 minutes? Does not make sense. You might say.   

The magic word is FREE. You see, we had FREE GRAND STAND TICKETS, thanks to KC. Who could pass up on that? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!

We seriously did not deserve to be at the race – We had no inkling what was going on. A sample of the conversation we had between each other was – “So who’s leading, ah?”, “Ummm, the fluorescent green car!”, “No. 2 is also green.”, “Which one is Malaysia’s car?”, “Umm, the yellow one.”,  “What’s the driver’s name?”, “Ummm…. Fairuz something.” “Wah, damn good lah the green car! Nobody can catch up with him man!”, “The orange car is following Malaysia so closely – dangerous!”, “Fuyoh, Malaysia just overtook the white grey car!” ….

Tak ada respect betul! We reduced Ireland, Portugal & Italy to a flurry of fluorescent green, the ‘No. 2 green‘ & the White Grey  images without batting an eye lid ….. ! That’s what you get for not doing research before embarking on something foreign….. & poor Roaring Forties eyesight of course. You see, the names of the countries could be found at the back of the A1 vehicles but hey … its not easy to read something printed on the back of something traveling in the regions of 200kph ok?

Following this, you might think, those jokers must have been BORED stiff. Wonder if they left early.

Actually, we sat through the whole race – all 34 laps. Unbelievable, right? .. But, I can’t begin to describe to you the feeling you get when you’re there witnessing the LIVE event … 

Your ear drums feel like they’re about to burst when the cars race past. Your jaws seem to vibrate. Your heart seems to be jumping out of your rib cage. What an ADRENALIN RUSH to the power of infinity! I cannot explain it. Maybe it was symbolic of the skill & precision required in winning a race, the endurance & strength of the drivers, the power of the engines, the sheer raw guts, the glamour …

100% of our attention was on the track. We kept an eagle eye on each and every car (even though it was identified only by colour) whenever they came to the circuit stretch facing our seats. Look at the map below for an idea of our position. We were seated in the Grandstands facing the 14 to 15 stretch. Must say it offered a great vantage point as we could see & hear the cars coming once they reached point 7 itself.

We held our breaths when cars tried to overtake at the 9 & 15 corner stretches. We were awed by the top speeds (up to 240kph) in the straight stretch between 14 and 15. Last but not least … we were carried by the ROAR of the engines …  it was simply MAGNIFICENT. We were cheering & clapping …. for YELLOW of course..ahahaahaah!!!!!

Believe you me, what you see on TV is NOTHING. It does not come close to anything that you experience when you see a race LIVE, albeit just an A1 race.

Not one complaint came out of our mouths. No one complained of boredom. No one complained about the dirty seats. No one complained about the heat from the afternoon sun. No one regretted coming. Fullstop.

Conclusion: We left Sepang with a very satisfied feel & a new determination to learn more about the sport. We did have a few contentions with the organisers on how they could have stepped up the facilities in the circuit a bit more. The displays should have been working so that the spectators were aware of lap numbers, times, car positions. The venue should have been better maintained. The traffic jam and parking facilities better managed. But hey, those things were secondary in our minds. To use motorsport analogy, our engines have been revved,  a combustion of sorts has been ignited …. I have a feeling a FAN, i.e. moi, is born ….!!!!!

I’m still on a high as I type of this blog…my head is still reeling (in a good way, of course) from the experience. FUYOH!

VROOOOOOM VROOOOOOOOM VROOOOOOOOOM VROOOOOOOOOMMMM 

P.S. I have a confession to make, the 5 of us were so hooked that we watched the feature race again on Astro that night in our house after dinner for race reviews & highlights! Believe it or not.

P.P.S. Oh FYI, the YELLOW car – the one driven by Fairuz Fauzy for Malaysia… It finished 10th, thereby earning 1 point in the championship. He could have had a podium finish as he was in 3rd placing for quite a few laps but he made a bizarre pit stop on the 17th lap. Apparently he thought he was called in by his team but it was a communication glitch. The call was made by another country’s team to their driver but Fairuz heard the radio call instead. Drama drama betul! Oh, and the fluorescent green car driven by Adam Carroll for Ireland went on to win the race that afternoon. Check out the highlights on this link.

