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The promised home..

I have not updated this blog for a while now due to so many events that have happened since the last post. Currently mom is readmitted again to the keningau hospital and she is really tired and looks so fragile but her motivation is high and we know she will recover soon.

It is now January 2008 and somehow I feel energised and look forward to many interesting developments this year. My wife and constant source of inspiration has been busy decorating our humble home at Eagle Plateau.. Oh yesss, we finally managed to build a small home as promised way back in 2001. It is a simple design that mirrors our need for a functional and self sufficient home at EP.




The promised home which we talked about with friends and family at a gathering in 2001 is a project that was challenging because we wanted to build it with a very limited budget and a commitment to using as much recycled material as we could find. And That is why it took so long to complete.

Anyway, now that the home is almost ready, we can take some moments to sit and reflect on the many aspects of building the facility. Frankly, we had no building experience but over the years we learned how to look for the right sources to either buy or get the recycled materials needed to construct our pet project.

From the beginning, we wanted a home that would be completely self sufficient, meaning, we wanted a home that would look after us and not the other way around. So the design had to include serious considerations relating to the energy needs, utilities and lifestyle as well as ease of maintenance. Doris and I and indeed all family members are ham enthusiasts so we wanted the home to be configured for Amateur Radio friendly format with room for the Radio Station, Sufficient Power Supply as well as convenience for antenna systems to feed into the home without being unsightly looking. We are also into Amateur Astronomy. And want to make provision for an amateur Observatory to be constructed later.. maybe phase 2 ;)


But the most important and over riding consideration was and is still the amount we could allocate for each phase of the construction.. yes.. our budget was very limited.

Our plans and ideas were at least 10 years old ! meaning, we had started to think about building this family project in 1998. And budgets had been locked at 1998 prices while current level of inflation robbed us of the value our money can now afford to buy materials and other needed services with. So our prices were way out as timber and cement prices has since skyrocketed..

And so with all of the limitations we faced we wondered if we should even attempt to lay the foundation stone of the new home. But as we talked late into the morning hours about our dreams.. it became apparent that my wife was getting more enthusastic about the idea of realising this persistent dream of having our own self sufficient home. And so it was.. that we threw all reservations aside and embarked on our accepted challenge.. we always work very well as a team anyway and this was not just any other project.. it represented our deepest desires to build a sanctuary for the family.. So together we excitedly switched on the Green light to begin the new adventure ...!

Before we started, we managed to do a barter trade with our good friend Robin for the use of his 1.5 ton ISUZU Light Truck. And we are very thankful that he was so willing to go along with us on the deal. We would never have managed to build the home without this very faithful transportation facility. Yes the light truck was the main workhorse we used to transport everything to Eagle Plateau. From cement bags, sand, gravel and timber to furniture and used vehicles tyres for our recycling projects, the LT did it all !

we had to abandon plan A and activated Plan C instead. Plan B was bypassed as transportation cost had also gone up by 50%.

Plan C meant we had to use all our back ups.. For timber, we searched the cheapest stores selling timber and plywood offcuts as well as factory rejects that would still be suitable for simple molds and props. The house is a single storey plan so loads are not as heavy. But for more savings, we checked out my sister, Ida's store for used timber and she kindly gave us the bulk of the timber which had been salvaged from our old store. The timber quality was still very good and we just had to spend more time removing the nails and other screws attached to them before we painted the recycled timber with green preservative paint and sorted them ready for use as the roof and ceiling timbers.

For bricks and other materials, we traded with friends where ever we could to get mutual benefit. My friend Chow for example, owns an electrical shop and he wanted to buy a vintage Power Inverter from me. I counter suggested that if he could give me 4 rolls of aluminium electrical cables for our distribution links, he could have the 1 KW Power Inverter. To which he replied" No problem.. when do you need it? "

Such was the spirit and theme of the building process that we ended up having more materials than was needed to build the home.

