Memory down Keppel Road

Walking by the Town Fountain this afternoon, memories of the place suddenly flood my mind. I was fortunate to have lived for most of the time before it was made into a modern icon. In the 50's I used to play the wooden playground equipments there - see-saw, swings etc.. Used to pass the place at night after buying things from the wooden shophouse without fear even as a tiny kid cycling back home to our government quarters about 200 meters away. In the 60's as a school kid we joined in parades and watch the town's folks play basketball at one corner of the park. A tiny lucky number of us kids learnt roller skating on the concrete pavements there, Many concerts, fun fairs and trade shows were held there too. The place was called King George VI Memorial Ground back then and was the biggest park the town could afford in the 60's. Come the 70's when the first boom arrived , the memorial ground became suddenly very active and full of activities because many more people sought employment in the growing town. Activities dwindled in the area in the 80's when more open spaces and parks were developed outside of the town or in new satellite townships.
Today the place looks beautiful and serene without its nostalgic busy past. What is busy today is outside the park with cars endlessly passing around the place.

Please follow this link to see more stories of the place in another blog as in here...>>> http://bintulub4now.blogspot.com/…/King%20George%20the%20VI…

Seen are a group of teachers from SMK Bintulu (previously Bintulu Gov't Secondary School) having a photoshoot during Teacher's Day, 1976. At left of picture is Keppel Road.

(Note: The above is a re-post from my FB, 21 May'19)

Landscape trees for Sarawak

 I have been flipping through my old photo albums regarding visit to trees I've made over the last 35 years.  They appear in colour photos and  I have added recent digital images taken using digital camera from my laptop too.  These pictures taken on visits to Singapore, Taiwan, Philippines and Malaysia are combined randomly to illustrate the beauty of trees in the landscape.  Trees afford us a whole list of benefits and chiefly among them are :
1) shade
2) colours
3) micro-climate
4) haven for wildlife
5) identity or character to a place
6) in constant touch with nature
7) eye-softener
8) compositional space and architectural perspective.
Think of the above points while looking at the pictures below.  Happy viewing the trees.

Sarikei's charm

Dawn view near the express boat terminal area

Express boat berthing at the wharf...

It's not often that I have got a chance to stay overnight in Sarikei.  But waking up early this morning  I checked out the river front to catch the early views of dawn.  The express boat terminal was quite but gradually saw activity after 6.30 am when the boat passengers start loading their goods on top and inside the fast speed express boat.  Sarikei is a small administrative town that has managed to retain its old charm despite many developments around the town that incessantly push away the old shophouses into oblivion with newer models.  This visit was exceptional because despite its iconic pineapple for which the town is normally associated, the durian fruits ruled the day.  Durians were sold along  the shophouses five-foot ways and  temporary durian market established nearby the express boat terminal.  This year is a very bountiful durian season for Sarikei and durians could be bought very cheaply like RM 1 per piece for a reasonable sized fruit.

Sarikei waterfront at dawn

Five-foot way

Bountiful durian season

Old Sarikei - view of Jalan Repok

 Sarikei today - view of Jalan Repok

Images of Bintulu Today

Call it guerilla art, graffiti or street art - these are fluid expressions of urban creative aesthetics. Saw this at the Assyakirin Commerce Square. The graffiti covers part of a wall which hide the municipal rubbish bins. For more pictures of Bintulu's graffiti, click here.

Bintulu's sea sprays are ideal for coastal hibiscus plants. For more coastal hibiscus stories please go here.

One major thing that makes Bintulu a league above other towns of Sarawak is the abundance of fresh fishes at the local fish markets. I'll never miss to drop by at the fish market if ever I'm shopping in town. There's so much unspeakable plain joy in eating fresh fishes be it grilled, BBQ, souped, smoked or eaten raw ( umai or sushi style). Want to know more about fish markets and seafood menu, please click here.

January flowering trees of Bintulu (Part 3) - Kedah Gardenia

A mature Kedah Gardenia tree at Medan Jaya shopping area, alongside the car parking lots.


In the ' Medan Jaya' shopping area today, I was glad to come across a long row of flowering tree-gardenia species known locally as the 'Kedah Gardenia'. Its botanical name is Gardenia carinata and hails from the Coffee family ( Rubiaceae). It is a medium tree and can reach a height of 15 meters. Young trees flower at about four years old. It is rather slow in growth and thus is suitable for the house garden. In addition, it has an upright growing habit with an oval crown thus making the garden less shady but more showy due to its large bright yellow flowers ( see inset). This plant is a relative import to the Bintulu landscaping industry and most probably was introduced to the Bintulu garden scene less than 10 years ago. It is no stranger to Malaysia from which it originates. Kedah is one of the states on the Peninsular Malaysia where the plant finds home and get its vernacular name - Kedah Gardenia. However, because of the ease of propagation through seeds many nursery owners in Sarawak are able to raise them and keep large stock available for purchase.

The flowers start to bloom in pale cream and gradually takes on a bright orange-yellow colour. These large showy flowers are borne in the leaf axils viz the terminal end of the twigs. Fruits are oval and they appear green at first and matures to yellow colour. The tree is easily propagated through seeds. Location : Medan Jaya , Bintulu.

If Bintulu town residents want a different and slightly better quality of urban life, planting more of the fragrant Kedah Gardenia would be an excellent idea for home gardens, neighbourhood parks, car parking lots, public parks and small to medium-sized town roads. More fragrant spots in the town will surely make the town people happier with the town's green lungs.

For more pictures of Kedah Gardenia flowers please click here.