Hot Wheels

I bought a new car last week, a Mazda 626, 1997 model with 123,000 miles, or a Mahzda as my Canadian friend calls it. (FYI, the Canadian dollar pulled even with the US dollar last week. Thought you should know.)

I hate buying cars. Why do we allow the practice of car selling to continue as it does in the USA? For me it is the same as going to the corner store for a tube of toothpaste. The tube has a list of features on the price tag and then the price of $12. A salesperson talks to you about the chloride etc and even lets you brush once with the toothpaste. Then you offer $3 for the toothpaste and they "go to bat" for you against their manager, to get him/her to agree to the lower price. (Please!!! Honestly, I once had a sales lady use this term when I wouldn't sign a hastily scrawled contract saying I would buy the car if she could get the trade price for my pickup that I wanted)

Eventually, you pay $6.50 for the the toothpaste, plus tag, title and tax ($8.12 out the door). As you sit on your hemmorhoid donut on the way home, you manage to convince yourself you paid the right price for the toothpaste.

Why is this legal? Can't they just markup cars like they markup products at any store and tell you the price? Why should the price you pay be contingent on your ability to 'drive a hard bargain'?

Anyway, I paid $3500 (out the door, or on the road as they say in MY) for my car and feel that is an OK price. No bargain, mind you, but I don't think I got taken. If you think otherwise, please don't tell me and allow me to live the delusion that is my life. Thanks for you cooperation.

The long anticipated Mataking-Sipadan photos

Before I left Malaysia I knew I wanted to dive Sipadan, the most famous of Malaysian dive sites. I also spent 4 days diving another island in the area, Mataking. I finally figured out my camera (arrgghh!) and got some great underwater shots. Nudibranch

Clown frogfish. There are two of them. I only noticed that after I looked at the photo because my dive master was in such a hurry.

A huge school of jack or big-eye trevally.

Giant frogfish-yes there is a fish in this picture.

Purple-fringed flatworm.

This turtle was in Mataking but you see about 8-10 turtles PER DIVE in Sipadan.

My dive buddy, Rombout (a Dutch guy who was staying at Seaventures).

Whitetip reef shark resting in the current. There are lots of these at Sipadan, sometimes you can see 10 or more on a single dive. And no, not dangerous or aggressive, unless you are trying to eat bloody, raw steak.

Donald the Rhino

I was hanging out with a 5 year old this weekend who was pretending he was a rhinoceros named Donald. I composed a short limerick about Donald:

There is a fellow named Donald the Rhino
He's the cleverest rhino that I know
He knows loads about bugs
And a bit about slugs
Plus he can fold a mean origami dino

I was then challenged to rhyme it using rhinoceros, so here goes.

There an adventurer named Donald the Rhinoceros
Who had as a goalto swim the Bosporus
As he swam along
He composed a song
And as a result became quite prosperous.

I like to ride my bicycle, I like to ride my bike

I'm visiting friends before I leave Malaysia and I spent the morning and afternoon out on a little bike ride through the kampung (village) down to a beach about 6 km from their house.

First, I was riding and older style bike. Really cool looking but by the time I started back it was killing me in the you know what. The ride was really nice when I started out but I took a long time. The kampung is very rural but there are houses everywhere and they are in no kind of order. It's as if God took his Monopoly set and turned it upside down. Houses fell everywhere and then the roads were traced through the empty places. So, the road meanders this way and that and you have do idea if your on the main road or one that dead ends at a clump of houses. This meant that I would head down a path and just hope it was the main one. Needless to say I made lots of U-turns. It was very fun at first to meet people and ask directions but on the way back, it was hot and about 2 pm and I just wanted a shower.

Definitely a fun ride. Here are some pictures from the adventure.

My faithful steed

Kites for sale on the beach

Nasi kerabu--don't adjust your colour, it is blue rice.
Also, this meal cost me RM1.80 and that included drink.
Malaysians get tired of hearing how strong the US dollar is, but that is $.50 and in Penang the same meal would cost twice that.

Ipoh Mali

A couple of months ago I wrote about a song called "Ipoh Mali" in a post called "The Surreal World".

