牛之缘

不知道从什么时候开始，我就不大喜欢吃牛肉，不知道什么原因，也无从考究。有时候在想，是不是因为我属牛的关系，抑或我的前生跟观音娘娘有关系（听人说，拜观音的人是不吃牛肉的），哈，我自己也不知道缘由。

昨晚在回家途中经过村子里的清真寺，看到寺外头拴着几头牛，还在草地里悠哉悠哉得咀嚼着绿草，却不晓得它们即将会在两天后的庆典中牺牲掉，心中替它们惋惜。真想在半夜爬起身来去把它们解放掉，好让它们可以多活一阵子。

可是我只是想想而已，牛大哥，你们保重了。。

跟往事干杯

前几天在车里忽然听到电台播放这首歌，听着听着也跟着哼了起来。第一次听到这首歌是透过多年前非常受欢迎的“亚洲之声“电台。我还记得主持人的名字叫吴瑞文，谢德莎，沈婉和林贤正（如果没记错）。以前没电脑，没宽频，没Astro，每晚九点到十一点之间就一定守住这个电台，让它陪我入睡，很多时候隔天醒来才发觉收音机没关。

这个年代也是我的中学年代。这首歌让我沉醉在回忆里，暮然回首，这二十年就像过眼云烟似的，也不晓得自己到底想说些什么，只是有无限的感慨。。

让我们一起来“跟往事干杯“吧！

經過了許多事　你是不是覺得累
這樣的心情　我曾有過幾回
也許是被人傷了心
也許是無人可瞭解
現在的你　我想一定很疲憊

人生際遇就像酒　有的苦有的烈
這樣的滋味　你我早晚要體會
也許那傷口還流著血
也許那眼角還有淚
現在的你　讓我陪你喝一杯

乾杯　朋友就讓那一切成流水
把那往事　把那往事當作一場宿醉
明日的酒杯　莫再要裝著昨天的傷悲
請與我舉起杯　跟往事乾杯

So much more to Sandakan

thestar.com.my

Saturday August 30, 2008

Lovely harbour, history and seafood — Sandakan is more than just a gateway to Sabah’s nature reserves.

By STEVEN CHING

Many people think that Sandakan is on the tourist map because of its proximity to the world famous Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. Sandakan is much more than Sepilok. I didn’t know, until I stood at the waterfront in Harbour Square and looked out into the bay.

Sandakan, in north-eastern Sabah, has one of the most beautiful natural harbours in the world. If Sabah looks like a dog’s head, then Sandakan is somewhere near its eye. The waters of the bay open up to the Sulu sea, just south of the Philippines.

The town derived its name from the Suluk word “sanda”, which means “to pawn”. Exactly who pawned what to whom is none too clear, the truth being lost in the murky annals of Borneo’s history.

In the early 1870s, William Clarke Cowie, a Scottish adventurer and engineer, delivered guns and ammunitions to the Sultan of Sulu, who needed them to fend off a possible onslaught by Spaniards who had by then overrun much of the Philippine islands.

In return, the Sultan granted Cowie permission to set up base in Pulau Timbang, a sparsely inhabited island within the bay. Cowie christened his territory “Sandakan”, but strangely enough, it soon became known as “Kampong German”, due perhaps to the increasing number of German traders who dropped by to visit the Scotsman. And there you have it, Sandakan’s early international connections!

In 1879, the settlement was relocated to a place on the mainland known by the quirky-sounding name of Buli Sim Sim. Cowie renamed this new settlement “Elopura”, or beautiful city. The name, however, didn’t catch on and soon reverted to ‘Sandakan’. The British North Borneo Company, which was governing Sabah, then moved its capital from Kudat in the northern tip of the land (think dog’s ears) to Sandakan, which then went through a building boom.

Sadly though, Allied forces, in their attempt to liberate it towards the end of WW2 nearly bombed the new Sandakan to smithereens. The Japanese, in retaliation, finished the job by burning it to the ground, thus wiping Sandakan from the face of the map in June 1945. The following year, the capital was moved to Jesselton, now Kota Kinabalu. Sandakan was and still is a port for the export of timber.

