Saturday, August 14, 2010

forever

This year is better for me, definitely. Especially when it comes to friends.

This year I have been brought closer to people whom I really appreciate having in my life. They make life worth living again. In Lawas, that is.

Last year, I came to know Nurul and Yo. They prove to be great people to have in good times and bad. And when the fun begins, it's always the best. Then earlier this year, Ain came in and joined us at this house. Last but not at all the least, Anim too eventually came to stay.

Then, there was Safri. I know, he's just a fling. At least for me he is. He's funny, charming, patient, and he likes having conversations with me. Most of the time he talks, but that's just fine, because I enjoy listening to his life's stories. He is way more interesting than I am and I have ran out of stories to tell. So I am quite content being the one listening, for the first time in my life, I have met a guy who is more interesting than myself. That just goes to show that I don't meet men much. Hahaha....

And then, there was Sapri. He's hilarious. He has a motormouth that does not stop talking especially when he's excited or nervous, I guess. Like me when I was younger. But he is such a people pleaser, he never says anything hurtful. He is just that kind of nice. First thing he ever complimented me was that he can't believe that I was 34. He thought I was 24. Gosh, if I was that kind of conceited, I would have believed him.

So, I do wish that they can read this. I just wanna tell them that although I don't tell them how much I do appreciate them being in my life as my departure draws closer, I want them to know that no matter where I'll be, they will always be in my heart, for they are the reasons that have restored my faith in friends.

Terima kasih kerana mengingatkan akak betapa berharganya persahabatan. Semoga kalian berjaya dan terus makmur di dalam apa jua bidang yang kalian ceburi. Ya Allah, panjangkanlah umur dan murahkanlah rezeki mereka. Limpahkanlah rahmatmu ke atas mereka. Amin.

love, interrupted

Feeling awesome.

First day I get to fast. Because I have not been able to since day one. Woke up pretty early, slept pretty late, maybe I am getting old. But sleep is always a blissful sound one each and every night. Just shorter than it used to when I was younger.

So, what's new? Nothing...

Had a nice iftar with Nurul, Anem, Sapri, Yo and my current 'man of interest' Safri. I cooked ketam masak lemak cili api, mixed veggies and Sapri made Pucuk paku tumis belacan. There were sugar cane juice, coconut water, and ice cream soda and lincheekang for him. Pears and oranges and apples and also durian, which was courtesy of him.

We had some really nice conversation. Great huge laughters and some pretty darn things have been said.... the best one being, haa tu durian kucing tidur.... and soon after that Sapri went, ha, ini durian anjing berjimak to which everybody laughed out so hard. He's so funny that way. You'll never expect what comes out of his mouth.

Thinking of making sambal udangfor iftar tonight.

Had such a great time, I wished it would last the whole night.

But Safri is always quiet when he's out with my friends. Maybe he's shy or maybe he's trying to reassure my friends that kakak besar mereka ni is not dating the wrong person, despite the things they have heard about him, which, mostly are true. He's told me everything. But he does make conversation and laughed along with us. He made enough eye contact with my friends not to make them suspicious. He made his best effort to look at me with that look of love. Contrary to his personality when he is with his friends. He's much more out-spoken and funnier too. He's always funny and he teases people a lot. And hyperactive. Hate that about him. Because he never sits still, even at the dinner table. Darn him.

But Nurul and Anem spent time talking to him on the jetty at Haji Latif's house in Kuala Lawas barely three weeks ago, after I went to bed, after the bbq dinner and the cleaning up. He asked them a lot of things about me. And Nurul told me that from that conversation, she knew he wanted to have something more with me.

But I am too jaded to believe her. To me, it's just infatuation. Boys and their new toys. They always have this gleam in their eyes when they are opening the box and taking the toy out of the box for the first time. He's probably having that 'new toy' episode with me that time.

And I am not wrong in assuming that. He's since made efforts and hinted on more things to come. But he's exactly like my dad. The type I am really trying to avoid. Although I am highly attracted to needy guys like him, I know in my mind that I will not be able to live a long and contented happy life with a man as needy as him. He's just another big baby, and a spoiled one at that, who needs my company and constant attention.

He's made plans and he see a future with me. He tells me his plans. They're not to my liking, though.... :-) no offence, but he's funny if he thinks I'll be happy with what he has in mind. But he's working on it, I'm sure.

I like him. Very much. There is definitely sayang, but not in love with him yet. Probably never. Keeping my mind intact. Keeping my sanity from fleeing me. Keeping my heart where it belongs; with me. Because the inevitable will eventually happen.

