A Glimpse Of Nature's Wonder Creatures

As Genting Tiara is surrounded by rainforests, it is only natural that we expect Mother Nature's creations to be our neighbours. I shall try to 'shoot' these wonderful animals whenever possible and share with everyone once in a while some of the more common creations and some quite bizarre and rare looking ones. We should not forget that 'we' are the guests of the forest, not the animals. So, let us all learn to live together in harmony, respect each other's private space and enjoy one another's company.

In this post, I shall just show a couple of bugs that I have 'shot'. Please rest assured that no animals were harmed in the making of this post.

Firstly, we have the Cicada. From this photo, it looks like a fly but when I was 'shooting' it, it is actually quite big (about 3" long and 1" wide) and was very calm in my presence. I know I should have taken a closer shot to give you guys a better look but I guess I was afraid that it would suddenly fly onto my body. My only bodily encounter with a Cicada is the toy version where we press with our fingers to emit a tic, tac, tic, tac sound, the ones often distributed in party packs.

Next, we have this beetle, from the beetle species, I think. Don't know it's actual name, so I'll just call it Mr Beetle. Mr Beetle here was discovered by my son on our porch one afternoon. As my son is a bug lover, he immediately called to me to show me a demonstration by this animal. Seeing that it seems to have a pair of nasty looking mandibles, my son put a piece of paper in between them and immediately, the mandibles went to work making a hole on the paper. This is one of the reasons why I truly appreciate being around Mother Nature. My kids will hardly be encountering, let alone interact with these wonderful creations in city living. This is where they can learn and admire the sophistication of animal bodily functions in person instead of just watching them on television. This is where we also let our children learn to respect other living beings by peaceful interaction instead of running away scared or gruesomely ending their precious yet fragile lives with powerful foot stomps.

Unfortunately, Mr Beetle here did not live to see the next day. I feel that it was all my fault. Fearful that I might accidentally run over Mr Beetle with my car, I scooped him up with a shovel and attempted to free him onto my garden 10 feet below. I was sure it would not get hurt as the grass would cushion the fall of Mr Beetle. However, due to my carelessness, Mr Beetle had dropped onto the concrete surface of my manhole cover instead of on soft grass. I was glad to see Mr Beetle still moving after that hard landing, so thought that everything was fine. But that was not to be as I discovered it's motionless body in my drain the next day.

Therefore, I stand corrected on my opening statement. One animal was indeed accidentally harmed in the making of this post. Sorry, Mr Beetle for my intended help on you became your undoing. I shall be more careful in future. May you rest in peace in Bug Heaven.

Finally, let us enjoy the love song performed by this cricket, a song which never fails to accompany me and my family during our sleepy nights - 'Music of The Night' (Not Phantom of The Opera version)

Gong Xi Fa Cai , , , And A Word Of Advice

To all who are celebrating the Chinese New Year, here's wishing all of you "a most prosperous Dragon Year filled with good luck, great health and abundance of wealth."

In order to enjoy the entire new year, I would like to take this opportunity to remind all residents of Genting Tiara to always ensure that those who ride bicycles, especially children wear the necessary safety gears ie. helmet, elbow pads and knee pads. As almost all roads in Genting Tiara are very steep and winding, descending the area on a bicycle not only requires extra caution and alertness, it also requires braking systems in good working condition and safety body gears.

Though riding on a bicycle and letting it descend on its own freely down a slope may seem a fun thing to do, the force of gravity coming into play ever increasing the speed of the bicycle and its rider can turn out to be a pretty harrowing and even fatal experience. The roads in Genting Tiara are not long and straight, so one can imagine the difficulty and danger of maneuvering a speeding machine around a sharp bend. Always, Always reduce the speed of the bike when descending to the extent that one can still maintain total control of the bike. Do remember that not all bicycles are made to withstand tough running conditions i.e the type of bike frame, wheels or braking systems may not be capable of withstanding use under extreme conditions.

Most of us use the bicycle just for leisure and recreation. We are not trained professional cyclists. So, to ensure that we can enjoy a long term riding experience not only in Genting Tiara but around the entire Genting neighbourhood like Bukit Tinggi and Janda Baik, the above precautions should be taken. Prevention is always better than cure be it in relation to diseases or accidents.

Have a great Dragon Year!

'Tis The Season To Be Jolly, Fa La La La La La . . . DURIAN!

In this 2011 Christmas season, all Malaysians are once again greeted by the unique aroma released by the King Of Fruits - The Durian.

Yes, we are once again into the durian season where what smells like a gas leak turns out to be God's gift to our taste buds, and where we discover newer and newer durian species with names ever so puzzling and amusing.

Nevertheless, there is no denying the popularity of durians. Today, this King of Fruits is enjoying a growing popularity and demand around the world which will only mean one thing - be prepared to pay higher and higher prices for this fruit in the future as we compete against importing countries demanding this delicious local produce.

When it comes to quality durians, Bentong is one of the places where you can expect to find them. So far, I only had the chance to taste the 'Musang King' and D24 species which I bought from nearby Bukit Tinggi Village and to sum it up - Good Price, Great Taste! I got my D24s from a restaurant owner who sells only a few durians at a time in front of his shop and he only sells durians which he thinks are good and ready to be consumed. Must be a real durian expert.

Apart from the opportunity to savour delicious foods offered by the countless restaurants in Bukit Tinggi Village, I now look forward to FRESH, QUALITY DURIANS at reasonable prices in every coming durian season.

In this same time, I was also invited by a friend to visit his relative's 2-acre fruit orchard in Bukit Tinggi and guess what I saw ? Ta daaaaa . . . . .

