IPBG Tournament 2018

Bismillah...

It's already March and I haven't written anything. I even skipped my yearly summary and reflection post. Truth is I've been busy with sports since I returned from my trip to Japan (other than busied by work thingy). Most nights and weekends were spent either playing futsal or volleyball.


I haven't been participating in tournaments much since I graduated so I was quite excited and honestly, slightly worried how my performance would be at this age. I was worry if I'll be the reason for the team's loss since I was playing with those who are 3 to 5 years younger than me. I can feel the difference; I'm not as agile as I was back then and the worse part is, my recovery from muscle sore is extremely slow now... urgh~ At one point, I even took time to think through what cause the slow recovery; not enough nutrition in my diet?? not enough warming up?? And then I accepted that this is... AGING!

IPBG stands for Inter-Professional Body Games which includes the doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers, architects and quantity surveyors. It's already the 13th IPBG this year but it's the first time for the pharmacists to participate so we really don't know what to expect. I was surprised to see how good the other teams were and some even had their own coach! For us, it was hard to even form a team; partly because we are smaller in number and are scattered all over Sabah and partly because not many of us play sports. So you will just see the same faces in every game! Hahaha but I only played two. Because I thought, this is a competitive game so it's better to choose the games that I'm really good at rather than play what I can play.

The first game was futsal which was held on 27th January. The girls were lucky since there were only 5 participating teams. So we got second place by just winning against the lawyers. But I didn't score a single goal since I was playing in the middle. Most of my players were very new to futsal tournament; they didn't even know the basic rules. I lowered my expectations; as long as they played their best, I was more than happy. I purposely didn't put myself as one of the main player because I want the girls to play more sebab kak long akan pencen duluan satu hari nanti hahaha

So here's the team! As always, my number is 4~

We were against a very good team in the final. I played 2nd half and tried to get the ball to the goal a few times but to no avail; their defense was impenetrable! Finally I decided to strengthen our defense. But my left knee was hit by a very powerful attempt and later I had cramps on both calves that I have to go out of the court. Me being injured is a rare occasion so I always don't know what to do if it happen; just like when I had cramps during one of our volleyball practice. However, I was really satisfied with the final. I always find it fulfilling to be up against a very good team even if I don't win. Haih... I should've taken one of their player's contact number to arrange for practice..

The guys' team was not as lucky; they had more opponents and played more games. And as I mentioned before, the other teams were good; their formation seems more coordinated and you can tell they have more experience playing with each other. The guys' tried their best, it was just the other teams' defense were impenetrable~ 1 goal from DS... We will come back stronger in 2 years!

It was a mix team for the volleyball team; during each game there  must be at least 2 female players.

We didn't make it to the semi. I was okay with that because I was already too happy to be able to play volleyball in a tournament again after 8 years!!!! I'm not used to losing in volleyball but yeah I was already too happy because this is the game that I love the most. I started playing when I was around 10 so it was easier for me to get my rhythm back for this one (Thank you muscle memory!). I was just a bit reluctant to use my overhand serve.

The basketball games just ended last Wednesday; missed watching one match because P was not playing that night hahaha they played well tapi tu la semua team Farmasi ni semua baru menetas~

We have 2 years to come back stronger peeps!
And.... My duty is to keep fit muahahaha~

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Japan 2017: What I Did This Time

Bismillah,

It' been almost a month since I came back from my long escapade in Japan and South Korea. And then after that life was hectic again. Partly my fault because I purposely cramped everything after the trip; audits, personal appointments etc hehe

So here's a quick sneak peek of what I manage to do in my more than 2 weeks stay in Japan, And yes, I was broke as hell the moment I left Osaka for Incheon.

Karaoke!!! Well, Japan is the origin of Karaoke so I thought why not experience it there. There was a misunderstanding when I left this place, though. When I came, the girl at the counter told me it cost 500 yen for an hour plus one drink. I paid her 500 yen and got a receipt. But then when I was about to leave, another guy asked me to pay again but this time 500 yen for the room plus 400 yen for the drink. I argued for a few minutes that I've paid to his friend but since he insisted that payment should be made after I used he room, so I just paid again~ ceyh!

