Dusun Wedding in Keningau

Last November, my cousin, Fread get married with his beloved one. His beloved one is from Keningau. We joined his troop to Keningau to fetch the bride. Another wedding ceremony in Keningau.

My cousin is from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and does not live in Keningau. It is a tradition to fetch the bride from her maiden home to the groom's home. Because Kota Kinabalu is too far, they use bride's grandmother house as her maiden home, and bride's father house as groom's house.

Bride is hidden in this house. Forget to mention that bride's ethnicity is Dusun. This is the first time to witness wedding in Dusun's culture. Actually almost same as this post, the groom won't get the bride easily.

It was a long wait for the groom and his gang to arrived. The kids started to entertain themselves by plucking rambutan (hairy fruit). Quite sweet. hehehhe

  Finally the groom came and try to pass thru the gate. At 1st phase, the groom were given a poem (pantun), and he have to answer with a poem too. Passed!

2nd phase, the groom have to give RM 19.15. Time to collect money!

Finally they can enter the house. To get in, the have to drink the wine. This is homemade wine (tapai), fermented of some natural food (rice, or potato, or coconut). This is the toll fee. This is 1st time the wine is served in bamboo stick.

In the house, the groom have to choose his bride from covered cloth. He has to give RM10 for a guess. As you can see he get it right at his 1st guess.

They were seated and food were served. Rice in leaf along with stew meat.

Sweet gesture between bride and groom.

The groom succeeded fetch the bride and they proceed to the groom's house.

It is not easy to go back the groom house too. Don't ask me why. It is the tradition.

The bride was covered with a cloth when they were walking to the house.

 Bride's grandmother greeted by relative.

Not sure is this a tradition for the groom to hide under the cloth, or he is just having fun.

Everyone have to pay toll fee again. hehehe.

This wine can caused headache if not used to it. I drank 2 sticks around 4.30pm. By 11 pm, I had tremendous headache and almost vomit!

Meat are served after we drink the wine.

Wherever there are kids, there are rambutan!

Eat, Pray, Love

Eat, pray, love.

This a 2010 movie, based on a memoir of Elizabeth Gilbert.

It is amazing how she can defined each phase of life so clearly. As if she is drawing a discerning line in her life.
Let me illustrated how I feel of the movie. Please pardon me...

My thoughts:

Rome is about food, India is about spiritual, Bali is about love.

Food, spiritual and love, can't they exist together.

So I can't pee while I poo???

What happen when we can't defined what is happening in our life? Does it mean this is meaningless moment of life? Oh my...

At most moment, I don't know the meaning of this life....

Is it poo or pee?

Am I heading at the right direction? Am I moving at all?

a friend once said when you have dejavu, you are at the right direction.

Whenever I sit on my couch, I have dejavu as if I sat on this couch before. Oh yes, I am at the right direction to become a couch potato.

3 April 2011 - Bangkok (Part-2)

2 April 2011 - Miri-Bangkok (Part-1)

2 April 2011 - Bangkok (Part-2)
3 April 2011 - Bangkok (Part-1)

Back to riverside, did mentioned about souvenir plate? Plate with our own photo stick on the plate. We bargained and get 500B for 3 (170B 1 plate). Just our photo paste on the plate. You can removed the photo and eat with the plate.

On our way back to our hotel, we stop by the roadside to... camwhore with salt lake! For some of you who doesn't know that this is how they extract salt from sea water. Make a shallow pool, fill with sea water, let evaporation do its work. White salt will appear.

Salt Lake

Lady selling salt and salted fish by busy highway.

Then proceed to our hotel. After 15 minutes break in our room, we continue our journey to Discovery Mall.
If you are thinking about shopping!
Wrong, we are not going for shopping.
We are going to Madame Tussaude Wax Museum.


Then we had our very first horrific journey with tut tut!

See that narrow space between car and pedestrian walk? Tut tut somehow can squeeze into that narrow space. At one point of the road, left tire climbed up pedestrian walking pathway, and we were tilted to the right. All we can do was shout and laugh! We reached the mall safely.
 Yuhoooo Madame Tussauds.................

Admission Ticket

And we met Obama...

L.A.S.I.K (3)

"Miss Naomi, please follow me. Please take off your shoes. You can put you shoes in here."

See you later!

Door opened. Walking on the cold floor with my naked foot. Claws of nervousness is climbing up my spine.

A male doctor assistant in scrubs, with mask, guiding me to a changing room. After changing into pyjamas look alike clothes, sitting on a chair. He covered my hair with cap, my foot with foot cover. Drop few drops of anesthetic in my eyes. I said I am nervous. His soothing soft voice did some comforting, and is relaxing me. But the buzzing sound of laser machine calibration is so disturbing, and making me nervous again. Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. *gulp*

"Please follow me."

