Laments at Langkawi

Being a small part of the Health Ministry

As a part of cooperation, inter-agency

I had to represent the Division of Pharmacy

All the way to Langkawi

for a meeting with the Agriculture Ministry

The job description was not too bad actually
the advertising guidelines we had to amend accordingly
To upkeep with any current policy
and the neverending demands of the entire industry...
But being an invitee
with no colleagues to accompany
I was bored as I could be!

Took a flight alone so very early
found my way to the venue in Langkawi
Participated and contributed whenever possibly
But yikes, a meeting involving the Law
was far dry as one could imagine it to be!

Some leisure time we had fortunately

To scout for dinner individually

With no ideas on my lonesome itenerary

I had to find a cure

For my pent-up boredom and hyperactivity!

And so I remembered a quote from Parker, Dorothy

"The only cure for boredom is curiosity!"

In my small carry-on bag

A bath towel I packed

Along with a good book

Then I set out on foot
Giving the surroundings a quick look

And but what was ahead of me

but a small beach; the clear blue sky & sea!

I choose a winding rocky path

That headed out to sea

Couldnt help wondering...

trekker's addiction, maybe? :P

Appreciating the view around me

Enjoying the breeze from where I sat

Up above the sun shone brightly

I thus dug out my book and read and read
Dangerous as I realised my solo stint could be

What I did I had no regret

For I managed to catch a magnificent sunset!

The orange glow moved gradually

behind the clouds till only

Golden streaks illuminated the dark blue sea

before disappearing totally

A rare sight that surely captivated me

As darkness encroached

I realised how late it could be

so I headed back hastenly

grabbing a bun for my growling tummy

Hoping that the night meeting

would not start without me

Along the way I passed shops of duty-free

spotting chocolates I remembered

the 'list' that a niece and nephew gave to me

I guess tomorrow's entertainment shall be

fulfilling an aunt's responsibility :P

The first long day has passed finally

Slightly better than I anticipated it to be

To those who had entertained me

whether directly or through the PC

I thank thee dearly!

PS If you see a pesticide ad on TV

shieldtox, fumakilla or similarly

with a code begining with JIRP...

It is because of that

I am writing with such agony!

Surprised

With St Patrick's Day round the corner,
thought it would be great just to get-together
With dear Boon being a coordinator
And a celebration held at a shopping centre
Could this opportunity ever be better?

A few folks I buzzed were eager
To join in the fun held in St Patrick's Honour
As itchy backside I could have been
Lil' did I know that my friendly gesture
Would turn out to be a Day to Remember!

For my scheming buddy
And her partner in crime
Decided that it was just a right time
To celebrate the birthday of mine!

To all the dear crazy babes
I am speechless.. with nothing much to say
Just.. 'Thank you for this special day!'

Friendship on a Rocky Road

I happened to discover
Another wonder
that Food gets to offer
To describe feelings that is, dear reader!

A gift from abroad
A gesture of thought
Is encompassed in it
A sweet, delightful treat!

"Clusters of Succulent Sultanas,
Mini marshmallows,
Crispy Rice & Crunchy Oats...
Biscuit bits,
Glacé Cherries,
smothered in a milk chocolate coat!"

I shall have to stop my rantings
And satisfy my sweet tooth cravings!
But to be polite I should not be forgetting
So THANK YOU for the delight this brings!

Breathtaking Broga

As crazy as my pals think I am
I managed to wake up at 4 a.m.
Dragged my feet
Just to meet
At the Trail Trekkers Den

Through the highways
To the Broga Hills
Just thinking 'bout sunrise
Brought such thrills

To our surprise
There were cars, cars, and cars before our eyes!
To think that we were crazy
To wake up so early
This just proves that
there are folks madder than we!

In pitch-black darkness
The beam of torchlights
Illuminated the winding trail
The sound of footsteps
Echoing throughout the travail

On the hill there was already a crowd
which my disturbed soul found a little too loud
Looking up to the clouds
I stopped awhile at the second peak
Just in time to see the rays peek

Eager to get away
from the incessant chatter
Towards the third summit
I began to wander

As dawn broke, a gentle breeze
Orchestrated a symphony of rustling leaves
Through the clouds of gray,
the golden sunrays made their way
Painting the world
In a psychedellic array

As the sombre, slow darkness fell away
A solitary, orange tint sung the begining of a new day
With the horizon blooming into a soft ultramarine
The surroundings danced
to a serenade of shades of green

The maestro of pigment
The conductor of colour
The spectrum's director
Is nothing else but Light
And for that I am glad
That I am blessed with sight

A lil' incident previously
Had left me rather unhappy
But after basking in such beauty
Drowned in nature's melody
I found a sense of serenity
Thus I headed down, with a wee smile
Ready again to face the days ahead of me

My First Fright

Without enough sleep the night before
I drifted to the office still caught in mid-snore
Still wondering how was I to get through the day
When a surprise stopped my yawn in mid-way

"There's a raid on today,
And the role of a leader you'll have to play"
I rubbed my eyes
The sleepiness vanished into thin air
As my jaw dropped into a stare

I gave my head a slight shake
Could it be a mistake?
But it was simply not an error
For in front of me was no one but the deputy director!

