Category: Life

Frankly speaking, I didn’t feel like going to work today even though yesterday my semangat was like berkobar-kobar. Had to force myself to wake up in the morning because I was so sleepy to a point that is not describable in words.

Pushing so hard for my mind to work in the office. This is after-effect of a long holiday. Didn’t even have the mood to dress up for work but tomorrow I will have to dress up a bit lah. Maklumlah it’s still Chinese New Year. I am like that one.

I’m still trying to find the joy and happiness of my work. Although it isn’t a very good working day today as my heart is left at home and my brain is at work, I’m really trying my best to talk myself in showing a professional attitude. It’s not an easy chore to talk to myself everyday. I’m so hard to be motivated, except maybe if there was a lion dance in the office today then it would have helped to jump start my day.

I don’t know why I go post yesterday as Jade Emperor’s Birthday. Maybe because everyone was praying last night so my mind also sot already. Correction to the title of yesterday’s post.

Today is the day I flew back to KL. Air Asia’s aircraft is very cold and their landing has always been perfect. It’s good to be back even though I kept lamenting how sad I am to leave Sandakan. Like I said, I feel recharged this time, my mind is clearer and so I feel more in control of myself than before. It might change entirely after I start work and get drowned in the workload but let’s just hope I get to steer myself properly this time. Even if drown also I will get to keep myself afloat after that.

Did the usual thing when I come home. Open all the windows. Water the plants (they have been very thirsty for about 13 days..I am glad they are not dead). Kiss Ducky and Bebeki. They smell like they’ve not been kissed for a long time. EAT! (Mummy fried some rice for me so that I can eat after I reach KL and so I came home and had lunch at 3pm). I look around the house and I just love this house.  Went out to pump petrol, pump air and went for facial. hehe

Time is very precious to me now so whenever I have free time, I’ll slot in a facial session else it’s hard to slot myself in during working days. Face is so red now, I hope the redness fades by tomorrow morning.

I’m listening to CNY songs again now and selecting photos to be edited and uploaded for your viewing pleasure if you can see me in Facebook of course.

Tomorrow 4 February is ??  (Li Chun), the beginning of Spring and I’m starting work on the this day itself. I read somewhere that it’s the worst day to start work  if you are born in the year of the Dog…but I don’t really have a choice but to start work tomorrow. I will ignore it and stick to my belief that starting work on the beginning of Spring would mean a start of a new life and new hope! must think positive ma! correct or not?

EAT!

EAT!

…and EAT!

Prawn. Fish. Crab. Shell. Eat these almost everyday to a point where I’m a bit scared just looking at a prawn! I’ve always love fish so it’s fine. I can go with fish everyday.

We had lobster today. I didn’t want it because I felt like so tired of eating anything related or looking like a prawn but Pappy insisted, saying I won’t get to eat lobster like this in KL. So he bought 2 fresh lobster from Sim Sim. Fresh as in they are still alive when we bought it.  2 lobsters for RM20. Very very good deal!

After dinner, there was a lion dance at one of the restaurants. This lion is neither the lompat-lompat kind nor the kopek limau kind, it’s the DRINKING BEER kind. hehe

Can’t write much. Need to sleep earlier. Need to catch a flight.

Sandakan..I will always love you.

Today is one of the most action-packed day of my CNY in Sandakan.

Woke up early in the morning to go to the Rainforest Discovery Centre in Sepilok. It’s nice to break away and indulge in the greenness! I totally love the feeling of walking in the forest. There were many kinds of plants that you can see here. Most of them are labelled. You get to see big big trees. Tall tall trees. Majestic!

There is a suspension bridge, a canopy walk and a tower. It’s like you’re walking on the forest when you are walking along the canopy walk. Didn’t get to go on the suspension bridge because Mummy was already tired of walking.

Heard from the workers there that talked to Pappy that Sultan of Brunei will be visiting this place. You can see the Brunei flags being raised along the lamp post so I guess it’s true. Prince Philip will be coming here to in March if not mistaken. Cool, isn’t it?

This Rainforest Discovery Centre is well-maintained. There is also an air-conditioned room that showcases the kinds of forests that exists on Mother Earth, how forest preservation works and other educational and informative facts of our forest.

Came home and slept like I haven’t slept in 10 days because I had a late night yesterday and forced myself to wake up early to go to the wilderness this morning. After 1 hour plus or more of walking in the forest, it just sapped the energy out of me.

