King Scout Examination Camp 2010 (Selangor)

Although this camp was like almost 3 months ago, I still wanna write something about it.

The Selangor King Scout Examination Camp was held from the 30th of April till the 3rd if May 2010. So thats 4 days to be exact. There were 133 examinees from all over Selangor, like Kapar, Putrajaya, Tanjung Karang, Klang, Sepang, Hulu Langat, Kajang, Petaling, Gombak, Hulu Selangor and Kuala Selangor.

My friends and I actually reached to campsite one day before the required date. When we reached there, we unpacked our stuff, and went to greet all our other friends that had reached there too. Since it was drizzling at that time, we had to start putting up our shelter. It was kinda wobbly when we finished but it managed to stand throughout the night.

We woke up around 5 a.m. that day and saw that a few other scouts had already reached. We made breakfast and waited till 8.30 a.m. for the registration counter to be open. While registering, we were asked to randomly take a number tag out of a box. I got number 060, while my friend Der Hao got 089, David Yap got 118, Horng Yan got 075. After that, we were divided into different patrols based on our tag numbers. Apparently the numbers received were numbers for the campsites we were each going to be assigned to. And I have to say that I was slightly disappointed when I found out my campsite was directly under a large tree because the space I had was quite little but I managed to use most of the space. On the bright side, It wasn't that hot in the afternoon thanks to Mr. Tree ~ The main job we had to do in the afternoon was start building up our campsite. I wasn't actually sure about the exact way to construct the gadgets so I just built them based on creativity, and some of the things I built were kinda weird, but overall my campsite was quite good at the end of the day. We prepared dinner at night after a hard, hot, arduous day. Our 1st exam was scheduled at 8 p.m. - an interview with an examiner. Each examiner was assigned to one patrol which consisted of almost 10 scouts. At first we reported at our given examiner, then we sat down and waited to be called out. Truly I was very nervous at the beginning, but after waiting and waiting and waiting for my turn... I finally got bored wondering when it was going to be my turn. Finally it was my turn and I walked up to the examiner. I was asked questions about the history of scout and other scout related questions. Later on, I was asked to sing the Scout Song, "Negaraku", "Duli Yang Maha Mulia" and list out the 10 Scout laws. The last part of the interview was for the examiner to check my log book, but I don't think he was impressed with mine cause he kept shaking his head. After the interview, we were allowed to go back to either sleep or continue constructing our campsite. I decided to sleep early and wake up early the next day to touch up on my campsite.

On the second day, our first exam of the day was to prepare fried rice to be tasted by the examiners which was scheduled at 7 a.m.. The examiners just tasted a bit of our fried rice before leaving, so we had to eat the rest of the rice ourselves. I think the examiner didn't like my rice because he just ate one grain of rice from my plate. But I guess it was most probably because the flag raising ceremony was about to start and he didn't have much time. Well, for those who don't know whats a flag raising ceremony, it a ceremony where all the everyone gather at one place and sing the National Anthem while the flag is slowly being raised. After that, the camp commander or someone else in charge will give a speech to all the scouts telling them about the day's activities. For us, the next activity or exam was a theory exam consisting of 50 multiple choice questions about scout stuff - recent scout camps, history of scout, scout knots, types of scout badges and so on.

After the theory exam, we had our next exam which was map reading, compass reading and estimating the height and width of a tree and river respectively. The map reading exam was mostly just finding coordinates of the map, calculating the actual distance of two points on the map and listing out some of the features on the map. Everyone was given 5 minutes each to answer the questions given with the use of a map, so it was quite hard to answer all the questions because of the short time given. After that, we started our next exam which was to estimate the height of a selected tree and the width of a river using mathematical ways. Later on each patrol was given a compass to do the next exam, which was reading the bearings for different locations based on questions given to each patrol. After finishing all the given exams, we were given our free time to cook our lunch and continue building gadgets for our campsites. Around 2 p.m., we gathered infront of the hall to start our next exam, which was to examine us on knot making, waggle making and bushmenthong making. I guessed i totally aced the test because I was able to make all the knots that were required and I finished my waggle and bushmenthong within time to get full marks. And guess what... It started to rain right after I finished the test, so I quickly ran back to my campsite to find cover from the rain. Since I was among the fastest to finish the test, I got the opportunity to return to my campsite while the other scouts who hadn't finished stayed back.

