Fred's Vision

Travel Light and Smart while on Outbound Vacation

2013-06-25T00:33:00.005+08:00

The lists that I recommended below are based on my actual real-life experience while on outbound vacation. The suggestions are made based on what I felt as relevant, practical and convenient for those who wish to travel light and smart especially for a long vacation.

Shirts: Bring up to six shirts in a cotton/polyester blend; two long-sleeved collared shirts, two short-sleeved shirts and two singlets to be wore in-door when you are not going anywhere.

Pants: Bring three pairs; One lightweight cotton/linen blend with modest dress codes, lightweight pants-cum-shorts with zip-off legs and a pair of jeans for outdoor outings.

Shorts: Take two pairs; one with pockets and a beach swimsuit.

Underwear: Bring five light types as they dry quicker.

One pair of shoes: Black, cozy, light, cool and a good tread pair of Sneakers

Slippers: Casual and water proofed

Socks: Two pairs

Fast-drying Towel

Hat

Light luggage bag, small daypack and small pouch bag.

A light sleeping bag/portable jolly-bed and light hammock.

Camera

Mobile-phone & charger

Swiss Army/Leatherman knife.

Tiny LED flashlight

Medical kit (Actifast, Uphamol & Yoko-Yoko)

Toiletries: Hair cream, Deodorant, Soap, Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Hair Trimmer, Shaver, Scissors & Mirror

Sun-block.

Sprayed Insect Repellent.

Making a Wise Decision by Shopping Online

2013-06-24T22:03:00.001+08:00

The existence of Internet has introduced a new way in doing transaction around the globe. Online businesses have become the epidemic of the new trend in doing business. I would consider myself as one of those who have become obsessive with the trend of purchasing goods online. Let me explain the reasons why:

Price: The price of goods offered online are much more competitive and cheaper compared to in-store goods. I have done my research based on my personal experience in purchasing online goods in comparison to in-store goods. I found that products offered online are much cheaper than in-store products of the same brands’ name. The business owner of online business has the privilege to have direct access to the manufacturer’s products. They could order the goods direct from the manufacturer once ordered by the customer. Hence, they would get decent price from the manufacturer as they do not have to deal with the middleman. In conclusion, they are able to charge the customer at lower price based on the price offered by the manufacturer.

Practicality: I figure, it has always been practical to shop online. We do not have to go out from home as we can make order at a click of a mouse. There is no worry about being trapped in traffic and spending all days looking for goods that we planned to buy. Most of my camera’s equipments and accessories are bought online. I loved the idea of not having to go out and shop from one place to another looking for things that we wanted to buy. I would rather stay at home and make up my mind on the online offer. Furthermore, the price is equally competitive as the in-store goods.

Selection: The online store has wide selection of branded items to be chosen on. They have the privilege to publish wide selection of items as they are actually helping the manufacturers to promote their products. The latest products introduced will reach the online market before introduced to the mass market. Therefore, the first customer would definitely be the online buyer. I have never regretted the online purchases that I have made as the decision is made based on comparison of similar items offered online.

If you never purchased goods online, you should give it a try. You will fell in love with the idea of making purchases online and waiting for it to be sent to you personally.

Sacrifices during Raya Korban

2013-06-11T23:12:00.000+08:00

Hari Raya Korban is celebrated by Muslims as to mark the sacrifice made by Prophet Ibrahim in offering his own son as sacrifice to the God. The offering was actually an ordeal by God as to test Prophet Ibrahim's loyalty and faith in Islam. The sacrifice later changed with cattles as symbol of Muslim's community devotion to Islam.

The men are grouped in smaller groups as they have to work on two big cows. The meats are cut into smaller pieces so that it would be easier to distribute later. The smell of slaughtered flesh and blood is all over the place. Not a great sight for those who couldn’t stand the smell of blood. The meat then divided equally among less fortunate folks.

The pictures are taken under the roof during broad daylight. Hence, I do not used flash during the photo-shooting as the place itself is well lit. Furthermore, I do not want to distract the men in work. I managed to capture the pose of a man holding a butchered cow’s head by requesting nicely to him for the shot. All you need to do is a little hospitality when you wanted something from strangers.

