Drift

The drift to Kalumpang didn't give me a great set of pictures this time around. It gave me and the others the grandest, wettest and smokiest time ever!

Browsing through the pictures, I realised they were not properly set up, no instruction for a decent pose or angle. Don't even get me started about focus and lighting...

Heck, we were too busy between doing crasy stuff and making time for all the things we planned to do. Damn! We had fun.

Rescue me...!

The rapids looks fierce don't it? Nah, it's really for show and sound actually.

But boy, did we tempted nature or what?

Wife: Honey, could you help me drop lil' Jim by the river?

Husband: Sure dear. My friends are coming along too.

Ladies in the water

Bert taking the plunge. Terrific or terrified?

My turn next.

The open cinema, watching 'Fragiles' by the pool under the stars. After an excellent BBQ. Nope, no pictures of the BBQ. My hands were full, then my tummy was full! It was that good!

I took some more pictures but they have served their purposes; passed around to be shared and treasured.

Kal Oomph Pang!

Last weekend was special. Instead of waiting for Mars to appear like a moon in the sky, I was busy dipping, floating and resurfacing in the river of Kalumpang.

Arghhh! The water's cold. Good thing there are boulders heated by the sun.

But since today is Monday, I'm going to take some time to recover from the blues and post the rest of the pictures and the story later ;-P

Meanwhile, some pictures are at Bert's, Dzu's and Ifzan's .

Mars spectacular hoax

Much have been said and circulated around the internet about mars travelling so close to earth it will look like we have two moons on August 27, 2006. I Googled about and learned that it is actually a hoax (I'm so stuck in Yesterday) Or is it? Check out these links, links and links. Well, you'll get the picture.

I mean, the interest and anticipation of this so called factual event happening makes some people unsure what to believe anymore. Could the multiple debunking of this spectacular event in the internet be a hoax as well? An elaborate one I might add.

On second thought, I'll just keep the reminder of the event at the little corner of my thoughts, in my 'just curious' basket. Meanwhile, I'll just go about my original plans, having fun over the weekend, occassionally watching the night sky, just in case I see two moons. I'll be outdoors barbequeing anyway. But it will be an absolut sober event, which means I'll just see one good old moon and some bright stars. Wheee

Meanwhile, here's a picture of mars from one of the links above, the Hoax Slayer, just so you won't end up with a stiff neck come Monday.

They say men are from Mars.

A party and a gig

It's already Wednesday but I'm only posting last weekend's events. Catching up on updates used to be easy. Now it's about priorities. Oh heck, that's just one lame excuse. But that's no reason to slow down. There's much to do around town.

Last friday my bunch of new friends and I went ot watch Adam Sandler's Click. Loved it! I can't tell you my favorite bits and how they made me feel coz that'll just ruin your experience. Plus, there are no favorite bits, it just flows effortlessly. I love this flick, it just clicks!

After the movie we went to T Club at Bangsar for some drinks (and a good dance...) It turned out to be a great party. What a great set of friends I was introduced to, lucky me.

They say friends come and go. I say, at least they came (so I get a chance to make it last)

Then on Saturday, I went to this Seattle band tribute. Love the setup. But the bands that played didn't stay true to the theme. Each one tried to inject their own creations which were not that good. Like hello...! It's a tribute to Seattle Bands, so step up. It might not sound like the real thing but they could at least try...

Except for Stonebay. I could be totally biased because this band, specifically the guitarist, is our friend, but I'm totally biased because they played the songs that mattered and played good they did! Stone temple pilot's Interstate love song and Plush, Pearl Jam's Animal and Alice in Chains' Rooster. There's gotta be at least one song that you love in this one!!!

"Wow! You went to a gig! That's so cool" said Zack when I told him about last weekend.

"Yeah, but it's not really a hard core gig. And I was told to come coz the guitarist is a friend of a blogger friend. Also it's a time to remember the songs we used to listen to growing up." I told him.

