FH2O: Kuching Kayaking

Kayaking with the “Governor”

2007-12-29T06:31:00.000+08:00

The one and only Charles A. Bateman sitting pretty and standing with daughter Felicia.

It’s not every day that you have the pleasure of His Excellency’s company let alone his and his brother-in-law families as well. Charles Arthur Bateman is a fine and distinguishing looking gentleman with a sharp wit and sense of humor and does not mind me ribbing him about being the ‘governor’ on account of him getting away with not attending ~~long tedious and boring~~ meetings because of his ‘stature’ which mere mortals like yours truly have to endure. *sigh*

Bryan, Rachael, Maurice, FH2o, Charles A Bateman, Mona, Azmi, Angelina, Basil Wee & Felicia @ Sg Abang, Thursday 27th December 2007

Anyway after ~~secretly~~ reading my blog for a while, Charles being an outdoors loving person (although I must qualify that his fondness for the outdoors is strictly confined to his love for his old ~~junk~~ land rover and all things land rovers) finally decided to check out our kayaking trip – with his wife, 2 lovely daughters, his sister and her husband and their 2 sons.

And so on a fine Thursday morning we set out for Kg Bengoh with this fine company of 8 on their first kayaking trip ever. To cut a long story short – they all loved it! Especially His Excellency whose idea of kayaking is to lie on a supine position while his wife does all the hard work … *sigh*

They all did well despite being beginners although at one bend in the river they all went for a swim to avoid kissing a grove of bamboos when directed there by the strong river currents. And the governor has to do one better at the take-out at Kg Semadang while he pondered my command to get off the kayak but instead capsized it with Azmi and Juri desperately chasing after the runaway kayak!

I should have known better that Governors do not take instructions or commands kindly. Forgive me Your Excellency!

Kayaking Charles Arthur Bateman's style ...

Falling In Love With the River @ Borneo Highlands

2007-12-28T22:01:00.000+08:00

Joel, Takeshi, Akari and Azmi @ Sg Abang, Bengoh 28 December 2007

Joel Bong's japanese friends Takeshi Moriyama and Akari Tsuruta were in town and he wanted to give them a very special Kuching treat - rain forest kayaking @ Borneo Highlands; which he thoughtfully booked via emails weeks ahead of their arrival. Nice friend this Joel bloke.

Unfortunately I have errands to run today and I couldn't join them, so Azmi took them out instead and he also took these wonderful 'action' photos.

Did they enjoy the trip today? I think it was more than that - they "fell" in love with it!

B.S. – Boulevard Shopping

2007-12-28T14:38:00.000+08:00

Construction vehicles, materials, debris and workers greet you on your way to the basement parking ... Nice hor?

Unlike most of the “sakai” people in Kuching, I was vaguely interested in the opening of the latest shopping center not the least of which is the fact that I despite people who flaunt the laws (and the 'laws' abusing their authorities). The building is not even completed and yet the ‘authorities’ allow it to open for business just so that the ~~greedy~~ owners can open before Christmas. What a lot of B.S. but anyway that’s another story and who cares about public safety right?

With plenty of construction works going on both inside AND outside - is the building fit to allow public occupation? What B.S.!

My disinterest in shopping and distaste for conspicuous consumption was not match for my intrinsic curiosity as to why so many people here are rushing there causing massive traffic jams in the vicinity. So this morning while I was in the area and with light traffic, I dropped by for a quick visit to see what the attraction there is in this “just another meaningless shopping center” or what’s so special about it to warrant ~~stewpig B.S.~~ Kuching bloggers raving about it (they are just ~~stewpig?~~ “sakai”?)

Watch out as there are push carts everywhere!

Anyway the only thing that I could spot that is perhaps interesting and probably not seen in other shopping centers were these – which I dutifully snapped; at the meat section of the ‘hyper’ market. I think it’s enough to put me off burgers or steak for the rest of the week. Enjoy!

Lest you forget - we come from a long line of headhunters ...

Happy Boxing Day

2007-12-26T21:28:00.000+08:00

Christmas evening @ Sungai Kuap, Kuching

It was a lethargic (and rainy) Boxing Day back at work today but I'll be taking leave from tomorrow onwards with 6 blissful days off in a row. Nice. I'd been busy over the past week and as is always the case with me - too many things and not enough time (and kind of lazy) to blog about it! I'm also feeling kinda lethargic from too much eating (and drinking!).

Christmas morning green @ my house

Anyway here's 2 photos I took on Christmas morning and one in the evening when I went cycling in a probably fruitless attempt to reduce that bulging waistline. *sigh* Irregardless - happy holidays cheers from Kuching!

Merry Christmas Greetings From Kuching & Vancouver

2007-12-25T08:11:00.000+08:00

I received this rather cute 'Kuching' Christmas greeting in my email from Mok in Kuching and a most beautiful Christmas Eve photo of Vancouver from Lou Parsons who resides in that beautiful city.

Here's wishing that your Christmas is as cute, beautiful and blessed; whether you're on the waters or on terra firma.

G.W. Bush Happy Xmas (War is Over)

2007-12-25T07:50:00.000+08:00

Christmas Lights

2007-12-24T20:35:00.001+08:00

A gentle and light hearted reminder to not go berserk with your Christmas lightings! Whatever.

Wishing You All Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T07:14:00.001+08:00

... and many thanks for visiting FH2o: Kuching Kayaking in 2007.

Blogging; Interrupted

2007-12-23T08:39:00.001+08:00

My blogging routine has been interrupted by disruption to internet access at home on account of my other half doing some 'creative' shifting around of the rooms - one of which houses the internet wireless router, which is now outside the range of my notebook. *sigh*

Trusting that your weekend fun is not interrupted in whatever manner whatsoever. Whatever.

Photo: Zero Lot Bungalow Show House (in a class of its own) launched this morning at Riveria, Kuching ensures that your views of Sg Merdang and privacy is not interrupted in any manner whatsoever. Why buy a normal semi-detached house?

Rainbow On The Way Home

2007-12-20T07:25:00.000+08:00

I'm glad that I saw and manage to 'capture' a rainbow on the rainy drive home from work the other day on Tuesday evening.

Photo: Rainbow over the sky somewhere along Jalan Song, Kuching. 18 December 2007

Hotel Reservations

2007-12-20T07:03:00.000+08:00

It’s the end of the year and most people are away on holidays – and they would do well to check and book their Hotel Reservations before they depart as you can book hotels, motels, bed & breakfast, flights, cars, vacation rentals and vacation packages all from one place; all at competitive rates and with great discounts for the US as well as Europe. They actually guarantee lower rates and up to a $100/- rebate. No kidding. So it’s certainly worth your while to check them up before you depart. Happy reservations and happy holidays!

Rainy Drive Home on a Camera Phone

2007-12-19T07:41:00.000+08:00

I finally got round to getting a USB 2.0 “All In One” memory card reader and retrieved the photos from the 1G Memory Stick Pro Duo in my Sony Ericsson K750i handphone which have a 2.0 Megapixel autofocus camera. Nothing to shout about as the latest camera phones are 5.0 Megapixels, but it's convenient to have when you don’t have your regular camera with you. Like when I took these photos back in October on a rainy drive back from work. And for certain 'mood shots' like these, it's not that necessary to have a super high megapixel camera to capture the atmosphere or feeling.

No. I do not recommend that you talk and drive at the same time much less take photos especially on a rainy evening. Shhhh!

Friday Evening Skies for a Monday Morning

2007-12-17T06:53:00.000+08:00

A peaceful and beautiful end to the work week for the beginning of another week ...

Beautiful Kuching evening skies, 14 December 2007.

I was on the cross trainer by the window at the gym taking the occasional glances at the evening skies and as the sun sets over the next half an hour, I paused to take periodic quick snaps and I was rewarded with these fleetingly delicate magical images that would otherwise have vanished had I not being mindful of the present – then.

The changing colours as one moment moves to the other.

As another year draws to an end, I trust that you are present here on this Monday and every moment of wherever and whenever you are. Be here and be well. Live this moment - it's all we have and it's beautiful.

To see the magic around us, we need to be fully present in the here and now - at the gym or anywhere else.

Riveria Square : A New Waterfront Shopping Experience In Kuching

2007-12-16T18:26:00.000+08:00

Overall aerial perspective of the exciting Riveria Square waterfront development in Kuching.

The upcoming Riveria Square is a landmark commercial development breaking away from the mould of the typical ‘shophouse’ commercial development in Kuching offering something new and unique.

With a kilometer long water’s edge walk along Sungai Kuap for recreation, shopping and entertainment provided for by arcade shops; it brings to Kuching the kind of waterfront shopping experience one can only previously get overseas such as Sydney’s Darling Harbour and San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. At a short 5 minutes from Tabuan Jaya, it’s destined to be the next “most happening” place in Kuching.

The first phase with with 29 units of 3 to 4 storey shophouses very competitively priced from RM718,888/- was launched on the weekend with each and every block enjoying either main road or waterfront promenade frontage. Now Everyone Has A Frontage!

This is truly a landmark development worthy of your investment and something Kuching can really be proud of.

Contact Naim Sales Office +6082-422 001, 422 236, 019-856 6738 to book your unit!

