Digital Memories

Teluk Melano / Tanjung Datu

2009-10-01T06:50:00.000-07:00

Back in March 2006
For those who want to know what's there ;)

A-MIT= Amei- Music Is Transformed

2009-07-05T08:41:00.000-07:00

张惠妹新意识音乐品牌“阿密特”，只为歌唱而活，只为音乐而生。A-MIT= Amei- Music Is Transformed。

　　阿密特A-MIT，是张惠妹的卑南族名字，一个具有“期间限定”身份的歌手。更确切来说，她是从“张惠妹”这个音乐品牌分生而出的“新音乐意识 ”强调言之有物的音乐态度，不同的音乐呈现方式。但，意识并不具体存在，也不需固定逻辑形象，阿密特就是“只为歌唱而活，只为音乐而生”的歌手。

　　前卫大胆突破，音乐颠覆跃进。《阿密特》专辑对张惠妹来说，不仅是音乐的大突破与大跃进，更是听觉视觉完整概念整合的全方面呈现！《阿密特(张惠妹意识专辑)》邀请金曲制作人“阿弟仔”与阿妹共同操刀制作，整张专辑弥漫着一股独特的BANDSOUND氛围，极具态度。创作阵容包括苏打绿“青峰 ”、歌神御用创作人“小安”、名作词人“林夕”、“姚若龙”、阿妹的经纪人也是阿密特幕后推手“陈镇川”，当然，也有阿密特自己的创作，更特别的是，专辑中还收录了张妈妈的作品。

　　阿密特的音乐不仅表现出阿妹的不同性格面，带了点歇斯底里，更直接、赤裸的；更传达出阿妹近年来对生命及生活的看法，包括探讨生命价值、同志议题及女性意识等，在你看不见的阿妹真实生活里头发生的，用阿密特的方式去表达对它的想法及感受。

　　在抢先曝光的专辑封面里，张惠妹以橘发的“阿密特”形象，坐进曾在2006年被知名设计杂志《WALLPAPER》选为全球最具创意10大设计师的西班牙工业设计师Jamie Hayon，为西班牙品牌BD Barcelona设计的名为“Poltronas Showtime Indoor”红色造型单椅中。这张结合塑料与皮革的椅子连同运费要价43万元台币，隐藏着内部与外部的矛盾。设计概念是来自二十年代后的米高梅歌舞剧，奇异造型与古典细节代表着：即使张惠妹换上充满视觉张力的“阿密特”造型服装，依然不会忘记自己身上流着卑南族的血统。而坐上这张椅子的张惠妹，也想藉此传达：她将借着融合奇异造型与古典细节，继续在音乐路上燃烧热情！

　　继首波歌曲《分生》在电台首播后，新专辑中充满速度感的第2主打《黑吃黑》与第3主打《好胆你就来》也引发许多回响与热烈反应，更带动张惠妹经典的热门K歌《蓝天》、《我可以抱你吗》、《解脱》等歌在实体与网络KTV的点唱次数，让排名快速跃升，《维多利亚的秘密》就重回到钱柜KTV排行榜的前 15名。LL

[专辑曲目]

　　01.开门见山
　　02.黑吃黑
　　03.分生
　　04.掉了
　　05.相爱后动物感伤
　　06.灵魂的重量
　　07.好胆你就来
　　08.OK
　　09.听得见的梦想
　　10.阿密特
　　11.彩虹

01.开门见山由林夕写歌词，
传媒试听过最推崇!成为阿密特的开场曲，正式脱离妹式舞曲，呈现另一种摇滚，甚至歌里的嘶吼声很不像人类发出的声音林夕玩弄着新诗般的歌词，连混帐、笨蛋都写进歌里，而阿密特唱得超爽，在录音室里呐喊嘶吼后让他两三天不能讲话
Have a listen

02.黑吃黑
歌词有“bullshit”字眼大骂男人劈腿等不忠行径，藉阿密特帮女人唱出不满情绪。一开头“你的头长在哪边，怎么不在脖子上面 ”，不难猜出她唱的是“哪个头”。歌中的精髓便在 bullshit 字眼，少了这个字便不能成就这首歌的考量下，只好在内地要发行的专辑里，忍痛拿掉这首歌。

03.分生词姚若龙曲郑楠
交待阿妹和阿密特开始成为两种不同的风格

04.掉了
青峰有次听到阿妹来不及见父亲最后一面的故事，写下了一首“掉了”给阿妹，阿妹回忆当天要赶回台东却下着大雷雨，所有飞机都停飞，阿妹在机场跪着求空姐让她上机，但最后仍无法见父亲最后一面。

05.相爱后动物感伤写词人“陈镇川”
香港主打新曲风尝试有别于唱了12年的“妹式情歌”，《阿密特》充满想法与态度，她透露“相爱后动物感伤”，原名是“ML后动物感伤”，写实地呈现都会男女的情欲生态

06.灵魂的重量
阿妹想告诉那些对于生命失望的人，请他们相信身边仍有爱他们的人，生命的力量是很大，不要轻易的放弃。唱出对生命的尊重阿妹透露，自己也曾有过轻生念头，但原因为何她不想多谈，只强调：“轻易解决生命只是一时冲动，不是美好或解脱。”

