Malaysia New Speedtrap

PDRM seems to have a new "weapon" in their fight to keep drivers in check.

Its cheap and pretty effective if you tell me.

At first glance it may look cheesy but mind you, if your driving 140 km/h this picture of a police holding a speed detector looks real enough for you to slow down.

Have you seen one of these in your area as well?

Encounters

I was at The Curve a few weeks back. It dawned on me that we Malaysian's are pretty inspirational when it comes to signboards.

Here's why.

Saw this while i was waiting outside the fitting room. Totally discriminatory. Like what would we do inside anyway? :D

I am sure the person that designed this signboard have not accompanied their loved one shopping before....

And why do we need a hole in the middle of a mouse?

Kampung Warisan (Heritage Village), Muzium Sabah

I would say that if you only have time to visit ONE heritage site at Kota Kinabalu, Muzium Sabah would be the place to go.

Built in 1985, the museum complex is cited where the then British North Borneo Governor's Istana was once located. The Museum consists of the Main Building, Science and Education Centre, Heritage Village, Sabah Art Gallery and Museum of Islamic Civilization.

You are not allowed to take pictures inside the museum galery. I was stopped by the guard the moment I went into the building since I had the typical tourist posture with the camera hanging over my neck.

Personally, the most interesting part of the museum is the Heritage Village (in which I shall be blogging today).

At the Heritage Village, one can sample the various type of traditional houses of the various indigenous groups of Sabah.

I must say that as you walk along the footpath, one can't help but be amazed by the serenity of the park and its surroundings.

One of my favourite of the whole village. A man made lake surrounded by heritage buildings

Same place but different angle

Another different angle of the same place

Guess you are getting bored of the same scene huh? :P

Self Explanatory

Rungus Longhouse or "vinatang" (in Rungus Language)

As the name suggest, the Rungus Longhouse is indigenous to the Rungus people. They are a subgroup of the KadazanDusun community.

Each Rungus Longhouse (vinatang) measures 3 meters by 15 meters and comprises a long gallery or corridor (langsang sid apad), where socializing and community activities takes place, as well as several family 'apartments' (valai) each with own sleeping unit (tingkang sid ongkob), areas for cooking and working (langsang sid ongkob) and an attic (abai sid ongkob) and (abai sid apad). each family has its own valai. A typical longhouse has about ten valai, but larger ones may have fifteen or more.

Rumah Cina (Chinese Farm House)

Sulap Bangkawan (Skull Hut)

Another interesting place to visit is the Skull Hut which was a culture left behind when headhunters still roamed Borneo.

A "Bangkawan" hanging at the ceiling of the hut

A bangkawan is a collection of human skulls which is used to be suspended from the rafters of a Kadazandusun house in the old days. Sometimes sea-shells and animal boned were added to it.

This is a relic of the headhunting days, when the owners believed that hanging the skulls in the house would bring good fortune to the household.

A feast called magang would be held every five years to appease the spirits of the skulls. The ceremony carried out by bobohizans or priestesses involved invocations to drive away evil spirits and would last for seven days.

Brunei House

Can't remember what this house is called but i love the observatory tower.

So if you are visiting Kota Kinabalu for the first time, do not forget to give this place a visit.

Cat Fight

Saw this in front of Sg Wang plaza. From the way they were shouting, I guess they must be Indonesian. By the time I took my camera out, the fight was almost over.

Not seen a cat fight for ages. Its still as ugly as ever.

Nick descibed this picture as "2 potato fell from the lorry on the way to the supermarket"

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Somehow I got a feeling its something to do with some complicated love triangle shit

"#$$%^&#% don't let me see your bitch face again!!"

The Leaning Tower

I was at Teluk Intan 2 weeks back and all I manage to take was this lame picture with my mobile phone since I forgot to bring my camera with me.

To put it simply, I was bloody annoyed with myself.

Istana Iskandariah, Kuala Kangsar

As blogged before, I went for a short trip to Istana Iskandariah, Kuala Kangsar a few days back. We had about 30 students from Gujarat, India visiting and one of the highlights of their trip to town was a short tour around the Istana compound. Normally outsiders are not allowed to enter palace grounds except for official functions but we manage to get consent from the palace authorities.


Kuala Kangsar is the royal town of Perak. This is where the Istana Iskandariah is situated.

Istana Iskandariah is the official residence of all the Sultans of Perak who have been installed since its completion in 1933.The palace is named after Sultan Iskandar Shah (1918-1938) who initiated its construction.



Istana Iskandariah is located at Bukit Chandan on the left bank of Sungai Perak upstream from Hilir Perak on the site of the former Istana Negara which was built in 1895 by Almarhum Sultan Idris Murshidul'adzam Shah (the late Sultan (in 1887-1916). It occupies an area of 10,435 square meters.


The design of the palace is based on the architecture of West Asia which is famous for its pointed arches and onion-shaped domes. The building is rectangular in shape and faces the sunrise and the river.

The roof is designed with one main dome in the centre and four subsidiary domes, one on each of the palace.

The palace is of there storey. The ground floor houses The Royal Dining Room, two Audience Halls, Reception Area, the Royal Rest Chambers, Ladies' Cloak Room, Aide-de-Camp's Office, Music Hall and the Royal Council Chamber.

Next time your on your way up to Penang, you might want to just drop into Kuala Kangsar for a half day trip.

My 20 Minute Photo Outing

It was a rainy day

I went for a short photo outing

I'll blog more about it when I have the time

Its late and I have to go to bed.

Bird Watching At Kuala Sepetang (Port Weld)

I was at Port Weld last weekend for some seafood and bird watching.

Once the busiest port in the region, its facilities were mainly for exporting of processed tin ore. Opened in 1877 as the gateway for cargo ships, Port Weld is now called Kuala Sepetang. No longer a main port, it is now mainly used by fishing boats.

In the past, Port Weld was an important port for import export activities between Taiping and Penang. Apart from Teluk Intan. Port Weld is also used as an exit point to the Kinta District and Upper Perak District. At that time, the items traded were opium, preserved vegetables, tobacco and tin ore.Port Weld's activities with Taiping increased when a railroad was built. Works on the railroad started in the end of 1884 and its construction was managed by the Ceylon Pioneer Corps. On February, the railroad was officially opened and plying the Taiping and Port Weld route transported passengers and goods.

(info from virtualmalaysia.com)

After doing some research on the net, I manage to identify this bird as Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus). The bird is medium-sized raptors (birds of prey), with a white head and breast. The rest of its body is a striking chestnut brown. The very tip of its tail is white. The wings are broad, with dark 'fingered' wing tips and the tail is short. The legs are short and not feathered, the eye is dark and the lemon yellow coloured bill is strongly hooked. It sails on level wings along shorelines and mudflats.

The Brahminy Kite feeds on carrion (dead animals), insects and fish. It swoops low over water, the ground or tree tops and snatches live prey or carrion from the surface. It also steals from fish-hunting birds, snatching prey in flight.

The nest of the Brahminy Kite is built in living trees near water, often mangrove trees. The nest is large, made from sticks, seaweed or driftwood and lined with a variety of materials such as lichens, bones, seaweed and even paper. Both parents incubate the eggs and the young are fed bill to bill with small pieces of food .

a closeup picture sourced from www.birdsinbackyards.com