Anwar Is Not The Person in the Tape

A scene in the infamous video.

By Jin En

Kuala Lumpur: The video first surfaced when a private screening was held at Carcosa Seri Negara hotel on March 21. Some parties hinted on the person in the 1-minute-47-second clip is a“prominent Malay opposition leader”. Following the rumours, Anwar denied being the man featured in the video and accused BN of creating the video with the motive of further humiliating and defaming him.

Three men have came forward claiming themselves to be “Datuk T”— former Malacca chief minister Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik, businessman Datuk Sharzyl Eskay Abdullah and Umno stalwart Datuk Shuib Lazim

Later, a snippet of the video was discovered to have been posted online on video streaming site, YouTube, and is being posted on pro-Umno blogs. It was later deleted for violating YouTube’s policy on nudity or sexual content.

Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail
is convinced that the man
in the video is not the
de facto opposition leader.

On 5^th of April, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail broke her silence by saying the “actor” in the video is not her husband Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. 

“It is clear that the body and physique of the actor is different than the body and physique of Anwar.” She told reporters saying the man in the video does not resemble her husband after watching the video with her family.

According to a poll by Malaysian Insider found out that 51 per cent of those surveyed did not believe Anwar was the man in the video and with 39 per cent saying the video was contrived by Barisan National.

Similarly, current MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek was forced to resign as health minister after admitting to being the man in a sex tape that caused a chaos in 2007.

Save the Earth, Save Yourself

Pray: All the attendants close their eyes and pray for
one minute for the victims of Tsunami in Japan.

By Kim Yun



Kampar: 489 students gathered at the sport complex in University Tunku Abdul Rahman at 6pm on 25^th March to participate in the UTAR Earth Hour 2011 event. The event was organised by Community Service Society to show and make effort to contribute in saving the world.

The event started with a countdown to earth hour then followed by a speech by the president of the Community Service Society, Chai Wai Kit (21) who is also a Public Relations major.



“We are here today not to just have fun and watch performances. At the same time, we are contributing and helping to save the earth. The main objective of this event is to raise students’ awareness of climate change and to educate students on the threat of global warming,” said Chai.

“We, as students, should play our role in reducing the consumption of energy in order to save the earth. Whenever lights and fans are not in use, we should switch it off,” he added.


Each attendant was charged RM2 as an entrance fee. Attendants are given a door gift which includes a candle and card. The activities prepared by the club consisted of band performance, poppy dance and drum performance. An exclusive video made by UTAR student of earth hour was also shown. All these activities were conducted under the candle light from the audience.

Door gift given by the society.



Attendants light up the candle 
thatgiven by society.

Attendees were required to write their messages to the earth on a piece of paper. All the messages were tied together with a kongming lantern and was flown up to the sky as a form of praying. The sky lantern was then tied with a thread and being pulled down towards the end of the activity.

                 The members releasing the sky lantern which has messages from the attendees tied along to express their blessing for Tsunami Victims in Japan.

Yong Yih Huey

Jennifer Yong Yih Huey (24), one of the attendees of this event said that she felt shocked to see all the performances were conducted under the dim candle light. “However, I was touched by their effort spent in saving the usage of electricity and also for doing a good job in matching the theme of earth hour with the candle light idea,” she added. 

“I love the section of making the number 60. All of us cooperated well in that and I believe with this kind of spirit, UTAR students played their role very well in reducing the harm of global warming,” she commented.

Yong Pui Chee (24), another participant of the event said that the event was very meaningful and the effort of the organizer certainly paid off. 

“It has raised my concern about the seriousness of climate change drastically. I believe this earth hour event had the same impact on other attendants too,” she comprehended.

Xyn Hui Xin (21), the vice president of the club sent her gratitude to all the participants and urged everyone to switch off the lights on the official earth hour, 26^th March, 8.30pm to 10.30pm.

“The event was held successfully. I hope all the students received the message and will make an effort in reducing the usage of energy from this moment onwards. The effort should not be made only during earth hour but everyday in order to save our mother earth,” she emphasized.



All the participants held candles in their hand and created

 the number ‘60’ symbolising the logo of earth hour 

(picture adapted from J-on).



 



Pakatan Rakyat's effectiveness in winning votes?