Thank God it rained... because our next exam was "kawad tongkat" (marching with a walking stick). It was eventually postponed to the following day. So all us gained an extra 2 hours or so to rest and touch up on our gadgets. At that time, I was quite exhausted from all the exams so I took an hour of my time to lie down, enjoy and eat some biscuits, blueberry biscuits to be exact. After a while, I started to get used to my campsite, the red and black ants running all around, the creepy crawlies jumping here and there, the cool night breeze, the big black scary tree infront of me. I guess at that moment I was quite amazed with nature, the tranquility, the peace and of course the little buddies crawling all around me. I was not afraid... I was truly alive...

I continued with my gadgets after my break and managed to put up a swing with the help of Mr. Tree. Actually, it wasn't necessary for me to make the swing but I thought at that time that I wanted to make my campsite something similar to my perspective of a home. I had dinner after that. The next exam was a group interview. Quite similar to a youth forum, each group was assigned to a examiner, the examiner gave us 3 topics to choose from, we chose the topic " Teenage Problems" (the topic is in BM, "Masalah-masalah Remaja"). We were then all given 5 minutes to think of points to present to everyone in the group as well as the examiner. And I have to say that the discussion was quite interesting as mostly everyone was participating and giving their ideas and points of view. After our interview, We had a short briefing on the exams for the following day, then we were allowed to go back to our campsites.

*Just a guideline for those who are going for the King Scout Examinations in the future, make sure you know how to speak Bahasa Malaysia, it not only helps in your interview but also in other exams. I heard someone failed because that person couldn't speak BM.

On the third day, 2nd of May 2010, I woke up after a long tiring night. I had breakfast at 3 a.m. that day so I didn't bother to eat anything when I woke up at 6.30 a.m.. Actually, I was quite nervous because we all had a morning inspection that morning (the inspection is also an exam). The examiner started his inspection at 7.00 a.m., he checked our gadgets, our personal cleanliness and our campsite cleanliness. And just like the fried rice test, my campsite was among the last to get inspected, so he just did a brief inspection. We gathered infront of the hall after our inspection for the flag raising ceremony and a short briefing.

After that, our next exam was a theory exam on first aid. The questions consisted of subjective questions. The exam ended quite fast, our next exam was backwood cooking. We were all given 2 short bamboos, a small plastic bag of rice, an egg and a piece of chicken. The test was to cook rice, chicken and a hard boiled egg. I aced cooking rice, nearly blew it at cooking the chicken and totally blew it at the egg test. The food we cooked was technically our lunch so we didn't cook anything for ourselves after that. After our afternoon break, we headed off for "kawad tongkat". We were required to perform basic marching moves as well as give marching commands to the whole group as part of our exam. We had a gadget pioneering exam after that, we were all given a project to work on, with 10 bamboos for each group, we were required to build a gadget as stated in the project. After that, we had our first aid practical test. Each group was given a case and we had to perform first aid based on our knowledge of CPR, bandaging and so on. After finishing the case, we were summoned one by one by the examiner to check our first aid kits.

It was around 7 p.m. when we were allowed to go back to our campsites again. I quickly took out a bottle of water and a packet of biscuits when I reached my campsite. But after I finished my meal, I had to quickly meet up with my other friends as the last exam for the day was " Cultural Night " where we had to perform cultural dances. My friends and I were going to perform the Lion Dance. ~ To be continued.

Mulu Caves Trip

Mulu Caves Expedition

It is once said that the will to persevere is to allow the mind to control the body, and not the body to control the mind. And through courage and determination are we able to endure through the greatest of hardships.

