one deep thought

Update

2010-09-07T11:31:00.001+08:00

Wow, time really pass by very fast. It’s been nearly three months since this blog was last updated. I apologize for that. Since then, so many things have happened.

Ramadan have arrived, with it, the bazaar Ramadan which offer plenty of food that may make you drool and empty your pocket at the same time. I have already visited the bazaar Ramadan in Sri Serdang and spend a fortune there. Raya is coming soon this weekend (and I’ll be back at Pg celebrating it.).

Also, I’m back to being a student (this time with a better financial resources :P). But instead of just studying, there are more work to do, including assisting in class and lab work.

I also noticed that a lot of people are graduating already (with mine coming very soon, in October). Wonder why UPM’s convocation is so late for this year.

That is all for now.

Nostalgic

2010-06-16T22:19:00.001+08:00

While having nothing to do this evening, I went through the previous posts that I had post on this blog since December 2007 till today. So far, there is already 133 posting, not including this one.

As I went through them, I saw so many different stuffs that I sometimes forget or didn’t even realise. For one, there have been so many different way of posting, so many different topics.

Sometimes, it is like a diary, giving details of the days and months that I have been through. Sometimes, it is my expression, giving me an alternative to release what I was feeling then. Sometimes, it is story-telling, showing you guys some tales that I wish to tell.

Viewing all this posting gave me a sense of walking down memory lane, realising how much time have fly by this few years, how much I have changed, how much different things was then and now and what that remain the same even after all these while.

Nostalgic feelings…

Modern-Traditional Fusion

2010-06-12T15:59:00.001+08:00

Somewhere last week, my friend invite me to accompany her to go see an acupuncturist She was suffering from some joint pain after accidentally injuring her arm while working and thought of going for the traditional treatment. I decided to follow that night.

When one mentioned a Chinese traditional practitioner, it come into mind the old shop setting with the various types of plant and herbal parts in glass containers and compartment. Then, there is the typical medicinal smell, the old fashion weight and abacus, the near naked human body chart in Chinese writing, plus the old white bearded man who is there to treat you. And also, there is the aunties and uncles who are visiting the shop to get treatment and medicinal supplies. These “yeok theam” have been part of the local Chinese cultural heritage, where one will visit at least once in his/her lifetime (unless he or she believes fully in panadols, paint-killers, aspirin and western medicine).

While in Penang and when i was small, it is one of the my favourite places to visit due to its wide varieties of Chinese and Taiwanese sweets (yum!) and condiments that they sold and the sight of things that you don’t usually see in the supermarket.

But this one in Serdang was different.

Not only was it not in the typical old setting, it is actually in a house, which is big enough to be qualified for a small bungalow. Missing were the medicinal cupboard and compartments but a small glass display closet with the medicinal supplies. Through they are the traditional Chinese medicine, but it is not as how i expected it is. In the house’s compound where we wait are the typical crowd, including a very old uncle (which i think i admired as the symbol of longevity). While my friend waited for her acupuncture treatment, i manage to see another patient get treated with the needles.

One modern touched that i saw was the need to sterilize the needles with alcohol, very modern ! Then, the “tabib” (who was not what i imagined to be like since he looked more like the Chinese version of Datuk Zaid Ibrahim; more white hair than white beard) then come and inserted the needle into the vital areas. But what come next was really a shocker (literally).

The guy then went into the house and took out some instrument, which i later found to be a small electric current generator which give out minute amount of electric. He used the “clip buaya” (remember from Form 4 and 5 Datin’s Physics class ?) to connect the machine to the needles. Then, the current flowed from the device to the patient’s body. All the while, my mind was kept thinking about the patient being electrocuted (or at least with all her hair standing). But in the end, all is well and the patient seem to be satisfied with the treatment. My friend also seem fine with it.

Come to think of it, was this acupuncture or acupuncture-physiotherapy ? A mix of tradition and modernity indeed.

Bus Ride

2010-06-07T01:12:00.001+08:00

By now, I have already entered my third week of work. Things seem to be getting more and more familiar by now. Most of the jobs are lab work, office errands and online.

To get to work and by from it, I currently used the public bus to travel. Usually in the morning, it is Metro 17 at around 7.35-7.40am while in the evening, it is RapidKL U416 at around 6.30-6.40pm. So far the bus service have been good, that is if you arrive on time.

By now, I begin to notice the familliar faces on the bus. There are those who wait for the bus with me during the mornings. Then, there are those who will get down from the bus at certain area. One guy and a lady will drop by at UPM with me. There are the McD workers too that went down at Sri Serdang. For the bus back, there are the usual secondary school student who will packed the bus to the brim. And they will go down at certain road in groups. By now, I can recognise them. I wonder do they recognise me too.

So here were are, a routine that emerge in my daily live, the bus ride.

Work

2010-06-01T15:04:00.001+08:00

Finally, after a month of chaotic schedule, that i managed to get the time to blog. In within this one month, many things have happen.

First of all, I finished my industrial training. After four months of working, finally it is all over. Time seem to fly by. Then, there were the one week rush to hand in all the reports regarding our internship. After that, i went back to Penang to take a rest with my family. Now, i am back in UPM, preparing for my Masters and at the same time becoming a research assistant. It’s been two weeks already that i got this job. So far, it is still ok but i seem kind of loss at times, since i am working in something that i am not very familiar with.

This really give me the impression that i am already working already (it is part time, by the way). Every morning, i woke up at 6.15am, got ready and take a 10 minutes walk to the bus stop by 7.00am. Then, there is the wait for the bus, which usually will arrive around 7.40am. Work starts at 8.00am and end around 5.00pm. Then, i hang around the faculty until the 6.40pm bus arrived. Then, back at home, it is rest rest and rest. This have been my routine these days.

That is all for now. Signing off.

Tree origin

2010-04-19T15:58:00.001+08:00

Finally, my internship is over. Now, I am unofficially a university graduate (not to mention, an unemployed). This week, to commemorate my internship in Taman Botani Putrajaya, I will show you something that I have learn here: the importance of plants in our lives. The most simplest way to show you about this relationship is by the usage of plant names for location in our country. Here are some examples:

Simpang Pulai, Perak from the Pulai tree (Alstonia angustiloba), a timber tree.

Sungkai, Perak after the Sungkai tree (Peronema canescens), also a timber tree.

Jelutong, Penang from the Jelutong tree (Dyera costulata), another tall timber tree.

The state of Melaka, after the tree that Parameswara rested under, the Melaka tree (Phyllanthus emblica). The fruit of the tree can be eaten.

Alor Setar, in Kedah after the Setar or Kundang tree (Bouea macrophylla), which fruit is also edible.

Ipoh, Perak. Named after the Ipoh tree (Antiaris toxicaria), which latex is poisonous.

Kulim, Kedah after the Kulim tree (Scorocarpus borneensis).

Not to forget, Penang, after the palm Pinang (Areca catechu).

This is all for now. Signing off.

P.S.: Happy Birthday, KG

Walking an unknown path

2010-04-10T10:54:00.001+08:00

   This coming week will be the last week of my internship. So fast have four months pass by. It felt just like yesterday when I got my ID badge at the Perbadanan Putrajaya HQ.

   Then again, come to think of it, it was like just a little while ago that i was rushing my final year project and thesis…just a while ago when I forcefully woke up at 6.45am in the morning to go to 8am classes…just a while ago when I “rushed and battled” my way to get onto the university bus…just a while ago when I went to the farms in university to tend to plants…just a while ago when I go to labs to do experiments…just a while ago when I sat for tests and exams.

   And it was a while longer when I got on the NICE express bus that brought me here in UPM. Now, i am on the verge of graduation (one of the earliest to start but the longest to finish, I think).

   Honestly, I don’t really know what to do now. While most will enter the job market, I think I will take the path that few will take, postgraduate studies. Among my friends here, I am one of three who think of doing so. Things here seem to be so different from four month ago.

   Then, i still recognise most of the faces in the faculty, most of them my course mates. Now, the people here seem so different and i barely know them. Then, I got lecturers who know me well and who I am close to but now, some of them seem to be retiring. Then, I know every curve and crooked parts of the faculty, now it was repaired and it seem so foreign to me.

   What the path that appear in front of me seem to be very alien and unknown. Yet, it seem to be the path that i am going to take.

Music…

2010-04-05T08:33:00.001+08:00

While thinking of the future, i pondered upon the past. How ? Well, i was screening through my list of songs that i have in my laptop. Suddenly, i come upon one song after another that i listened throughout the years.

Much of my early years was “music-less” since don’t really listen to much of it but it developed somewhere along the way. There was Love is in the Air by John Paul Young which i first listened on TV during the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics in 2000. There was also Falling in Love with You from Disney’s Lilo & Stich, I say a Little Prayers for You from My Best Friend’s Wedding, Here with Me from Roswell (TV2) and Mumbo No. 5 on NTV7.

During national service, my Sony Walkman was an important asset that I kept close to (remember it, ITCH ? ), there was songs like Come Clean by Hillary Duff , Bad Day by Daniel Powder and Crazy by Gnarls Barkley. For much of the Form 6 , i don’t really listen much but i remember most of my friends do (IL, KG, ITCH, right ?).

Then, there is I’m like a Bird by Nelly Furtado, Stars Are Blind by Paris Hilton, Unwell by Matchbox 20, In the Shadows by The Rasmus and A Public Affair by Jessica Simpsons from my first year in university life. During the second and third year, there was Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis, Stop and Stare by One Republic, I’m Yours by Jason Miraz, If I Were a Boy by Beyonce and many more. During the last year and now, there are Love Song by Sara Bareilles, Love Story, You Belong to Me by Taylor Swift, Meet Me Halfway and Gotta Feeling by Black Eye Peas and Party in the USA by Mylie Cyrus.

Hearing these songs sure reminds one that time past so fast. Those wonderful years and sweet memories, making me wonder what the future holds. That is all for now. Signing off.

P.S.: Sorry for not updating much. Didn’t have much will or mood to do so (well, most blogs that i followed are not updated too, with some suddenly gone extinct or in coma…). Beside, now i am being in the last phase of my internship (which is the busiest, since there are stuff that must be finished before it end).

Going bananas

2010-03-17T10:40:00.001+08:00

Starting from today, i would like to share some of the beautiful and unique plants available in Taman Botani Putrajaya, where I am doing my internship and maybe include some other plants that worth mentioning. Here we go:

From far, you would recognise that this is a banana tree. And you are right, it is a banana tree. Most people don’t realize that banana is one of the native plant of Malaysia and the surrounding tropical region. We have some of the most diverse species of bananas in the world. There are pisang berangan, pisang awak, pisang tanduk, pisang montel and so on and on. But this is not your ordinary banana…

As you look closer, the leafs look different, like it is tainted. You might think that it is diseased or having some weird growth. But this is not the case…

If you look underneath it, it is reddish too. This is totally different from the banana that you see nearby your house or in the kampung…

Well, this plant is called the Blood Banana or Pisang Darah (Musa sumatrana), one of the many wild banana that originated from Tropical Asia. It is named so for its naturally occurring red spots on its leaves that look like blood. While it doesn’t have any value for food, it is treasured for its ornamental value and unique leaves. Bloody you might think…

That is all for now. Signing off.

Herbal Garden

2010-03-10T23:00:00.001+08:00

Currently in my internship, my task is to create a herbs garden in the garden. So far, we have analyze the area, did some ground work to make the beds with wooden railway sleeper, install the irrigation system and make a selection of plants to be planted in the area. Here are some pictures of it:

As you can see, the basic design is there already. The trail had already being set up.

Here is the Balinese-style pavillion near the enterance

More of the view. The plants here are there already when we first came in. Some will be relocated according to the design.

At work, installing the irrigation system.

View of the start of the trail.

The launching date for the garden will be around mid of April. This is all for now. Stay tune to find out more of what is happening to this place. Signing off.

