Cleaning out my closet

The packing is almost done now. The more we packed the more things popping out. Those three jumbo luggage seems as if they can't contain much further. The fillers are as good as the over-stuffed curry puff freshly tossed from the hot oil. Regurgitated and stout. Only the luggage are not as mouth-watering as the curry puff. Perhaps, you may wondering what's going on with me and the curry puff idiom. Yes, I'm missing and craving of my mother's curry puff badly. Enough to make me went out looking for it and realized how awful the taste was. Sigh.

Last Friday we have said goodbye to the Voltron aka our beloved Myvi car. So long but not too long. Voltron on its route to Port Klang. We won't be seeing him in a week as the shipping officer told us. He sounded promising until we had a tête-à-tête with a dental technician during luncheon telling her shipping container came after a month. Hmm.. What would I do without my car then as my mind boggled with creative ideas of how to get to the locum without a car. Thought for later, I guess.

So, as I finishing the allegedly last thing to pack thinking there would more to come, I lose my concentration in the middle. The Wimbledon Tennis and the World Cup are too good to be missed. And the presence of an eager crawler climbing every mountainous knapsacks and luggage makes the effort to pack a bit sluggish. In a good way of course. With that, I have to set my pen off as the battle between Tsonga and Murray is about to take place. There goes my packing again! Haih..

Checklists to Check-out Part II

Most of the time that I remember in vivid while in Sabah is the time when I spent with the Borneo squad. Oh, how I missed the good old days. I still recall the time when the founding member of the Borneo squad commencing their first baby step to the big land of Borneo. Before I forget, the founding member of the Borneo squad are the trio of Ilham, Azmi (Jimok) and me. The duo - Fairuz (Apai) and Ema was not in the picture then yet as their date of report duty was a month away from us, their journey which I'll tell later.

So, there we were, the trio at the LCCT all prepared for the departure. The family members and close related personnel were all there giving their last farewell to the trio. There were moments that I thought 'are we going for Hajj or Iraqi's war or something?'. Some were sinking into tears if not sobbing in silent. And for the first time the families of the trio were united under one roof. If only there were a family day contest at that particular time in LCCT, I think Jimok's family would easily took home the champs as he brought a battalion with him to the airport.

Being a wet-behind-the-ear traveler cum working adult, I couldn't help myself to bring a larger than life luggage. As much as I hate to admit it, the thing that brings out the worse in me is when it comes to pack stuffs. I just simply couldn't pick any clothes or trousers or under garments to pack and I would end up packing the whole things. It was kind of embarrassing when seeing people who travel so lightly as if they have nothing to pack and nothing to worry about. And with that thought I was all engulfed with the apprehension of winning the biggest luggage contest. But, surprisingly, bear in mind that I was totally relieved when seeing Ilham's and Jimok's luggage was nothing less than my luggage size. At last, I was not alone!

As we approached the most scornful local airlines in history of aviation, Air Asia counter, I prayed that our luggage won't be too over limit. Yes, I expected some over limit in my calculation, perhaps it would go around RM 50 or so. No, I was dead wrong thinking that Air Asia would be generous to us. Alas. There went my one week locum money as the curses to Tony Fernandez continued to mount up.

                                                     Kota Kinabalu

I was nearly blind upon disembarkation from the belly of the plane. The unusual brightness of the sun in this Borneo land was killing. The heat was so piercing I had to squint my eyes. But, the blinding process quickly reverted when I saw a magnificent view of the Tanjung Aru stretch beach. The blue green multi-tonous South China Sea seemed as if there was an enormous flat crystal spreading the entire view. And that was the moment I think I had a head over heels with Kota Kinabalu.

House hunting was another significant chapter for the Borneo squad sojourn. Every pages of Daily Express and Borneo Post would have at least a circle or a tick or a fancy bold with colourful highlighter. All for the sake of finding two decent houses and most importantly the cheapest in the market. One for Jimok and I, and one for Ilham. But, the luck was not on us and after spending some times running and chasing after house agents we could only found one decent apartment. And it was at the upper most floor of four tiers apartment. No lifts whatsoever. For the record, most apartments or condominiums in Sabah are not furbished with lifts and if one happen to have the eyes of observant one will see that there are not much of sky-scrapping apartments or condos in Kota Kinabalu let alone the entire Sabah. The policy I learned later in life proven to be very beneficial to keep in shape.

So, before finding a new house for Ilham, she had to be a squatter at one of senior's house and we had to bear commuted to work en-route to pick her up. Utilizing Mazharul as a supir in his car, we survived the first one week. But then, an expected event changed the whole plan. Mazharul was reassigned to Likas Hospital and every morning he had to leave his house early to get in time and not to get caught in the congested traffic. And we as regular  hitchhikers were forced to get up early in the morning as he routinely would dropped us at Luyang Clinic on his way to Likas. Thinking that the arrival of 45 minutes before 8 was not an option, we had to find solution. We had to find a car!

