Well, let’s not talk about workload here. 5th of June was the World Environment Day so what have you done to contribute to the environment? Different people on Langkawi teamed up to plant 400 trees at a river reserve at Kampung Bukit Hantu (hmmm, the name doesn’t sound nice huh?). MNS took the lead and my boss was kind enough to sponsor 200 trees while JTB sponsored the remaining 200. This was my 1st time to actually participating in a tree planting campaign so everything was fresh and exciting.

I realized something after the event: there are no boundaries when it comes to environmental preservation. Locals, foreigners, adults, childrens, men and women, all tried whatever they can to help out and as one of the inhabitants on Earth, I need your help. Yann Arthus-Bertrand along with the team of 88,000 people have created this spectacular documentary about our HOME. The run time is approximately 1 hour 33 minutes but you should sit down along with your friends and family and watch the HD version. This is another noble attempt after An Inconvenient Truth, Six Degrees Could Change The World and The 11th Hour. It saddens me when I see the following figures:

1. 20%  of the world’s population consumes 80% of the planet’s resources.
2. The world spends 12X more on weapons than on aid to developing countries.
3. 5,000 people die everyday because of polluted drinkin water, 1 billion humans have no access to safe drinking water.
4. 1 billion people  are going hungry.
5. Over 50% of grain traded around the world is used for animal feed or biofuels.
6. 40% of arable land is degraded.
7. Every year, 13 millions hectares of forest disappear.
8. 1 mammal in 4, 1 bird in 8, 1 amphibian in 3 are threatened with extinction.
9. 75% of fisheries products are exhausted, depleted or in danger of being so.
10. The average temperature of the last 15 years has been the highest since records began.
11. The ice cap has lost 40% of its thickness in 40 years.
12. There could be 200 million climate refugees by 2050.

PLEASE WATCH THE DOCUMENTARY. Still not feeling serious about this? Check out the article in wired.com. 

Lastly, I would like to remind all that it’s our duty to make Earth a better place to live.  Still remember Captain Planet, 5 elemental ring and 5 different teenagers? It’s not to late to start making a difference. I’m doing my part here to make sure the resort is as green as possible. You can too by making your home/workplace green and environment-friendly. Remember the quote from Captain Planet: THE POWER IS YOURS! 

Till then, take care everyone. I don’t know when it will be my next time to update my blog again… =p

• Langkawi Here I Come!
• Where Is The Ice (Part 2)?
• Say Hi to Second Earth
• How Green Can A Hotel Go? (Part 1)
• Thanks For Visiting! See You Soon!

If you think your eyes are sharp, try locating Osama bin Laden, George W Bush, Adolf Hitler and Dolly the cloned sheep just from the picture below without checking the real painting. =) 

Source: http://cliptank.com/PeopleofInfluencePainting.htm

• Sylar & Me
• Dangerous Open Burning
• Malaysia Today Mirror Site
• Malaysia Holds The Record of Oldest Living Human on Earth!
• Effects of Global Warming

The business development director told me every single thing I’m doing / would do is just part of the hotel itself. Ibegin to understand the entire concept more when I was given the opportunity to bring in house guests for a nature walk, a walk which introduces all the green practices found here this afternoon.

Practice makes perfect, and I finally come to appreciate fully the intention of the hotel owners for making the resort green. You see, all the while we are talking about the 3Rs: Reduce , Reuse and Recycle but how many of us actually make all the Rs our daily habit?

First of all, Frangipani reduces overall consumptions of food, water and electricity. How? For food, each department has their own plot to grow their food crops such as brinjal, chili, cabbage etc. Different crops are assigned with different points, and when the crops are ready, they will transfer the produce to the store and the kitchen, in exchange they obtain their relevant points. It is till the end of the year that the cumulative points are calculated to see which department produces the most food. Winners receive bonuses and incentives but this is not the end of the story. The real interesting part is by producing their own food, the entire hotel cuts down its reliance on outside food, which ultimately converts to significant amount of savings. 

The savings are further enhanced by using their own made compost fertiliser. This means they do not need to buy any fertiliser at all. So where do they get their raw material for composting? It’s a combination of sorted kitchen waste + garden waste. With the use of old bathtubs as the container, within 2 to 3 months quality composts are produced. Here you’ll see the nutrient cycle is complete - things come from producers end up eventually by producers also. To make things more interesting, Frangipani rears their own chickens and ducks. How many of them? Around 200++. Feed source? Leftover bread + everything in nature including wetland plants and fishes as well. So in my humble opinion, this is truly an amazing yet realistic self-sutainable farm and waste management. Since the kitchen requires a lot of herbs and spices, I’m given the task to diversify crop outputs effectively, so basically setting up an organic herb garden is my next target. Isn’t that wonderful?

There is something you and I could try at home. From now onwards, seperate your kitchen wastes into fruit / vegetable waste and non-fruit / vegetable waste. Dig a hole in your garden and bury the fruit/ vegetable wastes. You will eventually improve overall soil quality so plants that you grow on that piece of land will produce better yield. That’s all for now. I’ll provide the figures on food savings in the next post if possible.

• Langkawi Here I Come!
• A “Clever” Remark from A University Newbie
• KFC VS McD: The Truth is Out There
• Chinese Astrology Forecast 2007: Ox
• Mixed Fruit Yu Sang @ Chap Goh Meh

“Always smile, make eye contact and greet the guest when you meet them. Never cross in front of the guest…”

I personally think smiling is easy and it’s a positive gesture to show friendliness but I wonder why these people could affort to smile even for 1 second…

Don’t you feel like whacking them for delivering such a “good” performance? It is as though we had owed them a lot of money, or killed their love ones and now they are here for revenge…  Wait a minute, this is supposed to be a mini fashion show where lovely models would display their best, including their smile but can you smile after looking at them? I guess not… Can’t they be nicer to themselves and the potential silk product buyers?

Obviously we all can smile better than them right? So guys and girls, release your bright smile and make everyone warm and happy all day long! I personally love to see people smiling naturally. It is the smile that makes someone charming and special… =)

• If You Love Someone
• Circus of Malaysia
• (STICKY) The 1st Youth Entrepreneur Convention 2008
• Fight For Kisses
• Blogging Secret: What Do We Have Here?

I’m leaving by tomorrow morning on Firefly since  there is no direct flight from Penang to Langkawi offered by AirAsia. Langkawi as a UNESCO GeoPark should be protected at max to prevent further pollution. My first task is to develope a complete constructed wetland to treat wastewater from the hotel. I’ll be also be given the opportunity to be part of the climate change conference which is going to be held this October at Langkawi as well. Can’t wait to lay my hands on the tasks given to me. I’ll keep you guys updated when I’m ready there with a decent internet connection.

This will be another chapter of my life. Wish me luck and thanks for all the support from you readers. I love you all! =p

P/S: I’ll be switching to iCAlvyn’s hosting service in a few hours time so  it’s also time to say bye bye to the mediocre MyExHost… =p

• World Environment Day
• How Green Can A Hotel Go? (Part 1)
• (STICKY) The 1st Youth Entrepreneur Convention 2008
• Where Is The Ice?
• CL Nite 2007

When I disappear from the blogosphere, that means I’m occupied with something. This time I would really disappear for quite some time, maybe until end of March when I finally complete my thesis and proceed with the next chapter of life. So again, my dear readers, please bear with me during this challenging time. As usual, I’ll try my best to serve good contents when I’m back.

While everything is almost 95% confirmed, I decide to reveal my work plans only after when I’m done with my thesis and done dealing the details with my future employer. This certainly have something to do with Law of Attraction as I’m lucky enough to meet this charismatic Group Managing Director and secure my dream job. In fact I got more than that, I have somehow become part of the “bridge” between my employer and the Department of Environmental Engineering of UTM. In short there will be a long period of interaction and collaboration which would ultimately benefit both my future employer and my university. =) And because of this, I have certain level of responsibility on my back to ensure the collaboration will be smooth and successful.

Still remember the chef of the mixed fruit Yu Sang? Well, she’s from the Faculty of Education and I took part in one of her assignment a few days ago. The teams are required to present the idea on how modern day ICT influence our daily lives. So they picked the “love and relationship” theme and presented it into the following hilarious video clip. Guess which one is me?

For those who are interested with the nice songs playing at the background, since I’m the one mixing the audio for fron’t portion of the clip, I can provide you the list here chronologically…

1. Sam Cooke - Wonderful World (scene: studying while peeping)
2. Thomas Newman - Wall.E OST - Mutiny! (scene: girl carrying books)
3. The Platters - Only You (scene: boy fetching falling girl)
4. The Everly Brothers - All I Have To Do Is Dream (scene: boy dreaming about happy moments)
5. Shankar Mahadevan, Ravi “Rags” Khote - Kal Ho Naa Ho OST - Pretty Woman (scene: dancing behind a tree)
6. The Platters - The Great Pretender (scene: boy singing for the girl)
7. Fool’s Garden - Lemon Tree (scene: boy chatting on the phone)
8. Brian Hyland - Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini (scene: boy sending the love letter)
9. Gioachino Rossini - William Tell Overture (Finale) (scene: girl racing towards laptop after 15 days in hospital)

 The production was completed in less than 48 hours in total. What do you think about the clip? Nice? Bad? Stupid? Funny? Share with me OK?

That’s all for now. Time for lunch and resume thesis writing later. Take care my dear readers! Life is great. We shall meet again soon on April! =)

• End of 1st Cycle. Start of 2nd Cycle
• Finally I’m Back!!!
• My 1st meeting at DoE Johor
• CL Nite 2007
• University Intake: Pain or Gain?

OK, back to the topic. There won’t be much celebration today though. I don’t wanna let my money be earned by some smart businessman  publishing some “blood sucking promotion” on various products and services. My dear and I will only walk around, feasting our eyes on Leng Chais and Leng Luis. =p

For those who are still single, no worries. There is no need to be ashamed for not having a partner. In fact you should be proud because you still have the option to choose the best. =p Meet up with other friends and who knows maybe you’ll meet someone else special huh?

