Third Rock from the Peninsular

Singapore conquers Pulau Batu Puteh

A fitting headline, I feel. One small island gaining an even smaller piece of rock. Two countries spending millions of dollars to settle a squabble over a collection of sea rocks. How apt that the protagonists are Malaysia and Singapore.

When I first read about this issue some time back, I came under the impression that PBP or Pedra Branca was some exotic island straddling the Malaysian-Singaporean maritime border. It turned out to be an outcrop, one of three outcrops, in fact. The other two are Middle Rocks and South Ledge. How very patriotic of these two neighbours to be fighting for every square inch of land possible, all for the sake of one upmanship.

Once the dust settled, the ICJ ruled in favour of Singapore. However, Malaysia was given sovereignty over Middle Rocks, while the South Ledge is up for further negotiations. That's the status quo as of 30 May 2008.

Is it then a coincidence that the Malaysian government is planning to ban sale of petrol/ gasoline/ diesel to foreign-registered vehicles? Yes, vehicles from Thailand, which form a major source of income for northern petrol stations, will also be affected. But the real losers would be the Singaporeans and Malaysian PRs in Singapore.

To those not familiar with the relationship quirks between Malaysia and Singapore, hundreds of Singaporean motorists head to JB during the weekend and fill their tanks up before returning to Sterile Land. More accurately, the tanks are ¾ full, the legally permissible level. Which is why petrol kiosks stationed in JB city proper reap millions of ringgit every year. The South Siders will now have to seek alternative sources of cheap petrol. Perhaps using sewage water recycled into fuel? Or taking a ferry to Indonesia, maybe? And of course, Malaysian PRs in Singapore would not be exempted. After all, they're viewed as treacherous traitors here in Malaysia. Or that's the impression one gets when reading public opinions on this matter.

But yeah, back to the Rocky Saga. The ICJ decision has apparently triggered panic among Malaysian cartographers who are now scrambling to map all islands in Malaysian waters. And the government is planning to populate vacant islands, islets and outcrops with people and structures to prevent further encroachment by Singaporean raiders. Not that the Malaysian public has ever been aware of the existence of such formations on our increasingly-polluted waters. Most of the 'rakyat' interviewed have stated displeasure over the loss of the rocks and have demanded national pride be restored. No, this will not mean better Proton cars. Neither will it mean cleaner public toilets. No siree, this points only way - more Singapore bashing.

As J.Lo put it aptly, "don't be fooled by the rocks that I got…"

For those who have never been to Pulau Batu Puteh (courtesy of Wiki):

Port o' Call: Phuket

After five days of bliss and decadence, I'm back in KL. And at work. Sigh. I think the worst part of any holiday is checking-out of the hotel, and heading home. If only there was some way to enjoy a year-long holiday. An annual year-long holiday would be even better. Oh, snap out of it, dude.

Phuket was fun, and absorbing. Plenty of food, shopping (for some) and walking. Not much drinking, but it didn't matter. And I finally managed to finish one arcade shooter-game. I'm pleased to say the Virtua Cops managed to hammer Joe Fang into submission, thanks to pinpoint accuracy and plenty of ten baths.

The accommodation was better than average. I must say, C&N has really upgraded itself since my last visit there in 2006. The rooms were always comfortable; this time the hotel has a pleasant lobby to its name. And the staff seemed to be more professional this time around.

Smile café lived up to its name; it brought a smile to our faces every breakfast session. Considering our first meal of the day often occurred in between late breakfast and early lunch periods, the food ingested was usually a combination of western breakfast (eggs, ham, bacon and toast) and Thai lunch (rice, garlic and pepper chicken, rice). The fact that Smile café is smoker-friendly further enhanced the eating pleasure. Of course, we paid a couple of visits to Restaurant 6, but we were suitably disappointed with their new No-Smoking rule. As always, the Seafood Square was a must-visit, and the dinner we had there was delicious, which made up for the slightly expensive bill. And the crepes, my word, the crepes. The lap and som tam were no slouches either, but the star of the table was definitely the garlic and pepper chicken. Yummeee!

Personally, shopping wasn't much of a priority, though the rest of the companions returned satisfied with the various purchases, which ranged from a pair of Slurpee-green shoes to Liverpool's latest UCL jersey.

