Shades of Blue

Walk With Care

2012-02-08T01:41:00.000+08:00

This photo is simply named as "Walk With Care". Sometimes we tend to hesitate, busy with our own work and forgetting about ourselves. Saw this and kind of reflected on myself, did I cross the path that I shouldn't have? Have I made the right decisions?

Making decisions and walking the path we made is never easy. We can’t change the past, but we can plan for our future, envision and anticipate, but at the end of the day, God decides for us. What ever it may be, where ever we may go, we have to make decisions. The famous quote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “To be or not to be, that is a question.”

Did you notice the three ‘instructions’? Not exactly instructions, it’s a reminder for us all. From my point of view honestly. At times, situations are not always possible for us to ‘cross’, and when we make that decision, always ‘cross with care’. Simply means, use our wisdom, not emotions and ‘gut-feeling’. There are times when ‘hints’ (similar to Flashing Green Man) are so obvious in our eyes, telling us to be caution and carry out our actions and decisions with ‘care’, but how many of us do so? We have always been ‘rushing’ towards the date line, last minute work and bad habits of procrastination.

When we have to stop, just stop and rest. Just like the ‘Flashing Green Man’, do not start to cross or you’ll face the consequences of making decisions in a hurried manner. Confucius left us with some words of wisdom to ponder and reflect.

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.

Hitz.fm Kuching Birthday Bash!

2012-02-04T02:19:00.000+08:00

This is a loooooong delayed post. Sorry sorry, I was dead busy back in December; basketball, Singapore and stuff.

Thanks to Hitz.fm though for the VIP pass during the recent (not so recent) birthday bash held last December 10th at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching. Coming to the end of the write up, but….not exactly, just want to sum things up. It was really, really awesome! Great music, great show, great performances to all Kuchingites. Nonetheless, Hitz.fm is the No. 1 English station in Malaysia.

I got quite a few passes including one VIP for myself, so I gave some to my friends, and also for a twit-contest. First show was by Evenstarr, and of course, performed by none other than Silas Michael Martin himself. They were top in the Borneo English Chart on Hitz.fm Kuching consecutively for weeks, and they deserve it.

Although it wasn’t my first time attending this sort of concert, I must say, Hitz Kuching did very well in the show. There were games hosted by local Hitz Kuching team, Natasha and Mmeng, and also KL Hitz.fm team, none other than JJ and Ean, Jin and Ryan turned up as well. Little did we know, Ryan is also from Kuching! Woots!

Ean and JJ of Hitz.fm entertaining the crowds in Kuching.

Yvonne as the winner of the ‘Shower Girl’ game with Kevin\

JJ and Ean rocking the stage at BCCK!

Girls dance out to win prizes against the boys.

After games and opening shows, first to perform was Nadhira. It was her first performance in Kuching, and she was overwhelmed by Kuching fans. She belted some of the favourites on Hitz.fm such as Tear Us Apart. Popshuvit performed next with their hot hits like Mara Bahaya, and Oh Sizuka. Miz Nina performed as well with her top songs like What You Waiting For and Take Over. Final show, from none other than Jakeman and Skeletor themselves!

Nadhira belting out her songs.

Pop Shuvit rocking the stage!

Mizz Nina with her mesmerizing vocals and dance beats!

JJ, Ean, Ryan, Natasha and Mmeng on stage!

None other than the Jakeman himself setting the hall on fire!

Being Malaysian, in a foreign country.

2012-01-29T23:23:00.000+08:00

“Eh, awak boleh cakap Melayu ke? Fasih nyer.. Orang Cina ke, atau Melayu? Dari Malaysia eh?”

Just barely a month working here in Singapore, in a hospital to be exact, that’s the usual response I got from my patients and relatives (from Malay communities in Singapore). Somehow, somewhere, I do feel proud to be Malaysian here. Although I’m Chinese, I’m OCBC (Orang Cina Bukan Cina). That’s true…English is my first language, and I was brought up in a mission school, mostly English-spoken community around me. Bit by bit, I learned to pick up local dialects, and proud fluent speaker of Malay and also Sarawak Malay dialect.

Yes, I’m a Chinese ethnic, and I am very proud to call myself a Malaysian. Despite how different Malaysia and Singapore in terms of socio-economic achievements and academically as well, I strongly feel that Malaysia is still the best place to chill out. And yes, the people.

Singapore. Why do I decide to start my first career here? Is it because of salary and recognition? Maybe. Am I paid sub-par in Malaysia? Yes. That’s the reality. Money is everything. The saying goes, “Money is not everything, but everything is MONEY”. How true is that? To me personally, money is not the main agenda for me to be here. Working in the hospital can be very uptight, stressful and quite depressing at times. I’m facing quite a lot of elderly patients here, day in and day out. I’m practically alright with that.

I must admit, I do have a culture shock when I first started working here. Relatives of patients don’t really take part actively in caring for the patient, and hell lots of expectations upon the health care professionals (doctors and nurses alike). Nonetheless, patients in Singapore are far more educated, hence the expectations and demand for better and quality health care is on top priority. I do like how things are carried out here, as the CEO of my hospital mentioned recently, that the hospitals should be a patient-centred care.

From my early observations and reflections, I do notice a lot of differences in practice here in Singapore, compared to Malaysia, particularly back in Sarawak. I’d love to share all these when I’m back, and of course, as a medical lawyer.

I’m thankful and grateful, I’m a Malaysian. I feel more ‘Malaysian’ in a foreign country. I believe the same goes to fellow Malaysians abroad. Being able to speak multi-lingual is of course, the best package we all have. We can speak many dialects, languages and assimilated many different cultures in Malaysia. What more can we ask for? Compared to other countries, we fare far lot better than them. I was once asked by a friend whether I’ll be back for the coming general elections this year. I didn’t hesitate to answer, “YES, definitely.”

I might stand for election some day. Maybe. =)

Review: What Men Want (ntv7)

2012-01-27T23:40:00.000+08:00

“Something new, something different.” That was my first impression of the new show on ntv7. Well, of course, the title seems to be quite captivating to some, and it’s a common question among girls (that includes internal gossip girls). Common answers to that, Men, typically being seen as ‘Horny’, ‘Ham Sap’ (cheeky), and yes, you got it right. It’s SEX. Men want SEX.

Hahaha, many of you got it wrong ey? Not all, actually. Men come in ‘many shapes and sizes’, and again, not ALL are very much into SEX when it comes to relationships and also, characters and attitude. When I was invited to write a review of this new show, I was straight up to it.

(From left: Wolfie, Narmi and Gerrit)

(From left: Ken and Kit)

Fendi

Money, Sex, Love, Career. Top four stereotypical answers to that. Six guys staying together under one roof, for three months. That’s pretty long isn’t it? Gerrit, Fendi, Ken, Kit, Narmi and Wolfie. Wait, Narmi? Yes, it is Narmi from One Buck Short. Pretty interesting, eh? I was very excited to pen in my thoughts and opinions about this program. Nonetheless, this show is a must watch, and this is SERIOUSLY real, as in reality documentary to the lives of these 6 gentlemen.

I had a chance to watch the first episode and hell, I was shocked. Surprised for sure, with all the conflicts, quarrel, scandals, and more. They may seem shy, soft spoken, and wait till you watch the show yourself. I believe this is something very new in Malaysia, and of course, with better publicity, although there are many, many reality shows out there, ‘What Men Want’, hosted by the elegant Deanna Yussof, I can assure you a nerve-wrecking, heart-wrenching, sweat-drenching dramas and stories of these men.

I find it, rather personal. It’s like invading, but not exactly invading into their private life. I thought it was a drama, and it is all acting and stuff. The ‘reality’ itself, I find it even more intriguing, rather more interesting the the ‘fake’ twists and turns of some fictional dramas.

Trust me, after watching the first episode, makes me wanna catch it some more. Feels like, erm, there are some friends who are like them as well. So, guys and girls, fans of Gossip Girls, catch What Men Want, every Saturday, 10.00 pm, only on ntv7, Your Feel Good Channel!

Life starts in Singapore

2012-01-15T14:28:00.000+08:00

It’s been a long, long while since I posted up in my blog for the last three months. That’s a very long time. I was caught up with quite a number of work and had been flying around in November and December. And yes, I’ve yet to post up photos from TweetUp Kuching 2011, Hitz Kuching Birthday Bash and Anugerah ERA Carta Borneo 2011. Missing a lot in Kuching as well.

Life is different here in Singapore. Just barely a week working here in Singapore, made me miss Kuching city so much. Peeking and observing lifestyle of Singaporeans creates a stir in myself. Not much of a stir, but comparison of culture, habits, and way of life to Kuchingites. Not much of difference in terms of language, but one thing is pretty obvious, people here aren’t as nice or welcoming.

Nevertheless, hospital here is GREAT. I’m working at the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (Alexandra Health) and hell yeah, the hospital is seriously awesome. It maybe smaller than some other hospitals, and even some friends were asking me, “Why do you apply to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, not others?” Well, I guess it’s luck, and it happens that they offered me earlier. Everything was well planned, the hospital looked green, clean and innovative! There’s this Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) that functions to deliver meals to all wards in the hospital with an automated robotic transporter. Cool, isn’t it?

See that photo? That’s the Vegetarian Hor Fun. I’m not sure what is it but it looked like some tomato kueh tiao. Taste wise, ok, not really a big fan of it. Kuching food is still the best for me. =) That costs me S$3.00 per plate. You can’t really convert the food you eat here to Malaysia. You will end up not eating here in Singapore. Eat what you earn here. But save more than 40% or 50% of your salary for future investments. Trust me. Hahaha.

I am considered quite lucky to live near 2 supermarkets, even a 24-hour McD is here too! With so many shops and eateries around, I’m happy to have rented nearby. 5 minutes walk to the nearest MRT station, 2 minutes walk to bus station. Awesome.

Oh yes, a lot of cute dogs around too! You name it, we have it. And I’m serious about it.

This photo was taken at Raffles Place. I was expecting seeing a lot of people coming to this place, but I was wrong. It looked quite barren at around 7.30 pm. Took some photos of really cool skyscrapers around here and head on to Chinatown for a walkabout. Reached there, tonnes and tonnes of visitors flocking to Chinatown to get their hands on some CNY goods. I can’t get a shot of what’s going on there. Maybe tonight. Maybe.

More updates later! Going to shopping complex to check some stuff!

You’re The Apple of My Eye 那些年，我們一起追的女孩–Film Review

2011-11-13T03:21:00.000+08:00

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Looking for a movie to watch during weekends? Erm, not sure what to watch with your girlfriend or boyfriend? If you’re looking for something to laugh at or even to shed some tears, this is the movie I would HIGHLY recommend.

The movie debuted in Taiwan few months back and only to be shown in Malaysian cinemas from 10th November 2011 onwards. Went out to watch this movie with some friends, and I got to say, this movie reminds me of my school days. Not soapy at all, and I loved it for sure. Worth watching this movie again, and again.

The film depicts the sweet memories of the main character, Ko Ching-Teng, starred by Ko Cheng Dong, who was recently awarded as the Best Newcomer Actor during the last Taiwan Film Awards. Based on a novel, “You Are The Apple of My Eye”, tells a story of five friends, of which including the writer/director of this movie, Giddens Ko; who strives to win over the heart of the cute, smart classmate, Shen Chia Yi played by Michelle Chen. Oh boy, she’s a beauty. Michelle Chen was crowned as the Best Actress in the same award night for her role in this movie.

Here’s the synopsis of the film:

Adolescence is like a heavy rain. Even though you catch a cold from it, you still look forward to experiencing it once again.

Ko-Teng has several close friends who had a crush on Shen Chia-Yi. Those friends of Ko's thus moved in unison from Ching Cheng’s junior high school straight into the senior high school division in pursuit of her.

Naughty in nature, Ko was ordered by their homeroom teacher to sit in front of honor student Shen for her to keep close tabs on him. The two hadn't hit it off at first but Ko gradually fell for Shen, who was always pressuring him to study hard. On the other hand, Shen became impressed by the contrasting values Ko represented. Ko started pursuing Shen but Shen remained hesitant.

After graduation from senior high, Ko and Shen almost became a couple but the deal was spoilt by a dukeout competition organized by Ko.

Growing up together to witness their beloved Shen walking down the aisle to become someone else’s wife, these boys have learned their coming-of-age lessons and continue to pursue each’s happiness.

I have to say, this movie is worth my time and money watching. Some parts of the movie was really funny and I was literally rolling on the floor, bursting into laughter. Some memorable scenes of the movie, was damn touching and got myself in tears (trying to hold back though!). The cinema was obviously filled with film-goers, and when Ko-Cheng kissed Shen Chia-Yi’s husband just to get a kiss of Shen Chia-Yi during her wedding got the viewers ruptured into cheers and applause. The reprise of Ko-Cheng’s sweet memories with Shen Chia-Yi got everyone into a sombre mood; from his highschool days of sweet memories, up to university college and till her wedding. It’s hard for Ko-Cheng to see his sweetheart getting married to another man, but one particular thing he said was damn touching. He said, although his ‘Apple of his Eye’ is married with another man, what’s more important is to feel happy that she’s with a good man, and pray for her happiness, for the one you loved most.

Now showing in most cinemas, and get your tickets early. Seriously, I mean it. Haha, go ahead and watch it for yourself. Get ready some tissues for the girls out there, some parts will make you cry for sure. Here’s the trailer of the movie, in case you want to have a look at it.

See someone familiar in the movie? Yes? Remember the cute little fat kid from Shaolin kids? Yups…that’s the plump boy with spectacles.

Once in a Lifetime!

2011-11-11T01:35:00.001+08:00

Clocks ticking, and ticking. Counting down, and it’s….. 11th November 2011! Only once in a millenia, 11.11.11. Cool right? And I’m finally 24 too! Whee!!

Celebrate Christmas with Starbucks!

2011-11-08T13:58:00.001+08:00

Christmas is just around the corner and here you go, Starbucks introduces their Christmas promotion starting today till Christmas next month! First thing when I woke up this morning, I headed straight to Starbucks Precinct 88, Jalan Song to get my morning beverage. I need a ‘kaw-kaw’ COW (Coffee of the Week) – Starbucks Christmas Blend coffee. A great start for the day. Plus, got myself two limited edition Christmas tumblers and Starbucks Card!

Hurry up, and get your favourite drinks now! Ching-ka Ching! Introducing new stuff from Starbucks during Christmas promotion!

In conjunction with this festive season, as always, it’s the season of giving, Starbucks encourages the public to donate books at all Starbucks stores. All donated books will be donated to the children at the orphanages.

Hahahaha, met Samuel and Cuthbert at Starbucks Precinct 88 too! They got themselves Starbucks Card!

Oh yeah! Try the new Cranberry White Chocolate Mocha Frappucino!

Starbucks Christmas 2011!

2011-11-08T01:37:00.001+08:00

Yes, the holiday drinks are here. And yes, the limited edition Starbucks Christmas merchandises are here. Just to let you guys know, I’m currently a Barista at Starbucks Precinct 88, Jalan Song, Kuching! Woots!! From a blogger-photographer Starbucks coffee addict turn to a Barista. Being a Barista in Starbucks is a great experience, although I’ve just started, I’ve learned a lot to enjoy coffee….even more!

Something new to all Starbucks customers out there. Starting today, 8th November 2011, Starbucks introduces all new, Starbucks Card. It works like a prepaid card, comes in 3 awesome designs. A must for all Starbucks loyal customers. Just ask from the Barista to get this card now!