P.S.: HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYM

CNY 2010

2010-03-08T13:49:00.001+08:00

After the last two weeks, finally i am off from my holiday mood. I spend quite some time back home in Penang this CNY. A week of holiday during the first few days of CNY which include a balik kampung trip to Sanglang, Perlis. Balik kampung is my annual trip back to my dad’s origin. There, we usually stay at the house and live the kampung life. Included is the abundance of seafood. Here are some pics to recap it:

On the way

About to reach, crossing the bridge at Kampung Sanglang

Reach d

Yummy deep fried mantis prawn

Sweet n sour fish, freshly caught

The local version of lobak, which is steam first and deep fried. Also added is salted egg yolk

The sambal belacan, i swear by it !

Some of the kampung view

If that is not enough, I got back the following weekend from work for Chap Goh Meh and also the once every twelve years, Tua Pek Kong Procession. I watched with my family near the Jalan Zainal Abidin junction. It was quite crowded, as Penangites came out in droves to view it, the next time being 2022. Here are the photos that i have taken. Too bad it is not clear.

That is all for now. Now getting back to work mode. Signing off.

P.S.: Good luck, ITCH on your new job !!!

My CNY

2010-02-20T12:47:00.001+08:00

This week have been a busy week, since it is Chinese New Year. First it is the annual migration back to my hometown, Penang. Unlike the last few years, this year i have to go back at the very last day, just before reunion dinner. While I make preparation early, my journey home was delayed, first by the late arrival of the bus. I have to wait an extra hour in the hot and crowded Puduraya Bus Station before i managed to get on my bus. Then, when everything look like it is going according to plan, i was hit by something i did not expect: traffic jam along PLUS. Imagine spending an hour in the bus only to see the sign Kepong !

After reaching Sungkai (two hours after the bus depart), the driver decided to take the old state roads. Unfortunately, we were met by heavy traffic too at certain section along the journey. But i enjoyed the detour, which take us pass through the small towns around Perak like Sungkai, Bidor, Tapah, Tenoh, Kampar, Batu Karang and Jeram. I have always like to enter small town such as this, hoping to be able to explore them for historical value and delicious food. It took us 4 hours before we exited Gopeng and pass through Ipoh through PLUS highway. From there, the journey was smooth. I reached home by 6.30pm, just in time for reunion dinner. As every year, it is the steamboat. This year, we added popiah and shark fin soup (to the environmentalist, don’t worry, it is the fake shark fin…).

On the first day of new year, as usual, we visited my greatgrandma. This time at her “new house” (the temple opposite Padang Brown). We brought along some of her favourite stuff too. My grandfather (my mom’s side) tablet is also around there too. Later, it was Steamboat Round 2 for dinner. On the second day, went to visit my godfather before going for Steamboat Round 3 at my relative’s place.

After that, it is time to balik kampung. I will cover it in the next post. That is all for now.

To give you a better visual, I “Google-earth”ed this. The towns that we pass by are shown with yellow pins. The purple line is the PLUS Highway route.

Changes

2010-02-11T22:05:00.001+08:00

Just make some “spring cleaning” around this blog. Have been a year already remain unchanged. Start to feel the approaching CNY already. Keep telling myself that i will be going back this Saturday morning. Mom have been phoning, keeping me updated the progress at home. Also brought honey mandarins yesterday to give to colleagues at my work place. Now, looking forward to finish work tomorrow and start packing up.

Signing off for the last time this “year”

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR !!!

Wish you all the best in the coming year !!!

As CNY approach…

2010-02-09T21:51:00.002+08:00

Chinese New Year is around the corner. This year, i am doing thing a bit more different from the previous years. For one, i will only be back on the last day before the new year, unlike the past where i will be back earlier. This mean no time to help out in the house cleaning and preparation. Guess over the next few years, this will be my trend. Like any filial son, i will be back for the new year, but only a day earlier. Some of my friends got it worse, where they are still on the plane back from East Malaysia on that very day. I am lucky too, to be able to get a week’s break from the place that i work.

Also, i would personally apologize for not sending new year cards this year. For the last decade or so, sending new year cards have been an annual task that i undertake, my signature of wishing others a happy new year. Since i am have been working most of the time, i found it hard to get it all done. Besides, the new year cards this year seem to be disappearing from the shopping malls that i used to buy from. I wonder have everything turn to digital already. I am a fan of the slow mail, i still collect stamps and the cards that you guys send to me still (somewhere in my room :P).

Then, this year will mark the first year, that on the 1st day, CNY will be celebrated at home. No more visiting great-grandma. I hope she is doing well up there, i still remember fondly of her (i dreamed of her in Thailand, which my grandma interpret as her going on vacation with me :P). New year have always been so fun visiting her, this year, it will be different.

Over at work, things are getting busy. Late this month, the park is organizing its biggest event of the year, the Botany Walk “n” Hunt, a programme ala treasure hunt. Also, the mini garden were are tasked to do is gaining momentum. But i enjoy it a lot.

At home, i am starting to clear off some of my stuff, a mini spring cleaning. Also, i am starting the countdown to CNY, where i will be back to Penang this Saturday and back again in KL on the next Sunday.

Until then, signing off.

Daily routine

2010-02-04T23:18:00.001+08:00

Just being back to the Net after a long time. For now, here is the what my daily routine look likes for this semester.

6.20am Wake up

7.00am Start leaving from home

7.15am Breakfast. Usually Wan Tan Mee in a coffee shop near Sri Serdang

8.00am Arrive at Putrajaya Botanical Garden

8.15am Roll call to discuss daily activities. Will proceed with the activities

1.00pm Lunch

2.00pm Back to work

5.15pm Finish work, start journey back home

6.00pm Reach home

7.00pm Dinner

8.00pm House chores, online, watching TV

12.00am Sleep

This is the general outline for my daily routine. Right now, my latest assignment at work is doing plant identification, where we look at a plant, find the correct name and information for it. The task can be easy if the plant is flowering or have distinct features but hard at the same time if there are just only leaves. Even some species look identical, only being different by a very small degree. Other than that, we are designing a mini herbal garden. We have already finish with much of the hardscape which involve the design of the site. Now we are focusing on the softscape, which is the plant to be in it.

That is all for now, signing off.

p.s.: R.I.P. Brother Brendan.

I am back

2010-02-03T00:00:00.001+08:00

After some great effort, i managed to get myself my very first broadband. After a two month hiatus, now i am back online. Yesterday, i went to Kajang to the Celcom service centre to purchase it fro Rm50 a month with RM100 as the registration fee. The speed is good enough to play Facebook and most other sites that i usually go.

Work have been good so far but it isn’t friendly to my pocket. Eating lunch in Putrajaya can cause an enormous hole in your pocket, with some meal reaching RM10. Last weekend, we had a plant sale, where i have to be at the stall for the my shift, telling people about the herbal plants that we have. Also did some demo on how to propagate them and give them to the visitors as a souvenir. So far, i like my job.

At my new home, i am starting to clean up my room in time for CNY, which i am going back to Penang on the 13th February 2010. Also did some work on the back lawn, which is virtually a jungle. Will put up some pictures when i get the chance.

With my new found connection, will try to update this blog as much as possible. Signing off.

Short Update

2010-01-21T11:21:00.001+08:00

Work is quite comfortable, busy preparing for a plant sale at the end of the month. Now looking for broadband. Any suggestion ?

New Year Update

2010-01-04T18:10:00.003+08:00

First of all, Happy (Belated) New Year. I didn't do much this new year accept watching the celebration on TV only. So far, i have entered my 2nd week of internship in Putrajaya Botanical Garden. For the first week, it is mainly just some orientation and introduction, getting to know the place and the stuff. This week, we are moving into a higher gear as assignments have being given by our boss. So far so good. This is all i can post for now as i am running out of time (no internet at house yet). Signing off.

P.S.: I am officially a civil servant !!! (temporary one...)

Bye Bye 2009, Hello 2010

2009-12-28T11:53:00.002+08:00

Well, time to say goodbye to 2009. Here are the words that i think will sum up my year (since i am lazy to post anything), some good and some sad:

Greatgrandma, Thailand, Changkat Bukit Bintang Birthdays, Internship, Thesis, Obama, Economy crisis, Yasmin Ahmad, 15 Malaysia, Teoh Beng Hock, MCA, Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, Euro Deli, Dengue, H1N1.

That is all for now. Will be on and off for these coming week as i will concentrate more on my internship. Signing off.

Happy New Year 2010.

What happen for the last one month

2009-12-24T21:31:00.003+08:00

First of all, i want to apologize for neglecting this blog for the last one month. Being very busy with a lot of matters, all that i recently settled. First, was my thesis. Have to make a few adjustment as my supervisor required before i manage to send to the second reader. By then, i was also busy with my Thailand trip, having going to Kajang to do my passport and also other paper work. Also, i have to move my stuff to my friends house, which i will tumpang for the next 6 months during my internship.

As i finish sending to my second reader and putting all my stuff away, it was already time to go for my Thailand trip. I was excited about it as it was my first trip oversea, also my first time having my own passport and taking the plane. Our group start leaving for LCCT at 3am in the morning from UPM. There, we check in and we start our journey to Bangkok on a 7.15am plane.

Arriving at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, we were greeted by the Kasetsart University students. We were taken to the university which was our base for our whole trip. Here is a summary of what we did from the 1st till 16th.

1st - Arrival. Go to Kasetsart University, an hour from the airport. Unpack, briefing and icebreaking

2nd- Visit the university. Went to the Kasetsart University Agriculture Museum, Faculty of Agriculture, Study Fair, Monument of the 3 Great Founders, the Rain God statue, etc.

3rd- Start journey to the northeastern Thailand in the province of Nakhon Ratchasima. Reach Khao Yai National Park. Went for night animal trekking on a truck. Didn't see the tiger and elephant we expected.

4th - Went on jungle trekking to look for hornbills. Leave for Sakerat Biosphere. Went night insect watching and stargazing

5th-Still at Sakerat, went to Wang Nam Kieo for organic vege farms, mushroom farms.

6th- Travel back to Bangkok. On the way, stop at the thai silk factory. At the faculty, join the Indian Night, the orientation ceremony of the Faculty of Foresty's new students.

7th- Visit to the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Spend time around the temple complex and have lunch by the Chao Phraya river.

8th- Journey to Kamphaeng Saen, where the Faculty of Agriculture is. Visit the fac and the agriculture fair. Eat fry insects and pork skin.

9th- Visit asparagus farm. Went to the city of Nakhon Pathon, where we explore the wet market. Also try thai body massage.

10th- Went to Ayutthaya. Visit the Bang Pa-In Summer Palace. Lunch buffet at the Chao Phraya river. Travel back to Bangkok. Went to Siam Paragon through the BTS trains and Sky Walk.

11th- Journey to Si Racha in Chonburi. Visit green mussel farm and crab farm. Visit night market in Si Racha.

12nd- Visit Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden in Pattaya. Got Thai cultural show and elephant show. Explore beachside in Si Racha.

13th- Travel back to Bangkok. Visit the Chatujak Weekend Market.

14th- Visit to the Faculty of Agriculture in the main campus.

15th- Closing and rap up meeting. Presentation. Visit Faculty of Fisheries. Farewell dinner.

16th- Leave for Kuala Lumpur. End of journey

The following video is a summary of what we did.

After back from Thailand, got back my 2nd draft and bind my thesis. Hand in and get back to Penang for a final break before starting my practical on the 28th. This all for now. Signing off.

What is up ahead...

2009-11-19T19:54:00.001+08:00

First of all, I apologize for not updating my blog. Until recently, I am pre-occupied by my thesis writing, with my first draft just being approved by my supervisor. Now, will combine everything before sending to the second reader tomorrow.

Time really fly when you do not take note of it. I am going to start my final semester soon, which is my practical training. However, in this short period of few weeks, unexpected stuff can happen. For example, the classical case of a “drama”. This “drama” involved a friend which I have quite a cordial relation with, whose behavior turn rather weird and unacceptable.

“Dramas” have been a staple in most people’s life, from the moment you exist till you extinct. As usual, I took the position of the un-opinioned, being just the eyes and ears but never much a part of it. Some people may think this position is being arrogant or manipulative but I find it more calm and peaceful in this chaotic world of ours. It is quite sad to see that a four friendship may turn sour at the very end of what seem to be an unforgettable moment of a university graduate’s life.

