My Year-end trips- a conclusion

Sometimes, when you take too long to blog about something, it is as if the event lost its significance. Like my vacation and the youth camp, it's like you don't feel like blogging about it anymore.

Well, i think i'll just write a synopsis about both here then.
Penang-Cameron trip.
It was the best trip i ever had and I mean it. Yes, i been to Australia and it was better than Penang but i didn't really get to enjoy the place because of one of my past phobias which those close to me will know. This time in Penang, it did happen again but not that bad and a lot of time i manage to subdue it in Jesus name. So I can enjoy the lovely food there, especially in TGI Fridays, love that place a lot. Got proffessional workers too.

And i learnt a lot from my trip here. I learn more about Geography and History. Regret not coming earlier, i could have been Geo and Sej pro if I did, just hope my bro didn't miss this chance to learn.

I also made new friends, especially with Uncle Ronnie. Will always remember his famous quote to me while we were speaking, :"You can choose your wife but you can't choose your parents". I will definitely not love someone so blindly till i can't even tell my right hand from my left. If I do, faithful friends out there, please do me a favour and knock the senses back to me.

I also got to watch my first English Premier League on Astro. Too bad Chelsea lost to Arsenal that day.

I got to see new places, know the culture, albeit only a bit, of West Malaysians. I did come back with a renewed determiantion to fight the good fight.

I also managed to share about God too but I won't say how. Just want to challenge you to do the same on your trips.


Youth Camp.
Uncle Maclean Patrick. Boy, he is a great speaker. I learnt a lot from him. The most profound thing i learnt from him is this interesting quote

"What are you doing here?"

Indeed, what are we doing in the youth camp? He asked that so many times, i just nearly exploded and said:" I'm here to experience God and seek Him!!". I would have exploded if he pointed the question to me. It also made me sad that this question wasn't asked earlier. I would have asked for night curfews on the campers and tougher rules so that the camp's main objective, that is learning more about God will not be compromised. :(

Conclusion: These 2 activities have shaped the way I think and i hope it is everlasting and not just hangat-hangat tahi ayam. Pray for me!

Cameron highlands, a place of cool air and beautiful greens... and red strawberries..

Yeap.. the third day of my vacation will be spent in Cameron Highlands. The journey there is about 5 hours. 2 hours plus across the Highway to Ipoh and 2 more hours up the hilly highlands to Tanah Rata, Cameron, Pahang.

Our guide for the trip is Uncle Ronnie. Since I'm kinda prone to getting dizzy when in a car (and because i vomitted 14 years ago when going up Blue Mountain, Sydney), my parents ask that I sit in front.. with Uncle Ronnie.. This put me in a rather awkward position. I love to talk to adults but I'm also very shy around them too. Anyways, could be a divine appointment.

So the journey began. The journey of a vacation and a friendship.

Throughout the journey Uncle Ronnie and I kept talking. He tells me a lot about the areas we past by. He says Taiping is Malaysia's wettest spot. It rains almost everyday. Even more interesting, there was even some time ago when oldies will just gather at the kopitiam to bet at what time will it rain. The winner gets a cup of coffee. Haha..

Ipoh on the other hand is full of limestone hills. So much there is even space for cave temples there. Since mineral content in the soil is high, plants also grow quite fat.. or at least the beansprout i eaten.. but food there is not bad too..

Bee farm. My first stop in Cameron. It was rather dizzling there so didn't really see much. Rest assured, there are lots of flowers to attract bees and bees to extract the flowers and poof! It became honey in containers! They sell herbal eggs there too. Oh ya, here's when a funny story occured.

My mom's friend was in the mini canteen when she saw someone cooking something. Ah, the aroma that filled her nose was just so tempting? She thought it was meat or some delicious food that is sold. Wanting to buy, she asked the cook:"What is this?(luckily not:"how much")".

The cook replied:" This for the dogs."

Haha.. anyways.. If you are ever planning to go to Cameron be warned: Bring your sweater! The wind there is cold alright. But if it blows that is. I thought I was man enough to withstand it. And boy what surprise it was to have such cold wind blowing at my face. Luckily, I was brilliant enough to have a jacket on my back.

If you go Cameron, a good place to visit will be at the Pasar Malam in Brinchang. Got food and toys (souvenirs). Prices are almost the same too. The only thing is if you want the best price make sure you explore every stall first. Some may sell 12 for RM10 but some 13 for 10.

