Thursday, April 30, 2009

Tweet @ Twitter...

Twitter has been around for awhile already but I have been skipping it and it was in the last few weeks that I got serious on it. I am in Facebook too but have not been active but now with Twitter I found a way to kill two birds with a stone when I found TweetDeck a Dashboard that allow you to Tweet as well post to Facebook at the sametime. The wonderful things about TweetDeck is that it is a user friendly tool and I found easy to use right away. I also found another Dashboard Seesmic which is equally good but this one does not allow you to post to Facebook at one go. Anyway I am trying both and since both are still in Beta I have to see which of these two is user friendly to me. At this age and as a person who is not that computer savvy any software that is not user friendly is not for me. So I have to see which of these two is OK with me. But for now I shall use any that is user friendly.

So folks other then blogging I Tweet too. With that now we have new cybersphere vocabularies that are going to be use often for us in cyberspace. So it is now "Do you Blog, Do you Tweet or Facebook". Another things is that you get to make friends much faster using Twitter and as of today I have already made many new friends from all over the world via Twitter. Folks we Tweet and I believe it would be fun to continue to Tweet. This is my Twitter and this is my Facebook.

For the latest development on Twitter, read this from the TIME magazine and this from The New York Times. Have a nice day.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Of Macro Photography...


That tiny spider above the fish pond


That elusive squirrel again

Monday, April 20, 2009

Butterfly on mirror...


Folks, the other day whiles I was cleaning the patio, a morning ritual of mine I saw a colorful Butterfly hanging on the surface of a mirror on the wall. How it did it I just wonder. Not always I get to see Butterfly in such a position. Colorful Butterfly is quite common at the other end of my patio where there are greens and flowers but not on this side. It is as thought there are two of it there. I watch it for a while and thought that it is dead but to my amazement it move. I then took my camera and snap a numbers of shots and here are a few good shots that I am sharing with all to enjoy. Indeed a great sight that nature had offer us to lighten up our lives. It does made my day. Have a nice day.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Just rambling along...

It is a beautiful day here in Ampang Jaya. I sat here at the kopitiam table at the patio and wondering what to write today. With a cup of steamy black coffee I daydream for a while and got lost. Indeed at time it is good to live in the made believe world of our dream. It is another world that only exists in our mind, a world of our own that we normally could or would not share it with others. The dripping of the water from the fountain in front of me continue to inspire me to write this. So many things come to my mind and I did enjoy that inspiration as it emerged in my mind. Well folks, life is like that and it is up to us to enjoy it, even in that brief moment in time while we daydream.

Last week was a rather hectic one but we did enjoy the company of the Cedhagen. Actually I had a good drive to and fro Putrajaya. As I had said often the car is an extension of me and I became alive when driving. That is one reason I am always with a new car. It is my passion for cars that made me love driving. At this age it is always nice to travel with my spouse for a trip to nowhere from time to time or just go out for a trip outstation and stay the night in the comfort of a four star hotel and enjoying dining out. The golden age do have advantage in that you do not have to worry so much about anything but to try to enjoy life in a modest way. With us the kids are on their own and enjoying their own lives. The grand kids are growing up fast and hardly have you noticed, two of them have grown up to be adult already.

Getting old does not mean the end of enjoying life. We should continue to enjoy living for that is our purpose on this blue planet of ours. As I move on I made more friends both in the real world as well as in cybersphere. Like Louis, Rita in Seattle, Yvonne in Singapore and now the Cedhagen from Sweden as well as Zaharan who at his age is now in the process of building his own home in Dungun and of course the many other friends. Knowing them add color to my life and the life of my loved one. So folks enjoy life and do not lament on any thing or happening for the past has gone forever. Live in the present for the future is yet to come.

Whenever you take a walk around your home do take some times to enjoy the beauty of nature. It is there for a purpose. The other day as I was coming home I saw an old tree trunk on the roadside. It look interesting to me, so the next day I went to have a look again and this time to my surprise mushroom has sprang up on the tree trunk giving it a new sight that so beautiful. And as I was walking back I saw a bunch of gorgeous flowers on the wall of an embankment. I stopped and gazed at the beauty of the wall with those hanging plants with the flowers. It was indeed an enchanting scene. I took my camera and snaps those scenes and am sharing it here for all to enjoy. So folks small happening like these do add color to one's life, so do take some time to enjoy those little things that are around us. Have a nice day.

