Sunday, December 27, 2009

For starters.. ok laa..

Whowould have thought, blogs can make some money? Well.. I guess I'm way behind from all the other enthusiasts ! It was my first time checking on my so called earnings.. and guess what..
I've earned RM99 so far!! hahaha 1.5 years after joining Nuffnang.. hahahaha sikit je but hey, at least there is some money in there!!!
Wow.. maybe a motivation for me to blog some more... especially, trying to get people logging into my page.. hahahaha mana tau bule buat duit lagi ke..
P/S will be waiting for the cheque then to see betul tak sampai.. hahaha

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Update 1- 1Malaysia Road relay.. TAK JADI???


Happily, post call I went to FTAA to register my ICU team for the road relay on the 3rd of January. The thought of the team doing something together was cool and i guess everybody was looking forward for it. I was looking forward for it because:
1) It'll be cool to have One Team-Malaysia running..
2) I manage to coax my fellow ICU colleagues to have a go and enjoy ourselves.. 1 Malay,2 Chinese and 1 Indian, 2 male 2 female.. damn cool composition isn't it?

To my surprise in my chat with a fellow FTAA officer ; apparently, the response is currently poor and it is most likely to be canceled unless there is a MIRACLE before the 26th ( which is the closing date). What? I can't seem to believe that is the case. Apparently, people are having difficulty gathering all the different races in one team. I went again like..WHAT??? I mean.. every run i join week in week out,punyalah ramai Malaysians join the individual category . What is so difficult to get yourselves together and register for this run? Where's the "running-brotherhood" spirit ? It is just compounded to segregation of races where we race as race? ( hehehe.. mcm kelakar pulak bunyi?) They did not have a problem at all with the EKIDEN relay recently. Obviously when we try to do something idealistic, it does not augur well with the masses. It is still difficult to get together when it is not!!!
I like the concept of gathering the different races together running as a team and i strongly feel that everybody should make an effort to see it happen. I mean , whether we embrace BN's 1Malaysia or Pakatan Rakyat- Malaysia for all ; this is where we should take an active part in making the so called MALAYSIA dream into reality. Whats the polemic in condemning each other on disunity when simple things like this race cannot come into reality? Apa laaaa... Reality bites i guess...
I am still having my high hopes to see that this event comes into reality. Not for my sole enjoyment but for what the future holds. We spend a lot for ourselves joining race and events all over the country, and a simple cheap race like this road relay seemed to be SO UNPOPULAR amongst runners..
C'mon fellow Malaysians.. please do not dissapoint ourselves..

Monday, December 21, 2009

New year.. 1 Malaysia !

I've managed to get my ICU team this month to join this run!! hahaha it would be fun as Shakti would be post call... C'mon team ICU!!!

3rd Jan 2010
1 Malaysia DBKL/MILO/FTAAA Road Relay 2010
ELocation: Taman Tasik Perdana,Tapak A.
Format:4 per team
Time:8am onwards,Reporting 7.15am.
Entry fee:RM 80(A-F),RM 40(G-K)
Closing date:26 December 2009,FTAAA.

Bib Collection:1-2,January,2010.10am-5pm at FTAAA

Medal(Position1-3)
All categories.

Finisher medals:
Position 4-50(Mix team,Men Open,Men Senior)A,B,C
Position 4-30(Men Veteran,Women Open)D,E
Position 4-20(Women Senior)F
Position 4-15(Men Junior,Women Junior)G,H
Position 4-10(Boys ,girls)J,K

Main Rule:
The team shall consist of 4 runners,ie.a Malay,a Chinese,and an Indian and one from ethnic race.If a team is unable to find a runner from the ethnic race,anyone from the three main races can be included to make a tema of four .Each runner is to run 2.3km along the lake.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Gold at last!!!


Kudos to the boys! You made us proud! We have been waiting for this moment in a very long time.. I can still remember sitting in front of the tv that rainy night in 1989; watching the great strike by Lim Teong Kim during our 3-1 win over Singapore.. andbeing a loyal telly fan, I cheered to the max to the surprise of my children when we scored to lead 1-0 against Vietnam!
Disregard the sceptics and critics who reckons that SEA GAMES is nothing.. hello??? At least we're back to where we are suppose to be.. top in South East Asia !! Eat your hearts out Singapore.. Thailand.. Indonesia... Vietnam! HArimau Malaya makin lapar!!!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

CURIOUS KIDS NEED TO BE TOUGH INSIDE



The arrival of Dzaeffran Qayyum 4 years ago was a blessing. Being new parents, wifey and I were fanatically concerned about their health and welfare! Durratun Qaisya came 2 years later but our anxiety remained the same! Even though both of us are doctors, having your own kid is a different issue. We were exactly like any other new urbanized parents wanting the best for their children.

