Urban Sketchers Kuching: Sketchwalk Route 2 Jalan McDougall

Urban Sketchers Kuching: Sketchwalk Route 2 Jalan McDougall
Being Hildaladida: Explore Kuching: Orchid Garden
CHMS No. 1 sweep Kuching Under-15 titles : my Sarawak – News ...
Fancy a look at Kuching from a hot air balloon? – BorneoPost Online ...
senQ Free Photography Workshop @ Kuching in August 2014 ...
Abell Road vigil draws sympathisers from all over Kuching | The ...

Posted: 13 Aug 2014 09:22 PM PDT

Last weekend, we had our Sketchwalk Route 2 at Jalan McDougall. This stretch of road was named after the late Bishop Francis McDougall, who was a surgeon and priest who came with the first Anglican mission to Kuching, back in 1847. There are still a few rows of old shophouses and businesses along this road. Some had been converted to budget hotel, hostels, travel agencies, restaurants and cafes, while others maintained their old businesses, like barbershop, law offices, motorcycle repairshop, kopitiam, etc.

We had one of the biggest turn out for this Sketchwalk with over 20 sketchers. Most of the photos were taken by Jee Foong. At the end of our sketch outing, the owners of The Junk, a famous restaurant & bar in town, near where we were sketching, treated our sketchers to pizza and refreshment on the house. Twas a fantastic sketch outing, with good weather and amazing company.

Come join us for Sketchwalk Route 3 : 17 AUG 2014Area : Jalan Padungan

Area : Padungan Road / Abell Road (any Lorong or buildings within the vicinity)

2:00pm Briefing at the open space next to Bing Padungan
2:00pm to 5:00pm - Sketching
11:00am - Congregate for group photo at Song Kheng Hai food court (and refreshment)

A compilation of all our sketches

Refreshment at The Junk

These are a few of our sketches from last Sunday. Go to our USk Kuching FB group album to check out more. https://www.facebook.com/groups/USkKuching/

by Min

by Jee

by Daniel

by Georges

by Aurelia

by Helena

by Pegs

Being Hildaladida: Explore Kuching: Orchid Garden

Posted: 12 Aug 2014 09:08 PM PDT

Just earlier this month, I had the chance to go on a short weekend getaway to Kuching, courtesy of Sarawak Tourism Board. I arrived around 9.30am and was warmly welcomed by Deckson from STB and Billy from Borneo Exploration at the airport who will be our tour guides for the next 3D2N in Kuching. We waited for another 40 mins till Alyssa arrived since she flew in from Miri with a different flight. Then, off we go to the Orchid Park before heading for lunch.

Nestled in vicinity of the historical Astana and Fort Margherita the Astana is the Kuching Orchid Park that serves as an icon of Kuching and also one of the city's major tourist attractions, offering both horticultural and botanical interests. It was actually my first time at the Orchid Park so I was pretty excited to see what it has got to offer. Little did I know that it is also located across the Sarawak River, so you can actually take a wooden boat known as the 'Penambang' from the Kuching Waterfront (costs only 50 cents per way!) and take a 10 mins walk to get to the garden.

This is the first Orchid hybrid made in Sarawak called Vanda Taib, named after the former Chief Minister of Sarawak.

Alyssa and I :D

The Orchid Park is divided into two major areas, made up of the nursery and the display area, which accomodate a magnificent collection of 75,000 plants comprising of 82 genera and 700 varieties. The main attractions at the Orchid Park is the Sarawak's very own State Flower, the Normah Orchid (Phalaenopsis Bellina) and some other famous Bornean species orchids namely the Lady's Slipper, Coelogyne Pandurata - the green and black flowered orchid, Bulbophyllum Beccarii - the flower with stinking smell and the Vandal Dearei - a fragrant flowered orchid.

The waterfall feature.

And we even spotted a rainbow halo in the sky (':

And from where I stood, I can clearly see the grand new Sarawak State Legislative Assembly building.

And we saw more orchids of different colours and sizes along the way;

Such a lovely sight of this blooming water lily (:

Since it was scorching hot outside, we went into the Cool House to enjoy some cold air to whilst checking out more unique orchids species and some native plants.

In the Cool House, you will be basically surrounded with lush greenery complimented beautifully with bold-coloured and striking blooms.

And this my friend, is the Tiger Orchids.

Overall, it was a great experience immersing myself in the orchid paradise filled despite sweating buckets throughout the visit, well I was wearing a cardigan on a sunny day anyway. Most of the areas are semi-shaded but still be prepared with a hat or mini electronic fan if you're planning to visit in the afternoon. I was impressed at how the park is pretty well maintained and clean; I guess you can even have a picnic in the park. It would be better if they have more information and specific labels for the different species of orchids. And hopefully, there will be more flowers planted in the years to come. If you are a flower lover (orchids enthusiasts especially) and photographer, this hidden gem is certainly a must visit. Entrance to the garden is free and the park opens from 9.30am to 6.00pm from Tuesdays to Sundays and even on public holidays; closed on Mondays.

