Her stunningly beautiful goldern pearl necklace

When the first lady (PM wife, Rosmah) visited Miri for the SUPP Open House on 20 Feb 2013, her huge necklace immediately drew my attention. I never knew that there is such thing as golden pearl until I did some research on the internet. Now, I know that golden necklace comes in different rating and the most expensive being large deep golden with a retail price tag of US$99K for 25 pieces! And I counted almost 100 pieces on her necklace alone.

At the beginning, I thought the pearls are gold plated! So you see, the colour is truly deep!

 Beautiful cluster of golden pearl necklace. The cloth pin and earring are both studded with diamonds!

 ok, go ahead and count!

 See the beautiful diamond studded watch and golden pearl ring. The colour for the pearl on the ring is magnificent (I mean to me, at least).

 ok, have a good look at the gem!

... and her watch.
How much do you guess would be the cost of the jewelry? My guess is about RM1 million excluding the watch.

Miss Chin Laid to Rest

This morning, Miss Chin, the teacher from Riam Road Secondary School (RRSS), was laid to rest at Lambir Chinese Cemetery.

A lot of students from RRSS came to the funeral from 8:00-10:00AM. The father of Miss Chin was grateful that so many students came to pay their last respect. The father also reminded his deceased daughter not to return to the school and appear to any more student, which may frighten the student.

It was rumoured in town that RRSS is haunted. I need to clarify here that the school is not haunted. Haunting  is done by spirit or ghost of unknown nature. This one is a once off case where a deceased teacher miss the school and students so much that she decided to come back for a visit. :)

May she rest in peace! Many students shall miss her teaching as I heard that she was a good teacher and well liked by students she taught.

CNY 2013 PM Visit to Miri

Last night, PM, Sarawak CM and other VVIPs  visited  Miri and a dinner for just over 500 tables were served to guest whose attendants, I think was an impressive 85%.

Of course, there were speeches, first by Dato Sebastian Ting, YB Chin, Sarawak CM, PM, etc. Of course this was a golden opportunity for a political talk with everyone emphasis on why we should vote for BN. Please refer to mainstream newspaper for details. However, my job is to show you photos for the event ...

 PM watched his short advertisement and he was so happy!

 Upon arrival and seated ... the beautiful and powerful!

 You can see that the hall is quite full.

 After the last event, presentation of gifts by the various organisations, to the PM for grants and donations, they left the hall...

 She looks tired and stressed. She was quite busy on the mobile during the evening.

 She is so cheerful ... I asked her to smile and she did!

 Did he lose weight?

 Her dress is definitely very nice!

Ah... I didn't realised that I have selected two of her photos. I knew that a lot of people have their lens pointing at her during the evening!

More photos my facebook.

Indonesian Maid Violently Tossing a Baby

The session court in Kuantan jailed this Indonesian maid, Yuliana, 24, to 20 years jail.
 
She pleaded guilty to the charge of attempted murder and physical abuse of four-month-old Mohamed Hareez Mohamed Zamri at his parents’ home in Kuantan.

I think this girl is probably unstable mentally.

However, looking at the above video makes me wonder why she is doing this thing knowing very well that the whole action was being recorded.

So, do you still think you can trust someone with your baby?

趣味定律 (Interesting Laws)

