To forget someone you love, is like trying to remember someone you've never met, or waiting for a ship at the airport.

Tips & Advices to climb Mount Kinabalu

I did not manage to complete my hike up to the peak of Mount Kinabalu. Hence, I think I should share my experience with you before you go and climb.

Here are my humble opinions and advices from myself to help you to enjoy a better climb.

There are two routes up to Mount Kinabalu: Timpohon or Mersilau. I believed that when you register your climb with Sutera Harbour Resort they would have asked you which route would you use for your climb.

Note: The difference between the two is the length and the scenery. Timpohon is 2km shorter than Mersilau, but Mersilau route has much nicer scenery. Nothing to see on the Timpohon route, yet 2km difference is considered a big difference for a hike. Mersilau is much longer, while Timpohon is shorter but I think the steps are more steep and more stairs. For beginners, it's better to use Timpohon. Thats what everyone says.

Advice on things to bring:
- Four most important essentials, MUST:
1. Adidas Kampung (It's a must! I failed my climb because I didn't get it, you can get it at the mount kk headquarters) or good hiking shoes with great grips (you need it at the climb to the peak)
2. Walking stick.
3. Poncho
4. Waterproof jacket which can keep you warm, it's 5 degrees Celcius at half peak!

- Hike as light as you can. Only bring very, very essential items. They have porters to help you carry your bags at minimum charges. Only hike with your bag if you are very fit to climb. (I gave my bag to the guide after just 500m of hiking) You can store your luggages at the resort at the base before your climb if you do not want to carry your stuff up on the climb.

- Essentials: Bring a waist pouch for these - oats bars/cookies (slow energy releasing food is better than chocolates or bananas), headlamp, electrolytes tablets (can buy from GNC) - it's like isotonic drinks you just mix one tablet with 450ml water, 1x500ml water bottle (before u climb we were given one bottle of water and one sandwich and one hardboiled egg at the coffee house where we had breakfast) therefore max 2 bottles is enough, some money, compact camera or if you already have a camera phone (DSLR is not recommended).
- If you manage to find a brand called "Sports Oil" then buy it. If not, muscle rubs. Rub at your thighs, ankles, behind your calves and around your knee. Start putting the night before your climb. Before you sleep. Then before you climb, and the night at Laban Rata as well. Must rub!

(Pic taken from: joomshopping.blogspot.com)

 
- You dont need towels/shampoos/body shower etc. Waste of weight. Bring 3 pairs of socks and wear one. Total 4 pairs. But the guide told us its better not to wear socks with the adidas kampung shoe. Perhaps you don't need it. Short sleeves and short pants will do from base to Laban Rata, and from Laban Rata to peak you need warm and waterproof jacket and long pants.
- Gloves: You need a pair of waterproof gloves because near the peak you need to hold on to ropes. Please don't bring your walking stick from Laban Rata to the peak. Useless. And at the rope area you need to discard your stick because it is not allowed.

 These porters are fantabulously geng! They can carry like 30-40kgs of stuff and still walk faster than you and still can joke with you along the way >.<"

Tips:
1. Start training months before your climb. Train on your thighs stamina. Jogging or running doesn't help much. Walk a lot of stairs, do squats.
2. Eat bananas a week before you climb. Around 3 bananas a day.
3. Get some supplements: multivitamins, b complex.
4. Food is pretty decent at base and at Laban Rata. But don't stuff yourself too full. Eat moderately. Eat before you climb, and bring some light snacks up to the peak because you will be hungry by then.
5. If you can, do a 3d2n hike, not so rush and more relaxed. You have to pay more of course. Ours was a 2d1n hike, we climb up in the morning to Laban Rata, wake up at 2am to the peak, then rush down to the base on the same day so it was quite rushing. And at Laban Rata we did not have heater, so I didn't bath at all. It was too freaking cold to bath. Plan your hike earlier and see if you can get a place with water heater to bath.
6. Hike on step by step. Even if you are tired, don't stop to rest for too long. Because you will become lazy. Keep walking while your body is still warm. Don't let it cool down. The longer you rest, the longer you want to rest the next stop. Just keep on walking.
7. We took panadols before the climb and before we sleep. I don't know if it helps but we didn't have any headache problems or so.

My experience:
The rain will make your climb very much tougher. It started raining at km5 of the Mersilau Route and it was so cold. We had to put on our jacket and poncho. The road from Layang-Layang to Laban Rata is basically rock steps, it rained heavily so it became like a waterfall. Tough, really tough for me. Out of breath and soar. I really walked step by step. Very very small steps. Almost wanting to give up and just sit down there. But we still had to move on. I took 8 hours from base to Laban Rata. If you use the Timpohon route, by noon you would have reached already.

I hiked with my bag for first 500meters and i was feeling drowsy. My friend asked me to pass my bag to the guide. He helped me but have to pay money of course. I carried 3 bottles of water with me, not wanting to drink mountain waters. But 2 bottles will be sufficient.

From Laban Rata up to the peak is 2.7km, mainly rocky steps and wooden stairs, until 0.7km, there will be the rope route. The guide asked to see my shoes (I was wearing NB running shoes) and he adviced me not to go on because there's no grip in my shoes. I tried and I did slipped. So I turned back. My 2 friends who made it up to the peak said that it's tough, the rope part, but worth it. And the Adidas Kampung shoes really really help a lot! It basically sticks to the rocks. The guide did mention that if you feel dizzy or have headaches towards the peak and feel like vomiting, discontinue the climb. Don't risk your life just for this. There's always next time.

