Working Trip to Kuching 20-23 Nov part II

If you have by any chance going to visit Kuching next year 2009 and want to stay at Crowne Plaza or Holiday Inn, don't be surprise if you don't find any of them listed anywhere.

Well this is due to these hotels are nor longer continuing their contract with InterContinental Hotels Group. Thus they need to be rebranded.

Hence, with effective from 1 Jan 2009, the new names for these famous hotels are:

Crowne Plaza Riverside Kuching is renamed as Riverside Majestic Hotel
Holiday Inn Kuching is renamed as Grand Margherita Hotel

They actually took down the sign while we were still staying there. (22nd Dec)

Another interesting place we visited was the Kek Lapis Dayang Salhah. It is one of the famous & flourishing cottage industry in Kuching. As you can see it still retains the 'kampung' facade and you have to take off your shoes when entering, similar to what we do when we enter our own house.

Once inside, I felt like I was just visiting friends for Hari Raya, as an assortment of Kek Lapis was served on the table meant as testers. As I was quite hungry, an ample amount of delicious Kek Lapis passed through my gullet. hehehe

Overall it was an interesting experience, anyhow some say that Kek Lapis originated from Kuching. It is true? Welcome any comments on this. Well..enjoy the rest of the pictures...

Front view of the Kek Lapis House

Yummy... free kuih...!!!

Kek Lapis products nicely stacked onto shelves. Even carry-baskets were provided similar to your local supermarket.

hmm.. what was that fancy looking cake called?

Some local celebrities immortalised during their visit there. See if you can guess a few?

Definitely not a celebrity!!!

My kid candid pictures

Pictures taken today of my eldest daughter Raudhah at home after we (my wife, Naurah & myself) went to the Yayasan to grab a bite in KFC there. As usual, I have to buy some toys for her. Her fav is the 'princesses' aka anything pink type toys thus I bought an assortment of girlie accessories for just under $10.

Shes nearly three, thus doesn't need a 'baby walker', but as you can see... she is using it as a mobile office table.

Look at her pink sandals

"Hello...Yes, this is Miss Raudhah, I would like to order more of your pink sandals..."

Islamic Hijri Calendar

Free Islamic Clock

Bloodiest Day for Palestine

Israeli warplanes have targeted buildings across Gaza. Death toll nearing 300.

Such a big catastrophe compounding the Palestinians now. The death toll is already nearing 300 killed. This filthy heavy-handed genocide by the Israeli Government has to stop. Nearly three hundreds palestinians killed compared to one Israeli civillian killed, now where is the rational in these act of barbarism.

Israel as the occupying power under article 55 of the Geneva Convention “has the duty of ensuring the food and medical supplies of the population; it should, in particular, bring in the necessary foodstuffs, medical stores and other articles if the resources of the occupied territory are inadequate”. Israel failed to do so and used it as a bargaining political instrument for oppression.

Are we blind to the fact that the reason for the firing of these home-made uneffective rockets by Palestinians are signs (screams!!!) for help as they have been year after year being strangulated and starved by Israel.

I truly believe that the Israeli Government has other underlying motive for this act. As I noticed that as leftist political parties there need to 'act' tough in order to have any chance of winning elections. Then of course, timing is everything. Israel need to do as much cynical 'genocide' as it could before the new upcoming US President takes Office. Only then it would just do some political readjustment with the US, pretending to 'bow down' to its pressure while in its heart the
'satisfaction' that it had inflict terrible & heavy losses to the Palestinians.

May Allah the All-Mighty bless Palestinians in Gaza. I pray that fellow brothers & sisters there will find strength to endure these Test.

Raudhah's little trick

My eldest daughter (2yr 10mth) comes up with a little trick that she likes to show-off. This was performed immediately after she just woke up in the morning. (take note of the well-kept hair).

Happy Hijri 1430 & Happy Viewing!

Happy Hijri 1430: My own passage.

Assalamualaikum to all my family, friends and readers,

Another year passed commemorating the Prophet's (may peace be upon him) historic passage from Mekah to Medinah. This is the time I reflect on all things that happened to me throughout the year.

For me, its quite significant as I want it to symbolise my own passage. A passage where I would find peace and forgiveness by staying on the path that the Prophet has shown.

Hearing the imam recite the 'doa akhir & awal tahun' in Malay, brought a certain heaviness in my heart as I knew that I did not perform the best as I could as a true muslim. I hope I will always be in the embrace of the Most Merciful & Most Forgiving.

Happy Hijri 1430 to all muslims and I pray that we will all meet in the garden of everlasting peace.

Working Trip to Kuching 20-23 Nov

My last visit to Kuching was more than 15 years ago, thus this place was completely new to me. I went there with colleagues from The Firm. It was a nice place with a lot of interesting food. It is always handy to have a local person to bring you around as I was completely blur on where to go & what to buy that is so-called 'specialised local items'. So I was merely enjoying the ride..!

Melamine anyone? Seems like a strange thing to see nowadays.

To the Pasar Tamu Dewan Bandaraya Kuching Utara

Bought this laksa packet..until now alum cuba! Btw can u guess whose that guy in black? Tips: I'm the famous blogger.

Udang 'Straight' hawker

Mr. Terubuk-Masin man

Stairway To Library Heaven: The unique glass staircase of 'Pustaka negeri Sarawak'


Just three laminated glass needed?! eee.... Also one of my fren mentioned that some1 will sure have fun sitting under the staircase. :)

Whats that 'bulge'?!

Ever wondered what will happen when you drop a MacBook from..say about 4 feet high? Well, I have the privilege to find that out 3 weeks ago.

Frantically checking the Mac after the unattached bungee drop, at first I thought that my MacBook is 'invincible' as there was no obvious blemishes. Before that, honestly I thought I would have a cracked LCD.

Placing it back into my bag, I went for another meeting. While I was perusing the web.. (pretending to look for something important while the meeting was going on..! :) ).. I noticed my Mac started to grow a 'bulge'. hehehe... not that it had anything to do with me surfing the Net!!









Photos below show the extent of the damage or 'bulge' to the Mac's battery. Btw I got a new battery from AV yesterday for $248. (discounted from the $256 as I paid in cash).

My father-in-law a.k.a landscape designer

I have been meaning to upload this video ever since my father-in-law started his landscaping project at his place. It began as just an outside aquarium for his fishes but ended up becoming more than that.

At the end it consist of two kettle water-fountains and two helicopters. {earlier version was a boat and a water-village house}. The mini-heli (green coloured) was his first version and of course the big one was his latest creation. Please note that the latter have both the main & rear rotors spinning.

He sure does have a knack of building things from wood, plastic and cement. Anyhow enjoy the vid!

My long rest from work

Today is the start of my 12 days of 'rest' from work. I took it way beyond the new year as I will be placing my eldest daughter to her first playschool. That will be an interesting experience for me as a dad. Definitely will be added to my blog later.

For now I am simply playing around with the blog... trying to put in gadgets, customising here and there.

Oh yes, yesterday I bumped into my mates & co-worker and was surprised being told that another high-profile colleague will be quitting and going to a greener pasture. Hmm.. *which makes me thinking*. Oh well.. we'll just wait and see..

The question now pondering my muddle brain is 'What to do in this long abstinence from work?'. Any ideas?

Starting this blog

May Peace be a upon you. At last.. I am able to get myself started to create a blog again. I don't even know yet what sort of blog this will be eventually. So I say to myself just.. do it. Let it grow into whatever direction this may bring.

At the end of the day, my objective is to bring my muddle thinking into some sort of coherent platform or medium that can be share and to make sense of it all.