When Dzaeffran caught a naughty bug when he was 4 months old, we never expected it was bad that he had to be admitted! Qaisya had a really bad fever requiring hospital stay when she was 6 months old. Both were harrowing experience and both wifey and I became obsessed with getting our children’s immune system optimal so that we can avoid hospital admission! Its not encouraging at all to see your children so weak and sick! Everyday we send them to daycare nursery and that did not help with the frequent recurrence of illness!

Immune system protects the body from diseases by antagonizing bad bugs such as virus, bacteria, fungal etc. Viral infections are more common than bacterial infection in children. The only way to fight against it would be the strength of one’s immune system! Therefore, boosting our childrens' immune system became our priority so that they can experience joy while growing up. Being sick all the time impairs their development if most of the time they are irritable.

Apart from being super compliant to the immunization regime, we made sure that both Qayyum and Qaisya were stimulated physically and mentally with various multiple activities. It was fun bringing them outdoors to experience nature. They simply love it when we spend time together as a family and would always look forward for weekend outings! Both Qayyum and Qaisya are very cheekily curious and kept asking … a disadvantage to a parent like me who can get irritated easily! How I wish they start speaking later than earlier!Hahaha

Making them sleep was another challenge for us handling these active kids.. but adequate amount of sleep is also important in boosting their growth and hence immune system!

Breast milk is definitely the initial choice to develop a young child’s immune system. The antibodies from the mother’s breast milk temporarily protect from unwanted infections. However, beyond 2 years old breast milk may not be suitable anymore therefore a perfect substitute is needed to ensure all the hardwork done bear fruitful outcome! It was not easy to know which was the best choice for Qayyum and Qaisya. It became obvious when I was introduced to Friso Gold last year during the Nuffnang Friso Gold Family Day Out.

Having one of a kind feature; Frisoshield with P2 Dual System certainly eanred my trust. The specially formulated milk is a combination of key nutrients together with probiotics and healthy beneficial bacteria. Prebiotics such as combination of GOS and FOS will help to increase intestinal bifidobacteria and maintain good intestinal function for my children. I've laways trusted the brand too. Since I started both of them on Friso GOld,, wallaahh.. I rarely see them sick !!

Daania Qystiena was delivered by the stork early this year and with the R&D we had with Qayyum and Qaisya, Qystiena is certainly getting the best management! We celebrated Qayyum's 4th birthday recently in the best of health.Of course, when Qystiena is old enough I will not hesitate to enroll her in the Friso Gold club like her siblings!

Nuffnang Friso Gold day out is back!


I've been waiting for this event and wondering when would it be held again. Another opportunity that I will not miss! Hahahaha.. Who knows, I might be lucky this year and be the winner .. Disneyland tuu.. Hong Kong pun jadi la.. hahahaha

Sunday, December 06, 2009

Salomon 10k X-trail


This is the first ever Salomon X-trail off road race organized in Malaysia. With the competition held on our homeground ( Taman Tun) takkan tak masuk?? hahaha the only other off road race isthe Genting trailblazer and this year, I had the opportunity aain during Xterra. With my ever trusted Axel shoes ( buatan Malaysia) I'm off to lanyak it again to see whether i can throw it away!Manage tobrowse through few bloggers who went to test the trail a few weeks before , ummphh scary jugak!

Guess which is MADE in MALAYSIA?
We were all early for the race; Azad, Mafiz, Kamal and Edrin. The OGKL team of Nie Feng, Nina Spy, Fahmi, Amad, Sabri, Wak, Hay , Ajip were there too and it was fun to have them around. I arrived at 7am but of course, despite me letting it all go early in the morning, it had to come out again( pergi toilet aah..) so i went back to Taman TUn house to settle it once and for all..hahaha The race started 10 minutes late however, ontop of the 8o'clock timing. I guess it was necessary because they need to get their marshall ready as well as preparing the trail to be safe for participants.
We started off by running around the school circa few hundred meters before we were let off into the wild! The traffic jam started here with most of the participants clogging the small trail. It was enough maybe for 2 ot one go and with our normal routine of starting slow ( like when the traffic light turns green.. when do you actually move?) We were walking most of the time in the first hour because of the massive traffic flow!

