2007,a pretty year.

I had to reflect 07' before jotting down my endless list and ever so far new year's resolution. Its been all tooo dam happening for my weak heart ( i can't watch ripley's,..yea its that bad)

Before I got bitten by the reality of life in Sandakan,I was full of hopes,ideals and dreams. Every bit of my pores were oozing with WORLD DOMINATION ARRRGHH!!! I never thought of myself as a big city girl,Im not a big clubber nor do I enjoy being heavily intoxicated by mindless drinking/mindless people and I would count myself an outdoorish person,loved big trees and white beaches.Besides I was getting tired of my jet setting job.As I slurp on my ice cold starbucks latte,I soon develop a serious infatuation with the idea of living in "The Nature City",Sandakan. ...Stones stroll to virgin forests...full of beautifully simple people blah blahh blahhh.NOTT!

First of all..people here are not simple ..and miles away from being beautiful..inside/out.This town is caught with a major identity crisis.Full of migrants,mostly illegal..Filipinos,Indonesians ..every1 here is looking for a better life,a quicker way out of poverty. Scheming to get more by doing less.The middle class have gone so numb with the middle name of cheap labour that they don't seem to react much anymore...even when somebody ram their cars into our walls(My hotel Staff)With the booming palm industry Sandakan is looming with uncultured overnight rags to riches plantation owners. Corruption issues in every single turn..esp in the you know departments.Even the smallest small fry official guy tries to rape its own ppl.And I never understood how the economics works itself out when living standards are 10% higher than the peninsula,but yet wages are 40% lower than given any other states in malaysia.

Heh,i think i conveniently leave out the fact that chinese hardware store owner would'nt even blink an eye when selling super glue to 9yr olds wearing a skin tone thats anything darker than yellow.When these sniffin kids grow up with half a brain left ( im being generous here.),Chinese shop owner like these would go on and on bout how stupid their staff ( now a grown up druggie ) are. Honestly I can't decide which is worst being a total racist,unethically money face or a hypocritical dumb ass?

It was untill while working with a few different contractors,When I saw 12yr old girl in the brick kiln,9 - 11yrs old boy loading up a truck that I saw the uncanny beauty of this rough lil town.Even though, many western societies would be appalled by these working conditions. But sometimes its just a way of life..a natural process for any nations to grow. Once upon a time living conditions in America was bad too.In fact much worse..Desperately in need for a kind delivery of a brutal fact..i decided to take things as it is.And work with what i've got and what I can... Except, life just ain't the same without my nonchalantly market ted ice-cold latte from starbucks. And Moral of the story is simple...

a.) Leave the Africans alone!
b.) Do not go child shopping in Vietnam like Ms Womb Raider!
c.) Dont be ripped off by fair trade labels.

To keep my new year's resolution short - 1) WORLD DOMINATION!