As of late, there are widespread reportings on the tenth Sarawak state election which will be held on April 16, 2011 after the nomination for candidates on April 6. The ninth state assembly was dissolved byYang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak, Tun Abang Muhammad Salahuddin Abang Barieng on advice of the Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud on March 21, 2011. The purpose of this election is to elect 71 representatives to the Sarawak State Assembly (Dewan Undangan Negeri in Malay).

There are a total of 213 candidates electing for 71 seats. Both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) had proposed candidates for all 71 seats. There are also two new parties contesting in this election. They are the Parti Cinta Malaysia and Parti Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak Bersatu (PERSB) (English: United Sarawak People's Economic Party) in which are not affiliated to Pakatan Rakyat or BN. They are contesting in 6 and 16 seats respectively. However, it was reported that PERSB were forced to contest as independent candidates as the application for their party has not been approved by the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

Flags put up by parties to attract votes 

for the coming Sarawak State election.

In this election, the Pakatan Rakyat team are split into four groups which are the Democratic Action Party(DAP), Sarawak National Party (SNAP), Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS). In my personal opinion, if these four groups were to merge as one and to elect as the oneand only Pakatan Rakyat team, they stand a higher chance to win.


At present, the votes will be divided into the four groups of the Pakatan Rakyat. Since the votes are split into four, the chances of winning as majority are less. If they were to merge as one, voters will be able to vote for either BN or Pakatan Rakyat.

The centralised votes will help PR to effectively win over BN in a fair and square manner. At the same time, suppoters of PR will not have a hard time deciding which among the four teams they would like to vote.
The merging of PR teams will also bring benefits to the coalition party as working as a team will gain them more power and teamwork. It will also show the nation the ability of the four teams to work together as one harmoniously towards working in the service of the people of Malaysia.

Although it is one of the best ways to win in majority in the coming election, I do not see how this will be possible in the near future. The final winner will be revealed in just a few more days and I hope it will give the people in Sarawak a better future.

Only graduates of 2010 are eligible for PTPTN loan exemption

By Chia Huey

Kuala Lumpur :The Ministry of Higher Education reaffirmed that only graduates of 2010 with first class degree honour are eligible to convert PTPTN loans to scholarship, which in other words, they are fully exempted from paying the loan.

The above news was made confirmed by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on the Budget Plan 2010.

An officer from Ministry of Higher Education reasserted the privilege is only given solely for graduates with first class degree honour of year 2010. First class honours’ graduates before and after year 2010 are not subjected to the privilege.

This is an unanimous decision made by the cabinet after the issue was being brought to conferment by The Ministry of Higher Education.

In other words, the first class degree holders who obtained the PTPTN loan after 1 July 2005 and graduated before 2010 are not eligible to apply for conversion from loan to scholarship.

The officer further justified that it is due to the different grading system that each university has and therefore all the applications have to go through the examination of special committee to determine if they are qualified for the exemption. Not every application is assured with approval.

The case has undeniably caused a rift among first class honours graduates who obtained their PTPTN loan after 1 July 2005 and graduated before 2010.

Goh Chia Li, 27, a first class degree holder of 2006 from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) stated that she was shocked and disappointed after hearing the news.

“It was unfair for me as I had already received the black and white from the Ministry of Higher Education stating that I was fully exemption from paying the loan due to the result I attained.”

“And it was after few years later I was told this announcement which I could hardly accept as the money involved is of considerable amount.”

Goh expresses her dissaticfation over the change as she was one of the beneficiary of PTPTN loan exemption five years ago.

Teo Lee Hong, 23, an Environmental Science undergraduate from Univeristi Putra Malaysia (UPM) also expressed her dissatisfaction towards the case as the exemption from paying the loan had already been the one of the impetus for her study.

“We had been informed about the privilege years ago and strived so hard for it. Now, it seems like our efforts have gone into the drain.”

“To be able to be exempted from the loan payment means a lot to me as I am from an average-income family. The exemption would help to ease me as well as my family’s burden a lot.

Teo says that it was unfair to abolish the exemption as it has somehow become her impetus to study hard.







Eve of Midterm: Just Play and Have FUN

Give ME: The attendants are at the peak of excitement when ONE FM crew was giving out limited music peripheral souvenirs.

