Oliphaunt

These are two of the elephants at the zoo. I could see another one chained in the shed for reasons beyond me. Maybe it was under some medication or something. When we got there it was around 11.30am. Not near lunch time and we missed their show as well. So there they were lounging around their territory watching people gaze at them, while others proceeded to the next showcase. Kids and parents alike took time admiring this pair. And they seem to enjoy the attention. I wonder how long they’ve been with the zoo. They even knew how to pose for the camera.

Then came this man with two big baskets of cut sugar canes. Well what do you know. It’s tea time. Just the way they like it.

Loads of sugar, minus the tea.

Shit loads of fiber, drencehd with sweet pee.

He put some of the canes on a foldable table and waited.
“What the heck is he doing? I wanna see the elephants have their snacks. Throw them canes already” I thought. Then I saw some people taking some of the canes and paid for them. Then I got it. Another good idea to fund these animals and make the Zoo a better place. Kids got excited and begged their parents to pay for the canes. It was delightful to see parents oblige.
“Go ahead moms and dads, make these elephants happy”

Some of the kids were quite small and I worry they might trip over the railing and fall into the drain. Long as the trunks were, the kids tried their very best, stretching out so that the elephants’ trunks could reach the canes. Some kids however, were just plain mean, teasing the elephants, pulling away the canes just when they seem to get it and then making a joker’s face saying “nyeh nyeh nyeh nyeh nyeh!”. It was bad enough that the elephants were on the edge of the drain, risking a nasty or even a fatal fall. Add this to the frustration these elephants get as they intensely reach over to get a little sweet bite.

Imagine the heartache and helplessness when your happiness depends solely on the mercy of kids who seem to enjoy teasing you by depriving you of your favorite fix.
“For crying out loud kids, they don’t enjoy that as much as you do. In fact, you’re building up stress in their already frustrating caged and chained life. It ain’t pretty and it ain’t unchained melody either. Give them a break and just hand the damned sugar cane over!” I thought, my heart jumped and then immediately sank.

Then it hit me; these elephants can’t possibly be happy here. They don’t belong here. Being chained and caged. I know elephants have millions of wrinkles which make them look very old and that’s normal, but there’s something unsettling about these pair. I could almost see the sadness in their eyes. I could sense they long to be free, roam in the thick lush jungle. Be one with the herd. Have kids and bring them up in a close knit social circle, as seen on Animal Planet.

I never thought about it before but this particular trip to the zoo introduced me to a new perspective that is animal freedom; a newfound appreciation for natural habitat and the right of every species to live in their own, with minimum human intervention and routines.

But the question remains, how are we suppose to begin appreciating if we can’t get close enough, as close as we get in the Zoo? Let’s face it, reading and watching alone is not enough to warrant awareness among the uninitiated.

We could do with a Safari right here in Malaysia. A place where people get the chance to watch animals roam about living in their natural habitat, unchained, unfenced. But then again, how many species could they manage? How safe would it be for both animals and humans?

Do we have enough Zoologists fit for the job? I guess that’s a good place to start. But for now, it seems, we’ll just have to settle for the zoo, sad as it may be. And hey, there’s always that good old Animal Planet, Discovery and National Geographic Channel to let us in on our animal instincts.

Giraffe

Here are pictures of giraffe at Kuala Lumpur Zoo. They are placed at two spots, one beside the elephants and the other is on the Savannah Walk. They don't look as big as seen on TV. African Giraffes featured on National Geographic Channel are far taller than these. Maybe there's not enough head room at this Zoo to have them long necks.

To the Zoo

I brought my uncle's family to the zoo last Saturday. We spent the whole day there and took many pictures. As I have been busy last week and will be busy this week as well, I thought I slap a few pictures at a time and come up with a simple grandmother story for each post. And what better way to start my KL Zoo feature with a roar! So, here are some tiger pictures for that Harimau Malaya Spirit. Can't remember their names though. Anyone?

Santa spotted!

I went to Mid Valley Megamall like I said I would and guess who was in the neighborhood?

It's Santa!

With his posse santarinas! Cute ones too. Where are his elves?

Immediately after his grand entrance, people came flocking toward him. Like he's Elvis or something. And the kids, they were like ants going for candy, yeah the ones in the basket.

Before that I took some scenes of the decorations displayed at the courts.

Oh Christmas is definitely here.

