20th may (tues)： all set and ready to go! we all had to buy the tongkat for like 3rm and i was still wondering why would we need it. my gawd turns out its the BEST buy for the millennium can. set off at ard 8am and we were set to reach mid mtn, where the rest hse - laban rata is by noon. frm the starting pt it is 6km to laban rata. a miserly 6km i thought. how wrong i was.
very eggcited!
thats our guide and the record timings.. insanity to the max those timings.
still fresh and chirpy, lungs legs still intact
waterfall!
a pretty dense forest and really fresh air. the cool weather makes the climb a lil more bearable. otherwise, its endless mother huge steps. my lungs were on the verge of collapsing. do not attempt climbing if u can't even do 10 legs raises without looking like u're in labour. and if u cant cross that overhead bridge without panting and cursing, dont even think abt it.the 6km was NEVER-ending. no exaggeration here man. thoughts were alternating between reminders never to sign up for marathon and self lecture on the lack of training. correction, make that the lack of exercise. for training sounds tougher. hurhurs.looked forward to all the reststops where we can rest our legs, dump our heavy backpacks and refuel. ard 7 altog. 7 heavenly stops.reached laban rata before 1 and we were never happier. plonked down and finished up our packed lunch which we lugged up, checked in, bathed and napped as dinner is only served at 5.all of us were feeling groggy and hot (frm the climb) and cold (the weather) and the same time. it wasnt good. but anyways went to bed at 6plus as we have to wake up at 2am, to continue the journey to the peak, which is abt 4km up. it was weird n i couldnt slp at all.21st may (wed): in pitch black darkness we set off for the summit. the guide overestimated our ability and thus we were abit late for the sunrise. the journey up was a very different frm yest's one, as vegetation was bare. it was very crowded and it was a long procession of people up. the air was thin. i thought my lungs were gonna burst yest. i was SO wrong.there was a rope part for i think 200-300m and our life literally dangled on the rope. it was a steep ascend all the way and so many times i wanted to stop and give up n rip my lungs out. thank god for nj's nv say die training that i made it up alive. the summit looks near but it just took forever to reach. and i finally understood the meaning of 寸步難行.after what seems like eternity, we're finally there - low's peak of mt kinabalu. 4095.2m above sealevel.
it was SOO crowded we had to wrestle for photo opportunity and a photo can really cost u ur life if u're not careful. no kidding.
see the clouds are beneath us! cant believe we made it this far.
the energizer bunny and the only one who looks decent in photos. hahas.. and all the photos r courtesy of her!
magnificent.
now the question that has been bugging me - how are we going back down?!!! a helicopter costs approximately 1000rm. shiet i dont have that kinda money. 
crawling down..
you can stand..
or u can sit..
chen wanying!!! so cute. hahas
u fall, u die.
oli, me, chen wanying and seok
dont u wish u were here
ms sunshine
ms 面汤
ms super lihai backpack
the slowpoke and her bf.
yours truly.and we made it back to laban rata alive and intime for bfast. reached at 8plus.. bfast was good.. tons of crinkle fries and cornflakes.
goodbye laban rata
forward! and then the ABSOLUTE WORST PART of the journey. the descend from laban rata. the longest 6k ever and 咬牙切齒 was how we hobbled to the finishing line. to cut the long story short, even the guide said we were slow like tortoises. go figure. every single grp overtook us, leaving us marveling how they can hop down w ease.
every single step is pure torture. excruciating just gets MORE excruciating. and i thought yest was bad enough. apparently i'm wrong. morbid thoughts set in and 500m seems like 50km. after what seems like ETERNITY (correction, after FOREVER), we got back to kinabalu park, before 3pm. phew, and gobbled down lunch (buffet style, very bad.)dragged our sorry asses back to rose cabin and then back to hotel holiday. wanted to check ourselves into hyatt but it is gonna cos us 130rm per pax per night, excluding brekkie. bummer. we would have stayed there if it was below 100rm. had yummy bak kut teh for dinner, courtesy of chen wanying.. 22nd may (thu): had nice slow brekkie, tho it wasnt fantastic, just sitting there nua-ing was good enough. checked out and went to catch narnia prince caspian. thought it was urm.. weird.. had some secret recipe and it was to the airport and home. bummed into the very cute n jovial, not to mention fit uncles whom we met at mt kina at the airport and they were on the same flight as us. it was so cute watching a bunch of old folks enjoying themselves on a rough trip like this, joking ard and poking fun of each other and hobbling down the stairs tog. i wanna age gracefully like em!whines n groans aside (it was kinda funny anyways), it was a real good trip. "flat ground!" never sounded better and "you can go first" was repeated a gazillion times. and paranoid oli visions steps at night when she close her eyes. hahhas. superly hilarious now but nightmarish then. cant believe the bunch of us unfit turds survived, tho chenwanying had to do the moonwalk. hahahas! mr yong would have sacked us if he saw the state we were in. urbs. now that the pain has subsided and going to the toilet doesnt hurt so much anymore, i would say i had tons of fun and i would definitely do this again! but with sufficient training of cos. as for now, excuse me while i go dig for that uberly yummy tiger biscuit.
