Archive for April, 2009

Posted on April 30, 2009 - by Abner

Hiking: Gunung Yong Belar Perak, Pahang, Kelantan

Got a call from the MK to meet at the opposite of the road. Time check 3pm. That made me alert a little as this was the hours that I usually start my fishing. Ten more minutes to 6 before the cake cutting session. Better wolf down some chocolate smothered sweet nothings before I meet up with the rest. Dinner would be quite late I suppose at some R&R.
The blaring siren of the police car and “Beri laluan” bellowing from their PA system is annoying. Clearing the way for some potbellied, mustachio,  high cholesterol, well connected puto. Usual scene when one works around KLCC area. But I won’t let it spoil my mood.

But honestly, I do not feel too excited or am anticipating for what is in store for me. I have learned that it’s better to let the journey unravel its own rather than worrying whether if I could fit in, how the weather would be, what do I do if I have to take a dump in the jungle, how to change my clothes when I am staying under a flysheet, what am I suppose to do with my time when night falls… you get the idea.

This time round I pack light. Weight is the keyword here. Previously I shouldered too much extra kgs. Bloody killer both on my back and the legs. This time round, I trim it down and I brough:

• 1 normal outdoor long pants – heavy
• 1 fisherman pants – light/easy to dry
• 1 board shorts – I can bath in these and it dries easier.
• 3 pair of boxers
• 2 long sleeves one is lighter wear and another in case the night gets too cold. Thicker.
• 1 short sleeve
• 1 singlet
• 2 pairs of socks
• 1 poncho
• 1 buff
• 1 pair of Inov8
• 1 pair of slipper
• 2 bars of snicker
• 1 packet of Oats
• 5 Nature Valley bars
• 3 potatoes
• 1 Sea to Summit Dry Sack
• 1 3litre Camelbak Hydration Reservoir
• 1 First Aid Kit (Plaster, Charcoal Pills, Panadols, Deep Heat, Counter Pain, Ho Yan Hor, Scissors, Nail Clipper, Finger Tape, Safety Pin and etc)
• Toiletry pouch
• 1 Pack of Glucolin
• 1 Pack of Organic Protein
• Assorted Vitamins
• 1 Packet of Salt (in case there are leeches)
• 1 FavourLight Luxeon Rebel 90
• 1 Energizer headlamp
• 4 extra AAA batteries
• 1Komperdell trekking pole
• 1 ziplock plastic for my ID, money, amulet, Touch n Go, LRT card. I have even ditch the unnecessary wallet. Extra dead weight.
• 1 sleeping bag
• 1 sleeping mat
• 8 tent pegs

I think the overall weight is around 10kg.
Bear in mind, for clothings I would constantly have 1 set on me.

I have to update this when I get back. Time is near.

Posted on April 28, 2009 - by Abner

Tabur East and Mad Monkeyz Gym

My fingers are a bit sore. Some cuts on my leg. But luckily the earlier headache caused by the heatwave has gone. Argh… my body is a bit stiff too. Too much activities for a day but to wrap it up with some personal comfort food… just make the day seems great.

Was up at 6 plus. Went downstairs to get myself a big bowl of soup made earlier. Suppose to cleanse the blood a little. Meanwhile I quickly stuffed my gears in the bags. Eddie called yesterday wanting to hike up Tabur East and do some rock climbing there. I had never been up Tabur East although I have went up Tabur West quite a number of times. We started around 730am. Took some runners with me and my own gears. Damn was it heavy. The hike up Tabur East is different. It’s steep most of the journey. And considerably treacherous too. Oh before I forgot, Rolly Polly said that the Tabur trail is the world’s longest quartz ridge in the world. Maybe so… I did not do any research. But if you hike up Bukit Tabur you will stumble upon a lot of crystal forms. Quite amazing really if you take time to look at them up close.

We trekked up for an hour plus, taking a few rests because it’s really heavy. The gears seems to be getting heavier with every lumbering step I took. And I knew it would be worse during the hike down. I was right. When we reached the rock tower, approximately 8+ meters tall, Eddie went up the rocks from the middle. After some surveying, we finally settled on setting up a top rope system for a 6a climb. Setting up took about 30 mins. The climbing took a maximum of 3 minutes. Including taking shameless poser photoshoots. We vowed while gripping on sharp rocks that this would be the first and last rock climbing we are going to do in Tabur.

