Manchester United or Barcelona

As soon as she hung up the phone...

Mummy Isaac : The boys said Man U or Barcelona...

Self : Jap, jap...

Mummy Aby : Jap, jap...

Grabbed my mobile...

Self : Man U or Barcelona...

Hubby : Man U...

Self : Done...

Self : Man U, Man U...

Mummy Aby : Man U (hanging up her mobile)...

Mummy Isaac : Barcelona...

Self and Mummy Aby : Huh...

Mummy Isaac : Sikit people...

Self and Mummy Aby : Tamaha...

...departed with THIS yesterday afternoon...

...got THESE this morning...

And we just can't resist this...rubbed some more salt to the wound...

...kasi kipas-kipas sikit...show me the money...

Morale of the story...orang tamak slalu rugi ma...

Lunch at @mosphere

I was late fetching Alli from school today.

He took this opportunity to play under the hot sun longer than usual.

Alli : Mum, you late betul. Alli mau nangis suda (start suda trip dia, takut kena marah)

Mum : Sorry. Mum ada busy sikit (guilty juga)

...he looked like a cooked lobster...

Mum was a tad late coz mum ada private function di...

It was Sai's birthday and we surprised her (and ourselves, of course) with lunch at @mosphere...

Since we have never been there before, we decided to try the place out, convenient lagi coz near to our place. Sambil menyelam minum air la katakan.

Mummy Isaac : We mesti naik Ipsum..

Self : Why...

Mummy Isaac : Got Valet parking...nanti ndak malu...

Self : On ja...

Everybody, except for me, started feeling a bit dizzy coz of the revolving motion. Told them not to think much about it and restrain from looking outside. But that did not stop us from checking the place out. Except for another group of people, we have the place to ourselves.

The food took quite a while and with nothing to do, we roamed around and kept the camera and mobiles busy...

The views were spectacular...









Then the food arrived...

...beef chop for me and Mummy Isaac...

...ikan masak lemak for Sai...

...boneless chicken for Mummy Aby and satay for all...

...extra fish dish (can't remember the name) for all...

...dessert...

We forked out RM300++ for the lunch, but...can I be any gentler than this...

The @mosphere has undoubtedly great atmosphere and offers cozy ambience, that's just it...period.

Daddy Aby's lunch at @k*#%$^ sound rather enticing...

Girls...we better stay on the ground...

p.s. the bun memang sedap lor...
p.s.s. Sai, Happier Birthday, panjang umur, murah rezeki, God bless...

1st Gift From Heaven

She was born the smallest among her siblings. The 1st born grandchild from her maternal and paternal grandparents that comes from a mixed parentage, a Batak-Dusun Lotud from her father and a Bajau-Brunei-Dayak blood from her mother.

We named her Nur Sabrina Azra Sitorus, yes, quite a mouthful, means literally the light of my patience and the daughter of Sitorus.

Sabrina was born on 28 July 1993, 2 days ahead than schedule in the Island of Labuan, a tiny bundle of joy that was delivered via the C-section. I have blamed this delivery much to the absence of our parents to guide us through this most frightful yet amazing experience in our lifetime, a child born from her parents' strength of love towards each other.

During her early months, she was being cared for by her maternal grandmother. We were forced to leave her behind when we returned to our work commitment at the island. Leaving her after the confinement period is the most heart wrenching moments of our life. We endured this dark period as we do not trust a babysitter to do the job. We just could not see any other than our blood and kin to take care of her. Our life spiral topsy turvy onwards and the only comfort we had was to play her recorded cries and laughter.

...Sabrina Sitorus @ Kakak Long

15 years later, she has grown into a beautiful young lady, inheriting a long list of traits from her parents. Our pride and joy, our beautiful gift from heaven.

Do forgive a mother's pride but as the saying goes, "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder", unfortunately rings true.

Getting There...

I spent half the night last night to edit some of the bird photos I have taken recently during the weekend outing with close friends at National Park and the subsequent family outing at Mimpian Jadi Resort.

All this while hubby has been spoon feeding me when it comes to the editing part. I know sooner or later I have to do it myself.

On Sunday night...

Hubby : Ok...press this together, and this and this...
Self : Ok...
Hubby : Waitttt! (as I started to move away)...belum habis lagi...look carefully (hui...garang)
Self : Ok...(concentrating hard)...wait, wait...(getting a piece of paper)...let me jot it down...



It is very important to insert the copyright sign and your name on your photos or else orang2 yang kureng sikit rasa tanggungjawab dorang tu can steal them and claim them as their own. Kita penat2 tangkap gambar, senang2 pula dorang stake a claim on it.