When I was first given the opportunity to participate in the “Mulu Caves, The Pinnacles” expedition, the first thought that came through my mind was that this trip would be a piece of cake, but fate stated otherwise. There we were, a group of 22 student leaders and 4 advising teachers, lead by two reliable and knowledgeable tour guides, in the rural, serene parts of Mulu. We had to walk miles and miles just to reach our accommodations for the night, we had to wait under rainy conditions just to witness the exodus of flying mammals, we had to climb steep mountains, slippery paths just to get a glimpse of a beautiful scenery, we had to endure through tough times where some of us were in the state of valetudinarianism. The hardships were incessant, but it was also transitory and we did not yield. In the end, we came back home not only in one piece, but also with an addition wisdom, experience and a rekindled heart. The epic story of the Mulu Caves expedition is a treat to those reading it, and a gift for those who experienced it personally.

We reached Mulu on the 19^th of March 2010 after flying from LCCT and Miri Airport, upon coming out of the aeroplane, besides the airport itself, misty mountains and thick vegetation were the only things our eyes could contemplate. At that moment, all of us knew that a tough and exciting journey was about to commence and turning back wasn’t an option within grasp anymore. We started our journey by checking in Benarat Lodge which became our accommodation for the first two days. During our stay at Benarat Lodge, we gained the opportunity to become spectators of the sunset on the first day and visitors of two caves in Gunung Mulu National Park which are Deer and Lang’s Cave respectively on the second day. Before going to the caves, we had a tour in the national park guided by our very informative tour guide, Richard. Our keen inquisitiveness also didn’t fail to earn all a few extra stuff to learn. Survival tips such as how to locate water and how to identify unpalatable fruits were among the few things learned during the tour.

We started off for Deer and Lang’s Cave after the tour. By now, we should be proud as Malaysians because Deer Cave is considered as the largest single cave passage yet discovered on earth. Besides that, these two caves are home to millions of residing bats, which brings us to the next part of our expedition – Viewing of the spectacular exodus of flying mammals or bats. Since bats are considered as the only flying mammals on earth next to the flightless platypus, observing them coming out in groups to search for food and dancing in the sky in different formations was definitely a breath taking experience for all of us. Upon returning back to the national park entrance, it had already started raining heavily but we did not bear any regret as watching the exodus of the bats was already rewarding enough for us.

On the third day, we departed from Benarat Lodge to Melinau Camp or preferably called Camp Five. First, we took a longboat ride before walking a long 8 kilometers trail to our destination. Along our journey, we visited the Batu Bungan Penan Settlement where we read some of the history about the settlement and its people besides purchasing local handicrafts. Wind Cave and Clearwater Cave were next in line after the settlement. In Wind Cave, we saw the amazing speleothems of the caves such as stalactites, stalagmites, and even the most intricate all of all the cave structures – helictites. In Clearwater Caves, all of us witnessed what an underground river looked like, apart from that, we came to know that the locals there believed that the river’s water could prevent the aging process of those who washed themselves with its water.

The following day after reaching Camp 5, we finally started the climax of our expedition, our journey to conquer “The Pinnacles”. We were informed that the Pinnacle Summit Trek was going to be an arduous and challenging one as we needed to cover 2.4 kilometers up a mountain to reach our destination. During the first few 100 meters of the hike, many of us were already panting as the trail was quite steep. But slowly, our versatility kicked in and we gradually got adapted to the steep inclination of our trail. We took a quick break at every resting point and finally we reached the 2 km point of our journey, where we had to start climbing ladders, till the top, just like the game “Snakes and Ladders”, that is without the snakes.

Why do some people enjoy accepting challenges? It is because they enjoy the exhilaration of victory. And that is the feeling we all had after 4 strenuous hours of walking and climbing. We felt exhilaration to reach the top, to get a scenic view on top of a mountain and to know that we are standing higher than the pinnacles and not the pinnacles that are standing higher than us. Even Richard himself who didn’t think it was possible was amazed when every single one of us successfully reached the top as all the previous groups he guided had a few people who couldn’t make it to the top. It just comes to show that a likely impossibility is always preferable as an unconvincing possibility. After coming down, all of us had a refreshing dip in the river in front of Camp 5. We were all excited about what was installed for us the following day.

