Asian Bridge: April 2012

Monday, April 30, 2012

The new Church of God in Miri

This is the new Church of God in Miri, just opposite Boulevard Hypermarket in Boulevard. I was told that it is the largest in South East Asia and can accommodate 3000+ worshippers at any one time.
It is due for opening on 1st June 2012

Word from Seattle...

Unfortunately, Oregon Tech had to drop out of the competition. Reasons at this time are undisclosed.

Last Weekend

No word yet from Seattle or Easton.

SOTD: Monday - April 30th, 2012

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Amazing tree

This tree is getting very common nowadays. The hardiness of this plant is simply amazing. You can see it growing out of roof, concrete crack of building or concrete fence.

We also have one growing from the highest point of a wall and we can't seem to destroy it!
On close examination, it has tremendously strong, thin and penetration root which can suck out any nutrient from the concrete wall. It also seems to be able to control the amount of water needed to withstand "long" drought... ie, a week without rain would mean that the wall is absolutely dry and yet, it has no effect on the plant. Does it mean that this plant actually absorb water moisture from the air? Whatever, scientist should have a study on this plant. Perhaps, on day, we have vegetable growing on walls rather than in bed of soil!
Look at the above plant, the leaves are green and healthy even without fertiliser.

SOTD: Sunday - April 29th, 2012

Purdue Steel Bridge

http://youtu.be/Q61iMnq9eg0

Saturday, April 28, 2012

SOTD: Saturday - April 28th, 2012

Guns Up in 2012

http://www.orgs.ttu.edu/ASCE/SteelBridge/SteelBridge.html

UBC Site

Probably a repost by yours truly. Here's the University of British Columbia's Site:

http://ubcsteelbridge.com/

Guins Earn a Second Among Other Awards

http://ysustem.wordpress.com/tag/national-student-steel-bridge-building-competition/

Bersih 3.0 Miri

Some photos taken this afternoon at Miri. Only about four policemen standing at a distance watching. No problem encountered as of the time I left.

For more photos taken in Miri, click here.

This is KL Bersih 3.0 Awesome! Above photo from facebook - not sure who took this.

Curtin Graduation ceremony 2012

Today, we saw the graduation ceremony of Curtin University of Technology, Sarawak Campus.

More than 450 students graduated from the university.

The above is graduation from the school of business.
Click on the photo to see a larger image.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Minnesota Prepping

http://www.ce.umn.edu/

SOTD: April 27th - 2012

Good luck to those in the Mid-Atlantic and to everybody up in the Northwest. The Battle in Seattle! Go Get It!

Thursday, April 26, 2012

SOTD: Thursday - April 26th, 2012

Most Ignored Cancer Symptoms by Dr Oz

Click here to watch this informative video on early symptom of cancer. I have captured the important points of the video below:

Possible signs of esophagus cancer
Difficulty swallowing; feeling a lump in your throat

Possible signs of stomach cancer
Pain in upper abdomen; heart burn or feel full after small meals

Possible signs of colon cancer
Extended periods of constipation; diarrhea; change in stool size,

Possible signs of bladder or prostate cancer
Pain during urination; blood in urine; change in frequency

Possible signs of leukemia (or many other types of cancer):
General fatigue; overall weakness; unexplained weight loss

Possible signs of lung cancer
Difficulty breathing; persistent cough; chest pain when breathing in,and wheezing

Possible sign of voice box or thyroid cancer
Hoarse voice; unusually husky or deeper voice

Possible signs of skin cancer
Black or brown streaks under fingernail

Possible signs of liver cancer
White or pale fingernails

Possible signs of ovarian cancer
Abdominal pain; pain during intercourse; urgent urination issues

Possible signs of pancreatic cancer
Yellowing of the skin or whites of eyes; dark coloured urine; light grey coloured stool; unusual skin itching

Note: The above is provided for your information. Proper diagnosis must be carried out by doctors. I am not responsible for the accuracy of information provided.

