Different Perspectives

Sarawak Anthem through the years

2010-06-05T07:38:00.000-07:00

Fairland Sarawak (up to 1973)

Fair Land Sarawak
We will never cease to honour thee
and with our loyal sons
Defend your liberty

From your high forest hills,
Down to the open sea
May freedom ever reign
Men Live in Unity

Proudly our Flag flies high
above our Country Strong and Free
Long may our Peoples live
in Peace and harmony

Sarawak Bahagia (1973-1988)

Sarawak negeriku berdaulat merdeka
Rakyatnya hidup teguh bersatu padu
Semua berazam terus berkhidmat pada negara
Sentiasa maju pertiwi
Bahagialah tanahairku
Sarawak negeri yang ku cinta ku puja
Untuk me ku rela korban jiwa raga
Abadilah Sarawak ya tuhan dalam Malaysia!

Ibu Pertiwiku (1988 onwards)

Sarawak Tanah Air Ku
Negeri Ku Tanah Air Ku Sarawak
Engkaulah Tanah Pusaka Ku
Tanah Tumpah Darah Ku
Ibu Pertiwi Ku
Rakyat Hidup Mesra dan Bahagia
Damai Muhibbah Sentiasa
Bersatu Berusaha Berbakti
Untuk Sarawak Ku Cintai

Sarawak Dalam Malaysia
Aman Makmur Rahmat Tuhan Maha Esa
Kekallah Sarawak Bertuah
Teras Perjuangan Rakyat
Berjaya Berdaulat

Biarku Menjadi Lilin (Let me be a candle)

2010-05-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

I would like to share a song which was popular in the late 1980's when I was still a student.

Selamat Ari Gawai 2010

2010-05-25T05:02:00.001-07:00

Bamboo - an indispensable grass for all seasons

2010-04-04T00:58:00.000-07:00

During the last few weeks, the garbage bins in my neighbourhood have been toppled by a few stray dogs looking for food among the garbages. As a result garbages were strewn all over the places.

But lo and behold! Today, someone resourceful has come up with a solution to deter the dogs from toppling the bins using bamboo poles. Ingenious, isn't it?

Bamboos belong to the grass family but is placed in a separate family due to the presence of woody culms or stems. It finds its usefulness in lots of situations - from "pansuh" to building material and as conduit for water.

Dolphin - beloved magazine from yesteryear

2010-03-01T03:44:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year 2010

2010-02-01T02:19:00.000-08:00

Colours speak volume

2010-01-01T13:19:00.000-08:00

A page from the past

2009-12-25T02:33:00.000-08:00

This is a very rare plague from the time of Sarawak's first Chief Minister. The plague goes like this:

THIS BUILDING WAS DECLARED OPEN BY
THE HONOURABLE DATO STEPHEN K. NINGKAN
THE CHIEF MINISTER OF SARAWAK
ON THE 24th AUGUST 1965

Guess which building is that?

Old Government Buildings in Kuching

2009-12-23T04:13:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas 2009

2009-12-21T16:00:00.000-08:00

Kuching Fire Station

2009-12-21T05:37:00.000-08:00

Similajau National Park, Bintulu

2009-12-06T03:08:00.000-08:00

Ant plant tubers for sale

2009-12-02T01:51:00.000-08:00

I found the following tubers which are actually ant plants (meaning the hollow tubers are inhabited by ants). The plants is an epiphyte. The tubers are dried and cut into pieces. They are packed in plastic and sell at RM5 per pack. It is for medicinal use but that definitely requires scientific confirmation.

Merry Christmas to one and all

2009-11-30T15:17:00.000-08:00

Pandaw Rajang River Luxury Cruise

2009-11-30T07:12:00.000-08:00

Old residential houses of Sibu

2009-11-29T08:11:00.000-08:00

Concrete and wooden houses in Sibu. I believe the wooden ones were built before the 2nd World War while the concrete ones were built around 1960's (correct me if I am wrong). Some of the wooden houses soon made way for the concrete houses though some remain as "leftovers" from another era. Such houses were found in Tiong Hua Rd, Tong Sang Rd, Bukit Assek Rd, Huo Ping Rd, Emplam Lane, etc. I wonder who or which architect designs the concrete houses. It was simple and tasteless but somehow practical for that time. Each unit is divided into ground floor and upper floor (two families -one upstair and one downstair but occasionally rooms were rented out and there could be more than one family at any one time).Of course, today houses are with better designs.

Perhaps the authority should redevelop the Tong Sang Rd-Tiong Hua Rd-Emplam Lane-Huo Ping Lane-Bukit Assek-Moi Huong Rd as part of urban renewal project to regenerate and rejuvenate the area from turning into an inner city.

Wooden Houses at Tong Sang Road

Wooden Houses at Tong Sang Road

Residential Houses along Bukit Assek Road

Residential Houses along Bukit Assek Road

Concrete residential houses along Tiong Hua Road

Concrete residential houses along Huo Ping Road

Concrete Residential Houses at Huo Peng Road

Postcards from Maswings

2009-11-24T04:23:00.000-08:00

Panchor Hotspring, Kuching

2009-11-10T04:20:00.000-08:00

There are a few hotsprings in and around Kuching. The nearest is probably along the Kuching-Serian Road (29th Mile near to Dragon School- Look out for the sign board - "Panchor hotspring" or "Air panas Panchor"). It is located near to Kampung Panchor. The hotspring is around 42 degree Celsius but not hot enough to boil eggs. Hot springs are believed to be good for skin diseases (due to high sulphur content) and for blood circulation. The Panchor hotspring is looked after by a Mr Tapok anak Rayun, the Ketua Kampung. Entrance fee is RM3 per person.

A Borneo Flavour - Mayang Tea

2009-11-09T01:14:00.000-08:00

Mayang Tea is Sarawak's very own tea grown in the lowland rather than the highland (eg. Boh Tea and Sabah Tea). It is marketed as Mayang Tea domestically and Sarawak Tea overseas.

Mayang Tea Sdn Bhd, Serian

Plague showing that the tea plantation was officiated by the Honourable Chief Minister of Sarawak in the 1980's.

Some of the products of the tea plantation

Sarawak Pepper Tea (for export to European market)

Office and mini shop of Mayang Tea Sdn Bhd

A View of Mayang Tea Plantation

Closeup of the tea plant.

Leguminous trees planted to give shade and nutrient to the soil (nitrogen fixation)

Grinding of tea leaves using machinery.

Grinded Tea leaves ready for filtering.

Filtering of grinded tea leaves. The finer leaf fragments are used in tea bags.

Sarawak Pepper Flavours the World

2009-11-08T19:22:00.001-08:00

Sarawak was once the largest producer of pepper and today she is still one of the largest producers of pepper in the world (Vietnam is now the largest producer of pepper). Most of the pepper vines are grown with belian support. Nowadays, due to the scarcity and exorbitant price of belian and the low price of pepper, I have seen farmers in Sarawak using living simpoh trees as support for pepper vines. Aren't our farmers ingenious?

Destinations on the way to another destination: Bau and Lundu

2009-11-08T11:49:00.000-08:00

If you are heading for the coastal town of Sematan, you will be passing two towns: Bau and Lundu. There are attractions which you can visit in these two lovely towns.

BAU

Besides the Fairy and Wind Caves, on the way along the Kuching-Bau road, you can also visit the Paku hotspring. Look out for the Paku Quarry not far from Bau town. Opposite the quarry is the Paku hot spring.

Paku Quarry

Paku Hotspring

You can also visit Tasik Biru, site of a former gold mine.

LUNDU

Another town you will pass by is Lundu. At Lundu, you can visit the Gunung Gading National Park to see the Rafflesia. There are beaches nearby to Lundu such as Pandan and Siar Beaches.

Siar Beach (Sarawak bank Employees Union - SBEU) Resort

Pandan Beach

Go where the flavour is - Saigon I

2009-11-07T23:51:00.000-08:00

The old part of Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City. This is Nguyen Hue Street where the Continental Hotel Saigon is. The hotel dates from the time before the fall of Saigon.

Go Where the flavour is - Saigon II

2009-11-07T19:42:00.000-08:00

The city of HCM is choking with motorcycles. Motorcycles are cheap and affordable form of transportation. A motorcycle costs between RM1000 - RM2000 in HCM City. Most 4-wheel vehicles are taxis with very few private cars.

Go where the flavour is - Saigon III

2009-11-07T15:54:00.000-08:00

Streets of Saigon are very vibrant, robust and colourful. I particularly like the street vendors.

Demolishment of Batu Lintang Junior Staff Quarters

2009-11-07T09:03:00.000-08:00

The land for the Batu Lintang Government Quarters has been acquired by a private company for development. I have taken a few snapshots of the quarters before they are gone. A part of Kuching history (British colonial era) will be gone now.

Crystal fruit (Pometia pinnata - Sapindaceae)

2009-11-07T03:10:00.001-08:00

Crystal fruits or locally known as kasai (Pometia pinnata) and belongs to the same family as rambutan (Sapindaceae). I was told by locals that kasai fruits in Sarawak are smaller but taste equally nice. The fruit shown in the picture was bought from a fruit stall at Lundu. The fruit vendor informed me that the fruits is known as crystal fruit and was bought back from Papua New Guinea by a Sarawakian worker working in logging camps there. The fruits taste sweet which is similar to lychee.

Sematan beckons me

2009-11-03T16:32:00.000-08:00

If you are free and would like to head for beaches, look no further. Sematan is a coastal town about 1-1.5 hours by road from Kuching. Sematan is a small coastal town where bauxite was once mined. Today you can find silkworm and crab farming. Satang and Talang Talang Islands are just close by. So are the Samunsam Wildlife Sanctuary and Tanjung Datu National Park which are just an hour journey by boat away. In the 1970's you can find turtle eggs being sold on five foot way outside the shophouses there. Today, selling turtle eggs has, of course, been banned.

Mangroves and Beaches at Sematan

The Granitic Mount Pueh at Sematan

Century-old Shophouses of the early Chinese pioneers

Along the way to Sematan from Kuching (Lundu-Sematan road), you can have a glimpse of kerangas/heath forest which is very rare now.

Ipomea aquatica (Convolvulaceae) - kangkung, the water convolvulus

2009-10-27T07:19:00.000-07:00

Ferry across Sadong RIver, Samarahan Division

2009-10-24T02:30:00.000-07:00

HAPPY DEEPAVALI 2009

2009-10-18T04:29:00.000-07:00

A Museum for Sibu

2009-10-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

A museum for Sibu?

Not that there is no Museum in Sibu but I feel that the current one housed at the Civic Centre (Dewan Suarah) is a bit too far away and out of the way for most visitors to the town even though the exhibits are excellent.

I always believe a museum should always be strategically located and better still when it is near the town centre, especially for a small town. Besides, the building should also be imposing with nice compound. The former SMC building is located in the heart of Sibu town and has a park next to it. In my opinion, it therefore fits in the bill.