We all know that Christmas beverages are among the favourites besides the usual Fraps we used to order. My personal favourites, Toffee Nut Frappucino and Toffee Nut Latte. Now, with the new beverage in line, Cranberry White Chocolate Mocha Frappucino! Give it a try, and write your comments about it. I’m planning to buy a limited edition merchandise, and I’d like to give away to my readers!

Give me your best comment, what do you look forward this coming Christmas with Starbucks? The best comment will get a MYSTERY gift from me! Try your luck, and who knows, you’re the winner!

Ah, before I forget, all Starbucks stores in Kuching will have a collection corner for used books to be donated to the orphanage homes during the annual Starbucks Christmas Cheer Party. I know, I know, it’s the end of the year, let us be reminded of the less fortunate ey? Just ask for the Baristas for more info, they will update you about the Starbucks Card, donation of books.

Comment, comment! And get your mystery gift! Merci s'il vous plaît!!

Something to look forward this December?

2011-11-08T01:10:00.001+08:00

Stay tuned! RSVP for this event now!! http://twtupkch.sarawakbloggers.com/

Seksualiti Merdeka: Free Sex Party or Speaking up for Marginalised?

2011-11-07T23:29:00.001+08:00

I’m sure many of you have heard about the recent hot issue on TV (haha, no need to mention which TV Station, and I’m sure you’ll know!), newspaper and online news portals. It’s ridiculous, isn’t it?

I, for one, supports the effort by organisers of Seksualiti Merdeka and Marina Mahathir’s work to speak up for the discriminated minority groups in Malaysia, particularly LGBT (Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgendered). Come one, oh shit heads, they are not organising so-called Free Sex Party (Party Seks Songsang) as mentioned on certain TV stations and newspapers. This is absurd and irresponsible act of cowardice to ‘demonise’ such good effort made to help these people from harassment, violence, abuse and of course, uphold Human Rights for the LGBT group.

Don’t get confused by some of the reports and claims made by certain parties (yeah, especially some NGOs claimed to be the ‘champions’ of the ‘rights’) saying that LGBTs are equivalent to ‘animals’. HELLO? Even some animals are Gays too. Duh. Who’s the animal here? The ones who deny the very rights for the LGBT? Who are you to judge that they don’t deserve similar civil rights like us?

As the saying goes, don’t judge the book by its cover. Never judge a person too early, the same reminder to myself and everyone else. I, too, was once an anti-LGBT, particularly Transgendered (Mak Nyah, Pondans) when I was young and naive back in the school days. Why? It’s simply because, I judged them too early, without knowing them. Even thinking that getting close to them, I might be ‘infected’ with their ‘transvestism’. Guess what? After getting to know them, I knew I was wrong. They’re just like us, every one of us.

I’d like to share a little of my research on experiences of transvestites in Kuching, Sarawak. You can read it in the poster photo down here. Let me know what do you think about it. In the meantime, don’t demonise LGBTs, they are who they are. Respect their choices, respect for who they are. Imagine, one day, someone in your family is a homosexual or transgendered, what will you do?

Musings of life. Is it mine or yours?

2011-11-04T02:49:00.001+08:00

Finally I’m back to my blogging posts again. I’ve finally graduated, took part in the graduation ceremony (and hell, I had to cut short my trip to Vietnam just because of my graduation, and that shucks!). What’s going on with my life now? Hmmm…

In fact, I was offered a job as a staff nurse in Singapore months ago, right after my professional exam, and I’ve accepted it. And, it’s not really soon that I’m going to leave Malaysia for Singapore, lots of things to do, especially my nursing license and employment permit. Praise to the Lord, I got what I want to do, well, Singapore is a good jumpstart for my career after all!

Just too many dramas and hot topics as soon as I got back from Vietnam, yes, only in Malaysia. Just tonnes of it, you name, I’ve read it. I’m rather concerned, in fact, for some of these issues. Too bad, the Deputy Prime Minister said the decision is final on reverting the English in Science and Maths back to Bahasa Malaysia starting next year. We can’t do much, just bear with it then. After all, This Is Malaysia. At the end of the day, our students, our children will suffer from all these political fracas. Sigh, I really hope that one day, these politicians just lay their hands off our education system.

Current hot topic, what’s the relation between Elton John and Seksualiti Merdeka? Simple. Elton John is going to have a concert in Malaysia, and he’s GAY. Seksualiti Merdeka talks about awareness and rights for Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transsexuals (GLBT). Hmmm, reminds me of my research thesis I wrote for my final year, and for your information, I’m in the midst of preparing my draft to publish my research findings in the coming nursing journal, and also other journals too. What’s going on with GLBTs in Malaysia? Apparently, the Police have officially banned Seksualiti Merdeka’s event started few days ago (sort of like a festival for GLBTs) on the ground that they are promoting and encouraging ‘yellow culture’ (Budaya Kuning). Erm, hello? Are you sure? PAS, UMNO, Perkasa and number of Muslim organisations have voiced their concerns and echoed the call to stop such activities. If I’m not wrong, I heard that the IGP mentioned that it’s a crime to be GLBT in Malaysia. In that case, just catch all GLBTs and throw them to jail? Come on, which law states that?

I don’t get it, God taught us to love one another. Who are we to judge others? I stopped reading all sorts of ‘defensive’ reports against Seksualiti Merdeka, sounded so much like ‘Defense Againsts the Dark GLBTs’. I stopped awhile, and sighed. What’s wrong with the world today? We’ve lost our marbles I think.

Oh well, I did my part, I spoke up. Now, I need some sleep, maybe a glass of whisky and cigar to chill during my weekend. Ttyls!

Malaysia junior boys lost their grip to Chinese Taipei

2011-10-19T17:04:00.001+08:00

NHA TRANG, VIETNAM (18^th Oct) – Malaysian Basketball Junior team lost their grip to win their first match against Chinese Taipei with 37 to 71 points yesterday during the 2^nd FIBA Asia Under 16 Men Basketball Championship held in Nha Trang city, Vietnam. Malaysia qualifies to the Asia leg together with the Philippines and Indonesia. Three teams qualified from the recent southeast Asian leg of championship held two months ago in Malaysia.

Malaysia junior cagers put up a good fight against Chinese Taipei during the first quarter of the game scoring points after another, exchanging rounds of scores with the Chinese Taipei players. Great defense put up by both teams and offense strategy worked well for the Malaysian team. Chinese Taipei showed their prowess in the court putting forth Lu Kuan-Shiuan, the point guard sharp shooter to take the lead against Malaysia. 1^st quarter ended with Chinese Taipei leading by just 5 points at 10 to 15 points.

Chinese Taipei players increased their offensive strategy made Malaysian junior cagers left behind by 16 points at the end of the first half, with 21 to 37 points. Chinese Taipei cagers proved too strong for the Malaysian boys to handle when they further trashed the lead further by scoring 15 points in the 3^rd quarter compared to the Malaysian boys scoring merely 2 points in the whole 10-minute quarter. Malaysia, 23 to Chinese Taipei, 52 points.

Malaysian juniors slowly picked up their pace in the final quarter but the gap in the game against Chinese Taipei was just too far-fetched for the boys to catch up. Spearheading the Chinese Taipei team were several key players making shots, one after another to claim the game in their hands from Malaysia. The game ended with a staggering 34-point difference, Chinese Taipei as the winner of the match. Malaysia, 37 points to Chinese Taipei, 71. Wallace Keng Eng Hong and Jason Ng Khar Xian topped the score for Malaysia with 5 points each while Lu Kuan-Shiuan scored 22 points and Wu You-Da scored 10 points for Chinese Taipei.

Malaysia faces India on Wednesday and China on the following day for the first round of the championship. On another note, Iran failed to turn up for the championship due to visa issues. 15 countries qualified in the Asia stage for this championship; namely, Malaysia, China, Chinese Taipei, India, Iraq, Lebanon, Korea, Uzbekistan, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Since Iran disqualifies due to their absence for the competition, 2 teams will be eliminated in the first round and top 14 countries vie for the second round (divided into 2 groups) then to the final round. China won the 1^st FIBA Asia Men Under 16 Basketball held in Johor Bahru.

Day 1: 2nd FIBA Asia Basketball Under 16 Championship!

2011-10-17T14:56:00.001+08:00

Xin Chao! (Hello in Vietnamese) Here I am, writing from my hotel room and on a note, the local time here is an hour slower than Malaysia. Hahaha, I just lost my one hour here.

Was in KL meeting up with the U16 Malaysia team the day before, and departed for Ho Chi Minh city for transit to Nha Trang city, the official venue of the 2nd FIBA Asia Basketball Championship. Some must be wondering, what am I doing here with basketball? None other than photos, videos, and also medical care for our players. As usual.

The city view of Kuala Lumpur is astonishing!

It was a long journey, even for myself. Two hour flight to Ho Chi Minh was quite nice, but seats were small, and we all had to ‘squeeze’ in literally during the flight. Touched down in Ho Chi Minh, the weather was scorching hot, and yet, I took a long my thick-black wind breaker jacket from Aussie, what a blunder.

I’m a millionaire! These boys exchanging some Malaysian Ringgit to Vietnamese Dong. (RM1 = VND6730)

Walking tall towards another terminal. From left: Bryan Sim (Team Captain), Ramesh Chandra (Asst. Coach), Jason Ng (Asst. Team Captain), Su Leh King.

The whole delegation sighed with a relief when we all could change Malaysian ringgit to Vietnamese Dong at the airport. We all thought that they won’t accept Malaysian ringgit. We were made ‘millionaires’ overnight. I managed to change VND 2,000,000 which is about RM 300. Things around here are quite cheap. A big 1.5 litre bottle of drinking water is only VND 7,000 (RM1.20). Cool right?

Transiting for about 4 hours in Ho Chi Minh was tiring, but we all had lots of fun. I’m going to upload a video of one of the boys showing off his magic tricks after the lunch. Good news for me though, vegetarian food is available here too!

Finally, after the long journey, the Malaysian Team finally reached to the shores of Nha Trang (pronounced as “nya thrang”). More updates later! The boys just had their training and lunch earlier, so….stay tuned!

ntv7 Yuan Carnival in Kuching! (Part 1)

2011-07-19T12:55:00.000+08:00

Just recently concluded ntv7 Yuan Carnival was held at the Chung Hua Middle School No. 1 from the 16th to 17th July 2011. First time ever to be held in East Malaysia, ntv7 has certainly brought cheers to the local community here.

Although Yuan Carnival just started barely a year ago, ntv7 made a huge impact with large turnout of more than 5,000 people in a day! From my personal observation, Kuching has not been visited by many local and international artists for quite a while, and of course, ntv7’s presence definitely brings cheer to Kuchingites!

Many people came in throngs to spend time with their family and of course, meeting up with their favourite artiste!

Snap! Snap! Who were they snapping at? We’ll find out! (clue: This photo was taken at the ntv7 booth)

Personally, the event was more than just concerts and games, it’s more like a family day carnival with sales of food, games, autograph sessions, concerts, meet and greet with favourite ntv7 and local personalities.

The opening of the event was graced by YB Dato’ Yong Khoon Seng, Deputy Minister of Works Malaysia on Saturday.

I went with a friend of mine, who is also the Top 16 of the Perfect Gentlemen show on ntv7. Two from Sarawak managed to enter Top 16. Pretty cool, isn’t it? There I was, armed with my camera, and they were mobbed by girls. Haha, when I asked them, how did they feel? They simply said, “Shuang!” (means ‘feeling great’ in Mandarin).

Notice the three tall dudes? They are William Joey Lewis (Johore), Kong Jie (Sarawak) and Ming Yang (Sarawak).

The event started off as early as 9 am, and I went off to the carnival with Kong Jie and William at about 2 pm. I was able to catch a few events, particularly Adrian Tan’s (陈凯旋) autograph concert. He is main actor and also the singer behind the theme song of the Time FM chinese sitcom aired every Thursday at 11 pm. Mind you, I was almost deafened by the hardcore fans – mostly girls, although some were guys.

His fans went hysterical the moment he got up on stage! This 22-year old made his first debut in Time FM and his popularity shot up pretty high, it was phenomenal. Adrian performed 3 songs, and played some games with his fans. The first game was Rock, Paper and Scissors. Adrian playfully lost the game and let his fans to win in order to give him a hug. Girls just loved it.

Adrian Tan (left) and One FM’s host, Nicholas Ong, hosting for the Yuan Carnival in Kuching.

These girls can’t wait to give a hug to Adrian.

Not just the young girl fans, Adrian played along with another ‘older’ fan.

Unforgettable experience hugging their favourite icon. I guess they’re not going to wash their clothes after this. LOLs.

Singing his own rendition of Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby’. Fans went frantic and screams were heard. Uh huh.

Throwing autographed posters to the crowds. You did not see what I saw. Fans were pushing their way through to get a hand of that poster. Girls and boys alike. Sweats.

Next up, it was another local singer’s turn on stage, Ke Qing. Cute, little lass from KL sang a few of her hits to the packed crowd and yeah, they loved her. Nothing less, nothing much, Kuchingites just love to have more celebs in the city. After all, we BARELY have any concerts and celebrities to Kuching. Thanks to ntv7 though!

Ke Qing shaking hands with her fans.

Singing her heart out!

I didn’t stay for the whole event till about 7 pm on Saturday, but I went for the whole event on Sunday. Besides the mini performances on stage, there were autograph sessions, meet and greet sessions, dance performances on stage, Feng Shui talk and also, audition for 7Edition, Mandarin and Edisi 7. Cool right? I tried out for that too on Sunday. Awesome experience!

Here are some photos taken around the carnival on Saturday!

Last but not least, a shot of myself with One FM and e7 host, Nicholas Ong.

Be sure to catch more updates of the second day of ntv7’s Yuan Carnival 2011 in Kuching!

Exclusive Rainforest World Music Festival 2011 interview: Kissmet of United Kingdom

2011-07-18T00:49:00.000+08:00

Just barely a week after the Rainforest World Music Festival 2011, the heat and aura of the festival still lingers amongst the festival goers as well as the performers. How well did the event go? As the saying goes, “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.” But as for me, it was a five star event that none of you out there should miss the event next year. Here I have, an exclusive interview with one of the favourite groups from the festival, Kissmet from UK, giving some info and background about their band and let us check it out what they have to say about RWMF 2011!

Hello and aloha! It's great to hear from Kissmet again after the recent Rainforest World Music Festival 2011, and crowds loved you for rocking and crumbling the stage down! How and when did you guys founded Kissmet?
Buzz and I used to be musicians in a Bhangra band where we only sang backing vocals (Hoi, HOi, HOI!!!). But, we always knew we could play Indian music but sing in English as well so we decided to do our own thing with Kissmet. We wrote our first album, "Destiny" and everyone liked it so much that they encouraged us to get a band together and to play the material live. So we got together with a few friends in our home town and had a jam session. After that first session, we knew we were able to create a lot of power and positive energy and just then, Bhangra Rock Fusion was born. That was a few years ago but, from those first steps, we're still on our journey.

Why Kissmet? What does it mean?
Kismet means Destiny or Fate, and we added another S in there to create something new, something not quite Indian, not quite English, but still very passionate, positive and powerful.

I find it rather interesting, a mixture of Bhangra and modern music. What were your inspiration?
Some of the bhangra songs we perform are taken from the fields of India, written many years ago and these work so well with the rock we grew up with. Led Zeppelin, Cream, Hendrix mixed with A S Kang, Gurdas Maan. Who'd have thought it, and yet it's pure energy when it all comes together.

