Part of the fun writing for the world wide web is that you get readers from all corners the world. Trouble is, most people know that I’m from Kuching, but not many know where exactly Kuching is.
I remember there was this MSN conversation I had with a friend of mine from Singapore. For privacy reasons, I’m afraid I cannot reveal her identity. Besides, XiaXue wouldn’t like it if I make fun of her on the Internet.
XX: How’s things like north of the causeway?
KS: I’m to your east lah.
XX: When are you coming down to Singapore?
KS: Not anytime soon?
XX: Why not? We’re separated by a couple of mountains only what.
KS: We’re separated by sea lah. Where got mountains.
XX: Just drive down here over the weekland lah.
KS: Cannot lah, how to drive. Can only take the aeroplane to Singapore. Or swim.
(A few days later)
XX: I just came back from Wanyi’s house and I looked up where Kuching is on the map.
XX: IT’S SO FAR AWAY LOH!
KS: That’s what I’m trying to tell you!
XX: I thought it’s just across the causeway!
Can’t blame her for not knowing though. After all, Kuching is an obscure city that’s not very well-known outside of Malaysia. Even those from West Malaysia, particularly the older generation, can’t even differentiate between Sabah and Sarawak. I don’t know which high school they went to, but according to their geography books, Kuching is the capital of Sabah, Kota Kinabalu never existed, and the Sultan of Brunei still controls Sarawak.
Anyway, I just think it’s appropriate that I do a brief introduction to my hometown here.
Kuching is the capital city of Sarawak, a Malaysian state located on big Borneo Island. Long long time ago, Sarawak was actually a part of Brunei. Then, one fine day, some crazy angmoh called James Brooke dropped by the Sultan of Brunei’s palace and said “Oi, siao eh. Limpeh from Britain, and limpeh want to be KING!”
If something like this happened today, we would’ve just scratch our balls, laugh at him and said “KNN! SIAO AH! WHO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!”
But this was in the 1841, so the Sultan of Brunei scratched his balls, sniffed his fingers and said “Errr… fine loh!”
And just like that, the Brooke Family ruled Sarawak for the next 100 years. Japan said “Ohaiyo-gojayimas” and took over during World War 2. The Australians said “G’day mate!” and saved our asses in 1945.
In 1963, Sarawak, together with Sabah, Singapore and Malaya joined forces like Captain Planet and formed the Federation Malaysia. 2 year later, Lee Kuan Yew said “steady-steady-pom-pi-pi”, pulled out of Malaysia and fast forward Singapore to become the wealthy nation it is today. Sarawak and Sabah stayed on as autonomous states.
Despite Kuching being a formal part of Malaysia, the differences between East and West Malaysia are still quite distinct. In fact, when it comes to the history, language, culture and demographics, sometimes I feel as if Kuching has more in common with Singapore than it has with Kuala Lumpur. For example:
Singapore was once ruled by an ang moh
Sir Stamford Raffles
Kuching was also once ruled by an ang moh!
Sir James Brooke wearing very tight pants
Singapore is named after an animal
Kuching is also named after an animal!
Singapore has Sentosa
Kuching also has Sentosa!
Singaporean youths like portable music
Kuching youths also like portable music!
It was Lee Kuan Yew who commented sometime ago that Kuching reminded him of Singapore 50 years ago. I wouldn’t hold my breath, but if what he said is true, I’ll be rejoicing at the thought that I’d be able to party at this new club called Zouk Kuching some 50 years later.
Too bad, by then I’d probably look like this.
Kuching means “cat” in Malay, which is very odd because there are a lot more stray dogs in Kuching than cats. But lucky we’re not called Anjing. Nonetheless, the entire city is unhealthily obsessed with cats. Not only did we nicknamed ourselves the Cat City; the official city mascot is a cat; there’s at least two huge cat statues in the town, even a bloody huge “cat museum” dedicated to this god-like feline species.
The most common misconception outsiders have about Kuching is that it’s an ulu kampung where people don’t wear clothes, hunt heads and still live on trees.
Actually they are quite right. Look, here’s a picture of me updating kennysia.com!
The best thing about Kuching isn’t its shopping centres nor its night life. It’s the FOOD. That’s why it’s so hard to lose weight here. Food here is so cheap and good. No offense to others hor, but I think our Laksa is the absolute best in the world.
On the downside, like any other small cities, Kuching suffer from typical small-town-mentality. Tongues are loose and gossips spread fast like wildfire. Over here, a lot of people seem to take pride in showing off their children’s academic achievements and then stand on a high pedestal pointing out other people’s downfall. That’s one reason I don’t want kennysia.com to become too well-known within my hometown. Alas, that’s not working out too well. π
Despite that, I still love Kuching. Sure, I envy Perth’s beauty, Singapore’s nightlife and KL’s shopping. But come to think of it, there’s no other place in the world that’s so harmonious, so livable, no other place that blends city and country-living so well apart from Kuching. And I love it, just like small mouse love big rice.
Two of the most amazing things I’ve heard this week:
1. Shelley Leong singing live on the mrbrownshow. AMAZING. Download Perfect World here or listen to the entire mrbrownshow podcast here.
Best enjoyed with your headphones on, eyes closed, back laid, listening carefully to her every word.
2. My friend and renowned wedding photographer Kid Chan named by Malaysian Tatler’s as one of the Top 100 People You Must Know In Asia. What an honour! (Note to self: 1 down, 99 more to go)
SINGAPORE HAS AH MENG
KUCHING HAS kennysia
SINGAPORE HAS AH MENG
KUCHING HAS kennysia
SINGAPORE HAS AH MENG
KUCHING HAS kennysia
SINGAPORE HAS AH MENG
KUCHING HAS kennysia
Kuching rawks!!!
