Gone, but not with the wind

That was not the first time. I hope it will be the last. The great lost was very hard for me to comprehend at first. It was not because all of a sudden my koi's pond became very quiet and lifeless, but because the trust has been broken. Unlike promises, a trust is by no mean to be broken. When I trust someone  (politician  is obviously not in this equation) or some immortal being (like my external HDD which mysteriously disappeared with all my important data and secret recipe) -  I surrender my entire life with it, literally.  

The usual suspect in this case was none other than an unsuspecting and innocent-looking Bangla, whose face slightly resembles the famous Bangladeshi actor Shakib Khan.  He resides in the neighboring kampung Boyan, but most of the time find solace in my neighbor's house, a few block away from mine. He is actually  a no stranger to my peaceful neighborhood - quite a handy guy. He is very friendly and ever willing to help. 

On that fateful day, we left the house for a long holiday break. The man I trusted to look after my kebun and the wellfare of the  fishes in my pond was none other than our friendly Bangla from the neighboring Kampung Boyan. We left for a balik kampung holiday thinking that everything was in a good hand. Until a  few days later, another neighbor called me and conveyed the shocking news. The whole population of kois and carps were annihilated (except the mean-looking algae sucking fish, Hypostomus plecostomus  a.k.a ikan DBKL). Following tips from fictional character Inspector Sigh and looking at the symptoms, I suspected the fishes' demise  was due to over fed and suffocated to their last breath.

It was a very sad affair. It was even hurting when the man you trust didn't admit to his crime and started blaming somebody else. Does this sounds all too familiar? At one point in our life, we have to accept the fact that everybody makes mistake. I do make mistakes and I am sure will make many more. Mistake is our best educator if we are willing to learn from it. Anyhow, it was already considered a gone case. The wise man always says, lets bygones be bygone. Even though it won't be the same, the karps and the kois can always be replaced (the demise fishes will eagerly come to the surface whenever they heard my footsteps near the pond, expecting their food).  

Along the way we can always ponder and learn some new things to enrich and put new meaning to our life.  First - never trust a Bangla with a face that resembles any popular movie star (not that I am jealous). Second - Admit our mistake; it will make our life less complicated. Last but not least - never overfed ourselves as the consequences are quite predictable.

   

These lifeless fishes were now a distance memory.  They have been my source of 'ilham' for the past 12 years. Whether the new generation can emulate the aura of their ancestors - time will tell.

 

Those fishes, even until the end of their life refused to leave this mortal world wasted.   They enriched the soil and  provided other form of  life with organic nutrients. The Heliconias seems to flourish exceptionally well after that. One loss is another's gain. That is one of the balances in this world.

This ponds and its wonderful living creatures within have been given me so much pleasure, day in day out. With the absence of the stimulating kois and  carps,  perhaps I have to stop finding excuses or rely on other thing to become inspired. Perhaps I have to shift and realign my thinking a bit. To live is to inspire.  

Six month gestation period - thank you John Jenin

When I am inspired, my mind switches into its voyeuristic mode.  The mind becomes very volatile and tend to explore some unthinkable domain full of crappy thing and rubbish. Sometimes into the unknown. More often than not the mind is fully occupied with something of everything. I become very focus and consumed by nameless ideas. That was exactly what happened in the last few months. I stayed focus and entirely forgot this blog. Again!

It is not easy to achieve that particular state of mind though. I have to admit that air ketum or any psychedelic source has no part in this affair.  It took me many trips to  nondescript stalls under pokok ketapang,  impromptu night meetings with my colleagues, numerous trailblazing trips to the entire Bolehland of which I'd lost count of how many and tonnes of teh tarik kurang manis in kedai mamak - I forget that the world is still spinning and the sun is still shining. I was in my own world. But all those sacrifices come with a price and in my case a pleasant prize as well.  I owe that glorious achievement to one particular person. Unbeknown to this guy, he was actually the sole mortal being that inspired me. He is known or used to be known in the Bloggosphere as John Jenin. Another mysterious persona - a nom de plume who has never materialized himself into this mortal world. At least for the time being. In fact I've never met him in person or got a chance to have a cup of teh tarik kurang manis with him under pokok ketapang.  

