Hiking Up Gunung Nuang on Merdeka

Most people would spend the National (Merdeka) Day of their country participating in parades or sleeping in on their cozy bed. Others would watch TV programs laden with National songs and documentaries about the history of the country. As for me and a few others, we decided to hike up a mountain. Truth be told, I was "persuaded" by a friend to join the hike. However, given that I haven't exactly exercise in a long while, I reluctantly joined because if not, my laziness would literally tangle me and suffocate the willpower out of me.

Fast forward - we ended up hiking Gunung Nuang, the tallest mountain in Selangor. As I knew, we didn't really plan to come here but GPS lady led us there. Now, I have been on numerous treks before but as I mentioned, that was a long while ago. Thinking that this should be like no other forest trekking that I have experienced, I enjoyed the first few meters of strolling. Not even 1km into the forest, the trail turned into a slope which after a few more meters, turned into another steeper slope. By the time we reached the first rest stop, we realized we had been only hiking for 1.6km. You have no idea how astonished I was. I thought we had hiked at the very least, more than 2km. I was really out of shape.

Now, the total journey to the peak of the mountain was at least 9km away. Initially, I told myself, "Meh, easy peasy". After being reminded of the hardship of trekking, I wanted to stay back and play with the butterflies. Luckily, the group unanimously agreed to trek half the way up since there was a waterfall in middle of the journey. Since the journey was cut short and I was a quarter way there, there was no point turning back, might as well move forward.

Thus, the journey continued and of course, there were more slopes to come (Don't forget, we were hiking up a mountain). Halfway up, my brain fried and I went into autopilot, letting my adrenaline took over me. I jogged up the trail, leaving the group behind (I'm such a horrible person). Before I knew it, I reached a stream with people having picnics around it. We regrouped and persisted onwards to the waterfall. When we we reached, I was glad that I didn't stop or else I wouldn't be able to take the following picture:

Imagine all sorts of Tomb Raider or Lord of the Rings scenes with this picture in mind. While the waterfall was spectacular, the object that caught my attention was the breathtaking tree that stood in the middle. It was just magnificent to see such a scene with my own eyes. Not from a book, not from Internet, not from any media but up front and close.

So, we stayed there a while, enjoying the scenery and the water. I would talk about the dreaded journey back but I do want to visit this place again. Hopefully, I have the energy to go all the way up to the peak then. In the meantime, let me enjoy my little comfort in my room.

And of course, not to forget:

Before I signed off, Happy Merdeka Day to all Malaysians!

Chilling in Cameron - Part 2

(This a continuation of my previous post)

I think I should just stop apologizing for late posts because of my tardiness. However, like always, I have a good excuse. I recently moved out of my old place and this new abode of mine has no wi-fi or whatsoever. So, my only source of Internet surfing is either at my workplace or random cafes. More on that next time.

I will start off with a LEGO photo this time, featuring Mr Bee again (Cy in disguise). One of the highlights of Cameron Highlands is the numerous bee farms speckled from one end of the valley to the other. The one below was taken at a bee farm near the town, Brinchang.

buzzzz....

The bee farm aside, I have traversed from precipitous forest to posh British-styled cafe. Indeed, it was my opportunity to pretend as an adventurous trekker and high class bloke. Two polar opposite social roles which I was more than eager to become. 

Let's start with the latter. The venue was Ye Olde Smokehouse situated at a wide estate with a goft course to which I presumed was left by past colonists. I supposed in their mind, they were thinking that since the air is cooling and fresh, let's build a fancy house up here to take in this wondrous view of Malayan valleys. If so, I was glad that they did because the place was amazing. The moment I stepped into the house, I momentarily forgot that I was in Malaysia. The interior was decorated with ornaments you would usually find in an old European house, ranging from vintage pictures to intricately designed furniture.

Don't get me started on the food. I actually felt full (which is a rare moment for me). As a matter of fact, I would puke if I did not have a controlled gag reflex. Nonetheless, with such high end ambiance, my wallet endured a third degree burn. For just two people, we spent more than RM120, excluding appetizers and desserts. Still, it was one of those once in a blue moon experience that I don't mind spending.

The Entrance to Ye Olde Smokehouse.

