As I was browsing the net during my lunch break, I came across the following article. It is very interesting to see what outsiders say about Malaysia. This article talks about where not to go in Malaysia and it mentions a few popular places, Petaling Street being one of them. The author is an expat living in KL and having lived there for some time now, he has a good sense of where to go and not to go.


http://travel.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=643784

Take time to reflect this :-)

According to legend, a young man while roaming the desert came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet he filled his leather canteen so he could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher. After a four-day journey he presented the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student lavishly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart.

Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was awful. It apparently had become stale because of the old leather container. The student challenged his teacher: "Master, the water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?"The teacher replied, "You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of living-kindness and nothing could be sweeter."

Self-motivation without gratitude is impossible. Our energy is "sapped" when our entire focus is on what's wrong instead of what is right with our lives. One of our greatest challenges is to live and love in spite of pain and disappointment...to find gratitude in the midst of it all.

Reflect for a moment on this beautiful quote from Melody Beattie:"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."

"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings."-Eric Hoffer

Last Sunday...

Agnes (my neighbour) and me went to see the Fremantle festival.



Ok taken before I left home, checking my camera to see if it still works!!! hahahha

We left our car at the Claremont train station and hitched a train ride. It was fun. There were many people heading that way too. Now Fremantle festival is an annual event (apparently.. hehe.. only heard about it this year!!!) Anyway, we arrived there at around noon, train ride took about 15 mins. First stop - Target!! I needed to buy a christmas present for a little boy/girl, part of our office Christmas program to collect gifts for the orphan kids. So into Target we went, me looking for a present and Agnes, just browsing. I suppose as the store is big, we got sidetracked around the ladies section :-) (I know, I know..an excuse ...) 20% off ladies clothing... hmmmm.. who could resist that??? Good bargain!!! Tried on a few pieces, liked one, and guess what??? Just had to have it... hahahha... Then we went upstairs to look at toys (which was the reason I was in Target) but didn't buy any. Reason being??? Oh, too hard to carry all over the street. We still had to watch the parade remember?? :-)

After Target we went roaming the street and found some other bargain!!! Red Dot was our next stop and this was where I bought my gift for a little girl, and it was good bargain too!!!.. Ok by now, I was already carrying 2 plastic bags. So much for saying 'No more buying, gotta save money!!!!' or 'Don't want to buy lah.. so hard to carry' ...Yeah right - the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak!!! or something like that..

Well, we went wandered down South Terrace where the hoo-haa was supposed to take place, and guess what? We saw the road was closed, people were wandering around.. but nothing much happening. Just like a typical Sunday in Fremantle... Where were the stalls?? Where was the parade???


See no stalls. I was hoping for a street fair..like Gaya Street.. hehehe...

Now, shopping makes one hungry, so we went into Dome for lunch. Picked a window seat and enjoyed watching people walking by. And this is what we saw...



This man was in a costume and posing for everyone who wanted a pic :-)

After lunch, we went a walkabout and saw some interesting events...




>

At the end of the street, a stage was set up and these young ladies were dancing the bhangra.. Very catchy music.. kids watching were dancing along.. very vibrant!!!

We also found where the stalls were!!!




Parade started at 4pm, and it was indeed a colourful one. Here are some pics of the parade..










Parade ended at around 5pm but the street festival went on till night time. We didn't stay till late. We left Fremantle at around 6pm. It was a tiring but interesting day.

Next will be the Christmas parade :-)

An interesting commentary on The Star today, "Why do men take second wives"

Click on the link and enjoy the read.

Do you agree they do it because they can???? :-)

News flash!!

Today Qantas flight from Singapore suddenly lost altitude and was forced to land in a regional airport in WA. Passengers who were not strapped down at that moment were thrown from their seats. News reported that 20 people were seriously injured. Now this is scary! I could have been me on that plane as I like to fly with Qantas when going home. Hey they do have good fare offer!! I will definitely re-think my airline options in the future. Qantas has been having a series of mishaps this last year and this is certainly the worst!!!

