Agnes Keith on Her Book Room

There is a mental energy in this room, discharged and accumulated from the past, which seems to exhilarate you when you enter it. Not only is it a good place to work in, but it is a good place to stop while the bathwater runs, or when dressing for dinner or waiting for breakfast, for there is always something unfinished to be gone on with there.

I first saw this quote at the Agnes Keith House last Saturday (read post here). There I was, standing in front of her Book Room, and this quote was looking at me. I loved it. Then I saw it again in her first book, Land Below the Wind on page 27. I couldn't resist buying the book after the visit to her house.

As a person who has her own Book Room, I can relate. As a person who loves photography, I had to try really, really hard not to take any pictures while inside the house because photography is forbidden.  Maybe I will seek  permission from the Sandakan Heritage Trail Committee for my next visit. I love the house and the story behind it!

Please stay tuned for my book review soon.

My Idea of A Fun Day: The Sandakan Heritage Trail

I arrived at the sunny, blue-skied Sandakan last weekend for a super-short Borneo vacation. It may sound crazy to some people, you know, taking an-almost-3-hour flight to a faraway land and spend only one night there. For me, this is a special trip and a memorable one too. I loved short weekend trips, experiencing the people and place, and definitely desiring to return for a longer duration in the near future. Sandakan is a place I will want to visit again.

Before writing this post, I had wanted to talk and rave about a book I bought in Sandakan related to this trip, written by Agnes Keith (Land Below the Wind). But then I also wanted to talk about the Sandakan Heritage Trail I had so much fun exploring from morning (the moment I landed) until evening. The thrill was in the walks and finding the spots! Come with me now...

My Sandakan Heritage Trail adventure began here at the Hotel Sandakan. I arrived by the first flight into Sandakan with the intention to first visit the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary but still, I missed the one and only shuttle bus to get there. The good folks at the hotel gave me a map when I asked for one because I decided to do the Heritage Trail instead.

Let the Sandakan Heritage Trail hunt begin!

I started with the first site which is just beside the Hotel Sandakan. Here's the Masjid Jamek (Sandakan Heritage Trail 1). The mosque is situated on the hilltop and overlooks the town centre.

I ventured up the steps but didn't enter the mosque. I wasn't quite sure if I could...

I took some time studying the map and because I'm such a hopeless case with maps, I took a very long time. Somehow I managed to stumble my way to the second site but didn't quite know I was already at the Sandakan Heritage Trail 2, which is the William Pryer Monument at the MPS Square.

The Wisma Warisan (Sandakan Heritage Trail 10 and 11) where the heritage museum is housed was where I'd gone to first without knowing that the William Pryer Monument was just outside. The museum, although old, is informative and oozing with juicy bits about the history of Sandakan and its destruction during the Japanese invasion (World War 2). Sandakan ceased to exist in June 1945.

This is the Malaysia Fountain (Sandakan Heritage Trail 9). I like the super big hibiscuses. From here, I decided to go to my backpacker's hotel to dump my backpack. I've been lugging my bags around and approaching noon I was drenched in sweat and hungry. I was very tempted to continue on with the next heritage trail site because I was already at the starting point of the next spot. BUT, it was time to haul my bum to the hotel and get some food.

Boys and girls, this is the "Stairs with Hundred Steps" (Sandakan Heritage Trail 3) that will lead you to the Agnes Keith House situated on a hill at Jalan Istana. It's not hard at all to climb these babies, I promise.

I've arrived at the top!

And walked my way to the Agnes Keith House. "I am here".

From the main house, I walked some steps down and look who I found? A beautiful Miao!

Not one but two! Here's the second darling.

The Agnes Keith House (Sandakan Heritage Trail 4). This is the home of Conservator of Forests, Harry Keith, and his American wife, Agnes Keith, a writer. The house was destroyed during WW2 but reconstructed when the Keiths returned in 1946. I bought her books and am already more than halfway through the first book, Land Below the Wind. It's about their life in pre-war Sandakan. Loving it! I can't wait to get started on Three Came Home, about their war experience, which was made into a movie. Have you watched it?

This is remains of old staircase (Sandakan Heritage Trail 5).

And then there's more walking...

The tomcat with an attitude.

Arrived at the next site: The Goddess of Mercy Chinese Temple (Sandakan Heritage Trail 6).

On the way to the second last site, the St. Michael's and All Angels Church (Sandakan Heritage Trail 7), I saw these houses surrounded by lush greenery and banana trees.

Almost there at the Church!

We are now at the Sandakan Heritage Trail 7: The St. Michael's and All Angels Church.

I went around the building...

The beautiful stained glass windows.

This is the side of the building with the stained glass windows you saw earlier.

It's a beautiful site and sight.

This is the final one! The Sam Sing Kung Chinese Temple (Sandakan Heritage Trail 8). By the time I made it there, it was closed...

