Happy New Year 2010....

Happy New Year 2010 folks. May we all continue to prosper and enjoy life.

Unique scenes of Singapore...

Holidaying in Singapore...

Arrived in Singapore last Thursday afternoon after a drive of some five hours from KL. Our son in law drove the Renault MPV all the way from KL, with a stop for lunch at an R & R. Now the whole families are staying at the home of our youngest daughter who now works in Singapore. Above are the glittering scenes of the Orchard Roads where the happening is. As usual in this city state the malls there are packed with people, shopping and enjoying themselves; with us as part of those crowds. Have a nice day.

Merry Christmas...

Merry Christmas folks. May we all continue to prosper and enjoy life. These are scenes of the Christmas decoration at the KLCC. Have a nice day.

The Evening Sun...

It did not rain for the last two days and I could feel the humidity returning to the atmosphere. After those long rainy days where the weather has been cool and wet, the warmth and humid day is sort of a welcome to the normalcy of living in the tropic. I sat at the Kopitian table and just while my mind away daydream for awhile and enjoy the peace and tranquility of my space. For the first time in the month I saw the ray of light of the evening sun that began to lower to the horizon. At this time of the year the sun would set slightly toward the southwest, which is on the left side of the front of my home; the time of the year when the southern hemisphere would be warm. Winter in the northern hemisphere mean countries south of the equator would have warmer weather with summer in Australia.

I continue to enjoy the afternoon with a cup of tea and then took a few snaps of the changing scene of my patio. As the sun began to set I could see the ray of the sun seeping through the space between the plants. With the help of a water spray I managed to capture the beauty of that light as it play with the trickle of water from the spray. It is just majestic to see the beauty of the light at that moment in time. This is the first time I had manage to photograph the play of the light as seen in the image above.

With those experiences in capturing that ray of lights I venture further and took more images of the sunshine at the other parts of my Serambi, the traditional part of my patio. In most traditional Malay houses there is always the Serambi, an out space that is independence of the main house. It is a place where one could sit lazily and enjoy the chat and yarn without disturbing those inside the house. It is a Malay idea of a patio but with a difference. When I did my renovation of my present home some years ago I decided to add a Serambi. The stairway as seen in one of the image above is part of the Serambi. The Serambi is now one of my favorite places to sit the traditional Malay way and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the space and at the same time get to watch the activities in my little garden out-front.

The front of my house is facing west and from the patio I could see the Petronas Twin Towers. In a way my home is with a view of the famous KL landmark, the Petronas Twin Towers, commonly know as the KLCC. On a normally day throughout the years I could watch the setting sun at all the placing it moves. Like now when it is winter in the northern hemisphere the sun would set slightly on the southwest making a distinct ray on my stairway toward the Serambi. When it is winter in the Southern hemisphere the sun would set at a northwest position. And some time in midJune the sun ray would shown direct into our living room and we had to closed the door to avoid the direct light. Indeed a fascinating sight to watch and wonder of the beauty of how the sun move or rather the earth tilted to create that kind of movement of the sun. The weather now is getting hotter and humid after the rain that had been poring for the whole of last month stop. That folks is my day.

Have a nice day.

The Apple...

Folks for today just enjoy this image. A deco that I had on my dinning table. Have a nice day.

Water...

Folks, I have posted this image of water that I took recently at Facebook and it has generated a great discussion. Since water is such an important resource for the well-being of all species on this planet I am posting this image again, this time at this Blog.

My purpose is to create awareness of the important of this resource of ours that is often taken for granted. We should take upon ourselves and give due respect to this important resource that sustain life on this blue planet of ours. Without it the whole planet would be deserted. So just give a thought and take whatever action to preserve this treasure of ours forever, like when washing your car or watering your garden do it just right and do not waste water. That little drop that you saved means a lot. So a little respect to this wonderful resource of ours would goes a long way in ensuring that we would continue to get water all the time.

In some countries water has created dispute and brought nations to war. It is that important and since we still have plenty of it do take note that if we are not careful we would be the biggest looser. It has happened to past generations and it could happen again if we are not wise enough in the usage of this commodity, the Water that we could not live without. Have a nice day.

Reminisce.. The Boy with a dream...

