Month: May 2008

The Spring

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the spring

The Spring is one of the newest shopping centers in Kuching. The mall was still under construction when I left Kuching about two years ago and it’s almost fully occupied now. The Spring reminds me of Chadstone Mall in Melbourne, Australia with its sprawling two (three including the basement) story layout.

spring interior

tHe Spring – that’s the official capitalization policy of the enterprise – is billed as a lifestyle mall offering retail experiences. The term “retail experience” seem to be replacing the more common vernacular of “shopping” in marketing lingo. I was aflutter with delirious exuberance in anticipation of the sojourn to this new retail experience establishment!

quiksilver

Sarcasm aside, I really did want to see what it’s like coz I’ve heard a lot of good things about it. Irene picked us up from the airport and sent us to our hotel to check in before driving us to tHe Spring. It’s located at Jalan Simpang Tiga and it just opened on 10th of January 2008.

spring coins

Irene told us that people have been throwing coins into this water feature in The Spring, perhaps mistaking it for some kind of wishing well (wishing umbrella?). The management of The Spring actually had to sand blast a sign into the glass perimeter on all floors reminding visitors not to throw coins into the water feature. 🙂

spring gawai

The Spring had a feature for the upcoming Gawai (Harvest Festival) celebrations with a replica longhouse complete with traditional Iban musical instruments on display and not-so-traditional piped music from hidden speakers on loop for ambiance.

quiksilver girl

Quiksilver is represented at The Spring, as well as their female line Roxy. I went in and found a tag (I seriously don’t know what this thing is actually called) that I purchased back in 2003 and lost somewhere during a particularly excessive drinking session. It’s supposed to be worn around the neck for name tags/smart cards and such but I use it for aesthetic purposes.

quiksilver tag

There is a hook on the tag that can be attached (to a name tag/smart card) but the hook can also be attached to the belt loop on a pair of jeans. I just like the way it looks hanging down from the belt loop on a pair of jeans. It’s a bit garish, I know, but I like it. 🙂

spring irene

Irene sends her regards.

Getting there: Batang Ai Hilton Resort

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hilton jetty

Batang Ai National Park is located in Lubok Antu near Sri Aman (about
250 km from Kuching). The area consists of a tropical rainforest and a
hydroelectric dam with a reservoir measuring 24 square kilometers, making
it the largest artificial lake in Sarawak.

hilton van

Hilton operates a 5-star
longhouse resort at the park. The resort is only accessible by boat and
Hilton provides a shuttle service departing Kuching at 8 am in the
morning. It must be booked 24 hours in advance and the trip takes about 4
hours. It is possible to sleep on the air-conditioned shuttle van
depending on your fatigue levels and benzodiazepine plasma concentrations.
😉

sleeping

It should be noted that the shuttle van is not free even if you have
a hotel booking at Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort. The shuttle service
costs RM 175 per person for a return trip from Hilton in Kuching to the
jetty at Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort. This is not mentioned on the
website except in the Fine Print (TM) which says a service charge may be
applicable. There was one other Canadian woman traveling with us and she
was charged twice for the shuttle despite having canceled her travel
companion’s booking.

rest stop

The shuttle trip for the both of us cost RM 350
return trip, which is more expensive than the night’s stay at the Hilton
Batang Ai Longhouse Resort itself. That said, the driver was very friendly
and accommodating and the van shuttle service itself is quite comfortable.
I was told that the shuttle is not run by Hilton management but outsourced
to Borneo Adventures. It is possible to take a regular bus to Lubok Antu
and then a taxi to the Batang Ai jetty for people on a shoestring
budget.

lachau

There is a scheduled stop at Lachau – the
midway point between Kuching and Batang Ai. It’s a small and sleepy town
with shops selling knick knacks and traditional Iban art to tourists.
There are also several coffee shops for lunch and a beer if you’re feeling
hungry. The shuttle stops here for 45 minutes and you can take this opportunity to void your bladder should you be inclined. The next stop
will be 2 hours away at the Batang Ai Jetty.

jetty

The 20 minute boat ride to
Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort is free and departs at regular
intervals. I recommend taking the 12:15 pm boat to the resort to make the
1 pm check in time. There is a waiting area at the jetty with washroom
facilities.

wind

The boat ride takes about 20 minutes to arrive
at the Hilton Batang Ai Resort. The wind factor can be a little intense as is shown on Phoenix’s features. It literally distorted the identifying characteristics of her face. I’m still not sure why it didn’t happen to the rest of us though…

scene

The lake is tranquil and peaceful and
provides a nice setting for the upcoming R&R you can expect at the
Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort.

sunning

There is also an upper deck to sit on
if you don’t mind the noon sun.

