Green Fest 2008!

Unlike before attending the camp, I was much anticipating this event, since I finished my tests before it! And of course, mainly because I get to see the friends again!! [Yea I miss them a lot!]


Where it was held might have explained why it wasn't as BIG as expected. We actually took over half an hour searching for the park! It was Taman Lembah Kiara, a mini-Titiwangsa type park.


Except for the rain in the morning, the day was fine, cloudiness that made it 'un-hot'.


Our booth with the Food and Photo exhibit


Human boardgame under construction


The famous trees of our sketch~


our roadshow!


this was pretty interesting...


there was this kid playing around the 'pool'! [with the panda and 3 cubs watchin~]


and what a surprise (for me)... Daniel Lee!!


So we must grab him for a photo! =D


the largest spider on earth... belongs to greeniz~


Rev. Dhammaratana was there too!


the Tiny Tapir stall which was filled with interesting reuseable stuff...


... like this Panda Diaper!! sooo cute~


Datin Seri Jeanne at our booth... notice the number of coasters she swept~ [that's how they make people happy!]


nice pose~


We decided to pose with the friends from the jungle too!


the coasters left... I wonder if these were sold off in the end.

It's my first time (as far as I remember) getting physically involved in charity event. It was more fun than work. Out of the 84 coasters, we managed to sell at least 79, which brought at least RM237! [Hurray for paper mache~] And never was it a practice to spend away my allowance in one go, but then it was for a good cause. =)

Had a great day.

"I love Mother Nature!"

That would be one of the quotes we have for our ringtones! [I so love it~] Yup, it's one of the jungle-doofed ringtones that we produced!! [Ahhh.. I'm so excited I duno why...]

[Btw, thanks to Andrew who helped us out with the mixing and editing!]

The P2P Greeniz Camp was definitely a brand new experience for me. It was held in Sukau of Sabah (a little village area alongside the Kinabatangan area), Sukau Rainforest Lodge to be exact, the period of May 25 - 29, 2008.

A lot of my first times as well. First time in KLIA LCCT, first time on budget plane (which is not even as comfortable as dad's car), first time to East Malaysia > Sabah > Sandakan > Kinabatangan > Sukau. First time taking boat trips for 5 continuous days (and I'm still dizzy now~), first time seeing the night line like a wallpaper FULL of stars (!!), first time encountering shooting stars! And 4 of them at least!! [**more excited**]

It's a pity that I haven't my precious camera with me, but did my best with my mobile phone... basically, I even did my group assignment with it! And oh dear, we really need technology even in the deep jungle...

And here, though quite unclear, are the best I can make with my little phone camera.



Now everyone can fly... (and starve for 3 hours)



Mary-Ruth and I ;)
{credits to Mary-Ruth for this pic!}

Some of Sandakan's...





At the jetty to Sukau..





Sam and I...



Along the Kinabatangan River, this is Abai Village.







Spotted pygmy elephants on the way too.. an uncommon scene , which indicated the diversion of their path due to deforestation. Spotted pygmy elephants on the way too.. an uncommon scene , which indicated the diversion of their path due to deforestation. Tragical...



Kinabatangan River at Sukau

First day at Sukau was basically briefing and ice-breaking. Went on a night cruise, where our sampan motor couldn't start up. But the cruise was very impressing.. birds, monkeys, snake and crocodile! And I loved the night sky... first time to be out wide and dark! *miss the stars...*

I marvel at the ability of our guides to spot the animals with just a spotlight! [Such amazing people...]

A kingfisher... fishing

The Chief Minister was gonna visit us here on the 2nd day, so preparation for his arrival, where us 'kids' were to put up an informal welcome for him. Dragged by Shin Ying to do her acapella, where I had to do the solo! And constantly singing too soft~ A good experience though (finally I sang an accapella... not quite. Thanks to SY for the pick =D), though our voices were drowned out by the huge troop of CM followers..

The morning was spent on boardwalk and jungle cooking. Presented by Winston and wife Maria, it was truly interesting. The boardwalk is where I wanna go everyday..

The boardwalk... dear I miss it~

Elephant crossing halfway between the walk

Jungle cooking! (if only we get to taste them =.= )

Our fishing trip (using bobo for prawns and 'lazy fisherman' bottle for fish) was fruitless, but got a try on spreading the fish net, which was so heavy! I enjoy the boat ride, just sitting there, looking around... doofing~ [It's so rare to do so nowadays.]

Look-alikes? SY & XY! (with Patrick staring?)

Sunrise cruise was pretty interesting. That's when animals either go to sleep, or they come out for activities. We actually witnessed a troop of wild boars crossing the river in front of us! That was really cute!! Haha~

calmness...

