SELAMAT HARI KEBANGSAAN!

HERE'S WISHING EVERYBODY A HAPPY AND PEACEFUL HARI KEBANGSAAN!

One of the rare times when a langur at the Botanical Garden, Penang, is on the ground but this one obliged in celebration of Hari Kebangsaan!

THE MONKEYS OF THE BOTANICAL GARDEN, PENANG

Residents of Penang Island have the tendency to take the monkeys in the Botanical Garden for granted. We often marvel at the way tourists fuss over the monkeys and are seemingly overwhelmed at the sight of these little creatures. Penang residents don't give them a second glance.
The macaque, the more common of 2 types of monkeys found in the Botanical Garden in Penang, can be quite intimidating. The macaques can be quite a nuisance because they have become less frightened of people through the years and also they have become quite aggressive because people have been feeding and taunting them. If you are with a child be wary because the macaque is inclined to charge at the child if she has food in her hand. I have personally seen a troop of macaques dashing across the path of a small group of children, snatch an ice-cream cone from one of the children's hands and vanish into the bushes even before the child knew that his ice-cream cone had been hijacked by the monkey. The macaques are particularly inclined to pick on women and children!


The second type of monkey in the Botanical Garden in Penang is the langur or the leaf monkey. In the wild they live in the middle and upper canopies in the forest. They are found in South East Asia and India. They do not communicate as much as the other animals but they use loud calls to keep the troops apart. The langurs do not move around much due to their diets, they usually have to sit around to let their food digest. These monkeys are more shy than the macaques and are seldom seen on the ground. In fact a lot of Penangites have not been aware of their presence in the Garden at all. They feed on the young leaves and flowers of some of the trees in the Garden and their feeding habit is characterized by their messy "table manners", leaving a carpet of unwanted leaves on the ground. However, these monkeys are shy and mild-mannered and not at all quarrelsome, unlike the macaques. On the rare occasions when they make an appearance, even the locals are fascinated by them. While the macaques are well-known for hissing and spitting at one another, there has not been any evidence of macaques quarrelling with langurs.

IS THERE A GOD?

"Question with boldness even the existence of God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear." - Thomas Jefferson

PENANG WATER CRISIS?

According to today's Star, "China Press reported that Penang Water Supply Corporation general manager Datuk Liew Chook San dug a well in his house after three dams in Penang recorded low levels. Liew said he had dug the well as a precaution against water shortage as the water levels at the three dams - Air Itam, Teluk Bahang and Mengkuang - in Penang had dropped to 30% of capacity. Liew, however assured the islanders that there was enough water for them."
It would appear that Penang Water Supply Corporation general manager himself did not believe what he said when he assured Penang residents that "there was enough water for them" when he found it necessary to dig a well in his own house. I would expect him to warn Penang residents of the impending water crisis first if the situation was so serious that he needed to dig a well in his own house as a precautionary measure. How can Penang residents have confidence in the assurance of a general manager who doesn't believe in himself? This could qualify as the joke of the year!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1.Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him.

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure grief and move on.The only person who is with us our entire life is God. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health. If it is good, preserve it. If is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: LIFE IS NOT MEASURED BY THE NUMBER OF BREATHS WE TAKE BUT BY THE MOMENTS THAT TAKE OUR BREATH AWAY!

TV AD's

The thing that irritates me most about watching tv is the commercial break and I am especially irked by the bland and unimaginative advertisements that we have to put up with just so that we can enjoy sit-coms that become disjointed because of these advertisements. However, I was pleasantly surprised by 2 advertisements from Astro which are not only a welcome intermission but are, surprisingly, quite entertaining. I am referring to the advertisement for the Astro decoder at 50% discount where the poor son is the victim of a fearsome mother and a bullying wife ("Hello, Astro ah?") and the other one is about a group of friends watching a football match when the transmission suddenly goes off (Astro bill didn't pay ah?). Every time these two advertisements are aired, I find it easy to forgive them for interrupting my tv viewing pleasure. I feel that the people behind them have done a very good job, unlike the shampoo advertisements which are not only bland but also show no originality. I think the shampoo companies should ask Astro who conceived their advertisements for them!

