Go Holiday! Island Hopping in KK

What makes you tick on weekends when you are away from home? I went island hopping after a week-worth of honest work. The plan was to wake up bright and early on Saturday morning to catch the first available boat out on an island-hopping adventure. I was quite determined to quelched the fear of drowning and go snorkelling. At this juncture, I should mention that I DO NOT know how to swim but I figured that as long as I kept the life jacket firmly belted and fasten every available strap, I should be fine. Afterall, if you are meant to die, you will die no matter if you are just soaking in the bathtub. Right-o.. That sorted, I set my alarm clock for 5am.

At the appointed hour, I was up like a bolt and rushed straight for the curtains in my hotel room. To my dismay, it was raining like a typhoon has hit KK *sighs* There goes my determination to conquer my fear. Oh well... I suppose it's "die another day" for me. I called up my colleagues and after a moment of lamenting, we decided that we shall wait another couple of hours before really calling it quits. So waited we did..

Miraculously, at 7am, the sun came out shining in full force (the sun rises half an hour earlier in East Malaysia). The sky turned brilliant blue and there was nary a cloud as far as the eye can see. Alright man! This is it. I called up my colleagues and we packed up and checked out of the hotel in 30 mins. A short cab ride away from our hotel and we arrived at wharf (can't remember the name) and had to wait until 9.30am for the next boat so we passed the time catching another 40-winks.

Our boat was a small aluminium boat with a roof and an out-board motor. Twas a bumpy ride for the 12 of us sitting on either side. We got splashed and the wind whipped our hair against our faces. But it was invigorating. At one point, one of our travelling companions lost his cap to a gust of wind and it landed in the middle of the sea. We thought that was the end of it but the boatman very deftly turned the boat around and not only did he manage to spot the cap bobbing in the waves but was able to bring our boat close enough alongside for its owner to fish it out of the sea. No special implements required. *clap clap clap!*

The first island we landed on was Pulau Manukan (or Manukan Island). It was heavenly. The waters were so blue it made you feel relaxed just looking at it. There were a million little fishes of all shapes and colours darting about the stilts supporting the jetty. It was such a pleasant welcome party.

There was a matter of paying a small conservation fee at the tourist centre and it was off to the snorkelling area we go. Fitted out with snorkels, face masks, flippers and life jackets, my colleagues and I trundge the short distance from the jetty to the designated snorkelling area. We had an hour before heading off to another island.

After a quick briefing by the lifeguard and the all important tip: "always breathe through your mouth!" I was ready to hit the waters. First, I swum the shallow end, well within the lifeguard's line of vision. Once I have gotten accustomed to breathing through a straw (it honestly felt like it), it was time to venture into the deep.

The experience was TOTALLY OUT OF THIS WORLD! Truly. The world under the surface of the blue waters is from another planet. To start of, everything was in a nice blue-green tint. Here and there, you can see shaft of golden sunlight filtering from the surface. And the underwater community was thriving! As it was still early morning, the day was just starting for the denizens of Manukan waters. There were parrot fishes of every imaginable colour (I like the purple and green ones), corals of various shapes and sizes (I could only identify the 'Brain Coral'), sea urchins (they have eyes!!), little fishes, not so little fishes, big fishies (ummm... sashimi!) and laid-back starfishes in yellow, green, red and blue (up until that moment, I've always thought that the souvenir shops dyed the starfishes which just goes to show that you learn something new everyday) Them starfishes were draped on the surfaces of rocks and corals and somehow I imagined them to be saying,'"Hey dude! Ssup?" They just gave me that vibe.

Time stood still. I tried to look at everything and as much as I can but then I noticed that there will little white flecks before my eyes. Oh no! Could it be that I'm passing out from the lack of oxygen? No wait.. Could it be?? OMG! They are PLANKTON!! You've only ever heard of plankton on documentary shows and learning about them in science books but to actually see it? It was stupendous. If I were a cartoon, you'd probably see giant exclamation marks right above my head!

All too soon, it was time to go. Our next destination was Pulau Sapi (or Sapi Island). Pulai Sapi was less commercialised than Manukan and our boat operator assured us the waters are unspoilt with more to see. We headed off in anticipation. I was doubly elated because I finally conquered my fear of the water and went snorkelling! Oh such wonders under the sea!

Sapi is a much smaller island. Hence would explain why it was lesser developed than Manukan. It was here that I encountered 'Nemo'. You know.. the orange clown fish with white stripes that kiddies in our time will forever refer to as 'Nemo'. There was nemo in search of food, nemo playing hide-and-go-seek, nemo hiding within the fronds of the anemomeneh *haha* etc.