After numerous trials and errors, this is what I have come out with...

Yellow-Vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus Goiavier)

...I spotted this pair on the open field near our chalet at Mimpian Jadi Resort...(somehow rather I can't seems to make the font bigger, puas dicuba-cuba ndak mengasi juga)

On the morning before checking out, hubby and myself legar2 around our chalet when he called out...



Hubby : Inflight, inflight...wood sparrow...
Self : Alamak...alamak...ndak sempat...
Hubby : It will circle back...
Self : Ya ka...
Hubby : Ya...ready ready ja...it will come back...
self : Wah betul oh...
Hubby : (rolling eyes)



True enough, the wood sparrow did circle back, gliding around and around. I made a mental note, do not question hubby in future when it comes to the birds' habits.

I was very pleased with this ...

Wood Sparrow

...it seemed to say...catch me if you can...

Now, the rest of the photos (the one yang ndak kena bin la) is queueing up for their editing...

p.s. Babe, I did it...yeah...

This Ain't The Way...

Hubby : I hate this! (as he entered the car)
Self : (mentonong)

We drove in silence all the way to the airport.
We must have loads of things to say but it just seems pointless at that time.
I reached for his hand when nearing the airport.
He grabbed his backpack from the backseat.
I looked at him.
He looked at me.
He said I love you.
I said I love you too.
He mouthed I love you when he thought I did not hear him.
I nodded, mouthed back I love you and blew him a kiss.
I drove back in silence.
I drove back alone.

Weekend at Mimpian Jadi Resort

Hubby was supposed to return to KK on last Wednesday from Sandakan. He and Ron stayed another day and only come back to KK on Thursday. To compensate for the delay and have some family time...

Hubby : Book 2 nights di hotel...

Self : Which one?
Hubby : Up to you...

After consulting my mates in the office, since we have not been there before, I decided to stay at Mimpian Jadi Resort. Check in on Friday and out on Sunday.

In the morning, hubby and myself went to just jalan-jalan window shopping (this jalan-jalan will always end up with us buying something). We stopped at Yong's at CPS.

Self : Bino, bino...

Hubby : Hmmm...

Self : Let's get one like Hazel's...

Hubby : Ok..

Self : But Hazel said Nikon is much better...

Hubby : Of course la...

Self : Jadi...

Hubby : Up to you la...

Self : But expensive kan...

Hubby : Up to you...

Self : Susa la...you know kan I don't like to wear glasses and the contact lenses pun selalu kering kalo pigi outing (I am shortsighted)..

Hubby : Up to you...

Self : We buy la ok...

Hubby : Up to you...

Self : (long silence)

Hubby : Lama bule pakai...

Self : Ya betul, betul...good investment kan (comforting oneself)

So after mundar mandir, after nego2 price, I got myself a waterproof Nikon bino and hubby bought UV filter for his cam.

Then I started pressing him for a monopod.

Self : Monopod...

Hubby : (silent, eyes rolling up to the ceiling, calculating)

Self : Mesti Manfrotto (actually I like the sound of it)...

Hubby : Don't have here...

Self : Let's go to Investline...they have it there...

At Investline...

Hubby : Ron's cheaper...
Self : Ehhh...itu online...you have to wait again...this one is only mahal RM30...but you can get it NOW...

Hubby : (still pondering)...

Self : Jadi...(pressing)

Hubby : (mundar mandir)

Self : Jadiiiiii....

Hubby : Ok la...

...a must have tools for birding...

Enroute to the resort, hubby treated us to a seafood meal at Gayang Restaurant. We used to go to Salut before but since Gayang's prawn is much bigger we bertukar arah.

Moments after we arrived at Gayang, the rain started to pour, heavily by the minutes, worsen by the accompanying strong wind...

During the wait for our order, the electricity was cut off a few times...

We ordered this...

...hubby always order 1 kilo of the udang rebus...

...dry butter prawns for the girls...

...sayur licin and cendawan masak tiram...



...kerapu stim masak nyonya...Alli's favorite (don't want the kulit mum)...

...ketam masak...I can't still remember the chinese name for this cuisine...it's very tasty...

After the meal, the rain does not even hint of any sign of subsiding...it got heavier and heavier...

...we waited for a while....

...well fed...hubby took a puff...started showing off his boring face...thinking of the drive ahead in the storm...

We decided to just hit the road despite the heavy pour...it was no easy ride in the heavy rain and the pounding wind...worst more we have never been to the resort before...so everybody was on the lookout for the road signs...

...one scary ride...we even encountered fallen trees along the road due to the powerful storm...

