Shoot The Hooker

KINGFISHERS OF MALAYSIA

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Kingfishers are a group of small and medium size birds. They are brilliantly colored. Food are mainly fish but insect, small vertebrae and reptiles are also relished.
While some are fish eaters, most subsist on small vertebrae.

A) WHITE THROATED KINGFISHERS. (Halcyon smyrnensis)
A medium , brightly coloured bird. It mainly feed on fish, insects and small reptiles. When breeding it will burrow into earth banks. Its call is a loud quack, quack quack sound.

Waterfalls.

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A) Sungai Dal Waterfalls, Kuala Kangsar, Perak.

This is the first of the few falls along the Sungai Dal.

Sungai Dal is a tributary of the Kangsar River. It is located in the Gunung Bubu Forest Reserve near Kampung Dalam Dal. Accessibility is easy as there is a small paved road leading up the hill. To access some of the water falls, you need to clamber over some steep rocks which are very slippery.

Another small one.

A pair of good gripping shoes is a must. We find the plastic rubber shoes (Nicknamed Adidas Kampung) worn by hawkers and rubber tappers most suitable. They dry easily and have good grip on the rocks.

The pool here is only good for dipping.

You have to climb down to the river and wade along the bank to get to the first fall. From there it is a matter of clambering over slippery rocks to reach the other tiers. All

Another small one.

together there are four tiers along the river. Water is crystal clear and at the upper most, you can find some concrete structures to show that it was a dam purportedly built during the British time. In fact this dam was supposed to have supplied drinking water to Kuala Kangsar town during those days.

This is a sliding fall.

The very top.

I was told this is a natural hole made by the gushing water. I suspected it to be man-made. There is a small tunnel below where the water flow to a lower outlet quite far below.

MUD-SKIPPERS

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The mud-skippers are amphibious fishes that are found widely at tropical and sub-tropical mangrove mudflats. They are very active during low tides and move around with their strong pectoral fins. Maintaining a moist skin is important to allow cutaneous air breathing. Meaning the ability to breathe through its skin, the lining of its mouth (the mucosa) and its throat (the pharynx). Enlarged gill chambers also allow the fish to retain air for breathing.
Home to the mud-skippers are burrows dug into the soft mud flat. It is here that they hide from predators, lay eggs and to thermoregulate themselves. Even at high tide, they can hide in the burrows as the air trapped inside allow them to breathe without coming to the water surface.
Mud-skippers are carnivorous and feed on small preys. They can be very territorial and males are often seen confronting each others over their territories.
In Japan and Taiwan, the mudskippers are highly priced as delicacies.
There are a number of species of mudskippers foun in Malaysia.

A). BLUE SPOTTED MUD-SKIPPERS(Boleophthalmus boddarti):


A blue spotted mud-skipper hanging out of its burrow.

The blue spotted mud-skippers are quite widely distributed in Malaysia. They are rather territorial and fights and confrontations are very common among individuals. During confrontations, the male's colorful dorsal fin is raised. It will do the same while courting to show off its attributes to the female. If the female is interested, she will follow the male back to its burrow.


One of the frequent confrontations.

The mud-skippers have a habit of blowing water out of its gills and mouths. Maybe to cleanse the mucous membranes so as to breathe easier.


No they are not singing a duet but confronting each others.

B) GOLD SPOTTED MUD-SKIPPERS (Periophthalmus chrysospilos):

A gold spotted mud-skipper.

The gold spotted mud-skippers like to group together in large numbers of about 20 individuals. They keep in front of the advancing tide. The male dorsal fins are lined with red at the outer frindges. Instead of having blue spots they have golden spots on their bodies.
Behaviours are about the same as the other mud-skippers.

Two male golden spot mud-skippers confronting each others.

Holding on so as not to be washed off the rock.

Getting away from the crashing waves.

C). GIANT MUD-SKIPPER (Periophthalmodon schlosseri).

A giant mud-skipper in the water.

It is the largest mud-skipper in Malaysia. It has a elongated dark stripe running along the whole length of its body. During high tide they could be seen clinging on to mangrove tree roots. Often seen digging a small pool filled with water where they normally build a burrow for breeding too. The soft mud are suck into it huge mouth and then deposited at the edge of the pool. to fortify it.