1. 蘋果定律：如果一堆蘋果，有好有壞，你就應該先吃好的，把壞的扔掉，如果你先吃壞的，好的也會變壞，你將永遠吃不到好的，人生亦如此。
2. 快樂定律：遇事只要你往好處想你就會快樂，就像你如果掉進溝裡，你都可以設想說不定剛好有一條魚鑽進你的口袋。
3. 幸福定律：如果你不是總是在想自己是否是幸福的時候，你就幸福了。
4. 地位定律：有人站在山腳下，而有人站在山頂上，雖然所處的位置不一樣，在兩人眼裡的對方卻是同樣大小。
5. 沉默定律：在爭辯的時候，最難辯倒的觀點就是沉默。
6. 動力定律：動力往往來源於兩種原因，希望或絕望。
7. 受辱定律：受辱時的唯一辦法就是忽視它，不能忽視它，就藐視它，如果連藐視它也不能，你就只有受辱了。
8. 愚蠢定律：愚蠢大多數是在手腳或嘴比大腦行動還快的時候產生了。
9. 價值定律：當你擁有某一項東西的時候，你就會發現這種東西並不像你原來所想的那樣有價值。
10. 失眠定律：開了電視睡得著，關了電視反而睡不著。
11. 人生定律：一輩子一盤棋，每一步都是自己走出來的。
12. 談話定律：最使人厭煩的談話有兩種，一是從來不停下來想想，另一種是從來不想停下來。
13. 慣性定律：任何事情只要你能夠堅持不斷去加強它，它終究會變成一種習慣。
14. 遊戲定律：無論你保齡球打得多“菜”，每次玩都可能有一兩次全中，令你滿意。高興的下次再來。
15. 指責定律：當用一個手指指責別人的時候，別忘了總有三個手指正指向自己。
16. 旅遊定律：沒有比記憶中更好的風景，所以最好不要故地重遊。
17. 備份定律：學會用左手做一些事情，因為右手不是永遠都管用。
18. 時間定律：一分鐘有多長？這要看，你是蹲在廁所裡面，還是等在廁所外面。
19. 尋找定律：有時候越是急著找手機，翻遍整個房間也找不見，靜下心來發一會兒呆，你就會發現手機一直就在左手裡。
20. 合作定律：一個人花一個小時可以做好的事情，兩個人就要兩個小時。

The now famous bus stop of RRSS!

So now that the news on Miss Chin "return" has been splashed over front page headline news in major local newspaper.

As usual, there was a lot of talk and some students are frighten and some not. Some claimed that this is nothing unusual! A devoted Buddhist said that it is possible.

Anyway, after hearing the testimony and from others, I know that people are not "seeing thing". It is possible. There are reported cases before. What is your thought?

This morning, I revisited the school, Riam Road Secondary School. This above is the now famous bus stop.
Fear not, although Miss Chin appears here, it does not mean that this place is now haunted. But the question remain, how often this kind of thing happens? Is it possible for the soul of people to appear in body form?

No one can comprehend what lies beyond the grave for the dead. As a Christian, Jesus told us not to worry about the dead but to let the living knows that our souls are precious and will continue to live on until judgement day. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." I don't want to argue about this statement from Jesus. But we have all been warned!

Do you believe that there is life after death? If not, is the story about Miss Chin "return" just a form of, perhaps hallucinating?

Miss Chin "returned" to the school!

In a freak accident yesterday, a young teacher of Riam Road Secondary School, was apparently crashed to death by her own car. Full story here at See Hua Daily.
The story did not end here. Apparently, this morning, she "returned" to her school and was waiting at the bus stop outside the school gate. A transition (remove) class girl who arrived at the school gate at 5:30AM found Miss Chin calling her, not knowing that she was already dead, went over. Miss Chin gave this girl a hug and the girl found her a little unusual as her eyes (and face) were dark and hands very cold! Miss Chin then instructed her to come to the staff room later.
At about 7:30AM, this girl went to the staff room but Miss Chin was "not around". She returned later and looked for Miss Chin again. Then she was told that Miss Chin is "no more around"! BUT... she just hugged her in the morning!
Note that Miss Chin was close to this girl.
Ok, read the full story tomorrow by buying one of the Chinese papers. I think the news will be on all major papers! If I have any more details, I will update this entry.

(Update: This girl actually studies in transition class and not Form 1.)

Update: So the news was splashed over the front page of See Hua today:
http://www.seehua.com/node/66937
http://www.seehua.com/node/66939

DIY Mechanic - clutch cable replacement

This morning as I drove my 32 years old Toyota GL out, I heard a sharp sound and my clutch paddle went "dead". Immediately I knew that the clutch cable was broken. Since, this is the sixth days into Lunar New Year, I don't expect mechanic to be working and beside, how do I drive the car there!? I went to see my favorite mechanic and he gave me tips on DIY clutch cable replacement. He told me that the hook at the clutch is broken as it is made from alloy. And true enough.... 

... the alloy head broke off!

The only disadvantage of DIY car parts is that I got myself very dirty. So, to remove all the black grease, I used some used cooking oil to dissolve the grease and then use some soap to remove the black grease from my finger.

