50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing

50 years ago today, July 20, 1969, man set foot on the Moon. And so this famous quote came into being, 'One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind' or what is believed to have been said by the first person on the Moon, Neil Armstrong.

Google commemorates this occasion with a Google doodle..

And a video..



Happy Moon Landing Day!

P Ramlee would have been 88 today

Opening Google today brought up a surprise Google doodle.

If P Ramlee is still alive today, March 22, he'd be 88 years old.

The Google doodle depicts a caricature of P. Ramlee sitting in the director's chair holding a megaphone and a music sheet. Beside him is a guitar.

It symbolises his achievements in the Malaysian entertainment industry as an actor, director, singer, songwriter, composer and producer with more than 60 films and 250 songs to his credit.

P Ramlee on Wikipedia..

Tan Sri Datuk Amar Teuku Zakaria Teuku Nyak Putih (Jawi: تاوكو زكريا تاوكو ڽق ڤوتيه), commonly known as P. Ramlee (22 March 1929 – 29 May 1973) was a Malaysian film actor, director, singer, songwriter, composer, and producer. Due to his contributions to the movie and music industry and his literary work, which began with his acting debut in Singapore in 1948 to the height of his career then later moving to Malaysia in 1964 onwards to his death, he is regarded as a prominent icon of Malay entertainment; with his fame even reaching as far as Brunei and Sumatra, Indonesia as well as in Hong Kong and Japan.

Source: Bing.com

On the Last Day of 2015

Google features an interesting animated doodle today for year-end 2015. Go to the front page to view this (minus the green border).

And do you see the bottom line which says: Watch and remember the moments of 2015? Go on, click on Watch and remember. You will see in a two-minute You Tube video what was trending in the world in the past one year of 2015. Interestingly what is the colour of that dress is also featured in the video if you know what I'm talking about. (I shall have to write about that dress based on my own experience. Come back and read about it later.)

In a nutshell, the Google page lets you explore the year's biggest moments and the questions they inspired. Watch and remember... Enjoy!

Happy New Year, Everyone!
May it be your best ever!

Malaysia celebrates National Day today

Today, August 31, Malaysia celebrates 58 years of Independence. This year, Kuala Lumpur is the venue for the celebration and Dataran Merdeka or Independence Square was where the National Day Parade was held this morning.

Google Malaysia commemorated this year's National Day with a “teh tarik” doodle.

Why "teh tarik"? Google explains, "Deep within a Malaysian street market, a teamaker spins a metal cup towards the sky. In mid-air, he turns it just so, and out pours a hot mix of tea and condensed milk. The drink speeds towards the ground - until another cup swoops in, scooping it out of the air. The tea is saved, and the wide-eyed crowd bursts into cheers!

"This is the ritual of 'teh tarik,' the national drink of Malaysia. Brewed hot, it cools and thickens as it’s slung back and forth between the teamaker’s special mixing cups. It’s not only delicious to drink, but a delight to watch. That’s why we chose it for the Malaysian Independence Day doodle, illustrated by guest artist Alyssa Winans," it said. (Courtesy of The Star)

Pictures above courtesy of The Star where more pictures can be viewed.

You may also be interested in the Malaysia National Day celebration two years ago, in 2013

2015 Happy New Year - Goodbye 2014

Well, we've come to the last day of year 2014. It has been a good year for me but I won't bore you with details. I certainly hope it has been a good/great year for you too. Let me take this opportunity to thank you for being a part of my life. You have added spice to my life. Thank you.

Google has come up with this simple-looking doodle to end the year.

But click on the doodle and you will find Google Trending Topics for the year. Below are the topics that were trending in Malaysia and Singapore. What was trending in your country? You can check it out here.

My wish for you..

Goodbye 2014.. Hello 2015!

Malaysia turns 57 today

Malaysia celebrates Independence Day today, August 31, making this our 57th year of independence from Great Britain.

The Hibiscus flower featured on this Google Doodle is our national flower. We certainly could do with more of this plant growing in the city. I heard it needs a lot of water, maybe that's why.

