Folbot has revamped their website and the new look is refreshing and cool but I still kinda like the ‘old’ Folbot website as with the white background and clean, uncluttered look; it reminds me of the first theme that I loved and used - ‘Minima’, when I first started blogging on the blogger platform. Anyway if I get too nostalgic I can always go to their blog - ‘From the Front’ which retains the old look.

Anyway I was pleasantly surprised by their newly redesigned website which also coincide with the introduction of their new folding kayak - the ‘Citibot’. And as the name suggests; it is designed as a city boat and at only 10ft long and a wide 34inch beam, it’s certainly not something that I’ll bring along for our Lake Toba Expedition! Unless I am on a family holiday and want to muck around with my kids playing on the waters close to the shores. I can imagine a hard-core expedition kayaker like Huey sneering away at this ’silli-bot’ but at 24 pounds light, a 10 minutes assembly time, 35 oz. Hypalon hull fabric & urethane coated polyester deck (in other words quality materials), availability in 8 colours and at an introductory price of USD999/- it is not such a silly toy! It is a hassle free folding kayak that allow you to go kayaking on the spur of the moment.

Anyway I am intrigued by the new coaming (not referred to as the quirky ‘washboard’ anymore?) and seat design of the Citibot and was wondering if they would upgrade the rather uncomfortable (for me anyway) seat of the Cooper with this new design. And I’m also speculating that Phil Cotton could be working on the design for a new ‘Kodiak’ incorporating these and other more amazing features - no Phil? Never mind lah.

Note: I still CANNOT upload my own photos (help!) and all the images are stolen ‘referenced’ from Folbot’s website. but I’m sure David AvRutick would not mind this plug … And David if you’re reading this - why are there extra bungee deck riggings on your Cooper? Although I think perimeter deck lines all round would be a welcomed feature on the Cooper (along with better seat of course) … *hint hint*

Click to see Video of Citibot Assembly

Last week I posted about this ridiculous situation where we have this small hongkie group who does not want to go kayaking on a rainforest kayaking trip!

And it gets even more ridiculous today with this group of 10 from Royal Brunei Airlines Hong Kong & Southern China Agents (and again arranged arranged by STB) who on arrival at the put-in at Bengoh decided to sit it out in their air-conditioned coach leaving Azmi, Max and Bev who were ready to guide them with the kayaks and gears ready, dumbfounded and more than a little perplexed at these superficial tour agents. Next time STB should just send these sort people shopping, karaoke and for hanky-panky massages instead or not bloody entertain them at all. What a waste of time and money. *sigh*

This post is still ridiculously bare naked without any photos as despite my best efforts at changing the folder’s permission(s), creating new folders with 777 permissions and re-installation of WordPress; I am still unable to upload any photos. I still get this darn confounded error message - “Unable to create directory /public_html/fh2o/wp-content/uploads/2008/04. Is its parent directory writable by the server?”

Any ideas anyone out there? Before I tear out whatever remaining ridiculous tuffs I still have remaining on top of my head. I would be eternally grateful. Really. For the remaining tuffs of hair I mean.

WoesPress Version 2.5 indeed. *sigh*

Like a number of things that I’d put off doing for whatever dread or excuse (but which ultimately I may need to face up to); I’d decided to upgrade to WordPress Version 2.5 finally last night.

And my apprehension is not unfounded as I now cannot post any photos to my post! FH2o: Kuching Kayaking without photos is like KFC chicken without the skin or durians without the smell or kayaking without water … whatever

I’ll sort this one out soon enough; I hope.

Kim was deliriously happy last night when she found out that her deliciously tacky post - “Your Guide to Malaysian Dreamgirl” in her decisively tacky blog - “deliciously.tacky” won first prize in a deviously tacky competition of that equally tacky television show - “Malaysian Dreamgirl”. What gives? I dunno.

I don’t read her blog (not that I’m jealous of the fact that her blog with around 500 hits a day is more than twice the number of hits on mine. Dang. But there’s no accounting for taste is there?) ‘cos it may give me the shudders on what she may blog about. I think she prefers it that way although she READS my blog. How otherwise would she know that my blog is ‘lame’?

