Perth's Murray Street

Just round the corner of wellington Street and Barrack Street where I stay is a busy street called Murray Street. Like New Zealand's Queen Street lots of people walk along it. There's also entertainment by all kinds of artistes out to make some fast bucks... from magicians to street dancers entertaining everyone, the young and old alike enjoy their time here. Unlike Queen Street, the whole area has no vehicles driving along this lengthy stretch of paved road ... except for police vehicles... ever ready with their special caged vehicles to lock up law-breakers. What is available at this marvelous street is a wide space that has plenty of empty space for everyone to sit around on comfortable benches and hang around! The shops on both sides of the street deserve mention: there're shopping malls, shoes, bags and clothes boutiques, cafeterias, bookshops, money changing offices, watch shops, immigration consultancy centres, restaurants, city info centres and many others. Unfortunately, there are apparently certain undesirable individuals who create problems for others like quarrelling, fighting or stealing and these are times when the professional cops of Perth come in! Here are pics of a street performer doing his balancing act... a cop about to arrest a woman who had had a fight with her mate and a view of my residence with all the noisy construction going on ... More stories to come...

Beauty of Kota Kinabalu

Of course, this state is such a beautiful one. It's hard not to fall in love with the beauty of the natural environment and its many friendly people.

The air here itself is so fresh, unlike many major cities in the world. There's virtually no humidity unlike the hometown I come from...

There are lots of pigeons in the city and they don't seem to fear humans! Just look at these few cute birds I encounter while out strolling along Gaya Street when I first came.

The other scenes were shot when I walked out of my office, crossed the street behind it, went straight inside Merdeka Square and out to the waterfront. It was sheer magic-to behold the setting sun as it lay its weary golden head into the waters in the far distance ...

Oh yes-the beggars-they are mostly illegal immigrants who were allowed to remain in this state by previous governments for God-knows whatever reasons...

More about Sabah later...haven't much time...can't check for errors in this blog!

Down Miri's Memory Lane...

YES! YES! You're looking at some cool pics by a well-known photographer, Francis Liew, of old and quite new Miri places. These pics came out in the Miri Daily News (Now known as The United Daily News) sometime ago.

I regret I do not have the actual date of its publication. If you do, please let me know and I'll add it in.

A few comments from yours truly here:
a) Even as an old Mirian, frankly, I haven't the foggiest idea where the heck Jalan
Unku is! Typically, the local Authority makes changes to road names with little
notification! Miri would be a greater tourist attraction if we follow our beautiful capital city, historic Kuching and give names to streets and roads that reflect truly our gratitude to our past historical personalities such as Chong En Siong, Malaysian founder of the OLDEST northern region educational institution, St. Columba's School in replacement of an unknown Abang Indeh who has no connection whatsoever to the school! What about Jalan Chong En Siong instead of Jalan Abang Indeh for the road that runs through between St. Columba's Primary and St. Columba's Secondary School??? Before Jalan Abang Indeh it was Jalan Kubu.
b) The present Taman Selera was a popular spot for picnics in the early '70s.
The pic with the coconut palms was where the present food stores began. There
were a few (2 or 3) hawker-style stores selling rojak, food and drinks at first. Mirians
could park vehicles wherever.
c) The 3rd row pics show Miri town as it was then-just some shops with hardly any
tall buildings. The tallest and oldest in the '70s was 7-floor-Park Hotel!
d) The Hock Hua Bank pic would now be considered as really out-dated-Hock Hua
Bank doesn't exist any more and today, Public Bank occupies the old building.

I hope you've enjoyed your view of our past Miri...I have lots more in store, including a rare pre-World War 2 SHELL wharf pic which I may show here.

Ominous Sign of a Failed City