Cristiano Ronaldo came, conquered and left. But in Manchester, life must go on. Skeptics were expecting the downfall of the Red Devils especially when no new superstars were signed from the record fee which Manchester United has managed to recoup from the sale of the

Neighbours, Manchester City FC were quick in announcing they are the Manchester with their advertisement of Carlos Tervez in their light blue strips. Liverpool must fancy their chances of a Man U without Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tervez. Chelsea felt that they finally have the Manager to step into the footsteps of Jose Mourinho. Tottenham Hostpurs started the season charging ahead and led the league in the first month of action.

Except for a hiccup against Burnley, Manchester United showed the world that they are a team and not a one man circus. The Red Devils stamped their class by having the best start in three years by posting 9 wins and only 1 loss in 10 matches (in all competitions). In comparison, they won only 4 times, lost 2 times and drew 3 times during the same period of August/September in the 2008/2009 season when Cristiano Ronaldo was at his prime with Manchester United.

Amongst the 9 wins this season, Manchester United overcame the pretenders to the crown in Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspurs and Arsenal.  

Undoubtedly, the first two months of the previous season yielded more goals and if we were to review the goal scorers in the previous season, Cristiano Ronaldo did bagged 5 goals or 20% of the goals scored. The positive point for this season is more players got on the score sheet which means that United is not dependent on one or two scorers. 

Even though it is only two months into the 2009/2010 season, Sir Alex Ferguson has proven yet again that Manchester United is a team. They have survived the departure of David Beckham and Eric Cantona, so life will go on without Cristiano Ronaldo or Carlos Tervez.

Cristiano Ronaldo had dominated limelight and hogged the possession of the ball. In doing so, players like Rooney, Nani and Giggs took a back seat. Now these players have the opportunity to show their worth. Sir Alex also managed the best bargain of the season by buying Michael Owen. His clinical finishing in the Man City game is only a glimpse of what he can produce for Man U.

It will be an exciting season yet again for Manchester United. Bring on Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid.

Care to climb a top ten highest mountain in Peninsular Malaysia at relative ease?

Gunung Irau is undisputedly the most accessible and the easiest to climb amongst all of Peninsular Malaysia’s top ten highest mountains. It is the ninth highest standing at a height of 6,923 feet or 2,110 meters, a mere 262 feet or 80 meters lower than Gunung Tahan, the highest of them all. But in comparison to Gunung Tahan, climbing Gunung Irau is a walk in the park due to two reasons. 

Firstly, the track starts at the Gunung Brinchang trunk road which is the highest paved road in Peninsular Malaysia. This means that you do not start at sea level or in the lowlands but at a relative high altitude of about 6,000 feet.

Secondly, a return trip from the starting point to the peak can be done comfortably within 7 hours which means that there is no need for heavy overnight packs. Comparatively, all of the other ten highest mountains require trekking over longer distances, climbing much higher elevation and involve overnight camping unless you are a  physical extreme junkie where in one case, I know a lady who managed Gunung Korbu in an 18 hours return trip marathon instead of a  4 days normal trek. 

My first attempt at Gunung Irau was in August 15. Mei & I left K.L. 3.30 in the morning to meet up with our friends who had put up the night at the Kwan Tee Temple in Kg Raja.

Stories of hearing a lady sobbing into the night prompted us to forgo our sleep and took the wee hours drive instead. We managed to reach on time at 6.30 am for the rendezvous. There were a total of nineteen of us. Break fast came next and promptly at 7.30 am we started driving to the starting point of the track. Unfortunately, our leader’s GPS took us to Brinchang town instead. We were delayed for about 30 minutes when Ee who has been to Irau before, took over the lead and directed us to the correct road and we were soon going past the Pallas tea plantation heading towards Gunung Brinchang. 

We could hear a light air craft hovering above us and the next thing we knew, we were bombarded with white coloured pallets. For a moment we were stunned. It felt like we were attacked by a WWII Zero. The white pellets fell from the sky like rain hitting our car, the road and the surrounding tea plants. Then we realised that the pellets were fertiliser which is been sowed by the plane. What an interesting start to the trip?

We continued our drive up the mountain until we come across a hut with a wooden staircase. This is the starting point for Gunung Irau. We promptly parked our cars but with the new digital photographing culture, we lost another good 30 minutes as everyone wanted get their pictures taken.  

We finally started 9.45 am. Being big group, there was a queue at the starting point. Mei & I pushed ahead as we did not want to be stuck with the stragglers. The starting point is a series of wooden stair case leading to a wooden broad-walk which ran about 200 meters.

 It was very scenic and we could see the mountain ranges though the trees. At the end of the boardwalk, we started descending. This intrigued me as I thought we were supposed to be climbing.

