A Trip To Sungai Gabai (with colour photos!) Saturday, October 13, 2007
When Joyce and I first signed up for membership in the ACE Club, it was so that we could take part in the trip to the Sungai Gabai waterfall, the first event organized by the club, as an ice-breaking session. Strangely enough, Lauren and Yenli were equally fast in filling out the forms, which was surprising, since Lauren would usually avoid areas with plenty of trees, and animals.
Nonetheless, the Saturday morning came, and I drove over to uni to pick Lauren up. Me, along with 6 9 other people were the designated drivers for the day, so we listened carefully while Kar Yong explained how to get there. Apparently, it wasn't too difficult, since I had already gone to Sungai Tekala before, and Sungai Gabai was only a short distance from there. Nodding enthusiastically, we proceeded to our cars, and with Joyce, Lauren, and Bryan (ACE Committee Member), I started off to meeting point 2: Petronas.
Chi Ming and Eddie were there bright and early
Short briefing
It was about here that Yenli appeared in her trusty Kelisa.
After filling up on petrol and buying the necessary items for survival in hilly areas (snacks and chips), we started off, all 7 10 cars forming a convoy. I was expecting to reach the place in quick order, since it wasn't too far from Sungai Tekala.
Or so Kar Yong said.
Sungai Tekala is approximately 14 k.m. from the turn-off junction in Semenyih. Sungai Gabai, however, is ANOTHER 16 k.m. from Sungai Tekala, making that approximately 30 k.m. Not exactly close. On the way, however, we did pass by Semenyih dam, which has one of the most scenic spots I've seen in Semenyih. After traversing winding roads, and almost running over monkeys, we finally arrived at the place.
Upon arrival, we sniffed the fresh air.. which smelled like monkey poo Distracted by the scent of monkey poo First group photo (Lauren, Me, Yen, Joyce) The climb up the stairs was rather tiring Along the way, we decided to stop for a while to snap shots. I took one of Chi Ming taking one. More tired people.
After finally reaching the rest area, we had several ice-breaking games, designed so as to enable us to know our fellow ACE members better.
Giving instructions
 Me, grinning like an idiot (I can't remember why, though)
People looking at pails. See me demonstrate how to catch a cold, wet cloth.
After the games, we had a free and easy session, where everyone just plunged into the waterfall. It was a fun affair, with most of us trying the natural rock slide, and just wading about, trying not to freeze into a popsicle in the cold water.
Photos become fewer, as I thought it wouldn't be a good idea to bring a camera into a waterfall We still had good 'ol Chi Ming, though, who took pictures first, BEFORE going in.
Nice group photo..
The attraction would have to be the natural rock slide, where (almost) all of us took turns to push ourselves off the ledge and careen down the slope, to end up with a splash at the bottom (I recall Yen pulling my foot as she went down, and since I was sitting perched at the edge of the slope, I went sliding along right behind her). A fun experience, nonetheless. After all the sliding and wading, we had our lunch of chicken rice, and then proceeded to take pictures.
Group Photo Me and half the Committee Members Me and the other half of the Committee Members Since we were wearing towels, we were inspired to become superheroes. Guess what we were supposed to be. (click here for the answer)
Soon, it was all done. Collectively, we decided to stop by the dam, to continue our photo-taking. It was raining however, so I only managed to get a few shots, before I scurried back into the car.
Beautiful landscape (doesn't look like Malaysia, does it?) The row of cars (look closely, and you can see hands all sticking from the cars)
My failed attempt to take a panoramic shot
The convoy took to the winding roads again, and before long, we were back in uni, preparing to go home.
A fun trip, at that. Waterfall, anyone?
Posted at 01:07 am by IsaacCheah
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Another (2) Week(s) In Review.. Thursday, October 11, 2007
Phew. Two weeks without any updates. There goes my 2-Days-Per-Update plan, right out the window. Saying that the first few weeks were hectic would be an understatement; I'm practically swamped with assignments and work, and so is everyone else mugging it out here, in the little town of Semenyih.
Nonetheless, since I'm actually in Subang now, for the Raya break, I managed to sneak in a bit of time to update my dear blog readers about the latest (ok, maybe not really the LATEST) happenings.
It was on a Saturday when Matthew's girlfriend asked Zhao Heng to bring all his friends over to Shah Alam for a surprise party.