P.P.P.S. Next race, Taupo, New Zealand. Jan 25, 09. Till then….

 

Hmmm … there’s a checklist for midlife crisis symptoms?

I read with amusement that day when a local newspaper did an editorial on the human behavior of people suffering from mid life crisis. 

Now, this social phenomena can impact homo sapiens from 40  up to 60 years of age. Hmm…. wouldn’t that mean the Roaring Fortiers fall into the early stages of this band ….. YIKES!

From what I gather, you can actually formulate a checklist of sorts for symptoms of this ‘it-which-cannot-be-named’ mental ailment ……… Now, if you’re between 40 – 60 years old & you answer YES to one or more of the questions below, …. it signals the onset of … umm…, for lack of a better word, the ‘crisis’ …..   Don’t cheat ok? 🙂

Hmm, its a YES for me on the brushing & flossing (that’s 1), checking for white hair (2), taking supplements (3), umm …..  & the bungee jump thing (4) did come across my mind but my back disagrees …  Wow, 4/6 (two thirds majority, in election jargon) ……  Does that mean I ‘pass’ with flying colours? … Oops – That’s not exactly good, is it?! 

You might agree or disagree with the list – but … I’m seriously wondering, how did you fare??? Don’t be shy, tell me – TELL ME!!! Ahahahaha ….. let me be the first to start the ball rolling, I, moi, …… am supposed to be suffering a MID LIFE CRISIS!

WOO HOO!!!!!!! Bring on the bungee jumps!!!!!!!!!

Rural living ….. an acquired taste indeed!

I am being bombarded  by a cacophony of construction noises.

There is the sound of  hammering, knocking and drilling  coming from the back of the house as workers rush to build ‘zero lot’ homes in the empty land behind (don’t even ASK what a zero lot home is – beats me) ……….. There is also the sound of a bulldozer digging the road to repair a burst pipe coming from the front of the house.  Aaarrrggghhh! When will it ever stop!

Care to guess where I’m writing from?  Yup, you’ve got it right. KL.  Oh how I long for the peace and quiet of Mentakab right now.

Then it got me thinking…. how really does rural living fare against urban living, based on our personal experience? For those who are not familiar with us… we have 2 home bases… (a company home in the East and our own home in the West).

We spend a lot of time in Mentakab – a sleepy hollow of a town in Pahang, an eastern state in Peninsular Malaysia…. a direct contrast to metropolitan Kuala Lumpur located in the West of Peninsular Malaysia. You can reach it in just 1 1/2 hours from the Gombak toll, following the East Coast highway. 

The main hub of activity centres around 4 or 5 main streets. The heart of it belonging to a 1/2 km stretch along the Mok Hee Kiang road. The road plays host to the daily pasar malam (night market). ‘The Store’, which has the honour of being the largest departmental store in town, is located at the end of this road.

The height of activity is between 7pm to 9pm. You can see people dressed in jeans, shorts, T-shirts, slippers, milling about casually. Dress yourself up in anything more & you might stick out like a sore thumb. So, be warned. Things slow down after 9:30pm and the streets are quiet by 11pm at night. And NO, there is no movie cinema or cineplex in town. Pure torture for a movie buff like me.

There is a decent invasion of American franchises here. 1 KFC outlet, 1 Pizza Hut outlet (where waiters and waitresses can be seen swatting flies, literally & figuratively), 1 McDonalds. For your pharmaceutical needs, 1 Watsons, 1 Guardian but loads of chinese medicine shops. Banks are abundant here – HSBC, Hong Leong, Public Bank, Maybank, CIMB etc … The gravevines tell us that there is a LOT of timber money swirling around! There is no shortage of clinics too. The top dental clinic in town does have a sinister reputation though. I heard the dentist is all too ready to ‘operate’ on any sort of wisdom teeth trouble! On the fashion front, there are multiple stand alone ’boutiques’ selling low range clothing at mid-high range prices, to choose from.