i dont really know how to go abt blogging abt mt kinabalu. descriptives ranges frm torturous to exhilarating. it is easily the most physically tormenting thing i've ever did in my entire life. it trumps all the training i've undergone over the past few years and it makes the army half marathon seem like a joke. while ascending i vowed never to go sign up for the full marathon and while descending, i've concluded that i'll NEVER be involved in any physical activity again.and so my graduation trip was on the whole a great one. a VERY memorable one. my now defunct legs are serving as a reminder, along with my bruised and battered tongkat, which has been my life support throughout the climb. a quick summary of the trip for my own memory's sake:17th may (sat): the very thrifty us is taking a budget airline frm jb senai airport to kinabalu. met at the causeway and cabbed to senai airport. cost us 40rm but couldnt be bothered to haggle. oh wells. arrived at the airport too damn early but luckily the airport was not all that bad. better than all the states airports i would say. pretty impressive for msia. plane ride was smooth n good, 2hrs and we're in kota kinabalu. stayed at hotel holiday, a budget 2star motel.. we r poor students.. hurhurs.. explored the vicinity a lil and rested early for the next day
the eggcited us at the causeway..
bumming at senai airport.. we were tooooooo damn early.
1st plane ride of yr2008.
the merry campers at hotel holiday!
our dinner which took ridiculously long to come.. like half an hr per order ba. joker.
18th may (sun): white water rafting day! waited for the riverbug peeps to pick us up early in the morn and off we go to padas river for some sun fun. we had to sit on some wooden plank thingy which was on a train rail and a guy would be standing on the rail w u and propelling u forward. think gondolas on land. yeah.. was a pretty innovative idea. the whole course was divided into 2 segments, the 1st was the eggciting one with all the rapids and the 2nd was a slower, more scenic ride. i dropped out of the raft once and got sucked under it and drank tons of muddy water but it was all good fun. the meandering river was flanked by towering mountains with lush greenary. a really pretty sight. a pity there aint any pics tho. i would go there just for the view man.
the only pic of the day - before the adventure begins.
19th may (mon): packed up and left the city centre for kinabalu park, a good 2 hr bus ride away. intially haggled for a cab ride which is gonna cost us 150rm but weirdly, ended up on a mini van which cost us 15rm each. hurhurs. stayed at rose cabin, which is 2km away frm the park. checked into a nice rm w a fab view
rose cabin!
even happier campers w cute bunnies at rose cabin. as we were at mid mtn already, the temp was ard 20degs. free aircon makes grumpy singaporeans ungrumpy! wuhooot
the room!
and our nice balcony view..
sweeeeet. :)and then we trotted 2km to kinabalu park to settle park permit n all..
cool weather makes us cheery!
finally there..
and walking back...
and we were wondering if thats the thing we r gonna ascend. looks abit improbable cos the peak is nth but granite. how are we noobs supposed to go up?
but apparently it is. mt kinabalu.
pretty right! so darn looking forward to the view up there. little did we know the amt of pain awaiting us..
just look at our happy faces.. obviously before climb. hurhurs.. no pictures of us during the climb cos its SO hideous it should be made m18 or r21 or smth.
and so today i caught the movie definitely maybe. its been sooooo long since a movie. was a good show. simple and sweet. ryan reynolds has the prettiest eyes ever. its kinda refreshing to see relationships frm a guy's pt of view.. basically the whole movie was just this guy relating his love life to his daughter. nth spectacular but still nice.and no it wont happen in real life. even tho somehow we hope prince charming will come sweep us off our feet into the pumpkin carriage to the castle for happily every after, now u just hope u dont get run over by the carriages. and besides, prince charming is a fictional idea concocted by storytellers to con little girls to go to bed, with sweet dreams. hurhurs.yesyes, i'm an eternal pessimist. question of the day: where do you see yourself in 10 years time? what do i want out of life?that question make me feel like a teenager all over again. sheltered and lost. confounded.i do have visions, but they are too feeble to be aspirations. shameful, even.