By the time we reached the first drink station, the trek was clear and this was the time to try running! However running trail run of 10K is not the same as on road 10K.. never under estimate!! Never try to run up a hill becuase this may cause a lot of damage to your muscles .. cramp wwooo!!! And with this previous experience I manage to pace myself. because, it will be downhill where one can really run!! hahaha Its not easy though to run downhill.. one needs a lot of confidence to know where to step and run. Alhamdulillah, i guess that was my strength especially with my trusted shoe!!
The trail was fun , we had lots of downhill and flat route ( i guess becuase we are using the MTB trail) bu the uphills.. perrrgghh.. memang kalau tak biasa , sure pecah dada !! :)
I managed to finish the trail in one piece... happy, no cramps and of course, the whole gang was in Kandar replenishing the lost carbs !! :)
Thank you Salomon n Quickadventure for a good race :)

The usual suspects..

OGKL team..

the proof... ( lupa amik gambar ngan Salomon pouch!)

Natrah.. a history that should not be forgotten..


I saw the advert for this play many months ago when I was watching Jamal Abdillah's show in Istana Budaya. I was a keen follower of her story many years ago when it was being brought up by the now defunct Dewan Masyarakat.( whatever happen to it ah? I owe a lot of my Bahasa Malaysia writing languagestyle to them..) I have always thought the tragedy then was a difficult issue to answer and unfortunately, due to the lack of understanding from both the Malays and the English government many unfortunate lives were lost.. Its always easy to ignite a fight but looking back, you know that the issue will always be about poor communication skills..
Of course, with Maya Karin being the lead act hahahah ( wifey sure kata hmmm.. I love you dear!!) I cannot miss the show!
Overall, I enjoyed it a lot.. I love the monologues especially with the three of them on stage. Umi Aida, Samantha Schubert( i have pic with her too..) and Maya Karin expressing their feelings. Sofia Jane did her monologue scenes well; with wifey expressing exactly what she was trying to tell us.. CONFUSION!! None of them are wrong.. none of them were manipulating anybody else.. The mother's view, the carer's view and of course, Natrah herself. Of course, those who love Nur Kasih will love Mansor Adabi played by Remy Ali hehehe
The issues were well discussed and well potrayed by Eirma Fatima ( the spelling on the publicity brochure!!) and I thought it was a mature play. Of course, only those who knew the whole story would appreciate the play more than those who came to experience the tragedy for the first time.
I had to buy the book which was written by the same author who went to look for Natrah 10 years ago.. Its a history piece and tragedy such as this should be well remembered and reserached, for my information so that i can tell my grandchildren to retell the story to theirs..

A motivational boost..

I discovered this upon browsing the IJN website before i was done there.Iguess it was updated when I was there during the JCI accreditation exercise.. I'm sure it was suppose to be the new Specialist who joined together with me in November.. hahaha

1. open the ijn website.. www.ijn.com.my
2. on that page, click on the menu icon ABOUT US
3.On this page, you will see a list of icons on your right. Click on the MEDICAL TEAM TAG.
4. A list of specialties will appear. Click ANAESTHESIOLOGY
5.You'll see The Consultant's pictures. Scroll all the way down...

U see what I mean? hahahaha I'm still a trainee with my finals in May 2010 and they've plyed me to join the institution.. hahahaha
A motivation boost for my coming exams.. :)

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Thank you Allah for your grace


As humans it is just natural for us to not be satisfied for what we have. It is so easy to complain and grouch for things that we don't have or can't get ; rather than being thankful and appreciate for things that we have. It is more convenient to look at the little bad things instead of the bigger good things granted to us by god.

‘Sesungguhnya manusia diciptakan bersifat gelisah. Apabila bahaya mendatangani dia keluh kesah. Dan apabila mendapat kebaikan amatlah kikir.
(Al-Maarij, ayat 19-21)

Seeing the parents of the unfortunate congenital heart disease babies and children in IJN was a revelation for me. They have with them, their own flesh and blood; literally gasping for breath of life ever since their inception. I cannot imagine the stress these parents have ; constantly worried about the future of their children. Few had to give up their career in life to sacrifice for the sake of their loved one.To make it worse, the majority comes from the lower income social strata. The ones in IJN are the fortunate ones by lottery and i know there are more of the unlucky ones out there..unreached.
To know the poor prognosis of such babies and children, that certain procedures done are purely palliative and not curative can cause so much hurt to the doctor who was given the responsibility to councel them. But of course, these parents hold their hopes high on you.. to whatever you do is hope regardless the risk and real outcome. It is that small bit of hope which carry them to their current state. During my premed rounds seeing the parents for consent, I had to hold back my tears.. and let it go once I am alone in the treatment room while completing my clerking for the hospital computer system. I spend quite some time doing the premed because it is humane to sit, talk and importantly listen to their stories.. most of them sad and disheartening. This may explain why i go back home almost everyday.