Artist impression of the night time view of the shophouses @ Riveria Square, Kuching

2 Trees @ Riveria, Kuching

2007-12-15T14:23:00.001+08:00

2 Trees @ Riveria, Kuching December 2007

I slept in this morning which is something I haven't done in a long time and I awoke at 8.15am to a rainy morning and decided to lie in bed for a while longer and enjoy the quiet moments.

As is usually the case, I'm not really sure what I want to post on today but I was thinking that the photos of the trees I took at Riveria yesterday on an overcast afternoon looked better than I had hoped for and it sort of fit the kind of lazy, easy mood I'm in right now ...

A stark image against a moody blue sky evokes a melancholic feeling. Whatever.

She Floats

2007-12-14T13:36:00.000+08:00

She floats and she's beautiful - wood strip kayak designed and built by clever Kuching kayaker Dennis Leong

Dennis’s father picked up one of our flyers and passed it to him and he called me up one evening inquiring if he could join in one of our kayaking trips using his own kayak. “Sure!” As I’m glad to meet another kayaker in Kuching. So I asked him what make of kayak he has and he replied that he’s building his own! Needless to say I asked him if I could have a look and I sped to his house to meet him and have a look at his home built kayak. My jaws dropped as it was a most beautiful wood strip hand built kayak that I’d ever seen. Actually it was the first wood strip hand built sea kayak that I'd ever seen! It was all completed just awaiting the final few finishing coats. If Huey sees this - I bet tears will be rolling down his face! It was simply beautiful.

Maiden paddle - Dennis in his own designed and built sea kayak on Sarawak River, Kuching

When Dennis took her (christen 'Rilo Fun') out for a maiden paddle a few weeks back; I was away and this morning I received an email from him with these 2 photos and these 2 simple and beautiful words – “she floats.”

World's Largest Dogs

2007-12-13T20:25:00.000+08:00

Knowing that I like dogs (I have 5), an office colleague emailed me these pictures of these giant canines! And they would certainly give any intruders a freaking heart attack! I mean just look at them.

I couldn't help but wonder what the food bill would be like keeping one of these! And I don't think they would fit on my kayaks as well; and in fact would most probably sink 'em!

And while we're on the topic of dogs and before we get too judgmental; perhaps we should heed Irene's recent comment/reply on my post on her and her and her terrier, Cookie on Saturday, 8th December 2007 - "Inseparable : Cookie & Irene"; as whether they are big or small, to some of us our dogs occupy a large part of our lives:-

"hey... i just had time to log on today, and was mildly amused to see that this picture of me and cookie actually appeared here haha. thanks for the write up on me and my pampered little princess!

to everyone else... yes, cookie hates flying terribly, doesn't help that she's a tad claustrophobic. but it's my three-month summer break now, and as i've just moved out of my place in miri and am technically homeless lol, so there's nowhere to leave her, so she has to come back with me to kuching.

and there's the matter of her being very very attached to me - she doesn't eat, sleep, or even drink much when i'm not around, and becomes depressed and listless if i don't come home for more than a day.

so considering all those, the trauma from a one-hour flight seems like a reasonable unpleasantness as opposed to her wasting away without me.

cookie was a present from my mum as part of my therapy. i suffer from a severe case of bipolar disorder and cookie's probably the best thing that's happened to me... she's my lifeline and one of the more compelling reasons in my life for me to continue fighting my depression.

all this sounds rather cliched and maybe very corny but yeah, she means a lot to me than a carry-round accessory or a cute toy."

'Salted' Curry Ramen @ Kuching Airport

2007-12-13T07:15:00.000+08:00

My MAS flight from Kuching to Miri was delayed for over an hour and since it was nearing noon time; I thought I might as well grab some lunch before my flight and headed for the restaurant located on the ground floor at one one of the building.

I love curries and so I ordered their "Curry Ramen" which is basically curry noodles. It arrived and my first mouthful was to be my last as it was the saltest thing I had ever tasted in my life! I cannot believe anyone can eat anything as salty as this and I went to the counter to speak with the manager or whoever was in charge but no one seems to be in charge nor is concerned about the saltness of the food saying that it's "biasa" - just normal lah! Problem's with the fussy customer lah!

Anyway I have a long day ahead and I'm not gonna get myself flustered over a plate of noodles, left it and I went up to the first floor to grab a muffin and coffee instead. So if you like very salty food (and do not suffer from hypertension) - you know where to go in Kuching to elevate your blood sodium level! Whatever.

On Trees @ Tabuan Jaya Park & Letting Go

2007-12-12T21:07:00.000+08:00

During lunch time yesterday I drove my old Honda CRV to the carpark at Tabuan Jaya wet market to meet the person who was interested in getting it for his wife. He brought his mechanic along to check on the condition of the car (it was tip-top) and while they took it for a test drive, I was left waiting at the carpark and with time on hand I took a short stroll at the adjacent park and took a few snaps of the trees there while reflecting on the quick passage of time ...

The snaps turned out sweet and so was the deal as the guy came to my office this morning to settle the payment - in cash(!) after I'd told him that I can only let him have the car after his cheque has cleared. While he was in a hurry, there was reluctance somewhat on my part as I felt a tinge of sadness to part with the car that has taken me to so many kayaking destinations over the past over 7 years. So much memories but time to let go.

Serangoon Junior College Kayaking Adventure

2007-12-12T06:58:00.000+08:00

View of our kayaking group from the suspension bridge at Kg Danu

We had a busy Tuesday on the 27^th November 2007 when we took 33 students, 4 teachers and 1 vice-principal from Serangoon Junior College, Singapore on an adventure trip kayaking through the rain forests of Borneo Highlands.

Also accompanying them were 2 guides from Borneo Adventure who (thanks to them) put them on to our kayaking trip. We arrived an hour earlier to get everything ready for the trip. And the group arrived at Kg Bengoh straight from the airport!

To take care of this – our largest group so far were 6 of us. 2 on the safety raft and 2 kayaking guides each for the 2 groups that we split them up into.

I must admit that we were a little nervous about taking out such a big group of 17 year olds but we needn’t have worried as all of them have 1 star Award and a couple of them had 2 star award Singapore canoeing certification. And they were so well behaved and organized thanks to the teachers and Vice Principal Mr Looi Eng Chai with everything proceeding with military precison. We were quite impressed as we have trouble on occasions getting even a small group of 4 or 6 adults to take simple instructions!

We took heaps of photos of them which I have complied into a downloadable slideshow in my earlier post. But since it’s such a large file (around 36MB), I’m posting some of the photos here for those who may not be inclined to wait for the download.

Group photo with a difference - in the river!

Serangoon Junior College Kayaking

2007-12-11T07:29:00.000+08:00

Group photo @ Kg Danu. (Click on photo to download slide show)

Date: Tuesday, 27 November 2007

Group: Serangoon Junior College, Singapore

Participants:
Looi Eng Chai, Kwek Jit Kiong, Josephine Then, Neo Hui En Cheryln, Poh Lee Toon,Winne Sean, Huang Xinyi, Chian Yuan Lin, Suhaila Auas Hassan, Cheryl Goh, Chua Wei Yun, MD Nashiruddin, Yuonne Gui Xiang Yun, Eugenia Tan Pei Shan, Lin Xiaying, Ang Wei Qiang, Low Inn Zheng, Suan Yeap Jun, Lee Mei Ting Vanessa, Dai Meng Wei, Tan Teck, Mohamed Haikal, Yu Ming Feng, Segan, Ton Zhan Yuan, Abdul Rahman, Delviner Kuar, Gwendolyn Tan, Jacyln See, Candy Tan, Goh Lianne, Huang Jiahua Bernice, Ng Yi He, Tan Wei Bin, Wong Shao Hui Shawn, Agnes Thng, Christine Lee, Jonathan Ho Jia Han

Trip: Rainforest Kayaking Adventure from Kg Bengoh to Kg Semadang

Beautiful Sunday @ Batang Kayan, Serian

2007-12-10T13:08:00.000+08:00

Entering a magical place on the waters on a Sunday, 9th December 2007

“Kayaking down a rain forest river is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re gonna get!”

And a beautiful shaded tributary off Batang Kayan @ Serian was a most welcomed surprise and respite from the heat on a most beautiful Sunday when we kayak down from Kg Tema to Tebakang fulfilling a trip that KK Seng and I reccee back in July and where I spotted the wooden boats from the pedestrian suspension bridge.

More stories and photos will follow … eventually I hope, on account of this busy thingy called life.

Fun & Adventure In Any Language

2007-12-08T18:13:00.000+08:00

On Thursday, there was a last minute booking from Paul and Charley who are 2 Koreans here on holidays.I know thats not very Korean-sounding but they are really from Seoul and speaka not a word of English with Azmi.However kayaking through the rain forests, getting soaked under a waterfall, climbing up jungle vines from the waters and seeing wildlife spells fun and adventure in any language - Korean included.

Inseparable : Cookie & Irene

2007-12-08T13:57:00.000+08:00

I do miss Buddy, our Golden Retriever when I am away travelling but obviously not as much as Irene misses Cookie, a Terrier as she took her along whenever she travels domestically.