We had lunch in Wangsa Maju area. I ate a lot. Again.

Then I suggested to Eddie that we visit the Mad Monkeyz, they are a week away from their official opening. So off we went. No one was there apart from Shang. He was bouldering alone. We walked around and checked the place out. It has been ages since I bouldered. No Summit, no boulder. Surprise surprise, suddenly the rest of the Summit gang came, all unannounced. No prior planning. All the familiar faces streamed in. I feel so good. It was great to see them again and doing the usual hand shake/sign. It was full house by 3pm.

The traversing is just crazy, and I could not even finish half a set. The overhang, the unfamiliar handholds and the lack of power… all contributed to my failure. Haha… and I kept getting cramps in my thighs and calf. Even the feet. Too late for stretches. Dang.
I completed only a few simple routes. The rest, haha…went uncompleted. I even forgot the holds, so won’t be attempting it again. I had FUN that day.

I even joined the gang for thai seafood bbq in Ampang area. It was really really good. I was not expecting to find a restaurant like that. The fried rice is just fragrant and nicely cooked. Simple, with some eggs and prawns. Look golden. Not oily too. The vegetables was ok. Fish was good, so was the squid and tom yam. The grill crab though, is yummy. It’s just simple grill over charchoals or something. Did not check. Too lazy to walk. The meat was still moist and sweet unlike the one I had in Seremban which has already dried up and a little shrivelled. Not a goodexperience at all, especially when I hear so much about it. And the fact that I have been back to the restaurant to eat 3 times within a month is enough proof. Less than 14 days  after this, I went over with Eric and Vincent after work. Very impromptu dinner. I had planned out another dinner with colleagues at this place two weeks later. Though I like it, I think I should get my paws away from seafood for a month or two. Too much cholesterol. At least not that much. I kept forgetting the name, so don’t ask me.

I just remembered a strange thing while we were hiking down from Bukit Tabur Eest. It just occurred to me. It’s a little creepy really. When we were hiking down, we heard some hammering noise. Quite repetitive. I assumed that there was some bum was trying to get some quartz back home for display or something. I made some comments off the fly. As we were approaching nearer and nearer it got a little louder. When I thought that I would see the person in action after the descend, there was none. So I thought where the hell is the guy? I thought I heard wrongly. I even doubted myself for a while thinking that it might be echoes from the construction area instead. Because we could hear the machines quite clearly from up there.

We continued walking down and less than a minute or two the hammering came back on. It was definitely from above. Loud and clear. I asked Eddie if he realized it. Judging by his response, it seemed he did. He told me to go ahead, act as nothing happened. He looked freaked too. As for Rolly, I did not ask him. He just listened quietly. Impossible for a person to hide from us, as the place has not much hiding space. It’s ravine on both sides. Trees are thin and spaced out. Behind rocks? There are no big boulders at that particular section. If it’s a human, normally they would just be there, saying hi. Won’t go to the extend of hiding. Any of you experienced that in Tabur East before? I feel spooked even now when I think about it.

Posted on April 21, 2009 - by Abner

7 Days In Tonsai

きき : why ah lai never talk one
me : work gua. backlog of 1 week work

Yes folks, that’s the consequences you face for sucking on coconuts while having sea breeze smothering your cheeks and arms, hampered only by occasional vicious but dull mosquitoes… staring blanks out to the sea as far as your eyes can see. Surrounded by enchanting awe bewildering formations of lime stones… it makes you tilt your head so far back that your jaw just opens up slowly… some more sensuous than others. That’s a warning for you. That is Tonsai for you. And that is Tonsai for me, again. Again for 7 straight days.

I have never spent so much time on an island. I believe my dark bronze skin will be a testament of that. I am not even sure I could call it dark bronze. It seemed a bit too much. Haha… will try to avoid being in the sun for now.