I thank Allah for his blessings and for giving me three beautiful offsprings who are healthy. I've enjoyed watching them grow so fast that sometimes you wanna pause and press the rewind button to enjoy the moment. I cannot imagine being in the shoes of the parents I met in IJN.. I guess, the only way I can contribute would be to ensure my very best to help alleviate their pain.. as well as being thankful and reminding not just myself of how lucky we are to have the life that we are living now...

C'mon la.. theuniverse does not orbit around you..


Respect should be earned. Respect cannot be forced upon to. One should treat others the way one wants to be treated. Easy enough as a simple logic isn't it?
Apparently.. there are certain narrow minded arrogant people who reckons that they can say whatever they want and whenever they want it. Period.. and as if nothing is wrong with them at all??!! Where's the common sense la?
A simple rule: How do you expect one to respect another when he is not shown the courtesy of one? I mean.. i do not tolerate people who refuse or arrogantly disrespect another..regardless. I mean, you want another person to hear you or require your help but you disrespect them in the most blatant manner.. you expect the person to blindly oblige to that? Hello? Wake up? where is one's sense of simple manners? Nak kata kurang ajar bapak ada..mak ada..
I guess the most ideal world for somebody like this if they are the only living creature on earth..

Convincing your words are,
that one is worthless,
a hideous individual.
Resembling a serpent,
your insults lead one to death,
yet another a victim of abuse.

p/s post luahan perasaan.. hahahahaha

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Penang compressed weekend


I was in Penang during the weekend, my second ever trip to the famous island of Malaysia. I was there for 2 reasons:
1) A dear friend and former IMU classmate Quah Boon Leong's wedding ( he's a muslim now..donning the name Johan!!)
2) Penang Bridge International Marathon.. i ran the 21k
As usual the active gang of Mafiz, Azad and Kamal were my compatriots! We were off from KL by Saturday noon and being on board the 5 series was a riding pleasure! I wish I am able to have one of it in the future..hahahaha
Leong's reception was held in E&O hotel, a prestigious and exclusive hotel and I was glad i brought my suit with me as it was definitely strictly black tie! Everybody was well dressed and i did not feel out of place at all! It was a really enjoyable wedding as I met a number of my old buddies from Univ and we had great fun sitting on the same table!

Unfortunately, I could not stay long as I had to have a bit of rest before the Penang 21K. Iwish I had because I know with the gang in the house, it would have been reallyfun!
Honestly, i felt it was ridiculous to start running at 3am in the morning from Queensbay area.but looking at Kamal's 42K starting time..2am, ok la..not too bad i guess! PBIM was a definite success as it attracted more than ten thousand runners.Initially I was a bit sceptical about the number thinking it was a publicit stunt but when I was on the bridge..Oh my god..you can see a swarm of runners in front and behind you..and it was a moment of its own!

I thought with no training at all( wih the busy IJN posting as well as the rainy season) I would have just died on the first 100m! hahahaha However to my surprise, the pace was good and I felt really good that i just ran..and ran..and ran... and ehh.. ok la pulak !!
Of course, my mental block at 19km came into reality causing me to limp and walk for a bit. I took my power gel before the mark but the pain confidently appeared as I reach the taboo mark! I knew I was on a good time.. and I just pushed myself really hard..
"Sakit itu hanya perasaannn..."
"Kesakitan hanya sementara..kejayaan buat selama-lamanya!!"
with these 2 phrases i really pushed myself to the finish line which was not as near as one would reckon even at the 20km mark.. hahahaha
Alhamdulillah, I clocked my personal best ever( who would have thought with absolutely no run after the Genting trailblazer!!) and i am really proud of it..seriously!! Checked the official time and its 2hr 31 min 39 secs... cool.. oklah tu!
It was a definite hectic weekend, tiring.. mind torturing.. but PRICELESS!!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Anak-anakku Satu Anugerah.. 15/11/09



Cahayamataku,

Sesungguhnya kehadiranmu dalam hidupku

Membuka satu lembaran bahagia,

Setelah sekian lama menanti dengan seribu harapan,

Disebalik kekecewaan dugaan tuhan,

Yang berkali-kali datang

Menggoncang ketaqwaan dan menguji keimanan

Wahai anakku,

Tiada yang lebih berharga,

Mendengar tangisanmu buat kali pertama,

Kelahiran yang kesakitannya terus tiada,

Tatkala umi dapat memeluk dan mendakapmu,

Dalam laungan azan iqamah syahdu walidmu itu..

