Journey with Horatio

My First Water Rafting Experience

2007-12-23T21:27:00.000+08:00

I had the oppurtunity to conduct a 4 days training at Kota Kinabalu from 17th - 21st Dec. Luckily, 20th Dec was a public Holiday (Hari Raya Qorban) and I took the oppurtunity to try out white water rafting at Sg Padas.

I went to Borneo Ultimate Sports Adventure Tour (BUSAT) somewhere near Gaya Centre to book my reservation on water rafting. Apparently there are 2 popular place where one can water raft; one in Kiulu River which is approximately 1.5 hour drive up North East while the other one at Padas River which is about 2 hours drive to Beaufort and 1 hour train ride to Tenom. According to the staff, Padas River offers much more excitement and thrill than Kiulu. I took up the offer. It costs me RM160 (later I found out that you can get for RM120 at other agency) and the package includes the following:

1. Pick up at the hotel to Beaufort train station
2. Train transportation from Beaufort to Rayoh Station at Tenom
3. BBQ lunch (yummy!!!)
4. Water rafting of course

We headed South West of Kota Kinabalu to a small town called Beaufort.

In order to go to Sg Padas, the only transportation is via train and it took about 1 hour 15 minutes. The place is kind of remote and there is only 1 train per day going and coming back from Sg Padas.

Above: Beaufort Post Office

Above: Beaufort Train Station

Train ride on an open platform is certainly a thrill experience for a city boy like me. Apparently, it is norm for the locals here. The view was certainly breath-taking.

The train stops at Rayoh station where we got off.

Before we start rafting, we were given a safety briefing on how to paddle and of course what to do just in case you fell into the water (which I did!!)

The rafting experience took us about 2 hours and for first 30 minutes of paddling, I started to feel bored since the water ain't that challenging as the one in the movie 'The River Wild' starred Merryl Streep.

There were 4 groups that joined this rafting and my group consists of a family of 3 (Chinese from Kepong) and their family's friend, Dr. Puspa whom from KL but worked in KK and it was Dr. Puspa's second time while the rest are first timers in water rafting.

Close to halfway of the journey, the water started to get rough and this is where the excitement and adrenaline rushes in like nobody's business.

Throughout the journey, the current was very strong and there were couple of times that our raft spun around and go over rocks.

Facilitator Workshop

2007-11-30T23:06:00.000+08:00

I always amazed when someone stand on stage or in public doing presentations, talks and seminars where they had presented themselves flawlessly. Although I had some experiences of doing public speakings and presentations since my school days, I always fascinate if I could have been a better speaker.

Therefore, I had joined a program called Train-the-Facilitator program in hope that I will be a better facilitator or coach in my future endeavours. Some are gifted that they were born to speak in public without fear. Although I must say that I may not be that afraid or scared like most people when being called up stage to give a speech, as long as I am ready to deliver one.

The workshop I attended is a 4 days workshop and I am certainly grateful that I had met new friends from Singapore whom had joined this workshop as well.
Here we are listening to Bill, one of our facilitator for this workshop.

On our 2nd day, it is a trial run and we were asked to do a 5 minutes presentation.

We were given toys to destress ourselves when we are doind our role plays, planning and presentation.

Here I am with Chin from Singapore trying to figure out the puzzles given without being made known what is the real picture looks like.

On our final day, we were given 15 minutes to do our final presentation. Here is Janson from Singapore doing his presentation on the subject, Wellness with Traditional Chinese Medicine.

I was doing a presentation on How To Be A Responsible Pet Owners

I was then being assessed by the facilitator, Jeffery after my 15 minutes presentation.

Here is the whole group for the Train-the-Facilitator Workshop.
Left: Akiko, Angel, Irene, Yin, Jeffery, me, Bill, Janson, Jason and Chin

I 'graduated' from the workshop.

After the workshop, it had helped me open my eyes and thoughts about the role of facilitator. There are many things one must do before, during and after the presentation or training or seminar for a facilitator and coach. I had seen myself where I should stand in my career and I hope that this training is a leap stone to my great future career.

Company Annual Dinner

2007-11-18T19:20:00.000+08:00

My new company (4 months with the company) had an annual dinner at the brand new One World Hotel which is next to 1 Utama shopping complex. The theme for this year is 'Down To Memory Lane'.

Yeah, that is the time where you go back to your wardrobe and take out those 70's and 80's clothes that you thought that you had throw it off. Anyway, since this would be my first appearance, I try not to be too stylish (and I had to tell you some had even dressed up as Egyptian King accompany with 2 gorgeous looking-belly exposed girls...... Hello!! Down to Memory Lane theme and not Ancient time!!!)

While waiting for my colleagues to turn up, I tool the liberty to get myself potraited.

Here is mua with a Portugese girl, Candy and my Tai See Heng (Big Brother), Darren

And some pictures taken during the event.

(From the left: Ng, mua, Cherley, Celine, Fred, Candy and Stephen)

Left: Me and Angel
Right: Me with Su Fee (hot uchy mama isn't she??)

OK... Ballroom door open. Let's dash in!!

Here am I sitting with my colleagues. Sitting at the left was Teng, Sook Kuan, Jonathan, Derrick, Boo and Philip.

An annual dinner would not be complete if there is no games right. My colleagues pulled me out for an 'unknown' game and all of us on stage were in big surprise when we were revealed what we need to do.

Yeap..... let's lambada man!!!

Our Best Male Dress Theme and Best Female Dress Theme

Our Hang-hang from Melaka

Team Building Program

2007-09-20T22:20:00.000+08:00

Time flies when you having fun. I had started my new job and my new company had organised a Team Building Program for my department at Bukit Tinggi. There were 2 coaches that brought us up here and Bukit Tinggi had not changed a bit ever since I visited this place 4 years ago (with additional new buildings)

Here we are standing in line excited waiting for what coming up next. Anyway, we were divided into 4 groups and my group is called 3 Luv, which means love for the company, love for our colleagues and love for our customers.... (ceh....)

Giving a short speech on my expectation on this program (newbie mah)

After we had checked in to our room (I had a nice view of the mountain), we gathered at the volleyball court for our 1st agenda. In this event which is called TeamWork, we need to complete 3 tasks. The 1st task is to Walk-on-clogs. Our group was the 2nd fastest in this challenge.

The 2nd task was Catch-it where each group was broken into a pair and we had a game of balloon (filled with water) volleyball where we need to catch the balloon using the cloth given. Not an easy task since you (or the pair) needed to be fast and gentle at the same time. For this task, my group got 2nd place again. (Not bad, 3 Luv!!)

Next and final task is Hula-Hoopers. We were given 2 rattan hula hoops and need to transfer both hula hoops from 1 end of the line to the other end. Of course the advantage to the group which having a lot of 'dwarfs' in it. It is certainly not easy for me to go into 2 hula hoops (acknowledging the giant body size I have and so is my other 2 team mates) but we had certainly had great fun. We got 3rd place for this task.

OK.... leisure time. We had a fun of real volleyball game but alas, the game was halted shortly when the ball fell into the ravine and we got lost sight of it. (Darn!!)

Next, it is makan time (my favourite). Before that, the committee asked 1 representative from each group to tell others what we had learnt from the task that we had done. I happened to be the chosen one from 3 Luv.

This is a group picture taken outside the Japanese Tea House

We had 2 more challenges before we called it a day; Rescue the victim and Paintball Challenge where we got 1st place and 2nd place respectively. Overall, we got 2nd place

Nokia N95 Wireless Adventure Challenge

2007-05-13T13:19:00.000+08:00

Being a reality adventure freak (yes, I watch all series of Amazing Races, our local Exploraces etc) and had joined the 7 days race around Malaysia (click here to find out more), I registered mua and my race buddy, Agus (nickname Rowdy Rough Boyz) in the Nokia N95 Wireless Adventure Challenge.

Above: This is mua and Agus

Actually I would like to thank Izad for announcing this challenge in his blog or else I would had no idea at all.

It had been 2 weeks after I submitted our entry online via Nokia Nseries website and on Wednesday, May 9th when I was having dinner at Chilies, Mid Valley with some cat owners and breeders celebrating their cats' winnings for the last show season, I received a call and here this gentleman congratulating me for being chosen as one of the team for audition which will be held on Saturday, May 12th at Westin Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. I was dumb-founded and overjoy!!

Saturday came and Agus and I turned up at Westin, Level 1, Malaya Room 1 at 1.45pm as requested. We registered ourselves at the Reception Area while a photographer snap a couple of our photos. We were given a ticket number 27 and asked to head to Malaya 1 for a photo shooting.

A nice lady attended to us and we were asked to give an impressive post and we did, standing back to back and gave the photographer our mean look!! Then we were seated and waited patiently for our turn. Thank god, there was a coffee dispenser machine and I just have to have a cup of coffee to perk me up. While waiting and chatting with Agus, we were interrupted by another team, Richard (i think) and his race partner, Ifa (a sexy malay gal). They introduced ourselves and so did we and from there, the whole Malaya 1 filled with our laughters. They are such cool dudes and I hope they will be chosen (as well as us!!)

"27!!"

