My idling time...

Such a long idling time indeed from the last postings..Guess thats what we will become when it comes to 'phase' change in life. And me...many of these life changing phases happened pretty quickly.. I do miss my blog, especially those from previous entries.. I might spend some time reading them back again to remind what I was before.
TIME had matured me in many ways..Within months, I have to adjust living with extra buddies which I will cherished for the rest of my life, move work again and juggling between life and work..
Maybe, with the current technological advancement I had (having a new my smart phone that is), I might be an active blogger again... It'll be a personal accomplishment to me... No time is all I have everyday, or thats just how I justify it, excuses huh...

Add caption

You've got to be strong

Today I've heard somebody was saying.. A lady, in the men's dominated world, need to work 10 times more harder just to earn the same respect of a man's. And how true that is. This was not the first time I've heard it, and I partly agree.

You see, I'm quite used to the fact that western companies really does use their equal opportunities right.. I'm no activist, so I'm not going to comment more. However, that statement I had today, was somehow brought back to me in a manner that made me reflect into me. Am I really destined to be stuck here, in this fast paced world where, I know that I should and can do more happier things and that I can succeed in...

I don't really fancy what I'm doing at the moment, now I can see the more you become powerful, the more you want to be greedy, and at points, you may even slipped up, and at any time, people can just topple you down. I also don't really fancy the lifestyle of people with money, enjoying and spending the money all the time. Do they do sedekah? Do they take care of their families, friends? Most of all, do they care on helping out with the need?

I sincerely pray, that when that day (or opportunity) arises for me, I'd like to do some happiness to other people. InsyaAllah.

Business online

Hey, I'm thinking (real hard) to start a business selling items online. I like the idea of home office, and less travelling. and I have loads of stuffs to let go. So, watch out for its launching time..

I'm looking for wedding dress designer.

Fikir punya fikir, its quite tiring just to browse through endless page links looking for wedding designer's webpage. Still I think I haven't got a hold all of them yet. I sort of like these dresses.

I've forgotten where got this pic from but its the bridemaid's dress that stands out in my eyes.. :)

I like the lapel (betul ke eja) for the bride's gown. It gives a hint of modern, in a kebaya, using a very soft colour lace. 

WOW... Am I missing the big wave of bride blogging?

Being me, who's hands are too tired to type, who's mind are too filled with AOB, who's time are too precious to spend on other things than "beauty sleep" I didn't realise the world of blogging have taken an up notch to a whole new setting in the cyber world. Yeap, I started blogging while being Over the Sea to share photos, experiences and our way of life to my close friends back home. Yet, the idea still had not sunk too deep into me, that blogging can be a pretty niche community - if you know what you want to look out for. I've seen SN (as in CandidSyndrome) became millionaire from scratch, I was one of his big followers then. I've been addicted to gossip blogs like SM (as in the AF unofficial critique) and a few other reporters blog... which is fairly normal for them because they are the people who need to uses all sort of medium to spread news and gossip.

Have you heard.. bride blogging?? One after another, pages after pages that now I discovered this new social network - sharing of views, exchanging ideas and making it a reality.. NEAT!  Whilelacetale, 2 Become 1, SueSunshine to name a few. Some even put in a loooong list of blog roll, all is owned by bride to be's.

This I find very much interesting because it came in handy for people like me who don't really have any place to refer to for planning a wedding. (Darn, blame it on the work load).. hehehehe.. tak lah.. I should say Alhamdullillah, with the job I have, my wedding will somewhat be "secured".

So, to celebrate this new eye opening ceremony, I will bit by bit put in widgets, stuffs, links or items that can help me to manage and plan my big day; and if there is any other bloggers who's still interested to see me blogging nowadays you're most welcome to drop by.

One big step I've done here is the wedding day countdown and engagement history. Do I want to share my engagement prep?  I can share some links to give some hints thought. Since it was a pretty quick prep, I can summarize my overall Engagement prep in a posting later. Let me recheck back on the details.