Like small cat love big fish
kota kinabalu loves kuching bahhhh!
sorry but i have to DISAGREE on the LAKSA thingy..
i believe my island home of PENANG has the BEST LAKSA…not to mention FOOD…
ermm..thnks for hearing me out
Where did the phrase steady steady pom pi pi come from? I heard some of my SG IRC friends use the word pom pi pi very often. o_O
The last line cracked me up!
Eh btw why these days u not in IRC ah. Want to ask you questions directly also cannot. Don’t want to be the 9275892654th person who adds you in MSN cuz I’m sure you had enough of that already.
Btw should be small mouse love big grain right? π
bad representation of kuching youths and their bad-ass portable music player!
and yes, sarawak laksa is the best laksa in the whole world.
Hi Kenny, noooow I know where is Kuching, thanks a lot! looks really nice to me, love the cat stuff aaaaand….Love your blog, u r a really funny guy!
Kisses from Mexico!
I worked briefly for MAS as a contractor in ’91… two days spent in Kuching in my travels… was rather taken with the place…and returned for an 11 day holiday in ’94. Thoroughly enjoyed myself. Keep up your quirky blogging. You on my ‘daily blog reads’ list. Regards from edt in New Zealand.
Mmm.. send some of that Laksa this way :'( it’s not the same here in Canada π
Woa… that’s something I never knew of. Cheers for that educational post – I never knew where Kuching is, what Kuching means and how similar it is to Singapore.
When I do return sg next year, I’ll have a little trip to Kuching, just to taste if your Laksa is *That* nice.
Those are bigass prawns in your laksa… and btw, the pic of eastern part, u drew it well; but west peninsular looks so out of shape… lol
just for clarification, in Kuching… is it spelled as ‘kucing’ or ‘kuching’ for cat? cos some states have different spelling than others. just curious…
Hey Kenny,
My wife is a Kuchingite as well. In fact, she went to the same school you did (several years your senior though).
I have much much love for kuching. It feels like Singapore in the 80’s before all the “modernisation” crap destroyed the Singapore cityscape.
Also, the food in Kuching is the bomb. Best Laksa. Kolo Mee. Mani Cai. Seow Bee. Mmm….
u take history lesson to another whole new level. never thought history can be this fun. mabbe the education ministers in m’sia should get u to pen history textbooks since you make it THIS interesting. wat with the “limpe, siao eh, knn” laced into the book, history will be the #1 kids’ fave.
love reading your entries.
been reading it everyday for a month now, but 1st time posting up msg. a little shy la.
oh, by the way, greetings from US π WaSSuP
“XX: Why not? We’re separated by a couple of mountains only what.
KS: We’re separated by sea lah. Where got mountains.
XX: Just drive down here over the weekland lah.
KS: Cannot lah, how to drive. Can only take the aeroplane to Singapore. Or swim.”
Hahaha, it’s XiaXue alright…
Sigh. I struggled so hard to forget all my Sejarah Malaysia and you had to go and remind me with that James Brooke raping Brunei thing.
A rare specimen of kenny utan there. Submit to National Geographic.
Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kuching is damn good!!!!!!! R the gals there pretty?
Next time i will introduce my home town— Malacca in my blog when i go back!!!!!!
SINGAPORE HAS AH MENG
KUCHING HAS kennysia
SINGAPORE HAS AH MENG
KUCHING HAS kennysia
SINGAPORE HAS AH MENG
KUCHING HAS kennysia
SINGAPORE HAS AH MENG
KUCHING HAS kennysia
lao xu ai da mii~~ lu guo zhen de you yi tian…
that is so true la what you say about Kuching no matter what its the best home ever damn bloody hell man its the best fuck i miss home already. But the gossip and the academic achievements is very true also compare this compare that
So how is the city going to cope with it being the Year of the Dog? Any special precautions?
Trouble is, most people know that I’m from Kuching, but not many know where exactly Kuching is.
think thats bad? sibu is even more obscure, they always mistaken it for sibu island or cebu in the philipines!
Dammit, kenny. You made west malaysia look like a dropping turd. -_-
nice n informative post. just a comment : shouldn’t u give some credit to where brunei is in ur map?
Yes, Kuching Rocks ! I have live almost 20 years in NYC and I still love Kuching. The food is great so are the peolpe.
You really haven’t had laksa yet until you tried Sarwak Laksa.
Don’t mess with Sarawak Laksa!!
Wow! Sarawak/Sabah is bigger than the whole of M’sia and S’pore combined now that I can visually verify it on the most pretty map ever. Hmm.. that sounds just about right!
Kenny, you sum it up nicely! Damn proud to be a Kuchingite. We have everything the ‘modern people of Sinkapore’ have, albeit in a more kampung-form. But this is us! Don’t wanna change a thing! From the guy who blogs on the world’s First Online Kuching Hokkien Encyclopedia.
ahahahah the lastline is funny… heheh my mum LOVES that song to bits…
this is the most informative post for me so far because before reading your blog, I had no idea where Kuching was π Now I know. π
haha! Thanks for the map!
I thought it was north-east. oops. heehee!~
Interesting and funny story of Kuching, a wee bit of correction, Singapore was kicked off by Malaya because of demographic and political reason, with the combination of SIN there is a 50/50 chinese/malay,and malay is so kiasu that had to let SIN goes.
Woah.. I can easily remember your interpretation of Sarawak’s history rather than what I learnt in Sejarah eon years ago. π
This post looks like a tourism information website to me… ;p
Nice to know something about Kuching though, my dad said he wants to visit Kuching a couple of weeks ago…
Can u be our tour guide? heee…(kidding!)
I love kuching too…..it helps that i had my share of rondevouz there….hehe…….I love kuching guys…..there are different from the kl guys….and oh yeah, the laksa is very good.
Early morning funny history lesson. Great way to start a day at work. Absolutely love the last line “lau su ai da mi”….woaahahahaha…damn cute and funny!!!