When it does, I have no one to blame for for my broken heart but myself. If I am not careful.

Being very careful. Very careful.

Inevitably, as a convert, your ex needs your guidance more than I do. While I do hope that there is something for you and I in the end, my logic tells me to prepare for the worst. If I seem aloof and unaffected by you, it's just me protecting myself. I can't leave Lawas and keep my sanity when a big chunk of my heart remains here with you.

Poyo, undoubtedly. But that's what I told him on sms yesterday.

I wish, I wish, Oh how I wish, but I don't see a future with him, being the playboy that he is. Can't believe that I am that woman who is attracted to bad boys. I thought that only happens to other people and not me. But now see who's getting excited by the bad boy of Kuching? Li'l ole me....

Some people say, with my personality, I will have a better chance at snagging a man and settling down once I move back home. I am still learning to believe that. I hope so. But if not, I'd be happy to be on my own and sort out my life alone.

It's just the many ironies of my life, the way I see it. I spent the last eleven years of my life in this town, thinking and wondering whether I would meet my soulmate here. But nobody dared to approach me. None whatsoever! And now, when I am leaving, a guy brave enough to say something to me comes along. And he came along with a lot of baggage. Begging for my understanding, cherishing my company. Surely this is frightening all of the people who are close to me. But seriously, they need not have worried. I am old enough to know when I am in serious trouble. One is now preaching to me about the sanctity of a relationship in our faith by constantly tagging me to her articles on Facebook. That is so damned IRRITATING. I am just inches away from telling her to just shove it up her ass already. Acting so high and mighty when she cries non-stop every night. Every night, okay? Who's life need sorting out, really? Do you see me crying every night over petty things? I do not take every single details in life with the same amount of seriousness anymore. I am indeed able to live my life more than she does. I hope when she gets older, she will realize that not everything is worth shedding tears over.

Seriously she is a nice gal, but really, and I really really do not want to hurt her feelings because she is a housemate of mine. There is no use hurting her feelings when her intentions were purely innocent. She is trying to save me from making mistakes that would make me hate myself later. I think. And I believe, she is doing it the best way she thinks she knows how.

But still, as the person that she is directing her concern on, I am getting more and more irritated. Still, she is not the bad guy in this situation. I am just being a very stubborn girl. Like a hardheaded teenager.

Actually, I want to laugh at her efforts. All this preaching about keberkatan and ketulusan of a relationship in the faith, she is acting like I am HOPING for a marriage in this relationship. I am not. It's just a fling. He'll eventually go back to his ex-wife, who is a convert. Obviously, she needs him more that I do. Besides, if I took him home to see my mom and and my family, would you honestly think that they would be happy to accept him into the family given the baggage and the reputation he came with? I seriously doubt that my mother would think that I am sane in thinking that they would accept him. I might even get disowned. And most probably, she'd say, "Dah takde jantan lain kat dunia ni, ke Lynette?" Which would make her right again. As always.

So, perhaps it would hurt his feelings if he reads this post and realize that to me, despite the things I say to him, the feelings I have for him, is not a permanent thing, like I said, just a fling. But a girl has to do what a girl has to do and that means protecting herself by any means possible. That includes being a bitch about it. But at least, I am not lying to him in mentioning over and over again that we'll be history once I leave.

Am I not saddened by this? To have yearned for love only to find it in him? Hey, he's a player. He's got skills. I am totally aware of this fact, therefore, although I am once again brimming with enthusiasm and life, I am not swept away by his charms. Just enough to keep me high-spirited. But not enough to get my head so high up in the clouds.

It's complicated. But it's what one makes of it, like most things. To me, it's not. But to outsiders who feels that it is their obligation to burden themselves with my concerns, it's really bad because I am at risk of hurting myself. Seriously people! I'm not 17 anymore! Time to let loose and live, already!

About time you learn to let go of the people who are not asking you to worry about them. And although they may not look like they know what they are doing, how would you know? You're not there in their place. It's hard, but you will have to learn to trust people for their ability in making the best judgment. We're born to learn from our mistakes. I think I have made enough to learn enough.

If there is one good thing, make that two good things about him that I can say is that he is patient with me and he had always been respectful of me. He never raised his voice to me, despite the fact that I can be a rather infuriating person to be with sometimes. Yes, I test people. And sometimes, to their limits. I have not tested him to his limits yet. I might. We'll see.

So, saya sayang dia. But that is all there is to it. We enjoy each other's company. We look forward to seeing each other at the end of the day. And we talk on the phone regularly every day and evening before bed. It's a relationship, albeit a non-conventional one. But it's working just nice for him and I, so why worry about it?

