Trekking Mount Batur, Kintamani Volcano

Set my alarm at 3 a.m. , I was sleepless and restless. All I could think is that I don't want to miss out the trekking plan. I finally decided to wake up and get ready. The weather was freaking cold and thank god I carried an extra pair of  sports wear!

B and I are all set ready, waiting for the guide from The Association of  Mt. Batur to take us up to the starting point, at the base of the mountain. Finally, we started at 4.30 a.m. The ascent is completed in total darkness and guided only by flashlight (given by our guide). The first 30 minutes of hike is fairly flat but then it's a steep climb from there. This is my ever first experience in life, walking out alone with my partner, inside a forest, with lots of excitement and fear - I was looking out for animals! It wasn't much of a problem to hike initially as we did stop twice to take a break and drink water.


Powerful orange glow.The beautiful early morning sunrise.





 

The first part of trekking wasn't bad , but the second part of Mt Batur is tougher! It's uphill and some steps really require you to stretch hard. We got really tired and we had to stop for breaks a few times.The worse was yet to come and the final ascent was the toughest of all. It's steep, rocky and you you really have to take each step carefully.  

 

B got really tired and was in the verge of giving up, at that point completing the task and getting over it was all on my mind. I was surprised to see B struggling to climb up since I am weaker and I was suffering sinus headache that morning. As my body got warmer, the headache reduced and I felt better. 

 

I literally had tears in my eyes as I was wondering will I be back home safe, ha ha! This hike taught me a lot of things, positive thinking and mental strength to overcome come what may. We are not professionals hikers yet we managed climbing up to the peak, the only complaint was, we did not get the right guide to take us to the programme we've paid for. We are supposed to watch the sunset, have breakfast at the craters and see the hot springs and come downhill. Our guide left us alone and went up to the peak. We didn't know we were reaching the peak until we saw the hut. We finished up all our water bottles and no breakfast. However the feeling on top of the mountain is undescribable! I never thought I could accomplish this just one day before my birthday! B was tired and he took a short nap in the hut whilst I was taking photos :) Now the challenge is getting down hill.

 

I cried halfway as my toes were hurting so bad. The rocks were so ashy and slippery that I was even afraid to step forward, at some corners of the rock, I just sat and stepped down. B's reebok shoes are gone into pieces. We finally reached middle of the mountain and discovered two stalls. We were so tired, hungry and thirsty. We had a cup of  tea and a piece of  biscuit. We then started our journey back. After a while, you begin the long descent. It’s a slippery slope down (the volcano rock is very coarse and sandy at some points).  Funny thing, now that you can see where you’re going, the descent feels much, much longer than the ascent.  Your tired legs don’t help at all. I finally sat on a rock to check my painful toe, I felt the blisters are hurting so bad. I decided to take off my shoes and walk with socks. Aaah... I was right, that felt lot more better than walking in pain, though it was hot and rocky, my socks was full of sand and ashes. At a point, I was dying in thirst, I just thank god for giving us the strength to come back home safely , hey it rained! Guess what, I drank that rain water, ha ha! That rain was sent by god to save us, thank you god! We finally reached our hotel and our sweet receptionist girl was freaking out that she didn't hear from us, she thought we went missing! Glad that they actually provided us with the full breakfast that we missed out early in the morning. We're really exhausted and hey, I climbed up the freaking tough Batur volcano!

 

 

 

Amaravati's Amaralingeshwara temple.



Watched these cuties so nearby :)

The bungalow/hotel.

Now that we must sleep one night out , i.e. since we have to travel to Malaysia  to my parents home , we had an alternative way of staying a day out at any Shiva temple. Therefore , we chose the Amaravati temple for a day out.  It was like an hour drive from Guntur to Amaravati and we took a van to get there. 

This is my ever first experience on seeing a village , silent and dark night. The rain season started and thank god it wasn't that bad. By 7.30 pm we reached the hotel which is 5 minutes walking distance to the temple. Truly it was more like horror movie scene, B and I never expected such scary hotel room ! :) Nothing much to blame as the people who maintain ( I mean the employees appear very poor ). It's called AndhraPradheshTourism something.... we didn't get to see any restaurant and there was not electricity in the hotel. It was really scary and lots of mosquitoes! Finally we ended up sending the working boy to get us some chapatti and curry. Now....we've been counting minutes to pass by so that next morning we could visit the temple and go home.





Beautiful village scene , so peaceful.