The Cactus Valley is a good place for plant lovers. Rose Garden is another recommended spot especially if you want to see the good scenery at the top (not for the unfit.. be sure to do some warm-ups!). The Boh Tea Plantation is a must see too. It is really an eye opener to see such a large plantation. But do not buy the tea there. It is said that tea there is more expensive than those sold outside.















There are also a lot of strawberry farm which you can pick your own strawberries. There a bit more expensive but at least all of them are in good conditions.. unless you pluck the wrong one.. you are not that stupid right? Just pick the red one la.. Too bad strawberries can't last long. Even in the refrigerator, it may only last one day. Oh ya, be careful not to touch the berry when you pluck. Just pluck the stem. Touching the berries can make it rot faster, for some reason.

Kea Farm quite near to Equatorial Hotel is also a good place to go. The restaurant offers good lunch while the best jam is there too. Rose Garden is also nearby.

And by the way, all around Cameron you will be surrounded by strawberries. Nope, not the real ones. It is the starwberry pillows, umbrella, fan, bolster, and even blantket that is sold almost everywhere.. and for some reaon, spongebob too..

That's all for now from me.. Just remember, wherever you go on vacation, make sure you go with a good guide. Then you may make the most of your vacation. Signing off.

Vacation-Penang, Food Paradise

Penang. Food paradise as they all imply. (well there are other things Penang is famous for but i can't remember what). Oh, ya.. by the way I'm back in Kuching. Cat city as they always say.
The flight to Penang on Airasia was satisfactory. Well, they got a nice hotdog on the flight whicj costs RM7!! And then we have Penang International airport which seems advance but looks very old-fashioned. Feels a little like the Xiamen International Airport I been to last year.
So I arrived at Penang at around 5pm, 30 minutes ahead of schedule. Not bad for Airasia right? Then, my family and I headed towards Gurney Drive. (Just in case you didn't know, Gurney Drive a popular tourist attraction which is by the seaside, well, to me, a lagoon side which commands a fascinating view with cool winds if you are living on the 21st floor in my mother's friends apartment like I did. If you are jogging along the pavement of the seaside which has little or no sand in a lovely afternoon, brace yourselves for a foul stench. If you are lucky, you'll see monitor lizards and mudskippers.) For your info also, Gurney drive was also hit by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami abeit a minor one.
On the first night, we went to One Stop Midland shopping complex. It used to be a very popular shopping complex 6 or 7 years ago until shopping malls like Queensbay mall came into the fold. So we ate a great chinese restaurant. It cooks the best sald prawn I ever tasted. In fact, for a prawn-hater like me, I just can't help but want more.
On the second day, 13th December, we went to some hawker stalls for breakfast. We wanted to tasted Penang's renown char kuey tiaw. Unfortunately, the stall ain't operational on that day. So I had to settle for wanton mee, which has one or two kiaws and more noodles. Ain't that tasty if you ask me. After breakfast, we went city touring on a chartered tranpsort (a must if you want to make the most of your vacation.).
First stop, toy museum. Penang boast of the world's only second toy musuem. Containing toys worth millions of ringgit, this is a must see for toy lovers. It has the best collection of star wars toys too.
Next stop is is the Batik Factory. Nothing astonishing here. It just teaches you about how batik is created and you get to buy batik stuff here. One thing I learnt is that batik clothes are very original. If you find another person wearing the same batik shirt as you, you probably got an imitation.
Along the way to our next stop at the Tropical Fruit Garden some few hundred feet above sea level is Batu Ferringhi, the most captivating beach I seen so far. The sand and river is so so so so so clean. It looks absolutely beautiful. Strangely, there aren't any waves. On the way to the top of the hill to the Tropical Fruit Garden is one of Penang's 2 dams and many lush green trees. A good stop for photographers.
The Tropical Food Garden is a haven of local fruits. Did you know we have something called the custard apple in Malysia? Ok fine.. how about the buffalo horn nut? It is looks exactly like a buffulo horn., hence the name. At the end of the guided tour up the fruit hill, we got a treat of a fruit buffet. Sadly, no durians because the durian season there is around mid-year. Buffulo Horn Nut
After that, it is a trip to to the snake temple. As the name implies, it is a temple full of snakes, in cages that is. Of course there are a few on the loose but they don't too much. Most of the time, they play dead and are there just in you bizzarely want to take a photo with them. It is quite educational to be there. Lot's of information about snakes and dangers and precautions, only a RM3 entrance fee. Just remember, look at the info given, not just the those slimy wrigglers and it will be a trip well taken.
Oh ya, I forgot introduce our driver. His name is Mr. Khoo. A great guide if I may say so myself. Gives lot's of information and worth your money.
After the snake temple, we are off to another temple, Kek Lok Si Temple. Make no mistake, it isn't a place where they sell a type of non-exixtent cake called Lok Si. It in fact is the biggest temple in South-East Asia. It is huge! Even a Buddha statue can cost 75 million. That is around 18 of my church!!! But nothing much there except a panoramtic view of one side of the city. Oh ya, there a street descending downwards from there too. But as they are near the temple and may be contributing to temple funds, I decided not to buy anything
Finally, our last stop in Penang: The Coffee Tree. Well, you heard of Coffee Bean but it is nothing compared to Coffee Tree. No, not that coffee products grows on tree here. IT is actually just a shop selling lot's of types of coffee.. and chocolates. Better still, they let you taste each kind. Their white coffee is truly great! And their tiramisu chocolate is superb. This is one of the palces you most not but I guess most of the time will miss as it is not that famous for some reason.
That night, we went to Queensbay mall, the longest and largest mall in Penang. It's the first time I step into TGI Fridays and boy the food is super great! If you say Secret Recipe is nice, TGI Friday's is 3 times better. The price too. But if two sets of aroundRM 30+ can feed 5 mouths, why not? I can't wait for The Spring to open in Kuching.

