Durian and the Satisfaction It Brings

I had durian today.

The fruit was not big. A rather small piece of thing, but since I was the only one to have it, the amount was just nice.

Grandpa had it cut up for me. He halved it and left it on the table. He was not taking any, as the time was after dinner. Grandpa was a borderline diabetic, and since his discovery he had reduced all intake of carbohydrates.

The fruit was nice. Just the way I like it. The flesh was off white and creamy, with a slight bitter taste to it. Just my kind of durian. I took almost ten nuts of it, and could not finish with the last three. I put them in the fridge. Someone can have them later.

I am satisfied now, and bloated.

Ah~~~

Frustration

Sometimes there are so many things in my mind that I wish to say, but the moment I am in front of it, I do not seem to be able to say it right, or even say it out loud.

I am pretty bad with confrontations. Any sort of confrontation, however well I am in preparing it in my mind, will end up with me agreeing to the other party, or being manipulated by the other party.

Sometimes I get so frustrated, my anger boiling at it's boiling point, that all I could do was to kick myself so hard for the pain to numb my other feelings.

I never like being taken advantage of. I have my rights.

I never like being misunderstood. I have my virtues.

I never like being talked badly about behind my back. I have my dignity.

I never like being teased for with my confessions. I have my trust in you.

I will not comply, unless everything have been straightened out.

I will not change my principle, just because you think I should.

I am 28, not 35.

And I don't fucking care about what you think, just because you think that you are better than me.

You can fucking well go to hell with all your lover boys, just don't take me with you.

Do whatever you want with them, but not at my expenses. I will not fucking comply.

Survival Kit

So, what if one day I were to go into the wilderness?

I wonder what I should be bringing with me?

Here are some suggestions from a friend.

A torch, a Swiss army knife and a blue flame light stick.

Hmmm.....

This blue flame light stick is suppose to be non-toxic and non-radioactive.
This should be very useful in dark places, such as the insides of caves.

More suggestions came in...

Tea leaves for tea breaks, safety clips to hold stuffs, and a deck of cards to pass time...

On top of that, one could still add in...

A cap for sun protection, some pills for flu and a bottle of tiger balm, that works miracles for itch and stuffy nose.

This should keep one safe enough from the terrain...

Mean Rat

People has always being saying that the older one gets, the more backwards they are from their age. This holds true for my grandmother, who actually got a little black rubber rat and placed it under my bed one day.

It so happened that I was looking under my bed while cleaning the room, and I saw this black little monster staring back at me in the dark.

I was so damn scared just by looking at its size (which looked huge enough to bite), that I went over to the next house to ask for help.

My uncle, a burly big man, came over to my room with a huge staff, and stared under my bed. It took him also some time to decide whether it was real or not.

Finally, he extended his staff under the bed and swept the ugly little thing out from under the bed.

It was just a little rubber toy. But, it did kinda scare the shit out of me. I was afraid that it would bite!!! And imagine the bacterias growing on all its teeth!!!

Nah!!! I'm a mean little creature!!!! Ha ha ha ha!!!!

Learning Material

How do you remember all the muscles on your arm?

Write it on your arm!!!

The live learning material for biology.

Picture

I found a very beautiful picture the other day.

It was drawn by an Indonesian artist, and it was hung on the wall of one certain living room.

I thought I might just get a picture like that for my living room too. But, that was just me thinking.

Bad Table Service

I hated it when the people in the restaurants were careless in their service.

It was considered ill manners to serve food with chipped utensils, to stack the plates up before the guests leave. Recently, I found a new example of ill table-utensil-service.

Giving your guest two chopsticks of different length!!!

Geez, if this was the way a restaurant treated their guest, imagine how they treated the food that was served?

Sze Jun's Wedding

SJ is getting married this Saturday, but there was a reception dinner on Thursday for all her friends and family back home.

I had the honour of being invited to her wedding dinner that night, and the hen's night the night before.

SJ had been a part of my troop when I was leading it at that time. It still amazes me to see them all grown up with careers and families of their own. I guess I would always consider them like I did so many years ago. :)

Congratulations!!! SJ!!!

May your days of married life be a loving and eternal one.