Logs... a sign of deforestation?

This is made to link the two banks for orang-utans and monkeys

The craziest experience should be the oxbow lake trip. Went by boat to the first oxbow lake which was 'alive', then jungle-trekked into another one which was 'dead', with weeds and plants growing all over it.



Alive...



... dead


Was forced by Ju Eng to go waddling in the lake (lots of vines and roots underneath which was kinda scary) as if of no purpose, but that wasn't the worst. What I am most afraid of is... LEECHES!! Of everything, I just hate them so much! Though I haven't experience any leech bites yet, the idea of them sticking onto me and sucking away my precious blood really stirs me~ [I was lucky to not get any then..]

All the while, besides the various activities arranged, we are supposed to work on assignments as peer educator. Our tasks were to use different ways to spread the message of environment and conservation. My group Delta (aka doofies!) got the toughest part - Food & Music. Two most common fields, yet hardest to be themed! In the end, we produced these strange-yet-cute ringtones of nature! And a no-more left-overs concept of recipes! (whatever~)

Dimitri testing the 'recycled' food! (It tasted good, btw)

I'd say, despite being very anxious about it before, it turned out to be very ejoyable and the camp-mates being very easy-going. [So much better than the KMT time..] Despite having assignments (adding the load of course assignments), we didn't just cincai do it, but gave our best. Despite the sharp comments and lost of ideas, we pulled through. What's more enjoyable than being able to enjoy work and play at the same time?!!

The precious memory in me...

The amazing people in the camp...

The amazing people in Sukau...

The amazing land of Sukau and waters of Kinabatangan...

Featured: TheStar: Down by the River

Source: www.thestar.com.my

The StarYouthP2P Greeniz participants find inspiration from the Kinabatangan River for their peer-to-peer green projects.

Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman showed his support for the green environmentalists by launching the programme.

FOR the 31 participants of the StarYouth P2P Greeniz programme 2008, their five days on the Kinabatangan River in Sabah gave them the opportunity to experience nature at its most pristine. While many were enthralled at the opportunity to see wildlife in their natural habitat, for others, it was a treat simply watching the stars shining brightly in the dark sky. Some even caught shooting stars.

The peer educators on the environmental project were youngsters who are passionate and enthusiastic about doing their part and spreading the green message.
Their adventure began from the moment they stepped on the speedboats that took them on a two-hour journey from Sandakan into Sukau, which is at the Lower Kinabatangan river.

Celebrating their catch, however meagre.

At 560km long, the Kinabatangan is Sabah’s longest and Malaysia’s second longest river.
Much of the Lower Kinabatangan is gazetted under the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, and is home to 10 primate species, 50 mammal species, 250 bird species, 20 reptile species, and 1,056 plant species. It is one of the few remaining rainforests in the world.

Despite the scorching afternoon heat, the youngsters kept their eyes open for birds and animals that are unique to the forest including the proboscis monkey and the pink dolphin.

P2P Greeniz learnt to cook using a traditional method.

One hour into the boat ride, the group got lucky. They chanced upon a herd of pygmy elephants grazing by the riverbank.

“We were observing small creatures like birds and fishes but when we heard the trumpeting of the elephants, everyone got excited.

It was a rare opportunity. At that point, we took out our cameras and started snapping away.
“It was only later that we found out it was because of the diversion of the elephants’ path due to deforestation that we were able to see them. So, seeing the elephants actually meant that things are not going so well for the animals,” said peer educator Mary-Ruth Low.

During their trip, the participants got to experience the river at different times of the day.
They eagerly hopped onto the boats early one morning to explore the small tributaries to learn more about Kinabatangan’s rich and diverse ecosystem.

“We were very lucky to see a family of wild boars swimming across the river to get to other side of the bank. They were just right in front of our boat,” said Leo Xuying, one of the participants.
In the evenings, the group saw trees full of proboscis monkeys who were settling down for their night's rest.

Participants going down into the oxbow lake.

On the night cruise, the participants tried their best to keep quiet as they cruised down the river to catch glimpses of nocturnal animals.

“I was initially afraid as we were cruising on a small sampan in the dark because you never know what might happen but the guides reassured us that it was safe and soon enough, we all got distracted at the sightings of different birds and animals,” participant Trixie Carlena Richard said.

The youngsters also tried their hands at fishing. They set their traps, or bubu, in the river to catch prawns, and cast nets into the river for fish.

“We didn’t have beginner’s luck. Between the 31 of us, we only managed to catch a few small fishes, which we released back into the river, and only several prawns! “But that got us thinking that it is not easy for the locals to make a living because this is their livelihood and things will get tough when they can’t get a good catch,” said participant Engeland David Apostol.

Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman officiated the programme, and the participants had the opportunity to engage him and Sabah Forestry Department director Datuk Sam Mannan on various environmental issues.

Getting a briefing from the nature guide on the river.

In a dialogue with the Chief Minister, the participants touched on issues like the role of the State Government in encouraging environment- friendly habits among youngsters and the implementation of environmental education in school. The peer educators also learnt about the Sabah Government’s environment conservation efforts, and various aspects of ecotourism which is one of the main livelihoods along the Kinabatangan River.

The youngsters also learnt more about responsible ecotourism and conservation efforts from the owner of Sukau Rainforest Lodge, Albert Teo, and his team.

Teo spoke to the teenagers about how he practises principles of responsible ecotourism in his resort. Solar panels were used to generate electricity and hot water, before the advent of regular power supply to the lodge.

Boats ferrying tourists to watch wildlife are equipped with electric engines as gasolinepowered engines are loud and noisy.

Teo and his team also carry out reforestation projects. They also try to involve the local community in ecotourism activities.

“Talking to the people here helped us understand the situations and obstacles that they face, and we also got to learn more about their livelihood and how they interact with nature. We learnt that it is a collective effort that everyone must actively participate in to help preserve this forest,” said peer educator Julian Anthony Theseira.

Through these newly-gained knowledge and experiences, the 31 youngsters have incepted various campaigns using different mediums to spread the green message.

The youngsters will be presenting their projects to the public on June 8 in conjunction with The Star’s Green Everyday- Act Now celebration at Taman Lembah Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.

The P2P Greeniz programme is organised by StarYouth, and supported by Maybank.
The event was hosted by Sukau Rainforest Lodge.

To watch the video of the expedition, log on to http://thestaronline.tv. To read the blog and view more photos, log on to www.rage.com.myand click on the relevant links.

"Thanks to.."

Should have left a goodbye post before flying off to Sabah last Sunday. And returning home finding people spamming the chatbox wasn't quite right... (wow, only if it really were Rynn over here~)



Went for class yesterday, and the FAQ is "How was the camp?" And yea, I gave the same answer dozens of times, "It was fun!" =) Well, sorry if it I gave the feeling that I should have not been there [for one thing, I never will regret not going for it], but I had an assignment to submit within 19 hours after touch down of the flight. If I had the time, I will certainly talk about the every bits of the time there =D



I'd say, the camp was one of the best happenings in my life. In hopes that, it will be a twist in life. It isn't miraculous that I can live without mp3 for the few days (since I had it for 21 days in Taiwan), but to actually enjoy it... It's fun to experience a different culture for once in a lifetime. And somehow, for a somewhat photoholic like me, it wasn't too bad to not bring the camera... because of that, I actually have a lot more time and concentration on the surroundings andthe atmosphere.

What made this possible for me, I have a thousand thanks to my university for the sponsorship. For the first times... first outdoor camp, first time to Sabah (and East Malaysia), first time exposre to such a different world. Thanks to my parents.. for approving my wild decision to skip the cousin's wedding and fly off with a bunch of strangers. Thanks to the 'bunch of strangers' who have become the greatest group of friends ever. Thanks to the group Delta for the effort in the assignments. Thanks to them as well for the laughter that got us crazy... Thanks to the facilitators for the effort. Whole lots of thanks to The Star for putting this altogether.

And finally, thanks to Mary-Ruth for putting up with my lame 'speech' and 'jokes'... =D

Pics coming up, hopefully... after my tests and assignments.

DOWN

Mother nature is the powerful one. Who can stop it from shaking the violent earth crust and sending down the hundreds of buildings onto the thousands of people? We are lucky that we are sitting here safe and sound. Probably we cannot deny that it's the fate of those unfortunate...it's all too tragedic.

Though I have a better fate (for now), I am not as lucky either. The first blow was when the harddisk corrupted... and the data are unretrieveable!! My oh my... all my work of the past half year disappeared like that, and there goes my beloved and treasured photos of Taiwan trip!! ARRGHHHH!!! I can't believe this is happening over again. Too much trust in the hardware.

And as if that wasn't enough, the last of softcopy and documents in my pendrive were also GONE!! That was probably caused by virus during some file transfer. And bamm!! Thare goes my last storage, and more importantly, the work of project I have done the whole night and due the next day...

So many problems come crashing down on me at the same time. It's so exhausting it can keep the dark clouds over me the whole week. I really do hope to end this chain of bad luck.

Yogurt!

Recently I've been really into yogurt...
In fact, I'm more addicted in making it, rather than eating it~ hehe
Well coz this is considered the least troublesome kind of dessert!
The only ingredients needed are hot and cool water, milk powder and some pure yogurt.





