MotoGP Test Run

I am pleased to share with you some of the excellent photos taken by Shukri, a competent photographer, during the recent MotoGP test run (27 February 2011) at F1 Circuit, Sepang. Do click here to view the photos by courtesy of Shukri ...
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click Slideshow, hit F11 for bigger display.

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Shukri (right)

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Posted by KC

FRIM Trail Running

I am pleased to share with you photos taken during the trail running at FRIM, Kepong this morning, Sunday 13 March 2011.
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This time, there was no mishap of not able to find the trail. However, we were surprised to encounter a few attack by leeches.

Many of the regular runners were not here as they went for the Bareno Run at Bukit Jalil this morning.

At the start of Mountain Bike Track ... KC, Stephen Wong, Vivienne, Rose, Sharon Tan, Fiona Goh, ChongYF, Lai Fong Sang.

Do click here to view the photo album (in high quality).
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Click Slideshow, hit F11 key for bigger display.

Posing with a heavy duty mountain bike
Wow! What a beautiful tattoo cleverly hidden beneath the running vest ... :-)
Version 2011 Salem High Country models ... :-)

At another location

Arriving at the Malay Tea House ... coincidently, all were posing with thumbs up even before savouring the aromatic tea.

Cheers! (thanks to Lai Fong Sang for taking this photo; he is a very fast runner who likes nature, camping and trekking)

Posted by KC Leong

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Gunung Nuang via Janda Baik

The first challenge – maintaining balance to keep the shoes dry

Please click here to view photos taken by yours truly (KC) using a compact camera.

Here are the photos of the this trekking/trail running trip that took place on Saturday 5 March 2011. There was a bit of drama but with happy ending ... scroll down to the end of the email.

A group photo before the real start of the event

Arriving at the peak of Gunung Nuang.
ChooTS, Dr. Shara and yours truly were setting the paper trails. We tool 2.5 hours to arrive at the peak. Most would arrive at 3 hours.
There were 10 compact cameras to take the group photos.

Relaxing at the waterfall -- dipping into the cool and refreshing water

A good scrub – cleaning up in the stream near to the carpark

Dr Shara’s expansive and brand new Salomon XT Wings 2 trail running shoes

Well, fast-track for seasoning ... :-)

Dinner at Bukit Tinggi

Here is a funny and yet keng cheong (exciting) experience when setting the paper trail by ChooTS, Dr Shara and yours truly.

While going up the mountain, we somehow followed a not too clear trail B-C-D and set the paper markers (refer diagram below).

While at D, I looked back, I saw a clear trail on my right (D-F). Anyway, we continued our journey to the peak.

At 6:15 p.m., while seated at the restaurant waiting for a sumptuous and rewarding dinner, I received an sms from TonyQ that there were three ladies still in the jungle. Wah, this is not very good !!

Almost dark, TonyQ came to the restaurant. This is an account of what actually happened:
.One tired lady trekker, on the way down at D, followed the obvious and dominant trail (DFB - though there was no paper trail). At B, she saw the paper markers again and led her back to C and D, and going up the hill again !!! Obviously, TonyQ has to back track and looked for the missing trekker.

Lesson learned:
(a) For those who are setting paper trails, make sure the paper markers are set on the dominant trail
(b) For trekkers who are coming down the hill, it could NOT have been going uphill again ... :-)

Posted by KC Leong

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Holidaying in Guilin China

I have a good and memorable holiday tip visiting Guilin - my maiden trip to China (21-27 February 2011, 7D6N).

Guilin is a very scenic place nestled in all the surrounding hills where rivers are meandering through the plane; birds chirping on trees and the osmanthus flowers (gui hua) emitting the sweet fragrance.

Your truly (KC)
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Do click here to view photos taken by yours truly ... click Slideshow in Picasa photo album
Boat cruise at Li Jiang (Li River)

In my original impression, I thought that this place is full of jungle (as the name Lin). I was totally wrong. It is a city almost as big as Kuala Lumpur. China is evolving with time. The houses are quite new. In the countryside, they have re-built their houses but all having the similar look that painted in uniformity white.

Alex, the tour guide from Guilin holding a Malaysian flag for ease in identificatin by the group. Background is Elephant Trunk Hill.

The tour guide for this trip, Alex, can speak English quite well other than Mandarin. Besides, he can tell jokes which make the journey quite lively.

The Guilin jokes: Alex knows a few Bahasa Malaysia phrases (while leading other Malays groups in Guilin), said the BM language has many 'ma' (mother) sound. This is how he remembers our language: for example, Terima Kasih (thank you) – sound like 'tai ni ma khan see' (bring your mother see movie). Nasi lemak (a popular breakfast) – sounds like 'lak shi ni ma' (spicy kill your mother). So combine the two, it is like bring your mother for movie then buy her nasi lemak that is spicy enough to kill her ... :-)

The choice of hotels were good and the food was good also. Every meal, there were 8 to 10 dishes; 2 bottles of beer and a bottle of soft drink per table. So we always exchange the soft drink to beer. The icing on the cake is that the ground arrangement is only RM 900 for a 7D6N all included package.

