We don’t know anything
About what the other person is thinking
Or what is true or false without talking it out
So please discuss before you give me up
like to write anything that is cool but i'll also write something that irritated me. LoL!
We don’t know anything
About what the other person is thinking
Or what is true or false without talking it out
So please discuss before you give me up
It all started on Saturday. Was playing badminton with the crew. But we finished up early due to many absentee for this session. 3 courts booked, only 9 pax show up. As it was still early, me, Isk, and Ct just hanging out at LineQ restaurant. They have their dinner while me, having a glass of coffee as usual.
"How bout we go for hiking tomorrow morning?" Told Ct at that time. So the discussion keeps going about hiking. At first we plan to go to Haji Baki Trail at Batu 7 Kuching. As per review from google, its just 1++ KM loop trail with low difficulty, suitable for beginner as we concern about Isk, currently not really fit due to he didn't really work out during our stay at Kuching. "Ok" and all my plan for the night is cancelled. I just go back to my house and rest. Almost asleep, got a message from Isk, mentioning that we shall follow other group to go hike at Mount Serapi. "Ini Kali Lah" words that come from my mouth while i smirk.
Mount Serapi located about 25KM from where i stay. The elevation is around 911 Meters from sea Level or around 2700Ft. 911 sounds like disaster right? It is. While there is a concrete trail all the way to the peak, the difficulty, the steepness of the trail is around medium difficulty. The round trip is 10++ Km from the starting point to the peak.
We gather at the starting point at 7am. But the gate only open at 730am. Small talks with our fellow hikers and after registering, we start hike up. The route is kinda ok. 90% ascending. At first the steep route is kinda ok. There are 10 of us in the group but me, Isk, and Ct leading the hike. After 1400ft or around 2km hike, the route becoming more steep. I left my 2 friends behind at around 2200ft as the route becoming more steep and difficult. The other group, they are all the way behind. I don't know how far has my pace bring me forward compare to them.
As the elevation goes higher, the scenery becoming more and more stunning and these two eyes can’t stop adoring the beauty of the nature. It's around 9++ am when I was scaling the last few hundred feet of the trail. The weather is nice, cool and breazy. The steep trail looks like a slope from faraway. The moss in green, the subtle of the mist, the windy morning, chased away the glaring sun of the morning.
There's a wooden house all the way at the top, and a signage showing the way to a tower, a viewing tower. The area is kind like a opening on top of the mount, with another hut for hiker's to chill. It is a 2 story tower building where people can go on top of the tower to enjoy the view. Beneath it is another bench and table where hiker's can relax a bit and maybe some food for refreshment.
Across the peak, we can see a telecomm building, towering the sky on top of the mountain. At first there's not a lot to see as the morning fog still covering the mountain. But as time move on, the nature show itself her beauty, the colourful tone of green, the other mountain across, and the vast land that can be seen from afar. Astonishing.
Half and hour. It is the time I waited for isk and Ct to reach to the peak. And another 20 minutes for the whole group to reach on top. They hike cheerfully, small talk with a lot of laughter and a few stops, catching breath, cold water, and not least, smoke and vape. They also bring foods, in which we are waiting for. The hike has sapped out all my energy as I didn't take any breakfast as usual.
Foods, pictures, and chill. That's what we have been doing for the past hour. We started to hike down. With me, being tasked to bring the dishes bag. Another picture of all of us before descending and we make a move. Starting with 10, and when the steep descending trail start, me, Isk, and Ct pick up our pace.
It was at 2200ft elevation when I started feeling the sharp pain at the back of my knee. Slow descending increased the load. I started to jog, slowly as the route is slippery of the morning mist, leaving behind Isk and Ct, while the other group already not being seen since a few corner ago.
Reached the starting point around 12 noon,with my time for descending around 45 minutes for the 5.4km. Another 20 minutes for Isk and Ct to reached while the others take another 20minutes more.
Tired, sleepy, and hungry. We say goodbye and thanks to the group as they accommodating us in their trip. And we make a move to have our lunch and go home.
I was in pain when I was climbing the stair to get to my house. But still I laughed as I enjoyed the feeling of tiredness and the pain because I completed the hike. That joy when reaching the peak, that dazzling scenery, that breeze of wind, that mist that i walk through, and that green of moss that i see. I'll do it again. Absolutely.