Eh, no photos in Singapore MRT lah! π
will definitely make kuching my next holiday destination! thanks kenny
hohoho…! talk about laksa, i juz can’t stop myself to miss Kuching… =”( i use to eat at golden arch, love to squeeze lotsa limau inside…! first trip to kuc was laz rain forest music fes, 2nd was 2005 yr end countdown, next trip? hope to be real soon…!
Hi Kenny, S’wak laksa is really the best. But you missed out on the kolo mee and gu-bak mee too.. and tomato sauce fried mee… Sigh! At least the laksa and kolo mee is starting to show up in Singapore now. There are a couple of places here that’s not too bad, at least for starving Kuchingites. π
Waha~! The laksa looks good~! And the pic of your face super-imposed on the orang-utan is hilarious~! My sides almost split lo..haha
i enjoyed my stay (work and pleasure) in Kuching and Sibu very very much. and yes, Sarawak laksa is great stuff. could hardly find kolok mee and sarawak laksa in KL until 2 years ago. suddenly i saw so many sarawak laksa stalls in PJ and KL. my tummy is very happy, buuurrrrpp! π
p/s: anyone know where i can find kongpia in KL?
you spelt DESPITE wrongly : )
and brooke din get it for free. Apparently the ppl in swk were revolting against the sultan of brunei and he just scratched his balls and said, “hrm…” so he enlisted Brooke’s help to settle the uprising. Brooke just drive his big big ship then all the ppl scared shitless. then brunei so happy he gave all the land. wad a fool. hahah
right. running for office, Kenny?
i have to agree with you on the laksa… i love the sarawak laksa (before i turned vegetarian). enjoyed the kolo mee also! yummy… but i realised u must know which shop to go else they taste bad.
but how come w.malaysia and singapore look like doggie poo leh?!
plus, i think if kuching had been named anjhing instead, i dun think there’ll be that many malays living there…
I’m in Aus for several years now but there’s always the kuching-ian side-effects from now & then, reminding me the best place to call home is still the city of cat.
You are dead right about food back home & ‘damn’! The pic of the laksa really makes me drool all over the place.
Rock on my man and live up the name of Kenny Sia!
Gawd! You may be good at many things but you definitely can’t draw maps! Your Peninsular Malaysia looks QUITE obscene!
Very informative post Kenny! KNN, last time go Kuching all I know got the beer is haram one… 2 ringgit one can.. siaoz lorh! Seafood.. kaoz… cheap and good. My two favourite food from Sarawak are the Laksa, and Kolok Mee!!!
andrew: you are well informed with the history! Thanks for da info… hehe.. big big ships, GOOD!
I LOVE KUCHING!!! ^_^
Shiok post kenny!!! in promoting Kuching. LOL
LOL! The ‘Singaporean youths like portable music’ vs. ‘Kuching youths like portable music’ photo comparison is hilarious! And the laksa looks delish…*slurp*!! =)
Singapore where got so big oneeeee? lol
About the map, WM should be like an Ubi Kayu, Em Woof Woof ride on a Curry Wantan…
kuching turns me on… singapore and kl turns me on more tho… oh damn… im soo turned on at the moment…
Hahaha That is funny…yeap Kuching is a food heaven so many types of Local delights Laksa, Kolo Mee etc yummy it is getting me hungry now hiaks hiaks. Anyway I Love Kuching it is a special city.
OMG that is one smart Orang Utan….Hold laptop again wor coolz~~
gambateh kenny!
HI Kenny next Zoukout will be held at Kota Sentosa….gud job in promoting Kuching!:)
Never been to Kuching before but it definitely seems like a great place. I think other than Kuching, Penang is another place that blends city and country-living well.
Oh so this is Kuching….
Hi Ken(can I call u that? hehe..)
I agree with u dat Kuching Laksa is DA BEST!!!
so is the Kolo Mee!!!
I was born in Julau(even more obscure)..raised in Brunei and studied there since kindy to Form 3…Form 4 & 5 in Meradong(obscure?)..then further my diploma in Samarahan(?) and now my 1st degree in Shah Alam..
All that, and I still love Sarawak best!! And Kuching of course…(Jed,its spelled KUCHING..whereas for cats its KUCING..) where else can find 24hr Siang Siang Corners and lots of choice of charcuterie(This is French.Look it up.=P)..Yummy..now that I’m stuck away from home, anyone knw any nice almost-SiangSiang corner eateries this side of the South China Sea??
Geography 101: Julau is in Sarawak too. Brunei is caught in the middle of Sarawak & Sabah (can request Ken Ken to draw that perhaps?), Meradong is also in Sarawak, Samarahan is on the sideskirts of Kuching and Shah Alam is in Semenanjung.
History 101: “The Australians said “G’day mate!” and saved our asses in 1945.”
Ken,u sure its the Aussies? Its the Brits lah..
Nice job promoting Kuching…The pics look great!
Lol, that sounds like the same conversation I have with all my Singaporean friends sooner or later.
I find that a lot of Kuching people get mistaken for Singaporeans wherever they are overseas. Something to do with the “accent” and “good English” too. π
hi kenny,
terlink your page from other blogs.Damn Kuching Laksa is the best, and thanks for the wonderful history lesson and now that i know how much similarity of Spore and Kuching. You rock!!!!
well said
Adui Kenny…… Lee Kuan Yew where got pull out from Malaysia…. Malaysia rejected Singapore nia…
Lee Kuan Yew was feeling very sad that time, bcoz all the people thought singapore couldn’t make it, but in the end, it DID!!!!
I’m a Johor Bahru-ian. So I’m Malaysian, but pro-Singaporean. =)
I still love my country.
hey andrew (09:19am)! dont be such a jackass and retract what you said about the sultan of brunei. this is kenny’s space so i have no say over what he does. but i do not appreciate what you wrote about a past ruler of MY country.
“…No offense to others hor, but I think our Laksa is the absolute best in the world…”
And I say Amen to that.