The little fishes in Sapi are a friendly lot. I suppose they are accustomed to human snorklers feeding them. I gathered this from the way they converged around me when I remained stationary while watching the bigger fishes scavenging for food. There was this one particular medium sized black fish who gave me quite a fright when it swam to eye-level. I swore that it looked me straight in the eye and when I lift my hands to touch it, it BIT me!! It didn't hurt but it still startled me no less. When it didn't get anything to eat, the fiesty little one ATTACKED me! I swear that it pecked my mask. No kidding! I later found out that this fish (not sure if it is the same one) also attacked my colleague when he didn't feed it.

We had a plane to catch at 6. So at 2pm, we dragged ourselves to the jetty to wait for our ride back to the mainland.

While passing a wide expanse of sea, our boat hit a piece of driftwood and started taking in water. We were quite clueless about the accident but I did notice that our boat driver was frantically bailing bucket after bucket of water from our boat. In the end, he decided to land us at Pulau Gayang (the biggest island in Pitas Bay) and called back for help (it was a good thing there was mobile coverage there!). At this juncture, I must tell you about Pulau Gayang or rather the notorious reputation it has.

Pulau Gayang is home to more than a hundred illegal immigrants who proclaim themselves as 'Malaysians' whilst living amongst the local fishermen community. It is rumoured that there has been mysterious disappearances of visitors to this island in the past. Needless to say, we were a tad apprehensive about being stranded on this island with no means of escape but we were soon captivated by the natural beauty of the island. Our boat driver chose to beach at a secluded patch of sand, cordoned off from the populated parts of the island by fierce undergrowth and trees. So we got to enjoy a quiet moment of calm reverie while being lulled by the pleasant ocean breeze. The picture shows an outcropp of rocks which is part of Pulau Gayang and in the distant horizon is KK town.

All too soon, help came. We were herded onto a bigger speed boat but not before gathering some peebles as momentos of our perilous (yeah, right!) boat ride and being stranded on a notorious island sans the head hunters (we ARE in Sabah after all) and cannibals.

A friend of mine just came back from 'vacation' in Sabah. He's an avid photographer and the photos you see here are his handiwork.. Well.. All except for that self-shot piccie of me looking quite 'stoned' :-p

Baby Sister Wanted

Was waiting for the elevator when I chanced upon this gem of a notice. I don't mean to be cruel but it made me cringe ('cos I was trying not to laugh too loudly). When I shared this picture with my colleagues in the office, we all shared a round of good laughs at the expense of the person who put up this notice. In the immortal words of WYC: "Fwah! Your Ing-lang very the powder-ful aah..!" Oh man.. I gotta stop being so mean (>.<) ~Jas, 11.11.2006~

Message in a dream

Ever dreamt of deceased loved ones? The Chinese believe that the deceased 'communicates' with the living through dreams. However, they also believe that in these dreams, the deceased cannot speak, touch nor be in close proximity to the living. I guess these are the rules of the game.

I do dream of my paternal grandmother whom I call 'MaMa'. Although not often but as compared to other members of my family, I had the most "encounters" with her. She passed away on 27 September in the year 1999 after a brief battle with cancer. I would say brief in comparison to some cancer patients who suffer the horrible ravages of the disease for many years, causing long and painful sufferring. She never speaks to me in my dreams but somehow, telepathically (I guess) I always seem to understand what she means to convey.

The times when I do dream of her, I wake up awash in emotions. I feel a certain closeness to her and I just wish that I could have had a little more time with her. When MaMa was alive, she was a stern woman and never one to show tenderness. She was a disciplinarian but she brought me up and imparted her knowledge accummulated from the school of hard knocks. Life was never easy for MaMa. She came to Malaysia in the early 30s with hardly a penny to her name. She met and married my grandfather and bore him 4 children. When my father was 9, my grandfather died in the hands of the Japanese soldier (during the invasion of Malaya). Since then she single handedly brought up her own children and also those of her sister and close friend (at one point there were 8 mouths to feed including her own!)

She came to me in my dreams again. This time with her bags packed and a sad feeling in the air. I asked her if she was going to visit my aunt in Sydney but she signalled 'no' and waved goodbye. She said nought a word but somehow I felt that it was our last 'goodbye'. Could it be that she came to tell me that she has gone on to her next re-birth and that she will no longer "visit" me?

I woke up with mixed feelings: sadness and yet happy that she has 'moved on'. I can only pray that she will have a good re-birth but if that is not her fate, then I pray that she will have the courage to bear it and to make the necessary "amends" in this re-birth to ensure a better one in the next life. I realise that I might have lost some of you readers at this juncture but all I can say is that as a Bundhu (more on this in my later entries), I am a staunch believer in "reincarnation".