On Boxing Day

Aidilfitri in a glance.

Selamat Hari Raya.. Salam Aidilfitri.. In a glance, we've already came halfway into Syawal. Sad that Ramadhan has gone, now is time to celebrate our winnings.

The happenings in town.

Kem Kesedaran Alam Sekitar, 3-5 July 2009, Sg. Klias, Beufort Sabah.

2009 Sabah Dragon Boat Race, 20-21 June 2009Teluk Likas, Sabah.

Road Trip West to East

Another road trip journal that I'd like to keep to be able to reach to when I'm older.. Let's get on with it.

It all started when I knew that I won't be too long now in Sabah. Hahaha.. that's no news already right. So, me and my partner in crime Cik Eton (bukan nama sebenar) decided to become a little adventerous, to explore the jungles of Borneo. Enticing enough??

Day 0. Thursday

Immediately after arriving from KL.... pack up things..

1835 - Depart from my place, using Eton's ride.

1910- Dinner at Taliban Cafe', Inanam

1945 -Off from Taliban.

As some of you may not have realised, 1830 hours, the sun should already have set at this side of the world. Yeah, we started journey after Maghrib prayers.. and travelled at night.. Cool huh?

2000 - Arrived at homestay Timpak Nolou (Khadijah & Sulimat's) at the village called Kg Sinisirapan.

The next morning, we were awaken by the buzzing of conversations right outside our doorsteps.. Its the other tenant who occupied the other rooms.. And how could you not miss the view from our window... that's why its called the "Land Below the Wind". Breathtaking..

Day 1. Friday

0730 - Depart to Ranau.

0750 - Breakfast at Tg Puteri Restaurant, Ranau. Refuel (just in case), reload cash (just in case)

0845- Depart to Sabah Tea Plantation & Tagal Sg Moroli.

The ignorance part of me never did realised that there are such place as a tea plantation in Sabah. I mean, I know the Sabah Tea must come from somewhere, I just didn't know where it actually is. Once you passed the security posed, you'll pass through beutifully groom landscapes, a lush of greens with the majestic Kinabalu as the canvas..

1010 - Just 100 m apart, headed to Tagal Sg Moroli. Tagal is the prohibition project of catching any fishes in the area. I could have swear that it was definitely BIG. It only costs you RM 5, for 15 minutes socialising with the fishes.

1030 - Depart from Sg Moroli Tagal, the fish locally named "Kelah" experience was a unique one. I definitely recommends anyone to go to this place next time.

We are now on the longest stretch of drive, heading to the main venue of this road trip Kinabatangan. We should reach there before 1330 today in order to catch the next transport which will bring us deep into the virgin jungle of Lower Kinabatangan.

Along the way, we saw a very weird looking object on top of a hill 20 minutes away. We realised it is called "Nunuk Ragang" as the display board pointed to its entrance. We made a mental note to stop by on the way back.

1145 - Reached Telupid area, a small village which has now transformed into a small town.

1250 - Reached Mile 32, the ultimate land mark of the day.. we were told it will take us around 3-4 hours to reach this mark, we managed in 2. Hehehe.. We then took the road heading toward "Lahad Datu, Semporna".

1300 - Reached Kota Kinabatangan (or more like a small town, instead of a city = Kota).. we got off from the car and stretched out. Feeling hungry, we refueled our energy with lunch (well, this probably be the last luxurious lunch for these 3 days).

We first thought to take the transport provided by the tour operator. Knowing that it isn't a 4WD, we figured, why don't we just drive there.. I mean, if that van can reached there with no frills, why should face no problem.. and we did..

1355- Head to the jungle (Nature Lodge).

1445- Reached Kg. Bilit's jetty point.

1515- Arrive at Nature Lodge, had briefing, registration, allocations of rooms. (macam asrama tak)

1600 - Boat ride 1. Meet our friend here, the Pigmy Elephant.

