Hike Trail: Jan 2011

Well, this was supposed to be written in January when I did this day walk. But as you can see, it's now dated February--and I am desperate to share this over 16 km walk covering a third of the Motutapu Island. It's a feat to finish it in less than 3 hours, and admittedly I felt the walk was rather easy. There aren't many battling hills and thick bushes in this conservation island and I feel much like going there for a picnic away from the city.

I started off at Home Bay, where the ferry dropped me off at the little jetty that they've there. It took the ferry about 30 mins from the city harbor to reach there. The funny thing about the ferry schedule is that its frequencies to Motutapu Island is every second and forth Saturdays of each month of the year.

When I got off, it smelled like sheep and cow dungs everywhere. Yes, these animals are scattered around the perimeter of the island, where the DOC rangers reared them for some reasons or another. Anyhow, as I walk through the Rotary Centennial Track (consisted of thick planted native trees for conservation) the smell fades away. When I re-emerge from the other end of the 10 mins walkway, it almost felt like surreal! As if a parallel world exists!

View from the Rotary Centennial Track

View at the end of the Rotary Centennial Track

At this end, I saw some relics from WW2 military post in the island. These concrete+metal buildings looked old, and decrepit. So I walked on (clearly I wasn't interested!) and embarked on the 1.5 hours walk along the valleys to reach the north point of the island (aptly named the Billy Goat Point). And along the way I stopped here and there to rest my eyes on the undulating fields.

Breathing in the glorious lunch break at Waikarapupu Bay Point

Waikarapupu Bay

Sandy Bay with Rangitoto at the background

When I reached my end of the track (back to Home Bay where the ferry picks me up), I've got some time to kill and I took that opportunity to lay down on my back and eat my apple. I saw rich people cruising in their expensive yatchs, making me long for winning the lottery by millions! Jealousy is indeed a grave sin!

Home Bay

Comment: This is the beginning of my hike highlights entries--planning to go see the lush sceneries around every month! :)

Egypt Raising!

I'll be writing something about politics, and Gen Y.

We learn one of the biggest historical moments just happened this week in Egypt, and Tunisia--and perhaps other repressed countries will soon oust their corrupt leaders. As I go through the webpages on BBCs, the force behind the rallies that free the countries from these selfish leaders are the Gen Ys. Those who are educated, awarded degrees that merit respects, have to end up selling stuff in an illegal market (for example) or even worse remained unemployed more years than they spent earning their qualifications. These are the people who got fed up with the self indulging, enriching leaders while they (the people) lose many nights of sleeps working hard to earn themselves meals for the week.

I'm proud to be on their sides, the Gen Y. They are the living examples of people who are willing to die to gain freedom. They bled, sweat and cried through the uprising because they want their hopes and voices to echo deeply into the palatial mansions of the self serving politicians. We the Gen Y, can say it out loud that we don't want a corrupt person/people to continue enjoying all the benefits by themselves exclusively. And they ring across the Internet world, and like the domino effect they merged into one uber-power that not even any guns can stop.

Bag-packing!

Oh! Summer is here, and we're about to see the end of it when the dark clouds that loomed over New Caledonia and north of Australia arrive Auckland from next week as forecast by the weather-guys at MetService.

Traveling is one of everybody's hobbies. I mean, who in their right mind will despise travelling and sight-seeing?! Personally, travels associate themselves with holiday--at least to me anyway. It doesn't matter if once I reached my destination, works are going to eat me alive.

I think the most juicy bit about traveling is the preparation for the journey itself. Packing your luggage and back-packs, that is. I think it's one of the most stressful stages of traveling. The top one is of course when you've not a dime in your pocket. Selecting clothes that are appropriate for the weathers, weight and space. Bundles of socks and undergarments. A mini first-aid kit (really it's just a combination of Iburofen and band-aids supplies). A damn good walking shoes. A torchlight. A toothbrush. A sunblock. And... A nice dress. Just in case a nice gentleman ask you out for dinner at a not-so-fancy restaurant.

So there, the essentials list out for me. Emphasis on the toothbrush, and I always force myself make a good, big notepad with 'TOOTHBRUSH?' written on it by my room door. I've about a dozen or so of used toothbrush that I accidentally collected as souvenirs from my travels, so there! Make it a point to pack a toothbrush!

I'm elated--in fact I've planned in my head my luggage contents for my trip to California. Soon! Of course, I'm there on work. But above all my mind already works its wonder on hiking around Yosemite Grand National Park--after the conferences of course. One of my favorite nature's photographers, Ansel Adam took a defining moment at one particular spot there--and I'm determine to walk a few days (if needed) to breath in the spectacles of Half Dome.

Here's the taste of Yosemite that I can't wait to go to (courtesy from Ansel Adam webpage photos).

A new year, a new you!

