旧照片

今天在面子书上，新加坡的旧同事上载了一张很有纪念价值的照片，看了照片，无穷思绪湧上心头。旧同事熟悉的脸孔，灿烂的笑容，唤起了许多的回忆。我很常都会问自己一个问题，如果KIN还在，今天的我所走的路会不一样吗? KIN，我们永远怀念你。

2010的展望

新年刚开始，似乎今年的我会很忙。去年底加入了eCosway，不久可能会做Prudential，前阵子朋友又找我入股小旅馆，再加上我的正职，时间好像忽然间不够用.

我是不是太贪心了?或许我真的要好好的衡量那一份兼差会为我带来最好的经济效益，然后全力出击，这样才不会一无四处.

关系

忽然间想起一些以前的事情，有个问题一直在脑海中打转。为什么两个人在谈恋爱的时候，可以如此的亲密，然而在分手后却有如两个陌路人？人与人之间的关系就是这么奇妙吧？

拉斯维加斯的奇女子

在美国时，在网上认识了一位匿名为“城市天使“的女生。 当时的我在洛杉矶而她则身处三藩市。我们在网上聊了好一段时间，我当时因为刚跟当时的女友分开了，所以在网上跟她无所不谈。

记得那一年的一个晚上，她在网上跟我说她明天会一个人在赌城拉斯维加斯庆祝生日，我想着自己闲着在洛杉矶无聊便问她要不要我到赌城陪她，岂知她一口便答应下来。于是第二天，我便租了部车，飞车到赌城找她。

到了赌城，她跟我说她住在Bellagio。在大厅见了面，我便跟她上了她的房间。我们虽然在网上无所不谈，可是见了面还是有点生疏。在房间聊了一会，她说累便睡觉去了。我忽然心血来潮便到大厅的礼品店买了一束花送给她做生日礼物。回到房间，感觉气氛有些异样，她忽然问我说会不会按摩，我说会一点点。然后她就面部朝下躺在床上，叫我替她按摩。当时的我是带着紧张又有点尴尬的心情， 慢慢的用我的手触摸她的背部。开始的时候，我还是很小心的替她按摩着，可是内心却是小鹿乱撞，开始胡思乱想，想入非非。于是我慢慢的解开她衣服的纽扣，然后又松开了她内衣的扣子，她没有反抗，似乎了解也允许我的企图。于是我更大胆得开始轻吻她的背部。正当我感觉一切都在我的掌握之中的当儿，她忽然转过身跟我说她要到酒店的赌场走走。我心中的烈火立即被一盘很冷很冷的冰水浇了下来。我没办法，唯有跟她离开房间。


接下来的几天内，她一直流连在赌桌上。原本到赌场去。

雨

最近雨一直下个不停。从年初一到年初四，大雨小雨，断断续续。今年的新年肯定是最“湿“的一年。

昨天，原本汶莱的苏丹要造访山打根并入住我们的酒店，每个人都很期待，很盼望他的到来，因为我们花了不少的时间跟精神去准备所有的一切。岂知，人算不如天算，从早上开始，就一直下雨，下到最后苏丹的专机无法降落而取消他的行程。每个人获知这个消息后都非常失望。可是没办法，这是天意。希望他下次会再来。

昨晚在雨中驾车回家，在酒店对面的路就看见三辆车冲上安全岛，然后到了医院附近，看到塞车，又转去一里半，想从启华幼稚园处转入高速公路，结果在幼稚园处遇上水患，全部车辆都放慢速度，小心翼翼的行驶。出到了高速公路，又遇到堵车，没办法，唯有下市区，打从盘古庙回。一直到南亚路口，遇上严重水患，看见有两辆车在洪流中抛锚。我在洪流中涉水而行，当时真的担心车子会忽然抛锚，幸好最后还是安全到家。

这场雨，什么时候才会停呢？这是不是温室效应而带来的天气反常之预兆呢？

新年贺语2009

今年又收到了许多新年祝贺的短讯，有意思的有以下两则。。

财神老爷对你笑
笑得胡子往上翘
问你发财要不要
享受富贵真美妙
钞票多多真有效
看见什么都能要
若问这天何时到
读完信息就生效

送鼠迎牛牛来宝
金牛降临不算早
带来好处可不少
送你健康和财宝
社会安定人温饱
家庭和睦不争吵
一年更比一年好
开开心心活到老

恭祝大家 新年快乐 万事如意！

我的小雨静

一闪一闪亮晶晶
我的名字叫雨静
挂在天空放光明
好像许多小眼睛

一闪一闪亮晶晶
我的名字叫雨静

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.