The Haze in the Sky

We are still hazed here in Kuala Lumpur and most parts of Malaysia, East and West but at least the sun is able to shine through albeit looking like a salted egg yolk in the sky.

However, The Star reported that Number of areas with unhealthy API readings rises to 38.

In Kuala Lumpur, the API readings in Cheras and Batu Muda's API readings remained in the unhealthy category at 153 and 173 respectively, while Putrajaya recorded API reading of (138) followed by Minden (140) and Balik Pulau (151) in Penang.

Other areas with unhealthy API readings were Tangkak, Johor (106); Johan Setia Klang (193), Kuala Selangor (152), Petaling Jaya (148), Shah Alam (143), Klang (131), dan Banting (116) in Selangor and Nilai (140) and Seremban (124) in Negeri Sembilan.

An API between zero and 50 indicates good air quality; 51 and 100, moderate; 101 and 200, unhealthy; 201 and 300, very unhealthy and 301 and above, hazardous.

A look at the API reading in and around Kuala Lumpur..

Source:APIMS 

A bit of good news: DOE: Cloud seeding successfully brought down Sri Aman API from 400 to 125

Deep freeze the next few days

If you think it's cold here in Kuala Lumpur having no sunshine today, you'll have to check out what's happening in the United States.

Deep freeze grips the US during New Year celebrations
Source: The Star.

The cold will last the next few days, I heard over the news yesterday.

Is it cold where you are?

Kuala Lumpur today

If you have been to Malaysia or Kuala Lumpur for that matter, you would have experienced the unpredictable weather pattern here - sunny one minute, downpour the next. We had sunshine yesterday.

But that's the weather here for you - tropical and with not one, but two monsoon seasons. As we speak, we are now going through the northeasterly monsoon which affects mostly the east coast states of the peninsula. Heavy rainfall do bring floods to the region.

I'm having a cool view of downtown KL today or rather the skyline. Look... Passing clouds over the PETRONAS Twin Towers. You don't see that everyday.

Diamonds from the sky

Gotcha!

It was raining hailstones in parts of Kuala Lumpur yesterday evening. Here, a passer-by collecting hailstones that littered the Sungai Besi area after the heavy rain and hailstorm that wreaked havoc in many parts of the city.

As of 7pm, flash floods caused a traffic standstill around Batu Muda Tambahan towards Sentul, and along Jalan Hikmat Usaha near Masjid Wilayah, according to StarTraffic.

Flash floods were also re­­ported near Tung Shin Hos­pital along Jalan Pudu, Jalan Imbi and the Shah Alam Highway (Kesas) at the Indah Parade intersection in Sri Petaling.

Traffic congestion was also reported along Jalan Duta, near Jalan Semantan and major highways heading into the city.
- The Star

See for yourself...

The Star also report that the harsh weather also brought ERL and LRT train services to a halt, stranding passengers after violent storms caused power disruptions to the Rapid KL’s LRT Sri Petaling Line.


The weather is sunny right now but the weatherman predicts another round of thunderstorm this evening. Brace for it, KLites!

Inter-monsoon season is here

I is for Inter-monsoon season.

We are still on the weather, yes.

As a follow-up to the 'H' post on Haze in Malaysia, let's talk about the Monsoon today.

Malaysia not only has a monsoon season, it has two. That's right T-W-O.

One is the southwest monsoon which is about to start anytime soon just as we speak. In fact, MetMalaysia said the inter-monsoon season had set in last week with west coast states expe­riencing heavy rainfall in the past few days.

The other monsoon season is the northeast monsoon which occurs late November right through to January. The latter is when we get heavy rains that cause much flooding, devastation and hardship to the people in the east-coast states of Kelantan, Terengganu and parts of Pahang. Sadly, this is a yearly affair. There is much to be done.

The southwest monsoon on the other hand affects states on the west coast of the peninsula, including the capital city of Kuala Lumpur which is located inland. The expected heavy downpour should provide a respite from the heat wave we are experiencing right now which results in hotspots from peat fires and subsequently causing the haze over the country.

If you are planning a trip to Malaysia, best to check up on the weather/monsoon season for the part of the country you are visiting. For example if you are going to the island of Perhentian or to Clud Med, on the east coast, you may want to avoid the months of November to January. Other than that, every month is a good month to visit Malaysia. And that includes the island of Borneo which boasts of one of the best dive sites in the world, Sipadan.

