190410 Spoinking Port Dickson

Wet & dirty, it soiled our polished "Wheelies".

John John - This 31-year-old with the diesel physique pushed & pulled me tirelessly on a gritty stretch from Sepang up Deer Hill/Bukit Pelandok, dotted with piglets running around uncontrollably across the plains. Nah...I'm pullin your leg, can't find a single "Babe". Apparently all of them had been shipped to the destination unknown since the outbreak of swine-flu = H1N1.

Swine influenza (also called swine flu, hog flu, or pig flu) is an infection by any one of several types of swine influenza virus. If transmission does cause human influenza, it is called zoonotic swine flu. A person who mingles around "Kerbau Katik"/Midget Buffalos increased risk of swine flu infection. This infectious influenza produces fever, lethargy, sneezing, coughing, difficulty breathing and decreased appetite. In some cases the infection can cause abortion. Yeah...scores of people died during the Nipah virus outbreak in 1999. Send chills down my spine...

Electron microscope image of the re-assorted H1N1 influenza virus

I thought of venturing thru Bukit Pelandok (U think I gila ka? Pass by should be good enuff lah) & use the coastal route N9/N159 Jalan Kuala Lukut but there are no bridge or ferry available to cross Sungai Lukut. What a shame.

D' shortcut that never was

Take a "Ferry across the Mersey" & "Don't pay the ferryman"

I wasn't expecting this huge ferry, at least a "Penambang" would do.

To keep cancer at bay, JJ applied some diaper rash cream to his charred lips & pointed nose. A baby's bottom is soft but a 31 yr old has thick rough skin like a komodo lizard. Zinc or no zinc oxide, has no effect what so ever. He has no choice. Either apply bum cream or get frostbite from the sun. Can we get frostbite from over-exposure to the sun? Nah, it's just my way of expressing the seriousness of sun burn. You can only get frostbite if you stuffed your parts too long in ice. Then it'll get stiff!

Strike 4 D, big or small

An ardent follower





Cam whored for a while & watched the boats go by.

Wish I could go on a long-long trip. Around the world and back & won't have to move. You just sit still. Let your mind do the walking. I'll take you to the highest mountain. To the depths of the deepest sea & we won't need a map, believe me. Let me show you the World In My Eyes -DM

They don't make bike jerseys here

JJ, I & my twin

Picture perfect, modern & dated...

We just rode as we like. No pressure - no issues...UNTIL 3 km from the rest stop my stomach felt queasy. That unsettling feeling in the pit of your gut which makes you feel woozy & worried. The cocktail of 100 plus, Coke, H20 & mushroom soup added more misery. Blame it on the cockles & chili paste I had a day earlier - lesson learned.

4 km from PD we had to do emergency stop by the petrol station. The volcano was about to erupt & some banking had to be done. Thought that I have flushed away my woes, I was dead wrong. The belly rolled & made funny noises. Lukut stretch was bearable but the slight climb up Bukit Pelandok was nerve wreaking. Had to spin lightly on low gears. Heavy gearing strained the belly & groin. Damn, I could only do a 20kph!

A cure for stomach acne.

An old friend, Cikgu Khairul from Ipoh gave some tips to ease the pain. His grandmother's potion.

Ingredients (Enuff to serve a clone)
3 young Ciku shoots

2 Buds (If available)

1 Sprouting fruit (Small like a match-head, if available)

How to go about doing it:

Take some shoots of the Ciku plant (Manilkara Achras). Buds & tiny sprouting fruits (Small like a match-head). Wash thoroughly & put them to a boil with a cup of plain water. Mind the mild sap, it's not gonna kill you. Boil the materials for about 10 minutes till the concoction turns greenish. Let it cool & when it's slightly warm & drinkable - drink it. God willing - the ache will subside & you'll be ready to pound the tarmac.

Ciku plant, buds, fruits & yummies

Ciku, is a native of Central America, Mexico and the West Indies, Also known as sapodilla, belongs to the family Sapotaceae. Various species of Manilkara are grown and used worldwide for different purposes. The species most popular in Malaysia is the Manilkara zapota. This was also called Manilkara achras, Achras zapota or Nispero achras, a derivative of the Greek word achras for the Pear tree, because of the fruit's resemblance to a pear. Hmmmmm...
3 main varieties of Ciku fruits in Malaysia: Betawi, Subang & Jantung. It is known as chikoo or sapota in India, sofeda in Bangladesh, chikoo (also spelled "chikku," "chiku," or "ciku") in South Asia and Pakistan, chico in the Philippines, sawo in Indonesia, ciku in Malaysia, sapodilla or rata-mi in Sri Lanka, lamoot in Thailand and Cambodia, níspero in Venezuela, dilly in the Bahamas, naseberry in the rest of the West Indies, sapoti in Brazil, and sapote in Nicaragua. In Jamaica, its called naseberry.
The flesh of the fine textured fruit has a deep-brownish hue. Looks like a brown egg, sweet brown flesh inside.Distinctively sweet making it especially suitable as dressing for dessert. Nutritionally, Ciku fruit contains high vitamin and mineral contents. Ciku looks similar to a kiwi fruit except it has rusty skin. The fruit is yellowish to pinkish brown in colour when it is ripe. The shape is oblong or round depends on species. Mmmmmm....I like mine slightly curved.A well grown ciku can be in a size of 5 to 10cm long. Unripe fruit has milky sap.

Song - CIKU TREE

(Sing to the tune of Lemon Tree)

When I was just a lad of ten, my father said to me,

"Come here and take a lesson from the lovely ciku tree."
"Don't put your faith in love, my boy", my father said to me,
"I fear you'll find that love is like the lovely ciku tree."

