Panjang no more ...

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Regular trekkers at Gunung Angsi will definitely know the Panjang's Kopitiam rest point along the Bukit Putus – Gunung Angsi trail. This place was built by a very good man for the benefit of all trekkers at Gunung Angsi. Unfortunately I never had the opportunity to meet this person. At this rest point you can help yourself with the food stuffs available and of course also pay whatever you think is appropriate so that the money can be used to replenish the food stuffs for the benefit of all trekkers at Gunung Angsi. Sunday trekkers will remember the “tong sui” (sweet desert) offered at Panjang’s Kopitiam.

Panjang's Kopitiam as it used to be

Trekkers can help themselves to food stuffs available here and put in their contributions accordingly

But Panjang's Kopitiam is no longer available. The last time we trekked up to Gunung Angsi via Bukit Putus, we were disappointed to see that someone dismantled and burned down the place. What is left is a pile of burnt rubbish. What a dissappointment ! I was told by some local trekkers that the forest rangers are responsible for this. I don’t know why the rangers did that. Yes, I must say that the rest point is built without permission from the forestry department but hey, I am sure the local rangers can show a bit of compassion and consideration that this place was built for the good and benefit of trekkers at Gunung Angsi. I think all trekkers at Gunung Angsi will agree with me.

What is left of the place now

Anyway, whatever that is done cannot be undone. I want to thank the good man for all that he has done for the trekkers at Gunung Angsi. Whoever and wherever he is now, I am sure we all will remember his good intentions, contributions and of course the unique Panjang’s Kopitiam.

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Tail or tale?

Let me tell you a tail … oops ... I mean a tale of happiness. This is how it goes … a young puppy asked his mother "Where is happiness?"  The mother replied "It's on your tail." So the young puppy keeps on chasing after his tail, going round and round. But after a whole day of trying, he failed to get the happiness that was on his tail. Then he told his mother about it and his mother smiled and said "Son, you don't really need to chase after your happiness, as long as you keep going with whatever you have, your happiness will always be with you."

I am sure you see the wisdom of the above tale … you don’t have to chase for happiness, keep moving with whatever you have, live within whatever you can afford and happiness will always be following right behind you. Don’t be blinded by chasing for materialistic possessions. When you see a relative buys a big house, doesn’t mean you have to own a big house too. When a colleague uses the latest IPhone, doesn’t mean that you have to get one to match. When your neighbour buys a new car, doesn’t mean you have to drive a better one to show.

Hey, I am not saying that you have to live like a pauper … if you can afford it, by all means go get it. You have struggled to build a successful life, so you should enjoy the fruits of your success. The wisdom here is, don't keep on chasing. Somewhere, somehow, you must know when to stop. Are you getting something that you really need? Or you are always chasing just to show that you have bigger, better and more possessions than others?

If you keep chasing, it just goes round and round … it will never end. There are no free things in this world. Whatever you are chasing after there is always a price to pay. And when you realise that it has started to affect your health, your loved ones, your family and friends, it is already too late. And worse, many keep chasing without realising that it has already turned into greed … and with greed comes a host of troubles.

One must know, when enough is really enough. So, how much is enough? You decide. You can keep chasing the tail, on and on, round and round … or you embrace the wisdom of the tale above. So, it is up to you … tail or tale?
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4 men and a coconut tree

When we first trekked up Gunung Angsi, we noticed that some good fellow trekkers have planted various types of trees and flowers at the peak. One of my fellow trekkers asked “Eh … why people don't plant coconut trees at the peak … can coconut trees grow at high altitude?” Now seriously, it never struck my mind to look out for coconut trees while trekking but I thought I saw coconut trees planted in some areas in Genting Highlands. The question was “Will it grow on top of mountains?” The weather is kind of cool and dry at high altitude areas.

No need to ask too many questions, let’s try it out … we will plant a coconut tree on the peak of mountains we trekked and see if it will grow. And when the 4 of us went to Gunung Angsi on the 30th Jan 2010, we brought along a young coconut tree.

Trekking up Gunung Angsi is fairly easy via the Bukit Putus trail. I have not trek up via the Ulu Jempul waterfall but was told that it is a bit longer but is also a fairly easy trail. We normally like to trek up from Bukit Putus. Starting from Bukit Putus, the trail is wide and easy and in no time we reached Panjang Kopitiam rest point.

