Week 17: When girlfriends come over

To echo a comment mentioned previously, Weekend 17 of the year was spent with my girlfriends Silverwolf and Miss Prancy. They both flew in (one from Australia and one from Bangkok) for us to plan out our extensive two weeks getaway at the end of the year to Argentina.

Miss Silverwolf and I met by chance, or fate as you would like it. A mutual friend (god brother to one, ex-'bf' to another. Muahahahah) had linked us up. His explanation to me was simple in describing Miss Silverwolf "you guys are EXACTLY alike... you even have the same birthday!" yes, us Leo's tend to have pretty 'strong' personalities.

We met for the first time when we decided to climb Kinabalu together. This was at the end of 2006. We had agreed to meet at the airport, me in a red scarf, and she in a yellow one. (Perhaps the only time red and yellow were ever united). I guess we figured, if we didnt like each other, someone can always get shoved off the side. Muahahaha

It took us six hours to climb Kinabalu, and well well worth it. We started the day early from base camp (which you should take a cab from from the city center). I truly recommend NOT wearing Timberland boots. You may want to kill yourself after. Every one km or so, there is a rest stop for you to catch your breath. Which is needed when you stare at people coming by and realize the porters are carrying gas tanks or five bags piled on top of each other. You can indeed pay a porter to help you carry your items up, though the price varies year to year, so Im not sure what it is now, needless to say they charge by the km.

This is particularly useful for those who are not so fit. I once knew a Manager who's wife had sprained her ankle on the way down. They paid a porter to carry her on his back for ~RM500 back then I believe. And of course the porter still made it down faster than anyone else.

You will get to the Laban Rata base camp by ~3p.m. (if youre super slow like I am). Take a break and rest. Youre going to need it for the peak climb.

Unfortunately this is where my journey ended. I had chest pains and difficulty breathing once we hit Laban Rata. And even after I had rested the night away, I still couldnt find myself breathing easily. So the Wolf went on her own with out guide to the very peak.

To watch the sunrise, you should start climbing at ~3a.m. Maybe even slightly earlier. We were hampered by the rain. The view at the top, as most people will tell you, is breathtaking (though who am I to say)

When youre done with the many picture taking, make your way back down. Instead of stopping at Laban Rata for a day, youre about to descend the entire mountain in a day. Impossible? Nope. Its actually quite doable at a steady pace. Took us about six hourse total (from Wolf coming down the peak) all the way down to the bottom.

And then for the next week I could barely walk or sit down.

The trek is really quite friendly. Very well laid out with well defined steps to climb along the way. The only issue of course is sheer will power to get to the top.

I will most likely return to Kinabalu to try again. Nothing like being so close to the top but not actually getting to climb the peak to get your adrenaline running.

The end and moral of the story? Silverwolf and I cemented our friendship then and there. We also made a pact to meet up at least once a year for two weeks to travel together.

Year 0: Kinabalu, Malaysia

Year 1: All over Australia

Year 2: Madrid, Andalucia and Barcelona, Spain

Year 3: All over Egypt

And this year, we will be heading off to Argentina, this time together with Miss Prancy. So thanks to the girls for coming over, and I cant wait! for our Argentina trip

Week 16 : Bowling... bowling!

(Ampang Superbowl)

This Saturday my company had organized a trip with the children of the Good Samaritan Home in Klang. We brought them out for a fun time bowling at the Ampang Point Superbowl. I know its a little far for some, but it was the only place that would allow you to book lanes on a public holiday. For some of the orphans it was the first time they had gone bowling so it was nice that we could be part of this experience for them.

(Hot shoes)

(Awesome pose)

I do believe bowling has become quite a well known past time for Malaysians. Most malls tend to have it now so you can find it quite easily around the city. Places like Ampang Point, Berjaya Times Square, Sunway Pyramid have quite well known ones. Ive heard that if you would like a bit more privacy you can book bowling alleys at Flamingo hotel. Might be nice since its not connected to a mall and therefore would potentially have less human traffic.

(You can ask for the kiddy bumpers to be raised for children under 12, so that their bowling ball never enters the 'drain')

(Just one more!)

On a sidenote, as we were leaving, I saw a commercial plane flying really low across the city. It was quite scary to see this Boeing/ Airbus flying, and you can see the MAS logo on the plane. Apparently alerts were being raised at KLCC about potential terrorist attacks, and people were calling up MAS to see what was going on. It turns out though that it was MAS doing a charity event for some orpanages, bringing them out for a nice flight/ trip around KL.

