Sibu Flood Returns, Again & Again

Teh C Peng waters return to make Sibu people wet and happy

Yup Kampua Town is flooded again, for the I-don't-know-how-many-times already since December. With the King Tide on his throne, the affected spots are the usual flood-prone Sibu areas; Lanang, Tua Pekong/Express Wharf, Kpg. Nyabor, Delta, Kpg. Nangka, and the rest I can't confirm, haven't explore around to see the full damage. For those who wanted to go to Venice but facing budget constraint due to the global economic crisis, do come down to Sibu where you'll get all the water you'll ever need. Comes in 3 colors; Cincau, Milo Peng and Teh C Peng. Do bring your umbrellas and raincoats as the flood season is accompanied by unpredictable rain. For a personal tour around the beautiful Sibu waterways, you can personally e-mail me and I would gladly show you around (valid until 7th February, I'm not in Sibu again after 7th). However do take note that if we ever get the warning from Kanowit that they are 6 feet underwater, prepare yourself as you will experience an exhilirating massive evacuation unseen in Sibu history.

Kancils & Parkings

I'm not sure about you guys but this sure happens A LOT to me! Sibuians should know that parking space is a rare commodity in Kampua Town, so whenever a potential parking space is spotted we're :D but 90% of the time =___= by these little Daihatsu Miras @ Perodua Kancils. They always seem to blend in nicely and tucked in deep between two medium sized cars. So now I don't really put high hopes whenever I spot a parking space in a congested area. There is still a lot of things to master on the road and guessing whether a Kancil is hidden is a gruelling 50-50 chance game.

Just Some Random Photoshopping

"The Rainy Old Airport"

Apocalypse Now 2: EconCollapse

"...the global economy will come to a stand still..." -IMF 2009

That IMF dude's quote gave me goosebumps, or it could have been the cold wet weather. Anywho it doesn't take one to be an economic analyst to see the effects of the global economic crisis. This year's CNY was a good indicator how bad the people are faring. This year it is strangely quiet, and very few friends and colleagues call and ask me to come over for a visit unlike years back. Looking at innocent kids receiving their ang pows was :) but looking at the face of the givers, it was obvious things aren't looking good for them. Sure enough it was talk about "haihz there goes my one month salary", "yeah had to reduce, because I'd be broke with all the 56 kids" etc.

Hell even several shops were seen closing down and replaced by new ones, only to be closed down a few weeks later. People are spending less while stuff are priced higher and higher. Even if the price was lessen, the people will still spend less, breaking all the rules of economic model one learns from basic Economics 100. This is truly a crisis worth to be called Great Depression II, or something more epic. For now I'm gonna spend here and there on basics and whatever little luxuries to cheer me until the economy recovers (IF it recovers, a BIG IF) in 2-5 years time.

Big Sibu Traffic Jam

Mysterious massive traffic jams mysteriously hit the main roads of Sibu, mystery continues

Yup after the two days CNY holiday the movement on the roads of Sibu was S.L.O.W. I assumed it was the businesses that needed to move after the four days break but it could also be the fault of the malfunctioned traffic lights at several points in Kampua Town due to floods (or neglect). Anyways the jams continues in the newly paved Civic Center-Sing Kwong road.

And the Sibu Bus Terminal is a danger zone as vehicles from all 6 directions are either playing courteous Malaysians or reckless hantu jalan. So far everyone I met there were kind enough to allow each other to pass by. The Kpg. Nangka road is still heavily used despite new Tun Abg Hj Openg road, which annoys me as I still had to wait 2-10 minutes to reverse out of my house (I though the road would be peaceful again lke 10 years ago before it was upgraded, alas). And then there's the occasional flood accompanied by the King Tide which force the drivers to ignore rules and stuff.

Be careful on the road out there, it's not a place for people with zero patience and fresh P newbies.

CNY 200: Year of the Ox

Gong xi fa chai to all and a happy niu year! As expected it was another rainy CNY, followed by a not so happening festive mood. It's understandable since the economic slowdown and the weather was getting in the way. Soggy RM1200 fireworks is no fun at all.

