Looking back at 2017

Posted on December 31, 2017 by jipp

Another year is coming in. And of course another is passing by. I’m not sure if 2017 was even an eventful year. I think it was quite slow compared to the previous years. I didn’t even do much traveling. Perhaps the only travel trip that is worth highlighting is my 2-week road trip all over New Zealand. New Zealand was great, but I was expecting more. The country is quite monotonous with the exception of the far South. It was beautiful – no doubt – but again I was expecting more. But of course the road trip was something that I had to do at least once in my life.

Then my solo trip to Chiang Mai. It was more like to tick something off my bucketlist. Again, I was expecting more from the Rose of the North. I was only there for 6 days but it felt too long. I decided that 3 days is enough for a place like Chiang Mai. I’ve been to Bangkok several times and still I couldn’t get enough of it and that was not quite the case when I was in Chiang Mai. It also made me realize that my bucketlist probably needs some revision.

Chiang Mai

Then I did something that I had long wanted to do – to conquer the highest mountain in Peninsular Malaysia. Mount Tahan really surprised me. It was tough but it really was worth it in the end. I had never been to a climb where I had to bring everything on my own – from tent to food stuff – everything. It really felt like such a fulfilling accomplishment. It felt like such a real mountaineering. And it felt so good to be standing at the highest peak of Semenanjung – the part of Malaysia that I had spent half of my life settling in.

Then my trip to Manila. It was my 3rd time to Manila but this time I landed at the capital city of the Philippines probably at the worse of time. I had to wander the streets of Manila in knee-deep water through incessant and howling rain. In my effort to avoid floods, I ended up walking in the dark streets and back alleys, across squatters and packed neighborhoods that I had never expected existed in what appeared to be a posh area in Manila. All the towering 5-star hotels are only a front facade that covers the reality of what lies behind.

The looming images of people drinking and smoking and chattering on the front verandas of their rickety houses while I was walking hurriedly past with my backpack in the rain are still vivid in my head. There were times when I felt like I had taken a wrong turn and was lost and I had to contemplate whether to turn back or keep going. What appeared to be quite a short distance from EDSA LRT Station, it took me 3 hours to reach my hotel in Guerrero Street. It really was quite an experience.

Perhaps my biggest accomplishment this year was the acquirement of a Master’s Degree – something that I had never thought of doing since I really thought I had had enough of studying when I did my Bachelor’s.  I’m not even sure how the idea came about and before I knew I found myself burying my face in countless journals, research papers, books, and whatnots.

Doing Master’s really involved a lot of thinking – and lots and lots and lots of writing. Thanks to all the blogging that I did over the years, I could finally put all the skills to a good use. I found writing was much easier than how it would have been if I did not blog at all. Then I think of all the driving that I had to do going back and forth between KL and JB. It really felt lonely at times, especially when I had to be on the road for 4-5 hours on my own. It really involved a lot of sacrifices, be it time, energy or even money.

When it was finally over, it felt like I had whole world all to myself. The relief and sense of accomplishment were massive. For me doing a Master’s is not really about the certificate itself, but more for the journey that I had to go through while acquiring it. It taught me to be patient (very very), meticulous (very very), pro-active, independent and perhaps a dozen more of other things. But above all it taught me to really really think and make full use of my brains. LOL.

I’m not really sure about what lies ahead for me in 2018 but somehow I can sense that it is going to be a very very interesting year. I have my fingers crossed to that.

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My Bully Story

Posted on December 30, 2017 by jipp

So bullying at school, or even at colleges and universities was one of the hottest topics this year. There were quiet a number of cases – students were tortured by their schoolmates, school kids got bullied and refused to go to school – some even involved deaths. There were cases when students committed suicide because they could no longer take it. Quite surprisingly most of their parents were not aware of the bullying until it was too late but I’m not gonna go any further on that. Not this time.

I might be one of the lucky ones who have never been quite bullied back in school. I did to certain extent get bullied but nothing serious. Bullied mentally perhaps – but never physically. I don’t remember any. Perhaps I was a tough kid, or I went to schools with well-behaved students which I don’t think was quite the case because I did hear about some other students getting bullied. Even when I went to one of the top boarding schools in the country bullying did happen. I was just lucky I never got targeted. May be because I happened to hang out with some of the tough kids at school so all the bullies couldn’t find their way near to me. Or perhaps I was one of the bullies.

