“Sandakan Trip with my Two Jewels”

“Sandakan Trip with my Two Jewels”

December 2010 (Sabah, Malaysia)

SHIT HAPPENS TIME TO TIME! I will prove it but before that come first and follow our little adventure.

From Kota Kinabalu

Nat and I decided to have a legendary road trip (‘1^st bluff) to hell last mid of November 2010 as I need to go home to my hometown passing through Sandakan by December, 2010 because my student visa needs a little renovation. Lately Mid November, someone called me saying: we try to take on air because road trip will be a waste of time (huwat, you don’t do that!) and eventually I said yes and we agreed we will shit on that carrier (‘2^nd bluff’).

We arrived in Sandakan Airport around 1pm. While waiting for Nat Jr that came all the way from Semporna (thank you!) we started our chitchat talked about our families’ difference and culture. And so a kancil (I hope this is the correct spelling for your famous little car) arrived afterwards. We accompanied Nat Jr. in her lunch at ZAKAR kedai. ZAKAR ZAKAR, sounds fun to hear and to hold I think.

As promised we started HOLY.

This was in St. Michael Church which happens to be the oldest untouched (catholic –‘3^rd bluff’) church ever survived in Borneo for centuries. When we got there it was definitely closed and this question came across to my mind – are we the chosen three! Hahaha. Moreover, the smallest rain drops started to fall as soon as we arrived there so it was clearly either YES that we have special seat in heaven or one of us is purely evil, I mean I know it’s me but I will still give you a chance to guess. ;) Note this, only the way to this Church that Nat drove us using the rented car and the rest by Nat Jr. The reason behind it she said is that, she is a better guide (‘4^th bluff’) as we need to rely on the smallest map on earth that time because it’s a foreign road in our eyes. J

Way to Sepilok Lodge (No DIGI signal here)

The next chapter was – we got lost of course! It took hours I think for us to reach our next destination, I mean in every destination we were heading to. Haha . Blame it on the fascinating updated map ever of Sandakan. Good thing though that Sandakan has Clock tower that we can count on to start our setting point and anyway, we always come across to that spot all the time like a game in GTA vice city. Then out of nowhere we arrived in the lodge late afternoon and not surprisingly most employees are Filipinos. We had a comfortable 4 wooden walls with four cotton bed to choose from and fresh ceiling fan for 5 nights as Nat & Nat Jr needed to stay for 2 consecutive nights in the lodge (‘5^th bluff’). I kindda laughed (I know it’s bad) to that old chinese woman who can’t barely get the point of the total cost for our inn while one of the employee constantly have been explaining to her the equation.HAHAHA! It took 5 mins I guess when she finally figured it out. Nat said it is good that they give us 1 room so that we won’t need to share with others (‘6^th bluff’). After minutes of rest, I showed Nat how I usually spent my past time by watching POREOTCS! Yeah! They rock!. Then we decided to go back to town for our dinner.

Going back to KK instead to Sandakan Town

Yes, you’re right! This is how serious Nat Jr. was when she decided not to take our respected guide’s advice. We seriously reached middle way to KK. Believe it or not! Consider this fact scenario that all of us were very hungry like street dogs looking for that FISH! Hahaha and Nat said a curse that she will definitely nail for two fishy (‘7^th bluff’).

We finally did arrive and it was worth it. Then we were looking for this site @nite after we had our dinner.

Unfortunately I can’t make this a bluff because I need to give them a credit for driving.hahaha! Next time we will surely go here and this time I’ll drive.haha! Maybe we didn’t able to find it because it is partly hotel, I guess. When we reached the lodge at night again after long hours of getting lost, Nat softly opened our room and she was shocked and fainted (no lah). She was shocked only and reopens and close the door for three consecutive times to make sure the thing she saw was real or not. Then finally, it was only a male white guy from somewhere around the globe who wanted to see our relatives reading a book on my 1^st bed, gRRRR!!. Western people don’t really respect privacy, no offence. Haha.

Wifi connection is low at this moment sir (lame bluff from the Lodge ‘s employee).Then Nat said we will start our day tomorrow at 8am (‘8^th Bluff’) for me.ahahha

The Next Morning (meeting our relatives)

After a pleasant egg and coffee breakfast in the Lodge (raining) we proceed to our next stop. Personally, I wanted to thank them so much for letting me experience this kind of fun that I won’t ever forget as long as my blog will exist, LOL. Anyway, going back this was my first time in my very own eyes to see people like us eating for a living on a small platform every day without off and public holidays (give Nat the credit for not bluffing). And I am not supposed to share this but Nat Jr wore her Quicksilver slippers on a slippery wooden trail and you could just hear “SSPPPPLLLAAAAAAAAAAAKKKK” hahaha. Buy Havaianas instead for those kids who are reading. Before I forgot, one of the Orangutan really look very similar with my cousin Reilee and Nat’s ever best friend for eternity, I don’t why – don’t blame me for this.