Burr Coffee Mill

This is my recent investment in all things coffee. It's an Italian made, hand cranked burr coffee mill or grinder. I bought this RM128 mill at La Gourmet restaurant at The Curve on Monday. However I only began testing it yesterday and I must say I am pretty darn happy with it. Even though I have yet to get the perfect setting for my espresso machine, this, my new baby has a wide range of grind settings to choose from; from a very coarse grind to the very fine.

I previously have a De Longhi electric blade grinder. It can still grind but it got old pretty quick. It didn't give me good ground coffee. And the cleaning part is a pain.

Burr mills/grinders are better than blade grinder since they give a uniform grind. None of that chunky bits of beans you get when using blade grinders. Burr grinders come in two types; hand cranked and electric operated. The latter is more convenient but is much expensive compared to his classic cranky cousin. And they say people buy this hand cranked mill to get more involved in their coffee experience. But after some tests which demands elbow grease, I'm convinced I bought mine exclusively due to a tight budget. Otherwise, I would get a medium range quiet electric burr grinder. I get to keep my elbow ligaments much longer. Plus, there is no need to get cranky everytime I need a shot of espresso. But hey, there's a time for everything. One thing's certain, it's now in my never-ending list of realistic desired items.

Stay tuned for more in depth review as I experiment with this contraption, if indeed you're interested.

Espresso ho ho...

I was out of the office this morning running errands so I thought I have lunch somewhere near home and get my dose of espresso at home.

So I cranked up my trusty Delonghi espresso maker and brewed Segafredo, one of my favourites.

Nothing beats the pleasure of watching the three layers develop...coffee trinity.

What a great way to end my lunch session. Cafe espresso, my caffeine obsession.

And it's just as I hoped. Good to the very last drop!

I had a dream

Something came to me just now. I remember on Tuesday I went back home during lunch break to catch a few hours of nap. Why? A friend came visiting on Monday evening and we ended up getting supper in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.

So there I was sleeping on my bed when I had this bizarre dream, on a Tuesday afternoon. I was in the city, buying coffee or some grocery in a mini mart late afternoon, the weather was dull and shady, unlike normal afternoons when it would be blazing hot. I was standing near the store’s door when I heard a screeching sound, like a jet engine getting louder and louder. It sounded like a jet fighter passing by above the city, very low.

My heart starts racing with excitement as I expect to see a plane in flight very near to earth. I ran outside and quickly looked for the source of the sound. It came from behind, flew right above my head and forward, getting lower and lower, as if trying to land. And to my horror, there was smoke coming out of the tail section. And as I looked on, it got further ahead, even lower now, until in the end, it disappeared out of sight. Less than a second later, a big explosion rocked the city. A bright light can be seen from where I last saw the plane, followed by a yellow and red glow. A deep resonating hum crawled the radius of the crash site and everyone stood stiff, and silent. Moments later chaos broke loose. I thought “Oh no, no, this is not good…” and quickly ran to the scene.

Some how my strides felt heavily impeded (this always happens when I dream of running). Suddenly, I remembered I left my camera behind. No time! Just keep on running to the site. But I could not go any faster. It felt like I’m in slow motion mode. People around me were running as well, to the crash site. The day progressed and it was getting dark.

I came to a place which looked like a deserted highway, apartments on both sides, where I saw people, but they were not the passengers of the plane. They were all men, most are large in size. They were fighting against each other. The longer I watched, the more violent it became. They were killing each other with bear hands! Slamming heads on the pavement and concrete dividers, twisting necks and breaking bones. Everyone looked human but behaved like zombies. I was never scared like that my entire life! What if they spotted me? I’d be dead in seconds! I quickly walked out of view, among those who were too busy fighting to notice me. What is going on? Where are the survivors, if any? Where is the crash site? Wouldn’t there be fire and smoke? Why can’t I see it?

And then I woke up.

I lay on my bed for a while trying to reason with my dream. I dream horrific dreams most of the time when sleeping in the afternoon, even for a short period of time. However, it is usually triggered by a sound I heard, a smell I get while sleeping. But this dream, nothing. Surely a plane flying very low would eventually wake me up before my dream developed in horror. Several minutes afterwards I shook it off, made lunch and hurriedly went out the door to drive to work. That evening I told two friends about the dream and one said, “ You seem to remember your dream very vividly Agus. I seldom have that.”

“I usually remember horrific dreams. Ones I usually have when sleeping in the afternoon. But this one is the most bizarre. Too bizarre to ignore and forget. Hmm..I must keep a record if this one.” I said.