The townspeople are predominantly Chinese i.e. 80%  (not official)…. Language Spoken – Mandarin.  You speak in Cantonese and they’ll immediately identify you as a KLite.

The economic activity  centres around the businesses in town, hence it is an important source of employment. The town is also supported by the Temerloh Industrial Park situated at the fringe of the town along the old Karak trunk road. A lot of people also make a living from logging and concession activities nearby.  

That pretty much is the sum total of the town and from the 10 plus years that we have lived there (albeit during weekdays only), we have discovered some of the quirks inherent in rural living…. 

Social Behaviour:

• Everyone knows everyone else in town, so don’t be surprised if someone calls out to you by name … and you don’t know who the heck he or she is.
• Everyone knows of everyone else’s whereabouts and… be careful here, ……it gets reported back to their  spouses.
• You can go to the town’s best Karaoke wearing shorts. 
• You are probably the only one picking an English song at the Karaoke.

Traffic:

• Although some cars crawl at about 40 – 50 km an hour, cars at the back follow patiently behind without honking.
• At the opposite end of the spectrum, there are hell drivers who travel at 100 – 120 km an hour on small roads. Be careful of this group, they treat yellow and red lights as ‘go faster’.

Stereotype:

• More often than not, as a woman, you’re expected not to think, not to give an opinion and most importantly not be smarter than a man. If you are, you’re very likely to remain single.

Spirit of neighbourliness:

• Don’t be surprised if strange old women (who claim to be your neighbours from a few doors away) come into your garden uninvited, with a parang, and starts chopping the ‘jantung pisang’ off your banana tree …. (Trust me on this one… I’ve experienced it firsthand. Shocked me speechless. How do you say NO to a person holding a parang? You tell me.)  

Putting busy bodies and the initial culture shock aside,  small town living grows on you after awhile. The air’s fresher. Traffic is light. Fat Dragon has the luxury of waking up as late as 8pm in order to go to work by 8:30pm sharp.

Yes, there is a lack of privacy because everyone knows you. But on the other hand, it gives you a sense of belonging. There’s always a warm greeting from your neighbours, the vegetable lady calls out to you heartily if she recognises you in the streets, the jogger at the park never fails to give you an encouraging smile to urge you on. Priceless.  

Every amenity, facility and point of entertainment  is only 10 – 15 minutes away (maximum).  Less time spent traveling equals more time for recreational and sporting activities. More quality time with family & friends. A far cry from the rat race of KL.  The place gives you a healthier, more personal, stress free environment for living………not to mention ‘to die for’ and ‘kick ass’ river fish meals for sustenance.   

Don’t get me wrong though. I’m not a pure convert. I admit, the weekend breaks in KL are welcome. I am addicted to the pollution & mess of city living. I miss the crowds and the anonymity. I miss the malls, the cinemas, the bookshops, the company of kindred spirit …….. but then again …… 

Small town living is an acquired taste … once you get hooked on it, you will crave for it… just like I crave for the peace and quiet of it now, as I sit in the middle of this din … Krkakkkkakkkakka, ddddrrrrriiidrdriiidridri … Rattatttattttattt ….

Happy Feet = Healthy Mind & Body?

NO. THIS IS NOT A REFLEXOLOGY BLOG.

Fat Dragon and I had a really full social calendar the past three months. 

Now a healthy social life, doesn’t necessarily mean everything else is healthy. Namely, our bodies. We’ve been exercising our mouths, our livers to the maximum what with the merry making of catching up with friends back from overseas…with friends from out of town…..with friends during the Raya celebrations …. and so on and so forth…. There really has been no let up. And I can assure you, this form of exercise does nothing to shrink the numbers on your weighing scale!!!

We decided to go on a quest to make sure all these overworked organs remain healthy and in good shape for the next round of merry making in December…  X’mas & New Year! Ahahahahahah………

…So, we enlisted the help of our feet, of course! Sort of a walking, running, dancing bootcamp, you could say.  And here are some highlights of its activities………..