Here it can be seen to blow bubbles through it gills while swimming.

A giant mud-skipper with outstretched dorsal fin.

ORIENTAL PIED-HORNBILL

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A male Oriental pied-hornbill sitting on a large rain tree near some housing estate.

The Oriental pied-hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) is a rather common hornbill in Malaysia. It can be easily seen around jungle fringes near urban dwellings.

Food consisting of figs, fruits, small reptiles and birds are their main diets. Here a male regurgitated a fig and gently holds it in its bill.

They like large trees where they build nest in holes in the tree branches. The male will bring mud cakes to the female who will then seal herself inside to lay her eggs and incubate them. Food in the form of figs, fruits, small insects, reptiles and small birds are brought back by the male to feed its mate.


A male hornbill gently feed its mate as she incubates her eggs in her sealed nest.

I have seen these hornbills built their nests in the bird houses built for owls around the rice fields.

A few fruits that are part of the hornbill diet.

Here a pair of hornbills has colonised an owl shelter for their nests.

GREY-HEADED SWAMPHEN (Porphyrio poliocephalus).

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They like to stretch their wings once in a while.

Grey-headed swamphen: Mainly found around large ponds or marshy areas. It usually is found in one or two feeding on weed covered ponds or the banks. Its nest is a pile of weeds built on floating weeds like the water hyacinth. When alarmed it will hide itself in the weeds.
It mainly feed on plant and vegetation with small insects, leeches, snails and other small animals.

MAEKLONG RAILWAY MARKET

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THE MAEKLONG RAILWAY MARKET (Thailand)

The Maeklong Railway Market is also nicknamed Umbrella Pull down Market. The unique feature about his market is, it is centered around the railway track. Selling fresh seafood and vegetables, the vendors here are very alert to the arrival of the train. Each day a train will pass this place eight times. With the coming of the train, a signal will sound and an announcement will be make about the impending train arrival. Suddenly this canvas covered market will find the awnings being pulled back and the products on sale being pulled to safer place. Immediately after the train pass, the canopies are back on and business will be as usual.

A must see on your tour to Bangkok.

A young vendor selling some fresh clams.

Small eels for sale.

Plenty of cooked salted fish here too.

Scaled and cleaned fish.

A vendor pushing his cart along the track.

A flurry of activities following the announcement of the incoming train.

The canopies are being pulled back. Trays of products are also taken out of the way.

Here it comes. Right on time. A lady vendor was screaming at me in Thai (which I cannot understand). I think she wants me to get out of the way of the train.

The train passed just centimeters away from me. I was pulled back by the same lady that was screaming at me, I think. I am grateful to her for her concern.

Everyone is emerging from their safe spots. The canopies are also being put bck to their normal places.

RAPTORS - Common Barn-owl (Tyto alba).

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Common Barn-owl (Tyto alba). It is the most widely distributed owl in the world. Because of its diet of small rodents it is widely used as the biological agent to control the rat population in padi fields and oil palm plantations. It is not uncommon to see small owl houses perched on top of high poles among the padi fields and plantations.

RAPTORS - Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus).

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The Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) is a medium size raptor found in India, South China, S.E.Asia and Australia. Usually found living and breeding in mangrove forests along the coasts. It can also be found further inland , like padi fields, ex-mining lands and wetland areas. Their food consist of fish and other small prey. Scavenging is also part of their daily activities.

A Juvenile.

Terns of Malaysia.

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Terns are a type of sea or water birds of the family Sternidae. Many are migrants that travel long distances. They have slender bodies and pointed wings. The tails are mostly forked. thus many of them dive into the water to get their food fish. Some will hover above to pick up small food fish when they come to the surface. other will feed on insects too. They are generally long life birds that can live up to and in excess of 25-30 years.

In Malaysia there are 17 species which I will add here as and when I get to photograph them.

A) LITTLE TERN (Sternula albifrons). Small tern with forked tail. Breeding birds have black crown, nape and eye stripe and yellow bill while non breeding have white crown, black legs and bills. Usually in small groups along coastal water, rivers and inland ponds and lakes. Usually hover above water to pick up fish.