I first noticed Cookie in her little cage on the conveyor belt when I was waiting for my luggage on my flight back from Miri to Kuching last night and Cookie started 'yeppin' excitedly when Irene picked up the cage. I walked over to chat with them and found out from Irene that it only costs about R5/- per kilogram for Cookie to fly with her (in the cargo bay) although Cookie does not like to fly but Irene misses her too much to leave her alone at home.

So who or what is inseparable for you?

Miri Trip

2007-12-06T06:54:00.000+08:00

I’ll be taking a flight to Miri later on and will be back on Friday night.

Why the photo of Buddy here?
Well, I hate posts without pictures and I think Buddy looks better than fishes! Whatever. I just love him no end.

Also looking at Buddy cheers me up especially after Big G had slashed my Page Rank to zero! *sigh*

*Hint* - Click on 'Buddy' for the various posts on him this year.

Seeing Red : Joining the Google Pagerank Zero Club!

2007-12-05T22:11:00.000+08:00

Blue eye Garoupa and PageRanking is a fishy business

I had a rude shock when I logged into PayPerPost just now to check in on the opportunities available only to be greeted by a red screen instead of the usual white screen that I’d been accustomed to!

For those who are not doing PayPerPost – a white and light beige/yellow means that the opportunity is available to you while a blue and red screen means that the opportunity is not available. Here's the legend explaining this.

For most bloggers like myself (before I started doing paid posts) Google Page Rank warrants nothing more than a big yawn. However to those who are trying to monetize their blog; it means making some money (or a lot of money if your blog has a PR of 5 and above) or nothing at all!

What does it mean to me from a PR 4 then 3 and now Zero? Well, with no opportunities from PayPerPost, there’ll be no more opportunities to do paid post(s). Duh! As a ‘non-pro blogger’ who has a day and weekend job and does not have to depend on blogging for a living – the roof has not caved in and it’ll be back to normal blogging as usual!

What surprised and disappointed me was the fact that PayPerPost and IZEA with their much touted pagerank is nothing but hot air and that Google Page Rank still call the shots with the advertisers. Now let's get back to life! ;)

Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorneys

2007-12-05T13:33:00.000+08:00

I trust you never have to need their services but if you do then you should consider Kestenbaum, Eisner & Gorin, LLP who are Los Angeles Criminal Attorneys | California Criminal Defense Lawyers | Felony Misdemeanor DUI Specialists and are in the top 5% U.S. Law Firm: Criminal Defense.

They are a nationally recognized criminal defense firm that specializes in aggressive representation and are ready to defend all felony, misdemeanor and DUI case. I rest my case and good luck.

Rainbow Fish (Star Garoupa) @ Pending Point Jetty Hawker Center, Kuching

2007-12-05T07:57:00.000+08:00

People who think that beautiful looking fishes should be left alone swimming in the seas instead of ending up on the dining plate are going to squirm over this …

Pretty in pink and eating one would tickle you pink ... ;)

While I was photographing the parrot fish, the fish monger (seeing how appreciative I am about fine fishes) ‘fished’ out another even more striking looking fish for my ‘photo shoot’ – it’s a red/pink Star Garoupa or Rainbow Fish.

Because of its attractive appearance – like an art piece, it’s a popular restaurant dish as it tastes even better than it looks! Actually the red/pink colour loses its colour saturation when steamed. There are several species of this Star Garoupa with the higly prized ‘7 Star Garoupa’ commanding the premium price – especially the live ones you see in the fish tanks. You would want to eat slowly and savour its delicate taste and flavour. Yummy.

Head shots of a Star Garoupa headed for the dining table.

I think it’s a shame to just enjoy looking at such a pretty fish and not enjoy its even more delicious and succulent flesh … one man’s fish is certainly another person’s poison! But I bet they would be over the rainbow once they have a piece of Rainbow Fish in their mouth! Peace man!

Looking At Lockers

2007-12-05T07:13:00.000+08:00

It’s funny how you never really notice things until you’re actually using them – and until I joined the gym about 2 months back; I’d never really paid much notice to lockers, but I do now!

And how I wished the gym that I go to had chosen their gym lockers and locker benches from Lockerixchange as they even have designer steel lockers which looked so much better than the standard boring metal lockers. They also have school lockers as well as plastic lockers. In fact they provide a full suite of locker room furniture including some such as vented lockers and basket lockers.

I’m pretty sure that Lockerixchange would meet all your locker needs and if not , perhaps you’re just too fussy or you may need to be locked up! *sigh*

Preparations For A Kayak Trip

2007-12-04T22:16:00.000+08:00

The largest gathering of kayaks that Kg Bengoh has ever seen!

It was our biggest group ever and naturally we were a little bit apprehensive as it involves a group of 17 year old school kids from Singapore. With 33 students, 5 teachers and 3 guides to take care of on the waters I decided to be kiasu as well and called on Freddy and Becko in addition to Azmi, Bev, Juri and myself to take care of our group. That's why we were "busy" last week on Tuesday 27th November 2007.

Our group photo - after we had gotten everything ready for the trip and awaiting the arrival of the school group from Singapore.

We took over an hour to get the kayaks, paddles, PFDs, water, etc ready including our inflatable safety raft - just in case; and none the too soon as the group arrived just after we've had our lunch. Here are some photos of our preparations for the kayaking trip. And more stories to follow (eventually) - so stay tuned ...

After all that preparations - on the way at last.

Dyson Vacuum Cleaners

2007-12-04T20:59:00.000+08:00

As a designer myself I really appreciate well designed products and the Dyson upright vacuum cleaner range is quite intriguing – I especially like the model “DC14 the ball” which twist and turn like no other vacuum cleaner. It has some really cool features such as flexible steering which steers smoothly with a turn of the wrist and a motorized brush bar with an extra motor in the cleaner head powers the bristles to remove dirt and pet hair from carpets. It also comes with a 5 Years guarantee in case you are worried about their quality.

And if you are looking for a specific Dyson parts or accessories for a particular model; it’s truly a piece of cake with the easy navigation and when you find the item you need you can click on a button to buy it online or on another button for more info should you require more information. You'll be amazed by the range of accessories available.

Blue Skies In Kuching At Last!

2007-12-04T13:12:00.000+08:00

After raining everyday and night for the past over week, it was such a joy to be able to see blue skies once again in Kuching this morning.

Wonderful isn't it? Especially when you've run out of dry underwears!

Instant Hypnosis Download

2007-12-03T22:46:00.000+08:00

This is interesting as well as useful and certainly worth sharing here as I never knew that this is available online – instant hypnosis downloads from Instant-Hypnosis.com to help us in a significant number or areas in our life; in the comfort and privacy of our own home by listening to it on your MP3 or CD Players.

With so many topics and areas that are covered from self improvement, fear and phobias, body image, overcome illness, skill improvement, business success, personal development, addictions and habits, mental health, love & emotions, sleep health etc – there’s virtually everything you may want to improve in any areas of your life. Actually there are almost 300 professionally produced hypnosis sessions available for instant download!

No wonder it’s the world largest hypnosis website. The "You Can Create Wealth" download should be of interests to posties and non-posties alike!

Wet But Special Sunday

2007-12-03T20:29:00.000+08:00

A false lull in the weather for Mohd Suffian, Rafzan, Mohd Fairuz and Muhamad at Sg Abang put-in

It was raining but Azmi and Juri were unable to talk brothers and nephews in arms – Mohd Suffian, Rafzan, Mohd Fairuz and Muhamad from Seri Kembangan, Selangor who are on holidays here out of a kayaking trip at Borneo Highlands.

A wet stop at Kg Danu with no respite from the rain.

So Azmi and Juri drove them to the put-in hoping that the rain would subside when they reached there – which it did momentarily and then the sky opened up just after they paddled off! It rained continuously throughout the trip and even after they take-out at Kg Semadang!

Getting more than their feet wet on Sunday.

And according to Azmi, Suffian and gang had the time of their lives (despite the rain and the capsizes) and to express their gratitude for such an amazing time - took him and Juri out for lunch and seafood dinner that night! Certainly a kayak trip to remember. Yeah!

Rafzan and Muhamad got more than they bargained for - a 'baptism' on the waters of Borneo Highlands!

EZUnsecured.com - Funding American Business Loans

2007-12-03T12:58:00.000+08:00

One of the challenges facing small businesses and one of the main reasons why they fail is when they face cash flow problems; which of course can be avoided if they have right financing in place before the need arises.

That’s where EZUnsecured.com can help as they specialized in helping small business owners and entrepreneurs obtain the capital they need to succeed and they have been doing that since 2002.

The process is easy – apply today and get your funds in 1 to 3 weeks time with approval in 1 to 3 days! That’s fast funding for you. And the great service continues with no upfront funding fees.

Even when you have no time to go around looking for finance and you have no collateral – it’s really no problem when you are looking for Business Loans with EZUnsecured.com!

Parrotfish @ Pending Point Jetty Hawker Centre, Kuching

2007-12-02T11:17:00.000+08:00

A parrotfish in Kuching - destined to end up on a restaurant table.

My other half loves to cook and bake; and I simply love to eat – which makes for a balanced marriage. She stays slim while I get more 'prosperous'.

