Have you been doing exercises?

Morning and evening time at the Bulatan Park ...

Every alternate day morning, the team changes...

Someone is there to guide you. Actually there are two teams everyday but at different places at the park.
Another team is doing repetitive exercise, so very easy to follow. Just join in!

Or you can be like my buddy who is there every day, morning and evening... just walking and hoping to get rid of the extra weight.

You could develop friendship....

Or you could just do simple stretching and bending...

... or could be training your qi!

... or could be walking while on the way to work.

... or could be doing exercise for speedy recovery. I hope he gets well soon.
Have you been doing exercise regularly? Don't wait until it is too late because sweating out is important for you.

Fly Hope

Sarawak Shipbuilder in Kuala Baram made Sarawak proud by being selected by Papua New Guinea to build a couple of ferries. The first of such ferry was launched yesterday at a simple ceremony in Kuala Baram.

The main reasons why Sarawak Shipbuilder were selected was their 100+ years of ship building experiences, a team of very committed family members who has been building ships for three generations in Sarawak, etc.
This ferry has a maximum seating capacity of 150.

Crocodile or monitor lizard?

Deputy Mayor of Miri City Council make a statement in yesterday Miri See Hua Daily news that the ...

... reptile in Bulatan park may not be crocodile but a a giant ...

... monitor lizard!! I was wondering whether he knows how a monitor lizard look like.
I really wish that people at the top do some research and compared photos we publish on the net so that they don't make remark which make them sound so ignorant. So, for the benefit of my readers, the above is how a monitor lizard generally looks like. (photo from Wikipedia) Colour and shape will vary a bit but the features are more or less the same. And...

... this is how a crocodile looks like!
The major differences, when you can only see the head, are the nose and eyes.

 Croc has distinctive eyes and nose well above the water. When they went underwater, it "drops" down like a ...

...submarine. I had not seen monitor lizard behaving in this manner.
He also suggested that more ...

... sign like this should be put up around the park! So if he thinks that it is not croc, why more sign?! Please don't waste tax payer money!

Real or fake?

When coming to digital image manipulation, combined with powerful software and computer, the only limitation now is the imagination! I took the photo below ...

... during a late afternoon at a landscaping exhibition. The image above is no where near to being perfect: the trees are pale due to the strong sun and the image appears flat. To transform the same image, I need to enhance the colour and do something about the grass. Fortunately I have a few very nice looking grass ... and the end result is the following:

I would appreciate your opinion.
Click on any photo for a bigger image.

Tips: It is always better to overexpose a little than to underexpose your image. A little overexposed image has a lot more information than an underexposed image.

How long can your appliances last?

How long can our household appliances last, eg, fridge, cooker, washing machine, fan, etc? One thing I notice is that new appliances don't last long and started to give problem. For example, fan used to be made from steel, especially the blade. Now, everything is made from plastic and they just break apart.
I bought my fridge more than 30 years ago and it is still going strong, with just some repair and services once in a while.
My washing machine bought some 14 years ago gave some problem not long ago. The cold water inlet water valves didn't close any more. Then I found that I never use the hot water valve and it is literally new! So, I swap the cold water valve with the hot water valve and the washing machine is back to proper function.
One of the on/off valves of my 30 years old cooker suddenly didn't work well. Sometimes, it jammed up....

Since there are two rings which I never (seldom) use, I decided to open up the knob this morning to see what I can do. So, after removing two screws, the plunger (valve) were removed and replaced with the one which I seldom use. Bingo... the knob/valve is now working perfectly. Maybe, it will last for another 20 years!
Do you go out and shop for a new one because the towkay  told you that there is no spare? Next time, don't worry, the appliances usually came with "standby" which we just need to look for and use it!

Piasau Bridge going strong!

In February, I posted about the new bridge across the Miri River linking Piasau peninsula and Miri mainland. This morning I went over to take a look as I heard that someone was complaining about the low bridge.

Actually, this new bridge has the same clearance as the old bridge. So, if you own a not-so-big boat, you still can't cross, as before.
The construction of the new bridge is going well and looks extremely solid. I hope that by year end, it will be open for public use.

How civic minded are we?

Our council finally realised that there is a need for special parking lot allocated to the disabled. So, we now see them at the various market in Miri...

... but see how the people abuse the facilities for the disabled! I always see these special lots being used by fully able bodies! Why can't the police go and give summon to all these traffic offenders?! We must respect the needs of the disabled.
In UK, any car without the "disable" sticker or pass are not allowed to park in these lots or they will be fined immediately.

Some Awards

Recently I won two consolation prizes on the Landscaping and Scenery category and Activities and Event category. I have to thanks our photography society chairman for insisting that I submit some photos.