The former SMC building is now being renovated with the Upper Floor meant for the museum with exhibits and artifacts from the Dewan Suarah Museum while from what I gathered, the ground floor will be used as eateries. In my opinion, the current exhibits at the Dewan Suarah is among the best in Sarawak and with a new 'house', it will make an excellent museum! However, I do hope that the Museum will be professionally run and managed. There should be permanent exhibits as will as space for exhibition that changes with themes.

I look forward to visiting the museum when it is ready and open for visitors.

Kuching Cityscape 3

2009-09-26T02:52:00.000-07:00

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!!!

2009-09-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

Double Decker Riverine Wooden Motor Launches at Sibu Wharf

2009-09-18T18:15:00.000-07:00

Old Street of Sibu

2009-09-11T17:15:00.000-07:00

The following photo shows a row of one the oldest shophouses in Sibu. The buildings were put up after the great fire of 1928 that almost completely destroyed Sibu town. Before the fire, there was a row of wooden belian shophouses in its place. The wooden shophouses were mostly owned by Hokkiens.

In front of the shophouses is the oldest street in Sibu. Before the great fire of 1928, the street was known as Guan Thiean Street and was a popular street. It was named after a Mr. Teo Guan Thiean who owned a sundry goods shop there. Later, after the fire, concrete shophouses were put up. And the street in front was named "Old Street". Some of Guan Thiean children moved to Singapore while a few are still in Sibu. Today the street is named "Chew Geok Lin Street" after the founder of Wah Tat Bank. Wah Tat Bank was the oldest bank in Sibu which was started during the Rajah Brooke's reign but has since merged with Hong leong Bank.

Today, you can find Hong Leong Bank (formerly Wah Tat Bank), Transit Book Store, one or two plush restaurants or eateries there. Dr. Wong Soon Kai's Clinic used to be there.

Engkilili - Lepisanthes alata (Sapindaceae)

2009-09-11T03:34:00.000-07:00

I found the following fruit at Lachau. The town "Engkilili" in Sri Aman Division is named after it.

Kuching cityscape 2

2009-09-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

Funny Song - Enjet Enjet Semut

2009-08-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

We live in Singapura

2009-08-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

We Live In Singapura

Sang Nila, Utama
Saw a lion, alamak
Name the village Singapura, then run very far

Years later, ang mor came
Stamford Raffles was his name
Posed for statues very nice, we kenna colonize

(instru)

Singapura very strong
Big guns all, pointing wrong
Japanese, came on bikes, invade us from our backside

War is over, ang mor back
Singaporeans no respect
Commies come, make a fuss, Singapore independance!

CHORUS
I live in Singapura
It’s not perfect living
But at least it’s interesting
I live in Singapura
Though it’s kind of crazy
We win other country

David Marshall, Lim Yew Hock
National Anthem starts to rock
Yusof Ishak the big man, guess who’s PM?

Malaysia say, come join me
Two of us be same country
Then not happy, Then make PM cry

PM Lee lead country
Build jurong and HDB
Made the country clean and green, opposition cannot win

JB Jeya no more funds,
Chee Soon Juan won’t eat his buns
Lim How Doong, what a goon, ‘Don’t talk cock’ in parliament

CHORUS
I live in Singapura
It’s not perfect living
But at least it’s interesting
I live in Singapura
Though its kind of crazy
We win other country

Kick out from Malaysia Cup
Michael Faye pain in the butt
S-League, Tea Dancing, Ah Bengs love Modern Talking

McDonalds Hello Kitty
Everyone drink Bubble tea
Crushing cockroach Margaret Chan, James Lye is VR Man

(instru)

Reclaimation, Tuas Causeway
Malaysian water buay ho sei
Mahathir’s friend Datuk Anwar, Mathathir says he’s chow Ah Qua

NDP, aunties rush
Everyone it’s fun to flush
Bubble gums are all banned, ask your friends buy from thailand

CHORUS
I live in Singapura
It’s not perfect living
But at least it’s interesting
I live in Singapura
Though its kind of crazy
We win other country

Driving car, not funny
Bid on cars with C-O-E
E-R-P, Road Tax, PARF until I want to barf

Why our locals have to pay?
Foreign talent are okay
Housing estate upgrade
by contractors who go pok kai

IMF must follow
Want to protest, go indoors
M-R-T not so fast
Newater they laugh at us

I live in Singapura
It’s not perfect living
But at least it’s in-teresting
I live in Singapura
Though its kind of crazy
We win other country

Baby bonus, maid levy
Singtel Shares give out for free
Jack Neo, Kit Chan, sexy pastor Ho Yeow Sun

Beckham parties with models
Has affair but no one knows
S-league, go world cup, can come true if they don’t suck

Mahathir then Abdullah
Bar top dancing at the bars
Budget airlines start to pa (ie fight) Stop speaking Singlish lah

Gay is okay says PM
SM Lee becomes MM
PM Lee the same name, here we go all over again.

WE LIVE IN SINGAPURA!

Songs from the Good Old Days

2009-08-23T04:04:00.000-07:00

Liu Wen Zhen was one of the Chinese pop song idols from Taiwan in the 1970's until the 1980's. Liu has even performed at one of the theatres in Sibu in the 1970's. He exited from his singing career at his peak and ventured into business, now residing in the United States of America as a businessman. So, let's listen to his songs once more......

Funny Asian Commercials

2009-08-11T07:27:00.000-07:00

Tristellateia australasiea (Malpighiaceae)

2009-08-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

Uniquely Sarawak

2009-07-13T03:19:00.000-07:00

The following is a very Sarawakian advertisement. I found it at a eatery in Kuching and it has the major languages and dialects used in Sarawak. It is not everyday you would come across such type of advertisement.

The Many Hues of Melastoma

2009-07-13T02:42:00.000-07:00

Somah - Ploiarium alternifolium

2009-07-09T23:18:00.000-07:00

Somah or Plaoiarium alternifolium (family Bonnetiaceae)is a species of the swamp though it can also grow on drier land. Due to its ability to grow on swampyland, it has stilt roots. Its natural distribution includes Indo-China, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra and Borneo.

Flower and flower buds of somah

Fruits of somah

Somah are used as sticks or poles e.g. for drying clothes. I have seen someone selling somah sticks on bicycle years ago in Kuching. You can find somah growing in Kuching and Sri Aman Divisions, especially on slope along the Kuching Sibu Road. They are plentiful in places where you can find it. Somah is seldom cultivated but the following photos are cultivated somah along Kuching-Bau Road.

I have seen creative use of somah for interior decoration at Oregano Restaurant in Kuching. The restaurant uses somah sticks as decking laid between joists and the light that passes through the numerous gaps between the sticks create a unique and special ambience for the diners.

Source: My Privilege Book: Photo taken from the exterior of the restaurant. Note the decking (somah sticks) inside the restaurant.

Mahogany – the useful ornamental and timber tree

2009-07-07T22:09:00.000-07:00

Apart from the monopodial growth as exhibited in the pagoda-shaped trees such as kapok, pelai and ketapang trees, you also have trees whose growth are sympodial. Trees with sympodial growth can be identified with the main tree trunk and branches fork into two as they grow.

Getting to know tree architecture can sometimes be useful if you want to grow a mixture of different trees together (as in plantation) or to grow them together in your garden. But you also have trees with one kind of growth in the juvenile stage and another kind in the mature phase.

One of the sympodial tree planted along the shoulder of roads in Kuching is the mahagony –Swietenia macrophylla.

There are rows of gracious mahagony lining both sides of the road along Jalan Keretapi. The mahagony seems to be growing very well which I understand was planted in the 1980’s. Perhaps mahagony is suitable to be chosen as a plantation tree for timber production.

Mahagony is a native of South America and is much sought after for its timber. The wood has a attractive reddish brown colour. It has been listed as a protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites Appendix II). Mahogany is the national tree of Dominican Republic and Belize.

Kapok – the pagoda-shaped tree

2009-07-05T22:22:00.000-07:00

One good way to identify a tree sometimes is to observe the tree architecture. There are a number of trees with pagoda-like architecture (meaning the branches arranged in layers like the different storeys of the pagoda which taper towards the top). Examples of such trees are ketapang tree (Terminalia catappa), Pelai (Alstonia scholaris) and kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra).

Kapok tree or Ceiba pentandra (Bombacaceae) at the Padang Merdeka in Kuching

Kapok tree or Ceiba pentandra belongs to the Bombacaceae family and is native to Africa as well as Central and South America but different varieties exist on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Ceiba pentandra is the national tree of Guetamala.

Kapok fibre is obtained from the fruits or seed pods which contain seeds surrounded by a fluffy and yellowish fibre. Kapok fibre has a significantly homogeneous hollow tube shape and is composed of cellulose (35% dry fiber), xylan (22%), and lignin (21.5%). Kapok fibre is significantly hydrophobic (meaning it does not absorb or get wet with water) and is suitable as fiberfill in pillows, quilts, and some soft toys. Cushions for outdoor use such as on yatch and garden set are still sometimes stuffed with kapok fibre.

Plastic bagful of kapok for sale at Sirikin, the border town with West Kalimantan.

During my childhood, my pillows were stuffed with kapok fibre unlike pillows of today. That was before the advent of synthetic material. My mother would from time to time took out pillow covers to wash and then left the pillows in the hot sun. After which he would beat the pillow with a rattan beater to remove and dust particles. Maybe that’s the way to sterilize the pillow.

Kapok fibre and seeds underneath a kapok tree.

Fortunately, in recent years, kapok fibre has found new uses. Among them are as oil absorbent and in industrial applications. As the fibre is hydrophobic and at the same time selectively absorbed significant amounts of oil (40g/g of fibre) from an oil suspension in water, kapok fibre has been used to recover oil spills in seawater and freshwater and for removing entrained oil from waste water.

Even though kapok fibre is able to be applied in various industrial usages, it has a serious disadvantage which is the extreme sensitivity to spark or flame due to its hydrophobic nature. However, kapok fibre can be converted into a flame-resistant fibre by gamma ray treatment which removes the hydrophobic compounds and cleavage of methoxyl group from lignin polymer.

Now, isn't that wonderful?

A Little Grain of Rice

2009-07-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

When I was younger, my mother often told me to finish all the rice on the plate and not be wasteful. She told me to imagine that if everyone in the world were to waste one single grain of rice each meal, then billions of grains will be wasted every day. And that is enough to feed quite a sizeable hungry population of the world!!! So waste not.

You might also have been very familiar with or learnt the following poem or nursery rhyme in kindergarten or primary school.

Little Things.

Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land.

Thus the little minutes,
Humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages
Of eternity.

“Sedikit-sedikit, lama-lama jadi bukit” is the Bahasa Malaysia version expressed in a proverb.

I am pretty sure there are poems or proverbs in the other languages which carries the same meaning.

Cinchau - the refreshing Grass Jelly drink

2009-06-28T19:04:00.000-07:00

On a hot afternoon in the tropics like Sarawak, a glass of iced cold grass jelly or cinchau would be ideal to cool one down.

What exactly is the grass jelly or cinchau?

