Blast From The Past (1993 - 1998)

Back to the time when I was taking my Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor (1993 - 1998), I had a very difficult life to live. But I knew how to make my life more cheerful, fun and fulfilled.

Besides attending the classes and group discussions almost everyday, I also had to attend boring seminars and courses at least once a month. Feeling succumbed to the ‘extreme torture’, I decided to find something fun as a hobby.

And I didn’t expect it to become a habbit after I joined the university’s recreational club. Temporarily boycotting the books, I got really involved in kayak soon after signing up. My first kayak expedition was the ‘Jelajah Kepulauan-kepulauan Malaysia Barat’, an exploration to the islands on the west-side of Malaysia.  Second expedition was a more challenging one, ‘Jelajah Kepulauan-kepulauan Terengganu’ (exploration to the Islands of Terengganu). Here are some of the kayak and other recreational activities I had gone through between the year 1993 and 1998:

• Gunung Pulai Mountain Bike Expedition 1993 (Location: Gunung Pulai, Johor)
• Mersing Kayak Expedition 1994 (Location: Mersing, Melaka).
• Full Star Award (Placid Water) Certificate for Kayak Instructor by Kuala Lumpur Canoe Association 1994 (Location: Penyabong, Mersing).
• Johor Kayak Challenge 1994 (Location: Pantai Lido, Johor)
• Regatta Kayak Terengganu 1995 (Location: Tasik Kenyir, Terengganu).
• Regatta Kayak Johor 1995 (Location: Sebana Cove - Tanjung Belungkur - Sebana Cove, Johor).
• Kayak Marathon in conjunction with Canoe Fest 1995 (Location: Tasik Bera - Tasik Chini, Pahang)
• Kayak Regatta Melaka (Location: Pantai Klebang, Melaka). 
• Wall climbing competition (Location: Kompleks Kotaraya, Johor Bahru, Johor)

Still oblivious, or rather pretended to be oblivious that the mid-year exams were just about to come around the corner, I pushed myself further more into involving in other sorts of competitions such as the Iron Man Competition (1996) and UTM Mountain Bike Challenge (1995) and I had also stolen some of my time to climb the Mount Ledang, Mount Belumut and Mount Angsi. Life was beautiful back then. Nowadays, life is just about lying on the bed and looking back at the photos of the old times. I really miss that glossy black kayak and my cute purple booties and that shining yellow life-vest and the rough blue water and the playful dolphins and… and… everything! Hmmm… Look, look at the photo. The photo of me with some rugged water-demons.

Oh by the way, I did pass the mid-year exams with flying marks. Glad, glad!