 Yushukan War Memorial Museum, located within the Yasukuni Shrine. The shrine started off as a place to give honour to the fallen samurai and later continued to be used to honour soldiers who died in modern wars. The Yushukan War Memorial Museum has exhibits back from the feudal lords era to the WWI and WWII and of course it gives you the story from the Japanese perspective. Not everything is translated into English, though. But my personal favourites are the poems written by the Samurai and also the letters sent by the soldiers to their beloved. Sebak sebak baca T_T

Owl Cafe in Asakusa, I was staying in Asakusa while in Tokyo and found that there were a few owl cafes there. The entrance fee are about the same so you can just  go to any that's convenient and with that you get a free drink inside. You can touch the owls and take pictures with them but for me, I actually prefer cat cafe since cats are more 'social' as in you can play with them or they might sit on your lap if you're likable to them. Owls don't do anything other than stare at you with their huge round eyes. Sometimes, I think they were glaring at me in hatred. Really can't understand them....

Fujiko F. Fujio and Ghibli Museum!!!!!!!!
I missed these two in my previous visit. Back then there weren't much info about the tickets so we missed the fact that it should be prebooked at least a month before the date you want.  For the Fujiko F. Fujio, I booked it through a tour agent called HIS but you can also book it through KLOOK or JAPANiCAN. The museum tells about the life of the manga artist and all his works. Now I know why even after all these years Doraemon is still relevant. It's because the creator is a very curious person and loved to read books. He incorporated all the knowledge gained through his readings in his manga and made sure that every series contain lessons for the readers.

As for Ghibli Museum, I don't think a non Ghibli anime fan can appreciate this place much since there aren't many information written on the history and all. Just exhibits of the original drawings and some of the old devices used to produced motion pictures. I saw the devices displayed in the Movie Museum in Oslo back in April but it was only the model so in Ghibli I saw how they actually work.

One Piece Kabuki! Kabuki is a classical Japanese theater that has some singing and dancing in it. The thing is, I can't find how long is the whole show and assumed it will be normal 2 hours show. Since I have to go to Kawaguchiko that night, so I booked a bus at 9 pm. Truth is the show was divided into 3 scenes; 1.5-2 hours for each scene with 30 mins intervals in between each. So the show was actually from 4 pm to 9.30 pm!!!! So I have to leave early huhuhu No wonder it was so expensive!

Anyway, I enjoyed the show very much! In a normal Kabuki (meaning to say a non-anime based Kabuki), foreigners will be given an audio device that gives English translation. But for One Piece there was none so I can't understand it 100% although I could actually grasp the main point of the story. The synchronization of the light effects was superb!

I got the Autumn that I'd wished forrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!

Earlier this year I realized I haven't experienced autumn after years and years of traveling and this was a good excuse to go back to Japan hehe At first the trip was supposed to be Tokyo-Fukuoka-Hiroshima-Osaka. I wanted to watch Sumo in Fukuoka but had to cancel last minute because I didn't get the tickets. It was already the last legs of the Fukuoka tournament, so the ticket was selling fast. So I decided to just enjoy the autumn leaves in Tokyo, Kawaguchiko and Kyoto and I regret it not! I just can't get enough of the beautiful shades of colours. I seriously thought the autumn pictures were the results of photo editing. No! The colours were best seen by naked eyes and no pictures in the world could ever do justice to the real beauty! T_T *EMO*

Surprisingly, I went on a shopping spree in Gotemba... I had everything planned that day but then it rained that morning. At first, I thought of going to Gotemba while I wait for the rain to stop. But I end up spending the whole day there hahaha it was such a great place to shop! Seb baek iman ku teguh but yeah I actually finished quite a sum of money there. I decided to cancel all the other plans after considering the traveling time to each of the attractions. So I saved them for the next trip... I know Japan is that one country that I'll keep coming back to hehehe

