My first job & I

2008. It's the golden time where I've completed my necessary studies, plus additional one. I'm fresh and felt prepared.

I applied employment from few companies in the capital city as to follow the mainstream trend. As if other places in Malaysia doesn't exist. I was a city girl.

But working life is not a bed of roses. You'll encounter bosses & clients, bills as well as self longing of holidays. Due dates are one of the horror working in tight scheduled projects. Yet, I was able to fulfill the duties.

I've been working for a while prior to my master's degree, but I faintly remember the details from that office. The experience is a little insignificant.

I went for few interviews and finally landed on the job as a sofware engineer in my dream company.

A bit unreal I say just because it felt too good to be true. That was my first achievement as a working class citizen.

So then, that was the pin point where I started to earn. For real. I did some part timers last time but nothing compares to this.

I may be prepared intellectually but there's more to it. Office politics. Rule of thumb, if you never stands in anybody's way you are stealthed. Depends on how you want to take it. There's good & bad.

Another thing if you are pretty, men especially will open the door for you, 'belanja' lunch/dinner and help you with your work. They just won't mind until you boldly rejects them.

The other thing is there's so many, many acronyms to remember! FRS, NAP, XML, ASN.1, OSS, CDR, ATM, and so on. I can never remember all. 😭😭😭

Apart from that, I quite enjoy the experience and I learnt a lot of the telco business and the technology. I started to work with international users.

I also love the friends I made there. Since the office is located next to Uptown food court so we usually went there for lunch and sometimes dinner whenever I stay late, which is quite often.

I still do contact few of my ex-colleagues from that company and each of them has upgraded themselves in their career. Oh! How I miss our late night chats and 'lepak' moments.

10 years has passed, I no longer remain to work as the same role as I've been before. Still within IT domain, but now I'm focusing on testing.

Some how my first job brings me to where I am today. Just be happy with what you have while working on what you want.

Courtesy:
https://blogs.sap.com/2016/09/12/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-programmer/

~:: Failure is when you stop trying ::~

BUKIT TABUR - 1 MALAYSIA

BUKIT TABUR - 1 MALAYSIA

29 September 2012

Introduction

Taman Melawati is just 20 minutes drive from my latest rent in Bandar Baru Selayang. Who would expect that a gorgeous looking panorama of KL can be very near to your city life, and yet, it’s a bit excruciating to reach the top. Well, no pain, no gain. Nonetheless, the view on top the ridge was simply breathtaking.

Location statistic:

State	Taman Melawati, Selangor
Location	Near MRR2/ Entrance via Kampung Genting Klang
Coordinates and map	3°14′1″N 101°44′55″E.
Height/Distance	averaging 200 feet high/16 km
Water Source	None
Build	Quarzt/Limestone
Accessibility	Recreation Park

The day trip event  was quite enjoyable and I was singing my heart out loud. Partly due to the height I have to endure on the trail, and partly the gang was an awesome lot. After pre-discussion in the facebook, we decide to have a pot luck. Still in the raya mood, you can find rending, nasi himpit, pulut panggang in the menu as well.

Starting on, I had my own stretching as we were way past the expected departure time. The trail was dry and rocky, and it is advisable to wear a proper boots that grips like a lizard. Personally, a hiking stick wasn’t very helpful unless you really need it because the trail wasn’t too steep and the amount of rock climbing will make the stick become a troublesome. And, please keep yourself an isotonic drink or a packet or two of sneakers (high in calories) in your bag well kept in your luggage. We do not want the food fell into the ridge out within reach, don’t we?

This is where it begins…

I’ve never been for a rock climbing before, and Bukit Tabur seems a very good sneak peek of rock climbing, and I guess rock climbing isn’t really my plate of cheesecake. Yet, it is good enough for me. One of the crucial attributes of a rock climber is a very strong biceps and calves. Being lighter is surely a bonus in rock climbing, which is not really my strong specialty.

Our lot reached the top around ½ past noon, and we stick around until Zohor as I still remember the call for azan while walking about the place. It was rather miraculous as the masjid was quite a distance from where we are sitting. The rocky trail wasn’t really for a weak heart, specially a “gayat” one like me, but I was fortunate to be assisted by 2 juniors in the group that constantly giving me motivational words. Thanks again. Apart from that, the bonsai trees was an apple to our tired eyes. We can actually see the sky blue roof tops of UIAM buildings downwards and whole Gombak up until KLCC, though it was a bit hazy. We were constantly being tricked by “false” peaks, as the terrain was like a dragon back. No wonder it got that nick name. It’s really like going up and down a dragon back. We walked until we reached to the last peak that outlook the Batu Caves temple from a very sharp ridge. Anyway, we turned back to the junction where eventually we’ll have to pass going back.