Btw, that picture of a Kuching youth listening to the radio really killed me *ROTFL*
“…No offense to others hor, but I think our Laksa is the absolute best in the world…”
And I say Amen to that.
Btw, that picture of a Kuching youth listening to the radio really killed me *ROTFL*
Never have I read any history lesson like that. Maybe I should ask the school to start using your articles. kennysia.com IS educational afterall! Sarawak Laksa…MMmmm wouldn’t miss it for the world everytime i go back home.
yeah kuching hav the best laksa! i cant accept da laksa in penang..its smelly..haha
Don’t ever forget Cha Kueh!!
totally agree with what you say about growing up in a small town..
people used to ask me whether i stayed in a tree house in sabah and i think they were quite serious about it..:p
good job in promoting east malaysia..:)
at least now people know tat we can’t drive to kl
Kenny, your post made me laugh! Really good one! especially on the “Steady Steady Pom Pi Pi” ha ha! keep it up!
tat laksa really looks good..
Kuching is the best man. Sarawak Laksa is the Best too.. No one can fight. HAHA..
I would like to look for Yoruichi, The flash goddess in Kuching π
I bet u think Kuching’s laksa is better than Penang’s and Kuching’s food better than the whole of West Malaysia then? π
Wah, luckly i’m not that xia sui. I know where is Kuching leh. Hubby went there several times a year for business. One day we shall meet up?
I prefer Assam Laksa. Coconut milk no good for health leh. Try PJ (SS2) laksa. Think liao also lau nuah..
hi kenny. Have been a avid reader of your blog. I have a few colleagues from Kuching annd i’ve personally heard marvellous reviews abt the Kuching Kolo Mee. i really enjoyed reading your entry on your home town Kuching. Feels great to have learnt something more abt Kuching. Thanks for sharing π
Cha Kueh….mmmm~~~~~
Kenyalang Cha Kueh….mmmm~~~~~~~~~
Ahh,…there’s no other place like home… π Kuching rocks lah. Especially the Laksa … oooh can eat every day one. I prefer it when it’s a bit cold and the beehoon is thick and the soup is not so spicy. π Taht’s the good thing about Kuching Laksa. It’s VERY different from the semenanjung ones that taste like curry. I know some semenanjung people who were quite shocked to hear that we eat laksa for breakfast or something, because in their mind, the impression of laksa is actually quite a heavy spicy curry-like dish. …. You all should try Kuching laksa lah! Rox. But then again we are all subject to our own opinions because we grew up at different places. Of course anything from home is better so i can fully understand if we think that the food from our own hometown is the best. Afterall, there’s no place like home sweet home… π
How you the sea tilted one ha ?
Oh yeah just remembered! U all must try Open-Air “ang mee” ( red noodles) – It’s not halal though…
Something not very well known is that Sarawak has the biggest caves (by volume) in the world, they are situated in the Gunung Mulu nationalpark, or maybe no-one gives a shit… π
Haha..if only u were my history teacher…good one…First time i found history funny….hehe,,keep up the good work..anyway kuching rawks…
Singapore was forced out, not pulled out. Obviously Tunku AR made the wrong decision!
it has always been the case for a returning overseas student to like Kuching the way it is after 1 year of settling down back home.
now i feel you’re really back home, kenny. both physically & spiritually.
btw, i’ve just been reading xiaxue’s blog last night, and gosh! what’s with your old fashion round shaped gold-rim & super thick glasses? it really didn’t suit your handsome face! π recommend to change to a more fashionable rectangle glasses. go hopoh 2nd floor. i always make my glasses there. cheaper & nice people there. π
i get that a lot with foreigners and west malaysians. As soon as I mention I’m frm Sarawak, they start talking about trees, caves, mountains. o__0″
anyway, that was AWESOME. If only you wrote our history textbooks… they’d outsell Harry Potty and every student would get A1 for sejarah. Keep it up! =D
whoa whoa LTH i’m sorry mate.
i din mean it in a demeaning way. But that is what really happened anyway. ; P
Glad to hear you describe your hometown….
I love it when people can elegantly describe their love for their hometown without denigrating other locales….
You also did such a great job describing Kuching that I now have a desire to visit it. This is true despite the fact that prior to reading your blog I never dreamed of visiting Malaysia…….
whats with scratch balls, sniff fingers ?!?!??! gross man u !!
Silly blonde asian girl – messing up her geography all over. Bet attempting to locate Sarikei will blow her brains out.
mehehehehhe >D
cheer up, I knew some people who don’t even know where Singapore is xDDDD
well said =D kuching is a nice place!
Eh, I tot Msia said dun wan Spore leh…. LKY hor, very sad leh. Even cry on TV wor….
By da way – there’s a place in London called CATFORD. And there’s a huge cat statue in da town centre !!!
kuchinggggggggggg!!! the love of my life π
home is definitely where the heart is..
virtual kisses 2 the sex-sayyy kenny & fellow kuchingnites.from melbourne with lotsa lurve babeh!
Isn’t it just mouse like big grain, not small mouse.
Anyway, if history could change itself, i wonder how Kch would have faired if Sir Charles Vyner Brooke had been given the chance. Oh well
Kuching Laksa is the BEST!! No one can ever beat that!! Try it and you will know…
LOL. SMALL MOUSE LOVE BIG RICE!!! HAHA.
Wahhhh Kuching Laksa really “kikkk” ahhh!!! I cant live wthout laksa everyweek!
Good post Kenny… Maybe you can write something about Penang, which also ruled by an Ang Moh… π
Kuching….no place like home….been in Penang for past 8 years. Still can’t beat Kuching and it’s Kuching Laksa, Kolo Mee, Kong Pia, etc etc etc. I’m luvin it!
Hey kenny…I went to kuching last month..and i thought that the name Kuching actually is from a fruit..”Mata kucing” not a cat rite??
hundred!!!
