Lanchang Untouched

I am a city kid. Born and raised in the city, studied in the city, worked for a while in a city. So when I was told that I would have to choose between a town or a village for my job posting, it was a tough choice for me. Well, I ended up choosing the village instead of the town just because it placed me much nearer to my family and the city. For the first few days at my new working place, I dreaded the village life and complained a lot about how far it is from my house. But now that I have been working for around 10 months at Lanchang, I learnt how to appreciate this quiet village.

Well, the intro is getting too long, let's dive into the few interesting facts about Lanchang. I somehow feel "responsible" to at least share something nice about Lanchang as the clinic pharmacist. I'll try to make it like one of those top X reasons to visit... hehehe... Let's see whether it works out!

If you search Lanchang on Google now, the first interesting that come out is always Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre. This is a center designed to take care of Asian Elephants that has been listed as an endangered species since the 1980s. Since it was built, the PERHILITAN management has been tracking down and taking care of these elephants until they are old enough to be released back into the wild.

The center is free to visit every day including weekends and public holidays and there are special shows every day around 1pm - 2.30pm including video documentaries and guided visits around the facility.

A short distance away from the Elephant Conservation Centre is another tourist attraction, a private park called Deerland. The location is quite odd for a family themed park/zoo in my opinion, but it sure attracts many tourists from all over the world with not only deer, there are many other animals in the park including snakes, hedgehogs, iguanas and many more, Something special about this park is the chance to get up close to the young deer and the opportunity to feed them with food provided by the care givers.

Deerland is a wonderful place for adults and children alike and it is totally worth the entrance fee of RM6 (adults) and RM4 (children below 12). The park is open everyday except Friday from 10.30am till 5.30pm.

Now for a basic history lesson. Malaysians out there who still remember your Form 2 Sejarah (History) may know this. There was a Malaysian warrior who fought a war against the British colonist at the very spot in the picture above, Lubuk Terua, Lanchang. His name was Dato' Bahaman, Orang Kaya Semantan. It was the 1890 when the British took control of Pahang while Dato' Bahaman was the Orang Besar Raja, a leader and administrator of land given by the Sultan. Tension was on the rise when the British set up a police station at Lubuk Terua and he was instructed not to interfere. Resistance against the invading forces erupted when the British forces launched multiple attacks on several local strongholds, resulting in what is known today as the Semantan War.

By 1892, the British instructed the Sultan to form a team known as Gerakan Sultan to attack Dato' Bahaman's forces in hopes that he would surrender out of loyalty to the Sultan. The plan did successfully remove his forces away from Semantan but only for a month before returning with help from Tok Gajah and recapturing Lubuk Terua. Unfortunately after months of defending their fortress at Lubuk Terua against continuous bombardment from the British, Dato' Bahaman's forces had to retreat and ending the war against the British in Pahang completely. He is regarded as one of the great Malay warriors and currently has two schools named after him in Lanchang. Currently there are no remains of his fortress at Lubuk Terua as they were destroyed by the British. However there is a huge tree at the Semantan riverbank said to be the site where the fortress was back then.

Lastly, for those who do not know where Lanchang is, here is a map of Pahang with Lanchang circled. If you want, do drop by the local clinic to visit another attraction, me... heeheehee!

lalanandaFRY
8/2/15

What's the fuss with butts?

This is another post that I have been editing for months but didn't get posted, this time because I didn't know what to call it. If you have been listening to pop music this year, you will see a comeback for a certain genre of music... No not Rock, not R&B, not that type of music. Vogue magazine claims that we are in the ERA of the BIG BOOTY.

