A lot of things in life we take for granted. It is mainly because most if not all times, everything works without a hitch. Recently, we had a water disruption in the office which was inconvenient to say the least. A change of a water pump put water supply back to normal.
It is often said that we don't appreciate something when it's taken away. The water disruption episode drives home this point. A lesson to take away here is to appreciate what we have, even the smallest down the value chain, and give a thought of thanks and appreciation to the people who get things going for us.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Hot air balloon accident in New Zealand killing 11 people
Every fun activity is enjoyable provided it ends on a happy note. Opened The Star online this morning and was instantly hit with news of an accident of a hot air balloon which burst into flames and crashed in New Zealand killing all 11 onboard - five couples and the pilot.
Image source: The Star
According to the article, Police said the balloon appeared to have caught fire before crashing into farmland near Carterton, about 80 km (50 miles) northeast of Wellington on New Zealand's North Island.
The accident occurred just before 7.30 am in calm, clear weather in a region well known for hot air ballooning.
More on Hot air balloon crash kills 11 in New Zealand..The Star
According to the article, Police said the balloon appeared to have caught fire before crashing into farmland near Carterton, about 80 km (50 miles) northeast of Wellington on New Zealand's North Island.
The accident occurred just before 7.30 am in calm, clear weather in a region well known for hot air ballooning.
More on Hot air balloon crash kills 11 in New Zealand..The Star
Friday, January 6, 2012
Rio de Janeiro hit by floods and mudslides
Rio de Janeiro was hit by floods around this time last year, which left 903 people dead. The same happened in April the year before in 2010. This year again, news around the world is reporting floods and mudslides in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state.
Emergency teams are on maximum alert as heavy rains that have displaced 35,000 residents were forecast to continue, reviving fears of mudslides and flooding that killed more than 900 people early last year.
Related articles:
Brazil is flooded once more.. Aljazeera
Burst dike forces thousands to flee Brazil town..MSNBC
4,000 Brazilians evacuated as dike bursts after heavy rains..CNN
According to The Star,
Residents scrambled to gather their belongings and flee in the Tres Vendas district of Campos de Goytacazes in the north of the state, after a dike ruptured, sending water rushing through the streets.
Emergency workers said more than 1,000 families from Tres Vendas were evacuated to shelters. More..Rio de Janeiro on maximum alert as towns flood
A video posted by Reuters of the flooding so far.
Rio de Janeiro will be hosting two major football tournaments - the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Friday Frolics - The Bridge Test
This week's personality quiz is a Bridge test. Talk about bridges, Singapore and Malaysia are looking at the possibility of building an underground tunnel. This was discussed during the recent visit of Singapore Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong's. Is this going to be the third link, or is it the fourth?
The Bridge test..
The Bridge test..
You Are a Bridge to Success |
 You only know how to live authentically. You're not the type of person who can fake it. When you allow yourself to be serious, you can be a moving and articulate speaker. You are often experimenting. You challenge old ideas, and invent new concepts. You really love life, and it shows. You are easy to get to know. |
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Manchester United lost to Newcastle 3-0
Oh dear!
Premier League champions, Manchester United, suffered a second straight defeat losing 3-0 to Newcastle. This leaves Manchester City three points clear at the top of the table.
Manchester United's Park Ji-Sung challenged by Newcastle United's Tiote and Williamson during their English Premier League soccer match in Newcastle
This is United's third defeat in twenty matches which means they stay second on 45 points, just three points ahead of third-placing Tottenham Hotspurs, and they have a game in hand.
Source: The Star
Premier League champions, Manchester United, suffered a second straight defeat losing 3-0 to Newcastle. This leaves Manchester City three points clear at the top of the table.
This is United's third defeat in twenty matches which means they stay second on 45 points, just three points ahead of third-placing Tottenham Hotspurs, and they have a game in hand.
Source: The Star
Kuching hit by massive floods
Here we are talking about the beautiful weather here in Kuala Lumpur while over in East Malaysia, Kuching to be exact, we see floods after 12 hours of continuous rain. Many parts of Kuching in Sarawak are at a standstill today.
