Personal interests

Despite being busy with academic work, there should be some space for leisure activities. On certain weekends, I would hike mountains in Malaysia with friends, driven by the passion and motivation of pushing the limits of my fitness, stamina as well as determination to get to the peak. Having been an avid hiker for quite some time now, my addiction of hiking has been for the smell of the sweat, earth, and plants, as well as the sound of the insects, birds, and rain, which are all just feelings that you can never resist. Some of the peaks that I have captured include Gunung Kinabalu, Gunung Nuang, Bukit Angsi, Bukit Kutu, Bukit Berembun, Gunung Datuk, Gunung Besar Hantu, Gunung Mini Irau, and many others. Of course, other adventurous trips and outings include white water rafting (Kuala Kubu Baru and Gopeng) as well as scuba diving trips at Pulau Mabul, Sabah; Pulau Perhentian, Terengganu; and Pulau Langkawi, Kedah.

At times, I usually have jam sessions with my children, with my son playing the lead and sometimes the bass guitar while his sister handles the vocals and the guitar. My son is now more advanced than me in music and now has a collection of several acoustic and electric guitars. Other than that, karaoke sessions with the family, once in a while just to sing our hearts out. Otherwise, there would be jamming sessions with colleagues from the faculty. 

As a hardcore Generation Xer, my favourite songs are those simple-tune slow rock songs from the 80’s and 90’s either from local or overseas bands. My favourite bands are the likes of Reo Speedwagon, Chicago, and Bon Jovi. I also fancy listening to those fascinating melodic, storytelling, and philosophical yet progressive heavy metal songs by Iron Maiden, which I consider to be the best heavy metal rock band throughout history. In fact, the BBC rated the band as the Greatest Heavy Metal Band of All Time in 2009. Just listen to songs such as Where Eagles Dare, Alexander the Great, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Flight of Icarus, Wasted Years, and The Trooper, and you will understand what I mean. Up the irons…. 

Other than music, my other hobby is walking, which I usually do with my wife on every Sunday morning with an average of 5km everytime. I also write at times, about my life experiences, but I've always kept them to myself. Despite the many interesting leisure activities, I will make time to spend with my wife and grown up children, either at home, watching new movies at the cinema, having karaoke sessions, or strolling around shopping malls.