On happier note, my trip to Bangkok is becoming a reality. Come this end of November, I will be flying to Kasaesart University in Bangkok for over two weeks. I already make my passport, my very first one, just for the trip. Also, I will be going by Malaysian Airlines.

As for the post that I promised, it have to be delayed as my laptop broke down. The LCD screen had broken, so I can’t see anything on my laptop. For now, I am relying on the faculty’s computer lab and my friends laptop. Will go back to Penang to repair it soon.
That is all for now. Signing off.

View from KB

2009-11-01T17:26:00.000+08:00

Here are some view that you don’t normally see in Penang or the rest of Malaysia, except in KB:

The roadsigns – While it became a uproar in Georgetown when they change the road sign to multiple language ones. In KB, it is all bilingual.

The Advertisement boards - Unlike in Penang or much of Malaysia, the advertisement board here include jawi. And for the one with ladies model ,their head are covered.

The Archway – Noticeable here in KB is its traditional archway, especially near the palace and state government buildings.

The flags – Here the green flag with full moon is much larger than the rest in Penang, oh, and more frequent too.

The Tok Guru is much popular and revered in KB.

Part of the One Malaysia campaign ?

I like this best, since i am in agriculture.

This conclude the Kelantan edition on One-Deep-Thought. It must be boring already reading posts over and over about Kelantan. Coming up, “Phaleanopsis orchid of Ulu Yam”.

Salam Pantai Timur III

2009-10-28T17:32:00.001+08:00

This time i will show you some of the food i brought and eat in KB. This is what i have pictured from my “Kelantan Food Fest” (to the annoyance and protest of my friend).

gelumbang buaya

tapai

Kelantan Food Fest !

The inside of it

mochi ?

some sugarcane candy

Kelantan Food Fest II

Nasi lemak ?

I thought it was akok, but turn out to be something else

ketupat

some glutinous rice

Other than this, we eat many other stuffs too. Some are unfortunately loss from the camera view due to the writer’s stomache cannot “tahan” anymore the desire to eat it. The writer only remember after finishing everything. Here are some of the pictures that the writer manage to salvage.

chicken rice

tosei and roti telur

bah kut teh

yes, McD.

This is all for now. Till next time.

Salam Pantai Timur 2

2009-10-27T17:53:00.001+08:00

Right now, i am in the middle of my final exam. Here is the second part for my Kelantan adventure.

After arriving in KB, we lodge at the hotel. A little rest later, we began to explore the surrounding area for dinner. After a little walk, we arrived at a chinese food court. Surprisingly, the food here is not much different from KL or Penang. I even manage to order Hokkien Mee and Lok Bak. However, the pricing is much like KL.

Yes, bah kut teh is allowed there too !

We began work the next day. My friend’s research area is in Bachok, about 20 minutes drive from where we stay. We did our data collecting and rest for lunch. We went back to the fields until around 6pm before going back KB.

View of Bachok

Part of the field planted with Kenaf

Busy working

This is repeated for the next two days. On Sunday, we finished our job by afternoon. We went for McD (yes Kelantan have it too…). While looking out, I saw a familiar structure which look like a market. Then it strike me, this is it ! That very market pictured over and over in posters and advertisements regarding Kelantan. The Siti Khatijah Market. And it is merely a 5 minutes walk from my room.

A picture to remember

The Siti Khatijah Market centre

Manage to persuade my friend to visit, where i went on a “Kelantan Food Fest” mood. I got back again the next day for what i called “Kelantan Food Fest II” before we start our journey back to KL.

Some of the “Kelantan Food Fest” food

This is all for now. Will give a third part later entitled Salam Pantai Timur III: Kelantan Food Festival. Signing off.

Salam Pantai Timur

2009-10-24T08:07:00.001+08:00

I apologize for taking so long to update my blog but i am running a very tight schedule, with my final year project submission date getting closer and closer. But here goes. My journey to Kelantan was to help out with my friend’s in his research. Beside, I don’t think i will pass out a chance to go to the east coast if there is one presented to me. We begin our journey on Thursday morning from UPM. We made our way along KL and headed towards Bentong, which at the foothill of Genting Highlands.

From Bentong, we enter to the town of Raub, the place famous for its groundnuts, gold, koko plantation and not to forget Y.B. Datuk Ng Yen Yen, our current Minister of Tourism.

A glimpse of Raub

More view

And from Raub, we pass through several small towns and villages with names that I rarely heard like Sg. Gali, Dong, Kampung Pasu, etc. Unlike the PLUS highway, the East Coast Highway is more lively as there are various houses and school all around here. But one thing that i can’t help to notice is the number of cemeteries that we pass through. I counter at least 4 hills of it.

Reaching Kuala Lipis

A long road behind

Then we pass by Kuala Lipis. From here, we headed to the Pahang-Kelantan border, reaching at Gua Musang in Kelantan. Along the way, it is mostly plantation of rubber and oil palm. It also become more hilly as we go up and down the long winding road.

Our first sign of reaching Kelantan

Gua Musang hilly area.

At the town of Gua Musang, we made out straight to Kota Bharu, passing several places that also have names that I hear much before. The only famous ones are Manek Urai, Kuala Krai and Kubang Kerian

The journey continues

After 7 long hours in the van, we finally reached Kota Bharu. We made our way to a local motel, called MGU Kooperasi Hotel (MGU=Majlis Guru Agama), located near the junction between Jalan Pintu Pong and Jalan Kebun Sultan.

Kota Bharu, at last !

I will stop here for now. I need to prepare for my final class field trip, which will start in an hour time. We are going to an orchid farm in Ulu Yam which specialize in the genus Phaleonopsis (the Ladies’ Slipper Orchid). Next post, my culture shock experience in Kelantan.

I’m Back.

2009-10-20T15:44:00.001+08:00

Just got back from Kota Bharu, Kelantan. Had a wonderful trip there, full with eye opening experiences. Also got an unexpected detour to Cameron Highland during our trip back to KL. Will blog about it soon. Stay tune. Signing off.

All System…Go…

2009-10-14T16:47:00.001+08:00

Food (especially those from the “tak halal” and “budaya barat”)…check

Clothes (especially long sleeves and those “menutup aurat”)….....check

Toothbrush, Hair and Body Shampoo, Conditioner, Towel ………..check

The iconic blue handkerchiefs (see the “s”)………………..………..check

Equipment for research (including pencil, pen, glove, saw)…..…..check

Money (for Mega Sales, Pasar Malam, souvenir shopping)…..…..check

Tudung………..…………………………………………………………..choi

Culture Shock Mentality……………………………………………….check

Novels to cover the no entertainment outlets ruling…………………..check

ALL SYSTEM GO !!!

GOING TO KELANTAN!!!

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!!!

An evening on the golf course

2009-10-13T09:42:00.001+08:00

Last Wednesday, my class went for a field trip in the Saujana Impian Golf & Country Resort, Kajang. We visit the golf course to find out some of the information on how to manage and run a golf course. Apparently, it isn’t easy. Maintenance of the grass is very important to the golf course. Some part of the course, the grass need to be cut daily, especially the green.

The course is divided into 18 holes. Each hole starts from the tee box, where you start the game by hitting the golf ball. Your destination is the green, the place where the hole with the flag is. In between both is the fairway. Certain parts of it, there will be some sort of traps called bunkers or roughs. It may be some bushy area, sandy pit or a water body. The goal of the game is to hit the golf ball to the hole in the green with as little times as possible.

Here are some pictures taken from there:

Part of the course.

View of the course.

A sand bunker

Golfers in action.

Briefing on golf course management.

This is all for now. Will be heading to Kelantan this Thursday until next week to helping out in my friend’s research there. This will be my first trip to the east coast of the Peninsula. Hopefully will be able to get some nice pictures to share with you guys.

More updating.

2009-10-06T16:18:00.001+08:00

Tomorrow will be going to Saujana Golf and Country Resort, Kajang for a class trip. Will be looking at how a golf course is managed.

Also, will be running my final round experiment for my final year project. After that, will be focusing on writing and how to answer to my supervisor why i didn’t visit him for almost two months already (ironically, i meet him at Mines Shooping Fair not too long ago…).

For the Bangkok trip, already handle in the proposal to the faculty already. Now just need the approval from the faculty, UPM administration and Kasetsat University, Bangkok before going to the nearest Air Asia counter (plus also the Immigration Department to do my very first passport :P ).

That is all for now. Going to class now.

Update

2009-10-02T03:15:00.001+08:00

Right now, going through one of the busiest period in my life.

Finals is starting this end of the month. This will be the last time i will sit for written exam since this is my last theoretical semester. Feeling very emotional about this.

Assignments are still everywhere, with one experiment to carry out, a orchid portfolio to be done and many reports that need to be hand in soon.

Meanwhile, my final year project is still on going (my 3rd and last round analysis will be carried out next week). After that, the data need to be compiled and analyse. Thesis haven’t progress much but i need to submit my first draft very soon.

Then, for my practical, got my confirmation letter already. I will be posted to the Putrajaya Botanical Garden. I will report in for duty this December 28th. Now trying to find a place to stay near Putrajaya.

Also, I may be going to Bangkok this December as a part of a faculty study trip. We are in the planning stage and I am one of the secretaries that deal with it. If everything goes well, I will be in LCCT this December 8th.

This all for now, signing off. And also Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to all.

49 Days

2009-09-27T13:28:00.001+08:00

Recently, I went back to Penang for my great grandmother’s 49th days ceremony (It was on Wednesday). We went to a temple next to Convent Dato Keramat (opposite Padang Brown), where her tablet is being placed for the time being. It will be there for about a year before they can transfer her tablet to the Koay Kongsi Ancestral Temple.

For the ritual, we brought along foods that are her favourites when she was around, which include agar-agar (chai en), butter cake, pig intestine soup (too thor thean), belacan chicken, Mamee vegetarian noodle (hor chiou mee), etc. Also available were vegetarian food (prepared by the temple management).

While waiting for her to “enjoy” her meal, we and our relatives gathered around and chat. Also on the slot were a “lucky draw”, where the sons and daughters of my great grandmother distribute her remaining “belonging” (pun keh hui).

After a while, we “asked” her if she finished her meal already (puak puei) by tossing two 5o cent coins. A head and a tail represents that she has finish while two same side represent she still need more time. We got two heads, so must have mean she need more time. Guess she must be happy to see so many of us around…she always like family gatherings…Only did we ask a second time later that we got a nod to proceed ahead.

Later, we burn some offerings including gold and silver paper (kim chuah, gin chuah), hell bank notes (it really look like Malaysian ringgit, with the values from $1 to $8,000,000,000.) and the yellow “passports”. Then, we all eat the food that we used as offerings (as a sign of receiving her blessings).

After a little more chat, we finally made our journey home. Before that, my mom did show me my grandfather’s tablet, which is placed in this temple too. This was the first time I know about it. Funny how much things still remain unknown, even after all these years.

*pardon me if my hokkien translation is incorrect.

Flash Flood

2009-09-24T23:46:00.001+08:00

While back in Penang, its been raining nearly everyday. Me and my family were heading downtown to Prangin Mall when we were meet by flash flood towards Magazine Road. The water level is not alarming but already reaching the doors of some of the old houses already.

In the car, my modern brain was thinking about global warming and its effects to the climate. The climate these days were so unpredictable. Awhile it is so hot that it can cook a sunny side up egg, then it is raining cold before it changes again. Then there came the view that Malaysian “longkang” is always stuck and the government is planning the drainage properly.

Then, suddenly, my mom pop up something unexpected. As a kid living in this part of the town, she remembers that flash floods have been apart of life whenever it rains. But instead of being confine to the house, she and the rest of the family kids will be busy folding paper ships at the very instance it started to rain. In her own words, “we were so hardworking folding paper ship whenever it rains”.

And as the back lane started to flood, they will release the paper ships and see whose will sail the furthest or longest. They release as many paper ship as they can fold. It is something simple yet fun. I am sure my mom and other kids enjoyed it very much, a little distraction from the hardship and routines of daily life. But as society progress, such things seem to disappear. I myself never had the chance to do so.

