Any soul that still visits this place after a seven mth hiatus? Say hi.

I doubt so. haha. Im sitting at my desk on a quiet Sunday evening, and fresh awake from a long nap, and overwhelmed by a sudden urge to blog.

Maybe i'll actively share my thoughts again, we'll see huh, things change and i might always go back to hibernation....

Well, something lingering always at the back of my mind decided to surface full blast these few days.

Its not some deep seeded unhappiness, but im just having some problems with my orientation in life. Yup. Ms FJ feels lost. At this point, i cant really visualise what lies ahead in front of me in all aspects in life....Well, im sure im not the only one experiencing this now, many folks exist on earth like me, wihout a reason or passion to live.

But its just worrying.

Because...day by day, time passes quickly, i go to work, i get off work, i engage in my after work activities, and its back to slp, and before u know it, the week passes you by. Im aware that im neglecting some aspects , but im mentally too tired to make the effort to improve.

I thought by living my life the way i do now, im maximising my time and existence on earth. But reality its not, and maybe im just finding time fillers to avoid facing reality. Because when u are mentally and physically tired, you don't have to think, no? I choose to be busy to avoid being alone so that i don't have time for these thoughts to fill my mind in a silent room.

My compass in life is missing, i dun knw just yet what it is, i guess all of us are trying to find it somewhere in our lives.

Are you guys lost like me too?

Ive been with MCYS for 3 years.

Each time, as the year draws to a close, DS/MCYS will drop all his staff an inspirational note.

This year, his note came two days early.

And i particularly liked this poem he shared.

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I Am The New Year
Author Unknown

Life, I am the new year.
I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.
I am your next chance at the art of living.

I am your opportunity to practise
what you have learned about life
during the last twelve months.

All that you sought
and didn't find is hidden in me,
waiting for you to search it out
with more determination.

All the good that you tried for
and didn't achieve
is mine to grant
when you have fewer conflicting desires.

All that you dreamed but didn't dare to do,
all that you hoped but did not will,
all the faith that you claimed but did not have -
these slumber lightly,
waiting to be awakened
by the touch of a strong purpose.

I am your opportunity
to renew your allegiance to Him who said,
'behold, I make all things new.'

I am the new year.

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As the year draws to a close, I too, recognize that certain chapters in my life has ended, be it in joy or tears.

With the ending of these chapters, i gained valuable lessons and learnt not to waste my life away any further.

I wouldnt want this 2008 chapter of my life to be rewritten in any other way. 

And I wish that the 2009 chapter, a fresh start, would be even better, for me and all of my friends.

So, Happy New Year to all in advance.  ")

As i looked through the pictures of my most recent trip, i thought that the days of suffering (aka muscle aches, numb toes and bruised legs ) was well worth it. :)

Loads of laughter, fun and support given as we trekked up the mighty Mt Kinabalu. I rem both the sunset and sunrise. Beautiful.

And then i tried , for the first time, white water rafting at the Kiulu River.

The road trip to Tip of Borneo and back was an unforgettable experience too. I remember us humming along to the music as our car whizzed past the long winding roads.

And of course, we were a bunch of atas backpackers who stayed in suites, and enjoyed jacuzzis. Totally broke the "Backpackers Code of Conduct". Slightly ashamed, but never regretted our choice of hotels!

To sum it up, it was a good relaxing holiday. Didnt write much in my journal this time, coz was pretty burnt out by the end of most days.  

Yes, ive uploaded like 10 albums onto facebook covering this trip. But im trigger happy u see. :pThough i would have liked to blog abt each and every picture i took, its quite impossible. So ive extracted some to blog abt.

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Day 1: 4.30 am at Jiaxuan's House ( awaiting Andy Lau's transport, serious. our driver is called Andy Lau right?)

A pre trip picture of us before setting off to Senai Airport.

AirAsia - Dun underestimate their airplane food. Its pretty decent, considering the price u pay.

Roti Canai - Can u pronounce it?