Always a team member
Never before the Raiding Officer
I took over the Ops Order
Trying to revise the law as far as I could remember!

Acts and its' Legislations
Sections and Regulations
Oh my, was I
Driven to a state of agitation!
Which fortunately had subside
After a quick revision :P

Hoping that my memory wldnt fail
With my mates I hopped onto the X-trail
Driven to the target spot
To execute the given job

Being on tenterhooks
Remembering all in the books
The raid went on rather well
And this is all I am allowed to tell

It was over finally
The fright turned out to be
A great learning experience for me

A Humbling Experience

What's 35 km long and 20km wide?
The mouth of a mutant spider?
No! It's the country's largest lake of freshwater...
Draining into the Pahang River...
Known to many as 'Tasik Bera'

To the Home of the Semelai

onto their Native Customary Land

I trode briefly

Only to be awestruck totally

by their sustainable, ecological technology

with a 600-year history

...

The making of the Stapik Bespak
or the old-age piston a.k.a. fire lighter
Was truly an eye-opener

One had to first wet a piece of the lighter

before shoving it into the chamber

which compressed air thus producing fire!

This thus makes you wonder...

to start a fire, you first need water!

Another interesting thing to ponder

is that this simple creation of combustion

has been traced back to an important invention,

one that has brought to mankind civilisation

For this was brought to Rudolph Diesel ages ago

If this does not yet ring a bell

How you got to work today is a good clue to tell

For He was none-whatsoever

but the diesel engine's Great Inventor!

The array of colours

on the womenfolks' woven mats

Is a work of art

that'll make you take of your hats

You recall classes of Seni

where strips of paper were cut with accuracy

to produce a piece of anyaman

an effort completed painstakingly

Remember that we had coloured paper

which made the task much easier

To think they only had leaves, without colour

and had to produce something much larger!

Making our own lemang

was indeed a fun treat

a seemingly easy task

but rather difficult to complete

For each block of bamboo

was rotated over a fire
thank goodness we had a good helper

or none of us would have dinner!

...

The end result

complimented with rendang

was worth two thumbs up

"YUM YUM"

The glutton in me

Just has to agree

That though prepared simply

Everything was just tasty!

Hill rice in the carnivorous pitcher
A scrumptious BBQ dinner

of free-range chicken

& fresh fish from the river
Need I say more?

Just look at the picture...

It'll make your mouth water!

As the sun sets to bring nightfall

the kompang and gong

beckoned to call
to the tunes of the Balai

the cultural dance of the Semelai

The gong player

Is a person to admire

visually impaired

she plays Just by Ear!

When asked to take a picture

a shy smile erupted from her

not glancing at the camera

portraying her simple nature

...

of to the herbal jungle

to have a look

a morning stroll

through the rubber woods we took

A modern medicine's wonder

Those herbs surely were
for the ailments they could treat

ranged from epilepsy to fever, to bloody diarrhoea!

...

Animal Trap Demonstration

Keruing Resin Extraction

Romantic Lakeside Exploration

and hence the end, of this Vacation

...

An enriching experience this has been

to see cultures, inventions, colours that I've never seen.

Reflecting back on the folks' sustainable living

I can't help but keep thinking,

who is smarter?

the City folk, or these igenuous indigenous human beings?

...

For do we really consider?

before throwing away a piece of paper

before building a skyscraper

before polluting a river

that the wonders of Mother Nature,

May soon be lost forever?

Ready, Aim, Fire!

An emulsion's always
a chemist's wonder
But when there's a mixture
of paint, oil and water
You get something
which brings laughter!
Haven't yet an answer?
Scroll down further!

Ready, Aim, Fire!
Attack, Defend, or Surrender!
It certainly was a pleasure...
to be a paintball player!

Covered in paint, sweat and slime
Crouching in mud, dirt, and grime...
With testosterone and adrenaline pumpin' all over
This is a Manly game, for sure!