Roaring into Lion City

Friday 28 -Sunday 30 May 2010

Took advantage of the Wesak weekend holiday to head down to Singapore. Jerry needed to make a visa run anyway as his visa expires in a few days. Highway was damn bloody jam as everyone was going somewhere or another. Our bus ride took 5 1/2 hours to reach a rainy Singapore.

We stayed with Jerry's uni mate Shehan and his wife ET, both Sri Lankans. They were such nice hosts who cooked us a big Kiwi fry up for breakfast. Ironic that my first Kiwi breakfast should be in Singapore.

Shehan's Big Kiwi fry-up

Shehan stays in an apartment on Emerald Hill Road. The walk up is damn poyo with expensive looking cosy bars at the bottom and fancy heritage houses lining both sides of the road. Shehan said he asked about the rental there once and the agent said S$25K. A MONTH!! Sheesh. This is just a tiny double storey terrace shophouse mind you, although they are heritage buildings but S$25K??? That's like RM60K a month! That's disgusting. Might as well just buy the bloody thing. How can people throw so much money away? I can buy a low cost house each month with that amount.

Wanna rent these shophouses for S$25K a month?

Was supposed to meet up with Carolynn and Byron at Clark Quay that night but we got lazy and stayed home enjoying drinks with Shehan instead. Sorry you guys! Walked around the city the next morning. Damn bloody hot! Almost had a heat stroke.

The impressive Marina Bay Sands

Walking around town

Here comes my favourite part. Singapore's Night Safari!! Singapore never dissapoints when it comes to their attractions. I enjoyed their Zoo with Tanya the last time I was there and the bird park was apparently good as well (don't remember it though as I was young but I trust my daddy!) Night Safari is S$22 for the entrance fee and S$10 for the tram ride.

Being the kiasu buggers we arrived before 7pm, the opening hours of the park, to be treated to a tribal performance by... wait for this... a Borneon tribe!! What they doing showcasing our people?? I swear they were wearing Iban costumes.

Tribal performances

Had these yummy yummy Bongo lamb burgers for dins

It's really weird this night safari. The animals here are exactly like Singapore - everything's all in place and everything feels like they are putting on a show. You would expect to be squinting for lazy hidden animals only to catch a glimpse of its motionless backside in the dark but no, not singaporean animals.

We saw every single animal except for the Tapir and indeed, a glimpse of the rhino's ass. It's really weird. When you appraoch their enclosure, the animals are always doing something like eating or posing. The Fishing Cat was hunting for fish (ok, the keepers threw fish pellets into the water to make the fish jump) and the otters were swimming and posing on the logs like puppies begging for attention.

The hyena posed in the light (Lion King style) everytime a tram passed by and the leopards, lion & tigers all did the same. The kancils were happily munching away in the light just a mere 2 feet away oblivious to the noisy humans rudely pointing at them. The fruit bats were happily munching away right in my face. I could just reach out and...
At one point, I suspected the animals to be mechanical coz it's just unnatural to be moving about so actively everytime someone walks by! Like, it's too perfectly orchestrated. But I'm not complaining. I reckon the animals are just so used to humans and their food is placed in the light so they keep heading there.

ET, Shehan & Jerry for the tram ride

Love the zebra chairs!!

Various animals at the park

Flash photography is not allowed at most enclosures so I gave up trying to capture any pictures as it was just too dark for the pics to come out nicely. We ended up leaving the park at midnight. There was just so many things to see! Really enjoyed ourselves there. Highly recommended for animal and nature lovers.

Yours Truly is now 30

Sunday 23 May 2010

Where have all the years flown to?? Seems like just yesterday that I was 23.. sigh.. yes, I've finally reached the big 3-0 and will it be downhill from now? Friends say 30 is the new 20 and age is just a number but I can already feel the effects. Recovery is not as fast as it used to.. but other than that, everything's like it always was.

I don't crave drinking and late night partyings like I used to in my 20s. Past birthdays have always been intimate dinners with the ones I love and this year was not going to be any different.

Horse riding is so darn expensive here. Seems like it's an activity for the rich so riding is not an often luxury. My birthday treat from Jerry was a gorgeous horse ride in the cool mountain air of Berjaya Hills.