By Kim Yun

Singer Yu Heng is performing her latest song.

Kampar: On 20^th of February, ONE FM organised a music event at the heritage hall College Tunku Abdul Rahman (KTAR). Music fans were excited to participate in order to win all the attractive prizes and get their hands on the limited gifts.

Eight eminent superstars including Yu Heng, Daydream, Ling Kah Jun, Pin Guan, Ah Niu, Lu Xue Ri, and Manhand demonstrated their unique talents in this music show. Attendants got the golden opportunity to witness their favourite DJ and singers in a close distance. 

ONE FM DJ Nicholas (left two)
and DJ Jeff (right fist) are
 taking picture with their fans.

One of the DJ of ONE FM, Nicholas Wong (28) pointed out that the main purpose of this event is to raise the popularity of ONE FM to the public. He elaborated that the organizer had rewarded the public a grand prize of scoring a chance to travel to Japan, RM1000 cash. LCD Tv, cameras and many limited consolation prizes.  

“This event also carried the objective to promote the latest talented local Chinese singers and bands to the public. It is important to have the recognition by the public to the local Chinese music scene,”

“We have performed in four different regions which are Sg. Petani, Kampar, Seremban, and Klang. We noticed that the audience are very fervent and familiar to local music. The success of this event was all because of people's support,” he added.

Besides that, several game stations had been set up in the hall prior to the start of the show. These games involved 3D bowling, lucky draw, message board, Do-not-touch, Rock Paper Scissors and so on.

Message Board

3D Bowling game

 A student of UTAR Kampar campus, Looi Chui Qin (23) said she did not regret attending this event although she was having a midterm test the week after. Furthermore, she felt very happy as she had won a limited version of ONE FM's key chain in a mini game.

“Stress management is very important for a student in university life. Fun is necessary for a student because it is one of relieving stress. It helps us to balance up our life as a student,” she emphasised.

A citizen of Kampar, Tan Kok Kong (35) commented that it is a fabulous musical show for the citizens in Kampar. Now, he could recognize more local singers and appreciate their talent by buying their original albums after the concert.

The event started at 12pm and ended at 6pm. All the winners and DJs gathered together for a photo taking session to mark down this wonderful day. 

音乐玩fun天: All ONE FM DJs and crews take picture together.

For videos, please log on to

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKQclMmsrcM and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCqjAAIsbg8 .

The Music Banquet

By Chia Huey

Kampar: 10 finalists of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) second Karaokay Competition sang their hearts out during the annual singing competition to compete for the crown of ultimate winner.

Chew Shern Hui, a Business Information System student was eventually crowned the winner of the competition. He impressed the judges with his very impeccable voice and overall performance. By winning the competition, he also earned himself RM5,500 in cash as the prize of the competition.

The competition was held in Heritage Hall of UTAR with 10 contestants made it to the grand finale. However, one of the contestants, Sushi Lim pulled out of the competition due to personal issues making only nine finalists competing for the title.

The special guest , Yean with his mentor as well as the judge of the night performing their song released recently. (Picture adopted from J-On)

Well-known local singer, Christopher Lay, UTAR Music Club consultant, Soong Hoong Cheng and local singer Fan Yan Fu were invited to be the judges of the competition. The performers of the night included singer Yean, previous UTAR Karaokay Competition winner Max Lam, UTAR Dance Crew, Cross V and so on.

Issac Foh, 20, the chairperson of the event said that the compettition aimed to search for the potential singers as well as provide a platform and opputunity to those with singing talent to perform.

The night started with energetic performances from the nine finalists before they proceeded to solo performances. The competition was divided into two rounds where the contestants had to perform a classical song in the first round and fast-paced song in the second.

After all nine of them performed for the first round, four contestants were eliminated, with five other successfully advanced for the top five. The five were Noel Tan, Wendy Ooi, Chew Shern Hui, Wayne Low Jun Ying and Cheong Hui Ting.

The second round of the competition having the contestants strived to give their best performance. They rocked the stage with the songs chosen respectively and successfully brought the atmosphere to the max.

Chew Shern Hui was eventually announced as the winner with his final song from Mayday “Love-ING” after he successfully convinced the judges with his stable vocal and outstanding stage charisma.