And a record it really is, for now I suspect something. Is it a bizarre coincidence that the plane crash in Iran happened on that very same day, ignoring the time zone? And why couldn’t I find the crash site? Was it because it was not in Malaysia? And why were the people fighting instead of looking for survivors? Why was my dream set in the city and suburb?

What trigered this outrageous dream? I don’t remember watching or reading about the crash on Monday night or Tuesday morning; that would be impossible. We did catch the midnight movie, Aeon Flux though. There was crash scene in the end but the craft was not a plane.

For the record, my dream occured around noon Malaysian time and the crash took place around noon Tehran time, approximately 4 hours and 30 minutes later.
Call it whatever but to me, this is strangely disturbing. I must investigate.
Read about the crash here and here.

Rainbow

They say rainbows appear after rain. But on the day I took this picture, from my apartment, Sunday evening, there was no rain. Perhaps there was a pot of gold there. But we’ll never know will we…because after 5 minutes, it was gone.

Death by bakuteh.

I made bakuteh stock on Friday and had bakuteh on Saturday as well. It may sound shocking but I never imagined this pot of bakuteh nearly killed me, and my housemate.

But before I deliver the story that kills, let me show you the weapon.

Juicy spare ribs drowned in thick bakuteh stock, with carrot cubes and celery stalks, dressed with coriander and spiced with garlic chili in light soy sauce. And to replace that chakoi is a portion of rustic baguette. No rice, though; it’s a low carb thing I’m on.

Cooking bakuteh at home is easy these days because of the instant packets of spices, usually in bags that we can just drop in the pot. Just drop a few garlic bulbs, dashes of light and thick soy and oyster sauce, some black bean paste, vegetables, mushroom and anything that you think will do the trick. And don’t forget the spare ribs, bones, meat and other organs of choice. And hey presto, you have a pot of bakuteh you can sell in Klang!

I must say, drinking bakuteh stock laden with medicinal herbs and garlic essence really stirred my system, flushed out the toxins and squeezed out the excess air in my body. Very airy if you get my drift…

And I think reheating several times allows the stock to be completely infused by the herb and spices. So, the next day I simply reheated the stock, herbs and spice bag still in the pot and added vegetables and meat portions for the day. Bakuteh I had for lunch and dinner on Saturday.

Then that night I went clubbing to Rum Jungle. My friends and I partied till 3am, had early breakfast and chatted till 6 am. We had another breakfast before I sent some friends home. I got home at around 8 am. As I went to the kitchen I saw the bakuteh pot sitting coolly on the kitchen counter. It needed another heating, before it catches mold, I thought and put it on the fire. Then I took my shower.

I dried myself quickly, locked my room door, cleared my bed and lay myself to sleep. My body went into auto standby mode and I woke up at 2 pm, Sunday.

I sat on my bed trying to stabilize my system. Suddenly, I remembered I left a pot of bakuteh on the stove, slow fire, early this morning.

“Oh my God! Bakuteh!” I said in shock.

I put on my pants, opened the door and peered into the kitchen. No fire. A good sign. The walls are not black. My pot is on the sink. My housemate probably have put it there. Then, my housemate’s head popped up.

“Gus, your bakuteh…burnt…” he said.

“Uhuh…” I said, still in a state of shock and disbelief.

“I noticed something on the fire at 11am this morning. I didn’t think much of it because I thought you were reheating as usual. Then at 12.30pm it was still there and you were nowhere. I knocked on your door but no answer. I tried to call you but I guess your phone was switched off. There was smoke coming out of the pot and when I lifted the lid, smoke burst and billowed out! I looked inside, everything got charred” He exclaimed.

Holy crap. I left the pot on the stove for over 4 hours! And the water level was less than half to begin with. I opened the pot and saw everything charred, even the rib bone was black to the core. The metal lid you saw in the picture was still shiny on the outside but there was a layer of thick soot on the inner side, like tarmac! Too bad I forgot to take a picture of everything before I cleaned them.

“Lucky your pot is the thick type, solid 5mm through and through. Otherwise we both could have been goners. A lesser pot would have melted, sparked a fire and blow the gas tank. A big explosion would then take this whole apartment building down!” he added in amazement.

I was dumbfounded by this streak of luck. What was I thinking? Leaving the pot like that. I guess I was going to turn off the gas after shower. But I was too tired to think about anything other than sleeping.

“I’m a f****** idiot!” I cursed time and time again as I play out the disastrous possibilities in my head.