Anywho for CNY dinner was a bit more cheery, with roughly 30++ members of the familias from the Sibu region came together, in addition to a Mirian member who happened to be in town and minus a few more dozens who are outstationed. And this year, I felt awkward because I'm the only 20 year-old member of the clan since others are busy with their semesters in Egypt or Japan. So the age gap was there and I was either playing with the young ones or being bullied from the elders asking (jokingly) when I'm getting married haha. Still a long way chico, for now I'm gonna see what this turbulent (or so they say) year will bring. May the new year brings prosperity and good health to all. No worries I won't ask for ang pows, I kinda grew out of that phase already :)

Eclipse in East Malaysia on 26th January

Heroes wannabes prepare themselves for the big day with hopes of becoming the next Hiro Nakamura

Yeah, on 26th, Monday and Chinese New Year, at around 4:30PM most parts of Sarawak (especially the southern regions) will be experiencing the annular eclipse. Too bad Sibu won't be seeing the full diamond ring effect as seen above, it's more of a crescent like this. You guys can read more about the eclipse here, and do check out how it will look like at your place.

Since it's 4:30PM Kuching time, most of south Sarawak will be engulfed in premature night since the eclipse lasts 4:30PM onwards, so by the time the eclipse is over it's night already. What a cool and somewhat worrying event to be seen this early in 2009, and on CNY.

Avanza vs Getz, Ham Wins

Whoever wins, we lose our money in road taxes and the wee little RM1 pink overparking ticket

Today was a hectic and cruel day for me. Since early morning odd jobs that needed to be done plus the big bad traffic jams plus the stress of having everything done before businesses close for CNY plus I-slept-at-2am-last-nite tiredness was making cranky. In other words today was one of those the world-against-Ham day, the first for 2009. Parking was so hard to find, I got chased out by POLIS for a few minutes for double parking. Hey they're doing their jobs, but I hope they're sporting enough to cut me some slacks because there's not even enough space for double parking, hence leading to triple parking (and even that one was !@#$%^&). After all the bad encounters on the roads, my spider sense tingled, telling me something bad was about to happen.

And it came true.

Sing Kwong was the scene, and on the narrow street side weighing in at 1030Kg we have the 5kmph Getz. On the right side we have a reversing 1950Kg Avanza. Getz crawls past Avanza at a snail-pace, Avanza steers back! Ouch! Owh no! They're butt-to-butt! We can feel it all the way here! Oh my goodness! The goriness! Owh the humanity! *ting ting ting!*

Damage report:

Huh, surprisingly just a small dent. Barely surprisingly able to see it. I :O for nothing because I thought the car won't CNY this year or worse; never seeing Miri, ever. But surprisingly again, defying the laws of physics, the Avanza's bumper was fugly-wrecked. Like a plastic pail smashed with a Stanley stainless steel hammer in one blow. Or a plastic pencil-case crushed under the weight of the thick books in a Primary school kid's bag. I'm baffled as well by the illogical mass collision physics and more baffled by the now confirmed fact that Toyota's mostly made up of plastic (first time saw a Harrier front skirt smashed to pieces after a collision with a motorcycle and now this. I was expecting a strong carbon fiber body but the two cases changed my mindset that imported cars are good). On the plus side this second banging (yeah, first time, at the exact same banging spot, a Prado reversed and banged my Getz but ended with the same result above) shows that Getz can take a lot of banging in the rear. Hmm.

Anywho I didn't take a snapshot of the damaged Avanza because the driver was already :( by his undoubtingly angry wife and the fact that more RMRMRM will be forked out for CNY. Don't want any insult to injury, so just asked him to deliver the compensation cash to one of my office so the nosy people nearby won't see further actions to be gossiped about. The Getz is going to the repair shop first thing in the morning, and hopefully the shop can respray the other scratches on the car due to the horrible Sibu road condition. Ham is not driving on Saturday :/

Reduce Your Waistline by 3 Inch in 2 Weeks

How a strict exercise regime to regain 6 packs turns into a miracle weight reduction process.

I restarted my nightly work-outs to reshape my 6 packs after they all sagged out into one belly over the semesters (yeargh lol). I ran the strict regime since 2 weeks ago, and today when I wear one of my jeans, it was constantly drooping down threatening to reveal my manhood and everything in between. For the first half of the day all's good since I had limited movement and mostly sat in my car fetching my dad from the airport and checking out businesses time to time. Plus I didn't want to bother about it so much since most of my jeans in my wardrobe are kinda hanging lately, which I find confortable as they provide rugged and long lasted use while at the same time do not restrict the rights of freedom to the kids.

