Pepper

Kimbo once said: “You’re just not fated to own a Pomeranian despite your love for them.”

I hate the sound of that, but I can’t say she’s entirely wrong either. Plus, Kimbo says it with a lot of love, so I can’t hate her for it.

I’m a proud owner and friend to a dog named ‘Pepper’. No extra points for guessing, he’s a Pomeranian, and as you would have also guessed, it’s not my first time owning one either. Misfortune is what we’ll call it for now.

As fate came knocking recently, I lost sight of my little ball of fluff for approximately three dreadful hours. “What if three hours ago marks the last time I got to hug my little buddy?” But of course, we found him three hours later and it probably was the worse day of his life. You see… as much as I was glad that we did eventually find him, I had to make sure the word ‘pleasant’ (if there’s even such a word in doggie language) will not be the word that resonates as-and-when he decides to go for a midday stroll on his own again.

Here may I now present, Mr. Pepper…

Celebrate Halloween (The Malaysian Way)

Since I’m STILL waiting on the pictures from my fishing trip, which of course a DEAR friend was suppose to send over, *ah-hem*(a classic scenario of a typical Malaysian thing to do, procrastinate… I’ll just have to pray and hope that I’ll get it sometime this year) Thus, I’ve decided to move reluctantly to my next agenda.

WooHoo.. It’s Jolly Halloween!?!

I’m puzzled! How is Halloween any of our Malaysian business anyway? I suppose we so do need an English version of our already celebrated, similarly ‘Hungry Ghost Festival’.

That’s right, Just like how we also celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day and Oktoberfest. We Malaysians love to ‘Malaysian-ies’ things. Who da hell cares what it means, all it means to us is that it’s another ‘Belly-Celebration-Day’. (Belly-Celebration-Day equates to a day where beer belly growing is encouraged, Just drink up and be bloody merry)

It is rather sad that people no longer see the intent or chronicle behind each occasion. Well, I’m only one Malaysian against the rest of us. They say, if you can’t beat them, JOIN THEM!

SO I HEARD that there’s this Halloween party at this new bar.. AND I HEARD that there’s a best dressed prize to be won.. AND I ALSO HEARD that “PEOPLE” are going to be there. So guess where The 2uo will be on Halloween night?

Venue: Bar Mitzvah, Damansara Neo @ Damansara Perdana

Ie-Tsen suggested that we go dressed as a pair. Hmm.. But I suppose my ideal costume would be this. I wonder if this will win me my prize?

Bukit Tabur

While Mousepuff is out deep sea fishing (yes, she’s gone to stay in a lighthouse and left me behind)… I’ve decided to write about our trip to Bukit Tabur.

For those who haven’t heard of Bukit Tabur, here’s a quick background:

Bukit Tabur is a hill located in Taman Melawati. It is considered the longest crystal quartz outcrop in the world, making it a truly priceless geological wonder. Running in a semi-circle at more than 14 km long and 200 meters wide, this natural monument is made of pure quartz. On the peak of Bukit Tabur, you get an amazing vista of the Klang Gates Dam and surrounding mountains; look the other way and the city of Kuala Lumpur greets you in the far distance.

We had originally planned to leave at 4am, but due to a prior work commitment the night before, we only actually left at 4:30ish. Following the directions from our google searches, we finally found the start of the trail at about 5:45am.

From Middle Ring Road II, turn into Jalan Melawati, and start to look out for the Klang Gates road sign. To reach there you will pass through two roundabouts and end up at Jalan Kolam Air. If you end up at a deserted guard house it means that you have taken a wrong turn into Jalan 1/4B. Go straight up until you reach a T-junction. Take the left turn into a non-tarmac slip road until you see a big car wheel on your left, painted with the word ‘Welcome’ . Leave your car here, as the trailhead is just few steps away from this wheel – same side as the wheel but rather obscure.

It’s actually not that far from downtown KL, probably a 20 minutes drive from KL if you know where it is exactly.

The start of the trail is full of shrubbery and is quite hidden. In the darkness, the path looked somewhat eerie. Regardless, armed with our insect repellant (applied very liberally) and torchlights, we started up the path.

The experience was unlike a Broga Hill climb. This felt serious. The underbrush was thick and every once in a while you had to hunt for the path.

After about an hour of trekking, we reached the first clearing and here’s what we managed to catch.

The KL city lights were still on, the sky was lit in a purplish haze. It was beautiful.

Then the strangest thing happened. It was approximately 6:45am, my cellphone started ringing! As I rummaged through my backpack to find my phone, I pulled it out, only to spot “Unknown Number” and then it stopped ringing. It was one of those things that happen and you have no clue what it means (Mousepuff was the one who pointed out how bizarre the timing of the phone call was. At that time I had just brushed it aside.).

It was time to move on. Spurred by the breathtaking view, we climbed on furiously, hoping to catch the sunrise at the most opportune vantage point.

The sky was starting to light up, and with the city lights still on the whole view was just magical.

Mousepuff taking a water break.

This was only the 2nd clearing, we realized that there was a long way to go. Fortunately, we only wanted to see more, more and more!

By now, we decided to take a break and have our little picnic breakfast, specially prepared by Mousepuff and brother. It consisted of chocolate biscuits and potato chips if I recall correctly. Not the healthiest of breakfasts but it tasted fantastic! Kudos to Mousepuff and brother.

