hello goodbye

sigh...
so many
so many
so many memories made...

so many
so many
so many choices made...

so many
so many
so many more of both to make in the coming year..

Closing time

Aqua Babe report :
Today at Likas Aquatic Centre
Late arrival to pool = 900m swim in 26mins.
Pool cold as usual but i think my body was warmer than usual..hmm...
same soreness on the left shoulder socket.. a slight change in swim stroke countered the pain.

Yesterday at Penampang Pool
same late arrival = 850m in 28mins.
Warm, almost velvety feel water. A bit of soreness felt on my left shoulder socket.. napa tu ah..

Come next month, when school reopens,I will have to change my swimming schedule. Afternoon perraps...alternate with jogging days.

Aqua Babe report

Without the cumbersome swimming pants and top covering my swimsuit (which was how I covered myself during the 5-day Bronze Cross Course-for modesty sake), I did my 600m swim way below 18mins. Leisurely swimming I managed that too, I might add.

Cold weather it was, this morning. By the end of 1km swim, I already felt the urgent nature's call. Did a couple more laps before calling it quits.

The west coast area has been experiencing bad weather this few days. Effects of the storm from other parts of the world, experts say. Just got to be as careful as we can to avoid untoward incidents.

Red is the color

I love you, Red.Flywire.Take me jogging ya? Make me run. Make me sweat. Make me smile. Yea it's my birthday. Yea u got me.

I received more than 70 birthday wishes on FB. A few personal touches with text messages on my phone. yet a few more birthday calls on the phone. Hey.. how about that.. I'm still alive, (so far), still loved, and still on people's search list. Let the months ahead bring more life in this life. Plenty more to try, to taste, to savour.

Bronze Cross 2011

Towing with a Buoy
Managed only 18mins18secs on this... Coulda sworn I did less than 17mins during training... (must be the extra baju2 renang)
Doing the Chin Tow
Me and the other ladies
Bliss...
Resting at noon...kembang juga my triceps..


Just some photos I borrowed from Roni's album. Been training for the endurance swim..n on the 20th, managed 18mins 18secs for the 600m swim. Oh this course was interesting, energy draining but fun. The coach exposed us to many different life-saving situations for which to practice on. A couple of friends who were already rescue divers themselves gave a few tips on how to manage/ transport victims through the waters. By the end of the course though, I had developed cramped neck and shoulder muscles, and almost near exhaustion.
During these 5 days too, sis gave birth to Amelia, saw both mum and girl at Damai Specialist. A day after being discharged, Little Amelia had to be sent to LIkas Hosp cuz she developed jaundice. She was discharged yesterday. Hopefully she continues getting better. :)

Amelia Chua

Presenting, Amelia Chua Jing Wen, of Sandra n Ahleong. Born 19th December 2011 at Damai Specialist Centre. Approx 33 weeks. love...love..love..

Woke up an hour ago after trying to keep the contents of my stomach from spilling out.. the migraine came..and now hopefully it will stay out...for a while. Today (later this morning) will start the first of 5 days of swimming activities in the pool. Need my strength lah..

Swimming updates since previous post..
Oyea... finally managed to get past the 2km mark. Did 2.1km on Thursday.. and 2.2km on Friday. Was getting tired the last few laps of the swim.. swallowed some water too. nice, chlorinated aqua..

My arms look pumped.. dismally not so on my lower body.. *sigh*

*note to self.. come january..with new running shoes for a push start (hmmm...when did i hear myself say this before?) i hope my running days will restart.. gots ta git me some running soles first..

Aqua Babe report

Calm and collected
an invisible charm wrapped around my being
smilingly and lovingly pushing
past previous limits

1.7km
more please
more

Honesty

I wish I could be totally frank and open about what's happening in my life. I've been very selective about what I write here that I think writing down anything at all defeats the purpose of writing.

You carry on with life, plodding through the muck and mud, breezing blissfully through the clouds and rainbows, each day hoping that the best has happened and that more will come, and that you learn something to make you a better person.

I am still not concrete. I still flit and flutter, hoping to find purchase on this unstable ground we call life. So many what ifs.. each day making a promise to be more grounded, to be more open and receptive, to be more courageous to do what's right. Not easy. Hearts will be broken, friendships run the the risk of betrayal, relationship irrevocably maimed and un-mendable.