Then later afternoon, I had to go all out with much movement and I had a split 10 seconds to decide whether to wear a belt or not. I just grabbed a belt in the end anyways after thinking that I'm not gonna risk having a SHOWDOWN in public. It was after I wear the belt I that I realized "Hey! I lost weight!"... It's been a while since I last wore a jeans due to the rain so the additional freed space was a pleasant surprise.

After a long day I came back home around 7pm told the house I lost weight. I was wowed as much as they did, because I was expecting to get 6 packs instead of losing 3 inch from the work-out regime. Then moments later the wow moment waned and everyone proceeded to dinner, after my dad told me it was his jeans...

Bad Economy, Malaysians Turn to Year Planner for Quick Cash

And my black book planner for '09 got celuped right beside me! FTW! D:<

I can't believe it man, I was signing some stuff at the bank counter when my black book which I placed 3 inch to my right was *poofed*, and it was less than 1 minute shit! Being a lefty, my right side was a blindspot, and shit! I may may have a bad memory but I recall that lady who stood beside me moments before I realized I became a theft victim (and the lady gone by then of course, replaced by an old apek). She must've figured the black book got some cash or cheque after she saw my student ID card in my wallet (you know, Uni student = must have lot of money mindset).

A bit sad, because it was a goodwill gift from business partners in Mukah :( Luckily for me today was the first day I officially use that planner so nothing like passwords or HP were jolted in it. And luckily for me I took out everything I needed out before it was swiped away. Oh well at least she got away with a blank planner. I hope you can use it to plan your menopausal hot flash cycles and your hair implant sessions bitch. And happy new year D:<

PAS wins Kuala Terengganu, BN's Future Bleak

Picture from: www.mir.com.my

Well, BN just lost another hot seat in KT. It was a close fight, with PAS winning 32,883 and BN 30,205. And then there's the Independent who won 193. Nothing more to say about that. [Read more]. This defeat is a major blow for the BN, and will likely affect opinions on the next-in-line PM Najib in the future as the opposition party coalition, Pakatan Rakyat (People's Pact), gains more grounds.

For more news on the by-election's process and the follow ups do check on the Reuters' correspondent and good comrade Alvin C. (click here) who gives up-to-date info about the election in his hometown. A real personal, non-government filtered news, from the perspective of a fellow young Malaysian stuck in a petty politics war.

Human Behaviour: Stop & Stare

Today I witnessed an elderly man collapsed onto the road after having a stroke(?) at the financial area of Kpg. Nyabor. First I thought it was an accident or something, but the lack of blood indicated that he was struck internally. The elderly was not my interest then, because as a marketing student I observed how the people around the area reacted to the scene. Within 5-10 meters from the elderly man who is being resuscitated by Pertahanan Awam, the people crowded around him despite a valiant attempt by a good samaritan to shoo them away to make some room to breathe. The crowd stood there until the ambulance arrived and dispersed after the ambulance left. Then those more than 10 meters away tend to just cluster together at different spots not far from the scene and started to stand and ask amongst themselves about what happened, then 5 minutes later they moved on with their lives. It is these >10 meters people who did more actions like talking, pointing fingers and taking pictures with handphones compared to the 5-10M people who just stood there. For the drivers, as usual they slowed down and perked through their tinted windows to see what's up, causing a massive traffic jam. Luckily no further accidents occured due to the traffic jams (Sibu drivers can be cranky too on the road...)

It's this crowding habit that intrigues me as humans tend to crowd around things that intrigue them. When some big stuff happens, a crowd will soon form around the scene, with at least one of them will be controlling the situation while others just pop their heads above the crowd to see what's happening. I'm gonna do some part time research on this unique behaviour, and join a curious crowd myself to get an in-depth experience.

Global Drowning: Sibu

So the rain have not stop pouring for more than 48 hours, leading to the return of flood in Sibu. Thanks to King Tide, the flood is made worse in several areas, and the rain is not kind to laundry. The constant downpour comes and go, but when they come it lasts 2-3 days, with drizzle aftermath a few days later. Well so far nothing bad has happened, and not as chaotic as the floods in West Malaysia and Northern Sarawak and Sabah. Hopefully friends in Kapit will give a ring beforehand if their town is flooded, so that Kampua Town can prepare for the worse. Take care, drink a lot of (clean) water and don't play/drive in the water if you have a lowered vehicle. A condemned engine is the last thing we need in these wet days.

