Space Cadet BLing

Introducing a revolutionary new weight loss program… lose 8kgs in 3 weeks! Get a healthy tan that can change a pale Chinese skin to a deep Brazilian brown… (ok, maybe a Pacific Islander brown instead) but the point is… it works! On an average of 5-6 hours of walking up and down hills, a strict diet regimen of Dal bhaat and Egg+Vege Chow Mein, the Annapurna Circuit Trek works! And it could work for YOU!

Need no motivation to walk to see this view of the Marsyangdi Valley near Ghyaru

Ok, jokes aside, I’m finally back in Malaysia from Nepal and I feel pretty chuffed that I can fit in my old jeans again. This trekking thing really does help shave off the pounds, but the hard part now is keeping this weight off… since the view at Bukit Kiara ain’t as motivating as the Marsyangdi Valley and Malaysian food is much more appetizing & fattening than the simpler and more natural Nepali food. :T

Overall, this trip is memorable, and one of the best things I’ve ever done to recharge my spiritual and emotional batteries. I’ve had time to evaluate on what’s meaningful to me and what’s not. What deserves my time and attention, and what doesn’t. There are things it seems before the trek that are just noise… clutter… that fills up my head… which I don’t even need to care about. Namely, is Lindsay Lohan gonna survive the next day? Oh, so and so sports celebrity scandal, oh there’s a sale at so and so shopping mall, got to take advantage of the deal before the promotion expires… Clutter… mindless clutter…

Welcome to Narnia (aka Manang)

And more and more, I’d like to think I’m more Buddhist… No no, I’m not gonna start doing all this mantra thing, and start being all mystical and all that… but more along the lines of being non-confrontational, at peace… that kind of philosophy… I had some long quiet moments in some monasteries which made me somewhat felt like there’s a place where I can find my centre… no noise… no chatter, no clutter.

And the friends and people I’ve met so far during the trek, thanks you guys for making the trip memorable… you know who you are, fellas, I’ll be emailing you guys soon with photos too after I sift through them… but especially to my guide and porters, Nava, Babu Ram and Prakash.

Anyway, I’ll probably still post more Nepal related stuff, but right now… I’m just pooped. Lots of things to catch up, clean up, etc.

So, here we go. I’m getting close to that date now, and most of the essentials are done.Some stuff left are:

1. Get a haircut

2. Get a 35mm Nikkor 1.8D lens. I could probably get one for under RM800 here.

3. Another pair of quick-dry nylon undies.

4. Some electrolyte boosting tablets

5. Moneychanger

6. Get a knee brace. My knees aren’t as strong as before.

7. Redeem my RM35 voucher at World of Outdoors Mid Valley. Wonder what I can get there.

8. A silicon case for my iphone. Funny, the ringtone and game sounds suddenly died on me. Maybe I should get it checked, but it’s mighty close to the flight date.  I hope it’s not a precursor of things to come (*knock wood)

9. Lip balm, sun block, excedrin, stuff from the pharmacy. Maybe some Glucosamine for my weakening knees perhaps?

10. Get my bills sorted out!

Wow, that nicely rounds up a top 10.

In no particular order:

1. I Am The One – Inon Zur (from Dragon Age: Origins)

2. Atolago (End Credits) – James Newton Howard (from The Interpreter)

3. Deep Blue – George Fenton (from Deep Blue)

4. Elysium/Honor Him/Now We Are Free – Hans Zimmer (from Gladiator)

5. Gods & Generals – John Frizzell & Randy Edelman (from Gods & Generals)

6. Freedom of the Wa – Klaus Badelt (from The Promise)

7. Resurrection – John Debney (from The Passion of Christ)

8. Give Me A Smile – John Barry (from The Beyondness of Things)

9. Climbing Up Iknimaya – The Path – James Horner (from Avatar)

10. Forth Eorlingas – Howard Shore (from Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers)

OK, I must admit, I’m a review-hound. Meaning, I tend to follow the general consensus of people’s opinions, such as not bothering to watch The Wolfman which got sucky reviews… playing only games rated at least 8.5 or higher on Gamespot/IGN or XPlay. And such is the case with me purchasing my very first DSLR camera, Nikon’s D90 (it’s all Ken Rockwell’s fault!) Got it for RM2600 from a dude named George Lee (like me, BLing, has a pretty nice abbreviated name of GLee) Bought the lens separately, a cheapo RM300 18-55 Nikkor without VR (which I may regret later, we’ll see)… Thought I might start slow, but now that I’ve started getting into this photography beezkneez I’m really starting to get a little tempted to splurge… Stuff I’m looking at:

Gitzo Hiking Stick/Monopod... too rich for my blood

Kata 3 in 1, this bag is so ergonomically awesome, I gotta get this one...