Sumber ilhamku,

Kami sesungguhnya bersyukur kepada yang esa,

Kurniaan zuriat yang selama ini dicari,

Sudah dikecapi, telah dimilikki,

Kegembiraan kami yang kiranya dikala duka,

Terubat sahaya nista purnama,

Melihatkan telatah dan gayamu,

Karenah kenakalanmu,Bisikan manjamu,

Bisa mengangkat iltizam semangatku..

Sayangku,

Penganugerahanmu sebenarnya cabaran amanah,

Untuk membentuk dan mencorakkanmu,

Agar lahir taqwa dan tawadda’,

Bakal memimpin dan menjulang syariat,

Bangga dilahirkan islam,

Yakin akan islam itu ad-din..

Wahai anak-anakku,

Tiada yang kupinta ,

Selain agar bersama disisiku,

bersyahadah bertasbih dan bertahmid,

Disaat-saat datangnya sakaratul maut,

Dan jinjingan jasadku dalam pemergian,

Menuju ke hadrat ilahi

Anak-anakku Satu Anugerah....

.

p/s I'm dead sure the TASKA will be banning me from joining the competition again after the 2 wins in succession.. hahaha

Happy birthday Myftzal Dzaeffran Qayyum!!


We celebrated Dzaeff's birthday in the usual small scale manner. It was a proud day for me and wifey after Dzaef's peformance earlier in the morning during his TASKA concert!
He was very excited about celebrating his birthday and he smiled all the way from seeingthe specially made Ben10 cake for him until he went to sleep..
And just like wifey said, 4 years ago.. we didn't even know if he was able to be live after a stormy pregnancy and delivery.. Alhamdulillah

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Code Blue.. bllurrgghhh....


Number for Code Blue: 8899 in IJN.
( to be less jargonic: somebody collapsed in the hospital and requiring immediate attention by the oncall people)
The announcement came at about 330am.. I was not really sleeping as phone calls kept coming in from ICU and CCU to inform me about this and that..
" CODE BLUE... and it just went blurrish... alamak.. which ward la? Quickly i went out of my room and went to the ICU B counter and immediately on seeing me they told me its DAHLIA.. and ok.. Dahlia.. where is it again? ( my orientation in IJN is still semi-clear as my stint here is mainly in the OT and ICL)

I ran up the stairs and yup.. the CTS registrar was already there with CPR already been started and my job here now... airway protection! Immediately after my arrival all the other registrars arrive and as per ACLS, one of them became the team leader. The intubation was fairly difficult.. but i managed to secure it ASAP and the whole chain of survival process began.. even in IJN; situations like this it can be a bit kelam kabut but I must say it is definitely more organized than the resuscitation efforts I've done before in my life. Everybody knew their role and there was no conflict of command. the different thing about here was : "vasopressin 40 units was available.. whooaahh.. i became jakun a bit to see it..
We revived her rhythm back after 30 minutes of CPR with 2 shocks in between when the rhythm just went VF. Seeing this i reckon, with proper training and supervision; it is possible to achieve a comprehensive CPR upon patients who can be revived at that time; this minus the survival rate anyway..
And what can be more of an experience when you are called to give anaesthesia at 2am for a Day 2 TOF corrrection who was very unstable with all the inotropes ( includes vasopressin and levosimendan which I;ve never seen in my life before!!) that we had to reopen his chest in PICU? simply priceless...

Monday, November 09, 2009

IJN cardiac anaesthesia posting

I survived my first Sunday IJN call and Alhamdulillah, it was ice cool as my PPUM calls. Beginners luck i reckon! However the premedication rounds for today's list was overwhelming!! Banyak wooo nak kena tengok!! and I finished seeing my patients shortly before 9pm ( starting at 2pm!) Luckily I'm quite familiar with the Phillips system they are implementing for total paperless network system so it was fairly alright for me to double chart my pre med findings..