Arriving at Panjang Kopitiam

Two trails, the right trail is easier to trek

From here, there are two trails ... the easier trail is the right side while the other is a tougher trail. We always like to take the tough trail up and the other way when coming down. So after a short rest we continue to trek up and it was easy going all the way. Very soon we reach the second resting point and took another breather here.

On a good day, the Angsi trail is quite windy and very cooling ... it is one of the trails I enjoyed trekking very much. If you come early, you can see the beautiful morning sun beams penetrating through the tree tops plus the nice smell of fresh morning dew.

Finally we reached the top of Angsi and after a quick rest we continue with our task … find a place to plant the coconut tree. We found a good spot and quite easily we planted the coconut tree. We are keeping our fingers crossed and hope that it will grow in the cool dry climate on top of the Angsi peak.

 

Task accomplished - we hope this coconut tree will grow and bear fruits

The Angsi peak at 825m above sea level

While at the peak, we met with another group of trekkers from nearby the area. After a few words with them, we were told that the nearby Kuala Pilah town have good “turtle soup mee” to offer. Then we met a few young Malays boys … they look like some sort of recruits and when we asked them we were told they are recruits from the prison authority. Was told there were 70 of them on the way up. So we decided to descend before the big noisy crowd reach the peak.

On the way down our minds were all thinking about the “turtle soup mee” and in about 2 hours, we made it to the base of Bukit Putus. After a quick wash up at a water pipe near the abandoned shack opposite the road, we went into Kuala Pilah town in search of the “turtle soup mee” place and found it near the town’s market. Now when the food came, we were all shaking our heads … not as what we expected. Put it this way, I am NOT recommending it. But the consolation was the chendol we ordered at the nearby stall … that was GOOD chendol!

After the meal, we headed home and on the way we stopped at a roadside stall to savour a few “kampung” durians and also bought some duck eggs (good for fried kwey teow). Overall, it was a good day out … it’s always a good outing when we trek Gunung Angsi. We will be back very soon to check on our coconut tree.

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Of General Guan Yu and Star Wars

Ggt;

I am now reading the great Chinese novel "Romance of The Three Kingdoms" (actually reading it again … I have read it a few times already). I love this novel with its colourful historical characters of ancient generals, heroes and villains such as Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, Zhou Yu, Chao Tzu Lung, Zhuge Liang, Cao Cao and of course Guan Yu (picture-left), a Han general who is the subject of this article. Guan Yu is very much respected until today for his righteousness and loyalty. The Chinese called him “Kuan Kung” or "Kuan Yee Kor" (in Cantonese). He is the fierce looking guy with long beard and armed with a halberd (a type of ancient sword with a long handle) that you see in many Chinese temples. Some people even install the deity of General Guan Yu in their homes. Even though he is not a god, he is very much respected and treated like one.

So what does General Guan Yu have to do with Star Wars?

The story goes like this … once I was visiting a temple and in this temple there was a very nice deity of General Guan Yu. I was just hanging around and was admiring the beautiful statue of General Guan Yu when I noticed that the temple does not use wax candles anymore. The wax candles were replaced by those plastic electric candles … I am sure you must have seen them before … those candle look-a-like with a light bulb that lights up when you switch on the electricity. They will flicker mimicking a burning candle.

At the same time the caretaker of the temple was walking by me and I commented that I don’t see many temples using these electric candles. Honestly, I commented innocently but I don’t know why the caretaker was a bit disturbed by my comment. I could see he was quite agitated and he shot back at me with a tone and manner full of hostility. He said “Eh “how sang chai (young man) … lei tou ng sik yeh, hou lok how (you don’t know anything, very backwards)” … and he went on (in Cantonese) saying that things are very advance now and we must keep in pace with progress and development of new ideas, new things and a full load of related stuffs. Phew! I must have stood there listening to him for quite awhile. Then I thought I better leave, he must have got up on the wrong side of the bed that morning.

But as I was leaving he said something which hit me on a wrong spot … he said “Lei kang hai mo tok kor shee ... sai kai how chun po chor. Lei mo tai kor Star Wars meh? Translated, those words mean “You must be uneducated. The world is very advance already. You never watch Star Wars before?"