The steps to my home
Towering
Steep
An abundance to climb
The first few step
The front thigh
Screaming
Burning sensation
The middle of the climb
Pain
Still there but acceptable
Any fallible will be punish
In front of the door
Bitter smile
A bit smirk and laugh
Painful but enjoyable
Wrote this a day after Mount Serapi hiking trip
There's a silent scream
Telling me to go
"Just go!"
To you
Front of the gate
Calling
Texting
Waving
Just go
Maybe you are waiting
Maybe you will be smiling
But then, like a whispers
Contemplating
Afraid
Of a chance
Being disgusted and dismissed
Steel structure towering
Sound of command and orders
Tools and works
Topside, embracing the atmosphere
Wind breeze in the evening heat
Glaring sun faraway west
Yellowish light arrowing the eye
Reddish sky approaching
Marching back
The empty officeThe silent venue
Hoping to see you
I was at the site, mezzanine deck as been named in the engineering drawing, with my counterpart, E&I Qc from my maincon. We was discussing about our inspection, which has been delayed for a few days due to unpredictable weather since last week. Where almost everyday is gloomy and the sky was crying with rain.
There's a lot of instrument to be inspected due to the delay. One evening seems not enough to complete all. But me, as the end user of the project, I still have paperworks and reporting to do each evening. I did trust my counterpart from the maincon. We just met and know each other a few months, since the started of this project. Being a contractor myself before this, I try not to be the kind of client that me myself hate to deal with.
He always sincere and honest with the work. I know in term of fabrication, installation, and inspection, he is more well verse than me. I did grasp all this thing with my experiences but I never focused to be a QC. My line of work require me to be Jack of all trades but Master of none. I only know thing on the surface. This guy, my maincon qc, maybe seeing that I'm being friendly, paperwork driven and trusting, never look down on me and always update me with the kind of report and activity that I need.
I did told him once, I will trust you on your work. Due to I believe that you are well verse in this. And being almost the same age with me, your experience should be sufficient to perform the inspection. But, the only thing I required is you need to be honest with me, no hiding of any problem, no hanky panky in work and I'll support you in whichever u need. May used my name if the construction crew arguing about the quality, I don't mind.
Around 4pm, I am required to go back to office for my daily reporting and paperworks. Asked him to proceed with the inspection. Proceed with care, safety first, call me if there's something wrong. "I hope you won't call me, as I used to told my crew during my days as an operation team leader and project manager, "No News Is Good News!"". We both laughed after I completed the sentences and I make my move back to office.
"Aih bro? You already have a lot of project ongoing, still looking for new project? Don't be too greedy la" Those are the words that have been mentioned by a friend of mine at Labuan while i was working out for few tender. He was visiting me at the house but due to i'm on my work, didn't really talk to him at that time. "Didn't i told you that we gonna live for a thousand years? So need to work like you are living for a thousand years la kan?" casually replied to him at that time.
Since then, i always use the sentence of living for a thousand years. A lot of time. A few year after that, it hits me, what if those words that i used, to live for a thousand years, become true, become a curse to me? Seems fun. But surely there are fallback to live longer than average human lifespan.
I searched for a meaning of living long life, I read about people who lived more than a hundred years. But seems like there are no record of human living more than hundred plus year. Put aside the lore in the age of gods, the time of Gilgamesh and the era of prophets, in properly recorded human history, it's just around the age of typical human lifespan.
I cross upon a discussion in the internet. What would happen if you live for a thousand year. But this discussion is subjected to assumption that the span of of thousand year your aging is similar to typical human with 60 years of lifespan. That means, you stop aging around 30 years old and the balance 970years is just like the aging from 30-60 years.
It's a nice discussion. Earlier age you will feel dejected by the facts that all people that you may know in your era is dead. Nobody from your era is there anymore. Family, friends, lover, all died in their respective lifespan. Only you.
The next era is kinda interesting where you start to travel the world, making a lot of money with your long lasting experience and move on to the world of technological marvel where interspace travel may occur that time.
I've heard a song by Ace Of Base with title "Happy Nation" where it mentioned that a human don't live too long but the idea may last. A few name in history such as Gilgamesh, Alexander The Great, Jesus, Prophet Muhammad, Napoleon Bonaparte, Algebra, Ibnu Sina and many others where it seems that people nowadays still know their name even thought it is long way past their time, past their lifetime. I understand that while human won't be alive for a thousand year, but their achievement may last in the history.