Penang

Ah, going penang today... actually i struggle to whether ior not i should put this here... you know why? Because if i didn't buy present for you, you will asking and i feel pai sei.. but never mind, if i forget ar.. just make sure you tell me your birthday.. ha ha.. Auf wiedersen! (await youth camp 2 when I return)

Guitar Exam

I finished my grade 1 guitar exam!! Praise the Lord!! I'm confident I passed but my teacher wants a merit. Hopefully, I can get it. My pices wasn't that good though but the rest seems okay. But I'm grateful to God for pulling me through... hallelujah!!

Youth Camp 2

Hey, I'm back again (Saturday, 8Dec). I'm awfully tired. Have been attending a meeting the whole morning plus a concert by some fantastic children-youth choirs in the afternoon. A day well used if I may say so my self but my lack of holiday revision is a bit worrying considering that I may be busy for the next week or so.
Anyways, back to my youth camp.
So on the first day of the camp on the 3rd, I went there rather early. Besides 4 of the committee members who is supposed to go to the camp site early for preparations, the rest of the committtee only came an hour after I came. So I'm stuck with my brother for the next 1 hour. It was okay except for the minor scuffle I had with him because i didn't let him play the piano.
We started the camp off with committee prayer where we gave thanks to God for the His graciousness upon us. (Have I told you it has been raining for days with only periodic stops?). Well, on the day the sun, by the grace of God, started to shine. Hallelujah! Oh ya, I forgot to say something. The night before when i was packing my bags, I was a hypocrite. On one hand i told my bro that by faith it will not rain. I keep repeating that even when he asked whether we need to bring sunblock as was stated in the camp checklist. But guess what? I packed my umbrella. I even told Dennis to pack an umbrella! O' me of little faith! I soon realise how faithless and hypocritical I was. I was praying that it didn't rain, even told my brother that by faith the sun will shine and here i am packing an umbrella.. sigh.. Fortunately, my conscience got the better of me. I immediately awoke (i was almost asleep) and took my umbrella out.
Ok, back to the first day. YOu know what, I learnt my first lesson on the first day even before we left for Santubong. Lesson number 1: Never ever tell anyone you know wushu especially if you look like a bookworm! You know, after i told them i know wushu the saturday before, everytime my MYF'ers see me they'll say "Hi,wushu!" or just repeat the word wushu a dozen times!!!! One even changed it to "dushu", which is chinese for reading books! If I'm an emo person as Sam discribes it, boy, I would be locking myself up in the doors of depression for being laughed at (teased is a better word)
But honestly, I actually quite enjoy the teasing. I mean, though it may sound like it's insulting my abilities but it was actually a blessing in disguise. Those who do not actually know me at least now know me by my new found unfortunate nickname: "Wushu". Yup, my name is now "wushu". Also, this teasing has the potential to draw me closer to people, many whom I'm not close to. So I have no qualms though I was somewhat irritated sometimes. I even got a new motto to console myself which is "MY Greatest Weakness Will be My Greatest Strength". Cool motto, don't ya think? No? You gotta learn to appreciate English man!
It was drizzling that drizzling afternoon. At first I thought, "so much for not bringing the umbrella.." because to get to the bus I had to come under the rain. But I assured myself that it is a good time to show those who think I'm a bookworm that "bookworms" ain't scared of the rain. I also know that God will provide.
During the trip, my faith was tested again. As we rode across Santubong bridge, it started to rain as was yesterday-really heavy. In fact, I think it has been raining on this side of Kuching for some time already. We just entered into rain zone. My bro joked that it was rain here because we only prayed on the other side of Kuching and not on this side. Either ways, it was a test.
Guess what, just 2 or more kilometres before we arrived, the downpour reduced itself back into a drizzle. Ah, the joy that flowed... till... splash!!! Yuck!!.. that was probably the dirtiest water besides the water that came from the Santubong sewage tunnel into the beach that ever sprayed onto my face! That van (i think) came from nowhere and just gave a few of us unfortunate right-side-windowers a splash of welcoming.