If tomorrow never comes?

Aqua Babe report

made 3 different designed shirts...
long time endeavor..
haven't taken pictures of it yet..
love them.

on to other matters..
drove all the way to Penampang Pool..
to swim under the warm 4pm sun..
and did 1.2km only..
wish the pool was an olympic sized one..
no need to do 48 laps..

Progress rep

Trafik jem nenas at Likas Swimming pool after 5pm. Managed to swim 1.2km only...dodging oncoming swimmers is a hassle!

R.I.P Ah Mao

My AhMao is no more. I grieve for her as I would any beloved member of my family. She has been with me close to four months and has managed to bury her personality in me more than a four-months period of closeness would normally entail. My tears are rolling down my cheeks as I type this.
So, how long will I mourn her loss? As long as men can breathe and eyes can see.

Aqua Babe( me la kono) swim report :
- today 1,200m. Last 200m done with breast stroke.
- yesterday 1,100m.

right... i think i can manage more than 1200m swimming distance..slowly though. Get the technique right, the speed will come.. i read that somewhere. So, um... patience is all I have now..cuz I just started swimming again less than a month before this.

Had lunch with mum, Gareth n sis at Hyatt. it's sis' birthday.. :) but we're having the makan-makan today as on the 5th, I won't be around. I have a course to attend at ol' Kiulu.. Survival Camp.

Made another visit to De' Mala Beauty Centre. Uff...my fats hurt.

Today (technically yesterday) was a blast!
From the first minute to the last,
DMs crazy to the max,
but safety first without lax.

Here fishy fishy said me,
Cor blimey beautiful as can be,
Lots to see and lots to learn,
They're begging me for a return.

haish..ok lar.. brain not working.
Great day today. :)

The pics below aren't exactly what I saw yesterday, just saw a relative of theirs.

I am so dark now, my eyebrows look non-existant(so said Aunt Felicia when I met her last night).

Did my 600m freestyle swim followed by another 400m breast stroke. My watch MUST be defective. I registered an approximate 17 mins at 600m mark. *guffaw*snort*giggle*

My side stroke was much better too. Could keep my head much longer above water too..*thumping self at the back but not too hard now*

After the swim, went to pick up Sis n Ah Leong at Promenade Hotel. Ah Leong wanted to buy some computer thingamajig.. a gadget that will enable one to play any kind of computer-downloaded video file on the TV(saves time on converting files). He was thinking of browsing through the computer stores in Karamunsing, but then I remembered that there was a PC fair happening. I wasn't sure if it was still on. So I called up a friend to ask if it was still one. Yep, Sunday was the last day. So, off we went to Likas Sports Complex.

I bought a new headphone (the old one was still functioning, but the donlop was already frayed and tattered.. plus it only cost RM17).. and a Bluetooth USB dongle (dongle...that's what it says on the cover). My laptop's bluetooth is hangkang/kiok/chicken dead..but still haven't tried this new dongle though.

Ah Leong found what he was looking for. Nasib Sis went to take a peek at the box to look at the hardware. It was empty! Apparently the busy Ahbeng had mistakenly given AhLeong the display box. So, error rectified, we went on our way with our goodies.


Monday...pool closed... so.. no swim lor...
Less than 3 weeks to go for the Bronze Cross, leaves me ample time to get darker..n hopefully have better stamina. Amin...

5th in a row

Panas my badan... swimming 5 days in a row.

Today I reached 1000m. urrmm...the last 400m was done with the help of the float between my legs while doing freestyle swim.. still counts as 1000m ba kan?
Used my new goggles too.. the one with degrees.. Wah.. can see so clear underwater! The goggles still fogged up though..after the 10th lap..

And o yeaaa.... finally got the rhythm for doing sidestroke. Too bad.. won't be able to test whether i'm able to tow a victim with that swim stroke.. care to be my manikin/ victim, anybody?

Had a fun time at Zumba Latin at Bodycare Event with Kala last night. There were about 10 of us only. The instructor is Ayo. A former dancer and choreographer, she led us through the steps for this Latin Zumba. Interesting.... cuz at first i didn't think it would be. Last week was Zumba Hip Hop apparently. Might go again next time.