Meanwhile, Cheong Hui Ting was named the runner up with her final song “First Day” from Stefanie Sun and Noel Tan Xin Ngoh was named the first runner up with the “Dancing Queen” from Jolin Tsai.

Wayne Low Jun Ying, on the other hand, was awarded the contestant with best popularity after receiving the highest poll from the audience as well as Facebook users. He was initially expected to be one of the top three but the hope shattered when he forgot his lyrics in performing the final song.

Teoh Kok Wei, 24, an Advertising students who attended the event said he enjoyed the show overall but at the same time felt that there were still room of improvement as there was time he felt bored about the show.

Powerful Voice: Chew rocks the night with his second song" Love-ING". (Picture adopted from J-On)

Sucker for Fantasy!

Sucker punch shows a battle of 5 women in a fantasy world.

By Jin En

Sucker Punch is an American action-fantasy film written by Steve Shibuya and written and directed by Zack Snyder. Sucker Punch features Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens and Jamie Chung as lead actresses.

The film follows a young woman, nicknamed “Babydoll”, who was sent to an asylum in the 1950s and was about to be lobotomised. She attempts to escape with her inmate friends by being in a fantasy world and accepting a challenge to collect five items which include a map, fire, a knife, a key and a fifth, unrevealed item that would require "great sacrifice".

The script was finalized in five months and development began in March 2007. Pre-production took place in Los Angeles in June 2009, then moved to Vancouver in July. The principal photography began in September 2009 and wrapping the filming in January 2010. Major filming were conducted in Vancouver.

On a side note, Snyder is currently mapping out the Blu-ray interactivity for the film in preparation for the film's home media release.

Sucker Punch was released locally on 24th of March 2011 in selected local theatres.

Angry Bird Comic

The Story of Two Guys

This video is of a political issue which once created a furore among the Malaysians. The characters featured are prominent personages who are highly recognisable in the Malaysian context. So have fun watching!

Funny Pictures



Nice pillows for guys?? Hehe..



Coolest car

I did'nt know dog can be so sexy.. XD

Oops

Dare to wear this and walk around in the street?

Nice present for parents. XD

...

kissing fish.

Nike Hello Kitty shoes

Creative Advertisiment

Creative plastic bag

Creative

Creative

divorce cake

Dual Medium of Instrcution for Mathematics and Science?

By Chia Huey

The Education Ministry is going to contemplate about the possibility of adopting the teaching of Mathematics and Science in both Malay and English. The use of two medium of instruction or better known as ‘Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris’ (PPSMI)  is not trivial in Malaysia context as the Education Ministry had once practiced it in 2003. However, the practice was abolished in year 2009 due to the disputable arguments from all over the public.

The practice had once been criticized for its inefficiency in uplifting the both English command of the students.  As the initial attempt of the study was to improve the English proficiency among the students, the result manifested from most of the major examinations in Malaysia such as UPSR, PMR and SPM showed the otherwise. It makes the public wonder if the objective of the implementation achieved or it had further worsened the condition.

Despite the controversy, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said some quarters were urging for the two subjects to continue being taught in English even the ministry had decided to reverse the medium of instruction from English to Malay.

The suggestion is, however needed to be treated seriously by outlining both the benefits and the drawbacks to the students. Examining from the Malaysia context, it is undeniable that most of the individual are at least bilingual or even multilingual. But the main thrust lies behind the fact; to what extent are they proficient at all the languages? This is especially crucial for teacher as they will be the one teaching and disseminating the idea to the students. The students often absorb what had been taught.  Therefore, if this practice were to be imposed again, the intensive training should be at first provided to the teacher to ensure that they are of enough capability to teach the subjects in English.

Teachers should at first equip themselves with the required quality before they could teach Mathematics and Science in English. (Picture adopted from Google)

Besides that, the learning material should also be thoroughly scrutinized before it can be officially used in the classroom. Often we find there are blunders discovered in the textbooks and the exercises which in a way confuse the students. Speaking of teaching in English, other than the technical terms, grammar and structure of the sentence should also be taken into account or otherwise, it can be the culprit of the decline in English proficiency.

