Goodbye. Farewell.

these two kids were attached to our office for a few months. Fred is from AKMA (me thinks) and Sarah is from some university from the Netherlands. i know she doesn't look like european nor the usual mixed indon that we get sometimes, she's actually from china but wanted to study there and then came all the way here for internship. fred is from membakut :) very near my hometown.

i was really glad that fred turned up, if i recall rightly he was the most useful student that we ever had. he was place in IT and was really helpful. now that he's left its back to the 'mia' guy again.

oh well. good luck kids!

spa + wellness

i like being pampered and catered to just as much as any other gal, but actually i'm really a the shy shy type so that's why i've never before done the whole spa thing. as a photographer, i could only take the picture of someone else being coddled. the closest thing i've come to this sorta thing is having a floral bath up in kiulu's river. an experience to be remembered.

However these spas are quite a luxury and little ol me can't afford it with my sucky salary (hello, anyone listening?) ... anyways, after doin this shoot i can actually understand why people get addicted to think lifestyle.

jari - jari spa

this spa won the malaysia spa + wellness award for best traditional treatment, which is the dusun lotud body therapy. that's quite an achievement! my model for this session was shana + genevieve.

ka'andaman tradiational healing garden spa

i really feel at ease at kaandaman, the beautiful deco gives a totally relaxing ambiance and its pretty addictive. i just wanna curl up at a corner and stop thinking. unfortunately, theres work to be done! my models ~ shana, genevieve + aily.

borneo spa ~ nexus resort karambunai

the best part is that is has an outdoor beach side massage hut and you know me loves the beach! the spa itself is really exclusive and ultra posh! you'll feel like a queen! my models ~ aily, nor, jojo + susan


the spa @ dalit bay ~ shangri-la's rasa ria resort

now, this is a relatively new addition for SRRR, but already its classy and elegant ambiance makes you feel totally calm and tranquil. my models ~ nor, aily + susan

chi spa ~ shangri-la's tanjung aru resort

the spa has just begin construction at the time of photography and we were only able to experience the outdoor massage hut which was by the beach. anything that has to do with the beach is great : ) my model ~ aily

all in all, it was an eye opener ...

mommy's birthday!

happy birthday!



its cheating, how come mom gets to celebrate twice ...




i want cake !

roach reef resort

i remember being apprehensive when i heard that i was suppose to head out to this island, because of its name. i mean WTF? the number one mortal enemy of mine ~ roaches! ye gods, they're everywhere!



well, it turned out differently than i expected. actually it was totally fabulous! its a small beautiful coconut infested man made. but best of all no roaches in sight! YAY!

i was here to accompany the media group from KL organized by Air Asia and my office. This was part of a two 3D2N itinerary on Tawau's finest to boost tourism here. I'm lucky that it was a very nice group. we had more chance to talk during the island trip because our schedule was so hectic before, so it was a nice change of pace.

it rained a little when we arrived about noon but it fine with me, it created a somewhat romantic atmosphere ... you know, lazy, rainy day swinging on a hammock, enjoying the sound of the surf.

we did some marvelous snorkeling around the island! i simply adore snorkeling! i wish i could dive but its unfortunate that i am asthmatic! i did try it once, it was heaven, although it was a bit noisier than i expected, but i got sick after so its a no go! it is one of my regrets but at least i could still snorkel! some of the media participants experience their first snorkel here and after they were raving madly about it! i'm glad, i feel just like big sista introducing the kiddy pool. ehehe. one of them were really frightened but she gamely followed through and had a great experience if a little scary. way ta go you! Andrew, another participant was the only one who went for a dive and he said it was pretty good.



i met the island manager who is japanese and we talked a bit before dinner, he said whales and dolphins have been sighted nearby every year. that is good news! i would loved to see myself but alas they never appeared while i was there. The manager told me that on a moonless night its beautiful to stargaze. i took this opportunity to ask him why is this man made island named after my nemesis but he was also clueless like me. oh well. anyways, they are currently planning to expand, adding more water bungalows. the future for this island is looking pretty good.

dinner time the manager showed us his underwater photos from around the island's dive sites. it was marvelous. dinner was marvelous too. as a note, no matter what island it is, i notice that the food is always superb!

i hang out at the jetty after dinner and soak in the tranquility. at that moment i am certainly at peace with the world. a little after midnight i head back to my chalet to take a nap. tomorrow we had to wake at dawn to catch the sunrise.


its a great experience watching the sunrise with other people, although Thanam + Andrew were new friends but its still nice.

i remember feeling that the sunrise was quite warm, i never felt so close to the sun like this. its probably just my imagination




now, i'm a person whose hobby at no. 2 is sleeping. but i didn't mind at all to have this magnificent view.



although it looks like sunset its actually sunrise :) i was just blown away with the beauty of it. i should try to get up and catch the dawn more often at home but problem is although i live by the beach, the sun sets there :)







although it is a man made island, and it doesn't have a beach but its still a lovely place and so beautiful. met some people there who were part of a diving group from europe and interviewed them along with the other media people. Their opinion of this island is that they like how exclusive it is, theres no crowd because the island capacity is quite small as is the island itself and perhaps also because it is not well known. yet.... they also said the dive is great!



i had a wonderful experience at the roach reef island resort. like they say, a rose is still a rose by any other name. i hope i can again!

kibunut river picnic day

although i am definitely a beach gal, i love the river too, ever since i was a kid we've always had picnic by the river. the river @ kibunut came all the way from the mountains, that's why it's really cold at times and although its fun, it can also be dangerous, if its bad weather at the mountains, the river will get wild in a blink of an eye. but all was good that day and we had a good time.



this is trying my hand at slow mo without a tripod!



and this is super fast action speed!



Aunt Belle really loves the water! she's like a kid, and i wish i could swim like her!



drama by the river! lala slipped on the grassy slope and was such a drama queen, until everyone petted her (poor puppy!) hey you! quit bein a brat! that's my role!



if i was a cat, i think i'd be like garfield. ehehe,' i love to procrastinate'. this grumpy cat looks like i do when people keep messing up my quiet time. just leave us alone already!



we also tried snorkeling :) its really interesting to see the macro here.



i'm sure we'll be picnicking here again soon!

Mengkabong : morning kayak

this was an incredible experience...

waking up before the sun is not my favourite thing to do, but this time it was worth it....



it starts with a thousand twinkling stars leading the path to our destination. sakamoto ~ san knows a little about the constellation, we spent some time observing them while waiting for the sunrise @ mengkabong bridge with mt K as constant companion.



the view is simply breathtaking.



meeting the villager is an experience too. i myself, far from a people's person but the old man that we meet was quite a character. i'm really amused that sakamoto~san + rie~san could make friends with him.



i guess, you can say it was a blue day :)



well, mebbe a little green here and there.



i'm happy to spend a day amongst nature, a busy life like mine doesn't open up too many chances like this.



this is oyster farming. interesting.

actually i think we overdid it. i was fine throughout the day (6 hrs kayaking) until the time i reach home and ached like i've never ached before. i even thought i was dying.

but i'm all good now, and i wouldn't trade the experience for anything.