Muses along the way...

Mini Y2K... in Australia

2008-04-01T07:21:00.006+09:00

Australia tried to be different, and pushed daylight saving back a week for 5 states.

Source: TheAge.com.au - I'm sure my clock is right!!

Do you know how many friggin conference calls I called into last night to Singapore and the USA, just to find that meetings were 1 hour later, and that all my Microsoft Outlook meeting calenders were telling me the wrong time? Gosh knows how many people messed up the same... trains coming into work yesterday were half empty.

THEY reckon almost 3/4 of the Adelaideans (is there such a word?) had no clue when daylight saving starts. All I know is, I have to live with screwy clocks and devices until daylight saving actually starts on April 6, 2008!

I guess this is what happens when a good idea isn't matched up with the practical steps to achieve the desired result... or rather, lawmakers are out of synch with the complexities of how the world operates.

What's wrong with Melbourne?

2008-03-25T14:17:00.004+09:00

Here in Melbourne we are... after arriving for 5 weeks, I get my first PMS observation.

Guess what's wrong? :)

Language: Lethal cocktail of Malay + English

2007-04-30T20:27:00.000+09:00

You know what? On most days I give Singaporeans a lot of crap about their Singlish... but I guess we aren't doing that great in Malaysia either.

Spotted this outside a residential home while visiting Angel in Kota Kinabalu on the weekend.

*DILARANG = Forbidden/Not allowed (in the Malay language)

About me... and about her

2007-04-14T17:15:00.000+09:00

Since we last met on this blog, I've taken my non-single hood status one step further. We are now...

GOING FOR MARRIAGE COUNSELING!

Well, if only Angel and I knew that we'd be 100% made for each other, then we wouldn't have gone down this path.

*What the...??

The point is, we're serious about each other. Even though we are "in love", but are not certain that we're talking about all the things we need to talk about, doing the right do's, don'ting the wrong don'ts... rah rah rah. So we decided to go for marriage counseling even though we're not engaged or anything. Wish us well!

Since she's in Kota Kinabalu and I am in Singapore... I have to fly to meet her every so often to do 8 sessions of it. Check out my travel calendar:

Thank God for mum's advice about saving $$ for a rainy day. Bless her dear soul...

Oh incidentally, I'm blogging from KK. :)

Announcement: Maybe its about b****y time...

2007-04-08T00:10:00.000+09:00

I have been simply overwhelmed by the concern people have given about how I used to blog, why have I stopped, why I forgot all about my fans when the girlfriend came along... rah rah rah

OK, so I'll try blogging again, amidst the 1,000 + 2 things I have to do everyday. Maybe I'll lean it out and cut down on the graphics compared to way back then. I've got quite a few things to rant about Singapore anyway.
*Pssst... They say you're getting old when you start using phrases like "Way back then..."

I missed you all! *Blushes

About me: Answers...

2006-07-02T20:53:00.000+09:00

I believe I owe ALL my readers an answer as to why I have not been blogging.

There's been quite an adjustment on my personal front recently... Until the day that I leave Kota Kinabalu for my new career prospects in Singapore/Australia sometime in July (You heard me right), I have been, and will be spending every waking moment with her.

I apologize, but stories will come later. Hope you all understand. Check back in soon, as I look forward to the support of my readers once again when I start updating regularly.

About me: Travel to Perth and KL

2006-05-31T22:41:00.000+09:00

Alright, there's been some speculation as to where I've been for the last week or so.

For a 10 day period, I went to Perth (Australia), and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). I went to Perth because I had to get my residency for Australia officiated, and also to visit some family.

This was the first time I met my cousin in-law: Jack Lee. I like the guy: very down to earth, and boy does he have a way with words! Lucky cousin of mine ~ Cherry. Then there was also her sister Ting, who tried her very best to hook me up with EVERY girl she knew from around town.

*Oh come on... Do I look desperate?!

There were also the bunch of people I knew from 2003 when I was still building a power plant there. We used to hang out and were everyone joined the FGA Church, Perth.

If you're reading this...

G'morning Joanne... smile! :)

I thought it wouldn't have hurt to throw in some extra side trips to rekindle some fond memories of the past... food-wise. There were the Chili Mussels from Conca's, Deep fried intestines with salt and cracked pepper, and dim sum from Jade restaurant.

*Yes... we do enjoy some of the vilest of foodstuffs :P

Having spent 5 days in Perth, I flew to Kuala Lumpur for another 5 days before returning to Kota Kinabalu for work at site. Humbug.