Anyway I accompanied her on Saturday afternoon to one of her frequented places for fresh and wholesale priced seafood supplies. She directed and I drove – which makes for a pleasant journey (it does not work so well when I directed and she drove!).

We got there and while she checked out what is fresh to buy, I checked out the various types of fish available that day for a photo op. Noticing my curiosity one of the fishmonger ‘fished’ out an interesting looking fish for me to photography. It turned out to be a parrotfish (he called it ‘eng-ko’ hoo in hokkien).

Parrotfish are named for their oral dentition; their numerous teeth are arranged in a tightly packed mosaic on the external surface of the jaw bones, forming a parrot-like beak which is used to rasp algae from coral and other rocky substrates. It's mouth/lips actually reminded me of some people I know! Ooops! Anyway, there are many different species of parrotfish and all them equally delicious to eat and they command a premium price – around RM40/- per kilo.

We ended up buying some squids, a garoupa and a seabass, and we had an enjoyable seafood dinner. Anyway I hope you enjoy the parrotfish photos.

Learn to Go Slow – Start With a Shirt!

2007-12-02T09:18:00.000+08:00

Yes – with a Mad Gringo shirt with an attitude by discarding that white shirt and the corporate noose a.k.a. tie. It’s not that easy to get off that rat race treadmill but we can at least slow down – or “go slow”. A change in our clothing can help get us to that state of mind – and you can “browse their Hawaiian Shirts, picture yourself in a beautiful Sarong, show a little attitude in a Mad Gringo Tee, or get a Tiki Sign from Mad Gringo Accessories to nail to your neighbor's fence.”

They have FREE SHIPPING on orders over $70 and for the bargain hunters – they have a great section of clothing and accessories at closeout prices.

I like their hawaiian shirts which with their loose baggy cut looks cool and so comfortable to wear and in their bold and bright colours clearly spells out to random strangers in no uncertain terms “Yes. I’m on vacation”.

At the Mad Gringo you just need to “go slow” take it easy and enjoy life. Yeah. But can someone now wake me up before I get carried away and head towards the river in a Mad Gringo Big Floppy Beach Hat to go kayaking instead of to the office. *sigh*

Wet N Wild Friday Kayaking

2007-12-01T17:25:00.000+08:00

Azmi with Mei Ching, Juan Lyn, Jem & Fiona @ Kg Bengoh, 30 November 2007

It started raining early on Friday morning and it kept on raining the entire day. But that did not deter Jem and Fiona from England who chanced on us and booked our trip through a local travel agent; and Mei Ching and Juan Lyn (a graphic designer who runs her own little design and advertising firm - PaperCut) from Kuala Lumpur who 'googled' and found us and booked our rain forest kayaking trip.

And despite the relentless rain they had a wet but great time and luckily the rain did not deter the orang utans (that's the real 'George of the Jungle' there) either at Semengoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Center who showed up at feeding time. Yeah, it was a wet and wild Friday for Mei Ching, Juan Lyn, Jem, Fiona and Azmi alright.

Save Buckets

2007-12-01T13:55:00.001+08:00

Most of us owns or want to own an MP3 player with the iPod topping the list but not all of us want or are willing to fork out so much money for one and regardless we want to get one at the best price!

And you can save yourself money as well as time at save buckets as they have a huge selection with over a thousand products just for MP3 Players alone! With prices starting from less than 2 pounds - now everyone can enjoy music anywhere. Go check out and compare prices of hundreds of mp3 Players there!

Wet Wet Wet In Kuching

2007-12-01T07:41:00.000+08:00

It has been raining relentlessly in Kuching since early Friday morning and it's still raining now.

I read in the papers this morning that parts of Kuching are flooded; which is as can be 'expected' on account of our 'malaysia boleh' infrastructure.

Anyway we went out last night for a 'Miss Tourism Preview Show' (a post on this later - or eventually) and while waiting for our stubborn motorised sliding gate to open; I took a snap of the car headlights on it just before it decided to budge.

Wet or dry - have a wonderful weekend.

Shipping Your Car

2007-12-01T07:14:00.000+08:00

We do not think much about auto transport but when we have to move interstate or overseas, we start to think about car shipping especially when we want to ship our car instead of selling it off when we move.

And National Car Shipping company is the leader in car shipping from coast to coast as they have over 20 years of experience in the auto moving business. As professional auto transporters you can be assured of pleasant and hassle-free service with your car arriving in perfect condition.

With their long experience they have the skill to handle every type of car and auto transportation including enclosed trailer car shipping option for moving expensive cars and your vehicle is fully insured.

You can get a free instant quote online or if you prefer you can call them to answer any questions you may have. Their shipping rates are amongst the lowest. And they also handle international car shipping or even your boat or motorcycle.

Different but Same Fun & Adventure

2007-11-30T08:00:00.000+08:00

Azmi, Crissy, Andrew & Louise @ Sg Abang put-in, Kg Bengoh, 29 November 2007

Crissy Ranellucci from Montreal, Canada booked our trip directly by email and Azmi was happy to pick her and friend Andrew from Borneo Seashare B&B yesterday where they were staying.

Also joining them was Louise Campbell from down-under Hawthorne, Australia who booked through a travel agent, was staying at Merdeka Palace.

Different hotels, different bookings but same destination and the same wonderful time of fun and adventure kayaking through the rain forests of Borneo highlands.

Top USA Online Casinos

2007-11-30T07:29:00.000+08:00

“TopUsaOnlineCasinos.com is a FREE guide to help US Players find safe and fun online gambling destinations. Casinos ranked by pro poker and blackjack players, according to bonus size, payout rate, customer support, # of games, deposit options, graphics and ease of use.”

That’s what it says on the website and it pretty much says it all!

Sporting a remarkably ‘simple’, neat and clean interface; it does not belie the ease with which one can check out the various online casinos available in the USA to suit you. If you want detail information on any one of the online casinos, you can read reviews of each one. In the review section, they give very comparable data based on their rating of Graphics / Sounds, Payout Percentage, Security, Fair Play and many more factors.

Some online casinos require that you download a program and all you need to do is to click on the download button.

So if online casinos is your game – go knock yourself silly at TopUsaOnlineCasinos.com. Amen.

Still Feeling Safe?

2007-11-29T13:38:00.000+08:00

The last time I checked into this 4-stars hotel a couple of months back, I was a bit taken aback by the sign at the reception counter.

Apparently things must have taken a turn for the worst since then as the signs are now all over the tables in the restaurant as well where you take your buffet breakfast!

Our "Visit Malaysia Year 2007" visitors staying in this hotel must no doubt be equally concerned as well as appreciative of the concern shown by the hotel management. *sigh*

Don't Smell Funky!

2007-11-29T12:38:00.000+08:00

With our hot and humid weather, we tend to perspire quite a bit even after some minor physical exertions especially when outdoors. So it’s quite easy for one to smell ‘funky’! So some sort of perfume or fragrances helps and would be appreciated by those who work in close quarters to you.

Being a rather personal thing, the choice of fragrances can be quite personal – there are some you like and others you hate! I’ve been using Ralph Lauren’s Safari for Men for years now and would probably continue to use it until I find something else that I like.

Nice Packaging, Shame About the Contents

2007-11-29T07:52:00.000+08:00

Great to store and easy to serve and easy on the eyes. Pity that it's hard to swallow!

I was on the MAS Kuching-KL flight on Thursday night when the stewardess handed from their meals cart a nice package which I initially thought was a complimentary present! Nice I thought until I realized that this was our meal! Whatever happened to the hot meal which until now I had never missed anyway. Frequent flyers on MAS would customarily give their fish meals a miss as it has a distinctive ‘fishy’ smell that is quite unpalatable. Not that their chicken, omelet, or (tough) beer ‘steak’ is any better… Anyway I'm a picky eater but life's too short to waste on eating lousy food.

Anyway back to this new packaged meal which consist cold sandwiches which unfortunately was too dry, a small apple and a small package of biscuits. I suspect that the packaging easily costs more than the food itself. WTF.

Great packaging and great if you like sandwiches and your meals cold. Now Everyone Can Starve!

Alarmed that if this is what I’m going to be getting as meals on MAS flights from now onwards, I might as well fly AirAsia; I checked with one of the equally nicely packaged stewardess who informed me that this would be on trial for 3 months and judging from their ‘survey’ – 91% are in favor! Really. And if this is correct, it would appear that nowadays packaging matters more than substance. *sigh*

Termites Guide

2007-11-29T06:47:00.000+08:00

I’ve a friend whose house roof nearly cave in on due to termites eating away at the timber roof trusses and battens!

He would have appreciated Termites Guide which is an online guide on to how to get rid of termites; covering all of the basics - from how you can tell if your home is infested with termites, to improvements to make to keep them from getting in, to specific explanation of how each termite control product works and what the advantages and disadvantages of each one are.

Clearly presented information to guard and protect your home with proper defenses against termites.

Busy!

2007-11-28T17:18:00.000+08:00

I had been busy on all fronts - hence the lack of updates. Too many things to blog about but too ~~tired~~ little time to do so. *sigh*

I hope that I can settle back into a routine of sort soon. Anyway the photo on the left gives a clue as to what I'd been busy on yesterday ...

