The wispy blanket of mist is lifting slowly. It’s only 6am but the rainforest is stirring. Like an unfailing clock, the cicadas sharp siren calls pierce through the jungle, waking its inhabitants.

Dusk from the Segama bridge at Danum Valley Field Centre

The fervent whoops of the gibbons rising to a crescendo and cacophony of bird calls motivate me to get out of bed early. I don’t want to miss any jungle action!

So there I stood on the verandah, a cup of tea in hand, watching this fascinating organism-the jungle-awake and it casting a hypnotising spell on me.

Then it hit me. An unexpected epiphany.

Now, forests and beaches have always been a part of my childhood. But it was during a recent trip to Danum Valley that I realised just how magical our rainforests are.

Segama river. The Danum Valley Field Centre is in the back

Many naturalists, environmentalists or nature-lovers feverishly hope that they would encounter the regal Pak Belang (Malayan tigers), elusive sun bears, elephants and elegant Orang Utan when they trek in our forests.

Malayan sun bear (Photo courtesy of Wong Siew Te)

Most would do almost anything to see these big animals in the wild, but I think what makes our rainforest spectacular are the little creatures-the ones you would miss in a blink of eye unless you paid close attention.

Take the raucous cicadas for example. I’ve never seen them in the wild. Only the ones that accidently fly into the house. But even those are different species.

What about the leeches? I’m terrified of these little blood-suckers but they’re incredible creatures. With the angry red stripe branded on their body, tiger leeches are quite beautiful (when they’re not sucking your blood!).

And have you seen the Kinabalu Giant Red Leech?? At 30cm long, this bright orangey-red leech sends shivers down my spine…except I’ve never seen it before.

Watch a video of the Kinabalu Red Leech here

Unlike its lowland bloodsucker cousins, earthworms form the main diet of these intriguing creepy crawlies. They swallow the earthworms whole!! Ugh.

If you stop to look around, you’ll find a dizzying display of fungi on the forest floor. The cool and damp ground filled with decaying matter is just the place for them to flourish. From button-like, oysters-like mushrooms to minute fungi which thrive in tree roots, they’re all simply delightful.

Ahh..and the birds. How wonderful they are! I imagine crazy old witches when I hear the maniacal cackle of the Helmeted Hornbill. Oh and what about the confusingly-named Black-backed Kingfisher?? Far from being black, the bird is a living and walking rainbow!

The psychedelic Black-backed kingfisher (Google Images)

Our rainforest is a wondrous world teeming with life. Clearly, people who go trampling in the jungle and complain that they didn’t see anything marvelous have missed the point!

The jungle, as a whole, is spectacular. It is even more so when you dissect the ecosystems and get to know the little fellas who help shape the forests.

 I guess size doesn’t really matter when you’re in the jungle eh? :D 

Adib! This one is for you :)

I've been thinking a lot about a fruit lately. The tarap.

Oh, how I crave for its sweet juicy flesh! How I miss it!


A very happy girl with her tarap :)

Eating a tarap is an occasion itself. One never eats the tarap alone. It must be shared amongst family or friends. A tarap session is always messy and noisy! :)

Aahh..but my craving will only be satiated come June when I go back to Sabah. You see folks...taraps are found only in Borneo.

The Ibans treat diarrheoa by boiling the tarap tree roots. But only roots which extend across the paths used by villagers are effective!
Ash from the leaves are used to treat scorpions and centipedes bites. But if you add coconut oil to the ash, the paste is said to treat 'kudis' or 'kurap'. :)

Hanging a leaf on the door keeps evil spirits away and prevents female ghosts from entering the house to steal the occupant's testicles!! How about that?!

Also said to be to prevent pimples (good for vainpots like me! :)) and body heatiness. Said to be rich in Vit C.

Bloody useful tree and fruit eh? :D

I'm back!

I had barely recovered from my indulgent year-end break in Sabah before I was whisked away to Kuala Terengganu to cover the by-election.


Green was the chosen colour

It was my first by-election and I was terribly nervous. But my colleagues eased me in gently. :)


View of the hotel which our home for more than two weeks

The first few days were a struggle as I adjusted to the language, culture and life in the east coast. I admit to feeling stifled as I could barely understand the accent. Read about Sean and my experience here

Innocent faces

I had reservations about KT but it turned out to be a fantastic experience. The by-election itself was quiet but I experienced working in a bureau with limited resources. I also met odd characters who made my day with their outrageous dress sense and remarks :)


Trying my best to look busy

The people were great too. And oh how I miss the beach! The food was great too :)

I look forward to go back to KT soon :)

Since I had to give the Penang Bridge Marathon a miss this year due to my dodgy knee,  I pressed on with the journey to the north for a food marathon instead. :)




I enjoy good food and Penang is never short of it. It never fails to amaze me how the skies seem bluer once you're out of the bustling KL metropolis. I love my sun, sea and blue skies and I certainly had a good dose of it last weekend!