They trudged heavily & courageously on a mushy path in a 6 hour trek up and down  Gunung Berembun in Cameron Highlands, with Fat Dragon’s feet as companions. The trail was steep and mossy, hence the name, which translates into Mossy Hill. Such a wave of exhaustion hit us as we climbed and descended the slippery & ‘bouncy’ trail (Some parts of the ground was not solid ground. It was actually made up of root systems which felt suspended from the ground)… But we made it..shaky knees and all….and all we left behind, were our footprints! We did not take anything with us…not even pictures. We were just too exhausted!   

The lower extremities of our bodies were tested to the limit again, when they got fitted with dancing shoes during the Raya celebrations. Our feet shuffled and stepped to the sounds of 3 live bands (pic of one of them shown below) playing Santana beats and music from the 70’s and 80’s at the Cross Roads in  Concorde Hotel. I would say the Roaring Fortiers stepped up (pun intended) to the challenge given the extra loads and expanding waistlines that the feet had to carry but boy did we move. And…we passed with flying colours…..It would make the youngsters cringe but hey …  WHO CARES!

Warning: Please do not adjust your screen. The fuzzy image you see below was taken under the influence of alcohol… 🙂

They also got a chance to pound the hard, interlocking-tiled sidewalk along of Gurney Drive (Penang). This pavement is flanked by the sea on one side & and traffic on the other. So you get to breathe in a cocktail of sea breeze & exhaust fumes. How about that? The jog might not sound like a great fete to you but it really is a first for me. All the years that I have visited Penang, I’ve never run along Gurney Drive. I would never have dreamed being able to do 5km in half an hour, so it was an achievement for me and my dear old feet! 

 Now, you tell me, how often do you a get a scene like while jogging in KL?

Our feet succeeded in trekking up the steep road of Maxwell Hill (new name Bukit Larut, located in Taiping, Perak)), which was reportedly 6 miles long and not 6 km long … We completed about 5 miles up the road but given the failing light and rain.. we decided that the peak was to be ‘conquered’ another day! After all, the creepy stories of Japanese Occupation beheadings were at the back of our minds, (which is probably why the locals who met us along the way kept telling us “Its time to go down!”…  as the sun was setting) … But, we’ll be back – Wouldn’t miss another date with this giant centipede again………

 Sunset at Maxwell Hill

For the first time ever, our feet did a walking tour of Ipoh (as opposed to driving) and the slow pace of walking allowed us to savour the old charm of the city even more. We caught sights of the old FMS restaurant building, the newly repainted Ipoh Railway Station and Majestic Hotel, the Courts & the beautiful facades of colonial buildings which housed the various banks i.e. HSBC, Standard Chartered, OCBC etc. Our feet walked colourful mosaic pavements, which is such a nice change to the boring interlocking pavements and raw concrete flooring that adorns most of KL’s pavements nowadays. They walked under beautifully aligned arches of corridors to the old shoplot buildings. They walked by colourful flower beds which lined all these majestic old buildings ..  it was a highly peaceful and therapeutic activity. Highly recommended.

The colours of old charm…

And the highlight was probably the fact that we managed to join the footfalls of a group of new acquintances who share the same quest for wet & slippery adventures, in search of waterfalls in Malaysia … They call themselves the Waterfall Survivors under the passionate & energetic leadership of Ms. Joe Yap. Thanks to them, Fat Dragon & I managed to find the Tanglir Falls in Bukit Tinggi (which previously eluded us & led us to a wild goose chase to Janda Baik instead) and the beautiful and sandy Lata Khong in Karak (Sungai Dua area)!  One can’t help being contemplative under the influence of negative ions … as this young man seems to be doing at the foot of the Lata Khong falls. How cool is that?

Lata Khong…(Picture courtesy of Fat Dragon)

I’d say, without a doubt, happy feet translates into a happy mind & healthy body! …. Thank you so much or putting up with the eccentricities of this bunch of Roaring Fortiers! Thank you so much for helping us keep in shape! 

