Sibu, Song & Kapit Express Boat Schedule

If you are not from the Kapit/Song/Belaga region, chances are you will not be familiar with the schedules of the express boat which are totally essential for travel.
And it gets really frustrating when you want to plan your journey & all you can rely on is the memory of a local who may or may not be accurate.
I sifted through a lot of gunk on the internet before I found a probably reliable schedule at sarawaknews.blogspot.com.

I've printed it out & pasted it on my wall.
Here's a copy of the schedule for your reference.

Vessel (From Sibu)	ETD (Sibu)	ETA (Song)	ETA (Kapit)
Asian Vision	0545	0745	0845
Success Vision	0615	0815	0915
Wah Wah No.3	0700	0900	1000
Sarawak Boleh 168 (Direct)	0730	-	1015
Khai Kiong Express	0830	1030	1130
Kapit Boleh 268	0930	1130	1230
Bahagia 2002	1000	1200	1300
Husqvarna Kita	1045	1245	1345
Wawasan Kapit	1145	1345	1445
Sibu Boleh 168 (Direct)	1230	-	1515
Public Express 95	1300	1500	1600
Bahagia 2020	1345	1545	1645
Good Success 818	1430	1700	1815

Vessel (From Kapit)	ETD (Kapit)	ETA (Song)	ETA (Sibu)
Wawasan Kapit	0640	0725	0925
Public Express 95	0715	0800	1000
Sibu Boleh 168 (Direct)	0730	-	1000
Good Success 818	0800	0845	1045
Bahagia 2020	0900	0945	1145
Asian Vision (Direct)	0930	-	1200
Success Vision	1030	1115	1315
Wah Wah No.3	1130	1215	1415
Sarawak Boleh 168 (Direct)	1230	-	1500
Khai Kiong Express	1315	1400	1600
Bahagia 2002	1345	1430	1630
Kapit Boleh 268	1415	-	1645
Husqvarna Kita	1515	1600	1800

 
p/s: Anyone want to visit me at my school?
All are welcome! Esp if you have something to share with the kids! =)

A Pivotal Moment In National Politics

credits to applejul.blogspot.com

I hear that there's free tupperware.

credits to ousel.blogspot.com

I hear that there's entertaining political rallies with videos, songs, speeches, an ageing porn star & even an unbelievably cute soft toy.

credits to themalaysianinsider.com

I hear about big crowds hanging on to every word, cheering at every declaration & clapping on cue as if hypnotised.

This got me really worked up & so I quickly rushed out of my door tonight because it was the last day for campaigning.
I drove through a bloody jam, shot a few rude gestures & dirty looks at uncouth drivers from the cover of darkness (oh my!), parked my car on a yellow line (whoops!), got out in my flip-flops, sleeveless & grandfather shorts (eww!) & made my way to the bright fluorescent lights as if called from heaven.
20 min later, I'm sitting here in front of my laptop with a satisfied grin on my face & a bulging belly recently filled with a banjo & beef egg burger from my favourite roadside stall.

You really thought that I've gone to one of those rallies, didn't you?
To tell you the truth... I just can't be bothered.
I've made it all the way from the jungle back to civilisation. It's a day's journey.
PLEASE don't lecture me about how important this moment is. I KNOW.
I'm back to exercise my duty as a citizen tomorrow. NOT to attend any rally from any party unless they provide free beer... Free is Compulsory.

Political rallies are mere spectacles & popularity contests.
What those things are is a platform for us katak dibawah tempurung Sarawakians to be entertained by rhythmic sarcastic banter & satisfy our curiosity about some political big guns from the West side.
I can live with less of that.
Second-hand accounts from several political hot chicks I know & watching them turn red with excitement at an air-conditioned cafe (Bing!) is much better than squeezing myself into a sweaty smelly crowd.

I work to hard & I really need my rest.
If it were a political debate, I will even be willing to pay to enter.
However, there have been very very very few of these in Malaysia.
I wonder why...
Perhaps we are still not matured enough to face our opponents head on.
Perhaps we prefer to tikam belakang & syok sendiri by only talking to ppl we know will support us.

I've already decided who I'm going to vote for & no political rally, persuasive speaker or amount of money will convince me otherwise.
This is something private & personal that every citizen should treasure.
If you're over 21, register yourself for voting at the nearest post office so you can vote in the next elections.
If you've already registered, please find your polling station here & PLEASE EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE TOMORROW!!!

Demi Bumi Kenyalang, Sarawak, Ibu Pertiwiku.
Every vote counts.