One thing is for sure though, I love him enough to want him to be happy, with or without me. He's a bad boy trying to make right. Doing his best to make amends. And I think, I am the only one who believes him. Or fooled by him, whichever way you like to see it. At least I can tell him honestly that I do believe him and he will make that transition eventually, when he's ready. At least he's stopped smoking since we started dating.

The first night we went out, he took me to a party. I felt so out of place with so many people staring at me and Nurul. But he stuck close. So I felt safe. Then he took me to his uncle's house for a bbq party. He'd probably take me to his family's house if they were closer. But he's had practice before, so I don't see anything special in that. He is just that brash... or brave. Whichever you wanna call it. I just like the fact that he's not scared of anything.

And the last time we went out, we went to his friend's house, to see his ailing grandmother. Ziarah orang sakit. He told his friend there who flew in from Kuching that I am indeed his current flame. And when asked when is the marriage, he'd smile that Chesire cat smile he has and he'll say, after umrah, we'll see.

At least he never lied to me about the fact that he is torn between settling down with me for good, or go back to his merciless convert ex-wife with the mouth of a dirty gutter. He hurts his feelings so much with her words, but when a man loves a woman...

And he introduces me to everyone he sees as his girlfriend. But like I said, I'm jaded, I always look at him with that skeptical look in my face whenever he tells me that he told people that he's seeing someone.

Sure, I might get carried away, it's a nice feeling I have in my gut at the moment. But will you ever see me cry every night over it? Definitely not.

Because big girls don't cry. Surely.




Tuesday, June 29, 2010

shitty

The last time I felt this shitty, I was hospitalized for seven days and was on the drip throughout.
And that was thirteen years ago.

Friday : Took a supposedly day-trip to KK to get the phone software upgraded. But spent the night anyway because we felt like it. And too tired to drive back. I'm getting old and my stamina is really low lately.

Saturday : Finished whatever we came to KK for and drove home. The cats...

Sunday morning : Already felt the sniffles. Then the coughing. After the wantan soup, everything went downhill.

Sunday night : My body was on fire but I felt cold. I wondered if I should get myself to the emergency room, but I was too sick to even get out of bed, let alone get dressed and drag myself into the car. I was aching all over. It felt like only death could end it.

Monday morning : Called in sick. My body felt like it went through a leather tanning machine. My head was throbbing. The fever still hadn't really left me. My stomach was grumbling. All I had for dinner was two very strong paracetamol tablets and some cough syrup the night before. I had some bread of course, but I couldn't swallow anything. Went to the clinic.

Monday evening : I wish I could say the fever didn't leave it's mark on me. I still ached all over. Thought about not coming to work again tomorrow, but it just felt wrong.

Tuesday morning : Went to work a little late on the account of nausea. No class. School was over really early on the account of shortage of teachers. There is the football cup thing at school going on now.

Tuesday evening : I still feel like shit. I'm really hungry. But I can't eat, cuz everything tastes like iron. Force-feeding myself. A few spoonfuls of rice porridge. I need to eat something to take the meds. I need to take the meds so I can stop feeling this shitty. I need to stop feeling this shitty so I can still give a damn about the shitty things the shitty kids are doing at school. (Not the goods ones, I love them. They always make me smile)

Ya Allah, I know, this is a small test. I have forgotten how good I have gotten it. I will get through this when You want me to. Please forgive me, for all my sins. Amin.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

aren't we all just the same, give or take a few...?

Radio shows just LOVE pitting our genders against each other... today on Mixfm, they say WOMEN are more likely to overreact than MEN. Well, kita semua, lelaki, perempuan, SAMA je.

Kalau nak ikutkan, ada tak, perempuan yang tak dapat nafkah batin dari suami yang sanggup simbah suami dengan cuka getah? Yang I know, since women tak ada kudrat atau sampai hati nak cederakan suaminya sebab tak dapat nafkah batin or other emotional gratification from the husband, dia pergi cari kat orang lain.

Ni untuk perempuan dan lelaki tak kuat iman dan tak redha dengan ketentuan Ilahi la kan? I do not condone this act. Cuma I would like to remind everyone, men and women alike, who are deprived of their fundamental requirements are capable of finding other avenues to fulfill it, no matter if it is wrong or right.