In the evening, went to have ice cream with Mummy at Vedablu and on our way there, we saw a lion dance troupe waiting to perform at another cafe so we opted to sit outside of the ice cream outlet that we were going so that we can hop off easily once we hear the sound of the drums! It was Mummy’s idea so looks like she’s more excited than I am!

This is my 2nd lion dance performance that I get to see here. Chances of me meeting one this year is little because of the rain and because I don’t have a car that I can drive myself to hunt for them. Haha! So…at least today I saw one even though it’s not the melompat-lompat kind but the kopek limau kind. Boleh juga lah.

For dinner, we tossed for good luck. Usually I’ll go dinner with my family and we’ll have yee sang on the 7th day of CNY because it’s everyone’s birthday today for the Chinese.

Tomorrow I’m going to spend my last day in Sandakan before I head back to Kuala Lumpur day after tomorrow.

Do you know that Chinese New Year 2010 (next year) falls on 14 February. That’s Valentine’s Day and first day of CNY! Awesome, isn’t it? I was looking at the calendar and already wanting to plan the dates of when I should come back to Sandakan for my next CNY. 😀

Visited a friend today. We went to the same primary school and secondary school. I used to spend weekends at her house just chatting away when we were still in school. We also share food while she’s on duty as a school prefect in primary school and I would stand next to her, sharing with her the food Mummy prepared for me. I miss those times.

Met another few friends who used to be girl guides just like me and it was funny listening to one of them talking about the perils of her working life.

In fact, whenever I come back to Sandakan. It relives all my wonderful memories of my childhood. And each time I come back, my mind would always start to think about coming back for good.

I have many thoughts this time around.

Firstly, friends…they are hard to keep. Some friends of mine make it hard because they just don’t want to be dated out for a drink. For some reason, I just don’t understand why. So I only have a few that I truly cherish our friendship. In cases like this, I have no choice but to expand my network by getting to know new people else it’s really sad because each passing CNY, more and more friends just start to disappear. It’s like they are no longer interested to keep in touch.

Many of my friends are still single even though there are some that are married and about to get married. I’ve always thought I’m the odd one out but it seems like a normal thing of still being single and available. We are all worried, especially being ladies so we must strive harder to get noticed!

Coming back home, I’ve also put in some serious thought of really working towards things I’ve planned to do but just don’t have that commitment to accomplish it. It’s always about not having enough time. Like I said before, I want to do something substantial this year and I MUST do it this time.

So you see…it’s a good thing to come home at least once a year…I look at things at a different perspective and going back to KL, I’ll feel refreshed and recharged, ready to take on the world again.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Total count of lion: 2

No photos taken because no one was home and so I was the one giving out the angpao to the lion. Another one came but it looks cacat so I also don’t feel like taking a photo of it.

Went to visit a friend this afternoon and then yamcha.

At night, there was a reunion gathering of our highschool mates and teachers. Very nice to see good old faces. Talked to people I’ve never talked to in class. It’s weird right? You are in the same class but never get to talk. Maybe because I’m just too quiet. Or we just don’t click or I don’t know. So tonight I made my effort to stretch my hand to give that handshake first to break the ice. Dapat juga aku cakap sikit dengan orang yang saya kenal tapi tak pernah cakap sebelum ni.

There were so many people, so many questions I want to ask that I don’t even know where to begin with. By just looking at their faces, exchanging smiles dah mencukupi juga. It’s nice lor. Nice that I don’t know how to describe the feeling. This is our reunion after 10 years of leaving school. Awesome, kan?

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

It rained super heavily starting 7 something in the morning. Another downpour again after that. As usual, Gracie & Family has got an open house on the first day of Chinese New Year. All I can say is this year is quieter than before, even the guests are lesser in number. Some don’t even bother to reply my SMS. Never mind.

Managed to speak to Iris in the UK too. She’s about to go to sleep while we are preparing to dress up for the day. Feel a bit sad lor..and wanted to cry also because I really miss her. It’s just different, very different without her around. It’s been 3 CNYs. But today is not supposed to be a day to cry.

Poured tea for Pappy this morning, wishing him good health. Because we drank tea a bit later in the morning while busying with other stuff, there was already a guest in the house that saw me pouring tea and wishing my dad. She laughed. Pappy laughed then I also shy lor. hahaha.