Oh gosh this sounds so wrong!!! Vogue magazine published an article last September and was flamed by critics all over the world for being insensitive to African Americans. It's true though... I hope you don't think of me a pervert since I totally don't like the idea of showing or singing about butts. Do you think the entertainment industry dictates the definition of beauty now as having big buttocks? It is ridiculous but unfortunately we've got so many butt related songs this year that rivals Sir Mix-a-lot's Baby Got Back in 1992 and Black Eyed Peas' My Humps in 2005. Here is a list in chronological order:

Wiggle by Jason Derulo featuring Snoop Dogg

This song was on every radio channel, even some of those conservative ones in my country that usually play oldies. Not sure whether those radio channels actually realise what 'wiggle' implies in this song because I am pretty sure they do explain it in great detail in the lyrics if anyone was not too distracted by the obnoxious background tune. They even boast its Youtube views before you click the "Play" button, so maybe I shouldn't say too much about it anymore. This song actually got up to 5th place at the US Billboard Charts and went platinum in the US selling more than 1.5 million copies since it was released in May.

All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor

This year is all about that bass, about that bass, no treble... This is the song that inspired this post in the first place. Interestingly this song is the total opposite from the previous song, everyone loved it! The beat is old school barbershop pop, a style that we haven't heard for a long time that it feels fresh and new. Instead of objectifying a female butt, this song seems to discuss women empowerment and a positive body image, much to the women demographic's delight. The song rose to the top in the Billboard Charts in July and stayed at number one for 8 weeks consecutively and also selling over 4.5 million copies since it's release.

Anaconda by Nicki Minaj

My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns hun! I think by now everyone knows this, Nicki Minaj is... ahem *clears throat*.... no stranger to butt genre and this evident just by looking at the cover art whereby the Parental Advisory sign is shifted to a more "strategic" position. She sampled a 22 year old Sir Mix-a-lot song Baby Got Back, some say the most influencial butt song of all time, if there's such a thing, This song made a big leap in mid September from 42 to number one on Billboard's Streaming Songs chart, most probably due to the sexual nature of the music video. It was certified Platinum in November and has sold more than 1.3 million copies since it's release.

and lastly

Booty by Jennifer Lopez featuring Iggy Azalea

This song title is the most obvious of all. Originally titled "Big Booty", the song title already sounds like it is going to be a cheesy song to begin with. But to be honest, to me this is one of Jennifer Lopez's better songs compared to all her other songs in recent years. The lyrics seem to imply that Jennifer Lopez is inviting others to join her at the dance floor where she flaunts her "booty" and admires others who dance too. Despite not reaching top 10 in the Billboard Top 100, it reached number one at the Hot Dance Club songs chart, Jennifer Lopez's 16th song to do so.

Everything from Miley Cyrus and her twerking, Kim Kardashian trying to "Break the Internet" and Beyonce's newest songs is getting ridiculous. Please stop making big butts an attribute that define women! Please stop objectifying women!!!

lalanandaFRY
1/2/15

Has Hollywood finally run out of ideas?

Once in a while there will be a release of an original idea that is amazing, so amazing that Hollywood executives think that a simple idea can be exploited into a franchise. In recent years, there are so many new terms coined to describe this phenomenon, let me list them out:

Remakesploitation

Sequelsploitation

Mockbuster

Parody/ Compilation

Sure there are some original blockbusters here and there, but have you noticed that most blockbusters this years are categorized into one of these... As I mentioned in my previous post for Remakesploitation, the key is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Seriously, what happened to originality? It's the end of 2014 now, most of the blockbusters of the year are out by now, so here are my short reviews of them.

22 Jump Street (June 2014)

Sequel of the 2012 film adaptation of a 1987-1991 TV series 21 Jump Street. Not many people went in to the cinema to watch the 2012 movie expecting a masterpiece, so it was a pleasant surprise. When the sequel came along, those people who saw the first one would have high expectations and I would say that it does not disappoint.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (November 2014)
Second sequel to a 2012 film adaptation of a 2008 New York Times Best Seller The Hunger Games. I have mentioned this before and I will say it again, splitting a novel into two films is a very bad idea. Don't get me wrong, it is an awesome idea for film executives. Splitting a book into two movies doubles the opportunity for profit and increases the time for hype for film merchandising. But if as a movie goer, you would have to go through what I call the "Deathly Hallows syndrome". This is when the first part is the build-up portion that may be slightly boring and stretched, then we have to wait a year or more for the second part that actually shows the climax and ending of the book. It worked so well for Harry Potter and Twilight before it, why not The Hunger Games?

