— Photos of a Yearlong Hiatus

I have been a writer, journalist, blogger for more than half my life now. From scribbling down a random thought to the misc reporter job — Writing has always taken up a very real space in my mind. So, it's strange to look back over an entire year (and, yes, this is even after I made that certain New Years resolution to keep up le blog) and realize that I have been way out of practice. That is to say, the practice of creative thinking, hell, worldly thinking and expression. I know, it's all very vague and hocus pocus. A year has gone by and I cannot possibly describe how much a person can grow in just twelve months.

2010 began in Paris.

And flowed into Rome, where old friends met in new places...

Back to school for a semester of reverse culture shock.

Which ended on playful notes.

Made Philly my home for the summer of The Intern Life.

It became a very beloved city; theme of the summer: serendipitous moments.

Plenty of beach frolicking.

For business or pleasure? I think both...

Great nights.

Trips to New York.

To play with ducks "looking at tails."

Celebration of friends and the final year at school!

It's a pizza grin.

A semester of burritos.

And Halloween characters.

And M.I.A.

And pranks on important people.

Of visitors and snowy football fields.

Fishbowls,

And wintry parties.

2010, it's been real. 2011!?

Places I've been in the past year: Paris, Rome, School, NYC, Philly, the JERSEY SHORE. 


Places I plan on going this year: NYC, Dominican Republic, Montreal, DC, Albany, Boston, LA to Napa Valley road trip, da 'Burgh

And I'm planning on keeping a record of it all :) Happy New Years!

What are your new year's resolutions?

Official welcome to 2009! Much has happened and is happening that I will have to comment on. First of all, our first black president just took office (yes, we can!). My sorority just added forty-five new pledges - our biggest turnout for rush... Classes have started; mine are looking over-the-top business-y. I will be going to Montreal this weekend for a Model UN conference. I just finished my applications to study abroad in Paris next fall! And I am now working on some designs for our department's end-of-the-semester fashion show (25th anniversary so it will be a major alumni-networking event). Pheuf. Can I take a break now? Definitely not. Before I forget about my winter break, here are some of the pictures:

My family started the vacation off with a (very expensive) Christmas dinner at Atmosphere. The restaurant is in the shape of a tower with a rotating top. So you get a 360 degree view of the city while you eat. Pretty incredible. 

Then, I went from drinking red wine to drinking TONS of mineral water. Yep. Spent the next three days in the rainforest on a camping trip. I look so thrilled in this picture. 

Took some beautiful pictures of the sunsets.

Hung out with old friends.

On New Years Day, we went over to Sutera Harbour resort to people watch and relax allll dayy in the pooool. I'm aware that I'm now in below freezing temperatures. 

Out for New Year's night: my introduction to house music (or "I feel like I'm in a German techno club.")

Artsy fartsy people always have such cool cameras. 

Looking tanned yet?

Donuts are a delicacy?

We actually woke up early one day to visit the islands! 

Packed a picnic: tuna sandwiches, melon, chicken wings, drool. 

More artsy cameras. 

It's normal to be swimming with a school of tropical fish. 

Lazy bum. 

Finally, finished with a birthday dinner with a zillion cousins! 

So, I apologize I have not been able to update since Malaysia but my New Year's resolution this year was actually to write more and be as up-to-date on interesting thoughts/opinions as possible. So, I will try my extra best. Right now, I feel the whirlwind of activity and personal goals schmoals coming along. January is perhaps the busiest month of the year; everyone is trying to accomplish as much as possible and get the year started (hopefully) on a good note. No worries, it won't be long before the studying, working out, dieting, saving the world one third-world country at a time attitude slows down. Overachieve much? Anyway, what are some of your new year's resolutions? 

So Sore

Enough said.

There and Back Again

It's August! What better way to begin a new month than with a little mountain climbing?

Now that I'm back from my trip, I have to say that Mt. Kinabalu is a pretty formidable monster of nature. Yesterday (seemed like such a long time ago...), Rosa and I departed for the mountain at 7:30am. When we finally arrived, they realized that the guide was late- couldn't begin the ascent until around noon time... still without a guide (he never showed up until we arrived at the cabin). But, I think it was okay. We started off, sure as always, overestimating our endurance. We ignored the first five rest stops and even ate lunch while trekking (sandwich in one hand, walking stick in the other). It was an intense climb for me... Rosa, flying though. However, after a few hours, we stopped mid-step.