Well, that is our number lucky number and we were escorted to Malaya 2 and upon entry, I feel like I was in American Idol audition. The room was full of posters and there are 2 chairs (high possibility for us) and there is a table sat by 2 man and a lady (whom she had the sweetest smile I ever seen and ooo... she is from 8TV). Besides the judges, there were 1 photographer and 1 cameraman (are we going to be on TV or something??). Of course, we do have some other 'spectators' sitting at one corner which I had no clue of their purpose being there.

"A very good afternoon lady and gentlemen", I said with a loud stunning voice and gave them a big smile.

We were asked to be seated in front of them and this malay man (I just can't see the card that shows where is he from!!) asked us to introduce ourselves. Then the lady from 8TV asked us how do we know about the Nokia challenge in which I replied that I was the one who got to know it from a blog that I frequently visit.

"Are you a blogger yourself?", asked the chinese man from Nokia.

"Oh yes, definitely.", I answered

"What do you blog about and what is the name of your blog?"

"The name of my blog is New Cats on the Blog and I blogged about cats"

"CATS???", the malay man and 8TV lady shout out loud simultaneously

I gave them the "Kenapa?? Tak Percaya kah?" kinda look and I said yes.

Cut story short, we talked about cats for about 5 minutes or more while Agus sitting beside me looked kinda bored (sorry to steal all the limelight ok!!) and the 8TV lady seemed very very surprised that I had 7 cats under my care. I gave her that "Kenapa? Tak percaya kah?" look again.

"If you were born as a cat, what cat that you want to be?", asked the Nokia guy.

"I would choose to be a Maine Coon.", I answered confidently

"And why?"

"Maine Coon is the largest cat breed in the world and like me, Maine Coon is known as The Gentle Giant.", I chuckled.

The whole room was full of laughter for a while.

Then we were asked with tough questions (which we had already fully prepared for these kind of auditions) such as what makes your team unique, what makes your team to win this race etc. Our audition, i can say would be one of the longest seeing other teams went into the room on average 10minutes.

We were told that 8 lucky teams will be selected out of 40 60 teams that had been auditioned and these 16 lucky people will received a brand new Nokia N95 phone EACH as the initial prize and will be using the phone during the course of the race which will be held on May 26th-27th in Kuala Lumpur. 8 lucky teams will be contacted the next day (Sunday) or latest Monday by the organizer and a hands-in training on using the Nokia N95 phone will be conducted a week before the race!

~~1/5 or 20%~~13.33% chances that we, the Rowdy Rough Boyz may be selected. Pray for us that we are going to be one of the lucky 8!

Journey to Jakarta

2007-02-12T13:51:00.000+08:00

Name: Java
Population: Approximately 9 million
Capital City: Jakarta
Languages: Bahasa Indonesia (official), English, Dutch and many local dialects.
Flag:

Official Currency: Indonesian Rupee (IDR or Rp)
Religions: Islam (86%), Protestant (6%), Roman Catholic (4%), Buddhism (4%)
Geographic Coordinates: 6°10' S, 106°48' E
Land Area: 13,0000 sq km

Jakarta, from Village to Metropolis

Jakarta is the capital city of the Republic of Indonesia, a country composed of more than 13,000 islands with a population of over 180 million. Comprising more than 300 ethnic groups speaking 200 different languages, the Indonesia population exhibits marked diversity in its linguistic, culture, and religious traditions. As the Capital City, Jakarta is a melting pot of representatives from each of these ethnic groups.

Jakarta is the center of the nation's industrial, political and cultural life. It is home to many of the country's finest research institutes, educational facilities, and cultural organizations. Jakarta is uniquely the seat of both the national as well as the regional goverment. Strategically positioned in the archipelago, the city is also the principal gateway to the rest of Indonesia. From the Capital City, sophisticated land, air, and sea transport is available to the rest of the country and beyond.

Over the last several decades, Jakarta has proudly developed into one of Asia's most prominent metropolitan centers. With a current population of nearly nine million, Jakarta has undergone dramatic growth. Today, Jakarta's skyline is covered by modern highrises. The many state-of-the-art shopping centers, recreation complexes and toll-roads have become hallmarks of the city. The quality of life and the general welfare of its inhabitants have improved considerably with the city's fast pace of development. Jakarta's cultural richness and dynamic growth contribute significantly to its growing importance as one of the world's leading capital cities.

Jakarta is one of Indonesia's designated tourist areas. It is a gateway to other tourist destinations in Indonesia and is equipped with all the means of modern transportation by air, sea, rail, or by land. It has the largest and most modern airport in the country, the most important harbour in Indonesia and is well-connected by rail of good roads to other destinations in Java, Sumatra, and Bali.

Jakarta, once considered as primarily a stop-over to more worthwhile destinations in the country, has become a major destinations in its own right. Visitors come for Jakarta'' complete facilities and attractions that are in many ways unique and not available elsewhere. In the field of tourism Jakarta offers four and five star hotels on par with similar establishments elsewhere in the world, convention facilities, amusement parks, shopping centers, historical buildings, museums, tours, and many other tourist attractions.

Left: Here am I just had my burped after a small meal on board of my AirAsia flight and waiting for a cab to my apartment. Right: Hoping in a cab (Toyota VIOS)

I stopped by Vietnamese Kitchen in a local mall for a quick snack and we had ordered some fried fish fillets dipped in yummy thick soya sauce. I personally ordered a Foo-Cheow Fried Rice with extra egg.

Being an avid coffee lover, my eyes caught the Vietnamese Coffee. First, the coffee need to be sieve (took approximately 5-10minutes) contained inside an alumiunium container. The coffee will dripped into the glass below which already contained milk. (Picture 1 below left). After the coffee had stopped dripping, the aluminium top will be removed (Picture 2 below right). Next, the coffee-milk mixture need to be carefully stirred and lastly ice is added. Yummyyyy....

This is Cilandak Service Apartment. Here am I waiting to be checked in at Cilandak Service Apartment Lobby.

CITOS is a place for hang outs and there are many foreigners as well as locals. The store ranging from the usual Starbucks, Coffee Bean, Dome till some very nice Asian restaurants and pubs.

Here am I waiting outside Mister Bean Coffee for a bunch of my Indonesian friends. This outlet is located inside CITOS (Cilandak Top Spot) which is just beside my apartment.

Inside Mister Bean Coffee with my friends having a small discussion.

Dinner time!! I personally ordered a Seafood Carbonara pasta (so-so) and Highland Coffee (left of me with foam on top). Highland Coffee consists not just regular coffee but they had made it special by adding whisky inside. Fuhhh!! And I talked a lot that night!

Night still young and so, I took the oppurtunity to walk around CITOS. Here is on the 1st floor view on what's happening in CITOS. The crowd was tremendous! By the way, if you guys are asking what cat breed depicted on my Tee, that is a Birman.

I was fortunate that night whereby a live band by local is performing, trying to shake down CITOS.

The next day, I went to Mangga 2 Megastore which is approximately 45mins from Cilandak. The journey would be cut short without the jam and floods in Jakarta. Here am I just outside Mangga 2, by the river looking at the water level. By noon, the river had overflowed to the street. I was fortunate I was already left Mangga 2 and head to Cilandak.

Imlek means Gong Xi Fa Cai in Indonesian language. Here am I, proudly taking picture of the zodiac of the new year.

View inside Mangga 2.

For lunch, I was taken to this Sundanese restaurant and I must say I love Sundanese food. They comprises mainly fried stuffs and I personally love their fried and grill fish.

Below starting from left: Sundanese popular salad (fresh sliced cucumber salads dip in thick sauce which tasted like Rojak sauce and some crackers), Deep fried Gurame (it comes together with their local black thick soya sauce and it is a must to try).

Below starting from right: Grilled Gurame and deep fried soy called Tempe.

Journey to Bali

2006-12-25T13:49:00.000+08:00

One of my dream vacation would be visiting Bali and I heard a lot of nice stories about this little island. The island of Bali is part of the Republic of Indonesia, the largest archipelago in the world with over 18,000 islands. A popular tourist destination known for its natural attractions, perfect climate and relaxed atmosphere, this island of flowers, temples and friendly people is considered a real gem by travelers worldwide. This tropical island is one of the most stunning, and yet, now dangerous destinations on the planet. Recent terrorism attacks here and in other areas of Indonesia have stifled western tourism rather dramatically.

Name: Bali
Population: Approximately 3 million
Capital City: Denpasar
Languages: Bahasa Indonesia (official), English, Dutch and many local dialects.
Flag:

Official Currency: Indonesian Rupee (IDR or Rp)
Religions: Hindus (about 90%), Protestant, Muslim, Buddisht and others
Geographic Coordinates: 08° 39S, 115° 13E
Relative Location: Bali is located in the eastern and southern hemispheres. It's positioned in Southeast Asia, in central Indonesia, and sits just to the east of the island of Java, and just west of the island of Lombok. It's bordered by the Bali Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Land Area: 5,632 sq km (2,174 sq miles)
Terrain: Dormant volcanoes (some exceeding 3,000 meters) stretch across the island. Tropical rain forests, crater lakes and rivers dot the landscape. White sand beaches are on the southern coastline.

