My long-awaited umai (ceviche)…oh umai I miss you so so much since I left Bintulu!!

The prawns tomato noodles from Bintulu market

The very tender ostrich meat in Bintulu

Grilled prawns topped with cheese ~ Bintulu

Purple sweet potato dessert ~ Bintulu

Deep fried fritters, taufu, prawn cakes in rojak sauce ~ Miri

Rojak ~ Miri

And my favourite bowl of laksa ~ Miri

This place changed a lot, more buildings, more shophouses now. Where it used to be our government quarters are now rows and rows of new shophouses. The old part of town is still the same though, at least I didn’t get lose while driving around Bintulu

These area was once all government quarters. Now not one in sight.

Tanjung Batu

Now there’s a thru road from Tanjung Batu to Tanjung Kidurong. The road goes pass next to the golf course.

Borneo kite festival underway at the old Bintulu airport.

Starting with this one “Anthem of the Kingdom of Sarawak” (1946-1973)

Then “Sarawak Bahagia”  (1973-1988)

And the current “Ibu Pertiwi” (since 1988) and it’s the hardest to sing (!)

It has been a long while since I came to Kampung Pasir Pandak. This place always give me a feeling like I’m in Miri…it must be the combination of sea and the burning smell of coconut husk.

Durians still hang on the trees… none of them is ripe yet. Have to wait another 3-4 weeks.

But we did found this baby durian, probably blown off the tree.  :D

Found this van selling durians in Hui Sing…really nice but it felt like eating gold, very expensive!

When we were young, our parents would threatened us if we were naughty we’ll be sent to this jail and “eat curry rice” everyday!! (eating curry rice is not a bad thing but eating with murderers is, what if they want your share of curry rice, would you say no??)

It’s also a place for vendors to gather to exchange news of the day… maybe about the stock market or…

… prices of durians today… hey, not cheap yo… one durian cost RM25-35 here!!

Uncles picking up some mud crabs for dinner…

Life as sunsets on these old part of Kuching

Only in Kuching

Another shopping mall to hang out

This place is also an attraction to those staying at Santubong hotels and beach resorts. Local delicacies are available for those who come from afar.

The stall selling mud crabs

The lady selling ‘lala’

Gayu Guru Gerai Nyamai ~ Happy Gawai everyone!!

Margaret Lim, 23rd June 1947 – 8th May 2011

by einzen

23 June 1947 – 8 May 2011

On May 8, 2011, Margaret Lim has passed away peacefully in the arms of her loving husband and children. She had lost the fight against cancer and ended her journey on earth, leaving behind lovely memories in our hearts.

Margaret’s work of passion will live on at this blog and, soon, some of her unpublished work will be posted, as well.

We would like to share the following dedication by Margaret’s sister Aileen:

“Maggie passed away on Sunday, 8 May 2011, in Germany.  It is a very significant day that is so representative of her life.  God could not have granted her a better gift as it was Mother’s Day, and as a creative writer, she would have appreciated the symbol very much.  She also only left towards the end of the day, a mother to the last.

Looking back, I realise that she had that special touch of a mother in the way she played her roles in life: as a friend or as a family member – aunt, cousin, niece, sister, wife, and of course mother.  

She was always generous, considerate and well-intentioned.  She was full of mirth, amidst her seriousness.  She never spoke ill of anyone.  When an appropriate occasion arose, she always spoke proudly of her immediate family – Wolfhart, SuJen, Einhard, Ken.

I  am certain that where she is now, she is shining among the angels, and is so very happy.  And why not?  In her relatively short life, she has done a lot, achieved a lot, and in no small way as a children’s writer.  In this world of children, she was always in touch with God.  

Although she and I were supposed to make several small journeys together, and she was supposed to travel to see her relatives and friends, she has gone on a greater Journey, after fulfilling her life’s purpose.  

If we celebrate the fulfilled life of this wonderful soul, and be happy with her, our hearts will be healed.  And we will remember her in our thoughts as if she has not left us.

Like her paternal grandmother and father who went before, whom she deeply loved, and to whom she dedicated two of her books, she was full of a Mother’s Love.”

- Aileen Lim

I’ll miss my aunt. I’ll miss her funny emails. I’ll miss her smile. Rest in Peace dear aunt.

A small tuck-shop by the road side along 5 1/2 mile Kuching-Serian Road, selling lui cha (rui cha) and also some local favourites like fried noodles (mee goreng).

Lui cha is a Hakka vegetarian dish. The highlight of the dish is the bowl of bitter soup made up of different herbs. Usually the soup is green colour but yesterday I had this one was really bitter. It went very well with the rice topped with vegie, peanuts and salted anchovies, so the soup didn’t taste as bitter. Lui cha is known to be a healthy dish (cleansing and cooling body system). 

