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The world switched off for an hour last night. It was a simple act which sent out a remarkably strong message: the power of a small change that can make a enormous difference to the environment. It was a good start, to light the candle to instill awareness and hopefully to ignite the will to act for a better and brighter environment for future generations. 

You know, there are more than just switching the lights off for an hour that we all can do. Just for sharing, here are what I do:

1. Bring shopping bags for groceries run. 

2. Use own food container for take-away order to avoid foam container.

3. Buy organic produce.

4. Save water.

5. Recycle cans, bottles, newspaper, card boxes...

6. Turn off the power AND pull out the plug when done charging.

7. Eat less meat. Well I'm trying this one.

8. Switch off the computer AND the monitor at work at the end of the day.

9. Squeeze 2 pages in to 1 and print double sided.

10. Tell friends to do the same. Use force if necessary. Spread the good words.

Now go do your bit for Mother Nature.

I Will Be Back

More CNY outings…

This one I’d definitely like to go back there again. Pantai Sepat with the gentle ocean extending to the horizon, quiet sandy beach stretching for miles, swaying palm trees and casuarinas, wooden houses dotted along far and few in between, narrow trails leading to more secret gardens for people to discover. This is a place with rustic charm in a very simplistic sense. It was very welcoming and comforting, very homey.

Here you can walk around experiencing the life in fishing village more intimately. Here you can run along the beach for a good sweat out or swim in the ocean. Here you can simply grab a book and read the afternoon away under the casuarinas. Here you can lay on the beach soaking up the sun. Here you can look into the blue sky and blue ocean to clear your mind, let the wind blows away your worries. Here you can listen to the waves sweeping upon the shore gently. Here you can be alone, reflecting, soul-searching or enjoying a moment of solitude.

Or you can do what I did, taking a nap in a dilapidated hammock under the trees, snoozing the afternoon away. The ambience, the wind, the sound of the wave, the shade, and the swing of the hammock, were all too conducive for a bit of shut-eye, as I was still recovering from an extended BS session with friends at a mamak stall the previous night.

Well, I'll be back.

Simple Concept

Actually, it's a really, really simple concept: when an elevator door slide open, you stand aside, wait patiently and make way for the people IN the elevator to come out first, then, and only then you walk in. Well you know, these things just can't be rushed.

Now that's not so hard isn't it? Get it?

Oh the same concept applies to LRT, monorail and commuter train too.

Surfing

Perhaps I should take up surfing. Imagine the high riding some giant swell and gliding through the big pipe. Now wouldn't that be super awesome? Oh and the surfer chicks. Wink wink!

But hang on, the closest beach from where I’m living now is roughly an hour and a half away, and that the wave is not even surf-able. So what the heck was I thinking?

OK, surfing is out of the question then.

Well, my point is I need to get out more, get out to enjoy the great outdoor, climbing, hiking, camping and swimming in the ocean. (not in the chlorinated pool) After all I do pride myself as an outdoorsman. If not I should have pick up another language course, I’m eyeing on French, or pursuing my rusty and stiff sign language. Maybe volunteering, preferably something environmental related. Frankly, I’m pretty sick of staying home during the weekends, enjoying the weekend morning sipping coffee and flipping magazines.

 
Life is short. Play hard.

Lily

Mom's lilies at home was blooming with such explosive hues of red over Christmas. Oh how fitting was that. I grabbed my camera and happily snapping away in the morning. Looking at the photographs, I found a lot of the full frontal shots of the lilies, trying to capture the beauty of the lilies with their long stigmas and red petals . 

Then I found this shot of the morning dew droplets on the back of the lily petals. It was like a little diamond in the rough for me. This one turned out to be the favorite for me.

You Find beauty everywhere, when you look close and hard enough.

The Hills Are Alive...

The hills are alive with the sound of music

With songs they have sung for a thousand years

The hills fill my heart with the sound of music

My heart wants to sing every song it hears

I go to the hills when my heart is lonely

I know I will hear what I've heard before

My heart will be blessed with the sound of music

And I'll sing once more.