Here we are at the top of the plateau.. you can just see Colmar Tropicale in the left corner

Explored the French-themed resort of Colmar Tropicale too

Daddy's birthday is 2 days after mine so we always end up having one dinner and one cake. But I don't mind sharing coz I my Daddy's cool :P (and he doesn't give a damn really. I suspect he's pretending to make a fuss coz his family expects him too). Dinner was at Courtyard, Damansara Heights. Food was good, especially the mushroom pasta yummm!!!!

Sis bought a green tea cake for us

Told Wifey that I wanted to have dins with my close friends and she said ok, she'll arrange everything. And boy did she arrange! Such a sneak! She told me she was taking me to Murni in SS2 for dins and no one wants to come for my birthday except for Ninja her cat. We ended up at d'Italiane in Sunway Giza, Kota D, where she invited over 20 people! Talk about a pleasant surprise! I love my wifey Susan Tan.

My bestest wifey in the whole world!!

TQ to Susan Tan, Edmund, Carolynn, Tyng Tyng, Redwan, Farshie, Jerry, Liara, Vern, Lilian, Deep, Henry, Max, Byron & Azim who made my 30th birthday such a memorable one. You guys are the best in the world. I am blessed to have such friends.

Susu, Farshi, Tyng Tyng & Carolynn got together and gave me the best birthday pressie ever - riding lessons at Bukit Kiara. Susu even got me a pink riding hat! I never felt so loved in my life. Had tears sneaking out as I hugged them. Susu, hat fits perfectly fine!

My pink hat for when I ride my purple pegasus

Continued the party at Boathouse in TTDI where Susu treated me & my astrological twin Azim to a flamin. Remind me never to mix wine, champagne & flamins ever again. Urgh... suffered whole of the next day for it.

Twins in da house..

Chilling at Bako

Saturday 15 - Monday 17 May 2010

Heard so much about how nice Bako National Park is that I just had to visit it. Turns out it's pretty cheap too, only RM52.50 a chalet per night. Lonely Planet said that Bako is known for its beautiful parks but crappy accommodation so it was with much trepidation as we pushed the doors open.

The rooms were surprisingly not that bad. It's very spacious and basic, but clean. No hot water but there's a working fridge!

Our chalets - Not too bad what...

There are 18 trails within the park. Since it was afternoon when we reached, we decided to take the one hour (0.8km) Telok Paku trail. One of the best trails to see the Proboscis monkeys according to the brochures.

Bako has only 275 Proboscis monkeys left and they are only found in Borneo. We had to wait for hours by the beach before we spotted any. They started appearing later in the evening - funny looking creatures with a huge nose and a large white pot-belly. Their fur is reddish-brown with grey limbs and a white tail. My lens couldn't zoom far enough so this is the best shot I got. At least I can say I saw an endangered primate!

Check out his funny nose!

We did longer treks the next day - 2.5km to Telok Pandan Kecil (1 1/2 hours) and 3.5km to Tajor Waterfalls (2 1/2 hours). Was a bit ambitious coz we wanted to take the longer Lintang trail back (5.25km) but we ran out of water (excuse, excuse) so we took the shorter trail back.

Other animals we saw around the park were the Borneon bearded pig (they came right up to our chalets!) Paradise Tree Snakes, grass green whip snake, hermit crabs, annoying beruks and eagles.

Eee Babi!!

Paradise Tree Snake

Took a gorgeous picture of the planet Venus next to the moon.

Welcomes Shelly & greens to the family

Wednesday 19 May 2010

I've been keeping tortoises since a few years back when I bought 5 tiny ones back home to my aquarium. These 5 beautiful creatures have grown steadily and a bigger home was built for them. As they grew, so did their appetite for adventure. One by one, they left for wider pastures - the grass is always greener on the other side you see (actually, I suspected they kamikazed over my balcony. May their souls rest in peace or may they have found a better home).

Anyway, out of the five (they've grown really really big!), only one loyal male remained. He's been alone long enough and deserved some company so one fine day after work, a trip was made to the aquarium shop in Sg Buloh and lo behold! a female tortoise beckoned to me from her container. She was a beauty this girl! Roughly the same size as him and oh was she active! She poked her sweet head out from her shell and wriggled her legs when I picked her up. I imagined her saying pick me, pick me! I had to bring her home.

