Friday, October 31, 2008

Hong Kong

During our last month vacation, we, a family of four – I, my wife and two daughters arranged a trip to Hong Kong. We planned to stay there for a couple of weeks with a relative and our cousins joined us as well.

Our China Airlines flight landed at the Hong Kong airport and we began collecting our baggage. Then we realised one of our suitcases was missing. Our relative was waiting outside to receive us.

The airport staff promised us they would trace the bag and it would reach our relative’s house the same evening. To our delight, the baggage arrived — after just five hours.

The flats had small rooms with low ceilings and a few toilets. In many places, the buildings were joined with roofed bridges above the main roads so people could reach other flats or malls without having to walk on the streets.

Such construction, I was told, also helps save the buildings from damage during frequent typhoons.

The roads were neat and clean. Public transport was excellent and hefty parking fees discouraged people from using private vehicles.

The people in the escalators were so disciplined that those who wanted to walk faster could do so because the ones standing kept themselves only to the left.

Another common scene was the ‘thai chi’ exercise — a rhythmic dance to recorded slow music — on roadsides, parks, beaches and empty parking spaces.

Walking backwards as an exercise was another interesting scene.

Our cousin gave us a brief idea of Hong Kong while sharing the Japanese ‘sushi’ (small cakes of cold boiled rice wrapped in seaweed and topped with pieces of raw fish).

With its blend of English and Chinese heritage, Hong Kong offers many attractions that embrace Western culture and the Asian spirit. Most people talk in Cantonese and English is not “well-understood or spoken” by most.

We could choose between the urban hustle and bustle and the tranquillity of the countryside — be it a glimpse of the ancient Chinese deities or Mickey Mouse at Disneyland.

Despite its British colonial past, Hong Kong has always stuck to its roots and the culture beneath the glitz is Chinese. The British handed over the colony to China in 1997.

The next day, we boarded the subway metro to the Tung Chung station on our way to visit the Po Lin Buddhist monastery.

From the station we took a bus to Ngong Ping, where the Po Lin monastery is located on the beautiful Lantau Island.

Nestled between the hills, this grand monastery was founded in 1927. It is a major centre of Buddhism in the region.

The highlight of thePo Lin monastery is the Tian Tan Buddha, otherwise known as the giant Buddha, seated on a hilltop up a flight of 268 steps.

The 34-metre, 250-tonne sculpture is the world’s largest bronze statue of the Buddha seated outdoors. The view of the surrounding countryside from the base of the statue is stunning.

Next, we visited the Victoria Peak, the summit of which offered a bird’s-eye view of downtown Hong Kong, Kowloon and Victoria Harbour from a height of 552 metres.

The Peak Tram offered a spectacular view of Hong Kong. From the vantage point of Victoria Peak, overlooking the world’s busiest deep water port was like looking into a volcano at night.

Since our cousin could not accompany us on the following days because of his work, we decided to go sightseeing on our own.

Hong Kong Space Museum was our next stop. It had hundreds of displays on telecommunications, robotics, energy, computers and physics — including hands-on exhibits that had us spellbound.

Other places of interest include: the Ladies Market, famous for great bargains; Middle Kingdom — a miniature China which houses replicas of Chinese shrines, street scenes, temples and palaces; Hong Kong Disneyland — the first Disneyland in Asia; and Water World, a theme park where one can enjoy an artificial beach and water slides.

After a few days, I received a call asking me to return urgently to Sandakan for a project. Reluctantly, we had to say goodbye to this enchanting city.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

China Hair Bands

Be cautious of hair bands at open markets around the city too – they are probably from China since they are purchased in bulk very cheap!!!!

Take a good look before buying hair bands in future – specially like the following kind…..

These Hair bands were made from used condoms and threads. That was so disgusting, I would not want to use them!!

BEIJING (AFP) - Used condoms are being recycled into hair bands in southern China threatening to spread sexually-transmittable diseases they were originally meant to prevent, state media reported Tuesday .

In the latest example of potentially harmful Chinese-made products, rubber hair bands have been found in local markets and beauty salons in Dongguan and Guangzhou cities in southern Guangdong province, China Daily newspaper said.