Guess where did we head next after that? To see the Orang Utans! Be sure to stay tuned for that post (:

Till then, happy midweek, guys!
xx

CHMS No. 1 sweep Kuching Under-15 titles : my Sarawak – News ...

Posted: 13 Aug 2014 09:49 AM PDT

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KUCHING: Chung Hua Middle School (CHMS) No. 1 Kuching achieved more success when their boys and girls teams emerged victorious in the Kuching Division U15 Travilion Cup basketball championship last Sunday.

CHMS No. 1 boys and girls players celebrating their victories in the Kuching Division U15 Travilion Cup basketball championship with Lee (left) and (from second left) teachers-coaches Teo Nyuk Ling and Ng Ming Kiong.

Its A team won all their five league matches to collect 10 points to top the table standings and qualify for the final where they overwhelmed SMK Batu Kawa 94-67.

CHMS No. 1 A opened their campaign by beating CHMS No. 1 B 53-35, and followed up with wins over Incredible 86-38, Lodge School 81-24, SMK Batu Kawa 98-69 and SMK Kuching High 96-62.

In the girls final, CHMS No. 1 overcame a slow start to beat SMK Batu Kawa 58-38 for the double victory.

This was the second time the school had made a clean sweep of the titles after winning the boys and girls titles at Summer Mall Cup Youth U17 basketball championship in April this year.

Apart from emerging champions, 11 boys and 10 girls from CHMS No.1 have been selected to represent Kuching in the Inter-Division U15 Basketball Championship to be held either in Sri Aman or Kuching starting on Sept 13.

Head coach Lee Chee Beng was pleased with the performance of both the boys and girls teams, saying that they had achieved their target of winning both titles.

"Basically, about half of the players in the boys team in this championship had played in the Summer Mall Cup and they had gained much valuable playing experience to meet the challenge in the U15 competition," he said.

"We fielded two teams and the A team was stronger and performed better whereas it was exposure for B team. As for the girls, we had invited three primary six players from SJK Stampin to play for us as they will join us after completing their primary school education."

"We have basketball clubs in the school and the players all undergo systematic training with guidance from the teachers and coaches and sometimes we do invite coaches from outside to help us," added Lee.

CHMS No. 1 will next be preparing for two upcoming tournaments which are the MSSM U17 Inter-School Basketball Championship next month and the Batu Kawa Invitational U16, U14 Basketball Championship in October.

Within these two years, the school had produced a string of impressive achievements.

This include winning the MSSM Kuching Inter-School U15 Boys title last year, 2013 Kuching Open U17 boys title, 2013 Batu Kawa Invitational Inter-School U16 and U14 boys titles.

As for the girls, they were the champions of the 2013 Kuching Open (U15), 2014 Swinburne University Invitational and the 2014 MSSM Kuching (U18).

Category: Sarawak

Fancy a look at Kuching from a hot air balloon? – BorneoPost Online ...

Posted: 08 Aug 2014 12:15 PM PDT

by Lian Cheng, Peter Sibon, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on August 9, 2014, Saturday

KUCHING: Taking to the skies in a hot air balloon is a breath-taking experience, of one step towards becoming an aviator, said Lindstrand Asia director Lee Hooper.

In conjunction with the annual Kuching Fest, Lindstrand Asia is bringing in five hot balloons to give to Kuching folks an unforgettable or even a life changing experience.

Hooper and his team officially lifted one balloon yesterday at Jubilee Recreation Ground
about 5pm but were forced to land it when it started to rain cats and dogs.

Hooper said he saw a hot air balloon at the age of four and had since decided to become a pilot instead of a fireman. His operation team member Edward Chapman had the same experience and it
has been their hope to bring
about the same life changing experience for some locals here.

"Apart from seeing hot air balloons on television or movies, Sarawak has not seen hot air balloons for many decades. So we think it is a good time for us to come over to show them how to lift a hot air balloon and the skills to inflate one.

Though Hooper and his operation team, which include his countryman Edward Chapman and Canadian Jon Gates, have brought over five balloons, at any one time, only three balloons can be airborne.

Out of the five balloons, three are of regular round shape while the fourth takes the shape of a frog and the last, even cuter – a giant green monster.

"We hope to introduce hot balloons to Asia and let it develop and flourish here. Hot balloons can be used for advertisement but ultimately, we hope to develop it as a sport or for fun," Hooper told The Borneo Post here yesterday.