Grass jelly is made by mixing and boiling the extract (gum) obtained from aged and the slightly oxidized stalks and leaves of Mesona chinensis which is grown in China and Taiwan (member of the mint family or labiatae) for several hours with a little starch (usually tapoica starch but wheat and corn starch can produce better gelation effect) (if heated to a certain temperature and then cooling the liquid will produce a gelatin-like jelly). Potassium Carbonate or Sodium Carbonate (baking soda) is added to give it a high pH or alkaline condition which is optimum for the formation of the gelatin-like condition. The jelly itself has a slight bitter taste and is a translucent black. Different species of Mesona are found in South China and throughout Southeast Asia. In Indonesia Mesona palustris is cultivated and used in place of Mesona chinensis.

Cinchau are cut into small pieces and mixed with sugared water or more often with coconut or soya bean milk to make into a drink. Sometimes, cinchau are mixed with other ingredients such as cordial sarsi (sarsaparilla), sago pearl, chendol, agar-agar, etc. In Kuching, you have such desserts with fanciful names that include cinchau and shaved ice as one of the ingredients like white lady, materhorn, red spot and so forth.

Metroxylon sagu - The Sago Palm

2009-06-28T01:54:00.000-07:00

Sago palm or scientifically known as Metroxylon sagu is native to eastern Indonesia (Moluccas and Irian Jaya), Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands. It was introduced to other parts of Southeast Asia.

Perhaps Sarawak has a large peat swamp area that is also infertile that sago replaces rice as the staple food for the coastal Melanaus who inhabit the swamp area. It is well to remember that attempt to plant rice in peat swamp on a large scale (one million hectare at a cost of US$500 million in The Central Kalimantan Mega Rice Project and known locally as PLG) in Kalimantan during the Suharto era in 1995 was a failure.

“This controversial project planned to move more than 300,000 families from Java to central Kalimantan to help make Indonesia self-sufficient in rice. Indigenous Dayak communities were displaced as forests were cleared and canals dug to drain the land, but transmigrant farmers soon found that rice would not grow there. The combination of dry peat and dead timber led to further disaster when fires followed the long dry season in 1997. Weeks of thick smoke affected people's health and the burning peat contributed significantly to increased global carbon emissions. The project was officially abandoned in 1999, but the whole area remains devastated and local people have been deprived of their livelihoods.The drainage canals have made it easier for illegal loggers to remove any remaining timber from the area (source: Down to Earth No.76/77- International Campaign for Ecological Justice in Indonesia).”

Apart from the Melanau in Sarawak and the local population in its native habitat, sago is also the staple food for the indigenous people of the Mentawai Islands off the west coast of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean.

Sago palm flowers only once and ended its life after gregarious flowering and fruiting. During its flowering, swarms of bees (pollinators) can be found surrounding the flowers during certain times of the day, especially around noon time.

There is another form of Metroxylon sagu which is spiny and some botanists considered it as a separate species, Metroxylon rumphii.

Sago can be made into numerous products such as tabaloi, sago balls, sago pearls, etc.

And sago pearls can be used as dessert – sago and rhubarb, for instance.

Apart from Metroxylon sagu, another palm Eugeissona utilis (or pantu) is extracted for its sago by some of the indigenous groups in Sarawak such as the Penans but is inferior to that of Metroxylon sagu. Pantu grows in the inland and hill forests away from the swamp.

MOBILEFUN: Everything mobile

2009-06-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for mobile phone or its accessories for whatever reasons, Mobile fun is definitely a place to surf. It has everything about mobile phone with all kinds of accessories and add-ons under one site. If you know what you want, this is the right place for you. And if you don't know what you want, this is also the first place to look for.

Mobile fun meets the varying levels of expectation from each buyer, from those who simply want to choose a mobile for making or taking calls at their convenience or in case of an emergency, to those who expect a mobile phone to be almost a micro version of their business or to match their lifestyle.
There is an array of mobile phones to choose from whether it is the "flip phone" style or others like “slide phone”. You will also be spoilt for choice when it comes to brand too.

If you are looking for a touchscreen smartphone, then Nokia N97, the current flagship model of the Finnish manufacturer is for you. It is geared towards people looking for a state-of-the-art phone packing in some distinctive abilities. It also sports a 3.5-inch display, stereo speaker and an impressive 32GB of storage (expandable to 48GB).

If you are into buying Nokia N97 or already have one, then you will need the Nokia N97 Cases to keep it secure and free from scratches and finger prints. There are a wide range of Nokia N97 cases to choose from depending on your taste, preference and requirements.

There is a varieties of Nokia Spare Parts on offer. If you need any replacement housing, keypad, keypad cover, battery cover, display window, etc then click Nokia Spare Parts.

When you are driving between work meetings or long distance, you don't want to find your mobile with a dead battery. You might consider to keep it powered with the Nokia Car Charger, which simply charges the phone like a normal mains charger by plugging into your car's cigarette lighter. You should have enough power to make it through the entire day and this device will keep your mind at rest!

Finally, a sound advice on buying a mobile. Choose the phone with the features that you can really use and don’t waste money on a phone with functions that you will seldom use or with functions that duplicate your other electronic gadgets.

Feathers from a Thousand li Away

2009-06-20T18:50:00.000-07:00

There are not many books or movies which I will read or watch over and over again and "The Joy Luck Club" is but one of them.

I like the prologue which was beautifully written using simple yet meaningful English and epitomizes all about the stories in the entire book.

"The old woman remembered a swan she had bought many years ago in Shanghai for a foolish sum. This bird, boasted the market vendor, was once a duck that stretched its neck in hopes of becoming a goose, and now look! - it is too beautiful to eat. Then the woman and the swan sailed across an ocean many thousands of li wide, stretching their necks toward America. On her journey she cooed to the swan: "In America I will have a daughter just like me. But over there nobody will say her worth is measured by the loudness of her husband's belch. Over there nobody will look down on her, because I will make her speak only perfect American English. And over there she will always be too full to swallow any sorrow! She will know my meaning, because I will give her this swan - a creature that became more than what was hoped for." But when she arrived in the new country, the immigration officials pulled her swan away from her, leaving the woman fluttering her arms and with only one swan feather for a memory. And then she had to fill out so many forms she forgot why she had come and what she had left behind. Now the woman was old. And she had a daughter who grew up speaking only English and swallowing more Coca-Cola than sorrow. For a long time now the woman had wanted to give her daughter the single swan feather and tell her, "This feather may look worthless, but it comes from afar and carries with it all my good intentions." And she waited, year after year, for the day she could tell her daughter this in perfect American English."

Childhood delights

2009-06-16T02:59:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it would have been the most desired treat in my childhood. As they say simple things make everyone happy and such childhood delights have the power to make most kids happy. Sometimes on the way back from school, I would buy a packet or two . They were usually heavily stocked in penny candy stalls near schools and sometimes in the school canteens/tuckshops. They were some of my favorite treats at school and were the cheapest treats then. I am glad that such childhood delights are still around for the younger ones to savour. Such childhood delights of old are still new.

Spicy biscuit/Biskut rempah

<Icing biscuit/Roti Hua/Flower biscuit

Westerner vs Asian

2009-06-11T05:38:00.001-07:00

I received the following in my email and would like to share it with fellow surfers/bloggers. How much of a Westerner or Asian are you? Or are you a mixture of both?

Westerner (Blue) vs Asian (Red)

(1) Opinion

Westerners: Talk to the point
Asians: Talk around the circle, especially if opinions are different

(2) Way of Life

Westerners: individualism, think of himself or herself.
Asians: enjoy gathering with family and friends, solving their problems, and know each other's business.

(3) Punctuality

Westerners: on time.
Asians: in time.

(4) Contacts

Westerners: Contact to related person only.
Asians: Contact everyone everywhere, business very successful.

(5) Anger

Westerners: Show that I am angry.
Asians: I am angry, but still smiling... (Beware!)

(6) Queue when Waiting

Westerners: Queuing in an orderly manner.
Asians: Queuing?! What's that?

(7) Sundays on the Road

Westerners: Enjoy weekend relaxing peacefully.
Asians: Enjoy weekend in crowded places, like going to the mall.

(8) Party

Westerners: Only gather with their own group.
Asians: All focus on the one activity that is hosted by the CEO.

(9) In the restaurant

Westerners: Talk softly and gently in the restaurant.
Asians: Talk and laugh loudly like they own the restaurant.

(10) Travelling

Westerners: Love sightseeing and enjoy the scenery.
Asians: Taking picture is the most important; scenery is just for the background.

(11) Handling of Problems

Westerners: Take any steps to solve the problems.
Asians: Try to avoid conflicts, and if can, don't leave any trail.

(12) Three meals a day

Westerners: Good meal for once a day is sufficed.
Asians: At least 3 good meals a day.

(13) Transportation

Westerners: Before drove cars, now cycling for environmental protection.
Asians: Before no money and rode a bike, now got money and drive a car

(14) Elderly in day-to-day life

Westerners: When old, there is snoopy for companionship.
Asians: When old, guarantee will not be lonely, as long as willing to babysit grandkids.

(15) Moods and Weather

Westerners: The logic is: rain is pain.
Asians: More rain, more prosperity

(16) The Boss

Westerners: The boss is part of the team.
Asians: The boss is a fierce god.

(17) What's Trendy

Westerners: Eat healthy Asian cuisine.
Asians: Eat expensive Western cuisine.

(18) The Child

Westerners: The kid is going to be independent and make his/her own living.
Asians: Slog whole life for the kids, the centre of your life.

Belian - Borneo Ironwood

2009-06-09T06:37:00.001-07:00

In Borneo and Sarawak, Belian or Borneo ironwood is liken to what teak is to other subtropical countries in Southeast Asia.

There are actually two species of belian in Sarawak - Eusideroxylon zwageri and E. melagangai (the later has also been elevated to a genus status -Potoxylon melagangai). The two species or rather two genera (Eusideroxylon and Potoxylon) differ from each other by the shape of the fruits and twigs and the density of the wood. P. melagangai has an angular twigs and lighter wood which is also less durable. E. zwageri is found throughout Sarawak and used to be locally frequent and abundant in areas between Serian and Sri Aman as well as pockets of the Rejang and Suai while P. melagangai is common in northern Sarawak such as Mulu area. In Sarawak, locals recognised at least three varieties of belian while in West Kalimantan, at least four varieties have been documented.

The growth of belian is extremely slow and will take up to 120 years to reach 30cm diameter. So is the decay of belian wood which is equally slow and therefore very much sought afterfor construction and outdoor use. Stumps of logged belian trees are still around decades after they were felled. You can find such stumps at Matang near Kuching or Sepilok in Sandakan, Sabah. Using carbon dating method on wood samples taken from such stumps of logged trees at Matang, Sarawak, Japanese researchers estimated the age of the belian trees to be well over 1000 years old. Indeed, belian trees are the oldest member in any rain forests in Sarawak.

Young Sapling of belian

Belian are used for a variety of purposes in Sarawak. The wood is reputed to last for a few hundred years and has been used for construction of bridges to being used as survey pegs to electric poles.