With its strategic location, it soon grew into the bustling metropolis it is today. Today, it is more well-known as the gateway to Sabah’s rich nature and wildlife reserves in Sepilok, Lanyakan islands (leatherback turtles), Sukau and Labuk Bay (famed for sightings of the rare proboscis monkeys) and the world-famous wildlife park in the Danum Valley.

If you love seafood, Sandakan is your paradise on earth. The catch here is so fresh, you could almost taste the sea in every bite. And more importantly, the prices don’t burn a hole in your pocket. Seafood restaurants are built on stilts and extend out to the sea. Live seafood is kept in holding ponds in the sea itself, next to and below the dining platform. Just take your pick of fish, crab, lobster or giant prawns or even rock oysters.

The cook will scoop them up and throw them into the sizzling wok just for you. Places like the Ocean King seafood restaurant in Jalan Labuk enjoys “full house” patronage every night.

A finger-licking feast of butter prawns, chilli squid, a 1.2 kg whopper of a garoupa, sweet and sour crab and giant rock oysters along with a plate of stir-fried greens and chrysanthemum-scented Chinese tea for eight costs less than RM200.

If you ask a taxi driver what’s the local specialty dish, he’ll probably drop you off at Jetty No.7, along Jalan Buli Sim Sim. This predominantly Chinese settlement on stilts is linked to the main road by a number of jetties (or jambatan). At the end of No. 8, is a kopitiam. Their specialty is sui kow (dumpling) filled with seafood and century egg.

Atop a hillock in Jalan Istana, overlooking the bay sits a colonial-looking two-storey wooden bungalow. Nothing visually striking about it but I was awed to learn that it holds a notable link to the past.

It was home to Agnes, a writer, and her husband Harry Keith, who was Conservator of Forests, from the 1930s until 1942.

Agnes’ book on life in pre-war Sandakan brought the old seafaring name for Sabah “Land Below The Wind”, to international renown. The name refers to Sabah’s location just below the typhoon belt.

Agnes’ second novel about their war experiences Three Came Home was immortalised in a movie. And to think, the novels were written in that nondescript bungalow in Sandakan.

If you are feeling a little peckish, from all that history trawling, there is a neat little English teahouse cum restaurant that specialises in quintessentially English high tea and cakes right next to Agnes’ old house.

Sandakan has its fair share of Chinese and Buddhist temples. The Three Saints Temple (Sam Sing Kung temple), near the town padang (field), also happens to be the oldest building in town. The three saints in question are Kwan Woon Cheong, (the saint of righteousness), Tin Hou (goddess of the sea) and Emperor Min Cheong whose divine help is called upon by those who seek success in passing exams.

This temple was the collaborative effort of the early Cantonese, Teochew, Hakka and Hainanese communities who made Sandakan their home.

Dawn comes early in Sandakan. It’s already bright at 5am. That’s the best time to visit the new Central Market at Harbour Square, which boasts the biggest fish market in Sabah.

Boats filled with their bounty from the sea dock next to the market and unload their catch there. You can’t get fish any fresher than that! At that unearthly hour, housewives and restaurateurs are already thronging the market, moving from stall to stall and haggling over prices.

Sandakan is indeed much more than that “place near Sepilok”, or the town that timber built. For those of us who think of Kuala Lumpur as the epicentre of urban activity in Malaysia, Sandakan bustles with a briskness that is uncommon for a town in a far flung corner of the country.

Getting there
There are direct flights on Air Asia and Malaysia Airlines connecting Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan. Buses take six to seven hours from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan.

树欲静而风不息，子欲养而亲不在

昨天老爸和老妈子去了亚庇，我回老家给yoyo弄东西吃，看到家里的墙上都长满了蜘蛛网，心里一阵难过，难过自己都没抽多点时间来陪两老。这让我想起几天前在某处看到的一句话，“树欲静而风不息，子欲养而亲不在”。我要在爸妈还在的时间里，好好的陪陪他们。希望宝宝出世后，他们能享受到含饴弄孙的天伦之乐。