………. & we’ll celebrate it with a toast or two during X’mas, eh?  After all, the other organs and limbs deserve attention too, no? BOTTOMS UP! GAN BEI! CHEERS to our dear old feet! *$Burp#@

p.s. Apologies for the long absence from my blog. My fingers went into a meltdown phase. They refused to move, although the brain kept reminding them that their services were needed in updating my blog.

p.p.s. For those who find the idea of exercise dreary … do try to mix the activity with some fun: do it with friends, combine it with photo taking activities, vary the places you go to – walk in a concrete jungle one day and a real jungle the next … last but not least – arm yourself with a ‘can do’ spirit …Never fails!

Tagged – Love of Literature ………..

I have been tagged … on the Love of Literature by Absolut Ginger.  Great timing, given that I’ve had the opportunity to read a number of really good books lately …… What better way to escape into other people’s lives, escape into another culture, escape into another country, escape into the world of glitz & glamour other than through reading I say ……

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading?

I have my dad & my brother to thank for this. My dad used to work in the British Council & he used to bring home all sorts of books for me to read.  As for my brother’s contribution, he used to subscribe to the Reader’s Digest & I used to love the book section at the end & the short snappy articles written in the publication. Those days, the Reader’s Digest packed a good read unlike the Reader’s Digest of today which I find a bit too commercial.  Thank you for enforcing this habit in me …. it is important to feed the brain for a healthy mind!

What are some books you read as a child?

Does “Bambi” the picture book by Walt Disney count? The abridged version of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.  Mallory Tower series, Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene.

What is your favorite genre?

Crime fiction  but anything goes for me, really, as long as its well written with good character development…… ……. and I don’t fall asleep while reading it.  

Do you have a favorite novel?

Don’t torture me by asking for ONE favourite novel. I have many favourites…. so please bear with me!  

Recent favorites:

Some of you might be scratching my head from my list, but here they are…..

“We Need to talk about Kevin” by Lionel Shriver. A killing spree occurs in high school. You have the Killer. You have the Mother. The book sets you thinking whether a person is born evil or is it a result of circumstance? The narration style is very interesting as it is actually a series of letters written by the mother to the father, analysing what went wrong. And…the ending is mind blowing!

“House of Fog & Sand” by Andre Dubus III – contemporary literature. Great read. Read about how fragile life is where a simple mistake  or misstep can turn into a disaster if managed wrongly. You really feel for the characters. No right or wrong here. Just tragic.  

“Grotesque” by Natsuo Kirino – translated by Rebecca Copeland. A prostitute is killed. An office worker is murdered. Are both the murders linked? Don’t be fooled by the fact that its translated. Its a great crime read. Although some have complained that it lacks focus, I enjoyed the book immensely. The book also gives you an insight about life in Japan, how materialistic & plastic society is.

“Triptych” by Karin Slaughter. Crime fiction. Great bedtime read with unexpected twists here and there, & I mean UNexpected twists.

“A Thousand Splendid Suns” – Khaled Hosseini. I chose this over the Kite Runner because the theme is closer to  heart, me being a female. The book gives you an idea what it’s like to be a woman in Afghanistan. It begs the question, when you are somebody’s daughter or when you are somebody’s wife in this part of the world, are you part of the family or just a piece of chattel or trophy to be showed off? Cried buckets.

(Disclaimer: The order of the books does not in any way reflect their ranking in my favorite list …)

Old Favorites:

Exodus by Leon Uris. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. Both epic classics that do not need any introductions. Great read both these books.

When/ Where do you usually read?

Wherever and whenever I can snatch some quiet time (not necessarily a quiet place …as long as its quiet time to myself) …. so I can read even in noisy restaurants when I lunch alone, in the LRT, in bed, etc …. (if only I could read at the park while jogging …that’d be cool – ahahahahahaah!)   

Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?

Actually no. Thanks to my obsessive compulsive behavior, I tend to focus on one book at a time …

Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than when you read fiction?

Not at all! But that’s because the nonfiction that I pick usually has some element of action, horror, terror or mystery to it. So, it really is as exciting a read as any piece of fiction goes.

