Cemperoh: Part 2

The Trail Trekkers gang or otherwise CAM whore united

Okie...so my promise of having a new posting on cemperoh in two days delayed to a week...sorry...really meant to post this up but then I went to upgrade my internet service and was told that it be down for 6 days for the upgrading process.After the six day, I was in Johor for a salsa festival(more on this in two days...this i promise) Anyway...cemperoh... is this waterfall...

Cemperoh is a really cold waterfall which probably meant that the water source is really good and fresh...climbing up to perch on top of the waterfall is really not as difficult as you think...but the hard part came in climbing down...because by then you had a good splashing and your knees are knocking from the cold...and going down on slippery rocks is always harder than going up because going up is largely reaching out as far and getting a grip before pulling yourself up bit by bit...where as going down is err...shit...how did i get up here....and now how the hell do I lower myself...but...being on the waterfall...and looking downwards and just enjoying the tranquility of water splashing down, the warmth of an afternoon sun and how rooted you are to nature is all so worth it....

The journey to cemperoh is actually rather short one but it was one of the most challenging yet...seriously because for a good 2/3 of the trip you are walking through half cultivated half deserted farmland. Jungle paths are actually very good walks because very often in jungle it's about tall trees...with fern and various algae undergrowth...it's actually quite beautiful, serene and most importantly it's comfortable with a moist cool feel and the thick leaf litter is cushioning to your feet.... however, when a land is cleared...for farming and then semi abandoned....it becomes hard while some parts start holding water and become muddy. no trees surround you so it's hot...and in place of pretty ferns...you've got annoying weeds like 'touch me not' with very sharp barbs. so it's walk walk walk...ouchie!!!! or as dennis put's it..."oh you fu*king tree!!"

as dennis put's it..."oh you fu*king tree!!"

Can't you clear the way? I hear you ask? Well...a parang doesn't help much because it's heavy and meant to cut branches...the weeds just sway and you hardly cut anything with your parang...even when you swing like crazy...guess why they invented a sickle even though there's a parang....also it's very tiring to be a human weed whacker....so the only thing to do is to just trail on...trail on....


The second half of the trip was much better...with the only annoyance to some being leeches...but i really don't mind leeches...so it's all good....infact leech bites are a form of therapy in some part of the world(much like fish massage) but for melah...the others were screaming to say the least and having leech socks...but cleared land with secondary undergrowth and the original lush forest are a world apart...we should all start preserving what we have...

Nature is always worth it...



kung fu panda for one believe in it's wonderful cam whoring opportunities!!!

However...on this trip...i must sayI was very annoyed...because the new comers of the group didn't really jumped into the waterfall or have fun...they came...cam whore and were nagging to go home...so those of us...spider and me especially who found so much to explore and enjoy were more than a little annoyed....I was that close to spilling blood with my parang! =P

CHEMPEROH part 1

can you find a froggie ? top left of picture...look carefully....

21st June!!! finally at chemperoh waterfalls...why do i say finally? well...i've been part of this outdoor group that seek out difficult waterfalls to trek to....we use GPS...correction...an old GPS...and a black and white computer printout and we run into the jungle in search of our reward...a nice waterfall...in my book, any chance to be out of a four wall concrete cubicle is greeted with a big yeeaaahhhhh!!! so yeah...it's all good...but chemperoh was a waterfall that ellude us...on our last trip here to cemperoh...we could not find the waterfall...anyway...before i talk about today's journey...let's rewind back to 23rd February 2008...our first attempt at chemperoh.
As usual...after meeting up at 6am in bandar utama....and having our breakfast we drive off to our starting point...usually some weird end at a road when you can't drive anymore and have to stop and go by foot...


at this point...some people will decide to go barefoot...it's the better choice...as mud, water and slopes makes shoes really uncomfortable...but then some are too precious about their legs and are afraid of leeches, adding even more uncomfortable leech socks....

at the begining...we were deciding...if we were to follow the stream nd get the to waterfall...or to follow land routes...we decided on land routes because the stream really hindered our movement as we tried to balance in the current....

