Learn to Communicate with Squirrels

Event: Forest Adventure (@ Bedok Reservoir Park)
Date: 16th May 2009 (Saturday)
Adventurers: Jeffrey, Tshush, Boon, Desmond, Ivan, Valerie, Sandra, Pauline and me!



It all began 2 months back, when Jeffrey mentioned this "Forest Adventure" thing that his friends attempted which they found pretty fun. After a few more E-mails and web searches enquiring about the difficulty and such, it was decided that hey, if KIDS can do it, it should be no problem for us adults right? As we found out, we were "just" slightly off the mark.

Anyway, if anyone of you guys/gals out there are interested, here is the link to the Forest Adventure website!

The run up to the event actually started off the day before, with would-be-adventurers pulling out left, right and centre (due to extenuating circumstances and commitments of course!). *cough* Darren *cough*. Then, there were those who didn't even dare take up the challenge. *cough* Aunty Ho and Jon *cough*. And even on the day itself, we had people throwing MCs! *cough* Edmund *cough*. Well, they were the smart ones!

The rest of us sacrificial lambs made our way to Bedok, first for lunch at the hawker centre next to Bedok Interchange, where we had our fill of 'Chai Tau Kueh', Fish Slice Soup, Century Egg Porridge, 'Wan Ton Mee', 'Tau Suan' and a Filet-O-Fish from the nearby McDonald's.

Done with stuffing ourselves, it's off in the car pool (courtesy of Jeffrey's Subaru and Tshush's Mazda) to our destination!

Oh, on a side note for you all, there is an added "benefit" if you so choose to sit in Jeffrey's car. Provided Desmond is around, you'll be treated to the "JEFFREY & DESMOND SHOW"! I had the luxury of listening in to parts 1 - 6 for the whole day (From Jeff's to Bedok Interchange - Parts 1&2, From Bedok Interchange to Bedok Reservoir - Parts 3&4, From Bedok Reservoir to Bedok North Blk 85 - Part 5 and From Bedok North Blk 85 to Jeff's - Part 6)! It's really fantastic, you'll never listen to Mediacrap radio again after after you've experienced the 'J-D Show' first hand! They make squabbling couples look like they are madly in love! Honest!

Pardon the digression and wordy intro, but it was all part of the adventure, to me at least! Fun stuff! Here on out, I'll let the photos and the captions do the talking!

Walkity-walkity walk! Off to climb trees we go!



Monkey-face experts Jeff and Ivan!



Add one more monkey and you have a monkey trio!



Safety, safety safety! In event of a serious injury or fatality, your mangled body or corpse will not get a refund and your persons will be asked to vacate the premises. NO AMBULANCE WILL BE CALLED AND NO FIRST AID WILL BE PROVIDED. That's what the last 2 sentences seem to say to me that is.



All smiles now eh... later then come and sweat!



Lazing around the bench, waiting for the skies to clear. (There was a lightning warning due to approaching rain clouds... aka Cat 1 to the army folks.)



Monkey-boy happy with his tight-rope!



The wait is taking its toll.. but monkey-boy is still happy because he still has his tight-rope to hang on to.



All righty, those faces says it all! It has been a 40 min wait already! (Boon looks like he is all ready to go ninja on the management! Hai-yah!)



Finally! Boon's ninja stare downs got them scared! We are on to initiation training! Note the low levels and keen supervision of the instructor on the left.



The sequence is "Red On" - Clamp carabiner to red safety wire when on the platform so you can move safely around on it.



To get from platform to platform safely, you clamp the "flying fox wheel/rail" onto the guide-wire then release the "red on" carabiner and lock it to the "flying fox wheel/rail" before attempting the crossing.



And so, in this case, as the crossing is the flying fox.... WHEEEE! Landing is supposed to be done with a running motion while facing forward. A crash landing is when you twist and turn and end up landing facing backwards. No worries though, in the event of a crash land, only your butt usually touches the ground, so no one should be eating sand.



This is a good example of employing the buddy system of boy-girl, boy-girl, boy-girl.. alas, later on as you will see, how discipline takes a backseat and basically it becomes a free-for-all. Haha!