This is a little old but still good :-) Read on...


Stress management

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, 'How heavy is this glass of water? ' Answers called out ranged from 8oz. to 20oz. The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. 'If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.' 'In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes. '

He continued, 'And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. ' 'As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. '

'So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work/life down.Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.' 'Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short.Enjoy! ' (I totally agree!)

And then he shared some ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

1 * Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
2 * Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
3* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. :-)
4 * Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker.
5* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
6 * If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
7 * It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
8 * Never buy a car you can't push.(never thought about this.. cool... I like this one)
9* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
10* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
11* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
12 * The second mouse gets the cheese.
13 * When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
14* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
15* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
16 * Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once hahahha...so do it more than once :-)
17 * We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors,but they all have to live in the same box.
18* A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Spring is here!!!! Finally!

and love is in the air :-)

..... not me..hehe , but Spring is the beginning of new life, flowers blossoms, bees are happy... days are beautiful, weather is nice... oh I wish I were in love too!!!! :-)

Abba - remember them? Well, since the movie 'Mamma Mia' is about to hit the cinema, there has been major interest in the group that made hits after hits in the 70s. It's a pity the group is not singing anymore, but their songs are still very much alive these days. Something about their songs that are so catchy, just makes you want to sing along. Like the 'dancing queen' or the 'mamma mia'.It's been 30 years now since they last sang together, and they each have moved on.

See if you can recognise this one :-)

Tis been a while now since my last posting, so let's see if I could update you on what's been going on :-) Feels a bit like going to confession where you say, it's been a while since my last confession... hehehe...

Anyway, we are in Winter now, the temperature could vary from 2.7C usually in the early mornings to 20C in mid afternoons (or arvos as they call it here... ahh learn a new slang word). We are quite lucky to be getting a bit of rain too, though the weatherman said we are still short of last year's rain fall recorded. Ahh well, better than no rain i suppose. The only thing about the weather is that sometimes we get thunderstorms and strong wind and trust me, you wouldn't want to be caught walking while it is raining and the wind is blowing. Umbrellas will upturn and you will end up soggy and wet!!! A rain jacket is good, put the hood on and you need not an umbrella (if you have a hood that is :-) ) We are now approaching the end of the first winter month, and so far it's not too bad. When it's cold, put on more clothing and a sweater and if that's not enough put on the scarf and a jacket.. hehehe... and you will look like a 'ko chung' (rice dumpling). Ahh but that's better than getting sick eh?? Or you could always put on the heater, but I don't like the heater much, except for central heater. It is very drying and my face looks all flushed like having a blush. Makes the eyes dry too.. yuuks terrible!!! So the alternative??? Be a 'ko chung'!!!! :-)

Now what else??? Oh a few weeks ago the gas plant at Varanus Island where WA gets it's gas from exploded and this has left us with power problems. It affected industries that depend on gas to operate as well as offices and households (in short.. everyone). It is so bad that some workers are forced to take leave as there is no gas to operate the machineries. Hotels are affected too for they could not prepare clean linens for their patrons. People are advised to cut down on gas usage, turn off lights and power points when not in use, set the heater to 20-22C or if possible not to use heaters at all, and cut down hot showers to 5mins. Offices also were asked to minimise the use of power, thus minimise the use of lifts and central heating. Also bad news for pubs patrons for soon they will no longer be able to drink draught beer as gas supplier wont be able to supply the carbon dioxide used pour draft beer. So that's the gas situation. Not sure when it will end and gas supply back to normal, it was predicted that it could go on for some time, probably until the end of the year.

And that, together with the constant hike in the petrol price and interest rates have hit the people here hard. There is still the constant battle for pay rise but so far nothing is happening. In the mean time, people with a house mortgage are working extra hard to meet the interest rate payment. While it is said that economy is booming in WA, a lot of people are actually suffering to make ends meet. What an irony!!!

