Cirrhopetalum

I returned home today to find my Cirrhopetalum Sikkimense(?) in bloom. Here are two views of the orchid spike. Note that the 10 flowers are arranged in a concentric circle. It's the first time that I've seen an almost perfect spike on this plant!

Heritage stamps

I missed out on the miniature sheet and the first day cover but I managed to buy these two sheets of stamps yesterday that featured the four UNESCO world heritage sites in the country.

We know that George Town and Malacca were recognised as world cultural heritage sites last year, but Kinabalu Park and the Mulu National Park were listed as world natural heritage sites much earlier in 2000.

Mudskippers off Gurney Drive

I took this photo quite long ago, possibly about two to three months back. I just happened to be walking along Gurney Drive in the late afternoon, looking out into the sea at low tide when I noticed that life was teeming on the mudflat. There were practically thousands of the blue-spotted mudskipper (Boleophthalmus boddarti) walking and skipping around on their pectoral fins and with their bulbous eyes moving in every direction. With some measuring 15cm to 20 cm long, they looked very mean. However, they disappeared quickly at the slightest hints of danger.


I've read that the presence of the amphibious fish would tell a lot about the cleanliness of the coastline. According to Dr Aileen Kan Shau Hwai, a senior lecturer at the Universiti Sains Malaysia’s School of Biological Sciences, this was a favourable indication of the cleanliness level in the area.

“In some countries, mudskippers are used as a pollution indicator. Something in the pollutants and heavy metals found in polluted areas stunts the growth of mudskippers. Larger mudskippers are actually a good indication of the cleanliness level."

Really? I've always thought that these mudskippers only live in badly polluted waters and the more polluted the eco-system, the more we'd see these amphibious creatures. Maybe I'm wrong but whatever the case may be, the presence of mudskippers off Gurney Drive only accentuates the destruction of the once-pristine sandy coastline by erosion, the deposition of silt and mud, and of course the irresponsible actions by countless people to discard rubbish and other unwanted things into the sea.

I also noticed fine specimen at the mudflat during low tide. At first I thought it was the Great White Heron but it most likely the migratory Great Egret (Ardea alba). I've noticed this type of birds many years ago along the banks of the Prai river in Province Wellesley when I was still staying in Seberang Jaya.

Markets at Brinchang and Kea Garden

What is Cameron Highlands without their markets and famed fresh highland vegetables?

Lots of visitors to the weekend market at Brinchang.

Look what one of the stalls was selling: naughty T-shirts!

The rubbish dump at the Kea Garden morning vegetable market. Looks wasteful but is not. All these will be reduced to organic fertilisers.

Night of the April Fools

No April Love for these April Fools

April Fools Night

Well, tomorrow's the day when the voters decide in the three by-elections in Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selambau and Batang Ai. These two hills and a river will be a defining point in Malaysian politics. Which party will prevail?

In Bukit Gantang (Perak), it will be the Pasti Islam (PAS) going head-to-head against the Barisan Nasional. In Bukit Selambau (Kedah), the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) will meet the Barisan Nasional and a bevy of independents. And in Batang Ai (Sarawak), the Barisan Nasional (BN) will be up against the PKR.

So what do I think about the campaigns so far? I think it's the most restrictive that I've seen so far. All sorts of rules have been drawn up to favour the BN. Cannot do this, cannot do that. Cannot raise this issue, cannot raise that issue.

It's also very confusing. Depending on whom you want to believe, some say the Pakatan Rakyat (PKR, DAP, PAS) coalition will carry the day in the two hills while BN will rule the river. The prediction is that all three contests will be quite close.

But one thing has become very clear to me. At Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau, it seems that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has been courting the non-Malays very successfully. They will vote for the PR. However, the support of the Malays is not clear enough. In my opinion, the PR campaign has become too focussed on the non-Malays to the extent that the Malay voters are fearing that they have been sidelined during this campaign. I hope that I'm wrong but am I detecting some backlash against the PR from the Malays themselves? It will be fatal and a great setback to all that PR stands for if this happens.

Then we'll know for sure what happens on April Fools Night tomorrow.

Tune hotel Penang (2)

I'm glad the latest Tune Hotel has opened in Penang. The no-frills budget hotel, located along busy Burmah Road in George Town just a stone's throw away from the New World Park, opened its doors on 1 Apr 2009. When I took this photo late last month, the advertisement hoardings on the building were still empty.

Now, what I would like to see is AirAsia committing more direct flights to Penang. The Penang government should press for the Penang-Singapore route from AirAsia. Tony Fernandes may be elated that his airline was voted the world’s best low-cost carrier by British-based consultancy group Skytrax but in my opinion, their connections in this region will never be complete without flying between the two premier islands.

