When Coincidence Becomes Providence

Around mid-August, many of the floor tiles in my dining area suddenly began to pop up. One possible explanation was the recent extreme heat experienced in Sabah and in many parts of the world. In some countries, extreme heat waves have pushed temperatures as high as 46°C (115°F), including parts of the southwestern and south-central United States. By comparison, the highest temperature recorded in Sabah during the first three weeks of August was around 34°C (93°F).

At first, my wife and I simply walked over the raised tiles. But as more tiles began to pop up, some started to crack under the pressure. To prevent further damage, we placed plywood and a thick rug over them to cushion the impact.

I immediately thought of contacting some contractors who had helped us with repair work in the past. I remembered one contractor who had repaired our floor tiles before, but somehow I just could not recall his name. Another contractor came to mind, but he is normally very busy, and I knew he would probably not be available for at least a month or two.

Just as I was wondering who else I could call, my phone rang on 20 August. It was Alan. I immediately remembered him, although I could hardly recall the last time he had called me - perhaps not once in the past 10 to 15 years. We are in the same chat group, where he regularly shares Christian messages and testimonies, but we had never actually contacted each other directly for many years.

Alan called to ask whether I could help him with some technical issues concerning an old house he was repairing. He normally consulted another consultant friend, Simon, but Simon was unreachable, so Alan thought of calling me instead.

I agreed to help. On 22 August, I accompanied Alan to the old house, where we met the owner and discussed the problems and possible solutions. During our conversation, I casually mentioned my own floor tile problem and said that I was looking for someone to repair it. Alan did not say much about it at the time.

He did, however, mention that he was currently handling a major repair contract at a college along Jalan Tuaran-Bypass. He had also taken on the house repair project because its owner was a member of the college's management committee and had sought his help to fix some leaking problems in the house.

Then on Monday, 24 August, to my great surprise, Alan called and said that he would set aside a day or two to repair my floor tiles. This was totally unexpected, and I was deeply touched by his gesture. Instead of merely helping me find someone else, he literally put aside his work on two ongoing projects and came to help me himself. In the end, he spent three and a half days, from 26 to 29 August, repairing my floor tiles. To me, it was nothing short of a God-sent miracle.

Later, Alan told me what had led him to call me in the first place. Being a man of faith, he often prays whenever he encounters difficulties. When he could not get hold of Simon, he prayed for someone who could help him. During his prayer, he had a vision of a white-haired man - and he immediately thought of me. That was how it all began.

Looking back, it is difficult for me to see this as merely a coincidence. At the very moment I was wondering who could help me with my floor tiles, Alan - someone I had hardly spoken to in 10 to 15 years - suddenly called me. And the reason he called was because he needed my help. Yet, in the end, it was he who ended up helping me.

Our paths crossed at precisely the right moment, and neither of us could have planned it. Perhaps this is how God sometimes works - not always through dramatic or spectacular miracles, but through ordinary events that come together at just the right time. And what initially appears to be coincidence begins to look more and more like divine providence.

For me, this was more than just getting my floor tiles repaired. It was a gentle reminder that God knows our needs even before we ask, and that He can bring the right person into our lives at exactly the right time. What began with a few floor tiles popping up ended with a reminder that, in God's hands, even the most ordinary circumstances can become extraordinary.

Buckets and buckets of sand were placed on the floor tiles after liquid adhesive was applied - a true “brute force” solution, as Paul aptly put it, to make sure the popped-up tiles were firmly glued back into place!

One Birthday, Two Celebrations

After Paul and Junshi organized a special pre-birthday dinner for their mother (Read here), one might think the birthday celebrations were over. But not quite! Now it is Dad’s turn to take his beloved wife out for another birthday celebration dinner - this time, just the two of them. The venue? Cham’s Roast & Grill.

It is quite amusing how birthdays change as we grow older. When we were young, birthdays were often about cakes, presents, balloons and parties with friends. As the years go by, the things that matter most become much simpler - good food, meaningful conversations, laughter around the table and, most importantly, having the people we love close by. The celebration may become smaller, but somehow the meaning becomes deeper.