Sunny Sunday Kayaking

2007-11-26T22:07:00.000+08:00

Henrik Kempf & Nina Bang from Copenhagen @ Kg Bengoh put-in on Sunday, 25th November 2007

Nina and Henrik from Copenhagen, Denmark were most happy to be out on the clear waters of Borneo Highland on Sunday with Freddy who's enjoying his school holidays at the moment with a bit of guiding thrown in for good measure.

In a magical place a long, long way from Denmark ...

I Like Boring

2007-11-26T21:05:00.000+08:00

A routine but never boring Kuching Skies.

Boring is good. Especially for me when I long for a ‘standard’ routine day where everything is predictable and peaceful. Traveling upsets my schedule – my eating times and especially my sleeping and waking up times. My body is pretty adaptable to the changes in routine and I get a little bit tired from the rushing around but it usually takes about a day or so before I ‘shake’ off the cobwebs. It's fun and interesting no doubt but I still long for the boringly predictable sometimes.

No – I’m NOT old; I just prefer boring sometimes. Yeah, I'm boring I know. Trusting that your Monday is how you want it to be - whether routine or unpredictable. Whatever.

The routine of watching 'boring' skies enthralls me and is anything but boring.

Have a "Vege" Good Sunday

2007-11-25T08:47:00.000+08:00

Interesting signboards to liven up a hot dreary drive.

We were on the drive back on Saturday evening after viewing some very nice showhouses at Sungai Long (at the border of Cheras and Kajang in a new sub-division) when I spotted this interestingly worded signboards.

Should the hygiene of the vegetarian restaurant be problematic and is not "vege" good as claimed - have no fear as the "GoodMedic" is just next door!

Irregardless have a "vege" good Sunday whether you are a vegetarian or a carnivore.

'Good' things are normally found in pairs or side-by-side!

Portable Duplex Scanner

2007-11-25T08:20:00.000+08:00

I was quite amused once when my friend who is an insurance agent ‘whipped out’ his ‘portable fax machine from his car boot when we need to photocopy some documents in a hurry. He explains that it helps him to close his deals when the timing is right and not let some inconveniences such as the unavailability of a photocopier to get in the way.

He would be over the moon when I tell him about the ScanShell 3000DN which is a compact (measuring L x W x H: 300mm x 50mm x 45mm), light (weighing 1.3 pounds or 17oz/0.59kg) and portable duplex scanner. With such a small footprint and compact size, he can keep it in his briefcase instead of the boot!

It comes equipped with a high speed USB 2.0 standard interface and requires no external power supply. And it’s a duplex scanner providing simultaneous double sided scanning. The bundled software, DocShell, is free and allows easy scanning, sharing and organizing of photos and documents. This easy to use utility can scan and export the scanned image or save them in a number of popular image file formats including the popular PDF format.

And you can buy it online at a very reasonably priced USD319/-

Thursday Sunset

2007-11-22T19:54:00.000+08:00

I'm off to KL later on a business trip and would be back on Saturday. Getting into the airport a bit earlier than usual and with some spare time on hand I'm doing a quick post compliments of the "free"(if you don't buy a ~~expensive~~ drink that is) wireless at Starbucks Coffee in the airport.

Left: Thursday Kuching Sunset, 22 November 2007

Finding Your Center

2007-11-22T07:45:00.000+08:00

After a bowl of this, you'll be duly centered - well at least your stomach I hope ...

I have been quite busy this month and it’s easy to let your work be the center of your life to the exclusion of all else – including having a nice lunch; so when the opportunity presents itself, I suggested that we go and have some delicious “giant prawn Foochow mee” in the Ang Cheng Hoe area that I had not frequented in a while. I love my food.

Anyway I was too engrossed in the eating that I forgot to jot down the name of the place and street number. As it usually is, I know how to get to a place but I do not take note of the street name nor the name of the establishment. I’ll do that the next time.

Taking a double take on the sign.

So after a hearty and satisfying lunch we ~~staggered~~ walked back to the car and my colleague was bending over with laughter over this banner which I dutifully snapped. Trusting that your life is properly centered and humored. Whatever.

Swede Tuesday

2007-11-21T07:55:00.000+08:00

Shooting the rapids @ Borneo Highlands on a sweet Tuesday.

Emma Andersson and Jerry Hull, both from Gothenburg, Sweden saw our flyers at B&B Inn and promptly booked our kayaking trip through the rain forest and were glad they did as they really had a sweet Tuesday!

Swedes Emma & Jerry having a sweet time on Sg Sarawak Kiri, 20 November 2007

Boston Red Sox Spring Training Dreaming

2007-11-21T07:31:00.000+08:00

The world renown Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and is the reigning World Series Champions. The Red Sox are a reputed member and current champions of both the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division and of the American League itself.

And if you are a big fan of Boston Red sox then there is great news as they have announced their Boston Red Sox Spring Training Schedule for exhibition matches in winter. So if you are planning on getting Boston Red Sox Spring Training tickets to see them, you can do so online with Team One Tickets who is one of the best providers of tickets as well as travel packages of major sporting events and all orders are 100% guarantee. So getting this ticket is not a problem; it’s the ticket to get to Fenway Park, Boston from Kuching, Malaysia that is the problem! *sigh*

Jong's Kuching Sunset

2007-11-20T21:47:00.000+08:00

A November Sunset, Kuching by Miss Jong

An office colleague of mine has 'suddenly' discovered the joys of photography and upon hearing that I'm quite a good photographer (*ahem*) sought me out for some tips to improve her techniques and skill. Smart gal. So she showed me some of the photos she has taken (with her fancy Nikon D80!) and these here's a montage that I've put together of a sunset she recently captured on one of her weekend outings and which I liked the best. I think you would too. Not bad for a 'beginner'! And a good opportunity for me for a quick post.

Backgammon Masters Launches Live Customer Support

2007-11-20T21:12:00.001+08:00

I must confess that I do not know how to play Backgammon – but for those who do then its great news for them as they can play it and other games including blackjack online and Backgammon Masters, an online gaming portal and one of the largest around, who has recently announced their Live Customer Support for Blackjack – to enhance your playing experience. This versatile feature allows their customers to log into their All-in-One-Game Lobby where you’ll get the benefit of fast and efficient Customer Support where you will have your questions answered immediately by an operator. Perhaps I can ask questions about backgammon then. Hmm.

Anyway if you do not want to appear totally ignorant (like me), you can if you prefer, answer a list of questionnaires that should pinpoint your problems and receive support from the appropriate personnel. Duh ...

Blackjack (or 21 blackjack as it is more commonly called here in Malaysia) is a favorite card game amongst casino goers and differs from other card games because the player bets against the dealer, and not against other players at the table. To get started and play the game, all you need to do is to download BackgammonMasters.com's unique software that is available in 12 languages. See - Now everyone can blackjack!

View From The River

2007-11-19T12:47:00.000+08:00

Another turn and another discovery awaits round the corner. 18 November 2007.

I find that it's always cooler on the waters than on land. Not to mention that the views are simply amazing. Once I get on the water, I let God and I let go - and my subconsciousness takes over as I go with the flow without mind or thoughts as I become one with nature and become whole again; and at the take-out I'm rejuvenated and revitalized as I step back into this 'conscious' world. It's magical, here, now and real.

So what are you waiting for?

Pointing towards the wonders, magic and beauty of nature and the universe. God is out here and all around.

Premium Hunting / Hiking Boots

2007-11-19T12:32:00.000+08:00

I don’t go hunting so I'm not really looking for Hunting Boots, but on occasions I do a bit of hiking and here’s a wide selection of designs and brands at various prices from MetBoots.com who specializes in work wear needs – in terms of boots/footwear; where you can shop by style or brand.

I like this pair of waterproof hiking boots that would be appreciated during portages (shudders!) on my next kayaking expedition trip.

And if you’re not into boots, I’m sure you know someone who does and they make excellent (and lasting) gifts and you can let them choose their own with gift certificates. And if you’re spending more than $100/-; shipping is free to boot!

Sharing Sunday

2007-11-18T19:11:00.000+08:00

Sharing a wonderful Sunday together on the waters of Borneo Highlands, 18 November 2007

Rob Taggart & Shaun are clearly having a great Sunday.

I was really happy today to be on the waters again after more than 2 weeks of 'near dehydration'! Anyway I was eager to join the group of people I was taking out who were just as eager to get going. The light was simply beautiful as I took this snap of Shaun, the GM from Crown Plaza Riverside and Holiday Inn Kuching and who was showing his friend Rob from Sydney the wonderful time he and his family had on the waters with us a couple of months ago.

Gang leader, Bong Hon and friends havin' a splashin' good time!

Bong Hon and his gang of 6 friends who were taking their 4th or 5th trips with us again (I'm not kidding!) were having a splashing good time as well. Kayaking (with FH2o *ahem*) is fun and you do want to share it with your family and friends!

Father, Bong Foh Hoe and son, Alan Bong (16) sharing special moments on the waters of Sg Sarawak Kiri

Needless to say, we had a brilliant Sunday. Trusting that your weekend was just as wonderful as mine - and shared with family or friends. Cheers!

