About Life

A fine morning somewhere on Lake Toba. 23 March 2008

I wished I am floating on a lake somewhere now …

A meeting on the water is better than any on land. 23 March 2008

… I really do.

Chemically toxic people tends to cloud our perception of the goodness of life.

Everyday is a fine day.
Really.
We just need to be reminded or be conscious of it that’s all.
Especially me. *sigh*
And especially in the midst of such nonsense, bullshit, pretense, dishonesty, backstabbing, incompetence and cowardice.

The sharpest colours appear before the darkest moments.
Kuching Sunset, 14th March 2008

Back view of expedition newbie Elke with no turning back for her - not that she’s got much choice on this matter in this situation …

“Huey was delusional (still is) - and the rest of us were just plain stupid!”
FH2o laments in his blog … not!

I suspect that Huey is worried that instead of me doing him some bodily harm that I may instead choose to ‘demonize’ him in my blog; and that’s why he beats me to the punch quickly with his version of our ‘night paddling experience’! I am kidding. Taking on the thankless task of being our expedition leader we were in a sense putting on lives in his hand - leaving him to work out and plan the expedition routes and making the decisions with regards to our daily paddling distance, etc. I had paddled with Huey before together with JB on our Chiangmai Ping River Expedition and we trusted him implicitly although at times we doubt the state of our mental health.

“Do you know where the frankfurt are we heading?”, Chan asks Halim a nonsensical question in the middle of the lake in the midst of an approaching storm.

Even in the middle of the lake feeling wobbling from being bounced about by the waves in my lovely but delicate Cooper (and wondering which of the aluminum tubings would have been detached itself from the crossframes or ribs if I had forgotten to cable tie them down - Folbot are you listening?), blinded by the driving rain (we couldn’t really see in the pitch darkness anyway but the light sticks) and sitting on 2 or more inches of water swooshing about inside your folding kayak; and physically exhausted from not only trying to keep my balance but my kayak on course from the quartering waves after an entire day of paddling - I was at no time in any doubt that we would all make it across the lake and onto dry land that night. I just knew. And we did.

After 15hours of paddling - exhausted but elated at reaching Muara at last. Mindy, Lee Ali & Melvyn start searching for their dry gear and sanity. 21st March 2008

Here are Huey’s lucid accounts of our first night out on the lake in the middle of a storm which looking back now was the ‘highlight’ of our trip. I know - we are insane!

1. Storm Over Muara

2. Lights of Muara

3. Muara

Note: All photos in this post are stolen from Huey’s blog - he deserves a greater punishment than this.

Threatening skies and cutting it closer than we would have liked before our 15km open crossing an hour before sunset to Muara @ Lake Toba, North Sumatra, 21st March 2008.

I don’t think its post expedition depression but the past couple of days at and during the company’s corporate ‘retreat’ which instead of making us feel uplifted, motivated and fully charged-up was anything but. I find it hard to stomach proclamation(s) that ‘people are your greatest assets’ to be followed by a humiliating ‘dressing down’ (politically correct term for anal-fucked) in front of your peers. It didn’t happen to me (I would have given it right back man!) but it was unprofessional and distasteful regardless of whom it was dished out to particularly when it was not justified but just plain bullying.

Reflecting on dark waters and the darker side of human behavior.
21st March 2008.

I’ll get over this soon but meanwhile please bear with the temporary interruption to this usually cheery and uplifting blog. Now get back to work you slackers!