It’s in the nature of life that we would encounter ups and downs in our lives and at times it can be trying, confusing and overwhelming. I should know as I had been there before (how do you think I get to be near the half-century mark kiddo?) though I still don’t like going there when things are grim and life just seem unbearable and when the pains and hurts are searing and you just wished it would all end. And end it would if we could just hang in there for a bit longer. And you should as it is an inescapable truth of life that there’s suffering and we unfortunately can only grow through pain. No one is immune. Unless you don't live your life that is. I know as I have suffered too but the details are really none of your business! It's probably boring like shit too.

So if you are in pain right now; know that this is something we all go through irregardless of race, gender, age or whether you are rich or poor. And know also that you can go kayaking and talk about this with yours truly if you really want to. Sometimes a splash or a whack with a paddle maybe all that we need. And I'm usually brutally honest too and don't like to mince words! But don’t take my word for it as what do I know about the truths of life anyway? Damned if I know. But just hang in there ok? Life can and will get sweeter again ... eventually!

Just hang in there - afterall the weekend is here!
Be well!

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I met Coma (yes; that’s his name not a typo!) before Jennifer’s show came on and he would also like to have me one day as he is hosting a ‘Sports’ segment. He also kindly took the snapshots of us in the studio.

My entire office including the signcrafts workers downstairs of us (except for Azmi who was taking 2 guests kayaking at Krokong) were listening in to the show. Their verdict was that I did ok! My other half thought it was alright but felt that I did not answer Jennifer's questions. Perhaps I may have talent as a politician then!

Well, on the subject of air and that I managed to 'breeze' through it and survived, the same cannot be said of the API which since saturday has drifted into the unhealthy range and the haze is clearly visible where ever you drive. Time to think seriously about getting a quality air filter/purifier for the home if the situation worsens and persist.

BTW the title of this post refers to the fact that they couldn’t get ready in time the two songs that I requested which were U2’s “Summer Rain” and Shakira’s “Timor” and had to settle for Dire Straits’s ‘Walk of Life’. As it turned out we only had time for one song and there I was worried that we were going to run out of things to say!

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For those of you in Sarawak, you may want to tune in to Red FM (91.9, RTM Radio Malaysia Sarawak, Red Network) on Wednesday, 27^th September 2006 at 1.30 pm as I would be interviewed “LIVE” on air by Jennifer (photo of her on the left taken off Red FM website) on her radio talk show “The Living Room”.

This would be the first time I would be on air and I'm quite thrilled even though I'm trying not to think or make too much of this. What will I say? So stay tuned!

Meanwhile I should stay off fried food and it's a good thing that durians are not in season now! If not I would also sound weird in addition to being weird!

My thanks to Jennifer for inviting me to be on her show. It is indeed an honour. I trust that she'll have no regrets after the show! :o)

Note: I'm post dating this to the 27th so that it can stay on as a 'sticky' post till then!

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One of the ‘must-eat’ seafood delicacies when you visit Sarawak is ‘teck thung’ (literal hokkien translation is 'bamboo worm') steamed with Chinese wine or stir-fry with curry powder with onions. Yummilicious! The taste and texture is quite unique and I love it with steamed rice. The colloquial Malay name for this ‘worm’ is ‘ambal’. It’s actually not a worm nor is it found growing inside bamboos! This clam is actually a tubular mollusk which lives in a cylindrical thin shell about 1 to 2 inches long; hence the derived local name, bamboo worm. You eat the clam whole, minus the shell of course and because the shells are quite thin, small pieces may break off and do get in the way of enjoying the fat juicy flesh if one is not careful. Exercise some restraint and eat slowly as biting into even a small fragment of the shell is like eating sand!

You’ll have to find and catch the ambal hidden and buried in the alluvial sand and we were fortunate to see how it was caught on our paddle to Bako National Park early on Saturday morning in the ebbing tide when we saw a small group of women on the mud flaps. These ladies ‘ambal hunters’ were dropped off there during low tide when the sandy mud banks are exposed and they would be picked up by boat again before the tide rises back submerging the banks.