I have lots of fun taking photographs of the ritual as I never seen the actual ‘korban’ or sacrifice's ritual being executed live by Muslims’ community. The informative images are worth shared with other communities who are not familiar with the Muslims’ cultures.

Mountain Bike Joy Ride on 'Giant'

2013-04-28T23:59:00.003+08:00

I have finally bought a mountain bike that I long desired. Two wheels have been my passion throughout my life. During my early youth, I used to have few bicycles and motorcycles; bought by my dad that I adore so much. Even before buying the bike, I did consider buying a motorcycle as to take into consideration that I would enjoy it more. However, I determined to commit myself in buying the bicycle as I wanted something that could help me to get in shape. Maybe a bike would be more motivating rather than jogging as its demand less effort and stamina.

The bike that I bought is considered of a high-end amateur category. I believed that it is categorized based on the specifications of the bike and how light it is. Cycling is kinda new to me, so I won't elaborate further. I decided to buy not so expensive bike, but of better specifications compare to the basic entry and basically from a popular and established brand 'Giant'. I bought it, taken into consideration that I might not enjoy cycling and maybe if I do, it will be easier for me to sell back in open market or upgrade for a better model. Why bother keeping it, if others willing to buy it and why not investing in a high-end bike if you enjoyed cycling it.

Before committing yourself in buying a bike, do consider how serious you want to be in involving yourself with this activity. If you are uncertain of your commitment, choose the one of a moderate level but from established and well-known brands. It would be easier to sell back later as established and well-known brands are in great demand for the cycling enthusasts.

Urban-scapes

2013-04-13T22:02:00.001+08:00

The image of the old colonial building vs. the colourful monument, which are side by side to each other created unique sight of the photo. Its symbolize the clashed of historical Western heritage vs Eastern architectural. There are many historical buildings in Kuching, which are left by the Brooke"s family before the independent of Sarawak in 1960's. They are still preserved till this day as to mark the heritage of our state, Sarawak. Do bring along your wide-angle lens as some of the buildings are extremely wide and tall to be shot with standard lens.

The cemetary is located at St Joseph's Cathedral. It is one of the oldest Christian's cemetary site in Kuching. Why taking picture of the cemetary? There has always been something unique and mysterious about the place of the dead. People scared to appreciate the beauty of the serenity grave-yards as they are bound to the custom of believing that such a place is taboo for the living. As we can see in the picture, the image of the cemetary is worth appreciated.

Ramadhan's Bazaar

2013-04-13T22:01:00.001+08:00

The photo-shooting trip is made during the Muslim's fasting season. My friends and I went to a local Ramadhan's Bazaar at Satok area. There are lots of foods sold by the local hawkers. The market is held only during the fasting season and most of the products and foods sold are kinda rare and only can be bought and available during fasting season. The market is packed full of customers and we can always smell all sorts of food around there, from Indian to typical Malay foods. I would consider the place as a great place to be in seeking for the memorable street photos. Do bring along your wide-angle lens as you will need it most at such a place.

Later, we hang out at the street called India Street. We took some pictures of Indian's shop-owner selling spices along the street. Then, we proceed to the waterfront to look for the 'sampan' (hired small boat) to be photographed. We are lucky as we managed to capture few beautiful images of the boat and the people going inside it. The weather is quite hazy at that time. I am lucky as I managed to capture the dim sunset light covered by the haze at the background. We should always be aware of the weather condition before going out for photo-shooting. Otherwise, we will be wasting our time in waiting for the right moment to shoot for what we are looking for.

Rock Climbing Event

2013-04-13T22:00:00.000+08:00

The event has become an annual event which often held at a small town called Bau which is located about 30km from Kuching, Sarawak. It is held at a local tourist site of a well-known cave called Fairy Cave. It has become the favourite site for the professional and amateur climbers, due to its challenging and undisturbed nature. I managed to capture the wider perspective of the event as to show the whole perspective of the event, which involved the existence of those curious spectators.

The hut is built near to the climbing site. It is originally used as a typical hut to shelter farmers at the paddy field. The materials are made of palm leaves and suited the purpose for the farmers to seek shelter when it is rain and have their meal after working the whole day. I managed to capture the beautiful sight of the beautiful skies at the background while the people on the verandah are busy chatting with each other.