Source: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-bully.htm

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-bully.htm

But I remember when I enrolled at a boarding school in Keningau (my hometown in Sabah) where most of the students came from the far corners of the surrounding districts. And I was placed in a dorm with 5 other kids and they were all younger than I was. So being quite the senior at least by age since we were all in the same batch of students who had occupied the newly-opened hostel before others, I took full advantage of it by asking them to do things for me.

I’d ask them to wash my clothes, go and buy things from the canteen which was located high on the hill, carry my books, just to name a few. These kids brought their innocence with them from their remote villages so they didn’t really know how to say no to somebody who was obviously bullying them. But there was one particular kid who didn’t seem quite happy with the way I imposed tasks on them. He was beginning to show protest, bit by bit, until one day when he could no longer take it.

He kinda burst it out in front of everybody, telling me that his father had a black magic that can anytime turn my life into a misery, and that this daddy of his also had 7 gurus that ranked high in the black magic world in Indonesia. The people of the district that he came from were quite famous for practicing black magic back then so I could quite digest what he was saying.

http://www.bullyfreezone.co.uk/

But when he said that his whole body could turn BLUE when he got angry (probably much angrier that he already was, perhaps there was some level of angriness that he needed to reach to turn him blue LOL!) and that I did not want him to turn blue or ‘you’ll be so sorry you’ve ever messed with me’ as he described it, that was when Incredible Hulk flashed on in my mind. I knew right then that he was bullshitting so I jumped off my bed and kicked him and I kicked him real hard.

I don’t exactly remember what happened next but I do remember that he did not turn blue LOL. It would be a couple of months before I decided that hostel was not really for me so I sent a letter of apology to the chief warden (he helped me in even though my house was quite close to the school) and returned to my heading-home-after-school routine.

Fast forward to my uni years when I landed in KK for a semester break with a friend of mine. His parents came to pick us up at the airport and they took us to a rather exclusive restaurant in town. We ordered quite a spread of food and looking at the prices on the menu, I knew they were going to cost us a bomb. So when it was time to leave and we asked for the bill, one of the waiters came up and told us that the bill had already been taken care of. So we all went “huh??” almost simultaneously.

The smiling waiter pointed in the direction of the kitchen and we all turned to look. A young guy in a white uniform with a high toque on his head waved at us from behind the kitchen bar counter.

https://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Chef

I didn’t immediately recognize him but his wide smile looked like something that I had seen somewhere in the past. And sure enough, when I walked over to him, it was him – the guy that I bullied back at school, the one who claimed he could turn blue when he got angry. I gave him a firm handshake, and he returned it with an even much firmer one. Perhaps, he was trying to send me a message through that exaggerated handshake. Perhaps he was saying without saying that he could have done something with the food. LOL.

But judging from our little conversation that day, it was quite obvious that he had long moved on. We both had moved on. I mean, that’s how we deal with life right? We move on from the past. Heh.

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When I First Started

Posted on November 24, 2017 by jipp

I was browsing through my old pictures – when I first started traveling – and it wasn’t anywhere nearby but England no less. I stayed overnight at a friend’s house in Surrey on my first night before heading off to Paris across the English channel on an Eurostar train the next morning.

That would be my very first time sharing a room with a bunch of total strangers. I remember how the room was advertised to have two bunk-beds intended to accommodate 4 persons. What was not mentioned was the fact that it was actually one of two adjoining rooms that shared the same entrance so the guests that stayed at the other room had to walk past our beds in order to go to their room.

And it had the smallest shared bath room which was actually the toilet itself. It was so small that I had to do a little of acrobatic moves when changing my clothes or even putting on my underwear. I remember one of the nights when I returned to the room when the light was already switched off. It wasn’t even 11pm, which was still quite early for a sleepless city like Paris, but I was met with a grunt from one of the girls who was already asleep.

“Why do you switch on the light?” I remember her asking, half-yelling. “How am I supposed to see in the dark? I can’t even see my bed” I shot back. I just had two mugs of beer earlier on so I was a bit tipsy. My mouth did not really stop there but saying a few more things before I managed to shut it up. I remember waking up the next morning and the girl had already packed off.

One of the reasons why I stayed at Aloha Hostel was the free breakfast it provided. I remember sharing a table with a professor from China who was in Paris to present a paper at one of the local universities and of course I had some doubt as to why a professor would stay at a budget hostel like Aloha Hostel.