Me Underwater

I believe that many people who know me know that I love diving. Well, that could be an understatement. Diving has become a part of my life, something that I do whenever I had the chance, even if it is in the pool.

Wanna see how I looked like underwater?

Ta-da~~~!!!

Guess which one is me?

I came across this old picture while browsing through my archives. This was taken during my trip to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah in December, 2006. I had a great time there. I guess every experience is unique, and this trip especially, since it was the first time that I really did some hard-core diving, to the extend that I was looking more like a worn-out rag than a diving diva at the end of the trip. :P

That was a trip that I was supposed to blog a long time ago. But given the magnitude of it, the greediness in me to try to put everything into my blog, the whole thing got so huge that I finally gave up the whole project.

Well, not really. I decided that if the pictures did not go in my blog, at least they would be displayed to the public to view, at least for my friends, in Facebook. For those who are interested, you can find me in Facebook using my full name. :)

Or, to a lesser extent, in my Friendster's photo album.

For those who had waited for my blog on this trip, please forgive me. I apologize for the delay of nearly two years. :P I hope it could still bring back some good memories of wonderful times back then. It was really a fun time. :)

A New Friend

I met a new friend when I was in Miri. Cindy introduced us, and I was amused by her name.

Her name is, " Lulu Lu"

Cindy and Lulu Lu

Great name, eh? Never would one have to crack one's head to remember a name like that.

Simple and easy to remember. Her dad is a genius!!!

I was in Miri

I was in Miri city the week after the Merdeka day (Independence day of Malaysia) to do my first round of calls after joining my new company. It was a week of new exploration and also a time to meet up with my mate from Kuching, who had moved to Miri a while ago.

My Area Supervisor came down with me to show me the ropes and the ins and outs of the place. I was glad that he could make it this trip with me. If not, I was afraid that I would have wasted so much time just trying to figure out who to see and where to go in a very limited period of time.

My Area Supervisor noting down in a map all the important people to see.

Besides my work, I guess the next fruitful event during this trip would be to meet up with my good friend, Cindy, from Kuching.

Cindy has moved to Miri since the middle of last year after having decided that she would come and work for an oil and gas company as an accountant. And, being a true accountant, she is very good with figures.

We had spent many nights with other friends in karaokes and happy hours in pubs before she moved here. Since she left us, the gang soon dissipated and continued on with our own lifes. None of us was really sure whether this was due to her leaving, or us having our own ways to go in life. I guess both played a part.

My first night in Miri Cindy came and pick me up in her new silver Citra. I was surprise to see her in her new car. I had known that she was looking for a car back in December last year, but it failed to register in my mind that she could have bought a car months ago.

Cindy and I went to Halo cafe for dinner. I did not even know that there was one in Miri. Frankly speaking, I was both surprised and not. Surprised because I never thought that Halo would actually thought about investing in a city like Miri and not Kuching. Not surprised because I had always thought of Miri for being more productive in terms of singing cultures and bands.

I ordered spaghetti and Cindy ordered something that looked like nachos, but not entirely a nacho. I was quite doubtful about the food, and hesitated in putting them into my mouth.

Cindy with the spaghetti from Halo cafe, Miri.

There was a stage where young people, mostly students, would come by and sing for the night. There is a romantic notion to the idea of singing in one of the cafes like Halo. It is something that a student would think of doing to be romantic while earning some bucks for the semester.

That night, three boys performed on stage. They looked like they were in their late teens. One of them can actually sing very well. The guitarist seemed to like to echo whatever his other mates had just said. It was rather amusing to listen to them talk.

Cindy and I started to send in our dedications after dinner. It was fun seeing them trying to fish out the lyrics for some of the songs that we had asked for, and others they had to cover with other similar songs, since none of them knew how to sing it. I liked the voice of the percussionist. I thought that he had a better voice.

Cindy and I talked about our friends back home, and how each of us had fared since our departures. She is doing pretty well now, and I am simply glad and happy for her.

Anna W. et. al.

29 August 2008, Friday

Anna W. came back on Friday, and we went out for dinner that night.

Fridays have always been quite hectic for me, as I will always have to rush for things to be done before the weekend, especially when I have to leave for other places the coming week.

But Anna came back, and she texted me for dinner. I had a lot to finish before the coming week, and three full days of activities waiting for me come weekend, but I just could not refuse her. She had been an angel to me when I was in K. L.

I picked Anna up at around seven from her place. Kelly, Anna's sister, came with us too. I felt that something was up since the moment she told me that she would be back home for a night, but I did not ask much. It was then that she told me her true purpose of being home, and that took the wind out of me.

That was a little dramatic, to take the wind out of me, but literally, I was about to throw up, after the stress of the day, and now this? The excitement had worked my body to the extend of almost vomiting. I will not disclose the true purpose of Anna's reason being home, for she had made me swear to total discretion. Furthermore, what better blackmailing material do I have on her than this?!!! I was more than delighted to know and not to tell. Hehe....

Anna and I had dinner at Bla Bla Bla, which served us huge dishes of chinese food fused with a western touch. I could only managed a small portion of it, and left the others for the rest of the table to finish. Anna was trying to get me to eat more, which I refused. There were two other guys with us, they could take care of that.

The dinner was a long and mundane one. None of us wanted to be there in the first place. I felt like leaving the place just half an hour of arriving there. Friends were waiting for me in another place.

The relief was immense when the dinner was called to an end. Anything to get out of there. Little did I know that it was about to continue on for the rest of the night.

We proceeded to R. K. for a drink. My intention in the beginning was actually to bring Anna along to meet all our old friends from our high school days. Her appearance was meant to be a surprise for them. It did create the impact, but sadly, she was not able to join the gang as her parents were with her as well. Oh, well, I was thinking, let them be. It was not everyday that one gets to be joined by their parents in a pub.

I was sitting with Anna and her parents, upon her insistence. Nick K. texted me from the other side, "You looked so bored..." There was no better description of me then. And my reply was equally boring, "Imagine having to sit with parents..."

"Haha.. Kesian..."

The night ended uneventfully with the parents taking off, and I thought I could steal Anna for another hour or so. Knowing that she needed a break, I took her driving up to the beach. It was dark there, and I dared not leave my vehicle. We sat locked in the car, listening the the quietness of the night. It was a peaceful night, with very little stars in the sky, and the tide far out at the end of the beach.

We spoke very little, listening more than talking. She was fine, a little frustrated and worn out, but fine nevertheless. She needed a break, and the only way that I could think of getting her one, was actually to let nature help her.

We both got home around sometime after two. I cleaned myself up before hitting the pillow. Her last text came in, telling me that it was not in her intention initially to get me involved. But I understood. So, it was not a problem at all, I told her.

Good night, she said, with a smile.

Good night, I said to her. I went to sleep. Tomorrow would be another long day.

Johnny's Going-Away Dinner

L to R: Ai Fern, Nick K., Wesley, Teresa, Johnny, Edward, Ah Nong, Edward's wife, Lucas, C. S., Valerie, Henry, Kim Leng

28 August 2008, Thursday

Johnny has finally graduated from Swinburne University of Technology from his engineering course.

In celebration of his graduation, and for his time with us in Kuching, the gang met up in Koreana for a joyful dinner.

It was a fun night, and Mrs. Kim, the owner of the restaurant, joined us for a chat too. She is a very wise woman, with deep insight with regards to the current Malaysian society and government. The young ones left the place that night with renewed respect for the lady.

But, at the end of the night, Johnny was still the main character. :) Therefore, Johnny, we wish you a great journey ahead, and don't forget to come pay us a visit anytime soon. ;)

Adios, amigo!!! Best wishes for all!!!

Kids and My Love

I am a sucker for kids. Alright, I will admit that.

The moment a baby or a cute little thing appear within my field of vision, my head turns as fast as a man would in the direction of a beautiful woman. My eyes will shine like the stars in a clear night sky, and my body will move automatically towards the direction of the cute little thing.

I have no idea why I like them so much. They can be the noisiest and the most demanding of all people, yet one just cannot say no to them when they start to look at you with their pleading puppy eyes.

Not that I have kids of my own. I wonder if my love and perception for kids will change once I do have them? Having kids to play around is fun, but on the other hand, I am not the most patient person in this world. I might not like them that much anymore once I started to have them hanging around me 24/7.

Geez... I guess I might just have one kid in my life then... :)

The Second Month

Nearly two months into my new job, and I am happy with what I am doing and where I am now. The pressure of the work has not set in for me , as I do not carry the target until after August.