For the labour and other skills needed, we also did as much bartering as we could. I spend most of the time supervising and helping to do hands on installation especially with the electrical and plumbing while Doris attended to the purchasing and the overall managing of the limited resources we had gathered together. It was truly a labour of love and adventure. But not without its attendant frustrations. Our greatest problem was the weather and the dirt road access along the narrow ridge that leads to Eagle Plateau. So many times, our faithful Light Truck had to overcome climbing problems and had to radio in help from friends when we really were unable to pull out of the muddy road ! Among the kind friends who responded to calls for help were our friends Joseph Kunui and Nelson Ng. To this day, the road is still an adventure to drive on when it rains. One section of the narrow ridge is eroding and in need of urgent repairs.

How fast did we complete the home?

Can you believe it? In spite of all the challenges and the frustrations, we managed to complete the main house in 3 months !! But of course there are so many aspects that still needed to be done which we can do on a slower pace. Plan D is now activated.



Main features of the house so far;

The house is a 2,800 square ft, two bedrooms tropical bungalow with bathrooms attached. All utilities such as water and electricity are supplied using Solar Photo Voltaic power and Rain water collection techniques. We also have multiple backups for water from our spring water source.

The solar water heating system is all set and installed except for the main storage tank which unfortunately became a bee hive while waiting to be installed on the roof.( For those of you familiar with the SOLAHART solar water heating system, the main hot water storage tank, which we parked under our temporary store apparently attracted a swarm of honey bees and they have now made it their home !!) We have not yet decided what to do with the honey bees for now as we notice that they produce good quality honey !! Our good friend Robin helped us to extract the honey in November 2007 and the taste is really delicious with a cross between cherry and fragant perfume honey ! We are thinking of getting a proper bee hive and will try to persuade the bees to move into this wooden hive. In the meantime, we will let them stay at the SOLAHART tank and produce more honey as we are not in a hurry to activate our solar water heating system yet although all the hot water piping are all installed in the home.


The House is cool because we also placed used tyres for part of the foundation as well as good ventilation. So far, we are pleased to see that we have incorporated a functional program of using all the nature assisted concepts for comfortable living despite the remoteness of our location .

So you can now imagine a home that uses 240 Volts AC Electricity 24/7 and clean water in abundance all from nature. We have a small veggie garden next to the home ( next to the kitchen actually ) and our communications systems include a full Amateur Radio Station powered by the sun ;)

Our Fruit Tree planting projects are ongoing and some have already started to flower so in a few months we should be enjoying avocados, juicy pineapples, guavas, star fruits and a few others.

We hope to install more energy efficient features and facilities to the new home as we enjoy the warm and wonderful feeling of having done it hands on.. yesss its really a nice confident feeling. Thanks to all of you who have kept the us encouraged, motivated and thinking positive all the time.

Peace and Happiness Always,

Doris and Alfons and the kids

Small world..

Are we connected ?

Flashback to kampong days..

As a child I remember vividly the communications systems we love to experiment with. Oh how exciting they were.. Really.. my childhood friends Patrick and Joseph used to collect empty match boxes and empty sardine cans while we saved to buy long kite flying threads ..

We were no scientists but it was a beautiful game just to talk to each other on these tin can and match box "telephones".. For those who have yet to try it.. Just get two empty match boxes or empty tin cans.. punch a small hole in the middle of the tin cans and string them together with a tight thread.. stand 50 feet or more from each other and just enjoy this timeless experiment.. Your sound travels on the string as one talks into the match box and of course the other listens..

Fast foward to our teen years..

There was a time not so long ago when having a house telephone was a real luxury. Our family phone number was just 3 digits and we used a simple black antique rotary dial fone. Not many realised it but the phone operator must have been the best informed person .. he would be the equivalent of our modern day party line system admin ;)

Fast forward now to 2007..

And I am easily able to conduct a poor mans video conference with our son in New Zealand, a daughter in Kuala Lumpur, another daughter in Singapore and our son and daughter in Australia.. and all from the comforts of the living room at our little secret gardens in the woods ;) The facilities at Eagle Plateau and constantly being upgraded and further improved with home grown recycled electronics to allow us to enjoy modern comforts to the fullest !

I often wonder what the future of communications will be.. but for now, I am just so pleased that even as our children are working and /or studying so far away in distant lands, they remain very close and indeed very reachable that we participate in their daily joys and frustrations as they share with us online, their activities for the day !