Next stop, I will feature the Mossy Forest. As one of the popular tourist destination of Cameron Highlands, they did not fool around when they called this place mossy. Situated high up on one of the myriad mountains in the area, the environment is cold, humid and wet that just about any mosses grow in every inch and corner of the foliage there. There's this chilly and ominous feel when I was there but it was so cool that I didn't foresee any possible danger from the place. Of course, since it's high up on a mountain, one wrong step and it's hell of a way tumbling downhill.

I took this photo in the middle of the forest. At the entrance, there were stairs and wooden steps constructed to guide tourists into the forest. Halfway through, however, the journey becomes more arduous as travelers need to rely on their own strength to walk and climb. As you can see, the roots just extend haphazardly. For thrill seekers like me, this is a must-go-to place when you're in Cameron.

Besides that, when you all the way up on a mountain, you get to take a cool panoramic shot like the one below, overlooking the extensive hills and valleys of Pahang.

Just to conclude, I didn't do much on the last day since me and Cy almost traveled to every nooks and crannies of the highland. Sometimes, it's just nice to rest in a cafe and enjoy the other person's company (esp, if it's someone close to you). 

Trapped on A Bridge and The Amazing Spiderman 2 Review

Every Saturday since April, I have been going to SS15 (a place nearby but a few kilometers away) to work for this special needs center. They cater to both special needs and normal children but so far the kids I'm teaching are either fine or borderline cases. I have seen the severe ones which I have to admit is not easy teaching them anything.

Anyhow, this post ain't about that. So, to go to this place, I need to take a bus. Otherwise, it's 20min to half an hour walk away. I usually walk home after my session is done as I like to listen to music and wave at the vehicles passing by. Today, my agenda was slightly different. After my session was done, I went to watch The Amazing Spider Man 2: Rise of Electro but more on that later. By the time when the movie was over, it was already 5pm and ominous clouds loomed the sky. Being the impatient rascal that I am, I didn't wait for the bus and instead, I took off knowing that the rain was about to fall. Amazingly, I made it more than half way through before the rain started and I found myself stuck on a bridge with a cover overhead.

Since it was a downpour, there was no way I was getting off the bridge for a while. Instinctively, I took out my iPad and started taking some photos. Of course, the only LEGO I brought along was Spider Man which I intended to shoot at the cinema but I ended up forgetting about it so I had to do so on the bridge. Other than the LEGO photos, I shot other scenery (with names) as well and they are as followed:

Cascading Freeway

Paranoia

Frankly, it was nice to just watch the cars went by on top of the bridge. Try it sometimes, just to clear your mind.

Now it's time for:

Spidey Review

There will be a major spoiler for those who haven't watch the movie yet. Fans should see this coming from the trailer but if you still don't want to be spoiled, go away now, read no further. You are warned.

Ok, the overall movie was, like the last one, 'meh'. That's the only word I can describe it. However, I do love the character building between Peter and Gwen in the latest one. Jamie Foxx as Electro was awesome as well but I felt that they didn't develop him as much as the two main characters. For the viewers, he just seemed like a nutty scientist (like all the villains of Spidey films) who turned psychotic because of 'accidents'. 

The villain origins for all the Spidey film (even some from the original trilogy) was so lackluster that not even Electro's electricity can revive them. It's the typical story plot whereby a shy super genius was bestowed amazing powers and turned evil due to some personal vendetta. Electro was worse as they did so little to electrify his character development. Less so than Dr Connors, a.k.a The Lizard. The only thing that sparkled for him was his transformation and the fight scenes with Spidey. When you put a villain's name in the movie title, you expect more from him other than a few fight scenes here and there.

That brings us to the other two villains as seen from the poster, Green Goblin and Rhino. Don't expect too much of them with the exception that they will eventually lead up to Sony's plan of filming a Sinister Six movie. Sinister Six is the opposite equivalent of Avengers whereby Spidey's worst villains ganged up to fight the wall crawler. I just wished Sony would collaborate with Marvel on this but oh well, one can only hope things go well.

Now, back to Peter and Gwen. The sequel definitely focused more on them as a couple and how they overcome the obstacles of Peter being a superhero. Emma Stone did an amazing (I think I have used this word way too many times) portraying Gwen the way she loved Peter as shown in comics. At times, the movie gave off a romantic love story similar to Captain America 2 giving off an espionage thriller.

As for the big spoiler, again, fans would have foreseen this and that particular scene made me tear up a bit. That was how romantic the love story was amidst scenes of unrealistic boss battles. One can't help but feel sorry for Peter which leads me to this photo.

Gloomy and forlorn - just like his love life.

