River of Life (ROL) Kayaking Expedition
ROL is a major project currently undertaken by Malaysia’s Federal Government in reviving and revitalising the river network within Kuala Lumpur for public use. Two of these rivers are Sungai Gombak and Sungai Klang; the confluence where these two rivers meet is where Kuala Lumpur got its name (kuala: confluence, lumpur: muddy). For the most part, the public regard these rivers as more like drains than rivers.
This expedition was commissioned by MP for Serdang YB Ong Kian Ming. Fellow collaborators on this project include Jeffery Lim, founder of Cycling Map Kuala Lumpur, and filmaker Linus Chung. The goal of the expedition was to kayak down the upstream section of Sungai Gombak, firstly to survey the river, and secondly to look closely on the progress of the ROL project. My role on this expedition was in providing the kayaking expertise required, including risk management, safety guide, and logistics.
Public links featuring the expedition:
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- Malaysiakini article
- A short documentary that was made
HELP Trailblazers
HELP Trailblazers was a leadership program that I developed under the purview of the Personal and Development Leadership Centre of HELP University. The aim of this program is to develop potential, build character, and instil values of global citizenship and leadership in young people by involving them in an overseas expedition. The expedition will take students off the beaten track, where they will discover the best in themselves, and harness this potential to become better leaders and pioneers within their own communities.
The program was designed to run for one full academic year, and culminated in a year-end overseas expedition. Throughout the year students attended workshops and talks on leadership, teamwork, and project management; they were also required to conduct fundraising that will go towards their expedition. The expedition consisted of two parts – community exposure and adventure hike. Community exposure was conducted with collaboration with local partners that have an established presence in the local community in providing welfare and supported services; adventure hiking takes place in unique wilderness areas that the country has to offer.
The pilot program was conducted in 2013. As the pilot, the project ran for 3 months and the expedition took place in the Philippines. Community exposure was conducted with the Payatas community in Manila; the hike was done in the Kibungan Ranges in Luzon.
The second full-year program was conducted in 2014. The expedition was slated to take place in Nepal, with the community exposure conducted in a farming community in Chitwan, and a hike to Langtang National Park. Unfortunately, even though the program ran for the full year, the expedition did not take place due to a lack of funds.
Feature in BRATs supplement of The Star newspaper
Adventure Races
Working under Nomad Adventure, I was involved in two EcoX races.
The first EcoX race (2005) was in Kuala Kubu Bharu, Selangor. I had supporting role on all areas of the race including route design, racer management, volunteer management, and logistics.
The second EcoX race (2006) was in Hulu Langat, Selangor. This time I was one of three members of the main organizing committee, and took the lead with volunteer management, with responsibilities as well in all other areas especially route design and logistics. At 21 years-old this race was a reaffirming experience in my ability to take on leadership roles and manage projects.