Stepping into the clean room, for treatment. Everyone with mask, can't see clearly without my glasses. Who is the doctor actually? Dr. Sim, where are you?

"Ms Naomi, please lie down."

Ok, lie down on a bed. Putting my head in a U-curved hard pillow.

By this time, now I know there is the need of 10% can't refunded payment term. I feel like running out now! Lucky the assistant with soothing voice covered me with a thick and comfortable warm blanket. Have some calming effect.

"Miss Naomi, please look at the red light and don't close your eyes" Dr Sim covered my left eye.
Actually she gave me briefing before the treatment, I can't close my eye. Because my eyeball may moved when I closed my other eye. Hypnotising myself with the mantra "Open your eyes, look to the red light...Open your eyes, look to the red light...Open your eyes, look to the red light...Open your eyes, look to the red light...."

In LASIK surgery, the eye is held open with a speculum, and a suction ring is attached to the eyeball (A). A microkeratome is used to shave the protective flap off the top of the eye (B), which is then pulled back (C). A computer-controlled laser is used to reshape the cornea (D), and the protective flap is replaced (E). (Illustration by GGS Inc.)

Read more: Laser In-Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) - procedure, recovery, pain, complications, time, infection, medication, prep, cells, types, risk, rate, Definition, Purpose, Demographics, Description, Diagnosis/Preparation http://www.surgeryencyclopedia.com/La-Pa/Laser-In-Situ-Keratomileusis-LASIK.html#b#ixzz1g1H37VR0

"Look down, look up, stare at the red lights"

Feel weird when the suction ring is attached to my eyeball, I can even feel the blade cutting. I told Dr. Sim. More anesthetic into my eye.
When the laser is doing his work, It took so long! My heart was screaming,

WHY DID YOU ALL LIE TO ME? YOU ALL SAID IT IS FAST! THIS IS NOT FAST! WHEN WILL THIS FINISH?

Actually it is not long. 15 minutes for an eye.It only took 30 minutes. 

After laser, I can smell some burned smell. Proceed to another eye.

Can't see well after the treatment. 

After 2 hours, have to start dropping tear drop and antibiotic drop to eyes.

Can't go to dusty place. 

Can't let water into my eyes. Hence I can't wash my hair that day, and careful when washing my hair, for a week. I wore sunglasses when I go shower, to avoid water splashing in my eyes. I still wash my hair myself. Water flow with gravity. Keep you chin high enough, so the water flow from head to back, not to front.

Can't touch my eyes.

Have to wear eyeshield before sleep. I bought a RM5 sunglasses, so I can wear to sleep. Once I only wear eyeshield to sleep, and they unstick itself and fell off. Lucky my mind set to not touching my eyes. I always had the nightmare of me touching my eyes when I sleep and cause complication.

Ok that's all. Vision is still not clear after 2 weeks. See you doc before Christmas!

L.A.S.I.K (2)

On the day of Lasik treatment, scheduled at 2.30 pm. But I have to go there at 1pm. Go there so early to make payment. RM 1800 for one eye. As I have 2 eyes, I paid RM 3600. Phew... Lucky I don't have more eyes. There is a term of payment. 10% of payment can't be refunded.

Hmnn.. Why would someone ask for a refund? Someone may chicken out before the operation? Payment will only be done minutes before the treatment. If someone changed his mind, that someone can't possibly make the payment....

Go there early to pee also. 

While waiting, I had a chit chat with another patient. She is from Sandakan, but always travel to Kota kinabalu. She is a frequent contact lense user. By the time she come for eye checkup, her eye nerve has spread toward her pupil and almost reached her pupil. Her eyes don't have enough oxygen supply, causing nerves spreading toward her pupil. Oh my!

Her turn for treatment is after me. She said she is going for mono treatment, which will correct her near and far sighted vision.

To be continue....

L.A.S.I.K

I have a confession...

I used to have short-sighted...

I used to wear glasses....

No longer I need glasses.

Thanks to Optimax KK!

_________________________

I have been thinking to do Lasik for 2 years. But I was scare.

Everytime I google about Lasik and 

saw this..

Just thinking of blade slicing my cornea gives me the chill.

Finally I had the courage to do it, because my brother did it, and nothing happen.

I used to read there is free eye check, but no longer have.

I underwent 2 eyecheck before the treatment.

1st eyecheck

Cost RM 120, and it is compulsory.

Check thickness of cornea, to determine which is the most suitable treatment.

Look for any scar on cornea.

Test degree of eyes (stressed eyes & stress-free eyes)

Pupil will dilated when eyes are stress free. This mean eyes are sensitive and have blur vision.

Check eye pressure.

Thickness of my cornea is adequate for me to go for lasik conventional or lasik customised.

