Strange Sound Over the Sky of Semarahan

It was the morning of Jan 11, 2012 that I heard a snoring sound around 3 am in the morning. I thought that someone nearby was snoring loudly but after checking the sound was actually coming from outside. Then I thought the sound must be coming from factories somewhere nearby. But why it sounded like snoring i.e. the sound occurs at certain interval. Also, why doesn't it happen before. Similar strange sound occurred again in the morning of Jan 12, 2012.

Also, I thought that somebody were testing jet engines at the Kuching International Airport but from the direction of the sounds, it wasn't coming from the airport but from the opposite direction. Also, according to the law, nobody should be that crazy testing anything that loud in the early morning.

The following video has a very good audio quality of the sound and I confirmed to you that we heard exactly the same sound on the morning of Jan 11 and Jan 12. I bet you agree with me that the sounds seemed to be of somebody's snoring but yet it was from a far distance and the source seemed to be from the sky. Please ignore the sound of motorcycles and cars in the background.




Was the strange sound related to the recent earthquake occurring at about the same time in Acheh. Or can anyone enlighten us regarding the source of the strange sound on that particular day.

Strange sounds phenomena did occurred throughout the worlds as can be heard in the videos below.


Strange Sound in Kiev, Ukraine August 11, 2011





Strange Sounds in Lubino/Poland 28.08.2011

Strange sound in the Outskirts of Drummen

Strange sound in Woodland Co Durham





Strange sound in Curitiba, Brasil

Integrated RapidKL Ticketing System

RapidKL has embarked on its new ticketing system for its rail network. Currently, there are two Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines operating within the rail network, i.e. STAR LRT Line and PUTRA LRT Line. The STAR LRT line consists of two lines i.e. Line 3 and Line 4 whereas PUTRA LRT line has only one line i.e. line 5. The interchange station between PUTRA LRT Line and STAR LRT line is at Masjid Jamek Station.

With the new integrated ticketing system, you can use only one token to travel between the three LRT lines (line 3, line 4 and line 5). For example, if you are at the PWTC station (a station along the STAR LRT Line which is either Line 3 or Line 4), you can purchase a token to travel to other destinations including destinations along the Putra LRT lines (i.e. Line 5). Using the same token, you have to use the Masjid Jamek Interchange station to transfer between (Line 3 or Line 4) and Line 5.

Maps of the Klang Valley Rails Network showing the Line 3, Line 4 and Line 5




At the Masjid Jamek Station, adequate signages are placed at strategic locations for users' convenient to transfer between the different LRT Lines.

 

Another strategic location where extensive signages are provided.

 

Automatic RapidKL Ticketing System. The ticketing system is a touch screen system. You can use any combination of Malaysian Ringgit notes or coins. The automatic ticketing station can be used to top up your ticketing cards.

 

From PWTC Station, you can select all different destinations along the three different LRT Lines, i.e. Line 3, Line 4 and Line 5.


   



If you have MyRapid Card, your travel can be made much easier given that you have enough credits for your cards. You can top up your card at any of the LRT stations.


 

 Passengers queuing at Masjid Jamek Station

 

Oversize Loading

Oversize Loading, a photo by wanhashim on Flickr.

There are numerous road hazards associated with commercial vehicles. In this picture, the length of steel rebars exceeds the length of the cargo compartment of the commercial vehicle. The extended parts of the steel rebar could pose traffic hazards to other road users.

iPad's Free-Falls to Earth

A video showing an Apple iPad's spectacular fall to Earth from the edge of outer space. The iPad was attached to a balloon that lifted the iPad to the stratosphere at the height of 100,000 feet (30,480 meters), where the balloon burst and allowed its payload to free-falls to the ground. The device makes a crash landing on a rocky Nevada hillside. Miraculously, the iPad survives the fall and remains fully functional.

Floods in Kuching

Due to heavy rainfall, several parts of Kuching are flooded and traffics are at a standstill. As of now, it is still raining and hopefully water will recede in those affected area. However, based on friend's updates, the flood situation seems to worsen at certain locations.

Before this, it was also raining heavily but Kuching city was not affected by major flood for several years. Is there something and somewhere that are affecting the unusual flow of rain water this time around that causes major flooding in certain areas of Kuching. Many roads are impassable to small vehicles.

Refer to this entry for flooding situation in Kuching today.

Rotting Bananas

Most of banana plants in Malaysia are being attacked by some kind of diseases which destroy the crops and affects the livelihood of farmers. The bacteria attacks the fruits causing them to rot before they ripen.

The bacteria affecting the banana was first detected in Pontian, Johor, in March 2007.

According to the news, to date, it has spread extensively to other states in the peninsula, namely Kedah, Perak, Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Pahang and Kelantan.

It was reported that the disease was believed to have been inadvertently brought in the country by certain farmers through equipments stained with soil contaminated by the bacteria. Hopefully, the relevant agencies will strictly control the movement of the disease from spreading to other states in Malaysia. 

If no further actions are being done, I am afraid that we as Malaysian will not be able to enjoy any hot pisang goreng in the near future. Also, we will not be able to have krepek pisang due to the shortages of bananas in the country. Most of small medium enterprises (SME) involved in business related to banana will surely be affected by the disease. 

Read HERE for more news.

The Newly Open Damai Central

Damai Central is a new tourist attraction located at Pantai Damai, Santubong, Kuching. The complex is located just the opposite of The Santubong Cultural Village. Furthermore, the complex is located between the Damai Beach Resort and Damai Puri Resort.

Now, local tourists can visit the Damai Central and parked their vehicles there while they are enjoying the scenic mountain view of Santubong and at the same time they are able to play along the Santubong beach.  Previously, only hotel guests are allowed to use the Damai Beach because the beach are privately own by the hotel. After strolling along the Damai Beach (given that the weather permitted), they can visit any of the F&B outlets to satisfy their thirst and hunger.

The facilities available at the Damai Central are as follows:

• Medan Niaga Damai 
• Arts and Craft Centre 
• Recreational Club Centre 
• F & B Outlet/Convenience Shops 
• Staff Quarters 
• Visitor’s Information Centre/Management Office 
• Traditional Spa with Herbal Garden 
• Floating Village Restaurant 
• Multi-purpose Platform Pavement 
• Ample Car Parking Spaces

The scenic view of the Damai Central with Mount Santubong in the background.



Damai Beach Resort is visible next to the Damai Central and the location of this complex provides a lot of convenience to the hotel guests for more facilities and choices. They also can visit the Cultural Village through Damai Central gateway (hopefully, their gate will always open to the public).




View of the Damai Beach from the look out point of the Damai Central.




There are several F&B outlets operating at the Damai Central and during peak hours, you have to wait for several minutes before you can get your orders.



With the newly open Damai Central, there will be more reasons for local residents to visit Damai Beach area frequently since now they have some place to stay for a short while and at the same time enjoying the scenic view of the Damai Beach area. Also, after visiting the Cultural Village, tourists will be able to enjoy their foods and drinks which are available for sale at the Damai Central.

Proton Exora's Skeleton

These pictures show the skeleton of the Proton Exora. As you can see from the pictures, the Proton Exora's body is reinforced by a series of steel bar which will usually protect the occupants from severe injuries during impact.

This picture shows the steering wheel assembly which is attached to the dashboard reinforcement bar.




This picture shows the reinforcement of the undercarriage of the vehicle. The reinforcement will work in unison with steel reinforcement installed in the vehicle's door system.




Rear view of the Proton Exora's skeleton and without its outer makeover, the vehicle looks so basic. However, with all of its accessories, Proton Exora is among the good looking Malaysian made vehicles traversing the highways and byways.

New MyKad

As part of your new year resolution, may be you may wish to own a new version of MyKad. According to The STAR, The National Registration Department (NRD) will be issuing the new MyKad with the latest security features in stages from Jan 3.

These are the reasons why you should get the new version of the MyKad:

1. More durable as it is made of tougher polycarbonate material,
2. A new and longer lasting chip,
3. Equipped with a new laser technology security feature on the surface to prevent forgery.

The new version of MyKad will be available on stages at respective NRD branches nationwide.

Putrajaya and Shah Alam on Jan 3,
Kluang and Ipoh on Jan 10,
Johor Bahru on Jan 14,
Kuantan on Jan 15,
Melaka on Jan 17,
Kuching and Kota Baru on Jan 20,
Kuala Terengganu and Penang on Jan 29,
Alor Setar on Feb 2,
Miri on Feb 6,
Kota Kinabalu and other branches on Feb 7,
Branches n Federal Territory on Feb 15.

I will surely give the NRD office a visit to renew my MyKad since mine is already slightly damaged due to wear and tear. Furthermore, I hope the replacement will be free of charge since they are introducing a new version of the MyKad.