I thought of posting this in this blog. The community might want to see it. Also there is a before and during tsunami images in Sri Lanka. Here they are, taken from http://www.digitalglobe.com:

Before Tsunami

Source: DigitalGlobe

During Tsunami

Source: DigitalGlobe

This Is What I Want To Say:



Don't know where to go this Christmas. I will be off for two days. I May go to Kota Marudu on the 26th to attend an open house at the Dewan Serbaguna. Other than that, its work and more work.

There are three "medics" in the family -- Anang, Wai and Onong. Anang is a senior government nurse, Wai still pursuing a nursing degree in Sarawak after obtaining her diploma while Onong is currently taking a Diploma in Medical Imaging.

For the three medics in the family, here is a blog that might interest you. I just came across it today and hope it is to be of interest. More importantly, hope it will also spur you to blog.

By the way besides the three of them, there are also six others in the family -- three teachers, two journalists and a site security supervisor.

Congrats to Onong for having achieve a Flat Four CGPA. I came to know about it recently.

On to another news, another member of the Community, Mick, had begun working as a site security supervisor with a construction company in KL. Heard it is a challenging job, partly because KL itself is not an easy city. Its a meeting points of all things good and all things bad.

Nevertheless, its a job and it must be performed to the best of the ability.

Just to update, this is what I plan to do by the turn of the year as far as Masin-Asin Community blog is concerned. They are:

1. To create a blog for each of the members of the Community

2. To link each of the blog to Masin-Asin Community

3. To get each to write or post pictures in their own blog

That is my wish list for the remaining year so that I can get this website going. After I completed the project, I will then submit it for approval by the members of the Community. Those who want to have it, will have it. They can then change the setting and make it their own.

I had three visitors to the office today -- Nuar, Mina and Wai -- all of them came to have a look at the picture I've taken in Tenghilan the other day. I guess they like the picture and the way the camera -- and the cameraman -- took it.

Then someone was asking about Digital Cameras, about which is which, about what's what and lots of other questions. So I had to become an impromptu photography tutor although I was not much of a photographer myself.

With the help of Digital Photography Review website, I manage to explain to them about optical and digital zoom, about the importance of having an option for 100 or lower ISO setting, about sharpness and softness of images, about certain brand of cameras etc. After listening to my ramblings, I know at least one of them had already set the target of owning a digital camera as soon as they can afford it.

I know Mina had fallen for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20.

This is the picture of the Nov 15 majlis or event I was writing about during the last two postings -- its about Nuar's engagement with his sweetheart from Tenghilan.

We went there on a convoi of five vehicles, climbing up hills and passing through padi fields. At last we reached the place right on time for lunch. The discussion went on soon after and by 4pm all the important things had been attended to and minor details resolved.

The majlis on Nov 15 went on smoothly. About 50 members of the Community made their way to Tenghilan to witness the momentous ocassion.

Everyone was happy.

Nov 15. That's a public holiday in conjunction with the Hari Raya. That is also a special day for a member of the Community. I just came to know about it this morning.

Anyway I try to plan an off day on that day, and hope to make it to the majlis.

No news here. I'm just posting this entry so that I could have something to start this month off, bloggingly speaking. It's already November of 2004 and by 12th of this month I would have already served my 39th year of "banishment to this world". By next year, I'll be 40.

When I was a young boy, I never thought of how fast the time seemed to past. I had thought I was immortal, incorruptible by age and would never be entangled with the problems and tribulations of adulthood. I thought wrong.

Live long enough, as they say, and you'd know life would not be as simple.

This is an old picture, taken some time in 1991 if I am not mistaken. It is so valuable because this is the only picture where all the 11 members of the family are in. I've decided to post it here so that each and everyone of those in the picture will be able look at it from anywhere in the world.

Its a unilateral decision, I've not consulted those who are in the picture. Hopefully its agreeable to all. Leave your comment and tell me whether my decision is appropriate. Comment can be either in English, Bahasa Malaysia or Boros Momogun.

Lem got his first front-page by-line in the Post today. Congrats. That would mean a lot for a journalist. Keep up the good job, and more importantly, keep on improving that English of yours, Lem.

This is my breakfast this morning

MASIN-ASIN, Mon: A member of Masin-Asin Community departed for Jambongan Island in the east coast of Sabah today to pursue his dream of becoming a teacher.

After working temporary as a graphic artist at a hypermarket chain in Kota Kinabalu, Nuar, 30 (hope this is correct -- I forget how old is he), finally enter the world of full-time employment.

He can now look forward to building his life as a teacher and also as an educator while still pursuing his childhood interest in arts, he said.

"I am happy I finally managed to get myself a permanent job...this is the day I am waiting for," he said when asked to comment on his latest employment.

In the meantime another member of the Community, Lem, 26 (sorry, I hope this is also right, I can't even remember my own age) has also started off what could be a career in journalism.

Lem was still doubtful, however, when asked whether he intends to stay long in the profession. Like Nuar, he too wanted to have a secure employment, preferably with the government. That being the case, it looks like there is to be only one writer in the family...that is me, myself and I.