历史的伤口

蒙上眼睛 就以为看不见
捂上耳朵 就以为听不到
而真理在心中 创痛在胸口
还要忍多久 还要沉默多久

如果热泪 可以洗尽尘埃
如果热血 可以换来自由
让明天能记得今天的怒吼
让世界都看到 历史的伤口

哦。。。哦。。。哦
哦。。。哦。。。哦

永远都记得 永远都记得 历史的伤口
永远都记得 永远都记得 历史的伤口

长命的雨

大雨小雨下不停
路滑车多要小心
不要为了拼一拼
赔了夫人又折兵

新年贺语

新年期间，收到很多朋友的短讯祝贺语，把几个有意思，特别的写下来。。

钱多钱少 常有就好 人丑人美 顺眼就好
人老人少 健康就好 家穷家富 和气就好
一切烦恼 能解就好 人的一生 平安就好

新 禧又来到
年 年都美妙
快 乐常微笑
乐 在每一秒

恭 贺少不了
喜 庆样样好
发 财好运来
财 源滚滚到

新年祝福送四方
东方送你福满堂
南方送你财源旺
西方送你永安康
北方送你钱满仓
四面八方福星照
金银财宝全送到

新年到了， 我对佛说：让我的朋友永远健康快乐
佛说: 只能四天
我说： 好，春天，夏天，秋天， 冬天
佛说： 三天
我说： 好，昨天，今天，明天
佛说：不行，两天
我说： 好，白天，黑天
佛说： 不行， 就一天！
我说： 好！
佛问： 那一天？
我说： 我朋友活着的每一天！

有意思吧！？

我的心路历程

長于小康之家， 父母疼愛有加
老師同學捧場， 當了多年班長
代表辯論演講， 身經百戰沙場
奔馳籃球場上， 投籃控球在行

兩年酒店管理， 唸書工作自理
秋天找到浮萍， 情竇初開難理
決定不回故里， 齊齊飛上雲頂
感情一日千里， 難捨難分甭理

獅城尋找天地， 生活工作一起
甜甜蜜蜜之余， 爸媽高興不已
首次回根之旅， 親朋戚友讚許
視為永久伴侶， 今生今世不渝

父母再三提起， 應該共諧連理
一切準備就緒， 突然離妳而去
不是情非得已， 而是對不起妳
七年之癢難低， 全是因我而起

網上傳情誇張， 隻身飛往彼邦
以為愛在他鄉， 結果身心受傷
獨自流浪番邦， 生活有些驚慌
三十慌慌張張， 不知該走何方

十年流浪他乡， 生活惊惊慌慌
前思后虑多番， 不想异地开荒
决定回乡靠岸， 父母妹妹乐翻
过去欢乐悲伤， 统统留在番邦

外头风雨寒霜， 难抵家中安康
三餐天天送上， 好久没当皇上
家中赋闲难当， 走遍大街小巷
知心好友抬杠， 寻找未来对象

小妤心情

辯論一見鐘情﹐ 天天電話傳情
功課學業不理﹐ 成績一落千里
盼成紅粉知己﹐ 再成神仙伴侶
可他愛理不理﹐ 傷心疾首不已

為他飛到亞庇﹐ 以為可以一起
遠遠望他而已﹐ 心裡愛慕不已
言行彬彬有禮﹐ 英俊瀟灑得體
完全不能自己﹐ 愛得歇斯底裡

開始計劃勾引﹐ 把他抱到懷裡
忽聞他要離去﹐ 猶如晴天霹靂
不敢說出心意﹐ 只有暗地裡氣
當初為他來庇﹐ 如今獨自哭泣

臨別依依之際﹐ 臺上相聲幾句
有如登峰造極﹐ 贏得獎盃兩具
可惜難違天意﹐ 無法天天相聚
借酒澆愁之余﹐ 日夜淚灑滿地

轉眼兩年過去﹐ 早已把他忘記
決定飛往異地﹐ 重新收復失地
可能老天註定﹐ 遇上張家子弟
決定全心全意﹐ 與他共創天地

Me and My Staff

After my resignation, I sms all my staff telling them about my decision with the following messages:

"As you are my staff and I don't want you to hear it from anybody else but me, I have tendered my resignation today and serving 2 months notice. I am joining Sabah Hotel as FOM."