A traditional shophouse
The recognition from Unesco as a World Heritage Site has certainly boosted morale and more importantly, driven tourists numbers up.

Several locals whom I chatted to said there were more tourists (although not significantly) since Georgetown and Malacca were jointly named by Unesco.


Antique rickshaws lined outside Cheong Fatt Tze mansion

"Boleh lah... Ya lah. Kita pun bangga yang Georgetown dapat Unesco tu kan," Ali, a trishaw driver told me.

He said competition for passengers was stiff but in the same breath said how there were less trishaw drivers now.



"Industry ini pelan-pelan nak mampui...Ya lah, yang tarik beca semuanya biasanya yang tua kan. Dulu banyak, hampir seribu orang tapi kan mereka dah tokde lagi...," Ali said wistfully.

He and other trishaw drivers confirmed my fears that the younger generation were not interested to take after them.

"Saya tarik beca pun kerana kecik-kecik dulu tak nak sekolah baik-baik. Ya lah, budak-budak zaman sekarang mana nak tarik beca..nak susah-payah," said Ali who has been ferrying passengers around Georgetown for more than three decades.



Who would want to toil, come rain or shine, for only a measly pay, the wiry sixty-something man said.

I remember the Heritage Commissioner Prof Datuk Siti Zuraina Majid had months ago, said the government will do everything it can to preserve the intangible culture which gives Georgetown and Malacca its charms.


I love this old-skool door into the barber

What and how is being done? She couldn't tell me then.

Maybe she has the answers now.

PS: I hope you like the photos :)

I was repeatedly called a "donkey "and described as stubborn in the most loving way possible today.

I was bestowed this affectionate term after I refused to follow  my wonderful NST friends' advice to rest my dodgy left knee and continued running until yesterday.

I had fallen and injured my knee during a particularly intense game against Harian Metro at the recent futsal tournament.

The ball  had suddenly appeared in front of me and I had no choice but to kick it as hard as I could, fully aware that a) the team would kill me if I didn't try to score since I was only inches away from the goal and b) because my life depended on that bloody goal in that split second.

So, I kicked hard with my left leg (I'm right-handed) and landed quite spectacularly and ackwardly on the left knee.

Anyway, it has been dodgy since then. I rested it for about a week before running again.

But the pain and discomfort has just grown so I finally gave in and saw the doctor yesterday.

The reason I've been postponing the dreaded trip is because I know what he'll say.......

And I was right. No running or any hard-impact sport for the next four weeks....

Sadly, this means I won't be able to run in the Penang Bridge Marathon which is on this weekend.:(

I've been training so hard...........Oh well...

There is always next year :(

A few weeks ago, I discovered a stinking secret which made me angry and ashamed.

Malaysians, it seems, will happily dispose their rubbish in the worst manner possible.

I found out about a world-class conservation center which dumps all its rubbish into a hole in the ground which has served as an unofficial landfill for the past (get this!) 20 years!!


A shameful dirty secret

I did more digging and found out that another management of a well known tourist spot and birding haven has been gladly chucking rubbish by a hill slope..also for more than 20 years!!

How could this be?

It gets worse. When I spoke to my environmentalist friends, they tell me that the problem isn't new and that islands like Tioman, Perhentian and Redang have serious waste management issues too.

All this is on top of the seemingly small(er) problem of wanton littering.


Which idiots could have done this for more than two decades?!

The root of the problem is that we have a shoddy and confusing national waste management plan.

At present, waste management falls under the Housing and Local Government ministry. Waste management varies from each town as the respective local council intepret, translate and decide how best to dispose the people's rubbish.

What we need is a concrete plan on the federal level which will act as a guideline to the states. But the proposed Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 is itself problematic.

The controversial Act which was passed earlier this year and expected to be enforced by next month will see the privatisation of the council services to concessionaires.

The Pakatan Rakyat-led states have objected to this Act.

Tomorrow will be the Waste Management Conference and Exhibition 2008. I'm interested to see what comes out of this two-day pow-wow.

Don't forget to read the New Straits Times on Thursday to find out about the two places which is harbouring this reeking secret!