Here is where the country is. After the two Malaysian Airlines mishaps in a span of less than four months, I suppose everyone knows where we are now. In case you haven't heard, you can read about MH370, the plane that vanished without a trace with 239 people in it, and MH17, the plane that was hit over war-zone Ukraine killing all 298 people onboard.

And this is the Malaysian flag. I think it'd make a great outfit. Yes?

Happy Merdeka!

Google Doodle honouring Honinbo Shusaku - 185th birthday

Do you play this ancient Oriental board game called GO? If you do, today's Google doodle may interest you. It commemorates the 185th birthday of Honinbo Shusaku considered by many to be the greatest player of the golden age of Go in the mid-19th century.

This is how it looks like..courtesy of Wikipedia.

Rubik's Cube turns 40 today

I never did own a Rubik's Cube, you know, one of those colourful cubes where you twist and turn to get the colours to align. Just the other day, it occurred to me that I should own one of those just for nostalgia sake.

Today, Google commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Rubik's Cube with an interactive Google doodle. Yep, it's been 40 years!

Rubik's Cube is a 3-D combination puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik. Originally called the Magic Cube, it won the German Game of the Year special award for Best Puzzle that year. As of January 2009, 350 million cubes had been sold worldwide making it the world's top-selling puzzle game. It is widely considered to be the world's best-selling toy.

Although the Rubik's Cube reached its height of mainstream popularity in the 1980s, it is still widely known and used. - Wikipedia

Do you or did you used to own a Rubik's Cube? Any good with it?

Google celebrates Audrey Hepburn's 85th birthday today

Google celebrates the 85th birthday of Audrey Hepburn today, May 4.

From Wikipedia:
Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognized as a film and fashion icon, Hepburn was active during Hollywood's Golden Age. She was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third greatest female screen legend in the history of American cinema and has been placed in the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame. She is also regarded by some to be the most naturally beautiful woman of all time.

She spoke several languages including English, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, and German.

Hepburn remains one of few people who have won Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Awards. She won a record three BAFTA Awards for Best British Actress in a Leading Role.

Here's a trailer of Roman Holiday, in which Hepburn played the Academy Award-winning lead role.



Image source: Google

Valentine's Day and Chap Goh Mei - Double Celebration today

Today is Valentine's Day, so Happy Valentine's to you..

Google commemorates Valentine's Day 2014 with this interactive doodle..

Today is also a day of celebration for the Chinese community. After the past 14 days of festivities and merry-making ushering in the new year, all that will end tonight on this 15th day of the new lunar year.

In the Teochew and Fujian communities, it is called Chap Goh Meh which literally translates to "15th night". It is also known as Lantern Festival though not to be confused with that of the Mooncake Festival celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month.

So Happy Chap Goh Meh to you..

Today, also being known as the Chinese Valentine's Day, tradition holds that this is the night where maidens go to the river or lake to toss oranges with the hope of getting hitched. In contemporary times, technology advancement has notched it up a little where you'd find oranges bearing contact information. Oh yes, here in Malaysia it is still practised. If you are in the Klang Valley, head on over to the lake in Petaling Jaya (near A&W I think) and if you are in Penang, the Esplanade is the place to catch the oranges.

Gong Xi Fa Cai again and may the Year of the Horse be a better year for you! (The Year of the Horse is from Jan 31, 2014, to Feb 18, 2015. The Year of the Goat takes over on Feb 19, 2015, a Thursday, another Fire element year.)


** Friday Frolics comes on next..

Google doodle for Dian Fossey

Google commemorates Dian Fossey today with a doodle on her 82nd birthday today.

Dian Fossey, if you have watched or read 'Gorillas in the Mist', you would know who she is. Dian Fossey was an American zoologist who undertook an extensive study of gorilla groups over a period of 18 years. She studied them daily in the mountain forests of Rwanda.

Sigourney Weaver played Dian Fossey in this 1988 American drama film. It tells the true-life story of her work in Rwanda with Mountain Gorillas and was nominated for five Academy Awards.