Not much to report from the home front of Kuala Lumpur, apart from a good time catching up with family and friends. Oh, and Saturdays at McDonald's was good fun once again...

People: Gabriel Liew

2006-05-26T22:53:00.000+09:00

Remember my coincidental meet with Zahid and Van? Now dude... seriously, this post is about another even more bizarre coincidence.

As I had mentioned, I need to make my way to Australia to get my residency officiated. This is what they term a "first entry" into Australia. So I took leave from work, and hopped on the plane to Perth from Kota Kinabalu.

While waiting at the airport, I kind of made out the figure of someone in the distance that looked like.... OMG

GABRIEL LIEW!!!!!!

This person used to be my housemate when we were studying pre-university in 1996, but lost contact after that year.

Sharon and me have talked about him over the years, but no joy as far as tracking him down.

Who would've known that after almost 10 years... As fate has it, we meet at a time when I am only passing through KK, and on the first trip that Gabriel has made it back to his hometown of KK for the first time in 5 years! He is now living in Perth.

Talk about coincidence.

Culture: Do Not Rush!

2006-05-24T05:00:00.000+09:00

G, since you missed my Korean commentaries, I dedicate this one to you. :)

A public signage can tell you a lot about a culture... Spotted this at the train station on my way back from Seoul back in January 2006.

~ DO NOT RUSH! ~

Indeed though, that's the impression I've formed about Korea while working there.

Everything is a BIG rush... Everyone is always driving irrationally, and running lights. People sometimes shove their way through queues just so they can be ahead in a line. Jobsites are being run like a military drill, where everything is all about being fast and not about quality. It's all about being "palli palli" (빨리 빨리) ~ FAST FAST!

My take on it... rushing doesn't necessarily mean you're going to end up doing something faster. Worse, you could really get people all fired up emotionaly, works could end up in mistakes, or even cause fatalities.

Instead of rushing, couldn't the focus be more on EFFICIENCY, or just NEW METHODS of doing something, and DOING IT RIGHT THE 1ST TIME? I guess it's hard to drill this mind-set into the population of 49million people in Korea, and change has to start from me.

That being said and done, I'll set my alarm clock 15 minutes early, so I don't have to be rushing like a mad man to the airport tomorrow... *Hint hint ;)

Food: Bak kut teh

2006-05-15T07:23:00.000+09:00

Ever heard of businesses that can afford to be located on prime property, and open only for business during evening hours, and still do pretty good?

I haven't... prior to visiting Yu Kee restaurant in Kota Kinabalu, that is.

Yu Kee is just opposite Jesselton Hotel on Gaya Street. Their specialty is Bak Kut Teh (肉骨茶), which literally translates into "Meat and Rib Tea".

For readers whom are not familiar with the local cuisine, it is a dark herbal soup that derives its taste from meat-packed ribs, whole garlic, mushrooms, and "whatever else" stewed up in a hotpot. With it, is usually servings of plain rice, and piles of fried dough ~ You Tiao (油条).

Back where I'm from, every bit of the soup and "stuff" is usually served in a hot pot for every person. Here at Yu Kee, we ordered every part of the pig in separate bowls. I guess that makes sense, since not everyone likes the idea of introducing pork intestines to his or her own...

Excuse the grotesque English...
But a pig is a pig and intestines are intestines right?
How else could I have put it??

Since I've been fed the best stuff from Klang (Selangor) and also quite a memorable one in Kuching (Sarawak), I wouldn't say that this is the definitely the best I have had. But to be fair, it still was a pretty good meal.

Now, back to the art of telling how good a business is...

Just look at the following picture.

I mean dude... while other restaurants are serving their customers toilet paper rolls for wipes, this one dishes out PRIMIER, which is 5 times more expensive!!

Business is definitely bustling at this KK local's hotspot!

People: Zahid & Van

2006-05-08T01:20:00.000+09:00

It seems like everyone is flocking into KK for holidays, coincidentally during the period when I am stationed here for my project.

Just a few weeks ago, I managed to meet up with Zahid and Van, both friends from my varsity days.

Coincidences in meeting them have been unbelievable. Take March for example, when I just arrived in KK...

Doing the obligatory "Hi what's up, I'm back and in KK for work" messages to all my friends, I get a reply back from Zahid saying "Do you want to meet up in KK this weekend?".

I called Zahid immediately upon receiving the message, and apparently they were going to be in Kota Kinabalu for a vacation! We did eventually meet up, and had quite a decent time catching up.