The next question that pop in my mind is, how to achieve something great like the name mentioned in history? As mentioned in one of a book that I read, human will make some projection to make their name will last in history. Maybe it's a building, art, teaching or maybe a country itself.
I'm nobody, maybe I have a good career now day but didn't seems like I can etch my name in the history. My achievement, I see nothing. My teaching? Maybe people remember me as an arrogant person with high egoistic. That I don't know. And it may lasted up to few generation only, not till a thousand year.
Those were the days that i was young and dumb. Enjoying the time without care for the world. With my group of friend that accept me of who am i.
I still remember when i started working at 2007, my first job, first time to make money for a living, where career, life, and family lapsing on each other. Making me choosing which are the most important. We are always choosing isn’t it?
I didn’t choose. I embraced it all. I divided my time the best as i can. Monday to friday for work, friday evening to saturday for my circle of friend, saturday evening to early morning on monday for my family.
It's funny when I remember, one time, during lunch hour, I was walking to nearby restaurants with my work colleague, when I told him, "why do I feel like my future is bleak? Feels like I'm always under a cloud with the future is nowhere to see".
And another time when I was calling my brother, and told him why do I feel like the world is turning on me? One of my work colleague seems like having an easy time, easy to get a new job, high paying job, even when he want to further his study also seems like it was easy going for him to get accepted to overseas University and get scholarships. While me, stuck in the same workplace with meager salary at that time.
But, when I think back, I never try the easy way. I always think a lot. My work colleague who got accepted to overseas University and get scholarship, He asked me which course of further education I was applying for because he also asked me to join him to further study at overseas. I think I was applying for some kind of electrical nuclear master degree. But I was kinda scare that it may backfire where if I fail to complete the study I may need to pay back all scholarship fee.
I was told by him that he was applying for some kind of health and safety course.
"Nobody apply for some hard to complete course bro when we applying for further study. Take an easy course (no offence to all HSE personnel out there) and think of it that your are on study vacation for 2 years, with your fee and having free allowance from the government"
It structed my brain. Why should I wasted some scholarships to further study at overseas if the course can be found here at my own country? And how many people that I will deny their chances to get scholarship if I proceed with this? Shouldn't the one who apply need to learn something new and bring back the knowledged back to the country so that it will justify the scholarship and bring the country forward? Feeling overwhelmed that I may not able to complete the nuclear electrical master degree course, I just drop my application even thought the University at London (I can't remember which university) already accepted my application.
Anyway, here I am now. Feeling down with the event that happened this week. I just go out, alone, with a book that I'm trying to finish to read, with my tablet to jot on this blog, at Starbucks, with a cup of americano coffee. Maybe by reminiscing the past is another way for me to ease my trouble mind.
Sunday.
Normally sunday is the day that i would never see the sunrise. Being the only off day in my current work, i always opt to go out on Saturday night. Sometimes i come home early, sometimes i come home early in the morning. Thus, my Sunday would be spend by sleeping the whole morning.
Outdoor and Nature
Being at KK last week, my interest for hiking back arised. How i love to hike in the nature. Where my focus is to reach the peak. Not in hurry, just easy going, while watching the nature in their places. Thus, i opt to go hike here at Kuching, Sarawak. Already been here for 8 months and never go for hiking at Kuching yet.
I just thinking to go hiking around Thursday this week. Actual plan is to go hike on Saturday but one of my work colleague wanna follow but already going for camping on friday and asked me to postpone to Sunday. I also got instructed by my Boss to be the company site representative on Saturday so it's ok to postpone.
Alarm and Snooze
As normal do, awaken at 6am of my alarm. But, Sunday, another five minutes, snooze button it is. My second awakening only at 6:50am.
Raining. heavy rain on sunday. gloomy as it is, me and my friend still going. Just giving it a try while hoping the rain subsided when we reach the hiking area. Picked up my friend and straight go our planned hiking area.
Haji Baki Hiking Trail. Seems like its just like a park. But its good coz not everybody fit to go hiking to some high difficulty hiking trail. We reach there around 8pm but oh wow, it's raining cat and dog at that time. A bit dissapointed. We just go back because the rain doesnt seem to stop anytime soon.
Breakfast and planning
Cold and Hungry. I was looking to have my breakfast at flyover restaurant. The Mee Ayam with pickle vegetable is nice there. But, i did forget that it is CNY holiday. Sunday some more. It was closed. The other restaurant, Sepinang Sari is open but as usual, the crowd queuing to this restaurant is too much. Thus we change our breakfast location to King Laksa at Icom Square.