Source: Tourism Malaysia

Malaysia celebrates a number of festivals that may make your visit here with us more enjoyable, more memorable. Shopping is definitely one good reason, if nothing else. So is food. With our melting pot of cultures, expect to be amazed what you can feast on. Tourism Malaysia is a good reference for a start.

March equinox and Cooking eggs the alternative way

Hiya! Surprising there's no sun today in spite of the fact that today, March 20, is the March equinox or the Northward equinox when the Sun appears to leave the southern hemisphere and cross the celestial equator, heading northward as seen from earth.

Source: Wikipedia

In its apparent motion on the day of an equinox, the Sun's disk crosses the Earth's horizon directly to the east at dawn—rising; and again, some 12 hours later, directly to the west at dusk—setting. But an equinoctial day produces several minutes more daylight time than nighttime.

As Malaysia is located just north of the Equator, today is set to be the hottest day in the year due to this equinox phenomenon. Last week, somebody cooked an egg on the dashboard inside the car. I kid you not! Here's proof from The Star.

The heatwave already started a week or two ago with temperatures soaring to 39deg C in the northern part of the peninsula. Here in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, temperatures hit between 31 to 35deg C. Shopping complexes are the most popular places during the day or weekends. Rather, any place with air-conditioning is a go-to venue right now, including the office with people coming in early and leaving late just so they can spend more time in a cooler environment.

Here's how we can stay safe from the heatwave.. (Source: The Star)

Just an idea of temperatures today in and around the country..

Accuweather (source of the image above) says Kuala Lumpur is 'mostly cloudy' today, though I don't see clouds but just a drab greyish/white canvas above. No matter, this happy surfer shall have a happy day. You too wherever you are..

Yay! No Haze Today

We had lovely weather yesterday - the sun was clearly visible in the blue sky. Yes, you read right, blue, which is quite non-existent currently in the haze situation we are experiencing now. How we take things for granted when they are around, the blue skies, I mean, and good air quality, as well.

A look at the API/PSI index chart shows we are going to have another great day ahead, another hazeless day in the country, if you will.

Look Ma, no haze..

Here's why the haze may be gone. The number of hotspots in northern Sumatra has vastly reduced as can be seen below. Hotspots in southern Sumatra and Kalimantan near Sarawak are still raging on so much so the haze has spread to the sea areas between Kalimantan and southern Sumatra. The wind direction could also be a contributory factor to better air quality.

As per DOE's Regional Haze Update..

The hotspot activities in Kalimantan and Sumatra could not be fully determined due to cloud cover. Kalimantan continued to be shrouded in moderate to dense smoke haze and the haze has spread to the sea areas between Kalimantan and southern Sumatra. Moderate to dense smoke haze was also detected in central and southern Sumatra.

Updated 7:34 PM 20 Sep

Flood situation in Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur is spared though

Wet is the word to start off the day. It's raining here in Kuala Lumpur.

This is the time of the year of the monsoon season. Malaysia experiences two monsoon seasons a year and this time it's the north-easterly monsoon which begins in September right up to December/January. Not so much of the wind but the rain is much feared. The flood situation currently is bad or rather worse off than previous years with six states being affected including Sabah on the island of Borneo.

On the bright side for KLites, KL is not experiencing any flash flood so far unlike the other six states with flood waters almost reaching the roof in some places.

Even our National Park in Pahang, Taman Negara, is not spared. Some 102 tourists were caught unawares and stranded but they are out of danger with food supplies reaching them and they being safely flown out to safe ground.

Kajang town, the town of satay was also not spared. Kajang suffered a flash flood last Saturday and some animals at an animal shelter perished.

An umbrella or a raincoat is a good item to bring along should you wish to visit Malaysia this time of the year. Alternatively, they are readily available at very affordable prices, anyway.


Image source: The Star

Haze in Kuala Lumpur

Is there haze in Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding areas? You bet!

This image is on The Star today that comes with this caption: Gloomy: The API reading at 3pm may be 82, which is moderate, but it is hard to make out the Putrajaya signage.

Today, air quality has turned for the worse. Let's take a look at the API readings from DOE for KL and other places in the country..

However, the good news is ‘Hazy skies will not last long’.

How to save on your grocery bills

So far, Google's weather forecast has been pretty accurate. Looks like we are slated for more rainfall this coming week though it'd be cooler on the plus side. But hopefully not another round of carpark flooding like the other day.

