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Blue eye Garoupa and PageRanking is a fishy business

I had a rude shock when I logged into PayPerPost just now to check in on the opportunities available only to be greeted by a red screen instead of the usual white screen that I’d been accustomed to!

For those who are not doing PayPerPost – a white and light beige/yellow means that the opportunity is available to you while a blue and red screen means that the opportunity is not available. Here's the legend explaining this.

For most bloggers like myself (before I started doing paid posts) Google Page Rank warrants nothing more than a big yawn. However to those who are trying to monetize their blog; it means making some money (or a lot of money if your blog has a PR of 5 and above) or nothing at all!

What surprised and disappointed me was the fact that PayPerPost and IZEA with their much touted pagerank is nothing but hot air and that Google Page Rank still call the shots with the advertisers. Now let's get back to life! ;)

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They are a nationally recognized criminal defense firm that specializes in aggressive representation and are ready to defend all felony, misdemeanor and DUI case. I rest my case and good luck.

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And you can save yourself money as well as time at save buckets as they have a huge selection with over a thousand products just for MP3 Players alone! With prices starting from less than 2 pounds - now everyone can enjoy music anywhere. Go check out and compare prices of hundreds of mp3 Players there!

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He would have appreciated Termites Guide which is an online guide on to how to get rid of termites; covering all of the basics - from how you can tell if your home is infested with termites, to improvements to make to keep them from getting in, to specific explanation of how each termite control product works and what the advantages and disadvantages of each one are.

Clearly presented information to guard and protect your home with proper defenses against termites.

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Anyway if you do not want to appear totally ignorant (like me), you can if you prefer, answer a list of questionnaires that should pinpoint your problems and receive support from the appropriate personnel. Duh ...

Blackjack (or 21 blackjack as it is more commonly called here in Malaysia) is a favorite card game amongst casino goers and differs from other card games because the player bets against the dealer, and not against other players at the table. To get started and play the game, all you need to do is to download BackgammonMasters.com's unique software that is available in 12 languages. See - Now everyone can blackjack!

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I like this pair of waterproof hiking boots that would be appreciated during portages (shudders!) on my next kayaking expedition trip.

And if you’re not into boots, I’m sure you know someone who does and they make excellent (and lasting) gifts and you can let them choose their own with gift certificates. And if you’re spending more than $100/-; shipping is free to boot!

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All they need to do is to sign up at Unsigned.com and create their own profile for free! Then they can customize their own profile, upload their songs and create their fans networks. And then wait to be discovered as the next big thing! All genres are welcomed. The artist’s profile page allows you to leave your comments and listen to the songs uploaded with an audio player on the profile page. Contact information and shows/events along with other information gives a good introduction and background to the artist. If the artist has a website, you can click on it and find out more about them and their music. This provides a wonderful opportunity for any unsigned bands including any jazz artists to be discovered sooner.

With quite a number of bands from various genres already listed; and with the easy navigation - you’ll soon find the group and sounds that you like and registration as a fan is easy as well as free. In fact you can browse to find out more about the network of fans sharing similar musical interests and taste; make new friends and create your own social music network. Cool.

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Being not exactly an easy thing to understand; it makes sense especially if one is interested in buy to let mortgages for investment purposes to search around the range of deals to understand and compare mortgages the various terms and conditions and also to check eligibility. Learn about mortgages and benefit from it.

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Happy Deepavali to the Hindus and all who celebrate this "Festival of Light" today; which incidentally is not a public holiday in Sarawak.

And whatever little light I saw over the past week has been the midnight oil lamp we had been burning to get the presentations and reports ready for the board meetings. *sigh*

Kuching 3 1/2 Mile, the evening before Deepavali, 7 October 2007

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Buddy in his element @ Sg. Abang, Borneo Highlands

Does it really matter? It does as ‘Kayaking’ is a better keyword than ‘Kuching’. And certain keywords have more searches than others and it matters when you want to drive traffic to your blog or site. And ‘international travel health insurance’ and ‘international travel medical insurance’ are even better keywords! Even ‘home garden’ is a much better keyword than ‘kayaking’. And ‘sexy’ as a keyword generates over 10 million searches per month …

And it’s interesting to note that kayak is ten times more popular than kayaking and that ‘rain forest’ gets infinitely more searches than ‘rainforest’. Hmm. Guess I’ll go over now to www.kuchingkayak.com and change some of the keywords; but certainly not to ‘sexy kayak’ lah! even though I think kayaking is sexy!

But I guess the keyword for the weekend is to ‘enjoy ‘and to ‘relax’.

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With online unsecured financing from EZUnsecured.com; this is no longer a problem as it is now an easy process providing fast funding along with great service. You can also call their toll-free number to get more information or assistance on your application whether it is for working capital or debt consolidation.

Maybe I should check them out with regards to getting that new van for my kayaking business!

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that hopefully you will ultimately find of value and use.

Going beyond self-promotion their blog provides the freedom for the community to give feedback and share their experiences. In this manner, Future Steel can keep in direct contact with their customers.

The quality and flexibility in the design of their steel buildings is anchored on the fact that the arch is the strongest form of construction allowing for various customizations to suit different needs. And by listening intently to their customers via their blog, Future Steel are really giving space and keeping pace with the future.

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Looking for Brisbane Accommodation is a breeze these days using internet resources to look for Hotels in Brisbane .

While in Brisbane, one can hire a car to drive to visit Gold Coast which is the No.1 tourist destination in Australia. With so much to offer from beaches, shopping, wineries to theme parks; there is more than enough things to see or do. Gold Coast Accommodation ranges from 3 to 5 stars hotels depending on your budget and preferences. For me I would definitely sign up for the dolphin kayaking trip at Cape Byron, Australia's most eastern point!