 

Then we celebrated yet another Aidilfitri on top of Bukit Tabur. We changed to our so-called baju raya and took some amazing shots. After satisfying ourselves, we pack up and get ready to head back down. The trek going back was through a orchard belonging to the kampong folks. They seems doesn’t mind the people going on and off the trail. During break, the place can be a bit crammy. Reaching down, I was thinking about reliving my boring working life in the absurdly air-conditioned office. I was hoping to meet Bukit Tabur again soon.
 

http://budakkakigunung.blogspot.my/2012/10/bukit-tabur-1-malaysia.html

PENGERTIAN PERPECAHAN DAN GOLONGAN

Seringkali orang berdebat tentang masalah Hadits 73 golongan, yang berakhir saling mengklaim, bahwa jamaahnya adalah jamaah yang selamat, yang lain tidak.

Umat Yahudi terpecah menjadi 71 golongan

Umat Nasrani terpecah menjadi 72 golongan

Umat Islam terpecah menjadi 73 golongan,

1 golongan yang SELAMAT .

Sebagian Ulama menganalisa bahwa hadits ini dhoif bila ditinjau dari sisi mathannya. Karena dalam salah satu ayat Al Qur'an... dikatakan bahwa "Kamu adalah umat yang terbaik !".

Sebagian Ulama berpendapat, kalau umat Islam umat yang terbaik, kenapa perpecahannya lebih banyak dari umat Yahudi dan Nasrani ?.

Mari coba kita cermati lebih jauh hadits tersebut.

Umat Yahudi menjadi 71 golongan, dari 71 itu ada 1 golongan yang selamat.

Umat Nasrani menjadi 72 golongan, dari 72 golongan 1 golongan yang selamat.

Umat Islam menjadi 73 golongan, dari 73 golongan 1 golongan yang selamat.

Sejak Zaman Yahudi sampai sekarang ini tetap ada 1 golongan yang selamat.

Siapakah mereka ini ? Mereka inilah pengikut AGAMA IBRAHIM YANG LURUS.

"Dan mereka berkata:"Hendaklah kamu menjadi penganut agama Yahudi atau Nasrani, niscaya kamu mendapat petunjuk". katakanlah:"Tidak, melainkan AGAMA IBRAHIM YANG LURUS. Dan bukanlah dia dari golongan orang mempersekutukan Rabb". (QS.Al Baqarah 2:135)

Bahkan Nabi Muhammad-pun diperintahkan untuk mengikuti Agama Ibrahim yang lurus.

"Kemudian Kami wahyukan kepadamu :"Ikutilah Agama Ibrahim seorang yang hanif". dan bukanlah dia termasuk orang-orang yang mempersekutukan Rabb". (QS. An Nahl 16 : 123)

Apakah Agama Ibrahim yang Lurus itu? Agama Ibrahim yang lurus adalah agama yang berlandaskan "KEIKHLASAN BERSERAH DIRI KEPADA YANG MAHA ESA".

"Dan siapakah yang lebih baik agamanya dari pada orang yang IKHLASH MENYERAHKAN DIRINYA KEPADA ALLAH, sedang diapun MENGERJAKAN KEBAIKAN, dan ia MENGIKUTI AGAMA IBRAHIM YANG LURUS. Dan Allah mengambil Ibrahim menjadi kesayanganNya. (QS.An Nisaa 4 : 125)

Untuk itu, jangan sekali-kali kita mati kecuali dalam keadaan BERSERAH DIRI. 

(Note:- Aslama yakni kata dasar bagi Islam bermaksud tunduk dan patuh/berserah diri)

"Dan Ibrahim telah mewasiatkan ucapan itu kepada anak-anaknya, demikian pula Ya'kub. :"Hai anak-anakku! Sesungguhnya Allah telah memilih agama ini bagimu, maka janganlah kamu mati kecuali dalam keadaan BERSERAH DIRI". (QS. Al Baqarah 2 : 132)

Agama yang dibawa oleh Nabi Musa, Isa, Muhammad adalah agama Tuhan semua. Sama seperti agama yang dibawa oleh Ibrahim.