Sports Event

2013-04-13T21:56:00.000+08:00

The images are taken during school's sports day. The event is held annually and involved the participants of 13 to 19 years old. The event helped to develop students' interest and passion of the sports that they participated in and at the same time to enable the coaches to seek talented athletes.

The images of the fire brigade's cadets and the 200m event are captured early in the morning as to take into consideration the atmosphere and background of a mystic morning. On the other hand, the long jump's event is captured in a stormy weather when it is about to rain. Hence, it’s created a sense of dramatic to the image.

The background effects played a vital role in drawing effects to the images taken. Hence, we must always be prepared and focused in adapting dramatic and beautiful background with the images captured. Plain background tends to create dullness to the images captured.

My Old PC vs. My New Laptop

2012-01-04T00:40:00.000+08:00

vs.

Facts

Acer Desktop was bought in 2004. The specs are considered pretty moderate at that particular time. However, it is worth more than RM2k. By now, it would be possible for me to purchase a medium range system with that amount of money. The processor is Pentium 4, which is considered to be quite alright at that particular time. The rest of the hardwares are quite basic. It runs on Windows XP.

At the moment, I have upgraded most of the hardware in order to enable me to work with the latest application softwares. I have upgraded the RAM to the max (I will put extra slots for the RAM if possible) and even installed optional graphic card as I do lots of photo editing.

vs.

HP Compaq Laptop was bought in 2010. The specs are considered at the medium range. It is worth only RM2k. The processor is Core 2 Duo as most of the typical 13” laptop would utilize the Core 2 Duo processor rather than the processor from the i5/i7 family. I purposely bought the 13”, taking into consideration that it would be less bulky and easier to be carried around. It runs on Windows 7 Basic.

It works well with most of the latest application softwares. I have upgraded the RAM to 3GB. I did most of my photos editing and blog publishing with it.

Reviews

My desktop performed well when I first purchased it. I have been using it for many years without any major problems. However, recently the desktop began to create problems. It often restarts on its own without warnings. The displayed info stated that the present system is no more valid and totally corrupted. Luckily, I have my laptop as my backup. Now, I seldom used my desktop. Hence, I believe that I need to purchase a new desktop. The old desktop has to go. I will send it to Bali as an incentive for the retirement and great services throughout the years.

Conclusions

Do not purchase a high end system if you planned to purchase a new PC as the system change rapidly. Purchase on the system with moderate specifications as it often sold at a moderate price. You can always upgrade to a new system someday without regretting your earlier decision in purchasing an expensive system.

Make researches before making decision. Decide wisely.

Gawai Rituals at Kampung Serasot

2011-12-17T22:47:00.000+08:00

The two men are preparing the offering for the Gawai Ritual for the night. The rice that is cooked in bamboo is cut into small pieces, while other foods are wrapped in leaves. It is not that they couldn’t afford to provide plate or bowl for the foods, it is the old tradition. Imagine that the foods are served on the ‘Falcon’ dinnerware, won’t it be like celebrating the ritual at the five star restaurant.

The skulls are hanged on the roof of the Dayak Communal Hall 'The Baruk'. In the olden days, the Dayak used to hunt for head as part of the ritual for the young boys to be men, to gain the respect of the elderly and to charm the young ladies of the village. I guess it would be whole lot easier for the young boys nowadays to gain respect and charm the ladies as they only need to have thick wallet filled with money and a 'Proton Inspira'. Back then, they might be considered a hero if they managed to bring back the head, now they would be considered a sadistic murderer which is similar to Jack the Ripper and deserve to be outcasted from the village.

The musicians are seen kept in the cage. The villagers do not want them to disappear during the offering ritual ceremony. They are forced to practice on their musical instruments until its’ perfect. Otherwise, they would be burnt alive inside it.

People are seen attracted and curious to know what the villagers put inside the ritual hut. Some of them posed beside the sliced pork, assuming that would it be nice if the pork be brought back for BBQ. Some look distorted and curious. The hut supposed to be the place for the Dayak Priests to gather around during the Offering Ritual Ceremony, not a site for photoshooting~ i****.

The lady priest is seen waiting patiently for the rest of the crews to hop in and be prepared for their Ceremony.

The cooked and wrapped foods are seen displayed on the verandah of the Baruk, ready to be moved into the Ritual Hut. Hope the foods would still be around when the time comes. The lady priest looked pretty hungry to me.