It was a full moon. The evening was beautiful with the ocean out-front glittering like a sea of diamonds, extraordinarily beautiful than the usual night. Full moon always gives the sea a touch of awesome and majestic. Allure by the call of the sea, he walk to the beach in front of his house and sat on the wooden bench. Alone, this time he was alone looking at the sea in front of him. It has been the scene of his village, a small community beside the sea, fronting the Arabian Ocean. He was just eleven years old and all that he could remember was the time he had played with his friends from the village, mostly boys of his age. The village is his home, the home of his father and his father's father before him. They all had live in this same village all the years.

He watches the seafaring vessels come and go at the small port nearby. Sometime out of curiosity he would walk to the port to look closer at those ships that come and go. It does fascinate him and wonder where these big ships would go from here. He had heard from his friends that some of these ships would go to distance-land in the Far East. And that some of his friends who had boarded these ships had not returned; for they had found new means of having a better livelihood in the new land in the Far East.

His life in this small community of Malabar, a small fishing village just off the coastal area has always been the same. Some farm their land with coconut, plant paddy their staple food while others would do small business to complement their daily income. This after all is a small self-sustained economy, it has been like that for all the years and life have being going on without much changes. Sometime he wonder whether it would be better for him to leave home and venture to other part of India or some other countries to seek a better life. He had heard so much from those people that come and go whenever ships anchor at the local harbor. He has seen some of his friends who left and return has more money now than before and lives a better quality of life and some start to do business on their own.

Like all those other boys of his age he has no education and education has never been part of the family’s culture of his village folk. They had been farmers or fishermen all their lives and had been poor all along. Sending children to school cost money, they would rather have their children helping them in the farm than going to school. That is why not many of the children from this village go to school. It has been like this for all the generations before and it is now the same. He sometime wonder whether it would be better for him if he had a chance to go to school but his parents are poor and he is more useful in the paddy field then at school. So like all his other friends he had no opportunity to go to school and life continues the same. At time he wonder whether it would be wise for him at this age to leave his village and venture to other countries that he had heard so much; to search for a job and earn more money and eventually start a family of his own here in this village. It sound to be good and he continue to dream of leaving his village for a greater pasture.

To be continue. Have a nice day.

Happy Eid Adha & Thanksgiving...

Folks both events fall almost on the same day. Eid Adha fall on November 27, 2009 and Thanksgiving Day is today November 26, 2009. So let celebrate together.

Do have a great a great day on Eid Adha and Thanksgiving wherever you are. May we continue to prosper and enjoy life.

Have a nice day.

Of Baby Fern and little flowers...

It has been raining all weeks and the sun is hardly seen. Rainclouds are everywhere I look and soon when the time comes it would pour for hours. In a way it is good for it kept the weather cool. I had wanted to spend some time doing photography especially on Macro Photography and thought that this would be as good a time to do just that. In photography lighting is very important, too much or too little is not good. So with the cool weather and the moderate light I took the opportunity to do some photography. To me the perfect time to do photography now is before the rain start again which normally happen after noon.

Last week I dwelt in the world of the insect, the Ants. So for today I thought that I would concentrate on those little flowers and plants that are in abundant in my little garden. Just before noon I took my camera and using the macro lens went out to take images of the plants and flowers that are in my little garden and at our daughter's house nearby. With the experiences that I had acquired since using the macro lens I venture further into Macro Photography. This time taking my time by taking as many shot of each objects. With that in mind I am beginning to seem more in the little flowers or buds as I move along with my camera. Amazing what one see through the macro lens as one narrow one thought into the micro world of the plant and insect. Indeed a fascinating sight that could not be seen through the naked eyes.

My adventure with my camera was indeed exciting and in doing so I began to learn more about taking good images using the macro lens. The trip into the micro world actually takes my mind off the real world and am enjoying every moments in that wonderful world where so many things are happening in a multitude of colors. Back from the peace and tranquility of the micro world I felt fresh and somewhat enlighten. The more I see the more appreciative I became of nature and its role in our Eco system. These encounter would made you love nature more then ever and truly respect what nature had to offer for our well being. Folks here are some of the result of that adventure as seen through the macro lens. I did enjoy my little adventure into the micro world of the plants and hope that you too are enjoying the images here. Have a nice day.[Please click to enlarge, for some of the image you have to click twice to enlarge further]

Cool...