Week 15 : Pole stars 2010

A while ago I wrote that I had taken a pole dancing class for fun. The Boyfriend of course, was not an avid supported of me trying out the class but I insisted that it was more for fitness than for any other negative connotation.

The class was fun, albeit a little challenging. Some things that you should know that they do not tell you about - you should wear shorts. Not so that you can show off your sexy legs, but more so that you can have better grip with the pole. Imagine wearing long workout pants and then trying to wrap your leg around the pole. Insufficient friction = fall flat on your face.

After one class, I never did manage to bring myself around for another. Not that it wasnt enjoyable, I was just too lazy to drag myself there.

So I jumped to the chance when my sister invited me to watch the Pole dancing fitness competition in Quattro. The contest is meant for serious pole dancers only and not not serious in the sexy way. Each contestant will perform a routine that will incorporate varying degrees of difficulty in their show e.g. the different stunts that they can do. They are then scored based on the difficulty level of each act (as well as some aesthetic performance showmanship Im sure). The contestants are not allowed to dress sexily (sex does NOT sell here).


(Men compete as well)


(Contestants are scored on the level of difficult 'stunts')

The semi-finals at Quattro saw two different categories for competition. Exotic pole and fitness pole. The contestants were really good and the routines entertaining to watch. Though, in the end only a few people made it through to the finals which will be held at Opera in Sunway on May 22nd.

(You gotta have mad skills to compete)

If youre interested in catching the very last leg of this competition (no pun intended) head on over there to watch the finals. The winner will represent Malaysia in The International Pole Dance Fitness Championship 2010.


(Look Ma, no hands!)


(He made it to the finals)

For more details on the championship, visit http://www.mypolestars.com/
For more details on pole dancing classes, visit http://vivavertical.com/

Week 14: Relax

Even I cant travel around every weekend, and especially not when half of your Saturday is already wiped out by having to be in the office and attending a meeting. I didnt want to waste my Sunday by doing things that would tire me out even more (and without sufficient recovery time), so I spent Saturday night at Mandarin Grill. The newest 'hip' restaurant to be at. The decor is incredible (sorry no pics, next time). The service was good. I loved that they come by with a whole selection of steak knives for you to choose from. The food was pretty good as well. The foie gras burger with truffle mayo... MMMmmMmMmMm..... Ive tried twice to get reservations at this restaurant, and got lucky the third time round. The restaurant was never full that night even though they kept on telling people that it was, so I dont know, maybe they have some special reservations or something.

As for Sunday, I went over to Amante in Mont Kiara for a nice massage after spending Sunday brunch at Bijou. (The big breakfast is excellent!) and the ambience amazingly cosy. Perfect for breakfast, coffee and a read. The rest of the day was spent boringly completing errands around the house which included one of my fav activity...

Reading from my reading corner with the amazing view.

Hope you had a good weekend too!

Week 13 : Music and mayhem

I typically bring my mother out on weekends for shopping trips. She and I enjoy the cool mall, walking around and trying on clothes, catching up, and having cups of coffee. Its a little ladies meet and greet and I think its nice to just spend some one-on-one time with my mom.

My dad, now, thats a completely different story. My dad likes watching Formula 1 (what?!) traditional and world music, and eating in back alleys. He also likes cars, motorbikes and all that stuff. Since my brother (only son) lives in Japan now, Ive always felt that my dad gets the shorter end of the stick as he doesnt have someone to really 'hang out' with.

That being said, I decided to bring my dad out for a Ghazal show tomorrow. Its at 11 a.m. at the Petronas Philharmonic Hall in KLCC. Entry is RM10

(hmm, I just checked out the website and its not there, but its listed in Time Out)

http://www.timeoutkl.com/music/events/Ghazal

Blurb from Time Out
This Music Appreciation Session will bring Ghazal – an ethnic music genre originated from India and Persia. Musicians from the PETRONAS Performing Arts Group will guide participants through the absorbing intricacies of a traditional art form which is still very much alive till today. Ticket for general public is RM10 whereas Encounter Club members and students can buy them at RM5

Location : Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) Level 2 Tower 2, Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, KL
Number : 03 2051 7007

As for tonight, will be heading out to Alexis at Great Eastern Mall, Jalan Ampang to listen to a "Crazy Japanese pianist" (synthesizers involved) - assuming I remember to make bookings. Eepps!