I had one of the best weekend ever last week. While we wait for approval for my previous post (due to some personal reasons), let us see what I did on Sunday last week.

There was a Malaysian Carnival at Elder’s Park. While it was very encouraging to see so many Malaysians concentrated on one park doing everything Malaysian - food, jump rope, congkak, dancing, dikir barat, you name it - the food was a major disappointment. It was disgustingly stingy! You get two pathetic pieces of chicken meat and two pieces of Kuih Jala at AUD5. Foul play I say.

And then the girls suggested Karaoke, so karaoke we go.

Japan’s Utada Hikaru - Ayumi. She’s good. Put us all, a scientist, a nurse and a hotel manager to shame.

The nurse with the weird hair. OK, to do her justice, it’s not actually that bad, just that at this angle, it looks like ….

And because someone got a little bit too into it, especially when he was singing, “Nu Ren Bu Ying Gai Rang Nan Ren Liu Lei” - literally translated, Girls Shouldn’t Make Guys Cry - we decided it was time to go before he started crying.

So, we headed to Kato in North Adelaide for Japanese. Apparently, rumours have it that it is a really good restaurant so off we go.

Entree: Whatever-whatever Dumpling. I can’t remember the name.

Rice in green tea with Salmon.

Udon with lots of different things. Oh, Nabeyaki Udon.

Some bread-crumbed beef. My Japanese Utada Hikaru friend just told me over my shoulder than it is Tonkatsu Beef.

This is some ginger pork. Very good!! Should order this next time.

It was super duperly good, overall. Anyway, lunch time!!

One of the most important thing about photography is the lighting and I am one who is very fussy when it comes to lighting because I believe that lighting determines whether a picture live or die.

Day time is the easiest time to get picture because you get natural lighting everywhere and anywhere; however, harsh lighting causes overexposure and your picture becomes white and loses it colour.

One of the thing I learned about lighting is, it is always BEST to take picture under a shade, or near window or door, because that is where the light is perfect. Otherwise, at least near a light source which is not direct (i.e. reflection, etc).

Here are two pictures I took of my cousins:

This one’s taken at the door.

This one’s taken near the window.

Also you’ll realise the lighting gives you the best human skin tone. :)

My laptop caught a virus from someone’s pendrive and is currently very sick. Any gift and well-wishes will be very muchly appreciated although it is not very responsive at the moment. When it is responsive, it tends to be very slow and a bit moody, so I am trying to give it a good break until the doctor finally comes along and give it a good medicine to cure it.

Thus, all pictures from my last day in Kuching will only come out a bit later.

Anyway, this is what I saw on the last day I was in Kuching.

There was a rainbow halo around the sun!

Actually, there’s not one, but TWO, if you look carefully enough!

Admittedly, I looked at them with my naked eyes. For the sake of your one-and-only pair of eyes, do not, I repeat, DO NOT attempt to look at the sun with your naked eyes because the UV ray is enough to fry them. Use something like sunglasses.

It’s funny how people call it a miracle, gift from God, a New God arriving on the Earth, yadda yadda yadda and all I could think of is how did the water vapour deflect the light to create a halo.

I am back in Adelaide!  I lost my jacket in Singapore, so I freezed my pants off when I walked out of the airport to hop on a taxi!

Anyway, on Sunday, I had dinner with Sandra and Toady at Sidewalk, and dinner was on Sandra because I shot some photos for her, and Toady did the editing - will show you guys some of the pictures when I get them.

Sidewalk is one of my not-very-many favourite restaurants in Kuching. It’s located at the corner of the shophouses next to Green Heights Mall at BDC (where the hornbill roundabout/flyover is. The food is really really good, and it just keeps getting better everytime I return.

Toady’s Cajun Chicken - if you like something mild, this is for you!

My Maryland Chicken - it’s superawesomefine!

Sandra’s ham and bacon Carbonara  -I think the ham wasn’t fresh, either that or I’m just used to the taste of hams here.

Anna wanted to meet up, and I was supposed to meet Colina, Uncle Calvin and Roy, so I thought, why not I meet everyone at one spot?! Whattabrilliant idea! So I got everyone to meet at Chilax. Unfortunately, Colina wasn’t able to join us due to personal reasons. Nonetheless, I was glad I manage to catch up with the rest before I was due to fly back.

Sandra, Cynthia and Tim.

Anna - the last time I saw this lady, I believe, was New Years Eve!