The world has indeed become smaller..

A real Life Drama at Eagle Plateau

Among the special memories I wanted to share with you all...

Here is a post I did sometime ago to our friends who are avid fans of our adventures at Eagle Plateau.

For our new friends..

Notes: Eagle Plateau is also fondly known as EP , Hillview Gardens is our other home

Hi all,

Having a plateau with rugged steep cliffs all around is fun and conjures up
images of romance and danger.. I have often dreaded the thought of
something precious falling off the steep cliffs..

Well.. that really happened yesterday!!!

There was an air of excitement in keningau as no less than the Prime Minister of Malaysia was about to visit our town. As usual he is
accompanied by several Ministers both state and federal.

My wife Doris, a wonderful multitasker and as always doing great PR job at Hillview which was at this time fully occupied, informed us.. Brenden my son and me, that an important guest was coming to visit EP..


Now I was at EP on a security role as our Indon caretaker and his
family had to go back to Suluwesi for the new year. Brenden then 14 , was
on school holidays and offered to come and keep me company.. together
with Lilo, our hillview faithful German sheppard/dobermann mix.. Lilo
had 11 puppies with her this time.. and together with the other EP
resident guards dogs, we have a grand total of 15 dogs who roamed the
plateau to make sure our PV solar Power Arrays and antennas and radio
installations were well guarded hi hi.( For info, we had started to
bring in other valuable items to EP as we spend more time doing up the
place. And these of course means we cannot leave the place unattended
anymore.)

This is great.. but it also meant that the main Power house where we
were based were full of mess sometimes.. Some of you will remember how
the set up looks like. But with news of pending visit by a vip..
Brenden and I were now busy looking at various options to do a fast
track cleaning up.. so in the final plan.. I was to take the whole 15
dogs away from the base to the other areas of the plateau to allow
brenden time and convenience to clean, rinse and dry the patio area
of the main "house"..

The plan was easy to activate.. I took some food and promptly was
followed by a train of 4 dogs and all the 11 puppies.. all running in almost
single file.. the day was clear and it was great to take the dogs for
a walk ... freshness everywhere.. with no hint of any impending danger..

To cut a long story short.. the dreaded happened.. one of the puppies,
curious and adventurous perhaps.. strayed too far to the cliff area
near the 10 cascading ponds and yess.. he fell off the cliff !!!!!!

Panic.. I quickly herded the rest of the puppies back to brenden while
we devised a way to rescue the poor puppy who by now was thankfully
lodged on a precarious ledge.. we were helpless and being too close to
the cliff.. i was very careful not to let either brenden of any of the
others to go near in case the edge gave way!! I tested the cliff edge
with a few digs using my foot and yes it was loose soil and presented
a big problem..The problem was also compounded by the fact that we
were unable to actually see the puppy as the cliff was really too
steep and dangerous to go anywhere near to take a peek. We could only
hear the helpless cries .

We figured that the only way to try to get to the puppy was to get him
on a basket tied to a rope.. But how and where to get these things? We
finally used a plastic bucket with a long string of raffia attached to
it.. And we tried and tried in vain for almost an hour to "fish" the
puppy out who by now must be scared and tired judging from the way it
cried.

I had to send brenden back to base as he was getting affected by the
seemingly helpless nature of our rescue efforts. Lilo tried to go to
her puppy's rescue but even she was prevented by the sheer steepness
of the cliff with no possibility of getting out of the ledge.. I sent
them all back with brenden..

Soon after they left .. i tied my end of the long raffia to a small
accasia tree near the ponds and took a survey of the whole situation
from different angles on the far side of the cliff.. Still I was
unable to see the puppy.. was he injured and lodged on a concave on
the face of the cliff ?? Helpless and having to made a decision.. i
walked back to the raffia tied to the tree and decided to pull back on
the bucket... thinking that if nothing else works we would have to
radio help from hillview to see how we could rescue the puppy.. I was
beginning to think it was really impossible to save the poor loveable
puppy.