I was there for 3 nights and I remember how the guy at the counter wouldn’t give my deposit back upon checking out because I couldn’t find the payment receipt. “But I’m sure it is all recorded in the system right? Isn’t it all in the computer?” I confronted him. I was quite pissed off but he wouldn’t budge. When I finally managed to find the receipt and he returned the deposit to me, I made sure I shook my head and gave him a disgusted look (of course I was so naïve back then. I would then find so many other hotels who wouldn’t give the deposit back to those who can’t bring forth the receipt).

Then later at the check-in counter at Paris Gare du Nord again I argued with the guy at the counter who insisted that I showed him my flight ticket out of Britain. I had actually put the ticket deep in my bag so having to rummage through my bag to get to that ticket was quite too much for me at that time since the line was moving fast.

I couldn’t help but questioning the necessity (again, I was so naïve back then. I didn’t know that Britain was trying very hard in dealing with an influx of immigrants who came in using a tourist visa but ended up overstaying). When he tried to explain I waved him off and said “whatever”. He wasn’t quite happy when I said that. “Whatever? I’m trying to explain to you” I remember him saying. “No thanks” I said as I dashed off towards the waiting train.

Remembering it all now, I don’t think I started off well as a traveler. I was so naïve, ignorant and I got easily annoyed. But of course as I traveled more I learned to be more tolerant to the situation that I found myself in although there were (and still are) still times when I failed quite miserably. But then there is no denying that traveling has really changed me a lot as a person. I mean, it’s a constant and probably continuous process but for sure it has changed me a lot. For the better. I think. LOL.

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A Humbling Encounter with Selflessness

Posted on November 11, 2017 by jipp

So I am back in my hometown Keningau and was having a drink with a friend at a restaurant where he actually worked last night. I couldn’t help but noticing that there was a man who sat crumpled in a wheelchair right in the corner of the small restaurant. He’d look at every passer-by and every now and then he’d look at us who’d break into laughter because there were just too many funny things to talk about.

Then I asked him who the man was. He said he was a man they found at the veranda of a shop a few blocks away from there. He is half-paralyzed and he can’t help himself to just about anything but eating. He can eat and he can use his hands to feed himself but that is just about all that he can do. He needs somebody to help him out when he needs to answer the nature’s call. He needs somebody to help him prepare for his food. He needs somebody to help him to bed. He needs a constant help except when he is asleep.

The owner of the restaurant decided to allocate a space at his restaurant for him to stay in. He even bought him a wheel-chair not only for his own convenience but also for those who take care of him. It is easier for them to wheel him around than having to carry him every time they need to.

I noticed how he had built a partition at one corner of the restaurant. It is fully walled except for the frontage which is draped nicely with slide curtains so that it is easier for him to come in and out of the room which has now become his home. My friend and other workers at the restaurant take turn to attend to his needs. This friend of mine confessed how there are times when he gets quite upset especially when he is too tired and this man demands quite too much of him.

“You know when you have worked your asses off the whole day – running the things around and making sure everything goes smoothly at work and by the end of the day you are so damn tried but this guy still demands quite too much of you, you’ll tend to lose it at times” he said.

“But of course the feeling of guilt would come to me later and I’d apologize to him – every time” he continued.

He told me how they took him in and cared for him totally out of nothing but solely for the fact that he needs people to take care of him.

Still quite in disbelief at the degree of selflessness and how they sacrifice so much of their beings for a stranger, I prodded “does he in any way related to any of you, probably to your boss?”

“Nope. He was a stranger. We found him and decided to take him in and cared for him because he needed it” he replied as if it was the most normal thing to do.

I looked at the room to where he had now retreated and was probably soundly asleep. For a moment I tried to think of all the things that I had done for others, things that I had done out of selflessness. There weren’t much.

I returned home feeling so small and insignificant to the universe.

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My Honest Opinion about New Zealand

Posted on October 25, 2017 by jipp

I had very high expectations for New Zealand. Ever since I watched the first movie of the LOTR trilogy (followed by another trilogy The Hobbit), I had been dreaming to go there and see for myself all the places that were featured on the movies – The Fellowship of the Ring, The Twin Towers and The Return of the King. In fact the beauty of the places was one of the reasons why I could not wait to watch the next movie which was only released a few days before Christmas for three consecutive years.

So doing a trip to New Zealand was like a dream-come-true to me. Since just so happened that I was (and still is) very much into hiking, I decided to do Milford Track as part of the itinerary. Being the top hiking destination in New Zealand, I first saw Milford Track featured on Globe Trekker, one of my favorite TV travel programs on TV.