Lafayette College Set to Host

http://www.lafayette.edu/about/news/2012/04/26/lafayette-hosts-mid-atlantic-steel-bridge-competition-april-27-29/

NJIT

More From The Rebels' Lair

http://www.unlvrebelyell.com/2012/04/26/unlv-engineers-take-steel-bridge-to-nationals-for-first-time/

It's the Time of the Season

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

NSSBC Selection Committee Take Note

Bodies of Water are popular...try to mix it up a little.

SOTD: Wednesday - April 25th, 2012

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Is TheStar online worth reading?

I found that TheStar on-line is such a pro government paper that it is not longer worth reading! It carries news which, in my opinion, not worth to be published! My interpretation is that they are nothing but a vehicle for government propaganda.

Story 1:
Anwar told to step down!

KUALA LUMPUR: Several non-governmental organisations have urged parliamentarians to propose a law that allows impeachment of leaders.

A delegation of eight men representing five NGOs led by the Selangor Anti-Irregularities Federation (GAPS) met Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Abu Zahar Nika Ujang and submitted a memorandum demanding the resignation of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday.

On the other hand, if such a law is passed through, most YBs from BN will have to resign!

Story 2:

Cancel rally for our sake, cabbies tell Bersih organisers

KUALA LUMPUR: Taxi drivers in the Klang Valley are pleading with the Bersih 3.0 organisers to cancel their proposed rally.

They claimed that 36,000 taxi and limousine operators would be affected if the rally went on.

I pity the taxi drivers! But they are so short sighted! Why can't they bring passengers to the rally?

UMKC Takes First at MidCon

http://info.umkc.edu/scenews/2012/04/23/umkc-steel-bridge-team-wins-first-place-overall-at-regionals/

Poor in possession but rich in faith

Last week I went to Long Malim, a Penan Settlement. Our purpose was to do follow up and to teach the Penan children basic language and maths. Along the way, we passed by ...

... Long Peran. The people of Long Peran worship ...

... their ancestors. To them, there is no other god other than their own god.

The next Penan settlement is ...

... Long Singu. Long Singu is a Christian Community. You will notice that at every of these settlements, there is a big compound which is used as a helipad. The flying doctor came in once a month! So, please don't get sick in between! Otherwise the nearest clinic is 70KM away and will require 3-4 hours of travelling through logging tracks.
After travelling for 8 hours, covering 224KM, we finally reached Long Malim Penan settlement.

Surrounded by cloud shrouded mountains, Long Malim is a beautiful place! According to my Garmin satellite navigator (GPS), it is just 520meters above sea level. At the highest point, the road is about 800+ meters above sea level.

But alas, the once crystal clear river is now a permanent yellow river! The fishes are gone and the simple livelihood of the Penan is gone forever. Now, they learned how to plant ...

... padi.
The Penan settlement seems to be temporarily as they will require to move again due to Murum Hydroelectric dam construction. Read more here.
Now, we talk about fairness by the government and the way they treated the indigenous people here. I don't know who build their "long houses" . They used recycled zinc roof which is ...

... full of holes. During the day, the sun will ...

... will shine right through and you will see bright light spots on the floor. During rain, the water will get right through those holes.
In the name of development, I am sure that they were probably worse off then before. Their kitchen is still ...

... as primitive as ever.

True that they have gas tank but can they afford to operate it? I was told that they are very expensive. So, the same kitchen has both LPG fired stoves and the traditional wood fired cooking place.

Back in the sixties, Milo was a luxury and for a big cup, we could only use half a tablespoon of milo with equal amount of sugar. The drink was a faint brownish colour just like what this boy was drinking!

If you get sick in this place, my Garmin told me that the nearest clinic is more than 70KM away! So, the best way is to pray and ask Jesus the Healer to perform miracle as the next flying doctor will not come in for up to a month time. Praise God that most people are Christian and there are countless miracles there. I can only conclude that their faith is strong! Do pray for them and always remember the super poor community at Malim, a place above the cloud! Also pray for their children as most of them don't go to school!
Over there, the Penan speak Malay and Iban in addition to their own language!

