Sabah, Land Below The Wind (part 2)

I think this post has been delayed long enough. Time to get the rest of my time and adventures in Sabah posted up at last.

Back from where the previous post left out, I set out from the Signal Hill Observation Point and headed to the outskirts of town for a little sight-seeing. Our first stop was Sepanggar Bay, Sabah's equivalent of the satellite town of BDC.

Once there, we headed to University Malaysia Sabah (UMS). And, OH MY GAWD! The overall sight that greeted my eyes was amazing! I tell you, our puny UNIMAS campus has nothing on this university grounds.

The lush greenery was simply amazing and better yet, it was situated on the edge of a large cliff that overlooked the South China Sea. The view was stunning.

Apparently, I have decided to pursue tertiary-education

My next stop was the Menara Datuk Mustapha. Shaped like a rocket, or rather, like a certain male's anatomical feature, it is arguably the most tallest building in Borneo. Heated debates have erupted regarding the height of the building and also, its shape.

Don't tell Cape Canaveral about this, they might try to launch it. XD

We stopped by Sepanggar town for our brunch and I was in for a surprise when my father's friend recommended that we try Sabah's local delicacy. Better yet, the best of the best of this particular delicacy can be found in Sepanggar. Boy, that surely was my lucky day!

We sat down at a coffee-shop and ordered kolo mee. Yes, kolo mee. But this isn't Kuching's kolok mee we're talking about, this is old-school Sabahan kolo mee. The noodles were deep-fried in dark soya sauce and char sio. Finally, it was topped off with scallops, vegetables and fishballs. P.S : You might not want to try the cili-padi, it almost burned my tongue off. Mark the words burned, not scalded, burned!

Yummy~~

Later, we headed back to the city centre and stopped by the museum. However, it was undergoing some major renovations and we weren't allowed inside. Btw, loads of old cars displayed outside, ranging from the 60's to the 90's. I recalled seeing a 67' Chevy Impala if I was not mistaken.

As the clock struck noon, we trotted off once again, to the Golden Triangle of Hotel Resorts. Yep, I was heading towards the famed and fabled Sutera Harbour Bay. Renown as some of the best holiday resorts in the world, I was left with my mouth agape in awe as I learned that it was home to three colossal hotel resorts.

The first was Tanjung Aru Shangri-La's Beach Resort, the second was Sutera Harbour Resort and the third was '(insert fancy name here)' i totally forgot. Wasn't impressive enough for me to remember the name, perhaps. =P

Our first stop, Tanjung Aru Shangri-La Beach Resort. Hmpphh, Damai had never looked so horribly under-accommodated as I stepped foot onto the hotel grounds.

Somebody's getting lucky tonight~~

The resort grounds was pristine and reminded me a little bit of Hawaii

Undoubtedly, the landscaper must have put a lot of thought into this resort

Next up,we travelled to Sutera Harbour Bay, another resort nearby. Indeed, you could see why they called it Sutera Harbour Bay, what not with the uncannily accurate depiction of the marinas in Australia. You could see yachts, boats, sailors, boardwalks as far as the horizon stretched.

Once again, this sight would make you strip off and jump into the ocean, butt-naked

If I hadn't stated it earlier, one might mistake this for the marinas in Perth and Sydney

Tired from all the visiting we had done earlier in the day, we headed back to our hotel, rested up and got ready to see behind the scenes the night-life of Sabah.

Expect a post about Sabah's night-life soon enough as this post has dragged on for too long. Till then, cheerio~

3G Farewell Party 2006

While browsing around some files on my pc, I stumbled across the pics of our 3G farewell party at the end of year 2006. Immediately, a wave of nostalgia swept across me. It may be just one year ago, but heck, it seemed so much longer than that to me.

Class 3G. Damn. Those were indeed good times! With all the colourful personalities that sparkled life into the boring classroom, it was all just a big collaboration that ended up as class 3G.

I miss my friends. I missed the good times we had and shared together. I missed the times we drove the teachers up the wall. Missed the good laughs we shared. Most of all, I missed the wonderful atmosphere of which only the residents of 3G can recreate.

Join me, as I take a lovely stroll down memory lane.

Post PMR. Year 2006. Hartz Chicken, Sarawak Plaza. Noon. Time to just cut loose and have fun!!

Words cannot do justice of how much I've enjoyed that afternoon. So, I'll just present a collage of wonderful photos of that memorable day.

Settling down for the big feast

Yvonne, Assistant Monitor of the Year, 4 years running

Hmm. I recalled every single detail of the whole afternoon. The sound of cutleries on plates. The munching of food. The many exchange of words amongst 40 students. But, everything went straight to hell as we finished our meal and after I ate that:

No idea what that is called. Judging from the looks of our faces, must have tasted good, I think.