The descend took a good 30 minutes before we started climbing again. The terrain consist purely of roots and mud. It was a lot scrambling using all fours. The climb was longer than the descend and just when we thought it was never ending, we reached a summit just before noon. It was a beautiful spacious summit. We were pre-warned that it was a false summit so we knew we still have some ground to cover. Janice & Justin caught up with us 5 minutes later.

 After a short rest, the four of us set out for the Irau summit together.

 Again we have to descend and as it was already past noon, we hurried as the turn back time was 2.00 pm.  After 20 minutes, we started the climb again. It was a good 30 minutes to finally reach the summit at about 1.00 pm. Yes, we reached the ninth highest mountain in Peninsular Malaysia. 

We managed to rest a good 20 minutes before the second group arrived. All in nine of us made it to the summit. The rest were either too busy taking pictures of the scenic track or they were stopped at the false summit by Mr. Liau, our organizer who insisted a turn back time of 2.00 pm at the summit or 1.30 pm at the false summit. This was to ensure that everyone has enough time to get out before night fall.

I was pleasantly surprised that the track wasn’t too tough but it was very interesting especially the mossy forest which we have to trek through. The terrain was very challenging and muddy. It involved a lot of scrambling and climbing over trees and roots. 

We left the summit at 1.45 pm and backtracked the same way back. Normally, the return trip is faster for the other mountains as it would be mainly descent but the Gunung Irau trek is shaped like a “W” where we have to descend and then climb to the false peak before descending again and climb the final stretch to reach the starting point. We couldn’t really improved on our returning time. As a matter of fact, I was tired out at the final ascent stretch and was relatively slower.  Nevertheless, we made it out before 5.00 pm and it was a truly great trek. It was most enjoyable!

29 Sept 2009 – Finally, 8 months 10 days into the Kugan saga, it was reported that at least one policeman will be charged over suspected car thief Kugan Ananthan’s death while in police custody on January 20, 2009. It was also reported that the Attorney-General’s Chambers had still to decide on the charge. It would be interesting to find out who will be charged and what will be the charge. Ultimately, the final outcome of this case will be instrumental in deciding where the country is heading. Will the be a cover-up or a scrap goat who will be given a slap on the wrist to satisfy the bad publicity the police is getting. Or will this be a step forward to accountability for the actions of our police force.

What about the pathologist who did the first post mortem? Is there any investigation on how he could came to the conclusion of his findings which is so contradictory to the second post mortem report.

Pathologist Prof Dr Abdul Karim Tajuddin of the Serdang Hospital stated that he had died due to pulmonary oedema or fluid in his lungs.

Universiti Malaya Medical Centre pathologist Dr Prashant N. Samberkar declared in his post-mortem report that Kugan had suffered hemorrhaging in his trachea, chest, spleen, stomach, the back of his neck and spine, and there were also signs of hemorrhaging in his heart.  He had died of acute renal failure due to rhabdomyolysis which is translated into layman terms that he died due to the muscle cells disintegrating into his bloodstream and absorbed by the kidney which resulted in kidney failure and death. It was believed that Kugan could have been beaten up so badly that his tissues broke down, absorbed into his blood stream and caused his kidneys to fail and ultimately resulted in his death.  

The second post-mortem done by the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre appeared to be consistent with the condition of the body which the family members found in the Serdang Hospital. The second post-mortem found that he had a total of 42 contusions and burn marks all over his body.

 As we wait for the Attorney-General’s Chambers to take the next step, there appear to be a glimmer of hope in our system. It is now in the hands of the Home Ministry and the Attorney-General to do things right.

Been surfing for a complete list of mountains in Malaysia but have not been successful. Most if it comes in bits and pieces. There has been so much repetitions and misinformation that I started to compile my own list.

This is the most complete list that I could come up with. 

The above list is by no means complete or perfect.

I would most welcome contributions and corrections to the above data.

I have always wondered what Bukit Kutu was like after having read that it was an abandoned British hill station. Some call it Gunung Kutu which is disputed whether it is really a ‘gunung’ or mountain especially when Pine Tree Hill at the neighbouring Fraser’s Hill stands at 4,777 feet while Bukit Kutu was reported to be about 3,500 feet. As I read more, I found that it was formerly called Gunung Sekutu by the indigenous people, the Temuan who lived in the area. When the British took over, it was renamed Treacher’s Hill and a sanatorium was built there. Fraser’s Hill continued to thrive but somehow Treacher’s Hill faded into oblivion. This hill station was abandoned, the bungalows went into disrepair and finally the roads were overtaken by the jungle. Treacher’s Hill disappeared from the maps and was renamed Bukit Kutu.