Out of the rubble of the Majapahit Emmpire which fell in 1515, rose the new Javanese Empire of Mataram built out of small kingdoms newly reinspire and reinvigorated by the advent of powerful Islamic influences. At the beginning of the 19th Century, Bali remained relatively unaffected by the Western influences which were already transforming much of the Indonesian archipelago. Bali's 16th Century Hindu civilization was still inviolate to any serious...

The Balinese has already owned their belief and culture when Hinduism was brought into Indonesia about 2000 year ago. Around 400 AD, the Hindu Kingdoms in Central and East Java had their great influence over Bali, but when a new religion, Islam came in, the Hindu Kingdom in Java became less and less powerful, at that time a large number of priests, noblemen. Artists and their followers refused the new religion and escaped to Bali. They blended their belief and traditions with those of the local people, a blend of which is inherited by the present Balinese people, the rich culture which is instead of the scenic beauty of the island, has attracted noir and more visitors from time to time. Now, what is Bali famous for besides their proclaimed nice beaches which recognized by people all over the world? (I heard that 20% of Australian population had visited Bali.) Besides the beaches, Bali is famous for it's authentic wood craftmanship, art painting and temples.

Some of interesting arts and statues that I encountered during my 4D3N visit.

Above: Welcoming offerings are placed in the family shrines and graceful "Penjor", tall arching bamboo decorated with palm leaves and flowers

In Bali, you can rent a car for as low as Rp200,000 per day (International Driving License is required and our Malaysian driving license cannot be accepted here. To obtain the license, just go to JPJ, fill up a form and pay RM30) or if you are scared to get lost, you can hire a chaffeur (like I did) to bring you all around Bali. Prices range from Rp350,000 to Rp600,000 a day depending of type of car. This payment should includes a driver, petrol, toll and parking fee for the entire day. (Tell them this when bargaining to avoid misunderstanding later)

(Note: RM1 = Rp2,500 as of Dec 17th, 2006)

I was fortunate to able to locate Lanus Tour (lanus_tour@yahoo.com) which offer nothing less than a good and friendly service. The owner of Lanus Tour, Bapak (address as Mr in Indonesia) Lanus (obviously) together with his assistant Bapak Hadi had been my tour guide for this trip. Lanus is a Hindu while Hadi is a Muslim.

(A special note for Muslims who wanted to travel to Bali. You are highly advised to get a tour guide in order to identify hotels and also whereabouts to get Halal food)

I stayed in Club Bali Mirage, Tanjung Benoa, south most of Bali which is about 15mins away from the Ngurah Rai (Bali) International airport and also 20mins away from Kuta, the happening city in Bali.

I chose to stay in Tanjung Benoa because I was told that it is much more quiet and serene and the beach is awesome.

Above: Here am I slurping Bakso noodles just outside the hotel. Men pushing carts (or some on bikes) selling Bakso are a common scene in Bali.

My very first visit in Bali, brought by Lanus and Hadi was Celuk (approximately 30mins drive north-east from my hotel), a place where it is famous for production of silverwares. Arnadi Shop located at the heart of Celuk, sits in a huge area consisting 4 main buildings, 2 being as living quarters for the owner's family, 1 building specially for making silverwares ranging from rings, bangles, necklace etc and another larger building would be the showroom. I was impressed by the detailness, artistic design and craftmanship offered by Arnadi Shop. I could not resist buying 1 Yin-Yang silver ring and another stone ring.

Tip: Please equip yourself with the art of bargaining and one can go as far as getting 50-60% off the retailed prices

Above: The surroundings of Arnadi Shop

Next stop, Lanus and Hadi drove up north to Ubud town. Ubud is a well known place for their artistic wood carvings and we went to Toko Rai, located in an area called Mas inside Ubud.

Tips: Toko means shop in Indonesian

P/S: Sorry but I left my camera in the car, so no pictures. Darn!!

After spending about an hour in Rai (and bought 2 very nice wood carvings), I told Lanus and Hadi that I need to recharge my body and asked them to bring me to a very nice but affordable place to have my lunch and they suggested Puncak Sari Restaurant located near Kintamani town but the journey will took approximately 45 minutes drive to the Eastern side of Bali. They assured me that I will not regret or they will pay for my lunch. How can one resist such an offer??

I could not agreed more. During the 45 mins drive, the surrounding temperature had dropped a few Celcius and the air was just majestic. Upon reaching Puncak Sari Restaurant, we were required to pay an entry fee and when Lanus somehow convinced them that I am not a foreigner but a local from Surabaya and also some convincing words from me speaking Indonesian language, we just need to pay Rp6,000 per car or else Rp20,000!!

The moment I stepped out of the car, I felt like I was in Genting Highlands. Cold and the air is clean minus the theme park of course. Puncak Sari Restaurant offers buffet style of meal and it is just cost Rp75,000 per person. I was taken by a beautiful local waitress to a table with the most magnificent view of Mount Batur, Lake Batur and Mount Agung. I was dumb-founded with the view.

Above: Mount Batur on the left and Mount Agong on the right. Lake Batur is just on the right hand side of Mount Batur.

Above: Volcano soil at the foot of Mount Batur

Mount Batur is an active volcano, standing tall at 1,717 metre and the first historically documented eruption of Batur was in 1804, and it has been frequently active since then. The last was being at the year 2000. Mount Agong is also an active volcano but it had it's last eruption in 1964. Mount Agung is a popular site for mountain climbers and it stood mightily at 3,031 metre.

Above: The restaurant layout (outdoor) on the left and mua having my lunch on the right.

Above: The sate you see is called Sate Lilit. The meat is made of fish. Just imagine Otak-Otak in a stick.

"Ok... the day is still young, so where are you taking me, Lanus?", I said. Although I try and speak Indonesian language with Lanus but he would reply me in English. Is either my Indonesian language surks or Lanus is just being professional in his job.

"Do you like coffee?", Lanus asked.

Of course!! How would one not like coffee and so off we go head back south to a coffee farm called Buana Amertha Sari (BAS) Agrowisata located at Tampak Siring. BAS was famous for it's traditional processing Bali coffee (see below).

One thing special about this agrowisata is that it offers free taste of their products before buying them.

Above: Sitting beside me was Pak Lanus and also Pak Hadi (back most)
Below: Coffee tasting is a serious business. Don't play-play...

On the table from the left was Java ginseng tea, hot cocoa, another cup Bali coffee (purposely ask for more!) and Ginger tea. Besides beverages, BAS sold wide range of aromatheraphy products for massage, essential oils and incense sticks as well. As a avid coffee lover, I almost bought the entire shop's coffee products.

Alright, the next interesting place that I had visited is the Tetra Empul which is not far from BAS. The journey only took about 15 minutes. The small town of Tampak Siring is actually well known for its vast temple offering public baths that were restored in 1959. The legend says that Indra, the giant drilled the Earth and made the amrita or immortality elixir gush out. These sacred springs of Tetra Empul come from the Sungai Pakerisan waters, running from about 1km above and filling a reservoir inside the temple. The people from Bali worship the same Gods as the Hindu Indians: Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu, but they also worship a supreme divinity called Sanhyang Widi.

Above: Late Sukarno's formal residence which is just up a hill beside Tetra Empul

Time flies when you are having so much fun as they said. The sun sets about 6pm in Bali. Final stop for the day is definitely Kuta town. The journey took about an hour from BAS. On route to Kuta, there was a procession going on with many local Balinese, old and young parading on the street. I was fortunate that day because according to Lanus, the Balinese is celebrating Odalan, an annual ceremony whereby every temple and shrine has a special date which occurs every 210 days, including the smaller ancestral shrines of which each family possesses. Because of this, practically every few days, a ceremony of festival of the same kind takes place in some villages in Bali. There are also times when the entire island celebrates the same holiday, such as Galungan, Kuningan, Nyepi and Saraswati.

Upon reaching Kuta, I was quite surprised that the enitre street is fulled with Western foreigners and I am somewhat so alien in the town. Lanus left me off somewhere near Kuta beach and I continued my journey by foot.

Above: It's the flash alright! Anyway, this is one of the Kuta street just outside Matahari shopping complex. Kuta beach is just right at the end of this street.

Out of a sudden, I felt home and I was fortunate that I saw something that make me feel at home.... McDonalds. I had my simple dinner there.

Above: I am darn hungry and my meal will not be satisfying without rice too. (Typical Malaysian!!)

Nusa Dua, another tourist attraction for it's beach and also shopping was just located 15mins away. Residence of hotels in Tanjung Benoa will enjoy a free shuttle ride from their hotels to Nusa Dua, thanks to Bali Collection.

Bali's reputation as a shopping and entertainment destination will make another giant stride forward with the formal grand opening on February 15, 2006 of The Bali Collection - a multi-faceted retail department store, shopping, dining and entertainment center located within the Nusa Dua Complex on the southernmost tip of the Island.

Including some 20,000 square meters of rentable space, The Bali Collection is targeted to be home to over one hundred leading brand shops and restaurants. Interspersed with theatres and sports centers, nightly entertainment programs and rotating art installations dotting the generous open plazas and walkways. The location of the Complex situated within a fenced and tightly controlled area within the security-safety perimeter of the Nusa Dua Complex offers the very highest standards of security for shoppers and diners available anywhere on the Island.

