Being Outdoors

I've put this entry about Kinabalu off long enough. I wanted to write something more "narrative-ish" but maybe I'll try doing this a bit more scrap-book-style.

The place that we stayed at was called Lavender Lodge. It was simple, relatively cheap, had common toilets and the nicest hosts.



This is what a triple-sharing looks like.



It has minimal furniture but I felt really at home. There was just enough space for us to hang our wet clothes and dump our stuff. They provided towels and bathrooms slippers.



This is the view from our window! It's not one of the sea or a mountain range, but I like it. The air-con vents and random staircase that didn't seem to come from anywhere and didn't lead anywhere was... a rather unique sight. It was noisy as hell when rained pattered on the zinc roofs though.



This noticeboard found just before the TV area was stuffed full of useful maps (such as this one of Kinabalu City) and hilarious jokes. I remembered one between a French and British guy. The French guy said that there was a woman's clitoris like a melon. And the British guy said that it was impossible cause that would just be too big and she wouldn't have been able to walk if it were! And the French guy said, "Aah, you English, always thinking about size" replied the Frenchman. "I was talking about the flavor!"



Our simple breakfast every morning included toast and coffee or tea. It was served generously with hospitality, sugar, butter and jam. We got bananas and mangosteen on the last day. I was a bit sick of eating the same thing after the fourth morning but it was always exciting witnessing the bustling of activity in the morning.



We headed down to Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal to take a ferry down to Sapi Island. Our host told us the breakdown of the cost and gave us a coupon. It came up to about $39 to get there. There was the ticket, followed by tax and some conservation tax that had to be paid by the island. It was a bit confusing but we managed to get everything we needed before waiting for the ferry.



Jesselton Point had a great view and a wall depicting the growth of Kinabalu into the small city that it is now. I wish that it wasn't so blazing hot that we had to hide in the shade instead of sitting around and watching people walk past.



The waiting was a bit bad and we were bored. However there was a Korean family nearby.



Ness' boards the ferry like Superwoman, only hotter.



I loved the journey to the island. My hair was a mess after that and so was Melvin's and Ness', except theirs were way more dramatic. I would like to put up a few pictures here but I would be smacked. So I have decided to keep them to myself for now or maybe upload them on facebook when I feel like it.



People having a wonderful time eating on the island. The food was a bit expensive and there was BBQ and buffets but I think that one was catered. We had a bag of potato chips at Melvin's request and that was about $3 I think.



We were silly and bought sunblock at the Ferry Terminal. Please. For the love of your skin and your youth. Bring sunblock. Also your wallet and money because it was rather expensive to buy sunblock at the Ferry Terminal.



We took turns to go down to snorkel and see the fish. The water wasn't spectacularly clear and but there were a greater variety of fish than I remembered seeing in Phuket years ago. How is this related to a photo of me smiling into the camera? Er, well, we only got one pair of snorkel equipment so only two of us could go at any one time. And the other person had to look after stuff. So there.



The view at the other end of the island.



We waited for the ferry back at this dock. It was a bit chaotic. You've sort of got to trust that your ferry will come and at the same time not be shy to ask everybody and anybody about your ferry's arrival. Also holding on tightly to the receipt.



And bring a camera to camwhore while waiting. The weather took a turn for the nasty as the sky became really dark, in stark contrast to the seemingly infinite amount of sunshine blasting its way to the island just a couple of hours ago.



We spotted crabs and schools of fish and also these BLISTERING BARNACLES.

After that it rained but we ventured bravely out of our lodge and into the streets for shopping and food.



Melvin was drenched and we were cold.



And so we went to Starbucks for the first of three Starbucks visits that we would eventually make. The hot chocolate was awesome. Also I borrowed Melvin's cap.



The not-high-rise buildings showed plenty of sky wherever we went. Sexy.



We made our way to the markets that were facing the sea (along Jln Tun Fuad Stephens). If only it wasn't still drizzling like crazy we would've explored more and I wish I had a better camera too. The place was filled with sights and smells. It was fantastic. It reminded me of this narrow street hawker place that I visited in Phuket. I wasn't really game to try the food as my arms and legs started breaking out in rashes (thankfully they never reached my face) but I was dying to try some of the colourful beverages.



This is the handicraft market that was beside all the other markets. It was rather stuffy and most of them were selling similar things. I must admit that I'm lousy at appreciating handicrafts and the fact that there were so many stalls were rather overwhelming! The place smelt strange too... like mysterious and exotic. And also stuffy.