Great news!

The NST won a futsal tournament last weekend. We won in both the women and men's categories! Hurrah for us!


Pain is no obstacle for that winning shot :)

The women's team win was nothing short of a miracle considering half of us were futsal newbies and training (only two sessions, mind you) was held a few days before the competition.

For the first time, I, a) played in a team sport, b) didn't run away from a ball despite being a born kaki bangku!

I'm well proud of myself!


Those yoga sessions are paying off

I had such a blast as the game brought together colleagues from different desks, sections and bureaus together. We had players from the news and sports desk, from New Sunday Times, graphics and even the advertising department!

Oh, and Regina and Farah from Putrajaya and our star player Jasmine  from Johor took time out to join us. Fantastic.

The tournament was exhilarating although the team was reduced to a hobbling and moaning lot after the weekend! There were pulled and strain muscles, blisters and impressive bruises.


Queing for a much-need massage while waiting for the next game

I endured an hour-long sports massage two days after the games because as the masseur put it, "Muscle you strain lah, dik. Lagi kena align kaki dan tulang belakang you ni...:"

The boys didn't suffer as badly as us. Only minor hobbling observed.


Plotting our winning strategy

Our coach-cum-manager and senior journalist Ridzwan Abdullah is proud of us and he wants to keep the team going. We're going to start a regular training session soon, he says.

I'm just glad I won in a team sporting event (for the first time!) :)

Just let me bask in the winner's glory a little while longer....

Good luck to the competitors of the Sahara Race 2008 which will kick off this weekend.

If the Sahara is anything like the Gobi March 2008, I'm sure it'll be a roaring success.

This blog started when I was sent to cover the Gobi March 2008 earlier in June and since then, I've always had a soft spot for RacingThePlanet, the organiser of the 4Deserts ultra-marathon series.


Competitors getting ready at the starting line atGobi March 2008

About 160 competitors from 60 countries have signed up for the Sahara Race which starts on 26 October and ends on 1 November.

Some of the people I met at the Gobi will also be competing at Sahara. I wish them all the best!

I heard from Ryan Sandes, winner of the Gobi March 2008, a few days ago. This was what he sent:

" Hi! Sorry only replying now. I have been well thanks! Started taking it easy-resting for Sahara:) I have done quite a bit of training for Sahara, about 100-150km for the last 2 and a bit months. The weather has been quite cold in Cape Town lately so I hope I do not battle with the heat too much but hopefully I will be fine. I feel a bit more pressure on me this time but will be happy with a top 5 and anything above a top 3 wil be a bonus!
   I think the heat and sand dunes will be the major challenge in the Sahara race. Hope you are keeping well. Whats news are you going to be at the Sahara race?

Cheers,
 Ryan"

Ryan did amazingly in China when he won every single stage. His fellow South African Paul Liebenberg also performed spectacularly.
Paul hopes to be the first to finish all 4Deserts in one year.

Inspiring, eh?

Good luck everyone!

-e-

Keep track of the competitors or to  find out more about the 4Deserts series at

The headlines just keep getting worse.

As Chinese authorities grapple to contain the public fury over their worst food scandal to date, fresh reports of melamine contamination are surfacing every day.

Today, it was reported that a Japanese company found melamine in egg powder imported from China. Just a few days ago, three Japanese fell ill after consuming frozen green peas also from China.

Our Health Ministry has also found the organic chemical in leavening agent, ammonium bicarbonate on Thursday.
Go to http://nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/National/2377904/Article for story.

With the Hari Raya celebrations winding down to give way for Deepavali next weekend, it's disturbing to know that homemade goodies could potentially be tainted with melamine.

As I slurped my Kari Maggi mee dejectedly late last night, a friend casually remarked that "perhaps that this whole melamine thing could be blown out of proportion".

"When you put things into perspective, only four deaths have been reported out of the 54,000 children who fell ill because of melamine," he justified.

Maybe we're over-reacting, he added softly.

His observation was slightly disconcerting, but, as I reluctantly admitted, provided a fresh, if not more objective, angle into the issue.

Here are bits and bobs of our conversation which I thought interesting.

Friend: If there has been only four deaths, then it can't be that bad. Plus melamine bowls, furniture and counter tops have been used since the Sixties.
 Surely, the prolonged exposure from those things would have been worse. Why now??

Me: Four may not be a lot but kids have died because of it (exasperated). Remember that most of the victims are babies and toddlers because milk, tainted milk, was their main diet.
 Naturally, they would have more melamine per body weight. That is why most of those who have fallen ill are children.