Swam 700m today at Penampang without timing it. Forgot my swimming cap. Water was pouring into my mouth every time I turned for the breath-in, so I had to do the swim breast-stroke all the way. Felt good....
Couldn't do the 25m underwater one breath though.

Under the sky not so blue..

Reached the Penampang pool around 10.30am. Some kids were still swimming then. After setting my watch to time, i started the swim. With kids criss-crossing the length of the pool, making me stop midways sometimes to let them pass, it was a pleasant surprise to clock 19:46 for a 600m swim. Maybe the warm water didn't freeze my muscles so much.

Sun vs the roof

Went swimming at the Likas Pool this morning. Cold, cold, cold!
Even after 10 laps, I still felt cold.
I had set my timer before starting the laps.
By the 12th lap, I had clocked 19:48.
*grunt* not good enough.

Will go to the roofless Penampang Pool on the morrow.

What the..?

As I watched in utter horror and disbelief the tv report on TV3 regarding the treatment of Indonesian football players and audience towards Malaysia's football victory against them last night, I wondered what happened to the spirit of sportsmanship in the Sea Games this year?

Titus Bonai, the Indonesia striker, should be commended for his comradeship. He was the ONLY player from the opposing team who went out to shake hands and congratulate each Malaysian player after the victory ceremony. I should add, he should be also be praised for his bravery. Who knows what lay in store for him. His own teammates and the Indonesian supporters might look upon his actions as a**licking and disloyalty.

Apparently, two people had died prior to the start of the game outside of the stadium. The ticketing counter was set ablaze by disgruntled fans who could not get tickets. In the ensuing chaos and flight from terror, two fans were fatally wounded. Terrifying! and what utter idiocy!

Furthermore, the 1km journey from the stadium to the hotel where the Malaysia team were putting up turned up to be a journey of almost warlike proportion. I could see from the news report how Indonesian die-hard fans had surrounded the bus carrying the Malaysia team, making it an almost impossible task in moving forward. Some are seen banging on the bus and making lewd gestures. Unbelievable!

The Tigers flew back early this morning. Thankfully, the Indonesian security had the Malaysian team transported to the airport using the Barracuda, which was a huge tank-like vehicle.

Wuah...soccer or football.. and it's effects on people..
I wonder what else will happen.. from this Tiger vs Garuda affair? Gosh.. hopefully no more casualties.

Color me brown

Shoulda bought the burgundy. But no matter, i'm coloring my hair for the hols. light brown. ;)

Waterbug II

I was reading this early post of mine in 2007 and i had said i wished to go to Padas for a whitewater rafting trip. Well, i've since been there twice!.. the first time was last year in March, and the second time was on the 16th of July this year. How about that? COuld there be a third time?

Pics on my first trip, last year...

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Tenom Pangi Dam


I fell overboard... and drank Padas water by the gulps..




Donno where I put the cd given by Riverbug...I could only find these..

HamChimPeng

Or kuih Ham Chim Piang...or Kuih Lingkaran Nyamuk (so named by people from other parts of this country)..

Learning how to make this kuih was one project I undertook a few months ago. There's this stall selling local kuihs and lauks in Putrajaya, Telipok. There are many other food stalls there, mind you but what made her an exception was that she (the stall owner) didn't sell the typical local Malay kuihs normally sold in food stalls like kuih Lapis, pulut panggang, wajid (wajit), kuih lenggang, ABC, Sugarcane drinks and many more. Hers was the only stall that sold Piang Masin, traditional kampung lauks like the stir fried Lemiding with belacan, young Yam stalks with bits of dried salted fish, and soto. Oh and of course HamChimPiang.
This HamChimPiang of hers sold like hot(cakes) HamChimPiangs! She would roll the dough and make them just behind the stall tables. Most of the time customers would order them while the HamChimPiangs were still being fried. Sometimes you'd have to book early just to get one or four.
She made it look so easy...making them. I'd ask her what the ingredients were...and she'd say..."Senang ja ba ni.." So, after a few weeks of contemplation.. I finally tried. Not so easy le...
My first attempt didn't go so well.. had to throw them out to the dogs...TOO crunchy (keras like anything!)for my taste..
The second try was...ok.. brought it to my uncle's place...and surprise! surprise! THey kind of liked the think crunchy texture to them...
Before
After
Which led to a family project of making HamChimPiangs for all at Grandma's.
Nice...
Finished (this was my Aunt Betty's result
What say you? Heheh... delicious..with Kopi panas..