1845 - Started raining while still on the boat. Back at dorm, drenched wet.

1930 - Had dinner, sleep.

Day 2. Saturday.

0535 - Rise and shine people

0545 - Morning cruise along Kinabatangan (orang utan, croc, more Bayaus)

0715 - Back from the cruise.

0900 - Breakfast and depart to Sandakan

1020 - Reached bulatan Sukau

1055- Reached Mile 32, and turned our way to Sandakan

1145- Arrived at Kim Fong are and had lunch at Sky Fast Food. Look out for Turtle Island operator - Crystal Quest (089-212711).

Since we've seen enough of the citizens of Kinabatangan, we planned adhocly to shorten our duration to pay less and see more of Borneo. Therefore, we were charged RM 250, instead of RM 330.. which is eiy.. as I may say, could be much cheaper if you know how to bargain and not do things unplanned.

At this point, we hastily drive towards Sandakan, hoping to catch a trip to Turtle Island, another hidden gem of Sandakan, Borneo. However, luck was not on our side, we did not manage to catch the 1 time commuting per day of the about 20-40 minutes boat ride.

1300 Arrived at PETRONAS Karamunting Depoh after browsing through Kg Bokara, next to the Sandakan Port. We were so tempted to got off and look for "Player #9", hehehe.. somehow, we were too chickened out looking into the prospect of merely knowing people from just a short occasion during our Borneo Games last month.

1345 Arrived at Agnes Keith English Tea House. Again, its some place where we've been before.. So, both of us were not that eager to expect anything.

1415 Off to A4, refuel at Shell Jalan Utara to head towards Kundasang.

1510 Stopped over on side road to buy original sugarcane juice... (location around Mile 14, Gum Gum river)

1535 Reached Mile 32

1645 Reached Nunuk Ragang.

1715 Off from Nunuk Ragang

1950 Arrive at Homestay Babu Jijah, Kundasang.

Day 3- Sunday.

0750 Depart to Mesilau, Kundasang to experience "stream from river".

1000 Depart from Mesilau to Desa Dairy Farm.

1015 Desa Dairy Farm observatory. Breathtaking beauty. Lush green, and oh so English..

1025 Bayu Kinabalu toilet break before off to Kota Belud.

1150 Reached Kota Belud Sunday Tamu.

1240 Left tamu after purchasing some Bajau weaving handicrafts. Head straight to KK.

1350 Reached Indah Permai and had lunch at Restoren Zimal.

End of journey.

The friendly peeps of KK

My entry today is one of my farewell sequel to KK... After all these 3 years that I had loved, savour the sweet, sour, happy and gruesome moments, whenever I met up with any of these strangers, I would surely greet me with their warmth and friendliness... me feel right at home.

1) The cute guy at the petrol station.. "hi, baru balik kerja kah? lambat nya pulang... hari ni tak kerja, lama tak nampak... pergi outstation ya".. hehehe.. all the time, these will be our conversation. I started to realized that the same person greeted me about 2 years ago, because the petrol pump that I go is almost always the same everyweek. And every week, he'll be at the counter swiping my card, or at least my Mesra card. I guess it all started when his colleagues was making fun of him being in a huge picture/poster of Sabah cultural performance where he is one of the ethnic dancers.. (he's one the types Izzie's McYummy guy.. hehehe.. know what I mean?).... coincidently I was at the counter and I too joined in the laugh because his friends kept telling me he's now famous as an artist and I said... "wow.. can I get your autograph then".. Why is all the cute guys I like will always not met the minimum requirement/standard that I have set.. sigh...