Following its soft-opening on December 15, 2005, visitors are already experiencing Bali’s most up-market shopping atmosphere presented by the Sogo Department Store. Also open and ready for business are several excellent restaurants and an assortment of Bali’s leading retail outlets.

Above: Lunch time at Tepi Laut

Not far from Bali Collection, it's the Nusa Dua beach. The beach is slightly whiter than the beaches in Kuta and Tanjung Benoa.

Above: Mua overlooking the Bandung Strait at one of the mini island at Nusa Dua

Above: One of the small temple on Nusa Dua beach, the Pura Nusa Dharma. Here is a structure where the local worships. There were 5 symbols on the sides of the structure; 3 on the left while 2 on the right. Each symbol represents a religion.
Below: This is Mangku Badra. He is one of the keeper for this temple. He is explaning about the history of this temple.

I was pretty amazed by the symbols engraved on the stone and Mangku Badra explained what symbols are those represents in detail and more history of this temple.

After walking under the hot scorching sun for more than an hour, what I want is a cool place with cold drinks. Thank god Sogo is there and guessed what; even my favourite Starbucks was there as well. Here I am (below) accessing my Nokia E61 to look out for WiFi connection but alas, the Starbucks here do not have WiFi facility (yet?).

On my final day in Bali, what I am looking forward is to rest under the coconut tree, reading a book and listening to MP3s on my Sony Ericsson W850 Walkman phone.

Above: My favourite companions.... a bag of chip and cool icy Carlsberg. Never leave home without them!

Below: Switch place... now tanning by the beach.

Ok, when it comes to food, I must admit that pork is a very popular ingredient in Bali.

My balance diet for the morning would be (above) fish fingers (12 o'clock) and moving clockwise would be 2 pork sausages, 2 slices of pancakes with Mapel syrup top with choolate rice, fried potatoes, steamed rolled cabbages and below, a must have, is an omelette (2 eggs) top with yummy bacons. Not forgetting a mug of coffee!

There was a Muslim restaurant just outside the hotel. Well, there is a lot of restaurants along the road but mostly catering Western food and the price is slightly.... pricey. What I want is to taste their local dishes! So I stopped by Warung Pekalongan.

Below: My dinner consisting of (starting from right) Serunding Ikan, a boiled egg, 3 pieces of tauhu, 2 pieces of fried Tempe (soybean), a small piece of fried chicken and last but not least, a cold glass of Es Jeruk (mixture of asam boi with lime). It costs me only Rp15,000 (RM6.oo)

Anyway, one last friendly advise that should you guys want to change your currency, always look for Central Kuta Money Changer which one can find it abundant in Bali. They give a very reasonable exchange rate plus they don't take any commissions which most other money changer does!!

Mix FM Mega Shopping Race 2

2004-09-08T13:13:00.000+08:00

I can never forget August 14th, 2004. 2 weeks before that, Mix FM is calling all Malaysians out there to join their second season 7-Days MIX FM Mega Shopping Race 2 sponsored by AirAsia and Tourism Malaysia. Being a reality adventure show freak (Amazing Race and Survivor), I went to MixFM website, downloaded the entry form and start bragging why I should be the participant of the race.

Cik Farah Samsuddin called me up one fine day and told me that I was one of the finalist and I was so excited beyond words. There is a small briefing on August 14th with all the contestants and there were 13 contestants (supposedly 14 but 1 went MIA) which we will be paired up according to Mix FM DJ Team. I was assigned to Team Shaz (Shazmin) together with my newly meet partner, Louise Wong. We had some light brunch before we adjourned to the Mix FM studio where we will be interviewed by the DJs.

Finally, we were told to assemble at KLIA on August 22nd where we will be flying to a destination which was not disclose to us.

On that Sunday morning, Caroline Oh was assigned to take our attendance and she always had her smile on all the time. Our destination was to Kuching, Sarawak and we boarded an AirAsia 737. The 1 hour 45 minutes flight was full of laughter being all of us did not know each other and we were talking and laughing.

On touch down, we were transported to Damai Beach Resort where we will be staying for the night and there will be a dinner presentation attended by the Kuching mayor himself.

We did not wear anything lavish since we are racing and we dressed casual. We talked, laughed and of course take the final oppurtunity to take pictures with each other which there is no way you can do that during the race. So these are the participants:-

Team Richard : This is Foong with his MIA partner (the lady in black was my partner actually) but according to the organizer, Foong's partner will be coming the next day on race day itself!!

Team Shaz: Ok, this is me with my partner, Louise Wong (whom needed insulin injections once in a while to maintain her sugar level in her body)

Team Ika: Rueben and Pauline. ( I called them the laughing couple coz they r funny)

Team Anu: Geraldine and Agus (This couple really looks like a match from heaven and Agus is from Sibu, Sarawak. You think he got home advantage? Hahaha, guess again!!)

Team Non: Mus and Panda (She called herself Panda because she said she always had dark rings around her eyes)

Team Caroline: Leyla and Simon

Team Aldeena: TJ and Lela (The team whom did not quarrel with each other during the race)

Day 1
The race started at the Sarawak Cultural Village at Santubong.

Here am I posing with Louise before the race

Ready.... get set... Go!!

Ok, our 1st challenge will be run to our respective Marshall and he will give us the clue and the clue is:
Day 1: Task 1 - The 7 Challenge
1. Use the Sugarcane crysher to extract the juice into a full glass at Bidayuh House
2. Make Kueh Ubi at the Orang Ulu Longhouse
3. Eat at least 1 Sago worm at Melanau Tall House
4. Make a brooch at the Chinese Farmhouse
5. Hot a bulls-eye on the dartboard with a blowpipe at the Penan Hut
6. Perform bamboo dance at Melanau Tall House
7. Spin a gasing for a minimum 10 secs at Gasing Area

Here are we posing with our gasing (top) spinning

Upon completion this task, we need to look for the Director of Sarawak Cultural Village for our next clue where we need to go to Yong Huat Peng Brick & Earthware Factory.

By the time we finish this 1st task, 5 teams already left for the 2nd task and to our great frustration, nobody seemed to know where is this factory! We stopped countless times and wasted more than 2 hours before finally found it. It is actually close to the Kuching airport. Darn!!

Day 1: Task 2 - The Pot Challenge
One team member will have to shape a pot using raw clay. The other member would have to be creative enough to crave designs on a ready moulded unbaked pot.

When finish, team members must look for a specially designed ‘Mega Race Pot’ in the shop with their respective Team name.

We are the 3rd team arrived at the factory and I need to make up some pace; I did the crave designs on a clay pot while Louise do the shaping. Looking for Team Shaz Mega Race Pot is easy since I had a pair of sharp eyes... hehehhehe...

Next, we need to head to Semenggoh Wildlife Centre.

Day 1: Task 3 - The Orang Utan Walk Challenge
Walk like an Orang Utan on the Orang Utan Walk

I was surprised after reading the clue. What is walking like an orang utan got to do anything in a Shopping Race? Anyway, it's look easy walking on a rope but I was wrong due to my giant size. Both team members need to do it.

OK, after completion, we were given a clue and asked to head to India Street Mall

Day 1: Task 4 - The India Street Mall Challenge
You are to purchase a pair of Jusco brand men’s pyjamas each from Bong Kuck Kong and wear them and look for the Director for verification

This is really getting wierder. Buy and wear a pyjamas and run around on the street?? Gosh!! Ok! next clue please!!

Day 1: Task 5 - The Main Bazaar Challenge
In your new outfit, you must purchase different items from different shops at the Main Bazaar amounting to the frequency of Mix FM in Kuching. Bring all items and receipts for the Director for verification.

Luckily, I did my homework. Mix FM frequency in Kuching is 97.7 and I played this challenge smart. Since we need to buy items (plural) so means that we need to buy more than 1 item, so we went and buy 2 items instead while other teams bought like 3 or 4 items!! hahahaha...

we bought a scarf for RM10 and ran to an antiques shop tp look for something that we can get for RM87.70. I found this Chinese tea cup set (which I like) and it costed RM100. I asked for RM87.70 and the owner looks really puzzle (who doesn't!!) and finally got the Chinese tea cup set.

Then our next clue asked us to look for the Tower around the vicinity overlooking the Kuching town. It was not far from where we were and we ran. There, we were given a clue

Day 1: Task 6 - The Sang Kancil Challenge
Go to the mural on the western side of the tower and memorize the story. Climb up the tower to answer 10 simple questions to get your next clue.

Sounds easy. We took like 5 minutes to 'memorize' the story on the mural wall and we ran up the tower which is about 5 storey high. We sat down and the Marshall asked us the questions.

I was shocked when the questions asked was not actually based much on the storyline but it is more to the picture drawn on the mural!!! Questions like, how many leaves are there on a branch at wall mural number 3? How on earth we need to know we have to memorize the number of leaves!!!

This challenge took longer than we thought and we ran up and down the tower for 3 times in order to answer the entire 10 stupid questions!!!