I slept well on Friday night, before the departure. The anticipation or excitement was not as strong as the first and Guinness did some work too. Brought 5 bottom, 5 top, 4 boxers and 1 towel. One joker brought like 14 tshirts. God knows how many change of pants he lugged along. Why on earth did he bring such an atrocious amount of clothing one would ponder. At first glance it might be this bozo has no clue about going outdoor. Hello… it’s a climbing trip… not let’s go to Penang makan trip… wake up. But very soon, his motive became obvious, he was there to snag a piece of ass. Really a bad example, especially with him handing down his methods to his “kah cheng”. A girl dragged her suitcase out to Krabi too. That’s a little shocking for the rest of us. Lucky for them the amount of tagging the luggage is very limited. LCCT to Krabi airport, 5 minute walk to private taxi, 5 minute walk to the boat and 15 minute walk to the guesthouse.

Continue

Wait let’s rewind a little. *DJ does the sound fx*
Let’s go back to the part where I waited for Rolly Polly and his parents to pick me up. Time check… around 7.30am. Not wanting them to drive all the way in to my place, I walked out to the security post and waited. Finally got the chance to hang out for a while with the personnel there. Been nodding and lifting my hands at them for a long time but never really spoke to them. Made small talk with them and apparently there is a senior citizen who bullshits there every morning. Providing them some pre-breakfast humor. According to the guards, it’s the same old shit, different day only. Just laugh a little won’t hurt anyway. Made the old man feel good. I listened while waiting for the car to arrive. Unfortunately it seems that Rolly has made several wrong turns. He did not leave any breadcrumbs. Soon after the others was calling and messaging me too, concern about where-the-hell-am-i with the where-the-fuck-are-you tone. I decided to walk out to the NZX area to meet them but instead I walked all the way out, nearly reaching the LDP Highway and even contemplating to take a cab when finally they found the right path. Hallelujah. And the angels sing. The monkeys scream. The bulldogs drink. Whatever. I was a little pissed but I felt bad too because they too had their share of morning frustration. Reached the LRT station and thanked auntie and uncle like the well-mannered individual that I am. Time check, nearly 9am.

The rest was already boarding the Air Asia bus. Just in the nick of time. Sat beside Mimi and tried to pick up some Japanese. Observed Jojo who seated adjacent to us. She look excited. Cannot sit still. Put on sunnies, take out headlamp, check batteries, take off sunnies, grab a book, cross her legs, pull curtain, pullback curtain, meddle with the bag, put legs down, put the book back… repeated it till we reached LCCT. It was a funny sight. The rest was behind us happily chattering about climbing in Tonsai, Krabi. Normally I dislike noisy groups while commuting but haha what to do. But still tolerable compared to the girl group that was seated in front of us on the plane. Yes, let’s cut to the in-flight nuisance. The wait at McDonald’s for departure was boring anyway. The girls were all made up. Thick coatings, fake eyelashes, extra large sparkly pupils, strappy kicks, swirly and straight hairdos, body hugging tops, push up bras, mini skirts or short pants, shaved pits and legs… the works yeah. Huddle them together and they are ready to bitch and laugh out loud. A few of them stood for half the flight hunching over the headrest to express their excitement for all to hear. My friend got an eyeful of smooth carrot legs. His eyes lapped up every inch. My seat was not accessible. Damn. It was obvious that the other passengers was clearly annoyed. One went Shut up!!! but it fell on deaf ears. Before it got any worse, we landed.

And so begin the 45 minutes ride in a private taxi to Aonang jetty. Due to Jojo’s pumping adrenaline and high anticipation to rest her foot on the sands of Tonsai, everything from the transfer from airport to jetty and Aonang to Tonsai happened real fast. Soon we found ourselves haggling over rooms at Pasook. Clearly the operators have trouble understanding us. Did a few rounds from room to counter before finally settling down. 400 baht a night shared by 3 person. Although the power are cut off at 6am everyday but it was comfortable enough. We won’t be in the room in the daytime anyway. Naps are taken at Freedom Bar with a cool drink an arm’s length away, cool breeze, crashing of waves, warm hot sun while reggae music lulls you to sleep. The gentle sways of coconut leaves above seems to hypnotize you further. Unbeknown to many, they usually wake up a bit over toasted. But it’s all good.