'These cheap and colorful rubber bands and hair ties sell well ..... threatening the health of local people,' it said. Despite being recycled, the hair bands could still contain bacteria and viruses, it said.

'People could be infected with AIDS, (genital) warts or other diseases if they hold the rubber bands or strings in their mouths while waving their hair into plaits or buns,' the paper quoted a local dermatologist who gave only his surname, Dong, as saying. A bag of ten of the recycled bands sells for just 25 sen (three cents), much cheaper than others on the market, accounting for their popularity, the paper said.

A government official was quoted as saying recycling condoms was illegal. China 's manufacturing industry has been repeatedly tarnished this year by a string of scandals involving shoddy or dangerous goods made for both domestic and foreign markets.

In response, it launched a public relations blitz this summer aimed at playing up efforts to strengthen monitoring systems.
_.___

Check your kids hair bands and make sure they do not put them in their mouth while trying to plait or tie their hair.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Roadside Cranes

From the Indiana Turnpike, Kenn writes: So yes, we just got home from New Jersey yesterday, but today we’re on our way to Chicago. And right there in a field next to the Indiana Turnpike, as big as life, were two Sandhill Cranes. A few years ago, this would have been big news. Now it’s just a big satisfaction to see these big birds along our route. The midwestern population of Sandhill Cranes has been growing over the last 20 years or more, with huge increases in Wisconsin and Michigan and scattered pairs starting to nest in Indiana and Ohio. Now we can hope to see these gangly birds, hear their guttural trumpeting calls, almost anywhere.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Photography

Photography is the process and art of recording pictures by means of capturing light on a light-sensitive medium. Photography has many users for you, me and her

Saturday, October 25, 2008

The Raptors Are Coming

From Cape May, New Jersey, Kenn writes: Now is the season when birds of prey, or raptors – the hawks, falcons, eagles, and their fellow-travelers, the vultures – are migrating south. For the most part, these birds move on a broad front, spread across the landscape, and we don’t notice them in big numbers except in a few places where they’re concentrated by geography. But there are a few favored spots where the hawks follow ridges or shorelines and where huge numbers can be seen under the right weather conditions. Cape May, New Jersey, is one of the best such concentration points north of the Mexican border. The entire southern one-third of New Jersey is a peninsula, of course, and at Cape May it narrows to a point just a few miles across. During their fall migration, especially when winds are from the northwest, raptors will move south along the outer coast of New Jersey. When they get to the tip of Cape May Point they face a quandary, because most of them are reluctant to cross the open water of Delaware Bay, even on clear days when they can see land on the opposite side. Most of them will pass low overhead before they move off northwest along the Delaware Bay shore, apparently to find a crossing point to continue their journey south along the coast.

Today the weather was shaky at best, with winds from the south and occasional rain, and there were very few raptors around. But birders are ever hopeful types, and everyone around Cape May is talking about tomorrow. A cold front is supposed to come through tonight, and by tomorrow the winds are supposed to be from the northwest, so we’re all anticipating a big flight of hawks on Sunday.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

