There was a time before the mass commercialisation of extreme sports on television when glamour was an unknown word. These activities were purely for self gratification. The most extreme sport I have ever participated in was abseiling down a rock face at the Penang Youth Park during my Scouting days. That was not exceptionally spine-tingling by today’s standards but was scary for me then no doubt, especially when I was halfway down and discovered that the glove for braking was not effective, having been worn smooth. Still, the exhilaration was worth the scare. I miss those days of adrenaline rushes.

Apparently, there are extreme wheelchair sports. The above e-poster was in my mailbox this morning. Extreme Chairing, as it is called, is an endurance sports of steering a powered wheelchair across a 40km trail over two days. This activity can be participated even by those with a high degree of paralysis, as long as they are able to ride on a power wheelchair independently.

These people are the craziest of the crazies. Paralysis and disability is not holding them down one bit. They have the courage and confidence to push themselves to the limit. Many without disabilities would have shirked this challenge. The risk of injury is manyfold more than it usually is. This is all for a good cause anyway and an avenue to pit mind and disabled bodies against nature. According to the website, 70% of the money raised will be channelled to the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation. This foundation promotes spinal cord injury research.

A search with Google on extreme wheelchair sports yielded Xtreme Wheelchair Sports. This site provides brief insights into the various extreme sports that the physically disabled are able to partake in. The possibilities are endless. It is a big world out there. I only realised how closeted I have been all these while. What I have achieved is nowhere near what they have accomplished. It is time to re-evaluate what I can do again and perhaps set the bar a little higher. Those people have proven that disability is a state of mind. There is nothing that cannot be realised by simply changing the mindset and going for it. Check those sites out and be inspired!

Come Chinese New Year, there is one kuih that I always looked forward to eating. Without fail, Peter�s mother will make several types of popular goodies such as kuih kapit, kuih bahulu and kiuh bangkit and present them as festive gifts. The one that I like most is kuih loyang. Loyang is the Malay word for brass.

This kuih is made by coating the brass mould with a batter of rice flour, plain flour, sugar and eggs, and deep fried in cooking oil. Peter�s mother makes the spicy version which is also salty. Those that are sold commercially are mostly sweet tasting. I like both types for its crispiness and the aroma when chewing it inside my mouth.

This kuih has been given glamourous names, most which describes it shape. It is also known as kuih ros because it resembles a rose, kuih goyang because it needs to be shaken off the mould when almost done, and sarang tebuan, Malay for hornet�s nest, because it resembles a honeycomb. Making this kuih takes a lot of skill. Removing it from the mould requires a delicate and deft shake to maintain its shape. I am looking forward to the next new year for a bite of this kuih again.

There is a saying that there are no strangers here, just friends we have not met yet. How true that is. My ascend into blogosphere was an experiment in putting my story online. What I got was more than what I had hoped to gain. One of the greatest rewards I got from blogging is the friendships that were forged with fellow bloggers and those who read my blog.

For one who is homebound most of the time, I seldom get to go out and get on with people in a meaningful way. Over a span of slightly more than two years since I started putting my life and thoughts in writing online, I have gotten acquainted with more people than I could ever imagine. This is God sent.

My trips to Kuala Lumpur have always been fruitful. I make those trips to be with Wuan first and foremost. We do not see each other as much as we would like to. It is also a good way to test my independence away from the places and people that I am familiar with. Travelling alone gave me the opportunity to see the kindness in people who never hesitated to assist me whenever I asked for it.

Those were also a times for me to catch up with friends, most I have met online, some I have never met in real life. Seventeen attended the Bloggers Meet in One Utama. All I met for the first time except Adriene. We got together to pray the Mass at the Cathedral when she was in Penang in December. Since Kenny started #MalaysiaBloggers at DalNet, I have gotten acquainted with many more. Those I would like to meet in real life too.

For this coming trip to Kuala Lumpur, I am calling for a Bloggers Meet again. This in an open invitation to all bloggers and blog readers alike. For those who missed the previous meet, I hope you all can make it for this one. This is a good opportunity to get to know each other better. Details are as below:

Mid Valley Megamall Bloggers Meet
Venue: Food Junction, Level 3
Date: June 12, 2005
Time: 10.00am

My trip to Kuala Lumpur is confirmed. I will be going on 28 May. Since the last time I was there, I have made a few more friends that I would like to meet. A bloggers meet is in the works. The date and venue has yet to be finalised. It will most probably be one of the Sundays in June and before the Project Petaling Street 2nd Anniversary Gathering.

The planned meeting with the Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang (MPPP) did not materialise. However Raja Munir sent me a message informing me that he managed to speak with three officers from three different departments of the MPPP. They claimed that the problem was not within their jurisdiction. Raja Munir will follow-up with them on which agencies are responsible for this problem and hopefully arrange a meeting again.

I also received a letter from the Chief Minister’s Office today. This is regarding the letter that I sent to Dato’ Seri Shahrizat and copied to the Chief Minister. Hopefully, the Chief Minister or any of the State Executive Councillors responsible for the safety of the people of Penang will seriously look into this problem and come out with a solution.

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