I could not find time to blog about my initial experience in IJN , mainly because I was too tired to do so. The working hours in IJN is long ; out from my house at 615am and for the whole of last week except Friday, I arrived home at 10pm! One of the nights, I just went straight to bed without changing!
This long awaited delayed posting( other univs send their candidates when they are in their initial 3rd year) is in a way something i look forward to. Working ( eventhough we are only known as attachment doctors) in Malaysia's most internationally recognized institute is an honour. To be a part of the team (the lowest rank la.. hahaha) is a priviledge and I hope to learn as much as I can here. The workaholic culture is amazing because everybod is very dedicated to their work and the long hours are taken as a norm and not something being loath at.

I was in the new wing OT, OT A for the whole of last week.Therefore, it was until Friday that i get to see other faces in the B OT. Due to shortage of junior attachment trainees I was paired with a Consultant Anaesthetist every day.It was initially a worrying because of course we want to perform our best to them.. hahaha pressure tu!! It was a delight to be working under 5 different consultants last week. I must say their skills are superly superior to mine..hahaha( baru setahun jagung dah nak mengaku anaesthetist) and indeed it was an eye opener to have these masterful sifus as my temporary teachers. I still have a lot to learn really.. and my experience here so far humbled me.
The cases that we do everyday is a variation of cardiothoracic cases and to see how cool the consultants manage it is something to be learnt. Macam takde apa je.. the things that we get paranoid in our usual practice! Hahahaha
The staff; staff nurses and OT techs( Anaes assistants) are very helpful and I learnt from them as well. The family feel is there and i must say IJN is a nice place to work at!!
And one more thing, the food.... they really take care of what we eat! So far.. everything is very nice and if I am not careful, I might gain instead of lose weight during this posting!!!

Saturday, November 07, 2009

Menggapai Puncak Murud - Kosmo & November 2009

Menggapai puncak Murud

Keseluruhan perjalanan hari terakhir memakan masa 10 jam 15 minit dengan menempuh bukit-bukau, berperang dengan pacat dan menempuh trek balak yang membosankan.




DUA tahun berhenti mendaki gara-gara memberi tumpuan pada aktiviti pacuan empat roda (4WD), mungkin memberi sedikit kesan kepada prestasi saya dalam ekspedisi mendaki Gunung Murud di Sarawak baru-baru ini.

Membayangkan tidak mahu menjejaskan kelancaran ekspedisi, buat pertama kalinya dalam sejarah pendakian saya yang bermula pada tahun 1996, saya mengupah seorang pengangkut barang (porter) untuk memikul beg galas saya yang membawa isian kira-kira 15 hingga 20 kilogram. Alhamdulillah, percaturan itu membuahkan hasil apabila saya dapat mendaki dalam keadaan yang lebih selesa. Berikut catatan Eksplorasi Murud-Bario 2009 yang disertai 11 pendaki dan diketuai oleh Zainudin Lot (Deeno) pada 25 Oktober sehingga 31 Oktober lalu.


MENAIKI Twin Otter dari Miri ke Ba'Kelalan.


Hari pertama: Kami tiba di Miri dengan menaiki pesawat tambang murah AirAsia. Menginap semalaman di Apple Lodge memberi peluang kepada kami untuk berkenalan. Ini kerana kebanyakan daripada kami tidak mengenali antara satu sama lain.

Hari kedua: Selepas mendaftar keluar, kami bergegas menaiki teksi menuju ke lapangan terbang Miri untuk menaiki pesawat Twin Otter (Mas Wing) ke Ba'Kelalan. Pesawat yang hanya memuatkan 18 penumpang itu singgah di Lawas untuk mengambil penumpang termasuk 'penumpang' istimewa iaitu beberapa kotak ayam hidup. Di Ba'Kelalan, kami singgah di Apple Lodge milik Pak Tagal yang terkenal sebagai penanam epal. Setelah segala urusan selesai, kami menaiki dua buah 4WD menuju ke Lepo Bunga. Perjalanan meredah laluan off-road yang berbukit bukau mengambil masa 1 jam 55 minit. Tepat pukul 3.15 petang, kami memulakan pendakian ke Kem Gereja dengan meredah trek hutan selama hampir empat jam. Pendakian tidaklah sukar kerana cerun bukit tidak begitu tinggi. Kami berjalan tanpa henti sehingga tiba di pelantar papan (plank). Menurut penunjuk arah (guide), Baru Labo, 50, (Pak Baru), plank itu dibina untuk memudahkan penduduk Kristian Lun Bawang berjalan menuju ke Kem Gereja untuk melakukan upacara keagamaan setahun sekali iaitu pada bulan Julai. Namun begitu, sebahagian besar plank sudah reput, membuatkan kami begitu berhati-hati mengatur langkah. Menempuh plank memakan masa kira-kira dua jam dan sebaik tiba di hujungnya, waktu menunjukkan tepat pukul 6.10 petang. Dalam kegelapan malam dan bertemankan lampu suluh, kami meredah semula trek hutan dan 35 minit kemudian, kami tiba di Kem Gereja. Kegelapan malam mengehadkan jarak penglihatan. Hanya keesokan pagi, barulah kami dapat melihat kawasan sekitar yang dipenuhi dengan rumah-rumah kosong. Saya difahamkan, setiap penduduk Ba'Kelalan memiliki rumah di situ.