Like Lorena Bobbit, whose name inspired the term 'to bobbit' to the lingo, retaliated because her husband was such a sex maniac with her and she was tired of his controlling nature. So she bit off his pee pee, got into her car and drove off with it, and threw the bit of pee pee she had in her mouth out the car window. Last time I read about the said pee pee, it was found near a trash can (nasib baik tak kena makan dek anjing!) was reattached to the said husband, who was in the American Army or something, both pee pee and sex maniac hubby went on to seek fame in the the fabulous world of pornography. Sama-sama happy and fulfilled, kan?

Back to the subject at hand, terpulang kepada individu untuk melihat kebenaran dalam kenyataan yang dinyatakan awal tadi, sama ada bersetuju atau tidak. But for me, based on my empirical study on both my mom and dad, and the news reports throughout history, men and women can be big drama queens in their very own way.

Today, dengan countless evidence that prove that men and women, although physically perfect creations of God, need and want each other to go though their fleeting time through time and space, only chauvinist pigs will keep on believing that men are indeed better than women. And vice versa.

Sometimes, it's a struggle to see that despite our shortcomings, men and women do complete each other, whether we like it or not. Yes, in extreme cases, we can exist and function without the other, but most of the time, we'd opt not to go through life that way. It's more meaningful to share life's experiences with our 'other half'. Well, that's why, the enlightened among us likes to call their partner their 'other half'; although we're complete on our own, having someone to be with us through thick and thin, just gives it all the more sense.

It's just a fun subject to debate about, but most of the time, I selalu kena remind myself that these people are just making conversation and what better way to fire up the airwaves than pitting us women and men against each other? It'll never fail to rile things up.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

of being single

One guy told me, you know why you're still single? You're probably not a good seller.

I don't 'sell' myself out to potential 'buyers'. I get his analogy. I have seen and known women with a lot less getting married and living up their happily ever after Disney fairy tales.

I hate promoting myself to potential guys. And why should I? I seriously do not swing with the new-age dating scheme thing. Nor do I find meek men appealing. So much so that the women has to make the first move. That is so not the kind of party I would find myself going to.

My boss once told me that I should tone it down a bit, once I have met a potential. You are a likeable person, but guys don't really go for loud girls like you, he said. Imagine that, coming from your boss. I'd have done something REALLY bad to him had he not been my boss. He meant it in a good, fatherly way anyway, so I just grinned and bear it.

I do see the need to tone it down for appearances' sake, but will the guy be able to accept it once he finds out the truth? One thing about toning it down that I hate is, how long can you really have the self-control to keep your true self from him before you burst at the seams and all hell breaks loose? And will I be able to bear the look of disappointment and disgust once he finds out?

I can do what most men can do. Well, except for producing sperm. I have been taking good care of myself and still do. I avoid any kind of night-life. I have pretty much been a good person. I just haven't met the right one.

And some idiot will surely come along and say something idiotic like, hey, you say you're happy being on your own, but who will take care of the matters in the bedroom, *wink* *wink*. Seriously, that's what 'the rabbit' is for.

That was a joke.

One more time, SERIOUSLY, settling down with the right person is not just for sex. Yes, that is one of the most basic human needs in order to function well, I guess. But having seen my own parents, I cannot reiterate enough that I am aware of the fact that there is more, way more to a marriage than sex. And the fact that you will have to wake up next to a person who can't cut it, for the next 30 to 50 years of my life doesn't really send me the right message about it anyway.

My life, despite the many rosy and fun things I've done and the fun and good people I have met, I can never deny the fact that in some aspects of my life, has been an experiment in bad decisions. But I know that things can be worse. And I am not spiteful or regretful of the experiences, because they have been great teachers in human character. They have taught me to be cautious but not cynical.

The last one, being a Hajj, with a reputable job and a spic-and-span appearance. He saw, me, he liked me, he wooed me, and we dated. And I was never the freaky psycho girlfriend people keep playing up in movies. But his intentions were never good from the very beginning. He was just very good at keeping them from me. And it's not all that hard to trust a person like him given his status in society. Three years is long enough to be patient, and it got harder and harder to ignore the signs. It didn't seem like it was going anywhere, so I left.

As for expectations; those of you who do not have expectations what-so-ever of your spouse, raise your hands.

I thought so.

So why blame me for having certain expectations, for the person whom I want settle down with? After all, I am the one who will be waking up next to him for the rest of my life. However, don't get me wrong. My mom told me once, if you get even 50% of the 100% of the things you expect from the guy you are going to marry, consider yourself lucky. I believe her. I just look at my dad, and all the nasty things my mom said to my dad in their fights will just go away. My mom really did get my dad get away with a lot of things. And yet, she is still the same devoted wife and mom I knew when dad was around. Mom still loves him despite his shortcomings and often talks about him when I am around. No, dad was not perfect, but they loved each other. Him being gone hurts her so much.

