Cats: Putih, Phantom and Random

Cats are one of my favorite subjects. Not surprising, considering that it's my favorite animal too. :-) Sometimes I can swear that they behaved just like us humans too. They can sulk and get moody.

They are beautiful creature and they can be regal, arrogant, cuddly and playful at the same time. In Egyptian mythology, cats are considered sacred and anyone caught killing it will be put to death.

Dogs may be man's best friend but for me (as other cat lovers may agree) , cats are always dear to my heart.

"Longing for the world of possibilities"
Putih, Sis' cat.

"Eh?"
Phantom, Sis' Cat
(one of my favorite. I named her phantom, my sis just called her mayau. She has this abnormality where both her upper and lower 'fang' are prominently long and thus she has this 'grin' stuck on her look. Hehe)

"Snoozing on a perfect day"
Random cat @ Saratok Medical Quarters

"Eyes of a stranger"
Random cat @ Saratok Medical Quarters

(My friend Deb commented that the cats here are vicious and sneaky. Just the other day one cat clawed her way through the wire-netting to sneak into her kitchen and broke her plates. One even out-witted her sister. LOL!)

Baby: MacOctavious Saran Part 2

I visited them on Sunday. It was raining and somehow my car got stuck on the muddy ground near my brother's house. Great. Thankfully my nephews helped to push my car. Phew!

As usual, I took my camera along and managed to snap a few shots of my favorite subject: my nephew, Saran. :-)

This boy is a natural in front of a camera. Take for example this shot. I wasn't directing him or anything, he just posed like this for me. See how well it turned out to be?

p/s: I've been neglecting my photography hobby. Bogged down with tonnes of work so hopefully during this holiday, I'll manage to take more... :-)

Baby: MacOctavious Saran

"Eh?"

"Roar!!! See my teeth... Be afraid... Be reaaallly afraid!"

"See! I can stand now!"

" I saw your lappie and I'm gonna get it!"

So comfy

Cheeky grin that melts my heart every time

With Cousin Sanna

MacOctavious Saran (or just Saran for short) is my nephew. He was in a rather cranky mood just now so I whipped out my camera and started snapping pictures of him. To my surprise, he started grinning and giggling... Whoa, another cam-whore in the family. LOL!
He'll be turning one in October and I'm already thinking of the perfect birthday gift for him. Look at his grin (showing off his 6 teeth)... Isn't he adorable?

Soon, he'll be an elder brother. Yes, my brother and sis-in-law are expecting another bundle of joy this coming November :-)

Choc Fix: Hershey's Kisses

Nothing beats a rich chocolate taste for that sugar fix at the end of a hectic day. *smiles*

Kapit: Sinfully Delicious

Sup Kulat Taun.

Simple yet it's one of the most delicious food ever. I haven't had this for years since we moved from Kapit so when I saw the gorgeous mushrooms on sale, I bought them without hesitations. RM 25 for 5 'tumpok'.

Pama (Frogs)

I bought the frogs still alive and jumping in Kapit on my last day there. I think it was RM16 per 'ikat' (around 4 or 5 frogs per 'ikat'). I love this. So juicy and sweet.
When I was a child my AbaSiko always gave me some pama after his fishing (nimbak ikan) trip. The reason, they believe it's good for my skin since I suffered from 'kuris' due to my allergies to grass and sandfly bites.

Kapit: My Former Abode

I've been meaning to visit this place if I ever go to Kapit. I fondly remember all the memories here, be it happy or not-so happy. This was home for 6 wonderful years. Where I had the most fun, the innocent kind of fun where my childhood gang would be playing chase, soccer (we started playing futsal back then kids), main asin, main jengkak, main 'zero-point'... Gosh, those were the days where there were no worries or troubles.
Ah, the age of innocence.

Imagine my horror when I found that the place resembled nothing like I remembered it to be at all.
Alas, it has fallen into a state of disrepair, much like the other sites in Kapit. The stairways that we used to go to school by foot was overgrown with bushes.

We used to be able to enjoy the scenery from this point. We would sit and watch the boats and barges travel up and downriver. Now???

The swing set and see saws that provided us with countless hours of fun. Now????

Can you read the disappointment in my eyes?

KDC!!!! What the hell happened???

How could you allow this to happen???

Kapit: Down Memory Lane

Some of you may already know that I spent the first 15 years of my life living in Kapit (3 years in Song). IMHO, this is certainly one of the best places to grow up in. Sure, there's no fast food outlets here back then, no shopping malls, no departmental stores, no cinemas, no nothing. But that didn't mean we were deprived of any fun. We simply created our own fun.

The place I lived (1988-1994), Quarters 41 Jalan Selirik, was a sure cool place to live. Literally cool. In the morning the area will be covered in mist and it IS cold... I remembered enjoying hot mugs of tea/milo while sitting on the porch or to enjoy the view from the bench under the guava tree looking at the view (exactly where the arrow points to in the above photo). Coolness!!!