Bong Hon tries to drink drips from rock outcrop much to the amusement of fellow passenger Ho Siew Hong and Chong.

Designer Plumbing Fittings

2007-11-18T06:29:00.000+08:00

Although we may not be able to afford a big fancy house, we can still instill an air of luxury and comfort if we install fine designer plumbing fittings inside our humble abode.

Some items such as kohler water tiles are quite affordable and its simply divine to take a ‘rain’ shower in, in our hot tropical climate - a wonderful daily indulgence.

Stainless steel sink are really a necessity for kitchens as they are practical and durable. That brands such as Blanco Sinks which look so good is simply a bonus.

All these and more are available from DPO – Designer Plumbing Outlet with a range of selection at great prices.

Saturday Kayaking @ Borneo Highlands

2007-11-17T20:17:00.000+08:00

Melissa, Quyen & Jane @ Kg Danu, Saturday 17th November 2007

Quyen Du and Melissa Gooi who lived in Kuala Lumpur, booked our trip through Borneo Transverse Tours and requested to be picked up at Merdeka Palace at 1pm instead of our usual 8.30am pickup so as to suit their travel arrangements (they had actually just flew in and checked into the hotel at around 12 noon!), and being the easy and flexible people that we are; we naturally obliged.

Jane Pollinger from the UK is a wee bit afraid of the water - but she did not want to miss out on a kayaking experience of a lifetime floating down the rain forests.

Lovely Melissa Gooi with the lovely kampung children of Kg. Danu

Jane Pollinger from the UK was traveling alone and didn't mind what time she would be picked just as long as she's able to do our trip before leaving on Sunday. And if she can sit with one of the guide as she's a little afraid of being on the waters. Her fears were allayed in the capable company of Azmi and it was a memorable experience for all even though by the time Azmi and Juri dropped them off in town it was already turning dark.

Quyen and Melissa finds a romantic spot inside a cave @ Sg Sarawak Kiri.

Smiling Singaporeans

2007-11-16T21:46:00.000+08:00

These Singaporeans can be a real "suah koo" (country bumpkin) on the waters!

I can finally take a short breather now that the board meetings are all over this week and to cap it off we were treated to a nice surprise buffet lunch by both the MD and Deputy MD yesterday after the "induction" meeting for the new staff to the company this year. It was a rare honour. *burp*

Smiling Singaporeans - take a leisurely float; no need to be "kiasu" here!

And it was all smiles too for Edelweiss (who booked via email and was initially reticent about what if it rains -*sigh*) and Ling from Singapore yesterday too as they were guided by Azmi (who also took all the nice photos here) down beautiful Sungai Sarawak Kiri at Borneo Highlands.

Happy to be fightings the currents rather than the MRT crowds anyday!

Trust that it'll be all smiles for you folks too this weekend! I am already grinning from cheek to ear as this will be first weekend off in over 2 weeks! Hehee.

It's "cool" to be inside a cave - beats the Spore underground anytime right Edelweiss and Ling?

Kayaking Belgians

2007-11-15T07:25:00.000+08:00

Kayaking Belgian couples @ Borneo Highlands, Tuesday 13 November 2007

It's getting towards the end of the year and we're in the midst of the monsoon season; although it has been quite a mild one this year. But for the past weeks we've been experiencing rain in the late afternoon or evenings.

Kayaking's pretty neat!

But that does not put off Belgians - Hermans, Vandenbrock, Boffe and Rogiers who saw our flyers at Singgahsana Lodge and promptly booked our kayaking trip through the rain forest and who discovered exactly why it is called the 'rain' forest for a reason!

Maneuvering to get drenched!

Dutch's Treat

2007-11-14T07:47:00.000+08:00

Pretty in Pink: Dutch delights on the waters of Sg Sarawak Kiri @ Borneo Highlands on 10 November 2007

Paulien and Renee, both 21, from the Netherlands heard about our wonderful (ahem!) kayaking trip down the rain forest river at Borneo Highlands from fellow Dutchman Bob in Kuala Lumpur who did our trip about a month ago on the 15th October 2007. Bob had a wonderful time together with a bunch of Dutch guys both on and off the waters! Langkau anyone?

Thanks Bob for putting Paulien Bolck and Renee Pisteli on to us and for taking the trouble to book the trip for them. It was certainly a treat for them and a delight for Azmi as well! Kayaking anyone?

Unsigned - For The Moment

2007-11-13T22:45:00.000+08:00

Now independent bands or Artists ranging in genre from acoustic, bluegrass, Christian to Techno or Trance who are still unsigned; have a viable venue to be discovered by being given the best source of information to be heard online.

All they need to do is to sign up at Unsigned.com and create their own profile for free! Then they can customize their own profile, upload their songs and create their fans networks. And then wait to be discovered as the next big thing! All genres are welcomed. The artist’s profile page allows you to leave your comments and listen to the songs uploaded with an audio player on the profile page. Contact information and shows/events along with other information gives a good introduction and background to the artist. If the artist has a website, you can click on it and find out more about them and their music. This provides a wonderful opportunity for any unsigned bands including any jazz artists to be discovered sooner.

With quite a number of bands from various genres already listed; and with the easy navigation - you’ll soon find the group and sounds that you like and registration as a fan is easy as well as free. In fact you can browse to find out more about the network of fans sharing similar musical interests and taste; make new friends and create your own social music network. Cool.

Sunset From The Gym's Window

2007-11-13T20:44:00.001+08:00

Kuching Monday silver lining.

I have not been kayaking for over a fortnight now on account of working over the weekends to get the presentations ready for the board meetings; so I'd to drag myself to the gym yesterday as I was feeling positively lethargic and sluggish - not to mention fat and sloppy.

And I was glad to catch this sunset while I worked on the cross-trainer machine but nearly fell out of it as I rushed to the window much to the amusement of the ~~fellow fat slobs~~ people who were working out at the gym; to take this grab shots.

How I wished I could efficiently multi-task like this doctored pic. Whatever.

Monday evening skies.

About Insurance

2007-11-13T19:35:00.000+08:00

I think most of us understand the need for insurance especially when we have seen with our own eyes what has happened to others who are not covered and we can foresee the risks that we are exposed to. Commonly these are car insurance, home insurance and travel insurance that we see a need for cover. However we may put off taking these necessary cover if the costs are prohibitive. But these days with the resources of the internet we can easily source for cheap car insurance and also for our home and when we travel. While we understand the benefits of insurance; at the same time we are wary about the coverage terms of the policy and the ease with which we can make our claim. We need to educate ourselves about insurance.

She Gets More Hits than Kenny Sia … and she’s 95!

2007-11-12T07:38:00.000+08:00

Yeah! Move aside Kenny Sia! And you can read all about it here, here and here. Still don’t believe me? Then go to her blog although it would help if you can read Spanish and if you can also understand Spanish as well – watch her being interviewed on YouTube.

Irregardless, Marie Amelia Lopez is cool in any language or at any age. What a lady!

Mortgages and Such

2007-11-12T07:07:00.000+08:00

Mortgages is a method of using property (real or personal) as security for the payment of a debt and in many countries it is normal for home purchases to be funded by a mortgage. I think it’s a good idea as otherwise it may be impossible for first time buyers to otherwise purchase a home.

Being not exactly an easy thing to understand; it makes sense especially if one is interested in buy to let mortgages for investment purposes to search around the range of deals to understand and compare mortgages the various terms and conditions and also to check eligibility. Learn about mortgages and benefit from it.

Smart Alec

2007-11-11T22:02:00.000+08:00

Alex, Adeline, Alvin, Lloyd, Stephen & Yvonne with Azmi @ Sg Abang put-in on Sunday, 11 Nov'07

While I was ~~stewpidly~~ sloughing away in the office on a brilliant Sunday; smart Alex Liew was having a whale of a time floating down Sungai Sarawak Kiri at Borneo Highlands with friends some of whom has just gotten off the plane from Kuala Lumpur!

And Alex’s gang comprises Adeline Lau, Alvin Lu, Lloyd Salang, Stephen and Yvonne Tan who were not contented with just finishing at Kg Semadang where we usually finish; but instead opted to float all the way down to Kg Git for the takeout taking advantage of the swift flow on account of the heavy rain overnight. Here are the only two photos taken with Azmi who guided this smart alec group at Sungai Abang put-in. I trust that you did something equally smart this sunday unlike yours truly. *sigh*

Busy @ Beliong?

2007-11-11T08:23:00.000+08:00

Sim senior and junior boarding a sampan for Beliong with their bicycles. June 2007

I'm still caught up with work and preparation of presentations for the board meetings the last one of which mercifully is on Wednesday, 14th November next week. So I'm as busy as a bee and I certainly would rather be busy cycling at Beliong or kayaking at Borneo Highlands; the former post (The Journey is the Reward: BELIONG - Sampan Ride & Stepping Back In Time) dated 6 June 2007 from which the image above had busily been downloaded by some people in Germany for the past few weeks. Trusting that your weekend has been a busy one - playing and not working (like I still am) I hope.