On the fifth day, we started our walk through The Headhunter’s Trail which was 11.3 km long. We were informed that there would be longboats at the end of the trail awaiting our arrival to send us to the Bala Lasong Longhouse. But who knew that fate played a trick on us, the boats didn’t arrive due to the interruptions of radio transmissions between Camp 5 and the Longhouse. So, after journeying a tiring 11.3 km from Camp 5, we had no choice but to return back to Camp 5. But after many hours of walking, we finally reached Camp 5 again, exhausted and hungry.

On the last day of our trip, we returned to Mulu Aiport from Camp 5 and flew to Miri where we had a quick tour of the town before traveling back to LCCT.

The trip I considered to be as a piece of cake turned out to be even more challenging than expected. But still, all of us managed to endeavor through the whole expedition in one piece and come out with a new perspective in life. From just a simple expedition, became a breath taking experience. We learned about the importance of life, and became life itself. We went there as students, and came back as champions.

This is what the Mulu Expedition is all about – Change.

J.C. '10

Something about myself

I guess it's time to look back at my own personal history :

I was born in Malaysia. As the youngest child, I lived under a strict guidance from my parents, who by the way are the best people in the world. Strength, courage, wisdom, knowledge, honesty, confidence, determination.. all derived from these great people. My childhood was spent mostly in Florida,USA. I went fishing a lot, both jetty fishing and deep sea fishing with my dad, and these are golden memories. Regarding my education in US, I only managed to study half a year of grade 1 before finally returning back to dear Malaysia. I always remembered I loved " Pizza Day " in the school, pizza while studying.. Now that's motivating ~

Coming back to Malaysia, is like entering a forest, you don't know where you're going until you reach the end, but usually forests are endless if you are clueless of where you're going. i had to learn completely new stuff, languages like Malay and Chinese were my greatest adversaries at that time.. But I eventually outfought these two languages. I spent my primary school at SRJK (C) Yu Hua and made many friends at that time. And I always thank God that my friends brought me towards the right path.

Finally, I left the realm of a child and entered the gates of a teenager. It's said that a teenager always struggles in their early stages as a lot of new emotions suddenly onslaught them. And that's what happened to me during my secondary schooling time in SMJK Yu Hua, but eventually troubling times always rekindles us with more experience to live through it. I persevered two years before reaching my third year, no longer being a sophomore I started to have fun being a student, a teenager, a friend.. But the fun had to temporary end to prepare for our enemy and our exit ticket at that time, PMR. An enemy for ending our fun momentarily with constant stress and an exit ticket to determine where we would be going the following year, arts or science.

I always wondered why teachers and senior students took PMR as a piece of cake, but now I understand that once you overcome one crucial stage of your life, you are no longer afraid of it as you have already experienced it.

Coming back to my current crucial stage - SPM. SPM... Something every Malaysian has to go through before going into Form 6, colleges or universities. It's like the ending point of an old life and the starting point of something new, the Alpha and the Omega as I like to call it.

Well, that's all for now.. Enjoy your lives and fulfill your dreams ~ Bye for now.


[I Believe]

I believe that all of us,
have something we dream of,
and achieving it has never mattered more.
But sometimes,
we have to sacrifice the things we want the most,
in order to obtain what really matters to us.

And sometimes,
by giving up our aspirations,
we are wounded and truly lost in despondency.
But in return,
we become the stronger people we are.

As our wisdom grows the most through mistakes,
and mistakes only dwell in the presence of decision.

(JC'10)

The First Introduction

Hmm... my 1st post ~ Not exactly sure what to write.. But I guess every first timer has to introduce him/herself.. So :

My name is John ~
I am a boy.. or maybe student sounds better ~
The most common happiest day of my life is on the few days before, after and on 24th of June ~
Schooling in SMJK Yu Hua ~
Currently a Scout ~
Favorite song is " Only a Woman Like You " from Michael Bolton ~
Love soupy noodles.. Don't know why ~
Enjoy Sports ~
and... um.. not sure what to talk about ~