Sunrise at Sungai Lembing

Anticipating a long and quiet (read: dull) Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday at home with the folks, I brought home not only a car load of festive goodies, but also my hiking boots and outdoors gears and a list of hiking destinations. Loads of walking in the bush planned.

So at the crack of dawn of the fourth day of CNY, I headed up to Sungai Lembing Panorama Hill with my cousin L. Just barely 45 minutes drive later I was lacing up my hiking boots at the foothill, all set to hit the trail. It was then I realized that we had forgotten our torch lights. That was just great, wasn't it?

Well, I think Paul Coelho wrote something along the line like this: "If you have dreams, the whole universe will conspire to help achieve your dream." Just as we trod along gingerly in the dark, two kind Samaritan hikers on their way down (I know, were they super fit or super early or what?) gave us their torch lights. Yay! We had got lights! Take it from me; hiking in the pitch black ain't no fun eh.

After a good 45 minutes eco-Step Master, I ended up in the zoo! Now that explained the 236 cars packed into the tiny patch of clearing at the foothill. The peak were packed with hikers, and unfortunately noisy. They were just happy chatting, correction, quaking away loudly. Noise pollution people! Noise pollution!

Perhaps the view was something to shout home for. The morning mist wrapping the surrounding hills, softly and tenderly, as if trying to keep them hill warm in the chilly dawn. In the distance, the Charas Cave stood solemnly, awaiting another fabulous sunrise like the rest of us. Well, unlike us he was quiet.

Then the corner of the sky brightened up slowly. The gloomy black and grey made room in the sky for the cheery tinge of yellow. The sun peeked out behind the cloud shyly. Splashes of yellow and orange and pink and red spilled all over the sky. Everyone was in awe with the magnificent display of colors in the sky that they stopped yakking. Mother Nature is indeed powerful, hypnotizing the yakking lot into a silence state with her charm and beauty. That was truly amazing.

The crowd began to thin. But we stuck around enjoying the serenity of the morning. We were happily clicking our cameras away, shooting ferns and trees in vibrant green as the sun lighted up the peak.

Time to jet. We leisurely strolled down hill. Again we bumped into the zoo of people. Apparently the zoo shifted from the peak to the market food court.

Feeding frenzy!

If you can’t beat them, join them.

Political Farce

When I get lemons, I make lemonade, with a good glug of rum. That's me, always optimistic, always looking at the bright side.

Now, let's look at the sorry state of the country politics. We first learnt of a MP playing Kermit, jumping to the opposition and then jumping back, just a few days later. Next there were more Kermits, three opposition statesmen in the Perak state quit their parties and became pro-National Front government independent statesmen. That led to the state constitutional crisis, with both sides not backing down, both claiming their legitimacy to govern the state. The snowball just gets bigger and bigger. The Perak state Sultan was dragged into the mess. It was brought to the court. Then there was the state legislature convened under a tree. How exciting!

And then there are more. The compromising photographs of a female MP from the opposition were circulated. Another senior wheel chair bound opposition MP was roughed up by a bunch of pro-government supporters right in front of the sacred Parliament building. These are some unprecedented lows of politicking in the country. The whole scene is turning into a royally huge farce. All these are playing out on the press and worse still, on the net, for the whole wide world to see. What an embarrassment?  

Well, is there a silver lining? 

I think there is. With so much exposure, everyone is talking about it. Good or bad, EVERYONE is talking about it. It generated some unprecedented buzz for the country politics among the people, especially the youngsters. This created awareness among them, which in turn would hopefully get them interested, informed, educated and most importantly involved in the country political processes. Better start 'em young.

Told ya, I always see the glass half full, with beer.

How Ironic?

I just came back from a symphony concert at the majestic Petronas Philharmonic Hall, presented by the MPO, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. 

The MALAYSIAN Philharmonic Orchestra. But I could hardly pick a handful of Malaysian musicians in there. It is not a stretch to say that 90% of the orchestra are foreigners. They are called the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. Now isn't that ironic?

Then again, how many Malaysian kids get to pursue symphony music as a career and be a part of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, or any orchestra?

Perhaps they should call themselves the Malaysian INTERNATIONAL Philharmonic Orchestra.

Great show nonetheless.