He was the Big Boss, Whose untimely death was a huge loss, Immortalised as a martial arts stardom, And famed for his profound wisdom.   Unforgettable are his lightning fast kicks, And his many martial arts gimmicks, His fists of fury captivated millions, Gaining him fans by the legions.   Born in the Year of the Dragon, On the Day ...

When I exclaim holy mackerel, Excuse me, I am not picking a quarrel, Holy mackerel is not a culinary dish, Mackerel is one of the smellier fish, A fish that spoils quickly, And nothing about it is holy.   When I shout holy smoke, I am not talking about the haze that chokes, Holy smoke may refer to the puffs ...

The Grand Old Lady lives alone, High on Canada Hill, You may think she must be forlorn, But that is not how she feels.   Towering thirty metres above ground, Famous landmark she has become, Malaysia’s first cable-tool oil well is her crown, Also known as Miri Well Number One to some.   At over one hundred and five years ...

Unique and mesmeric, Tasty and aromatic, Sublime and creamy, Tantalising and spicy.   That’s Sarawak laksa, Crème de la crème of all laksa, A reddish-brown concoction of hot soupy goodness, So tempting with its tint of sourness.   A favourite of Anthony Bourdain, Breakfast of the Gods he ordained, Took to it like a rhino to a mud bath, Inducing ...

What annoys me the most in Miri, Are those who park like dimwits, With parking hogs adding to the melee, Mirians are driven to anger fits. Parking hogs are the worst ever, They are not playing by the rules, Reserving parking spots in ways they think are clever, Causing Mirians much parking blues. Business owners shoot themselves in the foot, ...

Clouds grey and white, What a beautiful sight, Clouds soft and fluffy, Don’t they look puffy, Clouds lofty and wispy, Water droplets so misty, Clouds billows upon billows, Comfortably soft as pillows. Like sails in the sky, As the wind blows them by, Floating in the atmosphere, So far and yet so near, The sky is nature’s canvas, Capturing clouds ...

Apples in the Garden of Eden, Too tempting for Eve even, When the serpent tempted Eve, Mankind came to grief, The apple that Adam ate, Forever sealed mankind’s fate. Newton sat under an apple tree, An apple from the tree dropped free, On Newton’s head it hit, Discovery of gravity arose from it, Millions had seen apples fall, But none ...

Imagine a bowl of kolomee, Maybe you prefer kampua mee, Where the noodle represents proper English, Add in seasonings of Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien and Tamil to get Manglish.   Manglish is a Malaysian English-based creole, Linguists have studied it with much allure, It’s like an official declaration of Malaysian identity, The way we express ourselves with spontaneity.   The ...

Stairway to heaven, Led Zeppelin’s iconic anthem, Hailed as one of the greatest rock songs of all time, Showcasing the band at its prime, An epic at eight minutes long, The pinnacle of a hard rocking song, Crystallising the band’s essence, It is the One, the quintessence. Beginning in a slow acoustic fingerpicking tempo, In an arrangement never heard before, ...

Small and laid back, Conjuring images of the outback, Along the lower reaches of the mighty Rejang it sits, Capital of Meradong District it is.   Inhabitants predominantly Foochows, Industrious like hardworking cows, Binatang is its old name, Green tangerines bring it fame.   Vibrant and lively in the old days, The town deteriorated in many ways, Riverine life quietened, ...