Mizzou

Clarkson

Updation Nation

NYCCT
NJIT
UMKC

Steel Willie

Mizzou

SUNY Canton

ÉTS

Wisconsin Madison
LSU (Swept Regional)
UC Berkeley (Swept Regional)
UC Davis
Clemson
Ramblin' Wreck
UNLV
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (Swept Regional)
Cal State Northridge
Lakehead
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Iowa State
USF
Florida
Vandy
Michigan
Michigan Tech
WVU Tech
UVA
Catholic University
Université Laval
UNH
MIT
BYU
Colorado School of Mines
Utah State
University of Akron
Youngstown State University
University of Louisville
UTEP
Texas A and M, College Station
Universidad de Autónoma

SOTD: Tuesday - April 24th, 2012

Hannah Yeoh

I tried to avoid posting political article. But I just can't ignore some good one. I am not being biased but if anyone has good one from any party, I would be more than happy to post.
Hear her speaks. On youtube, some criticized her English. But many young people of her age can only speak broken English!

Two More

Only Two More Regionals to Go.

Good Luck to those competing over in Easton and up in Seattle!

Monday, April 23, 2012

And now NYC and NOLA

Challenging is Hawai'i and the Bay Area!

And They're Off!

Portland is out of the gates fast!

SOTD: Monday - April 23rd, 2012

Missouri S&T

Cornell

Sunday, April 22, 2012

What does Chief Minister mean to you?

Sarawak Report has reviewed some very disturbing reports about the chief Minister of Sabah and the system! Read these two reports for yourself in Sarawak Report.

Article one
Article two

There are many more articles at Sarawak Report which is worth reading... find out yourself there and make conclusion for yourself! Reading them made me scare!

The reports reviewed " the investigation has been blocked at the highest levels and its findings kept secret, ..."

SOTD: Saturday/Sunday - April 21-22, 2012

Double Dose:

Update Me

Here's Who Competed This Weekend (hangovers suck don't they?)

Great Lakes @ Bradley University: April 19-21
Metro @ NYCC of Technology: April 20-22
MidCon @ Nebraska, Lincoln: April 19-21
Upstate NY @ Clarkson/SUNY Canton: April 19-21

NYCCT
NJIT
SUNY Canton

ÉTS

Wentworth from the New England

http://www.wit.edu/news/2012/2012-04-20.html

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Latest from Missouri S&T

Steel Bridge team leader Chris Ferguson has managed this group with a deft touch. Not only did he keep the team focused on their goals for the past 6-7 months, been the driving force behind many nights of assembly rehearsal, but he's even covered the little details.Chris booked a study room in the Nebraska-Lincoln Engineering Library so that his teammates would have a quiet place to take calculus and Diffy-Q exams. It's that kind of "taking care of the troops" that is the hallmark of a good leader!Did he actually assemble today's bridge? No, but he did prowl the sidelines like a Division 1 basketball coach, shouting encouragement, calling "plays", and making sure the build crew didn't miss any small details.S&T drew a lot of applause by posting the fastest assembly time, but later teams who had less complex bridges did manage to pull ahead of the Miners. Hats off to Mizzou for hitting an amazing 15+ minutes score, which we think was the fastest time of the day.Chris reports S&T also had the lightest bridge at the event, which counts for some points, but en route to the loading station things went awry. Seems the bridge is a great design for supporting loads, but not so good at being lifted to move. During the move outside one of the bridge piers came partly undone, nothing a rubber mallet wouldn't fix, but rules prohibit any "repairs" once the structures are complete.S&T's entry sailed through the lateral and offset tests, and barely broke a sweat when most of the steel bars were added to the bridge. But when it came time to add a smaller load "cantilever-style", that mis-aligned bridge pier became an issue and the team lost its strong position in the standings.There's still a decent chance that other performance factors will put the Miners back in a strong position, and maybe even qualify for the national event. S&T has a light, good looking bridge, and the betting is that some of the simpler bridges just won't be able to support much weight.So it's still anybody's game.