And my mom also told me, the first three years of your marriage will be the worst. This does not apply to everyone. But it will surely apply to me, since I know myself very well to deny the fact that there will be some nasty teething problems.

So, having realistic expectations of man and marriage? Check.

At the end of the day, there are plenty of good men who are driven to love and and be loved, to do anything in their power to make their loved ones have the life he'd dream of them having. Who will appreciate my Chef Micheal Smith's no-recipe type dinners. Who wants to spend the rest of his life with me who will enjoy the kinds of movies I like to watch, cuz I like boys movies most of the time anyway. Who will stay even when I hurt him. Who will miss me dreadfully when I am away. I know he exists. I just haven't crossed paths with him yet.

So, after years of self-analysis, numerous reads, endless self-punishment, I have finally come to the conclusion that there is nothing majorly wrong with who I am and the way I choose to be. All the guys/jerks I've met before are just people whom I have to pass by before meeting the one. It's a more difficult, grittier path for me, because God knows I have the balls to go through it all and that I will persevere, no matter what.

Despite it all, if I never find him, hadn't it been all written in the stars anyway?

If you're a friend, and you're reading this, please don't judge. Yes, I'd ask you to pray for me, but I think it is up to me, to ask God for what he thinks I deserve. There is no blame nor sadness or regret.

I'm not sad, nor am I blaming anyone for my lack of spouse as I am reaching 34. I'm just writing out what's in my mind. All the scathing remarks I have made as I lash out on Facebook as my so-called updates, are not exactly what I have been thinking throughout the years. And it's no even the tip of the iceberg. It's just Facebook.

Don't you think there is more to you than your Facebook updates? There is definitely more to me than mine.

Disclaimer : This is just something from the top of my head. It does not concern anyone on my FB list, dead or alive. I have not done an empirical study of this matter. Nor am I claiming that the married world population are doing it wrong or unhappy with their choices. It is just me and my singlehood. I leave everything to God.

Everything that is good is from God, and the bad, from me and my own weaknesses.

Peace out.

Of being single

One guy told me, you know why you're still single? You're probably not a good seller.

I don't 'sell' myself out to potential 'buyers'. I get his analogy. I have seen and known women with a lot less getting married and living up their happily ever after Disney fairy tales.

I hate promoting myself to potential guys. And why should I? I seriously do not swing with the new-age dating scheme thing. Nor do I find meek men appealing. So much so that the women has to make the first move. That is so not the kind of party I would find myself going to.

My boss once told me that I should tone it down a bit, once I have met a potential. You are a likeable person, but guys don't really go for loud girls like you, he said. Imagine that, coming from your boss. I'd have done something REALLY bad to him had he not been my boss. He meant it in a good, fatherly way anyway, so I just grinned and bear it.

I do see the need to tone it down for appearances' sake, but will the guy be able to accept it once he finds out the truth? One thing about toning it down that I hate is, how long can you really have the self-control to keep your true self from him before you burst at the seams and all hell breaks loose? And will I be able to bear the look of disappointment and disgust once he finds out?

I can do what most men can do. Well, except for producing sperm. I have been taking good care of myself and still do. I avoid any kind of night-life. I have pretty much been a good person. I just haven't met the right one.

And some idiot will surely come along and say something idiotic like, hey, you say you're happy being on your own, but who will take care of the matters in the bedroom, *wink* *wink*. Seriously, that's what 'the rabbit' is for.

That was a joke.

One more time, SERIOUSLY, settling down with the right person is not just for sex. Yes, that is one of the most basic human needs in order to function well, I guess. But having seen my own parents, I cannot reiterate enough that I am aware of the fact that there is more, way more to a marriage than sex. And the fact that you will have to wake up next to a person who can't cut it, for the next 30 to 50 years of my life doesn't really send me the right message about it anyway.

My life, despite the many rosy and fun things and people I have done and met, can never deny the fact that in some aspects of my life, has been an experiment in bad decisions. But I know that things can be worse. And I am not spiteful or regretful of the experiences, because they have been great teachers in human character. They have taught me to be cautious but not cynical.

The last one, being a Hajj, with a reputable job and a spic-and-span appearance. He saw, me, he liked me, he wooed me, and we dated. And I was never the freaky psycho girlfriend people keep playing up in movies. But his intentions were never good from the very beginning. He was just very good at keeping them from me. And it's not all that hard to trust a person like him given his status in society. Three years is long enough to be patient, and it got harder and harder to ignore the signs. It didn't seem like it was going anywhere, so I left.