The Manhattan Fish Market

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manhattan fish market

The
Manhattan Fish Market (MFM) is a high end fast food eating establishment
in the vein of T.G.I. Friday’s and Chili’s Grill & Bar. The Spring has
one of the franchise outlets and Irene brought us there for lunch coz we
didn’t eat on the flight to Kuching.

mfm interior

The Manhattan Fish Market traces its
history back to the Fulton Fish Market in Manhattan, New York. The 180
year linage of the Manhattan Fish Market under the Brooklyn Bridge is the
basis of this seafood restaurant franchise. MFM specializes in seafood of
all sorts – fish, oysters, mussels, lobsters, crab etc. If it has fins or
a shell, it’s probably on the menu at The Manhattan Fish Market.

mfm tv

The MFM
outlet at The Spring shopping mall has a wood based interior with solid
timber dominating the features, a rather environmentally unfriendly but
warm design implementation. The localization attempt has a huge plasma TV
showing a video from Ikan Terhandal Malaysia (Expert Fishing Malaysia), a
monthly magazine for fishing enthusiasts with a VCD showing recreational
fishing amateur footage.

mfm wood

The Manhattan Fish Market also has a consistent
theme – the focus is on seafood and there are old framed posters of fish,
lobster and crab on the walls, presumably the very same ads from the
Fulton Fish Market nearly two centuries ago.

mfm board

The table has the signature
MFM chopping board in place of the usual plate setting in other
restaurants. This trademark is from the Fulton Fish Market days when fresh
tuna (and other catch) were brought in and chopped up before being
sold.

mfm quencher

Captain’s Quencher (RM 6.90)

This is a carbonated orange twist that I ordered. Very refreshing and thirst quenching. No misleading naming conventions here. 🙂

mfm espresso

Espresso (RM 12)

A much needed shot of caffeine to jolt myself awake…

mfm mussels

Garlic Butter Mussels (RM 13.90)

Delicious poached mussels in creamy Manhattan garlic butter sauce. Comes with slices of baguettes.

The mussels in garlic sauce tastes absolutely divine! There weren’t
enough to go around.

mfm catch

Grilled Catch of the Day (RM 17.90)

Grilled catch of the day complete with
Manhattan garlic butter sauce – a healthier choice (presumably compared
to their famous Manhattan Fish & Chips)

Irene had the grilled catch of the day (think it was halibut for that Saturday)

mfm platter

Manhattan Seafood Platter For
Two (RM 42.90)

Deep fried fish fillet, calamari, oysters, and prawns served with chips and garlic rice.

mfm flaming

I shared the Manhattan
Seafood Platter For Two with Phoenix. The waiter had a can of combustible
material and flamed the platter in front of us. This flaming treatment
chars the top of the platter and ensures the carbon goodness is
transmitted properly. 😉

mfm us

The Manhattan Seafood Platter is meant for two
(2) people but even the three of us couldn’t finish it. The serving
portions at The Manhattan Fish Market is generous, meant for larger
appetites than ours. I think the flaming treatment got too close to Phoenix coz her face seems a bit charred from it.

mfm irene

It was really good to meet up with you again on
this trip, Irene! 🙂

mfm logo

The Manhattan Fish Market – now available in
Sarawak.