*Thanks for dinner guys!

That's not it...

Van and Zahid were on a long distance relationship for 5 years due to work commitments, where she was in Australia, and him in Malaysia. On 2 other occasions, my break in-between projects back home (Kuala Lumpur) coincided with Van's annual week-long visit of Zahid. That one time, I was alighting at a train station that I don't normally go to, and voila ~ there they were coming out from turnstiles at the opposite end of the station!

I can only let my imagination run wild, as to where we'll be meeting next. The Kota Kinabalu experience was certainly one of the more memorable ones. That's why it's on this blog. :)

Music: Aegukga (愛國歌/애국가) in the key of ROCK!

2006-05-03T14:29:00.000+09:00

If you remember, I blogged about how a band got in trouble by playing a rock version of the Korean national anthem.

As an act of support to the musicians, whom I believe to have had no disrespect towards their country, here is my version of Aegukga (애국가) in the key of Rock.

Click 'HERE'.

Note that I probably could have done a lot more: Progressing into a D-major, and throwing in a few more shredding phrases, or even follow the odd 5/4 - 4/4 timing that the original score calls for... but I believe the bridge I threw in, ala Vinnie Moore should be more than enough for now.

By the way... do pray that I don't get sued since it is copyrighted. ;)

In case you wanted to listen to the original, click 'here'.

Nature: Born to be in fashion

2006-04-30T20:02:00.000+09:00

This, I bet is the grossest pouch I have ever seen...

Spotted it at the Philippino Market in Kota Kinabalu town. It's probably a REAL skinned frog, judging by the feet and also the texture of the leather.

*Barfs

Food: Tenom coffee

2006-04-28T00:32:00.000+09:00

After hearing people brag about Tenom coffee, I just had to get me a pack to try.

I tell you ah, you smell that coffee that time... man your jaw muscles will loose control. Fuuuuuuuuu yoh, mouth will just hang there like it dun wan to move like that. You won't stop salivating, until your whole body drained of liquid, you shrivel, and you pengsan...

Somemore ah, you try once already... MAN! I tell you, you won't try another non-alcoholic drink ever except for coffee... not just another cheap substitute ~ only T.E.N.O.M. coffee. Even if you're an alcoholic, you'll be sure to give it all up, since you've tasted something even more addictive ~ Tenom coffee!
- Quote by Vincent Tan

Anyway, it's freshly grounded, packed.... and I'm sure I must have been ripped off, since I paid like RM5.00 (USD1.50) for that wee small little excuse for a 300g bag of coffee.

Actually, it's about the same as that Arabica breed of ground coffee mum buys at the local store back home... also roasted with a tad of butter and salt. Funny as it sounds, but I think that roasting it in that manner basically removes any after taste to the brewed coffee! Try it, and tell me it doesn't work.

Instead of hearing me rant non-technically about Tenom coffee, have a read 'HERE'.

About me: Australian prospects

2006-04-26T23:57:00.000+09:00

Guess all that hassle paid off, having to deal with my IELTS test, and persistence in haggling with my case officer, which if you remember ~ ended in disaster.

I am a permanent resident of Australia. :)

Only thing left for me to do, would be to make a flight into Australia, get my visa validated, and I will have free access to Australia for the next 5 years. I basically get equal rights with any Australian, except the right to vote, and the right to get on the dole in the next 24 months.

*D'uh! I've got hands and feet. I want to work, forget about social welfare!

Then again, with my job travelling all over the place, I have concerns about whether I'd be able to meet the requirement of living in Australia physically for an accumulated 2 of the next 5 years. But there seems to be a wee light in the yonder... more on that when it's all confirmed.

*I could leave Malaysia sooner than you think...

Ah well, I'll deal with whatever concerns when I get to them... Melbourne, here I come!

Nature: Ribena berries

2006-04-24T14:06:00.000+09:00

Spotted this at the Gaya Street Sunday Market.

What the...

Ribena berries??!!

I mean, what in the world are these things anyway?

From memory, Ribena berries are nothing like the spikey puffer fish-ish looking thing in that basket. They should be ROUND, PURPLE, cute and adorable… like on the Ribena drink advertisements, that is.

Travel: Gaya Street Sunday Market

2006-04-22T14:39:00.000+09:00

Gaya Street… What a glorious address to be perched at on a Sunday mornings. Packed with people of sorts, it’s definitely one of those places to go on a weekly basis just to get de-social anxietilized (is there such a word?).