So, while others view flash flood as just a nuisance, i think it can be fun too (but precaution must be taken, of course). For some, it can be a journey down memory lane.

Pondering

2009-09-11T04:17:00.001+08:00

As a departure from my usual show and tell pictures, here is a little insight from my deep thoughts. For the past two months, I have been seeing people that I know graduating (thru Facebook, most of them…). My seniors in UPM have already graduated. So does my SXI classmates in USM, UM, AIMST, etc. Even iL, have already graduated too and working already (congrats and sorry for not attending). So it seem that I am one of the few who still remain undergraduate. It is not that i am very eager to graduate but like most of those who had already, I am pondering about the future.

What will i be ?

Will i get a job ?

What is my next step ?

When my cousin ask me during my trip back to KL from my great grandma’s funeral, i find myself deep in the mist.

So far, my only idea is to further my tertiary education, for my Masters. But is that the only plan i have available ? What about after that ?

I ponder…

Floria 2009 (Part 2) – Flowers, Landscapes and Landmarks

2009-09-09T16:33:00.001+08:00

Here are the other part of the pictures taken from the Putrajaya Floral Festival.

Flowers

(Mostly Orchids)

Landscape

An underwater world made of flowers.

A flower octopus.

More landscape.

A view from the Johor Pavilion.

A closer look.

From the inside.

A sample garden landscape

Landmarks of Putrajaya

(Seen from the venue)

The latest addition to the Putrajaya landscape, the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque a.k.a the “Steel Mosque”.

Another futuristic landmark of Putrajaya, the Millennium Monument.

View from the Monument. The Seri Wawasan Bridge with the Seri Perdana and Putrjaya Mosque on the right.

That is all for now. Signing off.

Great Grand’s Wake and Funeral

2009-09-01T08:58:00.001+08:00

          Today, i am going to show you a part of being a Malaysian (HAPPY MERDEKA 2009 !!!).

        This are the pictures taken during my great grandma’s wake and funeral. As any given Chinese event, the death of a person is also celebrated and the proper rites must be done to ensure the deceased will be at peace.

          While some might say it is a “pantang” to take this pics and show them, i think it will help to preserve some of the final moments of the departure of a loved one. Here goes:

The “sai kong”s

The alter to the gods

My great grandma’s grand house

A feast offered

The environment of a funeral

One of the many rites

The river crossing

The hearse

More offerings

The procession

The final resting place

That is all for now. Happy 52nd National Day to all Malaysian.

House (not the 15Malaysia one…)

2009-08-26T20:13:00.001+08:00

This picture is bring back a lot of memories to me. Located in the inner Georgetown area of Tye Sin Street (locally known as Si Tiao Lor), this house was where part of my family called home in their early years, serving 4 generations of the Koay family (me being an exterior part of the family tree, through my mother’s side).

It began during World War 2, where my great-grandparents and also my grandmother and her siblings stayed here after the war ends in Penang. My grandmother moved out after she married to my grandfather. The others soon have their own families and moved out one by one until finally it end a few years ago when my last relatives who still lived there decided to get a house elsewhere and end the renting. So came an end to it.

I used to visit it a lot, for various reasons. There are the visits during Chinese New Year, where all of my relatives gathered and celebrated the festivities. Then, there are the wedding ceremony where this house is used as the place for the ceremonies and the wedding eve lunch and dinner. There were the normal visits too once in a while as it is the central point for our family activities.

Part of the house was still maintained with its traditional structure, especially the front part where the beautiful carvings are still around. The old door and windows are still preserved then. However, many parts of the building are crumbling. The house next door even have collapsed and brought down many years ago. This seem to be typical of the inner Georgetown area where the nice old buildings are abandoned and falling apart. I wonder how long this house will stand, will it still be there as it had for years to come ?

15 Malaysia…so far…

2009-08-25T17:09:00.001+08:00

Recently, one of the most talk about sensation online is the mini video series 15Malaysia. Produced by Pete Teo and directed by various local directors, these videos are taking Malaysia by storm, one at a time. It touches many aspect of our Malaysia daily life, some good, some bad, some funny, some sad. What i find interesting is that the issue portrayed in the mini videos are very fresh and concern most of us.

In “Potong Saga”, it portray the issue of finance (in a hilarious way), which is a critical subject these days as the global economy is still riding a roller coaster of uncertainty. It also show one part of the Malaysian lifestyle, the kopitiam chat. I also find the video creatively “go around” the censorship issue. The ending is hilariously funny, especially the scene in the bank.

In “Chocolate”, the darker side of Malaysian is shown where prejudice is portray. I have have to watch it a couple of time to understand the issue behind it. The late Yasmin Ahmad show us how little have we progress since independence and the 16th May incident. It also show us how our mind are being shaped by those surrounding us, when the boy tell the school girl that if she can’t afford it, don’t buy it. It also give us a glimpse of what a grocery stall look like (many of us in the city have totlly forget about it).

In “The Tree”, it wasn’t much of a video (in my opinion) but it gives out a very important message. It tell us a simple thing, that money is not everything. The part that I like is that it portray agriculture as a noble job unlike many of us who see the word “petani” as someone who is poor or of lower class (i am an agriculturist too !!!).

In the latest video, “House”, it remind us that not everyone of us are so lucky to have a good roof above our head. It show how simple life can be and yet it is meaningful. It also show us how greedy we can be that we can easily destroy the life of those less fortunate than us.

The funny thing is, this video are some how easily heard daily in one way or another: the issue of economy in recession, the Kampung Pala issue, the Permatang Pasir by election, the passing of Yasmin Ahmad, etc. So like most Malaysian, I can wait for the next video to come out soon. Signing off…

http://15malaysia.com

Floria 2009 (Part 1) – Floral Art

2009-08-20T09:26:00.001+08:00

Here is another series of “Show and Tell” from the writer. This time, it is still a different event but still at Putrajaya. The Putrajaya Floral Festival (FLORIA) was held from July 25 till the 2nd of August at Precinct 2, Putrajaya. It showcase some of the Malaysian floral and agriculture industry which covers many aspect such as landscape, food, raw material, etc. In this post, I will cover the floral arrangement part. Here are the pictures taken from the trip.

The Floral Art

That is all for now. Will show you more in the next posting. Signing off.

Putrajaya Wetland

2009-08-14T16:13:00.001+08:00

Recently, I visited Putrajaya Wetland Park for one of my course’s field trip. The Putrajaya Wetland is the largest man made wetland in the tropical region.

The wetland have several important functions. It acts as a natural filter for water, in this case filtering the water that goes into Putrajaya. It also act as an water absorber, preventing flood in Putrajaya. The wetland is also an important habitat for migratory birds and freshwater aquatic life as well as various flora and fauna.

Here are some pictures that i taken during the trip. Enjoy.

The entrance.

The Viewing Tower.

Some of the view from the tower.

More view. Too bad a bit hazy.

Weird tree.

Lakeside.

Flamingo pond.

A closer view of the flamingo.

Pavilion by the lakeside.

Bamboo Trail.

Natives craftwork at the museum.

More native craftworks

Interesting sculptures.

More artworks.

Snails.

More sculptures.

Rating:

7.5 out of 10.

Comments:

Good facilities (except it have one toilet, much like Penang Botanical Garden). Good location as it is near a city, Putrajaya (although the sign boards can be a bit confusing). Good place for recreation, perfect for nature lovers. However, this place doesn’t have any kiosk for food or water (although there are several can drink machines). Also, the souvenir shop is closed.

Activities available (upon request with a certain amount of fees):

Kayaking, canoeing, lake crossing, camping, fishing, boat rowing, BBQ, treasure hunt, motivation camps, seminar rooms, etc. Tour guides are available for group visits (with a fee). Open everyday of the week.

This is all for now. For the coming posts, will show you more of the view from Putrajaya. Then, there will be a post related to the field of Horticulture. Also, may include a post on the Chinese funeral. Make sure to look around always. Signing off.

Goodbye, Great Grandma (1920-2009)

2009-08-08T10:06:00.001+08:00

       Received the news on Thursday morning before going to class, my mom phone to tell me that my great grandma have passed away. She has been in the hospital for a month already and has been suffering from various pains for the last few years. But the critical point came when i was back in Penang 2 weeks ago. I was lucky I manage to visit her when she was still conscious. She look frail then but she still remember who I am. Never have I thought then that it would be my last conversation with her. The next day, she went into coma and didn’t really recovered since. Here is a short tribute in memories of her:



For years, Sunday was the day to visit you and have fun watching Astro.

For years, 1st Day of Chinese New Year was about meeting you & receiving your ang pau.

For years, you treated me as your favourite great grandchild.

For years, you are the matriarch of the family, where everyone gathers and meet.

For the last few years, you still remember me even when your memories began to fail you.



Now that you are gone, I loss one of the people that i am fond with.

Now that you are gone, it ends a generation of living heritage.

Now that you are gone, loss are the knowledge of a trade once known in Penang.



For my great grandma, may you rest in peace and thank you for everything.

I will be missing you very much.

P.S.: Will be going back to Penang today. Have to cancelled my homestay trip with the rest of my coursemates and also postpone a test paper.

Updating by the writer

2009-08-03T08:56:00.001+08:00

Recently, One Deep Thought have been inactive due to the writer’s dengue attack. So here is an update of what have been happening in the writer’s world for the last few weeks:

Dengue !!!

It came at the most unexpected time. The semester break was about to end and class about to start (the writer is also very worried that his obsession for Facebook has taken its toll on his final year project). It started first as any usual fever, then the cold develop. The next day, rashes developed. The writer (who was too weak to do anything and have been sleeping most of the time) went to the University Health Centre was told that he is suspected with dengue and was send to Hospital Serdang (At first, the writer thought he was the first local H1N1 case…). It turn out to be a mild dengue case and the writer end up for 4 days in the hospital (for the 1st time in his life).

New Semester

The new semester start with the writer on MC on the very first week. This is the last theoretical semester the writer will be in UPM as he will be going for his practical next semester. The courses that the writer taken this semester are:

Orchid Culture: The study of orchid and how to propagate them. Will involve lab work which the writer is expected to cultivated them using tissue culture.
Crop Nutrition: The study of what nutrition plants need. It involves knowing if the plant is having enough nutrition and detecting the sign of deficiency.
Precision Agriculture: The study of using limited resources with efficiency and accuracy. involve using GPS system and computer programmes. Have a lot to do with statistics.
Agricultural Recreation Park : The study of the concept of setting and managing a park with agriculture themes for the usage of the public. Involve a lot of visiting including visit to Putrajaya Wetlands (this coming Wednesday), home stay at Selama, Perak (this coming Saturday and Sunday), etc. The writer take this as a way to go on holiday without paying much (and at class time too :P) .

Final Year Project

The writer is running against a dateline of October for his final year project. Luckily, the writer need only 3 weeks to conduct the experiment and the rest for the writing. The writer has resolute to do the writing for at least a hour a day (and also end the sessions for Pet Society, Mafia War, Restaurant City, Farmtown, etc…).

Practical Training

With the last semester coming soon, the Faculty asked the students to apply for practical training. After some deep thinking, the writer choose to do his internship at Putrajaya Botanical Garden (the deep thinking involved planting vegetables or flowers in Cameron Highland, working at MARDI in Seremban, chicken rearing at Perak, Singapore Botanical Gardens and even Disneyland, Florida…) . Having the letters sent, the writer is waiting for the reply now.

Writer’s Birthday

The writer’s birthday was celebrated modestly this year. First was with his university friend who went to a Brazilian BBQ restaurant nearby here. Then, a week later, the writer was taken to a German buffet at KL with 2 of his closest friends from the high school days, iL and itch (thanks to KG too). They also went to Pavilion and watched Ice Age 3. Then the sleepover at Damansara (with iL showing his fury by clamping a car :p).