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And this would not be their only campus offering Nursing degrees as they are looking for faculty in Dayton and Columbus meaning that they are planning to open additional campuses in these cities in 2008. Nothing is official yet but this would be keenly awaited by those looking forward to this highly regarded profession.

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And you can find the above and other brands of quality police and military boots in a complete range from CopShoes. As a specialist shop with an established reputation for quality and competitive pricing, their customer service is outstanding as evidenced by their customers’ testimonials. Their boots certainly look smart and you don’t even have to be in the police or military to wear them!

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Besides Cheap Van Insurance; you can also get an online quote for your car, bike, home, courier, quad, truck, commercial, travel, caravan and even pet insurance! This is worth your trouble as for example if you can find cheaper car insurance elsewhere; you’ll get a full refund from Autonet Insurance. If you're in a hurry, they can also give you a quote over the telephone.

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Online tutoring is really helpful for students who needs homework help especially when it is available 24x7 meaning that you can schedule your tutoring and homework for your Math or English whenever you want them and as many times as you need them. This is really personalized online tutoring and homework help services by expert tutors – not some computer program!

To encourage to get you to sign up with them, TutorVista has a special offer where you can get unlimited tutoring at a discounted rate for the first month in all subjects. World class online tutoring is just a click away!

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I finally signed up for Pay Per Post (PPP) after deciding to give it a go and to find out what the buzz was all about – can one really get paid to blog? And the answer is affirmative; and it is a whole lot easier than I thought it was going to be. And you get to see the money faster too – about a month after your post have been approved. Sure beats putting up ads on your pages which would take months before you get any income from it. In fact I’m going to ‘clean’ up my blog to omit some of the cluttering and annoying ads! Writing paid posts is a much faster and direct way to get paid – in fact you get the first opportunity to be paid USD7.50/- to review the website that introduced you to PPP. As well I’m getting paid USD20/- to spread the word about PPP! So clicked on the PPP button to the right to earn your first paid post by reviewing FH2o!

Because it is a self-service concept, you can choose to write about web sites, products, services, and companies that you like and earn cash at the same time by doing so as your opinion and feedback is valuable to the advertisers. I think that this is incredible. And if you do a post a USD10/- post a day (which I intend to do); that’s an easy USD300/- a month! Yes - you really do get paid to blog.

You are paid via your PayPal account which gives you monthly pocket money to go shopping online. I’m looking forward to buying some kayaking accessories and products in about a month’s time! So what are you waiting for?

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You can customize a range of products from T-shirts, hats, bags, fun stuff, etc which you select first then you can browse to select the design ideas from various categories. Or you can to their “Lab” which have a really cool program to start creating your own design and which you can see instantly! You add your own custom text, choose the art or download your own! When you’re happy with design, you can get an instant online quote from them and also email them to your team.

Check out this really cool company of “inkers” if you need custom T-Shirts or other products. I think they are really neat and they have a lot of happy customers having delivered over 3 million custom T-Shirts in 2006! And shipping is free in the US and Canada and they even offer a money back guarantee.

Go to the "Lab" and get your own cool custom design T-Shirt in no time flat!

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So it makes sense to have high quality residential mailboxes instead of el cheapo ones and which makes the place looks so temporary. High quality mailboxes make even modest homes look good. And mailboxixchange have over 1500 high mailboxes as well as curbside décor products to choose from to match your house design and/or your tastes.

They also have commercial mailboxes so your workplace can look good and classy too! And you can choose lockable high security locking mailbox system. For apartment or condominium blocks there are available cluster designs as well.

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I’ll consider staying in Darling Harbour as it is centrally located on both the City and Pyrmont side of the main Sydney Harbour. There are a selection of 3 star to 5 star hotels there and there are lots to see (exhibitions at the Darling Harbour Exhibition Centre and nightlife), do and eat there.

You can get cheap Sydney hotel accomodation from as low as AUD40/- in places such as in Manly Guest House and the ferry ride there is good way to see Sydney Harbour.

If you decide to venture outside of Sydney, you can also look for cheap hotel bargains and deals in the other Australian cities.

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But now you don’t even have to drive from shop to shop as you can select from hundreds of thousands of light fixtures both indoors and outdoors in a wide range of styles and at the lowest prices from dozens of top manufacturers at Farreys.com using their friendly lighting product search tool to narrow down your selection. You will find your perfect lights should it be chandeliers or your bathroom light fixtures.

How I wished I could order them here in Malaysia but unfortunately Farreys.com is currently only accepting orders for delivery to the United States and Canada. Ah, well.

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Azmi & Juri keeping dry in the downpour!

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My youngest is already 15 years old so it’s been quite a while since I even thought about baby stuff!

However if you are looking for some classy high end baby bling from rattlers, to pacifiers and baby clothes then you should check out baby bling available online from The Aristbrat Shop where “you will find the latest trendy fashion or perfect heirloom treasure for your distinguished little CelebriTot”. Yeah!

Although AristaBrat is a new, up and coming brand, a number of celebrities are already endorsing their products. I supposed it’s never too young to start as “fashion icons aren’t born, they are made”; really? But then again there are the haves and the have mores … so true when it comes to shopping for classy high end baby bling from Aristabrat. Amen.

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You can plan your trips based on destinations of things you want to do. Easy navigation and comprehensive information will certainly guide you to where you want to go and do. After your trip you can share your travels with free travel blogs. You can even subscribe to their newsletter to keep in mind for future trips.

It’s any wonder that this site have been Voted one of "twelve essential travel sites" by Forbes and "Best of Web for Trip Planning" by BusinessWeek.