I thought initially, Kissmet is going to be members of Punjabi musicians, but there I saw Alex, Lloyd and Lucas, three young English chaps in Kissmet. Truly awesome combination! What were some of your memorable stories when you first started?
The makeup of the band reflects the different styles at play. Max, Buzz and I are brothers and we bring our Eastern influence. Alex, Lloyd and Lucas bring their western influence and together, we make it work because we all say we're not 3 brothers, we are 6 brothers, we just come from different families. We eat together, laugh together and share together and it really is like a little family.

It was just a week after the Rainforest World Music Festival in Malaysia. Many festival-goers still talked about how Kissmet rocked the crowd for the final concert night. Can you share with us, your perspective of the festival and what were your best experience?
The festival just shone with a lovely glow. Everyone was smiling, the people were happy and everyone was so enthusiastic. Everyone wanted to be involved, to make a difference, to learn and to help make the whole thing a very special event for everyone involved. The more you put in, the more you get out. We're not talking about putting money in, we're talking about putting effort in, passion in, life in. When that happens, the benefits are for all to see and we found the people at the festival were the ones who really made it. The musicians, performers and bands were just the ones directing the energies but without the vibrancy and generosity of heart from the audience, the festival would have been nothing. What I take away with me the most was how the audience made me feel. We always say, the name of our last album isn't a song title, or just the name of the album, we say it's a way of life for us. Trippin' The Life Fantastic is exactly what we did in the rainforest, and we hope a lot of people tripped with us.

You do have a few albums out, do you? Any future plans for the mean time?
We have lots of plans for new material. We already have the next album planned out and after that, we'll be doing an acoustic, unplugged album as that will allow us to explore a whole different side to our music. It'll still be east/west but it'll be more chilled, mellow and calm. We're also working on an album of Shabads, Sikh prayers taken from the holy book of the Sikhs, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. It's not like anything else we've heard before but really, all our music is a bit like that.

Thanks for sharing, Ron! Last but not least, what do you want to say to your fans out there, especially those from Sarawak, Malaysia?
We would really like to thank the beautiful people of Malaysia for taking us into their hearts and accepting us so enthusiastically. We were honoured to be asked to attend the festival and represent the UK and India and were extremely flattered and humbled by the reception we received. Please relay our thanks to all to saw, supported and liked what we did. We'd love to come back to Malaysia so if anyone knows someone who knows someone, can their people talk to our people (me) and sort it out please! @;o)

Day 2–Rainforest World Music Festival 2011, “Rhythm of Borneo'’ (Part 2)

2011-07-18T00:19:00.001+08:00

Workshops!

Crafts bazaar was pretty fun, and I headed to a few workshops at the Iban Longhouse and lastly was the Dewan Lagenda. It was all about beats and drums again at the Dewan Lagenda. The Rhythm Method, presenting great percussionists from the 22 groups of performers, gave a little different show than the day before. This time, accompanied by AgungBeats’ gamelan! Among the performers were: Raul Villa (Joaqin Diaz Trio), Max Singh (Kissmet), Octave Agbekpenou (Malick Pathe Sow), Piotr Glinski (Warsaw Village Band), Glora G. Koro, Shim Kah Yee, Kong Niann Tsyr and Soo Pui Ching (Agungbeats). It was phenomenal I must say. Plus, it was way more people turning up on Saturday (as expected) and I hardly got a space to walk at the hall. You see how ‘holy’ packed was it!

Look at that! Count the heads, it was about a thousand or more people turned up for the workshop. Needless to say, I had loads of fun and dancing to the beats everyday during the workshops for the whole 3-day Rainforest World Music Festival.

Not forgetting, meeting with friends and also making new friends as well! It was one hella gathering of musicians, family and friends!

After the rock-beat workshops and great afternoon visiting the crafts and enjoying the workshops, it’s time for the night concerts. And again, I missed the sunset concert, but thanks to Heineken, I was chilling out at Heinekabana. Woots!

I will be writing more about the night concert in the Part 3 of Day 2 Rainforest World Music Festival after this. Just covered event for ntv7’s Yuan Carnival held at Chung Hua Middle School No. 1, Kuching and also, Kissmet’s exclusive interview!

Day 2–Rainforest World Music Festival 2011, “Rhythm of Borneo” (Part 1)

2011-07-14T20:40:00.000+08:00

Second day of Rainforest World Music Festival, it was on Saturday. There were a lot of people turning up on Saturday, compared to Friday especially during the concert night. It was way more packed and hot during the night concert. Humid, and hot, but that never hampered any of them from going to the festival.

World Craft Bazaar

I managed to make some time to visit the craft bazaar after a short visit to the Guitarology workshop at the Dewan Lagenda. Well, what else do you do besides workshops and concert? I took a short trip to the other side of the cultural village to take a look.

Celcom Xpax booth at the entrance with Silas!

Entrance to the Rainforest World Crafts Bazaar.

Bubbles and more bubbles!

Sales and display of some of the local Sarawakian crafts.

Making your own pottery during the fest!

Left: Making of gasing (spinning top), Right: Teaching a young girl to make a simple carving on a piece of wood.

Wide view of the cultural village from the crafts bazaar.

Leweton Women’s Water Music (Vanuatu)

Remember I posted up a video of their performance at the lake? Wonderful, isn’t it? Amazing feat by the ladies. Gonna miss them next year!

Splash splash!

I’d love to join the show, hahaha, great to play around with water and making music out of it!

Look at it, even babies turned up for the fun! I think the organisers should consider making baby T-shirts with “I was here at the Rainforest World Music Festival!”. That will be really cute on them.

That’s for the first part. Will be writing about the Workshops and Night Concert in the second part of the 2nd day of Rainforest World Music Festival soon!

Day 1–Rainforest World Music Festival 2011, “Rhythm of Borneo” (Part 3)

2011-07-13T04:17:00.000+08:00

TGIF!! Thank God it’s Friday! The very first ‘virgin’ day of Rainforest World Music Festival night concert started on Friday, 8th July with a bang! I was expecting smaller crowds but no……I was very wrong about it. Even other media/photojournalists thought so too! In a nutshell, I had a great time enjoying while taking photos during the first night concert. Let’s start with the recap of the performances.

1. Masters of Sape (Sarawak, MALAYSIA)

Mastering Sape wasn’t an easy task for anyone, although it may look similar to the modern built of a guitar. Long traditions of the Sape music, mastered by the elders of the Sarawakian musicians of the highlands of Sarawak. Beautiful, and hypnotising music from the trio Sape Masters; Asang Lawai, Tegit Asat and of course, the man you see on every posters of this year’s RWMF, Matthew Ngau Jau. Mr Matthew is no stranger to many Sape enthusiasts out there, and their very first debut for RWMF, presenting various pieces of Sape music composed by Asang Lawai, they were hynoptical, enchanting and soothing.

Matthew Ngau Jau (left photo), Asang Lawai (right photo)

Asang Lawai and Tegit Asat displaying their skill to play sape.

2. AgungBeat (Sabah, MALAYSIA)

Who would ever expect, a traditional Malay gamelan make it to the centre stage of an international festival like this?! The gamelan-fusion-contemporary group of performers consisting of undergraduate students performing for the first time in the RWMF. Playing several pieces of traditional gamelan music of Terengganu, with a taste of Sabahan and local twist in it. The ensemble creates a different perspective of a traditional Malay-ethnic music; from a slow, soothing gamelan tunes to an upbeat rainforest Sabahan contemporary pieces. Simply, music geniuses and great composition from the founder and composer, Roslee Haji Wahid, who is also currently the music lecturer of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). I have to say, they are also the pride of Malaysia. Not forgetting, the ensemble is accompanied by Dayang Norainee, the vocalist of the group with her powerful and soulful voice during the performance. Superb!

Gamelan ensemble, giving me chills while listening to it!

Dancing to the Sumazau (Sabahan ethnic dance).

Dayang Norainee, vocalist of Agungbeat at her best dress and soulful vocals!

3. Ishkew (Canada)

They may dress and look like Indians from Canada, but they are in fact the Aboriginal women of Canada. Their voices filled up the whole arena with the sound of the nature, pure and modest. I shared the same experience with other journalists as well, it was so pure and enchanting listening and ‘feel’ the music with our hearts, not ears. These three women gave a simple, yet beautiful combinations of their traditional instruments and not to forget, they were showing all festival-goers and all first timers, the very ancient and more than a thousand year-old pieces of traditional North American aboriginal music.

Showing their love for Mother Earth!

The three wonders and gems of the North American aboriginal music.

4. Kamerunga (Australia)

Next up, was Kamerunga! Hailing from Down Under, and yes, I’ve been to Australia before, and I must tell you, if you were with me that night, you would definitely join me to dance with their beats! Performing with a mixture of traditional Celtic and also outback music of Australia combining some folk, rock and classical music gave me a whole different view of their music. Not forgetting some influence of jazz music too! It was a whole different yet enjoyable performance from Kamerunga!

Trios of Kamerunga!

Great ensemble of mandolin, saxophone and violin.

View of the whole Stage 1 during Kamerunga’s performance.

5. Victor Valdez Trio (Mexico-Australia)

Areeeba! Areeba!! Here comes the Mexican music that shook the whole arena to the dust, literally. The Victor Valdez Trio was one of the most awaited group to perform during the first night of RWMF. The trio did perform with Joaqin Diaz of Dominican Republic during the preview and opening night, and here we go, they gave a full blast of their show that night. I had a chance to do a short Merengue (traditional Mexican dance) with few of my friends and of course some fellow ladies from France as well when they performed their pieces. Besame Mucho slowed the night with some love for the crowd when the whole arena sang the song together with Victor and his group. It’s amazing though, to see the traditional Mexican music and what amazed me the most was how Victor fiddled his way with the Mexican harp!

6. Kamafei (Italy)

Kamafei is a south Italian music group from Salento, performing for the first time in Malaysia. Playing the traditional pizzica music and combination of modern dance music, Kamafei rocked the house that night! Their unique combination of modern and traditional music from Italy and making use of technology, their performance was filled with energy and of course, huge, huge blast of bass from the speakers! It was seriously like a live rave party that night when Kamafei rocked the house. I’d love to see this group again next time!

Unfortunately, I had to leave early during the first night and missed out the Blue Canyon Boys (USA) and Frigg (Finland). I was way too tired and had to leave the concert and drove back home to Kuching. And, that’s a wrap for the first day report for Rainforest World Music Festival 2011 Day 1! Second day of RWMF will be up soon!

Day 1–Rainforest World Music Festival 2011, “Rhythm of Borneo” (Part 2)

2011-07-12T01:50:00.000+08:00

Here comes the second part of first day. Many festival goers thought that first day won’t be as fun as the second day (Saturday), or even final day on Sunday. Trust me, mark my words, if you’re planning to go next year after reading my blog posts, go for all three days. Yes, 3 DAYS of Rainforest World Music Festival. If you think it’s expensive, no doubt, it is. Set aside the price of tickets, you pay what you get. This is a real-deal WORLD festival. If you’re a Sarawakian, or even from other Malaysian states, do make it in your calendar to go next year.

I’m going to write about the workshops during RWMF I went. I was quite busy at first, facing some problems and getting some goody bags from Chris, I made it to the cultural village to catch the Leweton Women’s Water Music from Vanuatu and also, my favourite workshop, Percussionists workshop held at the Lagenda Hall. You’ve seen the videos from the workshop, didn’t you? Awesome.

Themed “Drum Dance”, bringing together groups from Mamak Khadem, The Shin, Ishkew, Agungbest, Kenge Kenge, Kissmet and Lisa Haley & the Zydekats to beat the drums together in the same rhythm. As the saying goes, music is the universal language. The whole one hour of workshop was full of marvellous and great beats all over the hall.

We all loved it. Beats from North to South, East to West, coming together in one beat, one rhythm to entertain all festival-goers. Seriously, I had so much fun I couldn’t stop taking photos while dancing to the beat! One guy named Alex from The Shin of Georgia caught my attention when he danced ‘frantically’ (literally, hehehe) during the jamming session. One word, AWESOME!

Alex of The Shin performing his traditional Georgian dance to the beats of the jamming session. He’s like a male ballet dancer.

Seen someone familiar? Pretty girls just love to hit the floor to the masters of the beats.

People just love Bollywood, and also Kollywood. Not sure what’s that? Look it up in Wikipedia. Hehe. The final part of the jamming session was let by Buzz of Kissmet, showing off his traditional Punjabi drum called dhol. Quoting from Wikipedia, "The dhol is a large, high-bass drum, played by beating it with two sticks, known as daggah (bass end) and tilli (treble end).” When Buzz started playing, everyone got of to their feet and danced to the beat, the Bhangra rock!

Buzz of Kissmet beating his dhol and cheered to the crowds!

Dum dum dum!!

Dance! Dance! Dance to the Bhangra rock!

I could never imagined that all these different instruments can just literally ‘fuse’ together in one place!

It was very hot and humid after the workshop is over. After that, Nathan, Annie and I headed to Heinekabana to chill and cool off from the heat. It was a very cosy and nice place to chill out, and thanks to Chris Ho, we got our VIP invites to chill out with free beer and finger food at Heinekabana!

A place to be to chill and cool off from the heat during the fest at Heinekabana with a cold glass of beer.

I want a glass of Heineken beer!

But, then again, are you INVITED? =)

I missed out the first Sunset Concert, and soon after was the night concert of the 1st Day of Rainforest World Music Festival 2011. Part 3 of Day 1 RWMF will be up after this! Friday night concert was fantabulous!!

Day 1–Rainforest World Music Festival 2011, “Rhythm of Borneo” (Part 1)

2011-07-09T02:21:00.000+08:00

One word to describe the whole experience during the first day; AWESOME!

I got caught up with few stuff, getting some important documents and even accident. That really spoiled my mood for the day, but luckily nothing much serious, hopefully.

First and foremost, I would like to thank Chris Ho of Heineken for his courtesy to provide us bloggers with goody bags and even VIP pass to Heinekabana! You heard it, VIP passes and Goody bag with straw hat, limited edition t-shirts, survival kits, rain poncho and small fan! Woots! Two-thumbs up to Heineken!

I got to Santubong resort at about 1 pm, and went to the cultural village to catch the first workshop. When I got there, just to realise that my camera’s battery was left in my car. Great… =.=”

Rushed back to get my battery, met up with Chris to get the goody bags and there, I was able to catch this marvellous performance by the Leweton Women’s Water Music from Vanuatu.

See! I was right, isn’t it? They were great! Took a photo with them, yet to get it from a friend of mine. Took a short break, made my choice to go to the Percussion workshop at Dewan Lagenda. Totally, it was my best experience ever! Met up with good old friends, PK, Morgan, Sapphire, and lots more! They called it Beat Gurus – Pundits of Percussion. Mixture and blend from many different groups of performers from Kissmet, Kenge Kenge, Warsaw Village Band, Joaquin Diaz, Paddy Keenan Two, Malick Pathe Sow, Mamak Khadem, Lisa Haley & the Zydekats and also The Shin. Here’s the sneek peek of the workshop!

Everyone got up and danced like there’s no one else around, particularly when Buzz Singh of Kissmet took the stage during his turn of show. Lots and lots of fun and laughter!

More photos up after this, I have about 500 photos to process, and it will be up in the next post, together with the write up of the concert night. And yes, I’ve yet to visit the World Craft Bazaar!

