Carpe Diem!

I believe nothing describe watching fireworks better then "carpe diem". It took the contestants ages to prepare for the competition. The spectators braved through rain to seize the moment. All but for 30 minutes of fireworks display.

Is it worth it? Every single second of it. Watching them from tv or afar can never understand the euphoria of witnessing explosion of stars right above you. Putting up all these photos are simply a tip of the iceberg, but I just want to share with you a glimpse of what I saw. If you are interested in watching the video of the first Malaysia International Fireworks Competition, you can click on the link below:
http://videos.thestar.com.my/default.aspx?vid=358

Or it can also be put in this way:
"Ehipassiko"
- as in "Come and see for yourself" in Pali language.

I am proud to be a Malaysian

I have recently gone on a city tour with 2 foreigners from Afghanistan and Laos. We went to most of the tourist spots in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. Both of them are full of praises for Malaysia. They love Malaysia for different reasons. The Laotian loved the high rise buildings and all the great infrastructures that KL has. The Afghan loved the fact that we managed to maintain the greeneries within the city. When they told me again and again that "You have a very nice country", my heart just melt.

Bridges at Putrajaya.

I used to question if there is really a need to spend millions and billions on infrastructures, but I finally understood Tun Dr Mahathir's aspiration. The infrastructures are not established for egoistical reasons, but it is a symbol that represents Malaysia's pledge to be a developed country. I never expect the infrastructures to have such huge impact on the foreigners. But when I found out that they actually look up to our buildings with hope, I saw a glimpse of our nation's hope too.
The only sad part is when we were strolling around the city, they too found that Malaysian's mindset has yet to catch up with the infrastructures. We are still lacking in basic thoughtfulness and courtesy. As we are approaching 50th independence, I wish that the younger generation do not forget the hardships that our country has went through to come to this stage. I also hope that our mentality will mature more holistically. Happy Birthday Malaysia!
p/s: To Saiyid and Thi, you do not have to say thank you to me. It is me who should say thank you for reminding me how lucky I am to be a Malaysian. Thank you!

Honour in meeting a good samaritan

No no no... the person in the photo isn't the good samaritan. The photo is simply the great beginning of our journey to a tyre puncture in the middle of nowhere. This was how it began...

We went to Langkawi for a part leisure and part explorative tour. We hired a car at a bargain price. Happily we drove all around the island without a map. Just go along and stop whenever and wherever we feel like it. We kinda know that hired car tend to have inaccurate fuel tank indicator. Hence we had a good sense of pumping the petrol and apply some mathematical skills to estimate the total amount of kilometres we could make at certain amount of petrol. So far so good, and we applauded ourselves for our "wisdom". As we travel along the coast, the steering wheel felt heavier by the seconds. We started to feel a mild wobble in the car. Oh o! We knew what it was before we even got down the car. Sigh... well little hitches like this isn't a problem for both of us. We are experienced tyre changers. That was what we thought, until we checked the boot. Wowho... No tools except for a half filled spare. Don't panic, we could always call the agent. He said he could make it in an hour's time. An hour? Along this lonely winding road?I saw a Nissan coming. I started flagging for the car. Ben said no one will stop for us. Before he finish his sentence, the car cruise to a stop in front of us. A middle aged guy came down and walked to us smilingly. Why is he smiling? All the CSI horror took over my mind - scary. But we were desperate. We told him what happened. Without skipping a beat, he went straight to his car and took out the tools. Relief...nope! The tools doesn't fit our car's tyre screw. He assured us to relax eventhough the sky looks like it is going to get dark and rain pretty soon. He asked us to stay put, while he drove to get the required tools from his relative. He came back later with the right tools and helped us change the tyre. He never stop smiling and chatting with us. After everything is completed, he started packing and put the tools back into his car. I asked Ben if we should pay him some money. But how much? He is driving a Nissan, are we gonna pay him ten twenty bucks? As we were walking towards him, we were thinking his demand might be higher than what we have. As we reached him, he turned around and shaked our hands. He never said a word but shoved a souvenir into Ben's hand. And from that day onwards, we do not call bananas as bananas, but we call it a good samaritan's gift.
Mistakes learnt:

1. Check that the car you have just hired are equipped with all the necessary tools.
2. People from the city cannot underestimate the generosity of people outside the city.
3. Mosquitoes in the forests are very much larger and stronger than their town cousins.

A trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand

My friend Lili has recently went to Chiang Mai, Thailand for a holiday. She loves photography and has learnt from some well known photographer (not like me, who is simply click-friendly). I especially love the photos of flowers that she has taken there. Among the few photos I love most are:

Thailand's national religion is Buddhism. You'll find many temples ("wat" in Thai). If you happen to have a bird's eye view of Thailand's town or city, you'll never miss the stupor, just like the one above. But this stupor is situated in Myanmar, as Lili and her friends cross over to Myanmar for a short walk.

Lotus are sort of like official flower for buddhism. This is because it was said that when Gauthama Buddha was first born, he could already walk on his own. And every footsteps that he lifted, there grows a lotus.That is why people in Thailand pay respects to Buddha using lotus like the one caught on film.

Thailand is still developing from agricultural base. As tourism is one of the main boost of economy, you'll find many tourist spot offering animal shows like monkey, elephant, crocodile, tigers, etc. But one thing I would like to appeal to all of you is that, please do not ride or feed the elephants if you see that the owner uses hook to control the elephants. It is inhumane.

An extract from buddhist chanting -Metta: "May you be well and happy, may you be free from enmity and danger, may you be free from sufferring. May all beings be safe."

Welcome to China

I happen to come across this video and eventhough I have not been to China, I know I will not miss this place in my lifetime. I think I will really cry when surrounded by all the cultural and artistical intensity of China.

Tempting rest spot at Damai Laut

Tempting rest spot at Damai Laut, originally uploaded by everythingasian.

Damai Laut is a hidden beach resort surrounded by wetlands and tropical rain forests. It takes around 40 minutes ride from Sitiawan town. The place is run by Swiss Garden Resort & Spa. Pretty nicely done up. The only drawback is that it is quite far away from all other contacts. But golf lovers may like it here - 18 hole golf course and a driving range.

As for us, we just love the activities at the beach...

The only bus to Fraser's Hill, Pahang

The only bus to Fraser Hill, Pahang, originally uploaded by everything asian.

This bus travels to Fraser's Hill only once every day. It looks aged, because it is. But it never fails you. If you like the forest and peace, this is another place to stay.
Go for a walk in the morning and you will hear the calling of the wild.

Let's relax:

Taman Tasik Perdana, Kuala Lumpur

Taman Tasik Perdana, Kuala Lumpur, originally uploaded by everything asian.

Who says Kuala Lumpur has lost its greens? Although not much left, but this is a tiny little park is worth mentioning (if not for the size, then for the effort to beautify the place). Come during weekends and soak in the laughters of children playing.

Port Dickson in the morning

Port Dickson in the morning, originally uploaded by everything asian.

Port Dickson beach never boast much of beautiful beach, but it is one of those destination that is not too far for the tired urbanites and not too near for a short escape from the bustling city. But rough sands and rocky beach does have its own attraction.

Kids love them...

Calming walk at Teluk Batik, Perak

Calming walk at Teluk Batik, Perak, originally uploaded by everything asian.

A treasured moment with all my friends at Teluk Batik, Perak. Teluk Batik beach used to be a favourite picnic haunt during the 80's. Pollution caused this beach to loose its lustre during the 90's, but the state government is restoring the spot to its former beauty. A short distance from Lumut and Sitiawan. If you happened to be there, don't miss this place.

It is a playground for photographers when the sun sets.

Chenang Beach, Langkawi

Chenang Beach, Langkawi, originally uploaded by everythingasian.

If you like the beach, Langkawi is a good choice. What's more, the beer here is duty free. It may not mean a lot if your country does not have staggerring duties taxed on alcohol. But for us, oh it's heaven here.
Drinks aside, you'll find the island is full of legends and folk tales. Not much to boast except beaches at some part of the island is still beautiful. Water is still clear. We actually have fishes swimming around us in the sea. I think that says a lot more about a beach.

Resthouse at Ulu Yam, Selangor

Resthouse 2 at Ulu Yam, originally uploaded by everything asian.

This double story resthouse near Ulu Yam (Selangor) lies beyond half hour of bumpy ride through oil palm plantation, rubber plantation and forest reserve. But the ride was well worth it. No air cond needed, the place is cool 24/7. No entertainment needed, there is a small stream right by the side of the resthouse.

Historical trishaw ride in Penang

My sister and I had taken a ride on a trishaw within Penang town. The route that we took was mostly small lanes. The buildings we saw were mostly fading away to modernisation.