The pier stretched out for... erm, many metres (miles around would've been an exaggeration) and the view was picturesque. We weren't really hungry yet and it was too early to be drinking by the sea as it was not yet nightfall.



We then went to this place at Asia City Complex for dinner. It was really crowded and the food was not half bad! There was nasi lemak but according to Ness the place was famous for its toast. The tea there was great too! We had a very satisfying meal after a lot of walking and made our way back early as we had to catch the 8AM bus for whitewater rafting.

For which I have no photos because my camera is not waterproof and so I didn't bring it along. It was tremendous fun going down the Padas River with the Riverbug. I hope I don't get lazy and get down to writing about it because it was quite an experience. Also, I should possibly start writing blog entries earlier and not have to go the bed at 3AM. Bah.

Good night.

Stability

I need to sleep but I always put blogging at the end of the list of things that I have to do because writing is kind of like giving birth - painful and satisfying at the same time. Not that I would know of course. It's just a fucking metaphor.

Being a Libran, there's an internal scale in me. I'm not prone to extremes in behavior, or at least I like to think of myself that way. (This is related to my views on the ending of Inception - how my believes and perception are one but that's another entry altogether.) Life's been crazy of late - I've stepped foot on 3 countries in a matter of two weeks, done things that haven't done. There's this struggle to get back into routine and have a bit of the predictable, boring life, possibly following the schedule of next semester's time table which has yet to be confirmed. There's been too much of the new and exciting. I need a bit more comfort in the familiar.

That's just the way I am. There're always these periods of life where it goes into manic mode and I get overexposed to new people, new things, new perspectives and then just before it overwhelms me, I go into hiding to give myself some time away from this "new".

An old friend of mine once told me to invest in human relationships more than anything else. I always thought he was a bit extreme with regards to this but now, I feel, he's probably right. The things that give us the most satisfaction are our bonds with others and not things things. I'm glad to have people around me to provide me with this stability.

Someone I talked to today also questioned if this search for excitement acts to distract us from our own emo-ness. I can't say I agree because I'm not exactly the emo kind but I constantly seek adventure or "new" stuff, but possibly this is true of me as well. I wouldn't know what I would do if I wasn't leading life with a bit of crazy.

Yet another person (yes I have been talking to many people) talked to me about death last night. His belief is rather close to mine... the scientific one... that we are just gone when we die. I freak out whenever this topic is discussed. I get the chills and that deep sinking feeling. I remember being young and asking my parents about it and they answered the best they could but the truth is, no one really knows what happens. And it freaks me out. It just pushes me to live a bit more on the edge than I should, to expect more from my own life and to hope that at the end of the day that I've left something behind in the world or at least made a difference to others. That's what I live by.

I don't know if I've deviated too much from what I started writing about but this might be a case of adult adolescence. Stability possibly won't come till I'm a bit older and I should just enjoy the rollercoaster that I'm on now. As David Wygant says, "Your moods may change too; this is something I particularly remember about my 20s. That’s why you may tend to get a little depressed at times and more introspective. But don’t beat yourself up. Don’t be hard on yourself. Understand that you’re going to be fine. You’re going to have an amazing, kick-ass, unbelievable life, especially if you look at your 20s as a time to make mistakes, learn, grow, and figure yourself out in order to plan for a great future."

Kinabalu Preview

With great experience comes new perspectives and that is a sign of time well-spent. I enjoyed this trip so much. At the end of it all I feel refreshed, enriched and more determined to do what I believe in.

The message I got out from my trip to Phuket was one of breaking the monotony and living the moment. The one I got out from this trip was reflecting on my lifestyle and passion. The people there were blessed with the same gift of life as me but their wants and needs are so different from my own. As I took the train past settlements in the hills, I was forced to re-examine my priorities in life.

And also the words on the T-shirts of the guides really got to me.

Do what you like, like what you do.

I thought about what I really wanted to do and how it might possibly be off the beaten track. What I'm good at, what I'm not. What I enjoying doing. There're just so many choices to discover and I guess that's what happens when you put yourself in a foreign place. Exploration. Exploring the unfamiliar around you and at the same time, getting to know yourself.

Conservation and being conservative has served Sabah well. It is also possibly the destination that I am most eager to revisit. I like the pace of life there and the fact that it's not overly-developed or commercialised. It's a place for the great outdoors and the atmosphere, scenery and fresh air were inspiring to say the least.

A big thank you to Ness and Melvin, without whom this trip would have been impossible. We make a pretty good team and it was great travelling with you guys!

