Mama @ Work: Banggi, Sabah

Hiya peeps! I'm going to start a new series of writing, mainly about my pawrents and the work they do. Well, my Mama tried starting a new blog dedicated to her work but...eerrmmm...seeing how bad she is at maintaining even MY blog, sustaining her own would be a disaster (as there'll be no feline nagging her there!). Anyway, we don't want to bore you with just the technical detail hence the travelogue feline style we'll be adhering to.

In this first article, we'll take you to a remote island right at the northernmost tip of Borneo. It is called Banggi, the largest among all islands in Malaysia, with a population of about 20,000 people. The people there earn their living by fishing and farming, mostly below the poverty line. Last we heard the government has started a land scheme where the locals get a few hectares of land to farm plus a house and a regular stipend.

Tourism is not a big thing yet and general infrastructure is still so-so. There's only 25km of tarred road and only one ferry service linking the island with the mainland. Last we checked, there are two services in the afternoon (1.30pm and 2.30pm) from Kudat (mainland) to Karakit (island) and another two in the morning (7.30am and 8.30am) from Karakit to Kudat. So, you'll have to really plan your stay there.

What the work was all about? Oh, several months ago Mama's office received a letter from the teachers at the island's only secondary school there, requesting help for some students who have poor eyesight but couldn't afford to buy prescription glasses. Mama's office then initiated a fundraising drive and managed to collect some funds to cover the costs of making the spectacles. Mr Lee, who is Mama's optician at Bangsar Optometry, supplied the frames and glasses at cost. (Thank you Uncle Lee....). In the meantime, the teachers took the students concerned to the hospital and get their eyes examined, took their mugshots and emailed everything to Mama (isn't the internet wonderful???)

As Mama and Dad were already going to visit Sabah for another project, the trip to Banggi was added to the itinerary. They took the 5pm flight from Tawau, reached Kota Kinabalu Airport at almost 7pm, took a taxi to KK, stopped for dinner, then another taxi to Kudat, arrived there three hours later. So they spent some time getting to know Kudat before boarding the 1.30pm ferry to Banggi.

The jetty in Kudat. Lovely clear blue sky there.

The sweet lady manning the ticket "counter" at the ferry terminal.

Economy class at just RM15 one-way.

Hustle and bustle at the jetty in Banggi.

There is no public transport in Banggi but there are private utes for hire. They charge per head per journey.

Dancing troupe, teachers and students await at the school. There was a formal event organised...Mama cringed as she was very casual for the visit...you know....jeans and sneakers...

Some of the students who received the spectacles. Mama coined that phrase: Better Vision for Better Future. There's a recording of her speech somewhere.

After the formal event, there was late lunch and then some rest. The two pawpawrazzi didn't rest for too long. They had to explore the island before dark. As I said before, there isn't much tourist attractions yet but they could be interesting if you look hard enough. (OK, that's a pawpawrazzi's philosophy...)

Now...this is interesting. A replica of a bunch of tapioca (also known as cassava). I'm guessing that this is the main produce of the island.

The rest house where they stayed. Old and rickety but clean and NOT haunted.

Where they had dinner - a row of stalls selling fried rice, noodles etc.

"Downtown" Karakit.

Interesting stall selling local produce....

Note the price on the coconut...

...and the cucumber....interesting indeed.

While we applaud the tree planting effort of the locals...err....may we point out that this plant is not a tree? More like...errr...shrub?

The two ferries that would take us back to the mainland the next morning.

Angelina's note: Mama says her organisations accept cash donations that will be used for similar efforts in the future. Not just for spectacles but also for other education related stuffs like books, uniforms, shoes etc. For donations, go to www.muslimaidasia.com. purrr....meow!

Exclusive: An Interview with the Runaway Kitty

Fancy that! She made the headlines!

Nikki: Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed, Angelina. I'm sure many readers out there are curious to know what really happened on May 17.
Angelina: The pleasure is mine, Nikki. I'll try to answer as truthfully as I can.

Nikki: Alright. First question, what made you do it, and why?
Angelina: Ooh...you mean why did I run away? Hmmm....let me tell you, honestly I was inspired by that classic, The Prince and The Pauper by Mark Twain. I imagined myself as the prince, wanting to sample life as a pauper. Yeah...that's why I did it.

Angelina was inspired by this book, she said. Look at that character on the cover trying to go over a balcony! (pic from Uncle Google)

Nikki: So that explains why you didn't invite any of us to go with you, eh? Not even a note to say where you went. Or a postcard at least.
Angelina: Yeah...I wanted to sample life as a peasant, I can't do it if any of you had tagged along. It would also reveal my true identity.

Nikki: Tell me, who did you meet and are the alley cats, the feral and the roaming felines friendly?
Angelina: Being cooped up indoors makes me realise how cut off I am from the crowd. Don’t you feel the same, Nikki? So, communicating with the strays and the ferals was not easy. OMG! Thank God I was spayed.

Nikki: Weren’t you scared?
Angelina: Not really coz this area of ours is brightly lit. The neon lights help.

Nikki: Didn’t you miss the comfort? The fluffy mattress, air conditioning, served food? The internet, blogging, google?
Angelina: Of course. That’s why I came back….errr….made myself found. After six nights of sleeping in the open, sheltering at corridors when it rained....I told myself I wasn't cut out to live like a pauper. I was also soooo hungry.

Nikki: Any bad habits you picked up?
Angelina: I don’t know if you want to call them bad habits. Hmmm….let me see…I have a liking to waste bins now….I had to forage when I was out there, you know…Mama doesn’t seem to like that at all.

Nikki: Of course she won’t like that. She serves our food in a platter every morning so why would you want to forage still?
Angelina: Old habits die hard, Nikki….err…newly acquired habits, in my case.

Nikki: What are your plans now that you’re back?
Angelina: I’m going to campaign that Mama and Dad allow us to be outdoors, supervised of course. Perhaps we can use a harness or something. It’s also to encourage Mama to exercise. What do you think?

Nikki: Sounds good and workable. Perhaps you can write a proposal and submit to the family for approval?
Angelina: Will do. There’s also another matter on my mind...but it's kinda delicate.

Nikki: What is it Angelina? You can tell me.
Angelina: Hmm....since you insist I'll tell you. I notice that there are so many tabbies in this area. Some of them were even mistaken for me. So, what if we hold a competition to look for Angelina's lookalike. All those tabbies can compete for a lifetime supply of Royale Fancy Feast.

Nikki: OMG! Your vanity defies gravity.
Angelina: I know….*smirks* I call that self confidence.

Nikki: Hmm….last question, OK. I heard that you lost weight. Really?
Angelina: Oh yes. I did. At least a kilogram, the weighing machine didn’t lie I hope. Mama says I'm lighter when she lifts and cuddles me, see here (pointing at butt area) it's obvious here. You can feel my butt bones.

MMS sent to Mama at 1am on May 26, 2011, a week after running away.

Nikki: I believe you but I'm not touching your butt.
Angelina: Come on...we're family...

Nikki: It’s OK. Thanks but no thanks. I think we should wrap up this session.
Angelina: Really? So soon? I have heaps more to tell you.

Nikki: It’s OK. Until next time, ciao! I have to run now.
Angelina: Alright. See yah….. My pleasure too, Nikki.

Nikki's note: Angelina's not an easy subject to interview. Next in line is Mama. I hope she'll be easier to talk to. Me so not ready to be pawpawrazzi. meowww....Nikki.