KajoMag

World record for the largest crowd of people dressed in cat costumes

DSC_0002 Asean International Film Festival and Awards (Aiffa) managed to create a new Guinness World Records for the largest crowd of people dressed in cat costumes at Kuching Amphitheatre on Apr 4.

To successfully form the record, there must be at least 250 people dressing up in cat costumes gathered for at least five minutes.

The official result was Aiffa managed to bring together 440 people dressed as cats.

The world record attempt was held in conjunction with Aiffa 2017.

All the participants received an exclusive Guinness World Records t-shirt each.

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Relish in authentic Korean food at The Kimbap, Kuching

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Kimbap is a famous Korean delicacy made from rice, various thinly sliced ingredients like fried egg, sausages, cucumber and carrot rolled up in a sheet of seaweed.

The word ‘kimbap’ literally means seaweed rice as ‘kim’ or ‘gim’ means seaweed while ‘bap’ cooked rice.

Here in Kuching, thousands of miles from where kimbap originated, is an eatery dedicated to this famous dish.

Located at Brighton Square along Jalan Song, The Kimbap prides itself as a pork-free Korean restaurant providing a variety of yummy Korean food at reasonable prices.

Diners can enjoy all kinds of kimbap like tuna mayo, spicy tuna, bulgogi ssam (marinated beef cabbage wraps), garden salad, chicken among eight others.

My personal picks are the beef, kimchi and cheesy kimbap; great for light lunch takeaways or for a simple outdoor picnic.

Beside these rolled rice delicacies, you can also fill up your tummy on other Korean delights.

For those who are big fans of the Korean ramyeon, you can also choose what to order with your noodles.

Ramyeon is similar to Japanese ramen as both are believed to share their roots from China’s lamian (hand-pulled noodles).

The Kimbap serves kimchi ramyeon, cheese ramyeon, dolsot ramyeon (dolsot means hot stone pot) and crispy chicken ramyeon.

If you prefer a noodle dish more native to Korea, order some japchae. It is a glass-like noodle made from sweet potato, stir-fried in sesame oil together with thinly sliced carrots, spinach and mushrooms.

The Kimbap also adds thinly cut beef to their japchae, making it almost a balanced meal instead of a side dish.

Besides this classic Korean noodle dish, they also serve rice dishes like bibimbap, omurice (rice omelette) and soup.

Some Korean food outlets in Kuching offer bibimbap served in plastic or ceramic bowls.

At The Kimbap, you can choose dolsot bibimbap where your bibimbap will be served up in a stone bowl to keep it sizzling hot. It is perfect for those who like their food warm.

Are you a big fan of fried chicken?

With a choice of Crispy Fried Chicken, Daebak Chicken (‘daebak’ is Korean slang for jackpot) and Spicy Chicken to choose from, foodies can skip KFC or Ayam Goreng McD.

Don’t forget to keep those tissues within arm’s reach – the Daebak Chicken and Spicy Chicken are covered in a sumptuous, flavourful sauce.

The Kimbap has a well-curated selection of Korean teas – brown rice green tea, buckwheat tea, Solomon’s seal tea, aloe vera tea, honey citron tea, honey jujube tea and ginseng tea.

Solomon’s seal tea, for example, is believed to be helpful in repairing sports injuries and other acute physical traumas.

I found their honey jujube tea a bit sweet, but it is supposed to be rich in antioxidants and able to help with constipation.

Their list was made complete with the honey citron tea, a traditional Korean drink dating back more than 100 years.

Honey citron tea is great for coughs, relieving sore throats and is an excellent source of vitamin C.

Whether you’re there for the kimbap or tea, The Kimbap is one of the few food outlets selling authentic Korean dishes in Kuching.

Check out their opening hours on their Facebook page: The Kimbap.

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The Kimbap Daebak Chicken
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Jap Chae.
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Kimchi Pancake.
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Kimchi.
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Kimchi Fried Rice
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Dolsot bibimbap

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Cheese Ramyeon
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Beef Bulgogi Rice

International Bornean Frog Race: An ecotourism gem

Other than the iconic species like orangutan and rafflesia, the potential of other wildlife species for ecotourism development in Sarawak can and should be further explored.

