Trekking Gunung Angsi

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Gunung Angsi  (825 meters ASL) is one the many mountains that we love to trek. Situated in Ulu Bendol Forest Reserve in Negeri Sembilan, this mountain is fairly easy to trek. There are 3 trails (that we know of) going to the peak of this mountain … the main trail is from Ulu Bendol Recreation Park but we normally take the trail from Bukit Putus. There is another trail called the Ferny Trail going to the same peak.

Driving from KL, it takes about an hour to reach the base of this mountain along the road from Senawang to Kuala Pilah. Trekking up from Bukit Putus will take about 1 hour 30 minutes … some very fit trekkers can do in just over an hour and others may take longer to reach the peak. 

On 28MAY2011, four of us, (CT Lim, GT Lim, Steven Chin and I) trekked up from the road side at Bukit Putus. The last time we came to this mountain we saw that the coconut tree we planted sometime last year did not grow well so we brought along another coconut seedling to be planted on the peak. CT Lim was tasked to carry up the coconut seedling. I took about 1 hour 40 minutes to reach the peak trekking pass Panjang’s rest point and Pang’s rest point. On reaching the peak I was glad to meet KC Leong (who runs a blog called KC & The Sunshine Runners) and his fellow runners and trekkers who trekked up from Ulu Bendol Recreation Park. When our group first took up trekking a few years ago, we joined KC Leong and his group on a few outings and learned a lot from him. Nice to meet up with this mountain ‘sifu” again who is leading a group of trekkers up Mount Rinjani (Indonesia) very soon. All the best to them.

Met KC Leong (right) and his group at the peak of Angsi

(photo courtesy of KC Leong)

Shortly after, GT Lim arrived at the peak and a while later both CT Lim and Steven Chin made it to the peak after trekking for 2 hours. After a short rest we then find a spot and planted the coconut tree. Not sure if coconut trees can grow in high attitude environment but we hope that it will and in the future it can provide shade and bear fruits for thirsty trekkers.

We spent some time at the peak sharing jokes and trekking stories with KC Leong and his friends. A while later we decided to trek down and parted ways with KC and friends. We took the same way down to Bukit Putus base and already our minds were thinking of what to eat for lunch. After just over an hour we made it out of the jungle and went to a stream nearby to wash up. We then proceed to our favourite TIUB (Telur Itik Ulu Bendul) stall to purchase some “kampung” eggs from the Pak Cik who runs a duck farm and sells duck eggs at this stall. After that we drove to Senawang where we had “nasi campur” for lunch before heading home … it was a good day out at Gunung Angsi. 

BUSTED!!!

I like the Mythbuster TV series and I really like watching Kari Byron ... she looks good working with power tools. The rest of the guys are great … but Kari is my favourite. I like this TV show because I am all for the idea of getting the facts right.

Now, why am I talking about Mythbuster here? Because I too like to do a bit of myth busting every now and then.  OK, here is one of the many myths in life ... have you heard people say “Do what you love to do and let the money catch up later”. Really? How many can actually say that they are doing what they love to do and only worry about money later? I have not met any yet. Though people may say they are good at what they do but that doesn’t mean that they love their jobs and that they don’t care about getting paid. Let’s be realistic … we work our asses off because we need the money not because we love what we do … many actually hate their jobs … even more just hate the idea of working. 

Whether you love to do it or not, first you got to stay alive. And to do that, you need food. You need to maintain your health and you have to afford the little comfort that you may require. Unless someone left you a fortune or you hit the jackpot ... you need to work for your money and ensures you have enough for the necessities to stay alive. How much is enough for you? I don’t know … some may need millions, others may need a lot less … but you got to have $$$. And only after that, you can do what you love to do ... but then again, whatever you love to do have to be within your means. So, I would rather say that maybe you do what you can afford to do ... that is more rational.

The myth says “Do what you love to do and let the money catch up later”… to me, by the time the money catches up, either you are already (starved to) dead or you have given up on what you are doing. Myth BUSTED!!!

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University of Hard Knocks

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I visited a retired lecturer last week and we chatted for almost half a day about everything under the sun. I enjoyed his company very much. He once taught me for a semester while I was doing a part time Marketing course. I like talking to him … a witty wise man. He is the kind of person who is not afraid to bend the rules and disrupt the norm. During the conversation he touched on something which I totally agree with and would like to share my point of views on this too. He had taught many people over the years … while he had seen many smart people but he feels that they lack the street wise aptitude. He said being smart may give you a good head start but you have to learn to be streetwise to pull you through the rough turns and corners of where you may be heading. I absolutely agree 100% with him … why? Because someone told me many years ago … a smart person will only believe half of what he hears … a streetwise person already knows which half. 

So what exactly is streetwise? I don’t know how to define it. I can just say streetwise ways are not always proper … unorthodox most of the times. In an argument, if the law is on your side, you argue the law. If the facts are on your side, you argue the facts … that is the smart way. But if both the law and the facts are not on your side, you argue LOUDLY … and I call that the streetwise way where rules don’t apply. Now, it does make you look like a rascal but sometimes that is the way you need to get things going. 

