Think(ing) Green Thursday - An Old Malay Custom on Tree Planting

I am fascinated by this report under the Star Metro section of our local newspaper The Star, publication dated 20 December 2009, title "Reviving an old Malay custom."

Planting a tree for every birth in the family is a Malay custom that, sadly, is almost lost. Many people are unaware of this tradition.

Recently, the Ampang Jaya Municipal Countil (MPAJ) launched a programme, "Satu Kelahiran, Satu Pokok (One Birth, One Tree) in cooperation with the Ampang Hostpital, Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital and Pantai Hospital. Chinese, Indian and Malay parents were selected to plant trees at an event organised by MPAJ. A total of 60 trees were planted in the empty lot next to the Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital.

The Selangor government has set a target of 90,000 trees for the local countils to plant this year. MPAJ has exceeded the target when they planted 97,000 trees this year.

Participants were very happy that the local councils were doing a good job of balancing development with environment care.

Do you like the idea of planting a tree in your own compound or garden to mark the birth of each of your children?

Thank you to Michelle of Rambling Woods for hosting Think(ing) Green Thursday # 30. To participate or to view contributions from other green thinkers around the globe, please visit here.

Watery Wednesday # 68

Children enjoying themselves at the water games at a carnival in Melaka.


This is my entry for Watery Wednesday #68. To see what others have posted or to participate, click here.

Jalan Hang Lekir Part 4 - Tai Kow Min Chinese Pancakes

This is the Tai Kow Min (or for easy rememberance - Thai Cow Mean) is actually chinese style crispy pancakes. Remember the food I mentioned in my previous post on Petaling Street and KL Chinatown ?
Tai Kow Min is also available in many wet markets, roadside stalls, night markets (pasar malam) and even food courts of modern shopping centres.

Here is how they make the Tai Kow Min. Some premixed flour bater is poured onto a flat metal mould on which some margarine has been added. A little sugar is sprinkled and the mixture is allowed to cook for a few minutes. When it is just ready, crushed roasted peanuts are sprinkled on top. When hot, it is extremely delicious and yummy. I love to eat it for breakfast with a cup of black coffee. Some prefer the skin to be thick while others like it thin and crisp, just like you have a choice of thick (pan) or crispy crust pizza. The crispy crust ones are smaller while the 'thick skined' ones are larger in diameter. I like it with an additional topping of canned sweet corn. Some stalls even use brown sugar in place of the white sugar. This was one of my favourite breakfast food as a kid growing up in a kampung.

Tai Kow Min has many names depending on what language or dialect you speak.

a) Bang Chang Kuih (Hokkien)
b) Apam Balik (Malay)
c) Jin Long Pau or Tai Kow Min (Cantonese)

It is a '1Malaysia' food enjoyed by all races. Anyone like to tell me the indian name or foreign language names of Tai Kow Min?

This is my entry for That's My World Tuesday. To view what others have in their world, please visit here.

Monochrome Weekly - Dome Shaped Structure at Sunway Hotel

A dome-shaped pillar at Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa, Malaysia.


This is my entry for Monochrome Maniacs. My grateful thanks to Aileni for hosting this wonderful site. For other MM posts around the world, please click here.

Bedazzled Christmas at the Curve, PJ

The theme this year at the Curve, Petaling Jaya is " Bedazzled Christmas at The Curve". This is Malaysia's first pedestrian style shopping mall.

At the Centre Court area inside the mall, spectacular Christmas trees were adorned with twinkling, bright lights and beautiful ornaments. The colour scheme here centres around gold and copper. There were the traditional Roman pillars and white columns and looking up I could see flying angels and cupids and beautiful sparkling chandelliars. I was spellbound by such a magnificient display of ambiance at the Curve. Sounds of Christmas carols and baroque instrumentals filled the air. One will not run out of gift ideas here. There are so many shops and outlets offering a wide variety of goods, from cookies to clothes, fashion accessories, home decor and electronics. To top it all, there's a SALE going on!