"I didn't know you listened to those kind of songs in high school..." he asked

"True, but I've learned to love them (Good songs are hard to ignore). Like they say, 'when it's gone, you'll miss it sooner or later' " I explained.

" Stonebay stoned" came Bert's text as we each reached home, "coz 'Stonebay rocked' doesn't quite sound right" he elaborated.

The crazy crew.

"Hey, if the gig wasn't what u expected, let me know and I'll compensate your cover charge" Brucie the guitarist apologized.

Hey Brucie (CPMS, pass this one to Brucie), I came to see Stonebay play and I'm glad to be there, no apology and/or compensation expected.

We don't care about the rest of the bands really, especially after their strayed performance.

Jim and tonic

A shaken and stirred conclusion to Jim's tour of duty free

(Note: Conversations are in Malay, English translation in blue.)



It was a good two minutes of staring at the band when the GRO attempted another conversation with Jim.

“Girlfriend kamu dari mana? [Where’s your girlfriend from? ]” She asked.
“Miri” Jim answered, they continued looking at the band.

“Bila mau kahwin? [When are you getting married? ]” she pressed on.
“Ah, belum lagi. Duit tak ada lagi. Kereta belum beli, rumah belum beli [Ah, not the time yet. Money’s not enough. I haven’t bought a car, or a house ] ” explained Jim.
She nodded and finished her drink.

Jim saw this and prayed for help. There was nothing else to discuss. He’s damn sure she would soon order another drink.

Sure enough, she asked “Satu lagi beer ya? [Another glass of beer ya? ]”
“F***!! How the hell did I get into this? She’s about to suck another fourteen bucks and all I have is one! ” Jim complained in silence.

“Swipe…” the devil called.
“F*** you inner voice. I’m not charging my card for this GRO, not worth it!!! Screw the ‘priceless’ ad for Mastercard” (Yeah, he only brought Visa)

Horror struck as Jim nodded and said OK.
“Black magic woman!” he thought, angry at the seemingly mystical force empowering her.

Then she asked again “Belanja satu lagi minum ya? [Buy me another drink ya? ]”

‘Dear Lord, thank you for giving me a second chance to say “No, f*** off! Amen’, he gave thanks, broke the gridlock and bravely said “Tak ada cash lah, tinggal berapa ringgit lagi [I’ve got no more cash, just a few bucks left ]”

“Satu saja bah, boleh bah [Only one, please… ]” she pleaded.
‘When did she became a Sabahan bah? Or Sarawakian bah!’ Jim thought.
‘Bah! I don’t care, I’m still going to say I have no cash.’ he strategized.

Holding her hands on his lap he said to her “Ok, tak apa, saya mau balik, jadi kita dua angkat sama-sama [Ok, tell you what, I gotta go, so we’ll both get up ]”. He hoped she understood the plan to save face, so nobody gets embarrassed.

“Ambil duit ya [To get cash ya… ]” she suggested bitchfully (Jim’s word, not mine. I’d put ‘cheerfully’)
“Tak, tak, Saya mau balik, tak cukup duit sudah ni [No, no. I have to go, no more cash here ]”
“Boleh bah, ambil duit. Datang sini lagi…[Sure you can, get cash. Come right back ]” she persuaded.

“Tak boleh lah. Ok. [I really can’t. Ok ]” with all his might Jim lifted his glass and tried to drain the remaining half of his Long Island tea. It almost blew his brains out. But his glass wasn’t even empty yet! (How optimistic)

“So” he started “Lenny, saya balik dulu, nice meeting you, jumpa lagi [Lenny, I’m leaving now, nice meeting you, see you around ]

(Yeah, I hear you, when did that name, Lenny, came about? Anyway, )

Jim held her hand, reached for her left cheek and gave her a quick kiss. She looked at him wide eyed and smiled, finally saying “Ok, bye, see you”

Jim smiled back as he began to step away, telling himself ‘Now, all you have to do is keep walking, and don’t let the booze get to you and fall smack on your face! Walk straight damn it!’

