From the river

01.01.70

It was a perfect start for a day on the river and reconnecting with nature.

We carefully slipped down the slippery stairs to the Abang River at Kampung Bengoh. We slid awkwardly into the waiting kayaks, picked up our paddles, waved to the camera and then (under the guidance of Kuching Kayak) … nature worked its magic.

The river sped us along as we awkwardly attempted to take control. Do we paddle on the right or the left? Mostly we let the river sweep us towards the left branch of the Sarawak River.

Signs of the ravages of monsoonal floods in January 2012 could be seen along the riverbank. Some clumps of bamboo clung perilously to the shore, while the high water mark, edged at times with rubbish, was way above our heads.

Source: The Borneo Post

As sun returns, so does hope

01.01.70

One moment, she had been sitting in her office at work, staring at her computer screen, bathed in weak fluorescent light. The walls were institutional gray, which is what her countenance had been when I stopped by.

But within a few moments, her entire being had been transformed. She had begun to tell me about her annual canoe trip with some women friends. The planning had begun, she said. The permits were being secured.

Soon, she was standing up, gesticulating with her arms as she machine-gunned memories from past trips. She was no longer an overworked manager. She was on the trail, paddling against the wind, toting packs over muddy portages. She was flopped out on some shoulder of granite, inhaling the sweet aroma of long-shed pine needles steeping in the sun.

Source: Duluth News Tribune

Review: 35 Junior Games (3DS eShop)

01.01.70

Why buy one when you can have 35?

When it comes to games that put Nintendo enthusiasts on alert, compilations of mini-games are probably up there with movie licensed cash-ins. If a bold claim is made that a game offers dozens of games for the price of one download, eyebrows are raised and the final package will either be the greatest value ever offered to the world, or a disappointing mush of half-baked disappointments. 35 Junior Games does successfully find a middle-ground, to its credit, though would have been better as 10 Junior Games, give or take a few.

The first bonus for this game is that, after a count, there are indeed 35 games; that may seems obvious, but sometimes titles like these can be a bit deceptive or tricky with their names. In any case, the games on offer are split between Board Games, Card Games, Action and Puzzles. Board Games and Puzzles make up the bulk of what's on offer, which is understandable due to visual simplicity and formulaic rules making development easier; the Puzzle section is guilty of bending the 35 game rule by counting individual slide puzzles, though this just accounts for a few options. There are just four card games, while the Action section contains an intriguing mix of sport/arcade style games and some puzzle options that exist in this category, we assume, because of time limits and an emphasis on speed.

Source: Nintendo Life