Keep In Mind When Taking AirAsia's SkyBus

If you're travelling to Kuala Lumpur (KL) via AirAsia, the most economical way to get from the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) to KL is to take the 1hr SkyBus service.
When you arrive at the airport, just walk out the sliding doors & look for a long stretch of waiting red & yellow buses.
Get on one of the red buses waiting to leave for KL Sentral & pick a seat.
The conductor will come along before the bus leaves & collect the fare. It costs RM9 on the bus & RM6.99 if you book it online as an add-on to your AirAsia flight.

If you're like me, you enjoy the thought of saving even a few RM so you'll go for the add-on. The RM2 is better spent on nasi lemak anyway.
However, if you're a young free spirit who relishes the thought of saving trees & the romantics of being paperless, you'll float onto a Sky Bus, plonk yourself on a plump seat, fling your boarding pass at the conductor & end up paying RM16 for the journey.

Why?
The conductor will ask you for a copy of your itinerary.
But, here's my boarding pass.
No, your itinerary please.
Sheet. One look at your boarding pass & you realise that there is no indication that you paid RM6.99 for this freaking bus ride.
Plus you're such a tree hugger that you refused to print your itinerary.
No sympathy for anything that comes out of your mouth; only for what's in your pocket.

Great.

Here's an additional RM9 for the 'convenience'.Thanks for nothing you rude prick of a conductor.
I don't know about you, but it seems that every time I ride on the SkyBus, I get conductors who try to intimidate or piss you the heck off.
Where's the love? I don't see any gangsters or criminals on the bus with me. Or is it because I'm black?

If you're reading this AirAsia SkyBus, I take your buses all the time & I've paid RM16 too many times.
Instead of warning people about how much money they'd save if they go for this luggage add-on or that insurance add-on or a comfortable seat add-on, you should really put up a reminder to print the itinerary on one of your undesirable & confusing pop-up messages to people who choose to add a SkyBus ride to their flight.
This is something that will really actually help people save money. But then again, you won't be making any money out of it so why bother, right?

Somehow I keep treating every company I like as a non-profit organisation. I forget that AirAsia is just another corporation using my habits & psychology against me to make as much money as they can from me.
Bloody baskets.

Anyway, if you've learned anything from this blog post, young people, make sure you print your itinerary before you end up spending the money for a lovely lamb briyanni on a bloody bus ride.

Earth Hour 2011 @ SMK Katibas

That's me on the far right!

Last Saturday, 26 March 2011, I brought Earth Hour to the jungles of Borneo at SMK Katibas!

As an educator of the future leaders of this interior area, I felt that the students here are unaware of the environmental impact of the actions of their community.
The students come from longhouses located throughout the bank of the Katibas River.
There is no proper waste management. Rubbish is casually thrown into the river. Including plastics, waste metal & domestic chemicals.
The people live for the present & do not think of the future repercussions of their actions. Occasionally, they will poison/bomb/electrocute certain areas of the river for fish.
They hunt wildlife for food & as a source of income. They hunt birds, monkeys, deers, wild boars & anything big enough to be eaten. Add logging & deforestation into the mix & we have a really bleak future for the local fauna.

I addressed all these issues & more in a short presentation.

Then, I divided them into 3 groups & gave them instructions to design 3-part banner.
Each student must also write down their wish for the Earth & sign.
The 3-part banner will later be combined & displayed in the school hall.
The students were really creative & they really got into it.
In the end, we had a really good banner that received many compliments.
Awesome job, boys & girls!

During Earth Hour, we went outdoors, lit our candles & enjoyed the warm golden glow under the stars.
I had a big battery, laptop, projector & screen set up displaying the lyrics to an abridged "Big Yellow Taxi" which I rehearsed with the Prefects before the event.
We sang the song a few rounds & then sang some worship songs.
We ended with prayer for the Earth where students took turns to pray out loud in groups before a concluding prayer by the CG teacher.

Although, I didn't get to do everything I planned for this event (I greatly underestimated the amount of time required to move 600 students from one location to another) & the location was not the best (it was too small & there were too many open drains in its area), the teachers involved enjoyed themselves tremendously & said that the event was beautiful & meaningful.
I haven't had any feedback from the students but I've got a lot of ideas in my head on how to do it better next year.
Next year, I will do this again... BIGGER & BETTER!!

Perhaps you could bring Earth Hour to your school too...
When you do, do write about it & share it with me!
I will gladly share what you've done on my blog!

Here is a video I made of the event: