The Plane and the Moon...

It was a beautiful Saturday morning November 15 and I was about to go out when looking at the sky I saw the trail of a plane passing by and on the other side I saw a half moon. It was a fascinating sight to watch at this early morning. Plane passes by daily at this part of the country en route to its destinations. In a split of seconds I thought that I should take a photo of both images but my DSLR with the telephoto lens was in the house and it would take a while to get the camera. As the plane was travelling fast it would just passed by in mere seconds. So I did not want to take a chance of missing this  golden opportunity to get such a shot. I had we me the new Nokia Lumia 735 with a better camera but had not used it to take distance objects. Anyway I thought I had to try. I aim the tiny camera to the sky and took two shots before plane went out of sight. I take a look at the viewing screen on the phone and saw the tiny image on one of the shot. I then edit it so as to get a closer look. I did it; I got both the plane with its white Wake trail and the moon. I was delighted to have got such a shot. I then posted in on Facebook for all to see and enjoy that moment in time. Here is that wonderful shot.

Have a nice day.

The Blue Sky...

It was a beautiful day in June 2014. It was just after ten in the morning. I felt real good and decided to go out to enjoy the morning sun and on looking up I saw while trails from the passing planes up about. The white trails soon turn into white clouds. Against the clear blue sky it then turn into a sort of a painting of blue and white; a majestic sight  to watch indeed. 

I then saw another plane passes by. I rush to take my camera, then snap a few pictures of the sky and sharing it here for all to enjoy. 

Have a nice day.

A Visit to Cameron Highlands...

It was a beautiful morning May 21, 2014. We had planned to visit Cameron Highlands a town which is 1268 meter above sea level, on the top of the main range in the state of Pahang. Just after 8am in the morning I drove the Honda taking the DUKE Highway into the North South Highway toward the north. I had planned to get into the Highlands via the Simpang Pulai exit 137 in the state of Perak, just south of the town of Ipoh. My nephew who lives in Kuantan came along to help in the driving. I drove all the way to the Tapah Rest and Recreation area and had a short break there while enjoying an early lunch and refreshments. Then my nephew took the wheel. This is the first time that we took that road toward Cameron Highland and found the road is less winding than the Tapah one. In the past there was only one way to get to Cameron Highland and that is via Tapah. Now there are three new roads; one from Simpang Pulai that we are taking that day and the other two are from Gua Musang in the state of Kelantan and the latest one is from Raub in the state of Pahang. Although Cameron Highlands is in the state of Pahang before the new roads was constructed the only way to get to Cameron Highlands from any other districts in that state was by driving through the state of Selangor and Perak before one get back into the State of Pahang where the district of Cameron Highland is. After a leisure drive of one hour from Simpang Pulai we reach Kampng Raja. Then drove slowly toward the Copthorne Hotel in Brinchang where we would stay while in the highlands. The road was winding all the way but was not as bad as the Tapah Ringlet stretch and sort of heavy with local traffic collecting vegetables and other produce to the market all over the country. Cameron Highlands is the biggest producer of temperate climate vegetables for the country as well for Singapore. [Above is the view of the Bharat Tea Plantaion]

We eventually arrived at the hotel, a sprawling complex which was the former Equatorial Hotel. We had book two rooms on-line and the checking in was in a breeze. We were given two adjacent rooms on the eleventh floor. On entering the room we found it has a splendid view of the countryside below. Had a short rest and then went out for lunch at Tanah Rata, the main town of the district. After going around we soon found a place call Hotel Titiwangsa that served food. We sat down and ordered a variety of Nasi Goreng and enjoy it at the lobby of the hotel cum restaurant in the cool comfort of the mountain air. After a while we decided to drive on toward the town centre to do a bit of sightseeing of the town and the greens around. We then got back to the hotel for a rest and refresh ourselves. Just after seven in the evening we went to the town of Tanah Rata again and had dinner at a Mamak restaurant there. The place was already thronging with tourists enjoying their dinners. I saw many backpackers’ tourists around, mostly Europeans walking around and enjoying their food there. Cameron Highlands has always been popular with foreigners because the weather is always cool. We ordered Tandoori and Chicken Tikka and sat to enjoyed it. After dinner since there were hardly any night-life activities we decided to get back to the hotel and call it a day.