Monday, April 13, 2009

A Swede family in KL, the Cedhagen...


In life nothing stays the same, you may plan but what would actually happen none of us could tell and folk that is what made living so very wonderful. I love excitement for it adds color to my life and the life of my loved one. It is sort of the story of my life and I am enjoying it. The journey of life is like that and like the dialog in the 94 movie 'Forest Gump'. "Life is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you going to get next". That is what made living so interesting for it is the unknown that made it sort of a mystery. This posting is about what happen last week that add color to our lives.

The story is like this. Out of the blue I received an email from a stranger Tomas Cedhagen saying that he and his family would be arriving in KL on March 20, 2009; Zaharan his long time buddy of 33 years had introduce me to him, saying that he was hoping of meeting me here in KL. I replied that I would love to meet him and the family. And on Sunday March 22, while I was enjoying myself at the Pekan Sari [Sunday Market] at Temerloh and lost in the midst of the disorganized market I received a call on my cell phone and it was from Tomas, saying that he had arrived in KL and already having a great time visiting places of interest in and around KL. They would be going to Taman Negara [the National Park] in Jerantut the next day. After that would leave for the east coast. With that I wish that they would enjoy their stay here and that trip to the east coast. Back home that evening I email him telling him that he did make a good choice to visit the east coast and that to call me when he is back in KL.

Some time in the early morning of Monday April 6 I received a call on my cell phone and it was from Tomas. He says that they are now back in KL and now staying at a hotel in Bukit Bintang. I told him that my spouse and I would meet them and since I have not met him and his family before, told him that we would meet at the 'Loaf' at the Pavilion shopping complex not that far from the hotel he was staying, at 3:00PM that afternoon. That folks is how the drama of the week begins.

I choose the 'Loaf' cafe since it is easily spotted from outside as well as from inside, moreover it is a local franchise that is well known now. A one of its kind at the Pavilion. So at just past 3:00PM on that lovely Monday afternoon I met them sitting at the foyer of the cafe. We introduce ourselves and then sat to have some refreshment at a table inside. When we got our coffee and other drinks as well as some pastry we sat to chat and it was really nice to see their two young kids so active and lively. Lena first words were that it good to get some taste of home again referring to the pastry of the cakes, the buns and the cookies that we had ordered. It was her first visit to Malaysia and I am glad that she love been in this country of contrast, the developed and the undeveloped parts of the country. So here we are Stranger No More enjoying an afternoon over coffee and pastry in the luxurious cafe at the Pavilion. This joint do made great coffee and pastry, a one of a kind bakery. Because there are so many varieties of pastry it was just difficult to pick the one you like since all look tempting and delicious. Despite that the two kids had to fight over a cookie, the last piece on the display plate. Both wanted the same one and soon they fought for that only piece. So like all moms do, mom had to step in to stop the fight over that piece of cookies by dividing it into two. Kids are kids, indeed it was fun to watch the growing up process of one of our species. We chat over that great coffee and they told us that they truly had a great time in Kelantan where Zawi took care of them and in Terengganu where they live for a week on that enchanting Perhentian Island on the China Sea. And of course while there they met Zaharan, Tomas buddy of 33 years.

The next day I pick them up at the hotel at just past 9:00AM and took them to see Putrajaya by way of the new highway from the Kampong Pandan roundabout and it was indeed a beautiful ride on a cool Tuesday morning. The scenes on both side of the new highway were spectacular that of an urban jungle setting of various kind of dwelling intermingles by greens here and there. This is the first time I had ever driven on this highway and I did enjoy driving and watching those picturesque scenes passes by. In just about half an hour we arrived in Putrajaya, the new capital city of Malaysia. After sightseeing for two hours there we drove back to KL and this is where the fun/excitements begin.