H1N1

The writer close encounter with the flu started on last Tuesday when there were rumours heard that there were suspected cases in UPM (heard on bus while to campus). Then, at 2pm, more rumour mongering occur when sms were sent around stating that UPM have confirmed cases and UPM is closed for a week. The official version came on 3pm. Chaos ensued with all classes cancelled, even those that are half way through. Students were asked to went back to the colleges, causing more panic. Then, news that students must evacuate UPM on that very day came. People rush for the bus back to college, causing massive human movement to the bus stop and buses running non-stop (the writer was sitting on the front seat of his friend’s car while seeing all this, grinning evilly). The writer pack his bags and started leaving UPM like the rest. End up staying overnight at a friend’s sister’s house before leaving for Penang.

The writer will stop here for now (as it is becoming too long for the readers to read). More updates will come soon. Signing off.

Tribute for Yasmin Ahmad (1958 – 2009)

2009-07-31T18:38:00.001+08:00

Like everyone else who watch TV, one of the most waited moments when it come to the festive season is the Petronas commercials. For years, it give us a glimpse of how wonderful it is to be a Malaysian, no matter what age, gender or race. The commercials have always being eye catching and emotional (be it funny, sad, etc.).

So, the passing of Yasmin Ahmad on 25 July 2009 came as a surpise and a big loss to the Malaysians. She brought us the concept of unity and harmony, years before 1Malaysia. She caught in film what most of us gone through but take it for granted (i remember the CNY’s Reunion Dinner commercial, saw it for the first time when having my reunion dinner, very touching). She was daring in bringing up issues that otherwise would have gone unnoticed in her movies.

Here is a tribute to her, some of the collection of commercials that she gave to us Malaysian:

National Day

Chinese New Year

Raya

Deepavali

In Singapore

RIP, Yasmin Ahmad…thank you for the beautiful images you brought to us. The festive season will be different without you.

Temporary Shut Off

2009-07-10T06:52:00.001+08:00

The author is currently recuperating after coming back from hospital due to dengue. Will be back soon.

A Day at the Zoo

2009-06-30T10:12:00.001+08:00

Recently, i visited the National Zoo with some of my course mate. Being in KL for 3 years already, this is one of the place that i wanted to visit for a long long time (the others being the National Museum, National Palace, the Parliament, the National Monument….most of it that i haven’t got a chance to visit yet…). We arrived around 12.00pm and walks until 5.00pm.

The entrance fee is RM15.00 for adults. And it is open from 9.00am till 5.00pm.

My Verdict: Overall, i rate the place 6/10. Great place for family/friends trip. Good facilities (car parks, tram, clean toilet and food). Beautiful landscape. However, the area for the animals are too small. Most of the animals are passive (which can be boring for us to see). The variety of animals are too little while the information provided are simple and brief. The price of the food is too expensive (eg: 1.5L of mineral water for RM3.50).

Souvenir: i brought a set of postcard (8pcs) for RM4.00.

Favourite Animals: Otters (they are so so cute, especially during feeding hour.), storks, African lions, White Handed Gibbon (they swing so fast and skilful), Malayan tapir, Binturong, Capybara

Here are some pictures of my visit.

At the Aquarium

At the Primate Area

Large Mammals Section

The Lake Area

The Big Cats

Others

Some of the sceneries

That is all for now. Signing off.

Goodbye, King of Pop

2009-06-26T18:51:00.001+08:00

Know it happen this morning through Facebook. It was just few days ago that me and my friends were listening to some of his famous songs. RIP, Michael Jackson.

Michael Joseph Jackson

(August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)^[

Fire !!!

2009-06-17T23:26:00.001+08:00

All was normal on this Monday afternoon. Earlier, there was a power outage around 2pm. Then i was still having lunch. After that, i went back to the lab. While helping around in the lab around 3pm, my friend came by and told me about our faculty was on fire. From the lab, thick black cloud can be seen emerge from a part of the building. So we ran out to see what happened. Here is some picture that we have taken.

Soon after, fire engine rush here, along with the security personnels and the police. The fire was put off in 15 minutes.

The cause of the fire was found to be from the oven room where one of the oven caught fire. The cause was still unknown. It may be due to the power circuit tripped during the power outage. Some say it was due to some chemical in the oven at that time. There were also rumours of sabotage.

Ironically, a fire was supposed to be conducted on Wednesday (today). Also ironic is that most of us actually enjoy the accident. The situation around there was like a “kenduri”. Even the firemen enjoy “minum” after the fire was put off. We got a first hand experience from this incident. Luckily, only the oven was burnt. But along with it are samples of some of my friends’ final year project (which is unrecoverable). That is all from Serdang for now.

Signing off…

Food in Serdang

2009-06-05T10:35:00.001+08:00

Today i will be featuring something from Serdang. It is known as “tang yuen tau foo fah” or tang yuen in tofu pudding (i think that is the translation). I brought this last monday on a trip to the pasar malam in Serdang. The tau foo fah is smooth while the tang yuen is filled with peanut powder. Also available are tang yuen in ginger soup. If you want to try it, it is available at the Pasar Malam Seri Kembangan every monday night.

Duanwu Festival

2009-05-28T17:19:00.001+08:00

Today marks the 5th day of the 5th month of the Chinese lunar calendar. It is the Duanwu Festival, also commonly known as the Dragon Boat Festival. This is one of the main festival celebrated by the Chinese community worldwide, where rice dumpling will be eaten and dragon boat racing is held.

Map of ancient China (Warring States Period)

As most Chinese festival, this one originated far in the depth of history, in the Warring States Period of ancient China (476 BC – 221 BC). It is commonly believed to commemorate the death of the Qu Yuan of Chu. A scholar and minister of Chu, he was unable to prevent his beloved country from being annexed by Qin (remember Shi Huang Ti ?). Upon hearing the fall of (the Chu capital) Ying in 278 BC, he wrote a poem to lament the fate of his country and jump into the Miluo river, committing suicide.

Qu Yuan (ca. 340 BCE - 278 BCE)

Upon knowing what have happened, the villagers rushed to find his body. They beat drums and also throw rice dumpling into the river to keep away evil spirits and prevent fishes from feeding his body. Another theory of the celebration is to celebrate the harvest of winter wheat where the agrarian community make offering to the gods. This tradition was passed down through history and evolved into the festival that we known today as Duanwu.

(Sources: Wikipedia)

In Penang, it is one of the major festival celebrated by the Chinese community. Rice dumplings are offered to the Gods and eaten by the family. Some families will handmade the rice dumplings while some (including my family) ordered from friends or relatives. There are various version of the rice dumplings, the famous one being the “bak chang” which contains pork, mushroom, beans, dried shrimps, salted duck egg yolk and chestnut. Other variety include the “ki chang” which is plain glutinous rice dumpling eaten with brown sugar, rice dumpling made with oatmeal, rice dumpling with bean paste, etc.

Typical stalls that sells “bak chang”

The various types of glutinous rice dumplings

Meanwhile, the dragon boat race are usually held on the Mengkuang Dam.

This is all for now. Will post about my food trail next time (sorry for postponing) and also my trip to Port Dickson. Signing off.

P.S.: I miss bak chang…..tak dapat makan today….sigh….

Tired

2009-05-22T01:28:00.001+08:00

Didn’t have much time and mood to blog these days. Too tired from helping out other in UPM with their final year project. SO far already help harvest kenaf fruit, done analysis on paddy, analysis on ginger, help prepare silage and make plots for pumpkin planting. Will start with my own final year project soon. Feel sad that our horti trip to PD is postponed. And very very tired with all the work. Until next time, signing off.

Happy Teachers’ Day

2009-05-17T16:23:00.001+08:00

Teachers’ Day was around the corner in Malaysia this week. As I had already graduated from school, teachers remain part of my memories of my schooling life. They are also a good topic to chat with friends every now and then. Here are some of the teachers that touch my life (with something i remember bout them) .

Bahasa Melayu: Pn. Noraini (the peng**n), Pn. Yeoh (the very strict).

English: Mr. Ian Howell (“…when i was a student…”).

Maths: Pn. Tok (the Elder), Miss Soon (which i hopefully won’t see so soon), Mr. Ong (…Light n Easy…), Mrs Khoo (the Undertaker who only smile at night).

Science: Mr. Ooi (the “singer” in class).

Chemistry: Pn. Ang (remember IUPAC International Union Against Pn. Ang Chemistry ?), Pn Kaur (whose seem to wear different stylish clothes for every class).

Biology: Pn. Doreen (the devoted), Mr. Liang (LYM favourite teacher). Pn. Tan (who brought me on my first KL trip).

Physics: Datin (Prof. Trelawney in her tower).

Geography: Pn Mok (who spend most recess time kena kacau by me).

Moral: Already mentioned during the other subjects.

History: Mr. Loo (famous for his SPM tips).

MUET: Mr. Richard (the solemn).

Pendidikan Am: Pn Devi (Had a huge quarrel with the class).

Living Skills: Pn. Boon (also the Bakery Club teacher), Mr. Heng (who teach me how to make some wooden stuff), Mr. Narian (the Terrible and Horrible), Pn Tham (who teaches me sewing).

P.E.: Mr. Lim (the very strict guy), Mr Joseph (the very good guy).

German: Bro. Charles (the guy who loves to garden and spray “holy water”).

Others: Bro. Paul (the principal), Mr Cheng (the disciplinarian), Pn Betty (“…my school…”), Mr John (the gentle), Mr Teh (the good English tuition teacher), Mr. Koay (whose maths teaching i appreciate most). Miss Pillai (the Counselor) And the rest who didn’t pop up in my mind when I was writing this. Please help me remember them.

After making this list, I can’t believe i have taken so much subject. Also there is so many teachers that i have been through. That is all for now.

HAPPY TEACHERS DAY

your hard work will always be remembered

Signing off

P.S: Will be posting on my Penang Food Trail soon, delayed due to some technical problems.

HAPPY WESAK DAY 2009

2009-05-09T23:46:00.001+08:00

Wishing Happy Wesak Day to all Buddhists out there.

For this year, I manage to get back in time to celebrate Wesak Day. As usual, my family will visit the MBA’s temple in Burma Road. Then, it is followed by the temple on Anson Road.

This year, I also manage to catch the flower float procession, watching from Padang Brown. For the first time, I got a close view of Penang’s Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng (very close, about a metre away from where i stand.). He was the VIP for the event, heading the procession. There were numerous floats and contingents from various Buddhist temples and associations. While watching, I manage to spot TSP among those in the procession. The floats are creatively designed. This year there is one that features live band music (Chinese classical music). Another one shoots out colourful confetti while another features a giant cobra. The most memorable one, as usual, is the last one: the MBA float. It has the largest Buddha statue among all the floats and decorated with colourful cut flowers (Unfortunately, I didn’t have any picture taken as I am still without a camera. Sorry). This is all for now, signing off.

(Source: The Star)

P.S. Will be in Penang until Tuesday 9am. Will be occupied on Sunday.

Back soon

2009-05-06T23:37:00.001+08:00

Going back Penang soon, first time in months (since CNY). Here is an update of what is happening here:

(i) Final Year Project

Slow progress….very slow. Luckily mine is the simplest among my friends. Being helping out around with theirs.

(ii) Pet Society

A game in Facebook. Very fun. BGoing crazy over it. Have a try: http://apps.facebook.com/petsociety/?pf_ref=sb

(iii) Love

Still have some distrusts about it. Feeling like being dumped aside. Also still a bit paranoid and resisting the changes.

(iv) Cooking

Have been trying to cook food in room. So far so good. The menu: spagetti Boulogne, Cambell mushroom soup, fried egg, toast bread, beans in tomato sauce, sardine, ABC soup and more to come. Who knew one can do so much in such a small space with only a rice cooker and a sandwhich maker.

This is all for now. Signing off.

End of an Era

2009-05-02T09:59:00.001+08:00

Yesterday , while going through my usual routine of newspaper reading, i found an article that caught my attention regarding my beloved hometown, Penang and alma mater, St. Xavier Institution:

“End of an era for LaSallians”

(Link: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.aspfile=/2009/5/1/nation/3815932&sec=nation)

As most Xavierians will know, come this June, one of the Malaysia’s oldest living tradition, the linage of LaSallian principals in one of the oldest school in Malaysia will come to an end. For over 150 years, the school have been lead by a brother principal. It have become a part of the school identity, the man in white cassock walking down the corridor.

