Singles Awareness Day Blues

This is my first attempt at trying out this 'blog' stuff and hey, since everyone else is airing their laundry to the world why not me? ;)

Saturday last week was 'Valentine's Day' but for singletons like me, it's the day that really reinforces the stark bleakness of knowing that almost everyone else is out with someone and here I am potentially sitting alone staring at the idiot box or blasting a few aliens for the evening. :p

Well, not this time!

This year, I'm gonna enjoy myself and immerse into the 'atmosphere', date or no date! Boo!

The day started off with strangely a trek to a waterfall!

After dragging myself out of bed at 4:30am in the morning, I got my things prepared and shot off to the meeting place at Linus's house in TTDI, the 'headquarters' of the Trail Trackers, a hiking group I have recently joined in facebook.

Arriving a little bit after 6:15am (but definately BEFORE Aurelius ;)), I find myself with the usual company of people that I have been going hiking out for some time now. (Aurelius, Linus, Dennis, Valerie, Chris, Aaron) The only new exception is Yee Wei, whom Aurelius introduced to us.

Breakfast was wan tan mee prepared at one of the coffee shops in Janda Baik. After that is off the beaten track to Perting waterfalls which according to the internet, is also called Lata 'Hammers'.

Dennis guided us there with his GPS and a short while later we find ourselves doing an off road adventure!

Now when I indicated that I could drive to Dennis the night before, I didn't realize that I am going to subject my old warhorse to this kind of torture. :p From the lonely tarred trunk road leading to Bentong, we had to turn out and move on gravel and sometimes hardened mud track to this base camp located by a small river.

The camp really looked well equipped, with mess halls, suraus, toilets and chalets but we didn't come down here to laze around! :) We're Trail Trackers and we are here to track trails!

Immediately, Dennis jumped into the river and tried to negotiate across only to find halfway midstream that we were heading the wrong way. A camp employee told us that we had to wade across the river further upstream pass a dragon fruit farm that had a new gate installed, which sound familiar if you had read the internet article posted by Aurelius before the trip.

Soon after we were on the track and it was a breeze. There was hardly any effort moving down the trail and thank goodness there were no sign of leeches. Then again I didn't expect any since I poisoned myself earlier on with more than a few squirts of Baygon! Of course there were the familiar 'rants' and 'advise' about it being 'bad for health', poisonous and 'it smells bad enough to scare a Grizzly', but hey, I'd rather get myself poisoned than donate my blood to ravenous leeches bent on sucking me dry like a prune!

About an hour later we reached the waterfall, immediately after a steep climb down. Dennis brought some rope and I guess it would have been useful if it rained because the way down would have been muddied and slippery. Fortunately it didn't and each footing had a firm purchase.

The waterfall site was occupied though. There was already this group of people camping near the waterfall but I have to say that these people were good in not littering or damaging the place. I have seen enough campsites ruined by uncivic minded campers.

Anyway, we took a dip and as with all Trail Tracker trips, start to do our share of camp whoring.

The water was icy cold but I guess not as cold as the river in Mulu park, just beneath the pinnacles. Now that was REALLY cold...

After what seemed like a few hours (I left my phone in the car and I don't have a watch), we headed back out, wishing the happy campers good bye before we left.

A short almost uneventful walk back later, (Yee Wei got attacked by a leech and a prolonged overheard conversation on body building and wrestlers), we were back at the car park.

Now, no Trail Tracker trip would end without a scrumptuous feast right? Otherwise, how come after so many trips we still don't look like a bunch of 'lidi' sticks? ;)

We stopped at Janda Baik and presented ourselves at this restaurant offering what else? SEAFOOD!

Finally, it is back home to KL where Aurelius had to shoot off for a hot date leaving me to send Chris and Yee Wei back home. :p

By the time I reached home it was 4:30pm and it's still Valentine's Day! :p

So what is a single guy to do?

Sleep first... then go out for my pre-booked and pre-deposited appointment at Frangipani. :)

Having been unsuccessful in procuring a date with the 'target' (surprise, surprise; she already had an appointment with someone else), it would have been hilarious for me to go sit at the dinner table having foie gras and roast chicken with truffle sauce over champagne all by myself (and sending the picture of the empty seat opposite me to her). But I am not that insane... :p :).

Instead, I called up a friend, knowing earlier on (through MSN) that she would probably celebrate 'Singles Awareness Day' too. We agreed to go and soon we are on an 'Amazing Race' to Frangipani. I say 'Amazing Race' because what I thought should have been an easy ride guided by GPS to Changkat Bukit Bintang, turns out to be something else when the GPS couldn't locate that road and took me somewhere else. And we were only 1 hour away before our table and food is forfeited (with the deposit). :p

But reach there we did (after asking directions from the restaurant staff) and we found ourselves at this posh restaurant enjoying choice French cuisine. Well, I had originally planned all this to culminate into the 'moment' but what's to do? The person whom I was going to spring that 'moment' on had another date! Grrr.... ;)

Anyway, that notwithstanding, the food was heavenly and the company great.

We ended the evening with a session of 'Valkryie' at Klang Bukit Tinggi TGV before calling it a night.

Valentine's day didn't turn out the way I planned it but with good food and even better friends, it's ain't that bad. It was also a day of relevation. Perhaps next time I shouldn't wait too long before making the 'move'. In any case, it's probably best to put my best foot forward and just move on.

Next year, it's going to be a REAL Valentine's Day. Promise! ;)