As for expectations; those of you who do not have expectations what-so-ever of your spouse, raise your hands.

I thought so.

So why blame me for having certain expectations, for the person whom I want settle down with? After all, I am the one who will be waking up next to him for the rest of my life. However, don't get me wrong. My mom told me once, if you get even 50% of the 100% of the things you expect from the guy you are going to marry, consider yourself lucky. I believe her. I just look at my dad, and all the nasty things my mom said to my dad in their fights will just go away. My mom really did get my dad get away with a lot of things. And yet, she is still the same devoted wife and mom I knew when dad was around. Mom still loves him despite his shortcomings and often talks about him when I am around. No, dad was not perfect, but they loved each other. Him being gone hurts her so much.

And my mom also told me, the first three years of your marriage will be the worst. This does not apply to everyone. But it will surely apply to me, since I know myself very well to deny the fact that there will be some nasty teething problems.

So, having realistic expectations of man and marriage? Check.

At the end of the day, there are plenty of good men who are driven to love and and be loved, to do anything in their power to make their loved ones have the life he'd dream of them having. Who will appreciate my Chef Micheal Smith's no-recipe type dinners. Who wants to spend the rest of his life with me who will enjoy the kinds of movies I like to watch, cuz I like boys movies most of the time anyway. Who will stay even when I hurt him. Who will miss me dreadfully when I am away. I know he exists. I just haven't crossed paths with him yet.

So, after years of self-analysis, numerous reads, endless self-punishment, I have finally come to the conclusion that there is nothing majorly wrong with who I am and the way I choose to be. All the guys/jerks I've met before are just people whom I have to pass by before meeting the one. It's a more difficult, grittier path for me, because God knows I have the balls to go through it all and that I will persevere, no matter what.

Despite it all, if I never find him, hadn't it been all written in the stars anyway?

If you're a friend, and you're reading this, please don't judge. Yes, I'd ask you to pray for me, but I think it is up to me, to ask God for what he thinks I deserve. There is no blame nor sadness or regret.

I'm not sad, nor am I blaming anyone for my lack of spouse as I am reaching 34. I'm just writing out what's in my mind. All the scathing remarks I have made as I lash out on Facebook as my so-called updates, are not exactly what I have been thinking throughout the years. And it's no even the tip of the iceberg. It's just Facebook.

Don't you think there is more to you than your Facebook updates? There is definitely more to me than mine.

Disclaimer : This is just something from the top of my head. It does not concern anyone on my FB list, dead or alive. I have not done an empirical study of this matter. Nor am I claiming that the married world population are doing it wrong or unhappy with their choices. It is just me and my singlehood. I leave everything to God.

Everything that is good is from God, and the bad, from me and my own weaknesses.

Peace out.

Monday, February 22, 2010

our 2010 road trip #1


This is the route we took this time around...

Saturday, up from Sipitang to Tenom. Yes, the road was steep, but it was not that bad if you know how to handle your car. Breaking is not just about stepping on the break pedal and hanging on to dear life. It's also about controlling the speed of your car with your gears. When you know if is going downhill, quit pushing the gas pedal and shift to a lower gear. Yes, your engine will roar, but your break pads won't heat up and malfunction and kill you and everyone in the car with you.

On the way up we found this spot where there wind blew like there was a wind tunnel and the view ofd the cliff was spectacular. I wish I own that place so I can build a retreat there and wake up to that view every day for the rest of my life. It was spectacular; greenest of green, bluest of blue skies and whitest of whites. What else is there? Oh the wind... I've never been to the highlands of Tibet, but that was probably close.

We visited the Taman Pertanian, Then on to Keningau, through the unfinished road up to Kalabakan, which was a 250km stretch of gravel and dust. That took us 5 hours at 40kmph and keeping my fingers crossed that my car wouldn't be acting up with me being so severe with it. There it was in all its purple loneliness traversing such rough roads only 4x4 dared to roam. There were the occasional Kancil and Iswara's inching their way up and down the lonely and dusty road, but they all looked so beat up, they worry me as much as they comforted me, knowing that help won't be too far away if the need arises.
We stopped for some gas at a lonely stop over, in the middle of nowhere. RM30 worth of petrol just to get us to the nearest town.
We passed by Maliau Basin on the way there. Would be a good idea to call ahead and book yourself a guide and spend a few days trekking through its verdant virgin jungle. I have a book given to me by JEB which was a present he didn't really care about I guess. I'll spend some time reading it soon.