We managed to reach the resort and were given a "wet" reception literally...the reception counter was wet and the place looks deserted...

We got our keys to the chalet and we have to take off our shoes as the place is flooded...hubby and the kids have to brave the strong winds while I waited with our stuff...the kids told me that a coconut did drop from one of the trees missing them...

When hubby fetched me I haven't the faintest idea how deep the water was...I am not a tall person but they are areas where the water is up to my knees...while we waded at the murky water my imagination started to run riot...what if they are snakes in it...what if there is....ok stop, stop...don't think about it...

The next morning we took our breakfast and on our way back to the chalet...

2nd daughter : Mum, I think it's dead...

Self : What...

2nd daughter : I think it's dead coz there are ants crawling all over it...

...might this be the fatality of the storm's...I shivered to think of the time when we were wading in the water...just a few chalet away from us...

Hubby and I also spotted a monitor lizard going inside the garden pool while strolling around the resort...well what to expect...it is after all near the sea and the mangrove...

Hate to say this but the snake, as Steve Irwin would say, it's a beauty mate...

Can't wait for another family outing...babe...I think the mountain is calling...

Bird Photo Hunting at Kinabalu National Park

Hubby : Chai got good offer (as soon as he entered the car)
Self : Huh...(manevouring the car to the unlined, unlit road out from the airport)
Hubby : Chai will be going up to the mountain on Saturday...
Self : Huh...(trying hard to understand what hubby is getting at, harder still to understand the road that seems to change on every trip to the airport)
Hubby : Chai will return to KK on Sunday...
Self : Ohhhh...(a decent and safe respond)
Hubby : Sie Sie is coming also, so does Hazel.
Self : Ok (the only word that comes to mind, still blur)
Hubby : You come along tomorrow, follow them back on Sunday...
Self : Let me think about it (finally I got it!). Talk to the kids dulu la...

Hubby has been planning this trip a couple of weeks ago. He took a week long leave and has planned this trip with Ron. Weekend at National Park and then off to Sandakan, to return home on Wednesday. I gave him the green light but at the same time can't help feeling a bit disappointed caused I would not be able to tag along.

After nego2 with the kids, surprisingly they gave quite an easy blessings. I think it is more to them having my laptop to themselves and less harrasment from dear mum on house chores (their CPU is still under repair).

Chai and Sie Sie picked us up at around 9am. We insuk2 in Chai's kelisa...4 pax + camera bags + luggage bags + cooler box...bule tahan juga...the length we are willing to endure for the bird photo hunting.

It was an action packed weekend to say the least and the furry winged ones did not disappoint us. I have to wait for hubby to return to upload the birds photos...belum champen urang bilang..the only photos I can upload now is the one taken from my BB...

...L to R...Chai, hubby and Sie Sie...

We waited for Ron and Hazel at the Timpohon observatory tower. I spotted a pair of birds, Malaysian Treepie, and it was the only birds we managed to sight and took photo at the tower...might be their napping time...

...that's hubby with his new white lens or luxury lens (itu kalo mau ngada2)...it was delivered to him in Labuan and I know for a fact that he just could not wait to put them in action...test power la katakan...sampat lagi asked Chai to drop by at Investline to buy extender for the lens before we departed to the mountain...semangat...

...when Ron and Hazel arrived, with no bird in sight, we decided to go down to Liwagu Restaurant and walked to the Park entrance...

...bottom to top...Chai, Sie Sie, Hazel, Ron and hubby...

...Sie Sie and Hazel are the group's appointed bird spotters...and I have to tell you...these ladies are amazing...

Hazel a.k.a. Mrs Ron Pudin, knows her montaine birds very well...she can even recognized them by their chirping, whistling or whatever sound they make...ala ala bird whisperer gitu...she even knows which birds reside where...equipped with her bino and bird book for reference...she is a jewel to the group...

Sie Sie without the assistance of a bino relies on the leave movements to detect the birds...I tell you it is no easy task...she gave this comical body language when she spotted a bird and you need to watch her frequently...another jewel to the group...

...admit it guys...if not for these two ladies...you would not be able to get the birds as many for this trip...say thank you....

...hubby spotted a bird and set up his cam on Ron's Manfrotto monopod...the lens alone is about 1.2kg + 1kg cam without the battery grip...do the math people...I sampat chided him for not getting a tripod before...

...we were having our drink at Balsam Cafe when they spotted the Little Pied Flycatcher...the guys scurried down to take a good shot of the little bird...they spent sometime down there where Ron told hubby that he menyasal kasi pinjam his monopod...the walk up and down the hilly road is taking a toll on everybody...but everybody is still game...