Time must have flew by last few months…it’s already May and I didn’t realise the Borneo Jazz Festival was last weekend!!! I must must must take note for next year’s event.

Luckily I got a friend who was at the Festival and wrote this article for Jazzuality.com. Thanks Madan Rao for coming to Borneo!

Does it mean half the time is ‘no entry’?

Could be, coz these days Kuching is like a cowboy town. “No entry” also can be ‘entry’. “No U-turn” can do a ‘u-turn’. Least to say about yellow-line parking, parking on kerb, parking on corners, double-triple parking, parking on two parking lots (when there wasn’t enough parking space already??)…. sigh… Kuchingites Kuchingites are we losing our civic consciousness??

Saw this man making potato swirl at Sunday Market. He popped in one medium size potato into this machine that cuts the potato into a swirl which he then put through a bamboo skewer, covered it with batter before deep frying.

S erve with mayo and chilli sauce…yums

Bamboo rice is made up of glutinous rice, coconut milk, sugar and salt to taste. These days we even find black rice lemang, very nice too. Some people like to eat lemang with kaya (coconut milk ‘jam’), which is rather too sweet for me. So I prefer eating my lemang with curry

VOTING DAY in Sarawak! I just love to put an “X” on the ballot paper

So happened I captured all the “rocket” banners and flags

Beef rendang?

or prawn laksa?

A bowl of laksa remains my favourite..

Tomato fried egg-noodle ~ superlicious…

noodle with minced meat, carrot, cucumber… yummy coz it has a sour taste from black vinegar.

or my new found love ~ curry mee (noodle)

I’m so so so hungry….

A nice quiet time at Friendship Garden would be around 8-9am. While some people are still sleeping or just eating their breakfast on a weekend.

How could anyone get tired of this park, or any other parks for that matter. Parks are meant for relaxation, calming the mind before the start of a hectic week ahead. Or just a nice big open space for family activities…let those hyper kids use up their energy so you won’t have to yell for them to get to bed early the night before school

Fishing tackle, anyone?

Traffic going to Gambier Street.

Wishing all of you a wonderful and prosperous year ahead!!!

Good health and peace fill your home.

In Borneo, City Pleasures and Jungle Adventure

David Hagerman for The New York Times 

Boating on the Sarawak River in Kuching, with the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly in the background. More Photos »

By DANIEL ROBINSON

Published: January 21, 2011

A SNOW-WHITE fortress in the style of the English Renaissance, garnished with crenellations, pepper pot turrets and an octagonal keep, is not quite what you’d expect to find on a steamy bluff overlooking an equatorial river in Malaysian Borneo. But Fort Margherita, built in 1879 by Charles Brooke, the second White Rajah of Sarawak, is just one of the many charms of Kuching, a gracious and kaleidoscopically diverse city of about 600,000 just an hour and a half by air from Singapore.

An amble through its safe, eminently walkable streets will reveal dragon-festooned Chinese temples a few blocks from a 19th-century South Indian mosque; fortresses from the time of the White Rajahs (English rulers of the Kingdom of Sarawak from 1841 to 1941) a short walk from a high-rise district of hotels and icily air-conditioned shopping malls; and chic restaurants that would not be out of place in London a few streets away from open-air stalls redolent with half-a-dozen Asian cuisines.

Read more click here

Kenyalang Park Commercial Centre is the place for this Chinese New Year festive mood. Shops and stalls are putting up new year deco and goodies until next week.

Go early in the day to avoid massive jam in the evening. I was there around 5.30pm yesterday and the place was filling up fast.

Enjoy your shopping and be safe!

Wow! It sure has improved! (Sorry no camera allowed in the museum). But I can tell you this, the renovation has put together antiquities and technology to create a vivacious museum for Kuching.

This was the original building that housed Chinese Chamber of Commerce back in early 1910s. Even the colour on the exterior is being kept to its original colour.

MIRI: The Sarawak Chapter of MERCY Malaysia will be organising an outreach clinic mission to Long Luar and Long Singu from 11-13 December 2010.  Long Luar longhouses and Long Kajang homes were razed in a fire in June and July 2010 respectively, and left more than 300 people homeless. Long Kajang which is the farthest (11 hours from Sungei Asap) will have to rescheduled to next year’s programme due to logistics’ constraint.