07.好胆你就来
台语歌“好胆你就来””在制作人阿弟仔不停的磨练下，阿密特道地的台语口气搭配狂放的摇滚曲风惊艳全场

08.OK
阿密特作曲的“OK”随性而奔放，是他们把录音室当成Party乱唱乱录随性玩出来的，前奏才刚下，我便不难预测他将是本年度Party里high翻全场的新歌之一。

09.听得见的梦想(DEMO唱)
由于阿弟仔的坚持，专辑最后收录了阿妹为听奥而做“听得见的梦想”的demo，他说阿弟仔认为创作且具实验性的音乐在这张专辑应被重视，而demo里阿妹不完美的表现，让整张专辑变得完美。

10.阿密特
这首歌改编自原住民古调，他说这首歌传唱多年版权已不可考，当他唱完忐忑地请母亲试听时，母亲回应：“原来这样唱(摇滚)也蛮好听的!”让他松了一口气。

11.彩虹
阿妹深受同志族群喜爱，这次阿密特演唱彩虹，她边录唱脑海里边浮现同志朋友穿裙子跳舞的景象。对于这张投入很多心血的专辑，她非常满意：我拿到母带之后，站着一口气听到最后一首歌“彩虹”结束，就哭了

Hot music to compliment the weather!

2009-06-22T06:49:00.000-07:00

These are my likes.

From Skirgsk

KASABIAN - WEST RYDER PAUPER LUNATIC ASYLUM

Kasabian are an English rock band from Leicester, England. The band members are from the Leicestershire villages of Blaby and Countesthorpe. They met while attending Leysland High School and Countesthorpe Community College both in the village of Countesthorpe. The band took their name from Linda Kasabian, the young pregnant girl who drove the car in which the killers escaped after the murder of Sharon Tate and four others, on the first night of the Tate-LaBianca murders. The band has been compared with the likes of Primal Scream, with whom they share an electronica-indie rock fusion, and The Stone Roses and Oasis, with whom they share confidence, swagger and rough vocal style.

'West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum' is the third studio album by English alternative rock band Kasabian, which was released on June 8th 2009. Kasabian have always had an electronic element to their style, but their tongue-twisting third album showcases this part of their sound, with one track being described as sounding like 'Daft Punk and The Clash together'. The album, produced by American hip-hop producer Dan the Automator, who is best known for his work on the Gorillaz' first album, is also more psychedelic than previous efforts, mirroring close friends and touring partners Oasis' most recent record, 'Dig Out Your Soul'. The name of the album was taken from West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum, which was a mental institution built in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England in the 1800s. Its name was later changed to High Royds Psychiatric Hospital. The hospital was closed down in 2003.
In an interview with T4 the band stated that each track is meant to represent an inmate within the asylum. This is also the reasoning behind the selected clothing on the album's cover. 'Fire', was released as the first official single on June 1st 2009.

CIARA - FANTASY RIDE

Ciara Princess Harris [born October 25th 1985 in Atlanta, Georgia], who performs under the mononym Ciara [pronounced "Sierra"], is a Grammy Award-winning American singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, and occasional actress. She was inspired by Jillian G. Ciara made her debut in the summer of 2004 with the Billboard number-one single 'Goodies'. The album 'Goodies' was released on September 28th 2004. It produced three top ten singles, sold close to three million copies in the U.S. and five million worldwide, and earned various awards and nominations. Ciara's second album, 'Ciara: The Evolution', was released in December 2006. It has spawned the Billboard Hot 100 top ten hit 'Get Up', and the R&B/Hip-Hop Charts top ten hits 'Promise', 'Like a Boy' and 'Can't Leave 'em Alone'. To date, the album, which went platinum only five weeks after its release, has sold more than one million copies in the U.S. and 2 million worldwide.

'Fantasy Ride' is Ciara's third studio album, which was released in the UK on May 3rd 2009. The first official single, 'Never Ever', features rapper Young Jeezy and was released in January 2009. The second single, the worldwide hit 'Love Sex Magic' featuring Justin Timberlake, was released in March 2009. Since its release, the single has already debuted high on numerous charts, and also has been noted as potentially one of the biggest hits of Ciara's career. Ciara cites Janet Jackson as her inspiration.

Food Maths

2009-06-03T08:38:00.000-07:00

Just for fun. Found this article and wish to share. :)

Quoted from Yahoo! website:
http://food.yahoo.com/blog/yahoofreshpicks/9960/what-chain-food-favorites-cost-in-exercise/

"My "two scoops won't hurt and neither will these french fries" approach to eating doesn't lend itself well to swimsuit season. Although the beach treks may have begun, there is time to make change. So, let me have it. What's that ice cream going to cost me in workout minutes? To tell us is Charles Stuart Platkin, also known as the Diet Detective. He is the author of five books and and host of WE TV's I Want To Save Your Life. Here is his report on what some of our chain-food favorites should cost us in time spent doing common exercises...

PIZZA
Pizza Hut Large Hand-Tossed Style Cheese Pizza (1 slice; 320 calories)
39 minutes of swimming (slow to moderate laps).