Personal accounts from trekkers had given it a bad reputation for leeches and it was notorious as a trek where one would easily get lost. Trekking time was reported to be between three to four hours while the trek was supposed to be eight km long. I was intrigued with Bukit Kutu and jumped at the opportunity to climb Bukit Kutu when Liau invited us to join him for a trek there. Mei was very reluctant because of the notoriety of the leeches but somehow I managed to strong arm her to go.

June 6 – We woke up at 5.55 am for a 6.30 am rendezvous with Gary before proceeding to the group meeting point in Melawati at 7.00 am. Received a text message from Elise that she needed a lift. That’s blew my timing apart. Gary was early, so we picked him up at 6.25 am and proceeded to Elise’s place. We picked her up at 6.40 am and reckoned that 20 minutes was not enough to reach Melawati from Old Klang Road. Called Liau to inform him that we will proceed straight to Kuala Kubu Baru.

The drive to KKB was beautiful and the sunrise which we witness along the way was truly magnificent. We arrived in KKB at 7.45 am and had a quick breakfast when we were surpised by Diane. She was on her way to a white water rafting trip when she saw us and stopped her car just to say hello. We joined Mr. Liau’ group at 8.05 am in a mamak shop where they were having their breakfast.

At 8.30 am, we proceeded towards Fraser’s Hill from KKB. Shortly after passing the water dam, about 7.7 km from KKB town, we took a right turn into Kg Pertak. A quaint little village with lovely single storey detached houses, Kg Pertak is a relocation site for the Temuan community. From Kg Pertak, we ventured straight into a dirt road and continued for about 1 km before the road proved to be inaccessible by normal vehicles.

We had to park our cars at the side of road. From where we parked, we could hear the sound of rushing river waters and this is the start of the Kutu trail (Elevation 827 feet / Coordinates N 03˚34.487’ E 101˚44.201).

It was time to warm up. Lum start with his pumping exercises, Commedian did his kung fu kicks while Joey did her extreme yoga stretches. I was going to conserve my energy for the trek. After 10 minutes or so, we headed out for the Kutu Summit at around 9.00 am.

There were 13 of us. Only 4 of us have reached the summit of Bukit Kutu previously while the rest of us were all first timers to the hill.

The first part of the trek was easy with two metals bridges to cross. The second bridge had partially collapsed and we had to balance on the edge of the bridge.

About 1.5 km from the starting point, we came across our first river crossing. The water is about 2 feet deep. This river crossing could be a hazard on the return trip if it rains as the water level would definitely have gone up.

We did not let up. We continue trekking and encountered another 2 river crossings. These were minor streams and could easily be crossed without getting our feet wet. After crossing the 3rd river, we were in the thick of pacat (leech) country. The treks were a bit muddy but were very manageable given that we have been having dry spells during the past two months. We quickly passed the pacat gauntlet without suffering any leech assaults except for one or two minor bites.

We then started climbing. It was up hill all the way. After more than 30 minutes of continuous up hill, I swore it was like Nuang. When the going seemed to be endless, we reached the Giant Boulder area. It was such a relief. We covered only another 3 km from the 1st river crossing but it felt endless.

We rested a good 20 minutes here at the Giant Boulder. We passed time by taking lots of pictures.

Finally, we were ready for the final assault. It is only less than 2 km more to the summit from the Giant Boulder. Knowing that we have covered more than half of the distance helped us pyschologically in our final push. It was a steady hike upwards towards our goal.

The first to reach the summit clocked at about 11.45 am or a total of 2 hours 45 minutes. I only managed to reach at 12.15 pm clocking in at 3 hours 15 minutes. It was great feeling knowing that I managed to climb Buku Kutu on my first attempt where others have failed. The good weather and excellent ground conditions were instrumental in our above average times. Heard that the record for summitting Bukit Kutu was one hour forty minutes.

According to my GPS the summit of Bukit Kutu stands at 3,576 feet (Coordinates N 03˚34.487’ E 101˚44.201).

Not bad for a day’s work. Trekking up 6.3 km with a total elevation of 2,749 feet in 3 hours 15 minutes. I stand at the summit pretty pleased with the trek.

The going down was relatively swift. We started at 1.40 pm and we reached the river by 3.30 pm in under 2 hours.

It was time for a splash to cool down. The waters felt heavenly.

We left the river at 4.30 pm for a great dinner at Ulu Yam Lama with great memories.

American Idol Season 8 proved to be the best season ever, as all of the final 10 contestants were good enough to be the winners. Competition was stiff. Pure quality soared through the roof into the skies. It was the best quality American Idol of all seasons.  Adam Lambert and Danny Gokey would have won if they had competed in any other seasons but Kris Allen managed to upstaged both of them at the final stretch.

Kris Allen excelled when it counted most, in the final show. The only difference in the final, was that he sanged the final song a touch better than Adam. In all honesty, the song just did not suit Adam’s singing style. 

