David brought me there. Located at Hulu Langat, this is a good spot for birding. Too bad, we did not manage to get any good pictures as the weather was not permitting (cloudy throughout the morning, and drizzled the most parts of the afternoon).
Entrance fee is RM 1 per person and they even have camping facilities. For camping facilities, it's about RM10 per tent per night. There are 6 camp zones and overall very well-maintained. There are rubbish bins everywhere (unlike Templar's Park) and the caretakers of the forest reserve do a good job in ensuring the cleanliness of the place. This place is very recommended for first time campers who wants to know what it's like to rough it out in the outdoors, as there's always an exit strategy if you feel that the wild is not for you. 'Coz there are communal shelter-areas that can protect you from a leaking tent and (for those who can pay more) chalets for rent for about RM 60 - RM 100 per night for a small family. What one family did was, they rented a chalet, and they pitched a tent right outside their chalet, nearer to the river. I believe the tent was meant for the kids to experience the outdoors, while the parents can relax in the chalet.
Spotted many species of butterflies and birds (spiderhunters, bulbuls, sunbirds, monarch and jungle pigeons). The very exhausting but satisfying day ended at about 3pm. Definitely worth going again.
Held on the 5th and 6th of June this year, many bird enthusiasts participated on a voluntarily basis to do a 30-minute count or 'banci' on number of birds found at our own neighbourhood/garden/backyard etc......
A survey will be carried out to tally the numbers. This is to better understand these species of birds and see where they strive and also for conservation purposes (whether there's a dramatic change/decline in the numbers) .
Results will be released in July at http://www.mygardenbirdwatch.com/index.php
Survey date: 6th June 2010 Time: 5.20 pm - 5:50 pm (only 30 mins) Location: Jalan 21/62B, Bandar Menjalara (balcony) Country: Malaysia Photographs courtesy of David Chan
My results:
Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Ciak Rumah (total - 3)
Asian Glossy Starling, Perling Mata Merah (total - 3) Oriental Magpie Robin, Murai Kampung (total - 1)
Zebra dove, Merbuk (Total - 1)
House crow, Gagak Rumah (Total - 1)
Olive-backed sunbird, Kelicap Bukit (total - 2, male and female)
It has been almost six years since my last visit to Melbourne. This time I was there as part of my company team building trip.
We checked in at LCCT (flying Airasia) on the 28th May with our tour agent Nicole who handed out our bag tags and assigned us to our room buddy. The flight was about 8 hours long and Melbourne is two hours ahead of Malaysia (GMT + 10). With nothing much to do on the plane and the unwillingness to pay RM 30 for the entertainment system on-board, we resorted to playing "black jack" to kill time. When we finally arrived at the airport, it was already midnight. We headed straight to our hotel, Grand Mercure at Chinatown and called it a night.
The following day, our tour started with a visit to Bellarat, which is about an hour's drive from Melbourne. Bellarat was a famous mining town back in the 1850's. Now, they have the replica of what Bellarat used to be back in the olden days. Some of my friends tried their hands at finding gold using the conventional method. You can still find specks of gold (and even a nugget or two if you are very lucky) and get to keep them as souvenirs.
Night activity: Crown casino (gamble)
The second day, we rose early and headed to Yarra Valley, famous for it numerous wineries, and Chandon, being one of the more prestigious. We sampled different wines at the Green Point Room and took plenty of pictures of the panoramic scenery.
Since many of us have not tried a red sparkling wine before (unique only to Australia), we might as well buy a bottle for loved ones back home.
Pic above: the grass does look greener over there! Shot taken at Yarra Valley
For lunch, we went to the famous Cuckoo restaurant serving mainly German cuisine, buffet style.