I recently found the video for Ipoh Mali on YouTube, so here it is in all its glory.

The show must go on

This is the best news EVER!!!!!!

A chicken in every pot

Here in Malaysia the elections are getting close but actually it is just a guess. The Malaysian system works like this: the party in power can call for an election at anytime but they must do so within five years of the last election. The current prime minister, Abdullah Badawi was elected on October 31, 2003.

Why do I think there is an upcoming vote now?

Malaysia does not have freedom of the press. In fact, newspapers are owned by political parties here. This entire week the front page of The Star, the main English daily, has been trumpeting the benefits of the Northern Corridor project and how great a city Penang will be once all the new plans have been implemented. It seems suspicious to me (although not completely out of the ordinary) to have of this publicity of what a great job the government is doing. (Isn't that generally what any government is supposed to do?)

If there is an election, there will be an announcement and then in two weeks the vote. Also, a flag will blossom from every pole, tree and house in the country, flying their party's colors.

My prediction is a vote before Jan 1, 2008.

I wish the USA would adopt some of these political measures. Wouldn't it be great if there were, say, two months of campaigning and then the primaries, then two more months and the general election? I would love to see just two weeks but I'm trying to put forward a feasible plan. The primaries are months off in the States and still candidates are campaigning and have been doing so for months. Don't these people have jobs?

I do appreciate free speech in America when compared with Malaysia. Actually, both can learn from the other. Malaysians should ask a few more hard hitting and piercing questions and Americans should learn to respect a person's position and title just a bit.

Just a last thought here: Yesterday's Star showed the future of Penang, which includes this "global convention centre" with two malls and two five star hotels. Penang's population is about 500,000-600,000 and can't even support the 6 malls that we currently have, why in the world do we need more? Komtar can't even be considered a mall anymore, it is so nasty and vacant since Prangin Mall went in next door. Oh well, I guess that is the definition of 'development', --more malls.

Sledding on Mt. Baker

Sorry these posts are in such a random order, this obviously happened before I went to Hong Kong, it is just that it took along time to upload to youtube.

The gist is that I went sledding, on inflatable pool toys, with my friends, in July, in 80 degree weather on Mt. Baker. Enjoy the photos and video.

Brrr so cold!

I'm like a bird

Trekking back up the hill after a ride down

Tara!!!!

SuperNikki

Erek contemplates his path down

TopCat even got in the act

The choo-choo train leaving the station

Hong Kong

I stopped in Hong Kong for 3 days on my way back to Malaysia. I didn't enjoy it so much. It was hot, hottt, HOT. Cities are just a trap for heat and allow no wind to flow. It was expensive. I can have breakfast for $.50 USD in Malaysia, the cheapest meal in HK was about $4 USD. I went to the Ladies Market and the Temple Street Market and they were full of the same items you get in Malaysia except more expensive. There are just hordes, gobs, stacks, crowds of people. Way too many people. Lastly, I went to Victoria Peak to take night photos and they have put a stinking MALL on top of the Peak. You can eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp and watch the lights of Hong Kong. Something about that is just sick and wrong to me. I was asked to fill out a tourist question sheet at the airport and I thought the girl was going to cry when I rated my experience as a 6. Honestly, visit Penang. We have a tall hill-without a mall, good night market shopping and cheaper food. Here are some pictures to fool you into thinking it is a nice city...

Typical shot of Hong Kong harbor.

View from the Peak, err, mall at night.

Tai Chi on the promenade.

Neon Chinese

Chinook Pass

My parents flew up to Washington and we drove over to Leavenworth and then down to Yakima before heading back to Seattle. These are pictures that I took at Chinook Pass. Mt. Rainier looms in the distance.

Alpine lake

I think this is Mt. Naches

BFFs

TopCat and his BFF's..too bad Barn was behind the lens!

Sunset at Silver Lake

Silver Lake at twilight on a summer day.

The sweet smell of...

Today I saw a girl smelling her hair as she walked down the street. Since I have no idea why a person would do this, I thought I would ask you, my all-knowing reader.

