Seafood haven

As their land where the South China Sea and Sulu Sea converge at its northern tip, Sabah fishermen have always returned home with bountiful harvests.
It is no wonder that the state has developed a reputation as a seafood mecca.
And it's easy to see why. Freshly landed fish prawns, fish, crabs and all manner of shellfish are not only in the realm of seafood restaurants but can be found grilled and ready to serve in open air markets.
But be prepared to dig deep. The grilled tiger prawns on display at this stall in the Kota Kinabalu market were going for RM20 each.
As the saying goes, good things don't come cheap...

A tale of two bridges

Tamparuli is like one of the many smaller towns around Sabah. It started as a small settlement where traders and indigenous farmers meet regularly at the tamu to barter trade goods. A township evolved as shops and markets were built in the area.
It is also the last town travellers heading up to the Kundasang highlands or to Kiulu, now known as one of the white water rafting sites in Sabah.
Coming back to the bridges. Other Sabah bloggers have written about these structures, among the most informative is this piece by Ben Godomon.
This is my take on the low lying bridge. I was talking to an Englishman who had worked in Sabah many years ago. He was talking about the low lying bridge and said "only an Irishman could design something like that."
I asked him why he said that and his reply was that only a person of Irish descent would design a bridge that was impassable after a heavy downpour due to floods.
It was interesting to see the disdain some Englishmen have for their Irish counterparts reaching a small town in Borneo

Interesting reading.

This is for those who always felt that Malaysians are finding themselves between the devil and deep blue sea.

A hazy period.

The dense primary rainforest at Gaya island off Kota Kinabaluis shrouded in a haze that enveloped the state capital.
Air quality and visibility dropped as a burning smell permeated throughout the city.
The haze is said to be due to open burning as part the opening of large tracts of land in Borneo.

New found fame in death

DVDs of dubious origins featuring the music videos of Michael Jackson are once again the "hot sellers" following the singer's death on June 25.

It reaffirms the notion that an artist or artiste is usually worth more in death. But the intense media spotlight on Jackson, his sudden demise at the age of 50, his children and family and seemingly bizarre lifestyle, has created a new and young fan base.

Seldom is there an entertainer whose popularity transcends so many different generations.

A goodbye note

I'm sitting here watching your remains in an ornate box, seeking therapy by typing out at 2am some of the thoughts churning through my mind since that Sunday.
Thoughts of what drove you to end your life.
And thoughts of that message you sent out on June 29 to those listed as your so called ''friends'' including me. Looking back, I now realise it was a plea for help.
A plea I should not have ignored and should have known better as someone you called 'uncle.'
For that I seek your forgiveness and pray that you have found peace.
Like the rest of your family, I will continue on with my life with a hope that I will be more sensitive to cries of help in the future.
May you rest in peace.
Farewell for now Joedee.
May 25, 1966 - July 12, 2009.

Getting rare

A lone hut dots a paddy field in Penampang district that is fast becoming the suburb of Kota Kinabalu. The new road linking the city to Donggongon town bisects what used to be lush paddy fields.
As building space runs short in Kota Kinabalu, surrounding districts like Penampang and Tuaran are where the new houses and shopping centres are built.



The paddy fields are are filled up like this area in Penampang and in less than two years a new housing area comes into existence.

A recent report stated that Malaysia is losing about 3% of its agriculture land, primarily paddy fields to developments like housing estates and shop houses. If this continues, will our children end up living in concrete jungles?