Teaching the subjects in English does not only require one to be academically capable, rather, it is the commitment that minds sometimes. Have you come across the situation where the teacher tells you to not mind about the language, as long as the key terms appear? It is seemingly understandable why teaching in English does not uplift the English command of the students. Constant ignorance to proper English usage has made the implementation a mere waste of time and money.

In a nutshell, it is extremely important to study the suggestion discretely as there are still weaknesses identified from the idea proposed. Of course, if the idea is carefully probed, it will benefit the students, or it can be detrimental to the students instead. Ministries of Education, teachers, syllabus designers all play a part in this case or the students will be the victim eventually.

 Final question: Fair enough to take the students as guinea pig?

Be whatever the decison is, students' benefit should construct the ultimate concern of the whole implementation. (Picture adopted from The Star)

Daily Horoscope

Daily Comic - What blood type are you? XD

Sayang Kinabalu "Bah" !

By Bee Ling

Planning to spend a holiday locally? If you need a great escape with different types of activities to have a peace of mind, experience the culture and tranquillity nature, why do not you choose a destination that will never disappoint you? Sabah, ‘The Land below the Wind’ for sure has all you want; wildlife, adventure, culture and some of the finest beaches in Asia.

In the beginning of this year, my friends and I headed to Kota Kinabalu (KK), the capital of Sabah, to have our wild and woolly 4 days New Year's trip!

We booked our flight tickets earlier last year as Air Asia offered RM0.00 tickets. We just had to pay for the airport tax which totalled up to RM45-60 per pax for two way air ticket, baggage check-in excluded.

In our first day in KK, we took a two hour drive from KK city to the highlands, Kundasang. A trip to Kota Kinabalu would not be completed without visiting Kundasang.

Kundasang is the closest village to Mount Kinabalu which gives visitors a panoramic view of the mountain. Visitors will get to enjoy the cold climate and the refreshing cool air. Personally, I find the simplicity of Kundasang attractive. The life of the people here is very laid back and enjoyable.

Among the attractions in Kundasang are Desa Dairy Farm, Kundasang War Memorial and Kinabalu National Park. Besides these interesting places, Kundasang is also a famous spot for fresh fruits & vegetables due to its cold climate.



Early view shoot: Rose Cabin,
our stay over the night.


Upon arrival, we checked in to Rose Cabin, a cottage, since we need to stay over for a night. Guess what? The room rate is surprisingly more affordable than what we had expected. We only paid RM80 for a room with 8 single beds!

After the check-in, we straight away went up to the Desa Dairy Farm which is situated at the foothills of Mount Kinabalu. It was an amazing experience as the scenery was beyond what we have imagined!



Beyond imagination: Magnificient view of the Mount Kinabalu.



The scenery of the green meadows stretching as far to the foothill of the mountain and  offers a magnificent view that is breathtaking! A herd of the Friesian cattle were wandering on the fields further enhancing the beauty of mother nature.

Visitors can also experience horse feeding and cow milking. It is indeed an impressive sight seeing cows obediently lining up at the milking station getting their milk extracted without having anybody guiding them.



Lining up: Smart Friesian cattle eagerly
enter the milking parlour.

Dairy cattle produce pasteurized fresh milk and Sabah is one of the largest contributor of fresh milk in Malaysia. Fresh milk are sold here at a much cheaper price and the taste of the milk is extraordinary good as it is very fresh!

This farm is open to public from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm and charges RM3 as entrance fee.

The next morning after we checked out from Rose Cabin, we proceeded to Poring Hot Springs in Ranau.

Poring:: Can't wait to immerse into the warm water.


Poring Hot Spring is named after a tall bamboo plant which was abandoned in that area. It is one of the famous Sabah tourist spots. This place offers natural hot springs where hot sulphurous water emit from the ground. The sulphurous water is believed to be beneficial for the skin.

The entrance fee charges at RM3 for adult and RM1 for children. It is opened daily from 7 am to 6 pm.

Extreme: Long walk high above, between the tree trunks.

The next attraction within the Poring Hot Springs is the canopy walkway. The walkway is a 157.8m long suspended bridge and has an average height of 41m, strung between the giant diperocarp trees - the king of trees. One has to climb up the steep graded trail of 250m long before reaching the bridge.