Rainforest World Music Festival 2011 sets its stage here in Kuching!

2011-07-08T01:12:00.000+08:00

The world stage is here! Not MTV Asia Awards World Stage, but the Sarawak’s Rainforest World Music Festival 2011 starts tomorrow on the 8th July 2011! Held for its 14th year, no doubt, the event garnered several international awards and recognitions for its multi-cultural and high standards of organisers.

Annie and Nathan of House of Annie. They were there too during the Media Press Conference.

Ms. Heidi Munan, the project manager of the World Craft Bazaar during the Rainforest World Music Festival. Don’t miss it!

Ms Heidi (Left) explaining about the Craft Bazaar as Mr. Randy (Creative Director of RWMF) looks on.

(From Left): Datuk Rashid Khan, CEO of Sarawak Tourism Board and Ms. Pauline Lim, Project Manager of Rainforest World Music Festival 2011.

Staging 22 performers from all around the globe; Scandinavia to Mexico, Europe to India; you name it. It’s all here, in the heart of Sarawak, held at the Sarawak Cultural Village, Kuching.

So, what’s the big hype about it this year? Some may say, it’s about the same for the past decade, and I can say, I bet you’re very wrong. This is my 3rd year attending the event, and I got to say, I’ve never regretted. Attending the event on behalf of Sarawak Bloggers, together with Nathan and Annie of House of Annie and Jun Fook of Walking Towards Uncertainty. Don’t forget to check out their reports during the 3-day event!

From right: Guest of Honour, YB Dato’ Sri Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari as the Minister of Tourism of Sarawak, and on his right, YB Datuk Talib Zulpilip, CEO of Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC).

Datuk Rashid Khan delivering his welcoming speech.

YB Dato’ Sri Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari with his opening speech of the Rainforest World Music Festival.

Highlight this year, will be the workshops combining different performers from all around the world and also winners of the local talent search in the afternoon session. Quoting from Datuk Rashid Khan, CEO of Sarawak Tourism Board, workshops during the RWMF is the most interesting part of the event! Plus, and first time this year, featuring the Leweton Women’s Water Music from Vanuatu will be performing right in the middle of the man-made lake of the cultural village! How’s that?

I just got back from the media briefing and opening ceremony of the 14th Rainforest World Music Festival 2011 held at the Amphitheatre, Kuching Waterfront. Great food, great music, and yes, Heineken! Hahaha. Although it was a preview, nonetheless, nothing beats the ‘real’ show at the Sarawak Cultural Village.

Here’s some of the photos taken during the preview:

Heads up, guys! It’s TGIF! And, Weekend! Bring your friends and partners and family members to the Rainforest World Music Festival 2011! Tickets are still available tomorrow and Sunday, but unfortunately sold out for Saturday, I think. Here’s the list of tomorrow’s performers for the night concert!

1. Startijen (France)
2. DuOUd (Tunisia/Algeria)
3. The Shin (Georgia)
4. Lisa Haley & Zydekats (USA)
5. Kissmet (UK)
6. Victor Valdez (Mexico)
7. Blue Canyon Boys (USA)

My personal pick, it is a MUST to go for tomorrow’s concert. Kissmet, a Punjabi-Bhangra-rock group flown in all the way from Britain to entertain the guests of Rainforest World Music Festival this year, and I have to say, they’re indeed, INFECTIOUS! Am I lying? Look here:

There you go, it’s almost 1 am, and yeah, I need some rest for a very, very long day ahead. Signing out, make sure to catch the review and reports from tomorrow’s first day of Rainforest World Music Festival 2011!

Not forgetting new friends I met from Asiatravel writers; Carmela and Nino!

Masters of the Sape–The Beginning

2011-07-06T03:45:00.001+08:00

Kuching, July 5, 2011 – The Rainforest World Music Festival’s genesis was in a number of Sarawakian musicians and dancers traveling to Marseille in 1997 to perform for top music industry professionals. Hardened European agents, managers and festival directors were brought to tears at the beauty and purity of this performance, which included Asang Lawai and Tegit Asat on the traditional sape boat lute.

Heralded as the top foremost Masters of the Sape, Asang and Tegit are back at this year’s festival accompanied by Mathew Ngau Jau, who has toured the world representing Sarawak, as an artist dancer and musician. This is the hauntingly beautiful music that started it all, by master musicians and true artists.

The 14^th Rainforest World Music Festival is all set for this weekend. This inspiring musical and cultural celebration of contemporary and traditional world music will be held on the 8 to 10 July 2011, under the imposing shadow of Mount Santubong, and in the midst of a virgin rainforest at the edge of the South China Sea. As well as evening performances on the main stage, there are afternoon workshops, lectures, jam sessions and smaller concerts.

Masters of the Sape will be the first opening act on 2011 Rainforest World Music Festival. Music lovers will also have the chances to meet them closer at the daily Musical Workshop from 8 – 10 July at the Sarawak Cultural Village.

RWMF has been voted for the second consecutive year as one of the Top 25 Best International Festivals by renowned world music magazine, Songlines, elevating its status in the international music scene as a festival which has well and truly put Sarawak on the world tourism map and extending its appeal to shores further from neighbouring countries. This is where people regardless of their ethnicity, cultural backgrounds, music interests, come together and have a blasting day. So hurry and get your tickets and come join the fun!

For purchase/booking/enquiries please visit www.ticketcharge.com.my or call ticketCharge Hotline: +6 03-9222 8811 or at TicketCharge @ No 42A-1, Jalan Metro Pudu, Fraser Business Park, Off Jalan Yew, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You may also purchase tickets from TicketCharge outlets namely Chambers Music, Telventure Sdn Bhd, Rock Corner all in the Klang Valley or at Speedy Outlets throughout the country.

Tickets also on sale at Sarawak Tourism Board’s Visitors Information Centres in Kuching (082-410944), Sibu (084-340980) and Miri (085-434180).

For more details, kindly log on to www.rainforestmusic-borneo.com.

A day at the State Assembly sitting

2011-06-27T19:33:00.003+08:00

Welcome to my hometown, the heart of Sarawak. Kuching, the land of beauty and tranquillity. Thanks to Vernon for his kind assistance to bring me to the Sarawak State Assembly sitting, to observe personally of the proceeding in the House of August.

Unfortunately, I missed out many debates last week, it was like a fish market last week in the State Assembly. Funny isn’t it?

I was there at about 9.30 am, and YB Datin Hajjah Fatimah Abdullah, the Minister in Chief Minister’s department was giving her winding and reply speech. A few issues and points were mentioned with regards about welfare, education, training and development in Sarawak. She spoke with such poise and composed, and I really liked how she present her speech in the State Assembly.

I do take notice, and it was an eyesore for me though. Some Ministers and elected representatives were not present during the sitting. Some even turned up late at 11 am instead of 9 am sharp. How’s that? What a let down. Seriously, these ‘honourable’ state assemblymen should take heed of fulfilling their task to attend the sitting as the representative of the ‘rakyat’.

Another thing that really irked me that some state assemblymen were seen dozing into their dreamland during the reply speech. Gosh, what a shame to see such thing!! That’s very very irresponsible as an elected state assemblymen to have such attitude. The State Assembly is not a place to sleep!

Halfway through the reply speech by YB Datin Hajjah Fatimah, YB Chong Chieng Jen of DAP/Pakatan Rakyat interrupted when she was implying their disrespect of the Dewan for not donning the ceremonial wear. He reiterated that their decision was to save the taxpayers’ money worth of RM2000. Personally, it is a non-issue of the money at all. Wearing a songkok does not make a person more ‘Malay’ or less ‘Chinese’. For goodness sake, that is basically a fundamental principle of respect to the House of August to be in ceremonial uniform during the opening of the State Assembly sitting for the year in the presence of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor of Sarawak). YB Fatimah pointed out that it is the importance of respect and culture that makes a well-respected State Assemblymen, regardless of the rule made whether wearing the ceremonial wear is compulsory or not. Applause was heard throughout the assembly hall.

Next up, was YB Datuk Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, Minister of Industrial Development of Sarawak. Making the start of his speech, congratulating the Chief Minister’s victory of leading Barisan’s comeback with winning the recently election and gaining the majority of two thirds in the Assembly. He talked about Chief Minister’s strong leadership in the past three decades that brought change and vast developments to the state. He then spoke about the bad attitudes of the Opposition during the sitting and debate, making negative accusations and shouting during the debate. During his speech, it was quite amusing at times. He interrupted numerous times from YB Chong Chieng Jen and YB Wong Ho Leng from DAP. The Speaker, YB Datuk Seri Awang Asfia reminded the Opposition to keep their questions simple, rather than making a speech. That made the August House ruptured into laughter. After several interruptions, the Speaker stopped the Opposition and kept reminding them to clarify the issues raised, rather than asking questions and arguments.

I personally think, some issues were quite petty, and it was entirely waste of time shouting at each other. Both Government Backbenchers and Opposition were competing over some issues. Opposition members (mostly DAP who stood up), refused to back down and continued to shout to the Barisan representatives and the Minister. The whole event took place right in front of my eyes, and I think most elected representatives were acting like children in the State Assembly. I’m very disappointed to see all these.

When the assembly was adjourned for a break, press conferences were held by YB Chong Chieng Jen, YB Wong Ho Leng and YB Violet Yong over the issues of refunds of land premiums, NCR land titles and etc. On the other hand, PKR’s state chief YB Baru Bian and YB See Chee How updated the media about the results of the court case pertaining to NCR recently in Sibu which saw the defendants’ (Government) lost their case over the native land issue.

YB Baru Bian and YB See Chee How spoke about the NCR land issues.

From left: YB Violet Yong, YB Wong Ho Leng and YB Chong Chieng Jen of DAP during their press conference.

Minister of Industrial Development of Sarawak, YB Datuk Awang Tengah Ali Hassan seen giggling when Opposition pact trying to argue on certain issues pertaining to land and NCR.

Thanks to Vernon, I never knew that public could attend the State Assembly sitting, basically just anyone. Formal attire is required and I strong urge young voters out there to see and look at our elected representatives during the assembly for yourself. You observe and you decide what you have experienced. Sarawak’s State Assembly has a long way to go, before reaching the standards of the Westminster in UK. Despite being the oldest state assembly in Malaysia, I take notice that the level of maturity among State Assemblymen in Sarawak, is far sub-standard and below par in terms of substance, attitude, professionalism and conduct.

Will be writing my interview with YB Wong King Wei (ADUN Padungan) of DAP regarding his views about the upcoming Bersih 2.0 rally in Kuala Lumpur. I’ll be attending tomorrow’s sitting too!

Off to Merlion City, just for a day!

2011-06-22T15:07:00.001+08:00

Just a short peek at what I have for the week, I’m now blogging from the Kuching International Airport, awaiting for my flight to Singapore. Yes, I mean, Singapore. Will be back by tomorrow evening.

It is a short trip though, just for 2 job interviews, and flight tickets were bloody costly. Well, no choice, the arrangement were done at the eleventh hour. Here’s the hospital I’m going to for a job interview:

Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (Alexandra Hospital)

Looks big and cool right? Well, just wait for a while, I’m going to take more photos tomorrow when I’m there. That’s for sure.

Adios and ola Singapore!!

Revolutions or Democrazy?

2011-06-20T23:44:00.000+08:00

Revolutions or Democrazy?

by Wingman

Situations all around the world especially in the Middle East has changed so much in the recent months. Started from protests in Tunisia, to Jordan, then Turkey, and finally Egypt.

But the thing is, 'Modern Revolutions' as I called it, will not stop there. Just few days and moments ago, the so-called revolutions started to spread like fire. Many people thought through protests and 'violence', one can change and force the government out overnight. In life, nothing comes free, isn't it? It comes with a price, sacrifice of lives.

What I do wish to point out here, we do have a long history of revolutions in the past century, which saw humongous loss of lives; from hundreds to thousands, but is it necessary? Living in the era of globalisation and world without borders, advanced technology and higher rate of literacy, it makes me think that the world is going bonkers and backwards instead of smarter and wiser.

Putting all that in the context of Malaysian politics. From what I can see from my personal point of view of the Pakatan's plan of taking over from the Barisan government in the next election in Sarawak; it is more of a propaganda and igniting sensitive issues amongst Sarawakians. Yes, we are peaceful people, and not forgetting, we hate intruders. We do HATE intruders spreading all sorts of lies, rumours and creating havoc in the state.

How can they equate the situations over in the Middle East especially Egypt to Sarawak? Is it really people's power of change to the country? One must be quite obnoxious to see the bigger picture of the whole fracas happening around the world. What we see, is merely the fabrication of what is actually happening deep inside. Let's take another example, our neighbour in Thailand during the clash of the Reds with the military. The Reds were supporting the past Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra as many thought he was framed and all sorts of allegations. But at the end of the day, such protests and street demonstrations has serious impacts to the country's security and economy.

How much does it differ between Middle East particularly Egypt and Sarawak in terms of democracy? Yes, it does. 50 years of independence and formation of Malaysia has given Sarawak much change and yes, Pakatan do agree with the vast development and even the freedom of speech. If the country and the state is ruled with dictatorship and also through military power, I doubt that they could even be represented in the State Assembly and Parliament. Political arena here in Sarawak and also Malaysia as a whole cannot be equated to Egypt and current protests in Bahrain and Libya. One must look at a bigger picture, it is actually the work of the military behind the scenes, not people's power.

I will throw a question to all the readers. Would you want to see 365 people die from protests and violence similar to Egypt? 3,000 civilians died in Tiananmen Square in 1989, and more will come from Bahrain and Libya. Figures may not mean anything to you, don't wait until you see it happen here in Sarawak, prevent it when you can. Think and choose wisely, do not be emotional. Remember to look at the bigger picture.

I think I need to change my blog layout. OVERHAUL.

2011-06-20T02:16:00.001+08:00

I need help. HELPPP!!! Hahaha, planning to change my blog layout soon, and getting my own domain to run my blog. Yes, I’ve been quite lazy these days to update my blog.

Flying off to Singapore tomorrow, back on Wednesday night after my two job interviews in Singapore. Woots! Wish me luck! Off to see the Merlion!

Rainforest World Music Festival 2011, HERE I COME!

2011-06-20T01:59:00.001+08:00

A big big thank you to Sarawak Tourism Board, and of course, Mr. Gustino for inviting bloggers from Sarawak Bloggers to attend and cover the 3 day event held at the Sarawak Cultural Village from 8th till 10th July 2011! Guess what, RWMF is also dubbed as one of the 25 best international festivals by Songlines Magazine! Here in Sarawak! 18 days to go, go and grab your tickets fast! Click HERE!

I was at the Cultural Village recently for a short briefing, and I can assure each and every rainfest go-ers out there, the organisers are doing their best to provide the best facility and making sure the best to all! Works are going on pretty well, and for photo-enthusiasts like me, I’m very assured, all photographers out there, you will be very, very satisfied this time. There will be a stage prepared for the photographers and the stage is lowered for the photographers to take their best photos during the concert. Other events will be on as well, besides the concert, such as the workshops and games. 22 acts from all around the world will be gathered here in the heart of Borneo, performing the arts and music of different ethnicities and culture. Where else can you get this?

I had loads of fun for the last two years, and hell no I’m missing it this year. Covering the whole 3 days, yours truly. More updates coming up!

Calendar of Events of Malaysian Basketball!