Wishlist:

To self.
1) A change of heart. A heart that is a bit wiser, a bit kinder, a litte braver too.
2) A change of habit. Take a deep breath before I say anything. Don't charge in. Don't rush through it.
3) Keep my mouth shut. Talk only when necessary. Argue only with facts.
4) Forget my past. Everything. Including my achievements. And start anew, from scratch, every day.

To friends.
1) Remind them that I think of them every now and then.
2) Let them know that my hand is in theirs. They can reach out for me regardless of their shortcomings and flaws and perfections too.
3) Apologize to them when I've said something out of place. No buts, no laters.

To home (where the heart is, NZ)
1) Our children and the weaks (including animals) are protected from abuse. Physically. Emotionally. Mentally.
2) Greener. Say no to plastic bags. Cycle, walk, hike, bus around. Recycle.

To home (where I pledged my loyalty, Malaysia)
1) Transparency. Ideally, in all areas. But if it proved to be too much of a hard job to accomplish, then the economy.
2) Greener. Say no to plastic bags. Cycle, walk, hike, bus around. Recycle.
3) Go an extra mile effort in dumping thrashes responsibly. Rivers, seas and forests are not the designated bins.
4) Release emotional baggage. Concede that the other party can also do and say the right things. Result orientated governance, not pure rhetorics.

Comments: Will again missed voting for the next GE @ M'sia. Make a difference. Vote to be heard.

A smarter planet!

As we nearing to the end of the wonderful year and to the new beginning of exciting year, lets just pause for a second on our actions that may have saved the planet life.

Most of us didn't think each one of our action can powerfully influence the course of the Earth's life. Well, at least we're not aware of it physically. I recently got into quite a heated argument with my loved ones over the prospects of them wanting to get a new car on top of the already cars they've. If you want to know who lost the argument, well, I won't make it much longer for you to guess--I lost it.

You see, my arguments are based on preserving and preparing this beloved planet for the future generations. I say something like carbon footprints, effects on the Earth, global warming and whatnots. They sounded convincingly true to me, I mean I've all the facts and data backed up from my reading from learned journals. I've prepared list of pros and cons of the idea of a new car and the cons weighed more than the pros. Yet, it failed to impress them. On one hand I've been stunned by the overwhelming belief that scientists alone can solve all these problems for the entire human race.

Thus I turned to this blog and put an entry to call for opened hearts to gather momentum to save, even for a little, our planet. We know it's the only one the entire universe so far, and that it's the only place that we can be sure to be able to breath to live.

Take a walk when your destinations don't require more than few minutes drive. Perhaps, you may have just save the ozone layer from being botched. Cycle to and fro when the places you'd like to go to takes more than 10 minutes drive. Just maybe, you saved some remote islands in the Pacific from the rising seawater from the global warming. And if your journey takes more than an hour or even days to reach by foot or bicycles, maybe hop onto shared transportation. Or get yourself a hybrid car. While you're still puffing out gases that are killing our planet, your contribution percentage is decreased by the number of collective share. Perhaps, you've just saved a small area of productive land from being turned to another Sahara Desert. Or if you can't afford either the twos, grab a book and a hot chocolate. A page can take you thousands miles away from where you're sitting (or lying). I know this for real because I fall under this category.

Happy new year everyone! Lets make a smarter planet :)

Comment: Stumbled upon the best website in the world: http://www.aldaily.com/. Check it out!

Of Einstein and Physics

"The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before."

The above is a quote I recently came across while translating some quotes of the most famous physicist of our time, Albert Einstein. I really like this quote, I mean I like almost all of Einstein quotes but this one resonates more than the other emotionally to me. One should, I suggest, in spare time read his published revolutionary papers from the 1900s and I can guarantee you that his papers will not bore you down with equations and equations and more equations to explain not-so-simple things back then.

Why is it that such a simple, very obvious statement (I mean anyone, not only Einstein, is capable of thinking and blurting it out right?) affect my inner soul, I think comes to 2 points. The woman. No one has ever been before.

I'm partially feminist. What I mean by that is I'm supporter of women's right to say, do, think what's good for them. I don't agree with burning of bras' and whatnot. The latter looks like a messy politics to me. But that aside, I'm all in for a woman independence from being continually subjected to patriarchal hierarchy in the society (we see that everywhere still, even now). My upbringing started out with what looks like male-dominated family. I mean I can recall only small things where my mother, or sisters have a say on stuff. Be it opening your bank account to school report card signatures--it'll always wait for the alpha-males in my family. Of course, girly things like wanting a pink pencil box for new school term are in my mother's prerogative, subject to a nod from my father.