According to Sarawak Chapter Acting Head, Ms Jennie Soh, several programmes have been planned for the Penan community and fire victims of Long Luar and Long Singu in the upcoming mission including general health screening, dental care, eye care, pap smear test, as well as hygiene and health promotion activities, and fire risk reduction activities.

She said that the team will arrive in Long Luar and Long Singu a day early in order to set up the outreach clinic on the morning of 12 December 2010 (Sunday) that will cater to the needs of the effected people there.

About 40 people will be taking part in the mission, including four medical doctors, two dieticians  from Sibu and Miri General Hospital and two dentists from the Kuching General Hospital. Apart from that , there will be three main teams, namely the eye care team, the pap smear team and the fire risk reduction team.

In the same mission, a Rotary Club member, Rovena Plique, from Singapore, will be conducting an assessment on the possibility of rebuilding the longhouses destroyed by the fire. Currently, some of the fire survivors are staying within the Long Singu area, some are squatting within the vicinity of Long Luar, while the rest are staying with their friends and families around that area.

In August and September 2010, the Sarawak Chapter of MERCY Malaysia responded to their call for help by providing humanitarian aids to the two communities, and delivering hygiene packs, as well as rice and canned food donated by Coral Alliance Sdn Bhd and staff of CIMB , Miri branch, Sarawak.

Background on Long Luar and Long Singu

On 13 July 2010, a fire razed Long Luar, a 54-door longhouse that accommodates about 195 people. Most of the survivors are currently squatting at Long Singu, a 80-door longhouse and home to 226 people. The longhouses are deprived of electricity and school, and the communities get their water supply from nearby rivers that are yellow in colour.

Getting to Long Singu is no easy task as the team needs to travel by tarred road for four to five hours from Miri to Sungei Asap, followed by another four hours on timber logging road from Sungai Asap to Long Singu. For this mission, the team will be staying at the Samling’s Camp, the nearest accommodation to Long Luar and Long Singu, and about one to two hours’ drive to the longhouses.

On a separate note, the effected communities in Long Luar and Long Singu are seeking food item donations from members of the public, namely rice, biscuits, instant noodles, canned food and drinks. For those who wish to contribute in cash or in kind, kindly contact Ms Jennie Soh at +6016-888 3679 or email jsohyankhoon@gmail.com, or Ms Elizabeth Wee at +6085 663 000 / +6012 893 3262 or emailelizabethwee@mercy.org.my. Members of the public can also send their cash or food item donations to the MERCY Malaysia – Sarawak Chapter office at No 54, Piasau Garden in Miri.

Concerned individuals and organisations can donate to MERCY Malaysia General Humanitarian Fund through the following bank accounts:

MAYBANK (account name: MERCY HUMANITARIAN FUND, account number : 5621-7950-4126, ABA Swift Code: MBBEMYKLA), or
CIMB Bank (account name: MERCY Malaysia, account number: 1424-000-6561053, ABA Swift Code: CIBBMYKL).

Donations via cheque are payable to MERCY MALAYSIA.

To donate online, please visit www.mercy.org.my.

Penan Longhouse at Singu

Some of the fire victims staying at Long Sigur Penan Settlement

Volunteers and Penan at the fire site

Story and photos by VANES DEVINDRAN
vanes@thestar.com.my

PROFESSIONAL photographer and adventurer Alex Wong will hit the dirt road to Bario in a solo quest to photograph the scenic highlands and its people.

Read more at STAR online

The game was based on 3 rounds. The game starts with a gentlemen’s handshake (be it David and Goliath)…

… and on the count of 3, kuuun chung!! (the rule was to have your kun chung hand behind your back, but for old schooled we held it next to our ear – old habit hard to break).

There were two categories: Ladies Open was won by Amy Chin… (she beat her mum in the 1st round then on to beat some little boys and girls to win the ‘crowd’ – a headband courtesy of RPS.) Congrats Amy… though you left a few disappointed boys and girls behind

The Open category: 1st runner-up, nicknamed “Beckham”

And the best rock-paper-scissors hand of the year was won by: Darius Chai. Shamed to all the adults.

Seen here Darius with his winnings – a trophy, a jumbo jaidee, a RM150 RPS voucher and a headband (why would he need a headband?…I need a headband!). Of course the new champ was surrounded by adoration from Shentel (left) and Sereni (right) the sponsors for the tournament. Yay!

The Champ!

So what happened to me? Well,  (with my head in a paper bag) I was ousted in the preliminary round by a little girl named Jasmine.  Coincidentally I head-on with her in both Open and Ladies categories… aarrrggghhh

Come by Green Heights Mall this Saturday at 3pm for registration. It’s FREE! Just polish up your rock, paper and scissors and a very speedy hand

It’s going to be fun, fun, fun… yippieeee

A couple of weeks back my friend brought me to this Henghua cafe along Abell Road. Whao!! This place has the full range of Henghua noodles, Henghua fried rice, etc.  Of course, I went with the noodle I’m most familiar with… ‘ta mien’ soup.