The offerings are placed in the hut together with the earlier offerings. The offerings are actually part of the ritual in feeding the spirit of the ‘padi’, so the villagers will get better harvests next year. Then again, I'm not certain that it would be relevant nowadays as most of the villagers are no more farmers. Maybe next year they should make offerings for better employment and more work opportunities for the village folks. Sramat Ari Gawai, Kaban!

Gawai Celebration at Kampung Gumbang

2011-12-12T22:17:00.000+08:00

The village is situated about 40 km from Kuching, somewhere in Bau District. The village is called Kampung Gumbang. It took us about 15 minutes drive from Bau District to reach the village.

The village folks are busy preparing the feasts for the Gawai on the verandah of the house and accompanied by some uninvited kids.

The round building is the communal place for the village folks. It is called the ‘Baruk’. In the olden days, the village folks would normally use the building as a place to meet and discuss on the welfare of the village folks. Now, the villagers prefer meeting up at a nearby village's grocery shop while enjoying 'Tiger Beer'. The Baruk had become the remaining heritage of the Land Dayak community.

The caretaker of the ‘Baruk’ is carrying the headless slaughtered pig to the Baruk as preparation for the Gawai Ritual Ceremony.

The chief of the Dayak community (dress in blue/red) is seen discussing with the village folks on matters concerning the welfare of the village folks. He is a retired doctor by profession. I figure that he might advice the villagers to quit smoking and not to drink too much ‘tuak’.

The ‘Baruk’ is built on stilt, higher above the ground. In the olden days the Baruk would be a good place for the village folks to defend themselves from the attack of the enemies and wild animals. Beside that the tall building would be quite cool and windy during the days. Most of the villagers who were making excuses of not going to the farm would hang out at the Baruk.

The design is still preserved till the present time as Land Dayak unique architectural heritage. I assumed even the design of Petronas Twin Towers are inspired by the Baruk.

The old lady is trying her talent in playing the musical instrument the ‘brass gong’. She should stop, it’s horrible. Maybe she should consider attending the music school for the elderly. I think the blinds would play better than her.

The pig is cut to pieces in the Baruk. The slaughtered pig have to be cut in the Baruk in order to show to the Spirit of the ‘Padi’ that the villagers are not cheating on him. The ‘Spirit’ shares will be hooked on the roof and the balances will be brought back by the caretaker to be barbecued for drinking session. The villagers hope that the spirit would grant them a better harvest next year.

I guessed the spirit must be quite greedy. The villagers have to offer extra offerings in order to win the heart of the spirit. The offerings like the rice wrapped in leave and chicken are also hooked on the roof.

The young assistant of the caretaker is seen suspiciously sneaking out for people outside the Baruk. Maybe he planned to take the spirit’s shares.

Most of the houses in the village still preserved its original architectural as in the olden days. They are built on stilt, along the hill slope of the village. It is typical for the Land Dayak to choose the higher ground as in the olden days the Land Dayak often became the victim of head hunting activity among other ethnics like the Sea Dayak which is also known as the Iban. Hence, they will be able to stay away from those ethnics and at the same time easier for them to defend their village. Nowadays, the location helps a lot in getting them stay connected with ‘Digi’ and ‘Celcom Broadband'. I assumed there are lots of bloggers from the village.

A typical Land Dayak’s houses would often have the verandah, as to enable the villagers to dry their harvested padi. Now, it remained there for the villagers to spend time playing poker.

On our way back home, a friend of mine asked me to shoot few more photos of the Baruk. However, it is not due to his appreciation of the building but just to check out for the good looking ladies up there.

Gawai Dayak Feasts

2011-12-08T00:02:00.000+08:00

While the ladies are busy decorating the house for the Gawai Celebration, the men are busy preparing delicacies for dinner which consists of barbecued pork, wings, fishes and sausages. Of course the favorite would be the pork head, which had been skinned from the skull. During Gawai, none of the pigs’ parts were spared ~ they will be mutilated from head to tail. The barbecue mixes are marinated for few hours with some salt, pepper, garlic and oyster sauce. Though the ingredients were very simple, you will be surprised that the taste will be extremely good. The taste should not be overpowered by the taste of the mixed ingredients. The pork should still have the smell and taste of the pork in order to maintain the authentic flavor and taste of it.