It's Picnic Day 2012!

Get Down!

Any updates from the Regionals going on this weekend comment here...should have an updated Blog by 7 pm PT tonight.

Little Birdies at SK Kpg Masjid this morning

"Selamat Pagi, Scaly-breasted Munia!"

We left Miri around 0630hrs after dropping off Aisya at her school at Padang Kerbau and reached Kampung Tengah, Bekenu at almost 0700hrs, school just started. The students were already in the classrooms with their teachers, those that saw us waved shyly. No, we are not having another one of those extra activities day again, I wanted to get a better shot of the munias that we saw at the school compound a couple of weeks back for personal record.

Kpg Tengah is located along Sg Sibuti, the last school along the surfaced road at which end led to Sibuti Wildlife Sanctuary. It's quite nice to realise how lively the birds situation is in this sort of surroundings this late in the morning, must be even livelier at sunrise. There were birds criss-crossing the road almost as soon as we turn into the Kpg Tengah junction (the Blue-house turn-off) along the Bekenu-Bungai Road.

The munias were waiting, the bablers were gurgling inside every tall grass clumps by the roadside. We saw a group of 30 hanging parrots flew past as we walked towards our target location. We even saw a few Striped tit Babbler flitting across the road but of course never to be photographed ... bogie-bird saved for another day.

We placed ourselves at the school gates on the grass verge along the tarmac, there were many people using the road this morning. The munias came ... family groups, some came to preen and others just to sun themselves for a wee bit before heading off to the tall grass dominating the area nearby. Scaly-breasted Munia didn't fail today, even a pair of Dusky Munia showed up, they were also there the last time we were here. The shooting was easy enough once you sit still.

An hour later we came back to Miri with the images we wanted.

Next trip maybe just for the Dusky Munia or maybe even be ambitious and try for the Striped-Tit Babbler.

A pair of Scaly-breasted Munia communicating, there must be some sort of pecking order in the clan.

One of the Dusky Munia who got curious and overcame his skittishness to stay a while for the shoot.

A member of a family group that made the first few frames.

Words and images by N. Abghani/MNS Miri/Apr 2012.

Where we got our shots this morning, image by Muhammad Ali. Both SK Kpg Masjid and the road to Sibuti Wildlife Sanctuary is visible behind us. Our little targets were literally at the school gates!

Friday, April 20, 2012

MST Will Go 7th at MidCon

A live analysis of the Miner performance online...unreal.

http://experiencethis.mst.edu/2012/04/steel_bridge_team_judged_on_ae.html

http://experiencethis.mst.edu/

More From the Canton Roos

SUNY Canton

SOTD: Friday - April 20th, 2012

First of all a quick shoutout to my niece on her 5th Birthday!

As for all you stoners...dude...aliens did it...mini universes...Funyuns.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Long Malim - Land above the cloud

Last weekend (14/4 - 16/4), a group of 9 from the Yi Eng and Grace Methodist visited the small Penan settlement at Long Malim. Long Malim is about 224KM from Miri and 520 metres above sea level in Ulu Belaga. The place is surrounded by high mountains and a river.
The whole journey took eight hours. The most difficult part of the trip was the last 20 KM of road which was windy and high gradient. This 20KM took 1.5 hours! Apart from this, the place is beautiful and full of trees.

As we arrive at the settlement at about 2:40PM, we found that the place was very quiet. There were not many adults except 20+ children.

As we inquire about it, we realised that the adults went to the field for harvesting.

The mission house is at the edge of a large flat ground which is used as a helideck. I was told that the flying doctor came in once a month to this place to see the sick. Therefore, if anyone is sick, he/she must wait for a month! It seems that the common problem is gastrointestinal related problem, vomiting, stomach ache, fever and one suspected malaria.

We can only pray for the sick and provide them with very simple medication. Surprisingly, the people there are full of faith and miracle healing is quite common.