The rain started to subsided while we are taking our breakfast. But as it is, i was thinking to go to more challenging trail. With the help of Google, "Kuching Hiking Places", decided to go to Bukit Lasak at Muara Tebas. Around 1/2 Hour from our breakfast location and reach there around 9am in the morning.
Kampung Muara Tebas
Its a village at the end of the Bako Road where the locals are normally fisherman and farmer. But they also have a few government agency office there thus there are also government servant in the village. Besides that, there is a Buddhist temple located at this village where i've been informed that it is build for more than 200 years before. Chinese New Year and Buddhist Temple. The villager has already setup for the CNY event where all the temple visitor car need to pay entry fee and park somewhere they have set up.
At first they expect me is one of the temple visitor (Oi! Malay Face 101 also u think i'm chinese ka?) but after a informing them that i am going to bukit lasak, they just give me free entry. But parking tho, i still park at where they set up. Its just that i go hike up compare to the temple visitor going somewhere to inside the village.
Hiking up to chinese cemetry?
Ok. Im lost actually. Seems like hiking places at Sarawak is kinda different from Sabah. At Sabah, the trail is always been marked by some kind of gate or signboard. Bukit Lasak? Maybe its not a popular hiking spot here, no marking nor signboard. I did find a pole marked with a bottle when i walk at the small road but due to there are no marking, i just walk straight ahead.
End of the road, we found that there are some construction , maybe some new stair in which i did find some old stair has been removed. Me and my friend, curious with the condition, and the sea far ahead, we just go down the hill following the new construction. Halfway, we found out it is the route for a cemetery, a Chinese cemetery.
Did try to walk through the cemetry, but it is a dead end. We cannot go to the hill peak at the other side of the cemetery and there are also no route to go the sea. Just go back to the tarmac trail that we come from and i try to go to the trail, the one marked by the wooden pole and bottle
Bukit Lasak Hiking trail
The trail started around 1km from the car park area. In which we need to walk uphill on a tarmac road. As I mentioned before, it is marked with a wooden pole with a plastic bottle on top the pole.
Wooden pole marking. Curiosity kill the cats right? But fortunately i’m not a cat, just a humble hikers. We first descend a bit, where we are welcomed by the typical rainforest scene. Canopy tree, small vegetation, and goldish brown ground where the colour come from the dead leaves falling to the ground.
50 50
There are two trails and the bottom of the valley where we descend. To the right. We choose the right trail for our adventure. Upon walking around few hundrend meters from the bottle of the valley, it is a small water pond and there are no trail beyond the pond. While i am a kinda adventurous person, but to cross the water pond is not my thing. Too risky to proceed. Thus, we revert back to the bottom of the valley and proceed with the trail that is going ascending the hill.
The hills has trail
Not as clear as trail at Sabah hiking area. But there is a trail. It’s just that it is blocked by some fallen wood, dead leaves, and the ground itselves. Maybe due to not a lot of hiking activities has been done here. Why? Not being promoted, not enough facilities, no proper trail, i think. But, we still gone through the trail as it was our backyard.
Pill box? Temple? Armoury?
Upon hiking uphill, there are branches of the trail, where on the right, i found some traces of concrete/cement there. It’s a stair, it seems. The stair is only around 25 steps. Not that high, not that easy due to the height of the steps is higher than normal stair. At thus peak, we found a building, kinda small, with some kind of balcony, stretch around 1 meter from the entrance of the building.
The building itself not that big. But to construct this kind of building, at the side of the hill, in the greenery, and with some kind of small pond aside, its a marvel. I thought it was a japanese pill box. But seeing some kind of chinese word at the entrance (just consider it chinese, not like i can differentiate between chinese writing and japanese), i thought it was some kind of buddhist temple.
The concrete floor in front of the building kinda cracking due to the filler inside subside. Not daring to walk upon it, we go back to the hiking trail. To the peak. From this point, it is a ascending hill straight to the peak. Maybe around 50-80 meters.
Its not wall climbing but its a bit high slope. As for me, it is still ok with my hr around 150++. The friend of mine kinda struggle a bit maybe due to long time didnt go for hike.