Happy Deepavali

2007-11-08T13:44:00.000+08:00

Happy Deepavali to the Hindus and all who celebrate this "Festival of Light" today; which incidentally is not a public holiday in Sarawak.

And whatever little light I saw over the past week has been the midnight oil lamp we had been burning to get the presentations and reports ready for the board meetings. *sigh*

Kuching 3 1/2 Mile, the evening before Deepavali, 7 October 2007

Half Buried

2007-11-07T07:10:00.000+08:00

Over past week I'd been half-buried by work - you can almost say that I'm nearly drowning in 'em! Do pray for me ... *sigh*

Left: A half forgotten church somewhere in Serian.

Kayaking Kuching or Kuching Kayaking?

2007-11-04T11:33:00.000+08:00

Buddy in his element @ Sg. Abang, Borneo Highlands

Does it really matter? It does as ‘Kayaking’ is a better keyword than ‘Kuching’. And certain keywords have more searches than others and it matters when you want to drive traffic to your blog or site. And ‘international travel health insurance’ and ‘international travel medical insurance’ are even better keywords! Even ‘home garden’ is a much better keyword than ‘kayaking’. And ‘sexy’ as a keyword generates over 10 million searches per month …

And it’s interesting to note that kayak is ten times more popular than kayaking and that ‘rain forest’ gets infinitely more searches than ‘rainforest’. Hmm. Guess I’ll go over now to www.kuchingkayak.com and change some of the keywords; but certainly not to ‘sexy kayak’ lah! ~~even though I think kayaking is sexy!~~

But I guess the keyword for the weekend is to ‘enjoy ‘and to ‘relax’.

Business Loans

2007-11-04T11:21:00.000+08:00

All thriving business will inevitably expand and to do so more funds or a Business Loans is required and more than not this can be a problem if the business owner has no collateral and no time to run around looking for available loans at reasonable rates.

With online unsecured financing from EZUnsecured.com; this is no longer a problem as it is now an easy process providing fast funding along with great service. You can also call their toll-free number to get more information or assistance on your application whether it is for working capital or debt consolidation.

Maybe I should check them out with regards to getting that new van for my kayaking business!

From A Distance

2007-11-03T07:53:00.000+08:00

Zoomed view of Gunung Serapi, Kuching from 10th floor of an office building. 30th October 2007.

While we can all agree that distant scenery especially morning views of clouds shrouded mountains in the distance is a particularly soothing and pleasant; it's a rude shock on how some people refuse or are unable to look ahead when it comes to issues on hand, putting their own immediate (hidden) agenda ahead of the interests anyone else.

Irregardless, have a great weekend ahead and do enjoy the views from a distance and do remember to keep your distance from nearby shortsighted people!

Future Steel Buildings

2007-11-02T20:10:00.000+08:00

Future Steel, a leader in the business of designing manufacturing and constructing steel buildings that comes complete with a 30 year warranty which you can put up in 3 or so days (!); and despite the fact that they understand how to build metal and steel buildings that meet all expectations – they still want to offer you more by including information and resources on their web site

that hopefully you will ultimately find of value and use.

Going beyond self-promotion their blog provides the freedom for the community to give feedback and share their experiences. In this manner, Future Steel can keep in direct contact with their customers.

The quality and flexibility in the design of their steel buildings is anchored on the fact that the arch is the strongest form of construction allowing for various customizations to suit different needs. And by listening intently to their customers via their blog, Future Steel are really giving space and keeping pace with the future.

Juri & The Girls

2007-11-02T07:38:00.000+08:00

Juri amongst the UK ladies @ Sg Abang, Borneo Highlands 31 October 2007

Juri was the thorn amongst the roses at Borneo Highland on Wednesday, 31 October 2007 taking 4 lovely ladies from England on a rainforest kayaking trip.

Marcia, Naomi, Joanne and Erica from Milton Keynes, Oxon, Reading and Soton respectively had a wonderful girl s's day out on the waters.

I guess Juri has his hands full on the day but I don't hear him complaining!

Left: On the suspension footbridge @ Kg Danu.

Brisbane & Gold Coast Holidays

2007-11-02T06:47:00.000+08:00

It’s going to be school holidays soon and Brisbane with a similar weather is a destination worth considering. The river side markets along the South Banks, Mt Coot-tha Lookout, The Cultural Centre, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Moreton Bay, City Botanic Gardens are some must-see places and you want to catch some of the major festivals such as the Brisbane International Film Festival, Riverfestival, etc.

Looking for Brisbane Accommodation is a breeze these days using internet resources to look for Hotels in Brisbane .

While in Brisbane, one can hire a car to drive to visit Gold Coast which is the No.1 tourist destination in Australia. With so much to offer from beaches, shopping, wineries to theme parks; there is more than enough things to see or do. Gold Coast Accommodation ranges from 3 to 5 stars hotels depending on your budget and preferences. For me I would definitely sign up for the dolphin kayaking trip at Cape Byron, Australia's most eastern point!

New iPod Model Spotted In Kuching!

2007-11-01T22:59:00.000+08:00

I think I'm pretty smart but when it comes to certain things, I can be clueless! Things such as keywords for SEO optimisation and stuff like these that I had been reading up on in order to learn how to drive traffic to your blog; but the overwhelming abundance of information available can be a little overwhelming for a simple Kuching kayaker like me.

Anyway as I understand that "iPod" is a popular keyword - so let's see if I'll get more hits (and comments?) from this naughty 'trick' post about this new iPod - the EyePod! Which I stole from here. So here goes.

BTW I'm still up to my eyeballs with work as I still have a couple more presentations to work on for the Board Meetings next week - a real darn iPain, I can tell you.

Nursing Schools in Ohio

2007-11-01T22:29:00.000+08:00

Hondros College is known for their Real Estate and Financial Services education with programs and courses in these as well as in Insurance, Appraisal, Mortgage, Associate Degrees and Corporate Solutions. And now they have started to offer Nursing LPN & RN degrees in their newly opened campus in Cincinnati Ohio about a year ago for those looking for a Ohio Nursing School. With a focus on providing excellent clinical experiences and as a proven leader in education requiring licensing, Hondros College therefore provides a first-rate Ohio Nursing School opportunity.

And this would not be their only campus offering Nursing degrees as they are looking for faculty in Dayton and Columbus meaning that they are planning to open additional campuses in these cities in 2008. Nothing is official yet but this would be keenly awaited by those looking forward to this highly regarded profession.

Hidden Discovery

2007-10-31T07:36:00.000+08:00

James and Hayley on a date @ Secret Waterfall, Borneo Highlands 30th October 2007

While James Reece and Hayley Parsons from England were discovering the hidden delights of a rainforest kayaking trip down a rainforest river at Borneo Highlands with Azmi; I was to discover to that no matter how many days (and nights) you spent preparing for a Board Meeting presentation - there's always one or two little things that you might inadvertently missed out and which invariably a Board member would ask for! *sigh*

However for James and Hayley all the hidden discoveries on a rainforest kayaking trips are invariably pleasant and wonderful and are more than happy to share it when "grilled" about their holidays when they get back home in the UK!

These Boots Are Meant For Walking

2007-10-30T21:51:00.000+08:00

Certain things never go out of fashion or style and a prime example are boots! So it makes sense to spend a bit more money to go for quality boots such as Rocky Boots and Bates Boots which have all kinds of designs of boots in various quality materials for both men and women in classic black or desert brown colours.

And you can find the above and other brands of quality police and military boots in a complete range from CopShoes. As a specialist shop with an established reputation for quality and competitive pricing, their customer service is outstanding as evidenced by their customers’ testimonials. Their boots certainly look smart and you don’t even have to be in the police or military to wear them!

Sweet Sixteen

2007-10-30T06:58:00.000+08:00

I was a little apprehensive at first when my daughter Skim, who'd just turned 16 in August, sought our permission to be a studio model for a friend of a friend for her college's photography project; a couple of days after which she showed us these photographs - which surprised as well as delighted us (besides being a relief!).

Talented Amber, who took these amazing photos is still as studying photography but I think she and Skim are both professionals already! What do you think?

This is my favorite shot! (It's currently my laptop's wallpaper)

Catch The Wave - Bloggerwave!

2007-10-30T06:20:00.000+08:00

If you are looking for opportunities to earn some pocket money from your blog; here’s another pay per post break for you from Europe this time – bloggerwave. And the good news is that they are looking for bloggers and they are committed to making their opportunity worth your while what with other competitor(s) abound.

I’d just signed up with their easy registration last week which was promptly approved the next day and I’m now offered the first opportunity to earn USD10/- for this 50 plus words buzz post! Catch the wave - bloggerwave.

My Toy Camera

2007-10-29T20:27:00.000+08:00

People who looked at the ~~amazing~~ photographs in my blog assumed that I'd must have used an expensive DSLR to take them with; and I think they must either be quite disappointed or think that I'm a big ~~bald~~ fat liar when I tell or show them the little 'toy' camera I use - which is a 4.0 Megapixels Pentax Optio43WR that I bought about 2 years ago. Actually Robin helped me to get it quite cheaply from Singapore (it was not available in Kuching) as it was on sale at the time as it was an old model. I got it primarily for my kayaking trip as it is light, compact (no protruding lens), reliable and most importantly it was water resistant.