During the early days of Rajah Brookes' reign, forts played an important role in the security of towns in Sarawak and with the exception of Fort Magherita in Kuching, the rest of the forts were constructed with belian timber. Fort Brooke in Sibu was built of belian although it does not exist any longer and provided much needed security for trade and other commercial activities at that time. In the past, almost the entire Sibu town was built of belian including the rows of shophouses along Channel Road until they were destroyed by fire in 1928.

I have been to an Iban longhouse in Betong as well as traditional Melanau houses in Matu where the main pillars of the longhouse/houses are derived from a huge single belian tree trunk each. When I was young, I stayed in the old part of Sibu whereby houses were built on stilts on the bank of the mighty Rejang River. The house was built entirely of belian. The houses were linked to one another by belian plank catwalk. I remember two things about staying in such belian house: One, occasionally one can get very small belian splinters accidentally lodged onto the sole of one's foot if one is not careful such as while walking on the belian floor (especially when the floor is not varnished). Hokkien refers to such very small splinters as "chuah". Two, the belian plank catwalk can be extremely hot on a very sunny day, especially around noon time and one (especially children) can get blisters on the sole if one walked bare footed on them for a long time. My mother used to warm water in pails by leaving them on the catwalk.

Belian Electric Pole

Buildings have also incorporated belian shingles roofing into its architecture such as the world famous Sarawak Museum and the Khatulistiwa Restaurant at the Kuching waterfront. In the old days, small holes were punched in each shingle which were then used to tie one shingle to the next with rattan strings. Nowadays, nails are used in place of rattan strings.

The Khatulistiwa Restaurant styled after a traditional Bidayuh "baruk" and with belian shingles roofing.

One of the wings of the world famous old Sarawak Museum.

QYPE : A Review

2009-05-08T23:41:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you are going to visit a foreign city or are already in one and would like to find more information about the places you want to visit? A normal thing to do would be to use one of the more popular search engines like Google

or popular guide books such as lonely planet.

However, there is an online site that takes you a step further when you are in a foreign city and would like to see, feel and enjoy like what a local would.

Qype is a one-stop infomation centre for leisure, entertainment and tourist guide. The site gives information about Restaurants, Bars, Hotels, Events and more....

Whether it be Shopping, Eating / Drinking, Arts or anything else that you are interested in. This site will show you where to find the best places and deals.

Any internet surfer from anywhere around the world can browse the site but the fun way will be to sign up as member and participate by sharing the knowledge and providing comments or participate in the forum or even creating guides on a particular place frequented within any particular city. There are different categories of members (Qype newbies - no star; Qype insider – blue star and Qype ninja – red star) depending on how active one is.

Qype is easy to navigate, user friendly and clearly understandable.

Besides English, the website offers information in five other languages i.e. German, French, Spanish, Brazilian and Polish for worldwide users.

You can search information by clicking based on the different categories eg Eating & Drinking or Shopping. You can also access information by using the search engine provided at the top and bottom of the homepage. Eg. pubs london or restaurants london

Whilst information for cities worldwide are found, more information can be obtained from major European cities such as London, Paris Berlin, Madrid than those outside of Europe such as North America or Asia but the information is growing. For the four largest cities in Europe, you can search for information based on the administrative areas: London (32 boroughs plus City of London), Paris (20 arrondissements), Berlin (23 bezirke) or Madrid (21 districts).

Location map is provided as well as useful transport information on how to get to the place.

Another good feature about the site is it gives information about what is nearby the place you are looking for:

The site has a very appropriate tagline: "Find it, share it".

Every which way - Migration in Asia

2009-04-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

The immovable peasantry, bound by tradition, loyalty or inertia to the timeless village, is one of the abiding myths about Asia. In fact the history of Asia is a history of movement. From the very beginning, Asians have been moving into, out of, and around the region, whether as economic migrants, political refugees, or cultural proselytisers.

Asians, like the rest of humanity, are probably descended from the first human who evolved in Africa. But even if there was parallel evolution of Homo sapiens within Asia itself, they would have, over the eras, migrated many thousands of miles.

Linguistic, archaeological and genetic evidence all points to a wide dispersal of Asians. Austronesian languages and seafaring culture prevail from Madagascar, off the coast of Africa, to Hawaii and Tahiti in the Pacific; prehistorians suggest that many of these voyages of migration occurred within the last five thousand years, from origins in Southern China, the Philippines or eastern Indonesia.

Similarly, the linguistic links between Japanese and the Altaic languages of western and central Asia also imply early migration while “Aryans” apparently invaded India from the north and the Tai peoples moved into Thailand, Laos, Burma, and Vietnam from southwestern China. Although these movements date from “prehistory” (before the time of written records), many great Asian migrations are historical.

Perhaps the greatest achievement of Chinese civilization is the creation of "China” itself; today well over one billion people occupy a vast area and consider themselves Chinese. In fact, the original “Chinese” (often called “Han”) inhabited only a fraction of the area now claimed by the People’s Republic of China, and many, perhaps most, “Chinese” today are descended, at least in part, from other stock.

“China” grew both through migration and sinification. Within the last 2500 years, million of Han moved south from their original heartland in the Yellow River valley, beyond the Yangtze River and as far as Yunnan and Tibet (annexed to China relatively recently). As they moved, they conquered local populations and by intermarriage and the imposition of Chinese culture, turned the descendants of these people into “:Chinese’ themselves. They became not “cultural minorties”, but actual Han: Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka and many others.

Only the Vietnamese, ruled by China for 1000 years retained their own identity. After they became independent, they began their own great southward drive of migration ands assimilation. As recently as 500 years ago there were almost no Vietnamese in the Mekong delta area; the southern half of the country is essentially populated by the descendants of immigrants or Vietnamised minorities. History also records significant modern migrations in the Malay world, particularly from the Menangkabau Highlands of Sumatra into the Malay Peninsula.

By the 19th century, driven by colonialism and capitalism, the human flow was in full spate. Fleeing economic hardship and social unrest in south China, millions of peasants sailed as “coolie” labourers – virtual slaves – not only to all the countries of Southeast Asia, but beyond, to Africa and the Americas. They built railroads in the United States and worked the guano mines of Peru. From India, migrants fanned out to become moneylenders in Burma, labourers in Malaya and Fiji, and bureaucrats and professionals throughout the British Empire.

Less visible in the historical records was the even larger movement of Asians within political units: from Java to Sumatra and the outer islands of Indonesia; from Ilocos to the Cayagan Valley in the Philippines; from the Chao Phraya plain into Isan in Thailand; from upper Burma to lower Burma, from Szechwan to Yunnan. The more we look, the more we find, down to “micro-migrations” from one village to the next.

Over the past 50 years this local movement has accelerated, especially towards cities such as Hong Kong, Bangkok, Jakarta and Manila, most of whose inhabitants are just one or two generations removed from their rural origins.

But even international migration, slowed temporarily by post-war nationalism, has picked up again. There are more than a million Filipinos working in west Asia, Hong Kong and Japan; ten thousands of Chinese students overseas; Japanese managers and tourists throughout Southeast Asia, Thai farm workers in Israel, Cambodia refugees selling doughnuts in California and Borneo's Dayak oil rig workers in the North Sea.

Today, more than ever, to understand Asia you have to understand people in motion.

Two Contrasting Worlds

2009-04-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

Indonesian music scene is very colourful. These are two of the popular Indonesian songs of the 1980's when I was still in school: Madu dan Racun (Honey and Poison) and Singkong dan Keju (Cassava and Cheese). Both songs are about two contrasting worlds: one about the good intention (honey) and bad intention (poison), the other about the east (cassava) and the west (cheese).

Arie Wibowo - Madu Dan Racun (Honey and Poison)

Engkau yang cantik
Engkau yang manis
Engkau yang manja
Selalu tersipu, rawan sikapmu
Di balik kemelutmu

Di remang kabutmu
Di tabir mega-megamu
Kumelihat dua tangan
Dibalik punggungmu

Reff:
Madu di tangan kananmu
Racun di tangan kirimu
Aku tak tahu
Mana yang akan kau berikan padaku
Aku tak tahu
Mana yang akan kau berikan padaku

Arie Wibowo - Singkong Dan Keju (Cassaava and Cheese)

Kau bilang cinta padaku
Kalau ku bilang pikir dulu
Selera kita
Terlalu jauh berbeda

Parfum mu dari paris
Sepatu mu dari italy
Kau bilang demi gengsi
Semua serba luar negeri

Manakah mungkin mengikuti caramu
Yang penuh hura-hura

Reff:
Aku suka jaipong kau suka disko
Oh oh oh oh

Aku suka singkong kau suka keju
Oh oh oh oh

Aku dambakan seorang gadis yang sederhana
Aku ini hanya anak singkong
Aku hanya anak singkong

Beautifully Imperfect

2009-04-15T06:09:00.000-07:00

Yasmin Ahmad. Does that ring a bell?

Perhaps you have seen her commercials for PETRONAS on television on different festive occasions such as Chinese New Year, Hari raya, etc like this:

Yasmin films such as Rabun (My Failing Eyesight) (2003), Sepet (Chinese Eye) (2004)
and Gubra (Anxiety) (2006) have been screened at major international film festivals and have won her praises and numerous international prizes.

In Yasmin's films and commercials, negative events or sensitive issues can be turned into positive lessons.

Recently, Yasmin Ahmad has done commercials for Singapore's Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports with a "Think family" theme.

The advertisement, which debuted on television in Singapore this April, is set at a funeral, depicts an interracial marriage and talks about bodily functions. And the eulogy at the funeral is both funny and touching.

Here's another of Yasmin's commercials for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, Spore:

The Red Banana

2009-03-30T01:05:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you have heard of the "black tulip" or "Queen of the Night"

However, it is a horticulturist dream to grow a "black rose" or even a “black hibiscus”.

And when it comes to fruits, perhaps you have heard of the red durian.

And how about red banana?

Banana is indigenous to Southeast Asia and there are many species and varieties of banana in the region. Banana trees have been introduced to a great number of tropical and subtropical climates. The main edible banana group in Sarawak (and most part of Southeast Asia) belongs to the species Musa acuminata or the hybrids between Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. Wild Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana are with seeds and thus not really edible. But numerous selections of this species led to seedless cultivars that have been propagated vegetatively for centuries. Those banana I have often encountered growing wild in the secondary forest of Sarawak including on roadsides is Musa acuminata and is by itself with many varieties. However, hybridization between Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana has created dozens more of banana varieties, including the red banana.

Red banana or Jamaican banana is a variety of banana with a pretty red, pink or purple skin. Its flesh is smooth and sweet, often tinted of pink or orange. The red bananas are grown commercially in Central America for export.

Grown more slowly than their yellow counterparts, the red banana plant takes 10 months to fruit and six months to mature with fruit taking a further five days to ripen. The banana tree can grow as high as 6 metres. The bananas develop on the foral stem following the appearance of clusters of flowers.