Reach the peak safely. The weather at that time is good. But the fog still surrounding the hill. We just chill there a while. Around 20-30 minutes then we started to descending
Reach back at the car park area safely while the saying hi to the villager that was taking care of the car park. They did mention that the trail seldomly people come hiking there. And they also suggest to us to hike at Bukit Selabat. Better view and higher but need to have guide. Get the phone contact of the guide and we make a move back as the hour is noon already at that time.
Overall, it’s a nice trip. The next trip shall invite my PE and boss if they want.
- few days to write this up. At my room, at bistro, at office.
That sentence. Really. really rub me off. Not that i have ever heard it. Normally, my groupie, friends, my homie, they always ok with me, when me, myself, not due to other people, becoming intoxicated,
Just saying, My Ex-wife did know about this blog. Where when she found out about this blog, she did asked me when did i start to write a blog. and why i, me, wanna write everything here. Maybe it's just in my nature, when i was born as a youngest child of my late father, who was a language teacher, a poet, a journalist in his lifetime. So it seems. But seriously, im enjoying each word, each sentence. each thing that i posted in this.
But now, feeling restless, i just want to jot something down to ease my head
You, whose smile always captivated me,
You, who i enjoyed to have conversation with,
You, who make me smile each time your text reach me.
This and that happen last night. I don't know, maybe it's me. Ya it's me absolutely.
The end of our conversation was she's scolding me, from outside the car, at the parking lot, distancing herself from me, prohibiting me from coming out from to car to go to her, and asking me to go home. With her fiery eye, and said, "it is not you who are talking now!". God.. that angry face.. that sentence.. i now realised of how a piece of shit am i.
Here i am now at my room, at my desk, in front of the window, the greenery view, with some precipitation outside. Recollecting, contemplating, about this.
I'll figure it out. I hope so.
....
Wrote this when i reached home, recollecting my conversation in the hazy reality that i was in for.
Seems like i'm a restless person, fall asleep while writing this. I'll just let this post as it is. Do i want anybody to read this? Should i publish this? Kinda embarrasing i think. But, still i'll just publish this. Such a paradoxical.
Today just started just like yesterday. Just another Saturday. But it is Chinese New Year Holiday.
With great power (money), comes great responsibility
Yesterday i was sending my dear boss to the Airport as he is going back for the CNY Holiday. Not like he celebrate this new year but ya la, 3 days holiday is such a luxury for us. During the way there, we hang out at Teh Tarik Cafeteria at Satok for some coffee and Tea. He was concern for the site due to there will activity from one of the subcontractor where the wanna perform the blasting and painting work during the holiday.
"You are going nowhere, you are SINGLE, you don't have anyone to hang out with and everybody's on holiday. Can you be at Yard so that we have coverage for this holiday work? Standby and become company representative until they finished work. You choose the day and alternate with your fellow colleagues," was told by boss. So yeah, i choose to be at Yard today. The first day of CNY holiday.
Day start at 6am as usual, been snoozing my phone for once then wake up. My new recurring hobby nowadays is to strum the guitar in the morning. Not that long, maybe around 5-10minutes. Always done that while waiting the drinking water to boil for my first cup of coffee.
7Am, Engine started. its a chill day. The sky kinda cloudy, cloudy enough to make my morning gloomy. But hey, the road so far, it's empty. One perks of working during public holiday is there's no traffic jam.
Normally at Pending traffic light there will be a lotsa car where i may need 10-20 minutes to pass this junction. But today, it's flowing fluidly.
The yard. Reach the yard around 7.20am. Not a single soul was there whom i see when i reach the parking area. Seems like the crew is at canteen still having their early breakfast. Gone to my office to change to my PPE and voila! i'm good to go to the tool box talk.
Non Hectic Yard
There's me in the corner, in blue, in CNY Holiday Blues.
After finish up the TBT, i was confirming a few thing regarding the work planning for the day and update it to my Project Team Wassap Group. Also informed the crew and Safety Supervisor that i'll be at office to standby in case any urgency arise.
This is my ship now. I’m the Captain!
The empty office, the silence of the morning, the securely cubicle, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Yes. another cup of coffee in the morning for me.
Everything progressing fine and dandy for the day. No emergency, No technical Query, Not even a soul looking for me at office. Nothing. Nada. I just standby here till end of working hour today at 430PM.
Wrote this while drafting my daily report at my humble cubicle in Brooke Dockyard Sejingkat Yard