Penamaan Agama yang dibawa Musa adalah agama Yahudi

Penamaan Agama yang dibawa Isa adalah agama Nasrani

Penamaan Agama yang dibawa Muhammad adalah agama Islam

Adalah penamaan yang dilakukan oleh umat-umat SESUDAH PARA NABI TERSEBUT WAFAT.

Lalu kita akan bertanya, bukankah Islam yang dibawa Nabi Muhammad adalah penyempurna dari agama-agama sebelumnya?

Diinul Islam adalah Diin KEBERSERAHAN DIRI. Diin melingkupi semua hal, mengatur mulai dari WC sampai pemerintahan, tidak semata-mata sebagai NAMA AGAMA tetapi lebih dari itu sebagai "WAY OF LIFE".

Pada dasarnya semua agama tersebut adalah sama, dengan AGAMA IBRAHIM YANG LURUS, yaitu agama yang berlandaskan "KEIKHLASAN BERSERAH DIRI KEPADA YANG MAHA ESA". Sedangkan BERSERAH DIRI dalam BAHASA ARAB adalah ISLAM.

Umat Nasrani terpecah menjadi 72 golongan, bertambah 1 dari umat Yahudi, disebabkan karena sebagian Umat Nasrani yang merasa "NAMA AGAMANYA" adalah yang paling benar.

Demikian Juga penambahan Umat Islam terpecah menjadi 73 golongan bertambah 1 dari umat Nasrani, karena sebagian Umat Islam yang merasa "NAMA AGAMANYA" adalah yang paling benar, sementara MUATAN-MUATAN PRINSIP DARI SEBUAH AGAMA TERABAIKAN.

Pernahkah kita dengar (dalam Hadits) Nabi Muhammad Saw berkata: MASUKLAH KEDALAM AGAMA ISLAM ?. Dalam berdakwah Nabi Muhammad, hanya mengajak orang untuk menjadi Penyaksi yang menyaksikan : "Bahwa tiada Tuhan selain Allah dan Muhammad adalah utusan Allah".

Maka marilah kita kembali kepada Tuhan melalui Agama Ibrahim, dimana gerbang Al Qur'an, Taurat, dan Injil, mengacu kepada sebagai landasannya, untuk mempersaudarakan kembali anak-anak Ibrahim yang telah berpecah-belah, sebuah ajaran yang lurus, yaitu KEIKHLASAN BERSERAH DIRI KEPADA YANG MAHA ESA.

"Katakanlah: "Sesungguhnya yang diwahyukan kepadaku adalah bahwasanya Tuhanmu adalah TUHAN YANG ESA. maka HENDAKLAH KAMU BERSERAH DIRI". (QS Al Anbiyaa' 21 : 108)

"Katakanlah: "Hai Ahli Kitab, KAMU TIDAK DIPANDANG BERAGAMA SEDIKITPUN HINGGA KAMU MENEGAKKAN AJARAN-AJARAN TAURAT, INJIL, DAN AL QUR'AN yang diturunkan kepadamu dari Tuhanmu." Sesungguhnya apa yang diturunkan kepadamu dari Tuhanmu akan menambah kedurhakaan dan kekafiran kepada kebanyakan dari mereka; maka janganlah kamu bersedih hati terhadap orang-orang yang kafir itu". (QS Al Maa'idah 5 : 68)

"Sesungguhnya Allah telah membeli dari orang-orang mukmin diri dan harta mereka dengan memberikan surga untuk mereka. Mereka berperang pada jalan Allah; lalu mereka membunuh atau terbunuh, JANJI YANG BENAR DARI ALLAH di dalam TAURAT, INJIL, DAN AL QUR'AN. Dan siapakah yang lebih menepati janjinya daripada Allah? Maka bergembiralah dengan jual beli yang telah kamu lakukan itu, dan ITULAH KEMENANGAN YANG BESAR". (QS At Taubah 9 : 111)

