Threatening skies and cutting it closer than we would have liked before our 15km open crossing an hour before sunset to Muara @ Lake Toba, North Sumatra, 21st March 2008.

I don’t think its post expedition depression but the past couple of days at and during the company’s corporate ‘retreat’ which instead of making us feel uplifted, motivated and fully charged-up was anything but. I find it hard to stomach proclamation(s) that ‘people are your greatest assets’ to be followed by a humiliating ‘dressing down’ (politically correct term for anal-fucked) in front of your peers. It didn’t happen to me (I would have given it right back man!) but it was unprofessional and distasteful regardless of whom it was dished out to particularly when it was not justified but just plain bullying.

Reflecting on dark waters and the darker side of human behavior.
21st March 2008.

I’ll get over this soon but meanwhile please bear with the temporary interruption to this usually cheery and uplifting blog. Now get back to work you slackers!

We were ‘caged-up’ for 2 whole days and night at the newly refurbished Damai Puri Resort & Spa at Teluk Penyuk, Santubong for our annual ‘corporate retreat’ and let out only for sustenance, and at irregular hours; at that. We didn’t get to our rooms until well past midnight nor past our dense skulls as to the inane reasons for this exercise in corporate masochism. Whatever.

Such is the fun I’m having since getting back into the groove of corporate life after my Lake Toba Kayaking Expedition. *sigh*

As a sunset recalcitrant, I quietly sneaked out to snap this sunset. Such uplifting beauty and clarity outside contrasting with such demoralizing ugliness and muck inside is enough to make one reflect on the meaning and purpose of one’s journey through this life time. But sadly, perhaps not; for most.

Enjoy these ‘picture postcards’ and I trust that your weekend was endearing and not one you had to endure. Have a productive but meaningful week ahead irregardless.

It’s simply beautiful to be able to get away to do the things that brings us joy and happiness. And it’s simply beautiful to be back home too.

 
Lazing by the river on a lazy Sunday afternoon - 9 March 2008

What’s a gal and a dog gonna do on a lazy Sunday afternoon but laze at the jetty by the river taking in the breeze with the rustling of the leaves, insect sounds and the chirping of the birds for company. Anyone for a nap?

Fiji sunrise, 18th February 2008 

Although I’m not really a morning person (who is!), I automatically wake up at sunrise and promptly go back to sleep if I have nothing on for the morning!

But on the occasions when I do have to be up early, I look forward to the sunrise to enjoy the peace and the magical colours of the morning. Moments to relish before we get caught up in the madness of the day.

A peaceful morning in Fiji, 18th February 2008 

A particularly relaxing spot @ Taunovo Bay Resort & Spa, Fiji 16th February 2008

Here’s wishing you a relaxing weekend … and best of luck to the candidates vying for their parliamentary seat(s) in the Elections tomorrow. Unfortunately it’s all ho-hum to me … so can someone wake me up when it’s all over? ZZzzzzzz

Fiji is an extremely beautiful country with amazing natural geographical beauty and warm, friendly people; but all is not that well in paradise as the lovely photos that I had posted so far may seem to imply it is.

With an interim military government, tension between the native Fijians and the Indo-Fijians, high cost of living, poor roads, increasing traffic and the need for better housing; these are a few of the issues that need to be addressed but which the well heeled tourists visiting the 4 or 5 stars resort would be oblivious too.

Here are a few ‘alternative’ pictures of Fiji that the casual tourists would likely not see or care about.

But the government and the people of Fiji do and I’m confident that things will turn out well in this South Pacific Paradise.

Lucky is simply one adorable puppy.

I visited one of my best friend’s mother’s house on the third day of Chinese New Year and took the opportunity to check on one of the puppies we’d helped them adopt from my other half’s friend’s litter about 3 months ago.

He turned out to be simply adorable and we took turns playing with and loving it silly. Being well fed and looked after by the owners it is indeed one lucky dog that is living up to his namesake.

The cutest face you’ve ever seen.

I’m been grinning the whole day and you can squish my face all you want and I would still be grinning from cheek to ear as I was rather unexpectedly selected to go to Fiji for a business trip for about a week. Short notice or otherwise I’m glad I’m going.

Yes, I know - I’m one lucky dog!

My other half prefers to bake her own cookies for Chinese New Year and I prefer it this way too as her cookies are simply the best, this side of the South China Sea. Anyway she was on to her last batch to finish last night and we all wanted to go out to do some last minute shopping and so we all chipped in to give her a hand. I did too of course after I have taken these snaps.

It’s Chinese New Year tomorrow; so here’s wishing everyone a delicious and bountiful Lunar Year ahead!

I must be getting bolder and bolder with age (or just plain old foolhardy!) - first I switched this blog from the blogger to the WordPress platform and now I have completely re-vamped my Kuching Kayak website all in the first few weeks of 2008! This is the ‘old website’ which I put up in 2006 with the kind help of Kawaras - much appreciation and thanks Khairul!

I like my old Kuching Kayak Website but once I get too comfortable with something, I tend to get worried!

And now this is the ‘new website’ which I’ve set up using a WordPress magazine style template called WP Magazine Theme 1.0 that I purchased from solostream.com. I’ve been working on it most evenings since last week and finally over this weekend, I managed to get almost all the things that I would like to have up on the site mostly done. I hope you like it and your comments would be appreciated so that I can fine-tune it, if I can(!) - but it’s really a cool and easy to use template. Thanks Michael Pollock! I trust that the change is for the better as I don’t think Michael Pollock will give me a refund! Hmm.

There were several reasons why I decided to re-vamp the Kuching Kayak website even though it has served me well.

• I wanted to make the website more dynamic instead of the current static pages.
• I hope that with this revised website, I’ll get more visitors and hence more people getting to know about our exciting trips through the rain forest jungles of Borneo. I’ve also re-named it so that the title will be more search engine friendly.
• I wanted to be able to easily post thumbnail photos of our guests whom we have taken photos of so that they can easily download them from this site.
• I wanted to blog about the trips taken by our guests here instead of at my blog.
• I am also contemplating blogging here instead of at my current blog FH2o: Kuching Kayaking to drive more traffic here as I get over 10 times more traffic from my blog rather than here. I hope things will change from now onwards with the revamped website. We’ll see how it goes.

Anyway I’m glad I ‘worked on’ my blog and Kuching Kayak website as we’ll never get anything done in life if we procrastinate or worry about our world falling apart if we try something new or terrifying. Here’s wishing you all courage and luck in 2008 and may it be a productive and prosperous one for you! Be Well.