I woke up early at about 4.30am in the morning because of the cough that I had been having for months already. My son in law who is an ENT specialist says it because of dry throat and give me some medicine for treatment; it sort of an old age problems. I could not sleep again until around 5.30am. Then I heard my spouse who had waked up saying that there is light coming out of the mountain range and it look like a sunrise. I woke up and went to have a look and sure enough it was the sun rising. I went to wash up and took my camera and wait for the sun to slowly rise against the horizon. Slowly the sun began to make its appearance with a spectacular display of light; Orange, Yellow, Amber and Red against the dark blue sky. It was indeed a magnificent sight to watch in that early morning. The time was just past seven in the morning. Soon the whole areas from the mountain range and the lush green of the lowland was ablazed with light, thus the morning begin with a wonderful display of light from our glorious sun. It was a wonderful welcome to us on our first day here in Cameron Highlands.

Our room come with breakfast for two. Since the breakfast is served from 6.30am to 10am we decided to get ready to enjoy the breakfast at the Coffee House downstairs. Just after 8am we went to enjoy our breakfast. As usual with Malaysian hospitality industries the breakfast come with a large buffet spreads.  So it is always wise when making booking for room at the hotel in Malaysia to see to it that it includes breakfast as well. We take our time to enjoy the breakfast. I found that the local spreads including the Nasi Lemak are as good as home made. After enjoying that breakfast we then got back to our room and refresh up before going out to play tourists. The weather outside the hotel was cool and not normal to us who live in the lowland so we have to wear light jacket or sweater. And I like it, it felt really good; cool and fresh.

With my nephew driving the Honda we took a spin of the town up to Ringlet, then make a turn back to Tanah Rata. On the way we stop for tea at the Tea House of the Bharat Tea Plantation, the second largest tea plantation in Cameron Highland. From the tea house one can see a sprawling tea bushes, green, green and greens as far as the eyes could see. We ordered tea and sat at a table with a view of that sprawling tea bushes below. It was a panoramic view of lush green like a postcard. Magnificent indeed!

I felt real good sitting there enjoying that peace and tranquillity of the place, atop the world with the lush tea farm below. I was at peace with myself and felt so nice that I wanted to stay there forever. It was a feeling that touches my heart; a special feeling indeed. It felt so good. And the Teh Tarek was heaven! I had brought my camera and the necessary lens to do photography and had a field-day photographing the scenes around the tea house.

After a while we left and got to our hotel in Brinchang to freshen up. Flowers grow well in the highlands. The hotel that we are staying took advantage of this and landscapes its front with colourful flowers thus enhancing the approach of the hotel. I love to see such display of flowers and took some image of the scene. On the morning of May 23, 2014 after having a hearty breakfast at the hotel we check out and on the way to Ringlet we bought the local vegetable and Strawberry to take home. We were thinking of taking the new road that would take us back to Kuala Lumpur via Bentong but could not find the exit. Since it was only less that 50 kilometres to Tapah where exit to the North South Highway is we decided to forgo going back via Bentong but instead chose the Tapah route. On the way we stop at the Lata Iskandar to watch a Water Fall there. As usual the place was throng with tourists making a stop on the way up to the highlands or going down toward Tapah. We left the place and soon got into the highway again. We proceed south on the highway and make a stop for lunch at the Tapah Rest and Recreation area  Then proceed on and reach home at just 4pm in the afternoon.  All in all our short holiday was a colourful one indeed. We did enjoy it.

Have a nice day.

Respecting the Plants...