Two things really stood out in Phuket this visit. KSA 2 and the Phuket Tourism Channel. Bloody hilarious, they were. Though not intentionally. KSA 2 had some Arab Thelma busy giving advice on completely inane issues posed by callers. He (the Arab Thelma) regaled with his beat-around-the-bush answers, and reaction to uncomfortable questions. Watch it to believe it, and laugh the night away. The PTC gave a close fight, with its inept presenters. The white dude obviously had memory problems, as he kept glancing at the teleprompter, which was placed below the video camera. The local girl was pronunciationally-challenged, mouthing off www as dubelniu-dubelniu-dubelniu. Once again, watch it to believe it.

So that's Phuket. The go-go bars are still alive and kicking (yeah), the katoeys are still pumping, and the sea is still swirling. I've been there four times within the last two years, and I must say I still enjoy the island. There's almost nothing better than just lazing around in a T-shirt, shorts and sandals, watching weird-ass people walk-by as I smoke and drink a cheap Chang.

I wouldn't be surprised if someone suggests Phuket again later this year.

Till then, view the Phuket trip at http://picasaweb.google.com/pravind76

Port o'Call: Chiang Mai

I like Chiang Mai.

No, it's not as hectic and vibrant as Bangkok.

Nor is it full of life and sleaze like its southern cousin, Phuket.

No, Chiang Mai offers an entirely different package from the more popular destinations in Thailand.

It's slow-paced (to the point of near-annoyance), saddled with hundreds of years of northern Thai (Siamese) culture. The Lanna-styled buildings are quite attractive in their own right, with the teak structures and vast compounds.

The remains of the ancient city form the sightseeing 'boundary', enclosing the older part of Chiang Mai from the newer parts of the city. The old city walls and moat form a square parameter around what is probably the best site to shop at. Though one shouldn't envision the gates being similar in grandeur to, say, the Arc de Triomphe or the Brandenburg Gate.

The weather was a bit dodgy, raining on the first day of our visit and on the last day too. In between, it was hot, but not like the humid, sweat-inducing heat in KL. Walking around was pleasant, and the relatively clean air made for better enjoyment of a cigarette or two.

Shopping was good, with prices noticeably lower than Bangkok (often used yardstick for shoppers in Thailand, apparently). And there were plenty of unique wares on sale in the Sunday Night Market at Rajduemern Road near Thapae Gate. Walking along the Road, we managed to hop-in into several temples, and sample the local snacks on sale. One eye-catching scene was a Muslim family (tudungs and all) selling what looked like pisang goreng beside a stall selling pork sausages which was manned by a Thai. In a Buddhist temple. Not only that, the family was also happily throwing titbits to a mongrel that was more than happy to serve as a food QC expert. For all the unrest in Southern Thailand, this is one scenario we would never, ever come across in the so-called multiracial Malaysia.

Later in the evening, we discovered there were even more roads with stalls, mostly set-up by Chiang Mai University students offering creative pieces of work. Think struggling art/film/design students.

The Night Bazaar just around the corner where we stayed wasn't too bad either, with stalls selling more conventional goods - T-shirts, scarves, fake goods, dresses, etc. We spent quite a bit of time perusing the stalls, and managed to get some stuff at cheap-ass prices. What was even better was the existence of more commercialised outlets like Burger King, Starbucks and McD's outlining the bazaar. The actual Night Bazaar Complex itself was highly disappointing, with mainly touristy souvenirs being sold at ridiculously high prices. The Saturday Market at Wualai Road was equally as disappointing, more akin to the weekend pasar malam at Malacca Old Town. Amazing that there wasn't a single dustbin along the road.

I didn't do much sightseeing, surprisingly enough. Was keen on the excursions to the elephant farm and Burmese border, but they were expensive (former) and time consuming (latter). Next time, definitely. Did visit the oldest temple in Chiang Mai, though. And saw a Buddha statue purportedly made out of crystal dating more than 2500 years old.

All things considered, I quite enjoyed the trip. Some things needed getting used to, like not smoking in most of the bars and pubs (sigh). And paying a bomb for Burger King. And scores of hilltribeswomen walking around making frog sounds. I reckon four or five days in Chiang Mai is just nice, sufficient for sight-seeing and shopping yet below the boredom cut-off point.

Like I said, I like Chiang Mai.

A picture paints a thousand words at http://picasaweb.google.com/pravind76

Numbers

One night, when I was 20
I went to bed
When I awoke
I was 30

For every roll of joy
There is one strand of regret
I could have been better
I could have done better

Now I go to bed
And think of things to be
Will I embrace 40
Willingly without regret
Or will it sneak upon me
Before I bid farewell to 30