Fossey was discovered murdered in the bedroom of her cabin in Virunga Mountains, Rwanda, in late December 1985. The case remains open. She was discovered 2 metres (7 ft) away from a hole that her assailant(s) had apparently cut in the wall of the cabin.

She was presumably in the act of loading her weapon when she was murdered, but had picked the wrong type of ammunition during the struggle; the cabin was littered with broken glass and overturned furniture. Robbery was not believed to be the motive for the crime, as Fossey's valuables were still in the cabin: thousands of dollars in cash, travelers' checks, and photo equipment remained untouched.

Fossey is buried at Karisoke, in a site that she herself had constructed for her deceased gorilla friends. She was buried in the gorilla graveyard next to Digit, and near many gorillas killed by poachers. Memorial services were also held in New York, Washington, and California. She was 53.

Source: Wikipedia

Best Interactive Google doodle - in honour of Doctor Who

Quick, check out the Google homepage for its interesting interactive doodle to celebrate Doctor Who's 50th anniversary. Doctor Who?

Doctor Who is a British science-fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a Time Lord—a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor.

Yes, prepare to lose all productivity today as you can get hooked to this 8-bit platform game in which you play the Doctor through all his 11 incarnations. Google's best doodle yet. Enjoy!

Today is Universal Children's Day

An outing outdoors in Kuala Lumpur today would be nice because it's not a hot day outside though somewhat overcast.

We are seeing more rain these past few days which could be due to the upcoming northeasterly monsoon season. East coast states are on the alert for floods which normally come with this weather pattern.

Today, November 20, is Universal Children's Day by United Nations recommendation.

I've lost touch with when Children's Day is here in Malaysia but according to Wikipedia, In Malaysia, Children's Day is celebrated on the first Saturday of November annually. Primary school pupils normally go to school on the Friday before the event to celebrate Children's Day. The schools that are involved would also organize numerous activities for their pupils.

Google celebrates this day with a nice Google doodle..

Happy 15th Birthday, Google!

15 years ago, what started as a research project for two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, has turned out to be currently the world's most visited website, making its founders multi-billionaires.

Google celebrates its 15th birthday with an interactive doodle on its homepage allowing the user to break a star-shaped birthday pinata.

To view what Google page looked like when it was first launched in September 1998, visit Google in 1998 as created by Google. 

Google doodle for Brazilian Leonidas da Silva

In the sports of football (soccer), Brazil has produced many great talents. Google today honours one of Brazil's greats with a Google doodle.

Today marks the 100th birthday of Leonidas da Silva.

According to Wikipedia..

Leônidas da Silva was an association footballer and commentator. He is regarded to be one of the most important players of the first half of the 20th century. He played for Brazil in two World Cups, and was the top scorer of the 1938 World Cup.

Born: September 6, 1913, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Died: January 24, 2004, Cotia, São Paulo, Brazil

He was known to have perfected the "Bicycle Kick" and used it in a number of games. Most famous of all, he used it on 13 November 1948, in the massive 8–0 victory over Juventus. The play (and the goal) was captured in an image (below) and is regarded to be the most famous picture of the player. In the 1938 World Cup, he also used the bicycle kick, which delighted the watching spectators. When he did it, the referee was so shocked by the volley that he was unsure whether it was within the rules or not. - Wikipedia

Source

Google honours Claude Debussy

If you are a classical music-lover, you may like Google's animated doodle for today in honour of French composer, Claude Debussy (22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918). The doodle is to honour his 151st birthday.

Here's the doodle. Check it out at Google to view and listen to a Debussy composition.

Happy Duanwu Festival or Dumpling Day!

Source: Redcook.net

The Chinese community celebrates a number of major festivals in a lunar year. We celebrate one today. Today, we celebrate Duanwu Jie/Festival - which literally means double five as in fifth day of the fifth month. It is also referred to as Dragon Boat Festival as racing dragon boats is one of the activities connected with this festival. The island of Penang holds annual dragon boat races and has been doing so for three decades. This year's races were held last weekend at the usual venue of Teluk Bahang Dam in Batu Ferringhi.