This inaugural blog entry after a long gestation period  is a tribute to this special persona, John Jenin. Perhaps he is another genius hiding in the underworld somewhere in Putrajaya, or a retired teacher who just wanted to share his  wisdom with the free world or even  one of my closest neighbors who are too shy to admit it was actually his dog that actually came up with this brilliant idea.  I feel very oblige. I am very sure if he read or somehow stumble upon this entry perhaps in another  millennium,  he will surely feel very proud. Thank you John Jenin. If I were to win a Nobel prize for this syok-sendiri innovation - someday, I will find you and fly you to the moon!

Even though this is not the first time I receive that piece of paper and a gold-plated medallion to add into my celebrated coffer, this one has a special place in my heart. i-klon is not merely an innovation or another name for a dubious gadget that will soon crowded the virtual market.  It encompasses my dream and my promise. (Ironically, it is also a timely farewell present to my fellow scientists)

As I am not a celebrity and most likely won't achieve that status by the year 2020, I felt a little bit awkward being into the spotlight with dignitaries on the center stage.  Luckily my two happy-go-lucky  sidekicks came to the rescue and made myself at ease receiving a priceless memento that night.

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Before the judgement day. All set for the big show and my obliging team  members aka the inventors (minus one)  posed an overconfident smile prior to the winning announcement.  Yours truly pretended to be cool and composed.

No amount of practice, script rehearsal, and cold sweat could  have prepared Mr OCW to face the most impeccable and unassuming visitors. Sometimes thing will go wrong and it will go wrong at the wrong and the most unimaginable moment. But at the end - Job well done. Good work guys!

This was neither the enthusiastic crowd curious  for our invention nor the place where the historical moment took place. It has no significant value in my life too. But I spent an evening with my colleagues here searching for the next idea that will revolutionize our life. In fact we bought two replica (read fake) designer ties hoping that  the elusive ideas will descend from the celestial world. But the way, the place is Petaling street.

While missing in Yunnan I discovered Shangri La

When I was a child, my late grandmother told me that our ancentral origin can be traced back in the mystical mountainous region of Yunnan in China. I never paid any attention then, until one fine day I stumbled upon a travel documentary that showcased the hidden beauty of the region, the colorful tribes roaming the sleeping ancient town and the mystical wonder of those ethereal places. It inspired me and I said to myself "Wow...! I must go there."

My wish did come through. I was enroute the Bolehland from Beijing quite recently and I thought a short stopover in Yunnan wouldn't do me any harm. The first stop was in Kunming the capital of Yunnan which was only a 5o minutes flight away from Lijiang. Lijiang is one of the very well preserved ancient city in the province. The air-view along the way to Lijiang was very pleasing. The undulating terrain, isolated tiny villages high in the mountain, vast fertile lands in a diverse landscape were impressive enough and astonishingly beautiful. Luckily my sanity was still prevail otherwise I would have jump out and parachute off the plane just to experience the bird-eye view of this natural wonders. On a second thought, it was not entirely a bad idea though.

My 2 faithful colleagues and myself ended up spending 5 exciting days exploring the ancient town of Lijiang and her surrounding area. We literally inched ourselves up the snow-capped mountain and almost knocked out by lack of oxygen, braved the ear-deafening roar of Yangtze rapid in the deepest gorge, blended with the local tribes on a horseback, passed through scenic mountains, valley and lakes, paced ourselves slowly on the fine bluestones in the small alleys and traced the small streams that run through the ancient town. That was my kind of travel.

One thing that has lasting impression and really touched my heart was the people I met while in Lijiang. While communication was almost muted, sincerity and warm hospitality became a mutual natural bonding. It is a universal language through good gesture and pleasant body languages. Perhaps we were very lucky to have such good encounters. I do hope those were a representation of the whole local population. I do hope others will have the same pleasant encounters like us.