The brother principal have remain a figure that is so much different from any other school principal. Bro. Paul Ho, being at the helm of SXI for over a decade and principal during my time at the school, have gain a reputation to be very student friendly and dedicated in his job in education, especially in helping students that didn’t do well in their studies. I remember fondly the Friday morning assembly, the MU jokes, the baking class, the report card hand session, etc.

Being a part of this unique heritage, I am both proud to be a Xavierian and sad to see one of SXI’s finest tradition is coming to an end. As most Xavierian, i wish and hope that whoever who succeeded as the first non-brother principal in SXI will continue to maintain its traditions and bring my alma mater to new heights.

Love: Is it good for the friend(s) ?

2009-04-30T10:52:00.001+08:00

One of these days, I accidentally dwell into the realm of romance and found out something: A question that rarely pop up, although i think most of us will go through it one day or later.

When someone fall in love, what happen to the person who is always next to him/her ?

Do the couple change their attitude towards this people ?

Do they fall so romantically in love that they don’t remember anything else other than each other ?

Is it that friend(s) being selfish by trying to interfere with the couple who are trying to know each other better ?

Is it that the friend(s) who are too paranoid or unable to accept the change going on around him/her ?

This are the questions that are popping up in my mind. After giving various discrete signals over the few months, two of my best friend in UPM finally come out to be the latest couple here. As anyone, i am always delighted to hear such news, and will do what ever possible to make it comfortable for them.

But as usual, i found myself in a funny situation. I found that things are not the usual way it is. Decisions are now not make by one, but two (at times it is a bit annoying), movies that you want to see have already being watched (without you watching), restaurant you want to go have already being visited in their last date (so more compromise), even the person are harder to find in individual (as they now come in two) making any conversation hard to come by.

When it come to this point, i am always confuse: Am i being too selfish to ask for so much stuff ? Am i being too paranoid to think that i am being ditch ? Am i resisting the changes going on around me and refused to accept the reality ? Or am i having too little friends be around that when one left, suddenly my world become so quiet and empty.

I just wonder……are relationship good for the best friend ?

* But i found a solution to temporarily cure this, watching drama series. Currently i am watching Sex and the City (which explain my writing style). Already finish Season 5 with only one more season to go…

A day in Seremban…

2009-04-29T14:31:00.001+08:00

Last friday, me and my roommate when on a trip back to his hometown, Seremban. We started around 12.40pm, reaching in Seremban in only 30 minutes (very close to UPM, it seems0. First we stop for a specialty found in Seremban, curry bun. The curry was delicious, full of the spice and the chicken and potatoes are abundant (of course there is a price to pay, at RM14.00 per pcs). I don’t have the picture but here is pictures from another blog (just to give you some idea how it look like).

(source: http://blurryhunniee.blogspot.com/2008/11/curry-chicken-bun-seremban.html)

After that he send his car for service before we continue our trip, this time to the Negeri Sembilan State Museum. I was the one who insist of going there (my friend protest to no avail, visitor is always right !….beside, he never went there before). The museum mostly exhibit about the Adat Pepatih that is practiced in the state. It covers a lot of their life from birth to marriage to death. And most of their beliefs are taught in the form of old Malay poetry. There are also exhibition on the prehistoric people of the state. There is also a section dedicated to stamp collection (with some old and common stamps to be found around in Malaysia.). Outside, there is a life size model of the traditional Malay house with the Minangkabau designs. But out of a score of 10, i will just give it an 5 .5-6.0. Some exhibits are empty while the souvenir counter is not open at all !!!.

After that, we headed to his house in Seremban 2. We did nothing much there except watching “Brides’ War” in a very big high resolution, LCD, flat screen TV. His house is very big (by my standard) and very westernized. After that, his parents took us to the city lake garden before going to eat at a restaurant. Along the way, we stop by for the other famous product of Seremban, the Seremban siew pao. We had to drive to 3 shops before getting hold on some of them. It is yummy, but i don’t think there is much difference from the one that i brought in Penang. Still, it taste good. After some chatting with his parents, we make our move back to UPM, reaching around 11.00pm.

So you have it, my one day trip in Seremban. Overall, that place is a sleepy area (my friend admit it, his mom even told me she does her shopping most in KL). But for the food adventurer, it is worth a shot to come here. I only manage to taste 2 of the 3 famous Seremban products, the other being the beef noodle (which i will try my next life if it is possible to do so…:P).

As for now, i am in my semester break but i will still be in UPM to finish up my final year project. I haven’t started much yet but will do so soon. Up ahead, i heard my other friends are planning on going for either a BBQ in Port Dickson or a field trip to Cameron Highland. Up till then, will be posting some other boring stuff. Signing off.

Disclaimer:

All of the pictures are taken from the Net, i didn’t get any pictures on my trip (at the time of this posting.). Sorry, any inconvenience is regrettable

One Night in KL…

2009-04-21T11:48:00.001+08:00

Here is an update of what have been going on here:

After a short trip the previous time, i manage to get myself to meet with iL, KG and itch last friday. Spend the night with them. I just finish my last paper and i rush out as soon as it is over. Upon meeting them, spend some time doing fun stuff. First we place the “maze” in the Midvalley Carpark, where we took sometime to find the “proton wira” exit. Then the evening took another turn when we were bout to celebrate KG birthday at a restaurant but it wasn’t open that night. We took the detour and went for a “amazing race” to search for a Changkat Bkt. Bintang. Finally there, we went to a restaurant where pork is the order of the day. The food was fantastic (a bit pricey, though) with a piglet and some seafood stuff. The fun part was the plate throwing ceremony and the mini birthday song which goes “oink oink”.

After that, we went for a ride and end up in a mamak stall. Again, we “makan” and it didn’t disappoint me. The food was great at an affordable price (for KL). After the fun ,went to iL house to rest and did some assignment which i still haven’t finish yet. Barely slept 3 hours when i follow iL to enjoy the “mid-nightlife” in KL Sentral at 6.30am. Stay at the McD until 7.30am before going back to Serdang.

Now, i am preparing to do my final year project. Meet my supervisor and already got the “go-ahead” to begin.

Also, while the economy is still in recession and unemployment are high, i manage to get a job in UPM (actually it found me…). Will be working on a project bout rose cuttings preservation. So i will be around UPM for the semester break, doing my FYP and work.

This all for now, signing off

*i didn’t get the pictures yet, iL and itch, please email them to me. Thanks.

Big Blue in the Valley

2009-04-13T16:08:00.001+08:00

Last friday, i manage to catch up some time to go to Mid for a movie. Watched Fast and Furious 4. Along the way going to MPH (my favourite place in Midvalley), i discovered this:

There was an exhibition called Big Blue: A Journey With the World’s Largest Animal. It was organised in by Astro –National Geographic Channel along with Samsung, Midvalley and Malaysian Natural Society. This is the first time the exhibition is done in Malaysia.

The “star” of the exhibition is the Big Blue, a life size baby blue whale model. Also shown are information describing the mammal and some video on the blue whales. The Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal generally known as the largest living creature on earth.

An amazing fact about the blue whale is that although it is so huge, it feeds mostly on krill (or what we called here as udang kecil). It is a migratory animal, travelling the ocean world wide and communicate through some high frequency sound that is undetectable by human ears.

I will stop here so that you won’t think that this is the National Geographic Channel. This is all for now. I leave you with another picture. Signing off.

P.S: 2 more assigment and 4 finals paper to go…

Absolutely nothing…

2009-04-11T13:55:00.001+08:00

Previously on One Deep Thought (sound familiar ???), the writer give a one month summary of what happened to him in just few paragraph. He explained with a dry sense of humour of what being going on in his side of the world (Serdang). He updated his photo after over a year of using out dated photos and also give a picture of his beloved pet, now floating somewhere in heaven (unlike someone’s puppy who is still staying on the ground while the owner is suppose to float a few millimetres from the ground).

In this post, the writer (yes, your only source of his scandalous world…sound familiar ??) will post about absolutely nothing. There is absolutely nothing that the writer is going to write. So it is a waste of time reading any further. But if you want to read on, go ahead.

Bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla

That is all for now, signing off

P.S.: The writer is currently having a writer’s block (in doing his research reports), so he took some precious time to write this nonsense.

Getting back soon…

2009-04-10T10:33:00.001+08:00

After missing for nearly a month, One Deep Thought is getting back online. Here is a recap of what happen since the last posting:

(i) The Day of 4 Malls

Meeting with TJM, IL, ITCH, KG, NCH and JK in downtown KL. After arriving 3 hours late at KL Sentral, meet iL and TJM before meeting the others in Pavillion. This excursion brought to 4 different malls around the Bukit Bintang area where we shop and eat at Pavillion, walkthrough Starhill Gallery, run out of a shop in Sg. Wang and send me home in KLCC Suria. Feel sorry that i couldn’t stay at iL’s place for the night as there is too much work to do back at UPM.

(ii) Goodbye Snowy…RIP

About two weeks ago, my beloved pet in UPM passed away. It have been looking frail for the past one week but finally it was laying motionless in the car park area. Very sad that my first (unofficial) cat pet is no longer around. Will remember you always, especially the time you spent in my room.

Snowy

200?-2009

(iii) Final Year Project Presentation

For my final year project, i presented on the 20th March 2009. I was the last person to present for this semester. Did quite well as i got a 2G pendrive as a present for being one of the 4 best presenter. Compensate for my lost pendrive…finally.

(iv) Work, work, WORK

For the first time in life, i am being burdened with so much homework. At its peak, i was behind deadline for nearly 15 reports. Till now, i manage to reduce it till only left 4 more to go before i am homework free.

(v) Photography session

Got a course photography session on Thursday. For the first time in my life, i wore a coat. Too bad i spot a very afro hair…

This is all for now, will update as soon as i can again. Signing off

Field Trip 2: A visit to the Farm & Beach

2009-03-16T17:59:00.001+08:00

Last Saturday, I went on a field trip for the course Controlled Environment. This subject is about planting crops in soilless media. The place we visited is located in Bkt. Changgang, somewhere near Dengkil. The place is kind of isolated as the road is quite small (i wonder how an express bus pass though it….). The Bkt Changgang Agro-technology Park is a project by the Ministry of Agriculture to help people get involve in agriculture. They provide everything during the starting phase and you just have to plant and harvest the yield. The place we visited is planted with muskmelon, some relative of the honeydew. We were treated with local version of nasi lemak which sambal is very tasty…

The overall view of the area

The muskmelon or also known as rock melon.

A closer view of the plants.

Group photo…see me ?

A view of the area

More views…

More more views…

After the visit, we make a detour to a beach area nearby known as Morib. It is something similar to Gurney Drive but have a larger beach and have more wild life. However, the area is dirty too as we found some used undergarments around (Make your mind wander off ???). The area is known for its fresh seafood (as most seaside area in Malaysia) but we didn’t have the opportunity to try it as we are on a quick visit and the timing is wrong. But one interesting thing we found there is the horse shoe crab. It is the first time i see it live. We got back to UPM to a very heavy downpour, something that is happening every day here.

View of Morib Beach

More view…

Small krabby.

Horse shoe crabs.

That is all for now. Signing off.

P.S.: iL, sorry didn’t make it out with you as said last week. TSP, still coming down ? itch…yes unfortunately it is becoming my signature move….feeling better now…signing off

A look at the field

2009-03-05T18:27:00.001+08:00

Being a while since the last time i posted. Notice that there are lots of negative thoughts going on around in the blogosphere, ranging from car number plates (iL) to wrong food (itch). Not to say i want to join the chorus, but i really did too...last Friday, i have a fall at the campus car park and my leg have being tempang since then (today better a bit). But i am getting used to it after going through it over and over again, semester after semester.

Other than that, i will like to add some positive thinking around here. So i decide to give you some of my personal photograph that i took not long ago. It may not be good quality at all but, have a look. Here are the pictures that i have taken at a part of UPM known as Ladang 2 & Glasshouse

Ladang 2

Glasshouse Complex

Hope you enjoy it, until next time, signing off….