At Santubong I had 3 roommates with me, one of which was Dennis. Initially I was a little cautious about the other two, well, not because they are the MYF bad hats or anything. It's just that I do not know them really well and i don't have a good first impression of them, hence the suspicion. Still, i tried to be as friendly as my nature permits.
The first worship session was conducted by me. Boy it was a mess. Although there was only 20 minutes left before the whole camp officially began, the equipment team have not completed instrument set-up. So I do not have much of practice time. And here comes praise and worship. Honestly, i didn't prepare well for this. And the mic was blur. So the words that came out was blurry and not well organised. Oh, well. Sorry Lord:(
The first talk by our speaker Uncle David Eu was quite informative. In fact, I feel he is a good speaker, an adult speaker but not so much of a youth speaker.
Fast forward to the night. Boy, the barbeque was far from satisfactory. I mean, I won't mind if we done it ourselves, but since they insist on doing it themselves, I expect super good barbequeing, not burnt-one-side sausages. And did I mention the ants coming out of the cakes? But kudos for the i-hope-it's safe- delicious soup.
Oh ya, there's still the games before that. It is called "pass the potato" where you passs a potato around until the music stops. The person who possesses the potato after the music stop gotta answer a question. Failure to answer it correctly and you'll be punished. Well, ar... initially, it was smooth sailing. The potato left me arms as soon as it arrived... until..my mischievious friend unsuspectingly put in my shirt. Unfortunately, the music stopped at that time also. Ok.. cool.. just a question.. most answered correctly... i can do it...
"What did flintstones use to move their car? A. Foot B. Dinasour C. Tar."
"Err.. Dinasour?"
"It's wrong!"
What? Oh man..., I got that wrong? No way.. well.. yes way... my awful hearing punished me again. You know, when the game master said foot, I heard food!!! SO I THOUGHT THAT WASN'T THE ANSWER. Plus my other friends yelling dinasour, I finally gave in. Oh great, punishment time. Guess what it is... write words using your butt.. fortunately, i got a few other unlucky ones doing it with me... phew...
Well, that's all for the first day. I can't believe I took so long just to finish typing this...

Hey, it's been a long time since I posted anything rite? Was busy with my youth camp.. well, since that's what I'm up to the last week I guess I should write about it, no?
Where do I start?.. hmm.. we started planning this youth camp not long ago.. in fact, it was very last minute, abour the end of October.. That's why we were rushing in the planning all the way through. Let's skip the details of the planning, shall we?
The climax before the camp was most certainly a night before the closing date. Well, we initially targetted 70 participants and at first I thought that was too little. So imagine what a scare it was to only have 8 people sign just the day before the deadline!!! Of course if all committee memebers sign up, it will be at least 20 but that's not even half the number!
There were rumours going on about cancellation, rumours that appears so true that even some of the committee members started believing them. Who could blame them, since the numbers speak for themselves. One thing that we discusss in the meeting after that which I find very true is that, the organising committee's main task is to organise not to cancel. Why organise if you cancel it that easily?
That day was a Saturday, 17 November to be exact. That night, after MYF, I felt the need to pray. Even if we will fail, I want to make sure we do not go down without inquiring of the Lord. Therefore, I asked all committee members to pray at the same time that night, 11p.m. I asked that they pray that the Lord will grant us at least 40 people but not so that we can proceed with the camp but so that through the camp and through those who went, God may be glorified. And so we prayed, I hope (but sorry to the two I didn't manage to contact).
The following day, we only managed to get 30plus people, so we extended the deadline to Thursday, hoping. By the grace of God, we manage to get 44 participants! Hallelujah! God is good. And I know, that because the Lord granted us this breakthrough, I believe He wants to do something.
After alll last minute details have been sorted out, it is just a wait for the second only camp if I'm not mistaken) that Im' going to.