Anyway, if you haven't watched the movie yet, it's worth watching once. It can be a bit draggy due to the movie length (which was too long) but if you are sucker for love stories and a bit of actions in between, then maybe you can watch it two times. So, I give this film my personal rating of 3 out of 5.

Now, I will crawl into my web of blanket and snooze like the arachnid I am. Bye~

My Gopeng Resort

As I implied in the previous post, I visited Cy in the forest resort and reserve where he's currently conducting his fieldwork on the native people. Like most the places we've been to, this place is...and my favourite word...tranquil as well as serene, calm and downright peaceful. Away from the city life, away from the rat race, away from the hustle and bustle.

I do enjoy this peace of mind from time to time after spending too much time in the city. Unfortunately, I could only stay there for 3 days, 2 nights but it was a time well spent and I'm definitely going back there again.

Moving on, the place is called My Gopeng Resort. It lies a few kilometers away from Gopeng town (a small town nearby Ipoh in Perak). Hills and valleys speckled the areas to which some are used for marble mining (the area is full of it). The resort is enclosed with dense forest so do expect rainfall and more-than-friendly-bugs. Still, nature lovers usually don't care about those kind of stuff. Several rivers also run through the forest and in a hot afternoon, you can take a dip in the cool water and just release your tension.

This is a picture of the resort.

Among other things you will notice there is the large amount of pretty butterflies. Most of the ones I saw are the Malaysian National Butterfly - The Raja Brooke. In a few designated spots, you can see them puddling which is an activity whereby the males try to absorb nutrients from the ground (mostly sodium).

This is one picture I took of them but it's kind small so you might have to zoom in.

Then, my favourite itinerary came. Finding the elusive Rafflesia. It is the world largest species of flower and it can only be found around this part of the world. Though the largest ones can only be found in Borneo Island, the ones that I saw are sub-species of them but they were still large nonetheless.

The journey to find these flowers, however, was arduous. It required at least an hour of trekking and traversing through a leech infested undergrowth. I was bitten a few times around my ankles (I didn't wear a long-enough pants). The leeches were pretty harmless so you don't have to worry about contacting disease from them. Otherwise, it's the fatigue that you have to worry about so make sure you pack some bottles of water as well as some energy bars (but don't ever litter).

Luckily, when I arrived, we saw a few flowers in full bloom and glory, a few were just buds, a few dying and another one just about to open. Thus, I was able to make the following collage.

The life cycle of a Rafflesia

One common myth I was like to dispel is that the flower doesn't really stink. People have been exaggerating that the flowers smell like a corpse or something dying and the stench can be smelled from a distance. Honestly, I did not smell anything as I was nearing it. There was a bit of a stench but only if you put your whole face near to the mouth. It's just like how some people exaggerate the smell of a local fruit called Durian.

And as always, there's a LEGO picture involved. It's been a while since I last saw Cy, so we took a photo by a dying and wilting Rafflesia so that we don't disturb or harm the ones in full bloom.

So if you are interested in all the nature stuffs, do drop by this resort and spend a day or two just to take in the great outdoors -Malaysian style.

Splurge~

There are some days when you just want to treat yourself good and nice or as I like to term it, splurge. It's true that money isn't everything and one shouldn't be too materialistic unless you want to end up being consumed by the materials themselves. Then again, it wouldn't hurt if you spent a little money to pamper yourself, especially if you are stressed.

That is why today, I went to a cafe in my uni by the name of Cafe Madeleine. Things are pretty pricey here but I absolutely love the salad here. Plain Caesar Salad without additional substances. That's the life. While I'm here, I took the opportunity to take the photo below.

The trend setter (whom we all know is Paris Hilton), is a minifigure of the latest LEGO Minifigure Series 10. She comes with a small puppy and an iPhone lookalike device. I recently acquired it and I had great photo ideas for her. One of them is this picture.

In summary, money is hard to earn but it's good to spend it one in a while to make yourself happy. It's a material used in a materialistic world anyway.

Lego Diploma

Today is the first day of June 2013 and I, being my ambitious self (ideal at first but I seldom made it thru), have decided to do a photo of the day so that I can keep this blog lively. Of course, all the picture that I will post will be about LEGO, or something to do with them at least. Now, for those who have read my previous post, I talked about a LEGO event whereby participants have to tell a personal story by building LEGO bricks out of it. I built a paradise mountain but sadly, I didn't bring my camera to take a photo of it. So instead, I will post this:

A cert signifying my completion of the competition. YAY! As for now, I do hope I would win though.