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (February 2014)
Sequel to the 2012 reboot of a 2002-2007 film franchise adaptation of a Marvel comics superhero created in 1962. There were so many adaptations of Spiderman after 52 years since it was created and the most successful so far is still the 2002 film series. A lot of people might disagree with me but I still think that Tobey Maguire was perfect as Peter Parker. My question is "Why bother to make another film franchise after ending the previous one a mere 5 years prior?". The answer is simple... Money. Enough said.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (July 2014)

Sequel to the 2011 re-reboot of a 1968-1973 film franchise adaptation of a French novel published in 1963.  The 1968 masterpiece and it's sequels have always amazed me for their fantastic atmosphere and storytelling. The 2001 reboot was disappointing to say the least. But since the 2011 re-reboot, I had my reservations to this franchise. With the current state of CGI and jaw-dropping motion capture acting by Andy Serkis, Rise and Dawn were both very good movies. I'm looking forward to see where this goes. Thumbs up to Dawn.

Transformers: Age of Extinction (June 2014)

Third sequel of 2007 film adaptation of a 1984-1993 animated TV series based upon Hasbro's 1984 toyline. I watched this movie late at night, probably the worst time to watch such a long and boring movie. It's interesting how an action movie with transforming cars and tonnes of explosions can be boring but Michael Bay did the impossible. When I watched the first movie I was at awe with the extensive use of CGI and explosions but now that it has taken over the plot, taken over logic, I am convinced that explosions is Michael Bay's way of communicating with his audience. However I must admit, seeing Mark Wahlberg as the lead instead of Shia LeBeouf is a breath of fresh air.

Godzilla (May 2014)
Hollywood re-reboot of a 1954 Japanese film and subsequent franchise. Remember Hollywood's previous failed attempt to make a Godzilla film in 1998? I certainly didn't. Not that it was unmemorable, I just had the desire to erase it from my memory. Godzilla is the king of monsters and will always be a symbol of nuclear devastation made by the country that experienced it first hand. The new movie definitely brings back the nostalgia of seeing gigantic monsters fight while buildings collapse around them. Too bad there is hardly any in it, instead we are left seeing some pathetic human characters most of the time, making some silly decisions along the way. Sure, the effects were impressive and the atmosphere made the monsters menacing, but wouldn't it be better if we could see more Godzilla doing Godzilla things in a Godzilla movie?

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (March 2014)
Sequel to a 2011 film adaptation (the 3rd live action adaptation) of a Marvel comic superhero created in 1941 and part of an ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe started in 2008. First thing I must clarify, I prefer this movie to the first one. Being the last movie with SHIELD playing the huge part before the highly anticipated Avengers sequel, this movie needed to set-up the foundations with an entertaining plot. The Winter Soldier certainly delivers all of that. I shall not spoil the movie here, just get it on bluray and watch it!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (September 2014)
Re-reboot of a 1990-1993 live action film series adaptation of a 1987-1996 animated series adaptation of a Mirage comic book started in 1984. My oh my it is another Michael Bay production, but fortunately he is not at the helm directing the movie. This is a good example of current CGI movies making everything too clean and pleasing to look at but still failing to capture the fun vibe of the 1990 film and the animated series. There are times in the movie that I think to myself, what would the movie like if it was made independently with a low budget like the 1990 film. Would it look cheap and ugly or still as entertaining as it was back then?