(And melamine counter tops, bowls and furniture have no effect because when combined with formaldehyde and exposed to extreme heat, melamine creates a moldable material that, when cooled, is very stable and virtually unbreakable.)

Friend (still unconvinced): So, how exactly does melamine affect humans? Kidney stones?? But kidney stones won't kill you, at least not in the short term.
 Hhhmm.. I wonder if there is any research done on the effects of melamine.

Me: No, kidney stones can't exactly kill you. But if left untreated, it could lead to kidney failure which could lead to death.
 And it's a big hoo-haa because this involve kids you see... Young, defenceless and innocent children.... (sounding very desperate).

Friend snorted: Hah, so we're now martyrs??

Me (irritated): Anything which affects the public especially the children always touches a raw nerve. It's understandable as parents are worried and want to protect their children.
 Also, this is not the first time that China's food safety has come under the spotlight. Remember last year, there was the pet food scandal which was also tainted with melamine? What about the toys which were found to be coated with toxic levels of lead paint?

I have since found out that there has been no comprehensive research conducted on the effects of melamine on humans. What we know is basic and based on animal studies.

 The World Health Organization states that  "while there are no direct human studies on the effect of melamine data from animal studies can be used to predict adverse health effects. Melamine alone causes bladder stones in animal tests. When combined with cyanuric acid, which may also be present in melamine powder, melamine can form crystals that can give rise to kidney stones.

These small crystals can also block the small tubes in the kidney potentially stopping the production of urine, causing kidney failure and, in some cases, death.

Melamine has also been shown to have carcinogenic effects in animals in certain circumstances, but there is insufficient evidence to make a judgment on carcinogenic risk in humans."

So, there. It's all very confusing but hopefully, every bit of information is helpful to you.

I just hope that this debacle will blow over as soon as possible. It's a bitter pill to swallow but I hope China will buck up when it comes to food safety and quality.

Oh, and the rest of the world should evaluate and monitor their own systems to avoid China's mistake.

Click http://nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Saturday/National/2378655/Article/index_html for today's news report on melamine tainted biscuits.

Hello folks

Maaf for updating this blog at my whims and fancy. I shall spare you the excuses and get straight into my new post……exactly a month after the last post. 

Something has been on my mind of late. My identity.

Growing up, I never had issues about my mixed parentage or for being a Sabahan.

No one made fun of me for being a “Lain-lain”. I was never asked how I could be a Bumiputera yet be a non-Muslim at the same time.  Rarely, did people hassle me about what race I was.

Perhaps being separated by a huge chunk of water called the South China Sea has shielded Sabahans and Sarawakians from the very divisive attitudes of the West Malaysians.

I say divisive because it is.

When I first came to KL six years ago, I was something of a ‘star’ in college because I was different. Because I was neither Malay, Chinese or Indian. Because I was a Lain-lain.

There was always a barrage of questions from giggling and oogling strangers or people whom I just met on what I was.

“Ooohh.. you’re from Sabah is it…. No wonder you look different…”

“Wahh.. Sino-Kadazan ahh… patutlah muka lain.”

Lain-lain. The ‘Others’.  I cannot fathom why the powers-to-be need such a label. For to do so is to actively promote a culture of ‘us vs. them’- the process of othering.

The results? Stigmatisation and antagonism.

I’ve been told that Sabah and Sarawak suffer from the ‘wee man syndrome’.  “A bit like Scotland and England, eh,” a friend chuckles much to my dismay.

I was and still get mightily offended when people say “Malaysia dan Sabah and Sarawak”. And for forgetting when Malaysia was formed.

“Sabah, Sarawak AND Malaya formed Malaysia on 16 September 1963,” was my indignant reply.

It’s sad that the date is now etched on most West Malaysian’s memories only because of Anwar Ibrahim’s unfulfilled promise for a spectacular takeover of the government.

I realise that by talking about this, I am guilty of contributing to this widening rift. But, I write this piece hoping that something good would come out of it.

I hope that race wouldn't be the trump card for politicians. I hope that I would never have to tick the 'Lain-lain' box when I'm filling in forms.

I wish that people would stop teasing me and others of mixed parentage... for well being mixed race.And hope fervently that all jokes for being Sabahan will stop.

I hope the leaders realise that race relations cannot be enforced. It must be nurtured with a lot of understanding generously peppered with respect. And this process of othering is not at all helpful.

I want a better Malaysia lah...