Bedtime Books..

Has it been that long since I last blogged? Yes'm it has.
I felt that I had nothing that was worth writing about. Having said that though...
I watched the whole Season 1 of this new hit HBO series, Game Of Thrones.. of course the ones showed on tv had certain scenes cut so I did the next best thing..and bought the complete Season 1 DVD - the complete scenes within..
Watching the last episode of Season 1 left me wanting more of the evilness that lie in the Seven kingdoms. I love the witty mishappen Tyrion. Such strength in that halfman in being able to accept his many shortcomings and wearing it like a badge of honor. wish i could be like him in that sense.
I couldn't bear the thought of waiting next year for Season II so I went to Times and bought the whole collection. I'm almost finished reacquainting myself with the characters in the first book. The people who play the characters in the book are so THEM. I understand why George R.R. Martin was so pleased with the casting.
oh well...

Bz bz bz... no time to stand and stare..

June bug

Is it Sunday already? One more week of holiday left. Of waking up in the morning without worrying whether I'll be able to drive and reach work before the punch card turns red, of taking each minute doing just about anything without being aware that one minute has passed, of not having heavy thought processes going on each day of working week.. ya... till next week.

Nizam's wedding reception last week was a wonderful event. It was unfortunate that I did not have the chance to catch up with him. It was understandable though.. he was just so busy doing the arrangement for the reception. He and the bride did everything on their own. The akad nikah was performed at the Putrajaya Mosque on the 28th and the reception at Taman Botani, Putrajaya the next night. Where did I put up for the night? (Two nights actually.. I took it for granted that the reception was going to be on 29th morning.) At the Shangrila Putrajaya. What luxury!! To me..anyway. Loved the bed, Loved the pillow (goose downs), Loved the bathroom..and I enjoyed the breakfast spread. I wish I had four stomachs then, the better to be able to enjoy all the different sets of tables..all laden with all the food I loved to munch.
Anyways.. went jalan-jalan at Alamanda..met up with old fren Teresa, who's working right across the building opposite Alamanda. Wah..5 mins of easy walking everyday from your workplace to Alamanda. Too bad she's a workaholic.. If it were me, I'd be hanging out at Alamanda during breaks...but then again she's been there ages..maybe the thrill had run its course ..:).. Had lunch with her and traded stories about friends and updates about ourselves. She's a treasure..she's among a handful of friends whom I can be honest with and be candid about.
She accompanied me for a couple of hours of mani-pedi at one of the outlets there. The Nail Parlour's the name..but this kedai mani-pedi has apparently created a name for itself, being featured in a few local mags as THE Nail place to go to for a mani-pedi. Yea...having one's nails pampered once in a blue moon sure felt good!
Teresa was flying back to Kuching the next day so it was a wonderful pleasure to be able to see her. Don't know when we'll be able to meet up next!

Oh..haven't been taking photos. The camera's not a constant companion as it was before this. As mentioned, I stayed in Shangrila Putrajaya, as Nizam and Farah were. Since the reception venue was a drive away, I gleefully managed to hitch a ride with one of Nizam's entourage. Farah's sister's car.. I think.
Nizam was in a very ligth colored suit..It looked light grey to my untrained eyes, white shirt, lilac neck tie. All must've been tailored because they all fit him like a glove. Farah was beautiful. Dressed in white, with a sheer lilac selendang to cover her bare shoulders. What a picture she made with Nizam! And sure enough, there wasn't a moment where cameras were not constantly clicking and shooting away when they reached the reception area. Before they walked down the red-carpeted stairs (which were laid out for the special occasion), the DJ made the announcement over the mike. Lovely love ballads- a list especially compiled by Hashim aka Shima complemented the ambiance. I only recognised Anita Sarawak's voice but the rest of of songs were such music to the ears. Nothing harsh, nothing traditional. Very chic, modern, out in the open, night reception. I could go on and on and not have an end to this post.

