Last One From the Cat City

Above is the Map of my strays yesterday on the way to the fort (In Yellow). The correct route is in green. So, could you imagine how pissed I felt when I found out that the fort was actually indah khabar dari rupa.


The Ipoh look alike city. Quaint little town of Kuching.


Woo hooo, my second favorite drink (after Starbuck).. pearl milk tea!


Anyway, after I crossed back to the city, I decided to walk along the 'historical' path of Kuching city.

Then suddenly someone tapped my shoulder... I turned and there, the others were already there.. ready to shop!

I were about to object "But I want to see the historical part of this town!", but having learned my lesson the hard way, I did the right thing this time.


Eight of us were then walked along the shop houses on that main road, spending more times at shop that caught our fancies.


And on one of the shop I saw this weird thing, at which I thought was a meat cleaver and a scratcher!

Afterward (at the Chinese museum) I found out that these were actually the judge's hammers. Back then, when opium ruled, it's considered fashionable to have this thing.. Like whatever...


Some bought aplenty, some bought a little (postcards). Some paid cheap, so were levied a GST; not the Government Service Tax, but the General Skin Tax, i.e. ang moh price.


As for me? I think I did okay. Win some and loose some.
At one shop:
Me: Auntie, Kooi Looi? (how Much?)
Auntie: xxxx
Me: Hamek? *Acted surprise* A kiam boh? (What? Could you reduce the price?)
By then aunties was so impressed with my hokkien, I got like 50% off :p

Meanwhile, on the other shop:
Me: *Grabbed some traditional bracelets*
Shopkeeper: How about t-shirt?
Me: Kamek sik mau lah...
Shopkeeper: Ohh, miak seghawak... bla bla bla (in a very fast sarawak malay and I was lost).
Me: Berapa tok?
Shopkeeper: bla bla lima igit bla bla (huh?)
Me: *Blurry face* cukup ini..
Shopkeeper: lima igit something something question mark.
Me: Just handed her the money.

Only when I were about to exit I saw what she was trying to say. I thought that those bracelets were prices as 3 for RM10... but it turned out it was 5 for RM10. Damn it! So I paid RM9 for 3 items. Sigit, dua igit, tiga igit and so forth was one item, two items, etc... SO she was saying lima igit sapuloh (five for RM10).

Cis, bahana tunjuk pandai. Menyesali diri sendiri, for like 2 seconds.


We continued shopping, and had a break / drinks and each parted into different destinations. Some want to do manicure/pedicure for tonight's reception. Some want to go for the infamous Kolo Mee and Sarawak's Laksa.

Me? hehehehe.. Historical trail...

"Okay, we meet again at 6p.m. at the lobby."


I left my shopping items at the nice auntie's shop and made my way around the city by foot.


Didnt go that far though.. Just around the waterfront areas. The tourism Sarawak office, the post office and the Chinatown. Wanted to go to the GH, where I was born, but i couldnt remember in which direction it was.


Plus it was already 5 and I promised the other guy to go to swim together. Hmm sounded wrong.. it's just that the place he was staying doesnt have a swimming pool.


Went back to the shop and she handed them to me.. Omigod! There and then I felt regret and idiotic for buying it. That stewpid Wooden Mat was so heavy. An dI looked like a Pakistani Carpet seller carrying/dragging the mat all the way to the apartment.

Luckily I took MAS :)~ Didn't have to pay extra during the check in.

Around 5.00, we hit the pool. Camwhoring a while (too XXX to post the pic here! I didnt know my swimming trunk was too tight.. muahahahah)

By 6.30ish all were there at the lobby and off we went to the Mango Tree.

And I was back at 2 am.. And had to catch early flight tomorrow morning.. Well, it was 11.05am flight.. early for my standard!

Was at the airport at 9.30am. Found out that the flight was delayed/rescheduled to 12.30noon. Very the Air Asia!

Luckily there was a Starbuck nearby. Went online there for an hour. And went through the departure hall. Returned the visitors pass to the immigration officer there and hoping it wont take me another 30 years to be back.

Uneventful flight. There's only three of us. Tom, myself and the other guy. All seated separately. And it was Airbus 300 again!

Touched down KLIA around 2.15p.m.


and I saw Mahathir!!! Mahathir Lokman that is.. not Mahathir Mohammed :p

Kutemukan RY di Petra Jaya

Ahad 26 Oktober:
Petra Jaya (Bukan Putrajaya), kawasan terdapatnya Pusat Kerajaan Seghawak. Dan astana. dan Kubu Margharita.

Destinasi inilah yg ingin kutakluki pada pagi ini.


Di dalam peta, kawasan ini dinamakan Kampung Melayu. Tapi bila sampai, jadi Kampung Boyan pulak.

Aper aper je lah..


Eh, kau kat sini jugak ye? Tak tahu pulak aku beemer ko boleh bawak across Laut Cina Selatan.

