happy birthday to me. contrary to what was being shown in the picture, i am not 5 years old or 50 or 500! i am just sixteen.... *eggs thrown at me*
Saturday, 19 July 2008
... years ago
happy birthday to me. contrary to what was being shown in the picture, i am not 5 years old or 50 or 500! i am just sixteen.... *eggs thrown at me*
Friday, 18 July 2008
a little boy...
.JPG)
i have a nephew and he's 5 years old. he's currently in kindergarten 1 at the sacred heart primary school.
he's such an adorable boy. and i could not think of my family without him today. his coming into our lives caused a big heartache initially. we were not sure of whether to or can accept him. we were hit by a crisis so big i would think i could never face the world normally again.
but this boy slowly creapt into our lives and into our hearts too. gosh, i have tears welling in my eyes as i was typing this. he's such a smart and talkative boy. although we always scolded him for being so generous with words, i would say that was what made him endearing to us. he acts like an adult; he's a mini adult. he behaves and talks more mature than any little kid i know.
.JPG)
he's very close to my mum and he even thought my mum is his mum and my dad is his dad. he's close to me too although i suspect he's just using me to have all those toys and fun in park/arcade. ;p
our hope for him is to grow into a useful person. i hope he will understand that everything we did was for his benefit.
some of his antics
.JPG)
boy, how we love him...
Friday, 11 July 2008
Does S’wak’s future lie with Malaysia?
by Dr John Brian Anthony | Jul 3, 08 4:10pm Malaysiakini
Looking at the physical development of Sarawak, it lacks so many things even the most basic needs - roads, water, electricity, education and health. Why are we still so dependent on river transport? Why are Sarawak trunk roads in such poor condition and lack proper facilities for drivers?
Why is clean drinking water so difficult to get and there is still no electricity for dwelling places that are located in some urban areas and most sub-urban areas. Where is the money from our timber? Has it gone into the pockets of elite businessmen and corrupted politicians and civil service officers?
A timber tug boat operator now owns one of the largest timber companies and has hundreds and thousands of acres of plantation land - how can that be? It can be when the chief politician makes it so. In the process, the people of Sarawak are deprived of their wealth generated from the valuable tropical trees that the natives have held so dear to their heart.
The jungle is the major provider of their needs. For the rich man, he sent in gangsters to his estates to subdue any Dayak from making complaints and demanding for a better living standard. The Dayak got the wrong end of the stick in all cases.
Money from oil? Many are asking what has happened to the money we get from the oil royalty? We are now suffering from an oil price hike so when did we enjoy the money from our oil then? The price of gas cylinders for cooking is reaching $180 per tank in rural Sarawak. The natives cannot understand such products that are produced in Bintulu - from Sarawak’s gas field - are priced that high.
The West Malaysians are paying much less and they are the ones that have no gas when we take the Terengganu equation out.
Why are we not seeing good schools and good health care for Sarawak’s rural folks? The ‘Flying Doctor’ service is still too limited while billions worth of hospitals are built in West Malaysia - not one but many. In Sarawak, the Sarawak General Hospital was built maybe four decades ago. Do we have a new one - the answer is ‘no’.
We do have new expensive private hospitals though the poor rural folks have no chance of using them as they don’t have the money.
Money from hydro-dams? The Batang Ai hydro dam has forced the relocation of people living in the area. There is no land to expand their farming activity and the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Salcra) provides only minimum wages for their work in the plantations and a low return for their shares in Salcra. The government has shortchanged the people.
The same government headed by the same person after 30 plus years is ignoring the plight of the poor people in Lubuk Antu. You just need to go to Lubuk Antu - what major economic activities have been implemented there? The answer is none as the government’s idea of helping the poor is by not training them to have skills and knowledge to better themselves.
Some Dayak leaders are there to ensure that the Dayaks do not progress and are therefor easier to control for political gain.
Is electricity made available to the longhouses and villages in nearby areas? The answer is ‘no’.
The Bakun dam is near completion. Is it going to benefit Sarawak poor - the answer is ‘no’. It will feed the richer West Malaysian states and provide power to their industries.