Pasar Borong Visit

2009-02-26T06:15:00.001+08:00

This week i will bring you something from my university life. On the 24/2, we went on a class trip to the Pasar Borong Kuala Lumpur in Selayang. The market is the “central point” for the gathering of vegetables, fruits and fishery from the whole of Malaysia and the neighbouring countries before being distributed to the rest of the country.

The Pasar Borong Kuala Lumpur, Selayang

We were given a briefing by the PR officer before being given a light snack (a good typical Malaysian hospitality !!!). Then, we were taken on a visit to the market area where the commodities just arrived and being transferred from the lorries to the allocated lots. We were lucky the be there as it was the time most of the vegetable will arrive from Cameron and other areas in the Peninsula Malaysia. There is a lot of activities going on there. But the best part is to see the various types of vegetables and fruits that are available, some of them rarely seem before.

Some of the vegetables seem in bulks

Then, we were taken to visit the Forever Fresh ColdStore Technology Sdn. Bhd., where it is the area for cold storing the agriculture produce. They are stored to prevent the decay of the produce and to keep it longer before being sell. They are stored in rooms that range from 8 Celsius to negative 18 Celsius. When you enter the area, you can even see your breath in front of you and the cold is spine chilling. I did enter but didn’t last for even 5 minutes !

The cold storage room

At the end of the tour, i was shocked that i as the class rep. need to give a speech but i manage to pull through. Overall, the trip was enjoyable. Hopefully my next field trip will be as good because instead of going to Perlis and Langkawi (sedih….there goes my free holiday…), we are going to Dengkil, Banting and Bukit Changang which is all in Selangor to look at the hydroponic planting .

Until next time, signing off.

I shall pass through this world but once...

2009-02-19T21:04:00.000+08:00

I shall pass through this world but once,
Any good therefore, that I can do,
Or any kindness that I can show to any human being,
Let me do it now, let me not defer nor neglect it,
For I shall not pass this way again.

This is a poem that I found in one of my lecturer's room. I meet him when I first came in UPM about 3 years ago in my first semester. Today, I went to his room again, and this poem caught my attention again. His name is Prof. Dr. Zulkifli Hj. Shamsuddin, one of the senior lecturer in the Agriculture faculty. According to him, he treasures us students as we are reason why he is here and he will help us in any way he can. I admire him for his dedication and also his intelligence. He is currently my lecturer for soil microbiology and I enjoy his class, even though he is very strict and something very tedious.

This is all I will post for now. Before I leave, I leave you with this poem for you to ponder what it implies to you...

I shall pass through this world but once,
Any good therefore, that I can do,
Or any kindness that I can show to any human being,
Let me do it now, let me not defer nor neglect it,
For I shall not pass this way again.

Weekly Report

2009-02-15T02:56:00.001+08:00

For this week, i will simply post what have been going on in this side of the world (in no particular order)

(i) Movie Week

For this week, watched “Red Cliff 2” and “Ong Bak 2”. The first one was during last sunday in Midvalley while the second on this saturday at the Mines. From my opinion, the Asian movie industry is growing very well as can be seem from this two movies. “Red Cliff 2” continue from the first movie shows how beautiful Chinese culture is and how great strategies can help you to win a war. Also, knowing the environment is very important as how Zhuge Liang (a character in the movie) predicted the weather in the movie. From “Ong Bak 2”, it wasn’t really my taste but the actions are quite good.

(ii) Chap Goh Meh

I spend the last day of CNY in a road trip. Me and my lots of friends decided to go to Jinjang, Kepong for BBQ steamboat. It was quite fun. We even visit one of our friend’s house there. However, during the journey back to UPM, we learned the lesson of making a wrong turn in KL. We missed the exit in the DUKE Highway, ending up in PLUS Highway. Before that we missed another exit in the KL Seremban Highway. I took us another hour to reach UPM.

(iii) Test 1 and Assignments

The test week was quite tough on me with all the assignments is hanging around my neck. But i think i did ok (i stayed up till 2am and wake up at 5am to continue reading and doing homework). Dateline rushing was the order of the week. Lab work were a heavy load with 5 experiment this week. For my proposal, it is starting to take shape already.

(iv) Making up, are we ?

After a one year of “cold” treatment, me and my former best friend in UPM finally try to communicate with each other (someone will complaint about me mentioning this again….). While we still distant ourselves (yes, I'm still hurt), at least we can talk over normal stuffs. We manage to survive being in the same car with the two of us alone and go out for dinner without any unwanted scene. I will end it here before someone think i am going nuts mentioning this (right, KG, if you’re still reading from here).

That’s all for now, signing off.

New Outlook

2009-02-07T10:17:00.000+08:00

To all viewers

As promised, here is the new outlook of "One Deep Thought". Although I missed out the Spring Changes theme, I decide to look ahead and bring you something different. Here are the changes in the features:

- New signboard (literally)

- New outlook (it is changed to the right side from the left)

- New friends list (with the technology to see if you update your blog or not)

- Less application (as some of it might go unnoticed if placed too bottom)

And what remain the same:

- Black colour background (I know you think it is boring but this is the best colour I can think of)

- Updating efficiency (the rate is 1 post per week, but I will try to make it as much as possible, even with the time constraint.)

- More pictures (as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, I being lazy will let the picture do the talking.)

This is all for now. So, enjoy the new "One Deep Thought". And don't forget to leave some comments.

By

The Editor

Another update

2009-02-04T13:19:00.000+08:00

After realising the sudden in-activeness in the Blogsphere (hightlighted by iL and itch), i decided to add a post (like iL and itch) to stimulate the Blogsphere here.

What is going on in life here....well...i am starting to feel the great pressure of assignments. I left the load in UPM during the CNY break...and i find that they have multiplied to the extend that i am behind many deadlines. Plus, i am in my test week. Up to date, i have one final year project proposal, 2 mini project proposal, one journal report, 4 lab report, 2 special assignment reports and a herbarium to finish as soon as possible...most of them due next week or already over deadline. So this few days, will be full of rushing and madness. So much in contrast to the week of CNY where i just relax (even to the extend of going out of town somemore...).

Another interesting topic that popped out this week is the quality of Malaysian graduates especially when going into the working field. My faculty seem to be on high alert of the rot and have been trying to cure it. The lecturers are complaining about the lack of interest and pasiveness of the students. I honestly admit i am a bit off track most of the time too but i did my best trying to give all my best in whatever i did. This led me to a few questions...Was it us the student's fault or something else ? Did our education system failed ? How can it be overcome...

That is all i have for now. Have to rush to the other side of the university for some field visiting on the weeds of aquatic environment. Signing off.

My One Week of CNY

2009-01-31T10:41:00.001+08:00

23/1

Got back from KL…in a very rushing way. As a normal citizen of Malaysia, i followed the guidelines that all northern states bound bus will depart at Duta Terminal. But once i got there, i was told my bus is at Pudu Terminal. So, began the great rush back to Pudu…luckily i made it in time, late another 5 minutes and i will celebrate CNY in KL.

24/1

House cleaning the places that haven’t been finish (suspect someone is waiting for me to come back and only do it). Also help in baking cookies and cakes.

25/1

The great rush day…being to supermarkets to stock up stuffs, last minute house cleaning, decorating the house, even went to exchange give with TSP. At night, the Reunion Steamboat.

26/1

CNY Day 1. As usual visit my great-grandmother, then my grandmother to eat mee suah. Later at night, for the 1st time in my CNY history, went out with friends…..eating buffet at the former Sheraton and overnight at a friend’s place. Also did not sleep at all for the night.

27/1

CNY Day 2. Went to relative’s place for steamboat for lunch. Then began journey back to Kg Sanglang, Perlis. Eat fresh seafood steamboat there.

28/1

CNY Day 3. Still at Perlis. Enjoy even more fresh seafood….crabs, prawns, mantis prawns, etc. (Hope my gout won’t return, i took many precaution steps already). Enjoying the kampung life.

29/1

CNY Day 4. Got back from Perlis. All tired.

30/1

CNY Day 5. Temples visiting….went to the Jade Emperor’s Temple, Perak Road’s Tua Pek Kong, Anson Road Buddha’s Temple, Kuan Yin Teng and Jelutong’s Tai Teh Yeah. Then at night, visiting my grandfather’s sister’s place.

Here is my CNY so far. Will be going back KL on the 1/2.

Goodbye Bush, Hello Obama

2009-01-21T09:14:00.000+08:00

Welcoming the 44th President of the United States of America,

Barack H. Obama

Putrajaya Panorama

2009-01-19T18:40:00.001+08:00

This are some of the pics i taken during my trip to Putrajaya recently. Enjoy

The Malaysian Ministry of Agriculture & Agro-Based Industry

Some of the ministries in Putrajaya

A compass eye view on the Boulevard

The various designs of buildings

A view along the Putrajaya Lake

Hope you enjoy it. Signing off.

Full Speed Ahead…

2009-01-18T12:14:00.001+08:00

Here is the weekly report:

(1) Back at full speed

After days of resting and a blood check, finally I'm back in the rush. With homework pilling up, it is full speed ahead before the CNY break starting this Friday evening.

(2) Final Year Project

Finally got my title on last Friday, here it is: The effect of ozonated water treatment on the browning of egg plant (terung). Will now busy myself with the proposal writing which i need to hand in before i go back for the break. Feeling quite happy with it as it is something that i am a bit used to.

(3) Steamboat and Sunrise Watching

Last Friday night, had steamboat dinner to celebrate my friend’s birthday and also the horticulture’s reunion dinner. End up staying at my friend’s place and had pillow talks till the sun rises. We talked a lot, ranging from girl-guy relationship, gossiping, lecturers, etc. Straight away fainted when reach dorm.

(4) Studies

Last week was full of homework. Did seed sowing for cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli for hydroponic in Control Environment class, then start some mini project using soya bean and soil microbes for Soil Microbes class. In Postharvest, we did papaya quality testing while at Soil Fertility, we are analysing the soil sample we took earlier. While for Weed Science, we visited the fields to see the weeds in Oil Palm, Coconut, Durian (sorry, tak ada buah…) and Rubber plantations and orchards.

(5) Election Coming

To those who think i am outdated for talking about the by-election in Kuala Terengganu, i am not. The university student council election is coming tomorrow (Jan 19). This year, it is very dry with no posters, campaigning…just nothing.

(6) Penang Trip II

My friends are coming to Penang on the 4th day of CNY and will most probably stay at my place. They are conducting their research for their final year project which will involve aquatic plants, orchid and visiting the Botanical Garden. So my one week break is no break at all (beside, it will be my 1st test after i go back UPM in February…

This is for now. Signing off

P.S.: To the flying biscuit TSP, the Spring changes is going on in the laptop…will be blooming somewhere this coming week. Have a safe trip back and welcome home.

Plans Train Wrecked

2009-01-12T12:38:00.001+08:00

Much of my plan were train wrecked last Saturday when i wake up with my gout coming back. Because of it, i have to pull out from the Carey Island and KLCC trip….sedihnya…also it cause me to skip 2 classes already (I am supposed to be in one right now while writing this.). It also leave me thinking what will happen for the rest of the week and also this Friday's steamboat party at my friend’s place.

Here is what have been going on since last posting.

(1) Sex and the City

Start watching the series after i ask my roommate when he went back last weekend. I finished Season 1 (thanks to my leg which limits my movement away from my room.). So far so good (except that now i KNOW why it didn’t make it on Malaysian TV…so much sex scene that if censored, it might be even shorter than a CNY or Raya commercial by PETRONAS).

(2) IASS

About to finish already. The symposium part is over and only one trip left before the farewell dinner tonight. So that is it….i manage to be in a part of an international student event. The dinner the other night sucks. So little food only….pictures will be downloaded soon.

(3) Acedemic

Just starting to warm up after the IASS is finishing (and now my leg). Expect to rush like crazy after missing a total of 4 classes (until now…).

