Go camping

Truth be told, I added camping to the list thinking that I would ease into it without so much as a trickle of sweat. I adapt pretty well to things after all. So I booked myself in with the Nullabor Traveller for a 10 day road trip from Adelaide to Perth and thought nothing more of it.

16 November 2011: Two hours after the sun had set...

I remember falling short of breath as I stared down at the swag in front of me. My heart palpitated so hard that I had to hold onto my chest. I wanted to scream [for rescue]. But seeing that the rest of the tour group were not perplexed [as I was] about sleeping outdoors without a tent surrounded by wild animals, reptiles included, I decided to quietly accept my fate and prepared my swag. The first night brought out a whole new meaning to sleeping tight and not letting the bed bugs bite.

It involved a lot of twisting and turning in my sleeping bag which caused a "shwishy-shwoshy" noise. The sleeping bag did such a good job at trapping heat that I was perspiring feverishly. But I was too afraid to unzip my sleeping bag or the swag for fear of creepy crawlies [or worse] as I was told that they were attracted to the heat. Each time I stopped swishing and shwoshing, I would look up into the dark sky filled with stars and feel a wave of calmness. The heat of the bag however would slowly build up and the swishing swoshing would continue.

The scariest part of the night had to be when I heard creepy animal like noises from above my head. The heat from the sleeping bag could not amount to the fear that I felt. So I miserably covered my head under the swag cover and longed for daylight to come.

I woke up at the break of dawn to the sounds of the kookaburra hollering away like a monkey. I was relieved that I had survived the night without my head being torn off by an evil monster. Which, I must say, was highly unlikely but my imagination can be quite unimaginable at times.

For the next two nights, we stayed at Coodlie Park which was a farm retreat in the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia. We slept in bunk beds. Three minute showers and all. Life was good. It was our only non-campsite accommodation.

We travelled across the Nullarbor and stopped over at the National Park where we would take our rest for the evening. It had a loo with no door and a yard filled with broken down [rusty] cars which were abandoned in the 70s as it would have cost too much to send someone out to tow or repair the cars.

It was there when I happened to chance upon a brown snake making its way across a footpath metres away from me. I took it as a non-optional option for me to sleep in a tent that evening. Away from the mice. And snakes. Thankfully, Katja was looking for a tent partner and with the help of Katrin and Manu, we had our first tent up and ready within minutes.

The campfire was great. One of the highlights of camping is definitely the campfires. The warmth. The mesmerising flickers of the flames. The conversations that could only be made possible with a campfire in its full blaze. I believe that it was then when I really got to know my fellow tour mates. Or rather, that they got to know me.

From this trip, I have grown to love the outdoors. I did go back to sleeping in a swag [without a tent] later on in our journey. The star filled skies continued to amaze me. And I was even brave enough to unzip my sleeping bag when I slept. There were days when we had no access to shower facilities and although it proved difficult at first, it became tolerable. Travel wipes are a blessing.

Camping is all in the experience. The pitch black darkness of night that you can never find living in the city, the sounds of nature and all that it holds and the disconnection from technology. I felt so much at peace [and at ease].

Grey [muscular] Kangaroo

First campsite

Coodlie Park with the tour group

Being daredevils under the road tracks

The infamous South Australian sign

Seriously.

At one of our lunch stops

Watching the sunset

The loo with the view

A smooth start to Bluff Knoll

Anamieke, my God-sent angel, still smiling as we continued to ascent the mountain

 Finally at the top!

Doing some light reading by the gas powered light with my trusty headlamp on

Us gurls and our lovely tourguide at Busselton

Alas, a full view of my travel accommodation

Thanks Eraj for the brilliant 104 which has left me wanting more and a massive thank you to all my ladies and [2] men from la tour across the Nullarbor. You have made my trip worth the while. Thanks for all the memories!

First time volunteering at the Frontline (A very toned down front line)

Yesterday, was a rather interesting Saturday. I followed my workmate, F, to pack food for the poor on the streets of Kuala Lumpur at this place in Kota Damansara, and we sorted out clothes to give away or sell at a flea market.






After the packing and sorting out, the newbies were brought into the auditorium for a short briefing before heading out to Klang bus station in the city.







I followed the Scottish Muslim-convert founder of Reach Out, Pete, and he explained a lot about the organization. I came to know that Feexa, the co-founder, is his wife. I found that really sweet. That they work together for this.






As an ex-policeman, he knows the streets well. I voiced out my concerns of a dangerous "crowd" and he said that if someone gave you food at 2am at night, you are a "friend".





During the ride, I learnt that it's not about only giving but its also about getting these people off the streets, to start life again.






There were loads of stories told and too many to blog it out. But they are all embedded into my head and if I remember, I'll tell it to you.









When we arrived at the place, I got a bit intimidated actually seeing the 250 recipients waiting. It sure is a different crowd. I was the first to distribute the food and as I gave them out, my heart became 'soft' and a lot more 'softer' after we entered the storm drain area.








My perception on a lot of things have changed after participating in this. If I can, in future, I would like to help out again. Inshallah.






If you're in Malaysia and would like to contribute:

www.facebook.com/reachoutmal
www.reachoutmy.wordpress.com


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Jalan Masjid,Petaling Jaya,Malaysia

Matchmaking FAIL

I don't think this could be a 104 but it's something "daring".

I signed up on a reliable, Muslim matrimonial site in search of my "jodoh". After filling up the questions and selected my payment, I entered in my credit card details. It got declined of only RM20. I tried a few times again and it got declined.

God is trying to tell me something I think.