Why don’t they relocate their industries to Sarawak? Because it is too expensive and Sarawak lacks basic infrastructure, it lacks skilled workers, it has limited port facilities, a poor transport system, it lacks towns that can provide comforts for the employees, etc.
This goes to show that the rich grab the poor man’s resources but are not paying for such resources in the correct manner. Otherwise why are the poor getting poorer? Why should we still stay with Malaysia?
Money from palm oil? Where is the money earned from plantations? We all know that the biggest plantation companies are from West Malaysia and Umno-linked companies. Just go to their offices and the senior management teams and managers are West Malaysians. The field supervisors and labourers are local Sarawakians - we can’t help but feel ‘colonised’ and made second-class citizen of Malaysia.
Our prime land is taken to feed West Malaysians. We feel very disappointed and hurt by this attitude. It is time for Sarawakians to think about leaving Malaysia. Leaving Malaysia - why?
Sarawak has not received what is due to them.
Sarawak has been sidelined and ignored - no senior positions in the federal civil service, no senior members in the police and army, no important positions in the cabinet. The Sarawak bumiputera is a ‘fourth class’ citizen, behind the major races in West Malaysia.
We didn’t join Malaysia to only learn to speak Bahasa Malaysia and have Islam as our official religion. We did not join Malaysia to champion ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ and be made used of by Umno elitists to further strengthen their grip on political power and wealth.
We want justice, we want equality, we want respect and we want dignity in our lives. We do not need to bow, kneel and plead for what is rightly ours. We want our own money to develop ourselves and be able to live a better life.
From this frustration with the BN government under Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, we are even thinking of leaving Malaysia. It has brought us untold misery and frustration with its poor leadership and poor planning accorded to Sarawak.
Furthermore, why has the federal government not approved the Dayak community’s wish to form their own political party known as the Malaysian Dayak Congress? They should ensure that the races are represented by political organisations of their choice.
We want to have our political freedom of choice and association. We do not want to feel that there is ethnic genocide in Sarawak too. Sarawak for Sarawakians.
It is the very policy and structure of BN government that is causing Sarawak to lag behind so far from the rest of Malaysia. The Sarawak leader can shout nonsense that the Dayaks are equal to the rest of the Malaysian population etc because he wants to feel good about himself - he who has overstayed his welcome and value.
He has made certain elites in the community rich beyond their wildest dreams. Have these elitists helped Sarawak’s poor - the answer is still ‘no’
Looking at the physical development of Sarawak, it lacks so many things even the most basic needs - roads, water, electricity, education and health. Why are we still so dependent on river transport? Why are Sarawak trunk roads in such poor condition and lack proper facilities for drivers?
Why is clean drinking water so difficult to get and there is still no electricity for dwelling places that are located in some urban areas and most sub-urban areas. Where is the money from our timber? Has it gone into the pockets of elite businessmen and corrupted politicians and civil service officers?
A timber tug boat operator now owns one of the largest timber companies and has hundreds and thousands of acres of plantation land - how can that be? It can be when the chief politician makes it so. In the process, the people of Sarawak are deprived of their wealth generated from the valuable tropical trees that the natives have held so dear to their heart.
The jungle is the major provider of their needs. For the rich man, he sent in gangsters to his estates to subdue any Dayak from making complaints and demanding for a better living standard. The Dayak got the wrong end of the stick in all cases.
Money from oil? Many are asking what has happened to the money we get from the oil royalty? We are now suffering from an oil price hike so when did we enjoy the money from our oil then? The price of gas cylinders for cooking is reaching $180 per tank in rural Sarawak. The natives cannot understand such products that are produced in Bintulu - from Sarawak’s gas field - are priced that high.
The West Malaysians are paying much less and they are the ones that have no gas when we take the Terengganu equation out.
Why are we not seeing good schools and good health care for Sarawak’s rural folks? The ‘Flying Doctor’ service is still too limited while billions worth of hospitals are built in West Malaysia - not one but many. In Sarawak, the Sarawak General Hospital was built maybe four decades ago. Do we have a new one - the answer is ‘no’.