Land routes aren't free of problems either...water routes will eventually lead to the waterfall upstream...but land routes tend to be very confusing with trees and splits in trails possible bringing us in the wrong direction...luckily we have our reliable super-GPS-boy seng keong...
ever smiling and ready to lead us...astray...yes...we got lost and ended up in empty fields baking hot with no shady trees...occasionally we had to run as sprinklers came on and we didn't know if they were filled with chemicals....the ground we were walking on was like lumpy porridge but littered with dead grass poisoned by weedkiller and the air has a smell of smoke from the burning and land clearing that was underway nearby...needless to say it was a hopeless situation
but we were in good spirits and could still cam whore to amuse ourselves...
the waterfall...it shouldn't be far....we should be able to do it...we tried to keep faith pointing at a little black and white image of it on our map printed from the internet.
we all tried to give opinions on where the waterfall is...some of us looked under bushes...i heard water that way!!!! if only it's that easy...leaves in the wind sometimes do sound like water flow....
there was hope...in a farmer...we showed him our map and asked him directions...he began by shaking his head in amusement. He then said..."aren't there easier waterfalls to get too? you people too free is it to look for one so deep in the jungle here?"

eventually...all hope was lost...hey...you'll give up to if you walked for 4 hours and all you see is this....

even our scout explorer...was sitting down and you can almost hear his silent moans.... and you can almost hear his silent moans....but it's not as simple as saying we are giving up and getting a cold glass of coke and a sofa to relax...we have to walk the same distance we walked in out...yes...another three hours across crazy hot terrain...to everyone's credit...nobody gave up...we took a break by a stream...and ate our cold now a big mess nasi lemak...as it rode in our bag pack through all the crazy terrain...the river looks nice but as tempted as we are we avoided swimming in it as it was farmland,and honestly on our journey just now we say many fertiliser and chemical pesticides oozing into streams that probably feed into this river way downstream...

Seng Keong was clearly dissapointed and said sorry but it really wasn't his fault...we just got lost...really lost....

Finally...we did get out...and well...seeing there's no waterfall...we decided to do something stupid before running off...ride outside the 4WD as seng keong drove it up and down fast...little victories...and that conclude our first 'failed miserably' attempt at chemperoh...check in again in a few days to read about our second attempt...
to be continued

Recently, an old friend of mine texted me a message...it says she has a baby...

As I was busy I largely ignored the message...but then today...I dunno why I decided to pop by her blog

And when I saw the photo of her baby, it swept me with such happiness, I immediately wanted to write this blogpost...I am so happy for my friend Josephine and her hubby Frankie and their baby Ethan...I can't explain why I am so happy... I just am.

It just seems so wonderful...maybe in a way...I am almost longing to get married and have my own baby too...

Maybe I am so happy because it raises my hopes that life and humanity isn't all that bad as I see a friend (who I used to go out in a group in and had so much fun teasing when we were both kids)have navigated and done so well in life...meeting a nice man...marrying and now having a baby... me n josephine as part of a catholic youth group YCS - circa 1995

Sometimes I was unreasonable things in life...needless things...I am fighting everyday...to get somewhere in this world...and yet, in my hometown of kuching...my friend's baby reminds me that maybe all I really want is love, happiness and a smile...

Well done Jo,Frankie and Ethan...and thanks for the cheer you gave me...

chinese new year 2008 -myself next to Frankie and Josephine in front of him

Froggie and Oshii !

A friend and fellow blogger Greg mentioned i was starting to resemble Mamoru Oshii...he was too kind because as a film director I still have alot of growing up and learning to do, to even come close to the ghost in the shell auteur but well...the hair, dog and grin...hmmm....u decide... hehehehe.