Red bananas are surprisingly popular and available the year round at specialty markets in western countries. In North America, the first bananas to appear on the market in Toronto (in the 1870s and 1880s) were red bananas. In February 2006, Marks and Spencers introduced red bananas to UK supermarkets to be followed by the supermarket Morrisons in 2008. The red bananas is said to be sweeter than the yellow banana.

In western countries, they are most frequently eaten whole raw or chopped and added to desserts or fruit salads. They can also be baked, fried or toasted and is delicious in pied, cakes and fritters.. Red bananas are one of the varieties commonly used for store-bought dried bananas. The red banana goes well with dairy products; It can be added to yogurt, ice cream, sherbets or milk shakes. That reminds me of "Jelly Pisang" - the signature dessert of the canteen at the Rejang Park Traffic Garden once upon a time.

Bengawan Solo (Solo River)

2009-03-29T07:47:00.000-07:00

Bengawan Solo
(Bengawan being an old Javanese word for river)
by Gesang Martohartono

Bengawan Solo, riwayat mu ini
Sedari dulu, jadi perhatian insani
Music kemarau, tak berapa airmu
Di musim hujan air meluap sampai jauh

Chorus:
Mata airmu dari Solo,
Terkurung gunung seribu
Air mengalir sampai jauh
Akhirnya kelaut

Itu perahu, riwayatnya dulu
Kaum pedagang selalu
Naik itu perahu

Solo, the Mighty River (English translation)
by Gesang Martohartono

The mighty river Solo, your legend this,
From ancient times, you captivated people,
In seasons dry, your water is low,
In rainy seasons, the water overflows into the horizon.

Chorus:
The spring of Solo
Locked in thousands of mountains.
Its water flows into the distance,
At last to the sea.

That boat, legend of the past,
of traders, always going
by that boat.

"I had dreamt since my childhood about writing a song of praise for the immortal Solo River,"

Gesang Martohartono (in an interview at his hometown, Solo).

Bengawan Solo (or the Solo River) is a famous Indonesian song about the longest river in Java which flows through central and eastern Java. It rises on the slope of the volcanic Mount Lawu (10,712 feet [3,265 m]) and the southern limestone range (Sewu Mountains). From there it flows in a northerly direction, through the Sewu Mountains. Along its course it is joined by several tributaries. Some of these, such as the Madiun and Brantas rivers are substantial rivers themselves. The river makes an easterly turn through East Java. In the dry season much of the riverbed is dry.

The river flows through the Solo Valley which is the site where Java Man was first discovered. Java Man is the name given to fossils discovered in 1891 on the banks of the Solo River. Its discoverer, Eugène Dubois, gave it the scientific name Pithecanthropus erectus, a name derived from Greek and Latin roots meaning upright ape-man.

Written in 1940 by Gesang Martohartono at the age of 23, then a young, destitute and untrained musician. Although he could not read or write musical notation, he composed "Bengawan Solo" on a bamboo flute. His father owned a factory that produced batik fabric, but it went bankrupt after Gesang finished elementary school. He grew up in the gutter and became a singer of "kerongcong" -- popular Indonesian music originating from Portuguese songs. Keroncong music is a classical music in Java. When listening to the Keroncong music, one's heart will feel calm and peaceful.

It soon became well-known and liked among the local Javanese community. At first he sang it at local wedding parties and other social gatherings in his hometown of Solo (now known as Surakarta). Two local radio stations then broadcast the song, marking the beginning of its nationwide popularity. And the rest, as they say, is history.

It is strongly associated with the period of war occupation and the society of the times. Later, the Japanese, who occupied the country during World War II, brought the song with them to Japan after returning from the war. There, and also in the rest of Asia and later worldwide, the song became very famous.

The tune became a big hit in the Chinese society after a Malaysian singer sang it in Mandarin (Chinese) in 1957. Since then many Chinese singers made their own versions and now the song is one of the best known Chinese oldies.

The folk song-like melody has been etched in the minds of countless Indonesians, former Japanese soldiers, and even Dutch civilian ex-detainees regardless of their age and background.

Today, a statue of Gesang Martohartono erected in a park in Surakarta (Solo) in 1991 overlooks the gently flowing Bengawan Solo, or Solo River. At 92, Gesang still sometimes sings "Bengawan Solo" in public when he is asked to do so.

March of the Volunteers

2009-03-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

A man for all seasons

2009-03-06T15:26:00.001-08:00

In the mid-1970's, if you heard that the Prime Minister of Thailand was having supper with the son of a royal prince, the country's best known novelist, a pioneering journalist, a Hollywood actor, and a trained classical dancer, you might well have assumed that M. R. Kukrit Pramoj was dining alone.

Few Asians of modern times have excelled in as many fields as Kukrit. He has the advantage, of course, of being born into minor royalty, which provided him with the advantages of a good general education and training in khon (Thai classical dance). As a teenager, he was sent to England for further education and ended up with a degree from Oxford in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. On his return to Thailand he joined the civil service and later moved into banking and teaching.

In 1945, Kukrit entered politics and was elected to parliament where he rose to the rank of deputy minister three years later. In parliament he spoke out against an increase in MP salaries and resigned when the measure was passed.

Thai politics' loss was Thai literature's gain, however. In 1950 Kukrit founded the Siam Rath newspaper and rapidly became famous for the wide range and elegant style of his writing.

Several of his best-known works were originally serialised in Siam Rath, including a "capitalist version" of the Chinese Classic The Romance of the Three Kingdom, in which he mercilessly satirised Thailand's military dictator.

In Phai Daeng (Red Bamboo), Kukrit adapted Giovanni Guareschi's comic classic of the cold war, The little World of Don Camillo, about an Italian village where the wisdom of the local priest generally prevails over the ideology the communist mayor. In the Thai version the priest has become a Buddhist monk, but the message is the same: if we look in our hearts, we have more in common than the "ism" that divide us. As in his acclaimed short story collection Lai Chiwit (Many lives), Kukrit celebrated the simplicity and "natural justice" of a Thai way of life already beginning to disappear in the 1950's, and a source of great popular nostalgia today.

Kukrit's literary masterpiece was probably Si Phaen Din (Four Reigns), a popular novel of a woman who, along with her children, has to adapt to the many changes occurring in the turbulent first half of the 20th century. He called upon his own familiarity with the royal court to provide fascinating insights into Thai society at the very highest level.

At the same time, Kukrit continued to produce regular essays on political and social topics, one of which resulted in his arrest for libelling the American ambassador. Ironically, a few years later he was flown to Hollywood to appear in the movie "The Ugly American" as Prime Minister of the mythical Asian country of Sarkhan who has to confront an American ambassador played by Marlon Brandon. In both life and film, he comported himself in the face of foreign power with dignity.

But it was only after the democratic revolution of 1973, which unseated another military dictator, that Kukrit came to play prime minister in real life. A few years earlier he had become a senator, he had then helped draft the new constitution and had been chosen as speaker of the house. But in the infant democracy it was difficult for any party to sustain a majority; so when the government of M.R. Seni Pramoj, his brother failed in early 1975, Kukrit rose a last to the top of the political tree.

As prime minister he established the Tambon Council Fund for rural development, made the first visit of a Thai head of government to the People's Republic of China, and negotiated the withdrawal of American troops from Thailand at the end of the Vietnam War. But after just 400 days his coalition collapsed and Kukrit fell from power, replaced by his brother again. A few months later there was a right-wing coup and democracy disappeared from Thailand for another decade.

From there until his death in 1995, Kukrit continued "sniping from the sideline" at various governments, calling upon them to live up to traditional Thai ideals and democratic values. In 1987 he so strongly criticised the organisation of the internal security command which he suggested would create a military "politburo or praesidium", that 250 Thai rangers stormed his house. The public outcry over this blatant abuse of power was an important step on the slow road to the restoration of democracy in Thailand.

But in the end, Kukrit will not be remembered primarily as politician, nor even as merely a literary figure. He represented the "vital centre" of modern Thai life, trying to combine the best of the past and the present, of Asia and the West. A prince committed to democracy, an anti-communist who attacked military dictators, an Oxford graduate who helped revitalised traditional Thai dance, eloquent in several languages, dignified both on and off the screen, Kukrit was indeed Thailand's man for all seasons.

New Sibu Central Police Station

2009-02-28T21:28:00.000-08:00

British Colonial Era Government Quarters in Kuching

2009-02-18T01:07:00.000-08:00

When you are in cities or towns in North America or Europe such as Paris, London, San Francisco, New York, Rome or Perth, the old parts remain the same year after year and decade after decade or even century after century. For instance, at Cambridge and Oxford, buildings at the universities are very well preserved over centuries.

Similarly, in Paris, the Latin Quarters or Le Quartier Latin remain unchanged over centuries which includes the University of Paris. Many rich monuments are also to be found in the area. Tourists often love to stroll through this quaint, historic area; its many cafés, restaurants, theaters, and little bookshops make it a lively and attractive place to visit.

If you take a ride along Maxwell Road or Uplands Raod, Lowlands Road or Midlands Road in Kuching, you will feel like you are in an Australian or British towns or suburbs. These are the colonial quarters of the British era.

Some of the British colonial era bungalows currently still being maintained as government quarters while some have been used by societies such as the Single Mothers' Society, Senior Citizens' Society and Breast Cancer Support Group.

Some of the old quarters are still quite well maintained but a lot have been renovated beyond recognition. There must be law to gazette such buildings as heritage buildings to remind the younger generations of the colourful past. Renovation should also be strictly regulated. The tiled roofs of the old government quarters for instance have been replaced by zinc sheets which seem out of place.

Bako National Park (Muara Tebas Peninsula) from the air

2009-02-17T18:54:00.000-08:00

Serabah - the mosquito repellant

2009-02-14T20:51:00.000-08:00

When I was a young boy, I remember an elderly Foochow couple next door who used to burn something producing an acrid smell every evening to drive away mosquitoes. It was an alternative to burning mosquito coils and it was actually the bark of the Serabah tree.

Serabah or Goniothalamus andersonii belongs to the Annonaceae (soursop family). Members of the Annonaceae have stringy or fibrous bark including serabah. The serabah tree is found in the peat swamp forest of Borneo and has been used by the people of Borneo as insect repellant. The bark is fibrous and the smoke obtained from the burning of the bark has been used by people in Borneo to drive away mosquitoes as well as bees before the collection of honey comb from trees in the wild.

Goniothalamin has been extracted from serabah and is known to caused apotopsis (programmed cell death) and has attracted the attention of scientists working on treatment for cancer. Besides, research has also been done on its anti-bacterial activities. However, serabah is also known to be an abortifacient.

Bundles of serabah for sale at the Central Market, Sibu.

Panoramic View of Sibu 2009

2009-02-13T18:13:00.000-08:00

THE MIGHTY REJANG

Day time

Night Time

Happy Niu Year 2009

2009-02-12T22:18:00.000-08:00

Conservation of Buildings in Sibu and Sarawak

2009-02-08T05:56:00.001-08:00

The Tudor-style building then......
photo courtesy of Sarawakiana.blogspot.com

The building now.....