Few days later I went back for Henghua ‘mee sua’… yes, Foochow ‘mee sua’ served in their Henghua style clear soup – if you’re a big eater like me, go for second serving.

I went back for fried ‘mee sua’… who would have known ‘mee sua’ can be fried. ‘Mee sua’ is so delicate and soft and yet can be fried. Next time I’m going to try their Henghua ‘kolok mee sua’!!!! – oooooo can’t wait for my next trip there!

You’ve heard of fried tomato mee… now try fried tomato rice

Their full set of menu here and more when you get there.

Today commemorates the 100^th anniversary of my grandfather’s birth.

Stephen Lim Beng Soon, my grandpa was born in Kuching on 10th October 1910, one of the 12 children of a humble Assistant Surgeon at our local General Hospital back in the early 1900s.

Grandpa was schooled at St Thomas in Kuching and was baptised on 3^rd April 1920. After his father, Lim Swee Kim, drowned in a boating tragedy near Pulau Lakei in 1923, grandpa and his 9 siblings were brought up by an aunt (mak-ko).

After he finished his studies, he joined Land and Survey as a clerk. He was later transferred to Sibu. Sibu was where he met my grandmother, Chew Kim Eng. Together they brought up a brood of 11 children. Grandpa brought up his big family with his meager salary and stayed in a government quarters with only two rooms. The boys had to sleep in the living room and the dining table was a prime sleep bed.

The young family later moved to Miri in 1951 and when grandpa retired he was given a choice to move back to Kuching but he decided to make Miri his hometown and was offered a piece of land by Land & Survey at Tanjung Lobang, fondly known to us as no.7.

Grandpa was a man of few words, no gossiping, no bad temper, read a lot and loved listening to his BBC news and marching band (and John Denver) on his Bendix radio. He was a grandpa who would tease and joke with us but he would also pull our ears if we were naughty. He would play mahjong with his elder kids and daughters and sons inlaw. He was a billiard player too before he had so many kids to look after.

Remembering grandpa is like remembering all the good times we had at no.7 because every weekend was a family day. Grandpa would cooked for a small army and he loved cooking. He was a great cook who cooked as his heart pleased. His signature dishes were chicken curry and beef stew. He would let us organized Christmas parties, weekend and holidays mahjong sessions and there were definitely a spread of great food. Picnics by the beach were the best as grandpa would bring along his makeshift mahjong table, he would catch bubuk to make belacan and we would barbeque by the beach.

What is vivid was the smell of his Erinmore tobacco and cigar. Grandpa was a pipe smoker and the older grandkids would learn how to clean it for him. The reward for job well-done or just being a good boy/girl, would be found in his wardrobe some chocolates or mint sweets or even bubble gums.

Grandpa was the pillar of our family strength and unity. And in his memory today our family, all 43 grandchildren and (approx) 55 great-grandchildren scattered around the four corners of the globe, come together to remember him. Like my cousin Hubert said “It took the memory of a great man to get all of us together”

And so today we pay homage to this great man in our lives. We’ll always miss our Ah Kong.

Something is brewing… something is happening in Kuching… something you won’t want to miss…

There’s this kung fu class in Kuching which teaches progressive martial arts (different styles of traditional Chinese martial arts). It’s good workout while learning self-defense. Time for me to learn some ‘wahchaaaaaa’

KUNG FU WHO?

We teach Kung Fu and not just your average Hollywood-HK style Kung Fu. We teach USEFUL, REALISTIC, PROGRESSIVE MARTIAL ARTS for fitness and self defense based on an explosive combo of ancient Kung Fu principles and Bruce Lee’s personal fighting philosophy.

“Absorb what’s useful, discard what’s not” – Bruce Lee

Our head trainer is a world class expert who has done martial arts for over 40 years. He has had many years’ teaching experience in Singapore and the USA, and has trained law enforcement and military personnel.

KUNG FU WHAT?

Mixed Martial Arts

You’ll be learning effective Mixed Martial Arts that will equip you for self defense on the street, regardless of your age or gender.

Our Mixed Martial Arts draw from a variety of styles including: Wing Chun, White Crane, Filipino Stick Fighting, Shaolin and much more.

You’ll learn how to kick, punch, grapple, do groundworks, stick fight, do short range weapons combat and use every-day implements for effective self defense anytime anywhere.