In the past before the areas were disturbed by the sand dredging activities at the mouth of Sungai Bako, they could easily collect several kilogrammes before the tide returns. But sadly these days, they would be happy to be able to collect even 1 kilo which they'll sell to a guy who buys from them at RM14/- a kilo back at the village. It's backbreaking work for the money but mercifully the weather was slightly overcast that day. We decided not to disturb them as it takes concentration to catch the ambal and we watched silently while I took a few snaps.

Here’s the fine art of catching the bamboo worms:-

Apart from the impact of sand mining, the waters around Bako are pristine in the absence of any other developments and industries, the ambals and other shellfish caught in the area are very safe for eating without the worries of heavy metals or other pollutants.

So, bamboo worms hunting anyone?

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Dear all,

This is to remind you that "Idle Nights - A Show of Words at MOJO" will take place this Friday (Sept 22), 9pm at MOJO.

Admission is free. Come show your support for Kuching's first showcase dedicated to writers and poets. Come and let Francesca Beard show you that performance poetry can be quite an interesting experience.

For further information, visit http://kakikuching.blogspot.com.

Got something to read for us? There's an open mike session later in the night.

To those of you who are prolific at forwarding things to me, it'll be

great if you apply your talent to this email and pass it on. ;-)

Blog it. Forward it. Spread it.

See you there.

--
Georgette Tan (Tarlia)

http://www.xercix.com
http://tarlia.wordpress.com
http://www.shuttermap.com/profile/tarlia

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"When Life Hands You Lemons, Make Lemonade
So When You Can’t Get Durians, Eat Chempedak Instead!"

So the saying goes and for Batukawa (a keen reader and now friend) who traveled all the way from Melbourne to Kuching in anticipation of 'Durians Kayaking'; being the positive and solutions-oriented person that he is, he was more than happy to settle for delicious organic village grown Chempedak when we couldn’t get any durians as it was the end of the season! It was the first chempedak that he had eaten in years and it brought back sweet memories of his childhood spent in Kuching before emigrating to Australia. Thanks for bringing along cousins and friend (and generously paying for them as well I understand!) Margaret, Ah Sen and William so that they would not miss this experience; and which they loved.

For the uninitiated, chempedak is also a seasonal fruit and while not as smelly as the durians (I don’t think it is at all) it also has a distinctive fragrance. I am not aware of any English word for this fruit except for its scientific name of Artocarpus integer. The flesh of the fruit is soft, sticky and very sweet. It’s less fibrous and softer than jackfruit which is it’s closest equivalent. It’s best eaten fresh although some people like to eat them deep-fried in oil with batter. The cooked seeds are edible as well.

If you do not take durians you should try chempedak instead and if you do not even want to try chempedak; why are you even here in Malaysia anyway as the unique local foods/fruits here are so much a part of the experience of being here? heehee

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As the tidal range in this part of world is quite significant (up to 6.2 meters for King Tide); knowing the high tide times are critical unless you enjoy portaging long distances over mud flaps! More importantly if you are on the rivers, you are more vulnerable to the crocodiles as they come out to bask on the sunny banks! Fortunately in Sarawak this information (for Kuching and Miri only) is readily available in the Sarawak Government Almanac which also has the times for sunset and sunrise.

You can get the sunset and sunrise calendar for the major cities around the world here.

My love of kayaking has actually compelled me to be more in tune to the cycles and rhythms of nature. I think it’s a good thing unless of course when you want to sleep in on the weekends; something that is an alien concept to me!

And how important is it to you to be in tune?

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One of the wonderful things about taking a kayaking trip is that unlike watching TV or a movie; you are there and you experience it. You become a part of the landscape in the scene of your life. You are immersed in the midst of it and it demands your attention and presence. Your feet (and bum) get wet and the kayak requires your attention of balance (if you don't want to tip over) and propulsion (paddling) to move along. You cannot help it but be there and the weather will let you know too! The occasional splashes from yours truly will also certainly help bring you to the here and now (or the there and then)!