Continue

We actually planned to do some night climbing but we always spent our energy in the day time which practically made us mashed potato at night. At least that was what I felt. I joined the rest for a beer on the first night. The following nights, after a cold shower I would lie down on the bed, knowing mighty well that I will just get on the first bus to dreamland and miss the beer sessions. And I did not even get a single puff that I wanted. Disappointed. I was asleep before 11pm, every day and wake up around 6.30am. Brush up and have a cold shower before heading out for breakfast. I had mine at Chai’s Pyramid Bar during most of my stay. Tried the restaurant at the beachfront once… although it’s buffet and slightly more expensive but the selection does not seem nearly as hearty as Chai’s. I alternate between Muesli with Fresh Fruit and Yoghurt, Tuna Meltz and Grill Cheese and Ham (for this I prefer Ciabatta than Wholemeal). And it was at Chai’s place too that I got possessed as soon as my index finger flipped over the cover. Its been a long time since I laid my hands on graphic novels. I did enjoy Tin Tin a lot a long long time ago. So here I was, all wide eyed and serious, buried deep in Ironman, DareDevil, Steve Rogers aka Captain America, Spiderman… all these fascinating characters in their own executed plots. I looked forward to breakfast everyday… it usually stretched to about 2 and the half hours. I even went back during tea time to finish up Ironman while Lil Person and Ck was scaling up Humanality. But who’s cares? Time was not an issue here. We just do whatever we felt like whenever we wanted to. Aaa… this so far is the most relaxing trip I ever had.

Dinner at Krueythai (definitely spelled wrongly) seldom goes wrong. On the first night I had some grilled barracuda. They even have salmon, tuna and squid too. Although it was fresh and yummy but it was not enough for me at all. Had to order a pad thai to fill me up. Burp. After a few days, dinner time turns to be the best hours to catch up on our daily activities. We traded climbing tales, sharing laughs and weaving a big blanket of gossip. We dine and drank… like small time village head, laughing so hard into the night. The gossip part was fun as each was giving their own version of what they saw and how they perceived the situation. I think 40%, I think success rate 30%, I think 0%… all the debate and opinion just flew across the table followed by roars of laughter with the people that we are talking behind their backs seated few tables in front of us.

As the holiday reaches the end, everyone was proven wrong. We rubbed our eyes, nudged each others in the ribs, unable to believe what was happening as it passes us by. Hand in hand they stroll. After the storm has passed, we turn to each other for a laugh and I resumed to stroke the curves of my Singha with calloused fingers. Yet strangely enough, when light came the next day, everything seemed like normal. No physical action, with the male still executing smooth moves from his manual, which to us might be along the lines like “How to successfully turn your charm on like an Energizer Bunny and Pose on a bouldering wall despite injuring your shoulder.” Being the generous individual that he is, he shares moments of handy tips with a relative who tagged along. A witness of some miraculous phenomena, relative made moves too. But sadly, in his own words and I quote “the ship has left the port a long time ago”

Crap. I just realized I did not mention anything about the climbing there.

Posted on April 21, 2009 - by Abner

Hike : Gunung Stong, Kelantan Part 3

Random pictures of stong. Very random very few.

My sunrise are always disappointing.


My first camp. The one on the left with a blue tshirt on top. No space to toss and turn. Not that I need it that much. Especially having the pleasure of enjoying an all night vegetation erection kneading its hard knob around my waist. Oh yeah baby.

Personally the highlight up Stong should be this little mischievous rascal. The view up on the Stong peak is nothing to shout about. Whisper still ok la. She is not shy when there are food to be passed on. She likes chips. Try bringing Lays or Kettle. Bet she enjoys premium chips cos I don’t think she shops at local marts that often judging the way how she gobbles down the pieces she lays her paws on. Fyi, there is a mountain named Gunung Ayam in the distance. Legend has it that it was because the guy who discovered the route up always see a white rooster each time. Yes, ayam is a general term for chicken.

My lousy shot does no justice to the beautiful rush of water drops. Its majestic. One has to be there to soak in the elements. The crisp freshness. The deafening crash of water against century polished rocks. All of it. My favourite waterfall. The others I have been too is too crowded with people. Too polluted. Too much human interference. I am trying to go visit them while I still can.

Who knew that we would get certs when we complete the hike? I forgot about it and put mine in some detergent and water. Have to extract it slowly… now it has water stains.

Posted on April 21, 2009 - by Abner

Monyet Gila Di Wangsa Maju

Leganya.
Akhirnya kelahiran gym boulder baru kian menjadi kenyataan… ketibaannya dialukan dengan hati yang terbuka. Ku menantikan hari pertemuan pemandangan batu-bata hijau terlantar setinggi mataku memandang, menantikan langkah ke dunia MadMonkeyz Climbing Gym.