Very often people like to get things done via the proper channels. The smart thing is to ask for approval and play “by the book”… but then it often takes a lot time, involving red tapes and hassles. Did it ever cross your mind NOT to ask for approval now but to ask for forgiveness later? If you ask me, my streetwise reply will be … it is a lot easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for approval. You may say, hey, this is not right. I didn’t say it was right … but if you are convinced, you may need some unorthodox ways to get around obstacles … “bend the rules” so to speak.

We faced all sorts of obstacles day after day … many are not easy to solve but you don’t really need to know rocket science to tackle them. When you can’t find a smart way to remove or get across an obstacle, maybe there is a streetwise way to just get around it. Hey, I am sure you heard of this “if you can’t convince them, confuse them”.

 
Streetwise aptitude is not something you learn from your normal educational institutions … you get it from the “University of Hard Knocks” where there are no rules, no bed of roses … you learn it by getting yourself bumped, bruised, betrayed, fooled, deceived, smacked, conned … the more you get knocked down, the faster you learn. You must go head on, face to face with the problems. I don’t know about you but I love problems or should I say I love solving problems. I was paid to solve problems (when I was working) … and I have more than enough shares of hard knocking problems to earn me a bagful of streetwise “Shiek’s Specials” which I can pull out to use every now and then … they get me through hell and back in a breeze.

I am not asking you to go against the flow every time. You don’t need to … there are times when it is easier to just get around it. You are a smart person but you will learn to be streetwise every time when you fall and pull yourself up again. Maybe you too will have your very own “streetwise specials” to pull out when the need arises.

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Hawaii Five O

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I turned 49 last month and very soon I am going to be “half a century” old … and the theme song of Hawaii Five O is already repeating inside my mind. Get it? Hawaii Five O? … the big Five and Zero!

I remember when my ex-boss turned 50, I sent him a big poster titled “SHIT 50” … it stands for “So Happy I Turned 50” Not sure whether he was happy turning 50 years old but like it or not, it will come (that is, if you live up to 50).

For me, I am actually looking forward to it. Hey, there is actually a lot to look forward to at age 50 … first, we (those who are eligible) can withdraw part of our savings from our Employee’s Provident Fund account. If I tell you I am not excited about that, I would be lying. I am not going to tell you how much I have in that account but I can tell you for sure that the money is coming in very handy. OK lah, money is one thing … we cannot deny that it does increases the level of comfort in our lives. But there are other aspects of life that we want to experience from age 50 onwards.

For me, going into 50 and looking forward to more in my life is a lot easier … why? Because I have the time and I am still physically able to do a lot of things. Many people said “Oh Shiek, you are so lucky to be able to stop working at your age”. Let me tell you luck has nothing to do with it. I did not strike a lottery OK? I slogged for many years to build what I have today. And then (the important thing is), I stopped chasing … I told myself I should be prudent with what I already have and that should be enough.

“So you are retired now?” people asked me. I don’t like the word “retired” … sounds mundane and dull. I would like to just say that I don’t have a permanent job with a fixed salary. I stopped working a few years back because I needed quality time and I needed to regain my health. Some people said to me “Shiek, you are going to be very bored when you stop working … with so much time and nothing to do”. Alright, I am not working … that doesn’t mean I have nothing to do. I have a lot to do … I am actually very busy keeping myself healthy, allowing enough time for my wife and kids and also spending quality time with other family members and friends. On top of that, I also need to be a handy man at home, a driver for my kids and a stand-in cook when my wife is not available. Then I have to find time to catch up on my reading as well as learning and practicing my “erhu” (Chinese violin). Now that is a busy man, don’t you think? OK, maybe I exaggerated it a bit … I don’t have to do all that every single day. 

Hey, if you are of my generation heading towards the big Five Zero … no worries, there are still plenty to look forward to. If you can afford more quality time and maintain a healthy lifestyle, I am sure you too will be dancing happily to the theme of Hawaii Five O.

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The first rule ...

Not many people knew that I was once making a living as a photographer ... for a few years during my mid 20s, I dabbled in photography. Those days I had 12 cameras, ranging from 35mm Nikons to 120mm medium format Hasselblads to a large format bellow-type Horseman. Cost me an arm and a leg to acquire these babies ... but that career did not last long and at the end of it, I sold all but one medium format Mamiya which I still have in one of my drawers somewhere.

OK, I am not here to talk about my short-lived photography career. Actually what I wanted to talk about is the first rule of photography and how this discipline influenced the way I look at things in my everyday life. For those who don’t know, the first rule of photography is “Never shoot a photo at eye level” ... why? Because everyone sees it at the same level ... so an object (or subject) of interest photographed at eye level is no different than how it was seen by others when it was photographed. This rule is always on the top of my mind. So very often I don’t see things the way people normally sees it. I am a curious person and I like to approach things a little off the centre. At times people find it difficult to understand this and they think I am wandering too far out of the comfort zone. That is exactly the point ... when all others look at things at eye level, a good photographer will get out of his or her comfort zone to find a different angle and make the difference. So I ask the same ... for people to look at me from a different level too ... that way, they may be able to understand me better.