And Kho and wife Olivia , Chris and son Justy, Alex and son Darell, Lawrence, Yoke Lee, Erin and Kyle from the UK were all definitely there with me and Bev on sunday morning soaking up the rain and getting drenched under a waterfall at Borneo Highlands! Yes, it was certainly good to be there. So wherever you are, be there!

One of the major reasons why we fail to find happiness or to create a unique lifestyle is because we have not yet mastered the art of being.

While we are home our thoughts are still absorbed with solving the challenges we face at the office. And when we are at the office we find ourselves worrying about problems at home.

We go through the day without really listening to what others are saying to us. We may be hearing the words, but we aren’t absorbing the message.

As we go through the day we find ourselves focusing on past experiences or future possibilities. We are so involved in yesterday and tomorrow that we never even notice that today is slipping by.

We go through the day rather than getting something from the day. We are everywhere at any given moment in time except living in that moment in time.

Lifestyle is learning to be wherever you are. It is developing a unique focus on the current moment, and drawing from it all of the substance and wealth of experience and emotions that it has to offer. Lifestyle is taking time to watch a sunset. Lifestyle is listening to silence. Lifestyle is capturing each moment so that it becomes a new part of what we are and of what we are in the process of becoming. Lifestyle is not something we do; it is something we experience. And until we learn to be there, we will never master the art of living well.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

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So what are your priorities?

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We adopted ‘cuddles’ when she was almost fully grown at 11 months from our vet who recommended her to us as her owner was unable to look after her but still wanted her to go to a good home. As a rottweiler mix; we were a bit apprehensive but thought that she would make a good guard dog.

As it turned out with a name like ‘cuddles’ given by my daughter; cuddles is a pussy cat and despite her size is as gentle as a lamb with a temperament to match! Fine kayak guard dog I got huh? Irregardless we love her to bits but we still wished she could do that (not love, bite!) to intruders when the need arises!

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We were driving back from Kg Semadang in the evening after kayaking when I spotted a man roasting something over a BBQ fire. The ‘something’ turned up to be 3 biawaks or monitor lizards which the man had just caught that day. I had tasted biawak meat before cooked in ginger and spring onions, chinese cooking style, but certainly not BBQ whole like this!

The man explained that they would BBQ it until half-cooked before they gut it to get rid of the innards; it’s apparently easier to do it this way. Then it would be back onto the grille until the biawak is well done. Like that. It's excellent dipped in 'kicap' or dark soya sauce. Kelvin tells me that it goes down best with ‘lengkau’ but beer is also fine. BBQ biawak anyone?

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We took a short coffee break at Lachau, a small town on the way to Sebeliau in the early morning and on the way back to the car we noticed a small crowd gathering around this lady who had just set out a small table just outside the coffee shop and was selling something that must be quite popular.

Here are some photos I took which I’m well aware that they may be a repulsive sight to those of the muslim faith or a vegetarian but then again if you’re living the context of the longhouse jungles; porky is a fine source of protein whatever your persuasion(s); especially if barbequed over a wood fire and washed down with village brewed ‘langkau’, the drink of choice at the longhouse! But try to stay away from and don't get too near to the fire if you’re having one as it’s at least 30% proof!

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We were caught in the rain which remained unabated for the duration of our 3 hours kayaking trip and some wisecrack remarked that this why it’s called rain forest kayaking!

However an unexpected outcome from the rain was this waterfall cascading down this rock overhang which we all took turns to kayak under the water curtains to get an ice cold shower! Even though I may had been down the same river many times, nature can still spring a magical surprise on me once in a while! So what unexpected surprise(s) had life sprang on you in the routine of your daily going-ons?

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We made a short detour to take a look at the locally famed ‘miracle church’ at Mount Hossana on the drive to Sebeliau. The gate was locked as it is only opened on Sunday morning for mass and I took some quick snaps from outside the gate marveling at the simple but striking architecture and the miracles that has occurred here.

Tales of people who are cured of crippling ailments by the time they reached the inside of the church up the steep and long climbing steps up to the church which would no doubt tests one’s faith.