Back to my grandmother... It remains to be seen if her message to me in my last dream was that of 'goodbye'. I will surely miss her more... ~Jas ("~)

A picnic @ Hulu Langat

It was a bright and sunny Sunday. We had a week to plan this trip but the credit should go entirely to Jaclyn and Andrew for pulling it together. Afterall, they were the ones who mooted the idea, gathered the participants and prepared all the food. The rest of us just came along and helped carry the food up the hill.

And boy! was it a hike. It was a steep 20-minute climb. We had to take frequent breaks (and a sandwich each) to help us along! But the hike was well worth the labour albeit there was quite a crowd there already.

We were only too glad to dump our respective loads and Andrew wasted no time in unpacking (and showing off) our food. Lunch was served! A delicious packet of "nasi lemak" (a popular local fare of rice cooked in coconut milk with condiments) with a choice of either chicken or squid "rendang" *yum yum!* Dessert was a choice of bananas (the healthier option) or potato chips (the not-so healthy option). The hike coupled with the crisp forest and waterfall air worked up a good appetite and lunch was polished off in a matter of mere minutes.

After a hearty lunch, it was time to hit the water. The water was icy cold *brrr~!* but we soldiered on nevertheless. We are not going to let our hike go to waste! No sir-ee..! We'll splash around even if our faces turned blue. Fortunately, we live in a tropical climate and it was mid-afternoon thus we quickly got used to the biting cold and ventured to the cascades for a nice "massage" (,")

Aah... so much fun! Time certainly flew. Andrew brought a pail and fishnet and we went fishing and 'prawn'-ing.. eer... what's the correct term for catching prawns? further beyond the waterfall. This entailed another rigorous hike up a steep, dirt slope with only portruding rocks and tree roots as foot and hand holds. Our catch was dismal but the climb took us to several shallow pools of water fed by a serene, flowing stream hedged on either side by splendid old trees. The scenery was breathaking. If only we'd remembered to bring the camera!

Our last water activity for the day was to take turns sliding down the 'waterslide'. The 'slide' was hewn out of solid boulder rock. Not content to merely slide down alone, we tried many interesting 'combinations' of sliding including a 3-person up to 5-person 'train'. The air was soon filled with squeals of delight and excitement. You'd have thought we were behaving like a group of 10 year olds!

All too soon, it was time to pack up and leave, taking with us a cache of fond memories and lugging our tired bones down the steep slope. We are reminded that all too often, life passes us by on the fastlane. It is only when we stop long enough to take in the view is when our daily struggles seem to lighten and melt away. ~Jas (",) 05.11.2006~

GOD? Are you there?

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Wedding Belles

I am attending a wedding this Sunday. The groom is a friend from a group of friends whom I've 'inherited' from an ex. My role in the wedding is to play 'ji mui' to the bride. It is a role which I am called in to play quite frequently these days.

I've got another two friends getting married on the same last Saturday of June. I know both the brides well. One is my friend from when I was sweet sixteen and the other is from my varsity days. I've been double booked on that day but fortunately, my varsity friend will have an 'encore' wedding reception back in our hometown on July 1. I've been asked to MC this event.

I've been invited to another wedding on July 8 in the Lion City of Singapore but I had to turn down the invite due to work commitments overseas.

When I attended another varsity chum's wedding in my hometown in May, I was pre-booked to MC at another mate's wedding in October. Since December 2005, I've also been 'summoned' to attend my ex-colleague's wedding in December this year.

Sitting here counting the number of wedding invitations I've received so far is daunting. There will be many more to come in the next couple of years as most of my friends of like age are settling down to wedded bliss and my services as 'ji mui' or MC will be called to the fore. I am running out of ideas to 'test' the groom's unrequited love for his bride. Just like I am running out of speech snippets for Chinese wedding MC-ing. There are very limited resources on the Net to this effect.

I am calling all readers who are experience or otherwise in either of these fields to please contribute your ideas for the benefit and greater good of all future 'ji muis' and Chinese wedding MCs. The grand plan is to gather all these ideas and organise them onto a website. Consider it as my contribution to the hoi polloi who are playing 'supporting roles' to the happy couple(s), traipsing down the aisle toward marital bliss. Please send all suggestions to ideas2me@gmail.com. No viruses, spam or offensive/malicious emails please. ~Jas (;") 09.06.2006~

iRK-ful

I perch on my stoop in Starbucks, sipping Zen Green Tea and tapping out this entry while trying to calm myself and be less irritated by my run in with some ladies in the restroom earlier. Have you ever wished, especially those times when you've got an urgent call of nature, for someone to hurry up and finish their business so that you may conduct yours?