Yes folks the weather has change somewhat. Since the beginning of November we have been getting rain every days. It would start just after noon and lasted till midnight. Starting with heavy rain with shower and lighting; it would than drizzle in between. Then all of a sudden it would pour again with strong winds and would continue to drizzle till midnight. With that the average temperature has drop and is now between 28 and 22 degree Celsius, which is not normal, where here in the tropic the average temperature is between 36 to 26 degree Celsius. So that kind of drop in temperature is indeed welcome and kept us cool all days. At time we no longer need the air-condition to sleep which has became a norm here now.

Normally only the east coast states of Kelantan, Terengganu and the coastal part of Pahang would be subjected by the North East Monsoon which is normal at the end of year but of late the weather pattern has change and now we who live on the west coast too are getting rain that is not normal. It looks like the weather has changed, global warming perhaps. We could never tell what is actually happening. What! With all the conflicting reports we get from so many sources. Anyway I hope the temperature in the Kelang Valley would stay cool for it would surely kept our electricity bill down; the plus point in this weather phenomenon. Have a nice day.

Dried Flowers...

It was one of those wonderful days and my mind was everywhere. The urged to write was there so I sat down and start typing this. So what shall I say today or post today. OK I got it. Let me tell you the adventure I had with the Roses.

On the day of the Eid Fitr [Hari Raya][September 20, 2009] we had a bouquet of Roses gracing the living room; which is some ways lighten up the area. As you can see in the small image of this posting this bunch of Roses did brought life to the area like all flowers does. They say that Flowers are the keeper of our joy, how true. We are always joyous when with flowers. In the heat of the tropic cut fresh flowers does not last long even in an air conditioned room like our living area. After the third day it starts to wilt. Such an expensive bunch of flowers just lasted for less than a week. Well we just cannot expect much in the heat of the tropic but it does serve it purpose in enlightening our lives. With the vibrant aura it does gave joy to us all.

I thought to myself and spoke to my spouse, it look like the Roses are wilting and that I wanted to save it by drying it. My spouse says that if I want to do it, it is OK with her. I have done dried flower before and Roses is among the easiest flower to dry. Before that Roses start to wilt completely I took it out of the vast and dry it the way I know best. After one and half months I found it has completely dried. It even retained some of that rosy smell. I arranged it in a bowl like vast and Voila! It does look real great too. I believe in its dry-form these Roses would last for a long time, probably till the next Eid Fitr.

Folks, the image above show the dried flower displayed at my Serambi [patio]. Isn't it gorgeous as ever?. It would have gone to waste if I had not dried it. It looks now that Roses is having a second display life. Have a nice day.

My Sunday Brunch...

It is a beautify Sunday, a lazy Sunday. As usual our kitchen is closed on Sunday, no cooking today but then we decided not to go out for lunch. I sat down in front of the TV watching the programs as it goes, switching channels and at time just day dreams into another world and jolted back with the loud sound of music on the TV. In the real world again and I felt hungry. Well I am too lazy to go out so I went to the kitchen and look what do I have in the fridge and the freezer. I got it! I told myself and start working for my lunch or rather brunch. It turns out great folks and the image above. Great eh!, The smell of those burning hot dog, fried eggs and the Hash-browns sizzling in the butter on the hot pan wet my appetite. The smell alone is heaven. I got it done and it looks great too. I sat down and enjoy my creation. Folks, it does taste real good. Well that was a great brunch on a beautiful lazy Sunday in November. Have a nice day.

That fascinating Ants...

I have always been fascinated with ants. I believe this fascination start when I was a kid living in a Kampong where ants are everywhere, in the bushes, in the trees and in and around the house. It’s everywhere. There are big ants, small ants and ants that cause great pains when bitten and those ants that seem to be harmless. So over the years it just became invisible living along us until something happen, likes it invaded our cakes and cookies when we leave it unattended for a while.

Unlike the white ants or the termite most ants are harmless. In fact we do needs ants around to help in the pollination process of our plants. There would be no flowers like the colorful orchids without the ants. Ants too play a very significant role in cleaning out the dead insects leaving our space free of the waste remains. So ants actually are a necessity rather then a pest. It does help our species to enjoy living on this blue planet of ours.