SONGBIRDS AT SUNSET

I managed to get a Solitudes CD, Songbirds at Sunset, at Tower Records, Gurney Plaza for RM64.90. On the internet the same CD was offered for sale at USD15.95, not including postage. I thought it was rather pricey at RM64.90 and I thought it was so because of the limited demand for this type of music but according to the lady cashier they had sold quite a good number of these Solitudes CD's. I was rather surprised to hear this. There are 6 tracks with a program time of 63:01. "Like the warm hues of a setting sun, the lingering voices of songbirds glow in the company of piano, violin, cello and flute."
Track 1: Evening Air 12:08
Track 2: A Most Perfect Stillness 7:35
Track 3: Softly Into The Night 9:48
Track 4: Reminiscing 12:46
Track 5: Afterglow 10:37
Track 6: Deep Twilight 10:02

MUSIC TO SOOTHE THE MIND

As in their flight the birds of song
Halt here and there in sweet and sunny dales,
But halt not overlong;
The time one rural song to sing
They pause; then following bounteous gales
Steer forward on the wing;
Sun-servers they, from first to last,
Upon the sun they wait
To ride the sailing blast.
--Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)


I did not know that such music exists until my daughter-in-law in Chicago sent me a CD of Dan Gibson's Solitudes, Exploring Nature With Music. The title of the album is Songbird Symphony and I enjoy the 8 tracks and program time of 51:20 so much that I am writing this to share with others who appreciate music that is out of the ordinary. Visit www.solitudes.com if you are interested. For those of you unfamiliar with Solitudes, Dan Gibson, a world-renowned naturalist, founded Solitudes Ltd. more than 15 years ago. He used the beautiful sounds of nature that he had collected over a period of 50 years and magically blended them with music composed and performed by talented artistes. If you are in need of music to relax with or to destress you or to help you to sleep more peacefully, Solitudes will be what you are looking for.
Wildlife Species Featured
Track 1: Baltimore Oriole 8:24
Track 2: Hermit Thrush 6.19
Track 3: Scarlet Tanager, Pileated Woodpecker, Red Squirrel, Swamp Sparrow, Woodpecker (drilling), White-throated Sparrow 5:54
Track 4: Yellow-rumped Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler 5:37
Track 5: Gray Catbird 6:24
Track 6: Veery, Gray Tree Frog 4:47
Track 7: Winter Wren, Common Crow, Magnolia Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, Canada Warbler, Blue Jay, Ovenbird 6:53
Track 8: Wood Thrush, Canada Warbler 7:00
Listening Instructions:
For the most relaxing effect, this album should be played in a quiet atmosphere with the volume and tone controls set at a moderate level that is in keeping with nature's ambience.

FLOWERS OF HOTEL EQUATORIAL, CAMERON HIGHLANDS

All the photographs of flowers here were taken in the compound of Hotel Equatorial, Cameron Highlands. We drove up to the highlands via the Simpang Pulai road and found that the time saved was approximately one and a half hours as compared to the journey via Tapah. The road was more pleasant to travel on, too, minus the scary ravines we saw when we travelled via Tapah. We had not been to Cameron Highlands for more than five years and were surprised to see the vast amount of farming being done compared to the past. Today quite a lot of flower and strawberry farms come right down to the edge of the road. In the past, one would have to go off the main road and drive into one of the narrow off-roads in order to visit a farm. Now the flower beds are almost next to the road. In the hotel we read in the newspapers that the water sources in the highlands were quite polluted and when we expressed our apprehension about drinking water from the tap in the hotel to the staff, we were assured that the hotel water was safe because it was filtered.

GREEN HEIGHTS & ISLAND PARK, PENANG, SHROUDED IN HAZE!

View taken from the 7th floor of the new apartment block in Island Park, Penang.


View of Island Park and beyond taken from the same vantage point.

View of the 3 Kingfisher apartment blocks and also the Jay Series apartments in Greenlane Heights.


General view of the apartment blocks in Greenlane Heights and Island Park.

THE HAZE: CAN IT GET ANY WORSE IN PENANG?

View (?) of the road leading to Bukit Jambul from the hill slope at Yeap Chor Ee Road.

Look at the sun! According to the newspapers many people in Selangor have booked hotel rooms in Penang for the weekend, hoping to escape the haze over there. It's ironical that when they arrive here they will discover that they have jumped from the frying pan into the fire!

You can see that the situation is getting worse. The smell of ash is getting stronger and if you stay outdoors for some time you feel heavy in the head and breathing becomes harder. I could spend a few minutes outdoors without a mask taking some photographs before I felt uncomfortable and wanted to get into my car again!

THE HAZE IN PENANG HAS BECOME WORSE!

Looks like the haze is getting thicker. The smell of ash in the air is getting stronger and visibility is getting worse.

LOOKS LIKE THE HAZE IN PENANG IS HERE TO STAY!

Woke up this morning and found the haze worse than what it was yesterday afternoon. We won't be able to go out for our morning walk and most probably will be confined to the house the whole day. Eating is going to be a problem because we are so used to eating out and going out to eat in this haze is not a good idea.

Discus: King of the Aquarium Fishes

The discus is considered by many fish keeping enthusiasts as the most respected and desirable of all the aquarium fishes. It originates from the Amazon River in South America and was first brought to the attention of aquarists in the early 1930's. After 70 years in the hobby, the discus is still an expensive fish but breeding them is no longer considered well nigh impossible.