We are still enjoying the Hari Raya Haji holiday today so the malls and eating places are seeing a lot more activity than if it were to be a workday.

If you plan on stocking up on your groceries, today could be a good day. I noticed from the ads in the papers, that super/hypermarkets like Giant and Aeon Big are having big discounts on certain items such as whole chickens, fish, red onions, Dutch Lady to name a few. Come to think of it, these stores normally have price cuts during weekends so it could help consumers realise some savings there. This probably is the next best thing to extreme couponing. Yes?

Weather and Haze in Kuala Lumpur - October 1, 2014

Hello from Kuala Lumpur!

I received some queries about the weather here in Malaysia so thought this little infograph from Google on the weather here in Kuala Lumpur for the next week or so could be helpful.

And yes, the haze is back. It turned for the worse yesterday, a little better today but readings from the Department of Environment show that we are still within safety limits, hovering around the 50s in West Malaysia and healthy levels in Sabah and Sarawak.

So, welcome to Malaysia!

No haze in Kuala Lumpur today

It's a beautiful day outside here in Kuala Lumpur! Here's proof in the image - blue skies and white clouds frolicking above. You can even catch the glint of one of the twin towers. See it? No? Sorry, bad photo here.

Haze? What haze? :D

I could think of a million things (a little exaggeration here perhaps) to do on a day as glorious as today, e.g.,

I've yet to say hi to the two pandas in the National Zoo; FRIM, the Forest Reserve is still on my to-visit list so are the nurseries in Sungai Buloh.

I'd also like to make another trip to the KL Bird Park. Have you been there? But you must! Incidentally, I've yet to post pictures of my visit. Will do, one day.

I'd like to experience going on the Hop-on, Hop-off bus tour and see KL sights like a tourist.

I'd like to drop by at Central Market to pick up some postcards of KL heritage sites and more, and along the way stop by at Chinatown to check out some bead/beading shops. I read the other day of a bookshop in the vicinity with books you'd not get in a regular bookstore - and that is really worth a visit.

I've always wanted to check out that Reggae Hotel that caused some stir a while back which I have written about.

The list goes on.. But today is not the day, alas..

If you are in Kuala Lumpur, I hope you will have a wonderful day ahead! An umbrella won't hurt.. hey, don't scorn at the idea, it might save you some suntan lotion or even your life!? I don't know, your choice, of course, but if it rains it'll come in handy. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I'm babbling, I know. It must be the sun.

Btw, this is the 7th lunar month, so whatever you do out there, please do be careful.


** I'm kinda in a rush but will find some time later to link some articles. Do check back.

Friday Frolics - The Snowman Test

It's sunny outside today but according to the Met department on the front page of the local daily, The Star, it says we are heading towards a chilly Chinese New Year all due to the north-easterly wind blowing from snow-laden China.

And in other parts of the world, people are experiencing weather woes resulting in schools closing early due to high winds creating blizzard-like conditions.

In line with the weather, I thought we'd take a simple Snowman Test this week. Not many choices but can be pretty revealing about you. Take the quiz to find out what your choice says about you.

Happy Friday, everyone! And the same day next week, 31 January, I'll be celebrating Chinese New Year, i.e., the first day of the Wooden Horse. Yay!

You Are Calm and Content

You are calm and relaxed. You seek out serenity and tranquility. You are agreeable... to a point. You know when it's time to do your own thing. Building real and deep relationships matters to you. You are a person of substance looking for others of substance. You are accommodating and peace-seeking. You do your best to make others happy.

The Snowman Test

Fun, Free Quizzes and 3 Stupid Ones

Last Week's Quiz: Are you an Elitist or an Egalitarian?

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..

Chinese flock to IKEA to escape heatwave

The day started out this morning with bright sunshine and the promise of yet another hot day but alas, it's overcast now and even threatening to rain. In some parts of the peninsula, we are seeing moderate PSI readings and some smog in the air so some rain might be good. 

The PSI readings from the Department of Environment website as as the chart below. Blue denotes good PSI reading of between 0-50 while green is Moderate for between 51-100.  Kuala Lumpur is a combination of both blue and green.

Even though Malaysia is in the tropics, our temperatures seldom go beyond 40degC as what has been experienced in other non-tropical countries. I read with alarm and some amusement the other day about the heatwave in China, Beijing to be exact and that it was so unbearable but Beijing people flock to IKEA to escape the heatwave with some even falling asleep on their beds! I kid you not! Photos below are proof enough. Perhaps a little amusing..?