After lunch, we took the Puffing Billy train ride from Belgrave to Menzie's Creek before continuing on with our journey to Phillip Island. Phillip Island is famous for its beautiful beaches and during summer time, many locals and visitors come here for surfing, swimming or merely enjoy basking under the sun. However, come winter, many visitors flock to the island to see the smallest species of penguin in the world, the fairy penguins. These penguins often go out to sea in search of food and come back to shore where their nesting burrows are located in the evenings.
We waited patiently under the strong chilly winter wind for about 20 minutes at the shore line before a school of penguins started to show. We were amused to see these little beings lining up and walking up to their respective burrows. What a sight! too bad we are not allowed to photograph them for fear of damaging the sensitive eyes of these birds by the powerful flashes from our cameras. Well, some things are meant to be enjoyed with our very own eyes and the memory stored only in our brains.
Pic above: Loch Ard
On the 3rd day, we woke up early for our long drive to The Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard. To get to these two places which are located at Port Campbell National Park, we have to drive along the Great Ocean Road for almost 4 - 5 hours (depending on whether you got stop midway or not for toilet breaks). By this time, many of us were already feeling restless from the long drive and couldn't wait to get off the bus.
The gorge is named after the ship, Loch Ard , which was shipwrecked nearby Muttonbird Island on 1 June 1878, approaching the end of a three-month journey from England to Melbourne. Of the the fifty-one passengers and crew, only two survived: Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael, both of whom were 18 - 19 years of age. According to memorials at the site, Pearce and Carmichael were washed ashore and sought shelter at the gorge before climbing up the gorge to seek help the following morning.
A few kilometers from the gorge are The Twelve Apostles, or rather eight as the remaining four had collapsed some time ago.
It was a beautiful sight and plenty of photo-taking opportunities.
By the time we reached back to Melbourne, we were so tired that many of us went straight to bed.
The last day was the most relaxing and to some, most enjoyable as we get to shop and shop and shop.
First stop was the Queen Victoria's Market.
This is the place where you can get fresh vegetables and fruits, fish and seafood, cheese and ham, chocolates and lollies, soft fluffy toys and wines, all under one big roof.
A 10-minute walk will take you to Central Melbourne shopping district where you can find departmental stores such as Myers, David Jones and Target (Bourke Street). I always love to visit their supermarkets such as Coles and Woolsworth.
In Australia, don't just try mass market beers/cocktails such as VB and Cascade. Opt for smaller brand names such as Fat Yak and Lemon Ruski (I could only find it at Dan Murphy's) .........they are goooood..too bad they don't have it here in Malaysia.
After lunch, some of us opted for the half-day city tour while a majority of the BiO-LiFE staff continued on with more shopping. International brands such as Coach and Burberry at 20% to 50% discounts was enough to send the whole entourage flocking to the outlets and maxing out on their credit cards (I can actually see the happy smiley faces of the sales personnel at these stores, whom will be earning fat commissions for that day) .
As for the rest of us who are not easily swayed.......city tour here we come........
The city tour took us around Melbourne city, visiting St. Patrick's Cathedral, Captain Cook's cottage, Botanical Garden and The Shrine of Remembrance, built as a tribute to soldiers who have lost their lives fighting during WW1 and WW2. We also took the free City Circle Tram ride around Melbourne city, passing the parliament house, old treasury building and the Federation Square. That was fun!
Pic above: This conservatory changes themes all the time...this time is tropical!
Pic above: My friends and I @ Shrine of Remembrance
Night life in Melbourne can be boring as everything seems to close at 6 pm. So, night activity for tourists: Crown Casino (gambling again). However, we were lucky that David Jones closed at 10 pm on the 1st June for their mid year sales.......so we had some time to do last-minute damage to our wallets.
Pic Top: Buff-rumped woodpecker, FRIM (tiny little guy)
Pic Right: Gold-whiskered Barbet (mouth very big)
We did it again! I told my husband, after he turned up sick and had to miss work on Monday.
