Skytrex

Sempena #VisitMalaysia2014, meh nak review sikit Skytrex Adventure at Bukit Cerakah, Shah Alam. I went there last 2 months kot. Macam last minute plan. Dh plan lamaaa tapi biasa la to get everyone together during weekend yang free is almost impossible. haha. So adhoc plan is so far the best.

For those who planned to go to Skytrex rajin2 la check their website for booking. http://www.skytrex-adventure.com/ Susah jugak nak booking lagi2 kalau school holiday. I called myself lucky sebab dapat book only a few days before. Tapiii itu pon dapat slot at 2.00pm which was not our preference. We preferred morning slot konon2 taknak berjemur panas but it wasn't that bad sebab dalam hutan kan. Tropikaaa sangat matahari tak dapat menembusi pokok2 gituuuuu. 

So we chose "Extreme Challenge" (RM55) or I should say the hardest from 3 circuits. Bukan nak berlagak hebat tapiii alang2 dah pergi kan, better pergi yang paling best. And I would recommend this Challenge even for first timer. you'll get the best out of it with Extreme Challenge. UNLESS, for those yang ade acrophobia (baru google nama) or height phobia, try la Little Adventure dulu. Yang lain2 tu rendah ke tinggi ke gemok ke kurus ke, take "Extreme Challenge" and I'm so sure you'll survived. hehe

Before we went there, we googled the Extreme Challenge images and read a few reviews. Saje nak get all excited and be prepared kononnya. Bile tengok gambar flying fox from 22 meters above the ground mcm WOW scaryyyyy. anddd we thought that was the scariest challenge, and another WOW image was when you have to walk on a single rope from one platform to another.

And here's Expectation Vs Reality

Tip 1: Be there early. At least 30 mins before your slot. Boleh beli2 air dulu ke kat situ
Tip 2: Wear sport attire. Sport shoes sebab senang nak grip atas tali.
Tip 3: Go to bathroom first. Selesaikan apa2 yang patut. There's no way outtt once you've started.
Tip 4: Rent a bottle holder. Bawak air mineral, Camera/phone.
Tip 5: Have fun! hehe

Bila sampai sana ade satu counter untuk Skytrex, so register dulu and buy the park entry ticket (RM3 not included in Skytrex ticket). Bawak duit sikit utk glove etc. Lepas tu ade bus transfer exclusive for Skytrex. Jangan naik bus yg general for park. That one is different route. Bile sampai dekat sana, fill in the form, buy a glove (RM3) (highly recommended), rent a locker and bottle holder (RM5). Then, wear harness, safety briefing (pay attention to the instructor because you've to be independent almost all time, the instructor is not waiting for you at every platform) andddd you're good to go!

First Challenge was sooo tiring. We have to climb 14m high ladder. Gila penat nampak sangat stamina sangat mensedihkan kahkahkah. Lepas tu first flying fox 22m above the ground crossing hutan2 pokok2 mcm wowwww. I looked down before the jump, It was when my adrenaline rush started and never stop until I made the jump hooorayyyyyyyyyy it was so much funnn. Tak cuak pon :P and the view was aahhh all greeennnn so refreshing. Ade 34 challenges for Extreme circuit. There were 5 of us. But one platform can only be occupied by 2-3person at one time. Kadang2 orang 1st dengan yg ke-5 hardly met each other. I hold the camera so I have to swap the sequence a few times to get everyone on the camera. hehe.

Flying Fox! Yang paling best paling fun-Level 1

Walk on a single rope- Level 2

When I googled, I thought this one would be the scariest. But surprisingly, this was the easiesttt of all the challenges. Everytime we finished one challenge, we always hoped the next one could be this, or the flying fox. hahaha sebab yang lain2 lgi payahhh 

No, this one was not that bad. Even ade missing wood plank in the middle. -Level 2

Tarzan - Level 3

This was the last challenge, ini mcm cuakk jugakk. You have to be tarzan. Hold the rope and jump to the next tube. Hold the rope was easy, Jump was not that hard buttttt the hardest part was to stop at the next tube macam susahnya nak bajett.You have another option to just walk on the rope at the side tapiii try la to do the tarzan bestt. hehe

 (Source: Google)

 I didnt take any picture here sebab cuak sangat berpikir cmne nak jalan kahkahkah. And of all the 34 challenges, I should say this is the toughest. Nampak macam senang and I didn't expect this to be that scary, but it was. Sebab the tube was sooo unstable macam kne balancekan diri sndri. Pls get nervous for this one! hehe 

And group photo. We did it yeay!! Extreme Challenge Survival.

Cost: RM55 (extreme) + RM 3(park entry) + RM 3(glove) + RM5 (locker and bottle holder) + RM2 (mineral water) = RM 68 per pax.

So worth it! Klang Valley area. Dekat, tak payah carik accommodation, yang penting best! 

Skytrex Shah Alam is Highly recommended.  