LOL I agree with you. I live in Miri and believe me, not many ppl know where Miri is. *shurgs* They all just focus on Semenanjung M’sia. Not fair. >=(
hahahahahaha! if only u r from sabah. i dun have to explain day and night to my friends from peninsular that we sabah people dont live in tree. instead we carry LV too!
Whoa. Your introduction of Kuching rocks man! I think there’s no reason why us East M’sians can remember all the states in W. M’sia while they can’t remember just two from the East!
YEAHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Kennysia.com should become the ambassador for Tourism Sarawak! Icebreaker to the world! :)) Cheers to KennY!
Awww such a sweet post… Gosh i tot kuching was in malaysia.. i was shocked when u pointed it out on the map… lol…
Miss Kuching lots…
Oh well…at least CNY is next week…muahaha…
Kuching…back I come…
KUCHING is in MALAYSIA.
Malaysia is basically made up of 2 parts, the peninsular (west malaysia) and sabah&sarawak on the island of borneo (east malaysia).
And no, Sabah & Sarawak did not join Malaysia. Sabah, Sarawak, Malaya and Singapore came together to form Malaysia.
yeah.. the laksa is the best! penang laksa got smelly fish smells!
btw, i’m from miri, and working in kl, whenever my parents or relative comes over, i get a fresh supplies of sarawak laksa paste and cook it myself.. although not as good as back in sarawak but it helps alot… anyone wants to try?
“…but according to their geography books, Kuching is the capital of Sabah, Kota Kinabalu never existed, and the Sultan of Brunei still controls Sarawak.”
WAHAHAHA! This line just totally killed me…
kenny, ur map damm nice…..
dammn… nice post man!
once i went johor for a camp, and all those camp mates from west malaysia will ask:’eh, u live in tree house hia’ damnn man… i got so tired of answering i jz said:’yalor! we still got computer and astro ahh!! streamyX oso!!!’
hahahaa…
there’s also this vegetable called ‘bilin’ only available in kuching, planted by our fellow natives. They’re heavenly too…..
applause*
U forgot the “treehouses” that we’re supposed to live in, here in the eastside.. π
kuching is the best
i’ll be bek 2 kch for cny
happy cny
typekey did not work for me now. dang.
anyway, i missed very much memories left behind while i was in Kuching and Kota Samarahan long ago… the laksa and kolo are definitely unbeatable. Reminded me too on different Fu-chow food – kam pua… all the yum yum π
and fresh air, sky filled with stars, beautiful dayak gals and nice daddy instant noddle (now you can even find them in Tesco:P)
great nice (though (intended to be) not totally precise) write-up…
there’s also this vegetable called ‘bilin’ only available in kuching, planted by our fellow natives. They’re heavenly too…..
Jim – not bilin la..it’s midin my dear π
hehehe..i lurve midin too..sedap kaw-kaw one la dat one! u guys (non-muslims only la)shud also try this pork soup mee at 3rd mile.heaven i tell u!
dang! i miss the kuih-muih,char siew,siow bee,popia,bak chang they sell outside evelrise building in 4th mile.bet the apek miss me so much!not 2 mention taufufa(is that how u spell it?)and bamboo chicken la wei!food galore,anyone?
Hey Kenny! Thanks a lot for highlighting my listing.
For KL people or Kuching people in kl who needs a fix of Sarawak Laksa, there is a corner shop at Lucky Garden in Bangsar that has fantastic SL. Speaking which I will get one tomorrow for lunch:)
Just a caution, the place is a bit HOT and the untie will upsell you to BIG prawn unless you tell her not too.
Will try to get the name of the shop:)
A bit of correction Kenny, Sarawak got sliced off Brunei slowly by terms of James Brooke saving Brunei from civil war that time, after which he got greedy and aimed their cannons at them in order to get more land. Knowing that keris VS cannon is a sure lose situation, the Sultan had no choice but to give sarawak to Brooke. He definitnely did not have the time to even scratch and sniff his butt =P
Whoa laksa Sarawak damn good le! We always ask the ground staff there to “ta-pau” when we fly there! So damn yummy! Of cos canot compare la with lasa Penang,cos totally different taste la. I like both but laksa Sarawak hard to find in KL. Kenny you come here open shop la. Sure good business!
Not from Malaysia bu travel there often and have to say Sarawak Laksa is SOOOOOOOO much better than Penang Laksa.
kenny, kuching underneath s’pore ashelly… that spot in real world should be brunei i think
your post made me smile. (=
and I didn’t have a good day, so that’s some feat.
Hello again! This post is really interesting lerr for Kuchingites especially as they can really talk about the place they know best! Home!
Anyways referring to the post by Jim and Butterfly…
”
there’s also this vegetable called ‘bilin’ only available in kuching, planted by our fellow natives. They’re heavenly too…..
Posted by: Jim at January 19, 2006 09:54 PM ”
Actually bilin bidin midin wadeva , there isn’t really a clear cut name to it isn’t it? I think the word bidin just got slurred and evolved into midin bilin…but anyways just wanted to correct something. Bidin is not planted . It is actually a wild vegetable. Same as “paku” i think. That’s what some of the natives or people selling them collect at plots of empty land full of wild plants . They collect bidin and paku there. … i think. Correct me someone if i’m wrong. But recently i saw some really FAT bidin. Maybe people are starting to plant them already. Usually the young ones (which are the ones that are nice to eat) are quite thin. If they are fat they are already old and not that good to eat. Nevertheless this fat bidin i saw was crunchy and err tasted young…so perhaps people are planting them now… π someone enlighten me please?
Meow.
Tight pants affect fertility rates.
explains y james brooke = no offsprings.
i *heart* kuching! miss tabuan jaya!kch ppl noe where la ho? *winks* in singapore now, but will be back in kch soon!nice ‘similarities’ between kch and singapore. sentosa! HAHA! true la,one is place to HAPPY, the other place for ‘happy’ people.those who wanna go kch, plz do visit OUR sentosa as well π
Damn you Kenny!!! Now I need to save money to travel to BOTH Sabah and Sarawak.