"Birding for 7-8 hours straight for two consecutive days is taking its toll on us" after seeing a bunch of medication lying on the dining table. Nevertheless, i could see myself retiring about 30 years from now and do nothing but birding in different parts of the world, provided I am still able. I guess it is the unpredictability factor that excites me when it comes to this sport (if you can call it a sport). You just wouldn't know when the chance will come to spot some amazing looking birds and how accomodative they would be to allow a couple of shots, just sufficient for the purpose of identification. Certain birds are residents while others are on transit (migratory), some are colourful and some can be damn ugly. Some are not shy at all while some are pretty elusive. All in all, they are wonderful creatures worth protecting and to be admired by the younger generation.
Pic Below: Chestnut-breasted Malkoha Birding takes us this round to Sungai Tekala Forest Reserve and our fav forest reserve, FRIM.
A short distance from the Nirvana Memorial Park (Semenyih), you will find the Sungai Tekala Forest Reserve. Entrance fee is only RM 1 per person and it is surprisingly clean and untouched.
Most people go there to enjoy the waterfall and picnic lunch. It is also a good birding ground for amateurs like us. Spotting and chasing after the birds for photography are great way to spend your time in this place. We managed to capture two species of Malkohas, Trogons and the Drongos on camera. Yeh!
Another good birding spot is FRIM (located about 10 minute-drive from my place in Kepong). Entrance fee is RM 6 (per car) or RM 1 per person if you choose to walk in. My advice is to hang out at The Malay Tea House and savour a cup of lemongrass tea. At the vicinity, you will find many birds flying to this particular tree that has lots of fruits/berries.
Some of the common birds found here are the Gold-whiskered barbet, Asian fairy Blue Bird, woodpecker, yellow-vented bulbul, red-whiskered bulbuls and the Asian glossy starlings. We even caught sight of a Sharma......too bad lighting too dark so no good pictures to show.
Last Saturday was my second time visiting Tanjung Tuan wildlife sanctuary. The first was during a family trip to PD a few years ago and now, to catch the giant birds of the sky, an annual event organised by the Malaysian Nature Society.
Raptor Watch is a festival to celebrate the return of the mighty birds of prey. Many species of hawks, eagles and ospreys use Tanjung Tuan as the crossing point from Sumatra on the way back north to their original breeding ground. Tanjung Tuan is one of Malaysia's oldest forest reserves and wildlife sanctuaries. Many of us come to Tanjung Tuan to visit the old lighthouse (10th Mile Port Dickson) but i never did realise the significance of this land mass as a pit stop for birds of prey till now.
The rising hot air at Tanjung Tuan is important during this time of the year. The raptors use the hot air to glide as opposed to flapping their wings over the long distances which tire them.
When David and I arrived on the Saturday afternoon, scores of visitors and birders were already on their way to the light house to catch a glimpse of these tired birds, gliding effortlessly in the air. MSN members were seen busy counting the numbers of birds that flew to Tanjung Tuan this year. The last I saw, numbers stood at some 30,000.
Pic above: Oriental Honey Buzzard
Booths were also set up on that day for product exhibitions, sales of MSN merchandises and registration for forest walk, marine walk and games. The whole event was held at Ilham Resort, about a kilometer away from Blue Lagoon.
Definitely not for 'puteri lilin' material as the scorching hot sun was unforgiving that day. But then, with sunblock SPF 50, a cap, an umbrella and oh......a bottle of icy drink all ready at hand, made our visit to Tanjung Tuan much more tolerable.
Pic above: White-bellied Sea Eagle
All in all, it was great fun watching the birds flying around and as a bonus, we also managed to spot a dollarbird (glad that most people there could immediately tell that it is a dollarbird), sunbird, bulbuls, drongo and mynas. Most of these birds were spotted as we were exploring the nature trail at the Tanjung Tuan wildlife sanctuary.