Everyone likes to see things at their comfort level and always think that people will see things at the same level ... that is the norm. Sometimes one needs to get out of the norm ... don’t look at things the way everyone looks at it and also understand why some people look at things differently ... maybe then one can actually “see the whole picture”, so to speak.

So the next time you want to photograph something, apply the first rule ... try squatting or lying down for a different angle or maybe stand on a chair for a top view ... it may turn out (if not better, at least it is) different than how others see it. And also when you look at a photograph and thought it looks a bit out of the norm, try to appreciate why it was shot that way ... and maybe do the same for the way you look at things in your everyday life ... it can be much more appealing this way.

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I am a very careful person but …

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I bought a motorcycle a few of years ago … basically I wanted to use it to run around doing errands conveniently without having to worry about the traffic jams and parking spaces. It does move around conveniently but it also comes with higher risk of injury in the event of an accident.

While my family and many friends have no objection of me riding a motorbike, they however cautioned me seriously. They warned me to be careful and try not to use it on main roads and I told them “No worries, I am a very careful person”. Yes, they agreed that I am a very careful person but they told me it is the other drivers that are not careful.

And so it happened on 21^st March 2011 … I was on the way going to run some errands and I have to use a main road from Subang heading to Shah Alam. As I was slowing down to turn into the motorcycle lane, a speeding driver (did not see me slowing down) ran right into me from behind. I was thrown about 15 meters away and landed on the side of the road. And I don’t have to tell you what happened next.

To cut the story short, I landed in the emergency ward of Subang Jaya Medical Centre pretty battered. I got a deep gash (that required 8 stitches) on the back of my head, a blue-black eye, sprained shoulder and a very bruised back plus bruises, lacerations and cuts all over the body. Not to mentioned a smashed up motorcycle and the trouble of going in and out of the police station making the accident report and the hassle of making insurance claims.

 

I thank those who were praying for me … the injuries were not permanent or long term and I should recover. I probably need several weeks to be up and running again. It was while resting at home that I felt really scared thinking about the accident. I could have been killed and that’s it. While I am lucky to be able to sit up and write about this, I had my loved one worried like hell. My mom cried when she saw me all patched up and I felt really bad seeing her in tears. My wife has to put in a lot of extra effort to take care of me while I recover and my two children were so worried when they heard that I was in the hospital. All my friends who knew about this were also very concerned ... I brought them unnecessary worries and concerns.

This is a painful lesson learnt … yes I may be a very careful person but that doesn’t mean I can avoid accidents. I don’t think I will ride my motorbike into main roads again … I am not risking it. Not so much of me going through the painful recovery … it is the thought of the distress and grief that my loved ones will go through should anything severe happens to me.

I want to say sorry to those whom I have given unnecessary worries and concerns and thank all, especially my great wife, who is making a hell of an effort to help me recover.

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I don’t teach my kids to be clever

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I was talking to a friend over lunch not too long ago and we were talking about our kids. She said “Shiek, my kids are not clever lah”. I asked “Huh? What do you mean?” Then she told me that both her schooling kids did not obtain good results in school and she is a bit worried. She then asked me “How do you teach your children to be clever?”. I told her “Look, I don’t teach my kids to be clever”. In disbelief she then asked me “Don’t you want to teach your children to be clever?” I told her again “I meant what I have just said … I don’t teach my kids to be clever” … and the conversation went on with me explaining my point.

Now, don’t I want clever children? Of course I do but I don’t have the capabilities to teach my children to be clever. Honestly I am not a clever person myself … I don’t have any high paper qualifications. I studied up to “O” level … and even that, I only got Grade 2 in my MCE (Malaysian Certificate of Education) exams. So what do I have to teach my children to be clever? 

I tell you what I can teach my kids … I teach my kids to be filial, I teach my kids to be responsible and I teach my kids to have respect. I teach my kids discipline. I tell my kids to accept “NO”. I tell them to appreciate and make do with what they have. I tell them not to complain about their shoes because some people don’t even have legs. Now, if I can instill these values into them, then I think I have done a good job as a parent.

I once visited an old folk’s home and was told that a dentist left his mother at the facility some 9 years ago and has not visited her since … where is the filial piety? I have seen a college whiz kid shouting foul language at her mother just because her mother was a few minutes late picking her up … where is the respect? I heard of a mother who packs the school bag for her 13 year old “top-of-the-class” son EVERYDAY … now where is the responsibility? Sad isn’t it?

I let the schools, the colleges and the universities teach my kids to be clever … that is the role of these institutions. If they can turn my children in whiz kids, I will be the happiest father on the planet. If they can’t, I am fine too. I am OK if my kids don’t grow up to be doctors, professors or lawyers … really, that is not important.  The important thing is they grow up to be filial to the people that provided for them, responsible for what they do and have respect to the people around them.

We all want clever children … by all means put the kids into programs that will bring out their potential. But sometimes people are just so engrossed and focused on turning their kids into geniuses that they simply forgot how to teach their kids to be a better person.

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