Completing the entire Sandakan Heritage Trail and managing to find all the 11 sites was very satisfying to me. I put the map to good use and it is now a tattered, well-loved piece of colorful paper with pen markings all over it. I believe with more practice I could actually be an expert map reader!

Project Chiseled Marshmallow

I'm weakening mentally (I give in too easily) and physically (as a result of the giving in). Ever since that episode with London Weight Management (LWM) last weekend, I got a tad paranoid with my body. The "good" agents of LWM called me out of the blue and told me I was entitled to a free body treatment session. How they managed to get my contacts I have no clue. I told them I don't need a free session, but they insisted that I grab the opportunity even though I weighed 54 kg at 170 cm for my height. Out of curiosity I went to check out what they're up to.  To cut the long story short, I walked out of the place WITHOUT trying the free session. I didn't want to after listening to the consultant who didn't use any device to conduct the body check but solely her eyes. I politely declined the offer.

NOTE: Today, I received another call but this time from Mary France Bodyline. Gosh, what's with this people and the slimming programs? How they got my contact details remained a mystery.

From that moment onward, I got paranoid. Well, initially I wasn't affected but now I am. Why? Because the consultant who instructed me to strip leaving only my underwear, told me I'm overweight. (I was like, what?) That I'm "flabby". (OK...) That I'm dark-skinned and my skin tone is uneven. (I walk a lot outdoors as part of my exercise regime, you know.)

Now it got me thinking. Whatever the hell happened to my muscles? I need to fix this. I need to work harder than before. I need a stronger resolve to resist bad foods and re-embrace the good stuff. Will I be able to resist coffee or at least cut down the intake? I need to work it (I've laid out my weekly workout routine).

I'm going to have to BRING IT if I want to go from soft to hard. I don't want to be super hard but a "chiseled marshmallow" sounds good. OK, I'll name this quest Project Chiseled Marshmallow.

P/S: Char kuey teow, fried beehoon, fried rice, fried fish, cakes, cookies... BE GONE! *groans*

Reading Aloud In Italian Is... NOT Easy

As part of my Italian self-study, I have selected the Italian edition of Lonely Planet's Malaysia, Singapore e Brunei travel guide as my read-aloud textbook. In my quest to do so, without a doubt, I encountered some challenges. For today (I started doing this two days ago), the Italian words that initially gave me a hard time while reading them aloud are...

1. l'originalissima
2. colonialismo
3. conquistarono

On their own, they seemed easy to read, but try saying them as part of sentences, that's when the problem sets in. I had to repeat and repeat and repeat before I can say them with a straight face. I spent 30 minutes of reading aloud (and studying) for three paragraphs. I LIKE!

Wordless Wednesday: Come and Ride with Me in a 'Perahu'

Have you tried any of these traditional boats? I took a ride in one during my April trip to Kuching, Sarawak!

Wondrous Words Wednesday: The Italian Edition #2

This week's Wondrous Words Wednesday came early and I can't wait to share with you the art gallery of WHITE SHOE, the short movie inspired by Salvatore Ferragamo's early life. The music on the website www.whiteshoefilm.com (turn on your speakers, please) is absolutely gorgeous and I can't stop listening to it. I think the fans of fantasy will like this.

Wondrous Words Wednesday is hosted by Kathy of BermudaOnion's Weblog, so here they are my three words for the week!

Studio per il costume di Salvatore
(In English: The costume study of Salvatore)

Concept Design per "Il viale della sera"
(In English: Concept Design for the avenue in the night)

Illustrazione finale per "la Bottega di Mastro Tomaia"
(In English: The final artwork for "the Workshop of Master Tomaia")

I'm still humming the music that's now deeply engraved in my mind. Also, aren't the illustrations beautiful?

Picture credits: http://whiteshoe.ferragamo.com/#/keyart

Let the Immersion Begin!

Drummers typically take years to learn to move their limbs independently, and guitarists (as I was starting to realize) take many moons to learn to change chords smoothly.

When I looked at the pile of music books I have, I realized I have something in common with Gary Marcus, the author of GUITAR ZERO. He did a small-scale exploratory study (a pilot) to devote a specific amount of time to music. During his family annual retreat (his wife's family owns a lakeside cottage in Canada), he said he brought nearly every piece of musical instrument he owned. "Just because I couldn't play didn't mean I couldn't buy." He also brought a small pile of books on music and other stuff.

When I read in the book what I just wrote above, I immediately turned my head toward the pile of music books I have. It's a modest collection consisting mostly of the For Dummies series. I also have my Ashton acoustic guitar bought many moons ago.

And then there's the "annual retreat". I live in a fairly nice, resort-ish sort of place in Penang, and I'm thinking EVERY DAY CAN BE MY RETREAT right here at home! So what am I waiting for? I can do this. The author's goal during the retreat and immersion was simply to become acquainted with some of music's most basic elements, individual notes, and chords. I'm thinking this is where I'll be starting, too.

So... for more random updates on GUITAR ZERO and my quest to play guitar, please follow me on my Facebook page.