Besides the legend, Chinese festivals are usually associated with a specific food item. The food related to this Duanwu Jie is the conventional triangular-shaped rice dumplings or zongzi as they are called in Mandarin. Traditionally, these rice dumplings are made at home but these days, you can buy them from foodstalls in markets and eating places. They are now available all year round.

Zongzi is a traditional Chinese food, made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo, reed, or other large flat leaves. They are cooked by steaming or boiling, usually the latter.

If you are interested to try cooking/preparing zongzi, here's a traditional recipe to try on how to make savoury rice Zongzi.

And here's a recipe for making Alkaline Zongzi with Red Bean Paste Filling.


Also, see if you'd be able to get an egg to stand up. It is believed and proven that eggs can stand up on this festival or rather during summer solstice at noon. Try it and let us know.

Here's the proof..

Source:Cultureofchinese.com

Happy Duanwu Jie or colloquially, Happy Dumpling Day!

More information:
Dumpling Day or Duanwu Festival - June 24,2012
Dumpling Day - A Chinese festival - June 6, 2011

Google doodle for Maurice Sendak

Google honours Maurice Sendak with an interesting interactive doodle today for what could have been his 85th birthday if he were still alive today, June 10.


Maurice Bernard Sendak (June 10, 1928 – May 8, 2012) was an American illustrator and writer of children's books. He became widely known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, first published in 1963, one of the best-loved picture books of all time. The book had sold over 19 million copies worldwide as of 2009, with 10 million of those being in the United States. It was one of the "Top 100 Picture Books" of all time in a 2012 poll by School Library Journal.

In case you are interested, here's the plot of the story:

A young boy named Max, after dressing in his wolf costume, wreaks havoc through his household and is disciplined by being sent to his bedroom. As he feels agitation with his mother, Max's bedroom undergoes a mysterious transformation into a jungle environment, and he winds up sailing to an island inhabited by malicious beasts known as the "Wild Things." After successfully intimidating the creatures, Max is hailed as the king of the Wild Things and enjoys a playful romp with his subjects; however, he decides to return home, to the Wild Things' dismay. After arriving in his bedroom, Max discovers a hot supper waiting for him.

Sendak's life must have been pretty awesome (understatement here) considering the number of awards and honors he received from his illustrious achievements - works of both literary and illustrations in nature.

Maurice Sendak drew inspiration and influences from a vast number of painters, musicians and authors. He has been quoted as saying, "My gods are Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson, Mozart. I believe in them with all my heart."

Move over to Wikipedia for more on Maurice Sendak.

Google doodle for Miriam Makeba

Google honours Miriam Makeba today who would have turned 81.

Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a Grammy Award-winning South African singer and civil rights activist. In the 1960s she was the first artist from Africa to popularize African music in the U.S. and around the world.

She is best known for the song "Pata Pata", first recorded in 1957 and released in the U.S. in 1967. She recorded and toured with many popular artists, such as Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon, and her former husband Hugh Masekela.

She actively campaigned against the South African system of apartheid. As a result, the South African government revoked her citizenship and right of return. After the end of apartheid she returned home. She died on 9 November 2008 after performing in a concert in Italy organized to support writer Roberto Saviano in his stand against the Camorra, a mafia-like organisation local to the region of Campania.

The above has been borrowed from Wikipedia. Visit the site for information on the many achievements and accolades bestowed upon this brave and talented citizen of the world who in her life, held nine passports, and was granted honorary citizenship in ten countries after she was exiled by South Africa for her active campaign against the South African system of apartheid. Miriam Makeba..

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love conquers all and we do need it now more than ever so let me interrupt this series of Chinese New Year daily posts to wish one and all A Happy Valentine's Day!


Today is also the 154th birthday of George Ferris, the man most famous for creating the original Ferris Wheel for the 1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition. If you go to Google's homepage today, an interactive Google doodle awaits honouring both Valentine's Day and George Ferris.