VS 3

"We can do no great things, only small things with love" - Mother Teresa

It was a game day! since cuti skolah pon dh nak start, we didn't want to pressure the kids so much with all the academic thingy during school break kan. So we brought puzzle, we played origami, and I also brought my Pictureka and Uno Stacko.

Random games for everyone. they can play whatever they want. Pictureka was quite new to them. So macam ramai yg interested. They fought several times over the sand clock timer. Semua sibuk nak jaga the timer. But a few of them memang betul2 bersemangat gila nak main. Pictureka is about finding things on the 3x3 tiles. I bought it from US for my younger sister. Tapi bila dh besar die macam dh hafal pon tile boards tu haha. I am so glad to see the Pictureka became beneficial again.

Some of the kids joined the Origami group. I didn't have the chance to go to the other games sebab non stop layan diorg main Pictureka. But I saw the sampan, love shape, swan, rocket and other origami flying here and there. They're having much fun.

Pictureka pon bagus utk English vocab. sebab ade banyak jugak bnda yg diorg tak paham the meaning but now they remember sebab nak menang. Uno stacko maybe macam not really suitable for their ages kot. They ended up playing it as Lego. and the other volunteers also showed them the domino effect from the Uno stacko.

Overall, it was a quite relax day. Tapi we, the volunteers rasa macam we have to standardize all the games. Means that kalau sorang buat origami, semua kene main origami. Kalau tak the kids pon mcm tak stick to one game, nak try itu nak try ini and the classes looked like a mess.

So, our PM had planned a schedule until end of December for the Volunteer Session during School Break. And guess what? Every session ade 15 minutes "bedtime story session". The kakak2 kene tell them a story before the session ends. And and and and my name was there for one of the session. Ahhhhh nervous! a few more weeks until my turn T_T. help me help me.

VS 2

"Never underestimate your ability to make someone's else life better- even if you never know it" - Greg Louganis

The feeling before going to the second session was different than the first time. I didn't feel nervous anymore, the excitement was doubled. While driving, I started to recall their names and cute faces, imagined how welcoming they are when I stepped inside the house, lovely hugs from everyone.

The activity for the night was drawing and painting. Our PM brought a few boxes of BUNCHO colors and drawing papers for the kids. Of course they were happy. Well what is more happier than skipping mathematics books for an art class? Uhmm except for me coz I'm *#&(#@(% at art.  Tangan botol tahap maximaaaa. hehe

When the session started, I sat with KH and PU again, and TP. They needed to write their name at the back of the paper. So I tried to be as artistic as I can, I wrote their name in block letters. Tak cantik pon but they were so impressed. Puji2 banyak kali sampai rasa nak kasi hadiah kahkah. And they asked me a few times, "Kenapa kakak ingat nama saya?" " Macam mana kakak boleh tau nama saya?". Maybe that is one simple way to make them feel appreciated. So, I'll try my best to remember each of them. 

Anddd the drawing session started. Hands up and I surrender! I really can't draw. They asked me to draw hello kitty for them. Ok fine it was not that bad but I hardly imagined how hello kitty looks like. So me being ehem kakak yang moden dan bergadget bajet canggih, I googled Hello kitty on my phone to guide them. Tapi PU merengek2 suruh lukiskan jugak. Dia kata kalau die lukis mesti buruk. I didn't want to spoon-feed them, so I made a dotted shape of hello kitty and asked her to connect all the dot.

"Kakak kenapa hello kitty kakak buat kepala besar badan kecik?" Pffffttt even PU can judge how bad my drawing can be. Art-failed! 

Then, I helped them with the buncho colors. Hello Kitty is pink but too bad there is no pink in the buncho box. Berguna jugak ilmu seni zaman sekolah dulu so I mixed the red buncho with white to make pink color. and I also mixed a few more colors like blue and yellow to make green, just to make more variety colors. 

TP and PU drew Hello Kitty, but KH changed her mind a few minutes later, she wanted to draw a house. Bukan rumah bodoh2  tu, a 2 storey house which looks so much like RKK. Kan dah kata KH sangat sesuatu. She is different than the others. 

Tengah2 lukis tbe2 PU tanya "Kakak, kenapa kakak tu (pointing her finger to a volunteer yg bermakeup agak tebal) kulit die putih sangat? Dia kenapa?" I tried hard not to laugh, and thought of an appropriate answer. Ahh kidsss so innocenttt. Soklan macam tu pon nak tanya. huahuahua. So I said "Dia cantik sebab tu die putih" Yes, not very convincing but I can't think of more creative answer. haha

So presentinggggg.. my kids's drawingggg hehe. 

After the session, one of the volunteer shared his knowledge about drawing and personality from psychologist point of view. I never know the selection of colors, the type of drawing can show one's behavior. There was one drawing of a house with black as the background which is very rare. So that kid should be given more attention, maybe she had a bad history, or a problem that she kept inside. Well, It's our task to figure out. and I'm gonna find out why KH insisted to draw a house instead of hello kitty? It must be something...uhmm

Tak sabar nak next week!hehe

VS 1.1

"We rise by lifting others" - Robert Ingersoll

Her innocent voice slapped me in my face. I shouldn't be angry I should know how to control my voice I should be more patient I should treat them nicely. It's good such things happen at the beginning. It gave me times to reflect.