Thankfully I didn't have any urgent business to conduct this afternoon when this particular incident took place. I was waiting at the start of a row of restroom stalls when two ladies, offspring in tow, just stepped gingerly past me effectively cutting the cue, as if I didn't exist! When the second lady waltzed past, I looked her sternly in the eye and said "would you mind waiting your turn, please?" and guess what? She gave me this 'i-think-i-know-what-you're-saying-but-i-choose-to-pretend-i-don't' smile and proceeded into the next vacated stall. Hal-lo??!!

I don't mean to compare our rakyat's mentality with those of the west but I think these are very basic toilet etiquette that every civilised person should be aware of and observe. For one, you stand IN LINE while waiting your turn. Then there's 'please flush after use' and throwing foreign objects into the toilet cistern is a big no-no.

Living in Malaysia where certain cultures practise washing up (and I don't mean just hands) after a visit to the loo, I can live with the constantly wet and slippery floor of the toilet stall but having to play the 'try-your-luck-and-pick-a-stall' game is just TOO MUCH! Imagine if there's an URGENT call of nature and you've survived to be the next in line when these ignoramuses (or pretend-to-be) just step past you and proceed to occupy the first available toilet at your (oh my bladder!) expense. You'd be hopping mad.. well.. if you can hop with your bladder full that is :)

It's deplorable having to put up with a wet and dirty floor. Equally disgusting to find a toilet stuck with.. er.. rubbish. But cue-cutting is the LAST straw. I've witnessed arguments breaking out in toilets due to cue-cutting but generally, we Malaysians are a tolerant lot. However, this does not give the delinquents an excuse to pretend not to know. If you see a line at your destination, you take your place at the end of the line. Not in front.

I've heard radio advertisements educating the public on being 'curteous and not cut cue'. Can they also please extend the message for toilet cue-cutters? It's time for a mentality change and this should manifest itself in every aspect of our daily lives, not just on the roads, in the supermarkets or at the 'counter pembayaran' but at the parking lot (oh.. have I got a bone to pick with those lot stealers) and our public toilets.

Darn.. I've finished my tea and now feel a need to go to the restroom. What characters will I meet there this time :( ~Jas (-_-) 22.04.2006~

Valentine's Day

That one special day in a year that men and women alike scramble to buy that perfect gift to express the depth of their feelings for each other. But that's not the point of this blog. The point is that Valentine's Day is not just about spending it with your significant other but it is a celebration of love and relationships. Love is not confined to the romantic type and relationships should not be strictly interpreted to be between two people in love.

Valentine's Day is a celebration of love for everyone that matters in an individuals' life, be it parents, siblings, friends or the sales person who attends to you at your regular lunch place ;)Given that this Valentine's will the first that I am celebrating with the new man in my life, it is made extra special with my mother calling me to wish me a "Happy Valentine's Day" and my friends sending me text messages throughout the day. Even Melvin, my regular HP notebook sales person at Low Yatt, gave me a box of chocies yesterday and the Starbucks Barista, Zainal, gave me a chocolate heart today when I got me afternoon cuppa (^_^) It's so nice to be loved and appreciated.

Whilst it is nice to receive gifts and flowers on Valentine's Day, I think the best feeling is to know that one is remembered and appreciated. It is always a pleasant feeling to hear the 'ding dong' of my phone signifying a message has arrived and reading it puts a smile on my face and a warm feeling in my heart. Guess I am simple in that way. Besides, I condemn all the over-sell and hype employed by florists, retailers and eateries in 'celebrating' Valentine's Day to the point of being over commercialised. The celebration of love is a very personal thing and NOBODY should be made to feel pressured to fork out shameless amounts of money just to show it.

So folks, don't need to despair if you haven't gotten the requisite bouquet of roses and candy/present for your sweetheart, instead, show them your sincerity by COOKING him/her a meal (just remember the candles) and please also don't forget your parents who are, essentially, your first loves in life.

Have a HAPPY VALENTINE's DAY and let not the celebration of love be only for this day ~Jas (",) 14.02.2006~

F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

I've been thinking of putting up a post for sometime now, but didn't really settle on a topic. Most of what I think to write about are nebulous and usually thought up during my drive to work, which by the way, can easily be derailed when some maniac haphazardly cuts into my lane whereby I'm compelled to H & C (honk & curse) ergo loosing my train of thought. Anyway...