Setalah berjalan agak jauh mencari Kubu yg mashyur itu, aku masih belum menemuinya.


Tapi sempat mencuci mata. Ralit melihat bangunan Dewan undangan Negeri yg baru bagi Negeri Seghawak.

Okay, keep on moving! Eh takde papan tanda la pulak.. Peta pun aku tak bawa, tengok camtu2 jer melaui Google Map malam kelmarin. Kononnya sudah hafal jalan.

Takpa lah, mungkin di bawah.. Jalan2 lagi dalam 300 meter jumpa lah ini:


Ehh.. kubunya sudah dirobohkan kah?

In fact, the whole area was deserted and semua bangunan telah dirobohkan. Dalam web Tourism Sarawak menyatakan bahawa kawasan ini adalah markas polis.


Hmm yg tinggal sisa sahaja.

kat bawah lagi kot.. Jalan lagi dalam 1 KM.


Uish.. konpom salah ni. dalm map kelmarin takde ler pulak bangunan ni ada dinyatakan.

Tak pasti bangunan apakah ini, mungkin bangunan DUN yg lama.

patah ler balik... berlenggang kanggung sorang2 dibawah matahari yg terik sambil menyumpah2 "Bandaraya" Kuching ini.


Sampai ke tempat asal. Di tempat aku leka melihat tasik batu kapur itu. Barulah kelihatan papan tanda ke Kubu itu. Cissss, sungguh tak boleh join Amazing Race camni.


Jalan la lagik, di celah2 cerun dan lorong sempit. Mula meragui diri sendiri sekali lagi.. Eh takkan la kawasan pelancongan yg terkenal jalan camni kot..

Cuba jer lah..

Tetiba jer dibelakang pagar hijau itu terlihatlah bangunan usang yg maha kecil (Smaller than what I thought a fort should be... it is 1/4 of Fort Cornwallis fort in Penang)

Ceh... ponat eden ajo berjalan 1/2 jam mencari.


Tiada bayaran masuk dikenakan, dan kamera perlu mendapat keizinan kurator muzium terlebih dahulu. Bagasi anda akan disimpan dan dikunci. Macam ada barang boleh bawa balik pun.

Anyway, I was the only tourist there... So I had the place for myself the whole time..

"Where are you from?" the jaga/curator asked.

"Dari KL."

"oh, sign your name here... left your bag with me. You may bring your camera up. go wild.. do whatever you want"... heh heh..


So, yeah, dapatlah daku menjelajah ke seluruh kawasan yang kebiasaanya merupakan kawasan larangan umum.


Posing menanti abe James brooke pulang dari perbatasan. Sambil dok nyanyi lagu "perwiraku" dengan wig tinggi cam cerita P ramlee tuh. Bila dia balik dari bertempur dengan Sharip Masyahor nanti akan ku buka jendela itu dan akan ku campakkan rambutku yg ikal ini intuk didaki oleh nya.

Muakakakak. Berangan sebentar, since there's nothing much to do there anyway.


Di "muzium" ini juga tidak kelihatan papantanda / kenyataan menandakan kawansan2 tertentu dan apa signifikasinya.

You your own imagination. So since there's a skull figure on the door, I'm guessing this is the place where they hung the convicts back then.

Atau mungkin juga tempat alien mendarat. Atau mungking jua tempat pembuangan sisa organik. Seriously, tempat ini tiada jamban. Hmmmmm...


Okay im done... nak balit kamek tok. Sik nahan ooiii.. Bosan.


You had to cross the river to get to the city center. Perahu tambang 50 sen jer.. Tapi pakcik kerek ni tak mahu amik aku.

"Kamu gemuk, nanti perahu terbalik!!!"

Saja tambah rencah.. tapi memang dia tak amik customer pun kalau kurang dari 4 orang. dan tiada jambatan untuk dilintasi. Maka jadilah mereka2 ini seperti pemandu2 teksi ibukota. Memilih! Nasib baik 50 sen.

Untuk pengetahuan, agak sedikit ngeri juga masa nak turun ke jeti.


Takut masa kat platform tu tetiba jer coih, abe bujang senang jr menerkam sambil menari Ngajat Dayak Laut, keriangan mendapat daging dara... muahahah!


Tetapi akan lebih ngeri lagi kalau buaya lain pula yg tiba2 muncul dari dalam sungai serawak itu.. Dengan senyuman berkumisnya itu... sambil mendendangkan lagu "Biarlah Berusia Berahsia".

"Kak Siti, tolong saya!!!!"

P/s: Kepada yg keliru dengan tajuk di atas, gambar RY telah dipaparkan somewhere here.. Hint no2, bila dia strut, akan terhasilah bunyi "Kedekut, kedekut,kedekut!"

Update:
Dikhabarkan bahawasanya Kak Siti telah mencuba untuk menolong saya. Malangnya Kak Siti kandas on the way to Kuching.. Ada pertempuran hebat berlaku diatas kapal terbang MAS antara Kak Siti dan Che Pramugarit Bulu Mata Pelesu. Sadaqallah ul azim...

