Part III : Mari-Mari & Sunset

Hello all :)

Yup, that's right. Will be sharing with all of you on part 3 of my Borneo Getaway :)

On the second day, we visited the Mari-Mari cultural village.

FYI ; Mari-Mari means come-come in Bahasa Malaysia :)

Basically this cultural village shows you the different ethnic groups in Sabah such as the Bajaus, the Muruts, the Lundayehs, the Dusuns and the Rungus. 

It's definitely an experience because you not only see it with your eyes, you also get a taste of their food.

Parents with kids who are studying Sabah & Sarawak for their Sejarah Form 1 lesson, send them for this  and be rest assured that they will ace their sejarah paper!

For example, the Dusuns are famous for their rice wine which contains 15% alcohol.

It's actually quite good if you ask me.

Isn't she pretty? :)

So before the tour started, our tour guide, Tina gathered us together & explained some rules.

After that, she said "Okay, so for Tina's group, we need a leader. Who wants to be the leader?"

A group of ladies from the Philippines stared at the three of us and Tina looked at me.

Oh no.... Don't look at me.

This is when you start noticing everything else except the person staring at you.

The trees, the pimple on the person next to you, the ants...

Okay, how about you?, Tina said with a smile on her face.

Which explains......

this.

As for the Muruts, this is how you say hello when you visit the village :)

The leader of the village (shirtless man in the picture) will greet you. He will then ask you a few questions like your name, where you come from and your reason for visiting the villlage.

As opposed to usual handshake we give, the Muruts place their hands on each other's shoulder.

After 2 hours of touring & discovering, they served us iced lime before we settle down to watch a few performances by them :)

By the time we reached our hotel, it was 3-4 pm and we were thinking of things to do on our last night in KK.

Xher Rael messaged her friend who is from Sabah himself and he suggested for us to watch the sun set at Tanjung Aru. (Thanks, Calvin!)

Tanjung Aru was pretty far from the hotel and we were thinking twice if it was gonna be worth the taxi fare but thank God for super friendly and nice taxi drivers! :)

Saw this father taking pictures of his daughter earlier on.

A few minutes after that, the family (wife joined) were taking selfies in front of the sunset using the DSLR.

They looked like they needed a little help as both were carrying the daughter who was in the middle of both of them while holding the DSLR, hence I decided to offer to help taking the family picture for them :)

Found out that this family is from China. Even though it was merely a simple act, I was glad that I could help :)

The water at Tanjung Aru isn't as clean as the islands like Sapi but the sunset is definitely something worth staying for.

There are a few bars just along the beach so you can actually order a drink and watch the sun beautifully setting before your eyes. 

Our last night in KK could not have ended anymore beautifully :)

Before I end this post, I would like to thank a few people.. (Get your tissues ready, people)

To my amazing mom & dad, thank you :) For allowing me to go for this trip and trusting me. I am tremendously blessed to have the both of you  in life. 

To Xher Rael, thank you for planning some parts of this trip which has brought so many memories

To Annie, thank you for driving us around in Sarawak & constantly feeding us with good food. You really know how to take good care of the people around you

Last but not least, thank You Jesus for giving us good weather, keeping us girls safe throughout the whole trip and opening up my eyes to things which I have not expected. This trip wouldn't have happened without You. 

Aaaaaand that's a wrap, people! The borneo getaway update is finished! *does the victory dance.

Part II : Island Hopping

Hello hello,

Sorry for the much delayed post! August has been one crazily hectic month.

Nonetheless, will share with you on what we did in the beautiful KK, Sabah :)

So, my friends and I decided to go island hopping since Sabah IS famous for that.

We woke up early in the morning and realized that it was pretty cloudy.

Apart from that, the weather forecast showed that it will rain on that day.

Not much of a pleasant news to receive but....

The three of us sat together on the bed, prayed for good weather, and left the hotel with excitement :)

We visited 3 islands in the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park

FYI; TAR National Park comprises of 5 islands which are Gaya, Manukan, Sapi, Sulug and Mamutik.

Because we are only allowed to island hop for half a day, so we decided to go for Sapi & Manukan

On our way to the first island!

We did some research on the islands & discovered that Sapi is famous for its clear water.

True enough, the water in Sapi island is crystal clear :)

Taking some pictures & being a paparazzi before I go into the waters

I'm not quite sure if this picture does any justice to explain how clear the water in Sapi really was.

Yup, just casually hanging out with the fishes.