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning,  Monday July 8 2013 , we had good darshan of Amaralingeshwara , a unique shivalinga which kept growing so tall ! We then proceeded to the local nearby Hanuman and Shirdi baba temple before visiting the Museum and Buddha stupa which was visited by Dalai Lama. The Buddha statue is still under construction and finally after getting burnt under the scorching hot sun , we returned home at 2.30 pm. Such tiring day!

The change of Immigration system in the US

After years of talks on the H4 controversies , I guess it's time we witness the changes for good. It's ridiculous and absurd where a set of  bills passed as law restrict one's freedom and life. If the L2 visa holders are allowed to work then why not the H4.

Yes, we are aware of the major frauds done by citizens of Asian country on faking up their resumes and work experiences but hey, isn't it the duty of the employer to have right background checks ? Stopping the professionals will only make the country to suffer brain drain and lack of expertise.

I came to know that in New Jersey, some desi's pay up money for someone else to take the job interviews. I am seriously laughing now. This is just sounding absolutely stupid. In place of restricting the entire law on freedom of an entity , it's good to have  a checks and balance on the system and the person given visa to work.

What about the dirty jobs done by the Tri Valley University ? TVU employee openly admitted to illegally bypassing the H1 regulations by fraudulently using the F1.The TVU employee also admitted of colluding with employers to depress the wages of employees.
By stopping H4 visa holders to work , the frauds done by desperate people will not stop. In place of increasing the immigration crimes and frauds, it's good if  rights are given to real genuine and capable ladies who could contribute economically to the family and country. Hey, we are paying the taxes as well !

Finally I see some light coming in by the change. Hope this just don't sit in as a mere talk but by the real change done !

Merry Christmas !!

Merry Christmas dear readers !! Feliz Navidad!

I truly  miss the European and American's White Christmas ! But that's alright because next year I'm going to have double the fun! (Positive, positive!). Merry Christmas to all of  you ! Here's a good news from my side.


Well................after a real long  wait, Malaysian are now free to visit Israel. Yay! The new rule enacted from 25th December 2012 for all Malaysians.

We have no more restrictions on our passports! Truly a Christmas gift for christians by the government. Just wanna share this. My French teacher is a jew and she's an awesome lady. Learnt a bit of this and that about Israel from her. Thank you Mrs.Wanda.

Seriously..........cant wait to make a trip!

Another mass shooting in Connecticut

This happened again, after the Homestead, California ( just a mile away from my home ) and the recent Colorado mass shooting in summer.

I'm restless, not able to sleep right now. Not another one! The recent news is on the brutal mass shooting in Sandy Brook Elementary School in Newtown, CT.  20 children among the 26 dead during a horrific massacre after a gunmen shot his mother and turned the gun on himself.

Whilst America is still mourning the past killings, mostly on the South side, this news broke most of us to tears. 20 innocent children, I can feel the pain of their parents who have not even imagined that they would never see their son/daughter's face again. When the entire nation is busy on Christmas fun at least for the kids, this is just another threat to the entire society.

Blame it on the laws, it's high time America wake up!

Managing Stress : My last vacation !

Vacation ? Sounds like Greek to me ! I cant remember the last time I took a real vacation. I'm not speaking about visiting parents or go see friends for a weekend, but a real proper check-out from the world !

Vacation should be really happy days out where you need not compromise with someone to have lunch or dinner in the same restaurant ! Well, we've had not so nice experience joining another couple to Utah and Las Vegas. Holidays are best with couples alone or the group should be consisting of  like minded people. Anyway it was good enough to see Utah :)

When I was little , it seems that my parents took me out for trips most of the time especially during the school holidays! But these days, especially after getting married.....................hmmmm NOT so much !! Blame it on Bee's IT job or the US economy, or just plain words, technically working on honeymoon is no fun at all ! Of course, like many people, one reason I’m not always flying the coop to some faraway islands is finances. Money’s been tight these past few years (I know I’m not alone there), and until recently I didn’t have the security of a steady income. Bee on the other side might be fearing of the angry bosses ! ha ha !

Yes, we have been talking about managing stress ( for years ) but rejuvenating the honeymoon trip is a weak spot I guess ! Stress, stress , stress, do yoga, go walking , meditate, find a new hobby, I wish there was a magical cure for stress ! So many things to do with so little time in our hands right now.