A tribute to my friend and ex-classmate

Chen Tai Huong was my primary school classmate in Sarikei. He passed away on Monday, 21-Nov-2011 at the age of 56. He was a successful lawyer in Sarikei and he used to commute between Sarikei and Sibu.

Ease Chen, a sister of my classmate has this to say:
Lawyer Chen Tai Huong, ex-Sarikei St. Anthony Secondary School teacher and Ex-Student Association's Chairman, had passed away on Mon (21st Nov 2011) He and his Alumni committee have tirelessly promoted School Alumni and at times, at their own expenses, organized various fund raising activities for Sarikei St. Anthony School's new hall. Anyone who wishes to pay last respect can attend his funeral on Wed (23th Nov) at Hospital Sarikei 730AM.
May his soul rest in peace. May the Lord give the living the strength and peace. Our deepest condolences to the family!

Your next step ...

UPSR (sixth year) results were released only yesterday and I saw many parents anxious to register their children  for their choice secondary school. I think they are driven by circumstances because the national education system is like a yoyo when deciding on the language to be used for the medium of education. I was told that it is now reverting back to English for science and maths subjects.

So what is your choice now? Riam Road Secondary School is now flooded with parents since Friday as their school is probably the only one who is firm on using English as the main medium.
Form 5 students just started their exam this week and I was approached by many students on what/where to study! I can safely say that if you intend to go overseas, and you know what you want to study, look for a university who is offering foundation. For example, Leeds University started their foundation in January and in September next year, you start university year one. In three years, you will be graduating at the age of 20/21! Amazing! Cost wise, I recommend UK as they are currently the cheapest. Don't believe me? Do your own arithmetic.

Crocodile of Bulatan Park - clearer picture

My friend/ex-colleague finally got a clearer picture of the crocodile in Bulatan park. It appears at the same place. In fact, I saw the croc yesterday also but I manage to see only the nose and eyes only.

He saw it today from around 8-9AM. That was the time I saw the croc yesterday.
So, if you want to see the crocodile at Bulatan Park, it seems that it is no longer that difficult. Click here to see more pictures of the crocodile. He estimated the length of the croc to be about 3-4 feet, ie, about 1 metre. That was my estimate also.

Crocodile at Bulatan Finally Spotted!

This morning I armed myself with my 200mm prime lens wanting to shoot the new signboard put up by the city council. The signboard actually face the lake, reminding the living thing in the water to beware of the crocodile spotted by many and yet not captured on a real camera!

 I think the positioning of the signboard is a brilliant idea as the croc is of no harm to human at the moment.

I joined my usual "walking friends" for the morning walk and they finally all left at 8:30AM.

During my final round, I thought my 20/20 long vision spotted two distinctive eyes above the water!

As I walked closer, I confirmed what I saw was indeed our friendly, now famous friend, the crocodile of Bulatan Park! The inset is a larger view. No, this is real and not a photoshop of some other crocodile.

As I walked closer, it quickly went under ... see the ripples. The above was taken today, 11-Nov-2011 at 8:33AM.

Extra Busy this month...

Many thought that after retirement, life will be easier and more relaxing. However, I experience the otherwise. So, what are the major differences?
1. More freedom to do what I want
2. Time is controlled by myself
3. As I am following my passion, I find that my time is now "sold" to my customers. So, in a way, this contradict the two above!

This month has been a very busy month for me. So busy that, I have no time to update my blog. There were 1000s of photos. Today, I have three functions to record. Although money return is small, I found a lot of satisfaction in doing things which I have always wanted to do.

Some pictures taken yesterday at Green Summit away day to lighten your day ...

 Mummies wrapping ... need to be able to dance ... etc!

 Bread eating competition ... anyone?

Somehow, men fancy to be dressed with huge busts! Lots of hilarious photos but no time to post.

Anything for sale...

We caught a very cute looking rhino beetle that other day. This fellow is double horned and according to Ah Jon, he thought that the single horn type is more rare. But whatever...

... Joshua thinks that anything is saleable and it all depend on salesmanship! He told us that he will sell this beetle for RM5! I thought that he was joking as no one will be interested in a beetle, what more for RM5! So, on Monday morning he packed it in a box and brought it to school. He not only sold it for RM5 he also got a deal to be the keeper for RM1 a day!
So, is there a better salesman out there who can beat him? He is not even 13. I think his next target is to catch nice grasshopper, which he think should be able to sell for 50 cents!

