I don't know why but my words seems to be affecting me these days. I don't say the correct things properly in a manner I only I know... har har har. To think one getting older one should be getting boulder. Hrmmm... I used to pour out lovely words to my wife in text/sms/phone but nowdays I need to call her up and ask what is the word for... how do I say this... what's that word... how do I spell this!!!
Yah... I'm getting old and being pressured ain't looking any good either. More and more white hair coming. Whateva tha crap is lah kan.
It used to be, go out every nite. On the phone till dawn. Start that rempit action. Go to work. Sleep for a while at 3/4pm. Come back. Start the car. Lepak lagi. And when weekends comes its hanging out with my one girlfriend who ended up becoming my wife.
But then old histories don't die with me that easily.
I took the liberty to runaway from Labuan seas to go on a ferry ride to Kota Kinabalu to meet up my old old friends with my best friends quote in mind "I have already gotten myself 3 (THREE) children and you still are yet to appear at my house!!". So I had to make this run. It was a do or die situation for me. Lucky my boss understood the situation and let me have my weekend outside Labuan waters.
Let me state something out about Labuan:
01. Go only if you have work to do if you are married.
02. Everynite is not to sleep for those who wants to stay so. Nite life is a daily matter.
03. If you do take spirits/alcohol now you may want to stay a bit longer. Even the mamak serves beer.
04. There's only one shopping mall.
05. If you're on honeymoon you may want to think again.
06. Good looking girls come out at nite and you don't need beer to make that happen.
07. Girls are better at Tip Top (check out Garmin map - get it at
MalFreeMaps you can search for it)
08. The pub is called Beyond 2000 and not Biyon as per locals mouth.
09. Beyond 2000 has the most crowd with good live band and also dance tunes and they serve good orange juice.
10. Tip Top is not a place to hang out so so long unless you are there with old naughty folks.
11. Tip Top serves dry very dry food.
12. Food in Labuan are Chinese/Hakka like taste so the mee gorengs are to die for - you may want to check out Malindo for a start.
13. Taxi costs you RM5 per head where ever you go from point A to point B in Labuan and it doubles to RM10 after 7pm. Owh, this includes the water boat taxi at the anchorage point (Seri Ganti radio channel 67).
14. When Beyond 2000 is lacking the vibe run to Poppin (both are also featured in
MalFreeMaps).
14.1. Be sure to have supper outside Poppin. Just go out and turn left. It is right behind Sky Global Hotel.
15. If you do want to pick up girls, do so at Tip Top and then go elsewhere coz they don't look like whore over there.
15.1 Try not to mix the aroyo (philipines) with the indons as they don't seem to be in good relationship so to say.
16. Remember the lyrics to old english rock songs and also Munajat Cinta by Ahmad Dani (it seems to be like a national anthem over there - I was the only prick who didn't know the words).
17. Sampoerna are not sold in most shops and they only costs 1/3 outside Labuan.
18. Try not to go out alone at nite. Very scary.
19. Make friends with seaman as they know best of Labuan.
20. Ladies drink costs RM28 and when you have booked them it costs RM7.
Enough said I think. I did a lot of interviews to get the answers and I am now known as Rain OJ (orange juice - coz that's my official drink with no addings or artificial colors ha ha ha)
Kota Kinabalu on the other hand is sort of shopping heaven for women for cheap stuffs. Right when I stepped on the land of KK my che che (sister - not blood related but if caught anywhere I will still claim her as my sister as she does claiming me her little brother) called me up telling she's waiting for me in her car right after the port. While walking out of the ferry port and talking on the phone with her she recognized me from the rear view mirror of her car even though we have not met up for 13 years and though she maintained her voice calmly she practically screamed (in a professional calmly way) saying what happened to me as her words says "Apa jadi sama kau?! Macam king kong ba!" Ha ha ha... She even admitted how skinny I was during college years (this is what happens when you have money in your hand - you eat good food). Going in her car she did not greet me with a hello but like a real sister hugging me. Well we miss each other ok after what we went thru the college years only we can tell. I was quite afraid and felt awkwards coz I don't hug other girls (since I got married) then my wife/mom/nieces but then that all went away coz I missed her too as my sister (and it still rings in my head why I don't even have a sister like her back home - wifey also was not jealous at all from my reports coz she knows how I long for an elder brother/sister). She drove me here and there and I hanged out with her even at the car wash plus we were 2 piece of chatter box so lots and lots of stories lah.
She updates me of all my sisters and friends and I made a few calls and all were suprised. Good sisters lah I have there. Nel - you still rawk lah!!! We practically remember our physical sightings ha ha. How she used to wear glasses as thick as that Harry Potter book and how my hair was long and not cared of - he he nowdays I don't even need to comb them. Well come to think of it, she's still winning the pool bet as she hasn't taken the plunge of tying the knot. He he... coming to that topic, I didn't get to meet a lot of friends coz that weekend saw many couples taking that jump. Even Nel's younger sister was in line the next day.
How I wish I had more time to see the weddings there and go to their cathedral to see their weddings but time wasn't a good friend plus seeing me for a week staying up at a minimum of 3am. Nel... be sure to call me up when you touch down on this side of the sea or I'll strangle you!!
She then send me to my best friend's house and his wife (another sister of mine also who kept me safe in her "dara" house back during the years) kept calling Nel asking what was I doing nearly every 10 minutes worrying. Aiyoh... my real sister also wouldn't even care! And upon the return of my friend the 1st thing in mind was FOOOOOOOODDDD!!! And what else do guys like us who don't have a life do after food? We stay up and talk and kept talking until it what came out of our mouth couldn't be understood by any party. The next day I was dragged to a Malay wedding who's related to my friend - kesian aku.
I did manage to photograph well during the wedding due to:
a. Not the official photog
b. The weather was scorming hot
I didn't manage to take good photos. Heat really plays a role lah but what the heck I wasn't there to photograph anything. I just wanted to see. That also a few chaps came to me and ask if I'm the photo person (like there's a signboard saying "Photographer at Work" on my forehead).
But somehow, my market is there (that is if god permits me). Everyone loved the latest wedding photo story shots I showed them and from their reactions as if they're taking numbers! Aiyoh susah ni. But then I like weddings and being the chatter box I believe I can direct again :P (Tak rugi betul beli talipon baru ni senang nak buat product demo rather than bringing that bulky notebook).
The other day saw me shopping for pearls with my best friend and cousin where we were all confused as we know nothing about it and we practically had our wives (minus my cousin who's still single) to choose our clothes. But with the experience my wife kept blabbering at me of how nice this looks la that la and being that eyeful behind that small view finder at weddings I'm proud to say I did a good job. Even my wife was suprised! She was worried I just kept smiling and when I send her a preview from photo messaging she LAGI can't wait for me to return home. Imagine, someone who only wears free t-shirts and waiting for his wife to buy him clothes or none will appear for the next millenia buying jewellry - mana tak dia takut.
Sea food in KK was good but being too stuffed of sleeping disorder I didn't had the proper appitite. And so my story...
PS: The shots above is actually my transit flight he he. I didn't had the proper mind to capture anything proper in KK coz my schedule was very tight. But I really loved the short trip there. I think next time I'll take a few days off to go there if I do have work in Labuan.
-R-