What we teach is no-nonsense, time-proven techniques that could save your life or get you out of dangerous situations on the streets.

For the ladies, we pay special attention to self defense for women also.

Breathing

We put strong emphasis on internal breathing styles such as Shaolin qigong, Tai Chi, Taoist breathing philosophy.

Come and invigorate your chi, reduce chi blockage and maximize your energy!

WHAT WILL KUNG FU DO FOR YOU?

• Get you fighting fit
• Teach you effective self defense techniques
• Strengthen and improve the flow of chi in the body
• Develop POSITIVE ENERGY in the way you approach life

WHO SHOULD JOIN?

• People interested in Kung Fu and martial arts
• Anyone who wants better fitness
• Women interested in self defense, especially against larger attackers
• Students
• Anyone who just wants a good workout while having fun!

WE PROMISE ONE THING

Our students train hard and play hard. One thing our students have is FUN. We believe Kung Fu should be fun and enjoyable. Come visit us and see for yourself!

KUNG FU WHERE?

FREE FOR YOU only in October

Try us out for a week. We’re giving out 2 free lessons, no strings attached. Come and have fun.

Here I’m linking only the first episode. For more go to youtube BenDiQuan channel or just link through from the above clips.

SIBU: A major environmental disaster is unfolding in the state, as kilometre after kilometre of logs and wood debris flow down the Rajang.It was believed that heavy rain in the upper reaches of Balleh River – a tributary of the Rajang – had caused landslides at log ponds of a major timber camp and brought down the logs and wood debris.

Kapit businessman Tay Hock Joo, who telephoned The Star in Sibu yesterday evening, said nobody in Kapit had ever seen such an occurrence before.

Click on STAR Online to read more

I’ve found a video of this disaster in Facebook by “I Love Sibu” and linked it to mysarawak facebook.

It gave us shelter from the sun, from the rain while we waited for the bus. And now it’s being ‘attacked’ by parasite plants. Sigh… the roof is at the blink of collapsing

I passed by this little Hainanese eatery at Bormill Estate a few times but never had the chance to taste what they are have until recently.  Hainanese chicken is their signature dish, goes down very well with their home-cooked chicken curry…yummieeee…

Besides their moist steamed chicken, the ‘loh pork’ rice was just delicious.

And we end our meals with the thick Hainanese coffee.

Tonight I had my lanterns hanging at my balcony…. too embarrassed to be walking around with 4-5 lanterns at the same time

And I know some people out there have been singing this song 月亮代表我的心 (“The moon represent my heart”) by Teresa Teng over and over throughout this day. Today, the moon is after all the centre of attraction. So enjoy!

Over the weekend they headed out to Serikin, Bau and finally to Santubong for a dip in the sea.

Here’s a video clip done up by my nephew

When the drain looks like part of the road

MALAYSIAN RED CRESCENT SOCIETY SARAWAK LAUNCHES APPEAL FOR THE PAKISTAN MONSOON FLOOD DISASTER RELIEF

The Malaysian Red Crescent (MRC) Sarawak, in response to the Preliminary Emergency Appeal by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), is launching the Pakistan Monsoon Flood appeal for donations to support 25 000 families who has been affected by the disaster. The appeal seeks CHF 17,008,050 (USD 16,333,000 or EUR 12,514,600) in cash to support the victims for a period of nine months.

The MRC Sarawak will place donation boxes in major shopping centres or malls in Kuching for the public to drop off their cash donations.  Major donations by cash or bank cheques can be made directly to the Malaysian Red Crescent Sarawak Branch headquarters in Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuching.  Donations can also be made to the various MRC Chapters in major cities or towns throughout the state.

Cheques should be made out to “MALAYSIAN RED CRESCENT SOCIETY”; or by direct bank-in to MRCS account at Maybank Acc. No. 5111-9511-3769.  Please fax or email to our administrative office your bank-in slip, your mailing address and contact number.  Donations are entitled to Tax–Exemption.

For Further information or enquiries, please contact our administration office at:

Malaysian Red Crescent Sarawak Branch’s

Jalan P Ramlee

93400 Kuching, Sarawak

Tel:       082-240610 / 428228 / 414321

Fax:      082-246417

Email:   mrcssar@gmail.com

Photos: REUTERS

All of my life and I lived in Kuching most of that time, I have never stepped foot in Tua Pek Kong until yesterday. We brought a guest from Penang around and thought it would be nice for him to visit our oldest temple since he’s a curator of a temple in Penang. So it was a ‘tourist’ bringing a tourist around

I like how this temple is being preserved and still stand as a symbol of our past, our history and our heritage.