I wish I could say that this is a picture of my car. I can't, though. Not without lying. Shah Alam Peak?
When we arrived, we were warmly greeted by Matthew's mum, who directed us to the pile of raw food waiting to be cooked, on the table. Heaping piles of chicken and lamb (and one fish, requested by E-Guy), we soon started sweating over the BBQ pit.
Kwo Kuang looks very happy here, for some reason Yes, I cooked too. So did the others.
When Matthew arrived, he didn't seem all too surprised. He wasn't entirely surprised either when we threw him into the pool (after he handed over all the contents of his pockets to his girlfriend).
Pre-Swimming
Unperturbed, he managed to coax Zhao Heng into the pool as well. Or, more accurately, managed to push him in.
After taking a swim, Zhao becomes The Thinker. Reminder: The swimming pool in university is restricted to ladies only, on Thursdays, 5.00pm. Not long after that, our nice neighbours in Semenyih invited the house occupants over to their place for a BBQ session.
Pin and Qian Hui Pin's slippers; "..you won't want to wear any other shoe anymore.." The BBQ group
Coming up soon: Trip To Sungai Gabai (with colour photos!)
Posted at 11:55 pm by IsaacCheah
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Why I Want To Eat At Fridays? Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The rain had only started to peter into a light drizzle, when I stepped into Fridays (sopping wet, as it was). Chilled to the bone, I was warmly greeted by the staff, as I gingerly stepped around tables and chairs, mindful of the patrons, so as not to spatter them with cold rain water that was dripping off my hair in bucketloads.
 The cheerful ambience of the restaurant immediately picked me up somewhat, (not to mention the smells wafting from the kitchen), and when I finally found a seat among my group of friends already congregated there, I actually began to feel a bit dryer, and that life was worth living again. One of the waiters quickly whisked over to me, and handed me a menu,through which I just cast a glance, and ordered a black coffee (my usual). After some deliberation, I settled for the burger, and focused my attention back on the buzzing conversationalists in front of me.
The ladies were busy chattering away about some new store that had opened in the 1 Utama, ("Oh, you just HAVE to go over there! I hear they have the latest...") while the guys kept up the usual grunting and snorting about recent sports developments. Seated as I was, at the chair furthest away from the animated din, I managed to catch snippets of a conversation that wafted over in my direction.
".. eh, how come we always come here for our gatherings wan ah? No other place mer?"
".. I dunno ler, you ask our host over there and see la..."
".. yes, yes, Heroes Season 2 came out already.. You want ah? I got download.."
Sipping away at my coffee, I couldn't help but ponder regarding the part about coming to Friday's often (the other half of my mind was busy thinking about who to get the Heroes series from). It was an invariable fact that almost all our gatherings, be it comprised of high-school, college, or university friends, were staged in Friday's, more specifically, TGIF, at The Curve. It ranked almost as high as the sun coming up in the morning in terms of predictability; All Gatherings Are To Be In TGIF (in uppercase).
What is it about this place that makes us keep coming back?
Maybe its delightfully cosy setting that the place provides, perfect for those who want a little comfort, and a long overdue break from the corner mamak stall with its bawling television set and grimy fly-killer.
Or perhaps its the friendly staff that never fails to bring a smile, along with menu, to the table. (and yes, their service is pretty fast too)
Undoubtedly, the food plays a major part.
I guess the funky decorations on the wall help as well.
As I continued to look around however, I heard the gails of laughter coming from all around me, and I realised, with a grin, what it was that pulled us all back.
Good Friends + Great Food = Grand Times
Why do I want to eat at Fridays?
The better question would be; Why wouldn't I want to eat at Fridays?
And thats a question that probably won't be answered anytime soon.
Posted at 10:40 pm by IsaacCheah
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Of Birthdays, Lanterns, and William's... Saturday, September 29, 2007
Yet another week has flown by, and, yes, things don't seem all that great. I have a rather foreboding premonition of things to come, and, sadly, I can't really seem to shake it off.
Nonetheless, several bright points appeared throughout the 5 days that was spent in the quiet little town of Semenyih.
Siew Yeng's Birthday
Joyce had always spoken about her old friend, Siew Yeng, back from her days in Chan Wa, but this was the first time that I got to meet her in person. It was her 21st birthday, and she, along with Rui Rui, decided to pop by Metro Point Kajang, for a birthday dinner with us.