Pic above: Dollarbird
More information can be obtained from www.raptorwatch.org or www.mns.my
It has been almost 2 weeks since my last blog entry and I’ve come to realise that blogging is way too time-consuming for people holding full-time jobs like myself. No new posting, no traffic :(
…unless of course if you are a celebrity or some big shot! OK OK, so I got to be disciplined enough to write at least twice a week.
So with my ‘almost-can-die’ busy schedule, I am going to share my recent experience having witnessed the legend of R&B himself, Mr. Kenny Edmond a.k.a Babyface performed his solo concert here in Malaysia….woo hoo!
The event was held at the Plenary Hall, KLCC on the 5th of March. Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds performed here in Malaysia as part of his South East Asian tour.
I am glad to finally see the man who is responsible for producing number one hits for the world’s biggest-selling artists like Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Madonna, Eric Clapton and Michael Jackson. The singer, songwriter and producer has had several chart-topping hits of his own too such as “Every Time I Close My Eyes” with Mariah Carey (another favourite artist of mine), a track that was nominated for four Grammy’s Awards.
Through his own recordings, Babyface has helped to restore the smooth and sensitive R&B crooning style, making him one of the best-known faces of contemporary music, especially during my early twenties, when he was more active performing then (I am not sure whether the teens nowadays have heard about him or not).
I love the R&B genre and I was elated when I won 2 tickets to watch Babyface live via the Shout-Out-Song contest organised by Mix FM (Thank you guys!). My moment with the Mix FM breakfast crew, Rudy, Jay and Ferhad can be found in the Mix FM website but i uploaded it here as well.
Now, back to the concert…….
My husband and I reached KLCC about 8 pm and there were already many people at the venue.
Pic above: ticket to the concert
After collecting our tickets and as we made our way to our seats, I started reminiscing the last concert I’ve attended, which was actually a good 12 to 13 years back…..the Jon Bon Jovi’s concert held at Stadium Shah Alam. The band was fantastic, the singer blown me away and the atmosphere electrifying. I remembered jumping up and down on my seat, dancing to “It’s My Life” like there’s no tomorrow……..
Pic above: Queues before the doors opened
I have to admit I am very excited and slightly overwhelmed when the show finally started right on the dot at 9:30 pm. Before that, a local artist were performing.
Pic above : Sarimah Ibrahim's opening gig
Babyface looks just like ……..Babyface, well of course he is older now but hey, he can still croons. Besides doing the numbers that we usually hear him doing on the radio, he also performed a medley of songs that he produced for other artists such as "Change the world" by Eric Clapton, "Can we talk" by Terry Campbell and "End of the road" and "Mama" by Boyz to Men.
And when he sang THE song…….Everybody started singing with him…..especially when he reached the chorus part (song from “Every time I close my eyes”)
“And every time I close my eyes, I thank the lord that I’ve got you, And you’ve got me too, And every time I think of it, I pinch myself cause, I don’t believe it’s true That someone like you, loves me too………”
(heart melted)
I am sure everyone in the audience feels the same way too…..including the men!
The concert lasted for about 2 hours. I was a bit disappointed that he did not do his version of "Take a bow" which he wrote for Madonna and the song which I think propelled him higher in his singing and song-writing career "Nobody knows it but me"
Overall, my hubby and I had a wonderful time. This is exactly the way I like to end my Mon-Fri work routine, especially after a week of reports, meetings and deadlines. Thanks to Babyface for gracing our Malaysian soil and the organisers for making it happen.
As I slipped into Lalaland that night………I broke into a smile, knowing that I will be humming songs from Babyface for another week… or maybe two……
This CNY, my family and I planned a trip down to Melaka. Not that we have not been there before, but we have not done so with the entire family. So, this time I managed to gather the entire family to go on this short escapade with me.
Seeing that I love to stay at hostels or B&B over hotels anytime, i chose to stay at this guest house called The Riverview Guest House.
Pic above: a shot of my sis, Sue Shan hanging out at the balcony
It is located at Lot 94 & 96, Jalan Kampung Pantai, adjacent to Lorong Hang Jebat and runs parallel to the famous Jonker street.