Visitors who are interested in exploring the canopy walkway have to pay RM3 for adult and RM1 for children. Visitors who intend to bring your camera along will have to add another RM5.

The moment we arrived infront of the bridge, we started to feel nervous. It never crossed our mind that the canopy was actually this high until we got to see it ourselves.

We enjoyed the canopy walk so much that we did not feel any nervousness at all when we walked along it. Along the walk, we got to view  the magnificent flora and fauna in birds eye view.

Right after the long walk, we managed to immerse ourselves in the outdoor warm water tubs. There are 4 tubs side by side to each hut and each tub has the capacity to hold two people. The tub takes around 20 minutes to fill. According to David, a friend, said the trick is to find one that does not leak from the waste plug as the tub will not be fully filled.



Hot relaxing: Resting the feet in the
warm waterafter a long walk.



All these tubs outside are free of charge. However, if you like privacy then you can use the private indoor baths in which you must pay to use them. There is also a free swimming pool around 30 metres away and the water is very refreshing

This place is always packed with both the locals and tourists over the weekends. Visitors who pay a visit here aim to relax while enjoying a soothing bath in the hot tubs. Besides relaxing in the hot tubs, accommodation that offers comfortable resting place and restaurant that offers delicious food are available.

 

Tea break: Stopping by to enjoy the smell of  tea leaves.

 Next, we visited the Sabah Tea Garden which is located not far away from the Poring Hot Springs. The Tea Garden can open visitors' eyes to the culture of the native here and attract them using tea products and souvenirs.

There are two long houses for the tourists to have a visit at this tea garden. You can experience the way of life of the native such as Kadazan, Dusun, Murut and etc. There are also some handmade crafts of the native which were displayed in these long houses.



Long house: Experience the way of life of the native.


Located at the foothill of Mount Kinabalu, and just a short distance from the Kundasang food and vegetable market, lies this mysterious fort called the Kundansang War Memorial which became our last visit at Kundasang.

From the outside, the Kundasang War Memorial looked like a dead stony fort structure. It is what lies inside the fort that kept this place alive and draw visitors to this place.

This memorial was initiated in 1962 together with the Kinabalu Park by a New Zealander working with Shell Oil Company.




Majestic: A tribute for all the heroes
and great warriors.

 The War Memorial was built to remember the 2828 Australian and British prisoners who died during the Second World War at the Sandakan POW Camp and also 3 infamous forced death marches from Sandakan to Ranau. The Memorial is also a tribute to many locals who risked their lives while releasing the prisoners at war. There were 6 Australian survivors to tell their horror. None of the English warriors survived.

It was raining when we arrived here and the weather made the atmosphere here becomes more solemn as it should be.

It is a fort like memorial that was designed by a local architect J. C. Robinson. It has 4 interlocking but separate gardens to represent the homelands of the warriors who had died. There is an Australian Garden, a formal English garden of roses, a Borneo Garden with wild flowers of Kinabalu, and at the top level is the 'Comtemplation Garden' with a refection pool and pergola.

We nearly missed this interesting part of the park as we thought it would one common garden like the rest. It's from this point where you'll be able to see the view of the whole of Kundasang town - a view worth seeing.

Breathtaking: Worth sight-viewing of the Kundasang town from here.

Memorial services could also be organized with prior notice. The Memorial is open to visitors and a nominal entry fee is charged.

Chewy: Grilled lokans for the night.

For those who didnt know what "lokan" is. Well, it's a type of clam found buried in the stiff mud of the landward fringe of mangroves. Scientifically, lokan is known as Polymesoda expansa - what a name, huh?

This roasted lokan is a must-have while you are in KK. I couldn’t find this special cuisine elsewhere in Malaysia, not even in my hometown, Tawau which is also a city in Sabah.

The place which sells this lokan is situated in Jalan Sulaman KK - Tuaran road, our stop for the night to have our dinner.

This roasted lokan has been receiving lots of good reviews which make us decided to include it into our itinerary. Apart from the lokans, they also have barbeque crabs.

 

Scrumptious: Refreshing coconut pudding ease our thirst.




While waiting for our lokans and crabs to be ready, we tried their icy cold, scrumptious coconut jelly. What makes it so special is how it's been presented where the coconut acts as the mould for the jelly. The taste is simply out of this world. Each of this jelly is sold at RM4 per piece and RM2.50 for the ones in small cups.

