-:: r u d i b l o g ::-

Kat Squared

22 October 2008 | No Comments

schiz·o·phre·ni·a [skɪtsəˈfriniə, -ˈfrinyə]
–noun

1. Psychiatry. Also called dementia praecox. a severe mental disorder characterized by some, but not necessarily all, of the following features: emotional blunting, intellectual deterioration, social isolation, disorganized speech and behavior, delusions, and hallucinations.

2. A state characterized by the coexistence of contradictory or incompatible elements.

Pull Me Out

4 October 2008 | No Comments

Tune of the moment:

Really gotta love fantastic (if predictable) bouncy feel-good pop riffs, and a return to form of an artist who, up to now, was musically adrift.

A Classic Burger

28 September 2008 | 4 Comments

Take a good look at this standard McDonalds burger:

Looks pretty tasty and edible right? It might very well be.

It is, however, 12 years old.

So, how exactly does a burger show absolutely no signs of decay or rot after 12 years of being stored at room temperature? Makes you wonder what kind of junk it’s made of.

Hmmmm…

Makanan Untuk Lelaki

21 September 2008 | 2 Comments

Found this ad placed underneath my windscreen wiper the other day. This is the first time I’ve actually kept one of these ads, because I found it really amusing!

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

21 September 2008 | 2 Comments

So, a few months Daryl asks me whether I want to go wallop a mountain. Sure, why not, thought I. Why else would mountains exist, if not to be walloped?

Everyone told me to do some training before I went. I scoffed. I wonder whether they say that because it is a general need or because they felt I, as rotund Rudi, specifically needed it. I scoffed again.

So, the fateful day came, and after some last minute scurrying around looking for headlamps, gloves and other such mountaineering gear, we were off.

Upon landing (and with me still chuckling feverishly at the irony of having my passport stamped at the arrival immigration desk of own country), we were picked up by our local companions, and zipped straight through the attractive outskirts of KK to Kinabalu National Park, start of our dangerous expedition into unchartered territory.

Went through the rigmarole, got myself a walking stick for RM3, and the next thing we knew we were on our way.

Hit Laban Rata (”base camp”) at 12:15, and the first thing I did was attempt to check in, only to be told I can only check-in at 1pm. I asked whether I could have a shower (was desperate for one), and was warned the hot water came on only at 2pm, but went ahead anyway and rented a towel to do the deed. I had read about the lack of hot water at Laban Rata, especially soon after 2pm when it quickly runs out due to the mad rush for the showers, but the stories I heard about cold showers also said they weren’t so bad.

I now realise many say this because the shower they did have was with residual water from the hot water tank. Which is cold, but not that cold. I stepped into the cubicle and had myself a shower under water that felt so cold even liquid nitrogen would quiver in fear. I turned on the cold water tap, which is straight mountain water at mountain temperatures (at 12,000 feet). I just braced myself, and just went for it. My heart rate instantly shot straight through the roof, my breathing intensified a hundredfold, I shivered to the point where the word shivering doesn’t quite cut it, my extremities got numb and how I didn’t die of hypothermia in that shower cubicle will forever elude me.

Now, THAT was the hardest part of the whole climb. But it was worth it, as I was squeaky clean while I sat down and watched my smelly, sticky, disgustingly rancid fellow compatriots stream in, the first of which surfaced only after 3pm.

I attribute my speed to the walking stick, which was a godsend, my iPod, which filled my head with tunes the whole way up and took my mind off the sting of any lactic acid (yes I know, I missed the sounds of the jungle and all that, which I love, but the music really helped with the climb), and the chiropractic adjustment I had just before the trip, thanks to Twink, which I’m positive played a big part in getting my unfit body in top condition for the torture.

Many of you have done the climb, so I’m not going to go into excruciating detail. But my target was to hit the summit by 5:30am, which I did, so I’m proud of myself. Unfortunately though, the reason I wanted to be up there at that time was to take in the sunrise, but an important cross-ocean phone call had to be made from the top, and I got so carried away I missed the actual sunrise! But it was worth it. Just gives me another reason to go back!

Since I was alone, I asked a Canadian bloke who was up there (in shorts - a miracle) to take a photo of me on his camera for posterity. He obliged, but has yet to respond to my e-mails asking for a copy of the photo. Hmmm…

Stuck around another half an hour, then decided to leave and bumped into my companions on the way down. Hats off especially to Daryl, who battled acute altitude sickness on his way up. If I was him, I wouldn’t have tortured myself like that, but kudos to the man for making it to the summit.

The other five took a group shot at the summit without me, which I was pretty bummed about, but I only have myself to blame for not waiting for them (cold lah!!).

The views from up there are simply magnificent. Never before have I been so high up that everywhere you look is underneath you. It really is a top-of-the-world feeling. Said a little prayer at the top, shed a couple of tears at the “overwhelmingness” of the whole experience, and soaked in the incredible scenery that I can’t believe sits within our borders. There is simply nothing else like it anywhere else in the country.

The descent back to civilisation saw me speeding again, and arriving at the entrance gate about two hours before everyone else, and freezing to the point of chattering teeth in the frigid and damp air, whilst waiting, nursing my bruised and battered legs and trying to (impossibly) get my clothes dry from the rain that became my companion the whole way down.

We celebrated with a slap-up seafood meal, crowned with a coconut crab (by far the biggest crustacean I’ve ever seen! If I had come across that on the beach I think I would’ve turned to stone on the spot due to the fear).

The few photos I did take (on my phone):

The summit, taken on the way down.

Some other peak.

A pretty little cairn. One of those stones is mine - my first time! Rocks.

Lunch on the last day at some fancy food court. Decided I had to try something local, so visited the “local exotic fare” stall (or something like that), and ordered this strange dish. It’s basically a whole flattened brinjal that is covered in egg and then fried. Was pretty terrible, but I had to try it.

At the airport just before boarding our flight, with Daryl trying his hardest to look like… I’m not quite sure what he’s trying to look like actually. This isn’t a particularly attractive photo of me either (a rare thing, truth be told), but even a smile is a miracle after playing Shackleton. So give me a break already.

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