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And if you are price sensitive or looking for bargains, then you should check out their Clearance Sale items. They have discounts on their autographed baseballs from all the major players with some at clearance prices as well. And if you purchase over $200/- shipping is free. And if you buying for others you can also purchase gift certificates of any price.

It’s a pity there are no sports memorabilia for kayaking … *sigh*

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So it’s of interest to come across an online backup service provider, IDrive-E that offers secured online backup for free (up to 2GB – no kidding!) and unlimited storage for only for USD4.95 per month or USD49.50 per year. Because their service is easy to use, fast and secure; the chances are that I’ll use it more often. Compared to their competitors their features win hands down; and it’s any wonder that they are the leading online backup service provider.

I don’t know about you but I’m going to sign up for the offer of 2GB of FREE online backup without any backup and restore restrictions or bandwidth limits or file type restrictions! What are you waiting for?

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With so much choices to choose from, their online search engine makes short work of any manual efforts in looking for last minute deals, cheap flights and all inclusive holidays to destinations all over the world ranging from popular Mediterranean holidays to far-flung places such as the Caribbean, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean – whatever your imagination and budget permits!

With clear graphics and excellent navigation by way of button clicks and drop down menus; you soon have in your hand (or screen) which bargain holidays you would like to pick!

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Anyway back to the concern(s), if any, with regards to me selling my soul for paid post(s) but it’s interesting to note that one could quite easily earn around USD300/- a month by doing just one (in my case) or two paid post(s) per day; and that’s over a thousand ringgit for 20 or so minutes 'work' a day– which is not bad pocket money considering that junior office clerks are earning much less than that in Kuching! If I’m a student and over 18 and I’m still in university – I’ll jump at this opportunity! That they don't is a mystery to me. Parents too rich or just too ignorant or lazy? Whatever.

Balanced development?
Forests burning/clearing for oil palms plantation in Bau, Kuching 14 October 2007

But I’m wary that doing too many paid posts may put some readers off but then again this is my blog and I’m just being true to what I’m doing. But I believe that the key is balance and I’ll try to be more selective about the kind of posts I choose to do. But then again I find it kind of fun to be posting on something that I would never have bothered about before and this forces you to read up on them and after a couple of posts; they seem to be easier to do and not such a drudgery after all! As in a lot of things in life - it's just how to choose to look at it.

We’ll see how things go and I’ll go with the flow. As usual; your feedback and comments is valued and most appreciated. Bought anything anyone?

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With the availability of multi-languages, you can play globally with largest community base of players from all over the whole. You can also play Poker, Perudo and BlackJack should you fancy these games.

Backgammon is a board game where the skill, strategy and practice of the player is critical in winning as it’s a race between two players, each aiming to bring his own checkers into the home board, bearing them off before the other player does. New player would do well to peruse the backgammon rules. But players at all levels have access to Gammonish.com which is a complete resource with comprehensive free online backgammon guides with official rules and instructions on how to play, dictionary of backgammon terminology and useful strategies and tips. Like I said earlier these guys certainly know how to entice you to play backgammon online.

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With mortgages and home refinancing among the other loans available, there’s enough to cover your specific personal loan needs. And if you’re like me all these various types of loans and what they are all about maybe a little confusing and that’s where a personal finance site like Rebuild.org for cash advance can be very useful as you can take your time to slowly peruse the pages and understand the options available to you. And you do not feel as intimidated as you may be if you’re seeing a loan officer at a financial institution in person.

You can take your time to understand consider your options carefully. I think this is neat as taking a loan is something one should not take lightly!

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Anyway, I think two of the most popular loans for whatever purchases or reasons (such as a new kayak?) are personal loans and secured loans for those with secured asset such as a home. Because it is so easy to get a loan quote from ukpersonal loanstore.co.uk in their 3 step application process; this is really convenient and useful. It is worth your while and time to check out ukpersonal loanstore.co.uk if you are looking for any type of Cheap loans.

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It was become a familiar routine for me to check in on her blog once in a while to read her happy posts and view her happy images; and I always envy marvel where she gets all her stuffs from. She must be receiving a lot of happy emails from her extensive network of happy friends!

So, you are looking for “anything beautiful”; you should check out happysurfer “from where she is … Kuala Lumpur”! Be happy.

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And this can be a weighty problem for the obese for whom more drastic measures may be necessary such as weight loss surgery. However obesity surgery should not be taken lightly especially the commonly read of gastric bypass (or “stomach-stapling”) but stapling your guts is not a viable option.

Lap band or laparoscopic surgery which is minimally invasive is perhaps a better option as it is non-disruptive to your regular routine, adjustable and fully reversible weight loss tool. Laparoscopic surgery is something new to me and it is interesting to find out more about this weight loss tool.

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There are various rooms you can go to play poker online and amongst the top sites are Pacific Poker and Fulltilt Poker which is quite unique in that it features a round cartoonish poker table with cartoon avatars!

There is a lot of information available but the beautiful graphics and layout makes it easy to navigate quickly to where you want to play the game. Such as the listing of leading online casino bonuses available that online casino players can take advantage of when signing up for a new online casino account so that they can receive the maximum internet casino bonus.

For poker players Mac Poker Online is a fantastic resource and playing room! Poker anyone?

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To get your own policy, go to DisclosurePolicy.org

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I had always wanted to visit New York and if I do I’ll certainly plan my trip there with Easytobook for the hotel to suit my budget and near to the attractions I wish to go. I’ll be comparing hotels and looking for deals to stretch my dollar further.

I’ll do the same for my next trip to London and for the other places which I have yet to visit such as Dublin, Rome and Prague. Life is certainly easier these days and booking of hotel is certainly easy with Easytobook. Make it easy on yourself and book with Easytobook!