‘Wait a minute, why did I kiss her? That could cost me.’ He thought. He dared not look back lest a bouncer or two catch up with him and demanded he pay for the kiss.

Finally reaching the door, he grabbed the handle, swung it open and took in a deep breath of island breeze. Musty but fresh. Jim Beam-ed. Damn! He was relieved to be out of the ego trap. How could he have said no to buying a woman’s drink, or denying her a seat by his side? Or admitting he has enough money for himself only.

‘F***! That bitch cost me fourteen bucks, and a little leftover of Long Island! What a waste! I can’t drink all that in less than 10 minutes!’ He thought, as he carefully arranged his steps toward the hotel, just 10 meters away.

‘What a way to end the evening - early, broke and sad, and still lonely (not that it was an issue really) Well, at least I didn’t screw up so bad. No sir, I wasn’t screwed. I didn’t screw! Not tonight! Hmmm, is that good or bad?’such was his reasoning; his head was quite messed up, (yeah, both of them).

Back at the hotel lobby, he tried to calm down. He sat at the sofa near the reception, reading the newspaper. After a while he approached the male receptionist whom he thought should know a trick or two, being in the business and all.

“How do I reject a GRO here in Labuan? Any tips? Coz they’re quite a nuisance really. I just got back from the club across the road. All I wanted to do in there was enjoy the live band, me and my drink, and this GRO just ruined everything?” Jim explained.

“Oh, Just say no. It’s that easy” explained the receptionist.

“They won’t get offended or mark you and stuff? You know, I’m an outsider and it’s pretty obvious. This is my first time here and I’ve heard rumors, horror I tell you” Jim needed a confirmation.

“Nah, as long as you’re polite they’re okay with it. It’s their job. They’ll just go for the next potential client” the receptionist assured him.

‘Oh I was polite alright; too polite for my own good. I guess entertaining an approaching woman dressed to kill means something else here” he thought. (It means you’re in the zone - sex for hire, get it while it’s hot! Oh who am I kidding - It’s always hot!)

Jim walked back to his room reflecting on his experience. In his room he sat at the writing table, thinking ‘damn, how dumb can one get? I must not forget this incident.’ He opened his journal and started to write…

Labuan, March 27, 2004.

My Fourteen Ringgit GRO………

(Cheap. Now that’s priceless!)

Jim's tour of duty free

Note: Conversations are in Malay, with English translations in blue.

Jim has been sitting in the theater-turned-club lounge area listening to bad singing for quite some time now. He entered the place early after dinner at 9pm because he wanted to start experiencing duty free Labuan island’s night life with a good head start.

It was his second night there, having arrived late and tired the night before, with a pounding headache. He didn’t have time to think then so he bought a taxi coupon for Sheraton upon arrival, only to find the rate disturbingly expensive, too expensive for his boss’ approval he reckoned. “Oh what the hell, I’m spending the night here and check in to a cheaper one tomorrow” he thought, too tired and sick to even think about looking for a cheaper alternative. Besides, he had already sent his ride away.

The karaoke session that night was painful to say the least. Bad singers came one after the other. “Why don’t they have private rooms for this kind of torture? It’s like enduring Cameron Diaz’s singing in ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’, without Cameron Diaz, and all of them are men!” he silently grumbled.

As his mug of Tiger beer emptied, he ordered a glass of Long Island Ice Tea. His drink came and he took a sip. His eyes widened, his brows jumped and his brain shook. “Now that’s tea. Talk about duty free, uhuk...huk” he chuckled with absolut delight.

Moments later the band came up. “Finally! If only I have friends around” He said to himself.

As the band started playing, the place too started to fill up. Soon he was surrounded by strangers, all mingling about, making him more conscious about his loneliness. One song, he was lonely, two song, he’s still lonely, three song and everyone got the picture, he was alone!

