Trip to Kota Marudu Sabah

Alhamdulillah I am happy to say that another one of my dreams came true.

Finally, after all these years...I set foot in Sabah. I actually flew across the South China Sea and landed at Kota Kinabalu. I was there for three days involved in a health screening programme, part of the Dean's PURE Rus (Population Urban Rural Epidemiology) research project.

The flight was two and a half hours. I was so nervous but glad to be next to a good friend who just kept chatting to me and kept my mind occupied. I hate flying! My ears kept 'popping' during the landing. Just a tip: if you travel by air, make sure you bring a boiled sweet or a strawed drink to sip every now and then during the landing. This will help maintain the pressure balance in your ears.

We reached Kota Kinabalu and I was so amazed to see the new airport and how modern it looked. We had a van waiting for us and took us to the city centre. We stopped for a while at the handcraft market and had lunch at one of the mamak restaurant. We then made our way to Kota Marudu which is about 2 hours drive from Kota Kinabalu.

It was a two way single lane road surrounded mostly by jungle, rubber plantation and villages. We occasionally came across a big town with new development houses and a shopping mall. The road ahead kept winding. I understood now what happened to my cousin and his wife who passed away from an accident whilst driving in Sabah. (Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun). The roads were pretty dangerous and I wouldn't recommend any tourist to drive in Sabah.

We reached Kota Marudu which is a small town and we checked into the Marudu Inn hotel. It was a basic simple hotel but it was clean and comfortable. We were completely exhausted by then and was glad to have a rest.

The next day, we woke up early and prepared ourselves for a big day ahead. We went to the Community Hall where our health screening was set up. My role was to take blood, check blood pressure and give consultation to patients who had abnormal readings. It was enjoyable meeting people from Sabah. It is a nice feeling to get to know many different people, find out their background and to learn something from them.

We finished early and Dato' invited us to go on a trip to the Tip of Borneo. So, after lunch and prayers we went by van towards Kudat. We stopped along the way to look at honey stalls, Gong making village and we even visited a 'long house'. We were able to enter the long house, which was purpose built as a guest house and you can rent a room for RM55.00 a night.

Tip of Borneo

Finally we reached the tip of Borneo and what I saw in front of me was simply the most beautiful scenery I had ever seen in my whole entire life. the South China Sea spread right in front of me as far as the eye could see, clear blue water, green trees, white sandy beach. It was like a scene from 'Pirates of the Carribean' and it was clean. It is important to keep the place clean and to preserve the natural environment.

It was a very hot day with minimal wind so, we bought some ice-cream and sat in the hut. Dato' then took us for some 'makan-makan' and we sat inside the restaurant next to the beach watching the beautiful sunset. By the time we got back to the hotel, we were so exhausted.

Sunset at Tip of Borneo

The next day, the same health screening programme and after lunch, it was time to go back to Kota Kinabalu. We stopped by Tanjung Aru Beach to have dinner. Tanjung Aru was very different from the Tip of Borneo; it was busy with people, music and restaurants. It was a hang out place for families during the weekends. However, the beach was still beautiful and clean. Children were swimming in the clear calm waters with gentle waves.

We had coconut drinks with barbecued fish, prawns and cuttlefish. There were so much food shared between the nine of us. We chatted about everything and anything. I felt so grateful to Allah SWT for the blessings He gave but a part of me felt sad for those who have not been given such opportunities.

Everybody wants to enjoy the simple things in life, sitting by the beach having a good meal with friends and yet, there are people starving or displaced by war. I thought about the people I know who didn't have the opportunity to study, to further their education despite having the intelligence and the ability. I felt sad but I believe that Allah S.W.T knows best and He gives to whom He wills and takes from whom He wills. Whatever he gives to us is a test, it is not a reward because this life is only a test and the reward is in the hereafter. Whatever he takes away from us is a test, it is not a punishment because the punishment is in the hereafter. Everything that we have in this life is a test for us, will we value the things that Allah S.W.T give to us and use it for good deeds. Our health, wealth, intelligence, abilities... or will we use it to hurt or harm others, to perform bad deeds.

Our flight took off at 8pm and I was happy to be on my way home...to see my little ones again.

Surah Az Zukhruf

Were it not that all people would become of a single creed (i.e. disbelief), We would have caused, for those who disbelieve in Rahman, roofs of their houses to be made of silver, and the stairs as well, on which they would climb, (33) And doors of their homes, and the coaches on which they would recline, (34) And (would have made some of these things) of gold-ornaments. And all this is nothing but an enjoyment of the worldly life. And the Hereafter, with your Lord, is (destined) for the God-fearing. ⁸ (35)

Words of contemplation (1)

I'm sitting here in McD @ Ampang Park observing the people around me. It is incredible to think that every single person here or in the world has a whole life story to tell. The things that they have gone through and experienced to make them who they are.

I'm thinking about how much a person has achieved in their life and how much they could potentially achieve. Everyone has their potential and the capability to reach whatever heights and limits they dream of achieving and yet, often the thing that stops us from achieving what we want is none other than ourselves.

Often our growth and development are stagnated by our own fears. Often we are traumatized by 'voices' in our own heads preventing us from reaching our goals. I'm not talking about hearing voices like an auditory hallucination, a symptom of psychosis but rather, our own voice... that voice in our head that tells us to refrain, that causes doubt...

How many times have we stopped ourselves from telling someone we love them, a friend, a spouse, our kids, our parents out of fear of rejection? We fear to expose ourselves to the possibility of being turned down and getting hurt.

How often have we stopped ourselves from pursuing our dreams in education, career, ambition out of fear of failure? We fear the possibility of not achieving the dream and in the end, we give up before we even try...

How often have we stopped ourselves from making a change in our lives, to leave an unbearable situation such as an unhappy marriage or an unsatisfactory job out of fear of making the wrong decision? We fear the unknown, the possibility of crossing to the other side and ending up in a worse situation. So, we persevere even though we can't tolerate the workload or the stressful environment.

How often have we refrained from taking that step to repent to Allah SWT because we fear that maybe we do not deserve His forgiveness? We are too afraid to pray to Him and ask for His Mercy out of our own guilt when Allah SWT says

"And whoever does evil, or wrongs his own soul, but afterwards seeks Allah’s forgiveness, will find Allah is Forgiving, Compassionate."

(Qur’an 4:110)

Often we fail to even realize that the one who disappoints us, the one who prevents us from achieving our dreams, the one that stands in the way of our goals, the one who shatters all hope is none other than ourselves.

So, here I am sitting here thinking about things, about life, about people as I normally do, I think about how amazing we are as human beings, how we are simply a speck of dust in this vast universe and yet, how complicated we are inside, physically, psychologically and emotionally. 

إِنَّمَآ أَمۡرُهُ ۥۤ إِذَآ أَرَادَ شَيۡـًٔا أَن يَقُولَ لَهُ ۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ (٨٢) فَسُبۡحَـٰنَ ٱلَّذِى بِيَدِهِۦ مَلَكُوتُ كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ۬ وَإِلَيۡهِ تُرۡجَعُونَ

His practice, when He intends to do something, is no more than He says, “Be”, and it comes to be. (82) So, pure (from every fault) is the One in whose hand is the dominion of all things. And towards Him you are to be returned. (83) Surah Yasin