Love Thy Mother

Hi everyone,

Sunday, 6 March 2016 is Mother's Day in the UK and Ireland. As a special tribute to all mothers world-wide, check out this heart-warming video about a mother's unwavering love for her runaway daughter. Warning: You might want to keep some tissues handy. 

Happy Mother's Day! 

Lotsa Luv

Conquering Mt Kinabalu – A Tale of Triumph and Tragedy

Mount Kinabalu conquered!

The 5.9 magnitude earthquake which struck the Ranau district in Sabah, Malaysia on June 5, 2015, claimed the lives of 18 people on Mount Kinabalu, with most of the deaths being students and teachers from a primary school in Singapore. My friend Feroz was amongst the climbers left stranded at the Summit in the aftermath of the disaster. This is his personal account of how he survived the ordeal and lived to tell the tale.

Conquering Mount Kinabalu amidst such highly challenging circumstances is no small feat. I am hugely relieved that my friend and others are safe but my heart goes out to those who didn’t make it and the tragic loss suffered by their grieving families.

Thank you Feroz, for sharing your story and may we all learn something from it.

“It all started back in March 2015 when I volunteered to join Talisman/Repsol Mount Kinabalu expedition consisting of 9 individuals to raise funds for 5 local charities in Sabah. For the next 3 months, a lot of effort was put in by hiking several hills/mountains including Gunung Dato and Frasers Hill as part of our training. Further to that, we've also managed to raise a substantial amount for the charities, which Talisman/Repsol will match 1:1.

All geared up for the climb

June 4, 2015 was our big day, the beginning of our Mount Kinabalu climb. We started our journey from Timpohon Gate at 9.00 am and reached Laban Rata at 2.00 pm. After an early dinner, all of us were in bed by 9.00 pm.

It was early morning at 2.30 am when we started our climb to the Summit. By 6.20 am, all 9 of us had successfully made it to the peak! We were so overjoyed that we had achieved our goal. After taking a great team photo, we started to come down from the peak at 7.00 am.

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Our joy was cut short when we felt a huge vibration, heard a loud noise and witnessed the rocks falling down from most of the peaks at the Summit. All of us were shocked and wanted to quicken our descent only to realize that the trail had been severely damaged. We were notified that the trail was no longer accessible and safe to be used but a rescue team will come to our aid. 

Stranded at the Summit 4,000m above sea level for 9 hours

Self-constructed tent at the Summit for shelter

At the time, there were more than 130 people stranded at the Summit (7.5km) and we had to wait for further news from the coordination team in base camp. We were later informed that there will be troops coming to open up a new trail for us, bringing food, drinks, blankets, the rescue chopper was arriving shortly, etc... but to no avail. 

Our hope to be evacuated became slim as sunset was approaching. We had 2 options: either to stay overnight at 5 degrees at 4,000m above sea level without proper clothing, sufficient food nor water, or to take the risk and find our own way down.

The group decided to do the descent as another earthquake was expected to happen at 9.00 pm. If we were still at the Summit by then, it was likely that we would not survive. The mountain guides did an extremely good job by opening up a new trail for all of us which was rather dangerous but a risk that we were willing to take so that we can return to a safer location.

Waiting to continue our descent whilst the mountain guides prepared the new trails

New trail created by the mountain guides

We started our descent at 4.30 pm and witnessed the aftermath of the earthquake ourselves. The saddest thing was when we came across several dead bodies trapped under rocks and some body parts which were detached and scattered on the ground. We just had to be strong and continued our journey in the dark for about 9 hours and we finally reached the Kinabalu base camp at 2.00 am. Our team of 9 plus our trainers, Zaim and EK from Active Bugs, had shown great teamwork from day 1, lifting everyone's spirits during the difficult times despite the trauma that we had to go through.

Walking past the big boulder

The smoke after the earthquake

What's left of the "Donkey's Ear"

A special commendation and appreciation should be given to the mountain guides for their great dedication in looking after us whilst we were at the Summit and ensuring our safe return to the base camp. Without them, I don't think we would still be around today.

On another note, we were truly disappointed with the way our authorities handled this rescue mission. The earthquake struck at 7.15 am but Majlis Keselamatan Negara only had their meeting at 3.00 pm. Enough said on this but I truly hope our leaders will do a post-mortem of the rescue mission and make them accountable. We have lost our faith in them after personally going through this ordeal.

Overall, it has been a truly roller-coaster experience for me personally and our team. We had great fun together during training and upon reaching the Summit; getting stranded at 4,000m above sea level on our own; constructing a tent and starting a bonfire to keep us warm. It was traumatic and mentally and physically draining to witness the end of “Donkey’s Ear Peak”, finding dead bodies/limbs, etc. but most importantly we made it to safety. Our prayers go to those who didn't make it and those who got injured along the way. This experience has had a great impact on my life and will remain in my memory forever.

We are truly grateful to Allah (Syukur Alhamdulillah) for protecting us from the worst and for our safe return."

Lotsa Luv

And Then It Is Winter

I was so moved by this piece of writing that I feel obliged to share it with you guys here.

The thought-provoking message, which was written by an unidentified author, has been around on the Internet for quite some time. However, it only gained traction here in Malaysia after it was made known that the late Tan Sri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis had posted it to his WhatsApp group just a few days before he and five other people perished in a helicopter crash on April 4.

Our deepest sympathies go out to the family of the late Tan Sri and the families of the other victims. May the souls of the dearly departed, through the mercy of Allah, rest in eternal peace. Al-Fatihah.

AND THEN IT IS WINTER

You know ... time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.

But, here it is... the "back nine" of my life and it catches me by surprise... How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go?

I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that "I was only on the first hole" and the "back nine" was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.

But, here it is ... my friends are retired and getting grey... they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me... but, I see the great change ... Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant ... but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd become.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore ... it's mandatory! ‘Cause if I don't on my own free will ... I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so ... now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I know, that though I'm on the "back nine", and I'm not sure how long it will last ... this I know, that when it's over on this earth ... it's over. A new adventure will begin! Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done ... things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime.

So, if you're not on the "back nine" yet ... let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether you're on the "back nine" or not!

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life ... so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember ... and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!

"Life" is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one. LIVE IT WELL! ENJOY TODAY! DO SOMETHING FUN! BE HAPPY! HAVE A GREAT DAY! Remember, "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. LIVE HAPPY IN 2015!

LASTLY, CONSIDER THIS: Your kids are becoming you .... but your grandchildren are perfect! Going out is good ... Coming home is better! You forget names .... But it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you!!! You realize you're never going to be really good at anything ... especially golf. The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore. You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep". You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch…You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"..." ??? Now that you can afford expensive jewellery, it's not safe to wear it anywhere. You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?!!! What used to be freckles are now liver spots. Everybody whispers. You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet ... 2 of which you will never wear. But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!

Stay well, "OLD FRIEND!" Send this on to other "Old Friends!" and let them laugh in AGREEMENT!!! It's Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.

TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER BE, SO ENJOY!

Lotsa Luv

Info credit: http://www.thestar.com.my/