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And if you are visiting Disney land then Orlando Vacation Rentals is where you should head to first to browse their choice of privately owned condos, cottages and large, luxury villas which are rented out directly by their owner or the owner's agent. Renting a private home will often work out far less expensive than a resort hotel with Orlando Vacation Rentals.

A similar vacation rental is also on offer from Lake Tahoe Vacation Rentals with the attractions of the many casinos there, the cultural legacy and the natural beauty of the area. And you can vacation at North Tahoe, South Tahoe or Nevada and Lake Tahoe Vacation Rentals list the rental homes available. All you need to do is browse and click!

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I lived next to a river and I had on occasions fantasized about having a house boat so that I can get away for the weekends to somewhere quiet and peaceful so that one can relax and chill out. Ahhhh!

However if you are lucky enough to be near Kentucky; you can do just that on Lake Cumberland and Lake Barkley where they have first class house boat rentals available from Waterway Adventures Houseboat Rentals. There you can houseboat cruise amid the rolling hills, waterfalls and intimate coves. You can also bring along your ski boat or personal watercraft.

Perhaps someone should have house boat rentals on our beautiful Batang Air lake as I’m sure it would be popular too. House boat rentals there would be ideal for vacationing families and companies group.

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Hawaii kayaking adventure anyone?

It was so hot today that even the breeze feels hot and with the hazy sky, you really wished that you’re somewhere else – Hawaii for instance! Dream on.

But if I were rich enough to be able to live in Hawaii, I would start to look for Hawaii Real Estate right now – whether it would be on nearer Maui island to the Hawaii Big Island which is the second largest island is home to what some believe are the best beaches in the world, as well as Humpback whales who migrate off Maui's shores every winter or Kauai which is the oldest and northernmost island in the Island chain.

I would likely choose Maui real estate close to if not next to a waterfront so that I can have easy access to go kayaking and Hawaii is really a kayaker’s paradise what with Humpback whales and dolphins for company! And to really get away from it all in paradise I would be happy to live just about anywhere in Kauai so looking for Kauai real estate would not be bothersome for me – as if money is no object! But on a hot day in Kuching one can dream on can’t I?

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I studied and graduated from Sydney and so I’m quite familiar with the ‘city of celebrations’ where there are plenty of events (Art Sydney 07, Martin Place Christmas Concert and Tree Lighting, Sydney Easter Show, Sydney Festival, etc) to celebrate and attractions to see and enjoy. The famous iconic Sydney Opera House, the rocks area and darling harbor are wonderful places to visit, shop, eat and for the adventurous the thrill of climbing the steel arches of the Sydney Harbour Bridge is matched only by the sublime views of Sydney Harbour and the city skyline from the top. There are definitely plenty of things to do and looking for hotels in Sydney is easy with a wide range to suit all budgets as there are so many hotels in Sydney in budget and types to choose from.

Apart for Sydney, Melbourne which is Australia’s second largest city is a great alternative as Melbourne is a city with something for everyone. From chic fashion stores to buzzing laneway cafés and trendy bars, botanic gardens to sports stadiums, elegant Victorian-era streetscapes to Manhattan-style skyscrapers, film and food festivals to galleries and opulent theatres, Melbourne has an activity and attraction that will interest you. And looking for hotels in Melbourne is easy as accommodation to suit the budget of most people's requirements and budgets are available from small, boutique hotels to luxury hotels, from budget to long stay accommodation - including self-catering serviced apartments (or condominium holiday rentals); all the way up to 5 star, luxury hotels in Melbourne.

However if you prefer a weather similar to ours here, then you should also consider Brisbane, Australia’s 3^rd largest city which have casinos, theme parks and markets (for example South Bank Village). And just an hours drive south of Brisbane is the vibrant Gold Coast offering fabulous beaches, shopping and nightlife. Hotels in Brisbane start from as little as AUD 65 to 4 star hotels.

Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane? Take your pick and choice of hotels accommodation. G'day!

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Collecting the prize on the company's Family Day on Saturday, 1st September 2007
Photo by TH2o

Design rationale:

· The circle represents harmony, unity and the universe with the man (or woman) in the center of it all.
· The circle is bisected into two by the human figure who is in motion representing play and recreation.
· The bisected circle is similar to the "Ying-Yang" (hence the lighter shade of green in the upper circle) representing the balance of work and sports/recreation. This is accentuated by the Red Circle which represents the human head.
· The colours chosen reflect the "official" colours in the Company's logo

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I admire the people in Kuching who are committed to living an organic lifestyle as it is not that easy to find organic products here.

However with the advent of the internet-shopping, this has become a whole lot easier. LiveLifeOrganic is a great source for organic products such as for organic food, organic skin care, organic health products and even organic vitamins. Really.

The organic food available ranges from crackers to pastas while the organic skin care range includes shampoo, lotions, serum and toners. Organic vitamins include Vitamin A, B and multi-vitamins.

So it is now easier for you to get hold of organic health products to live life organically – even if you’re in Kuching!

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My flight back from KL on Saturday night was delayed by over one and an half hour and by the time I got home it was way past midnight. In fact by the time I went to bed it was nearly 2 am. That put to rest any plans for early morning kayaking on Sunday.

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FH2o strikes a "sexy" pose @ Sungai Abang, Borneo Highlands.
I think that kayaking is cool and that rivers are sexy but me? You've got to be kidding!