So when I finally set foot in New Zealand and started in the North (Auckland to be exact), I was quiet surprised to see the similarity of the landscapes with those in England. All I saw were farmlands and grasslands with the exception of a few places like Tongariro National Park which kinda gave me a break from the monotony of the landscape. I mean, I didn’t come all the way to New Zealand to see another England.

But I told myself that the best of New Zealand was yet to come. I assured myself that the beauty of New Zealand would be unfolding – layer by layer – as we moved South. So I waited until we crossed over to the South Island.

There was a little bit of ‘improvement’ in term of landscape variety when we arrived in Marlborough and later moved towards Murchison. We drove across a beautiful forest with black-skinned trees. We stopped to take in the view of Lake Rotoiti and even did a little bit of detour to Lake Rotorua (all parts of Nelson Lakes) which was quite far off the main road. I was hungry for a variety in landscape – the kind of landscapes that I saw in the damn movie. I was a bit wowed by the lakes and the surrounding forest but they were far from enough. I needed more.

Me taking in the view at Lake Rotorua

When we arrived in Murchison, I was hoping that it was gonna be all wow for me from there on. Unfortunately what I found was more monotony. It was back to farmlands and grasslands and small little towns along the way. And the monotony continued even after Christchurch all the way to the famous Lake Tekapo!

Even Lake Pukaki that we came across later was far from what I had expected. I was expecting it to be surrounded by mountains with dramatic landscapes – probably with waterfalls and lush forest all around it. Unfortunately what I saw was a lake surrounded by grassy hills. In fact, it was still very much part of the farmland areas. I was both surprised and a little bit disappointed. But at least the water was very blue – probably the bluest lake that I have ever seen – and it stood out against the yellowish hills that surround it.

Lake Pukaki

Then from there on, monotony was back to haunt us and that we didn’t even bother to look out the window to enjoy the view. It was back to farmlands and grasslands that there wasn’t much to enjoy looking at. In fact, I couldn’t wait to reach Queenstown.

The beauty of landscapes that I was expecting to see only turned up when we drove from Wanaka to Christchurch. There were hills with beautiful boulders scattered all over and I remember telling myself that ‘This is it. This is one of the places featured on the movie’. So there I was, imagining the fellowship members of the ring walking high on one of hills while keeping a watch over the valley to see any sign of Orcs coming their way.

And yet again, it was not enough even after we arrived at Queenstown. Queenstown was beautiful, alright, with the lake and mountains all around it, but to tell the truth, I was expecting more of this world-famous city. I am so glad that we drove over to Glenorchy, something that we did quite spontaneously rather than wasting away our time at the town where there was nothing much to see.

Glenorchy

Glenorchy was beautiful. In fact, it was the most beautiful town (taking in the beauty of the surrounding landscapes) among the dozens of towns that we drove across all throughout the road trip. The mountains were more dramatic and the grasslands look greener compared to those in the North which were mostly yellowish and dry. Even the goats look healthier and fluffier.

But then, it was only a small town nestled in a small valley. The public areas are very limited and you can only see the farms from outside the fences. We needed more.

Even Te Anau – which I was so looking forward to, did not quite meet my expectations. There were no dramatic landscapes that I was hoping to see at this town. In fact it was located in a flat area with farmlands dominating much of the area – just like most other towns in New Zealand. I remember saying ‘So this is it?’ to my travel buddy Frank when we first arrived. It was far from how I had imagined it would be. The only thing that spared me a little bit from the disappointment was the hills covered by green forest on the other side of the lake. Apart from that, there was nothing much to be wowed about really.

Lake Te Anau

Then – the Milford Track. I wouldn’t say that I was disappointed by Milford Track. The landscapes were dramatic, just as I had expected they were, but having been to places like Nepal and North India where the mountains are towering and the landscapes are out of this world (I have shivers every time I think of them), those mountains at Milford Track looked more like minions comparatively.

They are neat and the forest is rich that walking across them is like walking in a museum of nature or something. You are happy to see them but they don’t really wow you. It’s not even as near to the wows that I felt when I first arrived in Badrinath of Northern India. But then I gotta say that the Himalayas are very much in its own class when it comes to nature wonders.

So all in all, I wouldn’t say I was really wowed by New Zealand. I think its beauty lies very much on the farms and grasslands and all the beautiful little towns that we came across along the way. I think we have covered quite enough of this country to see what it could offer – more or less – and I gotta say it is a beautiful country. But again, I was not really wowed by it. Not quite. But it is beautiful. It is still worth to travel to at least once in a life time.

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