Nice, nice weather

For the sixth day in a row, dark rain clouds, strong winds and thunderstorms have brewed in the late afternoon. Today, I simply stood and watched the birds struggle against the wind as they sought to find shelter in the tecoma tree outside my house.

It also struck me that about two or three weeks have passed by since the tecoma trees had completed their brilliant display of colours. The seed pods are developing. However, it will still be quite a while before the pods ripen and split open.

The (almost) forgotten Jimmy Boyle

Everybody in Malaysia seems to be holding P Ramlee in high esteem, even wanting to award him the title of Tun posthumously. They may feel that it is the right thing to do but personally, it's carrying hero worship too far. What's the use of honouring P Ramlee with so many accolades when he was already made a Tan Sri in death? Even as a Penangite, I don't agree to it.

Now, the person who should be honoured is this man. In his lifetime, he was also a big name in the Malaysian entertainment industry. A jazz musician and composer of many well-known tunes, he's hardly remembered nowadays. But his most recognisable effort, Putera Puteri, is still performed by local artistes today. Yes, Putera Puteri, an incomparable patriotic song bequeathed to the nation by an Anak Pulau Pinang.

The composer of this song was the late James W Boyle, a Penangite of Eurasian descent. Jimmy Boyle, as he was more popularly known, was born in Penang in 1922 and educated at the St Xaviers Institution. Later, he returned to his alma mater as a teacher where among the subjects he taught was English.

As a composer, his music was not unknown outside Malaya or Malaysia. The BBC and the Voice Of American had both broadcast his music. Jazz critics knew of him. International jazz musicians like Charles Lloyd and influential jazz trombonist Jack Teagarden rated him highly.

Boyle composed, arranged, played and recorded his music for radio and television. I remember that as a schoolboy, the English Service of Radio Malaysia used to have short, regular programmes featuring the Jimmy Boyle Trio. His composition of Kemegahan Negara Ku was played at midnight on the birth of Malaysia in 1963. According to the New Straits Times (11 May 1971), his proudest moment was on 31 August 1957. As the Negara Ku wasn't ready, the first Malayan flag was raised to one of Boyle’s tunes. He passed away in May 1971.

Recently, someone told me an anecdote about Boyle. I was told that towards the end of the Japanese Occupation in Penang, he was arrested by the Japanese army for listening to shortwave radio (banned at that time) and subjected to the water torture. The story I heard was that he was forced to drink water until he was bloated and then continually stepped on by his Japanese interrogators. If this was true, that's extreme war-time cruelty.

When the birds start leaving the nest

Tonight, my wife and I are experiencing a preview of what's to come when the birds have finally left the nest. My daughter's still in KL, struggling through the last semester of her course at the Universiti Tun Abdul Rahman. Meanwhile, my son left for KL last night with his friends to participate in a taekwondo tournament. So that's left only the two of us at home: alone, lonely but together. All we hear tonight is the pitter-pattering of falling rain. Otherwise, the house is very quiet without the two of them. Is this the future for us? Is this what happens to every family when their children have all left home? We miss them....

... but I think it calls for some celebration too, don't you think so? Don't get me wrong, we still miss them terribly but it's not going to stop us from going out for dinner by ourselves (no, not the candle-lit one but just a simple dinner at a local restaurant in Bukit Mertajam). Yum yum, here are the two dishes we ordered:

Fish head curry....

Braised pork legs...

Convent school at Cameron Highlands

This is the Convent Primary School at Tanah Rata in Cameron Highlands. It occupies one of the oldest colonial buildings in the country, starting out as a British army hospital before it was converted into a school in 1971. Almost everyone in Tanah Rata could claim it as their alma mater. As you approach the school from the main road, there's a small open-air chapel nearby.

It is probably one of the few remaining Convent schools in Malaysia where Mass is still conducted in the English language.

The school lies on a ridge overlooking Tanah Rata town and its main road. From the garden, one looks down onto an impressive wide open vista.

New PM? Bah! Humbug!

So we have a new Prime Minister today. Wow, aren't we lucky? Actually, if you're feeling good about it, you are just fooling yourself. It's no big deal. To me, it's just a transition: a new old face at the top. Will anything change for the better? We'll have to wait and see. If we are lucky, we'll be having a new dose of "same old, same old". Meet the new boss, just like the old boss.