As for the lokans, they are not bad either. The lokans are grilled with special gravy & a bit of grated coconut. It tasted something like mussels but a bit chewier.

The mouth watering coconut jelly has definitely become the main delight of the day. Some of us even joking seriously that how we wanted so much to bring it back to our hometown.

Form the highland, we escape to island getaway in the third day of our trip at Sabah.

Early in the morning, we took a boat which we rented with the price of 80MYR per pax inclusive of tour guide fee. Abang Razit, who is also the driver, guided us for the whole trip of our island hopping.

Manukan Island was the first island that we visited for that day. It is the second largest island in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park and is located just 15 minutes away by a breezy boat ride from the city of KK.

It is covered in dense vegetation and has hiking trails. It is also popular with its rich coral reefs ideal for snorkelling and diving. It brings us closer to nature. Splash away and explore the depths of Sabah's virgin coral reefs which are among the fun filled activities

Shaped like a dolphin or boomerang as we can observe on our way to get here, the island is 1½ km long.  Blessed with a long stretch of white sandy beach promising hours of sea, sand & fun!

Most of us experience our first snorkelling and banana boat ride here. A fantabulous experience we have as the coral reefs are so colourful and magnificent with the riches of the marine lives.

From the relaxing activity, we went for a more exciting, fun and adventurous banana boat ride. What I can say is that it gets my adrenaline pumping non-stop!

Apart from the activities that we did, scuba diving, parasailing, Jet Ski, glass bottom boat cruise are also available here. Moreover, you can also do your own activities such as beach games, fish feeding, and chilling out by the beach.

Taken our lunch, we then proceed our hopping to the sun-kissed beach of Sapi Island nearby.

On arrival here, we were amazed by the clarity and colour of the waters surrounding the island. Once we get on the jetty, we were really mesmerized at the natural beauty surrounding this place.

The water here is extremely crystal clear and quite shallow, with ample of shades are available.

In term of snorkelling, one still can do it here although I found there was not so muchmarine life compared to the nearby island of Manukan.

After done with our snorkelling, we have our rest here, lazing on the sun-kissed sandy beach by enjoying the view of the Mother Nature.  My goodness! It’s such a lovely day to laze down by the beautiful beach and worship the sun with such a great weather!

Another thing that you can do here is scuba diving or to go on a small watch tower with the appointed life guards. For those who like camping, you are allowed to do so here but only with the permission of the Park Warden.

Just for the record, Sapi means Cow in the Malay language. The reason for this is that the shape of the island is like the head of a cow which was given by the Bajau people in the old days.

We then ended our hopping at the neighbouring Gaya Island. Overall, I feel that the beach here is acceptably good with crystal-clear water and endowed with some signs of marine life, although I cannot vouch how good is the underwater scene at this bay because I did not snorkel or dive around the area.

However, Abang Razit dived in the water and managed to catch some marine lives that we never seen before such as puffer fish, Pincushion starfish and sea urchin for us to have a closer view.

On the last day of our stay at KK, we tour and venture the city of KK.

We started our day with a visit to Gaya Street where we managed to get some souvenirs to bring back to our home.

Right after that, we went to the Signal Hill Observatory Tower of KK, a natural area where we enjoy the beautiful skyline of the city with a view that extends to the islands.

Sad to say that most part of the coastal line has been blocked by tall structures. However, we still can see some blue sea at far end. Not a good vantage point to view the beach but to have a bird's eye view of the city.

Apart from that, another attraction which we have paid a visit during the daytime includes Sabah State Museum & Heritage Village, The Green Connect, and Sutera Harbour Resort.


During the night before we fly back to West Malaysia, we headed up to the city's most outstanding landmarks, the Menara Tun Mustapha (Yayasan Sabah Tower).

Located 4km out of town, this 30-storey circular glass sculpture that reaches 122 meters high houses the head offices of the Sabah Foundation. It is also home to the '@mosphere' restaurant at the 18 floor, where we spent our night to relax. It slowly spins to provide a complete view of Likas Harbour with one rotation per hour.

The tower is open on Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 6pm. Closed on Monday, except during school & public holidays.