Next stop, we need to go to TopSpot Seafood Centre which is 10 minutes away from Waterfront.
Day 1: Task 7 - TopSpot The TopSpot Seafood Challenge
Look for your clue at the many many uncountable tables.

It was an ocean of tables which I think there were more than 100 tables. But Louise is the one who found the clue in 15mins time.

Day 1: The Pitstop
Head to Holiday Inn, Kuching for the pitstop of the day!!

Holiday Inn is just across the road and we ran to the hotel. When we reached there, I was actually hoping to step on a carpet or some sort (like in the Amazing Race) but instead, there is a Marshall sitting by the pool and said, "Team Shaz, you are team number 5"

Damn!!

well, my team was about 30mins away from the 1st so it is not that bad.

No team got eliminated in this round!

Day 2
The race started at 7am and all teams will depart as per the order they arrived yesterday. Our first clue for Day 2 is to make our way to the jetty that brings us to the Bako National Park and take a boat to the park and search for your next clue.

Here am I filing petrol to my Wira. It is a long journey from Kuching to Bako, approximately an hour and a half from Kuching town (not include time that one got lost. We were lucky we did not!!)

By the time, we reached at the ticketing counter, Team Aldeena is already there and followed closely by Team Richard.

The boat ride took us approx 45mins to reach Bako National Park.

At the information counter of the park, we were handed a clue.

Day 2: Task 1 - The Bako Challenge
Follow the Teluk Paku Trail and take pictures of 10 trees from the list below:

1. Abenanthera borneensis
2. Cotylelobium melanoxylon
3. Dehaasia cuneata
4. Dipterocarpus nudus
5. Elaeocarpus pedunculatus
6. Garcinia torbesii
7. Pimelodendron ariffithianum
8. Podocarpus polystachyus
9. Shorea ovata
10. Xerospermum muricatum

In addition, a picture of proboscis monkey will add 30 minutes to your time which you can use anytime during the course of the race.

Here am I showing the Marshall of the photos take we took. I managed to capture the picture of the Proboscis monkey and therefore, we had earned 30mins bonus which we can utilize anytime during the race. The next clue had directed us to go to Pasa Satok. So, off with the boat ride and long driving again!

Day 2: Task 2 - The Satok Challenge
Head to the Satok Market and you are required to search and buy 8 different types of local vegetables / delicacies out of 10 stated below

Midin, Kuih cincin, Jering, Terung pipit, Kacang ‘Mah’, Buah Kala, Kulat Madu, Ja’aon, Halus Metai, Cili Hantu

No problem in this task. Upon completion, we had been directed to the Local Heroes Monument and search for our next clue.

Day 2: Task 3 - The Superhero Challenge

This task is simple and we found the clue in no time! For the next challenge,

Day 2: Task 4 - The Cat Challenge
You need to purchase an item that symbolizes a cat from each of the following shopping mall.

Crowne Plaza Riverside Shopping Centre -7
Tun Jugah Shopping Centre -5
Sarawak Plaza -4
Wisma Satok -1
Hock Lee Centre -9
Choice Food Supermall -2
Wisma Saberkas -3
Everise Supermarket -8
Centrepoint Shopping Centre -6

Upon verification of the items purchased, you will be given your next clue

This is a real strategy game and since we need to go to 9 different shopping complexes, we planned our journey using a map. We went to Wisma Satok since it is the closest to us, then followed by Choice Supermall, Wisma Saberkas, Sarawak Plaza, Tun Jugah Shopping Centre, Centrepoint Shopping Centre, Crowne Plaza Riverside Shopping Centre, Everise Supermarket and lastlty Hock Lee Centre travelling from northeast to southwest of Kuching town.

Upon completion, we were handed over the next clue,

Day 2: Task 5 - The Pepper Challenge
Look for a pepper tree around Ban Hock area and pluck some fresh peppers. Proceed to the Kuching International Airport for your final pit stop.

It took us an hour to find the damn pepper tree which is outside Continental Hotel. Then we make haste to to Kuching International Airport and Team Shaz was Team no 4!!

No team was eliminated as well in this league!!

We took an AirAsia flight back to Kuala Lumpur and from there, we were transported south and check in Equitorial Malacca for the night.

Day 3
Day 3: Task 1 - The Trishaw Challenge
One of your team member will take a trishaw and purchase these items:

Malacca Belacan, Durian dodol, Cincaluk, Gula Melaka, Kuih Ciki, Coconut cookies
A pair of chopstick, Bedak Sejuk, Biskut Sakima and Cotton

Return to the starting league to get your next clue.

Louise will be doing this task alone (since women enjoy shopping) while I wait patiently at the lobby. In the midst of waiting for Louise, Team Aldeena came to me and propose to form an alliance. After 2 days, Team Ika and Anu had been quite strong since they were always at the head of the pack. We agreed that to share information during the course of the race (till any of us got eliminated!)

Louise came back with bags of goodies (which most of them we ate in the car on that day!!) and were given the next clue to go to Jusco Malacca.

I got over confident at that time and I thought that Jusco Malacca was at Mahkota Parade and I drove there. But upon reaching there and ask the guard for Jusco store, he said that I need to head to the North-South Highway route and Jusco Malacca was at the side of the highway!!

Darn!!

Upon reaching Jusco Malacca, Team Aldeena had already over took us and in the midst of their challenge.

Day 3: Task 2 - The Jusco Challenge Part 1
Your female team member need to buy these items at the Men’s Department;

A tie, A shirt, A belt, A brief, A pair of slacks and a pair of socks

The male member must wear all the items bought and be a mannequin for 10 minutes in a certain pose.

Not that hard except but I was sweating like mad that time. (I did not take off my MixFM lemon green shirt!!)

Next, we were given the next clue:

Day 3: Task 3 - The Kuda Kepang Challenge
Head to 94-16 Sungai Nibong, Semerah, Batu Pahat (mukim Kg. Lubok), Johor and look for Encik Naim, one of the Kuda Kepang performers in Malaysia who will teach you the Kuda Kepang dance.

You will then perform the dance and be judge. Upon completion of the dance, get a miniature Kuda Kepang from him.

As a kampong tradition, you will have to eat a mandatory lunch prepared by the host in order to get your next clue

Driving to Batu Pahat from Malacca took us close to 3 hours where we made a lot of stops enquiring people on directions to Kg. Lubok. Apparently, En. Naim is a very famous person because when we reach Kg. Lubok and stopped and ask about En. Naim, he knew where he lives! Drew us a map and off we go!!

First, we need to watch a bunch of people and perform the Kuda Kepang dance and we are suppose to memorize the steps!! It was about 5 minutes dance and I told Louise that we could never perform the same steps as them and therefore, I asked her to follow my steps during the performance. If we could not get it right, at least we are synchronized and the trick works!!!

The lunch served by the host was actually Javanese style. The food was delicious (maybe because I am hungry) but I do not dare to eat the wax-chicken served. It is just me. I got something against wax-look-alike food.

En. Naim gave us the next clue and the clue directed us to Plantations Sdn Bhd Ladang Nenas Simpang Renggam

It is about 45 minutes drive and it is not hard to find since this is the largest pineapple farm in Malaysia!

Day 3: Task 4 - The Pineapple Challenge
Look for this plot number Jalan 8, Blok 38, Sub Blok 7

and pluck a ripe pineapple. Bring the pineapple back and you need to eat the entire pineapple.

Not that hard but looking for a ripe pineapple is certainly hard. We need to go deep in the sub block to get one! The last thing I would want is having itchy tongue!! By the time we arrive, it is already close to 6pm and there were 3 more teams behind us. I heard that the 3 teams having difficulty looking for the plot since there is no street light in the plantation but they were given a torch light!.

Next, our next clue told us to go to Jusco Permas Jaya, Johor Bahru.

Day 3: Task 5 - The Jusco Challenge Part 2
The male member would now purchase the following items at the Ladies Department

Scarf, Undergarments (top and bottom), Blouse (Top), Bottom, High heel shoes and
Eyeliner

The female member will now dress up and be a mannequin for 10 minutes in a specific pose and place.

Ok! This is the 1st time I am buying a bra and female underwear. Felt really awkward and Louise wear a bra size 36 when I told her what bra size she wears. I said, "Are you sure? You don't look like 36!" and Louise gave me a nasty stare!! Opps.... ok, so off I go....

I prayed that we will be ask to go to a pitstop but it's not! We were asked to drive to Kota Tinggi and in search for the popular Clock Tower! (I know where!!)

By the time we reach Kota Tinggi it is already 10.30pm and were given a clue.

Day 3: Task 6 - The High Town Challenge
You are require to purchase all the following items by foot where 1 member will wear a mask and the other will wear a lighted pacifier.

A slice of cake
A packet of nasi lemak
A loaf of bread
A 2B pencil
A cooked piece of chicken drumstick
A pair of sunglasses
A hairclip
A plain white piece of paper
A picture frame
A poncho

We having trouble looking for a poncho at that hour and we almost gave up looking for it. We went back to the marshall and told her that we could not find a poncho at this time. Then she said, 'Tak pe, baju hujan pun boleh!!' Dingggg....

We ran to the nearest 7-11 hoping they sell raincoat and they do!! God had mercy on us!

