Family, God, Environment, Travel, Food, Friends

Really glad to be home… (o: Arrived at KKIA at 7:30 pm last night. It was raining but thank God the flight was quite smooth. There’s so much to tell about the trip to Taman Negara, etc so what I will do is to write it in a few parts. Ok? (o:

By the way, I bought a book at Popular yesterday entitled ‘Me and Mr. Darcy’ by Alexandra Potter. It was really funny and definitely a feel-good fiction and I love that book! It’s about Emily Albright, who’s sooo into Jane Austen’s books - particularly Pride and Prejudice. I was so engrossed reading it, and didn’t really realise the 2 1/2 hour flight went by so quickly. To quote Jane Austen ‘ To you I shall say, as I have often said before ‘Do not be in a hurry, the right man will come at last’.’ Have fun reading! 

Today I’m leaving for KL for a 5-day camp in Taman Negara and Selangor. My friend Jocelyn from KK Wetland Centre and I are attending the camp which is sponsored by my Dept (a big thank you to my big boss!). (o:

We’ll be travelling from KL to Kuala Tembiling Pahang tomorrow. From KT, we’ll take a 3-hour boat ride to the southern entrance of Taman Negara. The trainer has warned us, bring along ‘leech socks’ for the jungle trekking, etc… Errr… Ok… Encountering leeches has always been a ‘challenge’ for me - o well, I might as well face them and overcome the fear, eh? (o;

On Monday, we’ll be off to Kuala Selangor Wetlands Centre. We’ll get the chance to see the fireflies too (like a decorated christmas tree). It’ll be my 2nd time there.

And how about shopping? Definitely - even if I have to squeeze it within a couple of hours while I’m in KL……. (o;

I read my friend Dena’s blog (http://deana-e.blogspot.com/) today about breast cancer. Coincidentally, I was in Parkson today and I took 2 leaflets on breast cancer and a pink ribbon from the Clinique counter. The Estee Lauder Companies is raising awareness on breast cancer. I think we ladies must make it a point to do a breast self-exam each month (may be we set a reminder in our phone ya?).

Here are some tips to combat breast cancer:

 

For more info, visit:
www.elcompanies.com

www.radiologymalaysia.org

www.cancer.org.my

PTK stands for Penilaian Tahap Kecekapan. And yes, I’m sitting for the PTK Umum tomorrow at 9 am and here I am blogging away.. (o; hehe I did a bit of reading yesterday and today and planning to do perhaps an hour after this (before I go to sleep, that is).

So what will I be tested on? Many topics. Personnel management, organisational and admin management, financial management, all types of policies in Malaysia and Sabah, counselling, and a few others. Honestly speaking, I just could not possibly cover all the topics so I have to study ’smart’. Do past years’ questions, try to understand what they are all about and hope and pray for the best!

On Tuesday, I will be sitting for the PTK Khusus - meaning, questions will be based on my department’s roles and responsibilities. We have a new enactment and I am sooo lost because I haven’t been using/reading it for the last 2 years as I took study leave for my masters.. Hmmmm… Whatever it is, I will do my very, very best (and of course, pray…..) 

Ah, here’s one of the references for PTK:

 

It was indeed an exciting morning yesterday, especially for the students who participated in the mangrove race. They were given 23 questions and 1 1/2 hours to run or walk around along the boardwalk at the KK Wetland Centre. I was one of the marshals stationed at the Rotary Education Centre right in the middle of the mangroves. Some of the students did try their luck getting info from us (I think they were tired of looking for answers) but my friend Supiah and I said no we don’t know anything (o;

The students had to identify mangrove species and birds, collect leaves, collect rubbish if they see one, and other things. Finally nearly 11am, the race ended. We had a simple yet yummy lunch (Thanks a bunch to our sponsor - Department of Environment and co-ordinator KK Wetland Centre).

   

It was also a great experience for Shania to be able to learn about mangroves. She’s my little environmentalist. (o:

The annual Malaysian Environment Week (MEW) is here again - well, the official dates are 21-27 October but those in the environmental field have started celebrating MEW earlier.