So, the tips on clutch cable replacement:

Remove the old cable which is the easy part but remember to remove the cable clip (above photo) at the car chassis side as it will be reused;
Thread the new cable at the clutch paddle side first and connect it up (just hook on) to the paddle;

Thread the new cable through the hole at the engine body but first pull back the rubber seal (above photo). If not, the new cable will not go through the hole at the engine body;
Hook up the new cable at the engine end, remember to fasten to the engine block (which was removed from the old cable).

Next adjust the tension at the paddle side using the clip which double as stopper.

I hope the above is clear. It probably cost only RM5 to have this fitted by mechanic but for those with old cars, I suggest to have this cable replace before it breaks. The cable cost RM40 only.

Another thing to routinely check and change is the brake rubber tubing near to the brakes. This tubing may burst and cause brake failure anytime, especially in aging car of more than 8 years.

Our PM Controversial CNY Advertisement

Our Malaysian PM, Ah Jib Kor, made this advertisement in the hope of capturing the heart of Chinese voters...
 
In the process and with good intention, he was criticized for doing something foolish. Anyway, I think it is a good try.
However, in the advertisement, an important Chinese character is wrongly written rendering it meaningless...

The above word is supposed to be written "吉", ie, the upper stroke is longer than the stroke below. My son told me that there is no such word. However, if I take the Chinese character apart, it now means soil over the mouth... which is bad luck indeed! Otherwise, "吉" is supposed to mean good fortune or good luck! How can the advertiser made such a mistake or is it deliberate?!

CNY Celebration at Dato Sebastian Ting's Residence

This morning we went to Dato Sebastian Ting's residence to join him in welcoming the TYT's (Governor of Sarawak) arrival and visit. After introducing some of the important guests, they went straight to the reception.

TYT stayed for exactly 45 minutes and proceeded to visit other VIPs in Miri.

More photos, click here.

Anwar CNY Ceremah in Miri

I took some photos of Anwar visit to Miri last night (11-Feb-2013). 

 During his speech. He looks very worn out after a day on the road.

Part of the crowd.
In think about 1000 people came for the ceremah. There was no food served and no money given. Instead, donation will be collected! Yet people still come!
I left early as I was very tired also.
Click here for more photos on my facebook.

Oppa Cai Shen Dao - Gangnam Style Chinese New Year Parody 财神到 新年歌

Gimme gimme gimme more ang pow. I have no bonus now ... hahaha

Lunar (Chinese) New Year, 2013, Miri

Comparing to 2012, we definitely find the number of people at the night market to be overwhelming. And food is definitely not cheap either! However, one thing that is still free for me is to watch people playing ...

... firework. My son and myself went over to Krokop 9 to watch the above. Just in case you are interested to know how I shoot this firework: Mount camera on tripod, set ISO to lowest, Set Shutter speed to 4-8 sec and aperture to 8-22. You need to experiment to get ideal result.

Fish seems to be a must and just look at the price! It is beyond the reach of many people. I almost fainted seeing the price increased by at some 50-100%!

The price of tiger prawn is an amazing RM100-120/kg! But still people buy them.

See the number of people in the street. You can't even walk through! So, I gave up.

The usual performances at King's Street. It seems that the crowd was much bigger than previous year.

I have posted more photos on my facebook. Click here.

My Lunar New Year Blessing to you ...

“風調雨順” Wind and rain come on time in the new year.
“閤家平安” Peace be with your entire family.
“米缸常滿” Rice jar is always full.
“出入平安” Leave and enter in peace and safety.
“扭轉乾坤” to reverse from bad to good. (Turn the tide from bad to good)
“五穀豐登” the abundant grain harvest. (Bumper harvest)
“事事順利” everything go smoothly. (Every success)
“遍地黃金”Let gold cover the whole land. (Your land is paved with gold)

Happy new year!