R: I'm tired.
C: Me too.
R: I'm bored.
C: Me too.
C: ... let's... chill...

So, we stopped and took a few pictures. Pretended we were climbing Mount Doom, escaping over the Alps, in a Final Fantasy video game... singing very badly. Climbing can become tiresome... so you have to figure out a way to make it fun.

I feel like there are two types of mountain climbers. The first is one who practically paves his or her own trail. Rushing, racing against time and fellow climbers. They want to reach the top asap. I have to say... they are pretty intimidating. The other kind is one who carries a huge, heavy duty artsy camera. They take time to examine every pebble and blade of grass... taking pictures, dawdling, taking in the view.

I think we started off as rushers but turned into more dawdlers. Fun until you realize how far behind you can get! Next time, I think we should find a medium... somehow.

We both underestimated the coldness. After reaching the cabin (about 6km up... the whole trail is 8.5), the cold just settled into our bones. I had some coffee and soup... still chilly! Passed time, meeting and chatting with other climbers. We met a whole group of students from Cambridge, England. Played cards and shamelessly abused the buffet table by sneaking food to others.

Around 7pm, we hiked to our hut- place we would be staying for the night (another 200m...) It was pitch dark, raining, and cold... our guide abandoned us somewhere... Finally, met our roomates. They were two Australians, both named Katie. After more chatting and unpacking, we went to bed at around 8pm.

Maybe it was the cold or high altitude but I had the worst sleep ever... I had a lot of trouble breathing and also had many headaches. I kept waking up in the night until finally, 2am came and we set off with our guide, Jay (found him, again) for the summit.

Both of us have climbed Mt. K before and I remembered how I hated the summit climb... but this was nothing compared to the last time. It was so windy and raining. By the time, we had reached the rock wall, it was pouring. Climbing up this face of the mountain seemed impossible. The one rope was drenched, the wind and rain were really picking up... and our flashlights died. We saw the first group ahead of us turn around. Their guide waved his arms and yelled, "You cannot cross the water!" like some rip off from Lord of the Rings. The group silently went back down even though my sister and I were screaming at the top of the lungs, "What's wrong??" The wind was too loud, I guess. Everything was soaked, even the "waterproof" stuff. Don't know how that happened...

We asked our guide what to do and he seemed thrown off by the question. After a while of more standing in the rain on the side of this rock wall, we decided to keep going. There were a few streams running off the rock's side but nothing too intense. Some more climbers followed us and together we reached the summit gate... it was locked. By that time, I stopped caring. We started to climb back down and realized that our path had turned into a fricken waterfall! Water was falling down my shoulders and over my backpack. I could see nothing.. felt my way down through the water. Finally, we jumped off the wall after what seemed to be hours of climbing and realized that our trail to the huts... had turned into a river! We were jumping down stepping stones.

On the drive back, I still couldn't imagine us doing that at 2 in the morning today. We were looking at the peak in the clouds and realized that we were just up there. Such a strange thought...

Climbing down, we had decided not to stop at all and just ran. Soreness in knees and toes, but worth it! I'm still a little upset we couldn't reach the summit... so.. close, though. But I think we definitely pushed our limits all the same.

I always wonder what makes us go through all this madness. My sister and I have always been adventurous... loved nature. But still, risking hypothermia in an attempt to conquer nature? Beats me. Despite that, I think the reason we are addicted to these things is the learning process during the journey. It does seems that we learned a few things... First, nature really doesn't give a damn about if you're cold, hungry, tired, aching, about to die, etc. But okay, on a more serious note... I kept wondering, why didn't we just turn around when we had the chance on the rock wall. What kind of psychological nonsense does that mean...

In all, an interesting trip.