We stopped for some photos and after replenishing the milk bottle for the kitten(they came along since the mommy kitty died three days before we left for this trip) and zipped on to Tawau. Not before stopping again at Kalabakan for some more gas, which was fed into the tank via fifteen platic soda bottles.

From there, no more gravel road and being able to drive at normal speeds really pumped up our morale after having been shaken and stirred and everything in between inside the care up the five-hour long trek along the gravelly road.

As we approached the town, we found a mamak style restaurant and decided it was high time we stopped for a meal. Everyone was famished so we pleased to be able to have somewaht familiar foods that evening which consisted of nasi briyani and chicken korma.

With stomachs full, we went on into the town of Tawau and checked in to King Lee hotel. Tried calling other hotels while we stopped for dinner but they were all booked out. Decided to gamble it, and found this gem of a place. Everything about the hotel was new. I'm not sure if it was new or just newly renovated, but anyone planning to go to Tawau should consider staying there because the rooms are newly furnished, spacious and not expensive at all.

The next day, we drove around town a little bit, had breakfast and went to Pasar Besar Tawau. I have been there once, so I just let the others check it out, while I stocked up on supplied for hygiene. Traveling with five kittens can be quite dirty. Armed with Dettol multicleaner and some kitchen towels, the rest of the trip felt so much cleaner and fresher both for me and the rest of the crew.

On the way out, we stopped at the airport for some cash and a loo break. Can't help but went to see the gift shops and got ourselves some cute tees; I chose a white one cuz white feels cooler while the others got some black ones and another white one and everyone had the same cute green big-headed turtle on it. Made us look like a team, which was cute.

We had some time to stop for some deer soup on the way out. Yeah, right outside the airport, there is a quaint little restaurant painted red all over, run by these pleasant Indonesian ladies who are always ready for a joke or two with the patrons. Not sure if they were really Indonesians though but they sure sound like them. This place is quite famous for its deer soup. I've been there only once before the last time I was there with Zana, Mimi, Saiful and Gossipzilla.

Next stop, was Sempoerna. I have such fond memories from the last two times I was there with my sister, friends and the forgettable N.

Planned to stay there overnight, so we can book a boat to go snorkeling on Mabul, Kapalai, Mataking or Sipadan even. But somehow we changed our minds. Honestly it was the rubbish that had put the crew off the idea. Sempoerna, as I remembered it, had never been the cleanest of towns, but now even the wonderful Dragon Inn is getting worse as visitors and restaurant operators keep dumping trash into the sea. It is such a sad thing to see the fish in the enclosure swimming amongst the garbage thrown in by visitors. People can be so ignorant if what a gift they have been given. I really hope the municipal council will open their eyes soon and take action so it doesn't get any worse, if not better.

We drove on to Lahad Datu and spent the night at Grace Hotel which used to be a member of the Residence group of hotels. The rooms although a little dated, is still clean and spacious. Since we got the executive suite, we got the room with king sized bed and a space for a coffee table. The next day, we visited Sandakan.

On the way there, we went over the bridge that went over the Kinabatangan river. A litte further down the road, we stopped by at these caves where the natives kept the coffins of their dearly depart. The coffins were carved out of tree trunks and for some of the more higher ranking members of the society, they even have buffalo heads into the coffin, making it look a little more extravagant than the rest. And these, the ones with the buffalo heads carved into them are stored in the highest cave. The rest were just arranged in the bigger cave down below. The ones higher up had some bees hovering and perched on them... some fresh sweet nectar from the dead, I presume. Yums?

These coffins looks almost like the ones that belong to the natives in the Indonesian Islands called the Toraja. Well, i am no archeologist. I saw those on NGC a few months prior. I might be wrong.

We climbed quite a few flights of stairs into the clouds... heh! Not really, but the trek up the wooden staircases left me in a puddle of sweat, panting and gasping for air. I am so out of shape... But it was all worth the effort as we were granted the gift of the surrounding view.

That is the highest summit for miles around so we could see the surrounding areas. Sadly, the lush greenery of the natural jungles have been replaced by miles upon miles of oil palms. As far as the eyes can see. The greedy hands of industry have wrapped itself tightly around most parts of Sabah it seems. It was a nice scenery anyway if you don't mind the oil palms. The air was clear of smog, so we could clearly see the Kinabatangan River flowly so slowly, winding its way around the green landscape like a lazy gigantic snake.

