A Blackout And A Birthday...

The whole of Sarawak was in total darkness last night due to a fault along the main power grid between Sibu (Selangau) and Bintulu (Kemena).... More on NST online >>

The darkness and the people of Sarawak complaint....

I woke up this morning as usual checking news online and blogs hopping around the blogsphere, assuming most Sarawakian bloggers would rant on their blogs first thing in the morning cursing their Sarawak Energy or SESCO about last night's blackout. The Star claiming it was a 'Six-hour blackout...', Lim Kit Siang opposition party's post entry came out just within hours after the blackout, 'Why the blackout in Sarawak... cities and towns in the state were plunged into total darkness causing massive chaos as everybody was caught by surprise.' More on Lim Kit Siang's blog >>

We were on our way out slightly a minute before the blackout and the handphone started to ring, non stop.... an emergency meeting was called the fault was narrowed down.

*

*

However, we arrived at our favorite restaurant. On our way to the restaurant, we passed by Mitsu Tea House, looked like they were all prepared with the blackout, candles were sent out that instance the light went off to each table with diners, the diners were more or less not bothered with the blackout but enjoying their delicious Mitsu's dinner... while Rejang Medical Center stands by it emergency generators.

We were seated in a private room we booked the day before, the restaurant was light up with emergency lights and our room's emergency light lasted only few minutes after we were seated. Then we were given some customer-left-behind little birthday candles to light up the room.

When I told the waitress that little candles may burn out within minutes and may burn the cardboard base she used, she returned a minute later with a long candle placed on a saucer, that looks more like it.

Outside our private room, a group of people with majority children were celebrating a birthday on the same day as of my nephew.

And we had our dinner served to us and it was a candle light dinner like the rest of people all over Sarawak that night. After a short while, the power restored and the voices from children outside cheers happily can be heard.

And there was a light for a while, and the light went off again. And we were given back the candle again.

The dinosaur boy with grandpa and grandma at the birthday party. *SE-cyber shot with flash light.

Although the restaurant service was slow due to the unforeseen circumstances apart from it stuffy private room we were in and party voices the children made outside, nevertheless we waited patiently for our dinner to be served and started off with birthday cake cutting.

And my nephew turns 10.

The birthday boy with uncle Tie.

Tie's restaurant sees more business than usual at almost every weekend. The service that night was in chaos throughout the blackout.

The chaos, half of what we ordered didn't come to us.... what we didn't order was served to us, we take it nonetheless.

Toward the end, we left after about 45mins of waiting for our last dish. And obviously uncle Tie was not too happy with the blackout that night.