"I know some of you may be sad of me leaving but this things will sure happen one day. We won't be in the same company forever. There are surely better manager out there who can guide you and who knows we may work together again one day! So stay cool!"

and these are their replies..

"Very sad to receive your sms sir. Thank you for teaching and guiding me during my time with you. Please forgive and forget if I have done anything wrong. I am gonna miss you sir."
- Eddie Yap

"Please sir, I don't want you to leave us. Please..sir, think it twice. I believe there must be a reason why you just suddenly take immediate action. If you think Sabah Hotel open a big opportunity and offered better pay, I can't stop you. You have a family. But frankly sir, i am speechless, think it twice please.."
- Haeruddin

"Oh man! Tell me this is not true! April fool is still far!.. if it is true..but why? Honestly, as your staff we don't want you to go but hey it is about your future!! don't worry, I will keep it secret. perhaps you can think again.."
- Abd Razik


"My god, you made a wrong choice boss..! I don't believe it"
- Joseline

"Even if there is, it won't be as good as you sir!"
- Willie

"After few months joining Hotel Sandakan, sometime I feel regret resigned from Sabah Hotel, may be difference management between the really two hotel line...But since you joined Hotel Sandakan, it changed my mind that my decision is ngamm. We will be losing you sir but if we have chance to work again, I feel so happy and you know sir I feel so jealous with FO Sabah Hotel getting the bestest ever FOM. Sincere from me.."
- Nur

Thank you guys, I am gonna miss you all..

The Day After My Resignation

Last night, after I sms my Front Office staff about my decision to leave this job. Quite a number of them sms me back asking me to reconsider my decision. While I do not like to leave them behind, I have to make my own decision, this is about my career, this is not about them..So sorry guys..

Later today, the hotel manager spoke to me, asking what are the chances that I would stay back. I just smiled. Nothing more need to be said. She knows this place can't hold me for long as I am ambitious.

I don't know what am I am gonna do in the next two months here...seriously.

My Certificates and Diplomas

For once, I thought I have lost my blue folder that holds all my school certificates and college diplomas. I was so upset and depress when i could not locate it for the last one year. I suspect I left it in a taxi while I went for an job interview in KK, I also suspect I misplaced it somewhere at home, or packed in one of the many boxes behind the kitchen at my mom's house.

Suddenly, something struck me two nights ago. I went to open the black suitcase containing all my story books and I found my folder!!! I was overjoyed! I think I must have chucked it inside the suitcase while I was packing my stuff when I moved house last May.

I found my certificates and diplomas again. I don't have to worry about applying job without these documents any more.

New Place, New Hope

After working in this hotel for 3 years and 8 months, I have finally made up my mind to move to another hotel today. I am tendering my resignation and starting at the new hotel in two months time.

It was not a difficult decision to make as I think I have nothing much to prove anymore at the current hotel. I have a vision and they don't have one. I have an aim and they don't have one. I can't stay in such a place any longer, if not, I will become one of them.

Life might be good here, no pressure, leave office on time but that is not what I am looking for and that is also not what i was used to in bigger hotels in Singapore. I am getting complacent, I am getting unmotivated.

I am not sure how things are going to be in the new hotel but I am willing to take my chance. I guess it won't be a big difference considering both owners are also local. I always wish to work in a bigger stage and now I have a chance. I must prove myself again in the new hotel and I can't wait for the challenges ahead. Once I am up there, I will stand a good chance when those new 4-5 hotels open up in the next 3-5 years time.

where will I be next year?

I went for an interview last Tuesday at KK and I met up with one of the hotel chain's group gm. I am looking for a move, out of Sandakan. I have been at this current hotel for more than 3 years now and I believe it is time to move on. The longer I stay here, the more stagnant I will become. I am not moving forward with this company, I am not gaining any additional experience and the most important is I am not improving myself at all. I want to be someone who is running in the front in this industry and not someone who is sitting behind and don't know what is happening out there. I think I can only achieve that if I leave this company and join a proper hotel, a hotel run by professional, not by a bunch of no-hoppers.

Hopefully I will get my break next year. Even if I am not going to go to another city, I will still try to join another hotel in the same city cause enough is enough.

