My 20 Awesome Experience Backpacking Sabah (1 to 10)

Truth to be told. My Journey to realization series had been dragging for long. If it continues at this rate, it would take me years to finish them! No thanks to my long winding writing, and with my laziness at terminal stage. I might as well save them up, if I were to publish a book about it. *laughs* Inspired by a post my friend wrote. Here is it people, My 20 awesome experience backpacking Sabah. In no specific order.

1. Volunteering at Tampat Do Aman Eco Resort.

For the free accommodation, for the nice food, for the amazing people, and for the breathtaking view. Volunteering was a good way to get the most out of a beautiful place, without burning a hole in your pocket. Tampat Do Aman Eco Resort (TDA) located in the most northern Tip of Borneo and managed by the infamous British expat, Howard Stanton. Surrounded by picture perfect beaches, the friendliest Rungus people, exciting wildlife and serene village life. But all these beautiful things came with hard work, real hard work. Me and Toby pouring sweat six day a week, working on upgrading and constructing TDA. We got our hands in carrying everything from food compost to trunks of coconut tree, landscaping, transporting, tank cleaning, to design and make furniture, waiting, painting and constructing. One can never imagine the hard work we did, unless you go try it yourself. The best part was perhaps seeing all our effort come to realize in making TDA a better place for all its guest, while not forgetting the cold shower after and that cold nice beer later!

My 20 Awesome Experience Backpacking Sabah (11 to 20)

Check out 1 to 10, click here.

11. Lost in Liwagu trail, Kinabalu Park.

I blame the misleading sign and my own adventurous heart for getting me lost in the Kinabalu park for almost 2 hours. But thankfully I end up with an interesting story to tell you. It was when I blazed down Liwagu trail, the longest trail within Kinabalu Park measuring up to 5.6 km. While I can smell the end of the trail just a kilometer away, I went down a trail that lead to the Liwagu river. I was misled into this when I encounter a confusing sign. The lost trail was not easy to blaze through, thick jungle vegetation and poor marker signifies that this trail had not been used for long. Thinking that there must be a way out down the road, I continue on, when the right choice was to turn back. Then the trail got harder and harder to blaze through, there was this fast running water and slippery rocks I need to overcome, and there was this gorge only connected by two very slippery thick steel pipe was only the few ridiculous obstacles I need to brace through. The Liwagu river was the main water source for the people of the mountains. My thought was if I followed the main supply pipe line, and follow the flow of the river, I believe I could get out of the jungle soon. This thought was slowly disappearing as I moved further inside the jungle and further away from the river. But my determination to get myself out of this situation push me harder overcoming those knee deep mud and uphill climb.

Must I say, that was awfully lots of cracks and burst on those aged supply pipe! They never failed to keep me wet all the time. When I reached the top of the hill, and miraculously there was phone reception!

Car-less

It happened this morning after a typical morning drive. My car was crippled. Which no fault should be blame on anyone. Nevertheless, my family was now left one car-less. My family now need to work around with only one car, to run all the errands that we usually do with two.

It occurs to me, how we a typical Malaysian family, depend so heavily in our own vehicle. Without owning yourself a vehicle, we would be would stripped of our mode of transportation. We simply could not get anywhere efficiently.

Mind I said, efficiently. We could still get to the place we wanted to go, but it would just take too much time and too much effort to do it. In Malaysia, Malaysian just would not opt for taking long term commitment into taking public transport unless if they really need to.

The messed up educational system. - part two

Warning: This would be another of my classic Long Winding piece. I appreciate you to bare with me and finished what you had started. You had been warned. hahhahahaha! Enjoy!

Continue from The messed up educational system: part one. click here to read it before you continue.

Since when was doing what we can, meant that we want it? Well, since you are in the educational system I am in. Teacher will be like: 'So Shian, you score great in this bla bla subject, you should go do this/ of become this! Because you can!' Me: 'Errrrr, so I should score bad at it to show that I do not like it? I thought scoring good result was one of my responsibility in school.' Well, being good at it does not necessary means I liked it! hahahahahhaha. Too long had our society had judge one's passion and happiness, based on how many number one you had. By how many A's you had, seems to determine how much you enjoy something. Since how long the words - This is an opportunity of a lifetime, you should be thankful you had this while others don't, tricked us into entering some sort of competition, or activities, or events, that we did not even enjoy, that we did not even happy about? And then I did well, I won titles. How I hope I do myself proud more than I just do the school proud. Proud that I have made the decision that I am happy about, proud that I truly enjoy this experience, rather than being forced to it. Knowing for titles and medals a student won, are mostly merit points for the school, something they can boast around during formal ceremonies which mostly involved personnel from other schools. The Saya Lebih Hebat (I am more superior) attitude. So what happened to that student, if he was put into that situation unwillingly? A parade of glory that was not meant to be, an effort which was not willingly put forth? Guess the school got what they want, in the expense of what the student wants.

The messed up educational system - part one

Education, had and always will be the most important value in ones life. I had a 'Wonderful' 17 years being in the supposedly self-claimed world class Malaysian educational system, if you take constantly indecisive and frog jumping policy of the ministry as a plus point. I trust many would agree if I said that our country educational system was and still is, messed up. The different stream, the forced choice, the jumping policy, different enrollment policy entering higher education and many, many more. I would more than happy to share my own experience. I wished those who plan to had kids or having kids now, to have a thought, upon going into this 'proud' system. Is not that you could not go in, but have a thought. Cause you could not expect the bull to change its attitude towards red cloth in just a few years. (I am just being cynical.)

I start off gleefully entering my first class in primary school, anxiously. (I purposely omit Kindergarten which I thought made me play more than I learn). I was being place in a partly-governmental governed Chinese based school, where Chinese language was the main medium of educating and communicating. It was a brilliant move by both of my parents on their part, as I am a Chinese descent, I should learn Chinese. I still thank them now for making that choice then, as I can now communicate in Chinese language, read some of the Chinese character, but sadly I lost my ability to write Chinese somewhere during my secondary school. I still remember the look in my mum eyes worrying if I can get through the first day in school smoothly, first day was never easy for most children and even worst for the parents. Saying they are overprotective, was an understatement. Thankfully after two weeks we would be free from our parents sights, while the teacher take a sigh of relieve too. Then it started, every students are placed in different groups (classes), obliged to study all the same sorts of subject, english, chinese, malay, morale, science, maths and a few more.