A Letter To Melissa

Dear Melissa At 16,

I know life is frustrating and unsure right now but I'm here to tell you....It's gonna be that way for a while! But i'm also here to tell you, it's nothing you cannot handle. Right now, you're worried about school and which path to take from here on. You're worried about which of the girls in school like your or think you're a loser. You hate your Good Girl image but you've never been the rebellious one neither. You want to please so many people and you think the amount of trophies and medals you have are a testament to your accomplishments. Sure, it always feels good to win and be recognised. In fact, you're gonna want that for the rest of your life.

But in time, those 50 girls you know in school amount to nothing because only a handful of them will see you through. I'm here to tell you that you can't be friends with EVERYone and that's ok. You will realise you only need 5 or 6 really good friends in your life - Friends who will tell you your panty lines are showing or hold your hair back as you puke into the toilet bowl after the 5th Flaming Lambo.

And boys. Oh yes, you have no idea what to make of them right now! Boys at 16 are such puzzling creatures. But let me tell you this: They're just as puzzling at 30. You like that boy because he's cute and he's going to do so well in his SPM (yes its ok to be a geek!) and all the other girls are just as crazy about him. But when you reach 30, you'll want that man who can make you laugh, will be there when you need him for the most ridiculous of things and thinks your family is awesome. And it won't hurt if he has ambition too.

There's no such thing as a fairytale, Melissa.No knight is going to come sweeping you off your feet. If anything, they're going to knock you off your feet and plenty of times, you'll have to learn to pick yourself up again. Don't be disheartened - As many idiots there are out there, you will meet plenty of worthy ones too. You'll fall in love and it will be the best feeling in the world. You'll break some hearts and it will be the worst feeling in the world. And then there's that first broken heart and I am here to caution you: It's not going to be pretty. But you have the inner strength of 10,000 men and you just don't know how to summon it yet. Trust me when I say, there is absolutely NOTHING you cannot handle.

Don't lose sight of your ambition. It's not always going to turn out the way it should - You're not going to law school but you will continue your pursuit of writing. That will always be your true love and nothing will stop you. I'll tell you a secret: You're going to be a journalist! And it will humble you beyond words. I know right now you think you know it all and your brilliance is blinding but honey, you know nuts.

Stop judging people. It's become a bad habit especially in your formative years. But so many people in your lives are going to introduce you to a whole new world of messy break-ups, broken marriages, tragedies, hard lives and living with illness - And you will realise things are never what they seem. So stop judging people and perhaps they will stop judging you.

Your college years will be the best years of your life and you will make lasting friendships. Life gets more 'colourful' in your 20s and, ever the optimist, you'll always find a silver lining. But there will be one very dark patch and you won't be taking very good care of yourself. Melissa, the bottle doesn't solve anything. And you will wake up and realise he was not worth the abuse.

You will grow. From strength to strength. People and situations will knock you down when you least expect it but I'm telling you from where I'm standing, there's nothing you cannot overcome. But there is one thing you and I share: We'll always be fools for love. The difference is, at 30, you'll know what you're worth far more than you think at 16 - And that will help you make a more wisened decision when it comes to matters of the heart.

Melissa, you are blessed. Never forget that with the grace of God you will go places and achieve things you never imagined. And don't take the people in your life for granted, especially your family. Even at 30, you'll still be the 'baby' and you gotta work that to your advantage, haha! You'll meet friends who are just GOLDEN and you'll let go of the ones who no longer bring goodness to your life. And that's ok.

You'll turn 30 and be right where I am. And I promise you will look back and be amazed at what you are capable of. I think Melissa at 40 will have an even better story to tell.

love always,
Melissa at 30

Letdown.

I spent the past couple of weeks putting together a talk for the Sabahan bloggers regarding Vote Sipadan as one of the New 7 Wonder of Nature (its all here on votesipadan.com ).

I went to Clement Lee's (one of our Director's and Sipadan expert) office to see if we could get him as a guest speaker and hooray! he agreed.

I got all the goodies sorted out to be distributed.

I didn't want them to hungry neither so I booked a light buffet spread for 40 people.

I raved to my bosses how the Bloggers are the most excellent channel for this campaign.

My boss caught on my enthusiasm and even showed up for the talk. I was nervous but excited. After all, 37 people said they were coming. More than 10 double-confirmed, which I took as a good sign.

I worked a good part of Saturday - the day of the event - to make sure I had everything in order. And then, the time finally came.

