Pak Idrus's Blog...

Masjid Jamek @ Mosque in Kuala Lumpur....

2012-05-19T10:51:00.000+08:00

It was a beautiful day in mid-May. I decided to take a trip to the oldest part of the city, the area where the two tributaries of the Klang River meet. It was around this vicinity the city of Kuala Lumpur starts it humble beginning in the middle of the nineteen century. Then the country was ruled by the British colonial authority. At the confluence landmass just before the Klang and the Gombak rivers meet there is a beautifully architectural mosque build at the beginning of the twentieth century. It was build for the Muslim who lives around that area then, as well as the official mosque for the capital of the country Kuala Lumpur. It was officially open by the then Sultan of Selangor in 1909. So that made this magnificent mosque more that a hundred years old. It remains as the main mosque in Kuala Lumpur until a new mosque, the Masjid Negara was build in 1965. Even after that the Masjid Jamek mosque as it is known still play a significant role as a place of worship where folks congregate for their daily prayer as well the weekly Friday Prayer. Come Friday this mosque would be crowded, with some worshipers had to do the praying on the payment outside.

As can been seen in this image it is as magnificent as it was first build in the days where there was no skyscrapers or tall buildings around it. By itself it was a work of art and a masterpiece architecture that continue to draw worshipers and visitors alike to it till these days.

I was there last Wednesday and walk the ground again and saw its at close range. Since it was before prayer time it was easy to go and have a look at the nooks and corners of the place. I saw the floor area is well-kept and clean just like new. The whole floor area was of marbles and looks shining clean and cool to sit on. That is why I felt that marble or ceramic tile is the best material for the flooring of mosque in this part of the world where the climate is always humid. It is easily kept clean all the time by just sweeping and mopping it. The same cannot be said about carpet. I believe that carpet is not suitable as flooring material in mosque since it is not possible to clean it all the time. Besides carpet harbors millions of dust mites and could not be removed by vacuum cleaning. It could only be clean and rid of the dust mites only by drying it in the sun which is impossible to do for a wall-to-wall carpet. Even with a smaller carpet to me it is almost impossible to dry it in the sun all the times. So I hope planner of mosque in the tropic should not put carpet as the flooring material but use marble or ceramic tile instead.

While there I met a few tourists from as far as Morocco who came to wander along admiring the architecture of this magnificent old mosque; the Masjid Jamek of Kuala Lumpur.

Have a nice day.

[click on image to enlarge]

Of Fruits and Health...

2012-05-15T14:57:00.000+08:00

A bowl of fruits. The Buah Nona [Custard Apples] are from our own tree. Read this about why the Buah Nona is so special Me.

Have a nice day.

An Image to Ponder...

2012-05-09T18:43:00.002+08:00

The above image was taken yesterday at the KLCC using an iPad camera. Enjoy it folks.

Have a nice day

Of Sarawak Pottery...

2012-05-07T13:16:00.001+08:00

Above are the Sarawak Potteries in my collection. It is a work of art of the Sarawakian. Unique and only could be found in that state. No other states in Malaysia produce such craft. For it uniqueness folks who visited Sarawak would surely come back with at least one as souvenir. I fell in love with it when I visited Sarawak for the first time in the early seventies and always came back with a few pieces. And when I was working in Sarawak from mid 1986 to 1989 I visited many workshops in and around Kuching as well in Sibu where the make this wonderful works of art. Along the years I bought many good potteries and it now graces my home, a collection that I would not part with. To me it is priceless now. Such a beauty well crafted with design of the local culture depicted on each one of it. Since it is handmade I do not believe there are two of a kind, thus making each a unique piece indeed. It is sort of a collector's item to be treasured and enjoyed.

Have a nice day.

Art Gallery at KL Sentral...