I miss the good old days where we would just walk in the park holding hands. The work pattern changed where when he's free , I'm busy and vice versa. This is never going to end if we dont set our priorities up. Bee listen up , "I'm taking a real-vacation" is going to be my NEW YEAR RESOLUTION ! 2013 , wait for me, I'm hoping you will be the best year of  all !!

Great hearts behind Operation Hope.

One of the most greatest thing being a human being is understanding hearts, appreciating and counting on our blessings and returning the thanks in some other form. I have always thought how the world is still surviving in the midst of  evil doings. Evil, no I'm not speaking about the departed souls but the living evil doers. Perhaps, the existence of good people is still balancing out the bad. Do you guys follow the Operation Hope ?? There's something I really want to share.

Operation HOPE is the private banker for the working poor, the underclass and the struggling middle class.HOPE is America's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to financial literacy and economic empowerment.

I'm going to share the story about a boy called Okkhoy.This is the story of a boy who not only survived, but is now the key witness in a trial that has forced Bangladesh to confront the cruel but overlooked practice of forced begging.It is also the story of strangers, half a world away, who set out to show the boy that good exists in equal measure as evil -- and who set off a chain reaction of kindness to make him whole again.

Mutilated by gang who set out  to maim him so he'd earn more as a beggar. The story of  this 7 year old boy is too common in Bangladesh and India.

Four men had surrounded the 7-year-old boy, bound his hands and feet and cracked open his head with a brick. They held him down and took a switchblade to his throat. They sliced his chest and belly in an upside down cross and in a final brutal act, they hacked him sideways, chopping off his penis and his right testicle.

I had tears watching this boy talking in CNN's Operation Hope. It's a sad fact that no amount of humanitarian aid will prevent this type of  crime from happening. It will take an extended and massive "police action" by military forces. Eradicate hunger campaigns and the like, are all warm and fuzzy but have proven to be very inefficient and ineffective. All we can do is pray for victims like this boy faraway and I truly wish that I could contribute something direct or indirectly for a worthy cause, drawing a smile on someone's face. I can feel their hearts. By the way, the accused (scums that cannot even be compared to animals! ) are set free on bail by the Bangladeshi judicial system.
In midst of this absolute horror and evil from one human towards another there is the equally gripping warmth and compassion of the total opposite. Maybe all is not lost when the the actions of the heartless can be mended by those who ask for nothing in return. I believe that the world is  surviving with the help of  god in the form of  human beings. Thank you to the doctors who've treated this boy with great hearts! I smiled when this boy said he wanted to be a doctor when he grew up so that he could treat poor people like him! I pray the almighty god gives strength and speedy recovery for this little child.

Debate of the Year!

My bum's glued to the tv, just like any other person , the world is watching debate of the year. Yes, it's Obama - Romney talk time! I fell off  laughing and I seriously think that  Romney's fans are paid!

I'm concerned the direction that America has been taking in the last 4 years.What kind of America do you want? Romney does not have a clue about middle class or poor Americans. So, how can he make a change? We've seen an engineer who lost his job,foreclosed his home and currently working as a cook in a restaurant. Romney should stop joking, you've not seen the painful winter scene of a beautiful 5 year old child in front of Macy's door - selling chocolates for a $1 from Walmart to feed her family!

We need a change. Yes, I do understand the shout out on the immigrants in the US, just like the brain drain happened in the past and it's still happening. Wake up America, the economy is at an alarming rate.

I totally agree with Barbara Boxer's status update in FB -  Mitt Romney wants to go back to the future, offering America the same old disastrous trickle-down path that we cannot afford to take again !



Now, this is what I call a leader !

There has been a serious brain drain from Malaysia. Major pull factors have included better career opportunities abroad and compensation while major push factors included corruption, social inequality, and educational opportunities, and the government's Bumiputera affirmative action policies. As of 2011, Bernama has reported that there are a million talented Malaysians working overseas.Recently the brain drain has increased in pace: 305,000 Malaysians migrated overseas between March 2008 and August 2009 compared to 140,000 in 2007. Non-Bumiputeras particularly Malaysian Indian and Malaysian Chinese were over-represented in these statistics. Popular destinations included Singapore, Australia, the USA and the UK.  This has caused Malaysia's economic growth rate to fall to an average of 4.6% per annum in the 2000s compared to 7.2% in the 1990s.

A huge country like the United States require real talents. You need to have a better system to keep the right people. How Romney is going to justify the increased crime rates of illegal immigrants and assylum seekers in the country ? Do you think you make a fairer system but slashing out talented and skilled people out of America ? Raise your standards in immigration, set a qualification test to see the standard of your tax payers. It's totally unfair to neck out people out who've been paying higher taxes and made direct contribution to the SSN.

