Thursday, December 10, 2015

Mountains & Valleys, Father & Son

I got up in the early hours of the morning and mumbled to myself that it was getting harder to travel back and forth Ranau. Perhaps I should ask for a new placement in the plains, down the valley, in Kota Kinabalu. At least there are more varieties of foods here in the city. For the first time in about 12 months I felt reluctant to return to Ranau this morning. The journeyings have worn me out. Though I am taking leave, there is not much fun since most of my leave is used up to prepare for sermons and I have 3 sermons to preach this weekend, 2 on Saturday and once on Sunday. Then I may go down to KK once more.
I had a couple of days relaxing with my son. I took him to extend his driver's licence lest he does not return to Sabah in the next 4 years. Then we enjoyed dinsum lunch and in the afternoon we went to look at computers and accessories. After that, I made it a point to visit my father every day and I have kept to the promise. I left my son with his grandpa and the two had a long chat not knowing whether they will speak again when my son returns to NZ.

The drive back to Ranau took a full 2 hours today as traffic was bad and there were too many slow vehicles in front. But I took my time telling myself not to take excessive risks in overtaking. On the way just past Mount Kinabalu, I turned on the radio and PM Najib was giving his presidential speech in the UMNO general asembly.  A year of political upheaval made worse by GST and then the rout of the Ringgit in the past 3 or 4 months. I bought a cream yesterday and noted that the price had gone up by RM6.00 and the pharmacist blamed it on the Ringgit value. Even the little I have when changed to NZ dollars turned to crumbs and the rakyat are suffering. At least the UMNO youth chief sounded the warning about the cost of living though I might have given him a pointer or two in speech making. There is simply too much rabble rousing and political rhetoric instead of gently and calmly setting out the facts of the nation's progress or some would say decline in the last couple of years.

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