Outside at the Street Market, a Filipino Band entertain shoppers with their melodius singing. Her voice was so sweet singing the sentimental oldies that soon I found myself humming and singing /whispering along. I really liked them.

There are many stalls here at the Street Market with vendors selling Christmas gifts and realted items like ornaments and cookies. There are also many many food outlets, from western to oriental, along both sides of the street.

During the day, this place is decorated like a lush green garden. By nightfall, it is transformed into a winter wonderland. Look! There are many people already gathered here at the Piazza, waiting patiently to experience snow falling in tropical, equatorial Malaysia.

This is my entry for the fun and wonderful weekly memes, Scenic Sunday #76. To participate or view other pictures around the world, click on the icon above.

Weekend Reflections # 14

A shop window display reflected on the glistening floor.


This is my entry for Weekend Reflections # 14. To participate or view what others have posted for Weekend Reflections, please visit Newtown Area Photo.

Skywatch Friday Season 4 Episode 24

This picture was taken on 20th December 2009 at precisely 7.16pm, a day before the Winter Solstice. The location is Bandar Bukit Tinggi 2, Klang, Selangor, Malaysia. It was drizzling when I witnessed this beautiful sunset and luckily I had my camera with me. The next day it was rainy and dark, so there was no sunset.

This year the Winter Solstice occured at 5:47 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time Monday 21st December 2009. That is equivalent to 1:47 a.m. Tuesday 22nd December 2009, Malaysian Time. We celebrated Dong Zhi by eating tang yuan on this day.

On the winter solstice, the sun's maximum height above the horizon is at its lowest point in the sky for the year. It's the day with the fewest hours of sunlight this year.

On this Christmas Day, I like to wish everyone,

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

For more Skywatch Friday Season 4 Episode 24 pictures and to participate, please visit the Skywatch site. Skywatch was created by Dot and put in motion by Tom, who made it a huge success. Now it is hosted by Klaus with the help of Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy, Louise and Slyvia.

Tips for an Eco-Friendly Christmas

This year, decorations at many locations in Malaysia have gone green during the Christmas season. We can also consider changing some of our habits to have a more eco-friendly Christmas:

1. Using recycled plastic bottles, used egg cartons, cotton wool from used pillows for Christmas Trees

2. Using recycled plastic bottles in place of hanging chandeliars like in the picture above.

3. Using LED bulbs and LED modules with lights to make the tree sparkle in a spectrum of colours such as purple, blue, yellow and red. LED bulbs and modules can shave off about 75% from the electricity bill for the normal decorations. These bulbs do not get hetaed up, neither do they casue short circuits, melt or become health hazards. E.g. a string of 100 bulbs needs only 7.5 watts of electricity and these waterproof bulbs can be used both indoors and outdoors. The enercy consumption is so low, a huge tree uses only 2 amps compared to a normal Christmas tree that uses 12 amps.

4. Styrofoam can be used to make Santa Clause, his sleigh and reindeers, also Snowman.

5. Turn Christmas lighting off during sleeping hours or when not at home.

6. Don't leave the TV, Hi-Fi or Stereo on standby mode. Turn it off when not in use.

7. Avoid leaving the oven door open to observe the turkey during the baking process. Instead, remove the turkey from the oven to check it and close the oven door. This will keep the heat in, thereby saving energy consumption.

8. Do not overcook. Make sure extra food has cooled before putting into the fridge.

9. When cooking stews, keep the lid on. This will cook quicker, thereby conserving energy.

10. Wait for a full load before using the electric dish washer.

11. Recycle the ribbons.

12. Don't use styrofoam or disposable cups, plates and silverware.

Thank you to Michelle of Rambling Woods for hosting Think(ing) Green Thursday. To participate or to view contributions from other green thinkers around the globe, please visit here.

White Winter Wonderland Chrismas

Today is ABC Wednesday Round 5

W is for the

White Winter Wonderland !

This is the scene at the Curve Shopping Centre, Petaling Jaya. The theme this year is Bedazzled at the Curve Chrismas. The management has set up a snow making machine to create the effects of falling snow.

Over at the 1-Utama Shopping Complex, Petaling Jaya, the theme is White Christmas, another winter wonderland.

