Big-Screen Buffs Rejoice: TGV to Open Cinema in Miri 2014

"Big....screen...."

TGV Cinemas Sdn Bhd will open an eight-screen cinema complex in Miri, Sarawak by early next year. So besides Star Cineplex (the Low-Calorie version) and Golden Screen Cinema (the Diet version - I think), TGV is going to open an eight-screen cinema complex very soon. Probably to be called Sugar-Free version.

Where in Miri though? I have no freakin' idea. Uh, they forgot to tell.

Possible guesses: That new building in front of Imperial Mall? Because that building is like the kid in school who tries to outdo everything you did, one-up everything you had, and even try to have the same friends you had. It's just that kind of building. In this case that buidling looks like it is trying to one-up Bintang Megamall. Which is fine, because no one really likes Bintang Megamall anyway. Because of the jams it causes. Buildings cause traffic jams? Welcome to Miri.

So, I digress a little bit.

What can you do with eight screens?  8 screens * 2 hour movies = 16 hours of viewing time, that's practically waking person's whole day! After which is 8 hours of sleep, perfect for the Big Screen Junkie / soon-to-be-zombie.

Feed me movies... moar.. I SAID MOAR MOVIES

If what I'm reading is correct, it seems like Miri is TGV's first foray into East Malaysia. They "may expand" to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu in time. You know, probably starting with Mirian as guinea pigs.

Because we all know all Mirians (in the eyes of elsewhere) are all just lounging around on oil with oil wells sticking out of their backyards, are rich as hell and can't spend the money quickly enough.
 

Read moar http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/showbiz/article/miri-to-see-first-tgv-cinema-in-early-2014

Look What We Found!

Look look a video of Mir ..... err some random weird place in the middle of no where. What was I so excited about? I dunno. 

Storms Sprouts Watersprout; Villagers Pout

This is a bit of a late, news, but - get this, there's a waterspout in Miri, which sprouted nearby a Baram riverside village, about 9.30am on the 16th of July 2013.

According to eyewitness reports, the skies grew dark, then came the rain and sudden winds, then the all of a sudden the clouds swirl menacingly and danced around in the sky as a storm brewed up, and like something out of a movie, the water started rising upwards to form a tornado of the seas - a watersprout! And then all hell broke loose.

This is not a watersprout

The winds and resulting waterspout reached land and was so strong that it tore up a nearby local mill's zinc roof structure and sent various parts flying around the skies for a nice bird's eye view of the Baram river delta before coming back onto the ground, albeit in a slightly different shape. 

Mill employee and eye witness Azman said that during the time of the incident, he and his colleagues were working when the skies grew dark and he heard a clap of thunder. He looked out and saw the watersprout incoming at intense speed. Obviously by then he immediately took refuge like any sane person would.

Just as quickly as it had come, the waterspout dispersed. Because waterspouts can't exist on land. They turn into bean sprouts when they hit land, and make a very crunchy treat in Laksa. Yes, I'm pretty sure I have my facts right about that one.

The resulting storm and winds also blew away several stalls nearby and wrecked havoc on several people who were setting up ther stalls nearby early. Two women and a man had to be hospitalized for it.

Apparently the river / port authorities have not issued a storm or waterspout warning.

Waterspouts have occured offshores in Miri before and there have been plenty of reports and photos taken in the previous years, and the locals have a tendency to call it a tornado or twister. I can understand tornado, but I can't understand how the water would play Twister. I suspect it would cheat and just slop all over the Twister Mat.

 But anyways this recent one was the first that I at least, have heard that reached land and caused destruction and injuries. We can all blame the climate change all we like, but personally I just think Poseidon sneezed. The clap of thunder just before the whole ordeal just reinforces this.
 

This is a waterspout

Read more : http://www.seehua.com/node/85913

BN Leaders Admit Miri Hospital Woefully Inadequte

A Barisan Nasional leader thumped his chests to show who is the leader around here and made mention of the fact that the Miri hospital is woefully inadequate and must be upgraded, something which most Mirians already realize.

Because somebody has forgotten that the population is increasing but did not put any effort into upgrading the existing facilities. I know, I know, blame Ultraman for that one.

You see, the Miri Hospital not only has to deal with the 350,000 people in Miri, but also they have to accomodate for the people in Bintulu, Baram, Limbang, Lawas, Bario, and all those smaller villages and longhouses from inland etc. etc. etc.
 

Because the hospital does not have the full range of specialist facilities to cater to more complex cases, many treatments still required going to Kuching Sarawak General Hospital. Can you imagine that if you're in Limbang, and are dying, and having gotten to Limbang hospital and being told you need to get onto an ambulance to be driven all the way through Brunei, have your passport stamped as you leave Sarawak (if you remembered to bring it) and stamped again as entered back into Miri, Sarawak, to Miri Hospital, and then being told that you have to be driven through Bintulu, Sibu, Serian and finally to Kuching for that?