B) WHITE WINGED TERN (Childonias leucopterus). Breeding birds have black head, chest, upper and lower

Flock of White-winged Terns.

White-winged Tern.

part. The bills are yellow with black tips. Can be seen in groups. Sometime hover over water to pick up fish.

Whiskered Tern

C) WHISKERED TERN (Clidonias hybrida). Non breeding birds have greyish and white forehead, black bill and streaks in the eyes. Skim low over water or plunging in to get their food.

Whiskered Tern


A flying tern looking for food.

A hovering tern picking up a morsel.

D) BLACK-NAPED TERN (Sterna sumatrana). Except for black nape, it is mostly white in clour. It has a deeply forked tail and narrow black bill.

RAPTORS - Barred Eagle-owl (Bubo sumaranus).

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c). Barred Eagle-owl (Bubo sumaranus). Distributed from parts of Thailand, Malay Peninsiular, Borneo, Java and Sumatra. Lives among the lower or upper parts of the lowland forest. A solitary bird that rarely lives higher than 900 meter.

Adult.

Juvenile.

RAPTORS - Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus).

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Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus). Found in India, S. China, S.E.Asia, and New Guinea. A bird of opened country like padi fields, grassland and oil palm plantations. Feeds mainly on rodents.

RAPTORS - Crested Serpent-eagle (Spilornis cheela).

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The term Raptor is given to identify 'Birds of prey'. . It is infact derived from the Latin word 'rapere' meaning 'taking by force'. Many of the birds shown here are migrants as well as residents of Malaysia. The migatory birds came here from the Northern Hemisphere during their winter month because of scarcity of food and to breed in our wormer climate.

a) Crested Serpent-eagle (Spilornis cheela). A resident in Malaysia and Singapore. This bird is widely distributed in India, South China, S.E.Asia and the Sundas. Mostly found in mangrove forests, oil palm plantations and other wooded areas. Its main diet is snake, hence the name.

BUTTERFLY LIZARD OF MALAYSIA.

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A beautiful healthy Malayan Butterfly Lizard.

The butterfly lizard is an agamid native of Thailand, Myanmar, Malay Peninsular and Sumatra. There are eight species and they breed by normal sexual reproduction. But four species are parthenogernetic and has only one sex. They reproduced by cloning. The Malayan Butterfly Lizard (Leiolepis beliana beliana) is one of them.

Its paterns and markings are colourful.

These lizards prefer open, dry, sandy areas where they live in burrows. At the slightest sign of danger they will dart back into their burrows, but will re-emerge about five minutes later.

Vegetations and small insects, constitute to their main diet. They are monogamous and will care for their youngs for some months before the youngs leave to build their own burrow.

A Butterfly Lizard
feeding on a cricket.

They are quite territorial and can be seen to drive away intruders from nearby burrows. I have seen some of them living quite close together. In a radius of 15 meters, I have counted three burrows.

Peeping out of its burrow
before coming out to forage.

Milky Stork (Mycteria cinerea).

2013-03-21T20:28:00.002-07:00

A Milky Stork scratching itself.

The Milky Stork, a large water bird, with an estimated world wide population of around only 5,550. Listed as "Vulnerable" by the IUCN/Birdlife International. it can only be found on the West Coast of Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. Historically, in Malaysia they are found mostly along the West Coast, but due to habitat deterioration, low reproduction and predators their number is very low now.

Drying out after its bath.

The lake at Pulau Kelumpang has being confirm as a reserved breeding, feeding and roosting sanctuary for the Milky Stork. Around the Kuala Gula area, a semi wild population of released Milky Stork can be found.

Collecting twigs for nest building.

Frolicking in the hot sun.

Asian Openbill Stork (Anastomus oscitans)

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An Openbill with outstretched wings while landing.

The Asian Openbill Stork are distributed throughout the Indian Subcontinent, Thailand right up to Cambodia. During certain times of the year they can be seen among the wetland and padi fields of Malaysia.

An Openbill foraging for food.

The storks are normally found congregating at wetlands and padi-fields foraging for food. They feed mainly on molluscs, especially of the pila family. Most of the time the birds used their bill to search for the molluscs in the water and can manage to open the shells to extract the meat. All adults have a gaps in their bills which is well adapted to hold the slippery shells of molluscs. Susprisingly this feature is absent from the juveniles. Water snakes, frogs and large insects round up as part of their food chain too. At times the stork can be seen gliding in flocks, circling in the air, using the thermal to help them move around and save energy.

A freshwater crab fell victim.

Breeding season is around July to September. Nests with 2-4 eggs are often built on half submerged trees.

The openbills like to sun
themsleves like this.

Ancestor Day (Hari Moyang) of the Mah-Meri Orang Asli tribe of Malaysia.

2013-03-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

This article was published in the SJ Echo March 2015 issue.

Mah-Meri (pronounced: Max Mri) one of the Aborigines tribes of Malaysia are confined to the state of Selangor of Malaysia. They are mainly living near the coast and are mostly fishermen. Being skill carvers and weavers, their labour of love are highly valued by art lovers and collectors.

The Moyang Bojos. A main character of the Jo'oh Dance.

The ancestor shrine being
prepared for blessing ritual.

The Mah Meri are very respectful of their ancestors and as such set aside a day each year as Hari Moyang (Ancestor Day). On this day, the community pays respect to their ancestors and seek their blessings for bountiful harvests.

Rituals and blessings are offered to all that come to seek. The Jo'oh Dance is performed by women dancers. Masked male dancers called the Moyang Bojos join in the dance too. They dance around a symbolic mountain (weaved out of leaves of the pandanus trees), that represent their belief of how the world come into being. Music is provided by a group of percussionists and singers.

Blessing ritual in progress.

The women dancers wear blouses made from pounded barks of the Terap tree. While their hairs are decorated with objects and things in their daily lives, weaved from the leaves of the pandanus trees.

The Jo'oh Dance.

On this Ancestor Day, the villagers and (outsiders too) are encouraged to bring food and drinks as contribution to the celebration. These are then displayed on long tables and serve as refreshments after the rituals, ceremonies and dance performances are over.

They are highly skill weavers too.

Some sing too.

Heads of women dancers
decorated with weaved objects.

The percussionist performing.

BUGIS STREET OF SINGAPORE.

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Entrance to Bugis Street.

Durians. King of fruits
to the locals but obnoxious
to the uninitiated.

Bugis, refers to the seafaring people of South Sulawasi province of Indonesia. Before the arrival of the British, the Bugis used to sail up a canal here to trade.

After the war, from 1950-1980s, hawkers gathered here to ply their wares. Bars began to spring up and transvestites gathered and attracted a lot of Western Tourists. At the height of the Vietnam War, the GI R&R really made this place boom. Everywhere, the writeups of this place is all about the sleezy going on. The transwomen of Bugis Street is even immortalised by an English-Language film made by a Hong Kong film company.

It's a shopper's haven.

Clothings are aplenty too.

You name it they have it.

Food of many nationalities can be had.

In the mid 1980s with the building of the MRT underground stations, the whole place was transformed. In order to regain its former glory minus the sleezy reputation the Singapore Tourism Promotion Board transformed this place into a tourist shopping haven.

Every taste is catered to.

Very cheap too.

Locals snacks to appease your stomachs.

You can rest anywhere after
a hard day's shopping.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugis_Street#Pre-1950s

CHESTNUT-HEADED BEE-EATER ( Merops leschenaulti )

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A chestnut-headed bee-eater with pray in its bill.

A healthy specimen
.

The chestnut-headed bee-eater is a colourful, slender bird, that ranges from India to S.E.Asia. It does not possess the elongated central tail feathers that is common to its cousins. Its breeding range is in sub-tropical broken country sandbanks. Nests are tunnels dug into the sandbanks and the male and female, both take turn to incubate the eggs. Breeding season ranges from February to May.

A pair of chestnut headeds.

Food is mainly insects like bees, hornets and dragonflies. As it depends on insects for food, the type of plants around its habitat is not that important.

LEMANG - THE MALAY DELICACY.

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This is how the cut lemangs look like.