Borneo Posters - Sarawak

2009-01-29T00:02:00.000-08:00

Cave Begonia as Indoor Plant

2009-01-28T23:39:00.000-08:00

Limestone hills at Bau near to Kuching, Sarawak

Limestone hills offer many microhabitats and niches such as open rocky surfaces, drip lines, cave interior, etc. As such, many different kind of plants have evolved and adapt to the different niches. As a result, many limestone plant species are endemic – meaning restricted in distribution to a particular area and no where else in the world.

In Sarawak, limestone hills are mostly found in Kuching and Miri region. Limestone plants are difficult and problematic to establish and grow because they require basic (high pH) substrate or soil, are slow growing and seeds are difficult to germinate because they might require unique and specific mycorrhizae fungi.

I have the opportunity to collect and grow Begonia from Bau limestone cave as indoor plant. Cave plants make ideal and good indoor plants because they need low light intensity.

Here I will share how I establish the limestone cave begonia which I have grown for three years now.

First of all, choose limestone rock of a suitable size.

Next, collect begonia from limestone caves. Try to collect the plants together with the natural substrate or soil in the vicinity of the plants.

Then place the begonia together with the substrate on the limestone rock.

Place the limestone rocks in a container filled with water. The capillary action will pull the water up the limestone rocks. This will help to establish a limestone cave-like habitat as the cave is always everwet with water dripping.

Such method of establishing limestone plants can be used for artificial limestone landscape in your garden or on walls. A mist fan or mist-forming nozzle can be added to create the cave ambience.

King George VI Memorial Ground

2009-01-28T23:35:00.001-08:00

The Sarawak Stadium in Kuching built in time for World Junior Soccer cup and saw Brazil team in action.

Modern Indoor Stadium (Stadium Perpaduan) at Petra Jaya, Kuching with the old and new Sarawak Stadia in the background.

Older generation of Sibuites might remember the King George VI Memorial Ground or affectionately known simply as Padang or Sports Padang to Sibu folks. The sports ground exists no longer but in its place is the present Sibu Town Square.

Who is King George VI?

King George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the British dominions from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1955. He is the father of the present Queen Elizabeth.

There are a number of geographical features, roads, and institutions named after George VI in London and around the world. These include King George Hospital in London; King George VI Highway and King George Station in Surrey, British Columbia; George VI Sound in Antartica; and the King George VI Chase, horse race in the United Kingdom.

In 1955, several years after his death, a statue of the king in his Garter robes was erected just off the Mall and Carlton Gardens. It was announced in 2005 that a statue of his consort Queen Elizabeth would join his at that location towards the end of 2008. Another statue of the King can be found in the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens.

Old timers would remember the place as a venue for many sports meets such as the Annual Inter-House, Inter-School and even Inter-Divisional Sports Meet. Many races were held and many sports records were also broken here.

It was even the venue for remote controlled plane and kite flying sessions as well as bicycle races. There was a case whereby a cyclist (a secondary student) died after substaining head injury following a bicycle race accident. The padang was even used by some as a venue for dating.

The Ground was later rechristened Padang Sukan Tun Datuk Patinggi Tuanku Bujang following Independence. Today it has made way for development of Sibu Town Square and is replaced by Stadium Tun Ahmad Zaidi at Bukit Lima Road.

I have a very old photo of the padang area before it was built which shows belian plank walk leading to the Malay Kampungs. I will try to scan and post it here later.

The Sibu Town Square with Wisma Sanyan in the background (site of the former King George VI Memorial Ground)

Rambutan and how Sibu got its name

2009-01-28T23:33:00.000-08:00

I always like to compare having a rambutan tree in our Sarawakians’ house compound to that of an apple tree in an English backyard garden. Most owners of landed property in Sarawak would most likely choose a rambutan tree in very much the same way as the English would choose an apple tree for his garden when they intend to grow a fruit tree.

Just like the apple tree, the rambutan tree is such a sight to behold when it is laden with ripen fruits.

The domesticated rambutan is scientifically known as Nephelium lappaceum and belongs to the family Sapindaceae (to which lychee and longan also belong). There are many wild relatives of rambutan in Sarawak and Borneo.

Sibu is named after the wild rambutan called Sibau (Iban) which is scientifically known as Nephelium reticulatum. The Malays refer to it as Sibo. Very old colonial map has Sibu spelt as "Siboe". How it later appeared as Sibu on the map is anybody's guess but it could be a mispronounciation or more likely Sibu is the English spelling which is meant to be pronounced as 'Sibo'. (Many words in Iban that end with "au" end with an "o" in Sarawak Malay dialect eg bakau is bako, pulau is pulo and so forth). It is interesting to note that older generation of Hokkiens and Malays still refer to Sibu as Sibo while those eldery ibans still refers to Sibu as "Sibau".

It is possible that Sibau was once abundant in and around Sibu town, particularly on the often inundated bank of the Rejang River and the peat swamp areas.

Sarawak is not alone in having a town name after the wild rambutan. There is also a place in West Kalimantan, Indonesia called Putus Sibau

Rambutan or "the hairy fruit"

Ever wonder why the fleshy part of the rambutan fruit is difficult to detached from the seed unlike longan even though both belong to the same family? The reason is because the fleshy part of rambutan is developed from or is part of the seed coat (testa) unlike the fleshy part of longan which is not part of the seed coat. So, the fleshy part of rambutan is also known as “sarcotesta”. Even in the best rambutan variety whereby the flesh detached off from the fruit much more easily, the seed coat is still attached to the fleshy part.

The seeds of rambutan is said to be rich in solid fat which can be used to make soap and candle but is not popular as it is not commercially viable. Rambutan can also be made into jam but has not been popular.

It is interesting to note that Obama missed rambutan and will try it with fried rice when he intends to visit Indonesia where he spent part of his childhood.

Another lesser known wild rambutan species which is more spiky than hairy but is gaining popularity is the Pulasan or Nephelium rambutan-ake.

pulasan or Nephelium rambutan-ake

There is another species of rambutan which is hardly hairy at all: Nephelium maingayi. Its Iban name is mujau and the melanau called it serait.

Chopsticks, Chinese Characters and Civilizations

2009-01-28T23:32:00.000-08:00

There are many great ancient civilizations centred in Asia and the two notable ones are the Chinese and Indian civilisations.

It is interesting to note that these two civilizations have a great influence on their neighbours' culture. For instance, Chinese characters are or were used by the Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese while Sanskrit scripts were adopted by countries neighbouring India such as Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. Chopsticks were first used in China but have spreaded to countries such as Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Mongolia and even Tibet.

Thailand is unique in that it adopted the Indian Sanskrit scripts but uses the Chinese chopsticks - a crossroad of two cultures.

I am going to touch on the Chinese characters and chopsticks below:

Chinese characters:

Chinese characters, also known as a Han character (simplified Chinese: 汉字; traditional Chinese: 漢字; pinyin: Hànzì), is a ideogram used in writing Chinese (hanzi), Japanese (kanji), less frequently Korean (hanja), and formerly Vietnamese (hán tự).

The number of Chinese characters contained in the Kangxi dictionary is approximately 47,035, although a large number of these are rarely used variants accumulated throughout history. Studies carried out in China have shown that full literacy in the Chinese language requires a knowledge of only between three and four thousand characters.

Chinese characters are also considered to be the world's longest continuously used writing system.The Chinese script spread to Korea together with Buddhism from the 7th century (Hanja). The Japanese Kanji were adopted for recording the Japanese language from the 8st century AD. Adaptation for Vietnamese (Chữ Nôm) emerged in the 13th century. It is usually said that about 3,000 characters are needed for basic literacy in Chinese (for example, to read a Chinese newspaper), and a well-educated person will know well in excess of 4,000 to 5,000 characters.

Just as Roman letters have a characteristic shape (lower-case letters occupying a roundish area, with ascenders or descenders on some letters), Chinese characters occupy a more or less square area. Characters made up of multiple parts squash these parts together in order to maintain a uniform size and shape—this is the case especially with characters written in the Songti style. Because of this, beginners often practise on squared graph paper, and the Chinese sometimes use the term "Square-Block Characters" (simplified Chinese: 方块字; traditional Chinese: 方塊字; pinyin: fāngkuàizì).

The actual shape of many Chinese characters varies in different cultures. Mainland China adopted simplified characters in 1956, but Traditional Chinese Characters are still used in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Singapore has also adopted simplified Chinese characters. Postwar Japan has used its own less drastically simplfied characters since 1946, while South Korea has limited its use of Chinese characters, and Vietnam and North Korea have completely abolished their use in favour of romanizes Vietnamese and hangul, respectively.

In Japanese there are 1,945 Joyo kanji (常用漢字 lit. "frequently used kanji") designated by the Japanese Ministry of Education; these are taught during primary and secondary school. The list is a recommendation, not a restriction, and many characters missing from it are still in common use.
The one area where character usage is officially restricted is in names, which may contain only government-approved characters. Since the Jōyō kanji list excludes many characters which have been used in personal and place names for generations, an additional list, referred to as the Jinmeiyo kanji (人名用漢字 lit. "kanji for use in personal names"), is published. It currently contains 983 characters, bringing the total number of government-endorsed characters to 2928. (See also the Names section of the kanji article.)
Today, a well-educated Japanese person may know upwards of 3,500 kanji. The kanji kentei (日本漢字能力検定試験 Nihon Kanji Nōryoku Kentei Shiken or Test of Japanese Kanji Aptitude) tests a speaker's ability to read and write kanji. The highest level of the kanji kentei tests on 6,000 kanji, though in practice few people attain (or need to attain) this level.
Written Japanese also includes a pair of syllabic scripts known as kana, which are used in combination with kanji. Not all words in modern Japanese can be expressed with kanji alone, requiring the use of kana in written communication.

Korean

In times past, until the 15th century, in Korea, Literary Chinese was the only form of written communication, prior to the creation of hangul, the Korean alphabet. Much of the vocabulary, especially in the realms of science and sociology, comes directly from Chinese. However, due the lack of tones in Korean, as the words were imported from Chinese, many dissimilar characters took on identical sounds, and subsequently identical spelling in hangul. Chinese characters are sometimes used to this day for either clarification in a practical manner, or to give a distinguished appearance, as knowledge of Chinese characters is considered a high class attribute and an indispensable part of a classical education.

In Korea, 한자 hanja have become a politically contentious issue, with some Koreans urging a "purification" of the national language and culture by totally abandoning their use. These individuals encourage the exclusive use of the native hangul alphabet throughout Korean society and the end to character education in public schools.
In South Korea, educational policy on characters has swung back and forth, often swayed by education ministers' personal opinions. At times, middle and high school students have been formally exposed to 1,800 to 2,000 basic characters, albeit with the principal focus on recognition, with the aim of achieving newspaper-literacy. Since there is little need to use hanja in everyday life, young adult Koreans are often unable to read more than a few hundred characters.