Ciku tree very pretty and the ciku fruit is sweet
But the leaves of the poor ciku is impossible to eat. (2X)

One day beneath the ciku tree, my love and I did lie

A girl so sweet that when she smiled the stars rose in the sky.

We passed that summer lost in love beneath the ciku tree

The music of her laughter hid my father's words from me:

Ciku tree very pretty and the ciku fruit is sweet

But the leaves of the poor ciku is impossible to eat. (2X)

One day she left without a word. She took away the sun.

And in the dark she left behind, I knew what she had done.

She'd left me for another, it's a common tale but true.

A sadder man but wiser now I sing these words to you:

Ciku tree very pretty and the ciku fruit is sweet
But the leaves of the poor ciku is impossible to eat. (2X)

The Sheep-Pig - A novel by British author Dick King-Smith where he spent twenty years as a farmer. The book won the Guardian Children's Fiction Award in 1984. It took film producer and co-writer George Miller ten years to take the book from paperback to big screen.

Babe - A 1995 family film that tells the story of a pig who wants to be a sheep dog & later went to a city. (A sequel, Pig in the city). Due to its title and subject matter not being "Halal", the film was initially banned in Malaysia, although the ruling was overturned almost a year later and the film was released direct-to-VHS. It was later released on Video CD and even later on DVD, and as of 2009, has aired on Terrestrial TV and pay-per-view movie channels. Such a cute animal in the movie & it contains a wonderful object lesson on leadership. Among the best that I have seen.

Unfortunately I can't cuddle them let alone eat it but me & my kids love Babe.

Pokémons, famous Pikachu & Spoink!

I remember some bloke wrote in a local paper to get the cartoon banned coz he confused himself. Pork in some slang is pronounced as "Poke". Silly fella...
This term should also not be confused with the real world definition of species, since it has nothing to do with it. Pokémon are able to breed and produce fertile offspring; in fact, breeding among Pokémon can easily occur between species since it is controlled by egg groups. Whereas pigs are mammals which deliver their offspring. But if you still insist on having a pig like Pokémon - Spoink is your pet. This cuddly thing is a psychic, gray-colored, pig like Pokémon with dark, circular eyes, stubby arms, a large gray nose, and small ears.

More Pokémons

In 2001, Pokémon fatwa that started in Saudi was supported by U.A.E. scholars and condoned by the Mexican Catholic Church as work of Satan. They banned the game of Pokemon as a Zionist plot; Qaradawi issued a fatwa endorsing this in December 2003, saying that Pokemon not only uses Jewish and Masonic symbols, but teaches evolution. Not only do Pokemon evolve, they do so "In battles where the survivors are those who adapt better to the environment; another of Darwin's dogmas." In addition, both depiction of imaginary animals and card-games are contrary to the Koran. Qaradawi also notes that some Japanese expressions squeaked and gibbered by Pokemon may mean "I am a Jew" and "Become a Jew," but admits the matter is controversial and he isn't certain.

Muslims are forbidden by God to eat the meat of the pig (pork).
This is detailed in verses 2:173, 5:3, 6:145, and 16:115 of the Qur'an. An exemplary verse is quoted here: "He has only forbidden you dead meat, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and any (food) over which the name of other than Allah has been invoked. But if one is forced by necessity, without willful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits, then Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

Kindness to animals

Every creature was created by Allah for a purpose. The Prophet always encouraged being kind to animals. Although we should not eat the meat of the pig, it doesn't mean that we should hate pigs. We should show them the same kindness as any other animal, and not abuse or torture them. Pigs score high on tests devised to determine animal intelligence; in other words, they are very smart.

After all those tummy troubles, we got home safely all right but had to stop twice to wet our dry throats. I'm glad I survived the distance. That's the main thing. This aint Oz.

I leave you with a pantun...njoi

Kayuh ke Nilai sehari suntuk,
Singgah sebentar di Bukit Pelandok,
Borong karpet penuh berhabok,
Punya la lotih sampai ngantok,

Tapi masa amatlah suntok,
U kata nak nak buat daging kerutuk?
Kau tak tahu kang aku tunjok,
Google kan ada bole kau rujuk,

Freshpun ada juga yang jeruk,
Manis berlemak makan sure berkeruk,
Lebih-lebih kang terus mabuk!

Translation:

Cycled to Nilai the whole day,

Dropped by Deer Hill a short trip away,

Bought all the dusty carpets

& made me extremely tired

Felt sleepy but time is so short

U said u "Wanna get spicy!" & serve meat

If u dunno I could show you how to heat

You can also refer from Google

Fresh & pickled are also available

Sweet & full of fat you'll definately frown

Too much can make you drunk & drown!

Kerbau Katik/Kerbau Pendek/Midget Buffalo = Pig

Penambang = A sampan big enough to ferry humanoids, sun baked imported produce, animals & road bikes

Potion (from latin potionis, meaning beverage, potion, poison) is a consumable medicine or poison. = Traditional, folk & indigenous medicine.

*Definition of traditional medicine = "The health practices, approaches, knowledge and beliefs incorporating plant, animal and mineral-based medicines, spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises, applied singularly or in combination to treat, diagnose and prevent illnesses or maintain well-being."

*Indemnity clause - The author shall not be made responsible for your health, that could result in death or permanent disabilities for the consumption of the concoction, remedies, potions & recipes detailed in this blog.

Route: Bandar Baru Bangi - Port Dickson

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