Sick and Down :(

Since last Friday night, I have been sick with pain, spasm and fever. I am recovering but slowly. Feel awfully weak and tired too, coz night sleeping was always interrupted with pain and spasm. Dont know how i had gone through this week without God's enabling and mercies. Thank You, Lord! And thank you friends who have been praying for me. Appreciate your concern too.

Last night was not too bad. With antibiotics and anti-spasm medicine, i had pain but less in frequency and intensity. But i dont understand why i couldnt fall asleep. Tossed and turned and turned and tossed. Anyhow, managed to sleep for few hours and so i thank God. My diagnosis is unsure, waiting for some tests result. Aiming to get well quick enough to go for camp recce tomorrow.

Got to get back to rest now, feeling sleepy and giddy. My last installment of the Amazing Phuket has to wait till i get well. And CtYFers, if you are reading this, pray for me. I will remember you all for tomorrow's combined meeting. Wish i can be there! :( Enjoy yourselves and do take special precaution and wear your life jackets!!! Mandatory!

Signing off..... :)

Amazing Fun-filled Phuket...Part 3

Can you believe i actually blog about my injury? This is so pathetic....nothing to glory about except scars and wounds... haha.... but definitely not a hurt ego. So i guess i shall continue to tell my story....

Third Injury: 1 May 2008 at Sutin Camp (River Rafting)

Before i tell you about 1 May, say a word or two about the night before (which is the night following ATV). We hired a van for a tour to the south viewing point and to Promthep Cape to watch sunset. We visited Karon Viewing Point... of which was my first visit (never know this place existed and somehow missed it for the past 7 trips to Phuket...I wonder.....). It was beautiful view, overlooking the Andaman Sea.... see the pic here.

Arrived at Promthep Cape just in time for sunset.....guess all the cameras in the world will not be able to capture the magnificient live view we had, together with the lovely cool breeze, the harmony of the sound of the waves hitting the rocks accompanied with the gentle humming of a motor boat tugging at a distance.... it was refreshing and relaxing to spend quiet moments watching the big sun disappearing....mmmm......God's creation......so wonderfully made at His command. What a awesome God I have and thank You Lord for creating me too!

Had a sumptuous seafood dinner at Chalong Bay. Recommended by the Thai driver whom i contacted, it was a place for the locals to eat and true enough, i didnt see any farang that night. We had crabs, fish, sotong, pork, kangkong and maybe one or two more... see, the memory is failing....:(

Now, let me go on to the rafting experience. We booked this tour at one of the small stalls along the road in Patong Beach and it was quite a grab at 1,000 baht (on the internet was 1,800- 2,000 baht. This stall quoted us 1,600 baht initially but gave huge discount). 9 of us signed up, out of which two had been on rafting before. It was a level 2 thingy and so i was told.... an easy feat.

That morning we set off pretty early, at about 8am. As usual the van picked us up, it was an hour ride or more, leaving Phuket behind to go up North into Phang-Nga region. There was this monkey cave visit along the way (which was part of the itinerary) and it turned out to be a temple next to the cave. Monkeys a plenty and all very hungry looking. Some big, some small, some old, some young... haha....don't we all are???? Oh well, some of our people, kind-hearted souls, bought bananas to feed the monkeys and mind you, they catch very well. You can tell the fierce ones among the whole lot and where food is concerned, love & friendship is cast aside.

We reached the Sutin Camp at about 10 plus and started the preparation: put our bags into lockers, those with glasses secured with rafia string, applied sun block & mosquito repellent, drank some water and down we went for instructions and briefing. Like the ATV, easy points to remember: Forward, backward, bumping (that is when your raft is stuck, not moving, you bump yourself up and down to loosen it) and lastly, relax position when tired out. We were told there were injuries arising from the oars hitting another person resulting in fractured nose or cuts. Sounded scary and so special precaution to the handling of the oars when not in use. Oh yes,... one last point, if you do get thrown out, stay afloat (already with lifevest & helmet) in a posture resembling an overturn tortoise and wait for rescue. This, I was told, is the safest position to drift down the rapids, not hitting the rocks thereby injuring neck and spine. Thank God none of us got thrown out but i had a close, close shave of another kind... read on.

There were two couples, two men and the 9 of us. We wanted to sit with our own people but was told it was not possible. The first raft took the 2 couples. The 2 men got into the 2nd raft and they needed 2 more. No one moved and so Dr lowly and myself got down. Erh....our initial thought was that we didnt have to paddle too hard coz these 2 men are huge in size.... probably about 200 kg each. They sat on each side of the raft (at the front) and both of us took our positions facing each other at the back (see pic below). There were foot straps to secure your feet to allow you to be kept in the raft and hands free to paddle, without holding on to the rope that runs through the middle of the raft. Sincerely, i thought i would be able to take breaks and let these 2 men do the job, together with the two thais stationed at the front and back. I was proven so wrong....