Vietnamese

Although now nearly extinct in Vietnam, varying scripts of Chinese characters (han tu) were once in widespread use to write the language, although hán tự became limited to ceremonial uses beginning in the 19th century. Similarly to Japan and Korea, Chinese (especially Literary Chinese) was used by the ruling classes, and the characters were eventually adopted to write Vietnamese. To express native Vietnamese words which had different pronunciations from the Chinese, Vietnamese developed the Chu Nom script which used various methods to distinguish native Vietnamese words from Chinese. Vietnamese is currently exclusively written in the Vietnamese alphabet, a derivative of the Latin alphabet.

When western missionaries starting arriving in Vietnam during the 17th century, they developed a new script for Vietnamese based on the Latin alphabet - Quốc Ngữ (national language), which they used to write prayer books and other religious material in Vietnamese. Though Quốc Ngữ was developed by a number of different missionaries and by Vietnamese scholars, the person usually credited with its invention is Alexandre de Rhodes, a French Jesuit missionary.

In the mid 18th century, some schools in Vietnam began to teach Quốc Ngữ, but it wasn't until the beginning of the 20th century that the use of Quoc Ngữ became widespread. Today Quốc Ngữ is the only script used for writing Vietnamese and Chữ-nôm is known only to a handful of scholars.

Chopsticks:

The Chinese were the first to use the chopsticks but today chopsticks are used by the Japanese, Koreans, Mongolian, Vietnamese, Thai and so forth. because of their use of chopsticks, such countries are sometimes called "the chopstick civilisation".

There are also a variety of chopsticks ranging from those made of stainless steel to ivory chopsticks used by the Emperor of China to the disposable bamboo chopsticks used throughout Asia Pacific nowadays.

The Japanese have even modified the chopsticks they adopted from the Chinese with a tapering end. The Minister Mentor of Singapore once remarked in Japan that Japanese are so good in copying and modifying other cultures as exemplified by the chopsticks.

The following are the universal etiquette on using chopsticks taken from wikipedia:

Chopsticks are not used to make noise, to draw attention, or to gesticulate. Playing with chopsticks is considered bad mannered and vulgar (just as playing with cutlery in a Western environment would be deemed crass).
Chopsticks are not used to move bowls or plates.
Chopsticks are not used to toy with one's food or with dishes in common.
Chopsticks are not used to pierce food, save in rare instances. Exceptions include tearing larger items apart such as vegetables and kimchi. In informal use, small, difficult-to-pick-up items such as cherry tomatoes or fishballs may be stabbed, but this use is frowned upon by traditionalists.
Chopsticks should not be left standing vertically in a bowl of rice or other food. Any stick-like object pointed upward resembles the incense sticks that some Asians use as offerings to deceased family members; certain funerary rites designate offerings of food to the dead using standing chopsticks.

Chinese etiquette
In Chinese culture, it is normal to hold the rice bowl up to one's mouth and use chopsticks to push rice directly into the mouth. If rice is served on a plate, as is more common in the West, it is acceptable and more practical to eat it with a spoon or fork.
It is acceptable to transfer food to closely related people (e.g. grandparents, parents, spouse, children, or significant others) if they are having difficulty picking up the food. Also it is a sign of respect to pass food to the elderly first before the dinner starts.
It is impolite to spear food with a chopstick and/or play with the chopsticks.
It is rude to use the chopstick to dig for food in the common dish.
Chopsticks should not be left sticking on the rice because it symbolizes "feeding" the dead and death in general.

Japanese etiquette

Food should not be transferred from one's own chopsticks to someone else's chopsticks. Japanese people will always offer their plate to transfer it directly, or pass a person's plate along if the distance is great. Transferring directly is how bones are passed as part of japanese funeral rites.
The pointed ends of the chopsticks should be placed on a chopstick rest when the chopsticks are not being used.
Reversing chopsticks to use the opposite clean end is commonly used to move food from a communal plate, although it is not considered to be proper manners Rather, the group should ask for extra chopsticks to transfer food from a communal plate.
Chopsticks should not be crossed on a table or vertically stuck in the rice, as this symbolizes death.
It is rude to rub wooden chopsticks together after breaking them apart, as this communicates to the host that the user thinks the chopsticks are cheap.

Korean etiquette

Koreans consider it rude to pick up the rice bowl from the table to eat from it.
Unlike other chopstick cultures, Koreans use a spoon for their rice and soup, and chopsticks for most other things at the table. (Traditionally, Korean spoons have a relatively flat, circular head with a straight handle, unlike Chinese or Japanese soup spoons.)
Unlike the rice eaten in many parts of China, cooked Korean rice can be easily picked up with chopsticks, although eating rice with a spoon is more acceptable.
When laying chopsticks down on the table next to a spoon, one must never put the chopsticks to the left of the spoon. Chopsticks are only laid to the left for deceased family members.
The blunt handle ends of chopsticks are not used to transfer food from common dishes.
When no communal chopsticks are available, it is perfectly acceptable to pick up banchan and eat it without putting it down on one's bowl first.
Also, there is an old saying suggesting that the closer one's hand is to the tips of the chopsticks, the longer they stay unmarried.

Vietnamese etiquette

As with Chinese etiquette, the rice bowl is raised to the mouth and the rice is pushed into the mouth using the chopsticks.
Unlike with Chinese dishes, it is also practical to use chopsticks to pick up rice in plates, such as fried rice, because Vietnamese rice is typically sticky.
It is proper to always use two chopsticks at once, even when using them for stirring.
One should not pick up food from the table and place it directly in the mouth. Food must be placed in your own bowl first.
Chopsticks should not be placed in the mouth while choosing food.
Chopsticks should never be placed in a "V" shape when done eating; it is interpreted as a bad omen.

The Old and the New

2009-01-28T23:29:00.001-08:00

Kuching is a city of contrast. Not many cities in Borneo have as interesting a history as Kuching. old colonial buildings dating back to the Rajah Brooke reign stand juxtaposed next to new ones.

Icon from the past

2009-01-28T23:27:00.001-08:00

We have just celebrated our National Day. I have chanced upon the above coin and it reminds everyone of us, Sarawakians, about our unique historical past. Let's continue to wish Sarawak a smooth journey forward!!

Sarawak's Coconut Candy

2009-01-28T23:24:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I saw for the first time the coconut candy which I enjoyed eating when I was a young boy. I have not come across anyone selling it until then though I have heard that it can still be found. I quickly bought a packet which costed RM1.30. A smaller packet would costed us 10 sen back then. It is made of coconut slices and dried in the sun with dyeing optional (usually red). Then they are sprinkled with castor sugar.
Well, I continue to enjoy such childhood delight after so many decades, the truly Dulce de coco ala Sarawak.

Philosopher’s stone and its legend amongst the Ibans

2009-01-28T23:23:00.001-08:00

Talking about philosopher’s stone one is reminded about Harry Potter.

In many cultures around the world, it is interesting to note that “philosopher’s stone” or “elixir of life” exists in legends or stories.

The philosopher's stone, in Latin lapis philosophorum, is a mythical substance that supposedly could turn inexpensive metals into gold and/or create an elixir that would make humans younger i.e. perpetual youth. It was a longtime "holy grail" of Western alchemy.

The word ‘elixir’ and ‘alchemy’ is Arabic in origin. The elixir (Arabic name for miracle substances, "al iksir) of life is sometimes equated with the philosopher’s stone is a legendary potion or drink, that grants the drinker eternal life or eternal youth. Many practitioners of alchemy pursued it.

In ancient China, various emperors sought for the fabled elixir with various results. The search for the elixir has given rise to Taoism whose teaching focuses on the idea of elixir. In the Qin Dynasty, Qin Shi Huang sent Taoist alchemist Xu Fu with 500 boys and 500 girls to the eastern seas to find the elixir, but he never came back (legend has it that he found Japan instead). The ancient Chinese believed that ingesting long-lasting precious substances such as jade, cinnabar or hematite would confer some of that longevity on the person who consumed them.
Many of these substances, far from contributing to longevity, were actively toxic. Jiajing emperor in the Ming Dynasty died from ingesting a lethal dosage of mercury in the supposed "Elixir of Life" conjured by alchemists. British historian Joseph Needham compiled a list of Chinese emperors whose death was likely due to elixir poisoning. Chinese interest in alchemy and the elixir of life declined in proportion to the rise of Buddhism, which claimed to have alternate routes to immortality.

In Borneo and Sarawak, amongst the Ibans, there is a legend that the philosopher’s stone can be found inside a ‘melaban’ tree. Scientifically, ‘melaban’ belongs to the genus Tristaniopsis in the Myrtaceae or jambu family and there are quite a number of species of Tristaniopsis in Borneo. Most members of such family are characterized by smooth, peely bark and these peely bark is most beautiful in the ‘melaban’. It is the peely bark that gave rise to the name ‘melaban’ which means ‘to fight’ in Iban and the legend associated with 'batu melaban'. As soon as the new bark emerges, the older bark will fall off. According to the legend, a stone called 'batu melaban' or philosopher's stone is found inside the tree and could bestow perpetual youth to the fortunate person who discovered it.

The family Mrytaceae is an element of the southern hemisphere in our tropical rain forests. Most members of the family are absent north of the equator but are abundant in South America, South Africa, India, Southeast Asia and Australia.

Note: Photos of melaban (Iban name) or selunsur (Malay name) can be found at
http://rubberseeds.blogspot.com/search?q=selunsur

There are numerous melaban trees at Lambir Hills National Park in Miri, near the waterfall.

China-born Catholic priests

2009-01-28T23:21:00.000-08:00

The Catholic Church in Sarawak (or East Malaysia) was started by the Mill Hill Missionary based in London during the reign of the Second Rajah. Unlike the Catholic priests in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore who are mostly French missionaries, most of them in Sarawak were or are Europeans from Austria and the Netherlands.

However, before the ordination of local Chinese as Catholic priest, most of the Chinese Catholic priest were China-born. I remember a few of them serving in Sibu such as the late Father Joachim Pang and Father Anthony Lam as well as Father Thomas Taam. There was also a Father Kee who after staying for some time in Sarawak could not adapt to the local climate (his nose bled frequently) and decided to move to South Korea.

They arrived in Sarawak in the 1950's through Hong Kong at a time when China was undergoing a turbulent period. They were mostly in their 20's at that time and many died here and never returned to their homeland.

One of the China-born priests I remember well was Father Joachim Pang. Father Pang has a keen interest in Chinese education and helped developed Sacred Heart Chinese Primary School in Sibu and St Paul's Primary School in Kuching.

Born on June 16, 1921, in Changchou, Province of Jilin, northeast China, he was the only son in a family of four siblings, including three younger sisters. He attended the seminary of Jilin but after the war in 1945, the seminary was closed down due to lack of funds. So, he took up a teaching post in a mission school in the same province for two years. Despite the turbulent times in China, Pang managed to complete his priestly studies and on July 6, 1952, was ordained in Hong Kong. At that time, the Vicar Apostolic of Kuching, Bishop John Vos, requested the rector of Huanan Major Seminary to send some Chinese priests to Sarawak. Father Pang chose Sarawak as the place to start his ministry. On July 17, 1952, he arrived at St Joseph’s Church in Kuching.