While Kris walked away with the grand prize, Adam was truly the real star of Season 8. He has the most powerful voice which he managed to perfection with his voice control. His flamboyance overflow night after night, so much that you can’t get enough of him.

For me, the highlight of the whole season was during the results night where Adam performed with KISS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exfq6ZtBjwA

It was an American Idol season which is unlikely to be surpassed in seasons to come.

29 April 2009 – It is only befitting that Ryan Giggs received the PFA Player of the Year for 2009, after a glorious career stretching 19 years where he is the only player to have scored in every season of the English Premier League since it was introduced in 1992. Giggs was also the only player to have scored in 11 consecutive Champions League seasons. A true and rare professional who preferred to let his footballing skills on the field do the talking. Undoubtedly, there are many equally talented players but none could Giggs in his commitment. How often can we find a player who played at the highest level serving one single club for two decades.

Ryans Giggs ~ truly a Football Legend!

March 5 – Picked up Gopal from his hotel and was cracking my head where to have lunch. Gopal, my friend from Chennai like most Indians are not too adventurous with their choice of food. The last time we had a meal was at the Bombay Palace which was a truly gourmet dream. It would be tough to top that and I decided to check out The Spice of India at the Pavilion.

The restaurant has lasted since the opening of Pavilion so I thought that it must be good. Secondly with the extremely high rentals at the Pavilion, I reasoned that they wouldn’t have lasted if they were bad.

We were promptly seated when we entered Spice of India and were given the menus. It was another 10 minutes before we could catch someone’s attention that we were ready to order. It wasn’t exactly filled. There were only four occupied tables and there were three waiters in all.

Our orders were Tomato Shorba, Butter Naan, Tandoori Roti, Garlic Naan, Dhal Palak, Murgh Tikka Masala, Mango Lassi and mineral water.

Two bottles of mineral water was delivered with one glass. I had to ask for the second glass.

The mango lassi tasted like sour mango juice with a small part of milk. I was used to rich sweet creamy mango taste and not a sour mango.

Then came our Tomato Shorba. My verdict would be that it is Campbell Tomato Soup mixed with some spices.

Fortunately, the roti, naan, the Murgh Tikka Masala and the Dhal Palak were credible. Not exactly the best but passable.

Service was very bad. The waiters were not attentive and did not look out for the customers. Instead, the customers had to call them time and again. 

Finally, when Gopal asked for finger bowls, he was politely told that there were wash basins located at the end of the restaurant. Some may think this is more hygienic than guests dipping and washing their fingers on the table in tiny lemon water bowls but this is an Indian restaurant and not having finger bowls is akin to not serving papadams.

Lastly, the bill came to RM 140 for two. Not cheap! Not expensive for an establishment on the upper floor of Pavilion but for the poor service and for the not so fantastic food, I rather pay more elsewhere.

My Take - Will never go to Spice of India again.

March 5 – Met up with an old friend and had breakfast at the coffeehouse ( called Kopitiam but nothing resembling one) in Radius International Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

The first impression was that the place looked pretty cramped up and the breakfast buffet spread looked pretty bad. The Teo Chew porridge did not have enough condiments. The fried keow teow looked underfried.

I settled for the local favourite which is the nasi lemak. On appearance, it looked okay. They had freshly cut cucumbers and half boiled eggs to accompany the rice. The sambal looked a bit watery.

Overall, it looked much better than the taste. The nasi tasted like normal boiled rice. The sambal which makes or break the dish was absolutely horrendous. It was such a put off that I felt like nauseated after the tiny portion which I took.

My Take - Absolutely bad. Forget about having breakfast at the Radius International Hotel.

March 1, 2009 – It was the battle for the Carling Cup. Sir Alex fielded four youngsters, Ben Foster, Jonathan Evans, Darron Gibson and Danny Walbeck while leaving Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Carrick and Edwin van der Sar in the stands.

As it turned out, Tottenham Hotspurs, the defending champions proved to be worthy adversary and Manchester United just couldn’t score despite 23 shots and possessing 53% of the ball. Tottenham Hotspurs had their run which was spearheaded by Roman Pavlyuchenko, Aaron Lennon and Darren Bent keeping the Red Devils’ defense busy. Goalkeeper Ben Foster was forced to make several saves while Sir Alex had to send in reinforcement in the form of Nemanja Vidic.

At the end of 90 minutes, there was still no score. Another 30 minutes, the teams were still tied.

It was then down to the lottery of penalties. Ryan Giggs, Carlos Tervez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Anderson all converted their penalties perfectly. The hero of the day was Ben Foster, 25 years old, third choice at Old Trafford rose to the occasion and stopped Jamie O’Hara’s first spot kick.  The save obviously pounded pressure on Tottenham Hotspurs and David Bentley succumbed to the pressure when he kicked his penalty wide.

Manchester United – 2009 Carling Cup Champions