This morning I decided to do some photography at the back of my house using the Macro Lens and took a numbers of shots of the happening there. Here are some images of the happening that shows ants enjoying itself on one of the fruit. See how small the ant is compare to the Custard Apple [the size of a small size Apple] that it feed on. The image of the custard apple below would give you some ideas of the size of the ants relative to the fruit.



Since I went into Macro Photography I found a new world of wonder that would not be possible using an ordinary lens. It is amazing what one could see and enjoy nature through the Macro lens. I am still learning the best way of getting a good shot of the objects especially that of insects that are always moving. As can been seen in the images above it is still not that perfect but I am happy with that for the time being. At this age my hand is still steady but as has been advice using a tripod would be the best way of getting a better shot. I shall have to do that as I move along adventuring into the world of Macro Photography.


Have a nice day.[Click image to enlarge]

Buah Delima @ Pomegranate...

Delima is Ruby in the Malay language. So I believe the reason this fruit is call Delima is because the seed of this fruit is exactly like the Ruby stone. The Pomegranate by itself look like any ordinary fruit but it is only when you break opened it that you see the glittering seed that looks like Ruby. If it is your first time seeing this fruit and had not seen the seed before then you would not take a second look at the fruits itself. It is not that appealing like the Apples the Pears the Grapes the Papaya or the Mangoes. It looks rather plain. It is only when you see the inside that you would always get attracted to this fruit.

I am not sure about you but normally I would buy it. It is not that I love to eat it but simply because this fruit often lure me to take it home. In most cases I end buying it. How does one really enjoy this fruits; I must confessed I do not really know, other then eat or suck the Ruby like seeds one by one, enjoying the sweet juice and spit the stone out. And if you are not careful you would end with staining your cloths while eating it.

I once watch a TV program of a farmer in Australia who plant this wonderful fruit tree lamenting that no one really know what this fruit is really use for. But almost everyone who saw the inside of this fruit would have an instant liking to it. Anyway the farmer says that the best thing to do with this fascinating Ruby like seeds of the fruit is to turn it into juice and use it either as a drink or as an add-on in the making of cakes.

Well folks whatever it is this fruits is still a mystery to me. Perhaps there are others out there who could enlighten us as to the real purpose of this wonder of a fruit. The Delima or Pomegranate is such a mystic of a fruit. The seeds like the Ruby do have sort of a power of attraction that made you want to take it home. Above is an image of this fruit as seen through the Macro Lens. It sure looks juicy and appealing. How can one not be tempted and not take it home I wonder! Have a nice day.

The Maxwell Hill that I saw...

It took years and hundreds, perhaps thousand of Indian laborers working with their bare hands and basic tools to complete the 13 kilometers road that leads to the top of this amazing mountain range. The top most is 1250 meter from the sea level. It is not an ordinary road likes that one see at Cameron Highland and Frazer Hill. The climb was almost vertical with 93 hairpin corners which made it impossible to drive up there using an ordinary car. We were driven up there using the Land-rover, that hardy British made four-wheel drive, an amazing workhorse that could take the hairpin corner with ease. The 13 kilometers drive up to the top took half an hour. The road was narrow and only with the expertise of the driver made it possible to drive both ways. All throughout the ways one see greens of the tropical jungle that had been there for the last 1.5 millions years. Other then the green that is often blanketed by thick mist there are nothing much to see except dilapidated houses that once was the residents and rest-house of the British officers and their families in the hay day of the colonial era.

From what I notice only little repairs are done here and there but mostly all the buildings that I saw are left to the elements and in the process of decay. It looks like the maintenance is a bare minimum. The road looks like it needs a major repair and broadens but it seems it has been like that for years. Had it not been for the wonderful driver that took us up and down the whole trip would be a total waste. Such a gem of a cool resort on the top of the world with cool temperature seems to go to waste. What a waste to our national heritage. Had the place been given due maintenance and the road widens, flower garden maintained it would be a heaven for tourist. The 1.5 million years old forest is already a ready attraction to nature lover all over the world. We should remember our Main Range; the Banjaran Titiwangsa had never been devastated by the Ice Age like that in the western hemisphere, so our forest is actually exactly as it was when the first plants start growing. That is our asset and it would attract visitor from near and afar. Yet it look like nothing serious is been done to preserved this national treasure of ours. Except for the service provide for one to go up and down, very little seem to have been done to preserve this gem of a Hill Resort. Sad indeed, when million are spend on new recreational projects but this one that is so close to the Taiping town has not been given due attention it deserved.