We do have new expensive private hospitals though the poor rural folks have no chance of using them as they don’t have the money.
Money from hydro-dams? The Batang Ai hydro dam has forced the relocation of people living in the area. There is no land to expand their farming activity and the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Salcra) provides only minimum wages for their work in the plantations and a low return for their shares in Salcra. The government has shortchanged the people.
The same government headed by the same person after 30 plus years is ignoring the plight of the poor people in Lubuk Antu. You just need to go to Lubuk Antu - what major economic activities have been implemented there? The answer is none as the government’s idea of helping the poor is by not training them to have skills and knowledge to better themselves.
Some Dayak leaders are there to ensure that the Dayaks do not progress and are therefor easier to control for political gain.
Is electricity made available to the longhouses and villages in nearby areas? The answer is ‘no’.
The Bakun dam is near completion. Is it going to benefit Sarawak poor - the answer is ‘no’. It will feed the richer West Malaysian states and provide power to their industries.
Why don’t they relocate their industries to Sarawak? Because it is too expensive and Sarawak lacks basic infrastructure, it lacks skilled workers, it has limited port facilities, a poor transport system, it lacks towns that can provide comforts for the employees, etc.
This goes to show that the rich grab the poor man’s resources but are not paying for such resources in the correct manner. Otherwise why are the poor getting poorer? Why should we still stay with Malaysia?
Money from palm oil? Where is the money earned from plantations? We all know that the biggest plantation companies are from West Malaysia and Umno-linked companies. Just go to their offices and the senior management teams and managers are West Malaysians. The field supervisors and labourers are local Sarawakians - we can’t help but feel ‘colonised’ and made second-class citizen of Malaysia.
Our prime land is taken to feed West Malaysians. We feel very disappointed and hurt by this attitude. It is time for Sarawakians to think about leaving Malaysia. Leaving Malaysia - why?
Sarawak has not received what is due to them.
Sarawak has been sidelined and ignored - no senior positions in the federal civil service, no senior members in the police and army, no important positions in the cabinet. The Sarawak bumiputera is a ‘fourth class’ citizen, behind the major races in West Malaysia.
We didn’t join Malaysia to only learn to speak Bahasa Malaysia and have Islam as our official religion. We did not join Malaysia to champion ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ and be made used of by Umno elitists to further strengthen their grip on political power and wealth.
We want justice, we want equality, we want respect and we want dignity in our lives. We do not need to bow, kneel and plead for what is rightly ours. We want our own money to develop ourselves and be able to live a better life.
From this frustration with the BN government under Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, we are even thinking of leaving Malaysia. It has brought us untold misery and frustration with its poor leadership and poor planning accorded to Sarawak.
Furthermore, why has the federal government not approved the Dayak community’s wish to form their own political party known as the Malaysian Dayak Congress? They should ensure that the races are represented by political organisations of their choice.
We want to have our political freedom of choice and association. We do not want to feel that there is ethnic genocide in Sarawak too. Sarawak for Sarawakians.
It is the very policy and structure of BN government that is causing Sarawak to lag behind so far from the rest of Malaysia. The Sarawak leader can shout nonsense that the Dayaks are equal to the rest of the Malaysian population etc because he wants to feel good about himself - he who has overstayed his welcome and value.
He has made certain elites in the community rich beyond their wildest dreams. Have these elitists helped Sarawak’s poor - the answer is still ‘no’
Sunday, 29 June 2008
coldplay - viva la vida or death and all his friends
i got a hold of coldplay's latest album - viva la vida or death and all his friends
according to wikipedia, Viva la Vida (Spanish for Long Live Life) takes its name from a painting by 20th century Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
my simple review of the songs:
01. life in technicolor - great intro, unfortunately it is not a song
02. cemeteries of london - i can actually feel jack the ripper walking through the lonely streets of london singing lalalalalalala le looking for his next victim.
03. lost - i'm 'lost'
04. 42 - there's different tunes of music in part of this song. sounds good.
05. lovers in japan/reign of love - i can see this is another hit. reign of love sounds like a lullaby
06. yes - nothing to shout about
07. viva la vida - one word - great!