2nd eyecheck

Due to high pressure on my right eye, glacoma is suspected causing my eye nerve to be bigger than usual and higher pressure.

2nd check for glaucoma.

Result is non-glaucoma.

Cost: RM 150

Treatment scheduled on 25 Nov 2011.

Bored of my own travel post.

How was my trial of writing travel posts?

Do you think it is boring?

If you think it is not boring, good then.

But I felt very bored, too many photos, bad description, and I felt like I am rushing while I was writing.

Too much to write...

I am going to write it in other ways.

any suggestion???

3 April 2011 - Part-1

2 April 2011 - Miri-Bangkok (Part-1)

2 April 2011 - Bangkok (Part-2)

3 April 2011 - morning

We woke up without alarm, around 8am. Today schedule included floating market, wax museum and buffet on Sky Bayoke Hotel. Quite a pack schedule, yet we are in no rush.

At 1st we thought of taking a local bus to floating market. However when we are outside of the hotel, we saw some taxi. According to a taxi driver who is very fluent in English, local bus will only take us to the bus station, from the bus station we have to take another transport to the floating market. Taxi trip to and fro would only cost us 900 Bath, which means 300 Bath per pax (RM30/10USD). It is quite a good bargain for three of us, and it is not a short journey. So it is taxi then.

Taxi ID

Our nice taxi driver

For safety purpose, we always take photo of everything as proof. We even plan to take photo everytime we pay money. Actually that is just a good excuse. We are just like typical Asian. Photography is most important in travelling.

Our destination 

 This leaflet is useful when we are communicating with taxi driver. We can just point to our destination, and the driver will know where you want to go, without even talking.

LPG Gas station

Coconut served when we arrived at the jetty. 

Before we depart, some explanation given to us about canal and which market we will be going. Beware that there are many floating market in Bangkok alone. The most famous of the floating markets is Damnoen Saduak. We going there~~

Be ready to smile when someone is taking your photo. Don't be shy. It is for your souvenir plate. (Normal sold for 200 Bath per piece, but we bargained and get 170 B per piece)

Along the stream, there are many stalls selling souvenirs (Duh!). They have a hook with long wood that can hook any passing boat. Don't forget to bargain! 

Buy! Buy! To support local economy!

Uk.

 This is Uk, our skipper. He is a very happy one. Happy skipper with happy girls.

Elephant Pillow 300B

Art on Teak 500B

 I bought a elephant pillow and a painting on a wood. So happy! Quite expensive~~~

I only have keychains for you all. hahhahaa

This is the scene at central market. Souvenirs here are cheaper than those along the canal. Perhaps many people finish buying their souvenir when they reach central market. You can try bargain for lower price easier here.

Not to forget to show my lunch, Mango with sticky rice. Very sweet. It is 50 Bath.

When Uk shouted elephant, our friend Ad saw some brown stuff sticking out from water surface and it looks like an elephant. She point to it and shouted "elephant!". Mix also joined her and kept looking at the brown stuff. Laughter filled our boat, when they realised it is actually just stub of wood. Even Uk understand the humour. at the jetty, before our boat touched the jetty, Uk already started telling people at the jetty what happened back there.

Next destination continue in next post....

2 April 2011 - Bangkok (Part-2)

2 April 2011 - Miri-Bangkok (Part-1)

2 April 2010 - Night

Heading out to Kaosan road for dinner.

13-15 April is New Year for Thai, Songkan Festival, a.k.a. water festival.

On our way to food, we saw this mobile Bank. Cute bank with cute bank cashier too.

Across the road, there is a chinese operated food stall. We thought we can have our very 1st nice tomyam.

But.....

Framed on the wall without any photo in the frame.

That is our order. Tomyam is 100 Bath, bean sprout is 50 Bath.

While waiting for our food, we are so obsessed with the coke, can't resist from camwhoring with it.

*snap*

*snap*

*snap*

Not nice at all..... A big disappointment on tomyam kung

Not letting it to spoil our happy night out. lalallala

Back to Kaosan road. Actually many interesting to see along the road.

You can even make a fake certificate here~~

Next we head out to a bar, Roof  Bar & Restaurant. I had a sex on the beach. It is not a real sex. If I was on a beach, perhaps it is real. JJ (just joking)

While enjoy it, not the sex but the drink, I noticed many people are drinking this...

It is Thai Samsok Sangsok

The sex made me too drunk for anymore booze. Going for samsok tomorrow night. By now, only one of us is free from alcohol.

If the three of us would have to walk straight on a straight white line, Ad would fail, I am still ok.

We even have to form a train, hand to shoulder, to go back to our hotel.

My luggage is still missing.

Not going to sleep naked with the girls. Lucky I have my multipurpose jacket. *wink*

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz