Day 1

Woke up at 5.3o a.m. to find that the super-semangated taxi driver was already there. Speed showered and finished packing, but it was all in vain since Dad and bro were only ready at 7. (Pah, who says girls take longer to get ready than guys. It's a MYTH! Chauvinistic propaganda, I tell you!)

The flight to Kuching was a little hard on the neck. I didn't dare recline the seat because David's legs are so long. And he doesn't take too kindly to being woken up. Especially if he's been running on less than 5 hours sleep.

Had lunch and met up with the group from Johor Bahru, many of them old friends, so it was pretty pleasant. We had to wait about an hour before the transport arrived and all 21 of us were dumped into a fleet of MPVs (almost all manned by the same family).

Came to the foot of Mt. Singai where we joined up with another group from KL and proceeded to trek up the mountain. And oh boy, were we in for an ordeal! (Okay, so I'm exaggerating, but only just a little... really!) From what I've gathered, the Catholic Memorial and Pilgrimage Centre was about 600 feet up, and basically we had to struggle up some pretty steep stairs while lugging bags that were not even close to being suitable for a "mountain-climbing" trip.

But to be honest, it was all worth it because on the way up, we had to pray the Way of the Cross - and it was the most meaningful one I've ever done. Because in the physical exertion, we could begin to grasp just a little of what Jesus had gone through for our sakes. It also made me vow to make sure I got the most out of the retreat... Only so that I didn't kill my right shoulder for nothing!

The rest of the day was a blur... an ice cold bath, dinner, an introductory talk and bed after (in a long house with 10 rooms... that was cool :P). Went to bed praying that I would be able to get up off the floor the next morning.