PASIR PUTEH, June 7 β Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students who survived a bus crash in Gerik, Perak, on June 9 last year are still recovering from their trauma, thanks to the continued support of their families, friends and the university.A crash survivor, Abdul Wafiy Kamaruddin, 24, said he has managed to deal with the trauma of using public transport, even though he had trouble being inside vehicles following his ordeal, thanks to the universityβs
PASIR PUTEH, June 7 β Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students who survived a bus crash in Gerik, Perak, on June 9 last year are still recovering from their trauma, thanks to the continued support of their families, friends and the university.
A crash survivor, Abdul Wafiy Kamaruddin, 24, said he has managed to deal with the trauma of using public transport, even though he had trouble being inside vehicles following his ordeal, thanks to the universityβs continuous counselling support for survivors.
βInitially, I was afraid when getting into vehicles and would worry, but Alhamdulillah Iβm getting better in stages and now I donβt have trouble taking the bus or public transport.
βThe UPSI counsellors always follow up on those of us who survived the crash and that really helped our emotional recovery,β he told reporters during a UPSI gathering for students and families involved in the crash in Tok Bali today.
He recounted how he saw many of his fellow students staggering around injured right after the crash, while he was fortunate to sustain only minor injuries.
βI was sitting in the last back seat on the right side. When I regained consciousness after the crash, I saw many of my friends injured and wanted to help them, but I was not physically able to do so.
βI could only help those near me, and this has haunted me for almost two to three months before I managed to slowly recover,β Abdul Wafiy said.
He also pointed out that many survivors have improved emotionally after receiving various forms of support.
βSo far, 27 survivors are more stable and are recovering emotionally. This shows how vital families, friends and educational institutions are in helping victims like us carry on with life after facing tragedies,β he said.
He admitted that the June 9 crash, which killed 15 UPSI students, would remain with him for the rest of his life.
Everyone on the bus was in a festive mood because of Aidilfitri, he recalled, with laughter and smiles all around.
βBut in the blink of an eye, 15 of us were killed and for those of us who survived, our lives have changed forever,β he said.
Besides focusing on his recovery, Abdul Wafiy also shares his experience and views on road safety on various platforms, having appeared as an invited panellist at the Road Safety Congress in November last year. β Bernama
A beautiful, highly customizable hike thatβs an easy day-trip from Tokyo.
Weβre finally in that not-too-cold, not-too-hot sweet spot of spring weather in Japan, providing a prime window for all sorts of outdoor activities. While βclimb Mt. Fujiβ might be the one that most quickly comes to mind for travelers in Japan, the countryβs tallest mountain wonβt be open to hikers until midsummer, but today weβre taking a look at a different great mountain to hike thatβs doable as a day trip from Tokyo.
A beautiful, highly customizable hike thatβs an easy day-trip from Tokyo.
Weβre finally in that not-too-cold, not-too-hot sweet spot of spring weather in Japan, providing a prime window for all sorts of outdoor activities. While βclimb Mt. Fujiβ might be the one that most quickly comes to mind for travelers in Japan, the countryβs tallest mountain wonβt be open to hikers until midsummer, but today weβre taking a look at a different great mountain to hike thatβs doable as a day trip from Tokyo.
Mt. Tsukuba is located in the town of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. With a height of 877 meters (2,877 feet), it offers some great views from the top, but it can also be a safe, manageable hike even if youβre not a hard-core alpinist. As proof, our Japanese-language reporter Natsuno Futon, who readily admits to not doing a whole lot of exercise these days, recently headed out to Mt. Tsukuba with her two elementary school-age daughters to hike one of its trails.
There are a number of different routes you can take to the top of Mt. Tsukuba, but today weβll be following along on Natsunoβs trek up the Otatsuishi Trail. You can get on the trail from the Tsutsujigaoka Parking Area, which itself can be reached in about two hours from downtown Tokyo, first by taking the Tsukuba Express train from Akihabara Station to TX Tsukuba Station, and from there a series of shuttle buses to the Numata, Tsukubasan-jinja Iriguchi, and finally Tsutsujigaoka bus stops, with 45 minutes spent on the train and a total of about 50 minutes on the buses (alternatively, if youβre arriving by car, you can just drive to the Tsutsujigaoka Parking Area and pay to park in the lot).