馬來西亞人都知道的真實故事

以前在當地有一對年輕夫婦,妻從未去過雲頂高原
他們帶著些許現金上雲頂高原玩去,說也奇怪
夫的手氣本來一直很好 從一開始就沒輸過
沒想到直過了半夜十二點時
反而開始大把大把的輸 直至半夜兩三點時
就把一整天贏下來的錢全都輸光了
由於輸到連住一晚飯店的錢都沒有
夫妻倆只好開夜車下山就開到半山腰的時候
車子突然沒油了 那時已是三更半夜,往來幾乎無車,四周也沒住家
夫就叫妻好好待在車上 絕對不準下車,夫自己則下車去找救兵
妻正好覺得睏 便小睡片刻 也不知道睡了多久
醒來時夫竟爾尚未回來
雖然驚慌 卻也不敢下車 便一直待在車上 良久
妻突然覺得有一件事情很奇怪:
她坐在車上 偶爾還是會遠遠的看到有車開下來
但每一輛偶爾經過的車 在遠遠的時
都還是用很正常的速度行駛,卻在經過她這輛車時
就會用很快的速度衝過去 ?
然後再用正常的速度繼續行駛 妻越想越怕
而且夫也不知去了多久 卻還未回來 .爾後 突有一輛警車出現
隔著一段距離的向妻用擴音器廣播
要妻速速下車 到他們這輛警車來
且絕對不能回頭看一眼,妻很害怕 不知道是發生了什麼事
連警車都來向她廣播,當下下了車 往警車走去,並依言不回頭看
到了警車一名警員神色慌亂的用力將她拉上車來
妻順勢回頭望了一眼 警車快速的疾駛而去
就降望了一眼,妻還是看到了..一名身著白衣的青面遼牙的女鬼
正坐在妻那輛車頂上,啃咬著一枚人頭...
隔天警局去尋夫 在離妻那輛車約兩百公尺處
發現了夫的屍體,一具沒有人頭的屍體...
這件事在當時似乎鬧的很大,報上還有登出黑白照片
好像是其中一名警員拍的,馬來西亞幾乎每一個導遊都知道這個故事
也都有著那份刊著黑白照片的剪報.

Milan move may well backfire on Becks

AC MILAN may have won the Champions League in 2007, but for the last four years they’ve failed to be top dogs in Italy because they’ve been considered to be too old. So 33-year-old David Beckham’s proposed loan move to the San Siro is hardly going to turn them into title contenders. It’s a great gig for Beckham but what will Milan get out of it?

The Rossoneri retirement home now makes Arsenal look like a kindergarten class. But the Milan bigwigs just can’t resist a reputation over potential. Having re-signed Andriy Shevchenko, a striker who doesn’t know which boot goes on which foot these days, and swooped for Ronaldinho, club vice-president Adriano Galliani topped the lot yesterday with the Beckham news.

“Beckham has chosen Milan. He’ll stay here in Milan on loan for a few months,” Galliani said. “Our squad is ultra-competitive and it will remain this way, but Beckham is something different and intriguing.” Some may read that as ‘old and past it’. Becks had hinted he was looking for a move from his cushy number at LA Galaxy and back to Europe during the MLS break in the first quarter of 2009 as he bids to stay involved in Fabio Capello’s England set-up and add to his 107 caps.

But, while he will be laughing all the way to the bank, able to maintain his supreme fitness and saunter round the fashion capital of Europe, will he actually help Milan’s quest for trophies? Don’t tell me its shirt sales. That’s what Kaka, Ronaldinho and Pato do. Maybe they’ve got too many letter ‘B’s in the club shop since his fellow Englishman Luther Blissett left the San Siro in the 1980s.

Capello has suggested Beckham needs to be playing regular football in the New Year if he is to be selected. But will he get a game for Milan? OK, he’s a great crosser of the ball, but Milan don’t play that way. He’s a great passer - but so are Kaka, Ronaldinho, Andrea Pirlo and Clarence Seedorf. Yes, he’s a gritty, tough-tackler these days. Stand up Gennaro Gattuso, Mathieu Flamini and Massimo Ambrosini.

Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti seems happy though. “For me, it will be a pleasure. Beckham is a serious athlete. If he’ll be available for us, we’ll be very happy,” he said. But then cool Carlo was allegedly ‘happy’ when Shevchenko re-signed from Chelsea - and Sheva hasn’t been seen since. Becks’ Italian Job could prove to be a bigger mess than fellow cockney Michael Caine’s and leave him hanging off the international football cliff, wondering what to do next.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Invasion of the Thistle Snatchers

From Oak Harbor, Ohio, Kenn writes: The title from this post came from an e-mail we got yesterday, passed along from a naturalist at a nature center farther east in Ohio. Thistle snatchers -- yeah, they're talking about Pine Siskins. These sturdy little nomads have been showing up all over the place, little flocks bouncing around the fields and woodland edges all over the Midwest. I wrote about these birds back on October 14th -- see that post for more info.

