S&S Reruns: On Walkathons

I am still trying to wrap my emotions around the month of February. Meanwhile, here's a rerun from 2012, with a flashback of something that happened on February 2009.

Originally posted here: http://mariscribbles.com/2012/07/31/on-walkathons/

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One step. Two steps. Three steps. Four. My feet go thump-thump-thump-thump as I weave around the neighborhood. As I walk, twilight is planting its kiss on the pavement, on the streetlights, and on the houses that I encounter along the way. It paints a serene picture, calming me down, dispelling the anxious thoughts that have made their way into my mind during the day.

I missed doing this. Going out on a walkathon. I had wanted to do some runs on one of the condo’s treadmills but the lights were out – the gym was probably under maintenance – so here I am, walking, just going wherever my feet decides to take me. I am unconstrained by time, unhindered by walls. Simply unrestricted. I had left my wristwatch at home and I will only cease walking once my strength has given out.

Walking has always been therapeutic to me. As a child, I used to “make-dabog” across the wooden floors of our house when my parents didn’t let me have my way. As a teenager, I took it out on the concrete pavements of Los Banos when life didn’t.

“Okay lang ba kung mag-lakad-lakad nalang tayo?” “Okay lang. Saan?” “Kahit saan. Sa Sta Fe. Sa Agapita. Sa may EBC. Sa Umali. Hindi ako makapag-isip eh. Kelangan kong maglakad.” “Sige, tara.”

Walkathons are always so much better though when you’re walking it out while talking it out with someone. Or certain someones. I miss those people who took walks with me, you know, once upon a time. Like when I had my heart broken in high school. When I had tantrum attacks in college. When I faced crossroads after graduation.

I wish I had someone to walk it out with me right now.

But solitude is sweet. And though I walk these roads alone for now, I know I won’t be doing so for long. 

Twilight brings in darkness, but dawn will bring forth newness and light, soon enough.

So I will keep walking through the night.

Letting Go (No, Not Frozen)

I spent a few days travelling down public transportation memory lane the week I had Caleb, my Myvi, fixed. He used to have a huge dent near his left headlight. Don't ask, that's a very long story. Anyway, going back to public transportation was strange and very nostalgic. I used to have the routine down pat during my first eleven months of work. But, after being behind the wheel for a year and eight months, I was left somewhat disoriented by the changes that threw my old public transpo route and routine off.

Wake up before 7:00AM. Walk 20-30 minutes to the LRT station. Catch the train before 7:30AM. Run so as not to miss the 7:40AM ERL. Hop on the U429 bus by 8:00AM. Hop on Shuttle 1 by 8:15AM. Arrive at the office by 8:30AM. Add an hour to everything if you get up between 7:30 and 8:00AM. Add 30 minutes for every missed bus, ERL, or train.

One year, eight months later, the Shuttle 1 has been phased out, replaced by the Nadi Putra J03 which, thankfully, goes directly from the Putrajaya Station to my workplace. Well, almost directly. It goes around the entire Cyberjaya first. It's a twenty-minute ride (which just goes round and round) but I used it to catch up on some reading anyway. But, yey, no more bus transfers and unpredictable waiting times in between!

A friend of mine said taking public transportation is a test of patience and discipline. Hear, hear. I say it's also a test of "letting go" or the relinquish of control if you have already been driving around for so long.

When you're driving, you have the ability to control how quickly or how slowly you'll get from point A to point B. Granted, there'll be traffic; granted there'll be "getting lost" moments, too. But more or less, it's your choice if you want to drive at a constant 60 or 120 (kph people, kph). Malaysian public transportation is too unpredictable when it comes to time and schedule (especially the buses and KTMs).

When you're driving, you have greater control over your safety. True, there will be irresponsible drivers and motorcyclists (and sometimes even pedestrians) popping in and out every now and then, but you have the choice to drive with greater care, more defensively. Public transpo? Say hello to crazy bus and taxi drivers, people.

When you're driving you have greater control and command over the place where you'll be heading, the route you'll be taking.

When you're driving, staying a couple of extra hours inside the office is no biggie since you won't have to worry about missing the last bus or train.

I think having taken control of the wheel for almost two years has made me feel like I have such great hold over my life. Taking the public transpo was somewhat... humbling. It reminded me that there are a lot more things that I can't take charge over and that, really, there are times - a lot of times - that I should just learn to let go, to not feel the need to be like I have it all together.

I'm deliberating on doing this maybe at least once a month or something. Just so, you know, I'd be reminded from time to time to just let go.

Plus I can do more reading and people-watching that way. Teehee. 

Commercial Break

Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to interrupt our regular program by bringing to you a sketch of Legolas Greenleaf from J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of The Rings":

We had dinner last Saturday night at Ate Janet's and her two kids requested a drawing of Legolas before they finally released us at 11pm (they initially wanted us to stay until 1am or 7am, hehehe). We had an art competition, you see, and much of the night was spent trying to determine whose ice cream, whose minion, whose wardrobe, whose wine glass looked the best. They liked my drawings and made that final request before we left. So there he is. Legolas Greenleaf.

I hope you like the sketch, Shenker and Samantha! Tita Mari and Tita Prescious had fun eating your Mum's yummy dishes (and coffee!), drawing, and playing games with you all. When would you like us to visit again? :D

Happy Monday!