2011-05-05T02:32:00.001+08:00

MABA BASKETBALL CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR THE YEAR 2011

1) Jan – Feb 27^thAsean Basketball League(ABL)

2) April 9 – June 19 High School Basketball League(HSBL)

3) May 15 – July 31 University College Basketball League(UCBL)

4) May 28 – June 5 22^nd FIBA Asia Champions Cup Manila, Philippines

5) May 31 – June 05 MSSM Kelantan

6) June 2 – 12 SUKMA MABA Stadium, K. Lumpur

7) June 30 – July 10 10^th FIBA World U19 Championship for Men Liepaja, Valmiera, Riga, LATVIA

8) July 20 – 30 9^th World U19 Championship for Women Talcahuano, Puerto Varas,Valdivia, CHILE

9) July / August 33^rd William Jones Cup Chinese Taipei

10) MABA Referees Examination MABA

11) National Basketball League (NBL)

12) 9^th SEABA Championship for Men

(Qualifying for 26^th FIBA Asia Championship for Men)

13) Aug 21 - 28 24^th FIBA Asia Championship for Women Omura & Nagasaki, Japan

14) Aug 27 – Sept 4 47^th MABA 18 & Under Malacca

15) September 8^th SEABA Women Championship TBC

16) Hualien International Invitation Championship Hualien City, Taipei

17) Sept 15– 25 26^th FIBA Asia Championship for Men Wuhan, China

18) Sept / Oct 17^th Non-Chinese Basketball Championship Pahang

1^st SEABA U16 Championship for Junior Men

(Qualifying for 2^nd FIBA Asia U16 Junior Men)

19) October 5 -12 2^nd FIBA Asia U16 Championship for women (Urumqi, China)

20) October 18 – 28 2^nd FIBA Asia U16 Championshio for Men Nha Trang City, Vietnam

21) Oct / Nov 4^th Malaysian International Basketball Championship

22) November 11 - 25 26^th SEA Games Jakarta, Indonesia

23) December 20^th MABA/ MILO Lum Mun Chak Cup 16^th & Under N. Sembilan

24) December 53^rd MABA/ AGROMATE Agong Cup Perak

Tonight (I'm Loving You)/Only Girl in the World Cover Mashup

2011-05-01T12:52:00.000+08:00

One for today. I think I'm going to spend the whole day listening to songs from Youtube while reading up for my coming Final Professional Exam. Haha. Covers sounds a lot better than some originals. Serious?

I mean, Seriously.

Just a different taste

2011-04-22T16:42:00.001+08:00

Welcome to Kuching! A place like no other cities around Malaysia offering loads and loads of choices in food! Well, the first question is, where do you get a nice bowl of Sarawak Laksa? Most of you would recommend the usual spots at 3rd Mile, Tabuan Laru, Chong Choon, Choon Hui and etc.

How about Vegetarian Sarawak Laksa? Have you tried any yet?

It’s rather new, located by the roadside of Jalan Urat Mata, near the Jalan Song Commercial Centre, next to Young Su’s Ice Cream. Teck Xing Yuan Vegetarian Food, may look like a small shop, but they do offer a lot of choices of food to choose from.

If you’re looking for vegetarian food here in Kuching, there are a lot out there, so don’t misunderstand that it’s pretty hard to find any here. Even Muslim friends are all welcomed to try, it’s purely halal. Hahaha. There are quite a few here, ranging from big restaurants to small stalls. Good ones are hard to find, seriously. If you have never tried vegetarian food, you should. You’ll be amazed.

I ordered a bowl of Sarawak Laksa (RM 3.50) and Kolo Mee (RM2.80). If you think it won’t taste good, try it for once, you’ll know.

Overall, my review of this bowl of laksa, not bad for a RM 3.50 laksa. I liked the extra toppings, but as for me, the most important part of a bowl of laksa is the gravy soup. The gravy lacked the ‘ooomph’ factor in it, tasted quite diluted. Could’ve been better if it’s thick and there’s more sambal in it. Ratings? I’d say, 2 stars out of 5.

Next up, the vegetarian Kolo Mee.

Kolo Mee was okay, I would give 2 stars out of 5. And again, could’ve been better. The shitake mushrooms lacked flavour and the chilli wasn’t spicy at all. Haha, noodles were alright, toppings were good. Ingredients used tasted pretty good for a bowl of vegetarian Kolo Mee, but I wasn’t hyped up about it, honestly. Hahaha.

I’ll venture for more food around Kuching, looking at the few best vegetarian food we have to offer in Kuching!

Sarawak Decides today!

2011-04-16T09:54:00.001+08:00

Making my maiden vote today, I got to say, it is pretty exciting to cast my vote. Voting at the Kota Sentosa constituency, I woke up as early as 7.30 am to get ready.

Polling stations opened as early as 8 am for voters to register. Both young and old, coming in throngs to exercise their rights as citizens of Sarawak.

So it doesn’t matter whether you’re a Pro-BN or Pro-Pakatan Rakyat (Opposition), the most important thing is to fulfil our task as rakyat. Simple as that, this is democracy. We have our very rights to choose our leaders.

Kuching was pretty much having the normal routine day to day life, and when election kicks in, the whole state looked like having a fanfare parade. Pretty interesting to listen to both parties competing and vying to get votes from the people. Talks and talks, manifesto and poster wars, Kuching never looked the same again.

To all the young people of Sarawak, do register before the next poll. Exercise your rights, there is no use complaining all day, if you don’t fulfil your duty to cast a vote during elections.

No offense to any parties, it’s all rubbish all around after the elections. Posters, flyers, brochures strewn around the streets like the photo above. Lols. Want to see changes? Then don’t wait, make up your mind, decide wisely. VOTE for the future of Sarawak.

CHANGE for Sarawak, or TRANSFORMATION?

2011-04-16T03:22:00.001+08:00

Heart beats for more than a hundred times per minute, the day is today, later in the morning. The day Sarawakians decide, for the 10th State General Election.

Yes, it is, a prosperous year for Sarawak, and more will come in the near future. What lies ahead, for we, merely humans, only desires the best and plan for the betterment of our future. The rest, only God can decide for us.

I had an opportunity to be back, rushing back to Kuching from Serian to meet up with the aspiring State Representative for Pending constituency, Prof. Dr. Sim Kui Hian at his residence. It was a long journey for me, 60 km (about 45 minutes drive) from the city of Kuching, it was certainly a tiring trip to drive back to Kuching. Armed with loads of suggestions and questions to Dr. Sim, meeting up with two best buddies, Cyril and Fahri for the meet. I was told, there will be only 6 invited bloggers to the meet up, but more turned up, uninvited.

Waiting for Dr. Sim’s arrival for the meet up.

It was genuinely a meet up with the bloggers from Sarawak, it was unfortunate to see there were a lot of West Malaysian political bloggers who made their way to Dr. Sim’s residence and somehow took our ‘chance’ to convey our ideas, suggestions and opinions to build Sarawak for a better place.

Unidentified political bloggers from Peninsula Malaysia.

Before we all started with the discussion, of which the ‘original’ five invited guests includes myself, Cyril, Fahri, Kenny Sia, and another blogger named Sallehudin (from anotherbrickinthewall.wordpress.com). They started to have a heated argument at the living room, while Cyril, Fahri and I watched and listened closely to what they have to say. Honestly, I’m not quite happy with the ‘sudden invasion’ of the arranged meeting and discussion. Well, firstly, WE ARE LOCAL SARAWAKIANS, for goodness sake.

Dr. Sim shared his vision and efforts to help to bring Sarawak to greater heights.

Done with that rants. Let’s move on with the discussion. A lot were mentioned by Dr. Sim about his aspiration and plans to develop Pending to be a better place. Without doubt, I’m buying his idea. Although he spoke 'extensively’ about his career as a cardiologist, but that didn’t matter. If he’s a good doctor, he will be a good YB too. A former Josephian, an old boy of my own alma mater, he certainly has that ‘Josephian spirit’ in him to serve the lost, the last, the least and the needy. A humble man like Dr. Sim, is like finding a needle in a haystack.

There, opening up more opportunities to help the people of Pending.

The night lasted for about 45 minutes, and I managed to pose a question to him about the effort to groom and bring up the youth of Sarawak. He played safe, no doubt, he got to be careful with his words. Despite being a novice in politics, I foresee a bright future ahead if he is to be chosen as the Pending representative.

We want to see more positive changes for the people of Sarawak. Give me a chance and I will prove to you what I will try to do.

I’m not writing to show that I’m supporting Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat. I’ve tried to get an interview with the opposition, but well, all that didn’t get any reply at all. You decide, who you want to vote. Do you vote because you’re not happy with certain people and vent it through voting? Or do you want to have someone who can represent your voice in the State Assembly? In my personal opinion, being an observer in the politics, I have to say, may candidates are merely pouring in a lot of promises but they can’t fulfil any of them. Making lots of noises and criticisms, but the problem still arises. So, what went wrong? Who to blame?

Vote of Dr. Sim, you decide. Come to think about it, he resembled a lot like Abang Johari Tun Openg. Isn’t it?

Blame it on ourselves, because we are not wise enough to decide who we should vote to represent us. Be wise with our choices, the future of the state and the country is in our hands. 10 days of election campaigns, I’ve seen and heard lots of promises and propaganda. Yes, dear old Chief Minister Pehin Sri Taib has been there for 30 years, and he should step down. No doubt, but please, look at the whole picture. Look around you, what do you see? Is it better than the states in Peninsula Malaysia? Undoubtedly yes. The old ones got to go, the new ones ought to fill in the places and continue the glory for the people of Sarawak.

Question is, where are you, dear YOUNG VOTERS? Only 20% of the eligible young voters are registered. Ridiculously 20%. The state was not build in one day, my dear Sarawakians. Do you vote for ‘CHANGE’ or you are all for ‘TRANSFORMATION’?

I wish that Sarawak will have a better future ahead and I pray it will be a smooth election later in the morning. May God bless us all, we live for our state, dear beloved Sarawak.

The Battle of the History!

2011-04-13T03:40:00.001+08:00

Welcome to the battle of the year, or even the battle of this decade! Election fever is here in Sarawak! With a staggering 200 plus candidates fighting and competing for 71 seats in the Sarawak State Assembly, I believe this is going to be a great battle!

This will be my first time voting for elections, exercising my very right as a citizen of Sarawak, and Malaysia. No doubt, I’m very much into politics, but, I’d rather be a social activist, and I’m not inclined to any political ideology or parties.

Barisan Nasional: The giant alliance that ruled Sarawak since the formation of Malaysia

Ever since the nomination day back in April 6th, the whole streets of Sarawak from the north to the south, were all filled with posters and flags. It’s like a huge parade and ‘party’ for the whole state. It’s not for fun, but it determines the future of the state, be it in the opposition or the government, who ever delivers their promise and protects the welfare and rights of the people, you are clearly, rightful to be elected as the State Assemblyman.

So, despite being attached to Serian Hospital, I’ve sent out some requests to both Opposition (DAP, PKR) candidates and YBs, as well as Government (Barisan Nasional) candidates for a short interview. I’m not that interested and attracted to all of their manifestos and ‘promises’, it is best for me to find out what they can offer and convince me to vote for them. Yes, to convince you, all my readers out there.

Democratic Action Party (DAP) – Aspires to make a big change to the state of Sarawak with other opposition component parties (Parti KeADILan Rakyat, PAS) in Pakatan Rakyat

So far, I’ve requested to meet up with YB Teo Nie Ching from Selangor DAP, aspiring candidate for Pending, Prof. Dr. Sim Kui Hian, for an interview in my blog. If there’s a luck, I would like to interview both Datuk Alfred Yap (Barisan Nasional) and Kota Sentosa incumbent, Chong Chieng Jen (DAP) since both of these gentlemen will be vying for the Kota Sentosa seat. I’m voting for Kota Sentosa constituency.

Just a point to make, and in my honest opinion, I don’t really care much about all sorts of parties, what is more important is the elected representatives themselves. If these people are always in the service of the people, the passion to help the needy and provide the best for the ‘rakyat’, he or she is worthy to be voted by the people of Sarawak.

So, guys, be sure to check out the latest updates and interviews with the candidates!

Is it the Biggest Winner, or the Biggest Loser? You decide.

Lying in a death bed

2011-04-10T17:41:00.001+08:00

It was a sad story, rather, a real story of what I saw and heard during my night shift in the hospital. I mentioned earlier, yeah, I’m currently attached at the district hospital in Serian for management, I met an elderly couple in the wards, at night during my usual ward rounds to check on my patients.

Right at the end of the ward, bedded near the toilet, only to be accompanied by his 81-year old wife, there lying helplessly sick in bed. The 82 year old man was warded for his chronic illness, taken care by his old faithful wife, makes me wonder, where are all his children?

Sick, old, rejected and left alone. I couldn’t help but to feel very sorry to see an old grandma looking after his old husband. Having said that, she too had problems walking with sores and joint pains just to get some hot water for her dear old hubby. Cold, shivering raining night gave her chills but that have never stopped her to be by the side of her beloved.

I was awake the whole night during the shift, looking at the couple reminds me of my two old grandmothers at home. I asked her, “Hi ma’am, how are you?” She looked up and smiled. “I’m doing well, dear. Sorry to keep you busy to help my dear old hubby.” She told me she had a big family, 10 children, 5 boys and 5 girls. Eight of her grandchildren graduated from universities. But not even one of her children is by her side to look after their ailing father.

I made up my mind to take up nursing degree after my pre-university (Form 6), has been a blessing in disguise. I’ve seen many people from many different walks of life. And of course, the meaning of ‘empathy’. I’m appalled to see the bitterness of the reality; the fact that how people these days are treating their parents, this story for instance. 10 children, and not even one can even spend their so-called precious time to look after their parents? Other patients and relatives felt very sorry for this couple. My friends and I, and the other staff as well. Left alone, waiting and waiting. When the time comes, only then their children will learn the meaning of losing something invaluable and precious. Only God knows.

Serian, oh Serian.

2011-04-04T18:24:00.000+08:00

This is my second last week of my management posting in the Serian Hospital. Felt quite bored at times without my camera, and definitely paralysed without my DSLR. Then, it came to my mind, why don’t I give a try with my HTC Mozart’s camera, 8 Megapixels?

Here’s what I got earlier:

Streets of Serian

Lonely Ol’ Grandma

I’m the Purrr-suer.

Lone Path

Maxis, reliable as always

Life on windows

I’m starting to regret not bringing my DSLR along for this posting in Serian. Nevertheless, HTC Mozart works pretty well! Gonna scourge for durians in Serian! Wheee!!!

Meet and Greet session with the Prime Minister!

2011-03-31T09:58:00.001+08:00

Somewhere, somehow, I got an invitation from Prime Minister’s Office to attend the last ‘Mari Berjumpa, Mari Berhubung’ (MBMB) program held recently at the old Sarawak State Assembly banquet hall. It was rather last minute, informed through email about a week from the meeting. It was a brief morning tea with the Prime Minister, but worth the time spent.

I was supposed to emcee the morning session of the Tomorrow’s Leaders’ Summit at BCCK, but I was not informed earlier about emceeing though, but yeah, which one comes first isn’t it? Drove all the way from home to the Assembly building at about 8.15 am, and I thought I was late, PM was scheduled to arrive by 8.45 am.

Waited for him at the stage, arranged to take a group shot as soon as he arrived at the hall. The moment he got in, everyone rushed to the front to catch the ‘limelight’ to be in a photo, natural reactions I suppose, and I was standing at the back of everyone.