As i untied the raffia and started to pull the bucket out of the
cliff.. i sensed that the bucket felt heavier than usual!!!! could it
be? no.. it cant be.. impossible! anyway.. i kept praying.. and as i
started to pull i heard the puppy cry out and realised that yessss
indeed the puppy had so cleverly gone into the bucket and in my
excitement i almost lost him as i quickly fished him out of that
dangerous cliff.. the bucket had a slippery handle which is further
made unstable by the slippery raffia.. But as luck would have it.. I
finally managed to get the poor scared puppy out of danger as he
leaped out of the bucket onto me on reaching the top !!!!



This was a very significant lesson in life for me.. and that is why i
have decided to document this as brenden and i hugged each other
knowing we have not just saved the poor puppy but saved ourselves from
guilt as we had given up hope... earlier. it was a moment of
weakness.. that we tend to give up hope when things seemed so
hopeless.. I had thought that my life was more precious than the
puppy.. that i had more commitment than the poor puppy.. so if we
couldn't save him then we should not endanger our lives by trying to
do so..

What my son and I have learned from this drama is that.. we must NEVER give up .. even if things seems so hopeless.. especially when times are ticking
away and eating into your deadlines.. Never give up and always have
hope..


I am glad that my son was a part of this real life adventure. I know that
he now knows how lucky we were and from now on we will not take anything
for granted. We will make new plans to secure the area from any
potential problems now.. this will include a barbed wire fence for
some of those areas.

I apologise for the long posting.. but i hope you have some insight
into how life is at Eagle Plateau.. the joys as well as the real
danger if we are not careful.

Always our love and best regards,

Alfons and Brenden

Where do I begin ?

mmm yes.. where do I begin ?.. to tell a story..

That sounds like a song title but lately thats been the question that keeps challenging me as I scan the countless memories of the past years.. I used to scribble my thoughts and ramblings in little notes and often wish i had mastered the skills in compiling a decent scrapbook.

I keep recalling the times when my wife and I first decided to accept the commitment to build a family sanctuary. Our dreams of creating a serene, quiet and restful garden with lush greenery and beautiful flowers and abundant tropical fruit trees were always something that kept us preoccupied even to this day.

In the early 70's, we had found this very unique piece of land which is actually a true plateau.. some 2,800 ft above mean sea level and surrounded by very steep cliffs on all sides. Access, therefore, was very difficult if not impossible.. The only way to reach the plateau was to trek up along a narrow zig zag footpath !

And for a while that was the only way we reached this secret garden we now call Eagle Plateau. We had decided to call the place with the most obvious logical name.. It is a Plateau with a few beautiful Eagles soaring high above and can often be seen doing their routine flights over the area as if to patrol and protect against intruders.

Yes.. those were the days.. with limited access it was suitable mainly for a group of family and friends to trek up and enjoy a weekend picnic while we learned to plant some suitable tropical fruits like pineapples, bread fruit and other easy to grow fruits like bananas.

Our journey had begun..

In the beginning..

I remember a good friend who once asked me this question:

What is the hardest thing to do ?

And I gave him a number of answers.. knowing very well that I was going through this same question all the time . Well.. anyway, I agreed with my friend that the hardest thing to do is to get Started with whatever it is you want to achieve :)

Yes.. indeed, the hardest thing to do really is to get started.. in anything worth doing. Now I have learned that its always much easier to start from the beginning.. hence the title of this . I have always valued independence right from the beginning.

Independence in the simple sense.. being able to draw on your own steam for motivation and strength. This is not always easy to do when we live in a very interdependant culture and its even more challenging as we face the modern concepts of globalisation... we seem to share the good, the bad and the ugly .. like it or not.

Remember when mount Pinatubo erupted in the philippines... We were dusting volcanic ash deposited on our vechicles right here in Sabah. The same environmental pollution ocurred when there were uncontrolled large scale burning of cleared land in Indonesia. The long drought did not help much either.. but the main effects of that terrible burning caused economic burden in cancelled tourism hotel bookings and other flights not to mention the sights of malaysians using gas masks... such is the shared responsibilities that we have.. that we must be careful with open burning at all times.