Since that day, I have decided to plant a durian tree near my house in Genting Tiara. Of course, the tree must be a distance away from the house to avoid potential damage caused by the tree's deep, long roots but still be within the compound of the house so that I may lay claim to that tree and its produce. It will most likely be a 'Musang King' specie since its price is so absurdly high. Unfortunately, I will have to wait 5 - 6 years for the tree to mature and bear fruit. Well, I guess I just have to tell myself that those who have patience shall be highly rewarded.

In the meantime . . .

"WISHING ALL A WONDERFUL MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Mother Nature's Work Right Up My Doorstep

Went to Genting Tiara yesterday to take some photos for my home renovation. As I have not started work on the landscape of the house, did not really bother or appreciate the plants which are currently growing wildly and rather messily around the house compound.

While waiting for my daughter playing in the compound, I glanced upon a rather pleasant surprise. My guess is they were previously planted by someone else but I certainly did not take care of any plant in the compound since possession of the house a couple of months back and don't think anyone else did way before that. Here are some pics of my pleasant surprise . . .

Orchid plants (don't know which species) growing from my ground up and blooming some rather beautiful orchids, surviving solely with the help of Mother Nature. Don't think that can happen easily in the city without human care. I am no flower guy but orchids have always been my favourite and most admired flowers due to their simplistic form yet vibrant colours, especially when combined together among their vast and exotic species. Am now wondering how I can safely transfer and retain these orchids when I do up my landscaping? Am beginning to love my place even more now and can't wait to move in soon.

Again, hope other dwellers in Genting Tiara will appreciate what Mother Nature has to offer and refrain from turning their natural landscapes into concrete platforms.

A Legend Is Born

5th October 2011. The day the whole world begins to mourn for the loss of one of the world's most admired humans - Mr Steve Jobs (1955 - 2011), co-founder of Apple.

Whether it's the Mac user or the PC user, whether it's the iPhone user or the Android Phone user, whether it's the iPad user or the Android tablet user, no one can deny your achievements or how, under your leadership, Apple products have directly or indirectly influenced their lives.

I started this blog using my first ever Apple product - my MacBook Pro 13", and I can safely claim that in the foreseeable future, my next computer or laptop will definitely be an Apple. I am no techie and may never be one, but the day I started using my MacBook, I knew I had in my hand a cool product which is fast and reliable and definitely worth every dollar in my pocket. It is not often that one is able to find products which consistently look good yet work extremely well, but Apple has managed to do it and does it really well too, thanks in no small part to the late Steve Jobs. As of today, I am also the proud owner of a Mac Mini and an iPad 2, all of which are enjoyed by my entire family. Yes, I am now an Apple convert but I still carry a HTC Android phone and never owned an iPhone. Hmm, am suddenly having a vision of myself holding an iPhone 5.

Simply put, Apple products carry premium prices but that is only because they DESERVE TO! An Apple product is a classic example of FORM and FUNCTION at its BEST. The popularity of Apple products and the superb Apple share price say it all.

On this day, a great visionary is lost but A LEGEND IS BORN!

May your beliefs in always introducing to the world the simplest yet most innovative and attractive of products be forever carried on by every member of the Apple family.

May you rest in peace.

In Cloud 9

Monday 26/09/11 @ 4.15pm: Snapped some photos while on Karak Highway a couple of minutes after leaving Genting Tiara and after much rainfall. One can expect to see such sceneries often along the Karak Highway to or from Genting Tiara especially on a day just before or after the rain. These scenes can truly heal the soul, relax the mind and bring us into a realm where the mountains softly touch the skies - HEAVENLY. Definitely causes one to have second thoughts returning to the city.

But even on such days , Mother Nature never fails to colour the world . . .

nor make our life any less interesting with her other creations . . .

P.S. Do not let the above pic fool you. It's just slightly smaller than the size of your thumb's nail. Don't think it's dangerous but if you get bitten, don't hope to turn into 'Your Friendly Neighbourhood - Spiderman'. Just appreciate that you have your own National Geographic Channel - LIVE!

Green The Earth

Anyone choosing Genting Tiara is assumed to be looking for an environment which offers cool and fresh air. This cool and fresh air is not only the result of Genting Tiara's high altitude but is also sustained by the evergreen rainforest and surrounding grounds which are layered with PLANTS & GRASS.

One should not join the fate of today's city home owners where most home compounds are cleared of greeneries and replaced by tiles. When that happens, it is no wonder that even bungalow owners in the city will complain about how hot their homes can be during the hot seasons, not to mention other smaller types of houses. A land covered with grass is able to absorb heat from the sun with minimum heat released back to the environment compared to a one covered with tiles or concrete where the materials are quickly baked and the ground turns into a hot frying pan. When that happens, a breeze coming into the house will carry with it the outdoor heat released, making the temperature indoor much higher than normal.

Even for a cool place like Genting Tiara, heat from the afternoon sun will still hit the ground but if the ground is of tiles or concrete, it will quickly heat up and this heat will rise above the surface making the surrounding air hotter than usual i.e replacing the cool air around. It would be a pity when that happens to a place which is supposed to offer free, cool air.

Safetywise, a tiled or concrete ground pose a far greater danger to children and old folks alike. Falls on grass and earth are definitely softer than on hard surfaces, thereby allowing parents to feel much safer permitting their children to play and the elderly to take a leisurely walk in the open.

Healthwise, playing on a natural ground provides a good opportunity for growing children to be exposed to the natural environmental elements which will greatly boost the children's immune system and enhance their resistance to bacterias and viruses.

Therefore, it would really be a waste and a mistake to turn the compound of the house from one layered with nature's beautiful greeneries to one layered with manmade tiles or concrete.

GO GREEN, FOR OUR FUTURE!