My primary school, SRB Methodist. Some character building as well as traumatizing moments happened during those years spent hereThe market... Lots of jungle produce sold here but the price, fuh... quite pricey. Don't ever think of just bringing RM10 to buy your groceries... Like my granny said, "Nyadi ke tingak enda umbas." LOL!
The main street. The roads are mostly one way street now. Wise move considering the number of cars in Kapit. One thing never changed though. In Kapit, pedestrians rule. LOL! Still suka-suka hati ja lenggang lenggok lintas jalan. Ada makcik nak kesah???

This didn't exist back then. Once a dark alley, it has been converted into Harmony Mall. Bukan nya jual apa2 sangat pun, just provided more kaki lima space for the traders/shopowners to pile their trade.The Mary Immaculate Conception Church. This is the new church building. Beautiful interiors too. Here was where I spent my holidays with the junior camps and seminars. Here was where I was baptized, received my first Holy Communion and also my Confirmation.

Here was where my foundation of Faith was laid down.Panggau Danau. The main stage used to be the venue for many concerts and shows. I once participated in a fishing competition held here. Now, sadly it has the unkempt look of an abandoned place. The lake itself reeks and stinks.

KDC, please do something about this!!! I have seen a lot of places falling into the state of disrepair. Apa guna ada banyak kedai yang hebat2 if recreational places like this looks as filthy as a dumpster?

PSKPP: Scrabble Team

The dedication, perseverance, strategy and word power are some of the important attributes of a scrabble player. Focus and quick thinking is a must. One haven't experienced 'scrabble nirvana' unless you have experienced a 'slam' and scored 100+ in one turn. I did! *grin*

Thanks to all my team mates who patiently guided and tutored me on the strategies and techniques, until I trained even in my sleep. Dahsyat kan???

PSKPP: The Journey

The journey from Sibu to Kapit will usually take around less than 3 hours, unless you're taking the bot ekpress hidup-segan-mati-tak-mau like the one we chartered that day. Then you'll can expect an excruciatingly endless ride. The almost non-existent air conditioning was of no help at all considering there were more than 130 of us on that boat. At first we were all smiles and chat...

until...

the heat and hours took its toll. Then some started to morph into monsters, goblins and trolls...

while others may prefer to meditate on words... from the thesaurus...LOL!

Guess which team should win an award for most dedicated??? The scrabble team of course. We managed to train even during the journey itself (I got motion sickness because of this).

Psst... Grace, ada ko nampak someone ko kenal dalam gambar ya???

Shout: Coming soon

After much consideration, I'll be getting a camera. Might not get a DSLR after all but maybe something in between.

Something like Panasonic Lumix FZ28? (the camera on my header up there)

Any views?

@ Work: Jogathon & Football Carnival

Finally the last working Saturday of the month. Been working on Saturday for a whole month (4 weeks). What a busy month July is. Yesterday we organized three events and I was involved in both as the emcee (again!). Sempat curi curi masa to grab the camera and take pictures during the aerobics exercise.

Shopping: Elianto, D&D

Went to Medan Mall after my facial treatment session. My friend and I were browsing the Elianto counter when we stumbled upon these. I loved the smell of the EDT, so I bought two. One for me and the other one is for my dearie.
The lip gloss gives subtle yet natural colour to complement my lips which I like a lot. I don't buy lipstick that often (this is my first for this year, I think!) because it's difficult for me to find one that suits my quite-dark lips. :-)
Next find? A D&D tank top for less than RM9! Yay! I like the orange pattern. Makes me cheery-looking. A perfect perk-me-up item to brighten my day. :-)

Gawairama 2009: Coming soon

This coming Saturday, my school will be organising a Post_Gawai bash a.k.a Ngiling Bidai.

Will be going with my friend, Dr. Deb.

Hope can take nice2 pictures that night =)

Stay tune folks!

Gawai 2009: Sights & Sounds

Gawai is the best time to experience the festivities using our senses. The sight, sound and smell that distinctly marks the celebration of Gawai. The rhythmic beats of the taboh, the graceful sway of the ngajat, the loud war-cries of the men, the smell of fire and grilled meat, the smiling and laughing merry faces. Now, that's Gawai.

Gawai 2009: Age of Innocence

These pictures are taken during the Ngiling Bidai ceremony at my longhouse. I love taking pictures of children especially when they are being natural.
Children are innocent beings.
p/s: How can someone do unspeakable evil unto them? (as in here. My heart bleeds for the young child and curses upon the evil man who did those acts)

Gawai 2009: For the 'Petara'

The Miring(Bedara') ceremony is usually held on the eve of Gawai or on the day itself. For more details please visit here. My longhouse consists of Christians (Catholics, Methodist, SIB) and also those who still practise the traditional beliefs. Even though my family is Christian, we view conducting the miring ceremony more as to keeping the traditions so that the ways of the olden days are not forgotten. I know many who may frown at this but what matters most is what's in our heart and our purpose.
and I'm all for keeping the tradition alive.