08. violet hill - i can actually feel the pain of this song. if you love me, won't you let me know?
09. strawberry swing - a hint of country.
10. death and all his friends - nice arrangement of song
another excellent album from an excellent band. get a copy if you haven't.
a moment in kuching
this is actually a continuation of my previous post. after kota kinabalu, we went to kuching for the next work assignment. in the flight, sat next to a jap/korea guy who looked like richard gere. he was a spontaneous and friendly person, offering his meal which he didn't take and wanting to borrow my copy of newspaper. :)
arrived in kuching quite late at about 9pm. somebody picked us up and proceeded to holiday inn hotel where we would be staying. upon checking in, was told my original booking has been cancelled even though i have given them my credit card details to secure the booking. however, the staff quickly gave a replacement at the same price as my booking. an upgrade you may call it. initially had an impression that the hotel was old and need refurbishment but to my delight, it was a nice hotel. there's no 'old' feeling there except maybe the chairs at the dining area that in my opinion need replacement. some of the views of the my room which costs rm161/night.
a view of the small sarawak river from my room's window.
the next day went for shopping (my friend) along the old bazaar. she bought many things include batik sarawak which costs rm10/piece, kain pua rm24/piece,
kek lapis(layered cake) rm10/pc (you could get rm45/9 pcs) and last but not least gambir sarawak. i as a local didn't know what is gambir sarawak. thought it was just some fruit to be taken like mangoes or mangosteen. it was actually small thin pieces sold at rm10/6 pcs. now that was expensive. it was used for medication purposes and also used in the 'union' between man and woman, if you get my drift. it could prolong the time between ejaculation so i read the notice pasted on the pillar. wait till i get married first then i would not the effectiveness. hahahhh..
arrived in kuching quite late at about 9pm. somebody picked us up and proceeded to holiday inn hotel where we would be staying. upon checking in, was told my original booking has been cancelled even though i have given them my credit card details to secure the booking. however, the staff quickly gave a replacement at the same price as my booking. an upgrade you may call it. initially had an impression that the hotel was old and need refurbishment but to my delight, it was a nice hotel. there's no 'old' feeling there except maybe the chairs at the dining area that in my opinion need replacement. some of the views of the my room which costs rm161/night.
a view of the small sarawak river from my room's window.
the next day went for shopping (my friend) along the old bazaar. she bought many things include batik sarawak which costs rm10/piece, kain pua rm24/piece,
kek lapis(layered cake) rm10/pc (you could get rm45/9 pcs) and last but not least gambir sarawak. i as a local didn't know what is gambir sarawak. thought it was just some fruit to be taken like mangoes or mangosteen. it was actually small thin pieces sold at rm10/6 pcs. now that was expensive. it was used for medication purposes and also used in the 'union' between man and woman, if you get my drift. it could prolong the time between ejaculation so i read the notice pasted on the pillar. wait till i get married first then i would not the effectiveness. hahahhh..
Friday, 27 June 2008
kota kinabalu, land beyond the wind
kota kinabalu is a nice town situated on the tip of borneo island. i had the priviledge of going there on a work assignment recently. the last time i went there was in the year 1996 on a school club trip.
i took erl to klia with my colleague and reached the airport 50 minutes before departure. we are booked on mas airline. it would be different if we took airasia. with airasia, you need to be checked in at least 50 minutes before as the counter is closed 45 minutes before departure. if you did not arrive on time, no begging, complaint or wailing will be entertained and they will inform you need to buy a new ticket. i know because my dad has experienced it. damn airasia! it left me bitter but what a hypocrite i am because i still fly with airasia. i couldn't help it because the fare is much cheaper than mas.
ok back to the point. we reached the check in counters and boy, was there a long queue! and i was thinking, oh my we might miss our flight! luckily we managed to find a free counter and checked in ourselves and our luggages. then we proceed to the departure lounge. when i was inside the plane, i realized it was a boeing 737.
later on, i learnt it was a transit plane on its way to narita airport, japan. i told my friend we could just stay on board and made our way to japan!