Go Pauline! No fear, it's only 3 feet high! (For now. Kekeke!)



Smile! While you can!



Come on buddy Desmond! The 'sacrifice' the photog has to make is that he must go first! The 'upshot' however, is that there will not be any embarassing photos him! HAHAHA!



"Say 'Cheese' everyone!"



The prelude to the first flying fox!! Here we have guinea pigs number 2 and 3 (Tshush and Desmond)! Just in case you're wondering, the sign says 'Apple Picker's Ladder'. It is basically just a solid ladder made of wood used to get up to the platform I'm on.



Hooray! Buddy Desmond lands safely!



Double Hooray! Tshush makes a nice landing too!! Looks damn pro too! Machiam special forces commando!



Triple Hooray? Pauline looks set to make a good landing...



...alas, her landing gears fails her at the last moment. "Splash one, Red leader."



Boon incoming!!! BRACE! BRACE! BRACE!



"Splash two, Red leader!"



Sandra on her maiden flight... and it's not turning out too well!



"Splash three, Red leader!" We'll be fighter aces in no time at this rate!



Onward to the next site, and it begins with the terrible "Trapeze"... it definitely is much tougher than it looks. Rated 'black' for difficulty, ie. most difficult. Luckily, there is an easier alternate route which most of the others took! This is what seperates the men from the boys!



Come on Tshush, you can do it! I tell you, this damn item takes patience, balance and strength. What you're doing is basically moving onto consecutive free-hanging trapezes. Very tough.



Another MAN takes the challenge! All in all, there were only 4 men! Namely Desmond, Tshush, Jeffrey and yours truly! Actually, I dunno if Ivan took the manly route, but I'm guessing that he didn't, the wuss that he is! HAHAHHAHAHAHA!



Here, we have the less manly route, and a clear example by Pauline how NOT to do this particular course. "Pauline ah, you're supposed to grab the hanging ropes, and not the safety cable/guide-wire!"



Interestingly, straight after that and it was on to the 2nd of the four flying foxes! The highlight of this flying fox is supposedly the close proximity one gets to the water line. Here we have Tshush Airways, flight T 003 coming in for his over-water landing.



Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as his first landing. "Splash four, Red leader."



He was still pretty satisfied with himself however! "Seriously, the sand is nice and soft and fluffy... I really wanted to do that!"



"Control to Ground. Ready the emergency crew! The Pauline is landing!!!"



"Control to Ground. False alarm. The Pauline made a super landing! Amazing! Return to base. Out."



"Watch those legs Boon, they're gonna hit the water!!!"



Boon is experimenting whether a 'backwards-running' move is feasible for a backwards landing!



Well, results are in. It's not. "Splash five, Red leader. Aces high!"



Sandra's looking good for an excellent landing with a smooth approach!



Whoa, wind shear! And it's a strafing landing!



Somehow or other, she makes it with nary a scratch!! The ladies sure showed us guys how it's supposed to be done on this run!


Come on Jeff, do the males a favour! Show them how monkey-men do it!



And there we go, a perfect landing to boot!



BOO-YA!! Take that Venusians!



Valerie, don't cover your eyes! How are you gonna see where you're going!?



This can't be good.



Yes, we are back to regular programming for the ladies then. Heh heh!



Is it me or is there something wrong with Ivan's reflection in the water? IT'S HUGE!! Or maybe it's just the Bedok Reservoir's version of the Loch Ness monster.



Loch Ness monster or not, this can't be good too!



And we are back to regular programming for the guys as well! Haha!



No worries, on to site 3! So, just as a recap, initiation and site 1 was at the beginning and we zipped to site 2 where the treacherous trapeze awaited us. Then, another zip line and here we are at site 3 where Sandra, Jeffrey, Valerie and dinky Ivan (notice his sneaky carabiner hook onto Valerie!) are awaiting their climb up to the tree-tops!



Go Boon Go! Nice 'pantat' shot! (Jeffrey took this picture btw!)