Last Minute Preps

So tomorrow is the big day... aka climbing the highest peak in Southeast Asia! Am I ready? Will I make it? Is it going to rain? Too bad the only answer I know is to the latter question... Yesterday, my sister and I "trained." We packed a backpack, put on the mountain boots, and walked all over KK... drawing some strange looks. I've given up on the 'Are you Japanese?' question. I just say yes and continue on my way. We also stopped at a huge farmer's market and bought some souvenirs for friends. I was looking at some picture frames and straw bags but then succumbed to exhaustion- too many things to look at, mental overload. We stopped at Upperstar for dinner and trekked home. Michele, Rosa, and I have already planned to go the spa after the mountain climb... pretty excited for that. As for today, I'll need to go get stuff for the trip, maybe start on some school work (eh...), blog/email, bookstore, enjoy the last week of Malaysia... then, off to Singapore, again :)

PS. I finished Harry Potter... J.K. Rowling is a genius.

4095 Meters of Exhilaration

It's storming so insanely right now. But I have exciting news!! I will be able to climb Mount Kinabalu!!!! At first, we thought we wouldn't be able to climb it. This time around you have to make reservations because this particular scale is getting pretty popular. I don't think there are enough accommodations at the midpoint. It's usually a 2-day climb. But my parents checked out some tour groups and a few dropped out- which means, (ta-da!) there are open spots for my sister and I! I'm SO excited! I brought a number of mountaineering things, expecting to climb the mountain and I was so disappointed when I found out I couldn't! But now, I have to get back in shape otherwise I will die of exhaustion. The last time I scaled Low's Peak was three years ago. I was fifteen and probably in way better shape than I am now. No worries, I will be fit in no time. If only I can lose this addiction for food... and laziness.

The Pickup

I finished The Pickup this morning- had plenty of time because Rosa kept tossing and turning all night. She couldn't sleep and kept me awake, too. Then I kept tossing and turning. I even fell off the bed and woke up mumbling something. I always do that.. weird. So, now I'm tired, awake, and been restless out of my mind while she sleeps soundly. I do what I usually do when I'm restless- think a lot, read a lot, write... baloney.

So, I read The Pickup and really liked it. It's one of those books that make you think a lot. Even though its' required reading for Cornell... I always find it weird that the books I'm reading run parallel with whatever I'm living. Some songs make you remember a certain time... with me, it's also books. I was thinking about "The Table" in the book... a nameless sort of group that just hangs around the cafe doing nothing but talking... baloney. Kind of a retreat from the real world. And I had that feeling too. People here really like hanging around cafes... In the book, it's the "L. A. Cafe". Yesterday, we were all hanging around the "San Francisco Cafe"... SO WEIRD. and now, its' like a ritual... like in the book. Julie, main character, travels to a completely different world- Africa. here I am, in Malaysia.. halfway around the world. REALLY STRANGE.

And I didn't choose to read this book!! It's required reading!! hmm..

Yesterday afternoon, we went to Sutera harbor (that fancy golf resort place). We had a dim sum buffet... pretty fancy. The place, in itself, is a luxury-for-white-people-mainly kinda place. It's really beautiful. I always have the uncanny ability to choose the best items on the menu... I ordered chicken dumplings, crispy noodles with seafood, shanghainese style buns, pan-seared fish in thai sauce, red been sesame rolls, egg tarts, and mango pudding. (wow I'm getting hungry again). maybe I was meant for fine dining. heh. lunch was amazing though. really. Sutera is on a peninsula sort of thing.. I can see it from my bedroom window. it's especially pretty with all the lights at night. The whole place is supposed to be a golf club.. but its really a lot more- what with restaurants, sea activities, pools, bowling, karaoke, bars and lounges, hotels... more like a resort!
And very trendy. The poolside bar is actually carved into the pool so that the bartenders are level with swimmers. You can actually swim over to the bar and there are seats under water... order a drink, while still in the pool!! I'm amused so easily.. couldn't stop staring.

Anyway, I explored all the possibilities for sea activities. We're planning on island hopping.. I can finally go snorkeling again!!!! So excited. And also try something totally new... scuba diving! I'm so pumped. If you haven't figured it out.. I'm a nature enthusiast and addicted to anything adventurous... so, updates later on the revolving restaurant and transformers!