A weekend market opens here from wee hours of the dawn, up until 2pm in the afternoon on a Sunday only. Don’t ask me what time it opens, because it was already bustling when I got there at 8am.

With stalls sprawled all over the vicinity of Gaya Street, overflowing into the side streets, you could pretty much get EVERYTHING: From local produce, clothing, tools and potted plants, down to these friggin weird looking vegetables.

Just a piece of advice: If you intend to visit after 8am, don’t drive if you can afford a taxi. Otherwise, just walk. Parking and traffic is horrendous, especially later in the day.

~~I won't tell you about the girls that hang out there, and the fact that KK's hooker district is in the vicinity.~~

Paid the market a visit a few weekends ago, and I must say that my life was finally completed then ~ I got my grounded Tenom coffee powder.

I think I'll be there again tomorrow...

Language: Menggatal

2006-04-11T09:03:00.000+09:00

Have a go at me for insulting somebody else’s language, but this just cracks me up.

The area where our power plant is being built is an industrial area with power plants and factories called “Menggatal”.

For those of you who think it’s just another name, it’s not. For those who think that it probably sounds perfectly fine in the local lingo (Kadazan and what have yous), it probably does… but consider the following dissection of the Malay grammar:

Verb/Adjective is put into it’s context of time and intent, with an verb-modifiers stuck to the front and back of the word - affixes. For example:

Use ~ Guna	Beautiful ~ Cantik
Uses/Using ~ Mengguna/menggunakan	Beautify ~ Mempercantikkan
Used (past tense) ~ Digunakan	Most beautifullest ~ Tercantik sekali

Hence, “men-/meng-/memper-” puts a verb into the context that it is being done… or implying “to be” and in the process of doing/being.

Gatal on the other hand, is the Malay word for “itchy”, and sometimes in slang, also meaning “horny”… go figure why it is. ;)

So technically, Menggatal means:

“In the process of being horny”

I think I might have just signed up to build a power plant in a redlight district, and gosh I love taking apart languages!

About me: My new Motorola L6

2006-04-08T19:02:00.000+09:00

For the life of me, I finally bought a new phone after saving up money for the last 5 years…

Sounds pitiful? Shower me with money!

Anyway, you can read all about the phone’s specifications on the web, I am sure. Hence I will not elaborate, except some things about the phone I noticed:

It’s small and flat. It takes time to get used to, since all the keys are so close to one another.

The cover is brushed metal and not cheap plastic... so cool!

You can’t text message in any language other than English, even though menus are available in Chinese.

The camera sucks, judging by the picture of the mysterious wild panda sighting in the last post.

Then again, all I needed is a phone, who in the world would be in their right mind to compare the photo quality with a *Canon digital camera anyway?
*You know where my loyalty stands ;)
Text messaging ~ Motorola uses it's proprietary iTap system.

I love Nokia’s T9 system (messaging predictive text input) much better than the rest. But honestly I am starting to change my mind about that, even though this Motorola takes a wee while to get used to. I can see that iTap is a lot better than what people give it credit for. Let's compare...

iTap CONS
For example, when typing a non-standard word such as “Xceed”:
Nokia’s T9 will prompt you with different combination of letters, and choices of words. When you finally decide that the choices are not what you want, you will be prompted by the system to input a word manually. Once done, the word will be used in the current message, and stored in the dictionary for future messages.

Motorola’s iTap will also go through a list of words. At the end of it, if there were nothing that suits your needs, you’d have to delete the whole word, and start all over, switch to manual input mode, and type.
*What a waste of time!

PROS

iTap

Bravo iTap!

Note that I bought this phone in Kota Kinabalu. Initially, I thought it would be more expensive, comparing with the "main land" on the likes of grocery and car prices. I compared prices with those my sister quoted me from around Kuala Lumpur, between RM750 (USD$200) ~ RM850 (USD$226). It isn't even guaranteed that I'd get an original warranty.

*Surprise surprise!

I believe I got a good deal ~ RM670 (USD$180), which includes all original Motorola warranty. From what I hear from word of mouth, KK is indeed cheaper overall, simply due to the competition.

Come buy a phone in KK!

Nature: Wild Pandas in Borneo

2006-04-05T09:54:00.000+09:00

Coming into work a few days ago, we found thrash sprawled outside the site office in a total mess.

Before being cleaned up by the cleaning lady, I managed to capture a quick and dirty shot with my new *ehem.

I swear it was wild Pandas on the loose in Borneo, tearing up thrash bins at night!

Well, of course... that's all subject to blog reader scrutiny. :P

PMS: Work permit...

