Alpha Conference, Kuching (Day One)

Kuching held its first ever Alpha Conference from the 16-17 April at Trinity Methodist Church. It was truly a sight to behold, with more than a thousand delegates from other parts of Malaysia as well as overseas (Indonesia, India, Australia, etc) streaming in to attend the conference. The main Alpha team leaders such as Nicky Gumble, Tim Hughes, Al Gordon and Jamie Haith also flew in all the way from the UK.

Click these links for an overview on the Alpha Course and Nicky Gumble.

There were also plenty of assistants from all churches around Kuching, wearing purple shirts helping in the running of the conference.

The bishop says that he invited Nicky Gumble six years ago to speak in Kuching. Its definitely a worthwhile wait, in my opinion.

Participants listening earnestly to the opening speeches.

Tim Hughes led most of the worship sessions just with an acoustic guitar. Popular songs that he composed were sung, such as "Here I am to worship" and "Consuming Fire".

Its lovely to see Christians from all denominations coming together in worship and praise.

Rev Nicky Gumbel and wife Pippa joining the congregation in worship.

A closer look at Tim Hughes. I was stretching the capabilities of the Olympus Image Stabilisation system by keeping shutter speeds around 1/100. It can get a little challenging to handhold an E-3 + HLD-4 + 35-100 combination which weighs around 4 kg.

Nicky Gumbel finally takes the spot light with the talk "Principles of Alpha". The seminars were clearly and coherently presented.

The church was packed to the brim, even with the addition of extra seats. Truly a magnificent sight to behold.

As the seminars were presented, the audio visual team was busy working in the background diligently recording the event on video.

With wide angle lenses, such as the 7-14 (14-28mm equivalent), it was possible to get sharp handheld shots at around 1/20 secs.

A time for ministry is essential after every seminar and its importance should not be overlooked.

After lunch, Al Gordon presented "Practicalities of Alpha"

There were several workshops in the afternoon around the premises. My dad asked me to cover the "family life" course at St Peter's church.

Mr and Mrs Yoong have been conducting marriage seminars all throughout Malaysia and actively advocate the Alpha Marriage course.

Downstairs, there was a seminar on Youth Alpha. The cushions offered a more relaxed and informal atmosphere, in my opinion.

After dinner, Nicky invited some delegates who attended the Alpha courses before to share their experiences on stage. It was indeed touching to hear some stories on how lives can be changed through Alpha.

Jamie Haith shared a Model Alpha Evening: Holy Spirit Weekend. Wikipedia states - The Alpha course has been criticised for a charismatic emphasis. A particular problem for non-charismatic evangelicals is what is seen as Gumbel's emphasis upon the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Of course, your mileage may vary, but in my opinion, what's more essential is that the teachings are focused upon aspects of the Christian faith where all denominations are in general agreement.

A session of ministry before ending the night session.

You may view more images of the event here.

Cheers~

The ''ais kacang'' man

When I was home in Kuching in July, I remember the time when I paid a brief visit to this "ais kacang" stall. It's located opposite the Wayang Street Chinese Temple which you can promptly locate on Google Maps.

My dad used to tell me that when he was studying in St. Joseph's school 30 years ago, he used to come to this exact same stall, and the ''ais kacang'' was [and still is] good and cheap.

The ''tauke'' [entrepeneur] unloads his wares from his van, and almost never fails to set up his stall each weekend. Sometimes during the durian season, he would sell durians instead of ''ais kacang''.

I would think that the ''ais kacang'' in Kuching caters more for my taste buds instead of those from West Malaysia, where they serve all sorts of condiments such as ice cream, peanuts, etc.

I ordered a bowl, and sat myself down on a timber bench with some other customers who were in the middle of savoring their ice kacang, in the middle of a hot, humid afternoon.

The tauke promptly took a large block of ice from a polystyrene box nearby, and grinded it with a machine to produce shaved ice. He then pours some syrup, jelly, red beans and evaporated milk over the ice. Voila!

It didn't take too long for my bowl to be served. I savored every last drop of it, and promptly paid my dues (which by the way, only costs RM 1.70 / AUD 0.60). By comparison, a small cup of coffee from a cafe costs a AUD3.