Ipanema

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ipanema

Ipanema is one of the latest watering holes in Kuching. It’s located at Padungan Road (beside SOHO) at the place that used to be Tom’s. Irene and David has been hanging out here as of late and I went to check the place out on Saturday night.

ipanema interior

Ipanema is named after the beach in Brazil and the place is pretty chill – it attracts a more sophisticated crowd compared to the surrounding nightspots.

kilkenny draught

The place even has Kilkenny on draught. I (heart) Kilkenny! =D

ipanema bartender

Ipanema has an extensive selection of cocktails as well. I tend to judge a bar/pub by the quality and variety of the cocktails they have. It’s important to have a bartender who can mix a good cocktail.

pina colada

Phoenix had a Pina Colada (RM 22) which is made with Malibu (the coconut liqueur), pineapple juice, fresh cream and crushed ice. It tasted pretty good. I love a place with good cocktails.

kilkenny

I went for a pint of Kilkenny (RM 28). Ipanema has the popular Irish beer on draught (!) which I fell in love with ever since I first got a taste of the creamy ale back in Australia.

ipanema girl

There are girls selling Dunhill premium brand cigarettes like Dunhill 360 and Dunhill Top Leaf (also available at your local 7-11) inside. I don’t know if they’re promoters going through the Saturday night crowd at the nightspot but I took the opportunity for a photo op anyway.

ipanema group

I think we hit the ethanol products a little too hard that Saturday night coz we nearly missed the shuttle to Batang Ai Hilton Longhouse Resort due to an alcohol induced coma.

P/S – My apologies…the bartender must have had a case of the shakes while taking our group photo coz there’s a motion blur effect on Phoenix (my travel companion). It didn’t affect the rest of the frame though, strangely enough. 😉

Tongue Piercing Photos and Video

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borneo headhunters

Greetings! I am blogging from Starbucks in Kuching while waiting for my flight back to Sibu. I have been planning to get another tongue piercing and managed to squeeze it into this brief trip – perhaps a more apt word would be a layover – thanks to Irene, who kindly drove us around Kuching.

preparation

This is my third tongue piercing in as many years. The first tongue piercing was involved in an unfortunate incident during a routine dental hygiene maintenance procedure where the screw-on ball dropped down the sink. I didn’t have a replacement, considering piercings were not common then so the piercing healed up.

clamp 1

The second piercing was subjected to an accidental ingestion during a particularly delectable feast – again with the screw-on ball – and I couldn’t find the backup stud I had in storage. I wasn’t particularly keen on waiting for it to reappear after a bowel movement and screwing it back on so it healed up on me as well.

clamp 2

This trip to Kuching was meant to be a layover before we went to Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort so I only had the evening to squeeze in a trip to The Spring, get a tongue piercing and go out clubbing before heading for our R&R at the resort. I made an appointment with Ernesto of Borneo Headhunters Tattoo and Piercing for 6 pm.

clamp 3

Unfortunately, Ernesto ran out of tongue studs and Irene was kind enough to drive me to Rupert Rage War Store in Centerpoint to get the jewelery for the piercing. I got a standard surgical steel tongue stud plus a more vociferous design for nights out. I reckon it’s better to get two this time just in case any undue ingestion or bathroom incidents affected the first one.

This is the video of my third tongue piercing. I’m pleased with my travel companion’s directing skillz since it turned out pretty well. The tongue piercing is a little off center but I kinda like the way it looks now. It’s a little more interesting than a straight piercing and I have it on good authority that it feels better in this configuration. My travel companion commented that I was quite a cunning linguist after the procedure. 😉

ernesto

It cost me RM 50 for the piercing only (RM 120 if you want a stud to be provided). Thanks Ernesto!

Mojo

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mojo

I went clubbing with Phoenix (not her real name) and Irene plus her companion on Saturday night. We went bar hopping and ended up in Mojo, Ipenema and SOHO. I was only staying the night and Irene picked us up at around 10:30 pm coz I really wanted to hit the night scene in Kuching again considering I haven’t been here for a while.

mojo bar

The bar area was pretty much as I remembered it…

mojo tv

…but there’s now a huge plasma TV screen for the people who would go into massive withdrawals from missing the all important EPL (English Premier League) soccer matches during their night out. 😉

mojo interior

Mojo was absolutely packed that night – it felt like I was squeezing into a sardine can. There was a lone empty table and we promptly sat down on it. It didn’t cross my mind that the table wouldn’t be empty with the crowd magnitude without a reason. =D

gerald

It was actually reserved by Gerald, the owner of Mojo. I haven’t seen him for ages – not since I left Kuching. He kindly let us have the table for the night.

mojo drinks

We ordered a bottle of vino and had a good time reminiscing about the good old days…

mojo us

Phoenix is my traveling companion for the Kuching – Batang Ai Hilton Longhouse Resort this long weekend. I’m quite certain there’s something wrong with my digicam coz in every photo we take of this mysterious travel companion, the lens flare seems to mess up the details of her countenance. 😉

