Mabul Island 2013: Revisited

We've been planning for this trip since December.. Saw cheap tickets for March and text Z about the plan. When she said okay, I instantly purchased tickets for three; that was for me, Ricci and Fega.

Oho! But this trip was not without drama and the drama started a few hours before our flight! Our flight to Semporna was on the day when the armed Sulu men in Lahad Datu attacked the police in which 2 men on our side were killed. My mom called me 3 hours before my flight and plead for me not to go.. Her exact words were "Dorang merusuh suda!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Histerical okay~

I was stopping at a red light, was on my way to my working place to settle some things before I leave for my short getaway and it was already after 5 pm. Seriously, bingung.. I posted an emotional post on my blog a few days before so obviously I was emotionally unstable..

I have 2 counselings waiting..

And I have a flight to catch in 3 hours

Bingung.. Bingung.. Bingung.. I must go!

Yah! Mata sembam lepas nangis sebab rasa diri derhaka.. Tapi pigi jugak tu :p

Well, my parents failed to talked me out of it so yah.. Pigi jugak.. I cried because I think I was a bit harsh to my mom in our conversation.. And for that I hate you SS.. But my dad sort of cooled things off when he text me at 6.30pm when I was still at the hospital..

"Cepat la balik. Tertinggal flight nanti.."

Dan kemudian bermulalah....

We spent the night at Marina Hotel. Paid RM 38 per pax for this 3 single bed room. Simple but the room was well equipped with the basics and very comfortable (^^) 

Zeq came around 7.30 am and we head straight to Uncle Chang's office. Settled the essentials and off we went to the  Mabul Island \(^^)/ 

I didn't take many pics for this trip, though. Maybe because I've been there before and this time I'm more focused on diving. We went diving in Kapalai; never been there. I saw a huge turtle resting inside a coral there!! I don't know how to exactly describe it though. Still not familiar with all the diving terms but the coral formed this space where the turtle lodged itself to rest. So, during my 3 dives I saw big nudi branch.. 3 crocodile fish.. A huge grouper that scared the hell out of me.. A giant moray eel that made my heart skipped a beat because I was afraid it would come out from that hole to eat me haha and fish that looked like some stick.. I don't remember what it's called.. And many other creatures... It's an entirely different world down there. Subhanallah....

Sunbathing.. Though they're not literally lying under the sun.. Obviously shaded haha

Saw these egg shells while strolling in the village. 

Melepak lepak di depan bilik.The most epic part of this trip was, it was on the same day when the 6 policemen were brutally killed by the intruders in Semporna. So that night my phone rang endlessly that I'd to switch it off. Z and I continued watching 'Love Actually' that night. But we were being cautious, of course.. Like we didn't roam for no reason.. It's just that we didn't want to ruin the trip with things that we are not sure of. There were too many rumours that time

Right before our first dive.. Putih masih!

Dan ini kaki budak2 degil yang lupa mo di rotate hehe

Paling awesome.. Nampak kereta kebal dekat airport Tawau!!!!!! \(^^)/

P.S. Finished writing in Prague hehe feel~

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Ikhlas yang hilang~

Reading this post will only waste your time~

Bismillah...

Ikhlas is such a delicate word.. 2 syllables.. Simple.. But hard to put into action...

"Saye ikhlas.." a person that I used to know once said to me.. A few years after this particular person professed so, it became meaningless and things turned into shattered hopes and memories deliberately erased. 

It brought to an evening of solitary; it was raining outside and I was sitting crossed leg on my bed, a closed book clasped in one hand and my eyes were fixed on the rain drops on the leaves outside the window. The view of that and the smell of the rain was so refreshing.. I let my mind loose for a while to think about life.. 

Ikhlas is doing the right thing over and over and over again without expecting anything in return.. 

That's like a mother's unconditional love to her child.. She endured excrutiating pain during childbirth. Brought up the child with the best upbringing that she can afford to give.. And till her last breath, she will always be there for her child.. More often than not, that lady sitting on the chair next to the immobilized and delirious patient,  who patiently attend to each and every of the patient's need are mothers... MashaAllah.. That's the power of Ikhlas..

Ikhlas need not be uttered.. need not be verbally professed.. It is from actions.. It is felt by those at the receiving end.. And even by the witnessing eyes..

It was one of those long international flight. I was seated in a different row but my friends were still close enough for a chat. A family of three was seated in front of my friends; a lovely Caucasian couple with their adorable toddler. The couples ordered the in-flight meal and handed a credit card to pay. Unfortunately, only cash was accepted for payment. It didn't took long for my friends to offer their cash to the family. I was watching from my seat. It was like they were communicating telepathically with each other. All of them dug their hands into their bags and start to search for the remaining foreign currency they have left without saying much to each other. There were no trace of hesitancy on their faces when they paid for the meal for three. At the end of it I exclaimed, "MashaAllah sisters!" and we just giggled. The matter was never talked again after that. But I was very touched by my friends' action. I'm not sure whether I will do the same if I was in their position. That was Ikhlas.. And Ikhlas don't hesitate~

To be honest.. I can't tell whether I'm ikhlas or not in my deeds.. I don't know how it feels like to be ikhlas.. Do you feel self-gratification when you're ikhlas? Do you feel contented with life when you're ikhlas? Perhaps.. I once read that when you think you're ikhlas, that's when you're most probably not. So I guess, ikhlas is not something an individual can measure.. It is something that is decided by Allah the Almighty..