Fuji-san striking his greatest glory on my last day in Kawaguchiko! My roommate and I were just discussing how mysterious the mountain could be due to its peak low rate of visibility throughout the year. Only the lucky ones could get a glimpse of it. It's typically normal to hear someone who had been to areas where Fuji-san is visible many times but never once saw it. I saw it everyday when I was there but not as clear as this one. I was having breakfast when I saw the peak from the common room window. I ate my food pretty quickly than usual and rushed to the bridge which was about 5 minutes walk from my hostel. Took a good amount of pictures and then I just stood there on the bridge; absorbing the beauty.  It was only visible for about 20 minutes because as I walked back to my hostel, the peak was already almost fully covered by clouds. I guess Fuji-san was bidding me his goodbye and reminding me that I should come back to conquer its peak! I WILL!!!!!

Samurai Class! I cancelled everything in Fukuoka and Hiroshima 3 weeks before the actual date and I had no idea what to do in Osaka. At first I thought of going to BigBang concert in Osaka Kyocera Dome. But then the ticket was RM700 and you'll be assigned to random seats which will be at the topmost tier and GD will only be as big as an ant from there... So I rather not! I rather pay by the thousands if that means I can touch GD's leg! hahaha So I found this short Samurai Experience class in Osaka and registered myself. It's only for about 1,5 hours but it was really fun! We get to learn the history, the basic moves and even performed. I  even killed a ninja!!!!!!!!!!!! \(^^)/

And yes I purposely chose Kenshin's robe hehehe Battosai!

My first Wagyu beef eva!
We had it in Gyon, Naritaya Restaurant. It was full in the afternoon so I made a reservation during dinner. So now I know why Wagyu is so special, it surely taste something that's out of this world!!!! The smooth texture and it literally melt inside my mouth as I chewed. The meat was not marinated with anything but it tasted so sweet. In my next trip, I'm going to reserve more money to enjoy more of this... yum yum!

Toei Eigamura; Kyoto Studio Park. This a smaller scale of the Edo Theme Park but it was enjoyable too! They have lots of shows so make sure to check the schedule firsthand when you get the park pamphlet. In this pic we are posing with the Samurais. They were fighting on the streets and it was so awesome! We went on a weekday so the good side was there were less people but the downside was, there were fewer shows compared to if you go during the weekend. There were a lot of special need kids in the park too at that time, and I was fighting back tears as we stroll around. I don't know whether it is just me, but can you see the purity in the faces of people with special needs? It shines through them and you can clearly see the sincerity in their smile. I always thought, maybe they don't have a perfect physic or mental, but what we lack is the perfect heart that they have, that pure heart...

I went back to Arashiyama and was stunned by how different and how beautiful it look in Autumn! Everything was so colourful and of course it was really crowded compare to when I came back in 2015. This time we get to rent a boat and we just put down our cameras during most of the ride and enjoy the surrounding

USJ!
I stopped going to theme parks since Paris Disneyland. Theme parks no longer give me that much of excitement except if they have this awesome parades with my favourite characters. But USJ was definitely something else. I really enjoyed the Harry Potter ride and this Roller Coaster really got me all excited that I actually can ride it 10 more times! Hahaha But JF was not feeling well on that day so I just went with her flow. It was raining quite heavily when we rode it. I thought it was really awesome for rides to continue running in the rain. There were speakers in front of us and on our seat, close to our ears so the music was blasting in our ears as we go. That was so fun!

I guess that's all for now... Till we meet again Japan (^^)

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Oct 2017: Taiwan (^^) Part 2

Bismillah...

On my second day, I decided to go to Yanmingshan. The weather looked promising that morning, but it started to rain the moment I reached Qingtiangang Grassland tourist center.