My Story Continues

I couldn't be more lethargic than I was for the past few weeks when I just sat in front of my computer screen and did nothing but refreshing my Facebook browser. Life had been stale for a while since nothing much is happening.

Well, given that there's something new to talk about and my guilty conscious's constant nagging for being lazy, I will first talk about the LEGO event that is happening in Malaysia. As part of an opportunity for people to open up their creativity (children especially), there is a "Build Your Story" LEGO event organized in Bangsar Village from 28 May until 9 June 2013. Long story short, those who participate can tell their personal story through the use of LEGO bricks. For instance, build a rocket if you dream of becoming an astronaut.

The full description of the terms and condition can be viewed via this link:

http://www.legobyw.com/Countries/Malaysia/

Secondly, I bought a new SuperHeroes set yesterday from KLCC but it's not the latest few. An old new set. Lolz. Anyhow, it's none other than the 6862 Superman vs Power Armour Lex with Wonder Woman. The set itself is literally a giant robot with Lex, Superman and Wonder Woman. Though there's nothing special to it, buying the set indicates that I finally have the three main Justice League members.

Now that's a major goal for me. Anyhow, these two were the big events that hyped me up. So till next time, nuff said.

Happy Second Anniversary

So, it's been two years now since I was with Cyren. Although I'm currently not in a convenient time to blog (due to my godforsaken thesis), I do want to post this picture to indicate my love for Cyren. Shocker? Nah, don't be. I'm out.

Anyway, hope you all enjoy the picture :D

National Craft Day

To commemorate the indigenous people of Malaysia (and Malaysia has alot), Malaysia celebrates the annual National Craft Day when indigenous people from all over Malaysia convene in one place and sell their lovely artifacts, crafts, arts etc...

The event ranges from 27 February until 11 March in Kuala Lumpur Craft Complex as indicated below:

The venue was somewhat elusive. It took me and Cyren over 30minutes and buckets of sweats to find the place. It was worth it though...well, at least for me anyway. As you know, I'm a person who likes to collect various cultural items (my interest in Tomb Raider should have indicated that). However, due to limited resources, I could only salvage two items from the convention.

Item one:

This is a lovely drawn picture on a self-made paper derived from Kedah, northern section of West Malaysia. The intricate details of the art on such a fragile paper is quite impressive and the image really portrays the seller's hometown.

Item two:

This monkey or to be exact, orang utan, used to be a coconut until the an ethnic group known as the Bidayuh from Sarawak (my home-state) craved it up. It functions as a piggy bank in the shape of an eerie yet cute orang utan. This was a pricey bargain but I supposed with good reason. It's not really easy to carve an art out of a coconut and make it looks as lovely as this.

*Note: the minifigures were just there playing with the primate. They were not part of the sale.

Meanwhile,

Although I didn't purchase this but it certainly did catch my attention. The art form is known as Block Batik. Originally, batik is the traditional Malay art of dipping colour onto a piece of cloth with an image and transform it into a beautiful art. Here's a link to an example. Block Batik, on the other hand, the craftsman uses hot wax and metal instead. As you can see by the exquisite details of the hornbill above, this is an arduous task.

That's all the images I took because it was quite crowded and I didn't want to offend the sellers since I'm not buying most of the things from them. So, for those with a taste for arts and crafts, do drop by the complex before the convention closes on 11 March. It's really worth the trip.

Map

The map link designates the venue. It's located in A not B.

Swim...Swim...Drown

Today, I had joined my guys friends from university to..guess what...SWIM. It has been a while now since I last hit the pool. To make matter more embarrassing, I'm not really much of swimmer, period. I can barely float, I couldn't hold my breath long enough to swim a few strokes, I choke on water when I panic. Basically, if I were to be Lara, shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean, I would sink as fast as the debris.

Cyren proposed that perhaps, my bones are too dense which I couldn't disagree because I weigh more yet I don't feel fat. (I have a slight tummy but I am not chubby or anything of sort if I do say so myself). If his theory is true, that means I would never survive a shipwreck. Then again, that shouldn't stop me from swimming I suppose. I do know the moves, it's just the matter of floating and breathing.


Meanwhile, I did take a nice picture of a diver seemingly seduced by a mermaid by the poolside. :D