Well, my trilogy abt Afghanistan comes from 2 books and a movie.

"The Kite Runner" + "A Thousand Splendid Suns" + "IronMan" .

Well, the movie ..... can't tell much abt Afghanistan, just so happens I watched it after reading the 2 books. Anyhow, it reminds the world on what is happening thr thru the big screen, though briefly.

A frenz said there are more happy stories out there ..... I know, but I'm just interested to know, same like I want to find out abt India, Pakistan, Mongolia, etc. To understand the present situation, I hv to go back to the past. Same for ppl around u and even urself ...... smth must had happened in the past, and you eventually become who you are today.

Back to Afghanistan ...... I hope and I really pray for a better future for this country. And the world shld continue keep watching, and paying attention, becoz this country needed it.

Well, I wish I'm talking abt my retirement from my work here ...... but unlikely, since I nvr purchase a single lottery in my life and I'm not Bill Gates or Steve Jobs.

The retirement is from the badminton games . Well, the reason being is 2 weeks from now, I will hv an operation on my right knee, to fix whatever is "running out of service" in there. Almost half an year since my nasty fall on the badminton floor, my knee is still unable to get back to its original shape.

The recent injury is just a triggering point to my many old injuries on my right knee. I hv played badminton probably since I'm 5 or 6 years old, it had been my favourite games among all. And my playing style hv been pretty heroic, frenz will see me "flying" around the half court, just to make sure I return the shuttle bk to my opponenets.

For sure I will need to rely on the stick for a week after the operation, provided I don't hv any ligament or meniscus torn ...... if there's any, I might need more than a week. I'm not sad, scare or excited abt the whole thing, it just feel like smth I need to do at the time comes, like many others things in my life before .

I hv many good moments for my playing days, be it during the time I'm holding the wood stick when playing with my village playmates, or the time in uni, sit quietly and watching the macho Iraqi guy plays his games (didn't know they too play a good games ). I nvr make it to any badminton team, knowing that I just want to hv fun, the pressure of getting it in the competition level, might kill off my interest. Take basketball as example, I hv seldom play any of it since left the team during my secondary school.

Anyway, when 1 door close .... another door will open for you. I might seriously take swimming as my next target, and it's so far the "safest" sports I can do, looking at the condition of my knees .

A goodbye to a game which is played with beautiful skills and marathon stamina ........

So, after talking abt the climbing trip for over a thousand times, finally my gang and I hv made it to the Kota Kinabalu on last Friday.

Well, en route to the Mesilau Resort where we're going to stay for a night, we saw that the sky is a bit cloudy when we started to enter the mountains area. When the weather start to get chilly, WL who is sitting besides the driver, ask us if the "thing" in front us is just cloud or smth else. We said that it's just cloud, but after the 2nd look ...... OMG ...... a GIANT mountain appears in front of us. The very 1st time, I saw the Mt Kinabalu with my own eyes. Even though we're only manage to get a glimpse of the peak (thanks to the thick clouds), but the impact is so huge . If really looks like a GIANT if to compare to the mountains that surrounded it.

I did a last minute packing, and end up forgetting to bring my jacket, raincoat, umbrella . The weather is chilly when we pull over at Kundasang Village, didn't expect it to be so ..... thought I might hv some sun bath there .

End up, it is just the beginning of the bad weather, which lasted till the day when we left.

The climbers hv to put on their jacket at the very 1st beginning of the Mesilau trail. The rains started, and no sign of getting any smaller ..... I wishes my gang the best of luck, and jump on to the van that drive me to the Kinabalu Park. I didn't spend much time there, as the wind is blowing strong and rains on and off, headed to my new stay after visiting the Kinabalu Conservation Centre and the Botanical Garden. Whole evening and night, strong wind blowing and rains on and off ..... worry abt my gang.

Mt Kinabalu elude from the climbers. Weather is too bad and the stream on the cliff prove to be life threatening to the climbers, the rangers just couldn't allow for the climb to the peak. And my fellow brave gang can only mark their steps until Laban Rata, merely 800m from the peak .

And I, wrap myself under the blanket for the good 24 hours, and finish off my books .... my whole memory abt the trip, is cold, cold, cold .

But I appreciate the experience. How nature show it's power . And we, the tiny creature can only pray and walk away quietly .

I'll see you again, Mt Kinabalu ..... hopefully the whole body of you next round .

只能回味的事情都是很虚幻的， 而且回味的当中， 不知添加了多少美丽的幻想 。

有些人， 有些事情陪我们走过了一段岁月，跟现在的处境相比，可能某些人会认为那是最美好的岁月 。

但别忘了路漫漫长，更美好的可能就在前头 。 希望明天会更好，不仅得每天念着，惦着，还需行动配合 。。。。。。 世上没有太高的山，也没有太深的河，前进只在那念头间 。

回味就好了，拥有知足快乐的现在，许自己一个有意义的人生 。

So, here we go again ..... bring with us the small umbrella, but do pray hard that it will not rains this year . And it didn't ..... we hv clear sky, wonderful crowd, dedicated musician, and an excellent organising jobs .

No turbulence at all, though there're not enough parking space near the Botanical Garden area. We're told to park further down, and there's handful of shuttle vans to drive us into the venue ..... a big thumb up for the smooth traffic flow.

Again, this year, experiencing "new" music from the performers. And who would guess that French guys can play beautiful central asia music . Wonderful stage setup this year .... probably last year too, but I only notice it this year . My french was tested that night, the group from Quebec was speaking some french ..... and I failed terribly, can only understand 1 or 2 words .

Well, took lots of video this year ..... want to share with frenz who couldn't make it to the festival, due to works, due to logistic problem, due to injury, n etc .

Next year, we'll be having the festival again from 1 - 3 May, same cool Quary Garden. and maybe I will watch more show this time, the finale night will be super, I believe .

That's one of the lesson in "Tuesday With Morrie".

I hv many times, "enjoying" attached to some lousy situation n feeling along my life. Why ??? Maybe just to prove that I hv live thru those moments .

I learnt a new way ..... still live thru it, and DETACH from it .

Universe is still expanding, earth is still goes round the SUN ..... n we still hv to move on .