All the best to all Mt Kinabalu soon-to-be hikers out there! Just do it! =D

Where?

“去爱”与“被爱”，你怎么好像离我越来越远呢？

What road am I travelling on? Where is it leading me to? Clueless. Do I walk on? Do I turn?

I need a big comforting hug. Seriously.

Like We're Gonna Die Young

What expression or words can you give if someone tell u that they are not gonna live long?

I am stoned. Speechless. All I can give is a stoned face with an 'o' shaped mouth opened, no words are able to come out. Can't think. What can you actually say? It sounds like a joke, but no one likes to joke about life or death. It sounds fake, but I don't know. I can't really think at all.

All I can say is to do the things you like while you can. Go for all the things that you like.

Live, like you're gonna die young.

I fear death. A lot. No, I fear that I'll die when I'm young. I fear what happens after. To my family, to my friends. I will 'mm seh tak' my babies.

Life is such an unpredictable thing. Therefore, I must try to do all the things that I wish to achieve if anything happen, in a bad way. Touch wood.

Sometimes the things I do brings me no benefit, but i'm happy, and it's worth it. Yes, it's really worth it.

There are certainly many things in life, you will never get to know the reason or answers behind them. Things that you don't understand, because you never experience or feel it before. You think you know the people that you know, but actually you don't. You think that person is good, but you realize they're not.

I'm happy with what I have currently, I have the ability to earn my own money, although I haven't earn enough to pay for where I'm living now. I have friends, family, colleagues. I have happy people around me whose jokes make me laugh. I have the ability to smile. I have hands and legs that I can work with. I am normal.

I'm just human. I cry too. I feel sad too. I feel lonely too. Very very lonely at times. Living in a house big enough yet it does feel empty. Being single for so long, i envy couples. Each and every couple. Even my parents. And especially when you recently see very sweet couples, and having sweet couples around you. I don't really know what is the most important thing in relationships, but I guess one word says it all - LOVE. Both sides have to give and take. I don't know how couples can maintain. It's really respectful. It's weird when you see ego guys being sweet and lovey, it's funny how love makes human do. Hopefully I will find someone in the future. Hopefully. I'm scared too. I am scared halfway it'll end. I want to have 10yrs, 20 yrs, 30 yrs anniversary, not heart-breaking ones. I want "someone like you", someone better even. But I am nobody to demand for such great partner. Choosy, someone said, i know. I still believe in fate. No matter what.

I did wonder what if I did accept him last time, would I still be in a relationship right now?  But things happen for a reason. The strong 'no' that I felt inside when he asked. If i did, he wouldn't be so loving with her now :)

Sometimes i feel like just drive aimlessly, until I find a place where I feel good. Sometimes, I just wish to go to the beach and scream my lungs out, hoping it will make me feel better. Or perhaps I should just learn from the movie Prom, bury my head in the pillow and scream so that no one hears me, and then get back to life. Sometimes it's not that I love to cry, I can even cry in a comedy, I can just cry after I laugh. It's just it does make me feel better, sometimes. Sometimes it makes me feel worse though. Contradicting.

I found so many 'feelings' in this chinese page in fb, which most are how I feel, which means that a lot of people in this world feels the same, or perhaps worse. I am grateful that I'm just feeling heartaches, where there are other people in this world are suffering from physical, surgical, mental, torturous pain. Heartaches are for real though. They really do ache. And you really can feel the 'pain', really.

I used to think that people who commit suicide are stupid. I still think they are. But I understand why they did it. That crucial moment where the tension or stress or sadness or yeemo is at its climax, you just feel like you have no meaning to live on anymore, that feeling where no one will care, no one will forgive, that you are totally a failure, that's where all these 'devil thoughts' make them end their own life. Just like someone said, they chose to face death than to face their own life. I really wanted to once, not anymore. Thanks to someone.

Sometimes I wish i can just stop doing things and just... stop. Just let go of what i'm doing and just... let go. Stop working, stop trying, stop wishing, stop being who i'm supposed to be. Go travel. But no money. People will always think, quitting is easier than holding on. Or changing is easier than staying here. People get tired eventually, of work. I don't know. It will either be good or bad. Either my next route will be better, or worse. Grass is always greener on the other side. Difficult. 3 years already. Someone said I shouldn't stay more than 2, but we both had stayed on for 3 years.

Now I just try to demand less, dont expect so much, I'm glad that I'm able to not emo so much, I used to feel very sad when being not-bothered, ignored, but now I am able to let it be, and just expect the unexpected. Pamper myself with a little of massaging treat and phood for myself. Just do what I like. Trying my best to make people smile. Trying my best to make people feel happy. I feel glad when they do. Thank people for being nice and polite, and thank people for being bad so that you know who's your real friend and those who couldn't care less. Just do what I can do, just do what i'm happy doing, don't wish to know what others think of me. Because when people say about you, you keep wondering and start feeling shitty for what people say about you.

Just some blah-ing. Feel better already. I thank God, thank my real friends and family who never distant me, for everyone who is willing to like me and still think of me once in awhile, for my adviser and guide. I wonder, if someday I hide myself for some time, who would be the ones who miss me and worry me and try to find me? Those will be the ones who care.

Love life. Be happy.