This is bizarre! I was checking on the number of visitors to my blog today on StatCounter (it was around 142 just now) as it is sometimes interesting to find out where the wonderful strangers who reads my blog comes from (or if anyone actually reads my blog!). Some stumbled onto my blog from their internet searches about Kuching but this one really takes the cake as the most bizarre that I have yet to come across! And I am very flattered lah! *ahem*

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I can’t decide whether it was a good or bad thing that a croc was caught near Sungai Taitong, Bau as it was really unusual for crocs to be found in that kind of habitat and in that area. It’s a bit of a mystery how it got there as there had never been any reports of crocs sightings there in living memories. The locals I spoke to speculate that it must have escaped from the nearby mini zoo of the restaurant called "Turned Red" where they kept in captivity crocs, birds amongst other animals; which would be quite irresponsible of them. It probably might not have survived too long there had it not been caught and relocated but on the other hand if it did and though it's a small croc; it would be too close for comfort probably rendering one of my favourite places too dicey to kayak. *sigh*

But I’m definitely glad that Georgette caught hers – on camera; on her media trip back from Bako National Park.

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This house has been empty since we moved in back in 2005 ... Back when I started blogging thinking then that no one would ever bother to read my lame and boring blog about kayaking, clouds and reflections on life. I'm glad that I was wrong as people either enjoy reading about my kayaking adventures or simply like the photos that I love to take or the way I looked at things.

Kuching sunset 24 July 2007

I had since the beginning of this year, spent less and less time visiting and/or commenting on other people's blogs as I simply do not have the time to do so; what with the demands of my new job in a senior position in a main board public listed company and managing my kayaking trips business which has seen a more than three-fold in the number of guests taking our trips since I started it back in March 2006. I'm really grateful that Azmi is so capable and to Bev for chipping in to help on the weekends. Although the number of comments has dropped drastically, the number of visitors to my blog has not! But I still have my regular readers such as QV, Wuching, Moody Minstrel and blogging kayakers like my friend and proud new father Huey and Bonnie. And of course I always have lurkers who reads but prefer not to comment. All are warmly welcomed. I guess in part my blog is being 're-discovered' by new visitors all the time; perhaps also due to my link in the famous and popular local blogger Kenny Sia's website. I suppose Kenny like a lot of young people I meet, find me interesting while the older folks (except for Lam Chun See of "Good Morning Yesterday") find me weird! Hmmm.

Evening skies outside my office 24 July 2007

Mine, mine - how the time has breezed by since. Time and tide certainly waits for no man and changes are inevitable. I trust that the past 2 years had been as interesting and kind to you as it has been to me and that the changes had been positive and meaningful. Go with the flow and be well!

Sunset outside my house 24 July 2007

Labels: About Life, General, Rantings

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FH2o in the sun somewhere on a river @ Bau, 22 July 2007

Trust that you Sunday has been just as relaxing and peaceful as it has been for me and Buddy!

Buddy in the shade @ home probably dreaming of being somewhere on a river with FH2o ...

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When we first encountered it and from a distance, I thought it was a building on fire! It wasn't. But on closer examination and with an explanation from Mr. Sim it was a shed for the smoking of coconut meat or kernel of the coconut to make copra. It is more efficient than drying it out in the sun.

Copra can keep after smoking and are lighter to transport as most of the moisture are driven out in the smoking process. They are transported in gunny sacks by boats to the 'oil mills' in Kuching where coconut oil are extracted from the copra. The by-products after the oil has been extracted are used as animal fodder. The husks of the coconuts are used for burning to create the smoke. It is all very eco-friendly; except for the smokes of course but nothing quite as near threatening as the emissions from our more polluting urban industries.

Trust that you saw something new and learn something interesting over the weekend; be it smoking or otherwise ...

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After a breakfast meeting, I was rushing to get myself a small backpack for my 'new' found pastime of cycling and I dropped by Times Square on the way to Sentral Station to catch the KLIA Express to KLIA. I was on the upper level when I heard some classical music coming from the atrium and went to take a look, to discover that the 1st KL International Dance Festival was being held there and ballroom dancing was on the cards. Captivated, I took a few snaps before I reluctantly hurried to do my last minute shopping. Pity there's no Cha-Cha or Tango for me!Irregardless of whether dancing is on the cards or not - have a Great Weekend!

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Read the bottom line , translated - "You must be MENTAL to try this!"

Someone in the office (with a bit of time on their hand) emailed me this (amongst other things ...) which perhaps could be the perfect slimming diet - you would not be able to stomach it! Yucky yuck yuck!

Frog Juice anyone? *puke*

Labels: Food, General

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Water level rose to knee-high around the Concorde Hotel's carpark - 11 June, 2007

Concorde Hotel carpark under water after three hours of rain in Kuala Lumpur - 11 June, 2007

Car owners trying to restart their cars that were stuck in Concorde Hotel's carpark which was flooded after three hours of rain in Kuala Lumpur. - 11 June, 2007

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I'm off to Kuala Lumpur (again) later this morning and would be back in Kuching on Saturday evening with thoughts of Kg Beliong Sangkap where we plan to cycle and explore early on Sunday morning. With thoughts like that, no work or other pressures would bother me the slightest bit! Re-cycle this thought and have a great weekend ahead!Young malay mother shading her baby awaits to board the sampan at Kpg Tiang Api, 4th June'07

Labels: General, Travelling

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Sun reflected on Sungai Sarawak Kiri @ Danu, 24 May 2007

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I was having lunch with my office colleagues and one of them had recently bought a Nokia N95 which has a 5 megapixels camera (and which he has not even tried yet). All the photos on my blog are taken with my Pentax Optio 43WR digital camera which is a paltry 4 megapixels. And this darn handphone has 5 megapixels? *sigh* It was a clear and bright day and what was I to do but to put down my chopsticks and delicately picked up the camera phone instead, being extra careful not to drool on it.