Question: Why was the girl walking down the street smelling her hair?

Please choose an answer multiple choice style.

Answers:

A) She was very pleased with her new Herbal Essence “Orange Blossom” shampoo.
B) Some people twiddle their thumbs when bored, others smell their hair.
C) It was simply a sign that Coke a Cola’s “Original Formula” hair powder should not be approved by the FDA.
D) She is an egotistical maniac in love with her long, luscious, great-smelling hair.
E) Even bad smelling hair smells better than the Oklahoman standing next to her, staring crazily at her.
F) ????

Submit your answers in the comment section.

Summer blockbusters

I have been traveling and writing stuff, random things, so get ready for a flurry of posts that have no real connection.

Random thoughts: Easy to get internet anywhere in the USA...Asia not so easy. Hong Kong has this PCCW network but you have to pay. Why can't we standardize the electrical plugs around the world. And why can't the USA just cave in and go to the metric system. I will run for President in 2012 with these two matters as my platform.

The real post:

A few years ago, there was a summer blockbuster. It also happens to be one of my most hated movies. Armageddon. How in the world did this movie not do anything but flop? I also remember that summer the movie “Deep Impact” came out as well and was a much better take on the whole ‘giant asteroid hits the earth’ theme.

What made Armageddon bad? 1. Lots of hype 2. Most of the action sequences involve the old ‘Star Trek’ staple of a shaking camera and people falling around in a spaceship 3. Clichéd characters—the Russian cosmonaut, the outlaw oil driller 4. Clichéd plot—the good of the many outweighs the good of the one 5. A theme song that rivaled “My Heart Must Go One” for most overplayed song of all time (“I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing”) All this equals a movie that should have bombed as badly as “Waterworld”.

One other thought on movies. I caught “John Q” the other day and I still think that movie would have been much better if they had allowed John to give his heart rather than make the movie the typical happy Hollywood ending. So much for original ideas.

Fourth of July

I celebrated July 4th last night with friends in Bellingham. We watched the fireworks from the bay at a yacht. I took pictures of the fireworks show over the bay which I will share with you. It gets dark so late this far north. The fireworks started at 10:30 and it wasn't completely dark (still a glimmer of twilight) until after 11. The sun comes up at the crack of dawn as well!

Sunset at Birch Bay

Random birds of Washington

Black-capped chickadees

Rufous hummingbird

Pacific slope flycatcher

Hiking Boulder Ridge near Mt. Baker

Last Saturday my friend Dave and I went hiking on Mt. Baker at a place called Boulder Ridge. The snow melt has been slow this year, so we started at a lower elevation but still reached snow after 30-45 minutes of hiking. The day was overcast until we headed home but still afforded us views of the peak of Baker, a dormant volcano. Dave told me when he was a Boy Scout they would go on hikes where if you fell down you were given 7 points, kind of fell 3 points and just touched a hand 1 point. I would up biffing it on the trail back for a full 7 points and also sliding down a steep, snow-covered slope for another 7 points. Needless to say Dave won the game. Still, who could complain about being out in the woods on a glorious day!

Looking up Boulder Creek to Mount Baker. The headwaters of this creek were our destination.

This Western Tiger Swallowtail was hanging out near the trailhead.

Looking back down the trail towards Baker Lake and other mountains.

Posing in the shadow of the mountain.

Another picturesque view of Mt. Baker.

American Goldfinch

The American Goldfinch is the state bird of Washington. I found this one in the cranberry bogs near Westport.

Westport days

Back in February of 1998 I left Oklahoma and moved to Westport, Washington to work at the Westport Maritime Museum. I recently returned for a short visit and found little has changed. Some more condos have been built out by the beach but mostly it has resisted the change of the last 8 years. Still a great place to spend a few days and if you get a day of full sun it is like hitting the lottery. Still remember the July 4th that I worked giving tours in the lighthouse and it was foggy and I had to wear a 'jumper'!

Gray's Harbor Light

Sand dollar that washed up on the beach

As I was walking I started to feel really small because I was the only person on the beach and it just went on and on and finally disappeared into the mist. Japan is somewhere to the right.