The Pressure Is On

The perpetual bachelor is already biting the dust. Now, I'm the only one left. *GASP*

Ehh chop, ada Deo, nasib baik!!!...

Last Sunday, at the Mango Tree restaurant (somewhere in the Kuching's suburb), the 4sun & Ma3's reception was held.


The even started at 7. By 6.30 we were already there, and to our surprise, the place was 3/4 full already.

Supposedly, Dura and hubby would join me on my table. But since she was in a delicate conditions, she had to cancel the trip. So, there I was, in a table with strangers (the others were the engineers). Not for long though. After like 10 minutes of awkward silence, we broke the ice and had fun all night long.


The food was insanely abundant. Let me try to remember:

First, there was fern salad (salad pucuk paku).
Then, there were finger snacks (fried fish paste and spring rolls).
Next, came the Tom Yum soup.
After that, there was steamed fish in light soy sauce.
The Buttered prawn came soon after
Followed by the steamed veggies

I lost count after that.. i think there were fried rice, lamb in black pepper sauce, and a couple more main courses. the last entrée was mix fruits platter + the wedding cakes.


Anyhow I stopped eating after the fish. By all means, the food was excellent, but I was just too full with glasses of juices.


There were speeches by best man, woman, parents and the bridegrooms themselves.


Not counting Dura, i was the only one there who knows both bride and groom from more than 15 years. Eh wait, there was Azid, but he was in A level, so the level of interaction was minimal back then. So, i still won! ;)


The dinner ended officially at 10, but we stayed to watch Liverpool vs Chelsea.


And headed for Hilton for Coffee around midnite.. and headed back to our hotels around 2 am.

Who Is Anna Matveyevna Pavlova?

But before that, the recipe first:


Cooking Time: 75 minutes
Ingredients (serves 6)
* 1 tablespoon cornflour
* 6 eggwhites
* 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
* 1 1/3 cups caster sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 teaspoon white vinegar
* 200ml pure cream
* Strawberries, Kiwi and Peaches

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Draw a 24cm (diameter) circle on a sheet of baking paper. Place, pencil-side down, on a baking tray. Dust lightly with 1 teaspoon cornflour.


2. Using an electric mixer, beat eggwhites and cream of tartar in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating constantly until thick and glossy. Add remaining 3 teaspoons cornflour with the last tablespoon of sugar. Fold through vanilla and vinegar.


3. Spoon meringue onto baking paper. Shape into a circle, using the pencil mark as a guide, with a slightly higher edge and a low centre.


4. Reduce oven to 100°C. Bake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until dry and crisp. Turn off oven and open oven door. Cool completely in oven (pavlova may sink during cooling).


5. Slide pavlova onto a serving plate. Whip the cream and top with strawberries, kiwis and peaches.


6. Serve.

And now the history:

Excerp from: L'histoire du Pavlova
No one knows who first created the Pavlova. But the name and the recipes first began appearing soon after Russian prima ballerina, Anna Matveyevna Pavlova (1881-1931), toured both Australia and New Zealand in 1926 and Australia again in 1929. Anna Pavlova was considered the greatest ballerina of her time and her visit to New Zealand has been described as "the chief event of 1926." It was said "She does not dance; she soars as though on wings." From this you get the sense that this is a light, airy dessert.

There is a controversary with both Australia and New Zealand. While it has been suggested this dessert was created in New Zealand, it has also become recognized as a popular Australian dish. Both countries claim to have invented this dessert and claim it as their national dish.

1926 - Keith Money, a Pavlova biographer, wrote in his 1982 book Anna Pavlova: Her Life and Art that a chef at a hotel in Wellington, New Zealand created the dish when Pavlova visited there in 1926 on her world tour. The hotel chef invented was inspired by her tutu, draped in green silk cabbage roses. The basic shape of the tutu was provided by a meringue case, while the froth of the skirt's net was suggested by whipped cream. To achieve the effect of the green roses the enterprising chef used slices of kiwifruit, then known as Chinese gooseberries.

Kuching Sik Ada Pusak Terbiar Tek?

Seriously, I couldn't find a single stray cat in the city of Cats.

How bizzare.

But found a lot of interesting things around!


This could be the biggest BATA store in Malaysia, if not the world. Majestically stood there as a testament of Kuching-nite frugality.


Lebanon Cafe - Serving Sarawak laksa. Plain weird!


The godsend.. Sign of civilization.


Hmmm... A fruit from the tree. Where else could a fruit grow? The lab?


Traveling iron that we're familiar with


Traveling iron back in 1880s.


Nope, Sarawakians are not angry with out current PM. This is one of the cafe's sign I found on the 'other side'.


PLANIT sheet scattering around as if it has no value. (Only EMITian would follow this 'joke')