The sign says “Welcome to Sarawak – A Place Like No Other”.
I left Kuching when I was 14. I studied in Perth for 7 years and worked for a year after that. During that period of time, I had spent very little time in Kuching. I was complaining that Kuching has very little to offer. I think most people who have been to big cities like KL or Singapore would agree with me. Kuching is the biggest city in East Malaysia, yet it is does not have what other big cities have. That’s why when Coffee Beans and Kenny Rogers opened in Kuching, everyone went crazy.

But how do we measure how much a city has to offer? Is it by the amount of franchised shopping and food outlets? Is it by the amount of highways or the number of *sniggers* toll booths?

Nicole and I were in Sarawak at 5:30pm drinking caramel latte from Coffee Bean. It took us 45 minutes to travel from there to Hui Sing Garden, when normally it would take no more than 15 minutes. Traffic congestion is hitting Kuching the way it hit KL.
People are getting irritated. Despite the city council spending taxpayers’ money trying to improve roads with big visible monuments like the three flyovers, traffic is still an issue. Meanwhile, taxpayers’ money were spent on building a nicely architectured South City Council building with nice manicured lawns near Lumba Kuda. Nowadays people are scared of being mugged, and I’m surprised the “decision makers” have not yet come under fire for failing to reduce the alarming crime rate.
Why do we have to treat politicans like royalty when half the time they treat us like shit? I really hope that Kuching can be different. I hope that it can really be a place like no other. Unfortunately, Kuching is slowly turning into another KL.

Nicole arrived in Kuching yesterday. I picked her up from the airport wearing the same dark blue shirt I wore when I first met her.
It is quite amazing to think that we have already been through 4 years together. Like all relationships ours started out steady and strong. We were young and we were carefree. We had the feeling that all we need is each other, and nothing in the world could tear us apart.
And then reality sets in. The dreaded word ‘responsibility’. Domestic responsibilities, parental responsibilities, financial responsibilities among other things. You start to think if it is her that you want to live with for the rest of your life. You start to think if she is the one, despite your parents reminding you how young you are and how many other opportunities you can have.
Signs of crack in our relationship began to show ever since Nicole went to Gingin. She returned to me a different person, she built a wall around herself and became someone that is no longer as likable. In critics’ eyes (ie. my family), her stocks fell rapidly. There was once a time when my parents supported her through and through. My parents liked her and she had no problems mingling with my family. Those time has passed. And now I’m beginning to find it difficult to stand up for her.
Nicole will be here for 5 days. She has said that she wanted to come here to visit my father. I just hope that she used her time here to mend the fallen bridges. I still love her, but we need to make things work as I will not betray my family’s wishes just to be with her.