MENINGGALKAN Long Repung pada 28 Oktober 2009 pukul 8.50 pagi .


Hari ketiga: Matlamat kami hari ini adalah menggapai puncak Murud di ketinggian 2,423 meter (7,946 kaki) dari aras laut. Selepas menikmati sarapan roti canai, kami memulakan langkah pada pukul 7.55 pagi. Awal pendakian memaksa kami meredah trek berair yang membasahkan kasut dan stokin. Kesemua itu kami tidak peduli dan perjalanan naik dan turun bukit yang tidak begitu tinggi agak santai. Dalam perjalanan itu, tapak kasut Suzana Jamil (Seri), 37, hampir tertanggal. Nasib baik Ayieen Carlos Ng Ismail, 40, membawa peralatan menjahit kasut. Hampir 20 minit dihabiskan untuk 'menyelamatkan' kasut Seri. Sementara menunggu, kami berehat di sebatang sungai yang jernih dan dingin airnya sambil mengunyah 'jajan' yang dibawa. Pendakian diteruskan sehingga tiba di Kebun Batu. Kami berehat agak lama di situ sehinggakan Pak Baru terpaksa 'menipu' kami untuk menyuruh kami menamatkan waktu rehat yang panjang. "Jauh lagi puncak...ada dua jam lagi berjalan," kata Pak Baru. Hampir patah semangat saya mendengar kata-kata itu. Anehnya, setelah berjalan selama kira-kira setengah jam, kami terdengar suara riuh rendah di hadapan yang melaungkan perkataan puncak. "Pak Baru...sudah sampai ke," jerit saya. "Ya...sudah sampai. Itu puncaknya," jawab Pak Baru sambil menuding jari ke arah satu poin yang paling tinggi di situ. "Hahh...tadi kata dua jam baru sampai," soal saya kehairanan. Namun, soalan saya tidak berjawab. Saya tiba di puncak pada pukul 12.08 tengah hari dan tanpa berlengah, sesi bergambar pun bermula. Dalam ekspedisi ini, Seri berjaya menamatkan G12 iaitu menakluk sebanyak 12 puncak gunung tertinggi di Malaysia. Dr. Mafeitzeral Mamat (Dr. M), 33, dan Appaduria a/l Kuppusamy, (Uncle Appa), 62, pula berjaya menamatkan G5 iaitu lima puncak tertinggi di Borneo. Untuk sesi bergambar, kami meminta Pak Baru merakamkan gambar kami. Aksi bersahaja Pak Baru memetik kamera membuatkan kami ketawa besar. "One...two...try...," kata Pak Baru selamba sambil menghalakan lensa kamera ke arah kami. Ayat lain yang tidak akan kami lupa adalah



'Satu...dua...ketawa sikit'. Hampir sejam berada di puncak, kami kemudiannya memulakan pendakian turun dan tiba semula di Kem Gereja pada pukul 4.10 petang. Hari yang masih awal membolehkan kami berehat lebih lama.

Hari keempat: Perjalanan ke Long Repung bermula pada pukul 8.50 pagi. "Dah lewat ni...cepat siap," kata Deeno yang risau melihat kami masih berlengah untuk memulakan perjalanan. 'Kesibukan' mencari senduk kayu yang hilang membuatkan kami leka. Namun, melihat jarum jam menghampiri angka sembilan, kami bergegas mengatur langkah menuju ke Batu Linanit. Kami boleh terus ke Long Repung tanpa perlu singgah di situ. Memikirkan rugi jika tidak ke bukit itu, kami teruskan juga perjalanan ke sana. Selesai bergambar, kami meneruskan perjalanan ke Long Repung. Kami menempuh semula plank sehingga pertengahan jalan, sebelum membelok ke kanan memasuki trek hutan. Dari situ, perjalanan semakin mencabar dengan keadaan muka bumi yang pelbagai termasuk menuruni jurang yang tegak hampir 85 darjah. Kami berhenti makan tengah hari di tapak perkhemahan Pa' Balaban yang terletak di tepi Sungai Balaban. Seboleh-bolehnya, kami tidak mahu berjalan malam dan kami berjaya melakukannya apabila tiba di Long Repung pada pukul 5.10 petang.