As you can tell, Annie had a lot of fun with the fishes :)

Right next, we headed to Manukan Island!

It is a pretty big island as there are few hotels on the island itself.

Just as we reached the island, one of the tour guides approached XR and asked if we were interested to snorkel in Mamutik.

After some bargaining, XR & Annie decided to go for it as he charged rm50 for 2 people.

I decided to stay in the boat & wait for them while they snorkel away. 

Unfortunately.....Annie had a hard time overcoming her phobia of deep waters when she tried to snorkel.

So, I was thinking hey, if she can't, then maybe I should... You know, since it IS for two people..

There was a voice inside which kept telling me to go for it.

Yet, I was still a little unsure about it as I don't know how to swim & was feeling tired.

"But I cannot swim... it's deep in the sea.. dangerous"

"Just go for it"

" I might just drown in the sea"

"Remember when you said that you want to try new things during this trip? Have faith & go in"

I stared into the ocean for a few minutes and thinking over again if I should really go for it.

Some of you might be laughing cause it's only snorkeling, so what?

But for one who cannot swim and to snorkel in an actual deep sea, that was pretty scary for me.

But you know what?

I went for it :)

The corals in Mamutik.......

*moment of silence

Sorry, I just cannot find words to describe them.

It was like I was watching National Geographic in HD with my own eyes in the water, I'm not even kidding!

We were so mesmerized by the beauty of the corals that we forgot to bring our camera along to take some pictures of them :(

So much for not going into the water & just waiting for the girls in the boat, I ended up snorkeling for the longest time among them. Hahah.

All smiles for the amazing snorkeling experience which we both will never forget :)

We three definitely had a good time on the first day of KK :)

Heads up; If you're planning to get some food on the island, I would suggest that you pack & bring it there instead :) 

The food sold on Sapi island is pretty expensive, partly because it is one of the islands which is further away from KK.

Another heads up; Try to rent snorkeling equipments from the jetty as there are a few stalls in Jesselton Point. It is cheaper than renting them in the island itself. Also, renting from the jetty is better because you will have it with you the whole time.

Another another heads up; If you ever have the opportunity to go snorkeling in Mamutik, please do not miss that opportunity!

Stay tuned for the next post, people! It's coming real soon :)

God Given Getaway

Hey guys!


Hope all of you are doing well because I certainly am :) Just came back from a short getaway which was a.m.a.z.i.n.g.


I honestly thought that it was possible to blog about the whole trip in one simple post but I don't think that is possible for now. Haha

Oh my. Where do I even start.

So anyways, Me and Xher Rael have been talking about where to go next after our diploma and one of the options available was Curtin in Miri, Sarawak.

We both thought that since we are gonna go over to check out the campus, why not spend a few days there in Sarawak for a short getaway too?

But sadly... there aren't much things to do in Sarawak. Haha

Hence, we decided to go to the one & only Sabah too!

We've been talking and planning for many many months. And I must say that this trip is a God Given Getaway :)

I personally have been looking forward to this trip because I knew that I needed a short break from everything, a break to refresh and rejuvenate myself.

And every time I thought about this trip which was drawing near day by day, I prayed a small prayer that God's hand would be over this trip.

So me and Xher Rael booked our flights in April.

A few months later, somewhere in July, XR told me that her friend, Annie was heading back to her hometown in Miri & that she needed our help to bring back some of her books.

Not only that, Annie also wanted to tag along with us for our Sabah trip.

Now, I have never met this girl & the only thing I knew about her is that she's from the same college as us. That was about it :)

It was pretty last minute as we already booked our accommodation in Sabah & I only got this meet this girl after our semester finals.

When Xher Rael introduced Annie to me, just 2-3 weeks before the trip, I just knew that this girl was a good person with a genuine heart.

We only got to see each other for 15-20 minutes before Annie flew back to her hometown but I felt the peace in my heart knowing that Annie was gonna tag along in this trip.

Annie is one with a beautiful heart :) One who offers to carry my camera bag when I'm taking pictures, offers food even when I'm not hungry and looks after everyone.


Let's just say that both Annie & Xher Rael were worried that I did not have any pictures of myself as I was carrying my DSLR everywhere we went.

Worried enough that they will take pictures of ME taking pictures of other people. Yup, no kidding!

Say hello to my 2 gorgeous travel buddies, Annie and Xher Rael :)

This is just the introduction, guys! :) Haha

Will share with you guys on some of the things we did in Sabah.

Stay tuned!

G Town

What comes to your mind when you think of Penang?