We all need energy to survive on planet earth and that energy come from the Sun. The only specie that could convert the sun's energy into foods is the Plant. Without the plants all other species could not survived on this planet. And of course the oxygen that is vital to our survival. Our specie now takes all kind of meat other that vegetable to get the sun's energy. By taking meat mean that we get the energy from a second-hand source. Remember the animals first have to eat the plant in order to get the energy from sun. It is ridiculous for our specie to go to the third party to get our energy when we could easily get it from the second party; the plants. We can get all the nutrition we need to live a healthy life if we just consume vegetable. I am trying to do just that slowly, one step a time. Now we consume less meat. We now take mostly white meats and vegetable and hope in due course we could do away with meat all together. So folks do give due respect to the plant that give so much to enable all to live a beautiful life on this planet.

Have a nice day.

Water Rationing....

Well folks it already the 3nd of April 2014. In those days we would be playing truant on April Fool days. It was fun indeed but now except for us old folks I believe none of the present generation know what it is all about; it history now. Now let come to the reality of the present world. As it is we are still on water rationing.  Since the beginning of March this year we have been on water rationing; it all because of the long dry spell which is rather unusual in this country. Without much rain the reservoir water level has gone down and down thus the authority had to do water rationing for the population especially to a certain parts of the state of Selangor. I have live in Selangor for more than forty years. I move to Kuala Lumpur in the mid 1972 on a transfer from Malacca. Since living in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor this is the first time that we have encountered such water rationing. Beginning of this month we get water only every two days and go dry for another two days and to me it all right with this arrangement since we could plan our activities to suit the situation. When there is water supply we would keep water in containers enough to be used on the day the tap run dry. We would use the washing machine only during the day when we have water supply. We need the reservoir to be filled up before going back to normal and that required lots and lots of rain. We are now beginning to see rain on and off but I do not think it would fill the reservoir as yet. It needs to shower for days in the catchment areas before more water start to flow into the reservoir.  This kind of situation never happened before and I believe it all because of global warming. 

Anyway do have a nice day.

My little abode...

When I first bought my house in Ampang Jaya it was all brick and mortar. I did not like it so over times I tried to change it to a more wooden house. It was not easy and with the budget I got over times I did it and now it no longer look like the original house that I bought in the early seventies. I turn my concrete house into sort of a wooden house and create a small garden in front and at the backyard. There is a huge bush of all kind of greens in front where the gate is. So my whole house is like a little garden and it does kept the house cool. I no longer slept in an air-conditioned room to keep me been dehydrated and thus healthy. We all must give due respect to the greens for without the green the whole living species on this planet would perish. Why you may ask. The answer is that as we all know pretty well that all living species need energy to live and that energy comes from the Sun. It is the Plants that convert that Sun's energy into foods that we could consume to get that energy from the Sun. So folks just a gently reminder; plant greens around your house or anywhere and give due respect to it for without it we all would be banished from this planet. 

Have a nice day.

The Weather...

Lately the weather has been weird. I am not sure why. It could be because of global warming. The normal temperature for Malaysia is an average of 36 to 25 degree Celsius. This is the normal weather pattern in the tropical zone when the early morning temperature before sunrise is always around 25 degree Celsius. But for the last few days it has plummet to from 26 to 21 degree Celsius and at some places in the north of the country the temperature has gone down as far as 17 degree Celsius. In the tropic that mean its rather cold. Even in my place at Ampang Jaya the temperature in the morning has gone down to 22 degree Celsius and that is cool and pleasant to be out door. This morning up till 10AM in the morning while I was doing some chore outside my house I could feel the coolness of the weather. According to the Weather Authority we are going to experience this kind of weather for a least two week more. It really nice to enjoy such temperature in the tropic since it is less humid and great to be out door. We have seen all kind of weather pattern all over the world and this part of the world does not seem to escape the effect of the changing weather pattern. Above is an image that had been doctored by some net-citizen had the river in Temerloh in the state of Pahang get frozen. Who know it may happen in the future. Well I do hope it would not since we all here love the tropical weather where it summer throughout the year.

Have a nice day.