Tales from the rain forests

2009-01-28T23:20:00.000-08:00

Why the termite will not attack a geronggang tree (Cratoxylon sp.)

Once upon a time, there was a great flood. All the animals in the rain forests were affected and each tried to seek refuge in whatever ways they could. The termites were no exception and tried to seek protection from different trees but to no avail. Finally, the geronggang tree agreed to give protection to the termites and thus saved the termites from the flood. After the great flood, the termites were ever grateful to the geronggang tree. That is the reason why termites will never attack the geronggang tree to this day. The moral of the story is: one good turn deserves another.

How the Cobra obtained its venom

Once upon a time, there was a tyrant ruler in northern Sarawak. One day his subjects decided to present something offensive to the ruler to teach him a lesson. They decided to present him a pig's head. When the ruler saw the offensive gift, he immediately cursed and sweared the gift bearer into a snake. However, with the help of the ipoh tree (Antiaris toxicaria) by biting on its bark, the snake was able to kill the ruler using the newly acquired venom to the delight of the oppressed people. To this day, the cobra still has its venom.

Notes on Ipoh tree from wikipedia:

Antiaris toxicaria (Upas or Ipoh) is an evergreen tree in the family Moraceae, native to southeastern Asia, from India and Sri Lanka east to southern China, the Philippines and Fiji; closely related species also occur in eastern Africa. It produces a highly poisonous latex.

It is a large tree, growing to 25-40 m tall, with a trunk up to 40 cm diameter, often buttressed at the base, with whitish bark. The leaves are elliptic to obovate, 7-19 cm long and 3-6 cm broad. The fruit is a red or purple drupe 2 cm in diameter. The latex, present in the bark and foliage, contains a cardiac glycoside named antiarin, which is used as an arrow poison in blowpipes among the tribes of Borneo.

How the python lost its venom

Once there was a headman whose daughter was getting married. He decided to throw a lavish feast for the occasion and invited all the animals in the land for the feast (Gawai). After the great feast, all the animals left the party one by one except the python. The python decided to stay on for some drinking and merry-making session. After all the tuak drinking session, the python was intoxicated. The python started to vomit and its venom disappeared. Today, python is the only snake without any venom in the rain forests.

Notes on Borneo python from wikipedia:

The Borneo Python

There are two species of pythons on Borneo, the more well known of which is the bigger, in fact arguably the biggest and definitely the longest snake in the whole world, Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus). The other species is Python breitensteini the endemic Borneo Python, a.k.a. Borneo Short-tailed or Borneo Blood Python. It was until quite recently regarded as a sub-species ot the Sumatran Short-tailed Python and carried the name Python curtus breitensteini.

The Borneo Python is a short and stout snake seldom exceeding 1.5 metre (5 feet) in length. It is non-venomous but can give a nasty bite and some individuals are more agressive than others! Some will tolerate handling without trying to bite while some, even baby ones, will strike readily! They are just as common as reticulated pythons, and unfortunately, as they move more slowly they are more often caught (for the pot!) and more are seen as roadkills!

Growing temperate crops in the tropics

2009-01-28T23:19:00.000-08:00

As a child, I was always fascinated by temperate crops. I always wish that they could be grown in Sarawak. Below is the infomation on growing grapes in the tropics. I do hope someone out there will provide additional infomation.

GRAPES IN WARMER CLIMATES.

For a long time it has been known that the 'wound effect' can replace the cold requirement in grapes. This means that the plant is pruned very severely every year. In the tropics more than 90% of the previous season's growth is removed by pruning. This severe cutting back helps the plant to break the rest period. When the fruit is harvested the plant is pruned. In three or four weeks, new growth appears and in three or four months new fruits ripen. The grapes in the tropics give two regular crops each year. Once this principle was realized, grape-growing spread throughout India, Thailand and other tropical countries.

Grape vine management in the tropics is a problem: vines tend to be short-lived, produce small crops, and require special care. Grapes like a period with temperatures below 0鳦. Attempts in the tropics have not been very successful; plants continuously grow, produce clusters, rebud, remain evergreen, and eventually burn out. However, there are tricks that have been developed for use under dry tropical conditions to simulate a dormancy period. If the vine is forced into two growth cycles, one in the wet season and the other in the dry season, it will produce. By pruning at the beginning of the wet season, a growth cycle is initiated in which a small crop may result. Following this, the vine is pruned again to induce another cycle of growth. It is during the dry season that the main crop results in quality grapes. Irrigation is used in conjunction with pruning to assist the plant during this cycle. (It is a very common practice to leave too much wood on the plants when pruning and this causes poor quality and premature burn-out of plants). In the dry warm climates of Peru, India and places in Brazil, [the dry season has] simulated a dormancy period.

Muscadine grapes are native to Florida and do not require much cold. They grow as single berries rather than in bunches, and they are very resistant to pests and diseases. Most muscadines are eaten fresh.

Food for thought - Foochow bagels

2009-01-28T23:15:00.000-08:00

Kompia, to me, is Sibu's answer to the bagel.

Kompia is unique to the Foochows, particularly those in Sibu. The early migrant Foochows brought with them the pastry to Sibu from Southern China and there is a legend attached to it.

Some called it Foochow burger but I prefer to called it Foochow bagel.

(From the above two tmages, can anyone distinguish which is kompia and bagel)
Both are oven baked and have sprinkling of sesame seeds on top of it (and with hole in the middle too).

Nowadays, you can find kompia with meat slices or minced meat stuffed in it. But I wonder why nobody upgraded it just like bagel in the United States - filling with a choice of cheese, tuna, salmon, and so forth. Even garlic kompia would be good as garlic can help to reduce cholesterol. I guess it is time for enterprising businessmen to learn from the bagel shop in North America.

Reminiscence of bygone days - The Sarawak House

2009-01-28T23:12:00.000-08:00

When I was a young boy, the tallest building in Sarawak was the Sarawak House.

It was an outstanding landmark - a complex that consists of a hotel, a shopping arcade, a multistorey car park, a cinema and a restaurant, all in one. As a young child, I was, of course, impressed.

The hotel was called Premier Hotel and the restaurant, the Blue Splendour. I liked the names given to buildings in Sibu in those days (eg there used to be a discotheque was called "Confetti" and a restaurant called "Villa by the Grand" at the Grand Merdin Building - these are by-the-way thinggy, anyway).

I recall in the 1970s and early 1980s, "Blue Splendour" restaurant (together with other similar restaurants) was the place where wedding banquets were held, replacing old time favourite restaurants like Hock Chiu Lau. I thought it was a posh restaurant then.

Malcolm MacDonald (1901-1981) , the once powerful British Commissioner-General for Southeast Asia based in Singapore during the days of British Empire, stayed at the Premier Hotel when he came back to visit his good friend, the late Tun Jugah, in the 1970s. Malcolm's father was a former Prime Minister of United Kingdom. Malcolm MacDonald played a central role in the decolonization of the British Empire and wrote a beautiful book, "Borneo People"- a book that I like very much. He was instrumental in shaping the destinies of former British colonies at that time: Burma, Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, Malaya, Singapore and Hong Kong at the tail end of the British Empire. Someone mentioned that he listened too much to Tun Jugah which was the reason Sarawak ended up being part of Malaysia as Malcolm has the ear of the colonial office in London. But that story is for another posting on another day!

As a young boy, we would climbed up to the upper floor of the multi-storey car park and have a vantage view of Sibu town (rivalled only by the Bukit Aup watch point) or loitered in the hotel lobby for the air-conditioned, a luxury at that time.

I remember the escalator very well. It was the first escalator in Sibu and also Sarawak (I was told). The escalator was just one way: going up from the ground floor to first floor. As a child, my brothers and I would used the escalator to go up and then walked down using the stair nearby and then up again and again.... until the supervisor, an elderly man, reprimanded us. The supervisor had a key and whenever someone accidentally pressed on the emergency button, he would used the key to restart the escalator. The escalator only operated at night and was initially like a "tourist attraction".

There was a popular night hangout called "the Bamboo House" at the ground floor of the Premier Hotel and one could hear Taiwanese singers crooning out their numbers (they were replaced by Filipino singers in the 1980s). In those days when Taiwan was still a poor developing country, Taiwanese were all over Southeast Asia, especially in Sarawak to earn a living, very much like the mainland Chinese today.

I also remember the cinema very well. It was aptly called, the King's Theatre. It was the place where my father took me to watch the movie "The Sound of Music" and other popular movies of the times. Later when I was in school, I continued to watch many movies there including those by Jackie Chan.

One morning, years later, on my way to school, I heard that the cinema was on fire. Later in school, students and teachers would peeped out of the windows to have a look at Sarawak House as my school was nearby and within eyeshot.

The cinema was, however, restored but fire broke out again at least twice a few years later. Legend has it that a lady commited suicide and her ghost continued to haunt the cinema. I have even heard of story that there is a seat in the cinema reserved for the ghost in order to appease her!

The building continued to be the tallest in this land of the hornbill until the 24-storey Wisma Bapa Malaysia in Kuching took over. Today, the Sarawak House still stands majestically in the heart of Sibu even though it is no longer the tallest in either Sibu or Sarawak. That honour has since been taken over by Wisma Bapa Malaysia in Kuching and now Wisma Sanyan, Sibu.

A Tale of Two Cities

2009-01-28T23:10:00.000-08:00

Kuching and Kota Kinabalu are two Bornean cities and both are the state capitals of the two Borneo states of Malaysia - Sabah (formerly North Borneo) and Sarawak.

Both Sabah and Sarawak have separate histories before the formation of the Federation of Malaysia and therefore their capitals are also uniquely different.

I stayed in Kuching and have been to Kota Kinabalu countless times.

It is always nice to make comparison between the two cities as both are state capitals and are more or less the same size in terms of population. It is natural that both cities have these one uppance attitude.

Below are some differences between the two cities:

* Kota Kinabalu is a coastal city while Kuching is very much an inland city but trying to bring the city closer to the sea (by moving development towards the sea).

* Kota Kinabalu has excellent mountains and islands nearby while mountains and islands in Kuching play a second fiddle to other attractions.

* Kuching has old colonial buildings but such buildings are rare in Kota Kinabalu(as it was boomed flat at the end of the Second World War).

* Kota Kinabalu has better air connection to the Far East (Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan ) while Kuching lags behind.

* Kota Kinabalu has One Borneo Shopping Mall which Kuching has The Spring (not to be outdone)

*Kota Kinabalu has the Oceanarium and Discovery Centre (yet to be completed) while Kuching has only the freshwater aquarium (annex to the Sarawak Museum)

*Kuching has the famed Sarawak Museum while Kota Kinabalu has the Sabah Museum.

* Kuching has the Satok Market while Kota Kinabalu has the Filipino Market.

* Kota Kinabalu has railway link but Kuching has only Jalan Keretapi (a reminder of the remnants of old railway).

A Museum for Sibu

2009-01-28T18:28:00.000-08:00

Miri from the air

2009-01-28T17:56:00.001-08:00