Mitsu Shabu-Shabu Restaurant

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shabu shabu

Mitsu
Shabu-Shabu Restaurant is one of the oldest and most successful Japanese
eating establishments in Sibu. Shabu-shabu roughly translates to “swish-swish” and is a Japanese variant of the hot pot. This makes it well
suited to local taste buds since the steamboat is already a popular
communal dining option over here.

interior

Mitsu
Shabu-Shabu is unique in a sense that all the seating arrangements have
individual hot pots recessed into the tabletop. The bar dining area and
tables all have personal hot pots. A table for four would have four
individual hot pots and a table of two would have, well, you know, two hot
pots. This must have made it a very popular destination during the Avian
flu scare a couple of years back when people jumped two feet back if you
even looked like you were about to sneeze.

table

The proper method of eating shabu-shabu is to take a piece of the
thinly sliced meat and swish it around several times in the boiling soup
(broth). However, I noticed that it’s more common for the fine citizens of
Sibu to just dump the entire stash of ingredients lock, stock and barrel
into the hot pot. This method is more suited to the coarsely chopped
ingredients of a steamboat instead of the thinly sliced meats of
shabu-shabu.

beef

This is the Mitsu Mixed Beef
Meat Set (RM 25) which contains a selection of thinly sliced cuts –
tenderloin, rib eye, sirloin and even bacon (of the beef variety).

nori

The main orders come with a dish of nori
(edible seaweed) which is something of a mandatory component of
shabu-shabu (or any other Japanese cuisine for that matter).

sausage

There are also a wide range of side orders from
the mundane to the obscure. This is Taiwanese pork sausage (RM 3).

chicken

This is hand made chicken balls (stop
snickering) which is priced at RM 2 for six balls.

crab

Crab sticks (RM 2) goes very well with hot
pots. It’s actually made of fish meat and flavored with crab (no idea how
they do that) and I love this stuff.

abalone

The
more exotic options include premium grade A1 Taiwan Abalone which is
priced at RM 13.

dump

Faye is a big fan of
shortcuts so she dumped the entire plate into the broth instead of
swishing individual slices of meat around. It should be noted that she was
born and bred in Sibu. 😉

hot pot

The poor meat
and vegetables (and even the abalone) was practically being boiled alive
in the hot pot.

food

I quickly saved a couple
of them by scooping it up into a bowl. Shabu-shabu is eaten with goma
(sesame seed) sauce and steamed rice.

gyoza

The
Seafood Dry Dumpling (RM 3.90) in Mitsu Shabu-Shabu is amazing. The gyoza
is filled with succulent prawns, squid, and fish before being deep
fried.

dumpling

The flavor and moisture of the
ingredients are somehow preserved during the deep frying process,
resulting in a burst of flavor when you bite into one of these. Highly
recommended!

us

“What kind of restaurant
makes you cook your own food?”

mitsu

Mitsu
Shabu-Shabu Restaurant is open till late and adequately air-conditioned.
It’s a good destination for hot pots without being subjected to the
hyperhidrosis associated with steamboats eaten al fresco.

The empire strikes back

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a better mousetrap

I have been told by my fellow coworkers that
our office has a problem with rodent infestation. I have personally never
seen rats in the office but my colleagues have experienced secondary
effects from said creature. The more common grievances include snacks
being gnawed into and mugs and/or bottles falling over, or otherwise
disturbed, the next morning. I suspect the latter could be a manifestation
of clandestine office politics – covert ops of sabotage performed after
office hours – but there is a general consensus that we have a rat
problem.

bait

Thus, the management has procured three
mousetraps for our floor. These are not the unpopular snapping mousetraps
that are extremely hazardous to stray toes but the baited cage type with a
piece of cracker inside.

It looks like our furry little friends are in
for an unpleasant surprise.

P/S – I will be flying to Kuching on Saturday for the long weekend holidays. Anyone interested to hook up?