I paid RM20 for her (yea, I know, there's plenty of free grown tortoises in Kiara Park and her previous owner would probably have given her to me for free but I take it as I'm offering her a better home, a new life) and packed a bag full of longkang fishes too. They love chasing them around the pond. Stimulates their mind I would like to think.

She took well to her new home - like a tortoise (fish) to the water (ha, lame). Jerry named her Shelly and gave our male a name, finally. He would be Tony from now on. They seem to take to each other and Tony even attempted to do some coupling after a while!

Here's Shelly!

Shelly in her new home

There was a nursery next to the aquarium shop in which I ended up buying a lil potted plant for my room. It doesn't need much sun apparently which is good. Yea! more greens and more cheers! Love the red flowers.

My new red and green addition to the room

Oh, and since we are on the topic of plants, bought this lil cheery fellow at the same nursery on Earth Day weekend. I was swayed by his bright green dancing leaves. Looks like huge tongues too. So buy more greens. Not only does it make your house prettier, it makes your air fresher and cooler too.

Dancing away in the corner - never fails to put a smile on my face

Land of the Hornbills

Thursday 13 - Monday 17 May 2010

My cousin Alicia told me that her friend opened this new boutique hotel in Kuching that I had to check out. The owner Jacqueline, extended an invitation and we were off to see what this Batik Boutique Hotel is all about.

It’s a small, cosy, modern-like place. Only 15 rooms at RM250 a night. Batik’s the theme with the design covering the doors, beds, walls, lights, carpets and even toilets. Like the batik designs on the mosaic floor. She said they invested a lot on the design.

Batik-themed rooms

Jacky just opened a month ago in April and response has been encouraging although it could do better. She’s on a 6 month sabbatical (CIMB offers these schemes to staff. It’s called the Spa Programme - wtf???!!!) and decided to concentrate on this new project of hers during that time. Lucky CIMB staff. The other corporate companies should follow their example.

Kuching’s quite a nice, laid back town. There’s the waterfront, the historical streets, the really cool museum and the small handricraft shops. Make sure you try their Sarawak Laksa & Kolo Mee. The best ones are served during breakfast so get up early!

Kuching river during a downpour

Friday morning, another cousin Tracy picked us up to balik kampung to Bau, an hour away from town. Luckily my auntie & uncle were not working that day else I wouldn’t know what to say to my grandparents as they don’t speak English! Walked around the back to the farm where they grew crops and all the school kids were wondering what a sesat gwailo was doing in the kampung ha!

Went to Semenggoh Wildlife Centre on Saturday to see the orang utans as both Jerry and Alicia have never seen them live before. There are about more than 20 semi-wild orang utans there with Ritchie (who’s the same age as me) being the largest alpha male.

One of the cheeky orang utans at the centre

There were so many rules to adhere too.. don't make unneccesarily noise, don't laugh at Ritchie, don't let your kids cry, hide your food & water bottle, no flash, etc. There's been a few attacks on stupid people so don't think the orang utans are all cute and tame. They are wild, after all. The ranger said no one has ever won a wrestling match with an orang utan so don't even try. Hell yea, looking at Ritchie's size.. i wouldn't even think about it.

Part of the reason I was in Sarawak was to interview a local designer who's been promoting and expanding Sarawak art to the world. When to see Edric Ong at his gallery along the Waterfront (opposite the Chinese Museum) and he proudly showcased his work with the various indeginous Sarawakian tribes. His proudest achievement he said, was reviving and sustaining the pua kumbu weaving done by the Iban tribe.

Edric Ong showing us some of his work

Planted a tree

Friday 7 May 2010

I was quite excited today as we were heading to Kuala Selangor Nature Park to learn about the mangrove forest and its importance to us and the ecosystem. There was a chance that we could plant some trees and seeing that Earth Day just passed, doing that would be just perfect.

Kuala Selangor Nature Park is a state-owned park run by Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), the only park in Malaysia run by an NGO. It's very well managed - funds are sourced by MNS through corporate sponsorships and education programmes while the current state govn (Elizabeth Wong to be more precise) supports them by providing facilities for the park such as chalets, auditorium, etc.

Ashok, who's based at the park and Shan from MNS HQ, showed us around. They said the trail runs 4km around the park with 1km of elevated broadwalk over the mangroves right out to sea.

Our first stop was a mangrove area that was struck by lighting. They were trying to restore the land and required loads of trees to be planted for it to return to its full glory.