Agnes Keith House

Again after hours of getting lost, we still reached Agnes’ house and it was far developed from the original one (my bluff) and maybe that’s the reason why she is showing herself to tourist often. As usual they balanja me again for the entrance fees (Malaysian) because all the way they don’t like me to feel strangers and I hope every people will treat me that way, RESPECT!. During the tour inside the house was hell of an experience because I think the husband of Agnes slapped my face for a sec when he mistakenly misjudged that I was Japanese who destroyed their house last time. Whoooh. Agnes showed up in her mirror as well when we were in her room by Nat Jr. I think this was one of the factors that we produced shit juice lately. Moving on…

Cursed English Tea House

When we arrived at the restaurant, it was half filled with other ethnicity and we wanted to act Gentle English as shown in the pictures so we had a smooth late lunch. The food was awesome and not to mention the presentation of it was fantastic. Actually, I just ate the biggest and tastiest burger of my life there, respect for MARSHALL. The moment and conversation of us three went side to side and legendary not until the dessert came…

It is a mango custard ice cream look alike with a cherry top dessert and he looks very delicious and attractive and this is cute things gave us an experience we won’t like to talk about with friends for now.hahaa..

Sandakan Buddhist Temple

After we had our lunch, we supposed to go to war memorial but since we didn’t able to find it, I will considered it as 9^TH BLUFF! However, they decided to bring me in this temple and Nat Jr. started to show signs. When we drove up to the temple (very high), the car didn’t made it up for the first try because we didn’t have enough speed but now I realized the driver didn’t have enough guts too .hahaha. During this tour, we talked about religion – so technically, we almost end it HOLY.

This background was the number of people who gave donations to build this temple (I hope that was not a bluff though still looking for tenth). ;)

After all our trip, we went straight away to the port and due to delays we decided to check in first in “2inn1” to freshen up and shit a bit. I wanted my room to be that way when we entered the room. Haha. Minutes of rest, we went back to the Port again. That time some Datuk’s wives will arrive so there were bunch of people waiting. That time our stomach ache was still bothering us all throughout until we needed to go to Alamesra ‘lagi’ to shit again.haha. To make things worse, we ate ICE CREAM afterwards. Hell of a mind.

After I checked in to the boat, before my two Jewels left, we exchanged hugs for a lifetime friendship that these above mentioned memories will always be a lifetime experience. Nat gave me a letter that I read on the boat (blog it next time) and she was serious there and while I am reading her letter, magically I can hear her voice around like she was reading the letter for me, weird eh!.

BUT seriously these two Nat and Nat Jr. are worth dying for. I LOVE YOU GUYS and I mean it. We’ll cruise someday, my treat. See you around…

There were a lot more stories that I reserve during this trip for our own memories and privacy.

Faith vs Religion

In our present day one of the most interesting and obvious events that we can probably observe is the introduction of different belief and religions. Religion is perhaps one of the oldest practiced we had, seeking for salvation and deliverance for our soul, others refers to it as enlightenment or nirvana. A search for true happiness and peace and a hope that our soul will be deliver from all the suffering and pain that we presently experience. Different people, different story, different practices and belief which leads us to the oldest and probably one of the most unresolved conflicts on earth and confusing. Unresolved in the sense that every religious group claim that they are the only true religion and the only way to salvation. Confusing in a way that if you put this entire religious group in one room and hear them one by one with their claim of true salvation, nobody will stand and declare that his religion was false everyone will probably claim as usual, that they are the true religion and the best way to salvation.

If we will track back to the religious history of mankind many innocent lives was put to death because of a simple claim of true salvation that leads to a religious conflict. Different religious crusaders travel from one place to another to convince and convert others to their religion, some journey has a good result but some was the opposite swing of the other journey. History reveals that some of this religious crusaders murder a mass of people for rejecting their message. Instead of becoming a messenger of salvation these religious crusaders became messengers of death.

In our present age we have this so called “freedom of religion”, but were this so called “freedom” resolve the oldest conflict and set us free from the shadow of the barbaric religious past? I believe there are still lot of fractions and shadows of those crusaders who become a messenger of death instead of salvation. Presently they were called religious radicals, maybe their names evolved but their ways are the same, murdering those who oppose their doctrines and religion.

So, what good things we can have from keeping a religion? Well, religion gives us curiosity about the existence of a Supernatural being known to us, as God, but at the same time religion hinder us to know God personally. Hinder in a way that we are so bound with religious practices made by man, but fail to practice our faith which God requires most. It is our faith in God that will save us not our religion. Religion was ruled by man subject to error, considering his personal interest, pride, hidden desires, unseen motives, presumptions and assumptions, but faith comes from God. God put His Words in our heart uses this Word to guide us to do what is right and develop our faith that leads us to our salvation.