The Expendables 3 (August 2014)
Second sequel of a 2010 film homage to blockbuster action films from 1980's and 1990s. Have anyone actually counted the number of characters in the poster? Don't bother, there are 16. Having an ensemble cast of classic action stars has always been the key in the first two movies, so why bring in a bunch of unknown kids into the gang of old man? At some point of the movie, it felt like watching one of those Youtube clips where some fan of old school action movies stitched a bunch of old clips into a film. Would be fun to count exactly how long each character actually appear on screen, poor Jet Li didn't get to do anything.

X-Men: Days of Future Part (May 2014)
Direct sequel to a 2011 reboot film and a 2013 character film, based upon a 1981 comic book storyline and the seventh sequel of a film franchise started in 2000 based upon a Marvel comic book franchise created in 1963. This is one movie that has that amazing cool factor to it. Bringing Bryan Singer back to the helm was the best thing about the movie because he knew the X-Men films too well. As most other critics say, in order to make this movie as good as it is, huge sacrifices had to be made. In this case, the plots and story of all other X-Men movies other than the 2011 reboot X-Men: First Class. Time travel is such an old cliche used in film to undo what other movies have done, but none as elegant as this. Never knew I would be excited for the next X-Men movie again as I was after the end credits of 2013's The Wolverine.

Well those are almost all the movies I've watched this year. Ten movies that are among the highest grossing of the year and all are either remakes, sequels or a mixture of both. Then again there are movies like Interstellar, Nightcrawler, Birdman and John Wick that are great movies that stand apart from the rest. Maybe there is still some creativity and innovation in Hollywood, just unfortunate that most of them don't sell as many tickets as those above.

lalanandaFRY
8/12/14

My OnePlus One #3

The Malaysian OnePlus One Club is among the most active OnePlus communities in their forum. There are members from the forum who were there since even before the phone was officially release and are still active in distributing and moderating invites to other fellow Malaysian fans. I am truly amazed by their enthusiasm and I really wanted to meet up with them, especially the Boss @Jevoly. I guess it is very rare to see a group of people who support not just the phone company but the sense of community that I have only seen once with the Xiaomi Fan Club. OnePlus organized their first official Malaysian fan gathering on November 8, 2014 and I was happy to join, greet and thank he/she/them in person. *your secret is safe with me*

Malaysian Invite System (MIS) moderators and forum members at the Fan Gathering

Anyway, back to the steps:

4. Courier service

Here is where the OPO gets to travel around the world! When both boxes have arrived at the postal address and are ready to be shipped, I chose to ship via DHL. There is really nothing to do at this point other than spamming the tracking button until it breaks. My OPO took the standard route to Hong Kong and straight to Malaysia, but I have heard that some others took longer routes to Korea, Taiwan and even Singapore. Overall it takes roughly 3-5 days from day of shipping, to reach Malaysian customs.

5. Custom Clearance

This is when the parcel gets touchy, and by touchy I mean potentially getting the parcel stripped open for inspection. Some people at the forum mentioned that they avoided SIRIM and customs tax all together. However those are the minority, most of our OPO had to go through proper SIRIM checks and obtain permits, mine was no exception. Around a day before the parcel reached Malaysia, I received a call from DHL asking me to apply for customs clearance so that the parcel would not be delayed.

In this step, declaration of shipment is very important since it determines the amount of tax it would attract. Declaration of the OPO as a cellphone will have no duty tax while declaration as an electronic appliance might attract a 10% tax. Obviously I declared the OPO as a cellphone! For the SIRIM E-permit, please refer to this LINK, it is quite delicate since there are many forms to submit. The DHL officer who called me requested for my e-mail address so that she could send me certain documents that were needed for the application. Assuming everything goes well, the whole process will probably take less than 24 hours and cost RM100. I submitted all my documents at 5pm and it was ready at 11am the next day. So after I received my E-permit, I just forwarded it to DHL and it was done. Then all I can do is wait again.