My team and I waited in anticipation. 7:00pm. Any moment now, those bloggers will come streaming in.

.....

They did.

All TWO of them.

Anyway, long story short, I have good, reliable friends who came swooping to the rescue. They called their friends etc etc and by 8:15pm, we had at least 20 people (ok, so more than 50 percent of them were my office-mates).

The night ended well, despite the poor turnout. I was, to say the least, disappointed. Why would 35 people say, "Yes, we'll be there!" and then do the opposite? I am trying my best to give everyone the benefit of a doubt but at the end of the day, I was completely letdown.

It's not fair to pigeon-hole the WHOLE blogging community (because I AM grateful for the few who did show up despite the last minute invite) but I can't say much about the rest, can I? And yes, I know not everyone knew about the talk - so no, I am not referring to those who had no idea what was going on.

But shame on you for RSVP-ing and turning your backs. I've lost my faith and I feel completely humiliated after all the hard work my team and I put in.

On a less bitter note, a big shout-out to Yo, Mia, Jeremy and Melvin H. for roping in whoever they could at the last moment. I can't say thank you enough.

Falling off the planet.

Yes, I haven't been blogging. Wow, how did you notice?

How the winds do shake the darling buds of May... or something like that. It's May already. ALREADY. Where the hell the weeks go? Oh that's right - I've been caught up in my world of "This-is-due-tomorrow" that time has become oh-so fleeting. It's a good thing and it's a bad thing. GOOD because I don't have time to dwell on things that might bring me down (ie: i really should lose 7 kilos...He really is such an asshole...I don't have enough money to travel...). BAD because I've become a social recluse. Kudos to you who have not given up on calling me out for a drink eventhough you probably know i'm going to be an ass and say, "I can't promise you, I'm a bit busy/sick/busy." I DO appreciate your calls and smses and I will totally understand if one day you wake up and go, "Melissa who?"

But for now, I am honest when I say I don't have the luxury of hanging out after work or on weekends as much as I'd like to. My day is filled to the brim with annoying demands as it is and sometimes by the time it's time to clock out of work, I just want to melt into the sofa and zone out. Sometimes it annoys the crap out of me when I go out for lunch with colleagues (disclaimer: I love them so this is not me bitching about them ok) but the topic of WORK never escape the table. Like wtf. Can we go 60 minutes NOT talking about Sabah Fest, press conferences, article deadlines, management meetings or how incompetent some people in the office are???

Which is why most days, I sit in the office with my sandwich during lunchtime, watching The Big Bang Theory on my computer and for just one BLESSED hour, I hope to God I can have some me-time.

But of course, that's too much to ask because that's when the phone will conveniently start ringing and someone on the other line going, "Hi, is this bad time? Lunch? Oh ok, I was just wondering if you could...."

But of courrrrrse I cannnnn....It's my pleasurrrre....

*sigh*

Yes, I've fallen off the planet. And as I glance at my calendar filled with to-dos and deadlines, I'm afraid I won't be climbing back on for a while. In the meantime, have a drink for me will ya?

TV and me.

It's 10:30pm. I'm chewing on cold Chicken McNuggets, watching some guy being mauled by a shark on the Discovery channel and my cat is asleep beside me.

You have no idea what a slice of heaven this moment is for me.

The phone isn't ringing. No voices yapping away. No meetings. No demanding e-mails. And no boss shouting, "You should know better!" 500 times.

I'm not fishing for sympathy here. Everyone gets busy. All I REALLY want is for the world to leave me alone. At least until May is over.

In the meantime, when I DO have some 'me' time, I like to be one with the couch and exercise my channel surfing skills. Let me take you to my world:True Blood on HBO. I could not believe they actually made a series out of this! I picked up this book (actually it's a whole set) 2 or 3 years ago and was hooked. I loved the characters and the whole idea of a mind-reading waitress who falls in love with a vampire.


I'm not sure if Anna Paquin would've been my first choice to play Sookie Stackhouse but so far so good.
Here she is with the vampiric love interest,Bill Compton. I don't know the actor's name, sorry.I'm going to read the series all over again.