America should abolish their H1 visa rules , stop the lottery system. Fake H1's and fake experience people should be sent out. Dont throw your jobs offshore to pay less salary, stop cutting cost on education, without education where is the future going ???HMO's are killing people by rejecting the sick ones. Oh............I've been there , paid $2000 for a wisdom tooth extraction, imagine the middle class or poor Americans. Speak out for them, speak out for genuine immigrants and rights of women. Unless things are done, all the debate points will only remain as mere words.Talents play important roles in helping a country develop. The economy of a country that has a large number of world-class scientists and technicians can be more innovative than the others that don't.The more serious thing to happen is the brain waste! I've seen many IT guys from India who got their work permit end up working in the UK's postal departments!!! Not having a proper check and balance and a loop in the immigration system is not the fault of people. Today the UK wanted to neck out immigrants is ridiculous thing to do! Why did they allow the railway workers to settle down in the UK circa 1970's itself ?? You should have send them back then. Why do the government UKBA grants every fraud person to step in as a student through bogus colleges ? See..... people committed crime because you gave them the space to do so!

Fortunately, my vote will go in the 47% of  Barack Obama. Dear President, we want a better place and better life to live. We need a better America.  Go Obama !!!
 

Keeping Up Appearances !

I grew up watching Keeping Up Appearances , Mr.Bean on my Brit blood side :) The evergreen 80's kids can never forget the era where we've started getting Americanised in Malaysia. I'm talking about "The Mission Impossible" , "The A Team" , "McGyver" , "The FullHouse" and the ever famous "Beverly Hills 90210". I had huge crush on Brandon ( Jason Priestly )  then *sigh*.

Do you guys remember "The Growing Pains" ? How I wish I could turn back the clock and go back to my childhood! Ugggh..... I cant believe I've always wanted to grow up when I was young......what the........... was I thinking ?

After all these series of  Americano.... as a teenager I was so hooked to FRIENDS :) Who will not love David Schwimmer *screams*. Those were the days I say!

Uncle Onslow in gray suit and Lady Bucket in the pink hat :)

Uncle Onslow ( Geoffrey Hughes) is such an awesome guy......... I've  just remembered the bitter sweet memories of  London life back in 2004/2005. I was back to my childhood routine of  watching him in Keeping Up Appearances.  The Buckets never fail to make us laugh bursting out our lungs!

Certainly the world is going to miss you. RIP Geoffrey Hughes.

Golden words

The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering,
known struggle, known loss and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation...…a sensitivity and an understanding of  life that fills them with compassion,
gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.................
– Elisabeth Kübler-Ross


Came across the simplicity of  this statement.Typically.......I just want to extend this !

Pan Am Flight 103 & Al-Megrahi "mercy"

Pan Am Flight 103 - : "Pan Am Flight 103 was Pan American World Airways' third daily scheduled transatlantic flight from London's Heathrow Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. On Wednesday 21 December 1988, the aircraft flying this route—a Boeing 747-121 named Clipper Maid of the Seas—was destroyed by a bomb, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew members. Eleven people in Lockerbie, southern Scotland, were killed as large sections of the plane fell in and around the town, bringing total fatalities to 270. As a result, the event has been named by the media as the Lockerbie Bombing."


Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi , a Libyan was convicted for this act of insanity. 270 people were killed and this guy was released !!!! How sick ! 'Mercy' on a terrorist just because he's diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer ? Where is justice ???? An unjust law is not at all a Law !!! What about the innocent victims ?

I strongly feel this is not the right thing !! Libyan govt is giving compensation of USD 10 million per family of the victims ! "Blood money" to replace lost lives ? What about the mourning ? A child who've lost parent , parents who've lost their kid , students who've travelled with ambitions and goals in them ? Pain is a pain , it can never be replaced !!!! It's ridiculous to let Megrahi out. An act of crime is a crime , Scottish law now tempered with compassion !!

Gandhi's Talisman

"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man [woman] whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him [her]. Will he [she] gain anything by it? Will it restore him [her] to a control over his [her] own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj [freedom] for the hungry and spiritually starving millions?


Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."

- One of the last notes left behind by Gandhi in 1948, expressing his deepest social thought.

Source: Mahatma Gandhi [Last Phase, Vol. II (1958), P. 65].