*wonders if you could drive from Sarawak to Sabah and how long it’d take*
you map drawing depicts a dog like sabah&sarawak, with Kuching as its anus, Singapore is a piece doodoo.
is that what you had in mind?
i think i dont agree with your laksa,have you try Penang Laksa?
ppl from kl and SG drove all the way just to have one bowl of Penang Laksa.
i think i dont agree with your laksa,have you try Penang Laksa?
ppl from kl and SG drove all the way just to have one bowl of Penang Laksa.
There’s a reason why Sarwak Laksa is called Sarawak Laksa π
Been reading thru all the comments since my last comment…thought u guys wud like to read up on more of the *cough*brilliant*cough* questions our fellow East-Malaysians(Sarawakians and Sabahans)are asked…complete with the suggested answers too! ;-P
http://marg.blogs.friendster.com/mars_blog/2005/07/stupidity_maxim.html
http://marg.blogs.friendster.com/mars_blog/2005/12/ignorance_and_s.html
Good On You..Keep it up,yea..
Good On You..Keep it up,yea..
Fuck u, Penang Gay! Sarawak Laksa is the best in the world. Kuching’s only so so…should try the one in Bintulu….i had two bowls for breakfast the last time i was there. And no, i’m not from Sarawak.
Kuching is OK lah and I think it’s for old farts or retirees. life is slow hence people are so laid back there. Food wise, nothing to shout about as we all like to claim our hometown specialties or delicacies are better than just about anywhere on this planet. Truth is Kuching has limited choice of food..namely the Sarawak laksa, kolo mee (or wanton mee minus the black sauce), kueh chap, char kueh, tomato ketchup kueh tiaw…and what else????
Food in Kuching is alot, provided you know where to look… π
yep..Kuching life is slow…i can wake up at 8.30am, get dressed, had breakfast and reach office before 9am. Try that in KL… π
Penang laksa and Sarawak laksa are so different. its like 2 different food altogether, just so happen it shares a common last name. dun have to bother comparing which is better.
> Sultan of Brunei scratched his balls, sniffed his fingers and said “Errr… fine loh!”
Your Bruneian readers seem to be very forgiving to you…
There are Bruneian readers here?
Who?
kuchingite27 – yeah..they dun plant midin cuz it is a wild vege.ive no idea if ppl r starting 2 plant it cuz me not in kch la currently.but i can ring my grandmama in the kampung & ask her.u wantornot?
and btw,u ppl ah..dun la ‘fight’ becuz of laksa.of course la we kuchingnites claim our swak laksa as the best in the universe cuz,hellll-looo,we’re from kchg ma.depends on where u come from,u always would like 2 tink the delicacies/food from there as the best.so,dont la get 2 emo.come come..we all geng-geng ya π
try ko lo mi at big mouth at batu kawa
I’m a Bruneian reader. Was born and raised here but the bloodlines say I’m from Kuching. Actually, if you want to compare the ways of life, Brunei and Kuching are very much alike. Slow-paced and so peaceful it’s almost boring. However, I would without a doubt say the food here cannot even be compared to what they have over there. Kuching Laksa is the best!!!
P.s. You missed out the tiny speck of Brunei on your map
I love kuching as well…
GOD DAMNIT! Borneo island shoud’ve joined with SG when they split off!God damn Government using our mony to build Putra Jaya n thier damn White elephants ! he he… but yeah.. West n East so much differnce. sigh..
I used to go Miri quite a fair bit and had the opportunity to transit a few times in Kuching.
Sarawak is a beautiful place with great laksa. It’s something like if you’ve gone to Kuching but never ate it, you have never been there at all!
There is a place in Singapore selling it, by people from Sibu, but I think they ran out of the paste and kinda stopped. Haven’t had a chance to sample the laksa but did try their koh noh mee π
Kuching should be relatively well known and Sarawak too π
Midin and Bilin are great veggies too π First tried it in Thailand though.
But Sarawak is quite exclusive as that even West Malaysians who want to work there, have to get work permits too yea?
midn bilin, haiya… same lar.. u guyz noe wud i’m toking about mar…
penang laksa is made of fish. it’s no way better than sarawak asam pedas sweet mouth watering laksa!! don’t forget kuching kueh cap also.
Singapore is not named after an animal~ that’s bull-shit.
Throw away that urban legend story book.
To add on, the Merlion is created by the Shaw Brothers who helped the Govt to attract more tourists to come to Spore.
Moon: Singapore is named after an animal leh. But its a lion, not MERlion.
Singa = Lion.
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wo hui bian cherng tong hua li… ni ai de na ge story…
chang kai two hands bian cherng wings sou hu ni~
wo ai ni ai zhe ni..giu xiang liao su love da mi~~~~
DK,
Singa = a place of call
Singha = lion
ah.. kuching… the cat city.. the place where i was born. miss kuching very much. too bad only get to go back during CNY. Cos i stay in cbu. kononnya the “swan city”. haish…
ur short history lesson make me miss kuc loh. haha! forgot to include tis in that post just now.
Is that you in the pic holding a camera? Looks so different from the msn pic I saw in XX’s blog lei..hehe
That 1 in XX’s blog look cuter..hehe
Excellent post man. I think I’ll link to it.
Moon….are u Singaporean? Singapore IS named after a lion. It’s original name is Singapura. Now it’s Singapore. It isnt a urban legend- It’s national history.
seriously there’s no place like kuching…u have to b a kuchingite to know wad i mean=)the food,the ppl,the atmosphere…everything lar…n i have to agree with kenny bout ppl having a misconception that we all live on top of trees…haha when i went to kl to study last year,my classmates from kl didnt know i was chinese till october…they assumed all swakians are ibans n kadazans…haha~
Props to kenny for all those educational lessons and promoting the best food you’d ever find.However i must comment that your history facts are rather inacurate.