But what if we are unlucky? Descend into a darker age of intolerance? It's something I fear because I just cannot forget that crazy day in May 1987. The battle cry of a mob of possessed gangsters; their slogan to soak the kris with Chinese blood. Was it a slogan or was it more than a slogan? Was it a mere bluff or was it a real threat? I remember that I cringed when I read that in the newspapers. How could it be that people were openly promoting violence in a public place? I waited for a public retraction of the threat or the slogan ... or whatever. None came. Days later, the Operasi Lallang crackdown began on the freedom of the Malaysian Press. Opposition politicians were detained under the Internal Security Act but not the people behind the slogan or the threat ... or whatever. Who was the face fronting the slogan or the threat? Remember who he was? He's our Prime Minister today.

Penang's Pearl Hill

Pearl Hill used to be a very nice place. In the 1980s, I used to drive up the hill to enjoy the scenery. From there, it was possible to take in the whole of Tanjung Tokong and I could see beyond to Gurney Drive and even across the Channel to Butterworth.

However, in the last 20 years or so, development along the northern coast line of the Penang island as well as on Pearl Hill itself has spoilt the view from the top of the hill. If you are at Gurney Drive, it's almost impossible to see the hill any more. Highrise residential blocks have almost obliterated the view from this part of Penang. However, it's still possible to admire Pearl Hill if you are further away, such as from the Esplanade. But you'll need a clear day.


Recently, I took a drive up the hill again. Development on the hill itself has marred its beauty. There are a lot of new houses and bungalows on the hill slopes. Unlike 20 years ago, I could now hardly find a place to look towards George Town. The best I could see was this little spot but I;m sure given a few more years, even this little peephole will be gone. The only people who will be able to enjoy the view will be the ones having their little castles up on the hill.

Robinson in cheongsam

There are several safe walks that can be explored in Cameron Highlands without a guide but two of the commonest among them lead to the Parit Falls and the Robinson Falls. I gave the former a miss because of the adverse publicity on the Internet. The Parit Falls, it seems, is nothing but a big drain. So when I was at Cameron Highlands recently, I decided to visit the Robinson Falls instead.

The road to the Falls wasn't hard to find. The junction was right in the centre of Tanah Rata. We drove to the end of the road, parked the car, crossed the pedestrian bridge and took Walk No: 9 which was a well-maintained footpath passing by about five or six old houses. Always on our right, we could hear and catch glimpses of the rapids and cascades. After a leisurely 10-minute walk, we arrived at the Falls itself.

The Robinson Falls was impressive enough but there didn't seem to be any well-trodden path down the slopes to the raging river. So my wife and I had to be contented with admiring the waterfall from afar before walking back to the car.

Here's a photograph of the Robinson Falls. Sexy falls, about 100 feet high by my very rough estimate, and looking very much like a woman in an alluring cheongsam.


Its grandeur, however, has been marred by pollution from careless development around Cameron Highlands: the water muddied by earth washed down from exposed hill slopes. See what I mean? Everything goes down into the river: earth, waste and rubbish.

Sleep deprived

Aiyoh...I'm so very tired. On Sunday, I had driven about 400km to Kampar, Gua Tempurung and Batu Gajah. Today, it was another 300km to Alor Star, Gurun and Merbok. Please, I told my dear wife, no more long distance driving in the near foreseeable future. Very strenuous on my constitution. All I want to do now is sleep sleep sleep. Therefore, please excuse me while I make this post very short. I need my zzzzz...........

Marking his territory

I've been agonising over this for quite a while, undecided whether to speak my mind on this little matter. I'm bound to be stirring up a little storm in a tea cup but ... why does the Province Wellesley Municipal Council (a.k.a. Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai) close an eye on traders like him?


There are many like him but this chap is the boldest of the lot. He has his stall at the Kampung Baru market in Bukit Mertajam and I know he is only trying to do his business. However, he shouldn't be abusing his licence by encroaching into the common area. Left unchecked, he's been stacking up his baskets beyond his stall so that he can create extra shelf space for his vegetables. I feel it is not right when he takes away passage space that's meant for the people to walk. Worse, these traders do it openly under the watchful eyes of the council enforcement officers. Makes me wonder why nothing is being done to educate these stall holders while petty traders outside the market are chased away.

Lucky decision

My family was heading south yesterday morning. We were about to pass by the Taiping Utara exit on the North-South Expressway when my wife asked whether we could have an early lunch at Taiping. I gave it a momentary thought and said that the diversion into Taiping would cost us another hour and an half, something we could hardly afford, and we would be late arriving at our destination. So we gave Taiping a miss.

And what a lucky decision it turned out to be. We could have been caught in a horrendous traffic jam in the town due to it being nomination day for the Bukit Gantang by-election:



Photos borrowed from here. There are lots more impressive pictures from the Zorro Unmasked blog. I hope with this tremendous support shown for the Pakatan Rakyat candidate, Perak will be well on its way to recover its hijacked democracy.