SESB, pay me back my RM18.00

The nightmare is back!
I was supposed to play my weekly badminton game with my friends last night at the Yu Yuan hall at 7pm. When I arrived at the venue at 655pm, the whole place was in total darkness, so dark until you cannot see your own five fingers. Why? Power Outage again!!!

There were so many promise made after the much publicized East-West Grid was completed earlier and they (SESB) came out and said there will be less blackout from now on, even there is blackout, the restoration time will be very much shorter. Well, they can say all they want, believe it or not, it is up to you. For me, I will not believe a single word they said, simply because they are all lier! If you believe even one word they said, you will be doomed, fore sure.

We are supposed to be a developed country in 2020. I think the government only meant developed country in peninsula, in particular KL, definitely not Sabah and 100% not Sandakan. I am very sure, we will still be where we are by 2020 in terms of power woes. It will never get fixed.

This morning when I flipped through the useless local Merdeka Daily News, I just found out Sunny estate residents suffered a 10 hours blackout the day before. But I still want my RM18.00 back for not able to play at the badminton court that we already paid due to SESB useless power maintenance!

Pay me back, SESB

I am tired...

I am tired of listening to broken English
I am tired of incapable leader
I am tired of chaotic environment
I am tired of a place with no vision and mission
I am tired of seeing stupid decision and have to stick by it
I am tired of meeting which speaks dialect
I am tired of working for someone who does not know the job completely
I am tired....

I want to leave...one day, hopefully soon..

After moved...

I realised I miss my parents after I moved to the new house 1.5 months ago. When I was staying with them, we see each other everyday, we did not spend much talking or chatting. Last Sunday, we invited dad over for dinner (mom went to her usual Sunday's activity), I could see from his face that he was happy to dine with us and he could try out Ling's cooking for the first time which he said it was pretty good. After dinner, we sat in the living room and start talking. We talked about politics, we talked about a lot of other things. When I was still at the old house, we seldom talk like that, at this length. You can always learn something when you talk to a senior, no matter how smart you think you are. There are always some of their experience or stories which can be useful as a guidance in our life.

I am glad I have spent some time with my dad and I plan to do so more often in the future with both of them, provided mom can give up her Sunday hobby once a while, haha

We should always treasure what we have now instead of regretting when we don't have it anymore.

New House. New Home

Moved to a new house recently. Though not a very big house, but it is big enough for me and my wife. We always wanted to have a place of our own and now we have it. My wife is happy, she can now cook everyday, for me. (so I am happy too!) We live next to my in-laws, my wife's parents (duh!) so she is even more happier because of that.

I can't wait to go home after work now, may be the feeling is still new, still fresh. I just love to sit on the couch and do nothing, may be looking at the ceiling, doing some deep thinking..

My wife has a cousin, he is 2 years old +. This little fellow lives next to us and he is very talkative. I already knew that before we moved in but I didn't realise he is SO talkative! he can ask you a thousand questions a day (a bit exaggerated, though, :) ). It is fun to have him around, he cracks you up and he makes you laugh

Returning to Sinagpore..

Because of work, I returned to Singapore for 4D3N in April.
Walking on the street of Singapore is like walking down the memory lane. There are so many memories flash back, forgettable and unforgettable ones.
Anyway, It felt nice to come back to a place where I spent my best 7 years in my 20's. If not for what I have gone through there, I would not be who I am today.

Met some old friends in Singapore. It was nice to catch up with them and see their faces again. There are some I wanted to meet but did not manage to do so, may be next time.

It was a short trip but good enough.

Coming to Singapore..

It has been more than two years since the last time I stepped foot on this piece of land where I spent my best years in my 20's. Come middle of April, I will be there again because of work. People said when a city is getting more and more advanced and sophisticated, you tend not to find a lot fo true friends. I don't know how far is true but I do know I still have quite a number of true, good friends in the Lion city. Though we may not email each other that often, though we may not even call each once a month, I believe our friendship has long been established many years ago and the bond is so strong that no regular maintenance is necessary, I guess. We do sms once a while, I do think about them once a while, I am not sure about them though, :)

Hopefully I can see all of them again in this coming short and time congested trip to Singapore.