ANOTHER YEAR ADDED....

As the dust settles

On another year added to my life

I stand amazed God,

Once again you have proven

 Your wisdom and perfect timing

There were trials, pain and victories

Moments that required 'a try again'

You have been there

 Every step of the way

Sometimes I wanted to question –

Then calmness settle 

Cause a lesson needed to be learned

Today I just want to say "Thank you Lord"

 'Cause without you,

I would not have made it… 

You knew my worth

You knew my ability

You saw the best in me

When I sometimes questioned it..

EXOTIC BALI ON MY MIND

One day, months ago, one of my best buds gushed about the cheap flights offered by low cost carrier AirAsia to Bali which has now resumed its direct flights from Kota Kinabalu.  The direct flights were discontinued a few years back, a business decision I presume. Its resumption that commenced on 27th July 2013 was very much welcomed by the netizens of Sabah as they would no longer have to travel through KLIA.   The cheap flights from Kota Kinabalu to Bali thrice weekly every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday were snapped within minutes! Some must have been waiting in ambushed days after the announcement.  

What was supposed to be a trip for just 3 or 4 of us ladies, later swelled to 20!  Some of the tickets were acquired double than the amount that we paid.  The 6N/5D trip from 15th February was a dream come true for me as I have always wanted to visit this beautiful island!  

Bali is indeed magical, steeped in rich tradition and spirituality that focuses mainly on art and religion. Most public areas, homes and paddy fields are decorated by intricate carvings, paintings and artworks.   Home to many beautifully and sacred temples throughout the country, Bali villages hold many temple festivals and colourful geremonies.  I understand that ninety percent of Balinese are Hindu and around five percent Muslims, the remaining practise Buddhism or Christianity. 

..these offerings are found almost everywhere.. in and around houses, shops or other public places.  Looks like a potpourri of flowers

We boarded the evening flight from Kota Kinabalu and was met at the airport by the tour coordinator. Just as we were about to board the bus that was waiting, we were delighted to be welcomed with garland of yellow flowers. I laughingly told my friends, the flower smelled Bali!

We were brought to Ubud, a 1 1/2 hours drive away, with a stop-over at a restaurant for late dinner and later we arrived our hotel, a restful retreat set within a green landscape at the edge of Ubud's sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. 

 Our ride..

The monkeys wandering about the hotel..

The following morning as I walked along the beautifully landscaped garden towards the cafe for breakfast, I had a shock of my life when a couple of monkeys got into my path. We were earlier warned that these monkeys can be bold and guests were known to have lost their sunglasses or handbags being left around attended. And so upon encounter of these animals, I instinctively held onto my handbag as if my life depended on it.. hahaha..

We really had fun visiting and shopping in this amazing island and should another opportunity strikes, I would be in Bali again in a heart's beat. 

I hereby share some pictures of our trip and let the pictures speak for themselves, mostly taken with my hand phone cam.

stunning rice terrace, taken from a moving bus..

Above - Taman Ayun Temple

Ulun Danu is a Hindu Temple located at the hilly side of Candi Kuning countryside. It is set at a lakeside of Beratan  surrounded by hills situated in the plateau area. The atmosphere there is cool and breezy.

 Tanah Lot - a rock formation. It is home of a pilgrimage temple, the Pura Tanah Lot, and a popular tourist and cultural icon for photography.

 ..the guyz after getting 'blessings' Hindu ways..

 BBQ Seafood Dinner at Jimbaran Bay, Kuta

..took this as it reminded me of someone born in the year of a horse 

Cheers folks, thanks for dropping by and have a lovely week!

The Rose is Red, the Violet's Blue

Happy Chap Goh Meh

February 14 this year is a double celebration for lovebirds.  The special day for lovebirds coincides with the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, which is also the last day of the celebration. Some refer to Chap Goh Meh, the 15th night as the Chinese Valentine's Day due to the local tradition of tossing mandarin oranges into the sea in search of love. The tradition, originated in Penang, Malaysia, was an occasion for unmarried women to toss the oranges in the hope that the fruits would be picked up by eligible young men who would be their future spouse.

Good luck ladies and may your Valentine pick your oranges tonight!!

The rose is red, the violet's blue,

The honey's sweet, and so are you.

Thou art my love and I am thine;

I drew thee to my Valentine:

The lot was cast and then I drew,

And Fortune said it should be you...

BUTTERFLY CAME LATELY...

I was waiting for someone who was running a little late and getting impatient by the minute but comforting myself that everything happens for a reason... what else can one do then except wait and watch precious minutes go by. The alternative of course is to just get up and leave which I almost did.