Metro Point, at Night The Birthday Girl, Siew Yeng Group Photo, in Secret Recipe
After a pleasant meal where the major point of discussion was about lard, we dropped both of them back in their respective off-campus homes in UKM, Bangi. Apparently, these girls actually come over to Kajang for lunch, and although its some way off, they nonchalantly claimed that it was rather near.
And we complain about going to Multi-Choice for lunch.
Lantern Festival
Tuesday night was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and, rather surprisingly, we managed to round up a bunch of people to walk around with lanterns, on uni grounds.
A very Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to everyone!
Sonia @ William's
Since Sonia was going to go back to the UK, a bunch of us hopped into my car, and went down (up?) to William's, to have a makan/talking session with her.
Yen and Zhao Me, Sonia, Joyce Zhao and Happy Kohilan
We ended up spending 3 hours there. Just goes to show how time flies in the company of good friends.
And there goes another week.
Posted at 12:19 am by IsaacCheah
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Saturday, September 22, 2007
What a week. Uni officially resumed classes on Monday, and the past 5 days have been full of running around, trying to decide which modules to take. Nonetheless, there were a few memorable events that we managed to take time out to participate in.
Farewell at The Airport.
On Monday, we finally bade farewell to those leaving for the UK, namely Pharmacy and Engineering students. The scene was reminiscent of the send-off we had last year, but it seems like there were more people present this time round.
Li-Lynn Fang Chin and Chung Siew Manny Yenson Tiyor @ Ah Tuck
Kae Shin Douglas Kah Lin Hwee Yinn Li-Ann
All the best to you guys over there!
Eng Teck Turns 21
So this joker turned 21. We bought a cake and suprised him at one of the restaurants in Semenyih, where the guys brought him out to dinner first.
Blowing candle Those are huge noodles The 21-Year Old Eng Teck
Stunt Driving
It was quite early in the morning when ***r** (asterisks placed strategically to preserve anonymity) gathered everyone in the kampung to help get her car tyre out of a manhole. The tyre had burst upon entering the hole, so it was a rather tough job getting it out. Furthermore, the nuts that held the wheel in place were doing their job too well. And to top it off, ***r** must have driven over dog dung, since the wheel we had to change was covered in it. But with manly enthusiasm (and the usual complaining), the guys set to, and in short order, managed to get it out, and replace it with a new tyre.
See me slacking Look ma, no wheels!
Men @ Work
There's always something to look forward to, in Semenyih.
Julie Turns 21
On Friday night, I popped over Julie's place to wish her many happy returns of the day. I could always remember her birthday since my dad shares the same day, 21st September. I managed to bump into old school friends, some of whom I had not seen since the last day of Form 5, and some whom I just had dinner with the night before. As usual, whenever there's a gathering of ex-schoolmates, we began reminiscing about the good 'ol days, and nostalgia came nipping almost instantly.
Julie Cuts Cake This was taken using the camera timer function. Me and the birthday girl Kenny and Hang Yang The Happier Versions of Kenny and Han Yang Puvesh and Julie Julie, Mei Ling, and I Bakti-ans : Julie, Puvesh, Mei Ling, Han Yang Usaha-ans : Kenny, Myself, Ven Nee
The Group PhotoGuys, Left-Right: Myself, Han Yang, Chris, Puvesh, KennyGirls, Left-Right: Mei Ling, Julie, Wai Teng, Ven Nee
Well, Happy Birthday, Julie!
And thats the week in review.
Posted at 04:03 pm by IsaacCheah
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Starbucks, With The Gang.. Thursday, September 13, 2007
I was on my way back from church, when Joshua called and said that the fellows were in Starbucks, Taipan. So, in moments, Joshua had swung by my house, and we trundled over there.
*Pictures courtesy of Li-Lynn*
The Fairer Sex
The Not So Fair Sex
All Together Now
The Starbucks Barista who took these photos of us asked us if we wanted to take more.
We said "Yes", of course...
Although Weng Hoe went to the washroom, he still managed to appear in the photo. Skillful indeed.
Lynn's camera actually has the sounds of them hissing at each other
We were supposed to pout, here. I come off looking retarded (as usual)
A more presentable one
My failed attempt at philosophy
I always had this theory that when you threw this bunch of people together, the outcome would surely be fun and laughter.
Again, I'm proven right. =)
Posted at 08:43 pm by IsaacCheah
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