2006-03-30T18:00:00.000+09:00

I'm always an advocate of 'Doing the right thing'. This includes applying for work permits when you go to a foreign country for employment.

But this is just stupid because...

I NEED A WORK PERMIT

... while I am Malaysian, on Malaysian soil, working with Malaysian contractors, and building a power plant for my own country ~ Malaysia!

Fine... so there is the East-West Malaysian issue going on, hence the permit to limit West Malaysians, i.e.: ME, working here.

*I am from Kuala Lumpur (West - Peninsula), in Kota Kinabalu (East - Borneo island).

From what I gather, East Malaysians feel that the West is out here to take their resources, and out to stop the progress of their people... yadi yadi yada. It's understandable that the Easties are pissed, because some of the key businesses over here are apparently, dominated by Westies. But this is still SO stupid... Pretty Much Senseless (PMS)!

Food: Crazy about coconuts

2006-03-29T14:23:00.000+09:00

Over the weekend, Elton – an old classmate from university who is a local, lead the way to explore some of the culinary delights that Kota Kinabalu had to offer.

Being a nature-ish + beach-ish + chilled out-kinda resort town that Kota Kinabalu is, they naturally have a lot of coconuts.

*Think Hawaii

One of the places we stopped at, were simply wooden shacks by the main road that served up coconut. Apart from your normal young coconut, they served two other varieties – Burnt Coconut (Kelapa Bakar) and Coconut with Pudding (Kelapa Puding).

Burnt coconut is basically a skinned coconut that is put on coal and burnt on the outside. When served, its contents are hot, and the coconut flesh peals off simply with a scrape of the spoon. Taste-wise, it’s almost like baked coconut, yet retaining the moist and smooth texture of fresh coconut.

A bit of a history lesson here… Word has it, in the days when forests were burnt to clear land, someone decided to try out some of the coconuts burnt along the way. He/she found that it was good and hence, burnt coconut came about.

*Kelapa Bakar = RM4.00 (USD$1.10)

Kelapa Puding, literally meaning “coconut with pudding”, is a pudding filled coconut. Contents are served cold. Puding Kelapa on the other hand, is simply plain old coconut pudding served in a cup. They serve that too, but why go for the (*Yawn) boring stuff, when you can experience the novelty of having it served in a coconut.

*Kelapa Puding = RM3.00 (USD$0.80)

Honestly, the two coconuts would have made a complete meal. One cooked, and one dessert. Try them when you visit Kota Kinabalu. These road-side stalls are found mostly in the outskirts of the city center.

@ Work: Turbine is here

2006-03-25T06:28:00.000+09:00

Alright, it's been awhile so I thought I really should update...

Since the last post on Sunday, work has been on over-drive for the last few days. This is predominantly due to the fact that our turbine and generators have arrived.

Think you can grab one of these babies, throw 'em on a truck, grab a crane and throw them on the ground? Not really... It took us about 6 days for both machines, from when they arrived at the port 15km away, to when they finally got set down onto their foundations.

Stay tuned until after the busy period. ;)

Music: Space...

2006-03-20T21:49:00.000+09:00

Over the weekend on Sunday, I made it to Skyline SIB church in Kota Kinabalu, prior to running of abruptly at the end to go to work. Singing the song Amazing Grace (John Newton, 1779) just absolutely touched me in a way I have not felt for a long time. Especially when we got to the chorus "...T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far... and Grace will lead us home".

*I got teary eyed, but who cares!

Feeling inspired and all, I decided to pick up the guitar to do a wee rendition of the song, but came out with this instead... Have a listen to ~ Space.

*It's far from Amazing Grace... I know.

Don't ask me how it happened, but at least I tried right?

Food: Healthy weekend

2006-03-19T09:20:00.000+09:00

Embarking on a quest to rid myself of unhealthy elements in my diet, I decided on Martabak for dinner last night.

What the Sabahan version of Martabak really is, is a batter of schmushed egg, onion and vegetable mix, wrapped in a thin flour dough skin. The package is then is deep fried to a crisp gold brown on the outside, and served with chili sauce.

*Deep-frying kills germs. Must be healthy... right?

God bless Sabah... the Martabak cost me only RM1.50 (USD$0.40). Other things I had for dinner last night include:

Cendol~~, containing coconut milk high in cholesterol and packed with sugar~~ ~ RM1.50 (USD$0.40).
Deep fried banana ~ RM0.50 for 4 pieces (USD$0.15).

Stay healthy people, and take me as your best role model!