Lemang is a must during the fasting months of Ramathan in Malaysia. A traditional delicacy, it is used to break the fast in the evening. Together with the rendang ( a form of paste chicken or beef curry ), they form a really filling meal.

Thick gravy chicken (or beef)
curry is normally eaten
with the lemang.

Many roadside stalls will spring up during the days leading up to Hari Raya Aidilfitri or Hari Raya Adha cooking and selling this delicious food.
Made from soaked glutinous rice, coconut milk, salt and sugar over a slow burning fire, this aromatic lemang is really a mouth watering tempatation.

a) Soaked glutinous rice ready for packing into empty bamboo tubes.

b) The rice is then poured into the hollow bamboo lined with banana leaves to prevent sticking and to give the lemang its distinctive aromatic taste.

c) A mixture of coconut milk, salt and sugar is then poured into the bamboo tube.

d) The rice is now ready to be cook over a fire. The green banana leaves are to prevent the rice from sticking to the bamboo and also to impart it distinctive aroma to the lemang. The lidi (coconut leaf stem) is to allow steam to escape from the bottom of the bamboo so that there is no spillage.

e) The fire from wood and coconut shells is used to cook the lemang. The bamboos are rotated frequently so as to obtain an evenly cook lemang.

f) The bamboo is then split open to access the nicely cooked lemang inside.

g) This is how a roadside lemang stall looks like.

Many thanks to Yeop Lemang.
Encik Zamri Bin Ramli: 017-5226320.

Rock Blasting.

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Recently I was taken to some rock blasting operation by my friends who is an expert rock blaster. At the quarries that we went to I was shown the different steps, procedures and apparatus used for blasting. I would like to share here the photographs of the whole operation.

1. Hydraulic crawler drills were used to bore holes of about 50ft-60ft into the rocks. Drill holes were normally 18 meters deep (depending on the bench design) and 89mm in diameter.

2. The pink coloured cast booster connected to the pink coloured shock tube.

3. Pink coloured shock tubes with the detonators (for starting the explosion) were then inserted into the cast boosters (dynamites). These were then lowered into the drilled holes in the rock. The end of the shock tube is the detonator.

4. A mixture of oxidising agents are then pumped into the hole on top of the cast boosters. This bulk emulsion as they are called are used for the secondary explosion. The secondary explosion creates a rapid expension of gas which breaks up the rock.
A rough formula for the amount of bulk emulsion used is 0.4 -0.5 kg per cubic meter of rock. When the cast booster explode, it will create detonation speed that exceed the speed of sound so that the bulk emulsion can be detonated.

5. The brown coloured bulk emulsion.

6. Red coloured surface delay detonator connects the pink shock tubes from hole to hole. Delay time is 25 milliseconds.

7. Black coloured surface detonator together with the yellow shock tube are for row to row detonation. Delay time is 67 milliseconds.

8. Blasting site is cleared of people. Alarm is sounded and the blast master made his round to make sure all is cleared before lighting the fuse. Safety fuse burns at 1 second per cm. Normally 4 minutes are needed for the person lighting the fuse to move to a safe distance.

9. Beginning of the detonations.

10.

11.

12.

13. Completion of blasting.

WOOD CARVING OF MALAYSIA.

2012-07-23T16:59:00.001-07:00

Wood carving is a part of the Malay culture.

Wood carving as part of the Malay culture has been mentioned in the Malay Annals since the Malacca Sultanate. Even in the Misa Melayu, Raja Chulan did mentioned the used of carvings as decoration in the palace of Sultan Zulkarnain (1756-1780). The wood carvings were used to decorate houses of Royalty and the Noblemen in most parts of Malaysia. As the craftsmen were not paid much, and following a decline in demand for the carvings, the skill craftsmen were forced to look elsewhere for their livelyhood. With the coming of the colonial powers, this demand almost vanished. Recently, with the rapid development of the country and the emergance of an elite class among the Malays, saw a resurgance in the demand for such art work. This art is now mostly confined to the east coast states of Kelantan and Tregganu.

A master craftsman at work.