Bahasa Melayu aku sudah habis berkarat. Macam sial. Macam manalah aku nak improve ni… argh. Lama dah tak lepak dengan member member dan otai climber yang lain. Kat ofis pun bukannya banyak sangat cakap melayu. Cerita dongeng pun dah kurang. Harap haraplah boleh jumpa balik budak budak Summit kat sana, yang tu pun kalaulah aku rajin sangat nak boulder.

Ok… kat sini aku nak guna balik bahasa orang putih… memudahkan search engine ni.

The new bouldering gym that’s to be opened by the end of April 2009 in Wangsa Maju, christened the MadMonkeyz Climbing Gym is highly anticipated. Become a fan in Facebook. They have a half cook website currently… with pathetically number of photographs up just enough to make you salivate. Damn. Makes you want to be there physically to take in the view. Am not expecting big spacious bouldering area. More of a close cousin of Deltarovers. After all, if not mistaken a handful of those involved are Delta boys. Kudos.

How to get your ass there to break some muscles? Click for a larger image. If link is missing just go to their website.

Still too lazy to click external links? Here is some basic information I grabbed shamelessly from their site.

MadMonkeyz Climbing is Malaysia’s newest climbing gym which currently dedicated to bouldering and movement training for climbing. Located at Wangsa Maju, we host some of Malaysia’s climbing community groups by offering great routes and atmosphere to train in, all close to public transport. Madmonkeyz is open 7 days a week, with drinks and snacks available while training along with a comfy place to chill out!

Enough already. Meet you there someday.
Hope they have a nice place for you to shower. Hate the idea of driving 45 minutes home all sticky and stinky… or worse… an hour plus in a crowded lrt.

Posted on April 6, 2009 - by Abner

Former RATMs

If you like Rage Against The Machine (RATM) you might give One Day As A Lion and Street Sweeper a try.

One Day As A Lion is a duo comprising Zack de la Rocha (vocals and keyboards) and Jon Theodore (drums)

Next is Street Sweeper. Spearheaded by Tom Morello, guitar alongside Boots Riley. Since this post is about the ex band members of RATM I would not go in depth about their new collaboration partners. Tom Morello was involved in Audioslave and The Nightwatchman too. Just for your info, The Nightwatchman is a solo act of Tom as an outlet for his political views while playing radio friendly songs with Audioslave. It seems that besides Street Sweeper he is coming up with Freedom Fighter Orchestra. Busy bee he is. Here is Fight! Smash! Win! by Street Sweeper.

Right now, Nine Inch Nails, Jane’s Addiction and Street Sweeper just released 6 exclusive, unreleased tracks for free at NIN/JA

Posted on April 6, 2009 - by Abner

April. Ooo…

New Bouldering Gym In Town!!!
Doubt it’s a rumor this time as a lot of the climbers here knows about it. But the location and when it will open its doors is a little vague. Some said it will be opened by the end of April while a few said it’s already opened. It’s damn good news either way. Am excited about it although the location is a little far… all the way in Wangsa Maju. But if it’s a good place to start bouldering again… why not. It’s been more than 8 months since I really bouldered. Or 10. I lost count.

Right now I am counting down to the weekend. The 11th April to be exact. I am going back to Tonsai for 7 days this time round. There are 2 things going on there this time:

• a climbing competition – chance to see pros in action, although a few friends met up Chris Sharma in Yangshuo, China last few days.
• Songkran Festival or “Water Festival” which will start on the 13th April. There are plans to head down to Krabi town to get splashed and soaked. Wee…

Am looking forward to days away from computers and handphones and cars and everything you can find in a dense polluted civilization. Welcome sun, sand, sea, blue skies, trees, wind, simple meal, cool rocks, new faces, cold beer and everything in between. Aaaaa…
My arms are sore now from 2 days of climbing. Not hard climbs. How am I going to last 5-6 days of it? Haha… And I sprained my left back yesterday…

Posted on April 3, 2009 - by Abner

I’ve Got Ham But I’m Not A Hamster

The chorus just keeps on playing in my head every time I hear this song. Somewhat infectious so I am spreading it on.I’ve Got Rain But I’m Not A Rainbow