6. Delivery in Malaysia

For most people staying in bigger cities or towns that has complete international courier coverage, this step does not concern you as DHL or whichever courier you chose could send it to your doorstep in 1-2 days after clearance. But since my place did not have DHL coverage, they transferred my parcel to Poslaju *to my annoyance*. If you noticed in the tracking note above, the final step says "Delivery arranged, no details expected", that's a sign that they have transferred to another courier. Nevertheless it took 4 days including the weekend to arrive at my doorstep, not too bad at all.

Voila! I was ready for my unboxing pleasure. The entire process from placing the order till getting it in my hand took around 2 weeks including weekends, not too long considering all that it has been through.

Trust me, when I first heard of this procedure I was totally flabbergasted too. I think the question for most people who read all the way up to this point would be "Why go through all the hassle?". As a OPO user who has been using it for over a month now, I have to say that it was totally worth it. It ticked all the points on my smartphone checklist and also introduced me to a community online. The most important thing to note before getting the phone is to get to know it well, if possible go to a shop to try out a Chinese edition. As the fellow forum members mentioned to me before, it was a totally new experience, to buy my first smartphone from overseas instead of a shop down the street.

lalanandaFRY
30/11/14

My OnePlus One #2

Before actually purchasing this phone or any other item that is not officially distributed in Malaysia, it's important to note that they will not send it to us directly. The OPO is currently only available officially in 17 countries and for now, Malaysia is not one of them yet. Of course there is the Chinese edition which comes slightly more expensive with Oppo's ColorOS instead of the standard Cyanogenmod 11S. If you want an easier way to purchase the OPO without all the steps listed below, there are a bunch of phone shops already stocked with AP China edition OPOs readily available right now.

What if I want to get the Global edition? Do I have to smuggle it in to Malaysia! Not exactly smuggle actually considering the import clearance fee I paid. I got mine legally and officially. Here are the steps I took for my Global edition OnePlus One:

1. Buy the OnePlus One

At this point, you should already have an invite and you are ready to purchase the device. As I mentioned earlier OnePlus does not send the phone to Malaysia, so if you have friends or family living in any of the 17 countries who can help to ship the phone back to you, you shouldn't need to continue reading this. All you need is to direct the delivery to their postal address, make payment and your phone will arrive at their address within a week. Then after that you will owe them a favour to send the phone to you anyway you want. But for people like me without a contact in those 17 countries, I hired a parcel forwarding service, which brings me to number 2.

2. Forwarding address

Before purchasing the OPO, I have not heard of a Parcel Forwarding Service at all. Now that I'm familiar with the system, let me describe it in simple words. These companies do exactly the same thing as your friends or family I described earlier. They receive your parcel and forward the parcel to you via whichever courier you choose. One important service they provide is allocating a physical postal address that is mandatory when directing the delivery. In my case, I registered an account with Comgateway which gave me a postal address. Then I made my payment at OnePlus US, directing the delivery to said address. My parcel was shipped by USPS from Rosemead, California and took 6 days from day of purchase, to arrive at my postal address at Portland, Oregon.

3. Forwarding service

As I mentioned before, the main service these companies provide is forwarding parcels via courier. However they do have additional services such as repacking that consolidates unnecessary bulk of certain parcels to save space and shipping fee. This is especially useful if you are purchasing other items from Amazon or EBay and are shipping together with the OPO to Malaysia. For me, it was just the OPO, which came in two boxes, one with the phone and another with the charger. It is important to note that sometimes those boxes don't get delivered in the same parcel, so it is better to check with the forwarding service before shipping. When the parcels arrived at my postal address, Comgateway immediately sent an e-mail to request for further instructions, repacking, continue waiting for other items to arrive or proceed with shipping.

Now that I'm looking back at the steps I took to get the phone, I feel totally overwhelmed. I am really amazed by the number of new things I have learnt along the way. There are a couple of steps to go, so stay tuned for the continuation.

lalanandaFRY
29/11/14