Now those words heated me up a bit and I shot back with my acerbic tongue (in Cantonese) something to this effect … I said “Hello, if you are talking about advance and progress … then why only change the candles? Why is General Guan Yu still wearing an ancient headgear and holding an ancient sword? He should also progress right? And speaking of Star Wars, then our good General Guan Yu should be wearing a Darth Vader’s mask and holding a bloody light sabre (picture-right) … and when you switch on the electric it should go “zzzrrrrrrmmmmm’ and will light up menacingly … and those words (there were a few Chinese words written on the wall nearby) should change too. They should read “May the force be with you” right?

When I finished, the caretaker jaw dropped and before anything happens I walked out of the temple quite satisfied with myself.

Now don’t get me wrong … I am not against using electric candles. They do serve their purpose in keeping the place clean and reduce pollution. But then again, I think some things should be left as they were originally... I mean both the candles and the good old General Guan Yu.

I did not donate ...

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I did not donate to the recent Haiti Relief Fund. I also did not donate to the Sichuan Earthquake Relief Fund not too long ago nor did I make any donations to the 2004 Tsunami Disaster Aid.

Why? Because I don’t wait for disasters to happen to make a donation. Someone asked me the other day “Hey Shiek, you want to make a donation for the coming Chinese New Year?” I said “No” because I also don’t have to wait for a special day to do it.

Every other week there is always someone appealing for donation … a child somewhere with leukaemia needed financial assistance or a student with a life threatening disease facing a huge medical bill or a hardcore poor family who lost their sole breadwinner due to an unfortunate accident. Aren’t all these people suffering the same as those disaster victims?

I donate when I see there is a need to. When I read in the newspapers that someone needed financial help for a bone marrow procedure or an infant who needed an operation to fix a diseased heart, I may send a cheque … not a lot, just a small amount that I can afford. Sometimes more, when I have a bit more to spare for that month.

And when I shop at hypermarkets, occasionally I would purchase an extra packet of rice that is on sale or another tin of discounted Milo and some cookies or biscuits that are specially offered through “purchase with purchase” deals. I will gather all these items and when it is time to pay a visit to an orphanage or an old folk’s home, I will bring them along.

During festive periods, I do receive a lot of hampers and other gift packs from friends and business associates. I don’t need so many of these gifts. One is good enough for my family and the rest I will send them to where they are needed most.

Yes, the disaster victims needed donations, funds and aids ... by all means, help them. So do many of the underprivileged orphans, special children, unfortunate old folks and the poverty-stricken families who also are depending on the same donations, funds and aids to help make their lives a little bit better. Help them too!

Donate as and when you see there is a need ... and it doesn’t necessary have to be monetary. There are many other ways of making donations and contributing to the help the unfortunates. Like me, I hope you don’t wait for a disaster to happen or a special day to do it.

You know what? I will also donate when there is no need. Huh? You see, should I leave this world unexpectedly I will have no need for my organs. I will donate them too. Will you?
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Conquering Gunung Nuang via Janda Baik

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For more photos, please "click here"

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We have trekked up Gunung Nuang, the highest mountain in Selangor (4,898ft) several times. It was always via the Hulu Langat (Pangsun) trail. From fellow trekkers, we found out that there is a trail up this mountain via Janda Baik in Pahang (this mountain actually borders 3 states … Selangor, Pahang and Negeri Sembilan). We then searched the internet for more information and drove to Janda Baik to find out exactly where the trail starts. We found it quite easily and decided that we will trek up Gunung Nuang via this trail the following week.

So, on 16 JAN 2010, six of us, Jean Soh, Lim Guan Toong, Lim Chin Keat, Edry Wong, Karvinn Teh and I set out at 6.00am. We met at Keat's house in Kinrara, Puchong (our regular meeting point) and after a quick breakfast at a mamak stall nearby, we headed to Janda Baik.

(For those who do not know how to get to this trail, here are the instructions. From Karak highway, head towards Janda Baik. After reaching Janda Baik, go directly to Kampung Janda Baik. It is fairly easy to find, straight drive all the way. Look for the UMNO training centre called ILMU. And when you find the UMNO training centre on your right, you are on the right track. After passing UMNO training centre, you have to drive straight in front for about 2km until you come to a junction. Here is where the tar road ends. You can park your car here. The trail to Gunung Nuang is the right trail. If in doubt, please ask the farmers around)

(UMNO Training Center "ILMU")

We reached the start of the trail at about 8.30am and started immediately to trek up Gunung Nuang. With Jean who trekked up this trail before, we are quite happy to have someone who can tell us what to expect along the way. At the first stretch of the trail, we passed some vegetable farms and crossed a small river (the first river).