I hope this road side stall is still around when I return home. Good Kuching ''ais kacang'' is hard to replicate elsewhere :)

ps: I apologise for not being able to photograph an example of the finished product. I was so thirsty I finished all of it before I remembered to do so..

Lundu day trip

A while back, Asfan and I decided to head off to Lundu for a day trip. While it wasn't very eventful at least we were happy to get some shots.


In some parts of Sarawak where a bridge isn't accessible, what better way to cross than using a ferry!


What's there to do at a beach in Lundu? Well, you can fish,


Play with the sand...


... or ride a coconut tree..


If you ever decide to build a holiday house out of timber, you have been warned...


...mother nature has its own demolition crew :)



There are lots of textures and close ups to photograph too...




The solitary dunny amongst the coconut trees. Splendid! ^^

Tune Hotels, Kuching

It is of no coincidence that when Dato' Tony Fernandes envisioned Air Asia as a no frills, budget airline, Tune Hotels was also developed with the same vision in mind.

So to build a budget hotel, what do you need? A cost-conscious client, who wants to spend as little money as possible to build this project, and expects the best results from the parties involved in its conception.

The building for the current Tune Hotel was originally an old office block, and what was required was to replace some structural members, completely gut out the old interior, and paint it with a new coat of white paint, which makes it quite economical to construct.


And thus the match begins, between a relatively modest newcomer to the Kuching hotel scene and the long time veteran, Hilton Hotel. Both were designed by my firm.

Its as if the newbie Tune Hotel is saying to Hilton Kuching: "Take me on!" And surprisingly, Tune Hotels is performing extremely well.


To enter the hotel, you walk up a set of stairs which leads you to the lobby.


The hotel lobby looks deceptively empty, but this hotel is in fact fully booked due to the Rainforest Music Festival and the Rulers' Conference which is due next month.


Everyone seems to be preoccupied with the H1N1 virus, so the hotel staff are playing it safe by wearing masks. I'm not sure if doing so is such a good thing for business, because i don't see any staff in Hilton Kuching wearing masks.


This is a relatively simple environment, with a few chairs / sofas to relax on. The red table in the corner is a ''bar'' where you can order some tea / coffee.


Oh.. if you're expecting a swimming pool, meeting room, gyms and many other conventional facilities, forget it. This hotel has none. Hey, its all in the name of minimizing costs and maximizing profits, so its fine.

At least they have a small corner for internet usage, for travellers who would like this service.


Welcome to the cosy and neat Tune Hotel guest room. Just some things to note here though. The accommodation services here are very basic, aka. TV's, towels, bathroom cosmetic, air conditioning and wireless internet access are provided for as an extra. [some other budget hotels in Kuching which charge the same rates provide air-conditioning by default!] By comparison, the Tune Hotel rooms in west Malaysia look more decorative and elegant than the ones in Kuching.


The bathroom is clean and usable, albeit its small size.


The white washed paint and tiles adorn the corridors while the doors to the rooms are located to each side.


There is a small outdoor cafe terrace , presumably for customers to drink coffee.


My colleague was quite happy with the way how the stairways were handled with a some what industrial aesthetic.


So there you have it folks, Tune Hotel Kuching. For some of you, this may not be your cup of tea, but at least do drop by and have a look.

cheers.

Note:

1. My sincere appreciations to the staff and management of Tune Hotel Kuching for allowing and assisting me to photograph the interior of this project for my architectural firm's portfolio.

2. This is not an ad. If by any chance Tunehotels.com or any parties would like to use these images, please contact me personally at my email address above.

Waterfront on July 1st, 2009

Yesterdays' weather looked quite promising, so I paid a visit to Waterfront after work. The sun's rays bathed the buildings a beautiful golden hue.


Its a pity to note that conservation works aren't valued here ; its much easier to tear down an old structure and build it up again rather than keeping it for the generations to come.


Not many people were utilising the facilities along Waterfont, other than a few lonely joggers and stall -owners setting up their wares for dinner time.


A handsome number of people were rowing their canoes in preparation of the upcoming dragon boat festival.


The Sarawak River cruise ship typicaly returns to port around this time of the evening.


When the lights are switched on, a lovely sheen of colors are reflected in the river.


I won't be in Kuching for long. Hopefully the weather will still hold up before I return to Melbourne.

cheers.