Showing posts with label Nature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nature. Show all posts

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Mossy Forest, Malaysia - and more

If you love nature walks and/or forests, here's one to visit when you visit Malaysia.

Source: MSN

Mossy Forest, Malaysia
This moist, tropical evergreen forest is ideally suited for moss, ferns, lichen and orchids, with a wide variety of insects, snakes, frogs and birds spotted here. You can explore the forest on a walk, just before the peak of Gunung Brinchang.

Gunung Brinchang is at the Cameron Highlands which you can read more about Camerons Highlands on Wikipedia.

MSN noted 25 other forests around the world you can visit including the Dragon's Blood Forest in Yemen..

Dragon's Blood Forest, Yemen
The spooky Dragon’s Blood Forest in Socotra is home to trees with UFO-like tops, which are colloquially known as dragon’s blood trees. You can also marvel at granite mountains and limestone plateaus. The forest is also home to large tracts of frankincense trees, as well as several rare species of birds.

as well as the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, California, US

The Bristlecone Pine Forest is home to some of the oldest trees on the planet, specifically the nearly 5,000-year-old Methuselah. The location of that tree is kept secret, to avoid defacement by vandals. The trees can grow at altitudes of 10,000 feet (over 3,000 meters) and offer some of the most gorgeous groves in the world.

And this one too, which is a popular tourist destination..

Jiuzhaigou Valley, China
Also known as the “Valley of Nine Villages,” the Jiuzhaigou Valley National Park is dotted with beautiful lakes, waterfalls and snow-capped mountains. With elevations ranging from 6,560 to 14,800 feet (2,000 to 4,500 meters), the forest has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992.

Visit MSN's list of 26 majestic forests for nature lovers to explore

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

View Live Webcast of the Solar Eclipse Tomorrow

















We may be advised not to be exposed to the eclipse tomorrow morning, all is not lost however. For those who would like to watch the eclipse, you will be able to view the live webcasts of the eclipse through these two websites:

www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/2009/index.html, www.saros.org/index.html.

Read article from The Star:

KUALA LUMPUR: This century’s longest total solar eclipse can be observed as a partial solar eclipse in Malaysia between 8:23am and 9:48am on Wednesday.

However, it would be difficult to view the phenomenon with naked eyes as only 17.8% of the sun would be obscured by the moon, head of Angkasa space science research unit Mhd Fairos Asillam said.

The northern part of Peninsular Malaysia would be the best place to observe the eclipse, he said in a statement.

The total solar eclipse, which would last for six minutes and 39 seconds, would pass through Ryuku Islands in Japan and through the Pacific Ocean, he said.

Mhd Fairos said the moon’s umbral shadow would begin covering India and then Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and China.

Mhd Fairos said Angkasa, the national space agency, would sent three officers to carry our research and take data as well as images of the eclipse in Jinshan, Shanghai, China.

Several groups would also carry out expeditions in China, among them University of Malaya, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysian Islamic Development Department, Malaysian Syarie Astronomy Association, Stargazer Scientific and Falak Online, he said.

Malaysians would be able view the live webcasts of the eclipse through the websites www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/2009/index.html, www.saros.org/index.html and www.eclipsetv.com.

Malaysians would be able to observe a partial solar eclipse on Jan 15, 2010, March 9, 2016 and Dec 26, 2019, he said. -- Bernama



Related article:
Total Solar Eclipse on Wed, July 22 2009 - Stay Indoors or Not..

Monday, July 20, 2009

Total Solar Eclipse on Wed, July 22 2009 - Stay Indoors or Not..

According to the Lunar Calendar, some years there are double months as a way to adjust the lunar years. This year, we encounter a double 5th lunar month ending on July 21, July 22 being the beginning of the 6th lunar month.

A newsletter I received today from this site indicated that the 6th month is seen as a month related to some negativity, eg., fear, helplessness, emotional tiredness and even an inclination to inflict hurt or pain. All these negative feelings could result in one being more defensive than usual and have more temper flares. People might tend to argue or quarrel. There will be more displays of rage, both verbal and even physical.

It goes on to say that for people who are residing or traveling to countries that have lax laws towards possessing weapons, it would be best to avoid getting into any arguments or disputes. An appropriate way to describe this month's situation: The sound of a balloon bursting will cause a fight in a tense room.