The best Nasi Lemak Special

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huang chuang cafe

I have managed to find the best nasi lemak special in Sibu while having lunch just now. It’s located at Huang Chuang Cafe near Methodist High School.

muslim stall

The stall is a Muslim stall and it was recommended by Fang Ling who is something of a regular diner over there.

nasi lemak woman

The nice lady at the stall will ask if you want curry chicken or ayam masak hitam (chicken with soy sauce).

nasi lemak parts

You can also choose the parts of the chicken you prefer (drums are popular, as well as thigh meat).

nasi lemak special

The nasi lemak special is served with sambal and a fried egg on top of the fragrant santan (coconut milk) rice. The chicken is served on a separate bowl.

ayam masak hitam

Faye went for the ayam masak hitam. It’s really good – not too spicy, with flavorful hints of cinnamon.

curry chicken drum

Fang Ling and I went for the curry chicken. The curry is spicy, yet with sweet overtones. The place doesn’t add santan like it’s going out of style too. It has just the right balance of spices and coconut milk.

nasi lemak us

The best thing about it? It only costs RM 3.50.

I will survive

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poor cat

…and now I’m saving all my loving for someone who’s loving me.
So now go, walk out the door
Just turn around now, you’re not welcome anymore.

Disclaimer: The person I am talking about in this post has never been
featured on sixthseal.com – long readers would know that I don’t post
about my serious relationships on the blog.

Well, it looks like my availability status has changed again. I just got out of a roller coaster relationship and I’m not sure how I’m feeling right now. I was smoking (tobacco, mind you, not cannabis) alone in contemplation just now and felt the need to write a long, self-pitying post – all the feelings of anger, betrayal, disappointment rolled into one huge pity party.

Well, here at sixthseal.com, we don’t have pity parties. It’s just not on. We don’t sell that shit over here. 😉

I met this girl who seemed to be the perfect match for me (except for her availability status – don’t ask) about four months ago. I had just got out of rehab and realized that I have a weakness for girls like this – bad girls who’re friendly (sounds like an oxymoron, I know) and talkative. She’s Aries too, and that’s kinda like a double whammy coz I tend to gravitate towards Arians, being one myself.

I didn’t like her at first, to be honest. I just wanted to get into her pant(ie)s. I met her at a club and got her number but I promptly forgot about her until two days later. I called her up and we went out for drinks and ended up talking for four hours (shocking, I know).

We decided to meet each other for lunch the next day and I was totally put off by her. I won’t elaborate more lest people manage to identify the person I’m talking about. I just wasn’t interested anymore but due to loneliness (it’s kinda hard, being new in a company and having no one to have lunch with) I went out with her again, and again, and again.

…and you know what, she kinda grew on me. She had qualities that made her attractive and she made me feel comfortable in the relationship.

Anyway, we started hanging out exclusively and it was good for a while until I noticed…discrepancies, shall we say. There’s a lot of deceit in the relationship. I won’t elaborate but let’s just say that I’m not the only one she’s seeing. Every time we get into an argument (fire elements like Aries are not meant to be together) she runs off to her ex-boyfriend.

I won’t call him her ex-boyfriend per se…it’s more like an on and off thing and she seems to have a history of doing that shit all the time in her past relationships.

I’ll be the first to state publicly that I’m not into character assassination and I truly believe that she’s a nice person (honestly) if you don’t mind…er, sharing her, if you catch my drift. 😉

Anyway, the thing that set things off today was a long standing issue between the both of us. I knew I couldn’t get a truly exclusive relationship with her, and I’m okay with that coz I’m not planning to marry her anyway. She’s fun to hang out with and she’s a good friend.

What I cannot stand is the deceit. It’s perfectly fine with me if she tells me she’ll be going to be seeing her ex (other?) boyfriend. It’s NOT okay if she lies about it. It’s the lying more than anything coz I sincerely believe that without trust in a relationship, there’s nothing.

Trust is the foundation that all relationships stand on.

Thus, I have decided to break up with her. Honestly, I thought I would be feeling down and everything, but I’m not. I thought I’ll be writing stuff like “Oh well, at least I have alprazolam to get me through this” or “I’ve successfully kicked a 7 year benzodiazepine habit and I’ll be fucked if I can’t kick a 4 month relationship” but I’m feeling perfectly fine.

It’s the official sixthseal.com policy to not have pity parties.

We just don’t do that shit around here. 🙂

This is for you HH:

I hope life treats you kind…and I hope you have all you’ve dreamed of.
And I wish you joy, and happiness.
But above all this, I wish you…love.

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