2012-05-03T09:51:00.000+08:00

May 2, 2012 was a beautiful day. I had planned to go to the KL Sentral. Just before ten in the morning I drove the Honda to KLCC and after parking the car at the basement walk to the LRT underground station there. It was midmorning and there were not that many people at the station. I use the Touch and Go card to enter. In mere minutes the train arrived. I got in, found a seat and sat while the train whizzed away making a few stops. In less than fifteen minutes it arrived at the Sentral Station or the KL Sentral as it is officially known. It is the communication hub of Kuala Lumpur where one could get to anywhere in the city using the Public Transport like the LRT, Bus or the commuter Train. I had wanted to buy a gadget for the car and found that it is sold at the Plus shop there. After getting what I came for I decide to wander along in the vast complex. The place is already thronging with folks doing their own business. In the past I did not venture to the shopping area of the complex. I soon found there are many shops, banks, restaurants and stalls selling souvenir items to cater to the traveling public or to those who frequent this place.

I wander and wonder along and to my surprise saw a shop that sell paintings. Since I love arts I decided to take a closer look of it and found that it is a sort of an art gallery. While I was browsing and admiring the various paintings a man came out and greet me. He told me he managed the place and that he is an artist himself. It is an art gallery where paintings of many Malaysian artists are displayed for sale. I soon found there are many paintings of well-known Malaysian artists as well from some up-and-coming one on displayed there for sale.

The manager Zaidi Yusoff from Kelantan said that it was a collective idea to open such gallery there. We soon got into talking and I found he was such a friendly person well-spoken in things arts. Since I was formerly working with the Ministry of Culture almost every names he mentioned were our mutual friends. With that we became friend. We sat and continue to chat on the world of arts and exchange ideas of how artists could get exposure to the marketplace. I believe this gallery if given better exposure would became a hub of sort where folks could buy good painting at a reasonable price.

This Art Gallery is call Malaysia Affordable Arts and it is situated at the Arrival Hall, KL City Air Terminal, KL Sentral. The telephone number is +6016270545. The website is here and the e-mail address is malaysiaart@gmail.com. So folks if you are interested in getting a good Malaysian painting do make a visit there and I am sure you would be able to get a good collection at a bargain price there.

Have a nice day.

[Please click on image to enlarge]

Just another day...

2012-04-30T11:46:00.001+08:00

It is Monday the 30th of April 2012, the last day of April this year; a beautiful day with bright blue sky. It would be a great day to take a drive around the neighborhood and enjoy the scenery or just to while the day away. It looks like we have gone through four months into the year 2012. Amazing how time passes so fast indeed. It was like yesterday that we welcome the year 2000 and start living in the twenty-first century, years that brought new technologies into the fore like the cell phones. Now that gadget not only is just the way to makes call but today it is a media for folks to play games and do works over the internet. It does changes the culture of doing business now. With the cell phones there are no reasons that one could not communicate with one another anymore. And I believe the development of the cell phone is still in its infancy and we would be seeing new developments in the not too distance future.

Today the weather is good and I may just go out and wander along into the old part of the city. Who knows I may find something interesting to write or to photography and share in my blog later. Anything could happens and when we are on the path of our journey of life we may encounter many things and happening that at time we least expected. Well folks life is like that. Last week at this time on Monday we were on our way back from Malacca after attending the AGM of the Owner Association of the Mutiara Melaka Beach Resort at Pantai Puteri. It look like nothing much to be proud of happens at that resort. The management is still not to my liking but what could we do but hopes that our investment there would not go to waste like so many others where there are glut of resorts and no taker. Anyway since we have a condo there we still have to go there from time to time to stay and upkeeps it. At the same time as the Deputy Chairperson of the Association I had to have a look of it for the association. We went to Malacca on Saturday 21st and stayed for two nights there. Met the other owners and attended the AGM.

Today, this Monday I thought that I would just take a ride on the LRT and go as far as the Sentral Station and then maybe stopover at the KLCC before coming home. Yesterday we were at the KLCC for lunch with an American couple. It was a great get together over lunch at the Little Penang restaurant, one of our favorite restaurants there. We chat over the lunch on subjects that just pop up from our minds and enjoy the day. They are making Malaysia their second home and have already bought a condo in Damansara as their home here. This Wednesday they would fly to their home in the US and then would be back to Malaysia sometime in July.

Well I would just stop this rambling here for now. Have a nice day.

Bersih 3.0

2012-04-28T13:47:00.004+08:00

The about image is taken from Hamzah Zain Facebook wall showing the crowds near Dataran Merdeka [Independence Square] just before 2PM on April 28, 2012. for the Bersih 3.0 rally.

Watch this

and This

Have a nice day.

The Kaki Lima @ Five Foot-Walkway...

2012-04-19T15:17:00.001+08:00

The Kaki Lima or Five Foot-Walkway in towns is a normal feature of shops in the old towns in Malaysia. The image on the left taken in Penang posted by a Blogger/Facebook friend Steven V-l Lee on Facebook shows what a Kaki Lima look like. That scene does brought back memories of my growing up period in Kuantan. It rekindle old memories of my childhood growing up in my father's shop along Wall Street in Kuantan. The street name has changed to Jalan Mahkota now for reason I just could not understand. I thought it would be great to keep the original name Wall Street since the other Wall Street is that famous and well-known street in New York. That would be a value adds to the town of Kuantan. Another is historic in that the street is name after one of the District Officer of Kuantan during the colonial era. To me it would be good to remind us of our history and one way is to keep some of the colonial names of places and streets. Well nothing could be done about it now. I do hope someone would open a restaurant or other shops along this street and call it Wall Cafe or Wall Street Restaurant. And put a plaque there explaining of what that name meant.

Back to the subject of this posting, well as a young kid from the age of five that Kaki Lima or the Five Foot-walkway was where my siblings and I would play all-day long. Especially the one in front of my dad's restaurant. The most I would walk along it on to two or three other shops on both sides. Our dad's restaurant is both our home as well the shop for there is where we live and grew up, in the shop. We seldom venture or allow going further than the end-shop except at time we were allows to play at the field in front of the Police Station there, an imposing building then. That imposing Kuantan Police Station has since been demolished making way to new buildings that to me has no architectural beauty at all. They should have kept the old building and turn it into a Police Museum. It would surely be a tourist attraction in town now.

In those days the Kaki Lima as the local calls it was not only a space that separate the shop from the road in front, it is also a link-way for folks to walk from one end of the street to the other end in comfort and safety. Nowadays shops are no longer built like that. Most are in Shopping Mall. Anyway those old shops are still there and one could still experience walking on the Kaki Lima and get the feels of why that walkway is so important before the coming of the Mall and Air-conditioning. The Kaki Lima is an extension of the shop and it provides shades from the sun and rain, thus it made walking from one shop to another a pleasure, as well away from the traffics on the road.

Well folks time has change the way we shop but the old way could still be part of our shopping culture. That fusion of the old and the new would surely continue to give color to our lives.

Have a nice day.

Just rambling...

2012-04-13T17:47:00.001+08:00

Woke up to a gorgeous day in April and heard the birds chirping from tree to tree in my little garden. Thought that I would just ramble along what's in my mind now. After the ritual of cleaning up the front part of the house which includes my little garden, I decided to fix a lamp above the dressing table. I had bought the lamp at Ikea yesterday, it sort of upgrading the second room.

Yesterday after returning from Ikea I had all the doorknobs of the Kitchen Cabinet replaced with new one I bought there. After the installation is done it does give the kitchen a new look. Tomorrow Ikea transport would be sending my new bookcases since the items are too heavy and big that it was not possible to take it in the car. So tomorrow and possibly Sunday I would have plenty of jobs in hands to assemble the two bookcases that I had bought from Ikea.

Today I would not visit Facebook. It is sort of a no Facebook day. It would be great to leave Facebook for at least a day, lest one would get addicted to that social media which I thought is not healthy. I had once deactivate my Facebook account. But because relatives want me to send them some images that I had taken I reactivated my FB again. Now I am there just to follow the happening in that media and not like before, too obsess. With my No Facebook day I would just ramble along as I write this posting.

As I had said earlier I decided to fix the lamp which I bought from Ikea yesterday. It looks simple but as usual it takes hours for me to fixed one small lamp above the dressing table. That is because I had to take out everything in the built-in cardboard above the dressing table to get access for the wiring so that my handiwork would be like a professional job. With all the DIY tools I start doing it careless of what happening in the other part of the house. It takes me almost two hours to get it done. And I am indeed happy with the result.

Last Sunday evening we went for dinner at KLCC and after dinner and shopping on getting into the car to get home I notice my GPS and Smartag with the Touch and Go card missing. On checking I found that it was stolen. Someone had got into my car and stole the three items. No other things were missing and the car look alright without any forced entry. The remote control was functioning well. I then drove the car back home and only then that I realized my alarm-system was deactivated. Well nothing could be done about it and the next day I reported to the matter to the KLCC authority. Meanwhile I call the Touch and Go card authority and told them that I had lost the card. They say that they would block access to the card and if there is any money still in the card it would be refunded to me. I then told my son-in-law about the items lost and he say not to worry and that he have an extra GPS and a Smartag and would give it to me as a replacement. The next day that was yesterday I went to the nearby Honda Service station and got a new lock fixed and Service the car as well. Now everything is alright. Well folks that is life, sometimes you lose and sometime you gain.

As I had blog earlier we now have a baby squirrel to take care and it look like it doing find and jumping up and down the cage. It is still too small to let it go back to nature. It looks like we still have to keep and feed it until it is big enough to venture on its own.

Have a nice day.

Flowers @ Keeper of our Joy...

2012-04-08T12:18:00.000+08:00

Yes folks flowers is often said to be the keeper of our joy. It always made us happy when seeing flowers. It does not matter what color it is. It presents itself in various forms and shades of colors. In whatever shapes or sizes it always brings joy to us the instance we see it. Give a bunch of flowers to a sick person and it instantaneously rejuvenates his or her energy, enjoying that short moment in time when getting that gift of flowers. Put a bouquet of flowers in a room and its beauty radiate into a charm that turn a dull environment into a vibrant one. And everyone presence in that space would felt the aura of that gorgeous bunch of flowers. In whatever ways it does affect our lives. So folks do take a moment to appreciate of what nature had to offer. It may look simple like that red flowers that I had posted above, a plant that I had grown in my little garden. It does affect us and most of all it made us happy. That folks is because of the aura radiated by the flowers, nature's gift to us to help us enjoy life to the fullest.

Have a nice day and take care.

The Morning Sun...

2012-04-06T12:01:00.000+08:00

The morning sun always refreshes me and it always brightens my day. Among the daily ritual is to take care of my little garden in front of my patio. It just a small space that I have turned into a garden of my own with greens of all kinds and shades. Above is a whole old coconut that had been turn into a bird nest of sort. That yellow flowers attract some little birds that comes a visiting in the early part of the morning. I love to see it hovering above the yellow flowers enjoying the nectar inside those little petals. It look like this yellow flowers that hangs from the roof of my garden attract the little birds and I am happy to see it coming in the early part of the morning. I am yet to get an image of it since it was never in one spot and would fly away when one get near to it. I believe like that elusive squirrel that comes to feed in my little garden I would eventually get a photo of that birds as it comes to feed on that yellow flowers. This little garden is alive with activities in the early part of the morning, creating an atmosphere of joy and happiness for a healthy living.

Have a nice day.

The Zen....

2012-04-03T00:00:00.000+08:00

Above is an image that I believe shows an atmosphere of peace and tranquility, the feels of Zen. Little things when in harmony gives us that zen feeling. A healthy living atmosphere that would translate into happiness for us all.

Have a nice day and take care.

April Fool Day...

2012-04-02T16:46:00.001+08:00

Well folks we are now in the month of April 2012. See how time passes by, so fast indeed. It was just like yesterday when we welcome the year 2012 but no folks yesterday was the first of April; an April Fool Day. During the colonial era April Fool Day is big. Folks would play truants with one another and in school we would do it on our teachers too. But been an April Fool Day no one was punished, instead we would laugh it away after having fun for a day. Well time has changed and now no one celebrate April Fool Day here in Malaysia anymore; its history now.

Have a nice day.

Jatoq the Baby Squirrel...

2012-03-30T21:31:00.000+08:00

It has been a great week folks. A few days ago I saw an appeal from one of my Blogger/Facebook friend Wong Ee Lynn asking whether anyone is willing to foster a baby squirrel that had fallen from a tree and still not stable. The tree was high thus it was not possible to put it back up there. Besides it is still small and weak. As usual with Wong Ee Lynn, one of the Good Samaritan with the SPCA she seeks for help. I saw that FB note and call her and told her if there are no taker I am willing to take care of it.

After a while she call back and say that so far no other taker and that she would come over to my house and hand over that little baby squirrel for us to foster. Well that night after eight she came with a friend and handed that little baby squirrel to me. Lin our daughter was around and as usual Lin who love animals took care of it. Asmah was happy too and asks me to go and get a cage from our eldest daughter's house who kept baby rabbits whenever their pet rabbits have baby. And now that all her rabbits have grown up, the cage had been clean and kept in the store. I then drove to her house to take the cage. On hearing about this little fella, the fallen little baby squirrel all the three grand kid got excited and want to come over to the house and see it. These kids all love animals and they have many rabbits as their pets. I then took the cage and two of the kids home and they were delighted to see that little squirrel. Later the other grand kid came with her parents and soon the atmosphere of our home became hilarious. Everyone was trying to play with it and it look like little Jatoq is enjoying been pampered. They then decided that we should give it a new name and suggested that it should be call Jatoh as in fall. So we decided that it name would be that, Jatoh. I then took to giving it more of an animal like name thus I spell that word Jatoh to Jatoq and then told the world on FB that the name of that little baby squirrel is now Jatoq. Well everyone love that name including Wong Ee Lynn.

Well folks it looks like this little fella is going to be an addition to the family until it is big enough to go its own way, back to nature. Meanwhile we have an extra job to take care of it. It would not be easy but surely it would be fun, a joy to the family as seen in the faces of our grand kids. With this addition came responsibility and Lin our daughter took to feeding it since she love animals. And of course Asmah and I would help as well. It look like it going to be an added ritual in our home, feeding and then taking it to the garden in front of the patio so that it would get use to nature, it natural habitat.

Life is like that, the unexpected happens as we move on our journey of life. Have a nice day.

My little Garden...

2012-03-24T21:19:00.001+08:00

It was a beautiful day with the sun shining bright. It has been hot and humid but with the greens from my little garden and the trickling water from the fountains, the patio became cooler. It made a great place to sit down in the afternoon to enjoy a good cup of coffee. And that is what I was doing that gorgeous day.

Then I notice the new flowers adding color to the green background of my garden. It looks enchanting indeed. I then took my camera and snaps a few shots and sharing it here for all to enjoy the charm of my little garden.

To digress a little; early this month I had redo my garden with the addition of new flowering plants and other greens. With that introduction of new plants the garden began to look better than before. A few of the newly grown plants has flowers adding colors to the little garden, thus the changing scene of my little paradise of greens.

Have a nice day folks and take care.

The Hanging flowers...

2012-03-18T10:09:00.002+08:00

Above is an image of the hanging flower in my little garden. When I first saw it at the flower shop some years ago it had just one small flower in a hanging pot. I like it so I bought it and hang it at the front of the patio. After awhile it stop flowering. I then put it on the ground in a bigger pot and nurtured it with love. Eventually after waiting for years it start flowering again. I was delighted to see the first bunch of the yellow flowers hanging down its branch. It does make me happy indeed so I kept nurturing it and feed it with fertilizer. And soon more flowers start to bloom adding that yellow color to my little garden. Now it has not stop flowering creating a radiant atmosphere to the patio’s ambiance. Enjoy it folks.

Have a nice day.

Sweet and Sour Udang Galah...

2012-03-12T15:46:00.000+08:00

Udang Galah is a big Prawn. There is no specific name for it in English. It is only found in the tropic especially in the Southeast Asia region. For more detail of what this wonderful freshwater Prawn is please read this. Some call it as Giant Freshwater Prawn. It is like a lobster but yet not a lobster. It is fleshy and made wonderful and nutritious dishes that taste great as well.

Nowadays it is difficult to get it at the local market since most of it is bought by hotels or restaurants and what left is expensive. Anyway I still could get it at the Datuk Keramat market sometime where I go often to look for fresh seafood, poultry and meat. Now it cost RM40 to RM50 a kilo. One may get about seven or eight Udang Galah in a kilo. I normally bought 2 kilos which is just enough for the family. [US$1:00 = RM2:96]

There are many ways to cook it. One simple way is just to garnish it with salt and turmeric powder and just fry it the usual way or just grilled it at Barb Q. It cooks fast indeed. The grand kids loved it when it is cook as a Sweet and Sour dish. So most of the times my spouse would just cook it that way and it taste excellent.

Images in this posting show the process of how this nutritious dish of a Sweet and Sour Udang Galah is prepared.

Have a nice day.

Of Coffee....

2012-03-07T10:52:00.000+08:00

It was a beautiful day. The weather was fine and from my patio I could see the blue sky and patches of white clouds. I took my iPad and Kindle and with a cup of coffee sat at the Kopitiam table at the patio. And whilst the morning away while surfing the net and reading from the eBook. In front of me are the greens of my little garden. There is a fishpond as well two small fountains that I had created. The water from the small fountains and in the fishpond creates the sound of dripping water like that when it rains. The greens of the garden and the sound of dripping water turn the whole patio into a cool place to enjoy the day.

Have a nice day.

Japanese Backpackers @ Kuala Lumpur...

2012-03-02T07:05:00.000+08:00

Monday 27th February was a beautiful day. The sky was blue with scattered patches of white clouds. I thought it would be a great day to go out to venture into the inner city. The day before my oldest grandson posted on Facebook some images of the graffiti that he took when he was at Dataran Pasar Seni. He took the images after his tuition class at a Tuition Center there. I like what I saw and told him that I would go and have a look and take photo on the graffiti. As usual I drove the Honda to the KLCC parking area, parked the car and then went to take the LRT at the underground station nearby. In the train I met a Frenchwoman reading a book sitting beside me and we got into talking. She stops at the Masjid James Station to catch another train heading toward to her destination.

On arrival at the Pasar Seni Station I immediately went to have a look at the graffiti that had been painted on the wall on the bank of the Kelang River. After I have done all the photography of the graffiti I went back to the Station. As I was near the escalator I saw three backpackers going the same way. I then follow up and as I was about to sit and wait for the train I saw the three backpackers sitting and waiting for the next train. In that split seconds I ask them whether I could take a picture of them using my iPad and they say it OK. I snap an image and show them and from the look of it they are happy with it. I ask them where there are from and they say they are Japanese. Two of them from Tokyo and pointing to the young woman one of them say that she is from Osaka. While we were talking the train arrived and I told them I am going to post the picture on cyberspace and they say it is OK. They then boarded the train toward the other direction. So folks here are the smiling faces of those three Japanese Backpackers that I got to know in that short time at the Pasar Seni LRT Station. They do look cheerful indeed in this photograph.

Have a nice day.

Tranquility @ Fraser Hill...

2012-02-28T00:00:00.000+08:00

Fraser Hill is one of those places that have remained as it was like its hay days during the colonial era, an excellent resort indeed. It is still in pristine condition. Although the interior of most buildings have seen changes through the years, most of the old buildings facade has remains the same. New buildings built were so designed to blend well with the surrounding. The sidewalks have been lay with new pavement. There are many benches on the sidewalk where folks could sit and while the time away in the comfort of the summer weather. The roads are well-kept and resting sheds set up on the sidewalk for hikers or joggers to take a rest when on a walk around the countryside. Flowers are planted here and there thus adding colors to environment of the place.

If you want to enjoy peace and tranquility then get to Fraser Hill for a holiday. It is a place where you do not have to worry about the hustle and bustle of the city life. During our stay there the temperature was from 19 to 20 degree Celsius; a pleasant weather indeed to enjoy a lazy walk around the outskirt of the town or to play golf. Of course with that kind of weather and light it is a great place to do photography. I did that and enjoy seeing the result of my photography. Below are scenes of Fraser Hill little town as it were when we visited it last week from the 15th to 17th February, 2012.

Have a nice day.

Floral and Fauna of Fraser Hill...

2012-02-26T10:22:00.000+08:00

Above are some of the floral and Fauna that I had managed to capture while on a short holiday at Fraser Hill recently. There is so much to wonder and discover while wandering along in the valley of greens still in its originality. In that short visit I saw nature at its best in the cool climates like in the temperate zone. The images of the Moths were taken in the lobby area of the hotel while that of the Butterfly and the Bird, Plants and Flowers was snaps outside the hotel and along the road in the vicinity of the town. I planned to go again and would spend more times to enjoy the beauty of nature and take more images as I discover it. Meanwhile do enjoy these images as much as I had enjoyed photographing it.

Have a nice day.

Fraser Hill - A Cool Resort...

2012-02-22T09:05:00.000+08:00

It was a beautiful day the 15th of February 2012. With the hot and humid weather we decided to take a short trip to the highland resort of Fraser Hill north of Kuala Lumpur. We had planned for this short holiday with another couple. I drove the Honda to Wangsa Maju and after picking the couple; a relative drove by means of the DUKE Highway and took the North-South Highway toward the north. Then made a stop at the Sungei Buloh Rest-Area where we had some snack before continuing toward Kuala Kubu Bahru for our trip to the hill resort.

After the break I drove the Honda slowly through the many small towns along the way toward Kuala Kubu Bahru. From there took a right turn into the road leading toward the resort. All the way the road winds it ways beside rivers and hills of lush forest of various trees. Just a few kilometers away from Kuala Kubu Bharu we saw a large lake, a reservoir for the Selangor Water Supply. As we move on we saw greens of all shades and colors throughout the journey right up to the Gap.

Just before the Gap a signage on the roadside shows where a British High Commissioner to Malaya was shot dead in 1951 by the MCP during the Emergency. The once famous Rest House on the hill nearby had been left to rot. It is a shame to let such an important historic building to be taken over by the jungle. We made a stop at the small rest-area at the bottom of the hill before going up the eight kilometers one-way road to the town of Fraser Hill.

The place became cooler as I drove up and eventually arrived at the Shahzan Hotel and found the whole area was cool with a temperature of 20 degree Celsius. We check in to our rooms. Put on our sweaters got down to have our lunch at the Coffeehouse. Just before the food arrived I went out to take a few shots of the many blooming flowers that are planted in front of the hotel. It was really nice to see so many flowers in full blooms with gorgeous colors everywhere outside the hotel. There is a bird-feed in the garden there where foods are left for the birds to feed. I saw a few birds enjoying it meals while we were waiting for our meal to be ready. We enjoyed a Chinese foods lunch and then took a short rest before taking a spin of the town.

Soon the place was getting dark and the temperature drop to below 20 degree Celsius. We head to the Ye Olde Smokehouse for dinner. It looks like an old English house of another era. Later we found that the house was build in the early twentieth century during the colonial era and now had been converted into a hotel and dining place. We ordered our dinner and then sat in the cozy ambiance of an English country home and enjoy small chat with the others there while waiting for our dinner to be ready. The dinner of western food was splendid. It was one of the memorable dinners in an English setting with the cool comfort of a temperate climate in the tropic.

We then head back to the hotel but missed the junction and had to take a long detour back to our hotel. Then we sat at the fireplace at the hotel lobby and enjoy some coffee before calling the night off.

Have a nice day.

[Please click on image to enlarge]

Flowers of Fraser Hill...

2012-02-18T14:10:00.000+08:00

We were in Fraser Hill a hill resort north of Kuala Lumpur on the 15th till the 17th February for a short holiday. The weather was beautiful, cool 20 Degree Celsius. We check in at the Shahzan Inn and set to explore the beautify of the landscape. With that kind of weather flowers bloomed well indeed. Above are some of the flowers that I had capture while browsing around the vicinity of the hotel. Gorgeous indeed and it does add to the joys of our holiday there. Enjoy it folks as much as I had enjoyed photographing it.

Have a nice day. [Please click on the image to enlarge]

A Beautiful Lunch...

2012-02-14T14:13:00.001+08:00

Howard Yamaguchi and I became friend since we got to know each other through blogging some years ago. During his last visit to Malaysia we met in person and had lunch and then went for a spin of the city in my Honda. I had blog on that happening here. And today at this lunch I got the opportunity to meet his spouse Patricia for the first time whereas Asmah got to meet both of them for the first time as well. The last time I met Howard, Asmah could not made it so this lunch was sort of our first get-together.

In an atmosphere of friendship in the cozy ambiance of Madam Kwan's restaurant in KLCC we had a traditional Malay lunch of simple Malay dishes. The Howard are used to taking Malay foods since both of them have live in the country before. They both were Peace Corp volunteers in Kelantan in the early seventies. Thus 'Tumis Petai' and 'Kangkong Goreng Belacan' which was among the dishes ordered was something they had yearned for and got to enjoy it today in this posh restaurant setting.

We set to enjoy the lunch and chat along. In the process I soon found that Patricia and I had many mutual friends. Every names popup during the conversation brought back memories of my years in the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. It was just like meeting old friend refreshing events of the past. Funny though that although that this was our first meeting yet every names and happening mentioned during the chat seem to be like the happening of old times that are still fresh in my memory. Soon memories began to flood back of the great times with our mutual friends that made us laugh at the mere mentioned of some incidents that crosses our minds. It was like meeting an old friends and now exchanging notes of past happening where both of us were players of sort in some episodes in the whole schemes of things on our journey of life. It was fun to be able to talk so freely of acquaintances that comes into our lives in the course of our career in the days gone by.

We end the lunch with the traditional desserts of 'Cendol and Sago Manis' with a promise to meet again. Folks it was indeed a beautiful lunch with beautiful people in our lives. Asmah and I did enjoy the lunch. Thanks Howard and Patricia for making our day.

Have a nice day.

My little Garden...

2012-02-09T19:48:00.000+08:00

I love the greens thus I do gardening. It has been a passion of mine for a long times. I have always loved to be with nature. Even in my growing up days I would often go hiking in the woods with friends on the weekend. At time we would camp near a riverbank or at the seaside and enjoy nature at its best. And now living in the city where land area of our house is limited I had to do with whatever space I got in front and at the back of the house. At the back of the house we had a small garden of orchids, flowers and herbs while at the front of the patio I have created a small garden with greens and some flowers as seen above. It is my little Garden of Eden where I would spend my time tending to the plants and flowers.

Over times it has became an ecosystem of sorts where birds comes chirping from tree to tree. And small animals like squirrel and frogs would come to feeds on the food that I had laid in a small container on the top of the fence. A little brown squirrel would come daily to feed. It was elusive at first and now after many years it has became tamer and would continue to eat its meal when I am out at the patio. It was always nice to see this little creature chipping at the apples, at time sharing it with the ants and the birds that drop by from time to time.

Recently a tree frog has decided to turn one of the hanging flowerpots as its home and I love to see it squatting among the green leaves in the pot. It does make me happy to see these creatures making my little garden its home. There is a small fishpond at one side of the little garden where first roam freely in the clear water. I would feed these fish early in the morning.

With the greens of the plants which at time flowers the whole area in front of my patio became a hive of activities turning it into an ecosystem of sort. The rich environment with fresh air and the cool green scene shows nature at its best. It gives me a mean to enjoy nature so close to our doorstep. Enjoying life as it goes in my golden years.

Have a nice day. [Please click on the image to enlarge]