2) Being away from home for as long as I can remember has moulded us to make our surroundings to be adjusted so that it become inhibitable to us.. the years I've been in the organization changed me to become more talkative, independent and somehow learning to master the skill of "communication". Effective communications will leave a deep impact to you, and somehow you can even remember the person's name and how they looked like. It was last 2 months that I had problem with my car and me being loyal, will always send for repair to the authorized dealer only. As I drove in hastily and absentmindedly, I approached a technician who is unknowingly very skillfull and the best they had at the place. The tasks was no easy as nobody could detect the problem.. and me being busy body and miss know it all kept telling them there's a problem.. I know, its my car and my baby. Maybe because of my absent minded and openness to the technician that had made me to have an impression to the whole group. And now, I am just a phone call away if I need any help with cars or engine or Proton service.. how convenient and helpful ey..

3) I have always had issues when trying to send Baju Kurung with the right taylor.. It even messed up with some very expensive fabric that I baught with exclusivity. Up to a point where I'd just leave my fabric over there and never claim it back.. (arghh - what a waste i know).. then one day, after a small shopping spree at the new Gulati's in town (they really had gorgeous fabrics there) the sales girl recommended me to try this shop at 6th Floor Wisma Merdeka. Well, I did and tried 1 suit. It turned out brilliantly as the kakak really know how to "conform to my requirements". She even went to the extra mile to calling me and asking how does it fits me, and gave me free alteration should it not.. Wow, this kind of service is the type that I can doubt I can get in KL or other big towns in semenanjung..

4) Everyday, when the heat is still at its peak on my way home from office, I would drop by to the Fruit Juice next to Giant stall to order the specialty of all the fruit juices.. which is any fruit mixed together.. for me its like a kid going for a colouring contest and trying all sorts of colours to colour a picture of a flower.. its an experiment! I've tried celery, cucumber, aloevera, banana, chinese pear, ... you name it. but my favourite is always simple creamy avocado juice and beetroot apple mix. For a more extreme adventure, try durian juice.. or mangosteen. The name is Ana, the girl who is behind the fruit mix machine. She and her cousins, siblings, and the rest of the girls work under one roof.

Alhamdulillah, when I have them, I feel right at home.. apart from my housemates and fellow YPC aigt.. Last night, it triggered me to think, will I be able to leave all these blessings behind me and look for a new comfort zone in the place I am going next.. I need to lure my mental state to be more receptive with what's coming ahead of me.. and be thankful for it to be there for me.

Tribute to F&F

Selamat hari lahir kepada Adrian Ilham Naufal...

One of the precious moments in the life of your mommy dear... and daddy..

What will I do if I got laid off.

In the midst of economic downturn (which is the second one that really hit me in my whole life), many people foresee employers laying off their employees..



1) Open a Spa.. (such a bliss).. what would I name it eh... erm... in the first place, I am a spa person, I enjoy massage and pampering very much, and could spend quite an amount of money to let myself indulge into the pampering sensation.


2) Become a photographer. This hobby of mine can be transformed into money making income. Just a teaser of the outcome of a sample photoshoot that I had recently with Fizza.

3) Open a restaurant..wow.. never thought of that before, but I like the idea..

Basically, what I believe is when there's a will, there's always a way. And.. the best job of all is doing something you enjoy while getting paid of it.

lama betul ndak memblog neh..

punyalah lama tak blog. perhaps because of the never ending work that i am up to, endless tasks and what more the PPA time of the year.. and the best part is the farewell of our komunis regime.. alhamdulillah. quite a handful to talk about in one shot. so, let me have them composed nicely bleh..

anyway, aku dah takde gambo sangat nak tunjuk. baru nak buka2 balik gamba lama2 utk aku re-edit and polish back my photos for you all to feast about. bleh? hehe... almaklumlah.. ada machine baru. hehe..

My next mission - Mt Kinabalu Via Ferrata

Are you up for it?!

