Where’s Alex?

Central Command: Deep throat, what’s your status?
Throat: General, sir, all our offensive thus far against that final blister has not worked. We need more firepower to break it down, sir.
Central Command: Then let’s turn up the heat. Engine room, increase body temperature by 2 degrees. Let’s see if its internal pressure increase will overcome the blister’s surface tension.

Two hours later.

Throat: Sir, the blister is still holding its own although there are signs of weakness.
Central Command: Engine room, let’s crank it up by another 0.5 degrees.
Engine Room: Negative, General, brain has signaled the throbbing headache alert and we’re running low on fuel.
Central Command: Brain, any ideas?
Brain: Uh, banana?
Central Command: What?!! Have you gone soft? Cause that’s something I expect from the stomach, not from you! … Hey, wait. Wait just one minute. That’s not a bad idea.
Brain: Uh-huh, uh-huh. Hungry…
Central Command: Engine room, get the motor skills boys out of bed and move us to the kitchen. We’re going to have a banana!
Engine Room: But sir, …
Central Command: Do as I say! We’re going to get the banana and force it through deep throat. Even if there aren’t any sharp edges to cut the blister, maybe there’ll be enough pressure to pop it.

Moments later.

Central Command: Deep throat, banana coming your way. Get ready to apply additional pressure of your own as it passes through.
Throat: Sir, I see it coming. It’s here, locked and loaded. Chaaaaarrrrrggggge!!!
Central Command: Deep throat, status!
Throat: Sir, we gave it everything we had. The blister took quite a hit but it’s still intact.
Central Command: I know you did. Now what?
Engine room: Sir, we can get stomach and company to quickly process that banana and get the sugar out as fuel.
Central Command: You’re right, I’ll send that command. Once you get hold of that glucose, crank up the body temperature by another 0.5 degrees. The brain’s all soft anyway so a little more headache won’t do much damage.

Half an hour later.

Throat: Sir, it seems to be working. We can see stress lines appearing.
Central Command: Well, what are you waiting for? Get some saliva, give it a final push and swallow hard.
Throat: It worked!!! The final blister has leaked from a crack at the seam.
Central Command: Well done, deep throat! And well done, everyone else, even brain! We’ve won the battle here at Esophagus. Tomorrow, the war continues!

Battle at Esophagus
My Chicken Pox War
Day 7, 1:48 a.m.

Lightning from outside my window just before midnight.

Reminded me of 10 out of 158 but I think I now have a better success rate.

Day 1, 31/12/2009: Hiked 7.2km, Mesilau to Laban Rata, 2,000m to 3,272m above sea level, 7 hours 20 minutes.
Day 2, 1/1/2010: Hiked 2.7km, up to Low’s Peak, 4,095m above sea level, 3 hours.
Descended 2.7km, back to Laban Rata, 3 hours.
Descended 6km, down to Timpohon gate, 1,866m above sea level, 4 hours 15 minutes.

I arrived at Mesilau Nature Resort on December 30th for a good night’s rest before beginning my ascent the next day. The booking for myself, one person, made things awkward: steamboat dinner all by myself at my own table with a room full of other guests; buffet breakfast by myself; but at least I had a room all to myself, that’s a good thing. On the morning of the climb, I quickly joined another group to share the cost of hiring a guide and to have some company. We started at about 8:20am.

With Steve, Camellia and Michael

This Mesilau trail doesn’t climb all the time, there were sections of gradual descents which allowed me to think, “Hey, this is not so difficult. It’s actually fun and I could do this again.” But we dreaded the reality of every step that we took downwards meant two steps up, and the differences in the flora or vegetation helped us keep track of our progress.

After about 5.5km, the Mesilau trail joined the main trail from Timpohon to the summit. From then on, it was mostly big laterite steps upward transitioning to rocky surfaces before we arrived at the Laban Rata rest house at about 3:40pm. The camera also started to act funny although I was not entirely convinced it was caused by the climate.

There was plenty of time before the buffet dinner started at 5:00pm so most who had arrived earlier would queue for a ‘hot’ shower. The earlier ones said the water was fine, the guy just before me said the water was only at body temperature. When it was my turn, the boiler was no longer effective so it was too cold for a proper shower. I had to find that out the hard way.

At dinner, I replenished my system mainly with rice, warm winter melon soup (i.e. soluble MSG), and sago dessert. After some repacking to separate what to take to the summit and things to leave behind at the rest house until the descent, I was in bed by 8:00pm to try and catch enough shut eye for 2:00am supper and the final leg of the ascent to the summit.

I tossed and turned with a throbbing headache, especially in the frontal lobe because I had put on too much warm clothes (expanding brain in contracting skull). After shedding a layer or two, the slight pounding in the back of my head was bearable enough to catch intermittent naps like those on the night sleeper trains (some said later that the altitude would make it difficult to sleep). When my phone clock flashed 1:15am, there was little reason stay in bed so I already waiting for breakfast at the lounge by the time the staff got up to prepare breakfast in their pyjamas.

In the drizzle, we set off at 2:45am on the summit trail which was at times treacherous, at times under the full moon light of January 1st 2010, and at times in the darkness of my vintage two-D-sized-battery-powered made-in-China bicycle lamp. Whenever someone was ahead of me, I would rest whenever they rested. When I lost touch and led the next group, I stopped more often to catch my breath. But I still made it to the summit of Low’s Peak at the 5:45am before it started to become bright. After finding shelter from the winds, I had a Snickers bar while the shy sun rose for the first time this year behind a large cloud.