The so-called 'coolest people to hang out with' gang

And then, I realized what that concoction of evil was. It made us cool. It made us ah bengs. It made our dreams of modelling come true. Most of all, it made us perfect camwhore victims.

Camwhores!!!! AHH!!

As adrenaline flooded through my brain, clouding my thoughts, I marched right up to the girls table and did the unthinkable. Oh my, and to think I had a warm, fuzzy feeling in my stomach around them. Could it be......love? Nah, must be the fried chicken. XD

The average eye would mistake me for a girl. After all, I am pretty

Then, I headed back to the table where the highly intellectual ones sat. Not surprised at the sight of them partying on hard without me, I joined them without second thoughts. After contemplating the perfect way to create world peace, we sat down and held a toast to 3G.

Believe it or not, we are the leaders of tomorrow.

And, what kind of wild party would be complete if we didn't have a rather peculiar-some group photo taken right? I'm sure the college kids would agree with me, no?

A tad bit too much to drink, raging hormones, the ability to camwhore....you get the picture

All in all, that was most likely the best time I've had in years!! Why not, if you're surrounded by a group of friends you've known and grew up with for the past 3 years.

If you have friends and loads of memories together with them, heed my advice; Treasure them for all that they are worth, because at the end of the day, you'll know how lucky you actually are. After all, they're the ones that helped you to your feet whenever you fall down.

Alas, My Life Is Complete...........Metaphorically Speaking

Before, I begin, kindly note that there is no spoilers whatsoever of the 7th book in this post.

After all those painstaking years of wait, my wish is finally fulfilled as the 7th and final book rolled into shelves on the 21st of July 2007. Thus, completing the collection of which I have treasured for so long.

As any other fanboys would have it, I can only describe this momentous occasion as nirvana. I felt bliss, happiness as if the final missing piece of my life aspirations fell into place. Yes, I know I may be overexaggerating, but hey, bear with me here.

OMG, the 8th wonder of the world lies before you!

Truth be told, it's a funny thing really. The first Harry Potter book of which I read was the fourth, courtesy of my mother's non-stop nagging that made me delve into the world of this teenage wizard.

Soon, I suffered from the Harry Potter Syndrome, and like all others, craved for the 5th book to be released. And now, all seven books are displayed proudly in my shelf.

I know I'm being an arrogant, pompous cow, but hey, it's Harry Potter!

And now, my life is complete...........

Sabah.....Land Below The Wind.... (Part 1)

21st of July. 10 p.m. The plane I sat in touched down at Kota Kinabalu International Airport. Upon entering the terminal, the first thing I noticed was the diversity of the tourist that visited this popular vacation spot.

As I stepped out of the airport, the salty air of Kota Kinabalu met my nostrils. It was by far a pleasant change from the exhaust-laden air of Sarawak.

Outside, was a taxi ready to greet us; courtesy of my father who was is in KK for work, and we headed off to our hotel. Le Meridien they call it.

Apparently, some love-drunk French stepped foot onto KK and decided to build a hotel for himself. Thus, naming it Le Meridien.

Nothing French about this hotel at all. Oui?

My family and I checked in and a wonderful sight greeted our eyes. The lobbies were dazzlingly decorated, wide and spacious. However, it was nothing compared to the room though.

Fooled you into thinking it was my room, no?

My father managed to pull some strings and got us a wonderful room overlooking the South China Sea. Oh My Gawd. Sunrise had never been so beautiful. The way the Sun reflects its rays off the pristine, blue seas was sensational!

The stereotypical view of any hotel in KK (Damai has nothing on this) XD

Early next morning, I departed the hotel to visit some famous landmarks in KK. Our first stop was the Clocktower Observation Point located on the outskirts of town. Apparently, it gives tourists a chance to witness for themselves the entire city.

The highway was built parallel to the cerulean seas. Me, like the sakai person that I was, exclaimed excitedly at the sight in front of me. Along the way, I could see various families having a picnic on its sandy beachside. Some, even swimming in the seas.

Makes you wanna just strip and throw yourself into the sea, butt-naked

The way to the top of the hill was steep and filled with countless twists and turns. To my utter surprise, those crazy Caucasians decided against taking a taxi up there but hiking the path up themselves. What surprised me was the fact that they were in their late 60's. Jiayuuu!!!

I'm on the top of the world, literally speaking

That's all I have time for now. Expect to have another entry soon about my exploits and misadventures in the Land Below The Wind; Sabah. Poor Sabahans didn't see it coming.