1. 12-24 or 11-16 Tokina Landscape Lens – RM2250-2350

2. Kata D-3N1-30 3 in 1 Large Sling Backpack – RM505

3. Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Autofocus Lens – RM420

4. 55-200 Nikkor VR Zoom Lens – RM950

5. A Polarizer (not sure how much and for which lens)…

6. Lens Hood

7. A Gitzo GM1130MT Monopod/Hiking Stick – RM545

8. An SD Card (4 or 8 gig)

and all that shingamajig… adding all that together… more than RM4770 and not to mention the RM2900 I’ve already spent on the camera. Maybe I won’t splurge on the Tokina as the 15-55 should work well enough.

And to continue my list with non-photography-related items:

Buff from Corezone: If I do ever get this, I'd better make sure not to look this gay

9. Buffs from Corezone (RM79-115)

10. Teva from World of Outdoor @ Mid Valley (RM299 -20% if I get it before the 21st Feb, dang I’m tempted)

11. Compression Sack from Corezone (RM140 for large, RM129 for med)

MiLi Powerskin for my Iphone... It's an Iphone cover, it's a battery!

12. MiLi Power Skin to give extra battery life for my Iphone, from Machines (RM299, trying to get some sort of 5-10% discount if I can nego)

13. Princeton Halogen Headlamp from Corezone (RM100)

Those I had listed for now, will cost me another extra RM879!

You know, it’s easy to get carried away with all these shopping even though some of these stuff seem pretty essential, but once you see the grand total, it makes you think twice. And I’m thinking I’d better cut some serious $$$ from my want list at the moment. Well, after tennis tomorrow, maybe a trip to Pudu and check out the camera shops there. LowYat too, perhaps for SD cards? Not to mention, a trip to Corezone & Mid Valley for the final day of CNY sales. See if I can get better deals there. In the meantime, I’ll be scouring the FTZ for some good deals if I can find any. Wismilak!

Holy Mother of God view from Poon Hill

The time has almost come for my 3-week break from civilisation, away from traffic, work, bills, facebooking, pollution, politics, fast food, ladida… and embrace the splendour of nature, Avatar style. It’s my long awaited Annapurna Circuit trek where it’s just me and the mountains! Can’t wait… On the flipside, boy, I’m gonna miss my Arsenal FC, tennis on the weekends, mom’s birthday, episodes from the final season of Lost, and Clash of the Titans premiere (well, I’m just missing it by 3 days, so it’s not that bad after all) Crap. I’m already dreading the backlog of work, bills and tax matters upon my return. Well, gotta get my matters sorted out this week best I can so I don’t have to worry too much when I’m away.

In a nutshell, I’ll be leaving on the 6th of March and arriving on the 30th, almost a full month. No Keith and Adam this time. Keith taking care of his new family, and Adam who I suspect regards Himalayan trekking as once is enough. This time, it’s just me, Nava Raj (same guide from my first trek) + porter, and another fellow kindred spirit traveller, João from Portugal who replied to my Lonely Planet Thorntree Forum post.

So, some stuff I’ve already lined up, a few of these being carried over from the last trip:
Hiking Backpack, Columbia Coremic Ridge Hiking boots, Iodine Water Purification Tablets (thanks, Keith), Raincoat (thanks again, Keith), Deuter cargo bag, Gore-tex jacket, Polarized sunglasses, Wooly cap, Gloves (I think Maya has these, gotta check), Camera tripod, Iphone (essential!), Swiss Army pocket knife, playing cards (hmmm… should I bring a couple of playable Magic: The Gathering decks, I wonder and have fellow trekkers marvel at my geekdom?), earphone splitter (for that shared music experience), quick-dry towel, quick-dry undies, toiletries…

And some which I still need to get here:
Nike+Ipod patch, Halogen head lamp, compression sack, excedrin, Tevas outdoor sandals, Mili Power Skin for my Iphone, super glue, mini sewing kit, a Digital SLR (looking at something cheaper like a 2nd hand Nikon D60 or sonething), lip balm, sun-block, SoundMagic PL30 earphones, immunization, travel insurance, spare batteries, some of those Isonotic pills Mun Kitt plops into his bottled water for tennis (gotta ask him where he gets those), Ziploc bags, binoculars, trip to the dentist just in case, cash in USD, travel pouch, souveniry items & snacks…

And some which I’ll get at Kathmandu itself:
Adjustable trekking poles, sleeping bag, some extra winter clothing, thick sock…

Am I forgetting anything else? Some other notes:

1. Wished I could’ve gotten myself an astronomy telescope for my trip but shipping it to Malaysia costs a bomb! Gotta make a trip back to the US next time for this.

2. Have thought about bringing my laptop with me. But, perhaps more likely, I won’t. Would’ve been nice to have an IPad for this trip, though.