And...you know how sometimes you have an inexplicable fascination with Britney Spears, The Cheeky Girls (remember them?) and that annoying Frog Song? Here's my current inexplicable fascination:
Yes, I am hooked on 90210. I have to tune in every week to find out what happens in sunny 'ol Beverly Hills. See, Annie Wilson and her family moved to Beverly Hills and now her adopted African-American brother Dixon, is dating Silver - the sassy, sarcastic and smart chick who also has a bipolar disorder. She can't stand Naomi - the classic super-rich, stuck-up snob from a broken family - who has a roller-coaster friendship with the druggie-turned-pregnant but extremely-talented-thespian Adrianna.

Kapeesh?

This is next on my list:
Naturally.

Inhale. Exhale.

Inhale.

It's been a rough week.

My car is still in the workshop. And it's setting me back RM1,ooo.

Everytime I finish one task, another five lands on my table. And they were all due yesterday.

My phone doesn't stop ringing. And everyone needs something NOW.

My e-mails keep coming in. And everything is marked URGENT.

I have bosses who keep saying, "It's all about time management." But they're not the ones spending Saturdays and Sundays in the office.

There are only 24 hours in a day and I need at least 35.

I have no time to hit the gym. Gee, I wonder why.

It's 9:30pm on a Friday night. And I'm off to bed.

Exhale.

Got it? Got it.

I turn 30 this year.

And I was thinking, it's getting tiring. The chase, the search, the starting over again. My 30 years of existence have come up to this and if I don't do something about it, no one else will. It's so easy for us to blame chance and circumstance - in every aspect of our life. Especially relationships.

Which is why today, as I was applying my eyeliner and taking a good look in the mirror at my unsmiling face, it struck me that enough is enough. I can't do this dance in relationships anymore. I don't care what people say about how great it is to be single and to have a smorgasboard of men laid before you for your taking. "Imagine the freedom!"

Well, ok. But all that is fine when you're 20 and still sorting things out. I've sorted. I'M sorted. I don't want the smorgasboard anymore - I want to look at the a la carte menu and pick out ONE main meal. No appetisers, no desserts. Just one good, fat, juice steak to fulfill my gastronomical demands.

I've had my share. And quite frankly, i'm done with that. I've had relationships that weren't good enough for me, and relationships that weren't good enough for him. Either way, there was never a pleasant end. Someone would get hurt. I don't know about you but there's only so much emotional rape I can go through or put someone else through.

So as I turn 30, I'm making a choice to stop this mindless tango. I cannot - I refuse - to do it anymore. This year, as someone wisely told me, is mine. I know what's good for me and I'm not going to waste anymore time looking for 'What ifs' and 'Let-me-tries'.

Best part is, I don't even have to look any further.

It all started with the Big Bang...

Let me introduce you to my current obsession. I watched 2 episodes during my trip to Langkawi with Dillon, who thought this would be something right up my alley. He was right. I've been hooked since and, as fate would have it, I came across the Season 1 DVD set a month ago and bought it. Right now, I'm in the midst of downloading (hooray BitTorrent!) Season2. I don't know why this hasn't made it to Astro yet but when it does, I'm gonna watch it all over again. Yes, I'm a geek like that.

What's it about:
Geeks. No, really. It's about these two nerdy, physicists friends who live next door to the Hot Blonde (Kaley Cuoco - yep she's from 8 Simple Rules) . They also have two more geeky friends who visit a lot. I love the over-the-top scientific babble which escapes me half the time. It's the delivery that really gets to me. Jim Parsons, who plays the annoying yet can't-get-enough-of-him Sheldon, is fantastic and who would've thought Johnny Galecki would outgrow his teen hearthrob persona and blossom into a...Geek. Clearly one of the most underrated shows out there today.

Here's one of my favourite scenes:



Love. it.

Six.

I visited Joyce's blog and saw this:

Go to your photos folder in your computer. Go to the 6th folder of photos. Go to the 6th picture in that folder. Put the picture on your blog and a description of it. Invite six friends to join the challenge. Link them in your blog and let them know they have been challenged.

And here's what I found:
I spent New Year's Eve working and I didn't mind it one bit. This was just after the countdown and I went outside to wish my friends. Looking at this photo, you couldn't tell that I was going through a pretty bad patch in my life and everyday was a struggle. I had never felt so low in my life but work, friends and family kept me going. I feel kinda sad when I see this photo because I'm reminded of that dark time. But I also feel blessed because with the grace of God, I pulled through and it's as if a dark veil is slowly -but surely- being lifted. I laugh more, I smile more, I believe more. And I realise what I'm worth.

Never again. It's thumbs up all the way from here.