This is a catcy one... you might just be tempted to sing along :-)

Colbie Caillat - Bubbly





Will you count me in?

I've been awake for a while now
you've got me feelin like a child now
cause every time I see your bubbly face
I get the tinglies in a silly place

It starts in my toes
and I crinkle my nose
where ever it goes I always know
that you make me smile
please stay for a while now
just take your time
where ever you go

The rain is fallin on my window pane
but we are hidin in a safer place
under covers stayin dry (*safe) and warm
you give me feelins that I adore

It starts in my toes
make me crinkle my nose
where ever it goes
i always know
that you make me smile
please stay for a while now
just take your time
where ever you go

What am I gonna say
when you make me feel this way
I just........mmmmmm

It starts in my toes
make me crinkle my nose
where ever it goes
i always know
that you make me smile
please stay for a while now
just take your time
where ever you go

I've been asleep for a while now
You tucked me in just like a child now
Cause every time you hold me in your arms
I'm comfortable enough to feel your warmth

It starts in my soul
And I lose all control
When you kiss my nose
The feelin shows
Cause you make me smile
Baby just take your time now
Holdin me tight

Where ever, where ever, where ever you go
Where ever, where ever, where ever you go
Where ever you go, I'll always know
Cause you make me smile here, just for a while

Thoughts worth pondering...

Taken from the Star a couple of weeks ago, this article is, I think, worth pondering. Sabah for Sabahans, a sentiment rang true for those of us born and bred there. Despite all the problems happening in Sabah- socially, economically and politically, Sabahans are always proud to be Sabahan, always proud to be called our own..yay!!! :-) REad on .....

Sabah for Sabahans
COMMENT BY FUI K. SOONG
The disenfranchisement and the resentment in Sabah towards federal politics and policies are very real, realities created by the BN administration. The dynamics that are being witnessed today is just a situation ripe to play mind games with. SABAH for Sabahans” gained its zenith of popularity during the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) rule in the state.

To a puritan federalist it is almost treasonable. But to many proud Sabahans who remember the 1980’s struggles, it was a term that gave rise to a generation of Sabahans whose political consciousness was awoken by a sense of identity that was multi-racial, open and most of all, confident. We stood tall because we had dared challenge the federal regime of the day.
With all the talk of Sabah MPs crossing over to Pakatan Rakyat, and if anyone believes this to be another wave of Sabah defiance, they are dead wrong.

Sabahans still stand in awe when we see the shape of Mount Kinabalu sitting in the blue hues of our state flag. And in reality, the mountain is an awesome sight by itself. “Sabah Maju Jaya” is still sung with great pride by every Sabahan with no exception to any race. We should be so insulted to be painted as a bunch of shenanigans with no virtue, moral standing or principles.

The disenfranchisement and the resentment towards federal politics and policies thus far, are very real. But these are realities created by the BN rule. The dynamics that we witness today is just a situation ripe to play mind games with. Sabahans have to live every day of their lives alongside reportedly, two million illegal immigrants compared to one million locals. Their children litter the streets in the cities begging for scraps and odd jobs, unable to attend school, as they have no official papers.

By the day, Kota Kinabalu is looking more like Manila than Malaysia. By any moral standard, how can we allow poverty and human suffering to come to this level – whether or not we choose to recognise them as full citizens is another matter.

Sabah ranked from being the richest state in 1970’s to being the poorest state. Using UNDP’s numbers, Sabah has a poverty rate of 23.0% compared to Wilayah Persekutuan-KL of 1.5%!
In the district of Nabawan, the poverty rate is as high as 70.8%, as 21,568 households live in hardcore poverty. The dropout rate is 50%, twice the national figure and most schools located in the rural areas are equipped with very poor facilities.

Children are so poor that they do not even have soap to clean themselves with. Children attend classes naked because parents sell their free uniforms to feed their families.
In the Ninth Malaysia Plan, the total allocation for Sabah makes up 7.69% compared with 15.06% for the Federal Territories. These are just hard numbers.