PENULIS (kiri depan) bergambar bersama rakan-rakan pendaki di puncak gunung tertinggi di Sarawak, Gunung Murud.


Hari kelima: Perjalanan bermula pada pukul 9 pagi dan paling jauh dalam ekspedisi ini. Kami perlu menempuh bukit bukau yang tinggi dan panjang, berperang dengan pacat dan lintah, menempuh trek balak yang membosankan dan laluan kereta kerbau yang licin dan berselut. Sebagai persediaan, awal-awal lagi saya sudah menyapu kasut dan stokin dengan air tembakau. Ternyata usaha saya berjaya mengelak gigitan pacat yang banyak. Hujan yang sejak pagi tidak reda menambah kesukaran perjalanan. Selesai mendaki sebuah bukit yang tinggi dan panjang, kami terpaksa pula menempuh beberapa bukit lagi. "Pak Baru...ada berapa bukit lagi?" saya mula menyoal petunjuk arah kami yang berwajah selamba. "Ada lagi...dua atau tiga," jawabnya bersahaja. "Nanti bukit akhir, di bawahnya paya...hati-hati, jangan sampai terjatuh," kata Pak Baru lagi. Akhirnya, kami tiba di kawasan paya yang di dalamnya ada lintah. "Pijak kayu ini...jangan tersalah pijak...nanti terjatuh,'' nasihat Pak Baru. Melepasi halangan paya memberi kelegaan kepada kami yang selamat tiba di Pa' Lungan pada pukul 1.15 petang. Kami berehat agak lama di situ. Melihat panorama indah perkampungan yang dikelilingi bukit bukau dan sawah menghijau membuatkan kami berasa begitu kagum dengan alam ciptaan Tuhan. Di sini, Deeno bertemu semula dengan kenalannya, Walter Paran yang juga seorang guide. Sekitar pukul 2.45 petang, kami memulakan langkah terakhir ke Bario. Di pertengahan jalan, hujan lebat mencurah sekali gus memberikan cabaran getir kepada kami yang semakin kesejukan. Perjalanan jauh hampir mematahkan semangat. Sebaik tiba di Pa' Ukat, hati berasa sedikit lega. Ini kerana dari situ, kami hanya perlu berjalan sekitar satu jam lagi untuk sampai ke Bario. Saya bersama Ayieen, Ju dan Zian tiba di Mustafa Lodge pada pukul 7.05 malam. Ini bermakna kami telah berjalan selama 10 jam 15 minit dari Long Repung ke Bario!


PAK BARU (kiri) bersama empat orang pengangkut barang berehat di padang yang menghijau di Pa'Lungan.


Hari keenam: Aktiviti bebas di Bario dipenuhi dengan lawatan ke rumah panjang dan ronda-ronda di keliling kampung. Sebelum itu, kami menikmati sarapan cucur bilis yang dibuat daripada dua kilogram tepung gandum. "Ini siapa punya kerja...bancuh tepung sampai dua kilo," tanya saya kepada Seri. "Deeno yang bancuh...katanya malas nak bawa balik," jawab Seri. Mahu tak mahu, terpaksalah kami menggoreng cucur yang banyak.

Hari ketujuh: Sepatutnya, saya, Kak Kay dan Uncle Burn 'terbang' dahulu meninggalkan Bario menuju ke Miri pada pukul 9 pagi. Namun cuaca buruk memaksa penerbangan Twin Otter ditangguhkan sehingga pukul 2.45 petang. Lapan rakan saya yang lain pula dapat balik lebih awal apabila penjadualan semula dilakukan. Sungguhpun begitu, kami bersatu semula di lapangan terbang Miri untuk upacara penutup yang ringkas. Kami juga sempat membeli-belah di Miri sebelum berlepas pulang dengan pesawat AK 5187 ke LCCT pada pukul 8.45 malam. Ya...kami mungkin berpisah di sini, namun segala kenangan sepanjang ekspedisi tujuh hari akan dikenang buat selamanya. Insyaallah, saya berazam untuk menamatkan G12 di puncak Gunung Mulu, Sarawak pada tahun hadapan.