Yusmaniza@Kechik was the only ex-coursemate who came at Nizam's akad nikah the day before. That night, there was me, Alias, Diane and hubs, Izah and Achok, Aina and hubs and perhaps other college-mates. There were shrieks of surprise and wonder from the other girls when they saw me. Met Diane just last year. Haven't met Izah and Aina ever since graduation. Izah was trying to pin-point what exactly was different about me..apart from the hair, apart from the fine set of teeth. I coulda told her about the surgery that I had, but I felt that it wasn't the right place and time. It was a mini-reunion with a time limit and plenty other things could be talked about. (I told Teresa about it and told her the blog address. The one I did about my surgery and stuff).

Nizam n Farah and us

These few pictures are ones taken from Nizam's facebook profile pics... They were wonderfully taken outdoor pics of them... I simply adore these!! (Sorry Nizam ;)..pinjam k?)

I love this!!





All in all..I'm glad I attended Nizam's reception. I don't expect a reciprocation on his part, if ever my day comes. Just not into that kind of celebration, I guess. Have I deviated from the social norm, thoughts and custom? perraps..

One more week. One more week..

end of May..

Cuti oledi...
Flying to KL later today to attend Nizam's wedding reception. After setting the date of his nikah, he then formally invited me to come to the reception..and that was last year. Now how could I refuse that? and the date was conveniently set on a school holiday. Booked the flight only last month. Coulda gotten a cheaper flight if I had been vigilant enough of cheap online flight websites..like some people. I know of some..no many.. who log onto MAS or Airasia or the new Fire Fly as soon as they get connected to the net.

Oh well.

Me and procrastination..a constant battle. Haven't packed yet. I'm planning to travel light. Very light. The only heavy stuff would be the make-up kits..and they're not that many.

Wish me safe travel people.



Photo of me taken sometime at the end of March. Finally after keeping long hair for 3 years? I had them shorn at A Cut Above, in Karamunsing. Two days ago, I had yet another haircut. This time it's much much shorter. No pics of this new do yet. Tinguklah if got time to take self-pic.

Movie time

Decided to watch this movie yesterday when Gareth and I went to Megalong. Best Rm16 i've spent so far. I love this movie! The lines were funny and hilarious, the soundtrack was uplifting and infectious, the romantic element was sweet. Wouldn't mind buying one for the album!


Before going back to my house, I felt like watching another movie. Went to Cathay for this. Bummer.. I actually felt like walking out the door when Baby Doll was about to shimmy her way on the second so-called dance scene cum escape to dreamland. The soundtrack was incredible though. i sort of felt that the heavy rock theme in the soundtrack overpowered the fighting scenes and not complement them. Yea.. too much of the fighting scene purist in me. Eye candies fighting the tough fight..machine guns and samurais.. too heavy for school-girly tweens. I endured the movie to the end..just to see how it turned out. Ok lar...

Pamper Thyself..and loved ones.