*Tag? I'm letting anyone do this as they wish, but I am curious to see what Jeremy, Yo, Shan, Gallivanter and Maps would come up with :)

Why-nesday

And so I start my morning with barrage of questions. Today I tap into my whiny 5-year-old and ask whyyyyyyy...:

1. ...is my hair growing so slowly? Yes, I miss my long hair. At least my hair has reached a length where I can tie it up. But it does the most annoying flip in the mornings and I spend a good 15 minutes taming it. I thought short hair was supposed to be low-maintenance. I want my hair to grow quickly before I get restless and chop it off even shorter *puts down the scissors*

2. ...am I still in this job? Actually, I have a bunch of conflicting answers for this. First of all, I enjoy what I do BUT I dislike the way the office exploits its employees. I love my colleagues BUT I'm not too crazy about the 'bosses'. I like the atmosphere of my office BUT i hate how 'ghetto' my office area is (We're in Sinsuran, also known as Spitsville). Why am I still in this job? Because I still have bills to pay and nothing better has come along.

3. ...can't I get over the past? I try to look forward but I have an awful tendency to slip into the past. It's a bad habit. I'll be sitting down, painting my nails and a song comes on the radio and I'm back to 1999 all over again. And it's strange how you tend to forget the good more than the bad. Especially with matters of the heart. I've hurt some good people in my life and, in karmic return, I've been burned right back. For some strange reason, I keep playing this in my head like a broken record. And truth be told, I'm still harbouring a lot of resentment for some people. What would Jesus do? Not wallow in it for starters...

4. ...can't Lindsay Lohan just clean up her act? I'm sorry but this girl needs solitary confinement for a decade. I watch her on the screen and, although she's not exactly Kate Winslet, she's good lookin' and has some fine acting chops. Therefore, I'm a bit tired of hearing her messing up her life - with no one to blame but herself. This morning I heard that she's been attending some alcohol-management class but right after that, she heads to the nightclub. AND (oh yes there's an AND...) her driver manages to crash their vehicle into the front door of the club as they were leaving. Classy.

5. ...can't I lose these damn 5 kilos???? Two months ago I lost 3 kilos. This month I put 2 back on. I've been visiting the gym regularly, schedule futsal and squash in the week and STILL...those damn 5 kilos seem to be lingering around. I'm so stressed. I need some chocolate.

6. ...do people take me for granted? I'm a nice person. Really, I can be. I generally am. i'm apologetic to a fault and I hate rubbing anyone the wrong way. Which of course all spells 'doormat'. My employers, for example. I asked them the hypothetical question of "In the event I go for maternity leave...What happens to the magazine?" They cheekily implied that I just have to do 2 or 3 issues in advance. How ridiculous is that? I'm struggling writing and compiling the WHOLE magazine each month already and they want me to do 2 or 3 at once? Yeah as if while I'm in my final trimester of my pregnancy I'd be losing sleep doing overtime at the office. On a positive note, my immediate superior did say that there plans to find a part-time assistant for me in due time. We'll see...

7. ...do I procrastinate so much? Dunno la. I'll think about this later.

8. ...are men so infuriating? I don't hate men, I don't. I still need them to make babies, mow the lawn, carry my shopping bags...hahaha, joke bah, joke. But as much as women drive you men crazy, you guys are just another species altogether for us women. How can you shrug non-chalantly when we tell you how beautiful the miracle of birth is but cry when your football team loses? Our best friends divorce after 10 years of marriage and you think, "shit happens" but you mourn for a week when Nirvana disbands. Men.

9. ...can't I stop eating? I love food. Which kinda explains no.5. Duh.

Ok, enough whining for the day. Back to work.

KL, Pom Pom and Powder Puffs.