“F***** idiot!”.
There is no curse in any language that can be uttered if anything other than charred bakuteh happened last Sunday. Again, I am reminded of how lucky I am. I count my blessings because this is not the only death-wishing foolish acts I have managed to conjure this year. More to be told, as and when I feel like it. In the meantime, I have this to say in the end;

I once made bakuteh, ate a few servings and almost died!

Casio...

If you're looking for a wrist watch for yourself or your loved ones, and if CASIO is one of the options, head down to ISETAN KLCC and get the best deal in town! From 2nd to 4th December only. I bought a RM299 Casio Lineage 162 at 70% discount. Since I don't know the REAL original price, I think it's a steal! Now, if there's anyone out there who thinks I got duped, ripped off and cheated, speak now or forever hold your peace....*sigh*

Fisch

I took these pictures at 1 Utama's rainforest several months ago. Tropical!

I get excited every time I see a school of fish, in a pond or aquarium. Like a school kid I would rush to the fishy scene, a big grin shines on my face as I soak in the experience. Especially colorful fish like koi. I tend to watch them tirelessly. It makes me calm and soothes my mind...

Such zen.

Arghhh....

Just finished doing a week's worth of work in a day! All because of our resources decided to pop up suddenly, one day before tender submission date. I mean, all this while I was not expecting to submit the tender. My workmate did mention last week that this would happen but I thought less of it.

"Ahah! We got it. I wonder if it's enough." he said as I entered the office this morning.
"Here, the price and some brochures, I've printed them for you." he said in a rush, like he was going to go somewhere.

"Where are you going?" I asked.
"I'm still on a holiday, so I'm going home" he answered quickening his pace.
"But I can't figure out the price on my own. I've got technical documents to cover." I reminded him, since he's the one figuring out the price and all. He is after all the senior business manager.

"Just mark up **%. Discuss with the boss." He said.
"I may not be able to make it today; the pricing and technical documents. Maybe I'll submit tomorrow" I said, half indicating a threat.
"No, it has to be delivered today so they can open it tomorrow!" He added with a stern voice.
"Oh alright! I'll do whatever I possibly can today" I finally said, barely concealing my frustration.
Then I thought to myself, "Whatever I have! Don't be surprised if you see them coming back with tons of queries!"

I seldom get pissed with him. He's an old timer and my main reference. We're basically friends at work. But today he's being impossible! Why can't he stay a while to figure out the price and let me worry about the technical issues. He practically came into office this morning to tell me that we're going to submit the tender after all. Why can't he just stay home and ignore the mail? It's not like it's a complete and detailed resource. There is even a table of non-compliance which is still being drafted and will be submitted in a week! It's like, hey, we can't comply to most of your specifications but you will only know of it in a week. Fat chance!

But hey, whatever I can possibly dish out!

So, from morning till just now I was running franticly across and around the office, without my workmate's help. Still, the lack of information from our principal made it a bit easier as I gave many ‘information not available at time of submission’ notes. I’m gonna get a handful next week though.

Still, it’s okay! It’s on its way to the tender committee, via courier. Now I can go home and lay dead. Next week, I brace myself, and so will my business manager.

Just browsing, NOT!

Just when you think it’s safe to window shop, the holiday season shopping madness is here yet again. After enduring the abrasive DeepaRaya shopping season, I will be forced to face the Christmas version soon, extremely soon. Every time the Sale! posters come up, I would say, “I’ve bought most of my clothes last time around and spent my equivalent of a fortune.”

I don’t really need to get more clothes since I haven’t worn some of them, mostly because of suitability and surroundings issue. It’s only been a few months. How can I be out of style by now. Yeah, I know the items I bought were off 50% to 70% and must be from last seasons’ collections but so are everybody else’s. I live and play in the majority’s world, not in posh upper most class society. I don’t need to be as up to date as they are. All I need is a good fashion sense, at a discount.

Note the use of words like most and more because when the time actually comes and I find myself browsing the items on discounts, I would then say, “Hmm, this one is different and really worth it. It’s a steal damn it. I have most but this one I have not.” And away it goes.

Such is the reality of me being prudent and rational. The fact is, one can never have enough. There is always room and reason for more. The only limit is your resources. Even that can be stretched. Have we no control?

Say it, mean it.

I say things, it’s just me. Sometimes I only mean half of the things I say, and sometimes I only say half of the things I mean.

Does it make any sense?

Have a great weekend guys.