The drive up and down are dangerous and I would advice folks not to bring their children along on such a trip. At present there are nothing to see but the flora and fauna of the tropical jungle. How we wished that they had set a rest site where we could enjoy Teh Tarik in the cool comfort of the green surrounding. The whole areas are suitable for planting of flowers but the only flowers that one sees are the wild flowers or some old one that had managed to survived on its own. I hope that the authority concern would look seriously on the redevelopment of this resort rather then developing new one. Even the resort north of Taiping that was developed recently seem to be almost deserted on the day we visited it; the buildings and the landscaping look like it need a professional maintenance. So I felt that it is wise to spend money on the Maxwell Hill rather then on any new resorts.

The Maxwell Hill project was completed in 1884 and in 1910 it was gazette as a Forest Reserved. I hope that it would stay as a Forest Reserve for eternity. So to nature lover who are interested is just the flora and fauna where time stood-still for millions of years, this is still the place to visit and enjoy the greens as well as bird watching. For the youth a hike up is an adventure not to be missed. On our way up and down we saw a numbers of local hiking and they seem to be enjoying the adventure.

It is now renamed as Bukit Larut but whatever name they choose to replace the colonial name it should not be left to rot and eventually destroyed by the elements. It is indeed depressing to see such a wonderland of nature which was built with the sweats of thousand of laborers is left to rot. Anyway do have a nice day.

The Dragonfly and the Ants...

While walking at the small garden in front of my patio I spotted this fallen Dragonfly without the tail. It must have fallen down and die on the floor, where I could see ants crawling all over it and slowly carrying it away.

It was really great to get to see nature in action, part of the Eco system of nature. The dead Dragonfly soon became food for the ants. Perhaps the ants would be enjoying a feast after this.

I fixed the Macro Lens to my camera and took a numbers of snaps as the ants slowly move the giant Dragonfly away from my sight; a fascinating sight in the micro world of the insects. It is the little happenings like this that made our world so colorful. The interaction among the species, be it the plants, the animals and insects and us the Homo sapiens. Such a wonderland if only we care to look and appreciate.

Have a nice day. [Click to enlarge image]

Miss Telecom of Yesteryears...

It has been an eventful weeks. Starting from the Eid Fitr Open House there was streams of visitors to the house. As couple who love to party since our youth, these happenings has been one happy moments for both us. My spouse and I love it. To top it all my spouse decided to organized a get together last Thursday October 15, 2009 of her colleagues while she was working with Telecom Malaysia years ago.

In the fifties and the sixties these girls are the darling of the Telecom Department. The girls that made the Telco tick before the introduction of automation, electronic and the cell phone where all calls had to go through a human interface. Without them it was not be possible to make a call. There was no automation then so they are the part of the system that made possible all the million of calls that are made days by days. Now with automation and electronic their services are limited to special function only. They had served the service well indeed and today all those girls are in their golden age and enjoying life. It was a culture then that there would be a Miss Telecom Pageant where the Miss Telecom of the year would be selected. We would attend this Dance and Dinner function and enjoy the night of fun and splendor of an era gone by. Now things have changed and we no longer hear of such event. How sad. We all did have a great time then but time has change and now it is just history.

So on that special Thursday at our home a numbers of them attend the invitation from my spouse for the lunch. It was to some a meeting after twenty years. Some was the Miss Telecom of yesteryear. What a gathering of ladies it was. I was the only thorn among the roses, until the spouse of two of them arrived, one is one of my cousin and the other is a General; the retired Chief of the Malaysian Arm Force, a close friend of ours from our youth.

I am sharing here the images of those folks who were at our home on that special day. In those days they are dressed differently and not as what you see now. The fashion was different then but with changing cultural influences the fashion of dressing has change too. They were gorgeous then and now in their golden age they still look as great. Gorgeous as ever. Have a nice day.

Happy Diwali...

Happy Dewali to all, may we all continue to prosper and enjoy life.

Folks the Eid Fitr [Hari Raya] celebration is still on, so we now have two festivals to celebrate.

Have a nice day.