The Dayaks nowadays are mostly Christian. A typical Dayak's family of a devoted Christian background would normally say their prayer before the meals. The less devoted one would have to pretend that they too are praying.

Look at the foods. You can choose what you want and best of all, its' free. Real yummy and irresistible. Pick up the small sliced and simply dip in the extra hot sauce mixed with bird-eye chilies and garlic. You will break to tears out of happiness and spiciness of the chilies.

Even the young kid and grandpa could not resist but to hop in.

Guess what? It’s the pig’s brain. Bizarre food challenges. Nobody dare to try. Too nasty for the Bornean palette. It will be kept frozen until the arrival of Andrew Zimmern to try.

The man is a pilot with a domestic flight agency. He showed us how he shot the flying fox in a single shot. He claimed that he loved shooting animals with wings. Won’t it be like coincident?

The flying fox will be stewed tonight for late night supper. The fox needs to be cooked with lot of spices such as the lemongrass, garlic, onion, some salt and pepper in order to remove the strong odors of the fox. The Chinese believed that fox would be good cure for those with asthma. However for Dayaks, the fox is just an ordinary rare exotic meat that would be eaten occasionally as it is a seasonal hunted animal that are only available during fruits season.

The last delicacy for the night would be the 'pansoh', which is the chopped chicken stewed in bamboo and mixed with some salt and pepper. The bamboo is used as substitute to cooking utensil. It is not like the Dayaks could not afford the expensive 'Falcon' kitchenware. They simply enjoyed the hardwork and troubles in preparing the 'pansoh'. It is an old typical exotic recipe inherited from the older generations.

The tapioca leaves are used to cover the bamboo and at the same time to add the extra flavor to it. Only a little water is added as the stewed ‘pansoh’ will produce its own juices as it is cooked. The taste of the mixtures will be extremely aromatic after cooked. The stew would have the strong aroma of the bamboo and the tapioca leaves, that you would refuse delicacies served by Martin Yan.

At 12 sharp, few gunshots are being made as to mark the beginning of Gawai Festival. The next morning we heard that a plane was found crashed at a nearby village. It is reported that there were few gunshots' holes spotted on the wing of the plane. Oops!

The Dayak Cultural Heritage

2011-12-01T00:53:00.000+08:00

The Head of the Ritual Ceremony beats on the drum as to greet the welcoming guests during the Gawai Eve Dinner. Though the dinner is held in an exclusive hall, we still maintained the old traditions in our festivity rituals. Then again, it seems like a good opportunity for him to flirt around, looking for good looking chick.

The young ladies greet the visitors with some rice wine called 'tuak' which are made from fermented rice with yeast. The wine is the typical liquor produced by the Dayaks for generations. However, the "Tuak' has become less popular as the younger generations preferred imported liquors. Maybe we should do massive promotions to promote ‘Tuak’ and compete with Japanese ‘Sake’. Most of the Dayak Liquor Entrepeneurs from the Longhouses would become the Multi-million Liquor Tycoon.

The dancers consist of various Dayak tribes in Sarawak. However, they shared the common ground in their annual festivities such as the harvest festival, which is also known as the Gawai Dayak in Sarawak.

The climax of the ritual ceremony is the chanting prayer by the Dayak Priests as to officiate the beginning of our fest. The chanting prayer is made while circling the invited guests as to bless those who are celebrating Gawai and at the same time to prepare their vocal for 'Karaoke' session at 'Meligai Keling' tonight.

The rituals stated above are part of the rituals that are still preserved to date. However, we scared that the next generation might not bother to preserve it as they are more influenced to 'hip-hop' and 'hardcores' in the urban areas; and 'dangdut' in the semi-urban areas. We scared that the chanting prayer would be converted to hip-hop, hardcore or perhaps to dangdut version.

Hence, I have made up my mind and determined to keep on publishing on our existing and dying heritages; for the future Dayaks' generation of Borneo to share and appreciate. Idup Dayak! Long Live the Dayaks!

By the way, I heard that 'Snoop Doggy Dogg', 'Metallica' and some Indonesian's Dangdut singers will be on tour to Kuching next week. Be There!