I, however, am gearing myself up for it, not knowing what will it be like once the target for my achievement sets in.

Fingers cross, hoping that I will make it when the time comes.

A New Beginning

I have finally ended my two years with the previous employment, and currently starting on a new career in sales.

I get a lot of people asking me why do I want to switch to a job like the one that I am having now.

My answers are:

1. I need a new field to further develop myself.
2. I need to make more money.
3. I just want out of my old company.

And now, I am finally in, for three weeks. I did not do too bad for myself for the past three weeks, and hopefully would do better in the coming.

I wish for myself, a grand and bright, happy future!!!

One Bite, One Go!!!

Some can drink a jug of beer in one breath,
our Leo could do a drumstick with just ONE BITE!!!

Happy Birthday, ML!!!

It is ML's birthday, and divers all around celebrated it with her on her birthday's eve.

Happy Birthday, ML!!!

The Gang, Bunch of Crazy Divers

The Master and the Protege, same dark skin...

Have a good one this year!!!

August Rush

Shui came into the computer room the other evening, and asked me to watch this movie that she had in her computer. I put it on, and was immediately mesmerized by the sounds and voices of the movie.

It was like listening to the music talking. You could hear the music telling stories of love, hope and faith. Young Evan Taylor never gave up believing that his parents were dead, and set out on a journey to find them, all the while believing that they were all bonded by music.

Music has always been a second language to me. What I cannot speak with my words, I speak with my music, and the music that I listen to. Words are decorated, but music speaks the raw feeling of the soul. All that you have to do, is listen.

Music is everywhere.
All you have to do, is listen.

Monks in Coffee Bean

This was in the Kuching International Airport, when I was sitting idly waiting to board my flight. MAS was delaying my flight, and I was rewarded with another two hours of boredom.

I saw two monks walking in my direction and into Coffee Bean.

They have clean and well-shaved head, and spoke Mandarin in an accent which indicated that they were not local.

The waitress serving their customers.

They ordered in English spoken in words and phrases, and their voices were loud and clear. It made me smile, for only those with a bright and open heart would speak with voices like that.

The monk with a white cap was tall and humble. The short monk was a female (forgive me for not knowing how to address a female monk). She was the bold one. :) I knew that from the manner of their speech.

What Is New In LCCT, Kuala Lumpur?

In LCCT, KL, you get to...

Rest and Relax...

In the new Plaza Premium Lounge

with the welcome and services of a star VIP

At a charge of RM80.00 for three hours per pax.

Hey, you get free food and internet services in there. They even provide you with massage chairs.

Oh, and I think you can get a discount of RM 20.00, if your flight was scheduled at less than three hours away.

Money Changer in LCCT, Kuala Lumpur

Friends and I were wondering the other day if they had any money changers in the LCCT (Low Cost Cargo Terminal) for Air Asia in Kuala Lumpur.

Apparently, they do, under the operation of Hong Leong bank.

Money Changer in the LCCT, Kuala Lumpur

Chocolates!!!

I was bored while having to wait for my flight. Cadbury chocolate arranged in a systemic manner caught my attention. The varieties showed, and I took pictures.

They didn't have the one that I liked most though, I love the "Old Jamaican's Rum 'n' Raisins" the best!!!

Where I Went Today

I went to that blue building today!!!

Manta! Manta!

Manta Ray Near Talang Besar, Sematan, Sarawak, Borneo.

13 April 2008, Sunday

We saw a pair of manta rays, otherwise known as the devil rays, in Talang Besar!!!

It was near the end of the trip out, and I just got out of my third and last dive. Disassembling my gear, Mui Ling was laughing and dripping with water when she told me that she and CS had just saw a Manta while snorkeling out there.

I jumped at that moment, grabbed my mask and fins and jumped into the water swimming towards the patch of water that they pointed me.

Never was I so eager to see another sea creature as I did a Manta.

It took a few rounds of snorkeling before Edward finally spotted the Manta. I was about to give up looking for the Manta, and had actually started thinking that the Manta might have been scared off by the snorkellers. I was already at the side of the boat when ML asked me if I had seen it. I said no. Then she said to me that the group had just found it!!!!