Wood carvings can be roughly divide into two basic catagories. Namely the cut out type and the low relief type. The cut out designs are such, they are used as ventilation panels to allow air to circulate and light to pass through. Because of this purpose, they are mainly found on top of windows, doors and folded screen dividers. In recent times floral and Islamic calligraphy motives are the most commanly found. Fauna motives though not encouraged by Islam sometimes are use too. Cosmic and fauna motives are very common during pre Isamic era.

The Malay wood carving motives in actual fact depicts the values of Malay culture. Older people are always given the respect they due with the principle of "Any new braches shown must be seen to be emerging from behind the existing branch. Living in harmony and not to create discord and quarrels is also represented with not having two leaves touching with their sharp ends. Another no no is that the designs must not be too complicated and confusing which is synonymn with intoxication, and is disallowed in Islam. Simplicity and easy flowing are generally encouraged to denote peace and tranquility. The fourth principle is that the design must convey tenderness and softness. While the winding end of the plant tells us that this world is full of mysteries.

Workers helping to plane planks to be made into panels with a planer.

Cutting wood joint using a radial arm saw.

Using a jigsaw to cut the design of the cut out type, before hand carving it.

The design is slowly being chiselled and smoothen.

Carving depicting figures and faunas are not encouraged, but still can be found.

A mirror with a combination of the cut out and the low relief designs.

An example of the low relief design.

http://www.vacationtourz.com/malay_exotic_wooden.htm

THE KERIS MAKING EXPERT OF KUALA KANGSAR, PERAK, MALAYSIA.

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The legendari keris, Tamin Sari, is purportedly used by the famous Melaka warrior, Hang Tuah. Bequeathed as a gift from Sultan Mahmud Shah of the Melaka Sultanate to the first Sultan of Perak, Sultan Mudzaffar Shah, as such, is now in the collection of the Perak Royalty in Kuala Kangsar, Perak. It is therefore appropraite that one of the most well known keris making master in the Malaysia is found here.

Encik Abdul Mazin, the expert keris maker.

   Encik Abdul Mazin b. Abdul Jamil is at present the 3rd generation keris making master in his family. It started with his grandfather, Encik Pandak b. Tukang Mamat. This pioneer passed on his keris making skill to his son, Encik Abdul Jamil b. Pandak Lam (Encik Abdul Mazin's father).

   At the tender age of 10, Encik Abdul Mazin was already helping his father. When he was 12, he can start to make his own keris. From 1962 to 1976, he was accompanying his father to exhibitions and demonstrations at Muzium Negara, Universty Malaya and Genting Highlands. By 1976, after serving his long apprenticeship, he finally qualified as a master keris maker in his own right.

   Now this family skill trade secret is already into the 4th generations. His two sons, Shaiful Hazrin, age 23 and Mokhtar Hakim, age 21 are almost at the threshhold of being considered expert keris makers.

   Encik Abdul Mazin and his family have made keris for many foreigners and local dignitaries. many of their clients would bring their family heirlooms to be forged into the keris blades. He even has a couple of very mystical keris which I was not allowed to hold or photograph.

This is not considered a keris. The handle and sheath are made from broken pieces of ivory given to Encik Abdul Mazin by one of his African clients.

Heating and softening the metal so that it can be forged and folded easily to be shape into the blade.

Hammering the heated up metal to be form into the blade.

Slowly the waves (luks or lekuks) of the blade are formed.

The blade is then soaked in lime juice and wrapped in sulphur mixture to bring out the veins in the blade.

The handle or hilt is cut out of wood, ivory or bones. Carvings are added to enhance its look.

A well crafted keris should be able to stand upright by itself.

A typical keris blade and its design.

Anatomy and name of different parts of a keris blade.

Address: 399A, Kampong Pandang Changkat, Bukit Chandan, Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia.
Handphone: 0176561040.

Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkvTpr4rz5s

THE KERIS

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The keris is mainly found in the S.E.Asian nations of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei and the Philipines. It is an asymmetrical dagger with either straight or wavy blades.

History: From Dong Son's bronze culture in Vietnam, the making of daggers are believed to have spread to S.E.Asia. There were traces of Indian influence too. it was in Majapahit, East Java, that the present recognised form of keris first surfaced.