Natsuno rolled up at around 11:40 a.m. on a holiday. The parking area is already at an altitude of about 500 meters, so youβre starting off part-way to the top.
The early section of the trail is a series of paved steps, and less than five minutes after theyβd started the hike, they were already being rewarded with beautiful scenery like this.
After about 15 minutes of walking, the paved steps had stopped and the course had turned into a genuine trail. Natsunoβs youngest, a first-grader, said βIβm tiredβ for the first time since theyβd set out, so they stopped for short break, then continued on after sheβd recharged.
Mt. Tsukuba has a reputation as being a beginner-friendly hike, but youβll still want to wear proper hiking shoes and watch your step. At around 12:20, Natsuno passed through this section of trees with exposed roots stretching across the pathβ¦
β¦and this rocky section felt as much like an obstacle course as it did a hiking trail.
At 12:30, they reached a rest area at on overlook beside the trail. Long ago, this used to be the site of a teahouse, called the Benkei Chaya, and itβs still a place for those walking the trail to stop and rest their feet, though youβll need to bring your own snacks or drinks to enjoy.
After a 10-minute breather and some munchies, Natsuno was on the move again.
Mt. Tsukuba has a unique shape, with essentially two peaks with a recessed plateau between them. The Nyotaisan, or βFemale Peak,β is the higher of the two (877 meters versus the Nantaisan/βMale Peakβsβ 871 meters), so when Natsunoβs group came to a fork in the trail, they took the path headed for the Nyotaisan.
βΌ ε₯³δ½ε±±ι = Nyotaisan peak
One of the cool things about the Otatsuishi Trail is how many different scenic spots there are along the way. For example, thereβs the Benkei Nanamodori.
A narrow section of the trail where a large boulder wedged between the tops of two other creates a tunnel-like structure, this was once said to be a gateway between the world of the gods and the world of humans, and Natsuno felt a spark of adventurous excitement as they passed through it.
At 12:43, they reached a section of the trail called Takamagahara, after the βhigh plain of the heavensβ where the sun goddess Amaterasu and other Shinto deities reside.
βΌ Thereβs a shrine dedicated to Amaterasu here (you can see part of its roof in this photo).
10 minutes later they came upon the Kuniwari Ishi, or βKingdom-splitting Rock,β where legend has it the gods drew lines upon the stone to determine who would have dominion over which parts of the realm.
And at 12:55, they found themselves at Debune Irebuni, βShips Coming and Going,β a rock formation that resembles two boats passing by each other, and so a place of worship of Funadama no Kami, the patron deity of ships and sailors.
It had been an hour-plus of consistent ascents up to this point, but from here Natsuno got a slight reprieve as the trail sloped back down for a section. However, while she wasnβt having to work herself up and over rocks for a while, she still had to be mindful of her footing, since a slip here would mean a nasty tumble.
Up until now, Natsuno and her group hadnβt encountered many other people on the trail, but a posted sign said that as they got closer to the peak, things might get more crowded. From the point where they were now, it was usually only another 20 minutes or so to get to the top, but during congested times, it could take as much as four times as long.
Luckily, things that nearly so severe on this day. As the terrain got super rocky, though, almost like the mountain was giving Natsuno a final test, the slower speed at which hikers could progress did end up causing a bit of a traffic jam right before the peak.
Another part of the reason for this line, though is that people were waiting patiently to take photos at the top of the mountain, which Natsunoβs group got to at 1:24 p.m., about an hour and 40 minutes after theyβd started hiking.
Taking in the breathtaking view and caressed by the cool breeze, Natsuno felt a sense of accomplishment, and her kids had managed the hike pretty well too, even if the youngest had said along the way, more than once, βIβm tired.β
Now, from here you could get back down simply by turning around and waking back the same way you came, or by taking one of the other trails to the bottom. There is, however, a third option, which is to take the ropeway gondolas that run between the peak and the Tsutsujigaoka Parking Area, and in deference to her younger daughterβs sagging energy level (and maybe her own), Natsuno made the decision to ride the ropeway back.