Earth hour started early in Balik Pulau

Photo from blog.balikpulau.org

Most Malaysians might have had a personal choice to observe Earth Hour by turning off the lights at 8.30pm last night but for the people in Balik Pulau on the other side of Penang island, Earth Hour came early and it was enforced on all the residents there.

Mother Nature came to make sure that the residents of Balik Pulau would participate in this global event to turn off the lights in support against climate change and global warming. A late afternoon bout of thunder and lightning followed by heavy rainfall had knocked off the power supply to the town at about 7.15pm. Power was not restored until 9.25pm. Read the story here in the writer's own words.

Cheng Beng party 2009

Every year, my family undertakes a very quiet, uneventful Cheng Beng at about this time of the year. We went early yesterday morning, leaving the house at 6.20am and arriving at our first station of call, the Batu Lanchang Hokkien cemetery, at about 6.55am. Traffic was quite good and we found a good parking space just a stone's throw away from my maternal grandparents' tomb. Sky was still quite dark but my cousins from the Klang Valley were already at their parents' tomb a short distance away. I had been expecting them.

This was a scene from the Batu Lanchang cemetery. It's wide open space without trees or shade. We'd normally leave by 8am to avoid the full force of the sun. Afar, the apartments were washed in the sun's morning glow.

From Batu Lanchang, we moved to the almost forgotten Wat Pimbang Onn Siamese cemetery on Green Lane, across the road from the Caltex station. Here's where the ashes of my paternal grandparents were buried. This is an old cemetery. Normally, we wouldn't see many people but yesterday morning, there was an unusually larger crowd than normal.

There were tombs of almost every shape and design in this cemetery. From miniature versions of the traditional Chinese graves to cemented Thai versions with cement lotus flowers and mini-stupas. Unfortunately, the whole cemetery was in a mess with very little upkeep from the resident monks. About 10 years ago, a huge tree fell across the graves, damaging many of them but luckily, missing my grandparents'. It took the temple people about three years to remove all the wood finally.

And finally, we made our way to the Triple Wisdom Temple on Pangkor Road where my parents' own ancestral tablets are located. That's where our usual, quietly reflective, uninteresting visit turned unusually boisterous this year. I hadn't expected so many of my aunts and cousins to come pay their respects to their own family elders too but yes, we bumped into them ... at least 13 of them. It was like a reunion party without the angpows. Never gladder to see them than today.

Three of my de Vosse cousins: Eddy, Edwin and Edgar. We are all still learning to pull in our stomachs together ... rather unsuccessfully, as you can see!

Earth hour self-portrait

(This post is written in two parts: one as a tongue-in-cheek humour and the other in all seriousness)

Note: I'm writing this in the dark with my monitor switched off. Are you taking part in Earth Hour? Shame on you if you are reading this before 9.30pm.

Here is a picture of me and my wife at home on the sofa, in front of the television set, me wearing my favourite collarless T-shirt and my wife in her house coat, taken not more than five minutes ago and uploaded to this blog. You can just make out my aunt's knee intruding into the picture at the lower left corner, where my name is. Told her to remove her knee from the camera's view but she purposely poked it out in front of her just as the camera's timer went off. Spoil sport.

So that's how my family observed Earth Hour today on 28 Mar 2009 at 8.30pm. How are you enjoying yours? Note: You can click on the picture to view a higher resolution. (My experience with Earth Hour continues below the picture.)

UPDATE at 9.35pm: But seriously, I am proud to say that there were households in my neighbourhood, Taman Jernih in Bukit Mertajam, that were aware of this campaign and had switched off most of their lights.

The street where I live. Lights off in my porch and the two houses across from me. This picture was taken with my Konica Minolta Dimage Z5 set at ISO 100, one-second shutter speed and an f-stop of 2.8

It's been raining quite consistently since this afternoon but minutes ago, I returned from a drive around my neighbourhood and noticed many houses with dimmed lights. Rough estimate? Maybe about 50 percent of households. Many of these houses were like mine, with the porch lights extinguished and unecessary lights turned off. I've seen houses - with cars parked fully in their compounds, meaning there were people at home - that were in complete darkness. My son had gone to his friend's birthday party in the housing estate across the road. I passed by the house and it was totally in the dark too. Also, I noticed that the St Anne's Church was in darkness. I tried visiting some websites and was pleasantly greeted by this message that popped up on TheStar Online. So yes, people are playing their parts to make a statement that we have had enough of global warming and we need tough action on carbon emissions and climate change. It starts with us.