Morning Breakfast Crisis

My morning today started early. After sending my sis to driving school I decided to buy a new loaf of bread since the one we had at home expired at 5th January. The one I bought expires at 17th January. So as I was about to have some PBJ, my keen side of me who was sleeping 2 hours ago kicked in...

A closer observation of the older bread's expiry date reveals a gruesome hidden truth... Let's zoom in...

$#!+... the 1 was hidden by the Best Before print... so the bread was actually still valid. There goes petrol, sleeping in time and RM for buying an extra bread. So for those who actually wakes up early and have breakfast be sure to be WIDE AWAKE and be AWARE and SENSITIVE of the bread on your table. Don't be a victim like me.

Kampua Prospect 2009

Here are the prospects for the dried noodle for the year 2009:

Looking for a quick and cheap kampua? Mas Corner 2000 near Town Square Phase 2 retains one of the most economical prices for all types of kampua. Normal kampua priced at RM2.20 while special only at RM3.50 (includes 3 meat balls).

For those who is into heavy seafood, head over to Sunny Cafe near the old bus terminal. However bear the slow service (despite the 4-7 people working, poor management) because the end result compensates all the 20-30 minutes wait. Priced at Rm4.00 (yeah bloody hell WTFBBQ indeed. They don't seem to follow the economic trend).

For those who are into kampua late at night, try Bandong. The wee little shop of which I never tend to look at the signboard to find out what's its name is, can be found towards the Mastura supermarket selling only normal kampua served with chickens at RM1.70. Opens around 7pm onwards (roughly till 11pm when Sibu people goes to sleep).

Well that's all the prospects for now, until a sudden change in kampua trend takes place. Above is a Sunny Cafe kampua, with a lil' bit extra special. Creative.

CNY 2009 Eve

Chinese New Year is like, about a month from now?, but we can see a lot of reds in town as early as last quarter of December 2008. Well since this week, familiar fruits are showing up in red boxes and crates. And yes, I'm happy to say most of the early Mandarin oranges and lokams and even the mini ones are sweet with zero sour rate (as of 4th January 2009). Looks like this year is going to look a bit better :)

Back to School, Driving School

L is for Learning, not Lol (stupid) or Loser. P is for Probation, not Paloi or Pondan.

I returned to the driving school the other day, not to learn how to drive all over again, but to send my sis to let her learn the ways to commandeer 4-wheeled transportation we call 'CARS'. Or in BM it could be typoed into KenDERAan or KERENDAan, depending how much is spent on it and how crazy you drive it. Anyways here are a few pics from the same 'ol Institut Memandu Maju Jaya somewhere along the Sibu Town - Airport stretch. Very nostalgic :)
.

I'd always remember that bukit (far left, your left) hehehe... burn rubber :P

This here is Uncle Jamali, my instructor 4 years ago. He's been the driving instructor for my mom, my dad 20++ years ago and then me in 2005 and now my sis in 2009. Yeah, really wow, still able to teach young guns to drive at his age :)

The Problem with Astro

For the past 2 weeks I've noticed a lot, A LOT of reruns on Astro. A good example will be the movie package; Jurassic Park III, Shrek the Third, Transporter, Transformer and the likes are usual movies that shows up lately when I press that Info button to find out what's up next. The movies been played up so much, I can memorize what Donkey said when he swapped body with Puss. And then there's the marathons on Star World, from Monk to 30 Rock Marathon that took over the whole channel and left me ranting and asking "Where's The Simpsons?!"

Well anywho, can't blame anything for now since the economic slowdown is affecting everyone, and Astro I think. Plus the writers' strike is killing one of our main imports from the US; entertainment and good 6-9pm comedy TV shows.


And apart from the deja vu I'm experiencing in front of the TV, the usual Astro's Black Screen of Death with Yellow Dot is a pleasant sight considering I've never seen TV for a long time. It makes me wonder how a cloudless sky could disrupt the signal on such good programmes. It could just be the Astro receiver dish needs some cleaning from all the birds and common house lizards' droppings.

Owh while we're on Astro, has anyone noticed the small white texts popping in and out by the bottom right (your right when facing TV) of the screen? The random JIP3, RKP5 etc etc (I need to watch TV again because the text changed since I last watched TV). Anyone who has connections with the broadcasting to explain what are those random 3 texts that appears every 5 minutes or so?

Hello 2009!

Aloha 2009!

And sayonarra 2008! First post of the year and would like to wish all a happy new year. Time to reset the existentialism clock to 01-01-09 and get on with the new year's resolution.