Half hour had passed when he was approached by a petit lady wearing a tight black dress.

“Seorang ya? [You alone?]” she asked, speaking in local accent, typical of Labuan and Sabah, almost Indonesian.
“Ya.” Jim answered and continued to face the band in front.

“Tak ada kawan? [No friends with you?]” she continued, trying to start a conversation.
“Tak ada. [No]” Jim answered rather loudly, still facing the band which he thought rocked.

“Boleh saya jadi kawan? [Can I be your friend?] she asked.
“Ok.” Jim agreed, not a clue to what he’s gone into.

The woman sat beside him and told the other girl she came in with, (who was standing nearby all the while) to look for another lonesome cowboy. She sat quietly for a minute as Jim stared at the band. She then asked “Belanja minum? [Buy me a drink?]”
“Boleh, mau minum apa? [Sure, what do you want? ]” Jim asked.

“Beer saja [Just beer ]” she said, twice, almost shouting considering the noise level and Jim’s expression. She flagged a waiter and signaled for a drink. That sent the waiter straight to the bar.

“Minum apa itu? [What are you drinking there? ]” she asked Jim.
“Long Island” he said, offering her a sip. She almost coughed because of the intensity.

The waiter came back with a short glass of beer as a result of what seemed to be a flawless communication amidst organized chaos and noise. He handed Jim the bill which startled him. It was five times the regular price and half the volume. “Oh dear, here we go.” Jim thought, he was beginning to see the clear picture in that dimly lit atmosphere.

“Datang Labuan kerja? [You’re in Labuan for work? ]” she asked.
“Ya.”
“Kerja apa? [What kind of work? ]”
“Ada chemical mau hantar ke Shell [There’s chemicals to deliver to Shell ]” Jim explained and she nodded.

“Kamu kerja sini ya?[Do you work here? ]” It was Jim’s turn to ask the questions.
“Ya”
“Berapa lama sudah?[for how long already? ]” Jim continued.
“Tiga bulan [Three months ]”


The conversation stopped and they decided to watch the band play, occasionally sipping their drinks. Jim felt her left hand now resting on his lap and got really worried. He wouldn’t know how to react if that little hand reached his crotch. Much to his relief, she pulled it back. They continued to watch the band.

She tried the lap maneuver again and this time tried to start a long and fruitful conversation.

“Kamu dari mana? [Where you from? ]” she aksed.
Jim explained his origin, mumbling here and there; he was reluctant to expose his identity. She nodded all the same. It didn’t seem all that important to her either. She continued to work his lap with her hand which drove him absolutely mad. She lifted her glass and they clinked, neither taking a good sip.
“Tak minum? [Don’t you drink? ] She curiously asked
“Slow slow, ini keras bah… [Slowly, this is potent you know ]” Jim explained.
“Boleh mabuk ya? [Gets you drunk? ] she asked, like a little girl.
“Mh~hmmm”

“Kamu kerja dengan ejen ya? [Do you work with an agent? ] Jim investigates.
“Tidak, kalau Philippine ada ejen [No, but Pilipino usually do ]
“Kamu dari mana? [Where are you from? ] Jim asked in response.
“Indonesia”
“Oh great! What am I getting myself into now? "He sighed in regret. Getting caught employing an illegal imigrant with his pants down was the last thing he needed, especially when he's there on duty.
“Sini banyak kompeni servis GRO? [Are there many Guest Relations Officer service companies here?] Jim asked.
“Ada juga [There are some ]”
“Macam mana bisnes? [How’s business? ]” Jim was curious.
“Ok…”
“Kamu kerja sini atau sama ejen? [You’re employed by this place or an agent? ]” he continued.
“Saya GRO sini. [I’m the GRO here ]” she explained.