We carefully climbed down the stairs back to earth and after a quick tea break at the museum's canteen, were on our way to Sandakan. And it was not even half the day yet!
Ah, Sandakan. I was there again early last year, and it's already on its way to cleaning itself up. And there I was again. It's making great progress and I am so happy to see that the smelly and cramped disheveled seaside town is now all smartened up with fabulous waterfronts and fascinating boulevards. The old market that used to stink up the whole godforsaken town has been torn down replaced with a much bigger and better wet market-cum-crafts market a little ways up the road, away from the maddening crowd and the winding roads that wound it's way up and down the now quaint seaside town. We stopped at the Sim Sim Mosque for Dhur prayers and were again on our way.

On the way out, we stopped by at Sepilok to look at the orang utans. The big ones weren't there. Only the smaller, younger ones came over during feeding time.

They are fed bananas and basically the same things every feeding time so that they will get bored and eventually will become independent and forage on their own. I'm glad the bigger ones finally got the message. Of course it felt a little like a waste, but what's good for the animals should be good for us.

Next on the route was Kundasang. We saw a beautiful river, perfect for a swim as it had inlets and deep ends. We stopped there for a while. If it weren't for the fact that we were strapped for time, we might have stripped down to our skivvies and took a dip into the clean and refreshing mountain river. I have no idea what that place was called, but the rocky river can be seen from the bridge overhead and you could go down there easily from a little path from the side of the road. There were loads of photos taken while we were there. How we wish we could have swam in it!

Got to Ranau at 7pm. Before sunset, we did manage to sneak a peek into the breathtaking view of the highlands and couldn't help but stop a few times to have pictures taken. I have been up and down these winding slopes so many time before and they are still as enchanting as the first time I saw them.

This had never been planned to be a luxury trip, so I didn't book us into any hotel, gambling pretty much on luck. We probably ran out on that when we got to Ranau because when I called the hotels in Kundasang, as I should have realized during a long CNY break, were fully booked.

So what else is there to do than look around for any place we can find so we can just lay our head on a pillow with a mattress under us? We spent the night in a dingy backpacker's lodge that night. It was not too bad though. It was tiny but clean and no strange noises. Mind over matter, you see? At least it has a heater in the bathroom, tiny as it was.

And all because so we can see Kundasang and Kinabalu in all its glory the very next morning. Could have turned back to visit Sabah Tea plantation and the hot springs in Poring, but due to the fact that we are rushing to get to KK to hand over the house keys to Ain, I had to scratch that plan. Will have to go there again soon to cover the whole place. Couldn't do that the last visit cuz I had to rush downhill to KK to hand over the keys to Ain as she starts work the next day and was ready to leave KK at two o'clock that afternoon.

Planned to go up north to Kudat that same afternoon, but had to trash that plan since Ain's mom and dad were adamant that we don't go since it is a dangerous route. I've been there twice, with Zana and Mimi once and again with N. But when you don't listen to the elders, something bad is sure gonna happen, right? So we stayed put in KK that afternoon and spent the rest of the daytime with uncle and auntie. Doing what, you ask? Having tea at @mosphere of course. The infamous revolving restaurant is located on the 18th floor of the tallest building in Sabah. Thanks, auntie (Ain's mom) for the tea.

It offers a 360 degree bird's eye view of Kota Kinabalu city, the South China Sea and the Crocker Range. Nowhere else in Sabah can you do this. Best of all, the people there were kind enough to spin the restaurant just for us so we could see the beautiful sun as it sets behind Gaya Island. It usually starts spinning around at 7pm, but since we were early, auntie asked them to spin it a little early. We're so lucky!

It was too late to go back to the apartment but too early for our show, so we went up to the look-out point atop the hill to sample the view of the bustling city at night. Yo wanted to get some water color palletes for the kids at school so we made a quick dash to Karamunsing. The art store was closed. So we went back to the cinema and waited to go in for Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. So nice to see a movie that is doing okay after the mother of all modern fairy tales that is Harry Potter. After which we had some roasted seafood by the seaside, before returning to our apartment. Everyone seemed to be famished because the tuna, the other fish, the cuttle fish and the prawns we ordered vanished in a matter of minutes. That was some good eating.

The next day, we went home to Lawas and cuz Anim had to go back to Long Luping to start school on Thursday. But we'll awlays have time for a meal at Restoran Malaysia for the pau and nasi sambal. Always...

Verdict?
Yes, there were some kinks that needed to be ironed out, but nobody is perfect. Having said that, I am not denying that Sabah is one whole big party of natural wonders which will never run out of surprises.

This trip has indeed restored my faith in friends. New memories with new friends is always a good start to a good year. IMHO.

So, how did you spend your CNY break?

Happy Chinese New Year to everyone. May the year of the Tiger bring us much joy and strength and endless abundance be it in prosperity, luck and love.