At the end of the journey, I still could not find and unravel the mystery of my ancestral origin. That elusive family tree can wait. I have the feeling that somehow there is a strong sense of belonging there. That intimate feeling was so real and it was very personal. That wonderful and mystical place has really captured my heart - forever.

Lijiang is a place where minority ethnics and diverse cultures blended in seamlessly and seemed to exist in a much lower temperature as compared to their neighboring Northern highlander.

While other part of the ancient world is facing a new invasion of Western believe and culture, Lijiang is still immune to this threat, well at least in this part of the ancient town. These Naxi old folks are their last bastion in preserving their well-kept tradition and custom.

A communal washing area is a common sight inside the ancient city of Lijiang. Fresh and clean water that runs down from Jade Dragon Snow Mountain radiates through the town in the form of many streams which provide a life-support essential to the entire population.

This local Mosuo girl weaving their traditional pashmina looked suspiciously at me when I snapped this photo. Just like any tourist spot, there were many shops that lined the street in the ancient town of Lijiang and sell the beautiful hand-made traditional handicraft for visitors to burn their pocket.

I just took a deep breath, savored the pleasured moment and enjoyed the spectacular view on the edge of nowhere, close to the top of the snow-capped Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. At over 4000 meters above sea level, oxygen which was taken for granted in the lowland suddenly became the most appreciated element.

My colleague told me that if he find Shangri La, he will never look back and return to this mortal world again. I asked him whether the above picturesque Blue Moon Valley fit his criteria. He replied..."you have to go to the underworld to get the answer."
Very true indeed :)

The azure color of the lake with a backdrop of majestic Yulong mountain was really awe-inspiring. Actually this almost surreal landscape was not in my original syok-sendiri itinerary, but with a good and willing personal tourist guide, the hidden beauty of the Blue Moon Valley unraveled before my eyes.

While standing on the edge of this rapid section at one of Tiger Leaping Gorge's deepest section I can't help myself but admired the greatness of our Maker. The 3 hours one-way trip across the mountainous region of Yunnan toward the mystical Shangri La that passed through many junctions of Yangtze river was blissfully heaven. This was a place with unparalleled beauty. A place worth exploring.

As Tiger Leaping gorge is claimed to be the deepest gorge in the world, going down close to the rapid and then up again was quite a challenge for some. If your leg or knee is not strong enough, those special carriers were ready to assist. With a small token you can ride like a king.

Along the way to Shangri La, I spotted this nondescript stall selling very potent looking chillis. I was to find out later that those were the hottest chili in China.

No. 1 Courtyard Hotel Lijiang is a traditional five star hotel with a very beautiful courtyard. It was through the kindness of our taxi driver which later turned into our personal tourist guide that took us to this place despite our uncertainty of our final destination (read lost).

It was not my usual fancy to show the condition of my hotel room. This one was special because for the first time in my life I slept on a waterbed. A good love nest for honeymoon couple. A very unusual experience for me.

This is the only mosque in Lijiang right across the road from our hotel. From the main road it was slightly hidden by the dense vegetation. The mosque situated just outside the peripheral of the ancient town on a slope behind the town bus station. Our guide didn't know the existence of this mosque, but my indispensable interpreter and talk person - Mr OCW managed to pin-point this location with laser sharp accuracy.

A nondescript eating place for Muslim tucked away and hidden front he sight of unwary travelers. There was only a handful of halal restaurants in Lijiang and you need a good local guide to pin-point the exact location as there was no apparent signage. I just trust the guide and my gut and I think he didn't bluff as the owner answered my salam graciously.

Mr. Yang (sitting on the far right) and my two travel companions enjoying the warm Naxi hospitality. Mr Yang was so gracious and very generous with his time and made all the effort to accommodate all our fancies.

The traditional yak's dishes for our lunch. The food was simple, fresh and very informal but yet shockingly very tasty. I just have to watch my uric acid level as throughout my 10 days China adventure, surprisingly red meat became my main staple food. Warm Yak milk to compliment the dish will make the whole eating experience sublime.