Yes I haven't been around here for a awhile but by no means have I been resting on my lazy butt! This is me hard at work, haha. Seriously though,on the contrary, it's because I've been so crazy busy that I haven't had time to update this space. But I digress. I was in KL briefly to attend this:The Malaysian Film Festival Press Conference and Official Launch. Actually, I was there to accompany the Sabah media. Long story short, it was an overnight trip and we were in and out of there faster than you can say, "Air Asia". After that, I had to fly to Tawau the next day on a little assignment called Pom Pom. It's an island resort located some 40 minutes from Semporna and yes, it's bee-you-tee-full. I don't dive (big boo) so me and Sara - my photographer extraordinaire - spent the days snorkelling, interviewing people, exploring the island and, my favourite part, lazing on the beach. OK let's see if my photos can do the talking: This is our lodge, Beach 8. Far enough from the 'busy' lounge and restaurant - not that anyone was making any ruckus - and the beachfront right at our doorstep. We had 2 Japanese dive magazine journalists on our trip. I think they made a total of 5 or 6 dives in two days. It was funny to see them pack their huge-ass photography equiptment, suit up and just plop into the sea day in day out. Everytime they dove in, we would say, "Nah pigi office suda itu orang Jipun" (The Japanese are off to the office). Hee hee. Sara and I were tired of snorkelling (there are only so many sea-urchins I can handle in a day) so we waited on the boat while they went diving. 40 minutes later, we're officially baked and I think the sun has made us somewhat delirious. This is one of the more decent photos of us 'floating'. PS: At this point, my ass is burnt. Yes, i forgot to put sunblock right 'there' and thanks to hours of snorkelling, its all roasted to perfection. But this is my favourite part: Just sitting on my chair with a backdated women's beauty magazine, listening to retro music and forgetting about the o-f-f-i-c-e.And then of course, we got restless and found these babies. Don't worry, no starfish were harmed in this shoot, I promise. Sara's turn, hahahaha! I told you we got too much sun.We also managed to visit Bohey Dulang, some 20 minutes from Pom Pom Island. I don't dive so...Yeah I guess I can't say much about it. Boo. The great staff that made us feel welcome throughout our stay. Rie, me and Sara having a Kodak moment before we 'jet' back to Tawau and KK. And just last Saturday, we had a little Beauty Workshop thingy at The Body Shop. This is my colleagues before being 'transforming' *krrk khook krrk keek khook*Group photo! I dunno why we the Kelab Pencinta Alam-photo-taking-style is so popular. Does the trick i suppose, heh. It's been crazy busy and, heaven help me, it's gonna get crazier and busier. But coming home to this at the end of each day makes it worthwhile:

I think we're alone now.

I've been doing better lately, really. Thanks for asking. Less Eeyore-like entries. But I have my moments of lapse - where my mind wanders through the corridors of 'Messy Days, Angry Ways' and spirals into the vortex of a less-than-happy past.

But I deserve credit for trying to crawl out of that hole. It has not been easy and although I'm not quite 'there' yet, the only way is up from here. But a phrase caught my attention a couple of nights ago and it sounded like something my soul was trying to ask me: "How do you look into the future if your past is still present?"

And so, sometimes I slip. And I think of the disappointments. The fool I've been made. The heartbreak. When I slip, I talk. I need to talk. I need to verbalise whatever bullshit creeps into my head because maybe, just maybe, once I hear the words come out of my mouth, I realise that its nothing I can't handle.

Thing is, there are only a handful of people whom I entrust my verbal diaorrhea with. But talking to them recently, I realised I've run out of 'I'm here if you want to talk' coupons. One friend actually went "uh-huh ya ya ya" to speed up the 'unncessary' bits of my story and another one just laughed it off. When I brought it up to another, her response was, "STILL on this?", one hand on hip and a completely bored look on her face. I even get brushed off online by 'friends' separated by a sea.

Fine. I get it. They're all 'talked out'. I can understand that. But I did think that given I haven't been 'bugging' anyone for more than a month, it wouldn't be deathly if I boo-hoo'd for a second right? When did my friends become so fair-weathered?

It's a painful reality to face and hard lesson to learn but from now on, I guess I know which friends to turn to and which ones can only handle a drinking session with me. That said, always look out for the friends you least expect to be there for you or the ones you don't see often enough - They can be the true gems.

I heart all my friends, don't get me wrong. I just have to lower my expectations.

LENT
On another topic, Lent begins for us Catholics today. I have been thinking hard on what to give up for the next 40 days. A few years back, I went without meat and the year after, I gave up alcohol (oh the temptation...). This year, I am giving up 2 things for Lent. First, I am letting go of the urge to dwell on all that has happened in 2008 - and this means giving up certain people and habits for the next 40 days. Secondly, I am not going to indulge in idle gossip nor bitch about ANYONE, particularly in the office. No matter HOW Infuriating my bosses are or how annoying some people can be - I will not talk bad about them. I realise it has become such a habit to bitch about other people - breakfast, lunch, dinner, at home, online, in the office, in the car...Which is why I know this will be a huge test for me during Lent as I take 'bitching' for granted and see it as harmless. Hopefully, I can practice it way past 40 days, heh heh.