BREAKFAST SANDWICH
McDonald's Egg McMuffin (300 calories)
32 minutes of running (5 mph).

ICE CREAM
Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream (0.5 cup; 270 calories)
29 minutes of running (5 mph).

FRIES
Wendy's Large French Fries (540 calories)
77 minutes of biking (10-11.9 mph).

DONUT
Dunkin Donuts Chocolate Frosted Donut (230 calories)
59 minutes of walking (3 mph).

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE
Panera Chocolate Chipper (440 calories)
62 minutes of biking (10-11.9 mph).

CINNAMON ROLL
Starbucks Cinnamon Roll (500 calories, varies by location)
85 minutes of dancing.

BURRITO
Taco Bell Burrito Supreme, Beef (410 calories)
70 minutes of dancing.

HAMBURGER
Burger King Original Whopper With Cheese (770 calories)
94 minutes of swimming (slow to moderate laps).

BROWNIE
Au Bon Pain Chocolate Chip Brownie (380 calories).
129 minutes of yoga (Hatha style)."

Sigh..... they are all my fovourites!!! Can't do without anyone of them! And it's almost impossible for me to do those activities to shake off those carb~~~!

But still, life have to keep going, so do these food! We need to eat to survive, right?

All about their voices

2009-05-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

Currently listening to them. Two great singers released their new album recently in Taiwan.

专辑名称：原谅我就是这样的女生
专辑歌手：戴佩妮
专辑简介：
睽违两年没发片的戴佩妮，终于将在０９年五月推出第八张创作专辑─“原谅我就是这样的女生”。尽管音乐产业有点冷飕飕，尽管我们知道唱片这个行业一切很艰难，但戴佩妮还是决定再次出片，像大家说明“原谅我就是这样的女生”，藉此机会破除大家对她的所有误解和疑问，用自己的创作，诚挚得唱着自己的心声，像一朵不愿低头的蔷薇，用最大的诚意盛开！

专辑曲目：
01. 原谅我就是这样的女生
02. 看见听见
03. 两难
04. 吹嗶嗶
05. 天生好手
06. 一念之间
07. 那个那个
08. It’s All About Love
09. Las Ramblas
10. 冷落
11. LAFITE
12. 我想也没关係
13. 你不一样
14. 这就是我

专辑名称：在树上唱歌
专辑歌手：郭静
专辑简介：
从2007《我不想忘记你》纯爱新女声，到2008《下一个天亮》女声新人王，出道将迈入第三年，郭静2009第三张最新专辑《在树上唱歌》即将于5月 11日起在台北开心预购，加赠预购好礼《2008百分百美国棉郭静渔人码头演唱会精华DVD》，福茂唱片投资上千万预算打造国民情歌风潮，让“纯爱教主” 郭静打败不景气！5月即将纯爱发行。除第一波主打好歌“在树上唱歌”成为“美国棉2009年广告主题曲”，五月初起在各大媒体全面首播之外，第二波主打“ 明白”在4月29日搭上中视、八大韩剧《伊甸之东》片尾曲，而第三波主打“心墙”将在5月10日起搭上中视、八大韩剧《花样男子.流星花园》片尾曲，福茂唱片光是同时抢下两部强档偶像剧片尾曲，便已烧钱300万台币，手笔之大，引起唱片圈一阵哗然！

专辑曲目：
01.在树上唱歌
02.明白
03.心墙
04.牛角尖
05.简单
06.Goodbye
07.蒙娜丽莎
08.三部曲
09.不说
10.看

The Scent of Hangzhou

2009-05-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

As said, "上有天堂，下有苏杭", meaning 'there's heaven up above, down here there are Suzhou & Hangzhou.' Hangzhou, with its greenery and parks, is one of China's most favourite tourist attraction with its scenic star attraction, West Lake, has inspired poets and painters for centuries.

Hangzhou is the capital of the Zhejiang province at the northern part of this region. The Grand Canal ends here, where once it served as the main artery between northern and southern China and was essential for the transport of grain to Beijing and other depleted areas of the north. Home to China's most famous tourist attraction, West Lake, Hangzhou is also famous for its tea and high quality silk.

Hangzhou's history goes back to the start of the Qin Dynasty. When Marco Polo passed through the city in the 13th century he described it as one of the most splendid on the world.

Although Hangzhou prospered greatly after it was linked with the Grand Canal in the AD 610, it really came into its own after the Song Dynasty was overthrown by the invading Juchen, predecessors of the Manchus. Through several changes of power and wars, few monuments survived the devastation, and most of those that did became victims of the Red Guards a century later during the Cultural Revolution. Much of what can be seen in Hangzhou today is of fairly recent construction.

Its most famous site, West Lake was originally a lagoon adjoining the Qiantang River. In the 8th century the governor of Hangzhou had it dredged, later a dyke was built that cut it off from the river completely. The resulting lake is about 3km long and a bit under 3km wide. Two causeways, the Baidi and Sudi, split the lake into sections.

