5 minutes with Dato' CL Liaw on MRCA's annual charity climb to Mount Kinabalu

We speak to Dato' CL Liaw of Focus Point Holdings Bhd about his annual Mount Kinabalu climb and his fondest memories of the journey.

Helming the Focus Point Holdings Bhd as president cum CEO, Dato' CL Liaw is one of our society's familiar faces, who is known to enjoy collecting eyewear as his hobby.

When he is not managing his business empire, which includes Focus Point and Multple Rewards, Dato' Liaw also enjoys a good workout, be it a quick run around the neighbourhood or his annual Mount Kinabalu climb.

Coming to its fourth year in 2015, Dato' Liaw has been part of Malaysia Retail Chain Association's (MRCA) annual charity climb that raises funds for an orphanage in Kota Kinabalu.

So the man himself sat down with us for a quick chat about his annual adventure to Mount Kinabalu and how he prepares himself for it.

(Photo courtesy of Dato CL Liaw)

This is an annual charity climb organised by the Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA). It was initiated by Dato' Nelson Kwok, the President of MRCA in 2012. I took over the initiative from Dato' Nelson when I presume the role as President of MRCA and In 2014, we managed to raise over RM20,000 for the cause.

The charity climb is also hosted to promote health and fitness among our MRCA members, most of which are entrepreneurs who have very little time in exercising. So this serves as a good push for them.

I still remember my first climb. It was a hot day and I got a massive headache. I wasn’t prepared for that, but for my second trip onwards, it is quite easy for me. The final few kilometres before reaching the top is the worst.

One of the best ways to train for the Mount Kinabalu climb is to practice with the Batu Caves steps. If you can manage 5 to 6 round trips, then you're good to go.

The trick in climbing Mount KK is not to rush. It’s not a competition. So pace yourself and enjoy the beauty of nature.

Mount KK is definitely worth climbing more than once because each time you climb, you'll have an entirely different experience. You get to see a lot more than the first time you went.

On my first climb, I made an unexpected discovery. When we reached the top, we took the customary victory shot, without noticing it. It was only when we return that we spotted an orang utan-shaped rock behind us in the photo we took.

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