And here are the 2 photos I snapped with the camera phone and which was also emailed to me – with the N95. Actually I could even have blogged about this there and then as the N95 has built-in wifi. It even contain an integrated GPS receiver and ships with navigational software so that you can precisely locate where you snapped your photos. Smart phone huh? Maybe the next upgrade model can even take pictures on its own. Hmmm ...

Suddenly I felt nostalgic about my manual Nikon FM2 film camera (remember those?) and my first 'brick' motorola hand phone and realised how much changes had occurred and how quickly time has passed ... *sigh*

Labels: General, Rantings

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ME spotted at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport

Fancy and Expensive 'water' ...

But putting that aside for the moment, I like brand names that are simple and some would be perfect if only they are not missing an "F"!H2O @ Siam Paragon, Bangkok

Labels: General, Travelling

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Of late perhaps because of my frequent business travels (once every other week), I had been entertaining thoughts of getting a folding bicycle (especially when held up in heavy traffic) so that I can get some exercise in as well as taking in the sights of towns/cities that I’m visiting. That was why I bought a ‘folder’ or folding kayak in the first place so that I could paddle wherever I travel. But a folding bicycle is considerably lighter, smaller and more convenient to travel with and to unfold. How does 15 seconds sound like? And which is about the average time it takes to unfold a folding bicycle! Although my Folbot Cooper is one of the easiest folding kayak to assemble, I still take more than 20 minutes to do so and covered in sweat in our hot humid tropical weather by the end of the process!

I was also astounded by the range of models and designs available. And there is even a folding bicycle society called “The Folding Society” whose membership is free along with a knowledge base of experience and information.

Of all the designs of the folding bicycles that I had ‘googled on’, none is as radical as the 'Locust 'Folding Bicycle by Josef Cadek who is a 26 year old designer from Prague. There’s an interview with him here and I would really love to get hold of one (just so that I can hang it in living room’s wall!) hopefully when he manages to get it into production.

Meanwhile I’ll probably have to settle instead for the A-Bike invented by Sir Clive Sinclair. Although I'm skeptical about the ride with such tiny wheels! But it's probably the most compact folding bicycle for travelling and the design is really cool.

Although it may be more realistic to get the Dahon Jetstream XP which is the world’s lightest full-suspension folding bike. I wished I can own them all - Brompton, GoBike, Strida, Bike Friday, etc *sigh*

Labels: General

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Labels: General

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First my two weeks old notebook died on me suddenly after lunch yesterday and I’ll have to send it to the service center on Monday as the hard disk had crashed according to the guy at the shop where I bought it from had a looked at it last night. I’ll probably have to kiss goodbye to the hundreds of photos I hard taken over the past 2 weeks some of which I was intending to post. Darn.

However I took some photos today but I’d left the cable in the office and I can’t seem to locate the memory card reader in the house. *sigh*

I really hate to post something without any photos, so here’s a video from YouTube that my son TH2o thinks is cool. I think it's not only cool but pretty amazing - enjoy!

Labels: General

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Thanks to a healthy metabolism and also active lifestyle, I don’t really have any weight related issues despite my prodigious eating from love of good food, although my perfectionist daughter loves to call me fat!

But for those who are not so fortunate, this may help - Hoodia Diet Pill; which is an appetite suppressant and before you jump to conclusion about taking drugs and such, it is totally natural, has no side effects, and it works according to them. Must be as they are the #1 Selling Appetite Suppressant in the U.S.; the fat capital of the world. Also 60 Minutes, ABC World News Tonight, NBC Today's Show, BBC News, and various other news programs have done reports on these natural pills made from cactus like plant, and have reported that it works.

More information are available at their site. Although there’s no substitute for healthy eating and exercise, we all could do with a little bit of help to point us in the right direction to handle our weight management issues. And Hoodia Gordonii diet pills as a natural product with no side effect may certainly be of some help.

BTW, QV – are you reading this? As this post is dedicated to you! Hehee!

Labels: General

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After more than 6 months of searching, I’d finally found the van that meets my requirements and budget! It’s a second hand silver colour Nissan C22 Vanette 8-seater van. And it's not easy to find a good second hand van and I was so glad and relieved that I'd finally managed to find one. I collected her on Friday and had the four tyres, two windscreen wipers, two front shock absorbers, one steering wheel cover and one gear shift knob changed. I also added in the roof rack and front seat covers. She was a bit dirty as well and so on Saturday I sent her for a car shampoo and vacuuming as well. She looks and smells nice now after I sprayed some air refreshner!

I still have to get the central locking on passenger side fixed as well as the switch for the front headlights – then she’ll be ready to go! Yippee! Car Van ride anyone?

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Strange that I’d been 'assigned' to write a journal entry for a law firm in Seattle, Washington! Hello? This is a Kuching blog and surely I do not have that many readers in the US. Hmm but what do I know and it’s certainly a creative challenge to weave something so completely different - on a personal injury law firm handling serious accident cases and wrongful death cases; into the fabric of this kuching kayaking blog!

Lawyers, like other professionals in Malaysia, are not allowed to advertise their services but not so in Seattle, Washington where Paglialunga & Harris, PS not only has a website advertising their area of specialty but also a blog as well. And their website is informational as well as useful - you can even submit your case for a free evaluation if you believed you had been wronged in a personal injury case. They are on the side of the little guy as they do not represent corporations, insurance companies, or governmental bodies.

So, if you’re in Seattle, Washington and you are in need of a personal injury lawyer or attorney; there is no need for you to stay sleepless as Paglialunga & Harris, PS are just a click away. Now go sleep!