So when I was offered to go to a boarding school (which is just few hours away by water ferry), my mother was devastated. She changed her mind almost every time we speak about whether or not I should accept it. In the morning she'd say something like it's better I'd be sent to such school to straighten me out of my non-budge-ness waking up early in the morning. Later in the afternoon, she'd say something like she'd like to keep me around so that I can learn/practice cooking meals for my own future family. But (thankfully) my dad gave her the ultimatum: I'd be attending the school for the next couple of years for better education. I must say it wasn't very easy for her to let me go on the day we went for my registration at the new school, and she almost made me want to change my mind--to go back and practice my cooking for my own future family. But I didn't. From that moment, I'm all by myself. No familiar faces. No relatives. Just me and a bunch of other kids who look equally worried as me on the first day.

If there's one thing I really love about the school, I'd say it teaches me great value of independence. I mean to say that despite us being overly (sometimes excessively) protected from outsiders influence and all, we still have to work hard to adjust ourselves inside this cocoon. The atmosphere there wasn't very welcoming in the years I've spent my secondary education. Lots of stupid (both IQ and EQ), and even more alarmingly envious girls (oh, and boys too!) in the school. So when moments (sometimes months) I'm subjected to bullying and threats by the senior girls, I tell myself to upfront this and tie myself to a goal, not to focus too much on dwelling personal feelings about the evildoers. And thus, I'd like to always be on my own (sometimes with a couple of good girlfriends) doing things. True enough, the bullies go no further than their crowds, and they're a bunch of losers. Einstein quote is truly true to this part. And I, walking alone have seen myself in places no one has been yet, at least not for the losers.

Doing Physics for your tertiary education and getting your degree from it perhaps opens up only limited opportunity for money-making careers out there. I mean, the dozens of smart kids I've privileged to be friends with are doing something with the machines (engineers), preparing clients ledger accounts, cutting up bodies, and most popular ones running up and about courts. So it's a bit awkward going into a gathering and I hear my good friends talking about things that are real. They must think physicists in general worries about things that are not in the reality. So sometimes I do feel like an outsider, even on general things like American drama series, gameshows and musical idols, as I am admittedly too ignorant to spend my time on such things.

As it is sometimes hard enough to front the good friends I've with my dim career choice, in the department itself sometimes it can be overwhelming. I mean to say that I'm in a department that is 98% of the staff members are male (dominantly white), and male graduate students ratio to female graduate student is about 8:1. Surrounded by men 8 hrs a day, 5 days a week for several years makes me feel like I'm one of them already. It is a fact that I detest it very much when the time of the month creeps in and sometimes slow things down for me. I mean men don't have to worry about getting up from a white seat with some unintentional marks left there, right? But nevertheless, I've always been treated like a princess here. Because 1) I wear nice smiles that everyone love here, 2) My supervisor will lift up big things in the lab for me because he's worried I'd hurt myself. In summary, I couldn't imagine myself doing Physics and being treated with kind respect here had I stick to the crowd.

It's a good thing to wander off the crowd. Sometimes, in a crowd, one finds it hard to know where one is going.

Comment: I've never managed to straight myself out from jumping out of bed earlier than 8 am to this day, despite all the repetitive routine from my high school that starts at around 5 am.

Am I giving back enough?

They say you're the happiest when you give more than receiving abundantly. Some years back, or maybe even yesterday, I'd be the staunch supporter of rejecting this idea altogether. I'd say, this type of talk is cheap. I'd probably even call whoever utter such things delusional, a person mired with insanely unacceptable ideology.

Today, I've witnessed something that I think will forever change the way I view the world and I believe it'll have long-lasting effect, a positive one for that matter.

What did I see? A gardener attending his chores at a mini rose garden by my office. A little girl holding to her Mama (I've presumed anyway), passing by nearby. And an apple in her other hand.

Mama stopped short by the garden, smelling the luscious and bountiful roses. And that's when he saw the little girl fascination with roses. He scooted under the roses bushes not far away from the mother-daughter coordinates, disappeared for few seconds, and I saw his head buoying from the hidden rose bush. And,... when he appeared, he had a fresh bouquet of roses for the little girl. I can see her eyes sparkle like fireworks. Her ever beautiful smiles are even more pronounced at that moment. To you perhaps, this is just an act of people being nice to others. Well, that's what I thought as well for a few minutes after this occur, when mama showering the gardener with loads of thanks and gratitude.
What I didn't (perhaps) expected from the little girl is that after some distance walking away from the garden, she stopped, turned around, walked towards the busy gardener and handed over her apple to him. The gardener knelled down to receive the apple, and perhaps caught unaware that the girl is going to hug him and plant a kiss on his cheek. She walked away to her waiting mother, with smile even more prettier than when I saw her moments ago.

And the gardener? Lets just say the pretty girl, a kiss and an apple made his day today. Perhaps he wasn't aware that I've always been on the lookout at the garden from my office desk, stuck with problems that seems unresolvable. And yes, as he was leaving for home for the weekends break, his wide smile radiates as bright as the summery Sun. That, I saw, was receiving at heart's content.