That is all for now. Looking forward to what will be coming soon (especially a big big tau sar pheah flying back from Manchester.). Signing off…with a leg pain….

Latest update

2009-01-09T09:00:00.000+08:00

Finally (as usual), found some time to do personal stuffs. Here is this week's update on One-Deep-Thought (think i will stick to the minimum one post per week policy i'm having now):

(i) Final Year Project

After meeting with my supervisor, finally got to know 2/3 of my title. The keyword is "POSTHARVEST" and "OZONE TREATMENT". The other 1/3 would be the type of crop i will be planting. Will meet him next friday, starting the literature review soon (I am in the Library posting this).

(ii) IASS

The symposium is going at full speed. So far so good...i miss 3 class already...on monday we went to Putrajaya for the Ministry of Agriculture & Agro-based Industy HQ. Very grand building with its own man made waterfall. Some of the papers presented are quite good like using the silkworm pupae as protein source and replace ajinomoto in instant cream soup (yummmy, isn't it). Tomorrow going on a trip to Carey Island to see the oil palm plantation and KLCC on sunday. Then it will end on monday.

(iii) Acedemic

So far so good. Because of the IASS, i have homework pilled up. Already got 2 lab reports for weed science. For the controlled environment, we are planting cauliflower, brocolli, ginger and misai kucing. We also will be visiting Langkawi Island and Perlis in february as a field trip. The rest of the subjects are still ok. Will be doing soil sample collecting this afternoon for my Soil Fertility.

(iv) Personal Life

To the dismay of certain of you, i brought more Magic cards....i even make a 2nd deck with it (PTPTN just cash in...hehe). Will be having steamboat next friday at friend's place. Also will be spending 2 lonely night, starting tonight, as my roommate and friends go back, make me wonder why i move so far that i can't go home at weekends (i used to call them the PBSM...not the Persatuan Bulan Sabit Merah in SXI but the Persatuan Balik Setiap Minggu).

That is all for now. Will update more soon...especially pictures I taken in Putrajaya and will be taking at Carey Island and KLCC. Not to forget....the Spring changes is coming.

Changes Coming….

2009-01-04T11:30:00.001+08:00

Will be busy for the next few days with the International Agriculture Students Symposium here in UPM. But changes are coming very soon. Here is a peek to what will be in store.

So, keep a look out around…

Good Bye 2008, Hello 2009

2009-01-02T14:32:00.000+08:00

Wishing everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009 !!!

Have a wonderful and blessed year ahead !!!

May all your dreams come true !!!

Last post of the year...

2008-12-30T18:18:00.000+08:00

Finally find some time to update my blog. Being busy since got back here. Here are some updates:

i) Meeting supervisor: Finally meet him face to face. Quite a nice person. My title will be change a bit to something of annual flowers which involves post-harvest treatments.

ii) IASS: The symposium is starting next week, so getting very busy with it. Being to meetings every night.

iii) Course Registration: Finalizing what subjects to take. This semester i will be taking PostHarvest Physiology, Control Environment, Weed Science, Soil Fertility and my final year project (for now...)

As the year ends, i have been pondering everything that had happened this year. The word I can best describe this year is "Loss".I lost my laptop (someone broke into my house during last semester break). I lost my pendrives (amazingly in the Library, causing me troubles in doing my work, so have to get new ones)I lost my room with the roommate (cause he moved out and i moved to another room). But the worse lost i had is i lost a friend (Due to a stupid arguement...i end up angry for a week, confuse for 3 months and regret & suffer till now...so learn from my mistakes...no matter how right you are, friendship is more important. Don't let a moment of trying to be right end all the years of friendship...just because you think you are right no matter if you are or not).

With that, I look forward to a better year in 2009. That is all for now.

Happy New Year 2009 !!!

Passing of a Ruler

2008-12-28T10:20:00.000+08:00

Al Fatihah

1922-2008

Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Jaafar ibni Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman

4th Yang di-Pertuan Besar(8 April 1968 – 27 December 2008), 10th Yang di-Pertuan Agong(26 April 1994 – 25 April 1999)

What is going on in 2008...

2008-12-26T23:27:00.000+08:00

Here is a pictorial review of what happened throughout the year 2008, see if you can guess all of it. Some are events, others are personalities, some close to home, others far apart, some happy, others sad.

Hope you have fun. That's all for now.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

2008-12-25T01:43:00.000+08:00

Happy Winter Solstice Festival

2008-12-20T09:03:00.000+08:00

One again, this time of the year is back, the Winter Solstice Festival. In Chinese culture, it marks the longest night in the year. In modern term, it also means that it is near Christmas and New Year and Chinese New Year is around the corner. Like every year, the colourful tang yuen is the delicacy for the festival, cooked in a sweet soup with pandan or ginger flavour (And like every year, mine is cooked in my Grandma's. transported here most probably tonight or tomorrow morning).

Once again, HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE FESTIVAL!!!

From Wikipedia:

The Winter Solstice Festival or The Extreme of Winter is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Chinese and other East Asians during the dongzhi solar term on or around December 21 when sunshine is weakest and daylight shortest; i.e., on the first day of the dongzhi solar term. The origins of this festival can be traced back to the yin and yang philosophy of balance and harmony in the cosmos. After this celebration, there will be days with longer daylight hours and therefore an increase in positive energy flowing in. The philosophical significance of this is symbolized by the I Ching hexagram fù (復, "Returning"). Traditionally, the Dongzhi Festival is also a time for the family to get together. One activity that occurs during these get togethers (especially in the southern parts of China and in Chinese communities overseas) is the making and eating of Tangyuan or balls of glutinous rice, which symbolize reunion.

The List of 2008...

2008-12-11T01:24:00.000+08:00

It is already December, the last month of the year. One of the sign you will notice is then newspapers, TV and even the internet coming up with the "Best of 2008" or "Events of 2008". So I would like to do so too but with a boring twist. I present.....THE BOOKS I READ OF 2008...here goes...

1. Ousted! By Patrick Keith
This history book details about how Malaysia and Singapore splits in 1965 from the views of leading politicians of the era.

2. The Eye on the Golden Sands by Lim Kean Siew
This book is about the life story of a Penangite who grows up in the early 20th century Penang, giving you a glimpse of old Penang when most things are still...old...

3. Suleiman the Magnificent by Andre Clot
This is the biography of one of the most famous caliph to rule the Arab world. It details from his birth to his accession to power and his reign as one of the most powerful man in 15th century when the Ottoman Empire ruled most of the Middle East, Egypt, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

4. Honk! If You Are a Malaysian by Lydia Teh
Telling the life of Malaysians with a comical sense, Lydia Teh shows us the traits we all Malaysians shared. A highly recommended reading material which will give you the funny bones.

5. Life Is Like That by Lydia Teh
Another book by Lydia Teh, this books detail about some of her life stories, again told in a comical twist.

6. The Struggle for Malaysian Independence by J. J. Raj
For those who want to find out how Malaysia gains her independence, this is the latest book to read. It details how our Founding Fathers lead the people of Malaya half a century ago to Merdeka in 1957.

7. Nocturne and Other Malayan Stories and Sketches by Frank Swettenham
Written by the colonial Resident General of Malaya, it shows the views of a young English man who travels around Malaya at a time when most of it is still covered by forests. Some of the stories in this book details the assassination of J. W. W. Birch, the Malay superstitious, scenery of old Butterworth and many more.

8. The Rise of the Nazis by Conan Fisher
Charting the rise of the Nazis in Germany, one can look at how uncertainties and political instability created something that will become one of the gravest mistakes of humankind, leading to the Second World War and millions of death. It also shows that democracy and elections doesn’t solve every problem in the world.

9. Absolute Power by C. S. Denton
A must for those who like to read about Royalties, this book detail about the life of some kings, queens, emperors, tsars, etc whose were given the power to rule over their kingdom and how it change them. Some ruled with as wise and beloved monarchs, others end up as dictators and despots. A must for those who which to hold the power to rule (...or become a dictator)

This is the list of books I read the whole year (but not the final list as I am still reading 2 more books currently).

From here, you can draw some conclusions:

1. I like history a lot.
2. I read more than the average Malaysian would read by more than 400% already (assuming it is still 2 books a year).
3. I am boring.
4. This blogger have nothing to write.
5. You know what I want for my birthday
6. Never, never ask me to buy gives for someone’s birthday or Christmas

That is all for now, till next time...signing off...

A Writing in the Diary

2008-12-08T10:09:00.000+08:00

I really can't think of anything to post, so...this week i post a digital diary of what i did in someone's house in Damansara...

30/11/2008

Arrive in KL after a long 5 hours ride. Nothing interesting in the ride except for the talking aunties (which are only form 2 or 3 only), bisinig betul. Arrving in Kl, escorted by KG to Damansara. Go IKEA, Ikano Power Centre and The Curve. Eat at a Italian restaurant n IKEA. Sleep at 5am.

1/12/2008

Wake up at 7.45am. Went on a 3 hour journey to UPM. Went to find my supervisor, resulting in the Great Dissapoinment as he is not around....sigh....but at least know that i got 2 As n 1 A- d...hehe...meet some seniors, went library. Went back to iL house at 3.30pm, reach 6pm. Went to coffee shop for one of the biggest claypot rice i ever eat (also one of the most mahal one...). Went shopping at Giant. Went back and be "house elf" til 3am.

2/12/2008

Wake up at 12.00pm. Cook lunch (Fish n Chip). Work all day (but actually just online, watch the latest Bleach and blah blah blah). Eat at nasi kandar stall (not bad curry but the price is really explosive...). Sleep at 6am.

3/12/2008

Wake up at 11am. Went to Midvalley at 1pm, eat at Carls Jr. Very nice burger and a very beautiful hole in the wallet. Watch movie with iL and KG. Went grocery shopping. Went back by 7pm n reach by 9pm. Cook dinner till 10pm. Sleep at 3-4am (not sure cause doze off without knowing...)

4/12/2008

Wake up at 9.45am. Pack up. Went to Puduraya at 11.30pm and reach at 12.45pm. Got on a 1.30pm bus, but move at 2pm. Reach Penang by 6pm (the journey was a blast, driving so so fast, belok kiri, belok kanan. cut here and there in the wettest condition i ever seen...yipee..).

Lesson Learned:
1) Bus is a main thing in life...overall i spent around RM70 on express bus and RM15.30 on Metro and Rapid in 5 days
2) IKEA serve tasty food.
3) I can sleep for less than 4 hours or less a day
4) Bleach (japanese manga) can be applied in daily life
5) The art of crashing someone's house without communicating with his/her housemate
6) I have a touch for cooking

That is all for now. If you want the photos, ask from iL (except for the bus ride)

A Tribute to a Lecturer

2008-12-06T02:08:00.000+08:00

This posting come as unexpected. Just recieved news that one of my previous lecturers was killed in an accident in New Zealand. It was reported in the news but didn't notice till this evening when my friend from UPM told me. It really came as a shock, a person that I saw just two semesters ago, gone already.

So I would like to pay tribute to him, a lecturer who is different in his teaching style. He taught us KOH3333: "Communication and Changes". He is a lecturer in UiTM Shah Alam, who travelled hours for a class on Tuesday nights, 8-11pm.

One of his most memorable words is: "CHANGE OR DIE". He taught us that we need to adapt to the changing world if we don't want to be left behind. His class might not be the best class I had, but it was quite memorable one. He is a humble guy and respects us a lot.

From the news, it seems that he passed away while doing one of his favourite activities, photography. May god bless his soul and may he rest in peace. Al-fatihah

Tuan Haji Shafie Ahmad

Timbalan Dekan Hal Ehwal Pelajar Fakulti Komunikasi dan Pengajian Media, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM)

Links:

http://cetusanperasaan.blogspot.com/2008/12/tuan-haji-shafie-dalam-kenangan.html

http://miszjanuary.blogspot.com/2008/12/al-fatihah-tu-tuan-haji-shafie-ahmad.html

Will be back soon

2008-12-01T12:26:00.000+08:00

Currently in KL for acedemic errants and also some unexpected ones. Going to meet my supervisor, at the same time, being someone's house elf. Will be back soon.