We ran back to the marshall and got our clue

Final Pitstop!!
Kota Rainforest Resort will be your pit stop of the league.

It is not far from the Clock Tower but looking for the small road heading up to this resort is certainly difficult. The small bumpy road took us about 15 minutes to reach the resort and I was lucky to see the sign (there were no light at all!!)

By the time we checked in, it was close to 1am and we were the 5th team to arrived. The sad thing is that the gap between us and the 4th team was about an hour plus! It was a certainly a long day and tired as well. There were 2 dorm reserved for us (the guys and the gals) and Rueben (Team Ika), Agus (Team Anu), TJ (Team Aldeena) and Simon (Team Caroline) were sitting and talking. But what amazed me is the design of the dorm itself. Very Bali style. I cleaned myself and head to bed.

Day 4
The next league will start at 8am and we were told that Team Richard had been eliminated at the last league. We bid our farewell to Foong and Sasha.

I discussed with Louise about our 1 hour gap with the 4th team and I proposed to use the 30mins bonus that we got in order to narrow the gap. Louise agreed and we used our Bonus time in hope we could make up some time.

Day 4: Task 1
Drive yourself to Terminal Hasil Laut 926 in Sungai Karang, Kuantan

Kuantan is a consider an advantage for me since I had only recently been to Kuantan and visited some of the popular places by car. The drive from Kota Tinggi to Kuantan took us about 4.5 hours but I was stopped at a police road block upon reaching Mersing for speeding. After 15minutes, the police let us go because they had stopped the wrong car! Damn!!

When we reached Kuantan town, we stopped at a petrol station to ask for the location of Terminal 926 and the attendant drew us a map. Approximately 15mins we reached at Terminal 926 but it was empty!

We saw the regular marshal and it is come to our attention that there were a huge accident and the place need to be close down. So, we were given the next clue (Yipeee!!)

Day 4: Task 2
Look for Ghazali Batik

I know where it is!! Without haste, I drove myself to Ghazali Batik which is about 10km away.

Day 4: Task 3 - The Batik Challenge
Perform the Batik design drawing with a ‘canting’. You need to b creative and draw your version of Mix FM batik.

Upon completion, purchase a batik attire for each of you

Well, the challenge is not that hard but Louise and I debated how to design our MixFM batik and it came out like this.

And got ourselves these batik attire!

The marshall handed the next clue which read,

Day 4: Task 4 - The Along The Way Challenge
Make way to Country View Recreation Park in Jeram Besu. Along the way, you need to require to complete 3 mini challenges

Mini Task 1
Eat 2 whole durians between 2 of you.

Mini Task 2
Purchase basic necessities for camp night out

Mini Task 3
Purchase 5 raw chicken wings

We have no problem getting the chicken wings and basic necessities for camp (just bought candles, matches and mosquito coil repellant) but the problem is finding durians!! We drove for like an hour plus in search for durians at supermarkets, local stores etc and they had none! It was not even durian season that time.

Therefore, I discussed with Louise to head to Jeram Besu straight hoping we would find some durians along the way.

We use the newly open West-East Coast Highway and we took the the exit at Temerloh before travelling on trunk roads to Jeram Besu.

It was close to midnight by the time we exit Temerloh and Jeram Besu was about an hour journey. Here, we were so lucky that we found durians sold by the roadside (more like a fruit store) and we happily gobbled 2 smallest durians we can find (both of us not a durian fan!)

By the time we reach Country View which we thought were the pitstop, we were so dead wrong when we were hand over a clue!!

Day 4: Task 5 - The Tent Challenge
Pitch a tent sturdily with the given materials at the marked camping grounds. Upon approval from the official, the director will give you the next clue.

Oh no!! more challenge to go? I was dead tired that time since I had not had enough rest for the past 4 days already. There was no instructions given how to set up a tent and I have to look at the already set up tents done by other teams. There were 2 tents already set up. About spending like 20 mins, I realized that the materials given is not adequate and I complained to the marshall. He checked and verified my claim. I were given another set to accomplish the task. I was so furious wasted precious time.

Finally, the tent was finish and was handed the next clue.

I’m waiting for you at the Viewing Tower

Viewing tower? It was already pitch black in the area and where the heck I can look for the Viewing Tower? We explore the ground and we came across a tower and decided to climb up. A marshall was there! He jotted down the arrival time and I told him that we were given inadequate materials when setting up the tent. He said he will checked with the marshall in charge and will speak to the organizer.

Finally, we got back our 20 minutes that was wasted!!

Team Anu and Team Aldeena arrived the earliest team arrived by almost an hour plus. Team Ika was actually the head of the pack but was told that they actually headed to Kota Bahru direction instead of Temerloh. Team Ika finally arrived but there were the 2nd last team. The last team was Team Caroline and they were eliminated from the race

Guess what! We slept inside the tent we built!!

Day 5
Day 5 started with a stir. TJ and Lela (Team Aldeena) had lost their bag that contains their personal belongings such as ID cards, driving licenses and their money. Therefore, they could not continue the race and were forced to be eliminated. It is sad for Team Aldeena ended in that way and therefore, there goes with our alliance.

Our start of the league will be at Jusco, Ipoh (Louise home ground!)

Upon reaching Jusco, Ipoh, we were given the clue.

Day 5: Task 1 - The Jusco Challenge Part 3
You will have to purchase:

6 items that has 6 alphabets
5 items that has 5 alphabets
4 items that has 4 alphabets
3 items that has 3 alphabets

Note: No plurals or brand name!

We are smart to look for the RM1 section which every Jusco would have and bought most of our items from that section!

Upon verification by the marshall, we were given a clue.

Day 5: Task 2 - The Trolley Challenge
Both of you are required to help shoppers push their trolley carts from the shopping area to their cars and load the items into the car for them. Both team members have to push the trolleys together at all times.

You are required to get their signatures on a piece of paper provided.

You must have 10 signatures from 10 different people.

In this challenge, we need to compete against Team Anu. Apparently they spent too much time on the last task and we manage to catch up. The team behind us was Team Ika was more than an hour behind us. Both teams finished about at the same time and we crashed our trolleys each other many times during this challenge in order to grab more shoppers. Obviously, Geraldine from Team Anu had the advantage of grabbing the men shoppers.

Upon completion, we were asked to go to Infoternak Farm in Sungai Siput which is about 30 minutes heading North of Ipoh. The farm is not hard to be located since it is just by the roadside with a huge signage.

Day 5: Task 3 - The Farm Challenge
One team member will use a sickle and cut a bundle of grass and head to the goat pen to feed the goats. The other member will clean the underneath of the pen and collect a bag of dung.

Upon completion of the 2 tasks, both of you must milk a goat and fill the pail with milk at the line drawn. Bring the pail of milk to the nursery and feed 3 kids with the milk.

In this challenge, I decided to do the gathering 'lallang' since it is more hard labour stuff (knowing Louise's condition) and of course scrapping dung is somewhat not my liking... hahahaa... The area where I suppose to cut the lallang was about 100m away and it was noon that time. Pushing the wheel barrow under the afternoon hot sun is somewhat unbearable which I got headache later of the day.

I thought that I want to do the milking thingy but Louise insisted she wanted to do it while I need to 'pacify' the goat since Louise for one, she is not experience doing it and secondly, the goat seemed somewhat not comfortable being 'milked' by her. We manage to get the amount of milk, after like more than 30 minutes.

While Louise pour the milk into a big tumbler, I need to get 3 kids out from their 'kandang' and carry them to the tumbler. They suck those milk like no one's business at all. Is it really tasted that good??

Pheww... ok, after all that cutting, cleaning shit, milking, pacifying and feeding, we were handed to the next clue to head to Megamall, Penang.

Team Anu was in front of us on route to Penang and they drive quite slowly in which I think they wanted me to overtake them! Hahaha... I do not fall to that trap and I tailed them for almost 20km before I took an exit that leads to the North-South Highway. It was too late for them to take that exit and they just need to go further up before making a U-Turn.

I was confident that Megamall, Penang was located in the Penang Island itself but I was wrong when I was told by the person in charge at the Perusahaan toll that Megamall, Penang was actually on the mainland itself which it's at Perai. I had never been to the Province Wellesley before and it took us a longer time to search for that mall.

By the time we reach there, Team Anu had started their challenge.

Day 5: Task 4 - The Mega Challenge
You are to purchase these items in order given and carry the items purchased EVERYWHERE you go.

1. 10 kilos of rice
2. 5 litres of mineral water
3. 1 bottle of chili sauce
4. 2 sleeping pillows
5. 10 chicken eggs
6. 3 kg of laundry detergent
7. 1 plastic stool
8. 1 mop
9. 1 bottle of liquid dishwash
10. 2 hula hoops
11. 2 bottles of tomato sauce

This task is a very hard labour intensive task and we need to walk around the mall, looking for the specified items and carrying around. After the 6th item, my head feel like it is going to explode due to the long exposure under the hot sun at Sg. Siput and since I am carrying all the heavy stuffs like the 10kg of rice and 5L of water, the pressure was so great that I almost passed out. I told Louise and the Marshall that I could not go on and needed to rest. My fever started to develop as well. Seeing that condition, Louise said she will continue the task while I rest and ther she goes carry all the stuffs with her running here and there. At that moment, I just felt that Louise is so important.