and do not ask me if i've found a job. i know u are most likely concerned in a way or another, but the answer is, NO. and if i do, be rest assured i will make appropriate announcements. if you dont hear from me, you probably aint important enough. u can consider getting me a nice lil birthday present to up ur level in my friendship hierarchy, or find me a job. so if u dont have any attractive offers for me, dont ask.
i do sound like a pent up angry auntie dont i.
be rest assured i'm not.
snooze time
oh, do you know that cathay has student priced movie tkts for wkdays before 6pm for 6bucks? how neat is that.
what a nerdy previous post. i just realised. dont worry i havent stopped eating. hahas. unfortunately or fortunately, is kinda subjective dont you think? hurhurs. i've had many good eats since the diva came back frm the states, with her and with other pals, i havent been mentioning any because urm, procrastination is my topmost weakness. oh yeah the strength and weakness question in interviews. hurhurs..anyways, here's my latest extravagent eat - high tea buffet at rose veranda, a treat for the birthday gal, who turned a very undesirable 23 last sunday. at 40bucks per pax and lasting 6hrs, 12noon-6pm, it was a rather good treat. selection was not that wide but quality was there. the 101 tea was fascinating, each order arrive in a full size porcelain teapot and its very own strainer, which the 3 of us had alot of fun with and ry even wanted to bring it home. alright i shall get it for u as housewarming present, along with the 3 tier cake plate. hurhurs.notable delights were potato skin, salmon sashimi, prawn siew mai, Vietnamese spring roll, roast beef and desserts. okok and yes crabclaws. drools. not all are featured below. as you can see, photography takes secondary priority and jam packing the goodies into my highly expandable stomach is of topmost importance.
and yes, this deserve a picture on its own.
wonderful crusty warm buttery scones completed with fresh cream and jam. i hate myself for not bringing that tupperware. scones oh scones. i dream of you everynight. hahas. the bread pudding was really really good and deserved 2nd helpings. so was the chocolate fondue. rose veranda sits at a corner of shangri-la. tall glass panes spanning from ceiling to floor allow us views of the lush greenary and occasional tourist returning to their rooms from a leisure swim, clothed in complementary hotel bathrobes, smth which ry and i contemplated on wearing for maximum comfort and stomach expansion. this place is popular with the chichi taitais, whose appetites are prolly one tenth of mine. alright that explains their lithe svelte figures. oh whatever..
the face is so damn bloated. growls. 
and this ms is very very scheming, always trying to hide behind in photographs so that her face will look smaller relatively. 
and her hands are uberly shakey. 
so are those of the waitresses there.and speaking of waitresses, their service is top-notch. donning body hugging long sleeve full length cheongsam with a rather high slit, how they can balance a tray full of tea and serve with a mega watt smile impress me hugely. our conclusion is that failed sq girls applicants turn to shangri-la. more pleasant working environment and less risks of being slapped. hurhurs. anyways. most of them hail from philippines and i dont think one can expect this level of service from singaporeans. (we are SO educated and HIＧＨCLASS and serving people is SO demeaning) ok u get the point. plates were cleared regularly and food was replenished promptly. i am thinking of the roast beef. shangri la is better know for its other lunch/dinner buffet - the line. however, those with a smaller appetite, more time and a smaller wallet can consider rose veranda for a lazy afternoon. one needs to note that this place is not accessible (also meaning no far east bengs/lians and smelly sch uniformed kids messing up the toilets and ruining the peace and serenity, putting a mark on the otherwise class and high and mighty environment). but this also mean an opportunity for one to walk off the excesses, the nearest bus stop opposite tanglin mall. otherwise, le'espresso at goodwood park offers a similar high tea experience as well.good food (unlimited, hahas) , comfy couches, girl friends and a lazy afternoon, i'm truly contended.
its a hard morning. sending ur best friend off (tho only for a wk, but to the top destination of ur current most coveted cities!) is sad. no, make that irritating. hurhurs. maybe i should take this opportunity to cut down on those boliao inane msges. i shall comfort myself with the fact that her too-huge-for-a-week samsonite hardcase would be filled with chairman mao's memorabilia, olympic mascots, peking duck and xlbs for urs truly. ok dream on. i'd just settle for a first hand account of her date with the HAWTEST city of 2008 and rendezvous with shangrila. i mean, in. hurhurs.the moods weren't particularly elevated by paulo coelho' eleven minutes. a highly captivating novel which allows one to get lost in a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts, perhaps frivolous, of those u can say who have too much time on hand. profound or flippant you decide. for me, it so engaging that i cant put it down at the same time cant bear to finish it. once u get past the sex content of it, u will find intriguing thoughts and outlooks. i'm not finished with this book yet, but its safe to say its a good read. i will certainly pick up his most famed work - the alchemist after this. read it a few years back but i think now i'll be able to better grasp the seemingly profound emotions and messages.many paragraphs and quotes have stroked a chord, here's sharing the latest in my read."I want you however you want to be wanted"No, he couldn't have said that, because that was precisely what she wanted to hear. The earthquake, the volcano, the storm returned. It was going to be impossible to escape her own trap, she would lose this man without ever really having him.