In addition, most of us will have weaker concentration than usual. We will tend to overlook details or forget things. It will be more challenging to pick up new skills during this month. It also means that if there is an argument, you might not want to try to reason things out. as it will not work during this month. It might be better to take a step back and allow things to cool down before trying to convince the other party.


What a coincidence that the beginning of all this coincides with the upcoming total solar eclipse, Wed, July 22.


According to NASA -- On Wednesday, 2009 July 22, a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses half of Earth. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow begins in India and crosses through Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and China. After leaving mainland Asia, the path crosses Japan's Ryukyu Islands and curves southeast through the Pacific Ocean where the maximum duration of totality reaches 6 min 39 s. A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes most of eastern Asia, Indonesia, and the Pacific Ocean.

On the same note, another article, Another eclipse by The Star's Senior News Editor, T. Selva, stated that a dark red shadow will creep across the sun and this can be observed in Malaysia from 9.07am to 9.48am on July 22.

Astrologically, this eerie dark light is viewed as inauspicious and it will cause some form of discomfort. Any eclipse signals a time to be wary and this is especially true if the sun is involved because all living beings are dependent on the sun for light.


Here is something else which most of us or non-believers of fengshui might scoff at. Fengshui master, Joey Yap, advocates that being under the eclipse for just one minute will bring one one whole year of bad luck. Of course, the choice is yours to either believe it and stay out of the way of the eclipse or risk the consequences.


Alright, enough of that eclipse talk. Anyone going for seconds to the Manchester United game tonight? Yep, I know people who are fans enough to be there again after watching the game yesterday. Good things come in twos?

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Flash Floods in Kuala Lumpur Yesterday















Above (picture courtesy of The Star) is a scenario of cars (parked behind the Putra World Trade Center) being submerged in muddy waters after a thunderstorm in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Thousands of motorists were stuck in massive traffic jams for more than two hours in various parts of the city as flash floods hit Kuala Lumpur.

If one were to be at the junction of Dynasty Hotel on Jalan Ipoh and in the Kampung Baru area, one would have experienced flood waters risng up to 2m. Some motorists had to abandon their cars in the middle of the road when the flood waters threatened to submerge their vehicles.

Badly-hit areas included Jalan Kolam Air, Jalan Union, Jalan Parlimen, Jalan Gombak, Bulatan Dato Onn, Segambut and Jalan Tun Razak.

Flood waters began to recede after the Smart Tunnel was closed to traffic to enable flood operations.

And elsewhere in the city, several LRT stations were jam-packed last night when thousands of commuters were stuck for more than an hour due to the RapidKL Kelana Jaya LRT service being halted by a power failure during a storm. Some commuters were stuck in trains and only reached their destinations hours later.

Power was restored gradually from 7.15pm and train service resumed in stages with service returning to normal at 7.47pm.

RapidKL will investigate the cause of the incident.


Hope you were not caught in any one of these. It is pouring again as I am writing this. Let's hope there will not be a repeat performance of yesterday's gloom.


Source: The Star

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Rubber Ball - Psychedelica

Quick, make a guess. What do you think this object is.

If you guessed 'fish', then you are absolutely correct. This is a newly-discovered frogfish found in the shallow waters off Ambon island in eastern Indonesia.

Named "psychedelica", this fish bounces on the ocean floor like a rubber ball and has been classified as a new species. It has a swirl of tan and peach zebra stripes that extend from its aqua eyes to its tail. It also has a flat face with eyes directed forward, like humans, and a huge, yawning mouth. Its fist-sized gelatinous body covered with thick folds of skin protects it from sharp-edged corals.

It is heartening that new animal species are still being discovered though I hate to think that we are seeing new species because their habitats have been disturbed or polluted (by us).

Tell me, what is the most memorable or unusual sea-creature you have ever seen.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Chilling with Dolphins

I read that dolphins are next in intelligence to humans. Dolphins and whales are known to be able to blow bubbles. Watch dolphins blow bubbles in this awesome video. It's very relaxing to watch, just like watching kids at play. Thanks to Frogma and Pandabonium for highlighting this video.

Enjoy!