I was back at the Laban Rata rest house for a proper breakfast at 9:00am before the starting the home leg descent to Timpohon at 10:15am. From this point on, it was a slow but sure transition from the emotional high point of conquering Mount Kinabalu to the negative anticipation of my knees buckling at the next step down when the strained thigh and calf muscles can no longer support the combined body and baggage weight.

But with an abundance of God’s grace, spurred a little by the I-never-want-to-do-this-again attitude, me and Steve (together for almost all of the Mesilau ascent and this final descent) finally arrived at Timpohon gate at 2:30pm.

The next four days of muscle recovery was full of painful oooh’s and aaah’s whenever I sat down or got up from a seat, going up or down sloping ramps, and especially climbing and going down staircases (think getting on and off AirAsia plane on the return flight to Penang).

My brother said that I might think I never want to climb Kinabalu again for now but a few months down the road I would change my mind. My cousin’s husband also said the same thing, climbed a second time successfully, before turning back soon after starting the third time thinking “I am not going to make the same mistake a third time.” Well, I haven’t changed my mind about not doing Kinabalu again but at least I’ve set my sight on the more challenging Mount Tahan.

Cycle: 233 km
Swim: about 1 km?
Climb: 4095 m

Better start training now.

… been selected for a TSP scholarship.

Mum said: “Guai guai zho kang lor.”

OK.

For more background, go to Letters.

Knowing that this was God’s will does not seem to stop the mind from coming up with so many reasons to help rationalise decisions like this. I was already prepared to accept the fact that I might not get this scholarship because of the 4-month wait between the letter of acceptance and this notification since they were suppose to award scholarships on a monthly basis.

But I still came up with this last one: For me, this was going to be more of a ‘honeymoon’ period (and another European adventure at that), a continuation of my university life, rather than a pursuit for a master’s degree even though the field of study was one that I was interested in.

At least now, my mind has already started to focus ‘full steam’ on planning cycling trips.

… well, almost.

My trusty 7-year-old Perodua Kelisa arrived at what I considered its first major milestone, 10% of its life span. 900,000 km more to go.

It is that time of the year and the newspapers are at it again. In line with the festive seasons, last chance for a holiday for families with school-going children and factory shut-downs, I sense The Star and New Straits Times are cutting down on their reporting of current news and recycling old ones with tonnes ‘Year in Review’ sections.

I have been encouraged by the practice of some cell group members to do one of my own, to reflect on this past year and plan for the next. See if I can bring anything meaningful to this week’s new year’s eve watch night service and covenant service.

2008 Year in Review

January
Started off with a few long over-due graphic design assignments before realising how close the March 1st dateline for the scholarship application to study Masters program at Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (TU/e, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands). Spent 10 solid days translating course subjects from Bahasa Malaysia to English with 20 pages to show for. Also managed to secure recommendation letters to support this application for Sustainable Energy Technology program.

February
Scholarship application hit a snag when I submitted my 10-year-old TOEFL (English proficiency) results when it was supposed to be valid for just 2 years. Tried to argue for an exemption but to no avail. Applied for a position at bicycle components manufacturer Shimano and had a good enough interview in Penang to be invited for a 2nd interview in Singapore. Didn’t really do much else except wait. 1st Chinese New Year celebration with family after missing the previous two years.

March
Didn’t do well in the 2nd interview at Shimano Singapore but sat tight waiting for news. More waiting.

April
Shimano finally said no. I didn’t have enough relevant experience. Back to square one. And funds running low.

May
Was approached to be available for freelance graphic design work, not sure why it turned out to be hot air. Walk-in interview and 2nd interview with Motorola went well, although I was technically ‘rusty’.

June to December
Joined Motorola and work, work, work! Hence, almost zero blog posts during this period.

Were all these really news worthy? It is more for me to keep track of what happened this past year, and justify all the early months of living off my parents. Haha…

2009 Year in Preview(?)

January
Chinese New Year comes early. Reunion will miss elder brother, but sister-in-law-to-be and Spanish cycle tourist will be here in Penang. Anyone else coming?

February
I took another TOEFL test in November ‘08, had good results so I asked for my TU/e scholarship application to be re-submitted for consideration since my previous out-dated results prevented the start of processing. Eight weeks for processing from 4th week of December would mean I should know by mid- or end of February if I have the biggest, mother-of-all headaches, decision to make.

March to May
1 week for travel to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and cycle to Da Lat?

June
1 year at Motorola.

July
My younger brother David and Elizabeth’s wedding season.
Mum applying pressure…

August
2 years in Penang.
But will it last? Summer course begins at TU/e before starting 2-year Masters Program IF scholarship comes my way and IF I decide to go.

Cell group leader told my brother that I was getting more involved in church and community. Well, involved enough to clown around and do silly things. I started with manning the sound system during worship, will now try back-up singing next quarter.

Cell group bible study is progressing well enough to notice more members coming prepared and participating to tackle the book of Romans, moving through the studies as a whole, and trying not to leave anyone behind. At least next year, other cell groups will be doing the same, bringing group bible study to the fore.

A ‘new’ pastor has been with us for a year, bringing about a positive presence and changes. I am looking forward to see what direction(s) he and the church committee has come up with for the coming year(s). Cell group leader is ‘officially’ a full-time employee at church beginning 2009, if he isn’t already one.

Looks as though there’s plenty to give thanks for and to look forward to next year.