An acquaintance of mine from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), a lecturer was given a seat at the VIP’s table with Prime Minister, YAB Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib. Unfortunately, 2 ‘uninvited guests’ filled up the two seats which were supposed to be given to the 2 listed invited guests with PM. And yes, they were POLITICIANS. And again, I would like to stress this, POLITICIANS. Guess what, they were bugging PM the whole time and my friend had no chance to chat with the Prime Minister during the morning tea. How unfortunate! We both headed to the person-in-charge of 1Malaysia.com.my and complained to her. The tea session meet-up was supposed to be a more informal meeting, and invited ‘rakyat’ and guests should be given the chance to convey their message and spend a time with the Prime Minister.

It was unfortunate, the whole thing lasted for about an hour, and it was definitely less than that. PM was supposed to walk around the hall, from table to table to speak to the guests, he didn’t. There I saw, the two politicians ‘leeched’ on him the whole time. Trying to get a seat from PM I think for the coming elections. Unforgivable, they should’ve booked an appointment with the Prime Minister and see him personally. Gosh.

Back to PM. He gave a short address during the session, sharing about his life and his aspirations for the people of Sarawak. I must say, quite inspiring hearing from the Prime Minister himself. Only four questions were allowed and some of them were quite redundant and they honestly didn’t use that opportunity to get to know PM closer. How pathetic isn’t it?

Overall, it was a good effort made by the PM to come all the way from Putrajaya to Kuching to meet his online friends and rakyat of Sarawak. Kudos and two thumbs up to you Sir. Great to have the PM to speak to the people personally, no red tapes, no bureaucracy. And yes, to avoid any interference next time, particularly to those who were vying to be nominated as candidates, please, respect us as PM guests.

Desire for Coffee? Ah…YES.

2011-03-27T17:37:00.001+08:00

Thank God I had the time to drive back to Kuching during the weekend break, and yes, I’m still stuck in Serian for my one month management posting in Serian District Hospital. Nice place, just that..I love Kuching more.

I got to admit that I’m a coffee addict myself. Yes, I’m officially a coffee addict. Bing! Coffee is located about 200 metres away from my house, and Starbucks Precinct 88 Jalan Song is about 400 metres. How’s that?

I believe it is more than a trend or culture for younger generation here in Kuching spending hours at places like Starbucks. If it is because of the free Wifi, uhm, maybe not. On a second thought, coffee has been my favourite beverage since young and Starbucks ranked top in my list.

To all coffee-addicts out there, and students particularly, Starbucks Precinct 88 Jalan Song is currently promoting something rather attractive to all of you out there. On a note, I’m not paid by Starbucks to write this, but yeah, it’s the love for the coffee!

No kidding, 50% discount of drinks! I’ve asked the baristas at Starbucks Precinct 88, if you purchase any drinks from any Starbucks outlet in Kuching on that day (Spring, Kuching International Airport, Precinct 88), before 3 pm, you can show your receipt to redeem a drink at 50% discount.

There’s more…

If you’re a student of any local institutions, just produce your student card, and you will get an instant 20% discount! How’s that offer guys? Ah yes, new drinks are available in the menu this time, with Cocoa Cappuccino, something similar to Café Mocha, the taste is tad more chocolaty than Mocha.

Head on to Starbucks today!

Making the Change, Leaders of the Future: Tomorrow’s Leaders’ Summit 2011–Part 1

2011-03-24T22:03:00.001+08:00

Tomorrow’s Leaders’ Summit just ended recently; some may have seen it as a success, some didn’t. Personally, it was an eye opener.

First of all, I would like to thank Glenreagh Sdn. Bhd. (Nordin) for inviting Sarawak Bloggers to take part and cover for the whole 2 day event. It wasn’t an easy task to pull of a huge event, with such a high protocol of guests to the event, kudos too to the organisers, despite some hiccups there and here.

1. Tomorrow’s Leaders’ Summit Gala Dinner

I got a call from Benjamin Teo and Geoffrey to go and meet them at 4 pm that day, last Friday to be exact. Without knowing anything, right after my exams that day, I rushed over to BCCK to meet up with Geoffrey and Nordin.

Once there, I got a shock of my life. I’m supposed to be the emcee for the Gala Night. Ok..I’m co-hosting right? NO!!! I’m running the show alone! But, yeah, I’ve been through such events before, but definitely with scripts prepared at least a day before. I scrammed and rushed to the working room to prepare the scripts. I gotta say, I had good opportunities to emcee such dinner in attendance of high profile guests (Chief Minister, State Ministers, Federal Ministers, etc.). Thank God I had the experience dealing with such events before for the past few years. Fuh…

Group shot!

I had to stay there right from 4 pm, till the start of the event. I had nothing much on me, no blazers, wrong tie, wrong shirt, wrong slacks. Gosh. Fashion disaster! Called up Rodz, to collect my suit at home, and he arrived late unfortunately. Hahaha, but still, he managed to reach to BCCK on time. Yes, on time at almost 8 pm. Few minutes later, the guest of honour, YAB Pehin Sri Dr. Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, Chief Minister of Sarawak, arrived to the dinner with his new wife, Puan Sri Ragad Kurdi Taib.

Emceeing the event, see! I have a chaperon!

The whole event went well, with the lots of quotes and description about the TLS was prepared for my script. I took about an hour to prepare all those. It was short and simple event, but such high protocol event should not be taken lightly. Haha. I had a great time that night, taking photos and yes, emceeing the dinner!

Photo taken with the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Dr. David Osheroff and other bloggers.

(N.B. Photos courtesy of Rodz. I was busy emceeing the event, so yeah, didn’t manage to take many photos.)

More coming in the next post! Conference day and workshops!

The Horror.

2011-03-14T16:07:00.001+08:00

I received this email from a friend, sharing a story of a guy’s ordeal being innocently held by the police. True or not, it’s up to you to decide. If the story is real, I’m not surprised. Change is inevitable.

Subject: Stay away from pubs/bars/night clubs!

A normal & innocent life is changed to a nightmare for life long just b'cos of 1 innocent trip to pubs just to have fun with close friends.
take care.
These innocent people should take up the case against the police! In Malaysia nowhere is safe.
Better to have gatherings like ours, not going to bars or night clubs!
What started out as a regular night for a friend, whom I shall call Jack, and I, turned into something ugly. We and two dozen others were
detained, handcuffed, jailed, degraded, stripped, extorted and shamed.
This is a story of corruption and police abuse.
It was a drug bust at a famous night club in Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur. An incident that all of us, later proved innocent by hospital
chemical tests, will never forget.

The entry (Sept 24 - 10.30pm)
It was a great day, in fact, a great week, I was looking forward to
this weekend. Nothing special, just a night out for a glass of wine
and to Soda, a popular club in the area. Nothing could have forewarned
me of the humiliation that awaited.

Soda (12pm)
After the wine, we made our way to Soda. Some other friends were
already there. We had a few more drinks, enjoyed the music and the
company.

The raid (2am)
Came out from the washroom and there was a policeman on the
microphone. It was a drug bust, he announced and nobody could leave
until urine samples were taken and tested. Fine I thought. No problem,
just quickly take my urine and get it tested so I could go out and
grab something to eat.
Problem is, there were a few hundred of us in the club and they did
the test 10 at a time. From the time of the raid, it would end up
taking them more than two hours to check all of us.
My turn came and I did as instructed, urinated into the plastic
container and handed it over for the ‘on-the-spot’ test. They dropped
the container in the instant tester, left it in for about a minute.
The result showed that I had tested positive for five of the six drugs
on the list. I knew this was a mistake so naturally I remained calm.
I was then herded into a cordoned off area and had to wait till 7am
for the police truck to pick us up. While waiting, we requested for a
re-test but this was denied.
We were told that our urine samples were to be taken to a hospital
laboratory for conclusive tests.

The pick up (7am)
After a long wait, the truck finally arrived at 7am. We were not told
anything, we did not know what was going to happen. And when they did
tell us, the policemen came out with different answers.
We got into the truck. It was degrading because we were law abiding
citizens who had never done anything wrong, except probably speeding
on the highway. And here we were, being herded into a police truck
used for rounding up bad hats.
We were taken to the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters and made to sit
on the floor until 11am. We were treated rudely, one policeman had
even threatened to beat a fellow detainee. Mind you, we were all
proved innocent in the end and these policemen in the narcotics
department treated us like convicts and did not entertain any
questions. We did not know our rights, we were not informed of our
rights and the police took advantage of that.
We were later told to sign a document. When I tried to read the
document, I was told off by a policeman. “No need to read the
document,” he said. “Just sign!” Still in disbelief over what was
happening but confident that it will be settled by the afternoon, I
signed.
Till this day, I do not know what I signed.
At 11am we were again herded back into the blue truck. I did not know
where they were taking us.

Pudu Jail (11am)
The truck took us to Pudu jail, the disused facility, which once
housed murderers, rapists and drug dealers. This building was not
built to house people like us. Think of your saddest moment, where
your heart sinks and your spirit dies, and you would be able to relate
to how we felt.
Most of us were still in denial. We still thought that everything will
be fine and that we will be out soon.
We were placed in the prison yard and made to sit in rows of three. We
had not eaten or drank since last night, but we were not hungry. Then
a policeman showed up, a good ‘samaritan’. He offered us some bread
and water and proceeded to collect RM10 from all of us. That would
mean RM200 plus.
A few hours later we were put in handcuffs. Imagine being in a
handcuff, chained together with all the others and led out into the
street.
We were herded once again into a truck and brought before a magistrate.

The magistrate (1pm or so)
The magistrate was at the Cheras police station, we were told there
that there was no chance for bail because it was a Sunday and the
court was not open. I voiced my objection and requested for a re-test
for obvious reasons. We were told that the magistrate was powerless to
act on anything. All they did was read to us that we were suspected
drug addicts and that we will be remanded for 12 days until a court
date or bail was set. This was Monday at the earliest.
The entire proceeding was held while we were still in handcuffs and
chained together. I was later told that when I left the room the lady
magistrate had remarked, “All these rich kids, they are all like
that”.
Even the magistrate was blissfully ignorant of what was happening and
had decided on our guilt before a trial.
The proceeding was over within an hour and we were once again herded
into the blue police truck.

Back to jail (2pm - till the next day)
We are back in jail. Shortly after, we were called to sit on the
prison pavement again to wait for our prison clothes. Names were
called out individually. Each person was called into a room to collect
our prison clothes. It was a simple process yet took a long time. I
did not know why until some of the accused came out of the room.
While in the room, the police offered a cigarette in apparent
goodwill. So some of them took the offer. With such frayed nerves,
anything was welcomed to help take the pain away. After the accused
took the cigarette, RM10 was taken out of their wallets. A robbery had
taken place, and the robbers were the policemen, and they were walking
free… in jail.
They couldn’t steal from me though. Simply because I had no cash. I
had passed them to Jack’s mother when she came earlier. So naturally
they did not offer me a cigarette.
Prison clothes consisted of only a pair of track pants. Just a single
piece. No shirt, no underwear and no shoes. We were to stay in prison
with nothing else but a pair of pants.
When we made our way through the walkway into the main prison
compound, we were in shock. All the prisons you have seen on TV were
nothing compared to the horrid conditions of Pudu jail. Everybody in
prison was frail thin and bony. The only fat people were the
policemen. We were told to put our belongings into a cell and leave
them there, we were then made to strip naked and squat in front of the
other inmates. I had never done anything wrong in my life, why was I
being treated this way?!! It was degrading. It angered me.
After that was out of the way, we were put six to a cell, measuring 2m
by 3m. There were no beds, no toilet and no ventilation. Just concrete
walls and a concrete platform. If you wanted to urinate, you had to do
it in a bottle inside the cell.
It was now almost 6pm and all we had for three-quarter’s of a day was
a small piece of bread and a small bottle of mineral water. Food
finally came. It was indescribable. A pack of rice with a salted fish
head measuring no more than 4cm and two pieces of vegetable no larger
than a 50 sen coin. It was just meant to keep you alive. Just barely
alive.
We just sat there for the rest of our stay, being let out only to
bathe and defecate three times a day for 10 minutes. Some took the
situation harder than me. Somehow, the anger had numbed me. So I joked
and we talked, just to diffuse the situation and to allow ourselves to
forget this experience.
Then there was more daylight robbery and corruption. We were told that
our relatives could visit and that they could bring food and other
condiments and supplies to us... for a price! Yes… they were asking
for money even in jail. RM150 must be paid to them so the items could
be brought in.
However, that does not guarantee that the items will reach us. I had
friends whose relatives paid the police for the food to be brought in.
A whole bucket of fried chicken was reduced to three pieces and a
burger. Not only were the police corrupt, but they were sadistic and
sick enough to eat the prisoners’ food. Why they were all fat was no
longer a mystery.
Not only did we have to bribe them for food, but a single phone call
cost RM150, which must be paid by the visiting relative or friend.
Jack got away with RM50, supposedly credited to the policeman’s
pre-paid line by his mother. Somehow the policeman missed it and even
dared to SMS Jack’s mother after we got out, asking ‘where’s the
money’. Not only was it daylight robbery, it was daring and I guess he
must have felt invincible while wearing the police badge.
Take note that none of our parents or relatives were informed that we
were being held. We had to personally call them.
We spent the night in prison, sleeping on our bare backs on the cold
damp concrete floor. The air was stale, there were other inmates
yelling ‘tolong..tolong’ (help...help).
It was a dreadful and excruciatingly slow night. All we had was each other.

The courthouse (Sept 26 8am)
Morning came and a large group of our parents, relatives and friends
were waiting at the court house to bail us out. Most of them reached
there early and were informed that the bail documents would be out
first thing in the morning.
The bail documents only came out at 11am. And everybody was told that
they had to open a bank account, deposit the bail money and make it
back to the court house with all the paperwork in order by 12pm. That
was exactly one hour.
Everyone rushed to the bank, one single bank with only a few
operational lines. The queue was long and processing took forever.
According to my loved ones, it was the most stressing time of their
lives. Because if they did not make it back to the court house by 12,
then I would have to stay another night in jail.
A few ended up having to stay another night. Keep in mind that 22 of
us were proven to be innocent by clinical tests. Yet some of these
wrongly accused people had to spend three days and two nights in
prison.
We put on our civilian clothes and were once again handcuffed. Once
again, my heart died and my soul withered. We were brought to the
court and I was sickened once again by the antics of the policemen.
We were in the van going by the heart of Kuala Lumpur when these two
escorting policemen slid open the window and started whistling at a
woman walking down the street. These were our policemen.
We all reached the courthouse and were led through the street still in
handcuffs and in full view of the public and our loved ones. We were
told by the court that we will be set free on bail. We were given some
documents informing us where and when to collect the results of the
hospital tests for our urine and when to show up in court again.
We were told to collect our blood tests results from the Brickfields
police station on Oct 2.

The recovery
I got out on Sept 26. I was driving past the Kuala Lumpur Twin Towers
that night and I felt that it did not mean anything anymore. I used to
be proud to be Malaysian, the twin towers used to be a source of
pride. But now, all my nationalistic pride was gone, I had just been
treated like a criminal by my own country. A country which I loved…
used to love. I used to think that this country was beautiful. But now
all I see is a country so corrupted and dirty. No amount of washing
will clean away this feeling.