The City of Kuching is NOT named after a cat, why’d you think the spelling is kucHing instead of kucing? It’s named after an old well and in chinese it’s ” Khoo Cheeng”.
As for all the cat thingy is more like a mascot of the city rather than the name it took after. Having a mascot doesnt mean you’ll have to take have a name after the mascot, i’d be damned if australia is called kangaroo instead.
Nevertheless, keep up the good work.
I like KL, I’m comfortable in Sg and I love kuching the most… π
well, i’m uni student from kch also, fly my ass to johor to study at kampong place. Know wat? Some Peninsular ppl really misunderstand about KUCHING.
1. They thought KUCHING ppl all like kucing and full of kuching. Inspite more dogs at my place.
2. My house got many skull hanging on wall, cos we are head hunters.
3. They know Kota Kinabalu but claim that KK is in Sarawak. Sabah and Sarawak are situated in Kuching.
WTF?!
4. We are naked and hanging around like Tarzan. We didn’t wear any shirts but got NIKE shoes and gloves to swing around forest…
5. Our roundabout is A BIG TREE. We swing around wit cane.
That’s something interesting when i’m just met some new friends here. Kuching the best :p
hey..i’m a pure sarawakian too..from Miri City though..hai..seldom find bloggers who talked so highly of sarawk..ka ki nang man..S’wak rockszz!
dammmme, some times i tho i’m the only siaw eh who out of mind came back for her, thanks to kenny, i know i’m not alone at least.. there r so many of u who luv kuching dearly.
Is hard to cope with the small town metality at time, Ur post encouraged me.. thks nnnn sarawak laksa rockkk
hey mate how ya going ? ,im off to kuching on the 20th of feb ..im traveling by myself so your words of wizdom have made me feel a bit more relaxst thanks for your advice mate.. any other places in kuching were there are good clubs you could recemmend…
Wah…people must come to visit Kuching,small place but can experience all culture one go…especialy anthropologist..u gonna love this place…and try food here…nice..
most people still think we live in trees… lol…
how sad is our life…
sarawak laksa… is the REAL laksa!
any laksa from semenanjung is more like curry noodles. blehhhh
oh.. Kong Pia is mostly from Sibu.. not kuching… to those who said it
this is the 1st time i view your blog… marvellous… despite, west m’sia still thou our sanctuary are on top of the trees… nevermind then… kennysia.com & sarawak to the highest~
oi! penang laksa is best lah, some more got asam and siam laksa 2 types…best lah.
wow.. reading this makes me really really really hungry!!! and homesick too!!! i love kuching… yup, you’ve guessed it – kuching girl through and through.
any1 noes of any place in singapore sells kuching food, esp kolo mee and laksa?? *drool*
hey buddy,
love the way u tied the 2 countries together….i am quite like u…made and born in kuching, brought up in singapore and had education in australia…..
ur diaries did bring back a lot of great memories….keep up the great writing bro
Hailing from USA
KUCHING LAKSA is the BEST in the world!!!! oh and the “bidin” or “bilin” is the absolute bestest vegetable in the world!
Isn’t Kuching just the best? Let’s not forget the wonderful people of Kuching, without which Kuching wouldn’t be as great!
Go SARAWAKIAN!
ooh sarawak laksa is better than penang laska…
i love and miss kuching very much.
miss laksa so much..
i love and miss kuching very much.
miss laksa so much..
Hahahahaha… I have met west malaysians who don’t have the slightest clue about east malaysia! So sad LAH!
I wonder if there’s any good Sabahan blogger.
Yeah! Kuching pride! ^o^
this post makes me wanna fly back to Kch rite now! BUT if i go back now, the ‘small town mentality’ of some of my relatives will make them ‘create’ bad stories/gossips, speculating the reasons why I’m back in Kch…HAHAHAH
Anyway, ur blog is the best in making me laugh!
Im frm kch as well, currently studying in melaka, traveled around peninsula doing my part time busines.. i’ve been in the weat malaysia for 3 yrs now…well..the penang laksa or nyoya laksa is nice, but deep inside my heart swak laksa still the best. in terms of taste,ingredient n others. U wont be able to find the same taste of swak laksa anywhere in this world, but the taste of penang laksa or nyonya laksa is just a kind of curry or assam.
The decotation,cleanliness n city planning in kuching is much better than any city in malaysia. The gardens in kuching are so breath taking. The trees along the road, the grass…everything seemed to be so perfectly done.
i wil go back this saturday, cant wait. I Miss u so much KUCHING. i LOVE U
btw.. Kota Sentosa in Kch is where the mental hospital is located.. haha~ we usually call it the 7th mile.
Go Kuch!
Thanks for the info on Kuching, i’ve been searching and searching for info to write my feature article on kuching for my assignment. I think this blog is great, but u missed out one part, that is Kuching has alot of natural resources and is well-known of its beautiful rain forests…^^
Barret’s Laksa at Bormill Estate near 3rd Mile, Kuching is superb. Costs RM4.00 & worth it!
As an ex-pat in Kuching in 1995-1997 all i can say is what a place, great people, great food, great hangover cure (Laksa) and great places to go and see..so much so i try and re-visit from the UK at least every other year.
Love and missing Kuching very much….esp Laksa..and kolo mee…Cant get it here in the big city like TOkyo….couldnt wait to return home for good….yes, i am too a country mouse who went to the big city and still prefer the small peaceful city and cheap food…..
good to read news from Kuching…
Hey, i just heard from my fren abt ur blog. I’m from Pontianak, u should know where is it rite? so near to Kuching…I spent 2.5 years in Lodge, Kuching. It was nice days. FOOOOODD! is the best there. and i shall say i really fell in love with Kuching. I’m in KL now, its not as peaceful and as calming as kuching. Miss going back there for food and frens.
