The Eve of Un-Reality

Here I am, sitting at the Reception area of Mesilau Nature Resort - yet another night of stealing using free wi-fi, having to brave the cold of night both to have internet access and then return to the comforts of home. Tomorrow, I fly for KL, my home. Some people would say it's 'back to the real world', but I don't agree. Most of the things in a city is really way more than what we need especially in the areas of comfort and convenience. The real world is when I'm here in Mesilau, 'surviving' with minimal facilities/amenities and little else. Still alive and healthy, no? It's not that I have lack here, it is that I (or we) have an overwhelming surplus of luxury in cities.

In the last 2 nights I've not been sleeping to finish up some work before I leave the place. Glad I did it, otherwise I'd not be writing this post right now - would probably be working/packing. I slept ~3-5 hours daily in the daytime instead. Ah, thinking about going home to my own bed makes me swoon. No more crappy polyurethane foam mattresses that were never really made to love your back.

I still see my leaves every time I close my eyes.

Here's tribute to the slippers that have accompanied me from Genesis of my research life - From Cameron Highlands (even into Gunung Irau trail!) to Mt. Kinabalu, not to mention Gombak, FRIM, and some other ecosystems in-between.

"Well done, my good and faithful servant"

Here I'd like to show you what incessant working can do in one day. Here are the 'Before' photos, zero.

An overview

The 'look left to the kitchen door' view

The study table.

Why so many mini black plastic bags? For sample storage of course.

For your info, that's my dining table, dressed in newspaper and completed with a wonderful adornment of black-bagged samples. Trust me, it's there below my samples. Where have I been eating? Sometimes that little top left space, others at the top right space in the picture. Sometimes I also stand outside at the veranda with my bowl of dinner. The study table works too.

Samples along the wall..

More samples leading to the entrance..

Samples on one of the said polyurethane mattresses. I used that as a big 'table' to store samples because the cold floor would cause the stuff inside the plastic bags to become wet from condensation, however dry you have prepared them before.

-Pussy cat side track-

This reminds me of yesterday, when I caught a naughty little pussy cat looking extremely guilty on that mattress. It knew it wasn't supposed to be there. It knocked over my baked beans in the kitchen later on -_-

The day before that, the same cat tried to hop in through my kitchen window, which I often leave open slightly for ventilation. There I was fussing in the kitchen when I heard its usual 'meows' outside. Then I heard a 'thud' at the window. I looked and saw that the cat stood on the window frame before jumping off, shying from me. That thud was a failed attempt of breaking in - the cat must've hit the wooden window frame (ouch).

I managed to pat the pussy once while I was having my lunch sitting at the veranda. It ran away after that. Pfft.

-meow-

Upstairs! Welcome to the Drying Room

Awww.. Sweet lovely Jasmine leaning against the wall.. *melt*

Back downstairs to my study table

Ready? TRANSFORM! A day later.

Yeah I know you're gonna say the dining table's still a mess. Didn't wanna put the fruits in the bag so early ya know, they may go bad a lil too quickly. Blame ethylene build up.

Drying Room

*Gasp*

Where'd it all go!? Check out my cool towel, by the way.

Spotted at one corner of the towel, mama bird (chicken?) tweets along happily (with 2 quavers) as her two lil chicks follow her tail feathers.

So really, where'd the mess go?

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Ta-dah!

There ya go, all packed in boxes at the landing beside the staircase. This is my corner, keep out.