"Maka karena itu serulah dan tetaplah sebagai mana diperintahkan kepadamu dan janganlah mengikuti hawa nafsu mereka dan katakanlah: "AKU BERIMAN KEPADA SEMUA KITAB YANG DITURUNKAN ALLAH dan aku diperintahkan supaya BERLAKU ADIL DIANTARA KAMU. ALLAH-LAH TUHAN KAMI DAN TUHAN KAMU. Bagi kami amal-amal kami dan bagi kamu amal-amal kamu. Tidak ada pertengkaran antara kami dan kamu, Allah mengumpulkan antara kita dan kepada-Nyalah kembali". (QS Asy Syuura 42 : 15)

"Katakanlah: "Sesungguhnya aku telah ditunjuki oleh Tuhanku kepada jalan yang lurus, Agama yang benar, Agama Ibrahim yang lurus, dan Ibrahim itu bukanlah termasuk orang-orang yang mempersekutukan Rabb". (QS Al An'aam 6 : 161)

"Katakanlah: "Benarlah Allah." Maka ikutilah Agama Ibrahim yang lurus, dan bukanlah dia termasuk orang-orang yang mempersekutukan Rabb''. (QS Ali 'Imran 3 : 95)

"Dan tidak ada yang benci kepada Agama Ibrahim, melainkan orang yang memperbodoh dirinya sendiri, dan sungguh Kami telah memilihnya di dunia dan sesungguhnya dia di akhirat benar-benar termasuk orang-orang yang saleh".(QS Al Baqarah 2 : 130)

Allah tidak memandang kita dari KTP, tetapi Ibadah dan keikhlasan penyerahan diri kita kepada-Nya yang di awali Liqa' dengan-Nya.......

~Pesantren Nunggal

The Day I Saw a Shooting Star

I remember a moment in a day, my father woke me up in the midst of very early morning. He told me to brush and change from my pajama and wear a track suit. Unwillingly I obeyed due to sleepiness. I was 8 and the thought of getting more sleep is very tempting. Finally, I manage to tie my shoe lace correctly and we were off to the road. I stayed in Rasah when I was little, a dear part of Seremban. It was rather a fetish place to stay during that era. The name of that place is Taman Bukit Chedang (Chedang Hill Park), a newly developed housing estate in Rasah. The roads are new & clean, less pollution & good people. My house was a huge double storey bungalow on the corner lot, on a slanted hill, so the house is considered posh around the area. It is also very near to Kampung Baru, just down the hills.

Clueless at first, I don't know why the heck my father woke me up in the middle of my slumber. Ouh, he was planning to go for a jog. So we went, and I tried to follow his pace. Unsuccessfully, he slowed down to my pace. It was quite a long run to me because we need to come down from the hill of our house and make a big round towards the roundabout and came back from the other side of the road back to the house. My father was never a sloppy person, he's always active and can't sit still for long. Although my late mom used to scold him for being lazy because he doesn't like to mow the lawn. He also got good scolding when he was trying his hands in the garden and trimmed most of the plants. I remember the small branches of rambutan tree outside the kitchen being almost naked because of his fetishness off tree trimming. And my mom become something else that evening. Oh well, now in his old age, he does have a very good hand in gardening. He planted most of the trees & flowers in our garden in Nilai (our current house). And the most successful ones are the Bakawali trees that produced a very beautiful rare type of flower with a very distinct lovely smell. He have it all over the house which become our favorite too.

Bakawali

Coming back to the jogging, when we are reaching our house, suddenly he stopped me and pointed to the sky. He said, "Look there, make a wish.". I was speechless of the amazing sight and quickly closed my eyes and make a wish, which I can't remember anymore what was it. When I thought about all my expedition, mountain climbing, hiking & trekking, none of them can compare to what I experienced with my father that dawn. Today we are separated by our own life. Me.. in my own world trying to make out this empty life. Putting so much effort to fulfill a day and my lonely weekends. But its okay, life goes on.

It was the first and the last time we had our morning walk together. I just want him to know that I am always by his side, no matter how far I will go.

To return to innocence.


~:: Failure is when you stop trying ::~

Weekend Escape to The Lake

My latest trip was leisure. We girls & one boy decide to go to a nearby town just 45 minutes away from KLIA. Simply separated by the slim Straights of Melaka, the flight was a short & breezy. Touching Kuala Namu International Airport, we were not yet greeted by our tourist guide. While waiting for our guide for about an hour or so, we had breakfast and he arrived soon after that. We were brought to the mpv which will be our sole transportation for our journey to Parapat. The next 3~4 hours, we were chatting, capturing photos, and snoring. Our guide introduce himself as Amin, but when I saw his name tag, his actual name was Yamin. He stopped at a Minang restaurant on the way to Parapat for lunch. By the way, the food below are not the dish we've eaten there. However the lunch was fulfilling, and the food was superb. A simple Minang food with a dash of hotness.


                      

My friend, Hana, left the restaurant satisfied

Just before entering Parapat border, we came across luscious fields of paddy crop. They were so green, that my eyes lost its sore at once. Thinking about it, people here are much more healthier than people living in the city.

Paddy Fields

An hour later we reached Danau Toba International Cottage. A humble yet cozy hotel. Not a 5 star hotel, but its good enough for a night rest. We reached around 2 or 3 pm, the weather was comfy but rather windy. Amin left us for the evening, and we decide to talk a stroll into the small village. The weather getting colder as the sun getting set. I thought maybe because the place is actually an ancient volcano crater and we are 905 meters from surface elevation. There were some stalls still open, selling mangoes, they call it "mangga telur" which in direct translation is "egg mango". Maybe because of the size and shape of the mango itself. Because we all are still tired from the long journey, we just walk briskly down about 300 meters away from the hotel. Then we stop by a small restaurant to try out the local dish, I ordered "markisa" @ passionfruit juice and well it was yummy and thick. The best passionfruit drink I have ever had.

 

That night we were taken out for dinner in the town itself, we passed by the restaurant that evening. Dinner was good, and we head back to the hotel. But it is still early for bed. Oh well, I guess we deserve to sleep late as we are on a vacation. I tried the cheese fried banana, its okay. Never thought that you can eat banana like that... with cheese.

The next day we checked out and continue our trip to Samosir Island. This is where the Batak people lived, until today. There's few boats at the jetty, old school. Everything looks old. I wonder whether it can withstand the weight... lol. It was an hour journey and we sat at the deck to catch the morning beautiful view. The cooling breeze was a bit wild and the water splashing when the boat cutting its way through. We had enjoyed the morning "drive".

Our boat to Samosir Island where the Batak used to dwell

               

           

Hana enjoying the view

The sweet couple Zulia & Leman

Zulia, Hana , Julie & Me

We are suppose to stop at a tourism village called Tomok. As we reached the island, there's a guy collecting entrance ticket. I never knew that we need to buy entrance ticket. But actually Amin already prepared everything for us. A monument stand tall at the jetty engraved a depiction of five main indigenous Batak tribe; Batak Toba, Batak Pak Pak, Batak Mandailing, Batak Simalungun, and Batak Karo, and generally only Batak Mandailing embraces Islam. Others practicing Christianity. Although, they still believe the divine powers of their pagan gods. According to Amin, as he is from Mandailing tribe, he's Muslim yet I find tatoo marks on his hands. Visiting the graveyard of the late 2 pioneering kings of Batak Toba, I was surprised, the first king was practicing one God, with pagan beliefs of course. The were not buried underneath the earth, but confined in a stone coffin nicely carved with their images at the head. We were told that even the remains of their respective wives were put together in the coffin. They were said to have master the knowledge of arcane & mystical powers that many have come to learnt. I was entirely mesmerized with these new facts and even with a beautiful caterpillar, trying to make its way to the top of the mossy old wall.
         
               

 

           

               Zulia & Leman infront of the museum

The cute catepillar

             


When I looked at the serene lake, I can't imagine the amount of destruction this site has caused. Finishing the Samosir tour, we continue our trip toward Sinabung. Luckily, the MPV quite spacious.We stop by a for ginger tea at Simarjarunjung. This reminds me of a comment from my boss when I showed him the picture. He said, "Do you know what rest house means? In Britain it means the cemetery.". Okay. That was a hit. LOL.

There you go.. the Rest House

                      

Coffee Beans all over the hills

Our official photographer  =)

I slept most of our way to Sinabung with a good snore. I hope I didn't wake anybody up. Being the only male member in the team, Leman aka "team lead" take the role of keeping our guide un-bored. haha... We were dropped at the fruit market where we got our persimmon and mangoes. The corn they sell in the stalls looks alluring. Deliciously wrapped in its layers of soft skin, the five of us quickly finished the crunchy bites in full satisfaction. haha.