A car is caught in flood waters near the former government quarters area in Batu Lintang. Photo by Andrew Voon.
From The Star:
The affected areas include Batu Kawah, Batu Lintang, Sungai Maong, Iris Garden and Satok. Many roads are impassable to small vehicles.
At the flyover from the Kuching international airport, motorists reported that all four lanes heading towards the city are jammed.
At least one school in Batu Lintang is believed to have closed for the day due to flood waters.
It is learnt that two students from a school in Batu Lintang are missing due to the floods. A search for the students is now being conducted.
A car is caught in flood waters near the former government quarters area in Batu Lintang. Photo by Andrew Voon.
From The Star:
The affected areas include Batu Kawah, Batu Lintang, Sungai Maong, Iris Garden and Satok. Many roads are impassable to small vehicles.
At the flyover from the Kuching international airport, motorists reported that all four lanes heading towards the city are jammed.
At least one school in Batu Lintang is believed to have closed for the day due to flood waters.
It is learnt that two students from a school in Batu Lintang are missing due to the floods. A search for the students is now being conducted.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Hot weather today and Durian Kura-kura
It is a hot day today, temperature hitting 95deg F. Thank goodness for the aircond in the office. On days like this, the malls and shopping complexes would be popular places.
Blue skies and all things nice(?)..
The durian would be one happy fruit. Durians thrive best under hot and dry weather, just like what we are experiencing today although in some parts of the country - primarily the east coast - there is still some flooding.
Back to the funky fruit, durians are once again in season. If I were to own just one of these Tortoise durian trees, I would be one happysurfing durian fan!
I believe this is a new durian species, locally called Durian Kura-kura or translated as Tortoise durian - beats me why it's called such. See the big cluster of fruits? What's amazing too is how low these fruits are located though I see a drawback here. As the fruits are easily plucked, there is a chance they will be harvested long before they are ripe enough, which is how durians are harvested the current way. Malaysian durians are nice and sweet because they are not plucked from the tree but are allowed to fall off from the tree when they ripen naturally.
(Image source unknown. Taken from a forwarded email. If you know the source, please leave source in a comment.)
You may also be interested in these related articles. Some useful tips there:
- Durian - that Funky-smelling fruit
- Durian, that heavenly fruit
- That thorny fruit - Penang's famous Balik Pulau durians
The durian would be one happy fruit. Durians thrive best under hot and dry weather, just like what we are experiencing today although in some parts of the country - primarily the east coast - there is still some flooding.
Back to the funky fruit, durians are once again in season. If I were to own just one of these Tortoise durian trees, I would be one happysurfing durian fan!
I believe this is a new durian species, locally called Durian Kura-kura or translated as Tortoise durian - beats me why it's called such. See the big cluster of fruits? What's amazing too is how low these fruits are located though I see a drawback here. As the fruits are easily plucked, there is a chance they will be harvested long before they are ripe enough, which is how durians are harvested the current way. Malaysian durians are nice and sweet because they are not plucked from the tree but are allowed to fall off from the tree when they ripen naturally.
You may also be interested in these related articles. Some useful tips there:
- Durian - that Funky-smelling fruit
- Durian, that heavenly fruit
- That thorny fruit - Penang's famous Balik Pulau durians
Part 3 - A Visit to Malacca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site - Mahkota Hotel Malacca
Montage of images from the previous two posts..
Continuing my recent visit to the historical city of Malacca from Part 1 (road trip and sights along the way) and Part 2 (entering Malacca city itself).
Checking in at the Frontdesk was a breeze and the queue was just for a mere ten minutes though the line was getting longer closer to the check-in time.
There is ample parking at the hotel though cars jamming up the hotel entrance during check-in time needs some addressing by the management. Guests are advised to park in the vicinity of where their room/apartment is located. Having checked in, we were issued keys to our apartments. We relocated our vehicles to the Orchid Wing where we would be staying.