From this site onwards, I decided to stay behind a little bit and let Desmond, Tshush, Pauline and Boon to go ahead first, so I can get to shoot the 'back stragglers'. Heh! Also, the weather was turning on us again, and the adventure instructors were egging us to move onward rather then wait for everybody at the start points of the sites. There were legitimate reasons for this of course as one, we wouldn't want to be called off the adventure due to the impending inclement weather and two, we wouldn't want to hold back and choke up the entire course.



For this site, there were no alternative routes and everyone had to go through the same challenges like this one for example, what is known as the 'Log Swing'.



Here we see how far my ex-buddy Desmond is ahead! He's two items ahead of Tshush who is watching Pauline struggle onto his platform.



This one is a real mystery to me! Poor Jeffrey, posing for a photo apparently offended Ivan who in turn 'stabs' him, much to Valerie's delight! Haha!



This ain't so tough right? Everyone's smiling! In truth, the course is really not that difficult, and is actually quite fun!



More smiles from the 'tail-end' quartet! Erm, except maybe for Ivan, since he's busy maneuvering on his 'floating planks'.



"Oopsie! Nearly missed a step there!"



Jeffrey having fun on the 'Rope Passage' while Ivan and Valerie look on. He's still oblivious to the fact that Ivan tried to murder him earlier!



Aww... couple shot! (Note to Ivan: You keep complaining about the Taiwan trip's post that your couple shot is right at the start! No complains here ah, it's nicely nested within the timeline of events in this post!)



Peek-a-boo!



Altogether now everyone, big grin! *Grin* Desmond and Tshush kindly waiting for Pauline while she traverses the 'zig-zag planks'. This is just before the last item on this site before the zip line (flying fox) that will take us to the final site!



Jeffrey trying his darnest to look cool! Heh heh! This also was the second easiest item of the entire course, some 'suspended barrel' thingy!



See, it's so easy even Valerie can do 'peace signs' while going through it!



Truth be told however, it is actually slightly more difficult for the taller dudes/dudettes as they need to maneuver to get their legs out first at the end of the tunnel, unless they wanna plop out head first ala 'Sadako' from "The Ring"!



Finally, on to the flying fox towards site 4! "Bon voyage Jeff, watch out for those trees!!!"



Site 4! And we begin with the heart-stopping 'Tarzan Swing'! Like the treacherous 'Trapeze', there is an alternate route to take again, for those with the weak of heart and nerves. Ivan was voted most manly and he couldn't appear weak in front of Valerie and so, he trundled up to show off his balls of steel!



How ballsy was he? So ballsy was he that he took off backwards! It was actually a ploy by the adventure instructor to trick him into thinking it is easier stepping off backwards. But in fact, the suspense of not knowing when you'll hit the net and the shock thereafter when you do hit it makes it an even better adrenaline rush!



This is a good view of the challenging 'Tarzan Swing' on the right where you can see Desmond prepping himself and the less challenging 'Rope Pull' on the left, where you see Sandra sniggering while pulling her way across.



"Or-yee-or-yee orrr!!! Desmond bor cheng kor!!!!" Hahahaha!



The safety net is apparently not so safe! Although most of them made it into the net unscathed including Desmond here, I nearly went straight through it! Well, my legs did actually! Hahaha! Thank goodness there are no other cameramen out there to catch my follies on the trail! Hehe!



There's no escaping the 'Half Trapeze'! Everyone has to go through this part of the course. This is the milder version of the free-hanging 'Trapeze' in site 2 where you can only grab the rope parts. This one here has handrails in fact that make things that much easier. Not easy still, but definitely easier!



Here we have it, the easiest item on the course! The 'Tibetan Bridge'! It's so easy, it's akin to sleeping in a hammock! A very comfortable walk through!



Part of the alternate route if you did not do the 'Tarzan Swing', is this 'Amazon Bridge' which is basically a tightrope walk! Luckily though, you have the guide wire above for support! This should be a cinch for the Amazon woman that is Pauline! Heh heh!



These rather far spaced planks proved to be a playground for Tshush, as he attempted to balance his way across without using the guide wire for support! And lo, he did it rather simply as it would seem!



"Ahhh! The nightmares of the 'Trapeze' are coming back to haunt me!"



"Hey, who's swinging the supports!! HEY! HEY!"