The operation team which also includes Gates, is here to stay until Aug 24 to offer the ride of a lifetime to the general public. The operating hours are the same as that of Kuching Fest – from 5pm to 11pm where a ride into the air for 10 minutes costs RM60 per adult and children above 12 years old, RM30. There is also special early morning group ride from 6am to 8am but pre-booking must be made.

"Hot balloons need calm wind to operate in. And usually it is in early morning and late afternoon that the wind is calm while in the middle of the day, it might be windier.

For this festival, there will not be any flight around Kuching but rather, lifting from the ground with the balloon attached to the ground with ropes.

"A hot air balloon ride is the safest form of aviation because everything is well prepared and happens slowly. If anything happens, we can always land. It is even safer than taking a ride in a car."

Meanwhile, Zuraini Anuar, executive producer of mhzXProjects Sdn Bhd which is collaborating with Lindstrand Asia to bring this hot balloon air ride, which they termed as 'AirXecoVenture', said the company aims to introduce this highly visible revolutionary concept to generate excitement and entertainment in Borneo.

"This is a new and exciting addition to the already successful annual event Kuching Fest," said Zuraini, adding that part proceeds collected during the Kuching Fest will be donated to MBKS for a charity cause of the local council's choice.

After the Kuching Fest, the whole AirXecoVenture team will be heading to Miri for the Aug 31 Merdeka celebration before returning to Kuching to take part in the Sept 16 Malaysia Day Parade.

The long term plan is to look into the possibility to set up a permanent site at the Kuching Water Front.

"One of the most important reasons of bringing the balloons here is to bring joy and share the experience with the orphans and under-privileged children for today 5pm to 6pm (Aug 9) where we will be taking some orphans up into the sky," she said.

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Abell Road vigil draws sympathisers from all over Kuching | The ...

Posted: 07 Aug 2014 09:26 AM PDT

Friday, 08 Aug 2014

Focus 432

By Danielle Sendou Ringgit & Jude Toyat
seeds@theborneopost.com

SYMPATHISERS FROM ALL OVER Kuching gathered together at a candlelight vigil at the Abell Road bus stop to express their condolences over the loss of British medical students Neil Dalton and Aidan Brunger.

Organised by 1BFF Pending Recreation Sports Club, sympathisers lay down flowers along the curb in front of the bus stop while others lit candles to express their sadness over what happened.

According to 1BFF advisor Audie Chua, the NGO took it upon themselves to organise the vigil as it was part of Pending area which fell under its purview.

MAG_2170

Members of the Rolling Thunder Borneo MC John Kasoon Sia (left) and Kenny Lim lighting candles.

Tourists stopping by to pay their respects.

Among those attending the candlelight vigil was sympathiser Felicia Chiew who worked at the SIB church across the street from where the incident happened. The double-murder – the first time any foreigner has been involved in a fatal incident here in Kuching – left her shocked and devastated. She feels that things have changed in the city.

"This could have been prevented if the bistro was not open until 4 am and I am not sure if they are allowed to be open until that time," she said. "I heard that they (the victims) quarrelled with the locals but they had no right to kill them."

Felicia Chiew

A sympathiser who requested anonymity said that throughout the 10 or more years living and working in Sarawak, she had never heard of foreigners being attacked or killed here. "Even the way that they were killed was very cruel."

Since she lives across from the bus stop where the two met their tragic end, she managed to catch a glimpse of the crime scene Wednesday morning.

"Seeing both bodies lying there was really sad because they came here to travel and study."

Social Development Minister Tan Sri William Mawan who arrived at the candle lit vigil around 7.30 pm added his own condolences to the families of the victim after laying down a bouquet of flowers and lighting a candle.

Mawan arriving to the vigil to pay his respects to the deceased.

"We condemn this in the strongest terms," he said of the unprecedented and senseless killing. "These two young men, their lives have been cut short, and it is most unfortunate that this thing happened."

Aside from that Mawan also commended the police for being very alert and managing to apprehend the suspects. In addition to that he was also grateful for the cooperation of the public which he thinks is very crucial and important to ensure that this thing would not happen again.

Mawan also stressed that the incident was not reflective of Sarawakian culture and nature.

"We do have laws in force that would ensure justice. As of now I do not have sufficient information to summarize who those people are and what contributed to what happened," he informed.

As for professional yoyo player Ryan Han, he said: "It's not worth seeing; I mean as a Sarawakian we should not do this, so I was quite shocked when this thing happened.

"This is Sarawak, it is supposed to be a peaceful place, but unfortunately this really happened." He opined that youngsters should avoid hanging out at nighttime after 2am. "After 2 am just be safe at home and have some rest, it's for the best."