Sabah won 24 out of 25 seats contested. However, it’s still only 25 seats out of the 140 seats garnered by the BN. The lack of representation at ministerial level in truth is limited when both the states combined only represent 1.7 million out of the 10.9 million registered voters.
While Sabah and Sarawak may have held a crucial deciding factor to retain BN’s simple majority in this elections, many of the seats were won due to lack of cohesion among the Opposition parties. The extent of gerrymandering also contributed to no small amount to BN’s wins in the state.

Is this why Sabah representatives often complain that they are not treated with respect in all the political platforms from the Cabinet to grassroots, including those within their parties?
Today, both sides of the political fence paint Anwar Ibrahim in the same breath as how we saw Pairin Kitingan or PBS in the 80’s.

To begin with, Anwar Ibrahim is no Sabahan. In the 90’s, he was Finance Minister and PM-in-waiting “hero-rised” as a leader with international stature but in small-town Sabah, the people saw him as no more than an errand boy for Tun Dr Mahathir. That said, has there been a credible Sabah leader that has been able to articulate our pain and concerns? Is it really about more representation in the Cabinet and more royalties? Younger generations of Sabahans, unlike previous decades, are less likely to be anti-Federal. Many of them have studied in Peninsular Malaysia in both private and public colleges and universities. They know what is like to live in a greater Malaysia beyond their Sabah shores.

Most also know that the 20-point agreement (signed when Sabah joined Malaysia) cannot be practically implemented if we are to finally come to terms with being part of Malaysia.
But what does it mean to be a Sabahan when two-thirds of the population are illegals? If the BN government does not want the situation to be hijacked by the Opposition, this is the first thing it must address – bring back what matters most to Sabah, our land.

The illegal migrant situation has become so bad that we already have a second, if not third generation of Filipinos and Indonesians born in Sabah. In the name of humanity, I am not sure if we can even morally deport them without causing social mayhem and a localised economic collapse. But we need a definite closure because we need to move on.

“Sabah for Sabahans” conjures a lot of idealism as well as realities for many Sabahans even today but it does not mean we are less proud of who we are and what we still stand for. RESPECT and DIGNITY.

Whoever captures that, gets to rule.

Fui K. Soong is CEO of Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (INSAP), a think tank of MCA, an organisation dedicated to research on the removal of barriers and bias in policies that impede Malaysian unity, racial harmony and economic prosperity. You can e-mail her at fui4545@yahoo.com.

A while ago, I posted something inspirational about coffee.. hmmm.. today a friend sent me this, another inspirational story about coffee, or rather using coffee as an example of what life should be. Thought I would share this with you all...


A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups -porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

All the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said, "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up,leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

Be assured that the cup itself, adds no quality to the coffee in most cases, just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups...and then began eyeing each other’s cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee, and the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us.”

God brews the coffee, not the cups...enjoy your coffee :-)

Now this is something to think about :-)

And while you are doing that why not make yourself a cuppa.. like me..Ahhh... what is life without coffee.. haha

Sign of The Cross

Another book of interest that I have enjoyed reading. Written by Chris Kuzneski, it talks about a treacherous secret that will rock the foundation of the Catholic faith. The story begins with the crucifixion of a catholic priest, and the discovery of a scroll in the Roman catacombs in Orvieto. The plot is very interestingly written. It creates a sense of suspense as to what was written on the scroll that had so many people killed. The crucifixion of the priest is only the beginning of the series of crucifixions that took place.The writer has successfully created doubts in the mind of the reader as to which part of the story is true and which is just pure fiction. If you have the time, pick up the book and have a read, it's interesting :-)

Anzac Day - Lest we forget


Today we celebrate Anzac Day. Thousands of people gathered at a dawn service to commemorate those who have died in the battle in Gallipoli. I admit I don't know much about what happened in Gallipoli 93 years ago. To me, it is just another public holiday and Anzac biscuits. But watching the dawn service in Gallipoli on TV now makes me curious of what actually happened on that day, and what made it such an auspicious day for the thousands who gathered in the dawn of this day, standing in the cold, honoring men who have fought and died in the battle. Here in Perth, 40,000 gathered at Kings Park for the dawn service. There was also a parade in the city afterwards.

So what actually happened in Gallipoli in 1915? And here is what I found out from Wikipedia:

The Battle of Gallipoli took place at Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey from 25 April 1915 to 9 January 1916, during the First World War. In early 1915 Russia was fighting a multi front war against Germany, Austria/Hungary, and Turkey. While it had a sizable army it struggled to deliver sufficient supplies to the troops. The landings at Gallipoli were an Allied attempt to clear a supply path through the Dardanelles to Russia. This would also assist them by putting pressure on Turkey by threatening Constantinople (now Istanbul). On April 25, 1915, after failed attempts to force a passage through the Dardanelles by naval forces alone, a force of British Empire and French troops landed at multiple places along the peninsula. The battles over the next 8 months saw high casualties on both sides due to the exposed terrain, weather and closeness of the front lines. The invasion forces were successfully blocked by the Turkish troops and the subsequent Allied withdrawal meant the Russians would not be receiving supplies through the Dardanelles.Overall, there were around 140,000 Allied casualties including around 45,000 deaths and 250,000 Turkish casualties including around 85,000 deaths. In Turkey, the battle is perceived as a defining moment in the history of the Turkish people—a final surge in the defense of the motherland as the centuries-old Ottoman Empire was crumbling. The struggle laid the grounds for the Turkish War of Independence and the foundation of the Turkish Republic eight years later under Atatürk, himself a commander at Gallipoli.

In Australia and New Zealand, the campaign was the first major battle undertaken by a joint military formation, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), and is often considered to mark the birth of national consciousness in both of these countries. Anzac Day (April 25) remains the most significant commemoration of military casualties and veterans in Australia and New Zealand, surpassing Armistice Day/Remembrance Day.

And so, Anzac Day is commemorated every year by the countries who have sent and lost their children in the battle in 1915. If you visit Kings Park, you can see the memorial that was built. For many of us, it is just a memorial built to remember those who have fought and died in battle, but for families who have relatives who were lost in the battle, this means a lot to them.

In Malaysia, we commemorate those who died during WWII. The Tugu Negara was built to remember those who died in our country's struggle for freedom, from the Japanese during WWII and later from the British from which we gain our independence.

Yooohoooo..

Just read the good news. The Malaysian government has decided to abolish the PTK exams for public servants :-) The PM will make the announcement soon..What great news!!!

Ahhh ... and what else??? Retirement age is extended to 60!! Another good news?? I guess :-) I mean what are you going to do when you retire at 56?? Hey 56 is the new 46! Men and women are getting younger by the day, not older!! Just look around you, mature (not older) women (err and men) are now very stylish and young at heart. So what if you are a granny or a grandpa at the age of 56. In this modern era, nobody wants to grow old...we are growing younger :-)

Daily Rules from God for 2008
1. Wake Up!! Decide to have a good day. "Today is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalms 118:24


2. Dress Up!! The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance; but the Lord looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:7


3. Shut Up!! Say nice things and learn to listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking. "He who guards his lips guards his soul." Proverbs 13:3

4. Stand Up!!... For what you believe in. Stand for something or you will fall for anything.. "Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good..." Galatians 6:9-10


5. Look Up!!...
To the Lord.
"I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me." Phillippians 4:13

6. Reach Up!!... For something higher. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, And He will direct your path."
Proverbs 3:5-6


7. Lift Up!!... Your Prayers.
"Do not worry about anything; instead PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING."
Philippians 4:6

God answers Knee-Mail :-)

Feels a lot like this these days!!!

Is it Friday yet????

3 am Sunday morning, that's tomorrow, officially ends daylight savings for 2007/08. Many families came out to celebrate the end of daylight savings, by enjoying the extra sunlight by the river. Tomorrow we will go back an hour, which means I get an extra hour of sleep in the morning.. haha..

I rather like daylight savings. It gives me that extra sunlight to do the things I want after work. Now many west Australians would disagree with me on this. The government has given the people a 3 year trial, and at the end of that 3rd year, the people will vote whether to have it for good or to reject it in a referendum. Ah well, whatever the outcome is, I will enjoy it while I can. Until next summer...

A friend emailed me this last night and after reading it, and after much laughter, I thought I would share it here :-) Now, if you can identify with what is written, then you come from where I come from :-) Here it goes ...

You Are A True Sabahan When..............

1) You drive at right lane of the road, with a speed of only 50 KM/H. If people horn behind you, you still don't know what's wrong.

2) You have the luxury of working from 8 AM to 5 PM (get off work punctually).

3) You don't believe that there is any 'clean' politician in Sabah.

4) You feel 'obligated' to reach the top of Mount Kinabalu at least once in a lifetime.

5) You prefer a big car than a big house (probably you can't drive a big house around to show off)
6) You wear slipper and short wherever you go, even in city.

7) You still think that Labuan belongs to Sabah.

8) You will not go to any FREE seminar / function that has no food or refreshment.

9) You don't care about service. You just want things cheap, cheap, cheap.

10) You know where to get your candles and torch light quickly in the total darkness (due to training by frequent blackout).

11) You know what 'aramaitiee' means...

12) You shout 'referee bodoh' and at the same time throw mineral water bottles on the pitch during a football match at Likas Stadium.. (eeerrrrr... not that bad.. hehe)

13) Your Timorese maid ran away with her lover, taking your money or jewellery along..

14) You doubt someone's mykad whether it is real or fake..

15) Your favourite assemblyman whom you vote and supported all this while...gambled away and lost a whopping 60 million ringgit in a London casino..

16) You go inside a karaoke at 12 pm and realise that the place is still open at 5 am...

17) You come across a supposedly local person but with a very foreign accent..

18) You cannot vote in an election because someone has voted on behalf of you...

19) You own a bakakuk

Tambah.... you are a Sabahan if u say and understand these words....

tuuuna/ saaaana - points with the lips - (there-- at a distance)(the longer the 'tuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuna / saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaana' the further the place is.)
2. limpas (to pass/walk by - Maaf, saya > limpas dulu? Excuse me, can I passby?
3. palui (stupid, duh! )
4. tapuk (to hide )
5. bida (ugly)
6. bubut (as in proper malay- 'kejar', to chase)
7. sakai (ignorant, uncivilized, 'hoosier')
8. andang-andang (that's how it is)
9. sapak (kasi campur/gaul --utk masakan-to mix as in cooking)
10. inda/tia (short form of 'tidak' - not, no)
11. wicin (another brand of msg as in 'aji-no- moto' - a seasoning or food enhancer)
12. talampau (proper malay - 'terlampau'- too much)
13. takajut (proper malay - 'terkejut' - shocked, startled)

hehhe.. and another friend added this to the list...

1. belusir - to run away
2. tiwas - serve you right, you can also say ..sabak...(p'pang punya..)
3. sial/ silaka - celaka if in bm (a curse word...'s...')
4. syiok oh..- seronok ba... (very enjoyable)
5. kasih panjang tangan ah..... when you ask someone to take the food on the table
6. jangan malu2 - dont be shy....

Are you smiling yet?? :-)

This long weekend brought me down South to visit Anda and Nicolas. It took me 3 hours to get there, after a short detour into Safety Bay.. heheh.. that's because I missed a turning. But all was not lost as I discover that Safety Bay was actually a very pleasant place. Situated in the City of Rockingham, about 40 mins from Perth I actually felt comfortable being there :-) That's the wonders of being lost, you get to discover new places!! Stopped by the petrol station to ask for direction and 15 mins or so later I was back on track. It was good experience.