Our starting leg was just paddling towards the starting point. It was a gentle river. There were many many rafts waiting there when we reached... from few other rafting companies. I believe the total number would be 20 or so. It seemed very crowded as everyone waited for the dam to be opened and waters flowed in to give a good ride (May was the dry season and so the river waters are not sufficient).

Our journey took off with a bang and it was really thrilling with adrenaline pumping as we flow with the rapids. My enjoyment was cut short when the guy in front of me fell on my leg for the first time. His whole body weight was on my right shin and as the raft was still moving and negotiating, i gave a scream, cling on to the rope and bit my lips and pray. Thank God no fracture and it was amazing to know I was preserved from serious injury as his whole weight came crushing onto my right leg, which was not flat on the ground, angled at about 45 degrees (i was in a sitting position). This fall of his caught me unaware as I didnt think team mates fall on one another (my first time..sigh). I had two bruised toes, bruised & swollen shin and I dont deny it was excruciating pain at that moment. Why, because it took him a while to pick himself up and free my poor leg.... ouch! I braced myself for more to come....our feet were strapped to the raft, and so my right foot was in an eveready position to slip off the strap when he fall. Here's a short video clip which documented his 3rd fall.....onto my right foot coz i slipped off the strap but perhaps not fast enough... haha.

Besides these injuries, i had another one on my right foot due to the strap... it cut my skin and i had abrasions... but i guess this is secondary coz the sheer fun took away all the pain. Anyhow, the other guy in front of Dr lowly also fell onto lowly's leg and it became apparent to both of us that we needed to watch out for danger within the raft... it was no longer the rapids outside. Oh boy, and their oars were placed in rather awkward & dangerous positions when they were not paddling. I just kept praying that God be merciful and preserve us. Here is a clip that document the fall onto lowly's leg.

Before i finish off this post, had to mention the close shave i had. As you can see the over crowded river with more than 20 rafts, during a certain section where they stopped and waited for more water to flow or rather the teams to gather together, it was inevitable the rafts would bum against each other, to the extent of piling, pushing and pressing at the passengers. This happened all too quickly. The fact that our raft stopped gave me the false assurance that i was safe. Before i knew it, one raft hit us, right behind my back, then more pushed against him as the current bring them in. This forced the raft to push against me forcefully. I knew i had to loosen my feet from the strap and get up.... With the little time i had, i struggled and erh... shouted a little for help and asking them to stop coming.... Heh, ctyfers, do you remember the YF camp where we played the game with a group on stage and they were given a starting and ending position and they had to act out the middle part? Guess my ending position for this? Standing up and was staring right into lowly's eyes coz 4-5 rafts were onto my seat. i had no more room to escape. Lowly was preparing to jump off the raft too. Yes, it was rubber rafts but it was dangerous. For one, i was nearly trapped and could have 4-5 rafts on top of me. My back was hurting and i really thank God for another preservation. Guess my angel worked especially hard that morning :) Our MHC staff witnessed all these and they thought i had serious injury. Thank You, Lord, for Your mercies and grace.

Will i do rafting again? YES!!!! but this time, i am gonna sit in front. And I must thank my two Thai guys in the raft. They worked so so hard to paddle for us. Haha... i didnt paddle much coz i was busy with preparing to escape, watching out for imminent danger, held on to the rope...lol. Besides, my oar was darn heavy and it took almost entire journey for the thai guy to realise that and exchanged his with mine. His oar was not much of a burden, light enough that i didnt mind paddling for once. Lowly was busy filming and taking pictures with his new waterproof camera toy and our team mates.....erh.... they did the opposite direction when we had to do backward thrust. They only knew how to do the forward and it was really comical watching all these happening. Heh, it was their first and so everyone makes mistakes :).... me too!

Amazing Fun-filled Phuket...Part 2

Hmmm....spam tags? Nvm, thank you all who have tagged and left your name and also those who have commented. And Karen, thanks for clarifying :)

Here's part 2...

Second Injury: 30 April 2008 at ATV Camp

We drove from Khao Lak to Phuket Patong Beach to check into our hotel and meet up the staff who just flew in from Singapore. They came in batches, as in different airlines, arrived slightly late and had barely 5 mins to put luggage into rooms, change and take off in the van for ATV adventure. This

much-talked-about 2 hour ATV thingy was one of the highlight in our trip and everyone was so looking forward to it. Just in case anyone wondering what is ATV, it stands for All Terrain Vehicle. Here is a pic of it.....