Up Bukit Broga Part 2: Lessons Learned

We didn't stay there forever. We eventually moved on to the next three peaks.

The second peak was delightful. It reminded me of the field in Holden Caulfield's imagination. You know, the one in Catcher in the Rye. In the book, he said he wanted to be that guy who kept kids from falling off the field's borders, the guy who kept them from falling off the edge of the cliff. I could imagine him in his red hunting cap keeping all the mountain - err, hill climbers safe and in check.

I barely noticed the third peak. This one had a bunch of graffiti stones in it. I guess a lot of people wanted to leave their marks there.

The fourth peak was the most memorable. There were two ways to go about it. One way was a lot shorter but involved a rope and a couple of big boulders. The other way was longer, but involved a lot more climbing and sliding.

We decided to try our luck with the short way first.

Uh-oh.

"I have a very weak upper-body strength," I admitted as I clung on to the rope.

"I don't have any strength!" Next-door-officemate exclaimed.

We decided to go the other way. Before we turned back, though, two little kids - a boy and a girl, maybe six or seven - began to climb up with their mother. We decided to stick around and watch. We wanted to know how they would go about the climb.

Brother gave sister a boost. Sister pulled brother up. Mother supported both of them all the way. With the two kids up, we wondered how the mother was going to get herself on top of that rock.

Being quite fit and skinny, the woman simply fit herself through the crack between the two boulders. And just like that, she was up.

Our eyes went as big as Bukit Broga pebbles. "We're not as skinny as that!"

Eventually, we decided to go through the long way. Well, despite lots of slipping, we finally made it up the 400m point. Yahoo!

Photo by Next-door-officemate

Going down was easier. We just... slid. And imitated a bunch of hermit crabs.

The climb taught me a lot of things. First, as mentioned in my previous entry, I wasn't as strong as I thought I was. But then again, I was a whole lot stronger than I eventually thought I was.

Second, the view from above is always worth it. The journey is tiring. It requires a tonne of effort. But the end of it all, if you don't give up and just follow the footsteps of all those who had gone ahead before you, you'll find that the view is more spectacular than you have ever imagined, even prettier than any Photoshopped image could ever be.

Third, you'll have to bring other people up to the top again, next time. Maybe you can wait until your body has recovered. But you can not let people experience just your words and photographs - they have to experience the whole climb, because it's the journey that makes it worth it. Are you going to deny someone that?

So, yeah, once my body has fully recovered, let's go hiking again next time, shall we? 

I dare you.

Up Bukit Broga Part 1: An Unexpected Journey

We went hiking last week. We went up Bukit Broga. I only used to see the signs on the road whenever we came home after visiting Mantin or Malacca. 

Simpang Bukit Broga 500m. Simpang Bukit Broga 200m. Simpang Bukit Broga 100m.

We never actually made an exit to that area. And we never actually knew (I think) that we could hike there.

"I want to go hiking," a next-door-officemate said one Saturday, while we were all having breakfast in the pantry.

"Where? Kota Kinabalu?"

"That's not hiking! That's climbing!" came her remark. "I want to hike up Bukit Broga."

"Oh... Broga... When?"

"Tuesday. It's a holiday."

"Oh..." 

I was on sick leave just the day before. I was deliberating whether or not it was safe to engage in such a strenuous physical activity so soon.

"Don't go," a kababayan said. "There are forty-five-degree inclines. It's scary and tiring!"

My next-door-officemate sent a mass email a few minutes after. I typed out "Broga Hill" in the Google Image search bar. The results generated had some pretty amazing shots.

"I'm in!" I sent as a reply.

We met up at Cyberjaya at 7:00am and set out to Semenyih at around 7:30am. There was only three of us. We were supposed to be four but the fourth gal overslept. Well, it turned out that three was quite plenty.

When we got to the hill's base, there were already so many people. The parking lot was actually bursting in its figurative seams.

"Don't be surprised that there are so many people," next-door-officemate said. "Ever since some famous actors took some shots here two years ago, the public suddenly came flocking in. People now climb here to do prenup photos, too."

"Is that so?" I answered in between huffs.

Hiking up a Malaysian Hill turned out to be... difficult. There were a lot of almost vertical inclines. There were plenty of people pushing in from all sides, too. You couldn't really stop in the middle of climbing, though I forced the three of us to do so, several times.

"One minute, one minute."

"Thirty seconds."

"Five minutes!"

It turns out that I wasn't as strong as I thought I was. So much for those evenings at the gym. I was huffing and puffing like I was seriously out of shape.

But in the end it turned out that I was stronger than I eventually thought I was.

"Keep pushing, Mari! Were' almost there! Just fifteen steps more!"

"I can't... I .... can't! Give me five minutes!"

We got to the first peak eventually. It was all worth it. The view was spectacular. The wind was delightful. There were tiny birds gliding around, showing off as they tried to ride against the wind. We spent maybe an hour there. Taking photos, telling stories, ranting stuff out. 

"Can we stay here forever?" I asked. I didn't want to to to the next three peaks. I didn't want to go back to Cyberjaya either.

(To be continued)

The view.

Next-door-officemate. :D

The hills are alive... with the sound of muuuusiiiicccc...

Let's stay here forever!