Labels: General

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Buddy and owner wishes you all happy 'Chap Goh Mei' on a lazy sunless sunday in Kuching.

Be careful where you throw that tangerine in the river; make sure you don't accidentally hit a kayaker!

Labels: General, Photography

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Labels: General, Life

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Well if its life insurance that you are looking for, then Financial One would be able to help. Naturally there are conditions and restrictions that would apply - but you have a chance to get some sort of cover instead of being rejected outright.

To understand this more, fill in the form at their site for an agent to contact you. Nothing could be simpler. And if you are looking for cover, what is there for you to lose?

And for the rest of us who are ‘insurance agent phobia’; the existence of Financial One should give pause for us to perhaps not take our insurance needs for granted but instead dwell on the thought that they may actually be doing us a good service. That does not mean that all you insurance agents reading this should construe that I’m a prospect! I’m quite fully covered thank you!

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photo by gette

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After some waiting hiding inside my car (and munching on CNY goodies) , I managed to take few snaps of the mother bird with my humble compact 4.0 Megapixel Pentax Optio 43WR camera through the windscreen. A fast long zoom lens on a DSLR would be nice but this would suffice. Can any of the bird watchers out there identify this lovely bird for us?

Later I again climbed up a ladder to take a look inside the nest. And I’m pleased to report that the second egg has hatched! However looking at it’s much smaller size compared to its sibling which was born just a day earlier, I'm a little concerned if it would be able to survive if the bigger sibling monopolise all the food that mummy brings back to the nest. I suppose we'll have to leave it all up to nature. Here's wishing that I'll have happy stories to report in the days ahead! Beats watching Television but perhaps not the silliness of American Idols!

Labels: General, Life, Photography

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We had a lot of lovely and wonderful visitors to our place on the first day of Chinese New Year; but none as pretty as the one who arrived the first thing in the morning in the Year of the Boar!

Labels: General, Photography

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Personally I choose to celebrate CNY to let our children know the importance of our tradition and culture. And it is also a time when my friends can have the opportunity to visit and catch up with us. Somehow CNY would not feel like CNY if we’re in Rome!

But will there come a time when most of my friends would be away on holidays in Rome or wherever during the CNY period? Well in Rome do as the Romans do I suppose and due to the convenience of the internet, I can very easily search for as well as book my hotel and find out the room guide and any specials that maybe available then.

BTW, does this post sound like a paid entry? Let me know as I find it rather interesting and it does pose a creative challenge to blog something that has been ‘assigned’ to you rather that out of your own choice and not to appear to have sold your arse soul for a couple of dollars! But life is about learning and trying out new things and not necessarily for monetary reasons. Though I had never had any real difficulty in coming up with stuffs to blog about on a regular basis, this does in a way make it even easier though at the risk of losing one's 'blog personality' if there is such a thing! Irregardless I'll still continue to blog what I like to blog previously. This will be an 'extra' or something I may even drop completely.

And to all my friends and friends-I-have-yet-to-meet in Kuching, I’ll be around this Chinese New Year and not in Rome; so do drop by for a visit and if the tide is high enough then, we can even go for a short Chinese New Year paddle!

Labels: General

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If they can do so much with only a paltry 32 numbers of rivers – imagine what we can do with the literally hundreds if not thousands of river we have in Sarawak alone! But sadly the authorities who are supposed to manage our rivers and water bodies are only paying lip-service in carrying out their duties much less having any big dreams or the visions to create such a wonderful environment for living, recreation and sports. As a Malaysian I feel anger, shame, sadness and frustrations with our ‘elegant silence’ in not getting anything done and I sense most of us are losing heart about really moving ahead towards Vision 2020. I supposed we would move ahead faster and definitely in great comforts cosseted in private yacht and jet plane. *sigh* Do you know that you cannot even get hold of a river map of Kuching and surrounding environs from our river board? Pathetic in the most positive light, but in the light of truth; truly sad and depressing and I feel a sense of dread for the younger generation who has to inherit such malaise and incompetence from this generation.

And at the speed that the Singapore government can usually get things done unlike tak-boleh-land (where despite claims to the contrary - corruption still rules); it wouldn’t be too long before they’ll realized the vision of Singapore being a land of gardens and water. Then I might emigrate to live and retire in kiasu-land. I can’t believe that I’m actually saying this! But the vision is really so enticing. I’ll envy Huey then as he is envying me now living in the “land of rivers”- where the rivers are under appreciated as well as under taken care of. Meanwhile I'll just drool me a river ...

All images are taken from PUB-ABC Water Bodies Plan:
www.pub-abc.com.sg

Labels: General, Kayaking

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It rained the entire night and it was still raining when I woke up and I decided to cancel the kayaking trip after looking at the dense dark clouds and rain blocking out the sun. I was right to cancel the trip as it rained the entire day and the river would have been quite swollen with all that down pour.

Labels: General, Kuching Skies, Photography

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I believe in God, only I spell it Nature.

Frank Lloyd Wright

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Strange sight spotted somewhere on the road to Bau on a kayaking trip ...

Thongs may be in fashion but frankly I think this is gross ridiculous!