My shopping experience

The market is now flooded with products made in China. Some are of reasonable quality and some are simply badly made. Yet the prices can be very close, or in fact, expensive!
First, I changed the braking switch for my car. It cost RM28 for a switch. Every time I pressed the brake paddle, it made that "click" sound. We all thought that it was good. The thing looks solid. But it lasted for only 3 days! I was told that an original unit would have costed >RM200.
Last few days, I went to every known office supplies shop or stationary shop in Miri looking for a cutter...

The price ranges from RM62 to RM100+. Mostly, the base is made from a piece of thin plywood. The last stop was Popular and to my surprised, the sales person told us that the last unit has been sold! By chance, we saw one unit on the shelf... exactly what I was looking for, a 7 inch cutter with a steel base. The price was RM45 and with a borrowed discount card, the price went down by 10% to RM40.50!
So, it pays to shop around. Especially in Miri, don't just pay for any item with any price stuck on it.

Nikon J1 and V1 prices

These are my Nikon J1 and V1 prices:

Nikon 1 V1 Mirrorless Digital Camera with:

• 10-30mm and 30-110mm Lenses (Black/white) RM3,498 
• 10-30mm Lens (Black/white) RM2,898
• 10mm and 10-30mm Lenses (Black/white) RM3,298 
• 10mm Lens (Black) RM3,098 

Nikon 1 J1 Mirrorless Digital Camera with:

1. 10-30 mm VR Zoom Lens (Black/white) RM2,150 
2. 10mm and 10-30mm Zoom Lens (Black/white) RM2,598 
3. 10-30 mm / 30-110 mm Lens (Black/White) RM2,698 
4. 10-30 mm / 30-110 mm Lens (Pink) RM2,798 
5. 10 mm lens (black/white) RM2,399

Inclusive of 8GB memory in each of the above package

For J1 series, only black/white/pink available. Pink is available in limited stock
Pink package is inclusive of wrapping cloth, hand strap, 10-30mm lens hood

Prices subjected to change. Please call me if you are interested.  (012 878 2007 or 012 302 0178)
Order now for early delivery which will start next week in Malaysia.

My new toy

ok, my new toy is not a new camera or photographic equipment but rather a trimmer set. I have been cutting my children hair for a long time and decided that I need to be able to do thing faster...

... So, this new set of Remington trimmer should do the job. It is super sharp and can cut down trimming time by half. However, being a first timer in using this tool, the cut is nowhere near to perfect. In another month time, I have two more guinea pigs to sharpen my skill.
I found that it is very good for cutting people with thick hair.

Thunderstorm

Tonight thunderstorm lasted for almost one hour. Ah Jon could see all the lightning streaking across the sky from his room. So I gave him the challenge to capture the lightning! If he could get one good one, he will make RM5 from me. Looks like he managed to get this nice one after some 20 tries! See that the lightning actually went across the sky!

Camera setting:
ISO: 125 F (A):7.1 EV:+0.7 Shutter speed (S): B (This means that you need to press the shutter release and wait for lightning to strike!) Mode: Manual. EV is not strictly necessary. I forgot to mention that the focus must be on manual also. Focus it to a distance lightning and then mount it on a tripod.

Krokop Chung Hua is winner!

Yesterday evening, we saw the closing of the under 13 basketball challenge trophy. It was Chung Hua Krokop vs Chung Hua Miri. I can see that the players were tired and they didn't perform as well as compared to their first game. Whatever, here are some of the dramatic photos.

Never underestimate the boys from primary four and five. They were small in size, but they run in the air! See number 13 from Krokop!

Their smaller frame doesn't mean that they can't jump high!

See how they leap into the air!

The winning teams from Krokop. They won so many medals.
For more photos, click here.

Dr George Chan Challenge Trophy

This morning, we saw the Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr. George Chan Challenge Trophy under 13 Basketball competition kick off at Rain Road Secondary School indoor stadium.

Six Chinese medium primary schools participated. I managed to watch the first game, Chung Hua Miri and Chung Hua Pujut. Some players are so small in size and yet they played with so much skill. So, if you enjoy watching basketball, do go to the school tomorrow to watch the semi finals and final.
Saturday 22 Oct 2011
8:00AM Ladies  Krokop A vs Krokop B
9:00AM Ladies  Pujut vs Tudan
10:00AM -noon Men semi final
Noon Ladies Krokop B vsTudan
1:00PM Men semi final
2:00PM Ladies Krokp A vs Pujut
3:00PM Men final
4:00PM closing
More photos... click here.

Mutton ...

Many years ago, I brought Janice and Esther to UK for a "preview" before they actually went there to study. I remembered that Stephanie was already in UK doing her first year.
When I was in Leeds, I brought them around town to do shopping. I bought a piece of mutton ...