Sinabung Hotel is just minutes away only from the market. Nothing much to do that night, so we decided to take the massage service. It was so-so only, seems the masseuses are in a hurry. Anyway, we had a good sleep that night. For my own reference, the hotels we stayed when they say they provide 3rd bed, it doesn't mean they'll put an extra bed in the room. What they meant is extra mattress. Sigh.

Next morning we had our heavy breakfast in the hotel restaurant. The good thing is we never have to worry about our breakfast, lunch, & dinner. Unfortunately, Leman's tummy got a bit upset with the spices, so he ate little. And Zulia didn't get a good start in the morning when the hotel staff asked for the iron I requested in the night before. Unbelievable, do they only got one iron ? While walking back to my room, I saw something outstanding. There's smokes coming out of a mountain! This is interesting. Half of the mountain were bare, there's no trees just rocks and the ground can be seen quite vividly.

In general, the hotel is quite beautiful actually. Just hope the service can be improved.

Julie gives a good pose in front of the hotel

     

                          

Mount Sibaya... smokin' hot!

After all the chaotic moment, we head back to Medan. We make another stop at the Lumbini Park temple. However they wont allow people to enter the temple as that day is suppose to be their praying day. Only pilgrims are allowed. The sound of the repeating chants give some sort of calmness feeling.

Hana, Zulia & Julie

Last but not least, we visited the Maimoun Palace before stop and shop at a batik shop. That was the last of our tour. We had great time, and Amin was a good guide. He take the time to study (I guess) & explain details of historical background of the places we visited. That last night we book a hotel of our own, Soechi Hotel (because its a good hotel with a good bargain, recommend this), and had a grand dinner at a restaurant below. We hired masseuses that night and they are rather good. We all had good night sleep that night.

That morning we woke up very early to catch our very early MAS flight. Wish to see Danau Toba again. Till next time...




~Ayu

Gunung Datuk 2013

Just to complete my 2013, I went to Gunung Datuk, Rembau, twice. Once with Juli and the second one with Abg Zul & gang. No familiar faces during the first trip though but the second trip I knew quite a number of people like Abg Anas, Ryna & Kak Ngah. The climb was excruciating due to lack of exercises and "disturbance", an never failed I complained why do I ever went for mount climbing. But when I finally reached on top, it was all forgotten and replaced by a very wonderful feeling that I have conquered the world. The view is simply breathtaking.

Here are some amazing pictures from the trips;

Gunung Datuk (9.11.2013)

The marvelous view from the top

 ---

My hand, talking to the sky

Lilies blossom in the cold morning

Me facing the world

Gunung Datuk - Jeram Lubuk Petai - Kolam Air Panas (1.12.2013)

Foggy morning

Jeram Lubuk Petai

~:: Failure is when you stop trying ::~

Life as a programmer: CDateTimeCtrl

Being a programmer gives me "joy". There are of course ups and down in coding.

I am rather new to MFC, specially with C++. Somehow my current manager take the risk to employ me regardless of my lack of C/C++  industrial experience. I was a Java developer before. Somehow he believed that I can cope up with the work.

Anyway, I was working with CDateTimeCtrl the other day, trying to make a living. So my boss said,

Mr D: "Ayu, you need to add enable & disable control over it, you know..."
Me: ".... really? So how should the from date & to date behave then? The function should work for both or one of them...?"
Mr D: "Both please."

So I was browsing around digging out some code (in order to maintain source code convention) see how is the correct way to do it. Its already evening before I finally knew how to show the checkbox in the CDateTimeCtrl. Such bloody DTS_SHOWNONE... it doesn't even give me a clue its related to a checkbox. I felt so miserably stupid. Urghhh! :bang_head:

For my own reference, please keep this link.

I'm stil struggling with the create new events UI aftermath. This is when you fix something and something else goes wrong. Please...please... let me sleep in peace tonight. Need to keep trying.

Like i said... Failure is when you stop trying...

Gua Tempurung - HIKAT (26 October 2013)

That Friday morning I was thrilled that tomorrow is going to be my "ice breaking" session to the outdoor world again. This trip is going to be my third addition to my caving experience, and second visit to Gua Tempurung, Gopeng, Perak. 

The limestone-base cave was named according to its dehusked coconut shell shape, which in Malay called "tempurung". Streching more than 3km long, its one of the longest cave in the Peninsular Malaysia. It is believed that the cave has been in existence since 8000 BC. The view inside is beyond words, specially at the beginning. Spectator will be awed by the super-large space inside the cave, it can actually fit in few Boeings. The view was just spectacular, even for a second timer like me.