The question is, does every individual have a Word of God in their heart? I believe yes! No matter what will be the differences of our practices and religion as human, God’s Word was written in our heart and this Word is a universal Law. This Law was encrypted in our conscience, no matter what religion we are in when we attempt to do wrong this conscience alarm us with red lights, giving us warning that we are about to cross a dangerous boundaries. Every first moment man attempt to sin our conscience clearly speaks that what we are about to do is wrong and against God’s Law. The moment we choose to do what is right is the moment that our faith in Him is progressing and this faith will lead us to our salvation. But amazingly most of us choose to do the wrong thing that leads us to a troublesome life.

Let me conclude with this, a religion is an effort of man to reach God’s favor for his Salvation, but faith was the effort of God favor to reach man for His Salvation. Does obeying our conscience then, is enough to be saved? Let’s find out the Truth, for only Truth can set us free.

The Gods (Wynn Gregorio Copyrights)

Majority of today’s religions spent hours of debate and discussions just to settle the issue who has a true GOD, could this be an indication that there is a false god?

Others also think that the sun is God, others think that energy is God, others thinks that absolute power is God, different people has different approach and perspective about God, while some individual wonder, if there is a God.

Is there many gods or is there only one GOD? The Questions remained as an argument for many generations. Every individual has his own perspective about God. But do we really have God? Who is God?

Others don’t believe in God at all, but when struggling in much despair they remember God and others even dare to put the blame on GOD. If so, then there must be a God but who is that God to us? Who is our God?

Would you believed if someone told you that everyone has his/her own god? If so, then perhaps there are many gods today? Could that be an indication why many religions argue who has the true God?

An old saying once stated, “Put God first above all things” and part of the famous Ten Commandments said “Thou shall not have other God than Me” which also shows, that there is one God since the God that was mention was in a singular form.

The old saying clearly suggested and indicated that anything that we put first above all things is our God, which correlates also with what God has said in His commandment, “thou shall not have other God than Me” a clear statement that shows that anything that we highly regarded and valued most more than God Himself can be another god.

But in what situation in life that will show that what we valued most or give highly regards in this life can be considered as our god?

Let me give you a situation that shows that our generation has many gods today and every individual has a god regardless to the fact that he/she don’t believed in God.

When a single individual put a high regards or much value on one thing or another person and express his/her obsession on it, the following signs are clearly present:

1. Extreme obedience and submissions
2. Live life to please them
3. Imitate them
4. More time on them than others.
5. Compromise
6. Total devotion
7. Adoration

This few signs can be sum up into one word called “WORSHIP” which only God deserves.

If so, then our generation clearly portrays a display that every individual has his/her own god regardless if he/she did believed or not believed in a true God.

Regardless of what we may believed in life or even if the whole world will not believed in God.

God will remain a True God even if we have other gods in our life.

Inspired by Wynn Gregorio Copyrights

Change is said to be constant and permanent, without change then there are nothing's new that can be found around us. Anything that we touch, see, taste, hear either both visible and invisible can bring change in some ways that can be amazingly cause chain reactions and will trigger other creations to change as well. Everything around us are seems connected and related to one another and we define it as lifecycle. The joy and rejoicing of a new birth child, can be a death to another that can cause sorrows and pains, the success of another can be a failure to the other one, the destruction of one thing can be an opportunity to build a better one, these are only few realities on how change can possibly happen around us and this change can happens either progressively or in an abrupt manner of change.

In this life it is evident that men are not satisfied what he/she had and that motivate him/her to initiate change. The dark skin Asians wants to be white and the white skin western person wanted to be tanned, the straight hair person wanted to be curl and the curled hair person wanted to have straight long hair. Anyone wanted to be somebody and wants to have what others have. It is a craving desire to see change motivated by inspiration or by hate of something, it is an uncontrollable nature to compete that a human being has which gives him the drive to aim for change. There were individual who hated their way of life and desperately wanting a change life, some were tired of living in same ordinary life, same routine, same place, same situation, same problem and wanting to have change in life. Is change hard to attain, that others stop hoping for change?

In life, there is a change that requires lot of effort and a strong consideration of living a right choice in life daily, but can only be initiated by a firm decision to change, a change that requires faith in the Word of God and believing on the things that not yet seen or heard, a change that can be made possible by a countless effort to pray and endless hope to see a better future in this life and the life to come, a change that brings good tidings to others and spring forth new things in us and bring good influence to those who are near us. A change that will open up our eyes to see brighter ideas, it will lead us to a greater success in life, a change that cause us to value and respect life itself. But if any man don't like the way he/she was born, why not try to be "born again"..