I guess staying in these budget or no-frill accommodations is something I've picked up when I was backpacking in Italy and Spain. It is great as very often, they come cheap (RM 25/per person/night), have more characters (this guest house has been listed as a UNESCO site) and you also get to mingle with the other guests for chats.
The guest house is also centrally located as all the interesting attractions are just a stone-throw away. The owners are very friendly, though they were surprise to see us and shared with us that they don't find many Malaysians staying at their guest house as they mostly receive international visitors, mainly backpackers. Beds are comfy with the occasional bed bugs, common toilets are clean, nice owners and a wonderful view of the river for relaxation.
Pic above: Picture perfect view of the Melaka river
Places of interests in Melaka are St. Paul's Church, The Famosa fort, and about 5 different museums. I did a refresher course in history after checking out the Melaka Sultanate Museum (RM 2 per person). Man, I realised that all my history lessons has been given back to my History teacher. Lets see whether I can recall what I have learnt during my visit to the Museum:
1. After witnessing a white mousedeer kicking a hunting dog off the river bank, Parameswara (who fled from Temasek after killing Temagi) decided to establish his administration here in Melaka. It is named after the tree where he sought shelter. 2. Bendahara is equivalent to the present day Prime Minister 3. Laksamana is equivalent to the present day Admiral 4. Temenggung is equivalent to the present day Chief Police Officer
Pic above: i am the envoy from the Ming Dynasty, having an audience with the Sultan ....hahhah
Everything else appeared fuzzy after that....well, I am never that good in history anyway.
This is the time of the year where everybody comes to Melaka, as the traffic was horrendous, especially along Jonker Street. Luckily, we stayed nearby and walked most of the time.
Pic above: Jonker Street @ night
Eating is never a problem in Melaka. Famous local cuisine usually include the famous Satay Celup (Capitol), Chicken rice balls (along Jonker Street), Cendol and Baba Laksa (Jonker88) and Asam Pedas fish.
Baba & Nyonya restaurants are also scattered around town. Must try foods are Ayam Ponteh and Ayam Keluak. Famous pubs include Geographer and Discovery.
But if you can, make your way to Batu Berendam as you can find some pretty good eats. These are the places where the locals go for their daily fixes of chicken rice balls (RM 3 per serving) and coconut pudding (RM 8 per coconut, serves 3). The coconut pudding is highly recommended. Hmmmm....i will try to see whether I can make this at home.
Pic above: Coconut pudding at Dragon Deluxe Restaurant, Bt Berendam
In the evening, a few rounds of card games followed before we called it a night.
Early the next day, when the rest of my family members went out for breakfast, I took the opportunity to lounge at the balcony of the guest house while sipping my cup of tea, overlooking the river (hence the name of the guest house). Ah, what bliss........
Will I come back to Melaka for a visit in the future?.....most defintely.....but not during CNY!
Sungai Congkak Forest Reserve
Entrance fee is RM 1 per person and they even have camping facilities. For camping facilities, it's about RM10 per tent per night.
There are 6 camp zones and overall very well-maintained. There are rubbish bins everywhere (unlike Templar's Park) and the caretakers of the forest reserve do a good job in ensuring the cleanliness of the place. This place is very recommended for first time campers who wants to know what it's like to rough it out in the outdoors, as there's always an exit strategy if you feel that the wild is not for you. 'Coz there are communal shelter-areas that can protect you from a leaking tent and (for those who can pay more) chalets for rent for about RM 60 - RM 100 per night for a small family. What one family did was, they rented a chalet, and they pitched a tent right outside their chalet, nearer to the river. I believe the tent was meant for the kids to experience the outdoors, while the parents can relax in the chalet.
Spotted many species of butterflies and birds (spiderhunters, bulbuls, sunbirds, monarch and jungle pigeons).