... like what is shown in the above picture. Now, this piece cost about GBP6-8 per kg. It is true that this cut was expensive but the quality was good, tasty and tender.
Few days back, I bought some lamb shoulder from a big hypermarket in town. It was on offer at about RM17/kg, or GBP3+. When I brought back to have it cooked, the meat was so tough and we need to sharpen our teeth to eat! It is as if the lamb was a hundred years old!
I notice that the hypermarket also prepack a few slices together and to my horror, the bottom two slices, hidden from view were almost all fat! It was most discouraging for us.
The above was cooked by the girls! Thanks for remembering that we like mutton.

p/s: Meat from lamb is called mutton! Even I got it wrong at times!

Proof of Global Warming

A picture tells a million words...

Many Firsts for Nikon Mirrorless

I talked about the newly announced Nikon Mirrorless camera, the J1 and V1. These cameras have  a few firsts:

1. Nikon 1 J1 is the world’s smallest camera among competing interchangeable lens digital cameras equipped with image sensors larger than 1 inch. As of August 5, 2011. 
2. Nikon 1 V1 is the world’s smallest and lightest camera among competing interchangeable lens digital cameras with an integral EVF. As of August 5, 2011. 
3. The world’s shortest shooting time lag (as determined by Nikon performance tests). Measured when using the single-point AF mode and the shortest focal length of a standard zoom lens (1 NIKKOR VR 10-30mm f 3.5-5.6). As of August 5, 2011. 
4. World’s fastest continuous shooting: max. 10 fps in subject tracking AF mode (when the aperture value is f/5.6 or smaller with the shutter speed 1/60 or faster) and max. 60 fps in full high definition, fixed-focus mode. As of September 5, 2011. According to NIKON measuring system.

If you are keen to buy one, you may place order with me

Use Once Only Mouse Trap

Have you ever wonder why your mouse trap can catch only one rat/mouse? After that, the mice seem to be smarter to know that the trap is a danger to them!
We were told by expert yesterday that we must wash the trap with hot followed by cold water after every successful catch. He told us that when a mouse was trapped, it will go into distress and will urinate around the trap to warn other potential victim. That is why other mice will keep away from the trap.

Good reasons to cook with cast-iron

Cast-iron cookware is perhaps the oldest form of metal used for manufacturing cookware. The good old wok was originally made from cast iron. It is cheap and it is proven to be of health benefits.


1. You can cook with less oil when you use a cast-iron pan.
2. Cast iron is a chemical-free alternative to nonstick pans.
I just realise that the nonstick material used for making nonstick pan is actually poisonous! 
3. Cooking with cast iron fortifies your food with iron.


Read the whole article from here.

Trees growing too big?

Wonder why there is a massive traffic jam from Lutong to Miri at the moment? The local authority is currently busy chopping down massive trees between Pujut 8 and 7.

Safety concious in carrying out the job is simply not there.

They are also bringing in heavy equipment to do the job!

Huge trees were being chopped down. The local authority is spending lots of money to plant them, maintain them and finally spending money  to have them removed.

Very soon, this segment of road will be bared of trees! A real pity!

Steve Job 1955-2011

On Apple web site today:

Steve Jobs

1955-2011

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

I remembered Steve from the early year of personal computer, ie, around 1977. He then built and sold Apple 1, which lasted for a short while and then Apple II. It was Apple II computer which was cloned by so many people. Later Apple III and Lisa, etc. Click here to read an interesting commentary about the company.

"Floating" Permy-Senadin Road Design

The dual carriageway expansion for the Permyjaya and Senadin road is now under construction. This segment of road is to be built over land, which I would call it ...

... swamp and peat (or soft soil). Even though there is no rain, the place is generally quite wet. I saw a similar kind of road currently being built just across the border in Brunei. They dug deep and literally remove all the top soil. Rock was then poured in to form the foundation. The traditional method of construction is therefore high cost and slow. In Miri, about 50cm-1 meter of the top soil were removed...

.. and then, bamboo (initially used) and now solid wood timbers are used to line the "foundation".

Piles of solid timber can be seen!

... then a layer of Tencate PE Polyfelt was laid over the timber.

More information about the lining material can be found at Tencate.
Back to this discussion about this method of road design, it seems that they are being used overseas to great success! Instead of using bamboo and timber, tyre bales were also used. Perhaps, used tyres can now be put to good used instead of being a nuisance.
The cost of such road construction is definitely low and I would call it clever. Therefore, we shall see how long the surface can remain smooth.
More information about this type of road construction can be found if you google "Floating Road Construction". Click here for an interesting article on floating road construction.