Thursday, May 31, 2007

MISS UNIVERSE 2007


I guess by now everyone one in this world would know that the new MISS UNIVERSE is Miss Japan, Riyo Mori. Now…… who says that Latin American girls are the prettiest? We Asian are also among the most beautiful in the world or even universe (if there aren’t any pretty ET out there). Congratulation Miss Riyo Mori! Now we all have to do is to wait for a Malaysian to get the crown.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

POPULAR CORNER

Popular Corner

A typical Sunday in Bintulu is basically doing nothing except for lazing around and watches the world goes by. People here wake up earlier than average normal people and go doing their Sunday routine like Church or marketing at the local ‘Pasar Tamu’. One particular thing that they have in common is having breakfast or brunch at Popular Corner. It’s a restaurant cum coffee shop at the commercial area near to the ‘Pasar Tamu’.

hungry people

Come Sunday morning, the place is filled with hungry people, fresh smell of coffee and delightful aroma of different delicacies. The range of food available here on Sunday is more differing than normal offerings.

dim sum station

They have the ‘dim sum’ station with offerings like ‘siew mai’, ‘ha kau’, ‘char siew pau’ and other steam or fried stuff.

nyonya station

chi pau kai

Then they have the ‘nyonya’ station offering local delicacies like ‘ang ku’, layer cakes, ‘bak chang’ and a very big bun with chicken inside called ‘chi pau kai’. That thing can literally feed a family of four.

fast food station

roast station

noodle station

Other station you can find there are the roast section offering typical roast duck, chicken or pig, fast food station with its many dishes, noodle section and dessert station with its ‘bubur cha cha’, ‘abc’ and ‘lek tau suan’. Although it’s a four shop lot coffee shop, be prepared to fight for seats.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

STOLEN!!!

the watch that i love and lost

I lost my watch today! I found out my watch was lost when I was back to my hotel room from work. I flip the room upside down but still couldn’t find it and finally I marched down to the reception and make lodge a complain. After much hoo-ha, they finally found the culprit. It was stolen! Apparently while I was out, a repair man went into my room to do some maintenance. He was also the last person to go into my room before I come back. After much searching, they found his mobile phone number and tried to call him. This was a failure as he already off his mobile. Worst come to the worst, I was in the police station to lodge a report and hopefully our police will do their job and nab the culprit. It’s not the money value of the watch that concerns me but the sentimental value that sadden me. It was a gift from the person that I love….

MEN ARE VAIN TOO

the family of 4

People always say that women are vain, but I do find that certain men are vain too. Those I’m talking about are the metro sexual or whatever sexual type of men. These are the men of the future and they are also girl’s best friends. One of those men is me unfortunately. Hahaha! I started to use Bella Men’s Skin Care products when my friend introduced it to me. The reason that friend introduce it to me was because they are having a promotion on their products. You can get a discount of 30% - 40% off their products and these kinds of offer don’t come easy. I just can resist offer like that, so I bought some of their products to try out.

Smart Cleansing Gel

1st stop, the Smart Cleansing Gel is a refreshing cleanser that really cleanses your face without the dry and tight effect after your normal cleansing. They also come in easy pump bottle to facilitate lazy men like me.

Smart Tonner

Next, the Smart Toner is a one of the kind toner that you can use to refresh your face all day long. Besides refreshing your face, it also protects your face from any impurities and tones your skin also. Again, it comes in an easy spray bottle so you can just spray it on your face like a plant.

Natural Face Scrub - scrumptious!

Face scrub is a must today for any modern men. The Natural Face Scrub cleanses your face deep and also smoothens it with its honey, oat and almond all natural ingredient. You smell so good after each scrubbing sessions that you almost wanted to eat the scrub itself.

Pore Minimizer Concentrate

Lastly, the Pore Minimizer Concentrate is a little precious bottle of serum to minimize your pores on your face. After a dedicated usage of it, your face will look refine and clear. After using those products, I feel like a new and very vain guy. It also broke a big hole in my wallet…..

