SMK Kota Semarahan

A picture of Class 2007, Tingkatan 2A, SMK Kota Semarahan. SMK Kota Semarahan is located in Kota Semarahan where there are two school sessions i.e. morning and afternoon. The reason for the two school sessions is because it is the only Secondary School serving the Kota Semarahan Area. With the increase in the population in the surrounding area, there is a dire need to have additional school nearby. The nearest secondary school is the SMK Muara Tuang but it is too far to be considered as an alternative school.

Kota Semarahan

Kota Semarahan is surrounded by several tributaries such as Batang (a river in Malay Language) Semarahan, Sg. Tuang, Sg. Meranek. Kg Meranek is one of the earlier settlement within the Kota Semarahan Area. Desa Ilmu is the latest modern settlement located within the area.

Location map of Kota Semarahan which is located about 45 km from Kuching (Sarawak Capital City). Kota Semarahan is developed at a very fast rate with several new townships cropping up along the major road leading to Kuching.

Tug Boat

Bintulu is known for its timber industries. Shown in the picture is a Tug Boat pulling a barge with full load of timber entering the mouth of Kemana River.


Tug boat is pulling an empty barge away from the mouth of Kemena River.

AirAsia is not Alone

Recently, AirAsia announced that starting from 21 April 2007, checked baggage handling fee will be imposed on each checked in baggage. The main reason for imposing the fee is due to rising fuel cost.

Starting 5 May 2008, five of the seven major US Airlines (Continental, Delta, Northwest, United, and US Air) plan to charge most customers $25 each way to check a second bag. The difference with AirAsia is that they will not impose any charge for the first checked in bag.

Luggage Compliance

For those who travels a lot and always carrying a lot of luggages should be aware that effective 1st Mach 2008, MAS is implementing a maximum weight rule of 32kg (70 Lb) for each check in luggage. If your luggage exceeds the 32 kg limits, you have to repack and making use of additional briefcase or travel bag. It would be convenient to bring along gunny sack or similar items in case that you need to repack.

Effective 14 April 2008, Malaysian Airlines introduces a new fee structure for excess baggage rate. For flight within the Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah or between Sabah and Sarawak, the rate is RM10/kg.

For flight between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah/Sarawak, the rate is RM15/kg.

Malaysian Airline Aeroplanes

Referring to Malaysia Airline Going Places, there are several types of aircrafts being mobilised to transport passengers and cargo. The aircrafts were built either by Boieng or Aerobus.




B747-400P
Passenger Seating: 359
Engine: Pratt & Whitney PW4056
Length: 70.70m (321ft 11 in)
Wing Span: 64.90m (212ft 11in)
Height: 19.41m (63ft 8in)
Range: 12,964km (7,000 nm)
Maximum fuel capacity: 57,285 US Gallons
Cruising Speed: Mach 0.86 (918 km/h)




B747-400F
Engine: Pratt & Whitney PW4056
Length: 68.6308m (225ft 2 in)
Wing Span: 59.6392m (195ft 8in)
Height: 19.5072m (64ft)
Range: 4500 nm (max payload)
Maximum fuel capacity: 53,985 US Gallons
Cruising Speed: Mach 0.86 (918 km/h)


B747-200F
Engine: Rolls Royce Barnoldswick RB211-524D4
Length: 68.6308m (225ft 2 in)
Wing Span: 59.6392m (195ft 8in)
Height: 19.5834m (64ft 3in)
Range: 3700 nm (max payload)
Maximum fuel capacity: 53,985 US Gallons
Cruising Speed: Mach 0.84 (897 km/h)



B777-200
Passenger Seating: 282
Engine: Rolls Royce Trent 892
Length: 63.73m (209ft 1in)
Wing Span: 60.93m (199ft 11in)
Height: 18.76m (61ft 6in)
Range: 12,779km (6,900 nm)
Maximum fuel capacity: 47,380 US Gallons
Cruising Speed: Mach 0.84 (897 km/h)



A330-300
Passenger Seating: 294
Engine: Pratt & Whitney PW4168
Length: 62.883m (206ft 3.7in)
Wing Span: 60.30m (197ft 10in)
Height: 16.828m (55ft 2.5in)
Range: 7,964km (4,300 nm)
Maximum fuel capacity: 25,861.4 US Gallons
Cruising Speed: Mach 0.82 (875 km/h)



A330-200
Passenger Seating: 229
Engine: Pratt & Whitney PW4168A
Length: 58.38m (191ft 6in)
Wing Span: 60.30m (197ft 10in)
Height: 17.9m (58ft 8in)
Range: 12,224km (6,600nm)
Maximum fuel capacity: 36,747.6 US Gallons
Cruising Speed: Mach 0.84 (897 km/h)