And this is almost it! A final walk on the planks that our Sugar Plum Fairy, Tshush, was dancing across previously and the final flying fox that will bring you back to exactly where you started off from!



Desmond showing off his prowess by doing the flying fox one-handed while coming in for a landing!!!



A great seasonal start!!! As it shows the guys still have what it takes to land properly and safely! It's time for revenge! Take that ladies!



"Brilliant. Simply Brilliant. What a landing! Go males!!



The last flying fox was nothing really special actually, at least, there were no highlights to it. Maybe a tad steeper then the others? No problems for Pauline here even if it is so!



Ok, I spoke too soon! Hahaha! Sorry Pauline, it's gonna be a another rough one!



It's all right Pauline, your face cannot be seen! No one will know who you are if they are just browsing through. Oops!



Boon, do the twist! Come on, you can do it!! TWIST! TWIST!!



Gaaa! I thought ninjas were supposed to be good at zip-lining!!



But a happy ninja Boon remains to be! Seriously, the sand is really fine and comfy... I would know, just that there are no humiliating pictures of me only! HAHAHA! Designated photog perk!



*Yawn*... Jeffrey makes another safe landing... so boring.



Jeffrey being pretty pleased with himself!
(Note: [Cameraman rage] That KNN man in the background... I wanted to go bash him up! Maybe he didn't notice my small little compact camera, but I swear he looked in my direction a few times.. and still dunno how to "zi dong" and move out of the shot view. Got DSLR big f*** ah!? Btw, I noticed he got a few shots of Pauline, Boon and Jeffrey! You guys might want to take his DSLR and throw it into the reservoir. [/Cameraman rage])



Job well done fellow adventurers!!! So what's next? I suggest Paintballing! The brusing gets even worse! Nothing a bit of Zambuk can't cure though!



After a quick wash-up and we were off to Bedok North Blk 85 to sample the infamous 'Bah Chor Mee' and 'Grilled Chicken Wings'! We had abit of 'Satay' as well.

The day's activities was rounded off with a trip back to Jeff's place! Where Desmond and Boon proceeded to generously sprinkle the entire place from the bathroom to the sofas with fine grained sand. Haha!! More clean-ups later, and we were back to lounging and lazing around as usual!

A pirated movie of a super duper long 'Dark Knight' closed things off for everyone and that was it! A fun-filled and eventful Saturday that encompassed most of the day and night!

So, thanx to everyone who participated and to Jeffrey especially for organizing the event! Till the next BRIGHT idea then, cheerio!

Before I go, some Flying Fox awards and statistics, as judged singularly by me! I'm not entirely sure if this is accurate, since I wasn't around for ALL of the splashes and successes but you guys can help me rectify the situation by casting your votes and expressing your grievances with your comments!

Top Foxes: Jeffrey, Tshush, Desmond and Sandra - 3 out of 4 successful landings!

Swimming Fox: Boon - 0 out of 4 successful landings!

Charismatic Foxes: Tshush and Desmond - Most impressive looking when flying and landing and/or crashing.

Reflex Foxes: Sandra and Pauline - Made a successful landing despite seemingly destined for a crash.

Twin Foxes: Ivan and Valerie - Most in sync in flying and landing attempts. (She flies, he flies. She crashes, he crashes. Same way too!)

Lancaster Fox: Pauline - Most likely to bomb a target into oblivion.

Stealth Fox: Me - Most unlikely to be captured in photos while flying and/or crashing.

Final Statistics:

Fox	Good Landing	Bad Landing	Award(s)
Jeffrey	3	1	Top Fox
Tshush	3	1	Top Fox, Charismatic Fox
Desmond	3	1	Top Fox, Charismatic Fox
Boon	0	4	Swimming Fox
Ivan	1	3	Twin Fox
Valerie	1	3	Twin Fox
Pauline	2	2	Lancaster Fox, Reflex Fox
Sandra	3	1	Top Fox, Reflex Fox
Me	2	2	Stealth Fox

Update 1: As informed by the egg-throwing crowd! Updated stats and awards!

Update 2: Added video.

Wheeee! *Splat*,
-Cal-