For more pictures, visit CNN's Gallery: Chinese flock to IKEA to escape heatwave

Hazy Kuala Lumpur today, Jul 18

We are seeing haze today in Kuala Lumpur though the air is not wreaking of smoke. PSI readings on DOE charts show good readings for every part of Malaysia, including East Malaysia.  No sun today, not yet.

Source:  DOE

Haze no more - PSI for Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia today, Jul 2, 2013

I'm happy to report that there's not a trace of any haze here in Kuala Lumpur nor in other parts of the country. I hope it stays this way the entire dry season right up to Sep/Oct. After that, we may have to tackle something else - like floods? But we'll cross the bridge when we come to it.

Today in KL, we are seeing blue skies and small clusters of playful cotton-candy-like white clouds amid all that blue. While taking pictures a while back, a plane was flying by so fast it left a contrail across the blue canvas of the sky. It wasn't a UFO. I'm sure of that. Come to think of it, do UFOs leave a contrail or vapour trail? I suppose not from what I noticed from my UFO encounter some years back. But I digress.

If you're interested, here's the PSI reading for Kuala Lumpur and for the rest of the country. The lower portion of the graphics below shows PSI readings for parts of Kuala Lumpur. For PSI readings of the other cities and towns, the DOE website has them all.

Today's weather is to be enjoyed outdoors! Hope you are having blue skies and everything nice wherever you are!

Happy July, everyone!

Haze situation in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore

Read Haze update on Sept 13, 2015


There's no escape from the haze. Even inside the air-conditioned office we can smell the pungent air from outside.

I was boasting to a friend in Singapore that our air here was not as bad as the PSI level in Singapore. That was the haze situation in KL yesterday afternoon. The sun was still shining through here in Kuala Lumpur and still is today but the Kuala Lumpur haze has got us today.

The air wreaks of smoke and visibility is a lot worse than yesterday. Better to stay indoors for those with asthma or breathing problems or other ailments that could be aggravated by the smog. My eyes are affected when I step outside.

The Star today reported that:

THE haze in Malaysia has once again reached dangerous levels.

It has now left only 13% of the country with good air to breathe while many schools in Johor have closed as Malaysians there took in the worst of it, so far.

In Kuala Lumpur, this Sunday's planned 2013 Olympic Day Run for 15,000 participants at Padang Merbok has been postponed, the co-organisers McDonald's Malaysia said.

The focus is on Muar as it reached a high API reading of 383 at 11am yesterday. More than 200 schools have been closed in Muar.

The haze in Muar recorded a ‘hazardous’ API of 383 at 11am - The Star

Singapore haze was bad yesterday and is not getting any better either as the PSI hit 378 as at 10am this morning when I read it but at 12:00 noon, the reading has shot up to 401 - another new high!

The Straits Times has this view from The Plaza on Beach Road at 11.15am on June 21

AsiaOne has this image of the Marina Bay Sands..

Needless to say, sale of face-masks is soaring both sides of the Causeway.

Stay safe..

Friday Frolics - The Fancy Cupcake Test

I've probably been suffocating you with news about haze in Kuala Lumpur and more haze (Singapore's turn), so a little breather would do us some good, eh?

Who doesn't like cupcakes! They are easy to eat and such pretty things to behold. After all that haze, let's do a simple cupcake test this week to know a little bit more about ourselves, perhaps?

Happy Friday, everyone! TGIF?

You Crave Peace

You expect the best in people, and you are eternally hopeful. You always stay positive. You don't like it when anyone acts out, and you can't stand chaos of any kind. The calmer things are, the happier you are. You appreciate the quiet like no one else can. You love to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. You take your time savoring each moment.

The Fancy Cupcake Test

We'll Tell You The Truth... Someone Has To!

Last Week's Quiz: What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

Haze hits Singapore

Singapore, just below the Malaysian peninsula, is also affected by the haze. Smog levels in Singapore from Indonesian forest fires hit the highest level on record Wednesday as the air pollutant index approached the "hazardous" level.

The index soared to 290 at 9pm local time, according the the website of the National Environment Agency (NEA), well past the 200-mark considered "very unhealthy" and near the "hazardous" level of 301.

Before Wednesday, Singapore's most severe haze reading was in September 1997 when the number peaked at 226.

Anything above 200 is considered "very unhealthy", particularly to the elderly, young children and people with heart and lung disease.
More: The Star..Singapore smog reaches record high