A short keris with 5 lekuks.

The Blades: At first, the blades of the keris were straight, but in later years, the wavy version came into existance. According to En. Abdul Mazin b. Abdul Jamil, a keris making expert from Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia, Keris Anak Alang with its straight blades of 10 in to 15 in are considered as female (betina) keris. Keris lekuk, with a longer, wavy blade weapon is a male (jantan) keris. The number of waves (luks or lekuks) on a keris blade are always in odd numbers from 3 to 21 with some having 29.

The type of metals used in the forming of the blade ranges from 3 to 21. Some collectors like to include their family heirlooms to be melted and forge into the blades too. As a result the cost of making the keris also depends on the collectors' request.

A straight bladed keris.

The Hilt: The hilt of the keris is where most of athe artwork of carving is done. Made out of ivory, hard wood and gold, demons-like figures are carved out of the handles. These are mostly found in Java. In other parts of Indonesia and Malaysia, this practice is not encourage due to Islamic influence.

An example of a carved wooden hilt.

The Sheath: Just like the hilt, the sheath is also decorated with intricate carvings. Usually made out of wood, the sheath are usually inlaid with metal carvings too.

This more than 200 year old keris
belongs to En. Abdul Mazin b. Abdul Jamil
of Kuala Kangsar. A family heirloom.

A well made and balanced
keris can stand on its point.

Tamin Sari: Malaysia's most famous keris is the Tamin Sari (Flower Shield Keris) is believed to posses magical power that enables anyone wielding it to enjoy physical invulnerability. Said to have being used by the legendary warrior, Hang Tuah, the Tamin Sari, is now part of the Perak Royalty's Collection. According to Nor Janati Ibrahim, the director of the Muzium Perak, the Tamin Sari has been the property of the Perak Sultanate since 1528, after Sultan Mahmud Shah of Melaka, presented it to Sultan Mudzaffar Shah, the first sultan of Perak. It was recently displayed for six days at the Galleri Sultan Azlan Shah in Kuala Kangsar (the Royal Town of Perak) on the occasion of His Highness's birthday celebration.

Some keris displayed at the
Gelleri Sultan Azlan Shah, Kuala Kangsar, Perak.

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kris

http://abushahid.wordpress.com/2011/05/30/kisah-benar-keris-taming-sari-sultan-perak-adalah-tulen/

BLUE-THOATED BEE-EATER (Merops viridis)

2012-07-05T10:40:00.001-07:00

A Blue-throated bee-eater with food in its beak.

Blue-throated bee-eater (Merops viridis), is a bird of the Meropidae family. Its habitat is sub-tropical and mangrove forest. They are confined to the S.E.Asia region up to a maximum of 6000ft in Malaysia.

A blue-throated returning
to its nest with food.

They can be seen breeding in Singapore and Malaysia in the months of April -September. A migrant as well as resident bird, their breeding habits and habitat are almost the same as the Blue-tailed bee-eater. Usually 3-6 eggs are laid and the parents take turn to incubate. Incubation starts as soon as the eggs are laid, thus resulting in babies hatching at different time. Sometimes babies are killed by their stronger siblings when food are scarce.

BLUE-TAILED BEE EATER (Merops philippinus).

2012-07-04T07:24:00.001-07:00

A blue-tailed eyeing a hornet moment before making a grab.

The blue-tailed bee-eater usually forage for food in the open field and water. They sallied from their perch to grab any flying insects especially bees, wasps and dragon flies that happened to fly by. After grabbing the bees, their long beaks protect the eyes from the stings.

Their range is from India, South China and S.E.Asia. In S.E Asia they are normally found below 5,000 ft. Blue-tailed normally breed in small colonies. Their nests are usually tunnelled into sandy banks (better drainage). Myammar and Northern Thailand are their normal breeding places around February to May each year.

A landing bird.

A blue-tailed with a bee in its beak.

One of their favourite perch while waiting for food to fly by.

A blue-tailed scratching itself.

A blue-tailed diving for a bee.

Links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue-tailed_Bee-eater

http://www.malaysianbirds.com/bird-family/bee-eaters.htm