Members of the Sabah Environmental Education Network (SEEN) are taking turns to promote the importance of environmental protection and conservation through the radio (Sabah VFM every Tuesdays and Weds, 1:35 pm; Sabah FM every Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30 am till November 2007). So don’t forget to tune in (if you’re in Sabah) coz there is a quiz after every talk (you’ll get RM50 if you could answer the simple environmental questions (o; ).

Other activities include Environmental Photography Contest for students, the Mangrove Race and Race to Recycle. I’m involved directly in the Mangrove Race so I’ll explain a bit more. The race is like explorace where students aged 13-15 years old run around in pairs to obtain information on many, many things in the Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre (KKWC). It’s a fun way to learn about the mangroves and of course, the environment generally, so I’m really excited for the event tomorrow. (o:

Have you been to KKWC? I love that place - it’s in the heart of KK (specifically in Likas, behind Likas Square). We see mangroves everywhere. Migratory birds go/stay there from time to time and you can see ‘em early mornings or evenings. There is a boardwalk where you can stroll along - it’s really peaceful, you know. If you’re around KK, perhaps you can visit the place and take a walk and enjoy the gifts of nature to soothe your tired physical self…

We were given half day off on Friday (the eve of Hari Raya) so I took the opportunity to head to Jasmine at Warisan Square for a massage (well, a last minute decision actually after meeting up with Carol and Angel during lunch time).

So off I went to Jasmine at the 2nd floor above Esprit. As I entered the place, I was welcome with a very cosy ambience. Hmm, not bad at all, I thought. So I took off my shoes and wore their indoor slippers. They were quite a number of tourists there and I was told that I needed to make an appointment. Anyhow, the nice lady at the reception told me there’s one more available therapist to massage me. 

I took the shoulder and back massage for 45 minutes. I had the 10% discount voucher offered by Jasmine in the Sabah Buyer’s Guide and used it there.

I like the way they decorated the walkway from the reception to the rooms. I felt I could just fall asleep on one of the sofas! The massage area was really comfy and the temperature was just right. During the 45 minutes, I felt really relaxed especially that the lady used aromatic oils. It was a real treat to be massaged, especially my stiff shoulders. I wished it lasted longer (may be next time when I have more budget for ‘treating’ myself, I’d take the full body massage… (o; )

Terence, Shania and I went to MV Doulos late afternoon yesterday. I think I was more excited than Shania was (o; When we arrived at the port, there were already many cars parked outside the port (vehicles are not allowed inside). So we walked for quite a bit from the parking area to the dock itself. People were painting along the path to the ship, and it was really pretty!

Met up with a few friends and they said late afternoon/evening is a good time to visit because it can be very warm inside the book shop during the day. When we finally got to the book shop, it was quite warm indeed but the sea breeze helped to cool the air. So it was not so bad. I got really excited browsing through the books. Christian books, recipe, children books, sports, health, gardening, CDs, you name it, they’ve got them. They also sell the Doulos cloth bag for RM20 and the best deal is you can get 2 reference books for free! Mind you, the reference books are expensive if you get them at the normal shops. 

So, what did we buy? Look below:

Come Christmas or my birthday, I never miss receiving either a purse or a handbag as my pressie. My family and friends know very well I love handbags and purses and I must admit that I have quite a number of collections.

   
SOME of my collections - pressies or bought.

I’ve given away some of my old bags (those I bought myself) and somehow, I always find a reason to buy a new one (well, most bought during sales and a real bargain one might say…). I’ve got handbags/purses of various colours and sizes. Currently, I’m using my black purse bought by my mum and sisters for my birthday this year, and for now, I interchange two handbags from time to time (I got them at DISCOUNTED prices at Charles and Keith, Warisan Square). (o; Hmm, I may change my bags soon lah (may be I’ll use the green one this weekend…) 

My bags currently ‘on-duty’ (o;