Make my own jewellery

I love handmade stuff. And local products. I like the idea of owning something that is unique and specially designed. I find it admirable to be able to use one's creativity and skills [and pure ingenuity] to create something from scratch.

And being someone who is artistically challenged, I thought it was time I set my fears of failure aside and made my own jewellery.

It took me a good hour or two before I finally could put together the design I had visualised in my head. With the help of my sister and the shop lady of course.

I could not be happier with the earrings.

Here's to a rewarding 104!

Go boxing

My brother recently purchased a punching bag to get back into Muay Thai and admittedly, I associate such activities with aggression and violence. So as to not make a passive judgement, I concluded that it would only be fair if I stepped into the shoes of a boxer and to understand it from their perspective.

To learn the art of boxing.

So this morning I went for my first boxing class at McCallum Park. And it was then when I realised how unfit I was. There were 50 something year old ladies sprinting past me in the warm up session and no [insert puffed out nauseous face here], I did not make it through the 45 minute boxing class.

As explained by my brother, boxing classes are not all about boxing. It involves an intense workout of different exercises to gear up your whole body. So you do things like "mountain climbing" where you get into a position as you would with a push up but with your hands in a fist and you are hopping off the ground and interchanging your leg position. As if you are climbing a mountain but horizontally.

At least I can say that I really enjoyed the punching.

So what have I taken away from this? That boxing is not all about machoism. It is about body control. About challenging your body and working them muscles while implicitly learning how to protect yourself.

Boxing, I have also discovered, is suitable for keen fitness enthusiasts of all ages and sizes. Need I emphasize on the word keen.

Here's to a fully punchy 104!

Volunteer

I registered to be a volunteer for Islamic Relief Malaysia last week and I would have to attend a Volunteer Induction Course on Saturday, September 24 2011.



Let's hope they have that course in English!

(Hanah)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Jalan Masjid,Petaling Jaya,Malaysia

Meet a celebrity

He may not be a Hollywood celebrity, but he has certainly appeared on television a lot of times!  Here is me with Chef Wan 'Food Ambassador of Malaysia', at Brunei International Airport en route to Kuala Lumpur in June 2011.

Grow out my head of short hair

So it has been like what, a couple of years since I haven't contributed to our little project, Mon?

I'm SO SORRY ♥

The past couple of years have been a really huge emotional rollercoaster ride. Finally, I get to contribute to #2 of my 104 List.

My shoulder-length short hair, 3 years ago.

And my long hair, is somewhere underneath my hijab, that I started wearing May 1, 2010.

I'm not going to say that this is an everyday thing, but rather one of my stepping stones towards understanding and living the Islamic way of life. I try to use it as much as possible, everyday, and God only knows if I'm willing to totally make the jump :-)

Abseiling

I have a fear of heights but the word abseiling makes the activity sound like a breeze. Like sailing. So when I was clasped onto a rope that I was going to do my first abseil on, I realised then how misleading the word was. 

My heart was beating erratically and my whole body went into panic mode. What was I doing?! Normal people do not throw themselves off a cliff! But my pride was on the line as there were onlookers so I started walking backwards, then downwards and then vertically.

It took some time before my body adjusted to the idea of walking down vertically. But when I finally got the hang of it, I started to enjoy myself. I did a little jump down the cliff, followed by another. It was fun!

I realised that with abseiling, you are forced to focus just on your next step. When I thought too much about the descent, I realised that I became more afraid because it seemed so much harder when I tried to strategise my moves. But at the same time, it was empowering. With each descent, I did become more confident and could look down from a height [even if my knees did go weak].

Where's Monnie?

I must say that I have never done such an adventurous outdoors activity. It was thrilling and someone commented that I looked like I was enjoying it. And I was. Got to meet a great bunch of people who were equally as frightened of abseiling but were keen to step out of their comfort zones. And I did some kick-ass rock climbing too. 

Here's to the Adventure Out team!

Cycle around the bridges

The 104
Tasha suggested cycling around the bridges of Perth City - starting from the bike hire shop at Fraser Point and cycling along Riverside Drive, over the Narrows Bridge, through to the South Perth foreshore and back to the hire place.

The Cost
For the hire of three bicycles for two hours [$54], three cold bottles of pump [$12], a miniature sunscreen block of lotion [$5] and three helmets [$3], it cost us a total of $74. Noice!

The Experience
I made a running cycle blog this morning using my iphone. Click on the numbers to view photos taken [including our unplanned detour] as we progressed through the day.

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9

The After-effects [one hour later]
My legs are sore but it is such a great feeling! It has been too long since I have done any outdoor activities. And this by far, is my best cycling experience!

The Recommendation
I would definitely suggest cycling around the bridges to anyone who has always enjoyed the views of the swan river. And it is perfect for when you have visiting guests from overseas or interstate. The paths are set up specially for cyclists so you do not have to worry about crossing main roads. It is great for kids.

I would recommend giving yourself two hours to cycle if you decide to cycle at a leisurely pace. And bring your sunnies so that you can be less conspicuous when checking out cuties.

[insert wide smile here]

Here's to a healthy 104!

Done!

Best two hours of cycling ever! Tho Cynthia did fall at the very end, a few metres away from the bike hire place.

Haha!

The view of the swan river was priceless. And there were a couple of cuties cycling/walking past. One even earned himself a "pheweet" from me [when he was out of earshot of course].

Thanks Tasha! Perfect long weekend 104 with the family!

The narrows bridge

Opps!

We missed the narrows bridge and are now making our way back to the bridges.

Detour

Matilda Bay