Here's wishing you a wonderful weekend but don't over-expose yourself as too much sun is bad for the skin ... ;)

Labels: General

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But I think I need to go for a confessional now father; for I had sinned ...
(Is this device another word for aphrodisiac?)
;)

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On Friday night, my wife ‘dragged’ me to attend this ‘sharing presentation’ from her friends in Singapore together with their ‘upline’ from Perth at De Summit on this wonderful health supplements from the US. Though not exactly new to ‘Multilevel Network Marketing’ having joined a couple over the years (who hasn’t in Malaysia, the world’s MLM ‘dumping grounds’, must be living in a hole): I was nonetheless pleasantly surprised to learn that USANA supplements had been independently tested to be the ‘best’ in the world. If that’s true, then it’s a no-brainer as I currently take supplements (Vitamin C, B Complex, Vitamin E, Cal-Mag0 and I would only want to take the best. So if I do sign up; then those of you who may want to take supplements can then contact me and be my ‘down-lines’ thereby making me a ‘diamond’ in a couple of years with 5-figure passive income … and so the ‘story’ goes.

On Saturday, Azmi had to take emergency leave to help his dad sort out some land matters problems in Sibu leaving me to take the Jones’s from the UK for some rainforest kayaking in Borneo Highland. Fortunately Lars, a Norwegian, whom I had recently met with his local wife who hails from Kg Semadang was able to help out to be my ‘shuttle’ driver. But unfortunately my car battery died on me in the morning (I also had battery problems with my camera. Coincidence?) I had to ‘jumper lead’ start my car to get a new battery delaying the trip by over an hour. Fortunately the Jones were understanding and didn’t mind the delay. (Actually one of them had a bit too much to drink the night before and was glad for the extra rest!) I had bad luck with the car battery but wonderful luck with the weather with clear blue skies after a rainy week. The Jones siblings absolutely love the kayaking trip and would be telling the whole wide world (or rather the Lonely Planet) about their ‘fantastic’ experience and what a wonderful guide I am … blah blah blah! They labeled themselves as ‘our most satisfied customer’ and wanted to sign our Guest Book, which unfortunately we do not have and which I will now get! They were particularly impressed that this country boy can speak the engrish as well as them! Wait till they read my blog! Ho ho ho!

I was organizing a re-union dinner on Saturday night for one of our schoolmate whom we had not met in over 30 years! There were no phone signals in the Borneo Highlands and when we reached the 13^th mile, a flood of sms came in! The original restaurant that I booked screwed up - they have no table for us as they are overbooked and want to tuck us in one corner with a big birthday celebration; so I had to hurriedly find another place for us to meet and to inform everyone else accordingly. *sigh* We ended up in Jambu Restaurant which everyone later agreed was a good choice for the ambience and food.

I do not know why I’m always the de-facto organizer for these dinners but I’ve made an interesting observation when I send out invites first by email, then sms and when I still do not get the courtesy of a reply, I would then call the person up personally. More often than not I would get the following disheartening replies:-

• Too tired or ‘sian’ to go out lah! TV or vegetating at home is preferable to re-acquainting old friendship.
• Too short notice. I wonder how much notice I should give. Surely we are not so super busy high flying executives that one or two weeks notice are required?
• Too busy and from the tone of their voice - don’t bother to ask me what I’m busy with …
• Sorry but the weekends and evenings are ‘family time’. Hello? You mean I do NOT spend time with my family? (Actually my wife and kids are sometimes glad that I'm out of the house!)
  

Unfortunately most people are too caught up in their own self-importance and this ‘me-first’ mentality rules their life. But generally I just politely ignore them - to me these people are just being old. But never mind.

I got home from dinner and my wife wanted to know if I’m able to take the Australian couple from perth’s three young children kayaking. So I called Bev late and mercifully she was able to help as Azmi (who was supposed to be back on Saturday evening) who I learned later had car problems and was stuck in Sibu.

So on Sunday morning I went to pick up Stephanie 5, Sarah 12 and Keith 14 with Stephanie talking non-stop from then till we (gratefully) returned them to their parents! We decided to throw in a surprise for them at the end of the trip – where we would take-out. The trip is actually a reccee as we have a big group booking on Monday (more on this when I find the time). We put-in at Krokong with Bev taking the 2 girls and Keith with me. Stephanie, though noisy, asked the most penetrating questions and we delight in her company. We finally reached the take-out after collecting some unique looking pebbles along the way. The take-out was at the “Mini Wild Animal Farm” where we were met by an ostrich which had somehow escaped from the enclosure. I had to use my paddle to shoo it away! The kids and Bev had a wonderful time looking at the animals which included goats, wild pigs, deers, camels, eagles, horses, etc while I sorted out the kayaking gears. After a nice lunch we drove back to Kuching to drop off the children with Stephanie keeping us amused with her incessant questioning!

I had ordered a few more kayaks but they had not arrived in time; so I had to borrow/rent kayaks from my fellow kayakers. So after a quick dinner I had to go and pick up the kayaks for the big trip on Monday all the time wondering if Azmi would be back in time to help me to handle this group. As a contingency I called up my old kayaker friend Ivy to see if she would be able to help – and she could! Yipee. And more of this story on my next post. Now I’ll see if I can sort out the photos to go with this post … failing which this shall be one of my rare ‘no-photo’ posts. Hmmm

Labels: General, Kayaking, Life, Rantings

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I was on the timber deck reading and the king tide was coming in; flooding the lower levels of the jetty arousing the curiousity of buddy who gingerly ventured down and whom my daughter then joined to play in the cool of the evening. I put my book down and went inside to get my camera to capture these sweet fleeting moments; before I too joined in the fun of getting one's feet wet! Sweet.

Here's wishing you a playful weekend; be it wet or dry!

Labels: General, Life, Photography

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Happy holidays folks! But for some (like yours truly) its back to the grind; however an email with this attached picture, I received from a dear old retired engineer friend of mine in Perth brought a grin to my face. Thanks Boon Keat; now half the population in Kuching will think I'm bonkers to be on the water as they will substitute in their mind's eye the great white with the still-uncaught legendary man-eater crocodile here - 'Bujang Senang"!

Labels: General

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