It doesn't look like it at first glance, but the Pine Siskin is closely related to the American Goldfinch. In my Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America, I described it as looking "like a goldfinch in camouflage." And like the goldfinch, it's a major seed-eater. It likes the seeds of wild thistles, but it will come to bird feeders (often in the company of goldfinches) to eat Nyjer seed, which is often marketed as "thistle seed." One thing you'll notice, if you get siskins at your feeder, is that they're fearless. Goldfinches may get nervous and fly away if you approach within 20 feet, but the Pine Siskins will just glance at you with a bored expression -- "hunhh, who are you ..." -- and then go back to eating. Often you can walk right up and admire them up close. The streaky look, thin spiky bill, and flashes of yellow in the wings and tail will tell you for sure that you've got Pine Siskins. And this is the year to see them; they're still moving south in massive numbers. I expect we'll probably see some when we go to Cape May, New Jersey, later this week.

I’ll See You in Court

In today’s world celebrities equal big money - that’s why film producers hire them, why companies want them to endorse products, and why more people are deciding to sue them. But it wasn’t always like this.

Once upon a time, tripping on the pavement meant visiting the hospital, not suing the government. While losing your job simply meant finding another, not taking your boss to the cleaners. Mentalities toward suing have changed drastically over the years however, and while some lawsuits may be well-deserved and stand up in court, others just seem like a pathetic excuse to make a quick buck.

This week actor Keanu Reeves is due in court to face a lawsuit filed by a paparazzi news photographer, who alleges Reeves negligently struck him with his car, causing him injuries. Reeves claims that the snapper tripped and fell, but who really knows? The court will now decide, leaving the wealthy actor vulnerable to forking out millions of dollars. I take a look at a some of the wackiest reasons people have resorted to for suing, and also give you the low-down on celebrities who’ve found themselves being sued for mega bucks, and the shocking reasons why…

Wacky reasons to sue
1. One man is said to have swallowed a razor and then sued Gillette, because the company said the razor was stainless steel, but it wasn't and it didn’t show up on the X-ray when the man got injured. (Loses case)
2. A man starts banging in a nail with a loaded revolver because the hammer was too far away. He then attempts to sue the gun company because he shot himself. (Loses case)
3. A grown woman locks herself - on purpose - in the boot of her car in a suicide attempt. She changes her mind - isn’t able to get out and sues the car manufacturer. (Loses the case)
4. An adult man climbs onto the roof of his neighbours’ house to dive into a shallow above ground pool and gets injured. Sues the pool company. (Wins case)
5. One not-so-bright spark decides to drink spark plug cleaner to get high. He then proceeds to try and sue the company for producing an unsafe product. (Loses the case)

Gordon Ramsay Vs Restaurant manager
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay probably thought everyone knew what to expect when signing up to take part in his TV programme, Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. But in April this year the foul-mouthed television personality was sued, along with the show’s programme makers, for $800,000. Martin Hyde, ex-restaurant manager at Dillions, who appeared on the show, claims Ramsay left his reputation in tatters after millions of viewers saw him being labelled a “lazy *****r” on Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA.

MY VERDICT
Having summoned up all that energy to sue Ramsey for $500,000, it seems Hyde’s not so lazy after all

Britney Vs Louis Vuitton
Britney Spears had her wrists slapped after she used images of a car upholstered in Vuitton fabric in the video for her single ‘Do Something’. A judge ruled that the image was an “attack” on the fashion house Louis Vuitton brand and its luxury image. Spears’ record company and MTV Online were guilty of violating counterfeiting laws. The companies were ordered to stop broadcasting or marketing the video and fined $86,000.

MY VERDICT
Granted, Britney may not be the definition of ‘class’, but don’t they say any publicity is good publicity

J-Lo Vs Flight Attendant
Accustomed to taking her dogs on airplanes with her, actress, singer and mum of two J-Lo probably got the shock of her life when her German Shepherd, Floyd, grabbed hold of flight attendant Lisa Wilson’s trouser leg and caused her to fall to the floor, injuring her back. Wilson claimed that she could no longer go to work, and that she suffered “great economic loss”. The result? A lawsuit for $4million.