Just like the latest non fiction  I read –  “Sold” which was ghostwritten by Andrew Croft. It tells the true story of how Zana & Nadia Muhsen, 2 Birmingham teenagers were sold as child brides against their will to Yemen by their father. Suspenseful read in its own way.

I tend to shy away from super dry i.e. political autobiographies like Bill Clinton, Lee Kuan Yew in general …  The only real autobiography I have read was Mao Tze Tung’s & that was filled with drama drama drama coz apart from his political exploits, you get to read about his sexual exploits, his personal hygiene habis etc (Did you know he NEVER brushed his teeth? He washed his mouth with tea only. Theoretically, he wasn’t that far off I guess, since tea & toothpaste both have alkaline properties).

Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them or check them out at the library?

All bought. Mostly from Popular Book Store in fact coz I feel they are most genuine when you buy a membership card with them, they give you 10% discount flat out. No need to wait for rebates or accumulate points, like other book retailers. Very sincere. Thank you Popular.

Do you keep most of the books you buy? If not, what do you do with them?

Fat Dragon & I feel a sense of attachment to our books, so it’s all kept in our house library.

If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them? Were they some of the same ones you read as a child?

Toughie. We don’t have children so I’m not sure if the books I read as a child is relevant & exciting for the children of today.  (after all – I read the Harry Potter series, as an adult ….. )

What are you reading now?

“Out” by Natsuo Kirino, translated by Stephen Snyder.

Do you keep a TBR list?

Nope ………. I just go by what catches my eye when I browse at the bookshop. Although there’s Leo Tolstoy’s WAR & PEACE still lying unread & gathering cobwebs in the bookshelf … (I admit it is one of those snob purchases of mine …since its a ‘must read’ piece of literature) … sigh … at least literature books are cheap.

What’s next?

War & Peace????????????????????? 🙂

What books would you like to reread?

I don’t have a habit of rereading books. I like to move on to new books really … but if you really push me for an answer maybe I’d say its Leon Uris’ EXODUS. Damned good book. Such a well researched epic of a book! Feels like a History Lesson but minus the boring element. 

Who are your favorite authors?

Recent read. Khaled Hosseini. Old read. Leon Uris.

The size of your feet tells all…

It all started with a joke between Cyclist, Fat Dragon, Short Stuff & myself. Cyclist was telling us about his theory regarding the size of a man’s foot being in corelation to the size of a man’s peeing organ & his sexual prowess. Well, I had the smallest feet in the group, but since I was the only person of the opposite gender in the group – all eyes suddenly dropped to Short Stuff’s feet!!!!! Poor guy ….. ahahahahaah!!! Given his silence, we are resigned to the fact that he was not willing to prove or disprove the theory … so we’re all left wondering, still …

This brings to mind a couple of associations between certain physical attributes & a person’s capabilities, character or destiny….. Fact or Myth, I really don’t know but these are just old wives tales which I have heard and compiled in passing  🙂

Big Long Meaty Ear Lobes  – This is quite an age old theory and is supposed to signify longevity. I have met quite a number of geriatrics who have long hanging ear lobes – so yeah, maybe its true after all. Take a look at Dr. M’s ear lobes. I’d say they’re pretty long & he’s an octogenarian.

Big nose (meaty but must not have big nostrils) – Sign of prosperity. Sure to be good at making money. Well, a friend of mine has this really huge nose, supposedly to be in the proportions of a wealthy businessman. Well he never fails to remind me that he has not given up & is still waiting for this ‘prophecy’ to come true. [Ahahahaha. I hate to break this to you, THS – but have you ever considered the fact that your nose is not so big after all if you talk about proportions? After all, your face is BIG too.] 