Salt

Salt was rather entertaining and quite unpredictable. I wasn't really blown away by things blowing up the same way I was blown away by Angelina Jolie's acting although I can't help but feel that she's being typecast. With this film I think she's really got potential to stretch her acting chops. I guess it's up to her whether she wants to or not. She was very present, channeling energy and intensity in every scene. That must not have been easy considering the sometimes annoying lines and the action sequences.

Maybe I'm a bit naive but till the end I still could not figure out which side she was on and all the uncertainty made this film more watchable than its contemporaries.

Ambition

When I graduate, I would like to be a tuition teacher, a teacher, a DJ, a PR person, a marketing executive, a magazine writer, a book writer, a traveler, a travel writer, a travel writer who writes travel books...

I would also like to be handsome(r), filthy rich and in love.

Possibly also the owner of perfect teeth.

YOG Rehearsal

I just went to Ness' blog and I realised that I am not supposed to post photos of the opening ceremony however I have prepared this entry before reading it and I am not about to let my efforts go down the drain. If you are attending the ceremony in any way please stop reading right now. If you are not (which surely most of you aren't) please scroll and see the photos.

I think I can understand why the average Singaporean isn't excited that YOG is held here. Partly because most of them (yes I'm talking about the rather self-centered CNA.com-reading-people) are self-centered. Oops I said that already!

Interested or not, it'd be foolish and narrow-minded to not see what the YOG has on our small country. I'm proud that the world's youth athletes are currently being housed in NTU. I'm proud that the world will have something to say about Singapore. I sat through the ceremony last night and there were countries whose names I haven't heard of, partially due to my own ignorance and partially due to how impossible it is to know every country on earth! I see this as a great opportunity for the world to see Singapore for what she is and what she stands for.

I sound more patriotic than how I felt during National Day.

Also it has impacted youths in a big way (I pray that they stay away from the negativity of cynical adults. those motherfuckers.) There's the opportunity for exchange between our youths and the athletes, opportunities to volunteer and to work (my brother is waking up at 530AM every day to head down to NTU although I'm not sure what he does), opportunities to write, to photograph, to report, opportunities to perform... The list is endless - it's such a huge celebration of sportsmanship and a step towards world peace.

It was with great enthusiasm as I took my seat at The Float. I enjoyed the performances tremendously (parts of it reminded me of a very extravagant pop concert). The music production was fantastic - ranging from Korean songs to American hits (Nobody to Tik Tok) and old to new (Ace of Base's Beautiful life yo!). It was fantastically done and included songs that have transcended culture and were hits for different singers in different languages. The costume and stage design was WOW too. My only gripe was the choreography. It would've been more exciting to see formations than dance steps although the water-splashing bit was brain-spoil brilliant.

The one thing that stood out was the energy of the youngsters. It was incredible and I hope they didn't have to go to school the next day! They really put everything out there although they must've gone through countless rehearsals and possibly many groups of unresponsive audiences (don't worry kids this is the rehearsal audience the real one will be better). I was moved by their discipline and their performance. I remember reading somewhere (I forgot where) about youths being seen on the streets with a repulsive sense of entitlement, taking everything for granted and spoilt rotten. I can only hope that they are the minority and the majority are these youngsters, who are passionate, who sweated it out for a cause, who believe in something bigger than themselves.

Also there were too little fireworks yesterday.

And a huge thank you to Qiao Ping and Joyce for their wonderful company. I know I'm energetic and high every time we meet - just like an Energizer Bunny I'm turned on all the time.



MBS is really pretty. I would like to stay in her forever.



Red is my favourite colour.



Look at the splashing! So ingenious! Like fountain! (Bobby feels sorry for them because they were in their sharp-looking uniforms but they looked like they were enjoying it!)



Flag-raising. First time I see the flag so big.





The Monster segment. It was really clever how the monster was fighting with the guy on the ground. Good job the video-design people! (I cannot remember what they are called lah!)







Also a bit clever the twirling strands of DNA representing humans, which changed colour according to the flags that came out. We are all different on the outside but fundamentally the same.



The kid on the right shouted rather loudly "GO HOME!" after it was announced that one of the segments ended. It was hilarious and I don't blame him. They were waving and hyping the crowd for hours. They all did a wonderful job.

I'm a bit sad that this is possibly my only chance to have anything to do with the YOG and I regret that I didn't volunteer to be any part of it but I wish all those who did to have fun and that it'll possibly be a memorable and enriching experience for all of them.