But one thing that I'm very sure now is.. Something that I love doing and passionate about start to feel like a burden to me.. It's not that I lost my passion.. It's just that things are very much ruined by a particular person and this have made me lost interest.. It made me want to run away.. Things are made complicated than how it used to be and I start to question why do I let myself stuck in this absurdity when I can find better opportunities elsewhere... 

But at times, I think maybe it's me who is too weak to accept the reality of life.. Where ever I go, if I choose to leave what is at hand, still a new challenge is waiting. So it's either I persist or get ready to face challenges that I couldn't foretell for now....

I really don't know whether all this while I've been ikhlas or not.. But this load that I feel in my heart right now is like a sign that I'm drifting away further and further from being ikhlas.. I'm writing this as a mean to ease that burden and to those of you who have read this far, please pray for me that i'll be strong  and may my intention be straightened and fortified.. Ameen..For the sake of Allah and the Ummah is also something that I think is easier said than done... huhuhu

Count your blessings, Haziah... 

Focus on the essentials and don't let those things you detest impede you from developing your potentials...

I'm starting to realize there are more and more things about life that I haven't understand as I grow older... May all of us always be in His guidance as we face this phase of confusion~ Ameen

One day, all of this will make sense.. InshaAllah~

All of it from abcdefghijKlmnopqrstuvwxyz~ heee

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Haziah Salleh: The Unexpected Journey

The sky was covered in bronze colour of the setting sun. I was sitting on SJ's sheet-less bed  and we were recollecting the events throughout our taa'ruf week that have just passed. She was busy unpacking her stuffs; placing them neatly to where they should belong. I was babbling of how quiet the place is, how bad the food at the cafe taste and how lame the town is with only two shopping malls that seem so beat up as compared to the ones in KL and KK...

GG: Ape kita nak citer kat anak cucu kite, SJ!!!!??? That we went to UIA, went to class, went to the cafe and back to our room and after 4 years we graduated?? Adoi.. Bosan nye hidup nenek...

SJ: Aah weyh.. Bosan gile.. I can see that.. Tempat ni memang bosan. TAPI.. Kite akan buat tempat ni jadi tak bosan.

GG: Yup... Sebenanye depends on how we see things.. 

SJ: Ko jangan risau Gg.. By the time kte graduate, mesti kte ade banyak cerite nak cerite kat anak cucu kite.

GG: Yah! Yakin!!!!! (^^)/

That evening's conversation would've been just another conversation left forgotten.. It would've been something merely uttered and never made come true. But we meant every word.

I remember I was still on my crutches when I signed the Adventure Club's constitution. They needed at least 5 members to get a club started; there were only 2 clubs in UIA Kuantan at that time and ARC was the 3rd. I didn't even flip through the pages and with my left leg still wrapped in fiber glass, I was not even sure if the club will be of any benefit to me if I ever end up being a limp for the rest of my life. But somehow, deep down I know this club will make a difference...

Then it all begun.. SJ and I start scaling countless hills and mountains together. And that's when HH came into the picture and the three of us became ARC's power puff girls; always together through ups and downs. When one can't make it for the trip, the trip would feel incomplete and we would scream out her name on the highest peak.. Like we screamed SJ's name on top of Merapi and HH's name when we were on the Gampians lookout.

The same fear of having a boring life encroached when I left UIA. Half of the class were getting married and being busied with fulfilling my training requirements left me confined to work and home for the whole year. I only have rock climbing to fill my time; went training on most nights of the week. I was actually secretly planning my trips around the world; where I want to go, what I want to see and do there, how am I going to save money for my  trips and how can I make my friends join me. I found planning for my trips is a lot easier and more relaxing then thinking about when I will get married.

I was already accustomed to traveling since I was about 13 when my father started to bring us for an annual trip abroad. Not too far though; only around the South East Asia region. However, my dad and I happened to be a different type of traveler. He's the kind who prefer resting in the hotel and would only venture a few blocks of the city and cared less if he missed the must sees and dos. I'm totally the opposite from the very beginning.

I remember stomping and crying in front of the jetty of Chao phraya river when my dad refused to let us cruise along and across the river where there were floating markets and gold-coated temples. I also cried when my dad said Lake Toba is just too far from Medan and he don't think it's worth to go. My dad and I didn't talk to each other as we head towards Tangkuban Perahu because he thinks it cost too much. I was pushy and rebellious  on those days and I always get what I wanted in the end. I never feel guilty for behaving like that. Because in the end, the things that he can brag to his friends about his trip were always the places and things that I, yes ME, have suggested.

Belom pakai tudong masa nih so kaki n tangan sahaja yang kelihatan heeee

And now I'm patiently waiting for my coming trips... I'm imagining driving on a steep winding road now.. standing on snow-capped peaks.. on a boat cruising along famous rivers..gazing at meadows, mossy and icy lands.. standing close to near extinct wildlife..

I no longer worry about what to tell my kids and my grandchildren because I've embarked on an around the world adventure. Now.. I'm imagining an evening with my grandchildren. A world map spread on the floor.

"See this country..  This southern country is famous for its various historical sites. It was once ruled by Muslims and there's a beautiful palace there once owned by a Sultan of a strong dynasty.The football team was a strong one too. They won many cups when I was in my twenties... And this was where I met your grandfather"


Haha :p ending macam mau kena tampar sebab sangat2 lah perasan... Anyways.. Sedikit bengong bila lama nda melancong...

"When you travel, you won't come back as a same person.."

perhaps more learned and wiser from seeing places and meeting people.. we always learn something during a journey.. TAPI paling wajib BROKE.. 

But rich and robust with happy memories and experience yaw!

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