                                              A New Car

By unanimous decision of three, we went to Perodua retail center in Api-Api. And after a long deliberation of whether to buy a new model or a second hand car, we came into solution, we agreed to take home a brand new Myvi. But then, there was a glitch. Who is going to pay for the car down payment?

Everybody literally was broken. Jimok and I had already chipped in to pay for the 2 +1 advanced house rent. So, technically we both broke. Ilham as she relied solely on her not very much pocket money couldn't make it to the rescue. And suddenly as in possessed by ghost embodiment, Jimok and Ilham gave me a glance. A dazzling glance that denoted an evil thought.

"I thought you still have some saving from the locum?" Ilham uttered sheepishly, tongue in the cheek.
"Yes, I still have some of it" I retorted exhaling deeply.

The truth was, I also thought the same thing. All this while I always dreamed to have a car of my own. Since I had some saving and enough to pay for the down payment why didn't I do so. So, there it was, I took home a brand new Myvi for which had become an official transport for us three. The happiest purchasing I had ever done!

                                                 The Duo 

A month later came the duo, Apai and Ema and the rest of the UKM clan. I was hardly knew both of them as they hailed from the other side of the town. I first met them also at the sacred LCCT. Pushing the big fat luggage, made me smiling reflected my time a month back. Apai was a loquacious guy. Ema on the other hand managed to double it. She could talk like nobody business and still had more. But she seemed to talk around the people that she knew. Shy, perhaps. And knowing her now, she is totally the capsize of the 'shy'!

There were a lot to tell about this duo and the rest of the story but I find a drainage in my mind now. Perhaps, some other time will do me some good to write.

So long for now from Ilham and me ~

Checklists to Check-out Part I

i.   Climbing Mount Kinabalu and made it to the top......................... Checked

ii.  Water rafting in Kiulu and Padas river......................................... Checked

iii. Weekend pastime in Mamutik island............................................ Checked

iv. Wobbling on the infamous Tamparuli bridge................................ Checked

v.  Scrutinizing pygmy elephant in Sukau, Kinabatangan.................. Checked

vi.  Laughing over the gringos all mesmerized of the long-tail macaque in Sukau.............. Checked

vii. Weeping in remorse over the near death boring expedition to Sukau.............. Checked

viii. Dinner in revolving restaurant in Kota Kinabalu that costs an arm and a leg................... Checked

ix.  Medical camp in deserted island of Jambongan and jungly ghetto of Serudong Laut... Checked

x.  Barbecuing in the most modest manner in Jimok and Apai's nest in Semporna......... Checked

 

 

 

 

Hey people, I'm on air!

This morning I woke up with a massive stone on my head. To get up from the bed was like pulling a thousand chariots. Listlessness in the air. I had a Monday blues. Only this time it was not Monday but Friday, instead. As the mixed feeling of going to work or staying home took on the battle in my head, I heard my wife muttered about something. Sleepy headed, I started to grumble.

"Did you say something just now?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.
"Yes dear. I think, you've got a radio talk today!" she retorted making her way out of the room to make a breakfast toast.

Oh, how on earth I could forget this. I have prepared everything for the talk. The questions, the answers, the shirt and the necktie (yeah, as if there would be any audience to watch the talk. It's a radio talk for god's sake!) were all checked the night before. I just simply should have not forget about this but I did. Alas, lately my memory didn't served me very well.

In a flash I jumped out of the bed forcing myself to go to the bathroom. As I experiencing the quickest shower in my life, I couldn't stop thinking of how would the talk be like.Would the deejay understands me, or would I talk through the ear phone or microphone. I was lost!

Then, there it was. I was standing in front of the Sandakan FM office chaperoned by Sister Latifah (sister denotes a rank to act as a chief of nurses). I was invited to sit at the waiting lounge furbished by an old TV and a faded sofa set. Neither tea nor refreshments were served made me bored to death. So, me being genius, I went forth to switch TV channel as the TV displayed boring commercials of the TV 1. Hoping to get some updates on the FIFA world cup of ESPN or Star Sports turned bitter when all buttons displayed only RTM-related channels.
Suddenly, I realized that this was RTM office after all, therefore it owned by government. Of course, the TV would only showed the RTM channel. Silly me!
As I tapped my forehead in disappointment I could imagined how these people would laugh at me, a fool with TV, as I pretty sure my action has been caught by the surveillance camera somewhere hidden in the room.

The talk went surprisingly well. I talked about Halitosis and stuff to fulfill the radio's weekly health program slot. The deejay seemed fun but freaking bubbly. No blaming here, it's part of occupational hazard I guess. In the end of the day I think doing this talk is rather joyful and I kind of like it. I'm a talker in nature so the talking was not very much intimidating to me. So, there it was, a glamorous closure for my service in Sandakan and for Sabah generally.