I met a friend of a friend last 2 weeks and we chatted about ...(like there's no other interesting topic to talk about).. our passion and hunger for adventure. The thing is, this guy, a highly under stressed doctor have managed to have already scaled Mt Kinabalu Via Ferrata.. *@&@^%#$%^&*(*&^%$#.. whot.. he's done it??? uih.. perasaan hati sanubari terasa amat tercabar.. He said "oh yeah, i did it. I took up the most expensive, the most toughest package".. duhhhhhhhhhh... "some of my friends told me I am crazy, they said if I come back alive, then they'll believe that it's all safe for everyone else... While me: still find it hard to believe..."how could he did not even think twice to do this sort of thing" (cakap dalam hati jak la). Unlike me ... well, you know me.. always being cautious, thinking twice about everything.

Well then, I learned something from this new friend.. life is short. If you feel you want to do it, just go for it. I think I am already practicing that for some parts of my life, that made me what I am today..

Right then..so, to the rest of you.. if you up for it, tell me about it..

My Friend's Wedding, quite best friend jugakla..

Ouch.. kompang dipalu~, pengantin malu~
Inilah dia pengantin, seorang member saya di opis. Local Sabahan, jadi kami ramai-ramai pun serbu la kenduri rumah dia, Kg Bongawan, Papar. Memang grand habis la majlis ni, tak caya??
Tgk ni..

Klias Bird Watching, Bayau Sighting, and Firefly experience.

Lurve it.. 25th December 2008..

Can Ba If You!

Di sini sa ada pengakuan, sa pun tia tau oo tiba-tiba jak sa pandai tukar ayat macam orang Sabah. Naa... matain. Kamurang kalu tia faham, buat-buatla macam mo faham jak. Apala yang si Effa mo cakap nih.. Sebenarnya, sa pun tia tau macam mana mo mulakan ayat nih. Jadi, tajuk ini bagi sa sudah santik betul menggambarkan apa yang sa cuba mo kasi tau.

Jadi, apalah yang menjadi tarikan tentang Kota Kinabalu, yang sa amat bangga-banggakan selama ini.

1) Masjid bandaraya

2) Seri Rejeki, Restoren Jawa @Lintas Plaza.

3) Gaya Street Sunday Market

4) Pasar Filipin (now you'll understand how I can go crazy just looking at those colourful crystal bracelets and pearls accesorries)

5) Menara Tun Mustapha

6) Pulau-pulau Taman Tuanku Abdul Rahman (Manukan, Mamutik & Sapi)

The worriors of borneo..

This is a photoblog entry. Less words, let the photos do the talking..
These are the dancers representing the ethnic group of Murut of Borneo, the famour worriors. Like the Ibans in Sarawak, they do go hunting for heads... The headhunters.. But then, look at how gracefull this lady in the picture.

Credit to Kumpulan Budayawan, KK.

When I fall In Love, it will be forever

Did I enticed you enough with the title? :P

My love at first sight, here it is.. This piece over here was captured after it rained or merely misty rain, a normal phenomenon in Kundasang.

I've heard various stories of what are the origin of the name of this mountain, the majestic Mount Kinabalu. Legends have several versions, one of which is Akinabalu is the name of a chinese widow (Cina Balu) who went to mourn for her lost husband at the top of the mountain.

I've fallen in love since the first time I set foot onto this place. It had the feeling of longiness, always wanting for more and more of me to spend time here. It sort of like brought me home.. Its where my heart is.

Its the magic I think.

Look at this first piece that I brought home from my first expedition to Mt. K. The cloudy Donkey's Ears peak meant that during the time when we reached there, it was merely the break of sunlight. The thick mists made the oxygen felt so thin, making you feel a bit dizzy and that's when you realized you already caught the altitude sickness. Even my own comrade (konon la.. fellow climbers kan) who've experienced the climb a year before, really struggled to put his every last drop of energy due to unexpected altitude sickness.

