Saturday, December 17, 2011

Christmas " tree " in Borneo Convention Center



is three storey high ...







Saturday, December 10, 2011

Saturday Satire : A brief history of medicine

 


I have an earache.

2000 B.C. - Here, eat this root

1000 A.D. - That root is heathen, say this prayer.

1850 A.D. - That prayer is superstition, drink this potion.

1940 A.D. - That potion is snake oil, swallow this pill.

1985 A.D. - That pill is ineffective, take this antibiotic.

2000 A.D. - That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Kampua mee

The noodles ,
thicker and smoother than
normal Hong Kong-style won ton noodles,
were chewy and springy and cooked to perfection

 I  noticed the fried shallots are very good
– fried just right so you get that sweet onion flavor
without a bitter burnt aftertaste

Thin slices of lean roast pork complete the garnish

 The chili sauce is viscous and sweet,

with a bit of vinegary tartness and a light chili bite






Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Unperturbed by the unbearable heat

Here is one good natured plant 








Photos taken with iphone 4

Sarawak in summer heat

Look how dry the tree bark looks









Even the Florist Paintbrushes are looking dry



Wednesday, May 4, 2011

The Hottest Kid is here !



So they tell me





hmmm ... right !


Charming !


On a less hot news,
 
Selena Gomez joined her boyfriend Justin Bieber 

in Malaysia and 

that seems to be all the evidence 

that was needed to confirm 

that the two are very much in love




Now, I know Selena from the Wizards of Waverly Place

But who is this Justin Bieber ?


So I googled and ... wow...

coming in real 3D to a cinema near you!




Is this another  Sci-fi  like   Back to the Future  ?


Maybe not



Here is a photo of Justin with his fans



Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Monday, April 25, 2011

Saturday, April 23, 2011

The Captain's Cat



The Captain's Cat has gone over the wall 

and climb on the neighbor's car




Time for the neighbor 

to read 

" How to Get Cats Off Your Car "



If you are interested, this is the link to his blog :



Captain's Photogallery





Friday, April 15, 2011

Reflection before polling day

A Veteran of Sarawak politics, 

Sim Kwang Yang ( also known as SKY ),

was the first to spearhead a democratic movement
in this part of the world

Beaten often before, 

now tired and old,

he reflects on the eve of the polling day :




We have come to the eve of yet another general election for our representatives 
in the state assembly in Sarawak
My first brush with electoral politics in Malaysia 
happened 33 years ago, in 1978

I was in Kuching for the summer vacation, 
a break from my university course in philosophy
I had already enrolled in graduate school, 
intending to pursue a PhD in that obscure subject
I read in the newspaper that a group of Kuching people 
were trying to set up a new branch 
for the DAP ( Democratic Action Party )
I knew nothing about the DAP 
and did not know their secretary-general Lim Kit Siang
But I have always been convinced 
that democracy is good for the people, in Sarawak or elsewhere
So I walked up to the local contact person and signed up as a member

Not long after that, 
a group of local DAP members paid me a visit 
and invited me to a meeting
I went to the meeting and was duly elected as secretary of the Kuching branch
Very soon, I was sucked into the maelstrom of their local political activities

In 1979, the assemblyman for Padungan passed away suddenly, 
and a state by-election was held soon after
I was nominated as a party candidate in Padungan, 
contesting among a field of five
I had to learn the ABCs of party politics quickly, 
and I was handicapped by my poor command of Mandarin at the time

In the by-election, the independent candidate won the contest, 
and I obtained the second highest number of votes
That gave me great encouragement for the future of politics in Sarawak

During that time, I was already a Landed Immigrant in Canada, 
with a scholarship to study in philosophy
I decided to give up my future in Canada, 
and started to build my career in politics in my beloved homeland
I worked almost full-time for my party, the DAP
In 1982, I contested again 
and won the parliamentary seat for Bandar Kuching for the first time
My involvement in party politics then became total, 
when I began work in my position as a member of parliament.
In total, I contested eight times in various elections, 
and I won elections for my parliamentary seat three consecutive times

When I retired in 1995, 
I was much weakened physically, 
by my problems with my health, 
and in particular with diabetes
I had to quit from active politics, 
and I have retired since that time
My poor health has been my Achilles heel, 
especially after I suffered from a stroke early last year

Throughout my political career, 
I have heard many of my friends express their fear of politics
They would rather leave the cut and thrust to the professional politicians, 
and they often grumble that politics is too dirty for them

My involvement in active politics at the front line, 
over almost 20 years, has taught me many things about life in general, 
and about politics in particular. 
It was very frustrating to work in the negative atmosphere of fear 
that is prevalent in our society
This is my chief complaint about my constituents, 
because they fear every shadow that moves in the darkness, 
when most of the time there was nothing to fear at all
The people were frightening themselves half the time
Looking back 32 years later, 
I am glad I participated in active party politics, 
though I have nothing to show for it in material terms, 
except a pension
I still think that politics need not be dirty
It is as clean as you make it to be
But you have to learn to be critical about yourself, 
and adhere to the highest moral standards of public service

From experience, 
I have learned that the worst enemy of the politician is his own ego 
All politicians must remember to guard against hubris, 
and the danger of his or her own pride
I have seen many politicians destroyed 
by the greed of their own heart
The best politicians are the humble leaders of the people
All politicians must treasure the sense of humility, 
no matter how high they climb

So, we are now on the cusp of yet another state election
Like all elections in the past, there will be winners and there will be losers
After the election, all parties and candidates must conduct post-mortem examinations,
to identify their weaknesses and strengths during the campaign period
It is part of the work of any politician to learn from the mistakes of the past, 
and derive strength from their achievements

Win or lose, we are all Sarawakians

We must serve the people first and foremost




Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Monday, April 11, 2011

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Sarawak Election : A Fair and Balanced Perspective


The sleeping giant awakes

Sarawak is said to be a Sleeping State

In the next 10 days , 

watch this site for 

a fair and balanced perspective




The Constituents




The Candidates








The Colors





Saturday, March 26, 2011

Kuching Kingfisher


Kingfishers are a group of brightly colored birds 
with short legs and tails,
big heads, 

and long powerful beaks
They eat insects,
small vertebrates, 
and fish and 

are almost always associated with water
They nest in burrows in the ground, 
in tree trunks, river banks, or termite mounds

It is said that the seven days 
prior to the shortest day of the year in December
is the time to build their nests and 
then seven days afterwards to hatch the eggs





This Kingfisher is often seen perching on the high wire

near my house



Sunday, March 13, 2011

A Chinese Pond Heron

This heron readies to pick up a fish 

in the Chinese Garden 

in Kuching ,  Sarawak







Saturday, March 5, 2011

Persistent Periwinkle Presses On

Here is a plant which came with the weeds

After being weeded out twice,

it has persistently grown back



Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Color camouflaging

It is not unusual to go on a nature walk

and not see any animals

How could you when animals are so good

in color camouflaging ?

Can you spot a piper by the creek ?




Photography blog    and    Art blog  

at




and






Wading in the water




On a hot day, the coolness of the water is calling









Photography blog    and    Art blog  

at




and


Monday, February 14, 2011

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Welcome to Paradise

Life over here is like fishing

Take it easy and relax




Photography blog    and    Art blog  

at




and



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