Here is the pin yin version. You can even click on the pinyin and hear the pronunciation!

fēng	diào	yŭ	shùn
風	調	雨	順

gé	jiā	píng	ān
閤	家	平	安

mĭ	gāng	cháng	măn
米	缸	常	滿

chū	rù	píng	ān
出	入	平	安

niŭ	zhuăn	qián	kūn
扭	轉	乾	坤

wŭ	gŭ	fēng	dēng
五	穀	豐	登

shì	shì	shùn	lì
事	事	順	利

biàn	dì	huáng	jīn
遍	地	黃	金

New Home Lighting Centre

A new home lighting centre, Sheng Cheng Lighting, open its door for business a week ago. This is in time for Chinese new Year. They have a nice collection of home lighting.

Do drop by to have a look at their collection.

Contact:

Frank Ting, 013-882 8118
Lot 622, Jalan Duku, Pujut 3, 98000 Miri
Tel: 085-628118

Opening time: Monday-Saturday 9am-8pm; Sunday 9am-2pm

They are situated just after Pujut 3, Miri-Pujut Road and they are visible from the main road.

 More lights waiting to be hang.

Smiling sales force with friends, waiting to serve you!

Most deserted shops in Miri

These three blocks of shops are between the immigration of Miri and Brunei at Sg Tujuh.

They must have been there for two years now ... I can't really remember. The interesting point is that these shop lots are originally before the Sg Tujuh immigration checkpoint, ie, on Sarawak side. But the new immigration checkpoint is now built quite far from the old checkpoint, hence making these shops sandwiched between the Sarawak and Brunei immigration checkpoints. So who on earth is going there to shop?

Laughter's the best medicine

This sign along the new road construction at Senadin is probably done intentionally!  

Someone probably tried to say "Me At Work" instead of "Men at Work" and then forgot the space. So, it became Meat Work which I wonder what sort of meat is capable to work!

Miri Skylines

I have been so very busy over the last 10 days that I didn't realise I have not been updating my blog! So, here it is... skylines of Miri.

 Picture on the wall...

 Changing skyline of Miri with the addition of Meritz Hotel on the right.

 The Petroleum Museum at sunset.

This restaurant has been there for quite sometimes.

Humour from Google Translate

I am not good in Chinese. So, I tried Google translate hoping to cut and paste all the relevant Chinese characters to make up a proper sentence.

So here it goes and have a good laugh to lighten your heart:

He fries very well 他薯条非常好 (Something like "He is an excellent French fries")
With one grammatical error, I entered:
He fry very well 他炒得很 (He fries very .... incomplete translate. So, I change a bit)
He fry very good 他是非常好的鱼苗 (He is an excellent fish fry (baby fish))

What do you dislike most at Shell petrol station?

When arriving at a petrol station, one thing that annoy me most is ...

"Harap maaf pump angin sedang bidaiki", ie, air pump is not functioning.

At one time, instead of pumping air into my tyre, it almost releases all the air!

And in Miri, the Shell Shin Yang Station at Pujut seems to have a broken air pump which is never repaired. Their petrol pumps also seem to be set to dripping mode and it pumps so slowly. I have since stopped going to this station.

The other thing that annoyed me most is "Sorry, no more diesel". Looks like someone is siphoning diesel to somewhere! This is a global issue, ie, not limited to Shell station.

So, if you have a deflated tyre and you see a Shell Station, don't be too happy. Because most Shell stations have non functioning air pump in Miri!

How to Shoot Firework Photo

In view of the new year countdown, and the beautiful firework display, below is a guideline on how to shoot firework.

1. Use a tripod
2. Be on site early to secure a good spot
3. You may use landscape or portrait format. The choice is really yours
4. Exposure setting:
   For digital compact, use firework mode if there is one
   
   For DSLR: Use B mode if available. Shutter will remain open as long as the shutter release button remain pressed. A good way is to use a black card to cover the lens. When firework goes off, take off the card and put it back on as appropriate.
   
   Set Aperture between 8 to 16.
5. Use the lowest ISO available
6. Focus - use manual mode.

After a few practice, I hope you get good pictures. Otherwise, fine tune the setting.
eg, if too bright, set apperture to a higher value, etc.

Things you must do on this Monday!

I just wanted to remind all my readers in Malaysia, especially those who have children still studying and have to pay income tax. From next year, the tax relief for education saving fund for children has been increased to RM6000! So, if you are paying the max bracket, this means a saving of RM1600+!!! Run to Maybank on Monday and get it done! I think CIMB is also an agent. After that, pls remember to bring me out for yam char!