Sarawak Regatta 2011

2011-11-19T23:48:00.000+08:00

The Sarawak River Regatta is held annually at Sarawak River; at the front of Sarawak's 'ADUN' and by the bank of Kuching's Waterfront. Participants of all over the world are invited to compete in the competition held.

The photos are taken at distant. At the moment like this, you would wish that you owned a long telephoto to capture the actions. However, we should have the initiative to utilize whatever we have in order to not miss the actions. So, act fast. Capture whatever you can and if you are lucky you might capture the 'moments'.

Do not miss the actions of the audience as well. Explore how they react to the 'moment' while others busy witnessing the actions. You might capture the unexpected 'moments' by those who are not directly involved in the event.

The pictures above shown the activities of the audiences at the nearby shops as they stroll along the street, while buying some goods and delicacies sold by the local folks. The best lense for such tasks would be a wide angle with short telephoto or general purpose zoom lense as it would suit the needs of the tasks required.

Best KFC in Kuching

2011-11-10T18:47:00.004+08:00

If happens that you are passing-by Stutong's New Township, do visit one of the stall at Lee Coffee Shop to enjoy the authentic Kuching's fried wings. I would say that it is as good as the 'Kentucky Fried Chicken @ KFC' or maybe even better. Do try it for yourself. The business starts at the evening and closed in the midnight.

The taste is as good as the original flavoured KFC and only costs you RM2.20. Worth Trying.

The Legacy

2011-11-05T22:07:00.000+08:00

Legacy of our roots
Shall be history
We'll be wipe out
In the surface of this world

The young ones
Shy away from their root
Believin' that it's worth to be others
Rejectin' the legacy

Let us unite
Re-building our love
Of our own legacy
To show the world
Our own true identity

Faces of the Past

2011-11-03T00:49:00.005+08:00

Those are the faces of the past

Will they change by time

As they're living their life behind

Not knowing

What's the future likes

Men leave their youthhood

As they growing older

Abandoning their past

For the uncertain future

Those are the faces of the past

Hari Raya Aidilfitri Celebration at SMK Paku

2011-11-03T00:21:00.003+08:00

The 'Raya Aidilfitri' is held at the school's hall. The guests are invited for the 'Open House' to enjoy the delicacies prepared during the raya celebration.

The 'Raya Aidilfitri' celebrated by the Muslims to mark the end of the fasting month. They celebrate the Raya by preparing all sorts of goodies, foods and drinks for the invited guests, friends and relatives.

The foods are served 'the buffet styles' on the tables, ready to be enjoyed by the guests.

A prayer before enjoying the foods.

Everybody enjoying their foods.

Among the foods, cakes and biscuits served.

Gifts awarded for the lucky winners of 'the Best Clothed for the Man and Woman's Category '

Everybody enjoying the hospitality of the hosts.

Weekends Indonesians' Bazaar at Serikin

2011-09-17T02:08:00.003+08:00

Welcome to Serikin, a small Bidayuh's Village at the district of Bau. It is situated about 40km and 45 minutes drive from Kuching Town. The village is in the middle of Sarawak’s and Indonesian’s Border; which has made it became the strategic location for the neighbouring country, Indonesian to do business and sell their products to Sarawakian. In the other hand, the Serikin folks have the opportunity to earn extra money by renting their lands and properties to Indonesian's traders to store their goods. It's a win-win situation. The Bazaar is opened on the weekends and closed during the weekdays.

The picture above shows a man unloading goods from his motorcycle. Some of the traders do have the initiative to transport goods on their own in order to avoid renting the Serikin folks' places. They are willing to undergo the trouble in transporting their goods from their hometown to Serikin. The Indonesians are pretty good in utilizing what they have to accomplish their goals.

The situations of the road along the way to the village.

There are stalls selling vegetables, fruits and jungle's products. The products on sale are similar products that can also be found in Kuching but sold at much cheaper prices. Most of the buyers are local businessmen from Kuching, who bought the products in bulks and sale it at an open market in the city.

The stalls are built along the roadside. It would be impossible for cars to travel along the road during peak hours. Hence, a parking space has been made by the village folks for the visitors to park their vehicles before proceed and moving on by foot. They are required to pay RM2.00 as the parking fee.

Those who wish to enjoy typical Indonesian's foods may try the foods at some of the Indonesians' food stalls. The most famous delight would be 'mee bakso', a meatball noodle.