Arrving at the trail

The trail on the right leading to the farms and up Gunung Nuang

 

Standing from left : Shiek Eng Meng, Edry Wong, Jean Soh, Lim Guan Toong & Lim Chin Keat

Karvinn Teh (Squatting)

Passion fruit farm

Crossing the first river

We saw more farms along the way and finally we reached the beginning of the jungle trail that leads straight up the mountain. Here the terrain is quite rough. We have to pass through some thick bushes, several fallen trees and thru a bamboo forest. A few times we practically have to “duck walked” underneath some massive fallen bamboo trunks.

Keep right at this junction

Going into the jungle trail

Fallen bamboo trunks along the way

Resting at second river

After walking for about an hour, we reached another river (the second river). The water is cool and fresh. Nearby there is also a small waterfall. A quick freshen up and we started to trek again. From here, the trail gets tougher and rougher. The terrain was wet and there were a lot of muddy and very slippery areas. Leeches are aplenty not to mention other creepy crawlies. Slowly and carefully we made our way up. We rested a few times and my salute to Jean Soh … I did not see her put down her back pack at all. She is one tough nut. Jean and I took lead while Keat acted as the sweeper. Along the way, we separated but kept within hearing distance of each other by shouting to each other every now and then to make sure that we all stayed within range.

Half way into the journey, Toong got muscle cramps and slowed down. This is the second time he is trying to peak Nuang, the first time unsuccessful via Hulu Langat also due to cramps. But this time, he is determined to reach the peak. Edry and Karvinn did well even though they did not have any sleep the previous night.

We continued to trek up the tough terrain. Along the way we were greeted with more muddy pits, fallen trees, slippery slopes as well as wet mossy shrubs. Finally after more than 3 hours we made it to the peak. Jean, Edry, Karvinn and I were the first to reach the peak on that day. It was a very cold day at the peak … strong chilly winds had us taking shelter underneath some bushes. Then we saw other trekkers reaching the peak. They came from the Hulu Langat trail.

Taking a short break along the way

 

As usual, Edry with his charming pose

A while later, we were glad to see Toong and Keat made it to the top. There were several groups at the peak of Gunung Nuang that day and we were the only group trekking up via Janda Baik. We had lunch at the peak and our food was especially tasty after carrying it up 4,898ft. It was a very chilly and misty day at the peak so we did not stay long. At about 2.00pm we started our journey down. Other groups going down to Hulu Langat base have already left as they have a longer journey to trek down. We have a much shorter trail and we knew that we should hit the base at Kampung Janda Baik in about 3 hours or slightly more.

The peak of Nuang at 4,898 feet above sea level

Group photo at the peak. Notice the arms folded? It was very cold windy at the peak

So we began our descent and we were extra cautious on the way down. Keat was leading the way along with Edry. Again we trekked through the rough terrain and crossed the various obstacles we encountered while coming up. Along the way we stopped to rest and at one of these stops, I must have angered a bee and it stung me on my left ear … nothing serious, just a bit swollen with an uncomfortable itch. Then Karvinn got a slight pain on one of his knees. He put too much stress on the knee ligament going against gravity while descending. He has to slow down with Toong accompanying him just in case. Slowly but surely we all reached the river inside the jungle. After a quick rest we continued to trek out of the jungle. From here it was quite an easy walk out to the farms.

Keat and Edry were the first to reach the base and by the time the rest of us made it out to the base, they have refreshed and changed. It was good that they drove the car nearer into the farms to meet us (the car was parked outside the farms earlier) so that we don’t have to walk another kilometre or so. We went to the nearby river to freshen up and change. In the meantime our stomachs were already growling. And not too far away (at Bukit Tinggi) our food is waiting to be ordered. We took a short drive to Bukit Tinggi, found a decent restaurant and reward ourselves with a good meal. Full and happy we headed back to Puchong with two sleeping soundly at the back of the car, while the other 4 of us were chatting non-stop about our conquest. Though very tired and sore, we were all very satisfied with this new experience of trekking up Gunung Nuang via the Janda Baik trail.