My Hot Dog Breakfast

I was feeling pretty irritated throughout the flight coz of this kid that wouldnt stop fidgeting behind my seat. As i slept, my head was touched, my seat was knocked into....but my heart melted when i turned around and saw this cute lil face. Couldnt resist but snap a pic of this "Si Gi Na". Cute kids have their way with me. Anytime.

Exploring the streets of Kota Kinabalu City.

I love candy shops. This one is found in Wisma Merdeka, one of the well stocked shopping centres in KK city.

Da Xiong, the navigator, foodie, Sugar Daddy and source of amusement at the Manukan Islands.

Ben Dan/Simple Jack acting cool. My Bridge/Driving Instructor and Main Irritant for the trip.

We stayed over at Mesilau Nature Resort for the first night. There are two trails up to Mt K - Timpohon Trail (shorter, easier , more touristy) and the Mesilau Trail (longer, more scenic, tougher, but u bump into less souls along the way.) Mesilau trail costs more but we opted for it still. :) Never regretted the choice.

Day 2: The Journey to Laban Rata

My carbo loading breakfast on the morning before we set off for Laban Rata ( 3272m) where we will rest for the night before attempting summit.

Here we go! With our guide Jaymol.

Start of the Mesilau Trail - the road less travelled.

Start of Hike- You can still spot a smile on our faces, coz we have yet reached the 0.5 km mark yet.

Our guide Jaymol, and two lady porters. For 50 Sing, they will carry your backpack up... and they are only 13 and 14 years old respectively.

Next up, we took turns to model with the various distance markings to motivate ourselves.

Mathematician JX. Our accountant for the trip!

This gal amazes me with her appetite and milo drinking ability. My "Top of the World" singing Kaki as we admired the Kinabalu Sunset after the rain. "P

Tired Bear.

Yes.

Thank God. We made it to 4.5km.

Still managed to squeeze in an artistic shot or two. ;P Here's my fav artistic shot (though nobody from my grp seems to think highly of it.:( )

The rain clouds came shortly after the Mesilau Trail merges with the Timpohon Trail.. Becoz of the rain, we didnt stop to take pictures with all the markings. It also made the hike more challenging as it was cold and the ground was rather muddy and slippery.

We caught the sunset shortly after the rain and the song Top of the World came to mind as we peered down onto the marshmallowy clouds which reflected an orange glow from the sunset.

We finally reached Laban Rata at 6plus in the evening, we were one of the last few trekkers to reach the guest house. But like what LW always proudly exclaim: "we took Mesilau!" This is one reason why we arrived much later than the rest who took the Tipohon route. :)

Ate dinner, showered with a live moth, screamed my guts out, caught some slp in a sauna like room, and yes, attempted to summit at 2.30 am the next day.

Day 3: Summit Climb + Painful Descent

Group shot before we set off in the darkness. 

We were or rather I was breathless even from taking small steps due to the thin air. So we took rest breaks quite often, and seized the opportunity to take photos too.

Kinabalu Sunrise!

We didnt manage to watch sunrise from the Kinabalu Summit ( Low's Peak 4095m). Admired it a few hundred metres from summit instead.

I realize that this entry will take forever so i decided to cut it short. :)

To sum it up... i had fun.

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I had lunch with the Wongees yest, and im already quite excited to be part of their Cambodia Grand Plan next year with Meihuan, John and Babe Magnet. Hope we can all find a common date k!

And yes, im glad u liked ya gifts my dear Wongees... i treasure this friendship of ours :)

(Calvin is very happy with Mae Ann's gift.)

4 more days to Xmas!

Beautiful Kinabalu Sunset.

More pictures to be shared later. ;P

A lil late in posting the pics up from KTV a few weeks ago... it was good fun with all the animated singing and scandalous behaviour from parties whom shall not be named.

Its getting all Xmassy in town...

Nono has smelly feet.

A sign of brotherhood. I think it was a You Ke Li Lin song and the boys got emotional.

Funniest pic of the evening taken by K. Nobody paid attention to Nono' heartfelt singing..

Ending off the entry with a totally irrelevant pic.

Giant M&Ms and ice cream!

-- will be uploaded at a later time due to Ms Yeo's impatience --