Sarawak Forestry Corporation’s (SFC) Chief Executive Officer, Wong Ting Chung said this at the opening of the 6th International Bornean Frog Race at Gunung Gading National Park on Apr 29.

According to Wong, “We have a multiplicity of herpeto-species (lizards, snakes and frogs) richly endowed with the said potential. It has not surprised the organisers that this event has become an annual event of the state’s tourism calendar and a good example of how we may build up or cater to a ‘niche market’ for ecotourism.”

Professor Dr. Gabriel Tonga Noweg, Director of the Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), also spoke at the event. Tonga in his speech briefed on the objectives of the ‘Frog Race’, which are to educate the public on the need for environmental conservation, to promote the event as an outdoor activity for local and foreign tourists as well as to draw public attention to the threats against sustainable frog populations in the State.

This 6th edition of the International Bornean Frog Race saw the attendance of more than 200 participants from 18 participating countries including Australia, Singapore, Korea and India.

The ‘race’ is held on the last weekend of April every year in conjunction with ‘Save the Frogs Day’.

The event which is listed on the tourism calendar of events of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak and that of Tourism Malaysia is jointly organised by SFC and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.

Activities conducted during the 1 ½ day programme included workshops, talks, exhibitions, the highlight being the ‘Frog Race’, in which participants compete to win prizes in various categories of the race, namely Most Number of Amphibian Species Photographed, Rarest Amphibian Photographed, Best Photo Taken with: DSLR Camera, Compact Camera or Mobile Phone

Gunung Gading National Park is best known to host the world’s largest flower of which visitors from the world over flock to view the Rafflesia’s spectacular blooms.

Other attractions at the National Park include its rainforest scenery, waterfalls and the jungle trails which lead to the peak of Gunung Gading.

Wong (second right) and Tonga (right) during the launching ceremony of the race.
Wong (second right) and Tonga (right) during the launching ceremony of the race.

PHOTOS: Earth Hour 2017 Celebration at Fort Margherita

Last Mar 25, The Brooke Gallery at Fort Margherita joined the rest of the world to celebrate Earth Hour by inviting guests to experience the beauty of the fort in the evening.

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(From right) Brooke Gallery team members Adams Faizul, Liza Sideni and Barbara Hubong Andrew Hului.

Earth Hour is a global movement in which millions of people, businesses and landmarks set aside an hour to host events switching off their lights.

The Brooke Gallery at Fort Margherita Earth Hour celebration started with a tour of the fort led by the gallery manager Liza Sideni.

After a session of learning on the rich history of Sarawak under its White Rajahs, the night continued with sharing sessions by local social entrepreneurs.

Under a candle-lit atmosphere, Wee Hung Yee from the WormingUp project shared his journey to tackle food waste problem in Kuching.

Using Pateeworms, maggots of one type of fly found in the jungle, Wee and his team are introducing a new method for food waste disposal instead of using land use.

At the same time, they are also working on raising awareness on high food waste in Kuching.

Heart Treasures’co-founder, Kiew Boon Siew talked about her journey working with autistic youths, those with developmental delay, cerebral palsy, deaf and speech-impaired, disabled, are orphans and/or single mothers.

It is their hope to turn them into artisans with the hope they will become independent one day.

They used recycled materials such as old magazines, card boxes to make handcrafted products such as notebooks and paper jewerly.

Meanwhile, Mohd Saifullah Haini or Seph, shared his experience on starting Spativate which is a social enterprise to activate vacant public spaces and properties in the city.

Their pilot project was held at Seph’s Kampong Muara Tebas by painting a mural at the wall of an abandoned shophouse which used to belong to his late grandfather.

Some 25 patrons attended the inaugural event.

For more information on The Brooke Gallery at Fort Margherita, visit http://www.brooketrust.org/.

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