THE HAZE HAS COME TO PENANG!

The photographs were taken from my upstairs front window and also from the upstairs back balcony at 3.40 p.m. today. I was reading the Star this morning about our Chief Minister saying that Penang would be expecting the haze to turn up in the next few days. Looks like it has decided to turn up earlier than he thought. When we went out for our morning walk today, around 9.30 a.m., the haze was evident when we looked towards the hills but it was not as bad as it is now. I suppose we'll have to go out and get some masks before the situation becomes worse and there is a mad rush for them.

LONG IN THE TOOTH

If you look up the idiomatic phrase "long in the tooth" in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary the meaning given is "rather old". I first came across this phrase a long time ago when I was in Form 5 and the origin of this idiomatic phrase had always puzzled me until recently. At my age, living examples of "long in the tooth" keep cropping up and staring me in the face and while I am now more enlightened, I have also become more apprehensive. The nagging fear that one fine day I will be, literally, "long in the tooth" haunts me. Not long ago I met an old acquaintance at a wedding dinner and while we were standing hardly 3 feet apart swapping tales of days gone by, I became aware of the fact that one of his canine teeth was at least one and a half times longer than the other teeth. It suddenly dawned on me that I was staring at a living example of "long in the tooth". From that moment onwards I could not concentrate on our conversation. My mind started to wander and I wondered how dreadful he would look if both his canine teeth were equally long. He would look exactly like Dracula! Since then I have come across a few more examples of people of my age group who are showing signs of being literally "long in the tooth". If that happens to me one day, I promise to post a photograph of myself in this blog, showing why being "long in the tooth" means "rather old".

CHANGING ROLES

A man was sick and tired of going to work every day while his wife stayed at home.
He wanted her to see what he went through so he prayed,
"Dear Lord, I go to work every day and put in 8 hours while my wife stays at home.
I want her to know what I go through,
So please allow her body to switch with mine for a day. Amen"
God, in his infinite wisdom, granted the man his wish.
The next morning, sure enough, the man awoke as a woman.
He arose, cooked breakfast for his mate;
Awakened the kids, set out their clothes, fed them breakfast,
Packed their lunches,
Drove them to school, came home and picked up the dry cleaning,
Took it to the cleaners, and stopped at the bank to make a deposit,
Went grocery shopping, then drove home to put away the groceries,
Paid the bills and balanced the checkbook.
He cleaned the cat's litter box and bathed the dog.
Then it was 1 p.m. and he hurried to make the beds,
Do the laundry, vacuum, dust and sweep and mop the kitchen floor.
Drove to school to pick up the kids
And got into an argument with them on the way home.
Set out the milk and cookies and got the kids organised to do their homework.
Then set up the ironing board and watched TV while he did the ironing.
At 4.30 p.m. he began peeling the potatoes and washing the vegetables for salad,
Breaded the pork chops and snapped fresh beans for supper.
After supper, he cleaned the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, folded the laundry,
Bathed the kids and put them to bed.
At 9 p.m. he was exhausted and, though his daily chores weren't finished,
He went to bed where he was expected to make love,
Which he managed to get through without complaint.
The next morning, he awoke and immediately knelt by the bed and said,
"Lord, I don't know what I was thinking.
I was so wrong to envy my wife being able to stay at home all day.
Please, oh please, let us trade back."
The Lord, in his infinite wisdom, replied,
"My son, I feel you have learned your lesson
And I will be happy to change things back to the way they were.
You'll just have to wait nine months though. You got pregnant last night."

Arowanas

On the evening of 10th September 2001 we boarded the Amtrak at Chicago Union station, bound for Washington DC, a journey of 16.5 hours. After travelling for 13 hours the train came to a dead stop somewhere in Virginia and did not move for nearly 3 hours. When we enquired what the matter was, the conductor was of no help, other than telling us that if we were in a hurry we could get off the train and find our own way. I took out my little transistor radio which I had bought in Malaysia and searched for one of the FM stations and it was then that we learnt about the tragedy of 11th September 2001. After coming back from the States we decided to stop travelling for a while and I took up fish-keeping, a favourite hobby of mine in my youth. I started with "flower-horns" since those were the craze at that time and ultimately switched to arowanas, discus fish, marine fish and also planted aquarium. I had two 5'x2.5'x2' aquariums custom-made at the cost of RM2350 for my Indonesian Chilli Red and my Malaysian x-back, in addition to several other smaller aquariums of varying sizes. I was deeply into this hobby for 1.5 years before I sold everything and started travelling again. I miss the hobby and the photographs of my arowanas bring back fond memories.