Had a great 'ladies night out' with my chums from school last night. We're your average career women, replete in office garb and all. And I can't help but notice that the general the conversation centred around talk on the "hubby", "wedding plans", "property prices", "career prospects"... So far removed from when our topics of conversations were "have you done your homework assignment?", "guess who's having a crush on X? *gasp!* no way!!", "can you BELIEVE what a bore that teacher is?" so on and so forth. This makes me think of how far along my friendship with these ladies have come.

I've known two of them since I was in kindergarten. Gee... that felt like a lifetime away! (",) The rest were gathered from my early years of secondary school. When I think back to my formative years, my friends were a prominent feature in all of them. I can't imagine all the cuts and bruisess without them there to soothe and comfort me and sharing in on the accomplishments and credits. They've become like second family.

I might be a sentimental wuss but being the eldest of the pack, I can't help but feel a sense of nostalgic pride when I witness the marriage of my pals. Yes, I'm one of those who dabs furiously at my eyes at weddings. I remember the overwhelming rush of emotions when I witness Lisa sign her name on her marriage certificate. When I marry off my children in the future, I wonder if I will have the same feeling of relief, bittersweet happiness intermingled with a small sense of loss?

When I think back, I am thankful for being allowed into their lives. I never had siblings and they have been generous in sharing theirs with me. And likewise, I am glad they are in my life. I can go on and on and on with this but I will stop here. I just wanted to put it down on record, how much I appreciate all my friends not only the five ladies mentioned here, but everyone that I have met and became friends with throughout my life. ~Jas (,") 17.06.2005~

Telaga, Sabah

Just got back from a remarkable working holiday. Well, if truth be told, it was more holiday than work. Stayed in a logyard near this really tiny village called Telaga, situated about an hour's drive away from Kota Marudu where for the most part of the journey was offroad 4WD driving.

Don't get me started on the scenery. It's as if I have landed in jungle swamp paradise. The view of the water from my bedroom is only best described by graphic representation, afterall a picture paints a thousand words. Check out the pix (,")

Had seafood everyday and spent most the day loafing around the quarters on the logyard, trekking along jungle trails enclosed on both sides by lush green acacia treas or climbing up the chipmill conveyor (definitely beats vegetating in front of the idiot box).

The sultry nights will find me, leg tucked under, sitting on the verandah/pier studiously tapping away on my mobile phone at the one of two locations in the logyard that has mobile network signal, vulnerable to the attack of little jetplane fighters (damn mossies!) if not for the saving grace of mosquito coils.

I'm looking forward to my next trip there this June. There, serenity envelopes me with each passing day...Can you spell B.L.I.S.S? ~Jas (",) 24.04.2005~

A Day Of Flower Power!

Aah.. sweet memories! How I miss the crisp fresh air and the riot of colours at Keukenhoff. A visit to Lisse (the tulip region of The Netherlands) is not complete without paying a tribute to the tulips at this beautiful outdoor park. The park is only open for the Spring season from March to May and it features the exquisite blooms that is synonymous with this country in every imaginable shape, size and colour. On display are also other types of flowers but understandably the tulips are given centre-stage and pride of place.

The tulips are planted in clusters under trees, in interesting patterns. Almost all of them will sport an ID tag to identify the species and also the name of the grower and the district from which it originates. This serves as an exhibit if you may of the grower's latest offering to the gardening community. So I'd like to think of Keukenhoff as not just a garden but also a trade fair.

Walking around, my uncle spotted several patches of tulips from his district, Voorhout. Coming from a family of tulip farmers, he was naturally excited and insisted that they got the grower's name wrong. Yep! That's my Uncle Piet. He loves attention and as if stomping all over the grass near 'his' tulip patches is not enough (there's a sign saying "Stay Off The Grass") he even tried to attract the attention of the park attendants to correct their 'mistake'. *rolling eyes*

Featured around the park are sculptures and works of art by famous artists although, in my eyes, they are merely 'accessories' to the natural splendour before my eyes. This is truly God's best works on display. If ever you mention the 'Garden of Eden', this is how I would imagine it to be like.

After a full day of oggling and getting my neck twisted around in a knot, it was time to leave. Not that I wanted to, but my camera ran out of juice and memory to store all the images I captured. I bid farewell to my Garden of Eden, and returned home with a heavy heart. I made a vow that day. I vowed to come back with my family one day to share with them the splendour that is God's doing. ~Jas (;") 11.04.2004~

Stairs to... No Where?!?

Spotted this while being stuck in a traffic jam getting from one meeting to another. Pretty strange if you asked me. Wassup with that la? ~Jas (,") 03.11.2006~