I clambered out of the water, ML knew that I had no snorkel on, and passed me her mask and snorkel. Almost cursing, I flopped to the other side of the boat and jumped into the water. ML and Kim were both laughing at me.

I finned as hard as I could out there, and when I reached them, they told me that the Manta had gone. But I did not give up, no way was I to give up since I was this close to see the Manta!!!

And then, I saw it. As magnificent as I had always imagined it. A graceful, gliding Manta.

I could not help but felt the rush of happiness running through my veins. I dared not blink for one moment, afraid that at the next moment, it would be lost from my sight again.

And then, I saw them. Two of them!!! One bigger than the other, gliding towards each other at an angle. I was so happy that my heart could burst right there and then.

Following the smaller Manta, I saw it glide slowly towards a school of fish, and swooped in for food. It moved so fast, that for one second it was only a blur.

Slowly, it moved away, gliding as gracefully as nature had made it, and disappeared into the depth.

I have never been so happy to see another sea creature in my life. I just hope that my friend would be able to be there to see it too.

Derailment at Padas River, Borneo

There was an incident of train derailment in Sabah, Borneo. Two people were killed and 39 injured after the locomotive came off the tracks and plunged into the Padas river.

Photos by the New Straits Times Press

It happened at 3.15p.m. today, and for three hours, rescue divers from the fire department tried to salvage the wreckage for any survivors.

The train operates daily, taking villagers and produces down from the inland of Padas River to the town of Beaufort, and sends white-water-rafters up to their entry point in the upstream.

Outlook of the derailed locomotive in Sabah, Borneo.

A section of the locomotive

The Padas River

The railway runs alongside the river bank.

The train at the end of the railway, near the upstream of the Padas river

Another view of the railway and the river

To think that I was rafting down that very river, and taking the very train more than a year ago.

You can read more about the news here.

Pictures are grabbed from the following sites:

1. Borneo Trekker
2. Matt Wegener

闷

今天的我，心里面突然一阵郁闷。 我知道，是我， 也有一点责任。

说了一些话，然一个人把他的心给关了起来。

是我，让情况变得有些隔膜。

其实我也没做错什么。也许我们唯一的错，就是我并不是他一个可以推心置腹的朋友。

不知道为什么， 心里会为这件事闷闷的。

Stanley Getting Married

6 March 2008, Thursday

The day that Stanley got married. In the typical Chinese way.

I woke up late at four in the morning. Stanley said that he would be leaving for the bride's place at five.

I was still groggy and sleepy when I reached his place, which was packed with his family and friends. Even at the wee hour of the morning, the house was bustling with people getting ready to welcome the bride.

I had some breakfast at Stan's place before departing. Stan's mother gave some milo, and I added Nescafe powder to it. That would keep me up for a few more hours later. ;P

There were five cars forming the bride-receiving procession. We rode in a line, and it was quite a scene on the quiet morning road.

We finally reached the bride's place, and the whole lot of us packed the door to the bride's family flat.

Stan looking extremely please and happy on his big day :)

The day had not broken when we were at the bride's door.
Stan had to wait until the family of the bride allowed him to enter the house for the bride.

The "Brothers"

The band of "Brothers" was supposed to be there to support the groom in winning his bride over from the bride's family.

Stan, and his bride, after going through the "Sister's" obstacle

Stan got through the door without much difficulty.
The only thing was that his brothers would have to suffer on his behalf in order to get him into the door. ;P

Stan escorting his bride from her place

When the bride was ready, Stan took Ling's hand and walked her out of her house. Ling bowed to her parents before leaving the house, a sign of respect and gratitute from the child to the parents for all the years and effort in raising her up and caring for her.

Finally, at Stan's place

Stan had brought his bride home.

Stan wrote this calligraphy.
It meant, "Chi Ling and Phoenix reside here"
Chi Ling is a Chinese lucky mascot that represented the male or husband, and Phoenix was the lucky mascot that represented the female or wife.

The new room

The Wedding Lamps

Two red wedding lamps that represented the well wishing of "Forever One Heart".
The lamp was supposed to be light the whole day, or for a couple of days, depending on which culture.

Stan and Ling, Husband and Wife.

Congratulations, Stan. :)