Our journey from Patong to ATV Camp was about an hour or less. We were greeted with smiles and cheers at the camp and sat down to enjoy complimentary healthy snacks (lots of bananas, mangosteens, rambutans and mandarin oranges) and drinks (plain water and soft drinks) before donning the protective gear to tackle the 150cc vehicle. It was relatively easy: turn key, ignition switch, footbrake for rear wheels, handbrake for front wheels, right thumb accelerator. Hmmm....given a crash course by an instructor with some dos and don'ts and we headed off.

We rode on gravel trail to familiarise ourselves, as in controlling it and manuevering curves, figure of 8... We rode over mud pools and it was a challenge not to dirty ourselves rather than bringing the vehicle across... haha... Didn't mind the mud on legs but it would be hard to wash off mud on Tees and shorts. But guess what, it wasn't till the next day that i realised laundry service in Phuket was so so cheap at 10 baht per piece of clothing. On hindsight, could have sped through the mud pools and be coated with mud for once! Anyhow, we did the beach ride and it was simply awesome. Had a short break and went into the second phase of a more challenging terrain.... the unforgiving forest!

Oh boy, i was having so much fun... it was like playing on a big toy car but all for real. You don't have to worry about the traffic though you need to watch out the people in front of you. No gung-hos are welcomed here coz we rode in a single file and a damaged rear lamp cost 500 baht!!!! I know that coz one of our team member accidently hit the gal in front and he had to pay for the loosened cracked lamp.

I drove carefully only to increase speed after each turn or bend. Erh....didn't want to be too goody goody and so i experimented with speeding while negotiating a bend and hurt my wrist a little coz i needed to pull the vehicle back before it veered off and run out of control. Sped the most while on straight paths and it was thrilling.... Bonus: no traffic police to worry about...lol! ATV is similar to the snow mobile ride i took in Hokkaido and Helsinki but this one was much much warmer...as in the weather was so hot that i felt my shoulders and arms burning under the sun. .....

My injury occured in the forested area. We had to negotiate sharp bends and very very rugged terrain with tiny paths. It was uneven with roots of trees, rocks and stones, debris and broken branches all over. We also had to duck our heads to avoid overgrown tree branches and shrubs that scratched you along the way. There was this one bend that looked very mean and much inclined. I was doing fine turning but suddenly the vehicle was unbalanced and I thought i was about to flip over to the left side. Didn't want to be the first in my team to turn turtle or ride straight into the bushes and so i counter react by bringing my left foot down thinking i can push the vehicle back to balance. It was a huge mistake as my calf was scratched badly by the rear wheel mudflap (hope i get my term correct). Whoa... it was immediate burning sensation and totally unpleasant.

ATV - an extremely exhilarating ride and would do it again when i next visit Phuket. Nevermind the injury, the heat, the mud....all worth it all as you conquer the terrain with this mega Yamaha (I think) engine :) Hmmm...perhaps 3 hour ATV for the next trip.....

Amazing Fun-Filled Phuket...Part 1

Hey all, thanks for your tags, comments and one SPAM.... :(

I shall begin to write about my Phuket trip before every memory of it fades away with time and age :) So many things happened, wonderful, thrilling and painful.....hmmm.....I shall write them with respect to my injuries and one injury, one post....to make reading tolerable :)

First Sustained Injury: 29 April 2008 at Khuk Kak Beach in Khao Lak

We picked up a rented car upon arrival at airport on 28 April and drove from Phuket to Khao Lak.... a town which is exactly like Phuket 20 years back.... charming! It was a peaceful uneventful drive though it was raining.... i couldnt help but conclude that we brought the Singapore Rain to Phuket.



Checked into this awesome Ramada Khao Lak Resort and we were teased by the ingenious design and decor of the room that we resolved to have our future bedroom modelled after this (if we ever get to shift house). Concept was great (not as classy as Banyan Tree but very tastefully done), room and toilet size too and to top it all, our room was just two doors away from the checkin lobby..... the shortest distance we ever had in our traveling history. Here's a pic of the rented car with the highly sought-after plate number in Singapore... 8888.....heehee

Didnt do much on arrival day, just drove around the town in search for lunch and dinner, lazed by the beach and watched very interesting volleyball match with locals and farangs. Didnt get a chance to play though :( Btw, this hotel provided free DVDs and DVD player. Internet access is free too....and the buffet breakfast a good spread......all at SIN $100 per room per night!