P.s. congrats on being the blogger of the year (i know its an expired wish :p)
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Hmm, the way I heard it, Brunei gave Sarawak and Sabah to James Brooke because they couldn’t afford/manage to patrol the coast because of pirates. So when JB came along with his big navy and said “Ahoy there, natives, I’ll have some of this land, what, and you can have some beads in return,” the Sultan handed them over with relief, thinking “Yay, now I only have tiny Brunei to look after and can play on my Xbox all day! Woo!”
-ex-Brunei resident π
definitely has my vote.havent tried kuching laksa
yet but the chicks there r out of this world.he..he
Veteran actor William Franklyn, known for voicing the 1960s Schweppes TV adverts, dies aged 81…
lau shu ai da mi
Why is it so hard to find a place selling laksa after 10:00 am in Kuching? Also, why does the “Laksa Special” comes with internal organs? It wasn’t like that before, they used to just add more meat and shrimp…. so imagine the shock I got after craving it for so many years… Incidentally the “Kolo Mee Special” also comes with internal organs!!.. Learned my lesson… am now really cautious when ordering!
Sentosa City, haha… I like that. my someday will visit to Kuching.
Γ₯Β۾β’βΉΓ€ΒΈβ‘Γ₯Β²ΒΓ―ΒΌΒΓ―ΒΌΒΓ―ΒΌΒ
hi .. thanks to my colleague I had read your blog.. great stuffs and funny especially after a stressful month end closing… hope to drop by one of these days to visit your beautiful country..
haha… i m from kuching n now study in taiwan. my english presentation assignment, i think i wan to introduce my hometown kuching… but i hav no any idea. haha. but after reading dis, i think i know wad shud i say. thanks
hi kenny…kuching looks really nice… do u have old photos of in and around kch?
No wonder need to take plane out la. I am sua ku.
hehehe……….
actually kchg might not be named after cat..
in sarawakian malay cat is called ‘pusa’…
i read an article that ‘kuching’ came from indian(i don’t know which language exactly), ‘cochin’ that means ‘pelabuhan’..
if i m not mistaken lah..:p
i dont like Kuching very much coz there very boring.. no shopping complex. supermarket everywhere… night life sux… Sorry 4 saying tat… jus wan to express my opinion only…
if west m’sian think we are living on tree.tell them they are “BAGAI KATAK DI BAWAH TEMPURONG”!!!
nicely said! i feel the same way bout my hometown kk =]
Kuching has all these fun places to chill, thanks kenny for posting it out.
Perhaps you can think about writing History books. Its much much more interesting to read and understand yours than the normal school text :p
it’s a wonder sometimes wat west malaysians (no offense..but it’s the truth and nothing but the truth) actually learn during history class (although it’s not the most interesting subject)..not only does the older generation think that we east malaysians still live on trees…the yuppies are just as bad;some of them even think that we use a different type of currency!!and to think that Malaysia has been independent for 46 years (51 years this year for tanah melayu..in case some of you guys are historically challenged)..
anyways,will be going to kuching next to attend a friend’s wedding…can’t wait to taste the food!!!
I’m from kuching and I love Kuching so much! I just realize it after went other places to study. I want back home after graduate! Miss the food there especially sarawak laksa (really taste good than other place), sio bee, big pau, grandma shop bat kut teh, kolo mee, and many others. Now kuching got 2 new hypermall opening..this is a good news coz before this only have supermarket everywhere.. for more information about kuching food, i intro this website –> http://www.sarawakian.net/
when I miss kuching, I will visit this website and know more about there so that can up-to-date… ; )
From Kuching eh? Ebi Kornelis – your Cleo bachelor punchbag – has family in Kuching. He’s half-Sarawakian.
The main reason Kuching sux is because the women are often ugly as fuck. Only Singapore and Bintulu are worse! That’s why I’m staying away from all of the above. Kuching is a nice town though.
singapore no pretty women mehhh??? or they all married to angmoh oledi? loL…bintulu sux my balls…u want pretty girls go SIBU!!!! YEAH SIBU!!!! xD
did chu know that james brooke was gay? charles brooke was his gay partner. then charles brooke changed his name into charles whinner brooke. That’s the reason why their sir name was alike. =D
How come it’s called Kuching, not Pussy? Since someone said James Brooke was gay?
yummy…that laksa make me hungry*!
Kuching is where we all grow up! XD
Its peaceful place yes,i agree.It is racist place where Chinese hate to see Pakistani’s who robbed their business is also speciality of Kuching,Hating Indians is another speciality of Kuching. The Best part of Kuching is Police will not take any report on Sarawakian if Foreigner makes a report.
The Best place in South East Asia to see RACISAM is “PLACE LIKE NO OTHER,Yes your guess Rite!!! “SARAWAK”.Australia is best of Best on Earth.Visit Melborne & show me where is Racism?
First, Tunku Abd Rahman did not reject Singapore. It was Lee Kuan Yew’s request that he wanted to become Prime Minister of M’sia, besides the Prime Minister himself, Tunku Abdul Rahman. Tunku did not meet LKY request bcoz there cant be 2 Prime Ministers. Make sense? Second,the British only came to M’sia to give a hand, n really just a hand. Their wages, insurances, travel expenses, meals, transportation and even ammunitions r being payed by Malayans. Back there, even soldiers were not formed yet. But still, i think even James Brooke would crave for a bowl of laksa sarawak..ho chiak ow!!
Welcome To Kuching !
LMAO!! oki that was funny! haha! Even me from Sabah always being ask some weird questions by ppl outside of Sabah..and yea like you too, even the west Malaysia ask me weird question about Sabah! I’ve been to Kuching, Sibu & Lawas in Sarawak before since it’s only below us haha!
gay , how many time u try kuching laksa ? penang lasksa is too oily and just bad smell of prawn , lot of the friends from west try kuching laksa and more like than penang laksa
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