Mother -trailer 1

freshly out of the edit terminal,this is the first trailer for my film 'mother'...sorry for a few translation error and gramatical errors in the subtitling....was rushing it last night on little sleep....subtitling it at 4am....the part where she carry rice sacks...it should be peeling garlic...thanks for pointing it out CY...sorry, will be ammended later...i hope you'll have a look at it...i've never seen so much courage and raw will to live no matter what than in this person...

mother poster 3

Yet another subject matter and poster...



here is an alternative but i find this one too depressing...

mother poster 2

This is the three variation of poster 2 for my film mother,please put your remarks in the comments section as to which one you like better as i will only maintain one poster per mother and child.

It's so easy to be happy...that's what a little child thought me...her mum is an immigrant worker at a squatter but that doesn't stop her from having outburst of joy saying 'KER-JA' or 'A-YAM'. It's wonderful how children are so carefree and in their little ways gives us so much hope.Froggie smiling...

mother

Sorry for the lack of updates.slept at 1am...now already awake at 5.27am to start shoot on mother at 6.30 am...my time frame is very short but I am doing my best and praying it will come together for release on astro, mother's day.

Froggie's New Footstool

He had rice mixed with chopped lamb, egg and carrots...

I had mutton bolognese spagetti with cheese...

We had dinner together over tv...

Then we just sat lazily over more tv....when he suddenly realised...

there was still bolognese sauce on my plate...and despite being the well bred basset hound...he wasn't spoilt and knew of the many starving stray dogs all over the world, so he refused to let the food go to waste...

I named him foot stool...but seeing this fact...i should have named him dishwasher instead...

Meet my new dog who I named foot stool...I adopted him over from a friend CY Phang.He used to be called jazz but i thought jazz was a stupid name for a dog so I renamed him...jazz is now his surname...he is a two years old pure bred basset hound and cannot be friendlier or lazier...but he will do anything for food...he doesn't do any tricks yet...but he can

drink from a cup...

and everytime i sit on my sofa...he'll come and lie down right infront within just the right distance to be a foot stool.

so yeah...friends...next time you are in the damansara/ taman tun area...give a ring and come by to visit froggie and his new pal Footstool.

EARTH HOUR 2008

This is a little bit late...but I pledge to tell as many people

it may not be a great thing for one person to do it...but I pledge to turn off all power and sit in the dark for one hour nonetherless...I hope all of you, my friends will do the same...and do that little bit for the environment... =)

Earth Hour 2008

Wild Time with Children at the Zoo

why do we love the zoo? well, wild animals of course =)

"Hey,we are gonna bring some orphans to the zoo tommorow...wanna come and help out?" my good spider friend said to me...I really wanted to but in my mind I was thinking...you need to work, work, work...

So I was initially reluctant...but then I thought...it's easter...i do good to make someone happy and I myself simply adore children...having taught sunday school and worked with children on my film...


my sunday school class

So off I went with only a three hour sleep the night before...with spider dennis and basset hound brother timmy...to the zoo with ophans.When we reached there...the other group that were suppose to bring the orphans were already there...so we immediately went into silly hoo haa mode...



and we quickly made friends with the kids...behaving slightly silly to break the ice...and the ice broke quickly...


help! I am caught in the middle of a hindraf rally!!!!

perhaps it's because I am a kid at heart or trying hard to be one...but I simply adore children...and I was so happy even though I had to try organise them by screaming my lungs out "lion's roar!!" and keep an eye on them constantly...

But we cannot blame them...as a child they have a wide worldview and the world seems so big and so magical to them that they will be almost impatient in trying to get as much in...it's nature's way to teach the young...



So I try to be as accomodating...I carried them on my shoulder...flipped them and talked to them...trying to be their friend...I did become popular because i could flip them...but I feel so unappreciated when they called me of all things...UNCLE! :(

I'd rather they call me friend...but it was all good...AS I was leaving...Megan said thank you...I think it's me who is in debt of a thank you. =) thanks to my two friends who invited me along...thanks for the wonderful people I've met...MEGAN,LAURENCE,MAY,ERIC,KEN and thanks to the children for all the smiles...all the smiles they gave me and all the smiles they put on my face.

I can't believe that at the begining I was actually thinking of going...I'll never think again...got children? bring it on!!! hehehe



LIONS ROAR!!!!!!!!!!!!