I have been drinking beer for 7 days, twice a day. I was a bit worried that if I stay there for another week, my well-maintained shape will start to go sideways.

These birds are excellent for catching fishes in the river ... Lau ST

Merryland Theme Park

This is the one of the countries for holidays where the Ringgit is stronger: everything in China is half price to us (about 2 Yuen = RM 1).

One thing that excites us is not the modernization – it is the toilets without doors. We can only see this type of toilets at the outskirts area, at the petrol stations. On the other extreme, there is one toilet in the performing theatre where there is a small LCD TV on the wall at eye level for every urinal bowl; so one would not miss any scene of the performance while peeing. For the ladies that did not go to the toilet, they enquire whether the LCD TV is mounted on the floor.

Group photo at the minority tribe village

In my opinion, going in March or April could be a better choice – spring time. Another good time to go is in Sept or October (autumn). Currently, it is still at late winter (21-28 February) where the misty effect could not see much scenery.

Toiket with LCT TV

Posted by KC Leong

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CNY Dinner and Karaoke

I will be away and there will be no posting for two weeks. The next activity would be running/trekking up Gunung Nuang via Janda Baik on Saturday, 5 March 2011. Do contact me if you are interested to come along..

Please click here to view photos taken by yours truly (KC).

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It was a memorable evening (on Sat 19 Feb): the group has lots of fun, cheers, good food and yum seng and of course, the karaoke session. The Captain told us that the karaoke session should end at 10:30 p.m., we just continue singing with full steam ahead until 11:30 p.m. Having a peep outside the room, there were still other customers outside and we continued singing until 12 mid-night.

I was quite pleasantly impressed that we were given a better KTV room to stage the dinner and karaoke. As you can see from the photos, the setup and deco was totally different from the earlier photos.

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MakCK brought a few big bottles of wine. L-F: Carol, ChooTS, Mak, Jaaon Thiang

Look at the amount of red wine that we have ... amazing !!! Obviously, lots of yum seng around.
Special thanks to Edwin Goh, Mak CK, Patricia Yap, Chong Yin Fook and PK Chan for sponsoring the wine and beer

The prosperity dish for Chinese New Year.
L-R: Veronica Voon, TonyQ, SC Yong, Josephene Lim, ChongYF, Fiona Goh, Alexis, Wan Yew Leong, ChooTS, Jason Thiang.

The higher we loh, the higher is the mountains that we shall climb; the longer is the distance that we shall run.
L-R: MakCK, Carol, Lai Kuan, Sharon Tan, Leng, Patricia Yap, KC Leong, PK Chan, Monsy, Edwin Goh

Part of the Mount Everest Base Camp 2009 group: PK Chan, Sharon Tan, Fiona Goh, Alexis, SC Yong and KC

Carol, Lai Kuan, Fiona Goh, Sharon Tan, Leng and Patricia Yap

Cheer! Cheers! and yum seng!

Our star singer, Jason Thiang, serenading Alexis much to the amusement of others

The good friends: Patricia Yap, Wendy Liu and Monsy.

One for the album ... not in the photo are Fiona Goh, Veronica Voon and SC Yong
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Posted by KC
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CNY Dinner and Karaoke – Prelude

After weeks of trail running at Puchong Hill, FRIM Park and the most recent challenge at Gunung Nuang, the group shall take a rest this weekend.

We shall gather for a dinner and karaoke session in the good company of everyone still in the festive mood of Chinese New Year with the auspicious notion of loh sang (this Saturday evening, 19 February 2011).

In this group, we shall have Jolin Tsai, George Lam and Jackie Cheong of the runner/trekker to sing us some songs while we dine.
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This is the KTV room for our coming gathering, spacious and pleasant with window on the right.
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Attending:
1. Edwin Goh
2. Mak CK
3. Tony Q
4. PK Chan
5. SC Yong
6. Jason Thiang
7. ChooTS
8. KC Leong

9. Fiona
10. Sharon Tan
11. Patricia Yap

12. Carol
13. Monsy
14. Lai Kuan
15. Leng

I am pleased to inform that Mak CK will sponsor 3 litres of good wine!

In the previous episode, more diners were keenly contesting for the mike that even a drumstick can double-up as a tool before it is being eaten.

Most of the time, the singing improves tremendously with the progressive support of good wine that slowly but surely boasts the confidence of a diner.

Not to worry that if one could not sing well. We are supposed not to sound like singers; otherwise, we would be singers and not runners or trekkers. (Quotable quotes from Germaine)

If Dr. Shara is able to find a replacement doctor, he is going to join us. Then we would have extended time to ask him more medical questions ranging from the complex/advanced to the down-to-earth one like “is eating yee sang good for health?”

If you would like to join us, do inform me (contact details on the right sidebar).
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Do click here to view photos of previous dinner and karaoke session for the celebration of post-Mount Kinabalu Climbathon 2010.

Good times together - post-Mt Kinabalu Climbathon 2010 celebration
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Posted by KC Leong
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Gunung Nuang Trail Running

At the entrance of Gunung Nuang.Back (L-R): ChooTS, SC Yong, Dr. Sharah, Oliver, Lohi, Germaine, Sidney Saw, Edwin Goh
Front: MakCK, AB Tan, Lai Kuan, Theva, KC Leong, Eldon.

Please click here to view photos taken by yours truly (KC).

The group went for a running/trekking outing at Gunung Nuang yesterday as planned. On the eve of the event, we managed to form another trekking group coordinated by Germaine; she is a runner and also passionate wanting to trek at Gunung Nuang.

In the running group, it was a pleasant surprise to see AB Tan: a high-mountains trekking enthusiast in Nepal and China, and a marathon runner. Another pleasant surprise was the presence of an African runner, Oliver, who came with Edwin Goh.

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The group posing by the G.Nuang river ... campers at the backgroundWhen we started the run in tackling the uphill terrain, Edwin Goh was leading the way followed by the Kenyan runner. Yours truly and MakCK were trailing behind. I thought that the Kenyan runner was courteous for not overtaking the leader (give face lah). After a while, we overtook him. When we arrived at the pondok, there was still no sign of him. The last runner said our Kenyan friend is way behind. He sure is adapting well to the good life in Malaysia.

Even though there was not much rainfall for the past few days in Kuala Lumpur, I was surprised to hear the roar of the waterfall and water flowing in great abundance at the Nuang River, much like the abundance of wealth flowing in as in CNY well wishes. Of course, that made crossing of streams much difficult in keeping the shoes dry. By the time we crossed the last stream, most of us would have our shoes wet. With the wet condition, the yellow earth terrain was slippery that required 101% full concentration when one is descending the mountain.

This is how we cross the stream - by jumping high up like superman. Seen here is ChooTS attempting the impossible

Since it was the first training session of the year, targeting to arrive at Camp Pacat was a good choice. When we progress into more serious training, we would target to arrive at False Peak which is another one hour of even tougher uphill challenge from Camp Pacat. As for AB Tan, true to his commitment for serious participation, he extended to False Peak alone.

After weeks of trails running at Puchong Hill and FRIM Park in Kepong, nothing beats the toughness when running in Gunung Nuang. Yes! This is an excellent ground for serious trail training.

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Aiyo ... this is a big challenge to be able to keep the shoes dry: Lai Kuan’s turn to cross the 2nd stream.As for our macho Mt Kinabalu Climbathon 2010 medallist, Edwin Goh, he has got no problem in crossing the stream at all – he just charge across the streams as though walking on dry land!!

Huge Tarzan's rope created by nature ...In synchronized orange T-shirt: Choo TS and Lai Kuan
Standing: KC Leong, Dr. Sharah, Edwin Goh, MakCK

Interesting observations: since there is a doctor in this activity, Dr Sharah received many medical questions directed at him whenever engaging of conversation is possible. Mak CK would score high points for raising many medical concerns. There was no reported case of leech attack from the group. I presume the leeches must be celebrating CNY also.

After a refreshing bath with the cold water in a newly completed toilet, the group adjourned to a Chinese restaurant for a good lunch, complete with yee sang.

At Camp Pacat.While resting at Camp Pacat, yours truly took out a comb and started combing hairs, much to the amusement of everyone. I said that it is a necessary inspection process in order to check that there isn’t any leech on my head; when done, I quipped that: “Yeah, no leech!” ... :-)

.Timing:Start from car park: 7:40 a.m.
Arrive at pondok (at the end of 4WD track): 7:20 a.m. (40 minutes; for trekking, that would require 1 hr 15 minutes)
Crossing streams and arrive at Camp Pacat: 9:45 a.m. (1 hr 15 min)
Start descent: 10:05 a.m.
Arrive at car park: 12:05 p.m. (2 hours)
As you can see, the ascending and descending trips are almost of same timing.

Cheers! Wish you were there with us too.

The group adjourned to Batu 14 Hulu Langat for a sumptuous lunch complete with yee sang.
When time to settle the bill, MaK CK mental arithmetic in dividing the amount per pax was excellent – accurate to a few decimal places.
Part of the dishes ordered by the group ... hmmm... yummy yummy. Since this is a tough training, it justifies the type of carbo and protein loading ... photo courtey of Germaine.

Written/posted by KC Leong