Paul and Junshi had already made their mum feel special with their thoughtful pre-birthday dinner. Now the husband wanted to do his part - not with an elaborate celebration, but with a simple gesture that says, “You are still special to me.” 

There is something rather touching about celebrating birthdays together in our later years. We begin to realize that the greatest gift is not what is wrapped in a box or placed on the dinner table. It is the gift of time - time spent together, sharing stories, recalling memories, enjoying a meal and simply being present. The years have taught us that these ordinary moments are often the ones we treasure most.

Perhaps that is what makes this second birthday dinner equally meaningful. It is not merely another celebration, but a small expression of love and gratitude from a husband to his wife - a reminder that after all these years, there are still reasons to celebrate each other, still memories to make, and still joy to be found in simply being together.

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But the celebration did not end at Cham’s Roast & Grill. Once we were back home, we continued the evening with a session of Sapporo Premium Beer. After our visit to the Sapporo Beer Museum (Read here), we were pleasantly surprised to discover that this familiar beer is also available in a supermarket in KK. As we raised our glasses, the beer brought back sweet memories of our family trip to Hokkaido just over a month ago.

Durians Galore

On 14 August, our CG members went on an outing to a durian farm, with one very clear objective - to enjoy as many durians as our hearts desired!

The farm belongs to a friend who is passionate about durians and has devoted considerable time, effort and resources to promoting the fruit and developing durian-related eco-tourism. The farm is not simply a place to grow durians; it has been thoughtfully developed to allow visitors to experience the plantation and learn more about the different varieties of this much-loved tropical fruit.

One of the highlights of the farm is the trail leading from the base to the highest platform. Steps have been constructed along the route, with several resting stations where visitors can take a break and enjoy the surroundings. According to the owner, there are about 500 steps in total - a fairly challenging climb, especially for the seniors in our group!

We therefore split into two groups. Seven members decided to remain at the base, while the other 15 took up the challenge and climbed to the mid-level platform. The climb provided some welcome exercise, although the thought of the durians waiting for us at the top was undoubtedly an additional source of motivation!

The outing turned out to be both educational and enjoyable. We learned more about durian cultivation and the different varieties grown on the farm, while also having the opportunity to taste two types of durians - Musang King and the more traditional Kampong durians. Each had its own distinctive taste and character, giving us plenty to talk about and compare.

Of course, the real highlight was sitting together, enjoying the fresh durians and filling our tummies to our heart's delight. It was a wonderful combination of learning, exercise, good food and, most importantly, fellowship. For our CG group, it was a memorable outing that reminded us that sometimes the best way to spend a day is simply to enjoy good company over an abundance of good food!

Ascending from the base to the mid-platform.

The owner personally opened the durians for us!

An unusably huge Kampong durian.

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Besides durians, the farm is also home to a variety of other fruit trees. On our way down after the durian feast, the owner pointed out a yellowish fruit and introduced us to Gac fruit, which I saw for the first time. Native to Southeast Asia, Gac is related to bitter melon and is known for its distinctive spiky skin and bright red, jelly-like arils surrounding large black seeds. The arils are the edible part and are particularly rich in beta-carotene and lycopene, as well as vitamin E. Unlike many tropical fruits, Gac has a mild, slightly sweet and creamy taste.

The owner also gave us a bambangan picked from one of the trees. Seeing it immediately brought back memories of eating this fruit at my grandmother’s farm in Kampong Pulutan in the 1960s. Bambangan is a wild mango native to Borneo, with thick greenish-brown skin, yellow-orange flesh and a large seed. It has a strong, distinctive aroma and a unique sweet-sour, tangy flavour. A traditional favourite in Sabah, particularly among the Kadazan-Dusun community, bambangan remains one of Borneo’s distinctive seasonal fruits. For me, however, it was more than just a fruit - it was a delicious reminder of childhood memories.