...this is taken on our 2nd day at the park at Timpohon observatory tower...
L to R...self, hubby, Ron, Hazel
bottom...Chai
Photographer...Sie Sie

...we were supposed to go up to the 1st station (whatever that is as I have never before climbed up to the mountain)... I think I am the only one in the group that has yet to climb the mountain and as a 1st timer, I tell you...every part of my body is screaming for mercy...takut malu is the only thing that kept me going...

...lucky we cut the trip short as the weather is not on our side...the backlighting is every photographer's nightmare and the birds do not seem too keen to show themselves...but the mountain's landscape is every photograher's dream.

...after failing to get any decent shots of the birds...the guys decided to head back much to my relief...the just around the corner...turn to another corner...and another corner...with no 1st station in sight...I was puffing tired and the two ladies, wow, I have to tell you it is like they naik tangga mau pigi shopping...

Hubby : Come let me take your photo...

Self : What for...

Hubby : Your first time kan di gunung...

Self : Ok...jauh jauh sikit...tiada melukis muka ni...

Note to self...clean the dust off the exercise bike and start cycling...never know when hubby will extend invitation to another trip...

...hope I will be able to post some of the birds' photos once I complete the tutorial from hubby...

...photos must be labeled with your name...susah susah kita tangkap gambar...senang senang pula orang curi nanti...

Mum...Plain Oh...

We were having dinner at the Coral Restaurant at Mimipian Jadi Resort...

The conversation revolves around blogging when out of the blue...

2nd daughter : (dengan selambanya) Mum, your blog is very plain...

Mum : Whattt...(terkedu coz anak complaint)

2nd daughter : I could make better...beautiful lagi...

1st daughter : Ya true, Adek pandai tu mum...

2nd daughter : Adek ada buat d friendster ba...

1st daughter : Ya true, true. But she share2 sama friend...

Mum : What do you mean? You buat sendiri and then kasi2 ja...

2nd daughter : Ya, main2 saja ba...

Mum : Ok stop...kalo pandai buat mesti mau jual (tamaha punya cakapan)

2nd daughter : He he...

Mum : But the most important thing now you must design for mum punya blog...I love purple and butterfly...please take note...

2nd daughter : (smile)...

Mum : (Gosh...did I just gave her the green light to use the computer longer than usual)

...that's my 2nd daughter, Sarah, the computer geek...sitting next to her is the gorongot little master Alli...we were having our lunch at Gayang Restaurant enroute to Mimpian Jadi Resort...

...have to wait and see lor...

Crazyyyyy Week

It 's been one crazyyyyyyy week...through and through...busy gila...
Before I succumbed to the madness further, I took leave today...
Leaving behind the non-stop office chaoticness...
Leaving behind the other side of the topsy turvy life...
Off to Mimpian Jadi Resort...
To unwind...
To rejuvenate...
With loved ones...

Hope after the much needed relaxation, I will be wholesome again and will start blogging on our bird photo hunting session at the mountain with close friends last weekend.

Ok, got to go...before that let me share this with you...I find it soothing to see..maybe coz of the purpleish and bluish hue at the background...my fav colours...

...taken on the way down to the hilly vege farm at Fairy Garden...

...enjoy...

The Morning After....

I was asleep when hubby called late last night...

Hubby : Read your blog...ok ka...
Self : Ok ba...
Hubby : Macam teruk betul...
Self : Ndak la...mau tulis-tulis ja...kasi keluar perasaan...

Yup, I find writing a good therapy. It allows you to pen down things that you have difficulty airing out. Some people do not write, they illustrate their feelings via drawings. As I suck at drawing, obviously I opt for writing la. Kalau melukis lagi teruk oh. Macam-macam jadi muka orang tu. Selalu bertanduklah orang tu, kita pula jadi pisau yang cucuk-cucuk dorang. Nasib baik I ndak pandai melukis, kalo ndak.....


Today is a new day...yesterday sudah over...no need to buat kajian pasal kejadian nangis-nangis tu...what to do...water under the bridge...melayu bilang...nasi sudah jadi bubur...nasib bubur...bule terus telan...kalo nasi kebangkalan sudah...kalo di ingat-ingat...malu jangan cakap lah...

Jadi morale of the story...kalo suda tua ni, bida oh menangis...muka jadi macam badut...jadi jangan...

Note to self...semua aktiviti penangisan mesti di buat di rumah...
Note to self 2...kalau ada perasaan yang berkulut-kulut cepat-cepat kasi buka kulutan...

Tears

I have this thing with tears...

I shed them easily...as easily as the next person...