But Mr Butterfly (or Miss Butterfly) came along and was flying around me, giving me that come hither look, challenging me and taking my attention away from boredom and seemingly saying, "Hey, look at me, I am gorgeous!"  "Show off", I muttered and ignored it. It kept coming back and I felt honoured and flattered that it thinks that I am worth getting attention from ....so I took the bait and clumsily took out my camera and shot it. As if it knew it now had my attention, Mr Butterfly perched on a cluster of yellow flowers, flapping its wings and showing off its spectacular colours!

Using my zoom lens, I took several shots, but my skills in getting the camera's mode like setting the Aperture, Shutter Speed  and ISO right is very much lacking, and so I couldn't get the desired shot.  Still, I managed to play around with the settings. These are some of my best shots and I am rather pleased with them. 

Oh well, I shall treat this as my learning process. So thank you Mr Butterfly. Yes, everything happens for a reason, you helped me learn something. 

As if saying, "it's my pleasure", it flapped its wings and circled around me and disappeared, most probably on the lookout for its next 'victim' in need of help, leaving me a little forlorn...... 

Goodbye Mr Butterfly and thank you for lesson learnt....

Cheers!!

(a repost)

In the Eyes of UNK Judge

I was invited to judge at one of the district's UNK competition

And the Winner is...

Sometimes we wonder how the Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan (UNK) judges choose the UNK winner. Why sometimes those beautiful ones fail to make it to the top 15 whilst those not so beautiful even make it to the top 7. One thing for sure is that the judges would usually have a tough time because beauty is such a personal thing and as the saying goes' one man's food is another man's poison' or 'beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder'.

Therefore, the appointment of judge for UNK competition or any beauty pageant for that matter, should be given a lot of thought. He or she should be someone known to have integrity, have some social standing in society or someone knowledgeable, experienced or involved in aesthetics beauty. And if it involved traditional costumes, then at least one judge should be knowledgeable on the tradtional costumes. The Unduk Ngadau symbolises the mythical 'Huminodun' who was supposed to possess not only beauty that anyone who gazes at her lovely counternance would be transfixed, but who was also kindhearted, blessed with wisdom beyond her years, someone with great courage and was willing to be sacrificed so as to save the starving mankind once upon a time.

This of course is quite unrealistic now but it should at least help or guide a judge when it comes to choosing a UNK winner. To know whether the UNK candidate is kindhearted or otherwise would be quite impossible to tell at short notice. That is why, the lady endowed with most pleasant counternance and physique in the eyes of a UNK judge usually wins.

THE SOLUOI CLAN OVER THE CENTURIES

The story of my great great grandmother

As narrated by my cousin,  Datuk SKK

A long time ago in the late 19^th century a very young damsel of about 15, living in a farmstead far away somewhere in the thick of the Crocker range of the Tambunan region, joined her parents in a convoy to a faraway place to the west of where they were, where, she was told, a centre, famously called Kolombuong, existed, where all manners of people gathered together every 10-day interval to exchange all manners and assortments of goods and services.

A typical of such expeditions would take several days and nights to make, traversing mountains and valleys on foot along hazardous jungle path often much infested with leaches and all manners of bugs, while all along every member of the convoy would be  carrying their burdens of jungle produce on their backs for the prospective exchange at their destination. The convoy would usually take several overnight stopovers in some friendly settlements along the way where several new members would join in and lengthen further the convoy.

It was in one of such expeditions that Soluoi, the 15-year old damsel, accompanied her parents in the convoy leaving her siblings to take care of home. When they reached, at last, the lowland region of Kolombuong, they put up in a make-shift hut in the periphery of the region in a forested area called Sobog to await for the onset of the next Tamu day. In the interim, they cleared and farmed the area. It would be several days after the Tamu day that they would begin their return to their home-sweet-home so very far away in the mountains of the Crocker Range.

On the day of the return journey, though, Soluoi volunteered to look after the newly farmed area in Sobog. Her parents let her be, knowing they would meet her in their next Tamu expedition. She never did return home for soon her new farmstead became her new homestead. She became familiar with the earlier crops of travellers from her region who had settled earlier on in the neighbourhood of Kg. Sobog.

In time an elderly man noticed her and proposed her for his son, Sombuling. For the prospect of a farmhand, she accepted him readily though, presumably, shyly; and so began the genesis of the Soluoi Clan.

The Soluoi clan has now grown into hundreds of direct members and a few hundreds or even thousands more of tokins scattered all over places, keeping in mind that we are still on our journey into the future and beyond…