After the challenge, we were asked to head for the pit stop which is Holiday Inn, Penang. I had done 95% of the driving since throughout the race (since I felt men are better driver than women), I decided to let Louise drive while I gave her directions to head to Batu Feringgi.

I gobbled 6 Panadols that night and went to sleep without eating anything.

* I did not attend the daily briefing after this league and I was told by Louise that Team Caroline had been eliminated and we were the 3rd Team arrived. I was shocked that Team Ika was an hour plus at the back of us, managed to catch up. Then I found out that, Pauline is from Penang and she, too knew Penang very well (which include Seberang Prai).

Day 6

I could not believed that I will be at the Top 3 for this race. Team Anu, Team Ika and Team Shaz. My fever had went down but not recovered completely. I am not sure whether I could stand for another high intensive day and I would not certainly want being elimnated because I am not well. Therefore, mati biar mati lah.

Day 6: Task 1
Go to Teluk Bahang Dam to hunt for your next clue

Well, I certainly know where is Teluk Bahang which is not far from Batu Feringgi but is there any dam in Teluk Bahang? Apparently is!! Upon reaching Teluk Bahang and ask the locals there, we reached there in no time?

Looking for the stupid clue ain't easy. We have to run at the small hut (the white object on my right) which is about 500m away!! We spent about an hour searching at bushes, tables and chairs when it was stucked at a dustbin!! I was dam furious!!

Day 6: Task 2
Head to Tropical Fruit Farm

Hey, I know where it is!! Heheheh coz I been there! It is less than 10 minutes drive from the dam. Upon reaching there, Team Ika already left and Team Anu's car is still there. In there, we meet Mr. Kenny, the owner of Tropical Fruit Farm gave us the clue.

Day 6: Task 3 - The Fruit Challenge
Choose either of these 2 challenges

1. To pluck a coconut on a tree, open it into half, grate it and make it into santan juice.

2. Search for a nutmeg tree, pluck 3 ripe nutmegs and make it a glass of nutmeg juice and drink it

Surprisingly, we are the only team that chooses the nutmeg challenge while the other 2 had picked the 'Deng Ga' (coconut in Tamil) challenge!

It is not hard to spot a nutmeg tree by seeing the picture at the brochures on how nutmeg trees look like but certainly plucking it needs some courage! I need to climb up the tree to pluck the nutmegs!

After all that plucking and cutting, I had no chance to taste the nutmeg juice because apparently, Louise was too thirsty that she finish it in 1 gulp!

Ok, next challenge please...

Day 6: Task 3
Head to Tropical Spice Garden

I know where it is again! We passed by it when on route to Teluk Bahang dam which is just 5 minutes drive from our hotel!.

So, we went in to Tropical Spice Garden and our sexy Marshall was waiting anxiously for us and she told us that Rueben from Team Ika fell into a pond and ask us to becareful? Careful? of what? That is when she handed me the clue...

Day 6: Task 4 - The Spice Challenge
You must complete these 3 tasks in order

Task One
You need to collect all spices to make yummy curry to a perfect and moist blend. In order to know which spices to use, you need to solve this Spice Clues. All answers can be obtained within the Spice Trail

Spice Clue 1
“A sum of this, a sum of that, a sum of me will make all things sour”

Spice Clue 2
“I am too hot for you, baby!”

Spice Clue 3
Imagine piercing a hole through my body, stringing a few of us together and setting us on fire – Ouch”

Spice Clue 4
Look like lallang? But you have yet to be dazzled by my zesty powers

OK! Looking for the spices took us a while since we need to go through the spice labels and description that best fit with the clue given. We were lucky that we got all the 4 spices correct while the other 2 teams got one of the spice wrong.

Spice 1 - Being an assam boi freak, immediately I know it is Assam Jawa.
Spice 2 - Haiya! Make curry of course you need chilli lah
Spice 3 - This one took us a while and we finally figured out is the famous Buah Keras!!
Spice 4 - The only spice that look like 'lallang' would have the same color of our Mix FM T-shirt, lemon green! Lemon grass lah....

During this challenge, Louise had happily endulging herself with the Assam Jawa behing my back while looking for the other spices! And she got the cheek and told me that it is fresh and delicious! I told her that if the quantity of Assam Jawa is not enough to perform our task, she will need to vomit out what she had gobbled!

Next we need to grind the ingredients to a thick paste and I was honoured to do the grinding while Louise task would get me some fresh mountain water that was flowing next to us and I took the oppurtunity to gulp some! You should see Louise's face when I did that... Hahhahaha...

Task Two
Find your way to Giant Swing and armed yourself with 9 different coloured hoops, get on the swing and fling the hoops into the respective colored baskets

Being borned and gifted with long arms, no problem throwing those hula hoops into the basket! Well, I virtually need to put them into the basket instead of throwing them like those dwarfs!!

Task Three
Make your way to Water Garden. Get into the boat and row past the water plants to pick up your next clue. If you fall, you need to return to the starting point and try again.

So! This is Rueben took a dip! No worries, being an experienced kayaker, I have no problem manoevure the sampan but I had to constantly told Louise to shut up and not to make any sudden moves!

Day 6: Task 5
Head to Island Plaza

Alright! Island Plaza is on the way to the famous Gurney Drive and it is just 15 minutes away from Batu Feringgi.

Day 6: Task 6 - The 3-Legged Challenge
Go to Fitness First and go on the treadmill for 3 minutes.

Then head to US Pizza and share 1 regular pizza and a big glass of Ice Lemon Tea each

Next, get your legs tied together and you will have to walk around to purchase 10 RM5 items from 10 different shops.

The treadmill challenge was nothing but I was really looking forward of eating stuff because for the last 5 days, I had not had any decent food to my stomach and I certainly hope the pizza and lemon tea were not 'specially formulated' for the racers!

Thank god it is not! While Louise slowly biting a slice of pizza, I took 2 slices, folded them together and eat. Louise could not believe her eyes that I do that!

'We are racing lah not dating! Eat faster lah!!'

So, she ended eating 2 slices while I had to finish the remaing 6 slices (no problem there!!)

I guessed this is the time (only time) that me and Louise were close together and I am sure Louise had this memory fused into her head! I should actually thank her for finish this challenge faster for her being shouting all over asing for items that cost RM5!! Due to my pride, I was looking for a hole that I could stuck my head into!!

Next stop... Bukit Merah Lake Town Resort!!

Day 6: Task 7 - The Bukit Merah Challenge
Head to the Waterpark and go for the Boomerang Ride (each one of you!)

Then head to the Eco Park and look for the Snake Keeper who will hand you a python. You will have to put the python around both of you and ask 5 people to take a picture of you.

Finally go to the Body Slide to get your next clue which is hidden somewhere along the slide. If you do not get the clue, you will have to join the line and wait for your turn and try again.

The Boomerang ride was fun for me but not Louise! The whole Water Park could hear her voice!

Now, I had handled snake before although I am not a fan of this reptile. When the snake keeper put the phyton on our shoulders, Louise got numbed for a while. Since the head of the snake was closer to her, she actually grabbed the snake's body (more like squeezing) and pushing it away. I told her that obviously the phyton would not have bite us but if you countinue squeezing like that, if I were the snake, I will definitely swallow you in whole. Of course, getting 5 people took our picture is not hard except the kids ran away from us and so were some chicks (girls). I shouted, 'Jangan takut, jangan takut! Ular ni tak patuk punya! Jangan percaya pada muka kawan saya ini....' (Don't be afraid! Don't be afraid! The snake will not bite you. Don't trust the look of my friend's face here....). Muahahahaha.....

Finally, we got our clue at the Body Slide (semi opened tube),

Day 6: Task 8
Travel using North-South Highway and head to Sg Klah Hot Springs Park. The exit of this park is between Ipoh and Tanjung Malim.

Of mother of all challenges, we were down to zero of thinking where is this Sungai Klah? We asked some Bukit Merah staffs but none of them had heard of it. Dead meat? We look at the map and we just could not find it!

Therefore, without wasting anymore time, we headed south and hoping that someone will know the where is Sg Klah. At the Bukit Merah toll, I asked the operator and he asked us to take the Sungkai toll exit.

"Abang betul kah ni? Abang pasti kuar kat Sungkai?" I said
"Are you sure, bro? You sure that we need to take the Sungkai exit?"

"Betul punya!!", the operator said confidently.
"It's true!!"

Well, we look at the map and Sungkai exit is just after Bidor which is about 2 hours drive with maximum warp!

We took no chances and we stopped at rest areas along the highway and asked some people there. We were lucky when a man that we asked said that he had been there and it is at the exit of Sungkai. He even drew us a simple map to the Park! (Thank god!)

I hope that other teams would have trouble looking for that place and maybe Team Ika would overshot and head to KL instead. Upon exiting Sungkai, there were many signs indicating where is Sg. Klah Hot Spring Park but it took us close to an hour to reach that park, no thanks to the no street lights and bumpy road!

Apparently, there were many people in the park and we need to pay RM2 to enter.

Darn!! The other 2 teams were already there! So, there goes the hope of some team got lost!!