Colourful and interesting looking guitars and crafts made of rattan and wood are also available at the Bazaar.

Some of the Serikin’s entrepreneurs do have the initiative to do hospitality-based business as well. They have food stall and 'motel' for the visitors. However, it seems like it is closed on this day.

The main mode of transport at the Bazaar among the Indonesians are the moped. I guess it is more popular and affordable for those people.

You don't need to go to Toy' s' Rus to purchase toys.

Some snacks while walking around.

Colourful home's decorations and curtains are also available.

The boutiques are also available. Not forgetting the imitated 'Adidas'.

Most of the visitors are seen busy shopping while the some of the shopowner is busy at the stall while taking care of their young one.

The visitors need not worry about their safety as the place is quite secured. There is a police station at the village to settle problems that might occur at the village.

A Dream Truck

2011-08-22T23:43:00.011+08:00

Do you realize the similarities of the trucks? Cool Trucks, Ha! Low rider and extremely hot on the road. Everybody would dream of owning it.

The problem here is that it will not be practical in most parts of Borneo. It will be usable in the cities and major towns but not the semi-urban and the rurals. Why bother having such trucks if you can't enjoy driving it? The road will not permit it. Not for the off-road purposes and unfortunately most of the roads here.

Those of you dreaming of such trucks; you ought to think twice. Maybe you should consider this ‘Beast’.

A Bike by Borneo Chopper

2011-08-13T23:55:00.005+08:00

Those are two downloaded images of Harley Bikes from the net. We the Bornean can only afford to appreciate the downloaded images as we can’t afford to buy it. Not if we’re the sons of the 'Menteri' and business tycoons here. Such bikes would cost us a fortune and our whole life savings.

Hence, we have the alternative of converting our own version of chopper aka the ‘Modenas Jaguh’. After major modification, the 175cc would turn to something like this.

All you need is some wild imagination and creativity to create something like that. The expenses won’t take much as most of the parts are available in the local garage. The Bornean do have the talent in ‘Pimping the Ride’. We do not need the MTV to help us.

Finally Cure for AIDS

2011-08-13T08:55:00.002+08:00

The gecko which inhibited the rocky mountain in most parts of Borneo is believed to be able to cure AIDS. Hence, the price of the Gecko has reached millions of ringgit in the global market. Then again, it's depend on the size of the reptile. The tongue of the reptile is believed to have the medicinal benefit in curing AIDS.

According to an anonymous source, the farmers and fishermen of some parts of Borneo who are living at the nearby rocky mountains have stopped going to the farm and sea in order to spend more time in hunting for the Gecko. Some of them have made it rich, while others are still inspired to become the next millionaire. Hence, for the rest of other Borneans who are living at the nearby rocky mountain; they too should try their luck in hunting for the reptile.

As a result of the ‘geckoes rush’, most of the geckoes are believed to be running wild for their life. None of them will be spared, not the old nor the young ones. Some of them even consider migrating out from the country to a much safer place. Pity them. Then again, the Bornean also have desire to achieve the 'Bornean's Dream'.

Attitudes

2011-08-10T01:01:00.001+08:00

The boys are the smallest and cutest in class. Both are in the same class. They are bit timid and very obedient to their teachers. Hence, they have become the teachers' pets. They even have ‘Sifu’ called Mr. Fred who promised to protect them from the thugs.

Nobody would be fond of a character like this; being heavily tattooed, body pierced, with Mohican hairstyle and bad smoking and drinking habits. So, be aware kids- choose the right characters in order to be likened by others.

The Fast'sea'food in Kuching

2011-08-09T10:37:00.001+08:00

The seafood's restaurant is located at King's Commercial Centre along Jalan Simpang Tiga, few blocks from the roadside. If you're lucky you might see free shows of cars skidded from the overhead freeway.

The name of the restaurant is Ling Loong Seafood.

A gigantic menu is displayed on the wall. Don’t bother to request for the booklet's menu. A typical restaurant here does not have it. You might be cursed by the waitress for making ridiculous request.

The food arrived almost as immediately as the drinks were served. I don't know how they managed to do that. As if they are serving the instant-ready to cook packed foods. Extremely fast, even faster than Jamie Oliver’s 30-minutes cooking. However, the taste of the foods are undeniably good.