A lot of Hangzhou's attractions are at the surroundings of the lake. So We booked a guesthouse near the lake as it will be easier for us to wander around. Due to our tight schedule in Hangzhou, 3 days 2 nights, we decided just to spend time visiting the attractions around the lake only. We arrived in Hangzhou late. It's almost midnight when we checked in our guesthouse. We woke up early the next morning to start our scenic tour.

It was mid-autumn and hence the weather was really nice. Cool breeze, little sun, and air filled with the nice scent of the the flower trees (gui-hua). This type of flowering trees were planted everywhere in the park and along the road! The flower has been used in the local delicacies just like as we use vanilla beans to flavour our food/dessert. The whole city is smelt of this pleasant fragrance.

One complaint we wished to make is that it's so difficult to find a place for breakfast. We thought we could find some tea houses or shop near the lake for a sumptuous dim sum treat or local delicacies, but we were wrong. As we found out from the local while asking our way around, people in Hangzhou don't emphasize on their breakfast. They would just simply have some light food at home in the morning and will only go out to eat from lunch time only.

We found a part of the lakeside developed for commercial purposed, where we can find food. Locals hang out here as well, sipping tea and chit chatting, under the nice cool autumn weather.

Locals enjoy the great outdoor and we joined in as well.

Food that we order. Soya sauce saute pork with chestnut, 'gui-hua' flavoured yam dessert, and a cup of tea.

Tea plantation can be seen just at the nearby hills.

'Return the mountains & rivers to us!' A massive Yue Fei statue at the Mausolem of General Yue Fei.

'What are you reading?'

Sunset cruise.

'Lonjin' tea flavoured prawn and vinegar sweet fish - dubbed as the imperial dish. But for me, it nothing extraordinary.

These beers, just like Qingdao, quite light.

After dinner, we strolled around the pedestrian street, which is just at the next lane.

Nice scene by the lake.

Easter09 Escapade: Chapter 4 - Serene Sanctuary

2009-04-30T07:50:00.000-07:00

Belinda Carlisle once sang, 'Heaven is a place on Earth'.

Indeed, you can find heaven on Earth. It all depends how you feel at that time.

When the sky belongs to you, the wind would whistle for you. As the soft fine white sand pampers you, the crystal blue water dances for you to the musical symphonies presented by the birds' chirping and orchestrated by the great insects masters in the bushes. The elegant palms sway gracefully to their rhythm.

Night appear to be calm and peaceful. Moon was exceptionally bright and beautiful. Silver rays of the moon being reflected by the water creating an illusion of sea of sparkling diamonds on the water surface. Though the night sounds full of excitement from the buzzes and hums from the bushes, you still be able to hear the gentle waves washing ashore in a harmonious rhythm.

Again, as Belinda Carlisle sang, 'To save heaven, love comes first. We'll make Heaven a place on Earth.'

Easter09 Escapade: Chapter 3 - Wild Encounter

2009-04-29T06:33:00.000-07:00

It's an experience to see many wild life there. The island is less developed compare to the others, hence we are still able to see a few of them wandering around the resort compound.

The size of the animal/insect that we saw there is above the average size that we usually find back home. We saw a huge lizard ( i guess it's probably 2.5 times the size of the domestic one) hanging with us on the ceiling at the lounge. Spider web is everywhere so we have to walk carefully as we crossing some bushes. And the spiders are huge! We had lots of amphibian friends visiting. A 'friendly' frog came to 'protect' us at our front door of our room the first day we arrived. And he (or she?) stayed there till the last day of our trip there!

Our friend had been sticking close with us throughout our stay there.

Close-up look.

The squirrel joined us for breakfast.

A bit shy initially....

A pregnant monitor lizard. Quite big, about 1.5 metre long.

Apart from the land, there are even more exciting living creatures under the water. Although the water around our resort resembled a genocide graveyard for the hard coral, there many many other colourful and lively lives living under the water surrounding the island. Fishes and corals still appear in abundant across the other side of the island. Too bad that i don't have a under water camera.......

One of my very own unique and unforgettable experience of mine while snorkeling was the sighting of a shark! We were brought by our the resort crews to an area known for shark and turtle sighting. I'm kind of intimidated to jump into the water when was told about this. But the crew said it depend very much on the luck to see a shark, and also up till now, there has not been a case of shark attack in Malaysian water, yet. :) Well, I guess i have been watching too many Hollywood flicks.

The group jumped into the water eagerly. Though a bit scared, I did wish i could see one of these creature. The crew told us that sharks usually hang around at much shallower and warmers water near the rocky shore. I swam towards direction, and trying to avoid the crowd. I knew these 'shy' creatures will definitely avoid these noisy visitors.

There are many beautiful and fragile corals under the water. Colourful fishes swam freely in the water. I failed to spot anything exciting at the direction that i swam in the first place. I decided to change path, to the opposite direction leading to a much quiter water which heads out to the open sea. I tried hard to hold my head up so that i can look further. That is because we were sort of 'faced down' while swimming afloat on the water surface and the sighting area is limited to to the sea bed.