What's next in my plan. TV talk, perhaps?

Family's Day Out

Bored stiff with the same ambience in another killing weekend, last Sunday we decided to try something less usual. The idea literally came while we were having our awful Sunday breakfast at Ajmeer (the local Mamak restaurant near the downtown). Ilham and I had roti canai and chappati respectively and ended up cursing in despair of the dreadfulness the curry dipping gravy possessed. For the record it's not the first time we were having breakfast there. And all this while the taste was not as agonizingly appalling as the last Sunday. So, as we finishing, we swore we won't coming back.

Left in displease and remaining hunger, a brilliant idea popped out from Ilham's mouth. 
"How about we go picnicking?"
That sounds wonderful as we were seldom to go out enjoying the nature. Plus it would put a smile on Chanchan face as he is a true blue nature's lover. Since the maid has taken her weekend off and Ilham was not really in the mood of cooking, we bought some fast foods to take away.

So, as the rest of the story goes, pictures below would tell better. Oh, by the way, the picnic spot was taking place at the Sandakan's hill within the large compound of Agnes Keith House and English Tea House.

P/s: You may notice how gleeful the little chappy at the most bottom picture having his day out!

Glee and Its 'Uglee' Side

Glee is undeniably a phenomenon in TV now. Everybody watches this musical series of colourful youngsters. From the beauty queen cheerleader to the bubbly gay chap to the delinquent Trojan hair-cut lad, all are the ingredients in this spicy, exaggerated high school drama.

If anybody asks me of whether I'm a fan of this series, I would say no. I'm not a fan but literally I would watch this series whenever possible. I won't put on reminder to remind me of when Glee will be aired or something. In fact, the reason why I watch this drama is primarily because I have to find another alternative to all medical-related series in TV. Literally, I've been sick to death watching these kind of series such as Grey's Anatomy, House, Trauma, Scrubs and the latest the bold and not too beautiful bunch of nurses in Mercy.
I seriously need a break. The last thing that I need to see on TV is another work and sick people. This may sound snobbish and uncouth but if anybody is in my shoes they probably understand of how my ground would feel like. Furthermore, the emerging of these handful series are nothing but to disseminate false dream within students and parents thinking that working as doctors can be as glamorous as Dr Derek Shepherd and Dr Gregory House as in Grey's Anatomy and House series respectively.

By telling this it doesn't mean that I have converted and become a number 1 fan of Glee. No! As I made myself clear of where I stand in the first paragraph, I like to give some opinion regarding how far Glee fanaticism has taken its toll on Malaysian viewer. Recently, I've seen a commercial in TV about a bunch of Glee's fan impersonating characters of the show to the extent of having a contest to pick the best Malaysian Glee's impersonator. Surprisingly, some of the contestants are coming from walk of girls in veils and a large number of young kids at the age of 5 to 6 years old.
What a shock!

Suddenly it raises several questions in my mind that firstly, is sense of shame has faded from our women makes them shamelessly dancing like crazy only to prove how precocious they are. And secondly, what on earth are those parents taught their kids in home. Are they seriously encouraged their kids to dance and sing to the point of it's okay of being fanatic to these kind of show. It shocks me to also see some public figures giving an all-out support to their children doing the lustful Beyonce's signature buttocks dance.
What are they thinking?!

To me it's not a fault to watch these light shows as long as one be able to draw a boundary between reality and fantasy. Parents should also monitor their children and discourage them to be such a fanatic on anything they see on TV. Such an unfortunate thing when at the end of the day you realize your children singing a flawless note of Glee's song but demoting in blank to recite Al-Quran!

It's Chanchan Way ~

It's such a magnificent morning in Sandakan. I couldn't recall when the last time I woke as early as this morning. Yesterday, after lunch, as I was preoccupied preparing myself back to work I noticed something out of ordinary. I couldn't hear my son, Chanchan @ Achan, exulting in jubilant or blubbering asking for someone to carry him around. Bear in mind, the sound of silence in my tiny house is no longer considered as normal!

Being an apprehensive dad, I couldn't help myself to go out and looking for my son. He was neither to be found in the living hall nor the maid's room. As I was searching I glanced something through the corner of my eyes. Oh, there he was sleeping like a dormant bear in winter in the balcony of the house. I was laughing to myself. Silly me, of course he was sleeping. It's his sleeping time after all.

But only this time he'd changed spot. No longer in silence, air-conditioned room with blanket all over. It's au naturale time. Even the deafening sounds of hole drilling down stairs didn't moved him. What a boy!
 So, as we stepped out, my wife 'shussh' me the the index finger on her mouth with all intention not to wake him. Yeah, as if our foot steps sound would wake him from his slumber land!