3. Should I download GTA: Chinatown Wars to my Iphone for this trip? Tempting.

4. I’ve a running bet with João whose team, Porto FC, plays Arsenal in the Champs League. Come on, Gunners! Win me dinner.

5. Last time I went for a hike, my Ipod went for a drink on day 1. Tragic. At least I had a few moments of bliss when Keith loaned me his. There’s not much better moments when listening to Hans Zimmer’s “Now We Are Free” from Gladiator when up on a majestic view of Poon Hill. Gotta be extra careful this time.

Now, back to work.

Okay, so I’m back from my Kinabalu Trek. A few things that maybe made this journey harder than I thought.

Firstly, lack of training: Haven’t been hitting the gym in the whole month prior to the climb. Very bad idea!

Secondly, didn’t pack right: Ended up carrying almost twice the weight as I did in Nepal, thinking about 4-5kgs. Pretty much had to carry everything with me in this 3 day trek. The only time I was able to leave my stuff behind was the climb from Laban Rata, to the peak, then back to Laban Rata again.

Thirdly, should have gotten a walking stick: The trek seems more intense. Lots of climbing up steep stairs and rocks, then coming down, your knees take an extra pounding. I should have gotten one of those walking sticks which I sorta got away not using in Nepal.

Fourthly, they really rush your schedule: Get this, you’re walking from 9am to 5pm from Mesilau to Laban Rata. This is maybe around 8km. Then you barely get enough sleep before you wake up again at 2 in the morn the next day, reach the peak at about 5-6am. Then come back down again at about 10am. You barely get enough rest before you go and walk again at 11am because you want to reach the HQ by 5 so you can have lunch and get your certificate. This is a solid15 hour walk in the last day! Jeeezus Christ!

Anyway, the climb was well worth it. Surely, one of the most beautiful and unique experiences I’ve ever had, and right in my own country! Awesom-O! The climb was terrifying, especially if you’ve issues with heights (just like I have). Many cases I felt a sense of vertigo. Some areas, all that’s preventing you from a certain plunge to your death is you grabbing onto a rope. Not even harnessed… you’re just grabbing on rope and hoping you don’t slip. Then when you’re at the peak, it’s such a small area, and a pretty steep drop off everywhere else, that I could barely stand. Basically freezing and hugging rock. Anyway, in the end, I’m glad I did it. I think if I knew how freaky this “World’s Highest Via Ferrata” trek would be, I wouldn’t have done it, but I think now, I felt I’ve conquered my fears and don’t mind doing it again. This time, with more preparation, and maybe I can actually appreciate the view this time instead of hugging rock.

So anyway, some random thoughts:

Read the rest of this entry »

… got disconnected from my Streamyx connection. Didn’t pay the bills. Yeah, I’m po. Well, maybe not that bad, just procrastinatin’. Anyway, the connection should be back on again.

On other news, Mt. Kinabalu trip starts tomorrow! Should I or should I not bring my laptop? Hmmm…

Also, having a murder mystery theme birthday with something Maya n’ I planned. Keep a look out here for more info! Who wanna come?

1.  Kangaroo kebabs at Little Creatures were pretty tasty. (Nooooo! Skippyyyyy! I’m evil)

2. What’s with those half car half truck things on the road?

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Is it a 'trar' or is it a 'cruck'?

6. Had the 2nd best pizza I’ve ever tasted at Little Caesar’s at Mundaring. (hmmm… Aussies seem to like adding ‘Little’s too) But the best still goes to Fire & Ice at Kathmandu.

7. Magnum Ice Creams are my fave, but Malaysia has only 2, Classic and Almond. Lo and behold, the doors of super ice cream heaven opened for me when I came across a whole new bunch of Magnum goodness in the form of Magnum Colombian Cappucino and Ecuadorean Dark. I couldn’t stay long enough to try the other flavours, Ego, White and Peppermint. Sigh.

8. I see Lleyton Hewitts everywhere there, as if his face is the nucleus of which Aussie Caucasianness revolve around. I must be going nuts.

9. In their safety video, Air Mauritius reminds you not to sleep on the floor during flight. Literally, how low can passengers get on a budget airline?

10. The one thing I seemed to miss the most back home was my computer, if not only to type these 10 things I think.

Technorati Tags: Kangaroo kebabs, Skippy, Bikies, “Brahminy” Kite, King’s Park, Central Park, Kings of Leon, “Use Somebody”, Jai Ho, Lleyton Hewitts, Air Mauritius

Overall, Australia was a great trip, but if there’s one thing that spoils it right at the end, is finding out that you’ve overpaid for the frikkin taxi service from the KLIA airport to home, and I should’ve known better! Was thoroughly grumpy throughout the ride back wondering about that 50 ringgit extra out the window.

More a bit about the 3-day Perth trip later, now, I just need to unwind and let off some steam.