Water seemed to clearer at the part. Not much corals underneath. And I'm feeling a bit tired already so I decided to turn back to the boat. It was the very moment when i just finished my first stroke swimming back to the sea, i turned my head to the left. There he was! It's a shark. The familiar vicious look that we saw in the tv documentaries. The pointed nose, the fearful eyes. He was so fast that i didn't have time to get scared/excited before he disappeared into the blues of the water. He turned and swam away when he realised he had been sighted. That actually allowed me to have a good look of him. He was about a metre lomg, with black and white patches at the tips of his fins. His streamlined body has enable him to swim swiftly through the water. He was able to cut through the water effortlessly by the slightest motion of his tail. It's really amazing to be able to see it, at that place, in the water. But he seemed to be very shy!

I lift my head out of the water and tried to call the others, only to realised that the nearest person was 10 metres away! Contented with the sighting, I decided to head back to the boat as i was feeling tired. I decided to leave him alone, let this magnificent creature enjoyed himself at his own 'playground'.

I wish I could see the other great animal of the sea - turtle at my next outing. :)

Easter09 Escapade: Chapter 2 - Nature Enchantment

2009-04-25T03:36:00.000-07:00

The basic four elements: air, earth, fire and water.

All four have a strike a balance to form a harmonious being. Living forms cannot survive without all four. These four elements exist in many different forms and shapes.

It is up to our eyes to seek the true colours and patterns.

Dead corals are washed ashore. These broken bits and pieces piled up at the sides of the beach. Those still surviving under the water may not last long, as more human damages are coming.......

Easter09 Escapade: Chapter 1 - Blue Indulgence

2009-04-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

Blue has to be the favourite colour here.

You could see all shades of blue.

Under the open sky, hearing whispers of the wind, looking out to the endless sea, feeling the feeble warm sea waves running at your feet, and the soft white sand.....

Soaking yourself in the blues - cooling, soothing, mesmerising.

Just enjoy!

Grand Procession from a Chinese Temple

2009-03-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

A colourful procession through the streets of Kuching city which was participated by over 120 teams had taken place recently here in conjunction with the celebration of the birthday of Kong teck Choon Ong, the host deity of Hong San Si Temple. This is one of the oldest temple here, right at the city centre.

A bit of background of Deity Kong Teck Chun Ong, abstracted from a local newspaper (Eastern Times). "Deity Kong Teck Chun Ong was believed to have been born in 923 AD on the 22nd day of 2nd month of the lunar calendar in southern Fujian Province of China to a farming family. Like many other legendary heavenly beings born in the physical human world, the sky was adorned with colourful lights and fragrance filled the whole room during his birth. Unlike other deities, Kong Teck Chun Ong, with a childlike face and teenage energetic appearance, died at the age of 16 when he was transformed into a deity, according to the believers.

Since young, he was said to be intelligent and filial piety to his parents. He worked as a shepherd in his hometown and was dedicated and respectful to the people he met."

Believers had been preparing offerings lined by the streets where the group would pass through. It had covered the important streets in the city centre, old and the new sections of the city. Many others also gathered near the route to watch the massive group, comprising lion dance troupes, flower girls, brass bands, dragon troupes, floats and so on.

I have not gone to see this type of procession for quite a well. This one was one of the biggest held this year, so far. There was an earlier one from Tua Pek Kong Temple, but i missed that. It was a chance to bring back childhood memories during which i always went to pasar ( as what we call locally the city centre ) to watch the procession. Many temples, ( the more historical ones which usually built by early settlers from China ) were built in the city centre.

Amazing Chinese Acrobats

2009-03-14T02:26:00.000-07:00

Just recently, an well off organisation/company brought in a Chinese 'performing art' group aka 'circus' into Kuching. I mentioned it's a well off company because we all get to see it for free! Two shows in 2 nights in fact. It was quite an amazing show. The Chinese acrobats are magnificent and unbelievable. They can twist and turn their body any direction they like and yet still be able to balance something on their hands or head. There was a magic show, but this one was different. The magician actually shows you the trick behind it. You will just need a jacket with lots of pockets and quick swift manoeuvrings. :)

No, she's not flying. There's a wire.

These girls were great, but i doubt those plates are real! I think they are fixed to the poles.

This guy was actually at 2-3 storey height, on top of stacked wooden chairs (look pretty stable to me) and still able to perform balancing acts.

These girls are really amazing. Strong and agile. They could bend their bodies to any directions. They can even do human pyramid with the girl at the top still has the lamp on top of her head sitting tight.

China has the most number of bicycles, right? And they can build really strong and tough bicycle that can hold errr....1,2,3,4,5,6,7...u just count yourself...

This guy has too many balls to play with!!!

The guy and the girl just swing around the air with a string, while the guy on the ground could only look! :)) It's an act with some cheesy 3-ways love storyline.

This one is for the kids. These guys dressed up as 'ants' and do rope jumping trick! What a huge 'mutated' ant colony!

Playing yo-yo chinese style!

Gosh, will u be able to do that while keep tossing the hat?!

Fire at Kuching Astana's Backyard !!!

2009-03-07T01:25:00.000-08:00

It was a nice cool day, 4th March 2009. There wasn't much sun that day (it's something good for the usually hot and humid weather of Malaysia). The low-lying clouds scattered around the Gunung Serapi (Matang 'Shua' as we call it) made a really nice view from my office (as seen below). The 'NICE' pictures were taken around 2-3 o'clock in the afternoon.