Anyway I’m happy that she won RM500/- worth of prizes so that she would not bug me for more pocket money this month!It’s deliciously funny as well as heartwarming to be a dad sometimes. Delicious and not tacky, at all.

I think I have my moments when it comes to photography when the magic moment of the right light on shapes and forms are captured in delicately balanced tension and composition.

And I think of all of us taking photographs during our Lake Toba Kayaking Expedition; Mindy blew our minds away with her awesome photography. Here are some of the photos she took and had most kindly shared with us.

So if you’re looking for a photographer who can capture the magic for you be it an adventurous occasion or otherwise; here’s Mindy Tan’s contact - mindyshoots@gmail.com. You’ll not be disappointed and unker, who can shoot a mean shot or two himself, says so …

From the ridiculous to the sublime …

Dennis or Melvyn could probably do this too although they’d better start collecting the chopsticks now! Perhaps I should give Green Bento Company (those working in Kuching should check out Green Bento Company for delivery of their fresh and healthy lunches) a call to see if they can start saving them up for Dennis …

A beautiful canoe made from 7,000 disposable chopsticks. I can’t even make a tooth pick from one!

I came across this interesting story here and if you can read Japanese, you can check this out here. So here goes:-

“A former city employee in the Fukushima prefecture town of Koriyama has built a 4-meter (13-ft) long canoe from thousands of used disposable chopsticks recovered from the city hall cafeteria. Bothered that perfectly good wood was going to waste after a single use, Shuhei Ogawara — whose job at city hall involved working with the local forestry industry — spent the last two years of his career collecting used chopsticks from the cafeteria. An experienced canoe builder, Ogawara spent over 3 months gluing 7,382 chopsticks together into strips to form the canoe shell, to which he added a polyester resin coat. The canoe weighs about 30 kilograms (66 lbs), which is a bit heavier than an ordinary cedar canoe, but Ogawara is confident it will float. A launching ceremony is planned for May at nearby Lake Inawashiro.”

Amazing and admirable.

I received this ridiculous email the other day which is no doubt a scam. Duh!

Attention: President/CEO

I have a client from Jordan who is interested to invest 39 Million Dollars in your country under your supervision and directives. Exclusive details upon your positives reaction to the offer.
Forward via email your contact details, name and address, direct telephone numbers/mobile for further discussion.

Regards.

Bernard Jean
+44 70 45758966
bbjffzz@aim.com

And it is just as ridiculous as the booking we had yesterday from the “Hong Kong Travel Guide Book” who booked our ‘Rainforest Kayaking Adventure Trip’ for 4 people a couple of weeks ago through STB but then informed us through the ground handlers the night before that the kayaking trip is still on but actually they do not want to go kayaking!

Nonetheless Azmi met them at the put-in at Kg Bengoh and it turned up that they have a (pretty) model in tow whom they want to take photos of in a kayak rainforest setting complete with forest fires and smoke … Go figure!

Photo above: Pretty ridiculous - ridiculous pose and ridiculous situation. Hence the ridiculous cut-out of the photo by me taken by smitten Azmi - whatever.

Approaching storm on Lake Toba. 23rd March 2008

It’s Friday already and I need to snap out of this gloomy mood that I’ve been rather uncharacteristically stuck in this past week. What’s with me?

A fine morning somewhere on Lake Toba. 23 March 2008

I wished I am floating on a lake somewhere now …

A meeting on the water is better than any on land. 23 March 2008

… I really do.

Chemically toxic people tends to cloud our perception of the goodness of life.

Everyday is a fine day.
Really.
We just need to be reminded or be conscious of it that’s all.
Especially me. *sigh*
And especially in the midst of such nonsense, bullshit, pretense, dishonesty, backstabbing, incompetence and cowardice.

The sharpest colours appear before the darkest moments.
Kuching Sunset, 14th March 2008