The Santubong Escape

Last month, I went to Santubong Resort with a bunch of friends. It's a local resort which have been rather unpopular among local denizens compared to Damai Resort and Damai Puri. Having said that, the rate for the rooms there is cheaper compared to the other resorts. We stayed there for 2 days and 1 night. Oh well, let's not bore you with the details. I have the photos , do the talking.

It looks as if we booked the entire resort.

The reception area.

Hohoho!! Santa is in town.

Girls talk.

Pool tables around the reception area.

The lounge when you can sing karaoke, which we did at night.

Ice-cream for sale.

Maybe Santubong Resort should hire him as a model.

The check in was a brief procedure, and we found our way to the rooms in a short while.

A glimpse at one of the room.

And we had pool view.

The swimming pool. With the absence of hot girls.

The area over the lake is a spot of golfers.

At night, we had dinner at a local seafood restaurant, where I managed to snap this magnificent scenery.

And obviously, I wanted one, with the photo of me in it as well.

New INTI

Since Julia was asking for photos of the "new" INTI, I decided to do a post on the New INTI. Taken over by Laurette Group, there has been  revamp on the look of INTI. So, here's some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

The reception area.

The academic block and the overhead bridge connecting the student centre.

The park in the middle of the academic blocks.

The solution of the new equation painted on the door.

The Center for American Education

You can see the magazine " Pour Out" being displayed.

The new look in the University Placement Office. With better computers and a nice sofa.

The new INTI bus.

Not to forget, the new AUP brochure.

With some very familiar faces in it.

And to add to the new things, there's even a new addition to the number of couples.

Youth' 09

Two weeks ago, I attended Youth' 09 with Olivia.  Initially, I thought PWTC was located near KLCC, resulting in, us travelling to KLCC only to find out that the venue I had in mind was Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, whereas we were supposed to go to Putra World Trade Centre. How noob can I get ?

Nevertheless, we managed to find our way to PWTC , after a while. 

  

Yes, the PWTC , I always hear about in the media.

Initially, I was contemplating if I should volunteer for the event, but after giving it some thoughts , I decided that I was better off being a visitor.I was particularly interested to attend  the photography workshop organised by ShutterAsia. 

The speaker is talking about aperture.

Sadly, the workshop was rather short, and he proceeded to talk about the details of the photography challenge, which I did not participate. I didn't want to go around with my camera or my phone snapping photos, when others are carrying their DSLRs. Oh, someone, get me an DSLR !!

After that, we went around the area looking at the different events happening. 

Girls in the 3 X 3 basketball challenge.

Two guys in the Animax Cosplay Competition.

Graffiti artist in action.

Petronas decided to share their pride of their F1 technology.

I found these cute little dice seats lying around. So , I decided to make good use of them.
Olivia beaming proudly at the camera. Those photos really make an excellent background.
Even yellow ducks were present in the event.

An era of change

Less than a week after the inauguration of  President Barrack Hussein Obama, there have been talks of shutting down the controversial Guantanamo detention camp. On day one, President Obama pledged for openness and transparency in his administration.

Being the first black American president, Obama has already left behind a legacy.His embodiment of change was a factor which lead voters to put him into the Oval Office, where he is expected to bring about transformation; and most importantly, the country's economic revival. 

You can check out Obama's cabinet, here . Believe in Change. 

A trip to the outskirts

New Year's Day saw me out on a excursion to the outskirts with a bunch of friends. Jen Yong, who had discovered a beach at a local village led us to Kampung Pasir Panjang, situated 21 kilometers away from Kuching City.

Although not popular among tourists, this long stretch of beach could be developed into a tourist attraction.

Local folks promenading on the beach.

Accretion of shell sediments on the rocks at the side of the beach.

Two guys fishing on the rocks

A pay-per-use wash room.

This house, however, does not seem to be a village house.

After that, we went on to explore the coastal area of the nearby Kampung Pasir Pandak, another village on the coastal area. Huge boulders were placed on the seaside to prevent further erosion and to protect the villagers .

It seems that most of the villagers here are fishermen, with boats parked nearby their respective houses.

Little kids having fun on the stretch of rocks.

A view of Mt. Santubong from the stretch of rocks.

This bunch of guys seem to be interested with something about the boulders.

Maybe a hole in the rock?