Look out for this church should you drive up from Kuching to Sri Aman next time and it’s on the right hand side. You would want to see this most unexpected and inspiring building. And I wished you a miracle. Have a Wonderful Weekend.

BTW the St Thomas's Cathedral, Kuching is having their
PARISH SALE 2006 tomorrow -

Saturday, 9 September 2006
8.00 am to 12.00 noon
St. Thomas Cathedral Compound
Jalan McDougall, Kuching

There are many things to do, see and buy!
Support the Cathedral's sale and have fun too.

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photo taken from robin wong's blog

On Tuesday night I caught up with some old friends from Singapore for a poolside dinner; who were here on holidays and whom I took kayaking on Sunday morning after which I shoot off to meet up with some new young bloggers friends in town.

It’s kinda interesting to be with two entirely different groups of friends who are a generation apart but yet whose warmth, enthusiasm, cheeriness and acceptance are the same for which I’m most grateful. How I wished the evening could drag on a bit longer. And since we are all friends, I'm 'borrowing' photos from them to post here; and I'm sure they wouldn't mind!

Welcome back to Kuching Robin Wong and thanks to well-tanned Felicity for taking the trouble to organize the meet. It was also very nice to meet up with lovely Naomi and Arlyne who are back briefly in Kuching. And thanks to Georgette for the photo with ducky for Lou. It was also nice to meet new friends Sam, Choulyin (very briefly) Michael and Brendan. Nice noisy Ben and a quiet and reflective JC were also there. It's a pity that I did not get to meet Ronnie and Yi Hong who left earlier. It was a most pleasant Tuesday evening.

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After coming back from Mulu with the photographs, Kelvin tells me that he is getting a tattoo done on saturday and that he would keep me posted with regards. So here are his text and photos of the tattoo. Thanks Kelvin for sharing this with us.

The design is quasi-Iban, modified by the artist according to his style. It's a mythical serpent (akin to the dragon but not a dragon) depicted in the stories of many indigenous peoples of Sarawak.

The name of the artist is Jeremy and his tattoo studio is called Monkey Tattoo. It's located at the old shophouses behind Electra House. He used to work at the Borneo Headhunter where he became apprentice to the internationally renowned Iban tattoo artists Ernesto and Jerry who operates Borneo Headhunter. Jeremy was the one who did my first tattoo.

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As a fanatical lover of durians, I had over the years honed my skills on how to pick good durians and now I’m going to divulge one of the best kept secret to picking the best durians you are ever going to taste and for which are going to be grateful that you are reader of this blog! It is easy and no skills are required.

Here is the secret – the best durian has a hole in it! Specifically a hole made by squirrels who like me absolutely loves durian that they would take the trouble to chew through the tough thorny exterior in order to get to the delicious flesh. To go through all that trouble the squirrels would obviously only pick the best fruit amongst the various trees and then from that particular tree, the best fruit there. The durian picked by the squirrels has the best taste and the most flesh.

Incidently yesterday morning we didn't find any durians on the river nor did we manage to buy them at the village but as the truth goes that 'seek and you shall find'; we did when we bought some from an old man in his wooden boat with 2 baskets full who was on his way back from his farm, when we took a swimming and brunch break by the sandy banks.

And luckily for us the squirrels are small eaters and would only touch a portion of the pod leaving us the opportunity to savor the rest of the fruit. So who says small creatures have small brains and big creatures have small appetite? Whatever; now go pick and enjoy your durians and eat slowly and unlike me in the wide open outdoors, do not burp in confined spaces/places!

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As part of the National Day Celebrations in Kuching, the Sarawak Regatta which is an annual event is held from today onwards till this Sunday and I caught these views of the powerboats going through their paces this morning from the 11^th floor of the Kuching Hilton.

The main event is the dragon boat races and there is a kayak race as well which Azmi is taking part.

In the past the 'dragon boat' races was originally conceived to settle rivalries instead of resorting to war. I think they were wiser in the past.

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