Is it the Char Koay Teow? Penang Hill? Kek Lok Si temple? the Batu Feringghi beach?



Well, I decided to update this part of Penang.



There's no doubt that this very part of Penang is attracting more and more tourists today,



With the growing number of cafes & street art murals around this area, there's no reason to not love this place :)





Mmmhmm, I'm talking about Georgetown :)

Here's a short update of my 1.5 hours spent in this awesome town.

It was getting pretty hot as the both of us were walking around Georgetown and it felt nice to hear Walls ice-cream music playing somewhere.

"Paddle pop.... Paddle pop...."

I'm pretty sure you were silently singing when you read that ;)

But anywho, I saw this man cycling around while selling Banggali bread and snacks.

Something which I have not seen for quite some time

"Uncle, Roti Banggali dengan kaya satu!"

Boy, something so simple yet so delicious.

Then, we stopped at this lane where all the hardware stuffs are sold & for some reason, this part of the lane caught my attention.

In my head, I was thinking "How is that uncle going to keep those things?"

It was a pretty cool lane filled with all metal things and old men just sitting by, waiting for time to pass them by. 

It was getting a little late and while walking back to the car, I saw this man cycling from afar.

I walked as fast as I could to stand right in front of this temple and held my camera on standby.

Wore the wrong shoes on that day too, hence, the two blisters
And no, I won't post any picture of the blisters :)


On a side note, walking barefooted in malls....
(checked)

Well, I'm pretty sure that he knew that I was taking a picture of him.

On a side note, will be on hiatus mode as I prepare for my finals.

Thanks for stopping by! :)

The Ch'ng Brothers

I have had strangers coming up to me, asking if I am the mother to this boy,

Some have even asked "How old is your son?",

We once showed him a picture of younger me (3-4 yrs old) and he asked "Why was I wearing a dress?"

Yuuuuuppp, you've guessed it. It's my nephew, Nathan Ch'ng.

Hellooooo people, 

Well I decided to share with you guys about my two lovely nephews, a.k.a The Ch'ng Brothers :)

Today is back to school day  for the big boy, Nathan :)

His 2 weeks of school holiday has come to an end and just last week, I was able to watch these two boys spend time together at home.

Its been a while since Nate & Evan actually got to spend the whole day together at grandma's place during the weekdays.

That's because Nate will be in school in the morning while Evan goes out for his daily breakfast time with Ah Kong & Ama

Let's just say that these two boys know how to have fun on their own. :)

Yes, just by lying down on the floor. 

Nate definitely  knows how to make the little brother laugh and smile, he doesn't even have to try sometimes.

Apart from lying down on the floor, Evan will also sit on his big brother.

After a while, they both try to sit on each other.

Amidst all of that is a lot of laughter, and also some tears when one gets a little too rough. 

And of course, there's Evan.

Who doesn't look so much like me. Phew.

Now that Nathan goes to school in the morning, lil Evan will spend more time with mom & dad.

Evan is slightly more quiet and observant but I love how he sometimes understands the things we say

And there is no doubt that this boy knows how to make our day with that bright smile on his face :)

Alright, that's about it people.

Hope all of you are doing well & have a great and fruitful week ahead!

Note : All pictures in this post were taken with the phone, except the first & last picture.

Cold Coffee.

Sometimes, its the small little things in life that really makes it a lot more worth it.

Just yesterday, mom invited him over for some home cooked food dinner since he usually has diner alone or with his other alone friend, Josh on Monday nights. (Hahah, I'm Js kidding josh)


So the both of us somehow catch flu quite often and most of the time, it happens when we both dont have enough rest.

Mom : *talks about how drinking cold drinks in the morning gives higher chance of getting flu.

Mom : I told eulene also, cause she likes to drink cold water in the morning. Maybe you should try and see if it works and all.

Roy : *nods head. Mmmm..

After that, mom went off to watch her daily Korean drama movie and the both of us did our work at the dining area.


Me : do you want coffee? I feel like drinking some

Roy : *eyes wide open. OH YES! Yes yes.

Me : er.. Okay.. Hot or cold?

Roy : *mouths cold

Me : huh? What?

Roy : *mouths cold again

Me : *lost

Roy : *whispers : cold!

Me : ohh, you should have said that earlier. I was like whuutttt.

Roy : Your mom just told me not to drink cold drinks that's why I didn't say it out loud

The both of us immediately laughed when he said that. His expression and words = (Y) Facebook like.