May the grace of the Lord be with us all!

Mel and PGL

Yes, I was in KL over the weekend. And, for the record, I was there for ONE NIGHT only. Punya alang-alang. But I am not one to complain because it's not everyday I get a fully-paid trip to watch a musical!

My colleagues and I were in the city to watch the famed Puteri Gunung Ledang - The Musical. This is me and Hang Tuah - the male protagonist and knight in shining...songket. Okay, so he's on a banner. I take what I can.


It was on Friday night, at Istana Budaya. They have so much going on there throughout the year, as the huge banner shows. I'm such a theatre geek and if I lived in KL, you'd know where to find me on weekends...


Me and Sara - my roomie extraordinaire. She watched the movie whilst yours truly had no clue on what was about to unravel on stage. In some ways, I'm glad I didn't so it was like listening to a fairy tale for the first time.

Right outside the theatre. I love the buzz right before the show starts. And when that curtain goes up, I feel all fuzzy inside. I'll take live theatre over the cinema any day.

Istana Budaya from the outside.Yeah, the pic doesn't do it much justice. The last time I was here was to watch 'The Sound of Music', circa 2004.

With my colleagues and the main characters of the play. (Ok, it's another poster, fine). Tiara Jacqueline (who played the same role in the movie back in 2003) portrayed the princess in the musical. She's quite the singer too. I absolutely love how the cast pulled off the Javanese accent. Every detail, every movement was a beautiful reflection of the Javanese culture.

I don't want to ramble on how excellent the show was. All I can say is that I haven't been that riveted since a bunch of well-buffed and shiny men invaded the cinema screen in a little movie called '300' not too long ago. If anything, I've discovered I'm still a sucker for a darn good love story. Throw in a tragedy or two for added effect.Oh and they had screens on the side with English subtitles. Perfect for those a bit rusty with their Bahasa Malaysia - that would be me.

On another note, some people actually scoffed and smirked when I told them I was going to watch this musical. "Malaysian ah?Er, ok whatever. Have fun." Ok, so even I don't have the highest regard for all things Malaysian but let's cut the country some slack. With the awfully bad will come the amazingly great. There ARE some good Malay songs (and no, not the Indonesian ones). There ARE talented musicians out there. There ARE quality productions that we can be very proud of sometimes - and once again, no, I don't mean Cicak Man. If you watched 'Puteri Gunung Ledang - The Musical', I'm pretty sure it'll smack that smirk right off some arrogant faces.

Yes, I'm just tired and irritable. For Monday looms.

30 seconds.

That's how long I can hold my breath underwater.

And to think I had to travel all the way to Langkawi to discover this. But that's what my little getaway was supposed to do - to learn more things about myself. To see what I'm capable of. And of course, to sort out my thoughts and see if I can get myself a glowing tan (we'll get to that later). I have been planning this holiday for what seemed like ages and when the weekend finally arrived, I was outta here faster than you can say, "So long KK, YOU SUCK."

I had in tow with me my buddy Dillon. Ok let's see if you can keep up with me: Dillon and I met in Monash Uni Malaysia, but he grew up in the States, spent most of his uni years in Melbourne, proceeded to work there for a few years and then moved to London. Kapeesh? So yes, he has the strangest accent. Something the Citizen of the World would sound like.

But Dillon, Dillon, my friend in a million - suggested long ago that he needed to get away from the dreary London air and I needed to get away from...KK and all its trappings. So, two tickets later, we were in Langkawi. And this was our transportation of choice:

THE POWER OF THE KANCIL! These babies cost RM50 a day (I later found out it should've been RM30 but ah well) and you just have to fill 'em up and you're good to go! Of course, seeing how teeny tiny it was, Dillon looked like a giant in a matchbox:
Although my sole purpose was to make like a starfish and be one with the beach, I figured might as well see what touristy things I could do in Langkawi. You don't get any more touristy than this:

Looked harmless. And Malaysians only pay RM15 if you flash your MyKad. The two girls in front of me didn't know this and when they heard I got a discount, they started grumbling, "Hah?Ada diskaun? Alaaaaa..."

People, READ THE SIGNBOARD.