This time around, I joined HIKAT, the group I joined since then. There was 17 participants this time including few familiar faces and a long time team mate & of course we made new friends. There are few things you need to keep in mind for the trip;

Things to bring;

Headlamp, waterpoof bag

Water - you can't drink the water inside the cave .... guano much...

A spare torchlight & batteries would be helpful

Some tits-bits - you WILL get hungry

Things to wear;

Preferably water shoes as sponge shoes tends to weight you out, avoid very loose garment and use easy dry one. If possible get a knee guard and long sleeves.

Thing to remember;

Watch your head & never walk alone in the dark cave, get a buddy.

The view outside the cave

The HIKAT Team

        

Some inscriptions about Gua Tempurung

Below are the list of highlights of the cave we came across accordingly;

Golden Flowstone

There are several tour packages you can choose from, and we took the "Grand Tour" which will span around 3 ~ 4 hours. At the beginning, we have to climb 640 steps to reach the  where you can see the golden-like stalactite and stalagmite flowing down.

The Wind Tunnel

The chamber was windy. The tour guide did mentioned that if outside temperature is hot, then inside will be cold and vice versa. As soon you reached the platform you can feel the cool breeze, the intensity depends on outside weather.

Tin Mine Cavern

Found tin mining utensils as well left over by the communists during the war.

Tongkat

A tall stalactite resembling a walking stick.

Fallen Warrior & Battlefield Cavern

A cavern with an amazing formation of a fallen warrior in a battlefield.

Anyway, there are total 1000++ steps all together for our grand tour (according to our guide) that we have to go through. 230 steps to go down for our river adventure and the rest are climbing. Then we come accross a slide, quite intimidating for me at least, but it is not really that scary. Our river adventure starts from this point on. Wading through about half an hour we reached an open space on the eastern side of the cave facing North-South highway. Everybody was taking a break there and having light eateries.

From left: Shah, Wan Muhsin, Rais - HIKAT Team

We continue our journey into the dark cave, braving the river, survived few falls and cold. But the view inside the dark pathways was spectacular. The built of the natural rock formation was simply outstanding. And who would expect there's sparkling white marbles embedded in the wall. Anyway, the journey quite long and dark and prepare to feel intimidated by the small space & darkness.

Finally the group reached the exit (basically the entrance door but down in the river). I survived the dark with a sprained right ankle. Barely able to walk. Luckily, my friend Zura & her husband helped me all the way to the exit. After the cave exploration, the team continue with the flying fox activity & archery. I take it a day off. I think I had enough fun already. haha. After lunch which we had a feedback session. Thank goodness everybody is in one piece.

Looking forward for another great adventure... and great friends.

Source: http://www.ipoh-city.com/attraction/Gua_Tempurung/

~:: Failure is when you stop trying ::~

Tiger & Snow

I first took them in on July 2013, about 10 weeks old. Snow was very friendly but Tiger was reluctant to be taken or moved away from his savior house. The girl saved four kittens from behind her kitchen where the mother gave birth to them on 25th April 2013.

The history behind these two teenage cats starts after I was heartbroken with the death of Minnie's three newborn. The strongest, Sansa finally died due to severe worm infection, but I think her recovery was made worse by my mistake that makes her catch fever in her most dear timing. It was really heartbreaking to think that it might be my mistake that contributed to her dying. I wish I can forgive myself one day. Rest in peace.

Sansa

Then early July when I'm ready to move into my new apartment, I thought that I might want to have some company. So I googled whether anybody wants to give away their kittens or rescued pet. Then I contacted a girl from USJ, quite near to my new place, about the ad she post in the pet rescue site. She said she already gave away one of the kitten and one has died. So there are 2 more kittens, a girl & a boy. Instinctively I told myself that I have to take both of them and it was one of the best decision to make. They are not only jolly but gave life to my sorry apartment.

Snow - 4 months

Tiger - 4 months

Now, they are actually going to be 6 months this October. Took Tiger for neutered last month, hopefully his spraying hormone become best kept secret. For Snow, my sweet little girl, maybe will find her a handsome tom to mate.

Hope to see them grow healthy and happy   =)

:: Failure is when you stop trying ::~