By this time Jim was well under the influence of alcohol. He needed to get out of there quick but his glass was three quarters full, talk about optimism! The thought of quickly gulping his drink came like radio waves to a reluctant listener. He needed to finish his drink and get out of there before she makes use of the advantage. But the Long Island Ice Tea was really hard! He was in dilema. Her glass was almost empty and soon she will want another drink. ‘Quick, stall her’ he thought.

“Kamu diberi gaji bulanan atau komisyen? [Do you get monthly salary or commission? ]” he asked her.
“Saya kerja sini. Kalau macam minum tadi, 14 ringgit kan, saya ambil 8 ringgit. Saya minum, client pun minum. [I work here. Like the drink I ordered earlier, I take 8 bucks out of the 14 bucks glass of beer ]” She explained.
“Kamu cari client ya? [You’re looking for client tonight aren’t you? ]” Jim asked naively.
“Ya”

“Saya ada girlfriend di bilik hotel tapi dia sakit kepala, maka tidak ada sama saya sekarang. Jadi saya tidak dapat bawa kamu balik bilik. [My girlfriend is back in our hotel room with a headache, so can’t take you to my room (to subscribe to your services)]” Jim lied.

She nodded, understood and replied “Saya tahu. Bukan semestinya saya mau balik bilik sama client. Yang pentingnya saya di sini order minum dan temankan customer. Order mereka minum. Kalau mereka bawa balik, boleh juga. [I understand. I don’t necessarily want to go home with the client. What’s important is that I order them drinks and accompany them. If they want to take me home, I am available as well. ]” She explained.

“Kalau mereka bawa kamu balik, itu kamu punya sendiri ya? [If they take you home, it’s all yours isn’t it? ]” asked Jim.

“Tidak, bayar di sini juga. [No they pay here first ]” she answered.
“O, hmmmm. Jadi mereka di sini uruskan semua la…[Oh, so they take care of everything right here… ]” Jim indicated his comprehension.

Once again they quietly watched the band play. The situation was increasingly awkward.

Village Coffee

After much delay, I finally got my hands on Kopi Kampung (lit. Village Coffee), a Starbucks Black Apron Exclusive from my favorite store. This particular offering comes from the Sapan and Minanga market towns in Northern Toraja, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Friends, I know, the former sounds like Sapen, but let's not go there.

Upon opening the bag, a lovely pungent scent emanates, almost like durian being served somewhere distant. There's also sesame oil. Talk about complex!

As I slowly grind the beans using the new member of my collection, this earthy/woody smell registers from the small mill drawer.

The first test was from my espresso machine. It was so good I moaned. It has a rich and full body. Smooth and elegant. I had to have another shot! And then I decided to have another shot from the normal Sulawesi beans I had previously. They're different, but I'm not sure how.

I daftly had three shots of espresso aroung 11pm last night! Ever hypnotized yourself to sleep?

And this morning I had a rich cup of dripped Kopi Kampung. The same smooth and earthy feel swirled in my mouth, signified by a tangy twist. A twang. Somewhere around the bend came this multiple spice notes, of which I'm still trying to identify.

As my empty cup dries up in my air conditioned office, I picked it up, took a deep breath of the lingering scent inside and was immediately transported to a wood fired kitchen, the one we used to have in my own village a long time ago. A kerosene stove is somewhere nearby.

They say you can't put a single definition on Sulawesi beans - a personal experience is critical.

I agree.

Sarawak Textile Museum

(a.k.a. ''Textile for Dummies'', as commented by FH2o. Brilliant!)

Kuching has many colonial style architectures and some are well preserved and tastefully rejuvenated to reflect the remnants of the British Empire of James Brooke. I say some because there are many more forgotten and abbandoned sites wearily waiting to be noticed and restored or mercifully saved from the claws of urbanisation. Others are also currently being used but the tenants just couldn't care less about the heritage upkeep.

While walking around in Kuching city browsing the alleyways and back lanes I stumbled upon a beautifully restored old building which houses the Textile Museum of Sarawak. My visit to this museum took place early July but I'm going to describe it like it was just yesterday-it's no fun talking about ancient times.