..whenever your pocket allows it.
It has been awhile since I last took out mum n bro for makan-makan. Yesterday at Oldtown IBorneo, saw the table laden with food..due to inability to stick to one meal and one drink. You know.. hungry stomach = rambang mata.
I picked the toasted peanut butter bread AND the kaya bread. And paratha with chicken curry, And two half-boiled eggs. and of course Oldtown white coffee kaw kaw.
Mum was undecided.. it was her first time dining at Oldtown Cafe. Later she chose the french toast and because she'd already had coffee at home, decided on the peach yoghurt smoothie.
Gareth, upon hearing that breakfast was on me, decided on the Western Platter (beans, sausages, eggs, toasted bread..the works), and the Kuew Tiaw Hor Fun, and being a newbie health-nut (*giggle*) , picked the Wheatgrass drink.
My paratha was the first to arrive, and so all of us nibbled on them. Yum...sedap.
Then the toasted peanut butter and kaya bread came. Then Gareth's wheatgrass, followed by Mum's smoothie and my coffee kaw. Wuaah....
Kuew Tiaw Hor Fun came and Gareth took a few bites..and decided it wasn't to his liking, saying that it was a bit bland... Um...yea.. I tasted some of it and agreed. The chicken was a bit tasteless, maybe it was left in the broth/soup too long.
Soon, the rest of the ordered food came.. and we ate those that agreed with our taste bud, tapau-ed the toasted bread that was uneaten, and ignored the ones that wasn't as appetizing. (Gareth's opinion : OldTown food..next time no need to go)
Next, we went to Times Bookstore. I had already bought three books on Friday.
1) Dr M's memoirs 2) Robin Sharma's The monk who sold his Ferrari 3) The Secret History of the World.
Dr M's memoir, because of curiousity, and I have always been intrigued by this genius of a man and I just want to know the reasons he did the things he did.
Robin Sharma's, for the heck of it. Hopefully if I manage to finish reading it, I might be a better person (eyes looking sideways up..hmmm).
The third book, what can I say, I'm a lost soul.
Gareth (like most teens who grew up with Japanese anime), chose basic Japanese. i think he just wants to impress his schoolmates with some Japanese phrases. He says some of his Korean-mad friends speak a smattering of Korean- garnered from wathing Korean dramas, and this infuriates him..because he doesn't know what they mean.
Well, I bought another book. Basic cantonese. Something to occupy the noggins.
Mum didn't buy anything. She just browsed around. She thought of buying the 5th installment of the Earth children book, the Ayla story, written by Jean M Auel, but she was unsure if she already had that copy or not. Oh well, there's always a next trip. Oh ya...paid for Gareth's book too. I thought that was that until mum found this half-inch thick illustrated guide to cats. Bought that we did.
On to window shopping. And then Mum said she wanted to go to Daiso. Ok.
Now, Daiso is the place where if one were to go, would not go out of without having bought something. These Japanese people think of everything. I ended up buying 70ringgit worth of knick knacks of which some I haven't even sorted out today.
I bought 'privacy window plastic sheets' with lace design, some aromatherapy incense sticks (sheesh...I already have air freshener at home pun...), a water spray container ( the one that I had for spraying the flowers I had ignorantly filled with some cleaning liquid, thinking that the smell would go away after use- it didn't)..aiyah..and a few more things.
Anyway... what else we did.. we had us some massage session using the Gintell massage chair. RM1 would give you 3 mins of massage time, RM5, 15mins,and RM10, 30mins. Mum went for the half-an hour massage while Gareth and I went for the 15mins. Since both of us finished earlier, we popped over to the indoor Archery thingy. Robin Hoods wannabe we were, donning the smelly leather onto our fingers and arms. Ok lar... I wasn't aiming for perfect bull-eyes..not that I can..not if you count fluke shots, just an activity for sister-brother bonding. We finished in time to see mum rising from the massage chair. Smart la these people.. cannot sell individual chairs to people.. so they come up with this kind of strategy to get money out of 5mins, 15mins, and 30mins usage. Plenty money come...
We parted ways soon after, as I had another personal thing to do.
What is it? Yay...I went and got meself a haircut..a short do. Went to Karamunsing, at 'A Cut Above' with my significant other. I flicked through the hairstyle mag and pointed to a style. An hour later, voila.. a new me. My head feels so light now. A feeling of freedom..freedom from having to spend so much time figuring out what to do with my thick hair, from spending so much time washing it. Yadayada..I've had short hairdos before.. HE suddenly saw me in a new light..glad he liked it.
After we went our separate ways, I headed over to Damai for my much needed facial. I pity the skin on my face. So lama didn't pay much attention to it. Ramlah's expert hands gently scubbed off the dead skin. An hour or so later, I emerged from her secluded beauty parlor with a better complexion. Must remember to come next week for a lulur session.
Sigh.. that was my saturday. Well spent.
Next week will be another challenging week. Here's hoping it will be a manageable week.

SPL first leg 2011

Yea.. Sabah Paintball League was a two-day event from the 13th till today, 14th. However, I went only on the first day. What a day it was. As a novice marshall, I have a lot to learn. Not about the rules, but learning to make split second decisions when and where a fault occurs in the field. I am embarassed to admit that I may have let a few faults slip away because of nerve, of being afraid to be on the wrong. In marshalling aspect, I have high regards for Angel Bear and her crew. Apa gia saya.. macam once a year only turun padang..
The game started late so it ended late, way into the late sunset. The weather started to well but ended up raining. The rain had started at noon and it alternated between light showers and cloudy. But the game had to go on.
Some great teams, some funny novice teams, and a drama was the talk of yesterday.