I am trying to post the Labuan nightscape again. Hope it is successful this time. 

A night seascape as seen from a 7th floor of Sheraton Labuan

I am in Labuan again. For one and a quarter of day, that is. I am here to cover another assignment about NEAC exco meeting.

I arrived here at 3.30pm and went straight to Sheraton Labuan, the best hotel in this duty-free island. I have actually taken a night landscape picture of Labuan from my 7th floor verandah in Sheraton Labuan but I can’t get my hand steady on my Nikon Coolpix 5200. So the picture came out blurr.

I should have brought along the tripod.

This is the picture of a dry irrigation system in Masin Asin which I took sometime early 2004.

I've had a bad experience which I would like to share. Read about it here: http://unlessotherwise.blogspot.com/2004/08/never-delay-in-settling-traffic.html

The old masin-asin site is expected to cease living -- die naturally, on other words -- in the next few days because I have not blog into it for a long time. I received a reminder from the host recently that unless I blog in it, it will no longer be available in the next few days.

After a careful thought and pondering about its usefulness, I decide to blog in it again, just so that it could remain alive. As a blogger, I feel sad to see a blog die.

This blog entry is for Mina and family, all of whom are members of Masin-Asin Community. Just to say thank you for the durian. I have not eaten a single durian in years. We really enjoyed it.

The Malay says terima kasih daun keladi. Thanks again.

I am back to Sabah after covering those two assignments. I came back poorer, much much poorer than I am supposed to be. I stayed at the posh 6-star hotel, The Empire Hotel and Country Club and it costs me B$263 (or RM580) per night. All in all I had to pay RM1,740 for three night's stay.
 
And that's how I became poorer by a lot.

Just to report on my possible whereabouts for the remaining first half of the month. I will be away from tomorrow for two days to cover an international banking conference in Labuan attended by bankers from West Asia and the region.

Let's see if I can come up with a decent financial news after having covered crimes, politics and current issues in Sabah. Also I will be away from 11-14 of this month to cover an official visit to Brunei.

I hope that on both occasions I will have the time to spare to do some blogging. Until then, see ya when I see ya!

Ideas often come in a most inopportune time -- it just flashes in the mind while you are driving and you have no way of writing them. You pulled over by the roadside so that you can rummage the glove compartment for papers and pen and when you finally get them, swoooshhh... the idea is gone.

That is exactly what is happening to me now for I could not recall the thing that I want to write. I am suffering from writer's block so I can't write anything. So I just write about not being able to write...that's all.

I am still waiting to link blogs belong to members of the Masin Asin Community. Look like there is not much of a response. May be next time. I just need to wait.

I have been wondering about the meaning of the word Masin Asin. In the Kadazandusun word, it could mean something that is salty. I did not know there is another community in this world that has "masinasin" in their vocabulary.

In the Cree language of Southern Alberta, Canada, it means "writing on stone". I stumbled upon it when I enter "masin-asin" in the Google search engine. You can read all about it here. Interesting, ya?

You'll never know who you'll see having lunch at curry houses these days. It happens to me while I was enjoying my late lunch at one of the many curry houses (they don't call it curry restaurant aren't they?) in Kota Kinabalu when I saw someone looking at the menu and ordered his food. He was none other than Lem, one of the masin-asin community members.

I try to beckon him to my table but he didn't seemed to notice me. So I called his handphone but that too went unanswered. Finally he sat at one of the tables, taking with him his food. Then I SMS him "makan kari ka".

It's only then that he realised that I was there at the next table. Yeah, the food was great and so was the chance meeting.

From now on, I will start posting from this blog. I have decided to shut down, pending approval from members of the masin-asin community, the old website. Of course I am open to suggestion. If you prefer the old site to remain active, I will do so.

I am taking this opportunity to appeal to members of masin-asin community to help popularise this website among family members so that they too are aware of its existence. Tell them to log in to http://masinasin.blogspot.com and if they have interesting stories to tell, they can e-mail it to masinasin@hotmail.com. Or, alternately all of you can create your own blog and I will link it to this website under the "Masin-Asin Links". I have already created mine and had also linked it to this site.

Create your blog, then give me the address so that I can do the necessary procedure to link them to this site as soon as possible.

Thank you and hope to hear from you soon.

It was one of those days when you just can't make it to an event despite having done all the planning.

I really wanted to go to the family reunion slotted for next week, had in fact planned my journey back. Then all of a sudden a memo came sliding out of the fax machine bringing with it an order from the boss that I am to attend the 12th General Assembly of the Organisation of Asia-PAcific News Agencies (OANA) at Istana Hotel in KL.

No choice but to cancel the plan to balik kampung. So I'll miss the reunion. I am just hoping that someone from the masin-asin community will tell me later how the reunion was being celebrated.

Jack.

Hello komuniti masin-asin. Ini adalah draf laman web baru masin asin community. Apa pandangan anda? Mahu berhijrah ke laman web ini atau kekal pada laman web masin-asin yang lama?