28. Stages in Trail Clearance

Negative Stage: Totally unknown or forgotten. Nobody know about it, example secret tree, waterfall, caves, plane crash site, forgotten historical land mark (KKB train to Bukit Kutu) yet to be discovered. (for mount peak:- It can be easily detected and seen from below). In this case, the target is unknown.

Stage 0: Target GPS location is known but then no known trail to reach the destination. There are plenty of them. Just use google map terrain, find an un-named peak you want to go and start exploring. For waterfall, it is much harder, you need to go to a slightly bigger forest with at least 500m peaks. Then, you have to look for valley in the terrain and just hike there hopefully you hit a jackpot.

Stage 1: Someone has reached the peak/destination. But the trail is still not properly marked and not clear properly. Remain a trade-secret for those who “cari makan”. E.g Trans Batu!

Stage 2: GPX is recorded and distributed. Experience hiker can reach the destination following the GPX. However if there is a landslides along the GPX then big detour, If massive tree fall then a slight detour. If there are massive brushes overgrown such as paku-pakis and bamboo tree. Then, extensively cutting is required. Hikers seldom goes to these mountain as there are generally not so popular. (E.g Trans Meranti, Bah Gading)

Stage 3: Trail is properly marked with ribbon cable and 90-95% of the trail is clear, almost no cutting is required.  Most popular mountain are like that. E.g Trans Naning

Stage 4: Super highway (Nuang, Gunung Hitam, ANSI, Datuk, Bukit kutu Etc)

Stage 5: Community hill. (SACF, APEX Hill, Wawasan, Sg Long.) 

The problem in Stage 4-5 are

a)      Most hikers would like to create short cuts + connecting route here and there.  It may be confusing for hikers who are new to the hill.

b)     Soil erosion on the trail due to excessive number of hikers. The trail should not be created on the steepest one (water tends to flow here) but it should be created on the 2^nd steepest one.

c) Cannot throw paper marker or kena curse, if U 1 2 contribute, make some sign board at each junction to remove hiker confusion.

For most mountain, it will go back and forth between Stage 2 and 3, during monsoon session or puasa month, some mountains are deserted. Thus, some part of the trails will be overgrown with bushes. There is a need to bring hikers to hike in periodically. During hiking paper marking may be needed so that hiker won’t get lost. The trail can be done on the steepest terrain as the water flow maybe helpful in preserving the trail. The trail should be made on shaded route as bushes tend not to grow on shaded route. On an unshaded route, be prepared to cut again every month if there is less hiker.

For Serdang Hill (beside MEX highway), Putrajaya, Bukit 527, the trail look like Stage 2.

27. What I put in my car for hiking?

1)     Spare clothing

2)    Slippers 

3)     Big size cotton clothing (old t-shirt) covering the front seat (driver + side passenger). Use to absorb those hiking dirt and sweat and collect dust. Once reach home just take out the T-shirt from the car seat and throw inside washing machine.

4)     4x 1.5 liter fresh water stored in 100+ bottle. For washing and bathing after hiking!

5)     Changing Tent! I use the changing tent for bathing as well! Just flush away all the body sweat and odour with fresh water. I have an almost-cleaned and dry body after hike. I seldom see hiker use a changing tent. They just have a wet underwear all the way home.

https://shopee.com.my/Camping-Changing-Tent-XL-Auto-Pop-Up-Outdoor-Waterproof-Privacy-Toilet-Shower-Bath-Fitting-Barang-Tandas-Khemah-Solat-i.868272385.18949694491?sp_atk=c84d8055-fb7b-442b-ba15-b53ce6c96e3a&xptdk=c84d8055-fb7b-442b-ba15-b53ce6c96e3a

6)     Big Plastic nylon bag to put all the wet clothing and dirty shoes.

26. Rule for tasty Meat.

 During a hike, I was told by a hiker that her husband is operating a chicken/pig roasted shop somewhere in Cheras. Ok friend2 must support mah. so I paid him a visit. His roasted pork is nice. Thus, we have a chat. "How do you compare big restaurant chicken/pork/duck compared to coffee shop stall?"

Well, the first rule is the meat cannot be frozen, once slaughter it must cook within 24-48 hours depending on availability of cold storage (2-4 degree celcius Lowest temperature before frozen). Cook once, finish selling it within 1 day and tomorrow start over again. Once frozen, it will be less tasty. Thus, big restaurant (other than specialized chicken/pig/duck rice shop) cannot beat coffee-shop chicken rice stall if the stall operator operated professionally. So, the chicken rice stall operator will have to go to the market every morning 4am to get their chicken. On top of that, they are not greedy, roughly they have an idea how many chicken will sell and have a near zero-waste policy. He then told me about the process used by big restaurant to deliver chicken for their customer. After I heard it, I think it is best to eat from nice/reputable chicken/pig/duck rice from coffee shop or specialized chicken rice shop.

The conversation roughly ended here. Below is my own writing!

What a self-cooked househusband and wife can do? If you want fresh tasty food, go to market every day! Some markets sell live chicken and slaughter on the spot. If you can get that, once slaughter, go and cook your soup, chicken whatsoever. Your taste is one grade above. There used to be a chicken stall selling buy to slaughter chicken and duck in Dengkil  town (behind the mosque). However, the land owner has taken back the land. The seller ended up selling frozen chicken instead.

What regulator and market maker can do? Announce publicly or inform suppliers the slaughter time-table for your chicken, pig and duck. Those house husband/wife, coffee shop stall operator may be very keen to know it so that they can time their action to get a constant fresh supply of meat.

2^nd: Argument, method of slaughter. IKEJIME.

The Japanese has a method to slaughter a fish to maintain it freshness and taste. I was surprised that it is rarely practise in Malaysia despite many of the fishes are quite expensive.  

You can view the video from here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqVxjjxQkoE

Generally, the process is to kill the fish quickly by damaging the brain. If the fish dying slowly, it will release some chemical that may spoilt the fish tasty. Then, it is followed by draining most of the blood from the fish. The less blood in the fish, the better the fish will taste and it can be stored longer in frezzer. Can we have the process for pig, chicken, duck etc.

 

3^rd: Poultry operator.

Well, we have many poultry operators in Malaysia. They have the first hand control over the production of chicken and eggs. How come, I never heard of any high end restaurant that is linked to any poultry owner. As a large poultry owner, you have end to end control over what breed to breed, what food to give to your chickens, ducks, pigs. What you miss out the last part “high end restaurant” which give you the best profit margin.

Generally, it is like this

a)      Select a chicken/duck/pig breed based on high end market demand

b)     Select special food for the chicken/duck/pig

c)      Optimize your slaughter process.

d)     Deliver it to customer.

OKlah! Let end here! I talk enuf! Don’t know whether got any reader! If got also dunno got action or not.

25. Food Reasoning. How Nice is Self-Barbeque meat?

     Most of you might have tasted Roasted Pig or Roasted Duck. This is a popular dish for Chinese. I wonder how long it takes for someone to learn how to roast a duck, chicken or pig professionally. This come to my mind after a barbeque meal at local barbeque restaurant.  I am not a professional chef or a good food reviewer but I have something to say for you to make your own conclusion. Prior to the roasting process, the meat has to be marinated evenly with special sauce for a prolong period of time. Most of the time, the sauce may be a trade secret. The roasting process has to be precise, not too early (uncooked meat), not too long (meat get dried and harden). At the same time, the burning process has to be evenly distributed. Thus, it is a long learning process.

Now let do a 180 degree turn, you go to a barbeque shop and barbeque your own marinated meat. How do you know it is fully cooked or over cooked or evenly cooked or evenly marinated. How tasty can it be? Can U beat those professional. The only advantage you have is your meat is hot and freshly cooked or perhaps nice friends + leng lui around. If there is a special sauce in the barbeque why don't the restaurant make their own roasted meat, fish, seafood etc. Thus my conclusion, 99% of time self-barbeque cannot beat those professional. I will go for self-barbeque mainly for fun and tasty food maybe secondary. If I want to eat nice barbeque I will go for those professional who will marinate, barbeque for me. E.g. “Ikan Bakar restaurant”, “Roasted Duck restaurant”, “roasted pig restaurant” etc. I will not go for self-barbeque restaurant.

24. The Logic of Taking Many2 Photos

 With the widespread of handphone camera, the amount of photos taken in your lifetime had exceeded your own mental ability to appreciate it. This, is worsen among those photo fanatics especially those aunty, leng moi and many others. For each site angle, there are more than 5 photos that need to be taken.

Let break down it into component

1.      Time taken to shoot the photo: T1

2.      Time taken to process the photo: Upload to PC, Facebook etc : T2

3.      Time taken to enjoy and look back at the taken photo:  T3

T3/(T1+T2+T3) ==è approaching zero.

In a holiday, weekend trip, you probably have taken 50 photos for your trip.

IN one year, if you have gone through 20 trips there are 1000 photos. Then, your friends will also take photos and shared it in the whatapps group/facebook. So all in, double your photos. So, you end up with 2000 photos a year. This is very conservative. Those fanatics, they will end up taking 300 photos per trip. So, the amount of photos in their PC is countless. On last record, I got 2400 photos for 2019. I rarely recalled each of them.

Yet, how often a photo is view again. Most likely many photos are taken and never to be seen again. Then what is the purpose of taking it at the first place. Thus, it is better to restrict the number of photo taken in each trip. Just take the key one at various checkpoint and move on. At the same time, do spend some time to watch back and rejoys on your old photos as you have made so much effort in snapping them.

 

However, there are some exception:

If U R a sexy model, handsome fellow, or influencer where there are many people view your photos, then more photos are better. For example, suppose your photo will be able to influence/help someone to go a specific place/buy specific item then more the better.

 

23. Number of Important Contributions Per author

 There are many blogs with few hundreds of articles. If U wrote which argument U get into, what food U eat etc, your writing is infinity. However, I will be doubtful about the impact of your writing. Most users just want specific contents, thus a proper article classification is required so that search/filtering is available. What I want is, U search website found my article, U read my article, U get to know something and translate it into action. U R done. There is no need to come back.

In any scientific contribution, a scientist is known by their few main contribution such as Einstein : E = mc2 ,   Netwon : F = MA, Survival biases : Abraham Wald.

For a single person, their intellectual contribution (useful article) to the society is few. Thus, I will just write what I think it is useful. For me, if I see someone written tonnes of articles with lengthy nice wording, I will assume the information content is very low and may not worth the ROI to read it.

 

22. The Changing Trend in Amateur Sports : Running, Cycling, Hiking

 Back in 1980s, 1990s and perhaps early 2000s, people participate sports just for the joy of it. Most of them will be “Hangat2 tahi ayam” approach, where they will come on and off to train. They just come for the joy of it, because there are some company and nothing else.  However, recently I do see things are changing rapidly among those amateur sport takers.

Many of them take sports seriously, if they are in running, they are more than willing to go through a long challenge. Starting from 10km, over the years they will progress to marathon and some to trail running and ultra marathon.

In every distance, they come with a mind to set their personal best. Sub-5, Sub-4 marathon. Damn they take it competitively and seriously. They will come for training every week. They are more serious than you. Young, old, auntie, uncle, grand pa, grand mum they came for training and will certain train and run much faster than you.

The Chinese are more to running and Hiking. As far as cycling, some of the Chinese are a bit reluctant to fork out the capital$ to buy a road bike + accessories (which cost RM3 – 5K) and other are a bit fearful on the safety side of cycling. The malay they are more dominant in cycling. They have a higher willingness to spend $$ and willing to take more risk. On top of that, they like to be associated with an expensive road bike and fancy attire.

The number of cycling and running event have been on the rise so far. Every week there is a running event. Not only that, it is also expanded to Trail Running, Hiking Group etc. The number of event I think it is 3-5x more than what we have in year 2010. (10 years ago).

Even in badminton, people will go from matches to matches. Every year, each club will have 1-2 annual competition. With around 10 clubs, you will have at least 10 badminton competition to go for every year. Parent will be more than willing to send them for competition. In the end, those that came out strongly in every sports are those from sport groups. There are various running, hiking, cycling, badminton etc groups in Klang Valley. Each group are leaded by inspiring leaders who has a deep interest in their sports. Some goes to the extend to hire badminton coach to teach themselves in their 40s. The main purpose is to raise the level of their game so that they can keep up with others and have more fun.