Big Nostrils – Very spendthrift & not good at saving money. This is based on the fact that if these two orifices are too big, then of course, money flows out of that big nose of yours. AHAHAHAHAAH!!!!!~! Oh well, perhaps I’m a walking testimony of this physical attribute. Big Nostrils I have and big savings, I don’t have. (We went trekking to a waterfall with a big group once. One of our friend’s daughters, when she was about 7 years of age stood in front of me. She suddenly looked up & asked me seriously…’Auntie, why your NOSE so big one’…I felt like answering “ALL THE BETTER TO SMELL YOU WITH” ala the big bad wolf. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance coz the mom,  absolutely shocked & embarassed, quickly reprimanded the kid. But hey… I understand perfectly. From her angle down under, perhaps my NOSTRILS looked huge & cavernous) Poor kid 🙂

Curly Haired Men – I’m afraid this physical attribute is a bit discriminatory as it applies to Chinese men only. Given it is norm for Orientals to have straight  hair, apparently curly haired Oriental men are great philanderers. Anybody knows if that famous ancient Chinese character Wai Siew Poh (the one with the seven wives) had curly hair?

Dimpled Cheeked Women – Ahhh! They say that women with dimpled cheeks can drink like fish & hold their alcohol real well. I really don’t know many women with dimples but the ones that I know of, look real cute but don’t drink all that well. All I can say is its easier to tell with men .. don’t need to look out for dimples. Just look out for the beer belly!!!!

Short Statured Men have big egos – Well, historically proven. Look at Hitler and Bonaparte. Powerful, conquering men with ‘miniature’ statures in comparison. Influential but dangerous men. Could it be their physical shortcomings drove them to overcompensate by fighting for power, authority & control?  

Thin lips – Apparently, people with thin narrow lips are very cold and frigid. I suppose this is true in terms of perception. Thick lips tend to project sensuality, sultriness etc, thus thin lips project the opposite image. Hey, why else would botox be doing so well, if not for the demand for Angelina Jolie lips eh?

Well, it is all very interesting be it true or not, but I would end with a word of caution to all …. BEWARE of people with faint or no eyebrows. Somehow, the people with this physical attribute (or should I say, lack of it) that we have crossed paths with in our lives … seemed to be weak minded, manipulative & lacking in integrity …… But then again, that’s just my opinion :-p

Musophobia anyone????????

 IS HE CUTE???????

It was close to midnight…. I was alone as Fat Dragon was out entertaning. I was happily watching a delayed telecast of the results show for American Idol last Friday …anxiously awaiting the announcement of the results…. deep in concentration as I rooted for David Cook to win…. 

All of a sudden, there was a huge ruckus in the kitchen. As our house in Mentakab had an open concept between the living room, dining & kitchen, it just took a turn of my head for me to witness a dark furry speedy little figure jumping  through the kitchen window from the outside, onto the sink (PLONK PLONK) & dashing madly towards a trolley full of utensils (CLING CLANGING away) & …………………….. What on earth?????? YIKES SHRIEK

……There would be another speedy figure in the house,  dashing in the opposite direction, that night…. i.e. ME!    Up the stairs I ran,  to deposit myself into the bedroom, away from the frontlines of mousy danger.  Despite my shivering constitution, I quickly grabbed whatever newspapers I could find in the room to stuff into the crack underneath the door, just in case. 

My next course of action – Send out SOS MESSAGEs to Fat Dragon! The messages are as follows:

SMS1 : Dar, a RAT just jumped into the kitchen

SMS2 : OMG what shall I do! All the food there, doors r closed. How’s it gonna get out? The fruits OMG OMG

SMS3 : RAT IN THE HOUSE – HELP!

Thank goodness the SOS messages were effective. Fat Dragon came back shortly to launch a noisy midnight search for the mousy intruder.  Broom sticks were hitting the fridge, the kitchen cupboards, the rubbish bins, the trolley, the stove cupboard. Hmmm… He must be gone. After all, no four legged friend of ours could survive such a noisy ‘hunt’ without getting freaked, right? He would try to escape a.s.a.p., right????

“All clear!” Fat Dragon declared with confidence. Well, maybe not so confidently after all … coz he suggested we leave the house for a midnight snack. “Let the little guy have some space….We’ll leave the doors open, so he can escape!” Hmm… hardly comforting words..you mean he could still be in the house?!