the screen at the back of the seats in front functioned. when i was last on a 737, it wasn't switched on at all. the screen was an informative one, showing the distance and time between our former and intended locations both in numbers and geographically.
forgive me for the bad pictures. they were taken on camera phone as i didn't have my camera with me.
we stayed in hyatt hotel. initially intended to stay in le meridien due to recomendation by a friend but unfortunately it was fully booked. another thing, le meridien was also situated in front of the famous philipino market or better known as pasar filipin. i guess it was named such because the traders were originated from the philippines. overall, hyatt hotel was satisfactory. the room was spacious with its english like decorations. however, there was not much variety in the buffet breakfast.
views of the room. it costs RM254.50 nett per night.
i know this. this was a tradional musical instrument of the sabahan. it was put on top of the tv.
the view of the rooms opposite.
i like this picture. it was a view of the dining place from my room.
after completing our work assignment, we made our way to pasar filipin. bought some pearls for mum and sis. bought dried sea cucumbers, squids, abalones, anchovies and prawns because they were cheap!(according to my mum)
the prices:
salt water white (slightly pinkish) pearl necklace, bracellet and earings: rm70
salt water pink, purple pearl bracellet: rm20
sea cucumbers: rm280/kg (medium) rm240/kg (small)
squids: rm10/pack (medium) rm8/pack (small)
abalone: rm380/kg
anchovies: rm7/pack (medium)
prawn: rm24/pack (better quality)
we were told we were given these prices because we brought one of the locals with us. i didn't know how far it's true but it certainly helps!
kk is a nice town situated beside the south china sea. this is just one of the nice view taken during our ride.
i took erl to klia with my colleague and reached the airport 50 minutes before departure. we are booked on mas airline. it would be different if we took airasia. with airasia, you need to be checked in at least 50 minutes before as the counter is closed 45 minutes before departure. if you did not arrive on time, no begging, complaint or wailing will be entertained and they will inform you need to buy a new ticket. i know because my dad has experienced it. damn airasia! it left me bitter but what a hypocrite i am because i still fly with airasia. i couldn't help it because the fare is much cheaper than mas.
ok back to the point. we reached the check in counters and boy, was there a long queue! and i was thinking, oh my we might miss our flight! luckily we managed to find a free counter and checked in ourselves and our luggages. then we proceed to the departure lounge. when i was inside the plane, i realized it was a boeing 737.
later on, i learnt it was a transit plane on its way to narita airport, japan. i told my friend we could just stay on board and made our way to japan!the screen at the back of the seats in front functioned. when i was last on a 737, it wasn't switched on at all. the screen was an informative one, showing the distance and time between our former and intended locations both in numbers and geographically.
forgive me for the bad pictures. they were taken on camera phone as i didn't have my camera with me.we stayed in hyatt hotel. initially intended to stay in le meridien due to recomendation by a friend but unfortunately it was fully booked. another thing, le meridien was also situated in front of the famous philipino market or better known as pasar filipin. i guess it was named such because the traders were originated from the philippines. overall, hyatt hotel was satisfactory. the room was spacious with its english like decorations. however, there was not much variety in the buffet breakfast.
views of the room. it costs RM254.50 nett per night.
i know this. this was a tradional musical instrument of the sabahan. it was put on top of the tv.
the view of the rooms opposite.
i like this picture. it was a view of the dining place from my room.
after completing our work assignment, we made our way to pasar filipin. bought some pearls for mum and sis. bought dried sea cucumbers, squids, abalones, anchovies and prawns because they were cheap!(according to my mum)
the prices:
salt water white (slightly pinkish) pearl necklace, bracellet and earings: rm70
salt water pink, purple pearl bracellet: rm20
sea cucumbers: rm280/kg (medium) rm240/kg (small)
squids: rm10/pack (medium) rm8/pack (small)
abalone: rm380/kg
anchovies: rm7/pack (medium)
prawn: rm24/pack (better quality)
we were told we were given these prices because we brought one of the locals with us. i didn't know how far it's true but it certainly helps!
kk is a nice town situated beside the south china sea. this is just one of the nice view taken during our ride.
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