This first delight is called 'Midin Masak Belacan' which is Midin (Wild Fern) fried with chopped garlic, dried shrimps, chilies and a bit of dried shrimp paste or ‘Belacan’.

Then we have prawns cooked with 'Nestum' wheat cereals and butter. The taste is extremely aromatic and crispy. Then again, I do not think that the prawns are fresh, not if we are eating at the restaurant by the beach.

The soup is called Sea Cucumber soup. It is a thick sourly soup, which consists of chopped sea cucumber boiled with the yellow egg's yolks. The taste is excellent. I think it is better than any other similar soups that I had tasted before.

Finally, fresh crabs cooked with preserved salted eggs and butter. Really aromatic, fresh and yummy.

There you are! Just to prove that the foods were extremely yummy.

In conclusion, the restaurant would be highly recommended for a small time employee who is in hurry and wished to bribe their employer for next year promotion. Furthermore, the prices will not break their skinny wallet.

The Best Ever Camping Trips

2011-08-07T23:46:00.001+08:00

DAY 1:

The registration starts in the afternoon as to enable the camping instructors to brief the participants on the following programs. Most of them look excited, while others scared to death of not knowing what to expect during the camping.

The youth are expected to build their tents before getting dark. The girls are lucky as they are using the readymade tents. It took them less than an hour to install it. They have ample time to go shopping at the nearby ‘Ming Ming Super Mall’.

The instructor of each group is still thinking of where to start. Should they bother themselves building the tent or simply sneak to the building next door when nobody is watching.

Most of the hard works are done by the boys. That’s why nowadays most boys would rather be girls. Life would be whole lots easier for them. However, in the end it is expected that the hardworking boys will end up being self reliable individuals as they are used to do things on their own.

Finally, the tents managed to be built on time with guidance and curses from the instructors.

DAY 2:

The instructor trains the youths on navigation and various techniques in knotting the ropes. Hence, they are expected to be able to navigate their way out if they ever lost in the jungle and making traps to catch the wild animals.

The second group members are waiting for their turn to do the 'flying fox', which is the favorite of all.

Most of them managed to do well with guidance of qualified and experienced instructors. The ropes are tied from a three storeys building to a SUV. Hence, the task is limited to those below 100kg. They scared that the SUV might not be able to stand the weight of the obesed participants. So, people do take care of your diet in order to enjoy the best things in life.

Then, the next task is the 'abseiling'. It is the most thrilling task of all.

One of the participants has mixed feeling of excitement and fear in his first attempt.

The third group is trained on 'CPR' or 'Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation' techniques as part of the Life Saving’s component.

They are instructed by an extremely passionate instructor.

The instructors are awarded with token of appreciation for their excellent instructions. The kids loved them. The adults are also impressed.

For the 'flying fox' and 'abseiling' instructors too.

Then, lunch break for everybody.

After an hour rest that afternoon, the youths are evaluated on their survival skills. They are expected to cook whatever they are given, with whatever means that they could think of by utilizing the nature around them.

They are preparing their kitchen utensils. Pretty creative! They utilized the bamboos as their cooking utensils.

While entertained by a mysterious musician.

The foods are served. They look more luxurious than the one served by Martin Yan. Not bad for most of the first timer.

Then the tele-match among the opponent groups. Sort of 'bowling' on an uneven surfaces with coconut as the ball and half filled bottles as the pins.

At night, we have talent night show judged by mostly ladies' instructors. Men are too masculine to judge cultural show. Maybe next year, we have ‘kick boxing’ competition. It would be wilder.

Among the performances that night. Some are extremely good and deserved to be nominated for this year ‘Grammy Awards’.

DAY 3:

The marching competition is held early in the morning to avoid the hot shiny day. After all the girls need to take care of the skin. I suggest next time they apply 'sk-11's lotion' before the competition.

Then, the closing ceremony and followed by the announcement of winners for every competition.

The winner of every competition is represented by the group's leader in receiving the prizes.

One of the instructors in charge of the ‘Audio System’ is seen waiting patiently with his daughter at the back stage.

The camping program is officially ended in the afternoon. Everybody is so eager to pack up their belongings and go home.

The youth are expected to clear the camping site before going back. The clearing of the site is way faster than expected. Everybody disappeared within short period of time. I guess they missed their bed dearly.