However, something bad happened amid the calmness and coolness the city was enjoying. I was driving home after work and saw dark thick clouds of smoke hovering in the sky above the city centre. It was by coincidence that i had my camera with him, and so i drove to that direction to find out what happened there.

When i reached the 'Golden triangle' aka Kuching waterfront area, I saw that smoke was coming from nearby the DUN-building-still-under-construction. A fire started in Kampung Sungai Bedil, which is just next to the Kuching Astana. Took a few pictures with my camera and share them here.

Crowds gathered at the section of the waterfront opposite Astana to watch.

Here's the extract from local newspaper 'Borneo Post' regarding the incident:-

KUCHING: Seventy-five people were made homeless with only the clothes on their backs after a massive fire destroyed 15 houses at Kampung Sungai Bedil Besar in Petra Jaya here early yesterday evening.

In what was described by some villagers as nothing short of a miracle, there was not a single casualty or even injury in the 5.45pm blaze.

Strong winds coupled with the proximity of the wooden structures caused the fire to spread at an alarming rate and left nearly all the affected villagers with little time to salvage anything from their residences.

Fire and Rescue Department operations chief Baharuddin Idris said a total of 47 firefighters from the Tabuan Jaya, Batu Lintang, Padungan and Petra Jaya stations rushed to the scene after receiving a distress call at 5.55pm.

The first unit arrived at 6.02pm and took about 45 minutes to bring the blaze under control.

He added that such was the extent of the fire that firemen were still battling to extinguish it as of 8.30pm last night.

One of the survivors, 76-year-old Temu Saat, told reporters that the fire began at his daughter’s house from where it rapidly spread to adjacent houses including his own which forced him and his wife to flee.

His daughter Seniah, 47, a Telekom Malaysia employee, said she was on her way back from work when she received a call from a family member informing her of the incident.

“Everything is gone. I’m left with nothing,” said Seniah, who still appeared to be in a state of shock and despair to say much.

Her brother, Abdul Malik, whose house was also destroyed, said he was in Satok when he received a call around 6pm about the fire.

The 45-year-old driver immediately rushed back to the village and when he saw the massive fire he knew instantly that he had lost everything.

“It was fortunate that my daughter, her husband and their three children were not at home,” he shuddered, adding that he accepted the incident as fate.

News of the fire quickly reached the ears of Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Mohd Naroden Majais, Semariang assemblywoman Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali as well as Datin Amar Jumaani Tuanku Bujang, who is the wife of Housing Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg.

All three were seen directing relief efforts as well as comforting the many tearful survivors at the Kampung Sungai Bedil community hall where the affected families gathered to have their particulars recorded.

Commenting that an incident of this nature and scale was “extremely sad”, Hasidah said aid such as food, clothing and money would be distributed as soon as possible and the survivors would be sheltered at the village surau for the time being.

Meanwhile, the penghulu 58-year-old Morni Abon said: “Some of the survivors would be allowed to occupy several houses in the village which are currently unoccupied, while others would put up with their relatives.”

Total loss in the incident was not immediately known and the cause of the fire is being investigated.

******************************************************

Finally, some pictures taken at the waterfront to ease up a bit on the dramatic effect of the fire....... :)

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

2009-02-26T05:36:00.000-08:00

“The story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions. Each chapter of Jamal's increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the answers to the show's seemingly impossible quizzes. But one question remains a mystery: what is this young man with no apparent desire for riches really doing on the game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out. At the heart of its storytelling lies the question of how anyone comes to know the things they know about life and love.” – Fox Searchlight Pictures

Starring: Dev Patel, Irrfan Khan, Anil Kapoor, Madhur Mittal
Director: Danny Boyle

Awards that this movie has won so far:-
Yr 2009 Academy Awards, USA (Oscar)
1. Best Achievement in Cinematography
2. Best Achievement in Directing
3. Best Achievement in Editing
4. Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
5. Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
6. Best Achievement in Sound
7. Best Motion Picture of the Year
8. Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Yr 2009 Golden Globes, USA
1. Best Director - Motion Picture
2. Best Motion Picture – Drama
3. Best Original Score - Motion Picture
4. Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

Yr 2009 British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards, UK (BAFTA)
1. Best Cinematography
2. Best Director
3. Best Editing
4. Best Film
5. Best Music
6. Best Screenplay – Adapted
7. Best Sound

'Rockferry' - Duffy

2009-02-21T20:12:00.000-08:00

-Album cover

"Duffy [born Aimee Ann Duffy on June 23rd 1984 in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales], is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her debut album 'Rockferry' was originally released in March 2008 and entered the UK Album Chart at No.1. It was the best selling album in the United Kingdom in 2008 and has sold over five million copies worldwide. In 2009, she won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album for 'Rockferry', and she was nominated for two other Grammy awards. At the 2009 BRIT Awards, she was the event's big winner scooping awards for "Best Album", "Best British Female Solo Artist" and best "Breakthrough Act", the UK's premier music honours. Duffy was the first Welsh female to achieve a No.1 pop single in twenty-five years with her second single 'Mercy'.

'Rockferry' is the Grammy and Brit award winning, debut studio album by Welsh singer Duffy, first released in March 2008 by Mercury Records in collaboration with Universal Records in the US and with Polydor Records in the UK. The album became a worldwide success, becoming the best selling album in the UK in 2008, with 1.7 million copies sold. The album became the fourth best selling album of 2008 worldwide. The album title 'Rockferry', according to Duffy, is loosely based on Rock Ferry, a suburb of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula and approximately ten miles from the Welsh border and three miles from Liverpool. The album won a Grammy Award for "Best Pop Vocal Album" at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, which were presented in February 2009. Rockferry was ranked 30th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the Best Albums of 2008. The album also won "Album Of The Year" at the 2009 BRIT Awards."
- courtesy Mr Skirgsk (my hero)

Powerful soulful voice. She has always been compared with Amy Winehouse, but i think her voice has more emotion and 'soulfulness' compare to Winehouse's. And of course Duffy has better fashion sense. C'mon! Look at Winehouse's hair!!!

Across Batang Ai Dam

2009-01-31T01:31:00.000-08:00

I had my very first visit to the hydro-electric dam, Batang Ai in Sri Aman the other day. Not going to see the dam but riding across it to the other side of the lake to visit some rural kampungs deep inside the jungle. It's the kind of trip that you won't forget!

It was raining season, and there were actually strong on the lake surface which had stirred up pretty big wave, a bit dangerous for the type of boat that we were riding in. We had to wait for about half hour before the wind subside a bit that our boatman was confident of a safe journey.

Rest stop near the jetty

Waiting for the wave to subside...........

This is the type of boat that we used throughout the journey!

Saw this at the side of the lake. Long house built on uneven ground, and hence multi-tier roof!

Another very looooong-house!!!

Entrance to one of the school at one of the kampung.

School kids having good times during their PE class.

The looong boat that we were traveling in. :) Nice bright colours!

We spent at one of the boarding school. The headmaster is kind enough to let us stay at one of the teacher quarter. The staff are really nice. Water is really icy cold and refreshing as they are coming from the mountains around. Air is cool and start to get chilly in the middle of the night.

Kids lining up for their supper after finished their revision at night. Then, it's bed time!

Hills are covered with paddy.

Scaling Mount Singai

2008-11-30T07:51:00.000-08:00

Mt Singai is situated in Bau District. But it's nearer to Bau town itself when coming from Kuching city. It's just a 30min drive from the city.

I think many people go there to climb the many steps leading to the church. It's quite easy and i saw quite a lot kids there as well.

View from is really nice. Air is cool. The climbing trail/stair is under the shades of the lush tropical forest, so u won't feel the heat much. However be sure you will soak wet in your own sweat while scaling the steps. It's really a good form of exercise. :)

The church at the top (not the summit, but it's quite high) is under renovation. But i guess, due to budget constraint, it's not progressing real fast. The climbers can assist them to carry bags of sand/stones and bricks to the church. It's not an easy task but it's sure a good training.

It's paradise found.....in Langkawi!!!!!

2008-11-25T08:28:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful island! Nice mountain ranges, clear blue water, white sandy beaches.........

The main island or the Kuah town is good for shopping. You can buy all the duty free goods! But the catch is there's limit!!! But on the island you can drink as much as you like. The beer is cheaper than the soft drinks!

Food is a bit expensive though, it's a tourist place, right?

The cable car trip was great!!!! We got to the top of a mountain by the cable car, and can see almost the whole island!!!! Great view there - wide open sea from afar, lush green mountain ranges in the closer distance! And the suspension bridge / sky bridge is a piece of master engineering work! Just brilliant! Hanging a crooked bridge in the middle of the air!! It gets a bit shaky though!!! :)

Went island hoping! I think that was the best!!! The most beautiful beach is not on the main island, but at the hundreds (?) small islands scattered around.

Penang delicious

2008-11-25T08:24:00.000-08:00

Penang is a state at the north-west coast of Penisular Malaysia. Part of the state is on the main penisular but the main attraction in on the small island connected by the magnificient bridge! We took a plane from KL to the Penang island though, just to save a bit of time ( and of course cheap airfare.....:p )

Penang is famous for their hawker food. Fast, convenient, and most important of all - DELiiiiiiiiCIOUS!!! You can find hawker food anyway, especially in the evening. Seems like all the poeple come out to eat!!! Love the char kueh teoh, the fried oyster, the prawn mee and yes, Penang laksa. It's sour, it's 'fishy', it's spicy, it's hot, but i just love it!!!

Like they say, always pack your clothes a size larger whenever you come to Penang!

Well, with those high carbo food, sure you could have lots of energy to explore this enchanting island. Love the architure of the old buildings in Georgetown. Walking down the small lane, constantly checking on the faces of the building lining both sides of the street. Majority of the Penang population is chinese, so you can see some of the arts/architecture from china brought in by the immigrant years ago! Some temples are really breathtaking. The delicate detailed carvings on the temples door, windowsl and roof ridge, the bright vivid red colour of the wall & pillars, each having their own stories to tell! Kek Lo Si, Khoo Kongsi, Cheah Kongsi, Temple of God of Mercy, Burmese & Thai temples..........etc

The more modern part of Georgetown is the Gurney drive, at least that the place i've been/seen. Many hotels, condos, and shopping complexes there!!! Haven't got time to really explore the place, but had a wonderful meal at hawker food centre there!