By that time you'd look like this:

Assistant Communications Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin assistingly communicated, "The need to upgrade Miri Hospital into another regional hospital as sophisticated and well-equipped as Sarawak General Hos-pital is urgent." "The ministry must understand that Sarawak is as big as Peninsular Malaysia."
 

Sure, because obviously someone failed to understand that Sarawak is as big as the whole of a Peninsula Malaysia. Because someone failed their Geography 101 in school.

That would make it justifiable for Sarawak to have two regional hospitals, one in Kuching and one in Miri. Which is how it should've been since 20 years ago.

Read more : http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Community/2013/07/14/SGH-equivalent-wanted-up-north.aspx

Fish Nuking a Favorite Past Time for Under-Bridge Dwelling Foreigners

What we don't want to happen.
(Hey Comic Sans is totally appropriate in here for anyone who thinks nuking fish is a good idea)

 Suluk and Bajau fisherman that were squatting at under various bridges and several villages in Miri were said to be bombing fishies to net their catch in Miri recently. Fish nuking is a popular past time for these guys, because it involves things that blow up and fishes. These fish-nukers are believed to have come from Sabah, and residing under various bridges in Miri. The bombs are usually DIY devices made with petrol, fertilizer filled in glass bottles.

Our own local fisherman - who do things the proper way and are not prone to taking shortcuts - which in fishing I imagine to be just sitting at a pier staring into emptiness and falling asleep biting on a piece of straw with a fishing rod - are frustrated because they claimed these people used fish-nuking strategies that kills fish instantly and nets instant catch, and the appropriate government agencies or departments for these matters are seemingly not doing diddly squat.
 
The locals have urged the government agencies to act on these activities as fish nuking destroys marine life and more importantly, they rob the local fisherman of their catch because all the fish would be deaf when they caught them.

Accordig to Kambr, a local fisherman, “We are frustrated because these foreigners are catching fish here openly and yet agencies such as the Maritime Agency are not doing anything. In fact, sometimes the agency stopped local fishing boats and check their licences, but they seemed to keep their eyes closed on foreign fishing boats.”
 
Well the Maritime Agency better do something. Mostly because this is the first time I've ever heard of them, but also fish nuking is bad. Because it makes fish deaf. We don't want to eat deaf fish now, do we? How awful a thought. Oh yes, there's also that minor detail about glass shards left in the flesh of fish, since the bombs are usually stuffed into glass bottles.

Also, what the heck are foreigners doing here and why are they here?

Local environmentalist Susan Foster, said it best: Anyone found in possession of a bullet would face a death penalty (editor's note: WHAT? What kind of a stupid law is that?) but nothing is being done to these foreign fishermen doing fish bombing, because bombs are definitely more deadly than a bullet, and all it takes is just one stray thought like, "hmmm I can use these bombs to blow up things other than fishies" and we will all have entered a whole new era of neighborhood safety awareness program. You know, the ones that involve lots of bomb detection dogs, lots of patting down body searching, patrolling, x-ray security clearance for just entering any building.

Deaf fishies are not funny matter. Say no to deaf fishies. Say no to Fish Nuking/ Fish Blasting/Fish Bombing/whatever. Say no to glass-shard-filled seafood in your dinner. Unless of course, these guys are totally incompetent and they blow themselves up, erasing themselves from existence, in which case it would be appropriate, and we shall give them the Darwin's Award.

What we want to happen - they blow themselves up, we win.

Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blast_fishing

Karma : http://www.afma.gov.au/2012/10/illegal-blast-fishers-convicted-and-boats-destroyed

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/07/15/foreigners-using-bombs-to-fish-in-miri-claim-locals

Traffic Light Failure Along Miri-Bintulu Road Causes Extreme Car-DodgeBall Tournament

The traffic lights along Miri-Bintulu road at the Riam intersection has been out for several days now. We really have no idea why that intersection isn't working, but we can just blame it on Ultraman. Because that's just what we do.

Authorities took swift action to hang up the "lights not working" sign on the second day, so that it is confirmed to be - yup - officially broken. And uh, that was pretty much it.

The worst part is the intersection is directly in front of the new police station. And while the police have been directing traffic there, they are really only present during the rush hours, so the rest of the time they are not involved and drivers are forced to adept to the situation by playing Car Dodgeball.

It is a very fun game where everyone tries to avoid one another and involves just one strategy. The strategy is to creep right into the middle of the intersection so they will block everyone else and get a free pass while trying to avoid hitting one another. The only problem with this strategy is that everyone else is doing the same strategy; so that causes the traffic to go into a deadlock because everyone else is using the same strategy so effecively.

Unlike DodgeBall however, Car Dodgeball rules are slightly different in that there is no ball, and everyone is out to trying to dodge everyone else, because if you hit them you lose Car DodgeBall. And possibly your life. Or worse yet, your insurance NCD (No Claims Discounts) - because Malaysians just love discounts above all else.

Play Car DodgeBall safely, everyone!