The verdict (Oct 2)
It was time to collect our results. We showed up at the Brickfields
police station where 22 of us were pronounced clean and had to make
our way to the court house. I asked for documentation to state that we
were clean. But the policemen said there was no documentation and that
they would call the court house to inform them. No documentation in an
advanced economy like ours, this was unacceptable.
Nevertheless, we all made our way to the court house and there, we
were proclaimed innocent and free to go. Again, I asked for
documentation to state that we were cleared of all charges and that we
were free to go. But there was no documentation. No black and white.
So technically, we had to trust the word of this court official, whose
name or rank we did not know.

The anger (now till justice is served)
The 22 of us will never be the same again. Malaysia will never be the
same again.
I was once a fun loving jovial person. Food no longer taste good, the
sky seems perpetually cloudy and everybody I meet looks different.
My girlfriend had asked if this experience had changed me. I replied
‘maybe’... and she cried.
The writer, who preferred to remain anonymous, is a working
professional in Kuala Lumpur sickened to the bone.

So now, what do you think about it? Is the story true? Or maybe not? It may seem real, or even fictional. I suppose, I would like to visit the inmates someday to see it for myself. They may be convicts or criminals, but not to forget, they are human beings too.

Tomorrow’s Leaders’ Summit 2011

2011-03-03T15:33:00.001+08:00

Something to lookout for this month in March? Ah yes, I’ve been missing for the past few ‘decades’ a.k.a. weeks and weeks from blogging. Much need to be settled and graduation is coming soon anyways.

Talking about conferences and meetings, many youth will definitely shy away from participating in any of such events. Rest assured, I strongly believe that youth in Sarawak are always eager to ‘indulge’ themselves into ‘serious’ and intellectual yet exciting talks and discussions such as the coming Tomorrow’s Leaders’ Summit 2011 which will be held from 18th to 20th March 2011 at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching, Sarawak.

So, what is this all about?

It’s all about engaging youth into developing a high-income youth in Malaysia, and of course, youth in Sarawak. Lots of programmes were planned and lined up during the three-day event, and rest assured, you will be ‘mesmerised’ and definitely excited and in high spirits when you attend the summit.

Here’s the excerpt from their press release given earlier:

Tomorrow’s Leaders is all about ensuring that Leadership Skills are developed in inculcated into the Youth.

As Malaysia pushes to become a developed nation and shifts to a high income economy. The need to develop human capital has never been more apparent. Some 75% of Malaysians are under the age of 40, the demands of this group will shape the future of the country like no other group in the history

As the country continues to make strides in development it is the Youth, Tomorrow’s Leaders, that are demanding a more rounded approach to development that is sustainable and inclusive, which begs the questions:

How do we develop the leaders of tomorrow’s?
Who will be the leaders of tomorrow’s?
What impact will this group have on your business?

Tomorrow’s Leaders Summit – Call for Speakers for the Unconference

What is an Un-Conference? – You tell us

What is the subject? – You tell us

What is important to the Youth? – You tell us

The findings of the discussion points of the Unconference will be incorporated in the Borneo Youth Declaration. The Unconference will be held as a parallel session at Tomorrow’s Leaders Summit. If you are interested in speaking and want to to have input please let us know.

So there you have it. Artists, actors, well-known entrepreneurs, Nobel Laureates, you name it. All will be in Kuching! Where else can you gather that many people at one time? That’s not the only thing, this is the place that you can speak up and offer your opinions apart from learning from the successful speakers for the conference.

Head on to http://www.tomorrowsleaders.biz/ if you would like to know more~!

Gathering of the Tribes

2011-01-20T01:20:00.000+08:00

First ever Gathering of the Tribes held in the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) was great and I have to say, an eye opener for many.

Whenever you see a person with a tattoo, we tend to generalise them as gangsters, drug users, bad-eggs, etc. Talking to the organiser of the three-day expo of tribal tattoos around the world, Mr. Abel Jaboh, you will definitely hear a different view from a tattoo enthusiast like him.

Gathering tattoo artists all around the world; Malaysia, Indonesia, Russia, Italy and many more, the ‘gathering’ is certainly a great platform for the public to get to know closer with these artists and body-art enthusiasts; they’re the best people to explain to you.

Highlight of the gathering, they managed to get a famous tattoo anthropologist, Dr. Lars Krutak, host of Tattoo Hunter featured on Discovery channel. Exhibition of his works were held there as well, and yes, I managed to get my first-hand experience up-close with Dr. Lars Krutak.

I was there on the second day of the three-day gathering. The guest-of-honour, was none other than Dr. Lars Krutak himself and ‘miring’ ceremony was held in the honour to grace the event in ‘Sarawakian’ style. Lots of events and activities were lined up during the three-day event including traditional music shows, games, tattoo talk, and lots more. It does have that Rainforest World Music Festival ‘feel’ throughout my visit to the expo.

Kudos to the organisers, and I strongly believe, with stronger publicity and support, Gathering of Tribes will be as successful as the Rainforest Music Festival. Let’s call it the Festival of Tribes. Celebrating music and culture together in one place. Fun, isn’t it?

Here are some photos from the Miring Ceremony:

Opening Dances:

Around the Gathering of Tribes:

Around the Gathering of Tribes!

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Kamek nait belon Firefly!

2011-01-19T01:04:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday, marked the historic first maiden flight for Kuching-KL route from Firefly. Yes, another airline taking an initiative to come over to Kuching, offering more options and definitely, competition for the lowest prices for budget fares.

I guess many Sarawakians may not have heard Firefly before. Just a gist of it to all; Firefly is a subsidiary company from Malaysia Airlines, offering budget flights mostly in the Peninsular Malaysia, taking over the flights from MAS, flying from South to North and East to West. Now, Firefly offers flights from Kuching-KL as well as Kota Kinabalu-KK. How great is that?

Firefly maiden flight to Kuching touched down in the City of Cats!

The opening ceremony was graced by the Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister, Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Dr. George Chan that morning. When Firefly’s Boeing 737-800 jet touched down at the runway, they were greeted with a ‘unique’ way by spraying two jets of water forming an arch before docking at the terminal.

Step one…

Step two…

It’s finally here! Welcome to Sarawak!

When Firefly announced their new route to Kuching and KK, I was delighted to hear about it. Which means, there will be more affordable flights available for all! Along with other passengers, Firefly flew in some media representatives as well as bloggers from KL. Here in Sarawak, a few bloggers were flown to KL as well.

Tan Sri George Chan greets the first passenger from Firefly!

Here’s a gift for you!

Welcome, welcome kids!

After the welcoming of the passengers at the terminal, we were then brought into the jet for a look with the guest-of-honour and greeted by the pretty stewardess and pilots. Quite similar with other jets like Air Asia, but I think, this is a good and healthy competition. At the end of the day, customer is always right.

Thumbs up for Firefly!

Served by pretty ladies ey?

The official press conference was held at the conference room of the airport’s VIP lounge and attended by various media representatives, and of course, Tan Sri George Chan himself and Ms. Angelina Fernandez, Firefly’s Head of Media and Communications.

Notice that tagline, Kamek Nait Belon Firefly? Cool!

Ms Angelina Fernandez giving her welcoming speech and introduction of Firefly.

Guest of honour, Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Dr. George Chan delivering his opening speech.

Thanks again to Sarawak Tourism Board and Firefly for inviting Sarawak Bloggers as media partners to cover on this event. Hope to see more next time! Visit Firefly for more info and booking!

Movie Review: Gulliver’s Travels

2010-12-26T03:39:00.001+08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Writing this review in the wee hours of the Boxing Day sounds pretty weird, it’s 4 am and I’m still up. Gosh.

Watched Gulliver’s Travels last night at MBO Cinemas. I guess most of you haven’t right?

Not a remake of the old Gulliver’s Travels originally written by Jonathan Swift in 1726, that’s about two centuries ago! The film did not adapt the original stories from the book, but mainly shows the very first part of the novel when Lemuel Gulliver (the main character), travels in the sea and shipwrecked in Lilliput. Found himself awake as a prisoner of a race of people one twelfth the size of normal human beings.

However, in this edition of Gulliver’s Travels directed by Rob Letterman starring Jack Black, the story is definitely different from the original writing. The movie started off showing Lemuel Gulliver (Jack Black) working as the ‘Head of Mailing Unit’ of a company, housed in a small room in a building. Working for 10 years, Gulliver is seen as the biggest loser guy with no girls and balls to even ask a girl out. He had a crush on Darcy Silverman (Amanda Peet), a journalist and writer of the New York Tribune. At one time, he wanted to express his feelings for her, and yet again, he FAILED. He gave an excuse saying that he travels around a lot in many places and how he wished to write his experiences for the paper. He LIED.

Like many people would do, copy-and-paste from the internet. He wrote a SUPERB article about his ‘travel’ to Panama and Mexico. Darcy offered him to write about his experience at the Bermuda islands. Yes, the Bermuda Triangle. That’s where Gulliver ended up in Lilliput.

The rest of the story, watch it yourself. All in all, this is a good movie. Rotten Tomatoes gave a 4.2/10 rating for this movie, and mostly negative reviews. Honestly, if you want to have a good laugh and enjoy the movie with your family and friends, this is worth your money. Jack Black never fails to make me laugh out loud in the cinemas! Personally, I’d rate this movie 6.5/10. The whole plot seemed rather stupid, but…come to think about it, that’s the whole POINT! Have yourself a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year watching Gulliver’s Travels!

Starbucks Christmas Cheers 2010

2010-12-24T07:49:00.000+08:00

It’s Christmas eve today! Counting down the last few days of 2010 and ushering the new year of 2011! New resolutions, new goals.

I find it the right time for me to post about last weekend’s Starbucks Christmas Cheers for local loyal customers and bloggers held at the Starbucks, tHe Spring Mall. I was there last year at Starbucks Precinct 88, and it was definitely a blast for me!

This year, with a larger scale, executives from Kuala Lumpur were flown in to Kuching to celebrate Christmas with ‘yours truly’ fans and customers of Starbucks and also kids from the Salvation Army orphanage. Both young and old, enjoyed the whole evening ending the night ushering the coming Christmas!

I was there a little earlier at around 5 pm, instead of 7.30 pm. Managed to get some shots of their preparation for the party.

The evening started off with choir groups from Maestro Music and Hope Church singing carols in front of Starbucks.

Young performers from the Maestro Music House.

Carols from Hope Church.

Group photo!

And another one!

It was simple, yet sweet memories for all who came over for the Christmas Cheers with Starbucks. It is the time of sharing, instil the spirit of giving to the needy. The idea of gathering loyal customers and needy children together brought in the sense of understanding and sensitive towards others, especially to those in need. Nevertheless, Christmas is also a time to spend with our family and friends, none other than in Starbucks!

Clowns entertaining the children, Uncle Jacky!

Starbucks Cheers Team and the Clowns!

Baristas of Starbucks!

Colouring time!

I need more colour pencils!

MC’s of the evening, Carol and Khairul.

Coffee tasting time. Customers were given some tips of coffee tasting and appreciating coffee.

Trying their best to guide the invited guests.

There’s no fun without some games, right?

Pin da tail! You can do it!

Sharing is caring!

Peek-a-boo!

Here comes the Santa!

Kids! Get ready for more gifts!

Scrammmm!!! We want all!

Sarawak team and KL executives!

More games!

Singing carols! Here’s the season to be jolly..

Dance till you drop!

Cutting of Christmas cake with Mr Sidney and representative of Salvation Army.

Celebrating 12th Anniversary of Starbucks in Malaysia!

Group photo at the end of the event!

Thank you very much to Starbucks for inviting me to attend this meaningful yet exciting Christmas Cheers. Last but not least, I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and God bless!

Sarawak Tourism Board Media Appreciation Night

2010-12-17T00:00:00.001+08:00

Sarawak Bloggers once again made it to the limelight when we were invited to the annual Sarawak Tourism Board Media Appreciation Night held at the Absolute Tribal, The Hills Shopping Mall recently, or should I say, last night!

Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Rashid Khan presenting his welcoming speech to all the media representatives.

With 300 and more bloggers affiliating with Sarawak Bloggers, it was mind-boggling to all of the core team members when we first started the community group since March 2010. We didn’t expect we will go this far, and best part of all, to be recognised as a media partner by the state tourism board! Thank you once again, STB!

Founder of Sarawak Bloggers, Cyril Dason (left), in conversation with Mr Michael Lu, STB’s Head of Channel Management.

I must say, the food was great! Hospitality and good gesture from the Sarawak Tourism Board was simply fantastic. I do hope we can have more cooperation with Sarawak Tourism Board next year for more events and projects! After all, don’t think that bloggers write about gossips and entertainment only, we have our code of ethics and responsibilities as ‘media’ and online reporters as well to fulfil in the aspect of ‘giving back to the community’.

It’s all home-brewed Tuak and Red Wine from Absolute Tribal Restaurant! Buffet for the food-craving people!

The event started off with a welcoming speech from STB’s CEO, Datuk Rashid Khan, thanking all the media representatives for their contributions in the state’s tourism industry. Without the cooperation from the media, both online and paper dailies, Sarawak’s tourism industry will not have achieved that far without the media support.

Beautiful ambience and decors in the restaurant!

A glass of wine anyone?

I just love the tribal and homely interior designs of this restaurant! Kudos to the owner! Good food too! Fusion of local Malaysian and Thai cuisine, not to be missed!

The event went on as the dinner commenced in a buffet style, and I have to say, food was great! We too had a great discussion with Mr. Michael Lu of STB with future projects and changing the mindset of the people towards bloggers, that alternative media and online media plays a very important role to reach out to the larger community in the aspect of educating the public. Nevertheless, many would still prefer prints as their source of news, but as the technology advances and moving towards environmental-friendly economy, I won’t be surprised that one day, all prints will be replaced with an online daily on iPads or Kindle.

Fahri’s plate of fried thai rice, salad, tom yum and many more!

The highlight of the night was a stand-up comedian from KL, Mr. Andrew Netto! Flown in from West Malaysia, at the young tender age of 23 years old (I’m 23 years old too!), he is one hella funny-hilarious dude! Trust me, you must be there to listen and watch his performance!

Andrew Netto, man of the night, stand-up comedian from KL!

Cyril, Amiey, Fahri and I didn’t go home empty handed. We were also given a souvenir pen from STB (Thank you very much once again) although we had a chance to win lucky draw prizes (iPod Nano, flight tickets to KL, Mulu, Miri, Singapore, Japan and New Zealand!). All well that ends well, Sarawak Bloggers made a historic day when we were recognised by the Sarawak Tourism Board that night! Kudos!

Cyril Dason receiving the plaque certificate from STB CEO, Datuk Rashid Khan, on behalf of Sarawak Bloggers.

Starbucks Birthday!

2010-12-16T22:44:00.001+08:00

Blogging from my favourite coffee place, non other than Starbucks! The aroma from the freshly brewed Starbucks coffee just keep my feet up and going to start my day and I do admit that I’m quite addicted to coffee, not just because of Starbucks but I need coffee for my work!

Dear Starbucks fans! Tomorrow marks the 12th Anniversary Celebration of Starbucks Malaysia, 17th December 2010, but make it every year in your notebook because, it’s free coffee giveaways from 10 am to 12 pm tomorrow!

To all Kuchingites, don’t miss this ONCE A YEAR free coffee giveaways!

Happy Birthday to Starbucks Malaysia!!

PS: Go to Starbucks Precinct 88 (Jalan Song) if you would like to avoid traffic congestion. Just my 2 cents. Hahaha, you can go to Spring or KIA Airport if you like to!