What are your values measured by?

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I read about a lot of very successful people and heard of how they achieved their successes. Each and every one has their very own success story to tell. Whether it is hard work, determination, tenacity, perseverance or just plain luck, it's never a secret. Did you ever know a successful person that didn’t tell you all about it?

I personally know quite a number very successful people. Some of them are my good friends and they are very simple and down to earth people. Millionaires and multi-millionaires, they still find time to sit down with me every now and then, chatting over a cup of kopi-O, in a food-court somewhere. We talk for hours, sharing common stories of our simple beginnings and our humble pasts.

We talked about the days when school bags were hand sewn from old lorry canvas and when our schools books were wrapped with used calendar sheets. We shared stories about hand-downed Bata shoes, free oat meals from school and free tuition at YMCA. We joked about our first “kup chais” (motorcycles) and laughed about how we learn to drive with manual Datsun cars (now Nissan). We are proud of the humble way we were brought up. We appreciate those who helped and supported us. We are grateful to those who stood through thick and thin with us. We are indebted to those who helped us and gave us opportunities.

Successful or not, rich or poor, it was through all these experiences, we learned to measure our values by respect, friendship, loyalty, faithfulness, honesty, trust, promise and commitment.

Then there are other people who after achieving success in their lives, they forget about a lot of things. Not that there are forgetful in nature but they just choose to readily and conveniently forget. They forget how to be humble, only to display their arrogance. They forget about their simple beginnings, only to embrace decadence. They forget their friends of trying times, only to accept companions from the affluent. They forget about the lesser folks, only to be associated with the rich.

Oh yes, I almost forget … they definitely have forgotten about me.

But ironically, while they choose to forget, they want to be remembered. They want to be remembered how many times their photos appeared on the social pages of top lifestyle magazines. They want to be remembered among the “who and who” of the higher echelons. They want to be remembered by their fame of opulence. They only want to be remembered for their present glamour but not to be reminded of their struggling past.

And their values? Well, they have their very own set of values that are measured by their X6s, LVs, GUCCIs, ARMANIs, BREITLINGs and the luxurious houses they lived in.
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I want to live longer

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My 2009 new year’s resolution (RESOLUTIONS) was about making changes. And so I changed, to a healthier lifestyle. I did that because I love life and I want to live longer. So for my 2010 new year’s resolution (and future resolutions to come), I resolve to continue living a more healthy life, for as long as possible.

Everyone wants to live longer. Like most people, I want to see my children grow up, have grand children or even great grand children. And that is just one part of it. There are also many other things I hope I will live long enough to see and experience … I mean realistically. I think there are many great things and events that are going to unfold. They are definitely NOT worth dying for (you know what I mean).

Wouldn't it be great to witness human set foot on the moon again? Maybe even a human journey to Mars. It will be great to see this tremendous achievement of mankind’s exploration into space. You will never know, we may find proofs of extra-terrestrial life for I believe we are not alone in this vast universe.

I would love to see the “string theory” being proven by brilliant mathematicians and physicists to explain the complex universe we are in and maybe see the discovery of a new force ... anti-gravity maybe? It will be a great breakthrough for the medical world when scientists find a cure for cancer, AIDS as well as other deadly diseases and use all these advancements of medical science to reduce the suffering of the unfortunates. I hope all these will happen before my time is up.

I hope that during my lifetime, archaeologists and scientists will open the tomb of Shi Huang Ti (China’s First Emperor) and I also hope they will discover the tombs of Cleopatra & Mark Anthony, Genghis Khan, and that of Alexander The Great. That will give us invaluable historical insight of the various great ancient civilisations.

Soon some athletes will set a record of 100 meters sprint below 9.5 seconds (or even lower). And with dedication and hard work, our very own badminton players may even get an Olympic gold medal (and we will get a public holiday). Isn’t all that great to live for? There are just so many great things to look forward to and I really don’t want to miss them.

I am sure, like me, you too have many things and events you would love to see before your time is up. Who knows, maybe a Malaysian Chinese as Prime Minister of Malaysia … possible?

To that, I wish you a Happy New Year and a healthy and long life.

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