Anyway I'm very happy with the camera and results I got from it and you can read a review of it here; but if you're thinking of getting one now, I don't think it is in production anymore. I recommend getting one if you can still get hold of it as it has served me very well. Using cheap SD card for storage and easily available AA batteries, it's therefore very convenient. I must have taken thousands of photos with it on my kayaking trip and it has not let me down despite being dropped and submerged underwater on various occasions.

I love this cute little camera despite its poor zoom, weak flash, tiny LCD screen and poor performance in dim lighting conditions. But once you know the limitations, you can work around it and still come up with great photos. Actually I'd been meaning to write about it for quite a while now but somehow some other ideas would come up when I sit down to blog about it. So here it's my long over-due tribute to my cute little toy camera - the Pentax Optio43WR.

Looking For Unbeatable Van or Other Insurance?

2007-10-29T19:29:00.000+08:00

I’d never looked at van insurance until I got my own van for my kayaking trips business. But if you’re looking for Cheap Van Insurance, you should check out Autonet Insurance as they offer the cheapest online insurance with a money back guarantee if that’s not so.

Besides Cheap Van Insurance; you can also get an online quote for your car, bike, home, courier, quad, truck, commercial, travel, caravan and even pet insurance! This is worth your trouble as for example if you can find cheaper car insurance elsewhere; you’ll get a full refund from Autonet Insurance. If you're in a hurry, they can also give you a quote over the telephone.

Working On The Weekend

2007-10-28T23:53:00.000+08:00

Blue skies and office blues ...

I trust that your weekend is spent out in the great outdoors instead of being cooped up in the office with work like yours truly. *sigh*

To console myself I took these two grab shots of the blue skies when I dropped by the bank around lunchtime to drop off a few checks.

Again I didn't notice the bird in the photo on the left when I took it until I looked at the photos just now.

Oh, I manage to do a paid post before dinner time.

What a disjointed weekend ... *sigh*

Online Tutoring

2007-10-28T17:04:00.000+08:00

TutorVista’s mission is to use the global educational resources, the internet and technology to help students worldwide achieve their education goals. As the leading online tutoring company in the world, TutorVista is able to offer K12/school and college tutoring, supplementary education, homework help and test prep for a wide range of subjects including Math, Algebra, English, Physics and Exam prep such as SAT, GED, GMAT and many more for a flat rate of unlimited tutoring available 24x7.

Online tutoring is really helpful for students who needs homework help especially when it is available 24x7 meaning that you can schedule your tutoring and homework for your Math or English whenever you want them and as many times as you need them. This is really personalized online tutoring and homework help services by expert tutors – not some computer program!

To encourage to get you to sign up with them, TutorVista has a special offer where you can get unlimited tutoring at a discounted rate for the first month in all subjects. World class online tutoring is just a click away!

In A Hurry & Taking Your Own Sweet Time

2007-10-27T22:36:00.000+08:00

Put-in at Sungai Abang, Borneo Highlands, Saturday 27th October 2007

Jimmy Wong, a travel agent from KK, Sabah with fellow Korean agents Yun Soo and Scott(?) were on a flying visit to Kuching to check out the attractions here only wanted to do short kayaking trip. So they take-out at Kg Danu with Azmi.

However Vincent Ong and friends Ming Li, Jacky Lo, Siew Peng from Kuala Lumpur; joined by Canadians Raymond Ta and Valerie Bertoldi definitely want to savor the 3 hours float down Sg Sarawak Kiri today. They want to smell the roses and not want to miss a single thing. What a nice way to spend a Saturday in Kuching.

Getting Paid To Post

2007-10-27T20:58:00.000+08:00

I finally signed up for Pay Per Post (PPP) after deciding to give it a go and to find out what the buzz was all about – can one really get paid to blog? And the answer is affirmative; and it is a whole lot easier than I thought it was going to be. And you get to see the money faster too – about a month after your post have been approved. Sure beats putting up ads on your pages which would take months before you get any income from it. In fact I’m going to ‘clean’ up my blog to omit some of the cluttering and annoying ads! Writing paid posts is a much faster and direct way to get paid – in fact you get the first opportunity to be paid USD7.50/- to review the website that introduced you to PPP. As well I’m getting paid USD20/- to spread the word about PPP! So clicked on the PPP button to the right to earn your first paid post by reviewing FH2o!

Because it is a self-service concept, you can choose to write about web sites, products, services, and companies that you like and earn cash at the same time by doing so as your opinion and feedback is valuable to the advertisers. I think that this is incredible. And if you do a post a USD10/- post a day (which I intend to do); that’s an easy USD300/- a month! Yes - you really do get paid to blog.

You are paid via your PayPal account which gives you monthly pocket money to go shopping online. I’m looking forward to buying some kayaking accessories and products in about a month’s time! So what are you waiting for?

Spontaneous On The Waters

2007-10-27T06:56:00.000+08:00

Beautiful Sungai Abang @ Borneo Highlands, 26th October 2007

Photography is all about capturing the moment and the best photos are spontaneous grab shots. And here are some grab shots that Azmi took and which I cropped of a group of 6 tourists he took out to enjoy the beautiful waters on Sg Sarawak Kiri in Borneo Highlands yesterday. And I love the dynamic composition and the contrast between these two shots of tranquil and moving waters. Nice.

Cool Custom T-Shirts & More

2007-10-26T21:55:00.000+08:00

Custom T-Shirts are cool but the company that sells them online is even cooler! You should read their story and then you’ll be wishing that you’re working in a company like that!

You can customize a range of products from T-shirts, hats, bags, fun stuff, etc which you select first then you can browse to select the design ideas from various categories. Or you can to their “Lab” which have a really cool program to start creating your own design and which you can see instantly! You add your own custom text, choose the art or download your own! When you’re happy with design, you can get an instant online quote from them and also email them to your team.

Check out this really cool company of “inkers” if you need custom T-Shirts or other products. I think they are really neat and they have a lot of happy customers having delivered over 3 million custom T-Shirts in 2006! And shipping is free in the US and Canada and they even offer a money back guarantee.

Go to the "Lab" and get your own cool custom design T-Shirt in no time flat!

Buffalo Gave Birth To A Human Baby?

2007-10-26T07:48:00.000+08:00

I received quite a lot of non-work related emails from friends and office colleagues everyday but the one I received yesterday afternoon was quite startling and I ~~rushed~~ opened to read it first ahead of my other work related emails!

I have my own theory about this - but I wanna hear from you first; so what do you think? These days my postings usually generate little comments if any (especially the paid posts - duh!) but I guess this post will garner more than a few comments! And this for sure is not a paid post lah!

Anyway here's the freaky Friday post. Oh and do have a freakin' fascinating weekend ahead! (But stay away from 'em buffalos!)

Mailboxes Make A Place

2007-10-26T07:17:00.000+08:00

Mailboxes add so much character to a house and it’s the first thing we head for in the morning for the newspaper and the last thing we check when we come home from work; well for me anyway.

So it makes sense to have high quality residential mailboxes instead of el cheapo ones and which makes the place looks so temporary. High quality mailboxes make even modest homes look good. And mailboxixchange have over 1500 high mailboxes as well as curbside décor products to choose from to match your house design and/or your tastes.

They also have commercial mailboxes so your workplace can look good and classy too! And you can choose lockable high security locking mailbox system. For apartment or condominium blocks there are available cluster designs as well.

Saved By The View

2007-10-25T21:16:00.001+08:00

I was having a ~~darn boring~~ meeting with some ~~darn boring and lifeless~~ officials in a building in town yesterday afternoon. But luckily the room where we have the meeting has a panaromic view overlooking the old kampong part of town with the meandering Sarawak River and Gunung Santubong in the distance. Most charming.

So when there was a break in the meeting, I discretely (you don't want to wake up dead people infected with the T-Virus) and promptly strolled over to the window to take a few shots. Here's one that I like.

Seeing Sydney?

2007-10-25T20:28:00.001+08:00

I’ve only been back to Sydney once since I graduated as an architect from UNSW. So if I visit Sydney the next time I’ll certainly check up on the new as well as the old attractions there. It is an expensive city so looking for a Sydney hotel accommodation would be a priority which is a whole lot easier with online booking. I’ll be looking for and comparing the last minute as well as all year deal for cheap hotels in Sydney.

I’ll consider staying in Darling Harbour as it is centrally located on both the City and Pyrmont side of the main Sydney Harbour. There are a selection of 3 star to 5 star hotels there and there are lots to see (exhibitions at the Darling Harbour Exhibition Centre and nightlife), do and eat there.

You can get cheap Sydney hotel accomodation from as low as AUD40/- in places such as in Manly Guest House and the ferry ride there is good way to see Sydney Harbour.

If you decide to venture outside of Sydney, you can also look for cheap hotel bargains and deals in the other Australian cities.

Sweet Innocence

2007-10-25T06:44:00.000+08:00

Children and puppies are like bread and butter - made for each other; sharing an affinity borne out of innocence, curiosity and pure sweetness!

A sweet moment captured on Sunday afternoon at Kpg Bengoh while waiting for the rain to abate and our guests to show up. Do be sweet today wouldn't you?