It was really high up. And I hate heights. So do the math. Dillon kept going, "Oh wow, you GOTTA look at this, Mel. Look, look!" Sweaty palms and all, I managed to sneak a polite peek down below and go, "Mmm nice. So pretty." So he took a photo of me to get my mind off the thought that the cable could snap and our car would smash into a million pieces into the valley.

See how high up it goes? Told you it was high.

But the view was so worth it. And there's a nice cool breeze. The trick is to look OUT and not DOWN. And then they had this sign:

Ok, we'll just take your word for it. And they have the most enterprising people there, offering foot massages, caricatures....

So Dillon got one done. It was pretty good. The guy kept going, "Look straight, look straight...". He looks 'straight' to me.

On the way down, we kept seeing this cable car. HOLY COW. Imagine riding one of those? I think it's for the maintenance guys. Dillon actually wondered if we could pay more to ride it. You couldn't pay ME enough to ride it.

And I figured we deserved a reward for all that drama: ICE CREAM!

Dillon: You want ice cream?

Me: Yep, only the type you can suck.

Dillon: What??? (funny look on face)

Me: You know, the popsicles.

Dillon: Ohhhh...I like the other type.

Me: The ones you can lick?

Dillon: *priceless expression*

Me: DILLON SINGH!

Get your minds out of the gutter, people.

On another touristy note, we visited 'Telaga Tujuh' or Seven Wells the next day. It's a bit of a hike (25 minutes of climbing steps to be exact). I remember thinking, "This better be the most glorious seven wells I've ever seen in my life or else..."

And it wasn't half bad! See that middle part? The tourists were sliding down it and into a little rock pool. Pretty cool. But I had a feeling it would hurt. We'll leave the bruises to the experts.

So cantik and clear the water. Well, not super cantik, some bits were actually grimy but the running parts were nice and cool. Apparently the water levels were a bit low but we reckon it has something to do with the dry weather. Don't quote me on that.

Tourist shot necessary. And since Dillon has a hat...

...Can't leave home without mine! Mesti glamour.

Thing is, after Day One, we got pretty burnt from the Cable Car trip. Yes, we forgot the sunblock. So we enforced the HATS ON policy on the second day. I love mine. So pink. RM20 from Labuan.

We had lots of seafood. Everyday. And while we downed the cholestrol, we chanted the mantra, "We're on holiday, we're on holiday" as if it would will the cholestrol away.

Chef's special lobster. Not too bad. We had this at a place called Little China. Now, an interesting story: We were initially at the restaurant across the street. We thought, "Wah so many people, must be good." So we sat down, waited a while for the menu to arrive. Next thing you know, we hear the owner scolding an elderly tourist couple, "I don't speak German or French! I don't understand! I don't understand!" and he snatches the menu from the shocked tourists. Okaaaaaay. He moves to our table and gruffly asks, "What you want to drink?" And we open the menu and go, "Hmm let's see..."

And he walks away. WTF.

Upon which we move to Little China. Much better. No shouting fat man. Less people. Faster service. Phew. On the second night, we tried out the Fat Mum Seafood Restaurant:

Not bad at all. Except the tom yam soup was super spicy and we couldn't finish it without choking. Oh ya, we also met Fat Mum herself. I didn't dare take a photo of her.

But my favourite bits of the holiday was just vegetating on the beach. Which is, I must say, really nice. Everyone pretty much leaves you alone. So I spent my hours on the beach with very good company - Dillon and Pink Vodka!

The sunsets aren't as brilliant as the ones in KK but I did like the fact they had daylight way into 8:00pm. I could lounge on the beach right up till dinner time!

What can I say. Langkawi was what I needed. My only regret is that we didn't stay an extra couple of days (Yes la Dillon, you were right :P). During one of our pool-dipping sessions, I also discovered the strangest thing: I cannot sink. For some weird reason, I keep floating. No matter how I will myself to sink to the bottom of the pool, my body does all it can to bob right up again.

To the point that Dillon, completely amazed at this point I would think, would have to PUSH me down so I would float up while we were doing our 'How long can you hold your breath?' contest.

Ah what can I say...I'm a floater!

So thanks, Dillon, for making me realise what we're all truly capable of, given the chance. I didn't know I could hold my breath that long (or short, haha). And as much as I hate heights, you're right: The view is beautiful from the top. The hike to the 7 Wells was torturous but again well worth the aching calves and sunburn.

And thanks for making me realise 'sinking' will never be an option for me. I'll always find a way to keep my head above the water. As will you.