B737-400
Passenger Seating: 144
Engine: CFM56-3C1
Length: 36.40mm (119ft 5in)
Wing Span: 28.90m (94ft 10in)
Height: 11.07m (36ft 6in)
Range: 2,963km (1,600 nm)
Maximum fuel capacity: 6,200 US Gallons
Cruising Speed: Mach 0.74 (797 km/h)


Fokker 50 and DHC-6 Twin Otter are used to service shorter routes in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

Bintulu

Bintulu is a town at the mouth of the Kemena River in the state of Sarawak on the Island of Borneo.
Borneo is the third largest island in the world.


The main industrial activity in Bintulu is the petrochemical industries, which have transformed Bintulu from a fishing village into the State's industrial Centre.
Attractions in bintulu is Taman Tumbina, a splendid golf course and bird sanctuary which is located in the 520 acre Tanjung Batu Recreational Zone. The luxury development along Batang Kemena at the River mouth is taking place.






A 425-hectare Kemena Industrial park is a two stage project for value-added timber and other ventures.
The Bintulu's industrial estates also include the three phase Kidurong Light Industries Estate, catering for engineering and metal works and similar light industries.
The blue deep seaport at Tanjung Kidurong is the international gateway for industries. Among the industries are petrochemical oil palm plantations, palm oil mills as well as the pulp and paper industry.
Among the industrial powerhouse located in Bintulu are the Petronas Malaysia Liquefied natural Gas (MLNG) plant, the Shell Middle Distillates Synthesis plant (SMDS), Bintulu Crude Oil Terminal (BCOT), and Asian Bintulu Fertilizer Plant (ABF).

Picture of Bintulu besides the mouth of Kemena River.

Picture of Bintulu New Airport which is quite a distance from the town. Bintulu Old Airport was right in the middle of the town.

Commuter Airlines

Fokker 50

MASwings is Malaysia first commuter airline was offially launched on 1st October 2007. The airline caters for the travelling needs of Sarawakian and Sabahan.

For Peninsular Malaysia, similar services are provided by Firefly.
The plane being used by Maswings are Fokker 50 and DHC-6 Twin Otter.

Boarding the Fokker 50

Characteristics of Fokker 50 are as follows:

Capacity: 50 passengers
Length: 82 ft 10 in (25.25m)
Wingspan: 95 ft 4 in (29.0 m)
Height: 27 ft 4 in (8.32 m)
Wing Area: 736 sq ft (70 sq m)
Empty Weight: 27,602 lb (12,250 kg)
Max. Takeoff weight: 45.900 lb (20,820 kg)

Characteristics of DHC-6 Twin Otter

Capacity:19 passengers
Length: 51 ft 9 in (15.77 m)
Wingspan: 65 ft (19.8 m)
Height: 19 ft 6 in (5.9 m)
Wing area: 429 sq ft (39 sq m)
Empty Weight: 7,000 Lb (3,363 kg) - 8,000 Ib (3.628 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 12,500 Lb (5,670 kg)

Fuel Price Pinch

Starting April 21, 2008, travellers using a low-cost AirAsia carrier will have to give away some more money if they have baggage to check in. For online check-in, RM3 will be imposed per bag and RM5 per bag for airport check-in. Keep in mind that you have to pre-book your baggage in order to be eligible for the RM3. In the sense that you have to pay in advance RM3 if you think that you will check one baggage at the time or travel. In case that you did not check-in the baggage than there is another question whether you will be refunded the RM3. Also, if you have more than one baggage to be check-in then you have to pay RM5 for the second baggage. The charges are to defray the rising fuel cost. On top of that excess baggage fee for baggage exceeding 15 kg still applies.

One reason for the fee being imposed is to discourage travellers bringing too many baggage and with lighter load, fuel can be reduced and airline ticket fees can still be reduced. To avoid from paying the additional charges, travellers will pack all of their things in the carry-on bag and as a result, the waiting time to board an aircraft will be longer due to everybody is taking their time to put their bags on the overhead compartment. With the additional time will add to the everlasting flight delay experiencing by AirAsia. Also, passengers will have to endure the hassle of carrying larger and heavier Carry-on bags if they use AirAsia.

For low-cost carrier, that is their way (which I bag to differ) of covering the rising fuel cost.

How Many Eggs Should You Eat?

According to a study, there is a recommended number of eggs that is safe enough for you to consume per week without risking your own life. The number of eggs that you can consume is related to your own health whether for example you are a diabetic or not.