Today's post is an entry in ABC Wednesday Round 5, the meme initiated by Denise Nesbitt. For more information and photos, please log on to this site.

Royale Christmas @ Pavillion KL

The theme this year for this shopping complex is Royale Christmas @ Pavillion KL. The stage here is surrounded by gigantic Christmas Trees adorn with bright, colourful baubles, tinsel and glittering ornaments.

Standing on the upper floors and leaning against the transparent glass partitions to take this photo, my feet got wobbly and I actually felt quite dizzy as though seized by a sudden attack of acrophobia! If you look closely, you will be able to see that the glass partitions are transparent from the top to the floor. This makes me momentarily loose my sense of security and balance. Maybe you can try it when you come here.

This is the view when I walked in from the main entrance. It does give me a grand feeling of walking down the red carpet. The hall is so spacious and there is glitter everywhere. I can almost imagine how Cinderella, Snow White and Belle would have felt walking down these steps accompanied by their respective Prince Charmings. What a glamorous setting. Soft music of Christmas songs and carols fill the air and this can easily put one on a festive mood. Why, I am already humming and singing along as I walked around the place looking for interesting subjects to shoot.

I like this scene very much. There is an empty sleigh parked here waiting for Santa to complete his wish-fulfilling rounds. At specific times of the day, beautiful elves will appear to pose and take photos with you. Soon they will take-off to another lucky place. When you look up, you can see more reindeers. They seem to be walking on air or flying towards the stars. I can't seem to recognise Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer. Which one is he?

Nobody can miss this large signage announcing a sale at the Pavillion KL. Brother and Sister here are posing while mum is taking their photos.

I am sure this place will be transformed into a magic wonderland when all lighted up at night. If you are sitting in one of the open air cafes here, you will definitely enjoy the view.


The Pavillion KL is a 1.37 mil sq ft retail haven with 430 outlets offering the finest fashion and home furnishing to entertainment and culinary delights. It also houses flagship boutiques from the world over.

This is my entry for My World Tuesday Season 2 Episode 7. To view what others have in their world, please visit here.

Monochrome Maniacs - Christmas Ornaments

Guess what are these?

This is my entry for Monochrome Maniacs. My grateful thanks to Aileni for hosting this wonderful site. For other MM posts around the world, please click here.

Christmas at Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

It looks like Santa Claus has arrived at the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. Just look at the reindeers and the empty sleigh that is parked in front of the entrance here. I guess he is busy distributing presents to all the children inside the shopping mall. Wow, they even brought in some snow too!

This is my entry for the fun and wonderful weekly memes, Scenic Sunday #75. To participate or view other pictures around the world, click on the icon above.

Weekend Reflections #13

The Pavillion shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur has put up a magnificient display of Christmas decorations. Here, the interior of the mall is reflected in a single bauble ornament.

This is my entry for Weekend Reflections # 13. To participate or view what others have posted for Weekend Reflections, please visit Newtown Area Photo.

Skywatch Friday Season 4 Episode 23 - Petronas Twin Towers

This picture was take from KLCC Park. This group of people are standing on the Elevated Bridge. This centrally located bridge provides visitors with a beautiful view of the KLCC Park and PETRONAS Twin Towers.

For more Skywatch Friday Season 4 Episode 23 pictures and to participate, please visit the Skywatch site. Skywatch was created by Dot and put in motion by Tom, who made it a huge success. Now it is hosted by Klaus with the help of Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy, Louise and Slyvia.

An Eco-Friendly Christmas at AEON Bukit Tinggi, Klang

AEON Co. (M) Bhd is having a 3R Campaign of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to encourage the public to have an eco-friendly Christmas. The theme this year is Mother Nature-meets-Father Christmas.

This decoration with Christmas tree, snowman and hanging ornaments are made from recycled materials. The main structure is made of recycled egg cartons. The picture was taken at AEON Bukit Tinggi, Klang.



Thank you to Michelle of Rambling Woods for hosting Think(ing) Green Thursday. To participate or to view contributions from other green thinkers around the globe, please visit here.