Anyway, last night we went out for dinner at a small country town, Balingup, about 40 mins from Boyanup. Right there in the heart of the small town ( and believe me when I say small ) was this small french restaurant Fre-Jac, which serves french du pain and delicious cuisine. They even serve escargot! Now everything I learnt in french class was put into use last night, when reading the menu. But luckily there was a translation to every menu listed!! hahah...

Today as I was driving home, I prayed that I wouldn't miss a turn again, and thanks to Nicolas' clear instruction, I was able to avoid some traffic and got home just before 4pm. This Easter has indeed been a time well spent, in church and with good friends.

p/s didn't take any pics though :-) sorry..

Happy Easter everyone

a time for reflection, a time for renewal, a time for letting go of the past and start anew.

The Thirteen Apostle, the book I am currently reading. Written by Michael Benoit, it talks about the thirteenth disciple of Jesus. As we all know there are only 12 disciples but according to this, there is apparently a no 13. I have read a few books that contradict our catholic belief, and this is by far the most challenging of all. It is not easy when someone tells you what you believe in all your life might be false, and so it helps to read with an open mind. I have not finished reading yet but I am sure it will be faith challenging till the end.

Sometimes when reading books like this, I wonder if there are any truth in them. The books talks about the hidden secrets of the church, and the constant search for the truth. This book refers to the ancient scrolls found in the caves at Qumran, and the writer presents some very convincing storyline. If you are contemplating reading this book, then all I can suggest is to read it with an open mind :-)

My home visit during Chinese New Year...

was undoubtedly a hectic one. So many things to do, so many people to visit, so little time. Everybody wanted attention! I didn't get to meet everyone I had wanted to meet though, but I must admit I had fun fun fun! which led to stress stress stress!! hahahaha.. Yeap, in the midst of activities, it can be stressful (I even got sick!! that's how stressful it was.. hehhe... nah, that was caused by the change in weather.. hahha)

I must also admit that being able to drive again was also a luxury, zipping here and there.. ooooeeeee.. nice indeed. And that makes me more determined than ever to go take my driving license so that I can have that freedom of movement!!! Ok SOON!!

And I also ate all I wanted too.. yikesss!!! Food that I will surely miss when I am back. All in all it was a good break. Now it is back to work, and it is soooooooooo difficult to wake up in the morning :-)

Here are some pics from my visit :

Deco at Karamunsing kompleks


Expert satay 'griller' (wannabe..haha)


While waiting for dinner


New Year Eve dinner - with the munsters


Happy boy with his ang pows

Pretty girlie


Tim Sum breakfast

Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Ooi! Ooi! Ooi!

Happy Australia Day everyone!!

The most important event of the year, where new Australians are welcome in the special Citizenship ceremony and great people are honoured. This year's Australian of the Year is country music singer Lee Kernaghan OAM. Now what made this man so great? His dedication and efforts to help rural families through his 'Pass the Hat around' tours which have raised up to a $1 million for communities in need. He will also focus this year to the plight of families on the land who are struggling against drought. He will also focus on encouraging people to buy Australian grown.

Australians also celebrate this day by gathering at the foreshore to enjoy the magnificent lottery skyworks. About 300,000 thousand people, young and old swarmed Perth's foreshore last night. The traditional flying of a huge floodlit Australian flag across the river brought the first cheers of the night. Then at 9pm, the fireworks began, and for 30 minutes we were entertained with a kaleidoscope of colours lighting up the dark night. What a beautiful show it was. It was reported that the fireworks was worth a total of $1.5 million!

I didn't capture any of the colours on pics though, as my camera wasn't high tech enough. So I am going to borrow some pictures taken by more professional photographers :-) Just click on the link below.

Spectacular display of colours