Taiwan has a lot of beautiful national parks scattered all over the country and Yangmingshan is one of the largest and it's just less than an hour away from Taipei. Since I'm not so much of the city type traveler nor am I the food hunter type, so it's predictable isn't it that I would go to the most accessible hiking trail from the city.

I board the MRT heading towards the Jiantan station and from there you can pick which bus you want to ride based on where you want to stop at the National Park. I'd been looking at the Guide to Taipei website and also the Official Yangmingshan website before I arrive but was quite indecisive on which place to visit since there are too many choices.

At first I wanted to go to Qintiangang and then from there to Xiaoyoukeng by bus and hike to Lengshuikeng. But the weather was so bad that I decided to head back to Taipei after I completed the Qingtiangang circuit.

I didn't know that I need to change bus in Lengshuikeng to go to Qingtiangang so I just stayed on the bus while everybody alighted hahaha luckily there was an Indonesian family who spoke excellent Mandarin. They've been working there for years. They explained to me that I need to change bus and show the ticket given by the first bus' driver to the new bus' driver,

It was really foggy when I arrived and as I walk the trail, the visibility was only around 2m. I can't see the people walking in front at all. I can only hear their voices! 

Actually, if you google this place, it will give you a lot of very beautiful scenery images. But since it was all foggy, rained like cats and dogs plus strong wind, my experience was rather eerie and I was walking alone. Near the end of this trail, I met with a group of Taiwanese. I actually heard one of them singing as I walk but since the fog was too thick I couldn't see where they were.

The guy who was singing actually spoke good English. All of them were from Tao Yuan and were there in Taipei to spend their National Day holiday. As we walk towards the end of the trail together, this guy told me all of the other sites in Yangmingshan that I should try if I have enough time. I said, "I might come tomorrow if it's sunny." and yes I did!

Damaged by the wind

The first thing that I did when I woke up the next morning was peek from behind the curtain to see whether if it was raining outside. It was sunny!!! I quickly jumped out of bed, head towards the shower, quickly don my hiking attire, grabbed some buns at 7E and off to the MRT station. When I arrived at Jiantan around 9am, there were already long lines at the bus stop. I was actually very surprised to see the crowd was mostly consist of elderly! I've seen elderly hike in South Korea and Japan, but not as many as in Taiwan! Terus azam aku untuk tidak kalah dengan usia semakin berkobar kobar....

I decided to do the trail that I didn't get to do the day before. I took the bus to Yangmingshan station and from there took another bus to Xiaoyoukeng. Since the crowd was too overwhelming that day, there were a lot of changes with the bus system. On normal days, you board the bus with the route that passes the station that you want to stop at. But that day, you have to find which bus that goes directly to the station you want. I was actually impressed that they took the initiative to efficiently manage the overwhelming crowd. I've never seen that done at home. I mean, to suddenly change the bus system on busy days....

I only strolled for a few minutes in Xiaoyoukeng since the area is not too big. I then started climbing the path to the peak of Mount Qixing.

The tourist center was busy attending to tourists when I arrived, so I just took this picture to decide which trail to take based on the distance and estimated duration. It was really convenient. There were clear sign post along the way so you will not get lost. 

The hike to Lengshuikeng was long but easy. I think everybody can do it. It started with this grassy area, and then the arrow bamboo trail and then the rocky peaks.

This is actually the second peak. It was so windy up there that my scarf almost got blown off by the wind! I quickly tied both end to the back of my neck to keep it secure. Kalo tudung betul-betul terbang nda tau la macam mana mau turun...Free hair???

Taipei view from atop Mt Qixing

It was such a satisfying hike I did that day. I really love it when all the sweats is paid off by great scenery. I was not that tired at the end of the trail but yes I was extremely hungry. Knowing that most restaurants are closed from 2.30 to 5.00 pm, I went straight to a renowned seafood Sushi in Taipei and I ate my heart out! hahaha

Jakun aku dengan ordering sistem yang tiada human interaction ni hahaha (^^)

Hurm, since I've only been to Taipei, I think I'm obliged to go back and explore the rest of this country...

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