Coming back to my feelings about personal independance..

I have always had this desire to create a place that is almost completely self sufficient in all aspects. But of course achieving such a dream is full of challenges and its usually so easy to just forget the whole idea as absurd ! Who in their right mind would want to live such a lifestyle in this ultra modern 21st century with high tech driven lifestyle, personal computers , entertainment on the move with cute ipods, global televisions via satellite links and so many other home comforts ! Even the food that we can get access to are so varied that there are no good reasons to grow your own anymore.. or are there? mmmm what about GMC ? Genetically Modified Crops finding their way to your family table.

Anyway, at least the markets are well stocked and the systems of delivery and consumption are well understood. The same goes for so many other self sufficient techniques that one would try to learn in order to embark on my idea of being self sufficient. The water department supplies all that you need. The National Power Grid systems also works very well supplying all the electric power we need.. as do the telephone and communications systems. the advent of the personal cell fone has given Cellular freedom everywhere now!

So why do I want to be different ? Maybe its just the fun and challenges of pursuing your dreams !

I have always been very impressed by the following truth:

"Whatever the Human Mind can Conceive and Believe; it can Achieve ! " ... Napoleon Hill ( Think and Grow Rich )

The dream again..

To create a totally self sufficient lifestyle that combines close contacts and meaningful interfacing with nature and our living environment, learning the skills of growing and nuturing natural food and recycled natural shelters and being in tune with the beauty and freshness of our wide open countryside.. the spectacular views of mountains, cool rivers and streams, the colorful rainbows as well as the heavy tropical downpours that rain down precious lifegiving crystal clear water to create little ponds that attracts so much of natures other living creatures...

Now .. try to combine this scenario with the wonders of modern technology like Free electricity from the sun using Photovoltaics and micro hydro systems and Wind Generators providing clean natural electrict power 24/7 all year round to this modest facility.. and yes you are right... I am a dreamer.. I know, I know... Thats what all of my friends have told me.. A good friend from the States even gave me a personal gift.. an Indian Dream Catcher, which still hangs in a special corner of our home!

But to be honest.. all of my dreams are in splendid technicolor.. my dreams are so vivid, they provide me with the escape that I need at times.. but they also cause problems because of the desire to follow and pursue the beautiful dreams..

Anyway.. So this, then, is the beginning.. It is a story of my struggles to find that illusive place.. a place that is so restful you will forget the meaning of relaxing because you are living it.. We want to plant lots of trees.. tropical fruit trees, colorful flowers and herbs of every kind that we find here... for medicinal purpose, for enhancing the food that we eat and for beauty and health purposes.. In short, we want to create a secret garden where you will find inner peace and comfort ... a place that knows no evil and a place that serves as a beacon for the stressed as well as the ordinary person who needs a natural recharge of their spent energies.

So if you are still reading this.. come and join us as we begin this journey to find this illusive dream.. Welcome to Eagle Plateau...

Retirement

Is it time already ?

I can't believe that in a few weeks I will be joining the ranks of the retired .. Here in Malaysia thats what RTM means , as they often tell me.. ( Rehat, Tidur, Makan ? ) Translated it means Rest, sleep and eat.. ! But of course most retirees know better than just to do that !

And so no RTM for me .. I am going to enjoy every precious moment available to me when I begin my retirement phase. Retired ? mmm Maybe at least in the traditional sense .. Frankly its a nice feeling to get this far but also a little scary knowing that time is moving on.. So much to do.. so much to see.. I hope for continued good health and peace of mind for me and my wife and our family so that we can all enjoy the beautiful and precious moments that life can give to all of us.

Anyway.. this is where I begin to tell the story of my coming home.. more on this later.. I used to write little notes to keep me reminded of things that I find interesting, things that have made me smile and things that have come to me in my dreams. Sadly these notes are scarttered all over and maybe its a good idea that I found the courage to start this blog which oferrs a more organised format and helps me put my thoughts and ideas in a better more reader friendly format.. Yes some of my past scribblings must have been done in such a hurry that reading them again makes me wonder what I wrote about in the first place !