Anyway before I go, I would like to make your day a happy day. Have a good laugh a the following video clip. =)

Do share with me your V-Day stories ya. Happy Valentine’s Day! Happy Smart Spending Day! =)

• h>ppy :)
• My Blog Blocked?!?!
• Primary 6 Mathematics
• Take The Internet Back: Update 3
• The End

Looks delicious and healthy huh? Well, here’s the recipe so that you too can make your own yu sang or maybe for the upcoming Valentine’s Day. =p

Mixed Fruit Yu Sang (5 servings)

Main Ingredients:

• Sliced strawberry 草莓切片 (5)
• Sliced kiwi 奇异果切片 (5)
• Grated papaya 木瓜丝 (1/4)
• Grated honeydew 蜜瓜丝 (1/2)
• Grated chinese pear 鸭梨丝 (1)
• Grated mango 芒果丝 (1)

Seasoning Mix:

• Honey 蜜糖 (5 teaspoon)
• Sour plum powder 酸梅粉 (2 teaspoon)
• Sweet fish satay snack  脆皮甜鱼酥 (1/2 packet)

Instructions:

1. Prepare the fruits on a big plate just like the above photo.
2. Pour the seasoning mix on top of the fruits.
3. Follow the chanting instructions before you eat which can be found in the following video.

Don’t you think it’s easy to prepare? Well, the above dish is the idea of Chef Chua and Chef Shek.

How delicious do you think it is? Take a look at the following video…

Other than the mixed fruit yu sang, we have other dishes as well.

Well, that’s all. Hope you all like the photos, the videos and most of all the recipe. Try it out and let me know ya. Dear CurryEgg, next time try this so that you won’t fall sick during Chap Goh Meh again! =)

Good luck and all the best in year 2009!

• Halal or Non-Halal?
• The End
• This Chinese New Year…
• Special Moments of Chinese New Year
• Special Malaysian Delicacy

The turmoil in Perak is not even dramatic at all. It sucks. Even a circus show is better than this. Idiots hopping between BN and PR like playing hide and seek. The plot / storyline / theme is even worse. Though there are no valid justification but rumours like RM50 million per cross-over, clearing off corruption charges etc. would not surface if everything done in the process of formation of the new government by BN is lawful but again, how lawful do you think it is?

In Malaysia, people vote based on their party’s ideology and aspirations and not on individual person. So whenever someone in the office switches side, that somebody is actually betraying the people that have previously voted for him / her. A lot of lame excueses were given but does any of the reason include: I can’t serve my people properly, I can’t launch my plans benefiting thousands of people out there, so I turn to a new leader? Seriously what are these party hoppers thinking? Are these so called voice of the people make decisions based on the public interest? Or are they just taking care of their personal interest, waiting someone to clean their dirty asses once they cross over? Dear party hoppers, don’t you have conscience for your actions?

We face challenging economic conditions now and these bozos can still be obsessive with their power and interest. Aren’t the Deputy Prime Minister cum Minister of Finance suppose to be busy tackling the economic crisis? How come he put so much time and effort in uprooting the current Perak state government?

BN is undoubtedly getting more and more corrupted. There is no need for justification here because EVERYONE in Malaysia knows about it. Good clowns are expelled to be replaced by bad clowns. When there is nobody to watch the performance, those bunch of stupid clowns will say that the public is not up to standard enough to appreciate their work. We have suffered for the past 50 years. Do toy think we should continue to suffer blindly and let them take away our wealth, health and human rights? 

By now the chances of a state wide re-election will be almost impossible after the Perak Sultan declared that there won’t be any state assembly dissolution. I’m not happy with this, many people are not happy with this. Indirectly we are teaching the young generation that bribery, currption and gangsterism are the ways of life in Malaysia.

Will there be any hope in Perak? Will there be any hope in Malaysia? I’m not sure. One thing for sure is that I’m definitely going to vote against BN candidates during next election. And if there is really nothing to be done, PR leaders please accept the dicision and step down professionally. Show that you are different from BN. After all, people will be wise to know who are the good and bad guys. Anyway, if somehow miracle happens, please do your part to vote wisely. Seriously, will you vote for a party who knows nothing but crazing for more power and sucking wealth from the public?

• 82 Seats: Hope Exists in Malaysia.
• Malaysia Holds The Record of Oldest Living Human on Earth!
• Vote or No Vote: Malaysia 12th General Election
• Best Controversy of The Year
• MCA Youth Sucks!

Won’t talk much here for I invite you for some Chinese New Year visual enjoyment. The following photos were taken by Alex, my primary and secondary school mate. He managed to capture most parts where people tend to overlook during the occasion. Things which are so common where nobody would notice become something spectacular, something full of untold stories through his lenses. If you haven’t experience Chinese New Year before, I mean the colourful Malaysian way, you should really check those photos out. For me, the photos bring out a lot of my childhood memories.

So what do you think about his photos? Any comments? What are your CNY memories?

• Have You Noticed Before?
• This Chinese New Year…
• One World One Dream
• Blogging Secret: What Do We Have Here?