The ropeway station is next to a lookout area with tables and benches, where Natsuno spotted a few well-prepared groups having picnic lunches.
The view from here is amazing too, whether youβre appreciating it with the naked eye or using the coin-operated binoculars.
βΌ You can also see the slightly lower Nantaisan peak from here.
The ropeway runs between 9:20 a.m. and 5 p.m., and the ride takes a little under 10 minutes.
At 2:23, Natsunoβs group was back at the Tsutsujigaoka Parking Area, where they rewarded themselves for their hike to the summit with some meat-wrapped rice balls on a stick and fried chicken cutlets.
βΌ Mountain climbing is hungry work, after all.
Though Natsunoβs group took around an hour and 40 minutes to hike their way up, serious adult hikers can do the Otatsuishi Trail ascent in about 40 minutes, so walking it both ways, up and down, is still a very doable day trip. There are also longer trails that start lower on the mountain, plus one that connects the mountainβs two peaks, which are about 35 minutes apart on foot. All of that makes Mt. Tsukuba a very customizable hike, and a great way to get a taste of mountain trekking in Japan.
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Β LONDON, June 2 β Spain midfielder RodriΒ Hernandez said he is focused on the World Cup and will βonly address his future at Manchester City after the tournament.The 2024 Ballon dβOr winner is entering the final year of his contract with the βPremier League club and has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.βWell, Iβm trying not to make too much of it, but it is part of my job, especially when a player has been nearing the end of his contract for some time - itβs
LONDON, June 2 β Spain midfielder RodriΒ Hernandez said he is focused on the World Cup and will βonly address his future at Manchester City after the tournament.
The 2024 Ballon dβOr winner is entering the final year of his contract with the βPremier League club and has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.
βWell, Iβm trying not to make too much of it, but it is part of my job, especially when a player has been nearing the end of his contract for some time - itβs only natural that names come up,β the 29-year-old told reporters yesterday.Β
βBut anyway, Iβm very calm, I know exactly where I stand, and yes probably if there hadnβt βbeen a World Cup, I might be in a different situation β now but with a World β Cup on the horizon, my responsibility is β to stay focused.
βWeβre here to β talk about the β World Cup and everything that concerns my future, Iβll wait until the end of the World Cup.β
European champions Spain will face β Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in Group H at the June 11 to July 19 tournament in North America.
Rodri said he had urged his Spain teammates to follow tennis great Rafa Nadalβs example after watching a documentary about the 22-times Grand β Slam champion.
βWhat I told them is that we need to try to play without the ball like a small team. β With that mindset of not thinking youβre the best,β he added.
βI β was just β watching the documentary on Nadal and he was always talking about that - always one more ball, one more effort. And thatβs what the βgreat champions do and, above all, bringing out all the talent this team has, which is very big.β
With a streak of blue in her blonde hair and a silver electric guitar pendant teamed with a flower print dress and sneakers, Emmanuelle Seigner has an air of rock chick meets relaxed femininity as she sits down to talk to journalists at the Taormina Film Festival. The French actress is one of the guests [β¦]
With a streak of blue in her blonde hair and a silver electric guitar pendant teamed with a flower print dress and sneakers, Emmanuelle Seigner has an air of rock chick meets relaxed femininity as she sits down to talk to journalists at the Taormina Film Festival. The French actress is one of the guests [β¦]
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Post-Hardcore/Emo/Indie Rock 2001 Band's Location: Italy 01 Immobile 02 Capovolta 03 Se Solo Riuscissi 04 Il Giorno Perfetto 05 Snoopy 06 Ex 07 Kermit ENJOY! :D.This item belongs to: audio/hifidelity_potpourri.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Item Tile, JPEG, JPEG Thumb, MPEG-4 Audio, Metadata, PNG
Post-Hardcore/Emo/Indie Rock 2001 Band's Location: Italy 01 Immobile 02 Capovolta 03 Se Solo Riuscissi 04 Il Giorno Perfetto 05 Snoopy 06 Ex 07 Kermit ENJOY! :D.
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Tracklist: 01 Text of Light - Issue Project Room 2011.This item belongs to: audio/hifidelity_potpourri.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Item Tile, JPEG, JPEG Thumb, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, VBR MP3
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