Singing in Singapore

2008-11-25T08:22:00.000-08:00

Welcome the new year in Singapore. It's a lovely city. Modern, clean, tidy, safe and soooo green. Love driving along the highways/road. There are sooo many good food, really nice but for me, it's expensive!!! I guess good things never come cheap!
Last time i stepped my foot in this city was more than 10 years ago, although i got a really short day-trip to this island a couple years back. Went to Sentosa Island, and found it just so so. Underwater world is great but they need to work on the musical fountains!!!! Technical faults, water jet not function, boring content...... uh!! The rest of the island......hmmmm i rather go to the city to shop!!!

Hello Vietnam

2008-11-25T08:08:00.000-08:00

This is briefly my itinerary:-

Day 1 - Arrival in HCMC (Kuching-KL-HCMC)
Day 2 - Cao Dai Temple & Cu Chi Tunnel
Day 3 - HCMC city tour
Day 4 - HCMC to Hanoi (by plane)
Day 5 - Halong Bay Day Trip
Day 6 - Hanoi City Tour
Day 7 - Going home (Hanoi-KL-Kuching)

I just covered the basic things, but i haven't seen Perfume Pagoda, Sapa, Hue & Hoi An.....! May need additional 1 week to go all these places.

Food is great, nice & simple, similar to Chinese food. Love the Pho Bo (beef noodle soup). Vietnamese spring roll isn't as good as i thought (probably it is just the restaurant that i dined in, the dipping sauce is terrible!). Prefer the fried version.

Traffic is horrible there. It's very challenging to cross the road, but i found an easy way by following close to the local. Or you just simply walk slowly (when there is no big cars). The bicycle/cyclo/motorbike will avoid you and will find their way round you. The motorists are all very impatient. Road courtesy doesn't exist at all. Motorbikes are everywhere!

Vietnamese people are ok. Speak a bit of English, some know Mandarin. But as they thought all tourists are very rich, they try sell all kinds of things to you, at higher prices. Just be careful when buying things through your hotel - be it tours or souvenirs. Their prices are usually very much higher. Better if can make comparisons with a few shops.

The buildings are all very narrow. It's just about 3-4m width! There are many extension works going around to the existing old building. I was wonder whether they do any structural checks or not.

Stayed in Pham Ngu Lao area in HCMC, a backpacker area. Cheap hotels, cheap food, etc. Most tour agents & souvenir shops can be found here. Dong Khoi is much 'posh' area with international hotels & retail shops, and also exquisite restaurants. It just about 20min walk from Pham Ngu Lao.

Old quarter in Hanoi is a very interesting place. We spent the nights there. Old shops (many still doing their businesss/daily lives same as many years ago here), narrow streets and alleys, lots & lots & lots of cars/motorbikes/bicycle/cyclo, and tourists. I was totally lost when i first arrived there (and it was raining). There
are so many cross roads. Luckily there are enough road signs for us to find our way round.

We took a plane from HCMC to Hanoi. It's 2-hour flight, and it was delayed for 2 hours! They told us the pilot had flown for too many hours (i think there's a limit of flying hour a day for a pilot) and they need time to find another pilot. Uh!

Cambodia: My 1st exploration to the ancient world

2008-11-22T18:16:00.000-08:00

Cambodia isn't a good 'tourist' country if it's not because of Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat to Cambodia is like the pyramid to Egypt. It was built by a king whose empire comprised most part of Indo-china long time ago. Siem Reap is the gateway and there are a few other very fascinating temples around it. One of them is where Angeliina Jolie's 1st Tom Raider movie was filmed!!! I enjoyed very much 'running' around these temples, looking for hidden treasures. :)

Cambodia is a very poor country, you don't see high rise building, and not all the roads (even in the major cities) are paved. There are beggars, dirty alleys, dusty roads and sadly, many poor young kids who live in the streets. But i think they are really intelligent. At the temples, you could find the kids, not more than 10 yrs old able to speak a few languages, and some even got English slang. In fact, i was really amased with some kids whom i met on the temples, who want me to hire them to be my guide for some money or sell me sourvenirs. I think those kids are just around 10 years olds and speak reallygood English, learned only from the tourists they met along the way. They don't study English in school (some even have to walk half an hour to school) cause English courses requires special tuition fees and they won't be able to afford that! I really feel sorry for them seeing them walking around bare feet, as if the scorching-sun heated ground has no effect on them, dry lips, burnt skin and in torn n worn-off clothes.

This country is also expensive for tourist, particularly for us - Malaysian, as US dollar is used for transaction there n we are losing a lot from the currency exchange.

Well, Camdodia is still worth a visit, only for its temples....for me! :)

BTW, the food is nice as well! We had frog legs for almost all our meal there - deep fried, spicy, stewed, 'amok'-style.... yummy! :)