Actually I could not get onto the same road back and went on to a trip to nowhere trying my way to get us back to the city. The road signage was not that good and that made it difficult to find the road that we took on the way here. I drove on and just follow the sign and still did not reach the city proper in good time. It was just a crazy drive on the highway although the places that we pass look familiar to me. At this age my memory of places are not that sharp as before, moreover my spouse Asmah was not in the car to act as navigator as she usually does. So it really takes time to recall. I drove on and eventually found ourselves near the Ikea of Kuala Lumpur. Since I am used to the road here I was happy that at last we are somewhere in the city. But unfortunately I missed the Pencala Link, a new bypass which is a new road back to the city and had to drive on and eventually we emerged at Batu Cave. That mean we have been driving around the city from south to the north and south again. By that my guests the Swede got a good look at the city of Kuala Lumpur from all angles. In a way getting lost was sort of a good thing but then we loose time getting back to the city. Indeed it was a trip to nowhere for the Cedhagen. Personally I hope that they enjoy the trip to Putrajaya and back. I then left them to be on their own visiting the Museum Negara and the other parts of the city.

At 4:00PM we met again at the KLCC for another round of shopping. This time with my spouse who too love shopping. We end the day enjoying a sumptuous dinner at a Japanese Restaurant in the Pavilion. The image here shows how the Cedhagen kids were enjoying the Sushi. The next two days they were on their own, sort of a free and easy tour. They left for home on the evening of April 9, 2009. Before they left they SMS me saying that they did enjoy their visit to Malaysia and would come again in the future.


And this folks is a caricature of Ingrid, the gorgeous girl of the family. The handsome boy Carl is seen here with his new toy, a gift of the latest digital camera which his parent got at the Pavilion the night before. The caricature was done at a shopping stall in Putrajaya. The boy did not want a caricature of himself. So now only Ingrid has a piece of an original for herself. To me caricature is a work of art and is priceless.

Zawi takes on their visit to Kelantan is here and Zaharan's here.

So folks, that is an interesting episode of my life eh!!. Enjoy! and do have a nice day as well.

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Malaysian politic - the change continue...

Congratulation to all those folks who won in the By-election yesterday. It look like the Pakatan collation of PKR,PAS and DAP has continue to create changes. Their candidate for the Bukit Selambar and Bukit Gantang won the seats there. And the BN retain the seat in Sarawak. It look like the political tsunami that started in March 8,2008 has not stop. It just took a pause and on April 7, 2009 after more then a year it continue to swept, giving more changes to the political scenario of the country. Again congratulation to all those candidates who won. Please remember it is the Rakyaat [the people] that put you there. Read more here. Have a nice day.

Saturday, April 04, 2009

Whale @ KLCC...


A journey would be rather dull indeed if you only take a straight path. It would worth your while if you venture on a different path from time to time. You would be surprise to find more interesting things or happening along the way. So on your next visit to the famous KLCC or the Petronas Twin Towers do take your time to venture outside the shopping complex. There is a sprawling garden out there, sort of a tropical forest in miniature with its kind of floral and fauna. Most folks would just venture to the outside and watch the fountain of the pool outside the complex. So I would advice for those who are new to this vicinity do take a step further and you would be overwhelm by the garden of the KLCC.

If you are around there in the early morning, a garden breakfast on the lawn would be a great idea or if you happen to stay at one of the hotel around the park, a morning hike along the path of the park would surely turnout to be a refreshing health walk. There is a wading pool there and it would be great for the kids to wade in the pool of cool water in the tropical heat. There are many species of tropical tree that have been especially transplanted there so that one need not have to venture further to see some tropical plants that are mostly found in our forest.

Well folks I have taken some images of the garden and am sharing it here for all to enjoy. To see more and get the feel of a tropical garden, do venture there on your next visit to the KLCC.

Have a nice day.

Thursday, April 02, 2009

3By-Election coming...

Folks, there would be three by-election come April 7, 2009. One in the state of Perak, one in Kedah and one in Sarawak. So for change do vote wisely. In a democracy the Rakyaat [the people] is the deciding factor. So let us be the boss and choose those candidate we think are the right candidate to represent us. Remember we get the government we deserve. Call it a curse if you may. So be wise in placing your mark on the ballot paper come the by-election day. In the meantime do have a nice day.