The scheme is called Skim Simpanan Pendidikan Nasional (SSPN).
Amount deposited in SSPN by an individual for his children’s education is deductible up to a maximum of RM6,000. The allowable deduction is limited to the net amount deposited in that basis year only. So if both husband and wife are working and has opted for separate assessment and you have two children still studying, you are entitled to RM6K each!

If you are retired like me, don't forget to put money in EPF if you have no insurance, etc to claim for deduction. Max deduction is also RM6K each for separate assessment. Go to EPF to get the form and then go to the bank to put in $$.

Maximum deductible for complete medical examination is RM500. But this is combined with medical expenses on serious diseases also. Anyway, total for these two item is RM5K only. Otherwise, go for a complete checkup on Monday.

Reading my blog may actually save you money!

Dōngzhì Festival or Winter Solstice Festival (冬至)

The Dōngzhì Festival or Winter Solstice Festival (Chinese: 冬至; pinyin: Dōngzhì; literally "the Extreme of Winter") is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Chinese and other East Asians during the Dongzhi solar term (winter solstice) on or around December 22 when sunshine is weakest and daylight shortest. It occurs on Friday, December 21, 2012, ie, today!
Traditionally, the Dongzhi Festival is also a time for the family to get together. One activity that occurs during these get togethers (especially in the southern parts of China and in Chinese communities overseas) is the making and eating of tangyuan (湯圓) or balls of glutinuous rice, which symbolize reunion. Tangyuan are made of glutinuous rice flour and sometimes brightly coloured. Each family member receives at least one large tangyuan in addition to several small ones. The flour balls may be plain or stuffed. They are cooked in a sweet soup or savoury broth with both the ball and the soup/broth served in one bowl. It is also often served with a mildly alcoholic unfiltered rice wine containing whole grains of glutinous rice (and often also Sweet Osmanthus flowers), called jiuniang.

Have you eaten your tangyuan today?

We were served with this tangyuan the other day at the Chinese Association Merit Award dinner.

Traditionally, we have been eating this tangyuan with roasted peanut/soy bean powder added with sugar. I will see whether I have the energy to go out and buy some later.

For more reading about this festival, click here.

Where is God?

When tragedy struck, we always ask where is God? Is there a God? Why God allows the shooting to happen at the school in USA that killed 26 people? Watch this video... and ask yourself at the end of it.... have you been systematically removing God from your life, from your workplace, from the community. Have you been forbidding God to be part of your life? And when tragedy struck, why would you ask "where is God"? 

Another serious car accident at Taman Awan, Miri

More photos at my facebook.

16-Dec-2012 5:30PM: I was passing by Taman Awan on the way to Merdeka Mall and saw this accident involving a Proton Saga and a Brunei registered Lexus LS300. I think it took the ambulances at least half an hour to arrive on site.

Upon impact, the Proton was flung to the side of the road, over the road divider and turned 360 degree! I was told that the Proton was parked at the road side. It seems to supported such a theory because the hazard light was switched on and the handbrake was engaged.

The impact causes the boot of the Proton to literally "disappeared". The back seat touched the back of the front passenger seat. And...

... the Proton was compressed to half of it length!
Fortunately there was no passenger at the back seat!
The young lady driver was quite seriously injured as I saw blood from her mouth. I hope that her spine is ok. She seems to drift in and out of consciousness and wasn't moving.
A young child was flung out of the car and landed on the grass at the road divider.

The driver of the Bruneian car wasn't seem to be seriously injured. I saw just some scratches on his arms and appeared to be shaken.

A serious accident happened at the same spot. A lady driver ramp into one of the trees and died on the spot. I think that was last year.

Christmas in Miri

As usual, Christmas parade has become an annual affair in Miri. The year, it was held last Saturday.

 After the parade, was the usual open air concert.

Despite the slight rain the crowd was quite big.

The usual Christmas tree at the Miri City Fan.  Samling company constructed this huge tree and display again this year.
I didn't take many photos and I hope you like the above photos and the effect I use. They are straight from my camera!

IBS Graduation and Awards Ceremony 2012

For more photos, please go to my facebook by clicking here.

Congratulations to all graduands.