Gac Fruit (Top) and Bambangan (Lower)

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Culinary Journey Back Home

Whenever family members who now work overseas or have settled in foreign countries return to their hometown for a holiday, food hunting inevitably becomes one of their favourite activities. Whenever our children come home, they never miss the opportunity to seek out the foods they once enjoyed and the places that hold special memories for them. Food, after all, represents much more than nourishment; it is closely connected with memory, identity, family, culture and a sense of belonging.

This August, when Paul and Junshi came back for a short holiday, they went out on their own a couple of times to revisit places where they had once enjoyed some of their favourite foods. We, too, did our part by arranging meals at several of the restaurants and food outlets they used to enjoy. In our own small way, we were happy to contribute to their culinary journey of rediscovery and, hopefully, to the satisfaction of finding again some of the familiar tastes they had missed while living overseas.

At Yit Foh Kopitiam at BSA.

At Lok Tien Dim Sum

At Fook Yuen Cafe @Kolombong.

At Chennai Recipes Restaurant @ Borneo Suites Hotel

Bongawan River Cruise and Firefly Watching

A visit to Bongawan for firefly watching was one of the activities planned during Paul and Junshi's holiday back in KK in August. We were happy to be invited to join this excursion. Four years earlier, in July 2022, when Serene's family came back to KK for a holiday, we had travelled to Kota Belud to join a Kawa Kawa River Cruise, where we were treated to a spectacular display of fireflies. This time, we thought it would be interesting to experience another of Sabah's popular natural attractions and see what Bongawan had to offer - the proboscis monkeys along the riverbanks and the fireflies that gather among the mangrove vegetation after sunset.

Compared with our experience in 2022 (Read here), however, this excursion on 13 August started at a jetty at River Paradise Bongawan was rather disappointing from a wildlife-watching perspective. We managed to spot just one lone proboscis monkey, a small crocodile hidden behind a cluster of tree roots and a few macaques along the riverbanks. The contrast was particularly noticeable when it came to the fireflies. If I were to give the two experiences a simple score for the abundance of fireflies, I would have rated this trip perhaps 1 out of 10, compared with 10 out of 10 in July 2022.

As we drifted quietly along the river in the gathering darkness, I could not help wondering why the difference was so striking. Was it simply a matter of location? Could weather conditions, the season, the tide or other natural factors have played a part? Or could the changes we are seeing in the environment, including climate change and increasing human activity, be gradually affecting the habitats on which these creatures depend? It is difficult to say based on a single visit. Nevertheless, the dramatic contrast with our 2022 experience was hard to ignore.

Fortunately, the tour operators had incorporated, whether deliberately or coincidentally, several other attractions into the programme, perhaps recognising that wildlife sightings can never be guaranteed. After an early buffet dinner, we were taken to the river mouth to see the sunset.

Unfortunately, the sunset was not as spectacular as we had hoped. The sky was heavily overcast, with thick clouds and haze, reportedly caused in part by the forest fires in Kalimantan. Later, all the visitors were led to the seafront to watch a fire-spinning performance, during which a performer sent showers of sparks into the sky. These additional activities helped to some extent make up for the relatively disappointing wildlife sightings and ensured that the evening remained enjoyable.

In the end, the Bongawan excursion turned out to be a reminder that nature does not always perform according to our expectations. We may travel specifically to see proboscis monkeys or fireflies, but wildlife remains unpredictable and is influenced by many environmental factors. While the abundance of fireflies and proboscis monkeys we experienced in 2022 was truly memorable, this year’s more subdued encounter offered a different lesson - the importance of protecting the river, mangroves and surrounding habitats so that these remarkable natural attractions can continue to thrive for future generations of visitors.

Afternoon tea just before the boat trip to see proboscis monkeys.

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Some of the macaques sighted.

A small crocodile sighted hidden behind cluster of roots.

The sunset that evening!

Foam deliberately created to keep visitors entertained.

Fire-spinning performance.

The tour guide took great pain to take mirror reflection photographs for tour members.