The weather yesterday was fine as I stepped into the textile museum, not without taking some pictures of the facade and the surroundings first.

Just across the road is the Sarawak General Post Office, very much alive and in operation but the building it uses is sadly not well taken care of. From far it looks fairly white. Take a closer look though and you'll see stains, thick accumulated dust and bird droppings. Plants too start growing on some nooks and crannies containing enough dirt for a good grip - nature. It really is difficult to do paint jobs and basic cleanups isn't it? Human nature.

And yet, across the road, the view is inspiring!

This is the man that greets every visitor on the first floor which displays costumes for every ethnic community in Sarawak, mostly for wedding ceremonies. This is the costume for the Orang Ulu tribe, warrior themed. Ladies, peek no lower, there's nothing down there. He's just another pretty faced dummy.

These are bidayuh newlyweds. They look guilty in one way or another, don't you think so? Hey John! What have you got behind your hand there? And why the worried face Jane? Cheer up, you just got married! Sigh, love is a strange thing.


This is a Malay wedding setup. I see more cheer in the kids' expressions.

And the Melanau newlyweds couple. At least she looks happy.

Here's an Iban couple. Oh no, the bride looks so sad... Whoa! Those are impressive biceps Joe. Go easy on her will ya!

A chart explaining the Bidayuh tribe's wedding tradition. Very elaborate costumes I must say. You wont find them in your local tailor shop though. Maybe one could get married at the museum. Now that's reality TV.

Some Imperial Chinese costumes are also on display. These are Barbie sized dolls, with sticks up their uhm... arse.

Another floor shows how cloth coloring and printing is done in the old days. This setup gave me a stun as I was not expecting anyone doing anything besides quietly browsing in the museum. The air conditioning was buzzing and it was rather cold and very quiet. Most of the time I was the only one in the room. Spooky. And some of the ugly faces didn't help either.

These ladies are hard at work. No breakfast, lunch or dinner break. Not even a ciggie. Talk about begrudged souls.

This dummy looks like it spent more time in the oven than it should. She so needs a facial as well. Clear and smooth complexion, that should do the trick.

There are many charts and posters explaining a lot of stuff about the early textile industry in Sarawak and Malaysia. Very useful for students and researchers and those working in the industry. Drop by even if you're only remotely curious. You might find something you've been wanting to learn.

But don't let the ugly dummies scare you.

Sundae float

The trip to Kalumpang last Sunday was a blast. We even visited Tanjung Malim, the town nearby, to get our food supply for the picnic. Then it was off to Dzu's holiday home.

I felt like Van Gogh that day. Here the chair sat still, enduring the elements and time.

Going to the river to play.

Bert and Suze.

Ifzan laying the mat down as the hungry people looked on.

The border and boulders of the property.

More boulders! And water!

Ifzan told me that it's fun to float on the huge tube down these rapids. And I did! Too bad there's no picture. Next time I'll be sure to ask someone to get the shots.

I'm doing the mandatory 'chilling my foot', again.

There's something about sitting in the water, waist down, against the gushing flow. The rush, therapeutic.

Mermaids... haha, I wouldn't stick around to take photos if I didn't arrive with them (I mean, if these two were strangers and they suddenly appeared out of no where and I'm alone... *shivers*) Wegra and Pijah, hi girls!

The boys continued to soak in the pool till their fingers shrivelled, like monkeys, hahah...

Ducks under the shade, taking cover.

Anis, Ifzan and Wegra, during tea break at Marmalade, Mont Kiara, that evening, back from a long day at Kalumpang.

"Let's make our weirdest pose" said Dzu, and this was all we had. And the crazy bloggers just kept chatting the evening away, till it was time to wash up for dinner.

What a splash. Thanks guys!

And Thanks Dzu, for having us at your wonderful world of Disney place in Kalumpang.