layming the jetsetter.: layming is lame, literally.

(warning: you might suffer from photo overdose) and so we went for a hike up sunset peak, the third highest peak in hong kong, on saturday. it was a trip organised by the chaplain's office for international students, and for the 4 of us, it was more or less a last minute decision to go. actually, i'm glad we went in the end cos i think we wun ever plan something like this on our own. lol =P we took a group photo before the (tiring) hike. can you find me? lol. i was tiptoeing lor, the people in front ah...not automatic one leh. TSK =P

the first part of the hike was tough on the legs cos the steps are high and steep. but at the end of the flight of steps was a rewarding view of the surroundings. the scenery really gets more picturesque as we go even higher. a pity jinli couldnt join us cos her heart couldnt take the change in altitude. i snapped so many photos along the way - i took 128 in total!! - good thing i decided to invest in a way better digicam last april with a longer battery life and better lenses. haha =P anyway, i have so many photos of jodi and cuiyi that i "got sick" of looking at them when i was going thru the photos. HAHA. ok lah, i'm REALLY just kidding. i dunno what i should say about the hike...other than i realised how unfit i am. jodi and i were near the end of the pack...and i wonder why cuiyi (she's singing to some jap songs right now, nice but...wakari masen! haha =P) just walked on and on and on without us! =( well she said cos it was tiring so she just kept going -_-

ok i think i shall stop typing and just show you the photos. heh =)

the view after gritting our teeth and overcoming the first and the most difficult part of the trail.

i think this was the first pit-stop we had, i made them turn behind and take a photo. very pretty right?! =) from left: samantha, jodi, cuiyi, kalina and sendy =) erm, and ralston, with the pastor.

kalina and i - check out our hair man! the wind was really really really strong! it's funny how we all put on extra layers / windbreakers / jackets at the foot of the mountain cos the wind was chilly, but barely after we started, most people took off the extra layer they put on, like me. so with just jacket and t-shirt, my hands were actually cold, like almost numb, but i think i was perspiring at the same time, so really dint need that extra layer.

oh, and it was about this point that jodi and i started to fall behind cui yi (given her usual fast walking pace, i am not surprised), and so while we were doing this on a rock outcrop that was pretty high.....(the girl in dark blue jacket is stephanie)

cuiyi was one of those people in the far far far distance (near the middle of the pic) taking a pit-stop!! i actually did circle cuiyi in the photo, but i guess it's really really tiny that the red circle doesnt even show up! that's how much we were trailing! HAHA =P check out her blog (this is the second time i am advertising for you!) for a photo she took of me and jodi while she was happily sitting down there to wait for us.

now, let me talk about this rock.

because jodi was being anti-social (=P), the 3 of us had to leave the warmth of the cabin and deprive cuiyi of looking at *ahem*, we decided to follow the pastor in the end to go set up the abseiling thing. cuiyi and jodi stayed behind, while i followed the boys. to get to the abseiling place, we had to first overcome this huge rock outcrop. halfway thru, i wanted to turn back cos i figured i wouldnt be able to get over, but then the pastor said he would get me through (he told me where to step and all) and so i continued. when i finally reached the place we would abseil down from, my jacket and hands were all dirty, and i couldnt believe that i actually overcame all the stubborn rocks! it was a pretty cool feeling i must say!

and this was what we did, it wasnt that high actually, just about 12-15metres. cool eh? i actually had my camera in my jeans pocket and took this on my way back up to where we started, and unfortunately, it was also the last photo i took before "disaster" struck me.

if you have seen me on msn the past few days, my nick says, "lays - sleepy monster's knee is almost broken". trust me, it really felt like that, especially on saturday night and yesterday. i was just limping around, and still am today. what happened was, i was climbing up a pretty steep slope to get back up to where we started. i slipped a couple of times, but it was nothing bad so i kept going. the only way to get out of that place is to keep going up.

then, before i knew it, i fell into a freaking hole! if there was someone behind me, he would have seen me disappear from sight completely! serious. falling into a hole is not the worst thing, the worst thing was i stepped into the hole with my left leg so being unprepared, i landed awkwardly, my left knee gave way and clicked REAL BAD. i've had this before, but it was much more serious this time round. there happened to be a rock in front of me, so i sat down and rested. you know, the moment my knee gave way, i wanted to scream and cry so badly!! but i reckoned screaming won't help cos i was quite far away from the nearest person - i made my way up first cos i wanted to go meet the rest faster. and so i sat on the rock, i pulled out my phone, called jodi and cuiyi to no avail, for a moment i dint know what to do.

but after the pain sank in, i figured that really, the only way out was to keep going up till i get to where i was supposed to be. i kept going with the nagging pain in the knee, almost went on all fours just to make sure i wouldnt fall down again -_- you see, the hole i stepped into was covered by grass so i really dint know it was a hole lah! i guess it was just a freak accident. of cos in the end i made it to the point i left jodi and cuiyi, then ralston accompanied me back down the mountain to meet up with them. really grateful, and i even learnt something about US in the process (cos it was just the 2 of us, had to make convo right?!). heh =P

before you start worrying about me, i'm fine, can walk almost normally now, just that i still cant bend my knee so going down stairs is very much of a chore. i'd rather hop down. anyway, i'm really in good hands cos my roomie has been really nice (",) and putting up with my whining, jinli and jodi have been nice too. it was sweet of them to rush thru dinner last night just so that i dun get too starved and still find time to get me a bright, orange file to cheer me up! thanks girls, i really appreciate it, love you peeps k?! haha =P

i went to the doc alr, got some painkillers and cream (consultation + medication = 20HKD only!!! haha =P) and a referral letter to the hospital. but i will see how it goes in the next couple of days first before i decide if i should go make an appt with the specialist.

alright, i've really gone on and on and on, a pat on your back for you if you have read till here =) just before i go sleep and hope everything goes well for the news quiz tmr, shall leave you with some (more) random, but nice photos. haha =P

a very "cute" cuiyi all set for the hike at the start of the trail. jinli called her a duck, and jodi called her a penguin. go figure. and then they decided that she looked like one of the student ambassadors. HAHAH =P

they say i cant post tak-glam photos, so i actually asked for permission before using this photo k?! cuiyi says it's more可爱than the other one i showed her so yea, there you go...

i just had to post this series up cos i think it's damn funny. 1) pose for the camera! then i sighed cos i was just amused / amazed at how camera ready they always are. 2) cuiyi heard me sigh, she said i was rude, but jodi dint hear so she repeats it for jodi. notice her lips? she was about to say "hai". 3) cuiyi told jodi what she told me, finished her story, and jodi laughed out loud. actually i think i missed out something, cos i dun think me sighing and cuiyi saying i was rude was really funny =P