Next morning which was a Saturday, Fat Dragon gave the kitchen another lookover before going to work. Nothing. Well, that’s it. he must have escaped somehow when I was upstairs the night before. OK. Phew. I survived! Although my heart did get a little more exercise than it’s used to!

Being an Obsessive Compulsive, this meant that I was in for a busy morning coz I was committed to giving the sink & all the utensils a washover to clean out the path run over by little visitor. Now after I was done, I happened to notice a dark patch underneath the double burner stove seated on a stove cupboard next to the sink & utensil trolley. Hmmph, I must have dropped a vegetable leaf …. let’s lift the stove & get rid of it! So lift up the stove I did …………

& AAAAAAaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHH…….. SHRIEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Two beady eyes stared back at me & I FREAAAAAKED. I SLAMMED THE STOVE BACK DOWN and in replay, dashed back up the stairs & LOCKED MYSELF IN!!!!!! This episode brought on even worse physical effects. Not only did the heart pound, my hands and legs were shivering …………… AGAIN, I sent out an SOS … this time I called – fingers too shaky to SMS! “Aargh … I thought you said the place was CLEAR???????????” HELP! 

Well, the good news was, I found him right?  I exiled myself in the bedroom for a good two hours that morning … lying in wait for Fat Dragon’s return (Thank God it was a Saturday – half day work. If not, I would have been in self exile longer). Fat Dragon arrived home soon enough & was directed immediately into the kitchen by yours truly. “Check under the stove” “If you see a dark patch … that’s him!”. …Well, minutes later Fat Dragon confirmed ‘”Yup, he’s still there. So what do you want me to do? KILL HIM….?!!”

Umm…I might hate these little suckers but gee.. you know what…I felt an overwhelming pity & admiration for this poor little bugger in particular. Something drove him into our house, I suspect it could’ve been a cat or something like that, given his panicky dash. Thinking of my own pumping heart muscles, I really wonder what all that banging and clanging from the night ‘hunt’ must have done to him. And to imagine having a stove slammed down on him the morning after & still have the courage (or is it stupidity) to remain where he was. WHAT AN ORDEAL it all must have been…..& I couldn’t forget the look on the pair of beady eyes…kinda tugs at your heartstrings a bit.  So I said…”NO, let’s just scare him out of the house.”  And that’s exactly what we did. We wheeled the stove cupboard out into the back yard quietly. Then Fat Dragon lifted the stove loudly. Lo and behold the frightened creature scrambled up to wall to safety & we left it at that.  Let’s hope the ordeal is enough to remind him not to come in to this particular house … … FINGERS CROSSED – I could do with a little less cardiac exercise.

Musophobia according to Wikipedia: 

“Fear of mice and rats is one of the most common specific phobias. It is sometimes referred to as musophobia (from Latin mus for “mouse”) or murophobia (a coinage from the taxonomic adjective “murine” for the Muridae family that encompasses mice and rats), or as suriphobia, from the French souris, meaning mouse.”

Yup, I am guilty of Musophobia as charged.  So, despite beady eyes & all …….  NO – HE IS NOT CUTE!!!!!

  

 

P.S. It is indeed disconcerting to have a phobia of rats given that they are common pests which can be found in a lot of places. While it is not pleasant to suffer from this phobia, I am quite lucky to declare this is the worst of worsts for me. I am fearless when dealing with lizards, cockroaches, even the snake which I found in our backyard one day. However, I do understand how paralysing (emotionally and physically), it is to suffer certain others phobias for eg.  baccillophobia (fear of bacteria) as everything we touch would probably have germs anyway, or maybe claustrophobia (fear of crammed spaces) especially for those working in a highrise building. I dread to think that the person will be sentenced to a lifetime of climbing stairs to his workplace for fear of entering the crammed space of a lift. Given the changing lifestyles of modern times, we also have to deal with ‘newer’ listings for phobias such as homophobia i.e. the fear of homosexuals.

P.P.S. For a list of phobias, check this link.