Oh well, i better not digress and go straight to the injury....haha. It was a superb late afternoon with shine and wind. After driving to waterfall (so so small and totally not inviting), cape and beach (full of litter and clearly not for relaxation), we had time for one more and decided to try this quieter stretch in Khao Lak. Guess what.... it was empty... as in no one was there! We had the whole beach to ourselves and it was a great feeling and a great way to end the day. And the waves... humongous but proved treacherous. I ran straight in and was having so much fun riding the waves...until a rock hit my right foot....ouch!!! It was brought in by the strong waves. Actually, many small rocks and stones were washed in and hit me but this was the worst. Some bleeding but i continued to play with the waves. What made me stop??? Erh..... this is embarassing but needful to mention. I lost my balance several times as the waves hit in but it was really simple delightful moments until i got "sucked in" by the current. I swallowed a fair bit of sea water and sand and was drowning. Dr lowly, with one hand to his new toy waterproof camera, tried to save me but he couldnt grab my hands. I had no energy to push myself up from the strong waters and thought that was it. I was struggling for breath and he knew he had to do something to save me. He pulled my leg to bring me nearer to shore and shallow water. It was then that i could smell air once again. A close shave and i just want to thank God for preserving my life.

P.S. I had the sand thingy at the throat for 4 days after that!!!!

Mersing.....my first!

My very first blog! Seems like ages since I first mentioned to create one to my friends. Oh well, here it is and I will start off with my very first trip to Mersing last week since I have yet to get hold of my recent Phuket trip pics.

It was a short 3D2N thingy but it was extremely fruitful, enjoyable and blessed. I went with FEBC group (my first trip too) and it was very well organized. Thanks to Mrs Tow for all her planning. The coach was really comfy but freezingly cold. We had a good time of singing and sleeping for about 2-3 hours before reaching the destination.

It has been so long since i last slept in a bunk with many beds and it wasn't so bad after all. My roommates were very very nice and warm and they helped me a great deal. The other ladies were also helpful and before long, i got used to the place and kind of wandered out on my own. Went to the sea during the free time, armed with a guitar and songbook and camera phone. It was very very hot, felt the immense heat on my shoulders but thank God there was this nice shady area with wooden benches big enough for a huge mama to sit on. There was nice cool breeze and lovely horizon albeit too too far away (it was so low tide that it would be a 1 km walk out to the sea!) Anyhow, i played and sang and meditated on the words. Recalled memory verses too and reflected on my life. Prayed and it was a really precious moment to spend my quiet time with God and the beautiful earth He hath created.

We had night and day messages and singing of hymns, presentation of special items and skits. I am pleasantly surprised the FEBCians are so talented in all areas and my oh my, they can be this huge singing and acting family on caravan, probably Gospel stories to show and tell. Need to mention the Chinese item Singaporeans presented on 2nd night. We kind of did the patriotic China thingy with arms raised as we sang certain portions (some sort of actions) and it drew laughter!!! I was, erh.... not pleasantly surprised that the students laughed. They also laughed at Jamesy who did a small solo part with his real low low voice (he reached a low G for that matter). It wasnt until much later people told me it was the first time a presentation group did action thingy in FEBC....sigh....no wonder.... :)

Food was really good and sumptuous. I had the luxury of a banana dessert for every meal (heh, it was hard to get banana for all my other trips) and we even had a surprise satay supper with ice cream and birthday celebration too.

I love the late night singing and harmonizing. It was really really heavenly to me coz I don't get this opportunity often with like-minded brethren and very good friends who are so so talented. Erh.... we kind of got carried away and sang till almost 3am, upset and disturbed everyone else who were trying to fall asleep. Given the opportunity, i would choose to do it again but perhaps further away from the bunks. Hmmm... my Church camp is coming, will anyone care to sing with me all night?

Thank God for the messages that challenged us to be faithful and not be puffed up in our head with knowledge. We had the opportunity to see old old pics of BCEA Kenya (how it started) and recent pics of Tanzania. Thank God for the faithful labour of Rev & Mrs Mark Kim for nearly 20 years. May God grant them many more effective faithful years to serve Him in Africa!

The finale skit was one of the best that i have seen besides those from CtYFers in Tengah's camp. I felt goose pimples rising during the "cursing" act especially when Domi was so into the character and kind of scared me. And Febian, he depicted Dr Khoo so well that it seemed like his twin. Thaddeus was excellent and those blessing words he sprouted.....it was brilliant!

Alas, the trip had to end and I was thankful to be part of this memorable trip. I missed the fellowship of Lyn who was not able to make it due to passport woes. Sigh....next year, God willing, I will go again and she better be there...haha....

To all the ladies who sang for Girls Dorm... you did great and you were wonderful. Thanks for your kindness and love. It was great to get to know all of you though i still can't remember all your names....argh.... And thanks to Ejig... couldnt have survived the cold without her warm wollen sweater and not to mention the little hair clip for sports :) Asante sana... Ejig!
Jamesy, do you have any photographs for me to add on to this blog?

Thank you, Lord, for good friends and brethren and the blessed opportunity to relax and recharge. Pray that i can continue to grow in the Lord and always ready to tell of His goodness in my life.