From that moment, I am being extra careful with my words. The PM asked them to finish at least 5 pages of the Mathematics exercise then they can choose a new novel to read during school holiday. PU had moved to another volunteer because she didn't get full attention from me as I also helped KH with her math. When doing the math exercise, I can see KH is smart but looked like she was hiding something, something to do with her emotion, from me, from the world. I told ya, KH ni sangat sesuatu. But, I haven't figured it out yet. Time buat math tu, die tunduk until her face nearly touch the floor. I tried to get her attention, asked about school, about what she likes, but her voice was so low  and I couldn't hear clearly what she was saying...until I realized, she was crying. Yes, tears rolled down her cheeks.

So I asked her to pause doing the math. I didn't think finishing the math book can make her happy. I knew asking her the reason why she cried was not a good idea in that condition. She must be so sensitive and my question can make things even worse.

Then another tinggg!! idea came out. Yeay! Thanks to zaman2 sekolah yang selalu main dalam kelas. So I draw a few 3x3 grids and we played tic tac toe! Guess what, I managed to change her mood quite instantly. She was so happy playing tic tac toe. And for the first time, I actually counted the marks and planned a strategy to make her win. Kakak yang baik sangat pls. But ehem! I just let her win by 1 point ONLY. kahkahkah nak jugekkk.

Then we continued with math until she finished all 5pages. Bila saya nampak je die macam nak sedih I tried to distract her by asking random questions macam dia suke main sports apa, cikgu kat sekolah garang ke tak, and sambung tic tac toe jugak. I found her more effective to pause a few times rather than pushing her to finish the math rushingly.

Then I checked her school bag to find her exam paper, and guess whatttt?? The only exam paper she had received was Bahasa Arab. Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Long pauseeeee... Silent mode. Urghhhh I read it a few times but the one thing I can captured was only the front page. I learnt arabic in primary school and takes 2 classes at Vandy. But why everything seemed so alien to me. Penyesalan. Nampak sangat belajar dulu semata2 utk pass exam je. sobs sobs. Dengan perasaan down tahap 7, terpaksa asked another volunteer to review that paper. Tskkk tskkkk masih menyesal.

After all, I really enjoyed the first session. Alhamdulillah. Can't wait for the next. Semoga sihat, berkelapangan dan berkesempatan to join the next session. Amin

VS 1

"Give your hands to serve and your hearts to love" - Mother Teresa

I reached at rumah anak yatim RKK early so thanks to the traffic. There were a few volunteers already there. Seeing all the cute faces came to me nak salam and hugs ahhhhh melting. Lupe terus pasal nervous. The session started a few minutes later, when our Project Manager (PM) arrived. Then, the kids were divided into groups according to age. There were about 20+ of them between 4 to 12, all girls! Semua pon malu2 taknak duduk dengan abang2, nak kakak nak kakak.

The plan for that night was to review their exam papers and check if they have any homework to do. But it was not so formal because most of them had done with final exams and had packed their books. So I began with two kids sat in front of me, KH and PU. KH is 8 years old and PU is 5 years old. PU sangat gigih buat homework, she had to write 1-100 in her mathematics book. PU is veryy outspoken and smart. At her age, I think she has a nice handwriting, buat kerja pon laju je. But, she needed extra attention.  Everytime she wrote one number, she will asked me the next one, eventho she knew the answer.
"Kakakk, lepas ni no berapa?"
"Kakakk tengok la saya tulis ni betul tak?"
"Kakakk, tolong la saya buat ni"

Whereas, KH is a bit passive, so pendiam and sangat sesuatu. Dia asik cakap die bosan. Otak saye pon ligat berpikir what to do. Dah la tak tau syllabus darjah 2 belajar apa. and thank God tiba2 ting!! I got an ideaa. To teach her Colors in English.
"Alaa kakak saya tak tau, saya cuma tau merah, red je"
So I asked her to list down all the colors she saw in that room. Then I taught her how to say it in English. That session lasts a few minutes until the PM distributed Mathematics books for everyone.

KH saw my Uno Stacko and kept checking my bag. First time saya tegur biasa "Eh, jangan kacau barang kerja kite tu", the second time pon biasa2, and the third time, tak berniat pon nak marah but maybe dah terbiasa suara kasar tiba2 she asked me with an innocent voice in a very low tone "Akak, akak marah saya ke?"

Ahhhh I didnt mean to. I mean ok I forgot that they're different. I played with kids a lot, I have a lot of little cousin, but I forgot that I can't treat these kids like how I treat my lil cousins. These kids are different. We never know what they keep inside. We never know what that tiny body had gone through in life.

I felt so guilty. Beyond words.