You mix them together...


After 5 hours of incubation...


Wala~!! You've got a pot of yogurt waiting for you!!


Right.. this is probably just too boring... especially for the milk-haters~ =.=ll
But anyway, yogurt is really good!

If only there are more fruits to go with it~ =D

Goodbye

Though hardly ever know him and never really a friend, he was a schoolmate whom I recognise by face. It was what that happened to him that really kept him in mind. That about a year and 8 months ago, he was the victim of a snatch theft in town, and left him in a coma status till yesterday... when, sadly, he lost the battle. His passing away is a pathetic one, especially for his family, and on such occasion as Mother's day... and to his friends as well as everyone wh had known him.

[on Sin Chew news]

Goodbye, friend...

Mom's day~

As if the biggest internationally celebrated event every year. And I'm glad mom had a nice day (I hope I'm right). Over the past few weeks of holiday, I have tried to maintain a peaceful and good relationship with mom. And why suddenly so, I'm not sure, probably a change in mindset...

Sometimes I would crave, but thinking back, I should not and do not regret for making the choice. At least, what had happened in the past few months... I am glad I was around when the incident took place. Even if I didn't prove much help. That's why I place family on top of everything else. And I wana treasure every moment with them.

It was a day of reunion and farewell as well. YZ going to PD for industrial training. That will mean less chance of seeing her around for 2 months. Saddening me, since we've been hanging around closer during her study leave. and the fact that Jin is having her exam now, there will not be really anyone to talk to at home. Arghhh... the sienness climbing up me. Right, frankly speaking, I would just miss her...

Dad returned from Australia, and surprisingly, like a Santa Claus, brought us some really cute stuff - stuffed toy souvenirs!! Ahh.. I admit I have a weak point on them~ I just love them!! Especially the Koala handphone pouch!! (this cute creature which came around right after I made myself my pouch~)

sooo cute!!

And it wasn't long before I started naming them after the five gods of the east~

haha... sounds stupid but I lurv it =D

I wonder if they like watching themselves??!!

[they should, coz i do!! ^^ ]

And how I wish I can keep all of them...

^^

What I have always loved to do.

Due to shortage of materials, the initial ideas of some craved-for designs were called off.

Though not the best, I love it =)

My new handphone pouch~!!

Year 2

Year 2 of the engineering course officially starting on Monday. But it hasn't been fine for me since I caught flu & fever then sore throat & cough and even attacked by gastric problem. Great... that means calling off the plans and obediently stay at home.

What's even more disappointing is knowing someone who will not proceed with us. Probably that's the best choice for him for he find it stressing to catch up. And now the gang is getting smaller with the absence of a nice, easy-going, reliable and generous friend [and a good driver =) ]. Ahh... will miss him so...

All the best, Heng.

mystory

It's rather unbelieveable... the people whom I thought I would never see or get in touch with anyore since I or they left the place...

It shouldn't be, with the Internet so widely used throughout the world. And of course, some day I SHOULD be able to contact them. But to know that some of them still remember me!! I thought I was like a quiet devl sitting at a corner of the classroom almost always with a book in the hand. But I guess my surname was easy enough to remember (though my first name is still uneasily recalled~)

Then the numerous photos of the college that grabed my memories... the changes in the people, the college, the Beijing... It's a pity we were just kids then and didn't have such easily available technology to record the times.
Ahh.. but the photos they have... I can't believe this one existed~

This... I wonder if anyone could really recognize me?!!
If I'm not wrong, that could be Sundus, my then best friend Sandy, the ever-blonde Bela and ever-popular Mdm Ally with the...funny-looking me~ the trip to Christland in Tianjin was on eof the best ever, can't believe the crazy-of-them-park me was so young then~ Arghhh.. it's crazy~

Gathering #2

Which was supposed to be the third, if not for last year's cancellation.

It was a nice one, although the rate of attendance was still as of before... low.
The different batch on people, some same old gang... did matter, as long as they were there to mix around. Except the few coupled ones who just cared for their own business... as if they weren't part of it. We call it 重色轻友..hah~

It was a good time talking to the old friends. Almost an 8-hour non-stop chat which extended from the coffee house MCX (I damn don't like it there~) to my house~ hehe... Though it was kinda a 'teacher gathering', it was fun listening to them bragging about the incidents at their schools. And the bosses. And the past times in high school. And...

It felt like the olden days then. Being with them and chatting and talking freely and laughing loudly was such a refreshment... hard to realize that we are all on our new pathways in life. In no time everyone would be flying to the different corners of the world for tertiery education. And hard to imagine who will still be left here...

Arghhh... sad to think of it. Just hope there will still be gatherings for the future.
All the best to my dear ex-classmates!!