V is for Violet Verbana - ABC Wednesday Round 5

Today is ABC Wednesday Round 5

V is for the

Violet,

Verbena ...... !

Verbenas are short-lived perennials, sometimes treated as annuals by gardeners. The tiny flat flowers come in clusters. The tooth-shaped leaves are dark green in colour. Besides violet, there are also verbenas with white and red flowers.Verbenas are good as ground covers, bedding and for edges.

Today's post is an entry in ABC Wednesday Round 5, the meme initiated by Denise Nesbitt. For more information and photos, please log on to this site.

Jalan Hang Lekir Part 3 - Hon Kee Famous Porridge

Today we are going to visit Hon Kee Famous Porridge stall that is located at Jalan Hang Lekir. This stall was founded in 1959 and now it is into its third generation of family members carrying on the business. It is located directly in front of Hong Leong Bank Berhad and you can't miss the big signboard. This place looks tiny and cramped but don't worry. Just place your order here and the boss/waiter will lead you to another more spacious area for your dining experience. What is available here:

1. Raw fish (snakehead) porridge or "yee sang" porridge (鱼生粥)
2. Pork offals/innards porridge ((猪杂粥)
3. Minced chicken/pork meat porridge
4. Century egg porridge (皮蛋粥)

I guess you can ask them to mix all of them together in the same bowl of porridge if you wish to try all the ingredients at the same time.

The stall operator will lead you to an area near the entrance of Hong Leong Bank Berhad where there are more comfortable tables and chairs. It is actually just behind this 'mata kuching' (dried longan) drink stall. You can order this herbal drink to go with your porridge.



This looks extremely delicious. I just love the smell of the sweet, tasty aroma of sesame oil, ginger, spring onions and coriander. Add some soya sauce and pepper and the porridge will taste great.

This is a bowl of plain porridge. It is served boiling hot.

Here's a dish of raw snakehead fish slices that looks like Japanese sashimi. It is garnished with shredded ginger, spring onions, coriander from which a dash of sesame oil and soya sauce has been added. Snakehead fish is known as ikan haruan in malay and "sang yee" (生鱼) in chinese.

Just pour the all the ingredients on the plate immediately into the piping hot porridge and the fish will be cooked instantly, its flesh tender and just nice.

This is pork offals porridge (猪杂粥) . Ingredients are pig stomach, pancreas and fried small intestines. Very crispy and tasty. Slurpy too.

This is the fried chinese crullers which has been cut into bite sized pieces.

Chinese crullers or "you tiao" (油條) or "yew char kway" are shaped like a sausage and it tastes great when mixed into and eaten with the porridge.

These fried chinese crullers also goes well with coffee or tea. It can be eaten as a snack too.

This is my entry for My World Tuesday Season 2 Episode 6. To view what others have in their world, please visit here.

Christmas Decorations - Monochrome Maniacs

A Christmas decoration near the entrance to Sunway Resort & Spa Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.



This is my entry for Monochrome Maniacs. My grateful thanks to Aileni for hosting this wonderful site. For other MM posts around the world, please click here.

Sunway Lagoon Resort Theme Park

This is the window view of the Sunway Lagoon Resort Theme Park.

The address is as follows:
SUNWAY LAGOON SDN. BHD
3, Jalan PJS 11/11, Bandar Sunway,
46150 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor, Malaysia.

Tel number: 603-5639 0000
Fax number: 603-5639 0050

This is my entry for the fun and wonderful weekly memes, Scenic Sunday #74. To participate or view other pictures around the world, click here.

Blue Skies at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa

It is indeed a welcome sight to see such a beautiful bright sky after weeks of rainy days. Hopefully the cumulus clouds do not balloon into nimbus clouds soon. Taman Tasik Titiwangsa or Titawangsa Lake Gardents is a public park located in Setapak, the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur city.

My wish to you today is "Blue Skies and Everything Nice."

This is my entry for Weekend Reflections # 12. To participate or view what others have posted for Weekend Reflections, please visit Newtown Area Photo.