Vagabond Jim

Just back from WAKxMiri.  It is a scorcher of a day.  No clouds.  Apparent Temperature according to my app (Nautide) is 36C or 97F. It feels it. I woke up and walked to Tin Shack Aunties.  Late arrivals come at a cost.  She was out of "Mee" (wheat, round) noodles.  Only "Bee Hun" (rice, flat noodles but narrower than "Kway Teow") were available.  So, I rolled with that.  Next time I'll ask her to use them for Char Kway Teow.  Noodles make a difference to the dish. Kway Teow Wonton Mee. The rice noodles lack the tooth, are too slippery, and just fall flat.  The dish was still good.  Just not nearly as tasty as Kolo Mee.  Not gonna disregard centuries of noodle knowledge so readily. Last night's dinner was much better 'Pork Rice,' like "Chicken Rice."  I selected 2 types of pork: crispy roast and Char Siew (BBQ). The Char Siew was amazing, the crispy as great but just not as flavorful. OK, back to today. When I left for brea...

Yesterday was the night of the sailing crowd's weekly dinner.  It was a very enjoyable night.  Sitting at a larger table was stressful, but I handled it.  A full Valium in the morning (my usual dose is a half; I rarely take it here) left me drowsy almost immediately. So I had breakfast (Pan Mee) and lugged 19L of water after that.  Then napped the day away. I was early, the restaurant in a hotel; I sat in the lobby to wait.  A young lady was putting up signage for the What About Kuching (WAK) festival.  It's a month long celebration in October.  And, in Kuching--800KM away.  But they have expanded.  They recently added weekend in Sibu (between here and Kuching) and Miri.  She was struggling with one of the mounts so I jumped in to lend a hand.  Gina was a delight to meet.  I have plans to attend many of the events this weekend:  https://aboutkuching.com/wakxmiri/   I suggested that What About Borneo was inevitable as ...

I have not been walking enough the last few days.  And, I know I just feel better when I get 10k steps in. I've stopped wearing my Fitbit* during the day as my phone can track my steps too.  One of the tells that the step count is low is my sleep.  When I walk a lot, I sleep well. Yesterday I reached the point where I was inclined to take a full Ambien.  Had been titrating down to 5mg instead of 10.  But it wasn't working so I took a full one.  And, I slept 11 hours.   OK, something needs to be done. Today was supposed to only be 88F and have scattered showers.  My little backpack (will be discussed at some point as it's a touchstone object from my past) was packed as always; Kindle, hat (in case it starts cloudy but does not stay so), a gym towel (i'm gonna sweat of get rained on), a packable jacket, tissue ("tisu" locally - the go to for napkins, spills, sweat, snot, and anything else you can dream of using a Kleenex for).  I decided t...

 Hmmm, where to start. If you don't know what I think about the crisis in L.A., then you do not know me.   For those folks: I'm a autistic liberal who lived there for nearly 15 years.  I love the city and its people.  It is, by far, my favorite urban area in America.   I've been on every street and in every neighborhood named in the lyrics. I have been to most of the places shown. I Love L.A. And remember, NYC and Chicago are just as liberal with Democratic governors.  This can spread.  Don't let it.  Ran into the building manager on the way to get Kolo Mee today.  He mentioned he's seen pics of me on the waterfront with the crocodile online.  I'm not the only white dude here.  But I am the only one with a Tilley Hat.  So, I'm pretty sure he's right.  He was not happy to hear the croc was killed.  Let's unspool the film... Nasi Goreng from a previously reliable mamak.  2/10. Down the list it slides. A c...

I'm settling down from the croc situation.  It ain't coming back.  But the lack of "western" professionalism is still pissing me off.  Since I'm not in the West, I am just loosening my grip on it as quickly as I can.  Best I can say is I like the way rugby union and ice hockey players respect each other at the end of the season.  Croc hunters did not get the Commonwealth's attitude about sporting behavior. It's a hot day.  They come in varieties here.  Today is pleasant ambient air with a cooling breeze.  In the shade.  Otherwise it feels like someone has a magnifying glass focusing the sun on one. At least the ambient and breeze make writing this on the pool deck comfortable.  Especially with 36 ounces of iced mango tea.  That won't last long. Let's unspool the film... Char Kway Teow from Bobby 99's. Skipped the prawns, doubled the sausage, cooked with Sambal. Spicy!  Mrs. Bobby brought peppers over which did not get used. Bee...

Walking back from lunch. Utterly senseless.  It was not ever going to be able to harm anybody coming down to look for it at sunset.  It's at least 5 feet from the deck to the water at high tide.  Crocs can't jump let alone dunk. What makes me soooooo mad is the glee they took from it.  Pictures with it.  Smiling.  Laughing.  Fuck' them. 2M long at most. They smashed its skull with a pipe.  But from what remained, I believe it was a Saltwater Croc not a Siam (narrow snout.) And young.  They regularly grow 4 meters long and several hundred pounds. Fucking senseless. Laughed at my anger too.  Fuck' them. ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH.

Wind Chill happens in the tropics too.  Today is cloudy and breezy.  The sweat wicks away (daylight has lower humidity here.)  It's delightful to be a bit chilled when the heat index/Humiture is 35C.  (95F)  Trully. Yesterday was a zonker.  Just didn't have it.  Breakfast.  And It was just too hot to even sit by the pool.  No breeze.  Yuck.  You tube and 10 hours of sleep.  There will be more of those to come.  That's my recovery/transition mode historically. Didn't even go look for the croc. I'm always on the lookout for 3 things as I wander or choose a place to sit: flags, foliage, and shade.  Today the 1st two are moving and the third is abundant.  It feels good. The Noodlebowski and I were texting and he asked if this could be the monsoon season.  I thought not.  I was wrong.  Apparently it started when I left SFO (5/10) officially.  This is the SW* Monsoon.  Mongolia heats up, suckin...

  Stumpy shows us his 'wholeself.' The 4thnight I believe 1) I immediately think she's a vampire with that pose 2) Natural hail colors always look better.  Stumpy at sunset. A really good Mee Goreng. Roti Telur, at a new joint.  Very good. Well,... if I need it, it's there.  A great Dhosi 5th night Stumpy has a good view when he's got his head above water. The croc stuff is just something that makes me happy.  Last night I got there and a there was a big crowd.  They've been growing nightly.  I mentioned to somebody that I'd seen a croc four nights running.  She said she'd come because she saw it on Facebook.  People are coming to see 'em/it.   Nothing.  Sun gone, light fading, and then 10 feet away there it was. 6-7 feet long, fully visible floating.  I should have taken a picture.  I turned to point it out to the others.  By the time I turned back, it was just showing nostrils and eyes.  I tried for a whil...