THE LAND OVER THE SEA

Yes just came back from Sabah. Haha ya most people didn't know about it cause I didn't want to make a big ho haa over it but yes was there for a week. Was quite excited to go there (yes my first time....Simon) but haha was a bit skeptical of going alone with Isa. Not that I don't like him but haha knowing our history working together, we are not best of friends but this trip made me realise something new in our relationship..haha more on that later.

The trip was of course for the Sabah regionals. Haha I was complaining to Isa that I have been to every region except Sabah for regionals (Actually i just realised I haven't been to Klang Valley yet....maybe next yr). Sabah ah the land where time is so different from Semenanjung. Serious. The sun rises at 6 in the morning -_- and sets super early. Come to think of it, my East Malaysia friends will just say the opposite about Semenanjung.

Let's talk about the regionals. Hmm it's very different if you ask me. Different from a lot of aspect. First I was there as a facilitator more than an OT so i didn't sit in for most of the meetings. Secondly the OTs there can say very lepak....haha their meetings very relaxed and non-intense. Isa did most of the talking and they just listened and nod. But they are a group who were eager to serve and learn. As for myself, I must say that I was not prepare at all for my sessions. I was still planning them the night before and also changing my thoughts an hour before my sessions. THough it looked flawless (haha from a comment I got), not happy with it myself. ANyway I have Southern Regions to redeem myself. The place for the regionals was lovely. It was held in St. Martin's Tambunan. Now this place is surrounded by hills and trees. IT's lovely. I can imagine walking to school everyday admiring the green hills and breathing in the fresh air. But the rain haha had to spoil it all.......... The only thing I didn't like was the loneliness. Haha coudln't really click with the kids and also didn't talk much with Isa. Most of the time, I locked myself in the room to do my work (which is still not done).

After finishing the regionals it was time to go back to Kota Kinabalu to do some tourist stuff. We stayed in 2 hotels. The first one was Mandarin Hotel at Gaya street. Now this place is damn runned down and the price for a room was expensive. We decided that after the regionals we would not come back to the same hotel. Luckily Isa's contact got us another hotel just opposite the main road. The place was so much nicer and the price was lower. After checking in, I did my first sight seeing, which was massage hunting. Heard so much about good massages in KK (not the one with happy endings :P) and found one nice place near Gaya Street and offers Shieat Su Massage and Reflexology for RM 70. I can tell you it hurt haha.....But after the session I was more relaxed but the next day can feel the muscle paining. Another wonderful thing I did was snorkeling. Thanks to miss mermaid aka Anidha (thanks gal!) who took me on a wonderful trip to the islands. Went to 2 island, Pulau Mamutik and Pulau Sapi. Both had wonderful scenary except Pulau Mamutik had a bigger surprise for me........JELLYFISH....yes I got stung, but thank God it was only baby jellyfishes. Other than tat, caught sight on some beautiful fishes (RAINBOW FISH.....which i call the gay fish.. haha). The only thing that disgusted me was the fact, these islands are seeing the affects of tourism la. A lot of empty bottles around and plastics here and there. Sigh...and we pay RM 3 for conservation purposes. Buck up Sabah if not you'll lose ur beauty. Shopping in Sabah is.......erm......okay only la....The only place I went shopping was the Filipino Market (Thanks Najeeb) . The place is cramped and I almost fainted because it was so cramped. But I got some huge bargains for my soveniours (Thanks Najeeb again).

Hmm the trip to Sabah was great actually. Although felt lonely at times and missing home but it was a great opportunity. Okay with Isa.........haha well most of you don't know but Isa and I fight alot. Haha I mean a lot. Both of us work differently and both of us have different principles in life. But I guess we meant well when we comment about each other. During this whole trip, we never fought once. I guess it was a conscious effort for the both of us to settle our differences to go and fulfill a work. I had a great time with him and I guess we have both mature in our relationship. I hope it will last la.........and Isa thanks for the treat haha......

100th POST AND THE UDHR

Oh my, finally the 100th post....never thought it would come to this much hahaha.....Anyway was away in Ipoh and was back in centre a while, and Jerald reminded me about the UDHR or Universal Declaration of Human Rights.....I told him that I will be working in an 'evil' company and not feeling up to it. He said don't look at it that way, look as if you are infiltrating the enemy haha. SPY!!

The UDHR is a human rights declaration. It is a document which has 30 articles that should help a country/nation to champion human rights. On 2008, it celebrated it's 60th anniversary and 10th of December is declared Human Rights Day. What so important about human rights. Well I believe that all man are made equal (woman as well). No one can torture/enslave/make fun of one another just because he/she are different. No one can say that he has the right to make fun of us. No one can say my country is btter than you. The 30 articles read as:

Article 1
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11
Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence. No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

Article 12
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 13
Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
Everyone has the right to leave any country, including their own, and to return to their country.

Article 14
Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 15
Everyone has the right to a nationality.
No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

Article 16
Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Article 17
Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 18
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20
Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 21
Everyone has the right to take part in the government of their country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in their country.
The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

Article 22
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 23
Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Article 24
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Article 25
Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

Article 26
Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Article 27
Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

Article 28
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Article 29
Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 30
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

It was an eye opener to read this document again...for years I have been not living it....thanks Jerald for the reminder......