Oh yea, don't forget to get some good gears for your climbing prior to the ascend. My recommendations:

1) Shoes : Kasut Toreh Getah (Adidas Kampung or locals here call it Adidas Tambunan) RM 5
2) 20-30 liters back pack - be it Deuter, High Sierra etc, don't have to bring too much items, just enough for emergency usage. The rest, for RM 8 per kg, why not hire the porter. Don't grumble, you should spend some money to the economic development of local Sabahans.
3) Winter jackets - 1 piece for summit climb.
4) Water bottles (500 ml). Please refrain from bringing the 1L or bigger bottles, guys.. the trail is not like what we have in Peninsular where water are scarce, source from roots and water points.. no no.. There'll be ample check points for you to refill and refill again because the trail has already provide you with toilets, shelter and water checkpoints. NO FUSS!

Le Tour de Road Trip Borneo

Wahaha... after a discontinued effort of writing in this blog, I hastily, painstakingly open up this page, logging in and starting to type this portion of a page. (kering-kering idea) To cut the long story short.. I will give a brief of how I end up at this place. I accepted an offer to work in Sabah bah.. the land below the wind like a month ago.

This month, month of May is the season of harvesting the paddy fields, as most.. oh my gosh.. where have all my words gone to???? Dah tak de skill menulis dah.

Day 1

1000 - 1130 KK-Kinabalu Park
1300 - 11345 Kinabalu Park-Ranau
1445 - 1600 Ranau - Poring Hot Spring
1600-1745 Poring Hot Spring Walk and Waterfall diving
1900-2030 Dinner at Poring Cafe yang unik lagi menenangkan (tapi busuk sket la)

Day 2
0700 - 0800 Breakfast at Poring Cafe
0800 -1230 Poring- Lahad Datu
1230 - 1300 Prayers in Masjid Lahad Datu
1300- 1330 Lunch at one of the nice cafe (kedai makan bah)
1400 - 1800 Lahad Datu-Sempoerna
1800 - 1930 Rest and unpack at Dragon in Sempoerna (very nice sea ambiance)
1930 - 2100 Dinner at Kedai Makan tepi laut
2100-2200 Feeling kat depan Seafarer's Resort

Day 3
0715-0800 Breakfast at Dragon Inn cafe
0800-0915 Uncle Chang's boat ride to Mabul Island
0915-0945 Reach Uncle Chang's place, greeted by Jason, Anna, breakfast, carik snorkle
0945-1130 Ronda Mabul Island sambil terjun ke dalam air snorkeling
1130-1300 Back at base and have lunch, lepak dan bored ownself.
1315-1325 Boat ride to Kapalai Island/place
1325- 1445 Snorkeling in Kapalai
1445-1500 Back at Mabul and bored again
1515- 1630 Si sebok-sebok following divers to Lobster Wall diving
1630-1700 Back at Mabul's base and chilling out while waiting for home ride
1715 - 1830 Boat ride to Sempoerna
1830-2000 Santai at room
2000-2100 Dinner with other fellow colleagues yg baru sampai


Day 4
0700-0900 Breakfast yang santai
0900-0915 Feasting the eyes looking at exotic fish displays
0930-1130 Sempoerna - Tawau(terlupa beli mutiara Sempoerna)
1130-1230 Pusing-pusing Tawau (shopping keropok & amplang)
1230-1315 Lunch at SEDAP Cafe
1315-1800 Tawau-Sandakan (traffic and accident, near misses)

Day 5
0700 - 0800 Cari dan makan breakfast
0800-0900 To Sepilok
1000-1100 Watching Orang Utan
1100-1230 Raleigh road to Labuk Bay to see beruk hidung panjang (proboscis monkey)
1230-1330 Sight seeing
1330-1415 Raleigh road again to go out
1500-1545 Lunch
1545-1700 English Tea House, Agnes Kent, Played 2 games of croquet
1730 Back at hotel and ready for dinner
2000 - 2130 Dinner at A&W yg tak best dessert at 7 Heaven yang best

Day 6
0700-0730 English tea house (back for 2nd time to take pictures)
0730-0800 War Memorial Sandakan
0900-1000 To Gua Madai
1130-1315 Heading to Ranau and break for lunch
1315-1400 Lunch
1400-1615 Ranau to KK
1615-1630 Prayers at UMS