Day 6: Task 9 - The Egg, Algae & Soaking Challenge
Boil an egg to a perfect hard boil egg at the hot springs area. If it is not perfect hard, you will have to do it again.

Next, go to the algae site and cover your face completely and proceed to the soaking pool and soak yourself at a given time (pick an envelope to get your soaking time)

To get a hard boiled egg is not that hard. Just let it soak for 10 minutes and it will be as hard as a rock!! Team Anu failed this attempt at first. The second task was tough cause there ain't enough algae to cover our faces and the marshall gave us an allowance!

But what frustrated us the most is that the envelope that will showed us how much time we need to soak ourselves was 45 minutes! Team Ika whom arrived first got the 30 minutes envelope and Team Anu whom arrived second got the 15 minutes envelope!

By the time we start soaking ourselves, both teams had left! So, there we were, soaking ourselves, gazing at the skies, not to let the algae fell off our faces and we had a heart to heart talk.

Honestly, we argued a lot during the course of the race and many teams believed that we will not make it to the final three but we had proved them wrong. No matter how much I disagree with Louise vice versa, both of us focused 100% on every task. I apologized to her and she apologized to me and I told her to bare with me for just 1 more day and we will be home free. Knowing the gap between both of us and the other team, it is very hard to keep up since I strongly believed that we will be racing at our homeground which is the Klang Valley and all of us either grew up there or had spent many years in the Klang Valley. I told her to enjoy ourselves for 1 final day to the finish line and both of us agreed.

Day 6: Task 10
Drive yourself to Bukit Bintang and go for a 30 minutes foot reflexology

By the time we hit the road, it is already close to 11am and we need about another hour plus (at maximum warp!) to reach Kuala Lumpur. We tuned in to Mix FM all the time (we are not suppose to change channel) and heard from Aldeena, the DJ on duty on that night said that both teams had arrived in Bukit Bintang and Team Ika was even said selling off things to get more money. Of all 3 teams, we had the most accumulated money since we really watch out every sen that we spent (that is most of our arguements about)

We went to this Reflexology Centre which is opposite Jalan Alor since it was the cheapest that we could fine.

Then our final pitstop was The Westin, Kuala Lumpur. (Yeap! A 5 Star hotel which was very recently open that time!) I slept like a baby on the fresh new bed!

Day 7
OK! The final day! This is now or never. Team Ika and Team Anu had an hour plus advantage from us. Both me and Louise had realize that it will took us a miracle to be able to keep it up with them knowing racing in our own turf but as I told Louise, we need to focus on each task and do it as fast as we could.

Day 7: Task 1
Go to Pudu Wet Market to look for your clue

Since it is a Sunday, traffic is quite light to Pudu from Bukit Bintang and it took us less than 10 minutes to get there but looking for a parking really get on our nerves!!

After we parked our car, we ran into the wet market looking for the clue. We looked high and low, cruising through the sea of people, went into every sections of the market; meat, vegetables, groceries etc and it took us like more than 30 minutes that we saw a familiar sign just near a Buddhist temple by the market. Darn!!

Day 7: Task 2 - The Wet Market Challenge
You will be asked 5 questions individually by a Marshall about your partner and every wrong answer you get, you will to collect 1 bowl of chicken guts and fish scales with your bare hands.

Shit! In the entire race, we don't really get the chance of getting acquainted well except arguements. So, the Marshall asked Louise some questions and finally the Marshall handed her 3 empty plastic bowls. OK! My turn... I was asked:

Q: What is Louise's favourite pet?
A: A dog. (Confidently since she did mentioned she had a Miniature Pincher)

Q: What is her favourite color?
A: Errr... I simply bantai lah and i said black since I remembered her wearing a black blouse during dinner before the race.

Q: What is her favourite movie?
A: (What the....) Titanic? (Which I seriously doubt...)

I can't remember the other 2 questions but I got 2 questions right and so I was handed 3 empty bowls.

So off, we went into the wet market looking for chicken and fish stalls collecting guts and scales.

"Buat apa semo tu?", asked the stall owners
"What the heck you need those for?"

"Buat sup bang, baik untuk kesihatan punya!!", I answered
"To make soup, bro. It is said to be good for health"

Then after that we got over next clue.

Day 7: Task 3
Go to Pusat Rekreasi Air, Taman Wetlands, Putrajaya

You must row a ‘dinghie’ to the 5 mini island across the lake and look for your next clue

We arrived at Wetlands approximately 40 minutes. We ran to the lake and the officer in charge suit us up and pointed out the mini islands which is about 300m away from the shore.

Well, since there were only 1 clue left (The other teams had already gone), it is certainly time consuming and we only got the clue after we went to the 3rd island.

Day 7: Task 4
Head to South City Plaza

South City Plaza is located at Sri Kembangan which is not far from Putrajaya. We ran up and down inside South City Plaza to look for our next clue before spotted a Marshall wandering at the Ground Floor.

Day 7: Task 5 - The Word Search Challenge
You will have to look for items in the attached ‘Word Search Alphabet Jumble’. After figuring out 10 items, you will have to purchase them in South City Plaza

Well, i always love solving puzzles and we finish locating all 10 item s in no time and off we went into Giant Supermarket to get all the 10 items.

Day 7: Task 6 - The 3-Some Challenge
You need to complete these 3 challenges in no particular order.

The Color Challenge – Mid Valley Megamall
Purchase a full list of full colored items of any sort but you can only purchase the items at the carts and kiosks. The colors are green, blue, yellow, pink, black, white, orange, purple, red and brown

Jusco Challenge Part 4 – 1 Utama
You are to purchase a 3-tier open shelf from Jaya Jusco and assemble it from scratch. Then you will have to go to any Hair Saloon and get your hair washed and blow dried for the prize giving ceremony.

The A-to-Z Challenge – Sunway Pyramid
You must purchase item that begins with all the alphabets.

The Sunway challenge may took us a longer time I told Louise and so, I suggested to do the easy ones first and she agreed. Therefore, we head to Mid Valley.

Upon arrival, we went to the Lower Ground floor where all the carts and kiosks located. We looked at every cart for something that is full in color and we ended up buying colourful maltose sweet which cost us only RM1 per stick. For colors that is not available, we went to thenext cart and bought some local kuehs. We finished this task in less than 30 minutes and next stop, 1 U.

Looking for parking in 1 Utama cost us too much time and after 30 minutes, we finally managed to get one. We ran to 3rd floor of Jusco which that is where the Home Appliances is located. We looked for the cheapest book shelf, bought it and I took the liberty of assemble it (since I have a lot of Ikea furnitures at home). Done!!

Next, we need to get our hair done and Louise said she knew a saloon in 1 U that can gave us discount!

Honestly, I had never had my washing and blow job done in a saloon because I can wash my hair myself and usually I would go to the regular Indian barber should I need to get my hair done. It costed way cheaper than in saloon.

Obviously, Louise took a longer time to finish than me and when we about to leave the saloon, we were handed a clue from our Marshall.

Day 7: Task 7
Drive yourself to Bukit Raja Shopping Centre which will be your final pitstop and your chance to win RM20,000!!

Go! Go! Go!!!

I was baffled. We still got 1 more challenge to do and our Marshall told us that there is a team already at the pitstop and we can forgo all the remaining task. I looked at Louise and we smiled at each other. We had done our very best! Let's enjoy this very last moment I told her.

The marshall did not reveal which team had won and both teams; Team Ika and Team Anu seemed very competitive. I made haste drive ourselves to Bukit Raja, Klang and upon reaching I heard roaring crowds. I pressed the car horn signalling of our arrival, got off from our car and went up on stage. It was certainly an emotional moment for him and I was really glad that I was at the final. Team Ika had won the race and followed by Team Anu whom arrived just few minutes behind them. We arrived 30 minutes after Team Anu.

Here am I, waving at the crowd and hugged with other contestants whom had congratulated me and Louise.

These are some of the Marshalls that were assigned to each team, making sure that all teams perfomed their task accordingly and also followed the rules.

A family photo of all the contestants with some Mix FM DJs (Caroline, Ika, Non, Aldeena and Richard Ng).

I would like to take this oppurtunity to thank Mix FM of choosing me as one of the participant of this Mega Shopping Race 2. It is certainly a memorable race which there is no way I could forget in my entire life. Next to Louise Wong, my partner for accepting and had tolerated me throughout the 7 days race and I apologized for any shortcomings.

Thanks to all the other contestants which you guys had made this race a very competitive and ethically of course. I enjoyed my time spending with you guys and shared our backgrounds.

Update as of May 1st, 2007
It had been 3 years now, the race had seemed very fresh in my memories. Looking back the pictures had certainly reminded me a lot. I still keep in touch with Agus and we had tried our luck to register ourselves in Reality Adventure shows such as TV3's Explorace Season 3 (which we were not the finalist) and we sent our audition tape to Amazing Race Asia Season 2 as well as Nokia Wireless Challenge.

I heard Lela and TJ from Team Aldeena had joined TV3 Explorace Season 3 as well with their respective partners but Lela had been chosen as one of the finalist. Lela also joined the 1 Utama Shopping Challenge as well.