Roy - I met Roy through Uncle Calvin. They were having coffee at Starbucks one day, and I went there with Alwyn and Devona. Roy has an pair of eyes for details! He is one of those photographers I say think outside the box - he takes photos from sophisticated angles - head to his blog and see the pictures he took at Bali and you’ll know what I mean. He’s also got a very pleasant personality, soft-spoken, and very very sociable - he blends in well with the crowd even if it’s  a bunch of foreign people to him!

Uncle Calvin, whom I met through my grandfather. The first time I met him, the only impression I have of him is quiet, and he has a white car. Lol! And the second time, I realised how super friendly he actually is. This was back in January when I went out with a bunch of grandfather’s colleagues and him, and he took the trouble to explain to me everything the group was talking about! Humble, down-to-Earth, quiet, pleasant, what can I say? You get the idea.

Alright, I’d better leave this here and rush my presentation!

I booked a return ticket to Kota Kinabalu earlier of the year because I’ve been meaning to go there since 4 years ago - it just never happened.

I find it surprising that people is surprised when I mentioned I am going alone.

I don’t understand what’s so weird about escaping somewhere you love, and being all by yourself - aren’t we our own best friend? I, for once, is not a person to tolerate your plans to destroy mine - so I’d rather travel alone, unless I get along super well with the other person(s).

The main purpose of this trip was to island hop and to actually get away from this crazy, sometimes unreasonable, and a lot of the times judgemental world. I wanted to get away from civilisation, people and places I am familiar with to actually ponder upon my life - things I have said and done, and/or not. Afterall, we aren’t perfect and we need some time to recollect ourselves at certain point in our lives, and to evaluate ourselves and improve.

[2030] Reached Kuching International Airport.

[2045] Checked in and sat at Starbucks to read my nineteen minutes by Jodi Picoult. Alwyn came, and I helped him type his company’s profile.

[2130] Entered the terminal.

[2140] Board plane. Took off 10 minutes later.

[2335] Touched down Kota Kinabalu International Airport. Bernard came to pick me up.

[0100] Reached his house and slept.

[0730] Woke up because too bright

[1000] Breakfast in the city. Food sucks and overpriced (RM 4.00 for a not-very-tasty bowl of noodles).

[1050] Reached Jesselton Point. Tip for future traveller: All the travel agents will make eye contact at you. Ignore them and survey the prices they offer at each counter and asks what time is their next boat leaving before making any purchase. Two islands costed me RM 27.00 and the driver comes to pick me up from Island 1 anytime I want - I just had to set a time. Pay another RM 6.00 for terminal fee (compulsory and non-negotatiable).

[1100] Boat took off.

[1120] Reached first island and heard, “EHON!”. Thought I heard wrongly. Mamutik Island should be isolated enough for anyone to know me. Heard second “EHON!” and turned around to be greeted by Alex. Exchanged a few sentences and parted our own ways.

Snorkelled and stayed in the sea all afternoon until 1300. Got up and walked around.

[1400] Driver came to pick me up to Manukan Island. You pay RM 3.00 for Conservation fee at the first island u enter and at the rest of the islands, you only have to show your ticket (they don’t tell u this unless u ask - bloody conmen).

Snorkelled, walked, snapped.

[1630] Went to the jetty, plugged on my iPod and took a nap in the shade, warm breeze and therapeutic wave sounds.

It was the best 20 minutes EVER! Spent 10 minutes pondering about life and thank myself for being alive and so superawesomefine although over the past few weeks, since coming home, I have been a bit too negative on some people, and a tad judgemental, which is bad!

[1730] Reached jetty. Bernard picked me up and went straight for dinner. Places are super far away in KK so navigating around takes forever to reach.

[1945] Reached home and had a super QUICK shower.

[2030] Met up with Joanna whom I haven’t seen in 4 years! Little Italians is good but a tad overrated! They weren’t authentic enough and just not rich enough.

[0100] Reached home and snoozed.

[0730] Woke up by the freaking bright sun again.

[0900] Visited University Malaysia Sabah.

[1145] Reached One Borneo. A tad disappointed - the constructions are bad, but pretty impressive mall for a small populated place! Had lunch at Apple Cafe and walked around.

Bernard and Joan.

[1230] Reached Philippino Market - lots of souvenirs and food but have to bargain! Like for real.

Rows and rows of this kind of ‘kuih’ (see below)

Waterfront right next to Philippino Market.

An indoor, outdoor-concept shopping mall.

[1430] Visited Sutera Harbour.

[1530] Checked in and entered the terminal. Left Kota Kinabalu an hour later.

[1820] Reached Kuching.