It was around 7pm when everything wrapped up. One or two games had to be postponed to today because of the late hour. Too dark to see. I was super exhausted and could barely drive back home. I also could sense a migraine cropping up then. Reached home, had a hot bath. Ate a half-boiled egg, ate my ubat and went to bed.

Sore muscles

Is what you get for not paying regular attention to your muscles.
I attended the refresher course for paintball marshalling last weekend at the Likas field. After some revision session on technical sides of marshalling, it was time for in-field practice. Gawd I was huffin' n a puffin' on the first few runs. The two paintballer teams were also doing their practice run in preparation for the 1st leg of the Sabah Paintball League which is coming up in mid March.
I didn't bring my facemask and had to just borrow the Company's rental ones. What a mistake that was. The visor did not give a clear view as it was with scratches- no doubt from other many other players renting. The sky decided to let down a slight misty shower and THAT fogged up the visor too. What a disadvantage that was for me.
suda la calar-balar visor, foggy some more..
And..by the end of the training session, I managed to get just one visible bruise from the many stray pellets. But the muscle soreness.. sigh.

feeling mighty bloated. Did exercises not at all since last December. and this heftiness is making me lethargic and not at all interested in anything remotely leading to excessive perspiration. A walk around the 1.5km lake? brain says yes please, body says maybe another day.

Untitled post today. Have nothing on my mind. At this very moment, the tv is on (while i am here at this keyboard typing away) channel 710 on NCIS. It's like listening to a movie or a story. Reminds me sometimes of days of yesteryears listening to the educational channel on radio. It helped me with concentration and of course, with listening skills. Loved the shows on radio.

It's cuti time again. Much needed time to calm my thoughts. I feel more out of it this year. I feel like i'm up to here (mouth level) with anxiety attacks. I have these lists of different agendas on different posts that I have to accomplish this year and i feel like i'm being tested for something. and with more posts, i am encroaching more and more into territories I don't like going into - office politics. Some people are just plain arses. I much prefer people tell things straight to your face than coming up to you smiling and all seemingly buttery and sweet and then go do something quite the opposite once you're out of earshot. Maybe I'm just not the player. It's a game- this politic - that some people just seem to thrive on.

So, it's sewing time for me. Tires yet relaxes me at the same time.

ugh

Is that a valid title? 2010 had come and gone. plenty of happenings happened last year..and plenty more happenings about to come crashing this year. Tis going to be a rabbit year (according to chinese calender) and it doesn't bode well for those born on rabbit year too.
hrmm...
lessee.. started the sewing project during the hols.. 10 sets of school uniform. Had already started cutting the cloths when I had to hold the project to make way for the Semporna trip. Sempat singgah kg. luanti to have our feet tickled and nibled by the Kelah fish at luanti river. Drove on to semporna. Went to Mataking island..enjoyed the food. Went on a one night stay at a Homestay program at Kg. Batu Puteh, Kinabatangan. Enjoyed the food at ...gosh..forgot Sani's mum's name!..the place where we stayed the night. Went on a boat ride to have a look-see at the Proboscis Monkeys, the local Macaques and the eco-camp there. Also went for a short jungle trekking the day after. Twas not our luck..didn't see any wild animals doing their morning forays. Lessee...started around 12 from kinabatangan, reached Lahad Datu around 2 and had KFC for lunch...continued the journey. Singgah Sabah Tea to borrow the toilets and also to partake some tea pancake and borneo teh tarik. interesting...

As soon as i got back from the trip (Mona the driver.. me as the passenger). I resumed sewing. managed to finish both Lenora's and Jade's pinafores... Skali test.. Lenora's ketatsss.... could i have possibly taken the wrong measurement? Aiya... had to do the alterations. managed those.. finished Joanne's pinafore...completed Lenora's baju kurung uniform... Got the payment..all generously paid by respective parents (who ..koff koff... happened to be aunts).. School has reopened.. all have gotten their uniforms save for Amber.. tidak la sempat jait her primary school ones. No matter said the mum, she can still use her elder sis' while waiting for them (two of them) to be sewn. ok.

Now..it's SUPPOSED to be off holidays.. but I am still sluggish.. not even in gear to start.. hence the Ugh...

Oh...Happy New Year to all. Gotta tough it out.. as usual.