On a side note, this week might just be one of those very busy weeks again for me even though its so called my semester "break".

Monday - cargas chicken (for the first time)
Tuesday - run some errands and celebration dinner with firebrands family night team
Wednesday - planning and preparing for Onwards cell group
Thursday - meeting up with old school mates
Friday - meeting up with ex floorball coach and co-captain.
Saturday - worship leading at firebrands youth service.
Sunday - back up singing.


THAT along with two assignments which must be completed by end of this week.


With be updating a few photos which I've taken for the past few weeks :) take care people!

Falling

                          

Hope you enjoyed this! :)

Spontaneous Sunday

After having lunch with the FireBRANDS on a sunday afternoon, the both of us decided to head to town for a cup of coffee.

Talking about design, art, and all that.. I said "Hey, let's walk to E&O hotel"

I told him about this one spot which I had my eyes on since 4-5 years back when I was there with a group of friends taking photos

So this guy willingly said yes and he became my model for the day!

It was all spontaneous, we were just walking around the hotel and I decided to take some shots at this particular spot :)

All of these were taken with his iPhone because.....sadly my Google phone isn't very good when it comes to camera quality and speed.

So yes, I am not an Apple fan but I must say that in terms of  phone camera quality, they're the best... For now. (Google, do something quick!)

Reminder.

God is good, all the time.

He puts a song of praise in this heart of mine,

God is good, all the time,

In the darkest night, His light will shine

God is good,

God is good,

All the time.

Flashback.

Just three days ago, I received the news that Bukit Jambul Girls Team won the KFSPP competition.

Boy, I was so so happy to hear that :) I couldn't stop smiling when I received the news.

Hats off to EVERYONE in the team and to their awesome captain, Mesha! That girl is a fighter and her determination has always caught my attention ever since she started joining the club.

Later at night, I was talking to Ruben, a school friend of mine as he was updating me about how the girls played etc.

Just so you know, Ruben was the captain for the BJ Boys Team in 2012.. and they were... *coughs. Champions of the year. ;)

After the short conversation, I started to think back about the experience I had during KFSPP 2012.

It was a bucket of different emotions all in one - nervous, scared, inferior, excited, super duper nervous.

Being the captain for the girls team wasn't my choice, I knew that floorball wasn't much of my passion.

However, due to circumstances, I had to take up this role and work alongside with Ruben.

Looking back to KFSPP 2012, which was two years ago, during the final match and how my team lost during a penalty shoot, I remember breaking down immediately as I got off from the court.

I usually don't cry, but at that very particular moment, tears just rolled down from my eyes and I couldn't control them.

I remember feeling like a failure to my coach, my friends and everyone in the team.

Heart breaking would probably be a mild statement to describe the situation.

And till this very day, I thank God for a few people that stood by me throughout my 2012.

One of them is Chow Zhu Qing :)

 This girl found out that I broke down in one of the toilet cubicals, waited outside until I came out and gave me the longest hug, telling me it's okay.

You supported us, you cheered for us, you shouted for us, and you were there for me at my lowest point.

Despite the fact that we are so many miles apart and barely communicate now, know that I'm thankful for you :)

To the other Jambulians who have been there for me as well, Su Ann, Sara, Hui Mui, Kimberly, Ruben, and Daniel Boey :) thank you all so very much.

April

 I don't know about you, but the fact that it's already April kinda scares me a little. Like, how did time fly by so so fast?

Anywhooooo...


So the guy did some research and insisted to tell me where we gonna dine in but somehow I kinda found out. Kinda like how I found out that we were going to KL for my birthday last year. He still has a longggg way to master his skills in keeping secrets from me. ;)

He definitely did a good job in his research cause the food was *double thumbs up!

 While we were about to finish our meal, the waiter came and asked him if he wanted his Irish Coffee to be served and then he asked (with his English/American accent) "would you like to try our Banana (something) dessert to go along with your coffee?"


and bam, the dessert came.

We both looked at each other when the desert was served and he said " I think this is fine dining"

Hahah.

But all in all, the food+company were great :)
thank you again, Mr Roy!

So my sem break is coming to an end soon.... What have I been doing eh?

Sweeping, mopping, folding clothes, drying clothes, washing clothes, scolding nate for not doing his homework,   guiding Nate through his homework, reading, spending time with fireBRANDS, ukulele-ing, getting MORE sleep, and of course.....

Doing what I love : taking pictures :)

That's about it, guys. Just a short & quick update :) till next time!