MY VERDICT
The flight attendant injuries were no doubt enhanced by the thought of dollar bills, but surely even pampered pooches should fly in luggage

Lindsay Lohan Vs Fur coat owner

Lindsay Lohan found herself slammed with court papers in May of this year after she allegedly stole a mink coat from a party. Student Masha Markova had been sitting near Lindsay at a Manhattan hotspot when the fur went missing - only for Masha to spot it on Lindsay a few days later in images of the party girl leaving a club. Masha began legal proceedings, but then the club returned the coat to her, reeking of alcohol and cigarettes and with a torn lining. The art student is now apparently suing Lindsay for over $8,000 for “unauthorised three-week rental” of the garment.

MY VERDICT
Stealing somebody else’s property is just wrong…especially when you’re as loaded as Lindsay

Tom Cruise Vs extras
Superstar Tom Cruise was reportedly sued for $11m by 12 extras on his movie ‘Valkyrie’, after they were injured during filming. The extras claim they suffered broken bones, cuts and bruises while filming in Berlin last year when the side panel of a period German army truck flew open. The unlucky star was not even present when the accident took place.

MY VERDICT
Unlucky. Accidents happen.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

The Magic and Mystery of Merlin

From Bellville, Ohio, Kim writes: Kenn and I led a field trip for the 2008 Audubon Ohio State Assembly this morning. This was actually a "Kim is so selfish" field trip. What exactly do I mean by that? Here’s the scoop…

The organization that I work for -- Black Swamp Bird Observatory -- was one of the Assembly partners. During one of our early planning meetings, Jerry Tinianow, Director of Audubon Ohio, suggested that someone really should do a trip to Ohio Bird Sanctuary (OBS) because, for one - it was close to the Assembly location in Bellville, Ohio; two - OBS is a really wonderful place that’s doing great work; and three - he felt that participants would really enjoy it. Well, I immediately volunteered to lead that trip. I mean, yeah, I had the best interests of our participants in mind, of course! But, mostly I had KIM in mind, because I had never been there myself, and I've always wanted to go. Whew...true confessions are so liberating. Now that I've got that off my chest...On with the birds!

Acting on a tip from Cheryl Harner, President of Greater Mohican Audubon Society, we stopped en route to the Sanctuary in this sweet little piece of habitat to do some birding. Lots of great birds here, including Yellow-rumped Warblers, Rusty Blackbirds, and Red-shouldered Hawk. But the scene stealer was Merlin himself. Arriving in, for me, a very magical way.


I felt like I was in a scene from some birding movie. Just picture this.....
There we were on this icy fall morning; a group of birding compatriots, standing in tight formation to combine body heat. The marsh we were searching was washed in misty fog, and absolutely everything looked stunning bathed in the golden light of early morning. We explored the scene before us in unison, longing for something to appear. From my left I heard Kenn utter one word so softly that I wondered if I had imagined it. "Merlin," was all he said. Several seconds of intense searching brought the bird to me, but it would be several more seconds before its approach would break the barrier of my identification skills and place it firmly on my birding radar. It was indeed, a Merlin. Handsome. Glorious. FAST. He was a total scene stealer. And he wasn't done with us yet. As he began to pass overhead, he seemed to pause, reconsider, and then drop down to investigate this odd group of mammals looking up at him. Even sitting still, somehow, magically, he never really seemed to be at rest at all. Baptized in golden light, he gathered up our collective breath and held it for several seconds before winging off into the morning.

God, I love birding!

Thank you, Jerry Tinianow and Audubon Ohio for putting us out there to experience that moment!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Siskin Attack!

From Oak Harbor, Ohio, Kenn writes: I heard it this morning, high overhead, a sound that I'd been waiting for. Distant but unmistakable, a mix of querulous rising notes and dry rattles. Scanning the sky, I picked up a flock of half a dozen small, short-tailed birds, in high, bounding flight. Yes, they were Pine Siskins, all right.