-- eleven minutes, paulo coelho
kitchen confidential by anthony bourdain. a light and refreshing read. the like-minded ones should know him by no reservations, an interesting culinary travel show on ch16. this is essentially an autobiography, from how his passion for food was aroused with his first oyster to being chef at les halles, new york. life in the kitchen is hardcore and i'm beginning to think i would like it. hurhurs. the kitchen crew makes ur typical hokkien sprewing crude neighbourhood bengs decent and toned down. there is even a chapter with a mind boggling array of expletives in mexican, spanish, english... his writing is raw, straightforward and divided into managable short chapters which can stand on their own. a good read for those who are bored with the mundane repetitive ccokie cutter life.princess by jean sasson. a riveting non-fiction read. this is bound to make many thank god for being born in singapore, into a liberal and modern society where women rights are valued. this is an account of a princess in saudi arabia, depicting the lives of oppressed women, whose destiny is fully subjected to men. if the life of the weaker gender of even the royalities is already so inhibited and miserable, imagine the commoners, the lower caste, poor and destitute. a real eyeopener, i learned how filthy rich saudis are and the extremely extravagant lifestyles of the royalities. the treatment and sufferings of women in middle eastern countries is well known but an account by a royalty is a first. a takeaway message - money cant buy happiness.bought another book by jean sasson, love in a torn land. of similar context, i dont think i will read it soon. can't stomach consecutive depressing reads.my brain seems to be retarding. i used to read much faster. now, i sometimes have to re-read a sentence or a paragraph a few times to be able to absorb it, process and understand it. reading has become painfully slow and tad rigorous. i think i'm in need of some brain stimulants and speed reading course.her long hair reflecting the warm, soft morning sun, deep hues of golden brown, full of life and joy, a starking contrast to the sad eyes, not entirely devoid of emotions, but worn down/out by them.
dont forget the makeup remover and range of beauty pdts to pamper ur skin.
lord save me.
seriously. the mind boggling array of products r NOT at all appealing to me. 
this is what i got after trolling ard the whole noon. and it cant even stand on its own. u still need zee make up base (cos my skin condition is so shiatty) and loose powder. its to make ur skin looks urm.. whatever..
i dont see any differences in the diff stuffs i tried. i think ry almost murdered me like 10 times today ba. but really is no difference. except for urm.. price and brand?
WHY AM I NOT A MAN.and why would men wanna dabble w makeup? they should dabble w the stockmkt instead. its easier and relatively less volatile, compared to my face. hurhurs.lets hope my face dont break out big time after piling on tons of powder today. i wonder how much germs n bacteria r there in those samples.
since when is facial wash not good enough. sighpies. i still use pimple cream one okayys!
still waiting for THE calling. n according to some prick, i is in need of smokes. maybe.
how to survive fyp
1. make sure plentiful of snacks as per previous post is on standby 24/7
2. have grpmates to plough through endless data tog
3. dont trust ur laptop too much. they r prone to exploding when deadlines r impending.
4. have a steady stream of friends/siblings who are IT savvy and have microsoft office on standby. have at least 3 backup copies of ur work. email, ext hdd, edventure filing cabinet. better to be safe than sorry!
5. elixir of life, nuff said.
6. make sure ur best friend is in town
7. never work on an empty stomach, nice treats frm the best friend speeds up work a little
8. complain n whine in excess, openly declaring hatred for fyp
9. prepare celebratory treat to spur everybody on in that last stretch. remember that everybody loves cakes.
10. take a picture to mark the end of the ardously tormenting and journey.
and so the final stretch of my 4yr journey in ntu is over. whats in store for me i do not know. all i know is if viwawa dont complete their maintenance soon, i'll be royally pissed big time. and for u noobs out there who dont know what viwawa is, stop being an outdated prick and get urself acquainted w the best invention thus far!
that custard choco mushroom thingy is FREAKING nice. 2bucks frm daiso. cool beans.
chestnut kitkat.
when in doubt..
turn to royce!
cognac infused. damn good. is cannot stop one. and then..
hurhurs..
hohoho...
i love kitkats.
so cute righttt
this one also cannot stop.
dont worry, i havent finished em all. hahas..