Saturday evening service was conducted and also Sunday service. The attendance could had been better but this is planting and harvesting month and many adults were away.

Our two ladies gave basic classes, teaching them the alphabet and counting. They are bright and very attentive. They remember what they learn. Unfortunately, they have no opportunity to go to school.

These children can remember gospel songs!

The youths there are attentive to the bible teaching....

... and irrespective of age, they are always ready to come forward to nail their sins and confessions on the cross!

Look at this, our city folk would have backed out. They are full of faith, ready to confess and forgive each other. We were called to visit a family where there were conflict. They wanted to seek reconciliation and forgiveness. At the end, they all hug each other ... all conflicts were remove.
This is my first instalment... more to come.
To see more photos, click here.

UALR (Another View)

El Trusso

Good Ole' Rocky Top...

...Woo! Rocky Top Tennessee!

(Digging the "No Look" Weld...followed by scorched fingertips...)

Lil' Wayne

Wayne State Competes at North Central

LSU Article

The Reveille

LSU C of Engr.

SOTD: Thursday - April 19th, 2012

The Reverend Horton Heat

It's Coming...

Picnic Day 2012 is Almost Here Baby!

2012 Picnic Day Schedule and Updates

中文萬歲！！！

Unfortunately, the following passage needs to be in Chinese in order to feel the power of the Chinese language. So, translating it will make no sense. My apologies to all who don't understand Chinese!

一美女興致勃勃地問醫生：「我想豐胸，但是豐胸後會有什麼效果？」
醫生淡定地答道：
「豐胸後，一般會有四種結果：
1. 大不一樣；
2. 不大一樣；
3. 一樣不大；
4. 不一樣大！」
世界上沒有其他的文字能夠有這樣的功能，中文萬歲！！！

〈中文字的奧妙〉
外國人學中文，確實不容易。
中文字的奧妙，常常讓學中文的老外暈倒，說幾個聽來的段子：

一、方便
一位剛學過一點中文的美國人來到中國，中國朋友請他吃飯。到了飯店落座，中國朋友說：「對不起，我去方便一下。」
那老外沒聽明白，「方便」是哪裡？
見老外疑惑，中國朋友告訴他說「方便」，口語裡是「上廁所」的意思。
哦，老外意會了。
席間，中國朋友對老外說：「我下次到美國，希望你能幫忙提供些方便。」
老外納悶了：他去美國，讓我提供些廁所幹嗎？
道別時，另一位在座的中國朋友熱情地對老外說：「我想在你方便的時候請你吃飯。」
見老外驚訝發愣，中國朋友接著說：「如果你最近不方便的話，咱們改日……」
老外無語。
「咱找個你我都方便的時候一起吃飯吧。」老外隨即暈了。

二、乳

一位老師向老外學生解釋「乳」字的含義：乳即是小的意思，比如乳鴿、乳豬等。講解完，老師要求老外學生用「乳」字造句。
老外學生造句說：「現在房價太高了，所以我家只能買得起20平方米的乳房。」
老師聽了，冒著冷汗說：「再造一個！」
老外學生：「我年紀太小，連一米寬的乳溝都跳不過去。」
老師冷汗如雨下，說：「再造一個！」
老外學生說：「老師我真的想不出來了，我的乳頭都快想破了！」

三、意思

某老外苦學漢語10年，到中國參加漢語考試。
試題之一：
請解釋下文中每個「意思」的意思：
阿呆給領導送紅包時，兩個人的對話頗有意思。
領導：「你這是甚麼意思？」
阿呆：「沒甚麼意思，意思意思而已。」
領導：「你這就不夠意思了。」
阿呆：「小意思，小意思。」
領導：「你這人真有意思。」
阿呆：「其實也沒有別的意思。」
領導：「那我就不好意思了。」
阿呆：「是我不好意思。」
這老外聽了，一頭霧水。
中文的「意思」太深奧了，於是他交白卷回國。