Mousepuff & I taking a break.

Mousepuff’s brother conquering the quartz stone.

Without neglecting the amazing view of KL city, we turned around and we could see the serene beauty of Klang Gates Dam laid out in it’s glory.

Here’s Mousepuff taking a picture of the Klang Gates Dam.

The waters were still and glass-like. The morning mists were still swirling atop the dam — absolutely enchanting!

The sun making it’s way up the sky, illuminating the peaks and the dam.

Looking behind us as we made our way deeper into the hill, we realized how steep and dangerous some of the paths that we had crossed.

You can see the hiker in orange/blue scaling a wall that we had just passed.

The marker of the rock climbing seems to start where the first Malaysian flag is set up. It is where the simple rock scaling became serious rock climbing.

Here’s the Malaysian flag marker — Malaysia boleh!

Mousepuff says I can do it, no problem!

And she sure can! Tackling the rocky walls with her perfectly manicured fingernails I was impressed.

Mousepuff tackling the wall like a pro. While I sit on the rock…

…above, and Mousepuff showing that a 70degree wall climb doesn’t have to stop one from posing for a photo opportunity.

Apart from rockclimbing, there was also some Tarzan & Jane action to be had on Bukit Tabur.

Sharing a light moment.


Bukit Tabur conquered!

Will I go back? I know I want to. Mousepuff and myself plan a 2nd trip back, and this time to the east trail of Bukit Tabur. It’s supposedly shorter but tougher — and there’s an even better view to catch!

Till then, I’m off to bed. Hope you’ve enjoyed our Bukit Tabur climb as much as we have!

HTML Killed a Pretty Attempt

The pursuit of accomplishing something with ‘dearly beloved’ always adds an extra spice to the job. It is that sheer pleasure of knowing we did something (or rather tried something) together, that steals a smile from me very so often.

I suppose not all attempts are brilliantly crafted, and as sure as the 2uo are no longer wasting any more time on this little project, you would probably find some that never saw daylight.

I found this quite a waste if I were to just let it slip. If only we were a tad more HTML savvy, this personally crafted master piece would be the skin of our journey log. *sniffs*

My Pot of Gold

A perfect brew of friendship is what I’d like to call, a magical blend of chemistry. A perfect friend to you may just not be the ideal friend for all.

To each his own, I’d say.

Personally, I can’t brag about a large stove of magical-pots. A good stew of friendship is as rare as a cook without a kitchen. A few is all I have and here’s one I’d like to share.

‘A Strange Stew’ is what I named it, because ‘Strange’ is what he’d say about us.

Ingredients:

Ie Tsen:

3 Cups of fun loving personality

1 Cup of care and kindness

2 Table Spoons of bitchy-ness and humour

1 Table Spoon of talent

2 Tea Spoons of erratic emotions

A dash of charms with a pinch of sarcasm

Finally, mix all of the above well with laughter

And add a sprinkle of Su Ann into the equation

I can already hear that stern and cold voice saying: “What do you mean when you say erratic emotions?!? Sarcastic maybe…” *he pauses and continues* “and since when am I bitchy?” I’d then give the only response I could ever think of in an instant… “You know I love you right? *grins*”

Here’s a virtual toast to a fine stew. To a stew that will never dry out or turn sour; to you my friend whom I’ll always cherish and love; to the imperfect days that we’ll strive to pull through; and a promise to always be there for you.

Let this be a journey log of our friendship, a memorable log of which we’ll keep till the end of our toothless and wrinkly days.

Presenting… Mousepuff!

Well I thought it would be fun to do a little introduction post, and instead of writing about ourselves, we’d write about each other.

Which means, I get to introduce Mousepuff!

Contrary to popular belief, Su Ann (aka Mousepuff) is not actually a mouse. She’s a real person.

98% of the time, she is out terrorizing the town with her cheerfulness (I don’t know where she gets her energy from, really). The other 2% of the time she’s hibernating at home (even mousepuff needs some sleep!).

And like every other girl, she loves shopping and fashion with a passion. At this very moment, you might start stereotyping her as one of those girls, but don’t let her feminine demeanor fool you. She does not eat bite-sized meals like the other girls, she believes in hearty portions and loves her food! Yet, she doesn’t put on an ounce. Must be the constant cheeriness — burns away all those calories.

But back to the girly side of her, she is always aptly dressed for the occasion, with her carefully picked outfit and her manicured nails. When she makes her entrance, she makes her entrance. Period.

To sum it all up, she’s a great person to be with, always fun and optimistic. She is also smart and is opinionated, which is why we have this blog in the first place.

Watch out for her posts in the weeks to come. Stay tuned!

Who are we?

Who exactly are the “the2uo”?

Let’s rewind a little.

It all started in 2008. Two young professionals were starting out their careers in the advertising industry. In an industry notorious for duplicitous and fake personas, a friendship bloomed.

Since then, they’ve been inseparable. From climbing mountains to checking out the latest hangout hotspots, they are usually seen together.

Hence, leading to the birth of this blog. We’ve decided, well mousepuff and myself, to document our adventures and share a little of our humble opinions with you, our reader!

Enjoy!