Young tree saplings, bout 8 months old.

Tree saplings are cultivated till they are about 6 months to a year old before they can be planted in its natural environment. Mangroves are important to us as they maintain the economic and environmental balance. Without it, our river life wouldn't survive and our fishermen who farm cockles nearby, won't be able to make a living. 400ms of mangroves can stop tsunami and flooding, protecting the town of Kuala Selangor and all its inhabitants. Mangrove plants also have the unique ability to survive in both salt and fresh water and can absorb pollution and filter the air, helping us to breathe easier.

We were overjoyed when Shan and Ashok said we could plant some trees. The public can donate RM25 for a tree sapling and either plant it themselves or MNS will plant it on their behalf.

Here's what you need - a big planting stick, a tree sapling, a thin ratan stick and a raffia string. First, plunge the planting stick in the mud. Move it in a circular motion to create a deep, round hole say about a foot deep. Very tiring okay! Remove the bag from the tree roots - don't squeeze the roots! and place it neatly in the hole. Pat the mud back in place with your hands and tie your tree sapling to the ratan stick with the string. There - you've planted your own tree and done your bit for the environment!

Jerry planted 3 trees!

I was a bit tired after planting one tree – I know, I’m a pansy.. but ever strong Jerry planted 3. That’s 4 new trees for the environment yea!

Here’s more reasons why you should do your bit and plant a tree as well :

* One tree annually produces 91kg of oxygen to help us breathe.

* In a year, 40 trees will remove 37kg of air pollutants to reduce smog and air pollution.

* Four million trees will save RM68mil in air pollution clean up.

* Trees help offset greenhouse gases from our cars and homes.

* Trees improve our air and water quality.

* Trees provide home, shelter and nourishment to animals.

*Trees can make a home 20 degrees cooler, saving an average of RM595 a year in air conditioning cost.

* One young healthy tree is equivalent to 10 room-size air conditioners operating for 20 hours.

* Trees can increase property value by 20%.

* Trees are on the job 24 hours a day to improve our environment and our lives.

The 1km elevated boardwalk over the mangroves

We continued touring the park after that and visited the nursery before walking along the 1km boardwalk above the mangroves out to sea. There were fascinating tiny blue and red fiddler crabs all over the muddy floor, a few giant mudskippers and plenty of balitongs and they were huge! So much bigger than the ones we normally eat. Saw a black pit viper curled up at a gazebo’s roof too.

Pencil root mangrove trees

Kerengga nest

Long-tail macaques or more commonly known as beruks and silverleaf monkeys make this park their home. The beruks are the ones you see all over town, pests, really. Since all animals are protected in the park, the only thing the rangers can do is plant fruit trees further out in hope that they will migrate there. They have been breeding like rabbits and can get quite aggressive. One alpha male came charging up to me to grab the plastic poncho from my pants pocket. Careful carrying plastic bags in the park as the monkeys think there’s food in them. The silver leaf monkeys are much nicer and gentler. They are rarer though, and harder to spot in the park.

We bid farewell to the park after two hours and Shan invited us for lunch at Kuala Selangor’s many famous seafood restaurants. Food was yum!! Marmite crayfish, steam fish, lalas… he even ordered fresh morning todi which Jerry surprisingly liked with his Guinness Stout. Me, I still can’t stand the foul smell :P

Since we were in Kuala Selangor, we visited the new aquarium next to the Nature Park where all sorts of fresh water fishes were displayed. Nothing that fantastic – you can cover the whole place in 10 mins - but visit it anyway since it’s free and just right next door to the park.

Tame silverleaf monkeys at Bukit Malawati

Hehe check out the monkey spa

Another place you can go is Bukit Malawati, also just right next to the park. There’s a stairs you can climb from the road which leads you straight to the Poison Well where prisoners were tortured in neck-deep poison waters.

A little further away, nearer to the Museum is a troupe of silverleaf monkeys. They are quite tame as visitors feed them. They will allow you to touch or hold their human-like hands and feet. Babies are born bright orange and slowly loose their colour as they grow older.

Got annoyed cause I missed the turn on the way back to KL and took a long drive to Klang before joining the PLUS back to Subang. But it was a good day and I’m happy we contributed something, if only a small bit, to Mother Nature.