Manquant dans l'action!

2010-12-03T02:13:00.001+08:00

I realised that I’ve not been blogging for the past 3 months. That’s a quarter of a year. Freaking long right? Sorry guys, I have been busy with my studies, and lots of work.

Manquant dans l'action (Missing in action). That’s in French. Yeah, French gets people ‘sexcited’ when they speak. Language of romance, what most people would refer to. Speaking of which, I think I want to take up some languages in the future, who knows, I might be travelling around the world next time!

Well, some updates! 3 months on hiatus has been a crazy work for me. In September, I was in Gua Musang, Kelantan for 2 weeks. The 46th MABA National Under 18 Basketball Tournament was held, and I was the official photographer for the Sarawak boys and girls team. It was a hella experience for me to take photos and write press releases as well. Cool isn’t it?

My travel experience with Air Asia!

Sarawak boys clinched 3rd place overall! Congratulations!

Not to forget, I had a short photoshoot outing with my best friend, Kenneth, before he left for Aberdeen, Scotland to further his studies in masters. It has been a long time since I saw him, and we had lots of fun walking around the streets of Kuching, even travel in the sampan across the Sarawak River. Hahaha…reminiscence of the good ol’ days.

Lens flare!

Awesome view from the sampan of the famous Kuching Waterfront!

Who says Kuching City is not as good as other places? You’re wrong!

September ends with a blast, October comes with a bomb! Practicals, practicals and more postings! I was busy with my practicum in Sarawak General Hospital in September and October for my Nursing Elective. 2 months spent gave me a lot of invaluable experiences in the surgical department. I spent most of my time taking care of patients from the acute bay, in other words, critical patients. I can say, I’m very much influenced by my mother’s work, yes, she’s a nurse for the past 30 years, lots of experience in the Intensive Care. I got influenced too. Hahaha..

My friends and I posing for a group photo!

In the midst of the posting, I was following some of the local basketball tournaments of which I need not elaborate much! Right after the practicum in the hospital, I was posted to the old folks’ home (Rumah Seri Kenangan) for another month. Hectic isn’t it? I must say…it was a heart-wrenching journey there. You must experience it yourself.

Final year Nursing Degree students!

Spending quality time with the elderly.

Happy faces of the residents!

We ended our practicum with a happy but sombre mood. Nevertheless, I myself had build a strong rapport with the residents, and I felt like home spending time with them. How many of us would understand their needs being left alone? We will never know how they feel.

The practicum ended in November, ah yes, my birthday! Thanks a lot to my buddies and all the wishes! Final semester exams and bang! Holidays!! Not exactly…it means more work! I’m grateful that I was elected as the organising chairperson for the coming 2nd UNIMAS Nursing Students’ Conference 2011 next year, and yes..one hell of a big big burden for me! It is exciting, no doubt, but lots of responsibilities to handle. Another thing in my hand is my final year research, so much to do yet so little time left. Buck up, NORMAN!!

Here’s some of the photoshoots I had during the past 3 months:

(Top left: Bryan Sim; Top right: Nelson Voon; Above: Bernard Yong)

That’s all for now. December just came in, and I’m flying to Bintulu in a matter of a few hours from now. More updates from the Nationals Under 16 Basketball Tournament there! Be sure to check out latest news and updates from http://www.sarawakbasketball.blogspot.com !

Street Photography!

2010-08-30T17:22:00.001+08:00

Waking up on the Sunday morning, is something pretty ‘tough’ for me. Ah, of course, it’s a SUNDAY! The very first Street Photography session by Sarawak Bloggers featuring Robin Wong as our guest ‘sifu’ of the day!

Robin emphasised that street photography and photography per se, is not about ‘just simply take shots of images’. It’s all about the Vision. The ideas and composition of the things that you see, and the image you want to capture. There are things that others can’t see from your point of view, and it is important to capture that photo with your personal composition, to make it your ‘own’ composition of a photo. Remember, there are tips and tricks out there, but the basis of street photography, is the ‘art of seeing’.

We practically walked around the main city area, starting from the India Street, Electra House, Gambier Street, Carpenter Street, Old Chinatown, Padang Merdeka and back to the Old Court House. 3 hours of photographic journey, worth it. Nuff said, I’ll post some of the photos here.

For more photos, you can view them in my Facebook photo album.

十八般武藝 The 18 Martial Arts – Leehom Wang 王力宏

2010-08-21T16:17:00.000+08:00

Released just a week ago on the August 12th 2010, Wang Lee Hom, the Asian-dubbed Elvis, finally launched his 14th album of his 14 years of career. The 18 Martial Arts, ‘chinked out’ style of music, never fails to mesmerise his listeners.

I’ve been a fan of his music ever since I heard his long-time favourite song, The Only (Wei Yi) 唯一 about 10 years ago. Leehom is in his thirties, but his music is always at its top. The album is currently selling like hot cakes, and I managed to get this album for RM 50, and it was the last copy. Yes, nevertheless, it’s pretty expensive, but music is just invaluable.

The concept of the album inspired by Ang Lee and Jackie Chan, both famous for their contribution to the martial arts movies. This year, 2010, Leehom proudly directed and produced his first ever movie, Love in Disguise 戀愛通告, released concurrently with his new album.

The 11 tracks in this new album, so far there are two favourite tracks I can’t get my mind off it. Soundtracks from his new movie, Love in Disguise. Simply marvellous. Two favourite tracks, 你不知道的事 (Things that You Don’t Know) and 柴米油鹽醬醋茶 (The Daily Necessities of Life) just made my day better. Wonder how does it sound like?

The Daily Necessities of Life

Things That You Don't Know

I must say, Chinked-Out genre sounds pretty cool, fusion of Western and Chinese music creates a good combination. Not the music genre, but using Chinese traditional music instruments to create a contemporary music is a work of a genius. After all, Leehom scored perfect 1600 SAT score back then.

Here’s the list of the tracks available in this album:

0-1 Dragon Dance

0-2 杜U Love Me

0-3 十八般武藝

0-4 你不知道的事

0-5 伯牙絕弦

0-6 柴米油鹽醬醋茶

0-7 美

0-8 需要人陪

0-9 天涯海角

0-10 你不知道的事(宋曉青版)

0-11 自己人

Why wait? Get the originals, and yes, free poster and specially made house-shaped keychain when you buy the original CD!

Sarawak Bloggers’ Street Photography!

2010-08-21T03:47:00.000+08:00

Ever wonder how to snap that nice photos of your friends and family? No worries, Sarawak Bloggers is going to have a Street Photographer session to all bloggers with any sort of camera; Compact, Prosumer and even DSLR. But please, don’t feel intimidated just because some of use are using ‘Tua Ki’ (Big, Huge) DSLR cameras..like I do. MUahahhaa…just kidding. Proudly supported by Robin Wong and SHIOK!, gathering some of our local photographers to share some tips and techniques of capturing the best moments in street photography.

Interested, be there to join us, and do drop an email in the Sarawak Bloggers website for more information. See you there!

Grand Margherita: Macam-macam Ada!

2010-08-21T03:31:00.000+08:00

I had a chance to have a taste of what it is like to berbuka puasa, although I’m a vegetarian myself. Having said so, FOOD, is my favourite kind of thing. Come to think about it, some might be saying, “Hey dude, you’re the vege guy. There’s nothing for you to eat here. Don’t waste the money la..”

What a shame. As if I have to eat grass? Nah…

What about this?

And this?

Hundreds of choices to be chosen. Beginning of the fasting month doesn’t mean that we have to eat all the food at one go! Take a step, one at a time. Plenty, plenty of food around! In my honest opinion, “The Original Macam-macam Ada” buffet dinner by Grand Margherita Hotel is the biggest and largest buffet in town. Why bother cramming around the Ramadan bazaar?! Eat all you can; there’s Chinese, Indian, Western, Middle Eastern, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Indonesian, and 1Malaysia favourite dishes. So you don’t have to go each and every places in Kuching to search for different types of food for berbuka puasa, Grand Margherita Hotel offers the best, the largest, and the most variety choices of food!

With over 188 flavourful dishes served daily throughout the month of Ramadhan, this buffet dinner also features carvery delights from the Middle East, live cooking stations and authentic Penang hawker specialty such as Char Kueh Tiaw, Assam Laksa, and Hokkien Prawn Mee served fresh and hot by chefs flown in from Penang itself.

Start off on a memorable culinary experience with the chef’s selection of appetizing Chinese Cold Cut and also the ever popular red dates which has become an important part of breaking fast ritual. Do not miss out on the Ramadhan specialties such as the Gurame Goreng San Cabek, Opor Ayam Kluwak, Ayam Bumbu Ketumbar, and Pepes Ikan Mas from Indonesia as well as cuisines from the Middle East namely Dajaj Lafat and Kofta Bil-Tahina.

Also available is the Indian food selection featuring Briyani Rice with Condiments, Thandoori Murg, Roti Nann and also Potato Samosa, Wok Fried Mix Vegetables, Cangkok Manis Masak Lemak dan Labu and Tumis Sayuran for vegetarian diners. For those with a sweet tooth, indulge in the seemingly endless dessert list of Soft Iced Cream, Kuih Nyonya, International Pastries, Sago Gula Melaka and our popular local dessert Bubur Cendol Sungai Bedil to name a few.

Happening for the first time since the recent hotel renovation, patrons have a choice of dining at the refreshed Orchid Garden Coffee House or enjoy the scenic view of Sarawak River from the pool side. The coffee house is tastefully decorated with its floor-to-ceiling glass walls and vibrant coloured interior. In the heart of the coffee house lies the island styled show kitchen where interaction between diners and chef is very much encouraged.

The Original Macam-macam Ada buffet dinner is a month long promotion happening from 11th August to 9th September 2010. A popular choice for diners, seats are being snatched up quickly and so to avoid disappointment, early reservations should be made at 082-423 111 ext 1109/1158.

Love ya’ Greens!

2010-08-11T15:58:00.000+08:00

Not feeling well today, and I missed out my hospital attachment. Gah! Well, maybe I should post up daily photos to keep my blog updated. I’m still writing my 2nd part of Rainforest Music Festival. Still bogged down with more work. I’m in my final year!!

Sarawak Governor’s Birthday Tea Party

2010-08-10T00:45:00.001+08:00

8th of August, residence number 88. What a number isn’t it? Well, that’s the birthdate of our Sarawak’s Governor who just turned 89 years recently. It was a long trip to Lundu, of which I got lost along the way.

I was invited as the state exco member of Red Crescent Sarawak to attend the tea party and I didn’t regret making the decision to attend on behalf too! Governor’s private residence was located near the Rambungan beach, how’s that?

Unfortunately, I didn’t take many photos as I was busy eating. Hahaha. I left Kuching at about 11.30 am and headed to Lundu town (wrong direction actually), stopped for a lunch while looking for directions. I was accompanied by the office driver, Stampin Chapter’s Chairman and Secretary. We went around asking for directions, even drove to Pandan Beach. Gosh! We finally reached his residence at Kampung Stoh, Lundu at about 2.30 pm, and we were supposed to be there at 2 pm.

The event started at about 3 pm, with prayers and cake cutting. Managed to go up close with the Governor and his wife, congratulated him on his birthday. What an experience! At the end of the day, I was given a souvenir by the manageress of Astana, and all the guests as well. Guess what, a watch! Fun fun weekend after all!

Rain festival…or rather Rainforest World Music Festival!

2010-07-27T01:30:00.000+08:00

Ah finally! I got the time to blog a little about the recent or rather an event held 2 weeks ago in Sarawak Cultural Village, ‘berkampung’ for 3 days there. I must say, I do look forward every year to take part in this wonderful, EXCITING music festival every year! Uhm…besides the mud, music was great!

Started from 9th to 12th July 2010, I only managed to go for the first two days. Yeah, it was raining like hell on the first day, and also on the final day for the finale. Hell, I missed the last one. All in all, it’s truly a place to be, WORLD STAGE for international music performances, and lots more…PARTYYYY!!

The famous Jerry Kamit performing with his group.

Let me break it down for you, let’s start with the first day. Managed to get the tickets even at the eleventh hour, won’t tell you guys how, but I got it at a very very reasonable price. Cut short the stories, back to the performances. When I arrived there with my other two crazy friends, one looking like David Archuleta, while the other one, Mr Potato. Hahaha, I’m just joking! It started raining when the first group from Indonesia, known as Debu, performed on stage, mixture of Asian Arabian music with some Islamic verses. They made it very very contemporary that even Non Muslims could even appreciate the beauty of these verses in music. So you see, Music encompasses all religion and race, and of course, know no boundaries. Everyone was so hyped up, grassy plains turned to mud, but still, rain or shine, that will never stop the party!

Right after that, it was Jerry Kamit and the group’s turn, Bakih. Sape never fails to mesmerise everyone with it’s great tune and music. The tone itself is so relaxing and hell yeah, it’s not easy to play a sape. In case you don’t know what is ‘Sape’, it is a string instrument similar to the guitar, but without the hole that you see in the conventional guitar. The sound produced is also different, with the original Sape having 3 strings rather than 6 or 8 strings now. Jerry and his gang played some traditional and contemporary mixed music up on the Tree Stage. Oh yea, there were two stages set up during the night concerts; Main Stage and Tree Stage.

The rain stopped, and the party continued. Next in the list of performers was a group named Layatharanga. I’ve always love Indian traditional music. I remembered when I was young, I loved to watch Hindi movies, not the sappy love stories, but the dance and music that attracted me the most. Oh yes, kudos to the management and organiser of this year’s Rainforest Music Festival, the stage was great, and the lighting was simply AWESOME! Tabla, drums, and more drums sets all the mood, and got everyone up on their feet and dance to the beat. And yes, DANCE in the MUD.

Layatharanga was remarkable, and they ended with a bang! Caesar, Jacky (my two best buddies) and I went for a short break, and we took a snap with them too! They’re awesome!

A snap with Layatharanga!

After a short break, the night continued with more excitement, this time, music from Italy! Land of love and great food, the birth of pizza and lasagna, Renaissance of Music also started in Italy as well! They called themselves “I Beddi”, not sure and I can’t remember much what it meant, but Friday night was a blast with the Italians!

iday night performances were great, and simply awesome! Part 2 or Day 2 of the Rainforest World Music Festival 2010 up next with more stories and photos!

Please check at Sarawak Bloggers for more information regarding the coverage of the RWMF ‘10 as well!

Audition with Miss Malaysia 2008, Soo Wincci

2010-07-04T23:22:00.000+08:00

Called up quite last minute by Mike Cheng, again to go to Level Up Fitness earlier. Miss Malaysia 2008, Ms Soo Wincci is here in Kuching, looking for potential male actors in her latest MV shoot, to be shot in Bau, Kuching. Surprised? Yes, ME TOO!

Who’s Soo Wincci? Miss Malaysia turned artist and singer. Soo Wincci recently released her EP this year, sold for about 5000 copies. She looks real pretty in person, and of course, she’s very very friendly.

Look who’s there too! Johnston Foo!

Few aspiring men turned up for the audition held at the Level Up Fitness, Travillion in Kuching. There were a few judges including Bjarne Wong, Kenny Sia himself, and two others, unknown. Some were quite funny as well, and at the end of the day, congratulations to Mr. Bong Cheng Tzuu, as he will be featured in her new MV!

Smile for the camera!

Selected candidate of the audition, Mr. Bong Cheng Tzuu.

And…one for myself with Miss Malaysia!