Wore my new cheongsam. 🙂 Ada orang cakap saya cantik. Cakap saya sudah gemuk sikit. Gemuk sikit baru cantik cakapnya. Suruh saya it’s time to kahwin.

I get to meet the same people every CNY and I like the familiarity. There’s a boy that I’ve seen for 3-4 consecutive years from a baby to now being 5-year old. Very cute.

A friend, my junior, seemed blur blur the years before but now he’s all grown up and is already married! He’s a really nice guy and I kinda poured out a problem that has been hiding in my heart for so long when he asked about my relationship. A problem that I’ve not written here before and don’t think it will be written until the problem is solved. Offered to help me and by just listening to that, I’m already very happy. When you’re married, you’re just grown up and mature just like that. I look at him and I feel very happy for him. He’s young but he’s set so many things right in the first place.

Few close friends came and I appreciate it a lot. I don’t have the privilege to drive around here because there is only one car and I can’t drive that car because it’s a company car and I need a GDL licence to drive it. So I can only depend on others and there’s a friend who’s ever so willing to drive me. Nampaknya, dapat juga aku pergi bersiar-siar malam nanti. haha

No lion dance that came to the house in the morning due to the rain  I suppose but at least there were 2 in the evening. One was quite old. One was nicer and very cheeky.  I managed to snap one shot that I love every much today. The lion was like staring straight at me while I snapped a shot. It came out very comical.

Going for 2 other open houses at night. 1 more lion to catch and more angpows to collect!

Gracie and family wishes everyone a prosperous, wealthy, healthy and auspicious Year of the Ox!

GONG XI FA CAI!
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Over a span of 2 days, I have been visiting supermarkets for 5 times. 3 supermarkets in total, with 2 repeating visits to two of them. Met my former English tuition teacher and a friend while I visited the supermarket.

CNY decoration is all up now and I like the fact that I’m home earlier this year as compared to a few years back where I would normally be flying back 1-2 days before Chinese New Year, just in time for reunion dinner where I don’t have to do a single thing to prepare for it but to savour the dinner and enjoy the rest of CNY.

This year I get to help with the decoration and I think I like it this way. Have not met up any friends yet because I just want to stay home. Coming to think of it, my friends get lesser and lesser each year, the ones that I normally stick with are also those I usually stick with when I’m in KL. Only 2-3 closer ones. This year I feel the need to expand my circle of friends.

Tomorrow it’s going to be an early morning at the market to accompany mum to shop for ingredients for reunion dinner. Something I’ve been doing for a few years lately because I think it’s important. As you grow older, there will be things that you’ve taken granted for last time that you’ll take it seriously now. I used to not following my mum to the market on the eve of CNY because I always felt I needed that extra dose of sleep. But these few years, I was just thinking how many eve of CNY I can have to accompany mum to the market?

After flying back, my face seems to be releasing tension. It’s bumpy with red dots, like detoxing itself, releasing all harmful things that I’m starting to worry because I want to look good on CNY. Then it’s menses day today and for half a day, I’m like lifeless. Uncomfortable and slightly painful. In fact, I had stomach cramp last night when I was sleeping so I knew it was a sign that it’s near. Good that it came today so that I don’t have to appear lifeless on the first day of CNY.

Coming back here is like living the good ol’ life. You have to reduce your speed, slower your pace, walk instead of run. I get to sleep earlier and wake up earlier. No stress or whatsoever. And whenever I come back, I always feel that I want to come back here for good. There are development going on that is certainly going to change this town. More roads are being built and it’s just so nice. No regrets of taking a long leave this CNY to be back home. Wanted to drag it until Chap Goh Meh but tak boleh lah..unless I’m jobless.

Read more predictions of the year of my zodiac until I don’t know what is what. Some say is good. Some say it’s not so good but whatever it is. There are things that I want to do this year. The economic situation may be bad but I don’t see a direct impact on me yet so I’m going to try my luck on one thing that I’ve planned for myself. May turn out well, may be worse than my current situation but my mind and heart has been telling me to just go for it, give it a try so I’ll seize any opportunity coming my way because I need such change.

I need a change.

I need a fresh start.

I need something that I feel is adding value to my life and not robbing my life values away.

eyes are tired. computer is sleepy. bed is so enticing. teeth needs a good brush.

I love Sandakan!