I shed them today...

...all for the wrong reason...

...all for a lame reason...

...all because I was angry...bloody to the bone...

When I became VERY angry, I can't speak.

When I became VERY angry, I can't control my voice.

When I became VERY angry, I keep quite...deadly quite

When I became VERY angry and I insisted to speak out...is not a perfect combination...

This deadly combination is beyond my control, not at any other day, not at any other place, not at any other time...

It chose to make its ugly appearance to a small audience...of all day...today...of all place...the office...of all time...during discussion...

Talk about luck!!!

Opss...don't forget the parting gift...the parting gift that left you with nothing but a huge "hangover"...

...to which you reach these guys to relieve you from the throbbing sensation that seems to enjoy their unwanted visit...

...do your stuff guys...

Yup, that's my thing with tears..

Ain't That Funny

...this is the exit signage at our floor...2nd floor to be exact...

...this exit leads to......

...TADAAAA.....

...the back balcony where our lady cleaner kept her tools of trade...LOL

...yup...human error written all over it...totally...

It's High Time......

In my 19 working years, I have to admit that this is not the first time...I have encountered this sort of situation more times than I can remember...I should be a "veteran" at this...but it still did not prevent me from feeling this....

...you tell yourself that you would have understand that sometimes people would utter hurtful things...sometimes they meant it...sometimes they don't...sometimes they don't even think about it coz that's how they are...

...but how would you respond to this...

...."kasi laju sikit kepala hotak tu"...when I struggled to understand the financial calculation...not my forte at all mind you...

..."fikir you duduk mengarang ja...mana yang lain"...when I haven't..........OMG I can't even remember what it is now...I just heard that statement over...and over...and over...again and again...and again...

...no one was spared actually...some even shed tears...

...I told the girls...that's it then...the moment something dropped from the sky...I would quit at the drop of a hat...I would quit at the blink of the eye...Dear God if you hear this plea from your humble servant...have mercy...(p.s. lots of something please...myself and girlfriends would like to resign berjemaah)...

..."we need to finalize this by tomorrow, get on it"...if you read between the lines, it says...do it tonight at home...

...but the beast in me...the devil in me...the puaka in me says...nope...it's Wednesday night...it is CSI night...and don't forget...you did not blog last night... :)

...of course this unappealing period will pass...the haru biru...the tunggang terbalik will fade away...it will come a knocking again in August (ouch)...we just need to hang on a little bit more until next week...

...girls...it is high time...and Dear God...I am serious...

...whewwww...that feels good...

Ms Ips...

...mum must be dead bored this weekend...dad will only come down to KK next weekend...she promised Lia to come over to her place this morning to check on the clacking sound that worries her so much...it is the only free time to have me checked over...

...mum parted with lots of the green notes today...she needs to pay Lia for my last treatment...

...i could have sworn i heard her sighed when she prepared the notes...it costs her almost a grant (a shy off RM10) for the fee (dad if you are reading this, mum is contemplating a reimbursement from you)...she could have joli-joli at the departmental store...but mum it's not my fault...you are the one who decided to give me a full synthectic instead of a semi synthectic...that could save you some notes...mum, however, heaved a sigh relief when Ah Pin told her the clacking sound is just a loose cap...

...with nothing but the amplest of time on her hand...mum brought me here...

...yup...that's me...mum official ride...she finally gave me a good wash...I could not remember the last time I visited the car wash...it is so good to feel the foam lathered on my body...ooh to be caressed and rubbed over...a rejuvenating feeling...mum told them to give me a LDE (Luar, Dalam and Engine), she was extra generous today...nayyy...that's just her guilty conscience talking for neglecting me all this while...for letting me look gorongot...for letting the little master treats me as if I am a mobile garbage bin...

...yup...that's me in my shining glory...dad fell in love with me on first sight...good old dad...dad brought my friend Ms Is to Labuan with him...dad called Ms Is his honey...hmmm...come to think of it mum do not call me anything...except my ipsum...or as plain as my car...

...when mum put the groceries at the back she was surprised to see these...must have been dug out from under my seats by the car washers...her black heels that she can't seem to find not so long ago...but most importantly Kakak Long's Nike water bottle...she was looking high and low for it and stopped when she couldn't find it...no one was left off the hook when mum is on a rampage..."kamu fikir murah ka tu, senang-senang ja mau kasi hilang, kalo gini la gaya kamu, pakai ja botol air mineral tu"...mum, I think an apology is in order...

...I hope I will not have to wait months again to have this tender loving care demonstrated by mum...

...after all, mum, I'm your best girl friend ever...