Mahkota Hotel Malacca is a sprawling complex of rooms and apartments, beautiful landscaping, pools (including a spa pool), a karaoke lounge, dining outlets. I may be mistaken but all rooms seem to be facing the sea or rather the Straits of Malacca though I had hoped the body of water is nearer the hotel. Looking out to sea and seeing how miniscule the passing ships were made me regret not having a pair of binoculars with me. Made a mental note to pack that on my next outing.
Below is a combo image of the hotel complex. The lower portion is the hotel lobby. (Images borrowed from hotel website.)
After dropping off our bags at the apartments,
we realised it was already close to 4pm and we haven't had lunch.
Mahkota Hotel Malacca is located a short distance away two shopping complexes, one of them is Mahkota Parade, a shopping center with lots of shops and food outlets, so we headed to Mahkota Parade for lunch. After a satisfying lunch, we did some walkabout in the complex.
Christmas decor at the foyer of Mahkota Parade..
Christmas tree at the other shopping complex (whose name I did not note). Oops! (Never mind the bare-back lady, just focus on the Christmas tree.)
A tourist attraction closeby is the 110-meter Taming Sari Tower. From the viewing deck at 80 meters, the ride offers a spectacular and panoramic view of Malacca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The passenger capacity is 66 passengers and the ride is for 7 minutes with a ticket price of RM20 for adults and RM10 for children. There is a special discount for MyKad holders. Operation hours are 10am to 10pm daily. Taming Sari Tower or locally called Menara Taming Sari is located at Jalan Merdeka, Banda Hilir,75000 Melaka.
Close-up view of the viewing deck, image courtesy of Menara Taming Sari website..
While the nephew and his parents took a ride up the tower, mom and the rest of us stayed grounded and chilled out at A&W. An hour later saw us heading to Jonker Walk, the part of Malacca that is one of the main draws to this historical city.
I thought I could include Jonker Walk in this episode but looks like this post is already too long and best that we take a break here.
So, Jonker Walk up next..
If you had missed the two earlier episodes, you can read them here..
Part 1 - A visit to Malacca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Part 2 - A visit to Malacca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Checking in at the Frontdesk was a breeze and the queue was just for a mere ten minutes though the line was getting longer closer to the check-in time.
Mahkota Hotel Malacca is a sprawling complex of rooms and apartments, beautiful landscaping, pools (including a spa pool), a karaoke lounge, dining outlets. I may be mistaken but all rooms seem to be facing the sea or rather the Straits of Malacca though I had hoped the body of water is nearer the hotel. Looking out to sea and seeing how miniscule the passing ships were made me regret not having a pair of binoculars with me. Made a mental note to pack that on my next outing.
Below is a combo image of the hotel complex. The lower portion is the hotel lobby. (Images borrowed from hotel website.)
After dropping off our bags at the apartments,
Mahkota Hotel Malacca is located a short distance away two shopping complexes, one of them is Mahkota Parade, a shopping center with lots of shops and food outlets, so we headed to Mahkota Parade for lunch. After a satisfying lunch, we did some walkabout in the complex.
Christmas decor at the foyer of Mahkota Parade..
Christmas tree at the other shopping complex (whose name I did not note). Oops! (Never mind the bare-back lady, just focus on the Christmas tree.)
A tourist attraction closeby is the 110-meter Taming Sari Tower. From the viewing deck at 80 meters, the ride offers a spectacular and panoramic view of Malacca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The passenger capacity is 66 passengers and the ride is for 7 minutes with a ticket price of RM20 for adults and RM10 for children. There is a special discount for MyKad holders. Operation hours are 10am to 10pm daily. Taming Sari Tower or locally called Menara Taming Sari is located at Jalan Merdeka, Banda Hilir,75000 Melaka.
Close-up view of the viewing deck, image courtesy of Menara Taming Sari website..
While the nephew and his parents took a ride up the tower, mom and the rest of us stayed grounded and chilled out at A&W. An hour later saw us heading to Jonker Walk, the part of Malacca that is one of the main draws to this historical city.
I thought I could include Jonker Walk in this episode but looks like this post is already too long and best that we take a break here.
So, Jonker Walk up next..
If you had missed the two earlier episodes, you can read them here..
Part 1 - A visit to Malacca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Part 2 - A visit to Malacca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)