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

UGLY BETTY 1


Ugly Betty, don’t you just love it? It just shows that no matter what you are or LOOK like, you can do it if you got the determination and will. The show is funny, witty and down to earth. Everything you love or hate just got a BIG bang at the end of season 1. You be hopping that season 2 is just around the corner. Just what will happen to Henry and Betty? Will Daniel and Alexis survive? Will Wilhelmina get to marry Bradford or stop in time by the jail escapee……

Sunday, May 20, 2007

SEA VIEW (BTU)

Sea View situated next to Riverfront Inn and facing the river

Bintulu is a small town with nothing much to offer except that it is rich in natural gas. That is why you can see a lot of Japanese, Korean or Westerners in and around Bintulu. They work in the many refineries and industries that dotted the Tanjung Kidurong area. Since my work brings me here, I have to make full use of my spare time available. One of it is of course FOOD! This coffee shop is situated just in front of the river next to Riverview Inn.

the place is crowded in the morning hour

The place is packed with morning crowds as I was there with my friends. Finding a place to sit is a major task here. You basically have to stand next to a table and hope that they will be annoyed by your presence and leave. That’s what you have to do for food these days. Hard work! They basically serve typical Foochow delicacies here. From the usual ‘kampua mee’ to the more exquisite ‘fried prawn noodle’. All the noodles used are handmade by them self so you can assure that its all fresh!

fried prawn noodle (RM12.00)

We had a plate of ‘fried prawn noodle’ that comes with big chucks of prawns. The yellow noodle blends well the aromatic prawn paste and also the prawn meat. The prawns are fresh and you be licking the shell for all its worth.

chu cha mee (RM3.00)

The next dish is a typical Foochow fare called ‘chu cha mee’. It’s basically yellow noodle cooked in thick dark sauce gravy served with meat, seafood and vegetables. Some people like it in soup form but we opt for the semi dry version. A dash of white wine makes the noodle yummy to the last drop. Just be more civilized and don’t go licking the whole plate clean.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

SEMATAN

paradise just before sunrise

Is there a paradise just next door to Kuching itself, as many might want to ask? There are a few actually if you search hard and have the adventurous soul to do it. Let me introduce you to a little piece of paradise just next door to Kuching. It’s just a mere 1 ½ hour’s drive from Kuching. You just drive towards Batu Kawa from Kuching then straight ahead to Lundu town. After the bridge, just follow the sign board to Sematan town. When you reach Sematan, just turn into Palm Beach Resort just before you hit the town it self.


welcome to Sematan Palm Beach Resort

road to paradise (picture courtesy of Calvin)

the resort sits on golden sand beach (picture courtesy of Calvin)

Talang-talang island just a stone throw away from the resort (picture courtesy of Calvin)

The resort sits on a prime beach area off the tip of Sarawak. It overlooked the Talang-talang island in front and Tanjung Datu national park on the right. The water is blue, the sky is clear and the beach is wonderful. Coconut trees sway to the rhythm of the sea breeze. You can just sit under the shade and do nothing for the whole day. The resort offers different type of accommodations to cater for different group. The packages include of the room, breakfast and dinner.

our humble little shack

adult version of double decker bed

We opt for the four person chalet because it overlooked the sea. The chalet looked like a wooden tent with two levels. There’s a king sized bed on the ground floor and two single on the first floor. Toilet is located on the ground floor and there’s even a patio for you to sit and take in the sea breeze.

for your pleasure or pain

wanna go kayaking??

cool refreashing waterfall at Kampung Pueh (picture courtesy of Ed)

When you are there, you can go for kayaking, rock climbing, cycling around town or go snorkeling at the nearby Talang-talang island. For the more adventurous, you can go for jungle trekking at Gunung Gading National park or Tanjung Datu National park. Gunung Gading National park is just situated at Lundu town while Tanjung Datu National park is about 1 ½ hour boat ride from Sematan. You can catch a glimpsed of the world largest flower ‘Rafflesia’ at these national parks. We wanted to go to Tanjung Datu National park but were disappointed by the lack of transportation provided to the place.

this is all i can afford for my ride (picture courtesy of Calvin)

open space (picture courtesy of Calvin)

Gunung Gading National park at the back (picture courtesy of Calvin)

clear blue sky and sea

It’s a very SAD thing if we got some of the most magnificent places on earth but the Government and those related agencies didn’t exploit the potential and introduce it to the world. Instead of sulking, we explore the nearby beaches and towns. Lives here are slow and easy. There are a lot of photogenic places around Lundu and Sematan and we took almost 1000 pictures for the 3 days trip!

dead jelly fish on the beach!!! quick!!! do CPR!!!

beautiful sea shell

as the sunset, we say good bye to paradise

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!


It’s my BIRTHDAY!!!!! Yes I’m happy that it’s my BIG day but on the other side, I’m sad that I’m getting older and didn’t seems to accomplish what I intend to do. My own Wawasan 2020! Nevertheless, I’m happy with what I have and than God for everything. My wish…… can’t tell you guys or else it won’t come true. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!