Perahu tambang

'Perahu Tambang' to get across the river

Bright yellow paint to display the sponsor

Oh, how could my thoughts not ponder

When I see them without a customer

This is a picture linked from http://www.monash.edu.my/studying/sumexc.htm. It is a scene taken from across the river, or from another perahu tambang. Why can't I be sure? Because I did not capture it myself.

I like this picture very much and I thought you'd like it too. I portrays the nostalgic perahu tambang's slide along the river, against a very urban setting of Kuching City, accentuated by soft cotton-like clouds hovering in the beautiful blue sky.

There, that should do it.

Tip : try this, type kuching waterfront and search images in Google. Tons of pictures for your viewing pleasure. Do that for any picture you want to see. You'd be surprised of what you'll find, your face even! Besides porn of course.

Miri, Sarawak

This is a bird's eye view of Miri City. Not much. But for those from Miri, this is a heck of a view! This is actually a larger than life poster at Miri Airport's arrival passageway, literally. It is approximately two meters high. I thought I'd share it with the world here. By now, the marina bay (patch of reclaimed land on the right) are full of trees and some buildings, like so,



Also pictures of a large poster at Mega Hotel Miri's lobby.

We is back!

Hahaa. I’m back! Home sweet home! It’s been nice going away, and catching up with close distant friends was highly refreshing and invigorating. I made a couple of new friends along the way as well. Sadly, so many friends, so little time. Another trip perhaps.

As usual, being away makes me miss my crib. Any place is home sweet home for me once I make it. And the place I missed most is the web. Though there are wi-fi enabled places, nothing beats the comfort of my own cubicle. Yes, I’m supposed to be working and not do other stuff like blogging but I’m addicted. Even when I’m having fun hanging out with friends I am somehow reminded of the blogosphere. Especially if I missed a day, or worse, two. How now? Heck, life goes on.

Miri, wireless and free.

I was wondering if café’s in Miri’s gone wi-fi. So this morning as I walked around town, guessing the places that have, this place came to me. Bakery café.

The signage gives a typical coffee shop impression but the Lavazza poster quickly grabs my attention. I love espresso see.

When I first caught sight of this café, I made it a point to check it out. A café setup no doubt. And the espresso, well, it’s Lavazza. It’s fair; plus, you seldom go wrong with one of the best brands can you? And in Miri? For me, that is saying a lot. Much room for improvement though.

They serve pastries as well as savories. I can’t really give points coz I haven’t tried most of them. And this is not a food review.

And so, this time around, I walked in hoping to get online. To my delight, the owner was browsing his laptop behind the counter. So I asked, “Do you have wi-fi here?”

“Yes” he said, with much confidence.

“And it’s free?” I asked again.

He gave me another ‘yes’ and told me to have a seat first. I ordered double espresso and a cheese cake, like so…

After this I'm continuing my expolration throughout the town, walking, as I needed the exercise coz I've been munching a lot lately. Later.

Meaow...

I'm in kuching now and today is my first online day in this Borneo Jewel called Sarawak. Didn't do much here coz I got no wheels and I'm too lazy to catch the bus. Right now I'm in this nice cozy cafe called The Gallery Cafe. Hotspots Wifi and artsy setting, noice. Let me see if I can get permission to take some snap shots.

Too bad, she says her boss won't allow it. I guess it's because the place is also a gallery. Oh well, some shots from my 'mobile phone' olympus won't hurt. It's not like i'm selling them anyway. So, here are some. Shhh, the manager doesn't know...

The counter

Seatings

Nasty

A friends’s blog was smeared with nasty shit last week and it makes me sick. After the first nasty comment was deleted the MF came back, meaner and amplified.

“………..Dont delete this comment if you are a man..loser. Your friends: Give it to me man...give it to me..are you really friends of this guy???”

WTF! And she is anonymous. Shocking!

Ah heck! Just check out the comments for this link and you’ll see.

If you don’t like what you see, leave in peace. After all, you came looking for it. Don’t go to their house and leave a big note telling them off. Having quietly done this, the jerk hid in a corner, waiting to watch the victim's reaction and of his neighbors and friends. A great coward. She doesn't think she needs to reveal herself because she is no man, as she proudly declares.

And to actually seek his friends reaction? Huh?



And get this, in reaction to support from her victim’s friends, she wrote

“These guys are writing good words not just to back you up but they are seeking and waiting insatiably for something that you might have. Just be careful dude.”

First she offends, then she rubbed some salt and finally gives advice. And now we know why she makes friends. Oh she’s a gold digger. She’s a psycho over money.