Every fall, birders over much of the U.S. and Canada keep an ear toward the sky, listening for the calls of "winter finches" flying overhead. The "winter finches" are a group of about nine species that nest in the far north or in high mountains and that are mostly vegetarian in their diet: they eat seeds, buds, berries, but relatively few insects, unlike most other songbirds. These "winter finches" are extremely variable in their winter distribution. If there's a good supply of food in their nesting range -- a good cone crop on the spruces, for example, or lots of seeds on the birches -- the finches may stay in the Arctic all winter. But if wild food crops fail in the far north, the finches may invade far to the south. Depending on the season, other northerners may move as well: Bohemian Waxwings, Red-breasted Nuthatches, various northern owls. No two winters bring exactly the same mix of birds, and birders living south of the boreal forest always wait with anticipation to see which of these winter invaders will make an appearance.

Pine Siskin is a member in good standing in the "winter finch" group. A few siskins come south every fall, but some years there are huge numbers of them. It looks like this might turn out to be such a year. Just within the last few days, we've had reports of Pine Siskins suddenly showing up all over southern Ontario, southern Michigan, northern Ohio. These birds over Oak Harbor this morning may be part of a major flight. We should know for sure within the next few weeks.

Monday, October 13, 2008

100 steps still under restoration

I havent got any exercise for the past 3weeks and my tummy is getting bigger each day. so yesterday evening, i went to jog at 100steps but find it still under restoration process. Not easy to repair something so old and rebuild it to its previous form.



Saturday, October 11, 2008

CityScape Dubai

Hi guys! I know it has been very long but it was a very busy three weeks for me; I hardly have time to sleep. I was preparing for the Dubai Cityscape Exhibition. A very grand event with lots of pretty girls and VIPs! There are no projects below a billion in this exhibition. I took special interest in our new Datuk, Datuk Shah Rukh Khan!


Shah Rukh Khan on Sunday launched his Dh8 billion beachfront residential development, "Shah Rukh Khan Boulevard" to be located on Dana Island in Ras Al Khaimah, along with the TSA Group.

Scheduled for completion in 2012, Shah Rukh Khan Boulevard will have modern residences including specially designed studios, and one- and two-bedroom apartments and townhouses.

Due the overwhelming numbers of Indian in UAE, Shah Rukh Khan was the most famous guy in CityScape but there were lot of others Stars as well! Does this guy interested in coming for the Datukship? I don’t think so!

Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher has again lent his name to a UAE development, the Dh2 billion Michael Schumacher World Champion Tower in Abu Dhabi.

Tennis legend Boris Becker (third from left) unveiled one of the region's most ambitious integrated luxury mega-resorts - the Boris Becker Beach Resort & Tennis Academy - partly owned by the former world champ himself.

British boxer Amir Khan has lent his name to a new Dh200 million tower in Ajman. Khan will be the brand ambassador for Profile Group's latest venture: Tejarah Executive, a commercial tower located in the emirate's Marmooka City.

The Dutchess of York Sarah Ferguson, aka Fergie, was in Dubai as a replacement for Oscar-winner Hilary Swank, who was booked to launch Aquitania, Select's property on The World. Fergie is a brand ambassador for the property company.

Swank, which pulled out following surgery for a benign growth, filmed a speech, in which she praised the company and its signature cocktails. Here she is with Nakheel CEO, Chris O'Donnell earlier in the year.

One of Hollywood's most famous celebrity power couples, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, were in town to support Free the Children, a global charity receiving Dh7million from the Nakheel Foundation.

Of cause our Jeff Ooi and Lim Guan Eng were here as well. I Need a well deserve rest, till then I am going to leave my BLOG unoccupied.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

My daughter’s scissor

There are times when kids draw something and you just have to say... 'Wow, tell me about your picture,' because you have no clue what it is...This one you know right away...Enjoy!

Of course they're scissors

This is my youngest daughter’s artistic rendering of a pair of scissors.
I wonder what her teacher thought.
I allowed myself just a small smirk when I saw it.
I waited until she was out of the room until I started crying from laughing so hard.
Well, of course they're scissors.


As u all know I will be required to proudly display this on my refrigerator for a long of time.