Lijiang is a place where many beautiful streams with fresh and clear water radiates through the town with small cafes and restaurants offer hungry travelers with their mouthwatering traditional and modern dishes. I didn't get a chance to sit down in one of the cafe beside a stream enjoying a cup of the most expansive tea in the world (Puer tea) because I was so busy snapping photos and got mesmerized by her sheer beauty.

The sun, the moon and open air... what else do we need to get the feeling of freedom while dumping our precious commodity in this open loo. This is the 21st century version of an exotic spa in the middle of nowhere. I thought I never had to experience this unique ancient ritual, but alas the nuclear-hot chili in my dish really had caused me to have another earth-shattering gastro-intestinal apocalypse here. What an experience!

This, in my opinion is the most beautiful and super-clean toilet in the whole province. It should be rated as a five-star toilet. Next time if I accidentally landed on this mystical land and miss the hotel booking I know where to gatecrash. Superb!

An unforgettable urinating experience in the Land of the dragon

It may sounds a bit weird or perhaps utterly nonsense to have such an exceptional eye-opening experience during my inaugural and virgin trip to the Land of the dragon which somehow has something related with the loo. In fact it is aptly unfitting to discuss this intimate subject matter in an open forum especially in the first paragraph of a would-be epic journey that I will remember in years to come. The loo by itself presented me with a new life perspective and invaluable insight into what our life would be without a toilet.

This time around the visit to this part of the world really tickled and aroused all my senses. I can still smell that signatory pungent odour even when I type this particular paragraph, or at least the smell kept lingering in my subconscious mind, perhaps for the time being until I come across some other form of life-changing moment.

Modern China was a new territory for me. All this while I kept hearing about the Chinese majestic and huge stone walls and gates, the legendary and hidden myth of the many opulent palaces, the serene and splendour of beautiful landscapes, the food, the people and all the unique cultural splendour associated with that big continent.Those vivid images became like a moving wall paper in my head. This time I got to see them all with my own eyes.

At the time of my visit to Beijing- the Northern capital of China, it was quite chilly, dusty and overcrowded mainly with Peking duck eating dim sum. My first impression on this inanimate metropolis was quite monotonous and lifeless. Perhaps because there was not much colour to feast my eyes during this cold season of the year.Or probably I had already embedded in my mind a preconceive idea that all big metropolis are similar - pollution, rush hour, shellfish and lack of warm hospitality.

One thing for sure, Beijing is no more a sleeping giant and really geared up to become another world economy superpower. Everywhere I turned my head to there were new commercial high-rises being erected. These uninviting sight was really an eyesore to me though. Hutong, a collective name that describe traditional and ancient courtyard residences that was build thousands of year ago is fast disappearing to make way for modern but nondescript skyscrapers. I was actually looking forward to spend some time mesmerized myself with the old China, walking slowly in the narrow Hutong alleys and blending myself with the local people. It never materialised. Five days in Beijing was never enough to deeply get to know this place. I should have spent my entire life there to do so.

I think my bladder is quite full now and it is time for me to visit the loo - this time minus the smell of course.

If you can't speak a word in Mandarin or any local dialects of which could be hundreds of them, I am very sure you will have the highest possibility of going nowhere or worst thing get lost. I was quite lucky because one of my fellow companions can speak Mandarin very well (as he should be)- somehow he told me, he himself got so confused and found out it was sometimes very difficult to communicate with the local. That's the way to go Mr OCW and thanks for being a good traveling companion and our indispensable translator!

Niujie mosque is the oldest and largest mosque in Beijing (996 AD) and was innitiated by an Arabic scholar Nasuruddin. The chinese influence was heavily incorporated - at the first glimpse from outside I thought this was a Chinese temple.

As it was almost past noon, my empty tummy had more command than my head. I was quite pleased to know that the whole surrounding area of the Niujie mosque was lined by halal restaurants. We just gatecrashed into one of the nearest restaurant and the meal here was very

appetizing and tasty.

Tuck in Mr OCW! We didn't realize the portion was that big and even though the three of us were very very hungry that day, still we could not finish and wallop all the dishes. Tapau meh...

It seemed finding a good and halal restaurant was not that difficult after all. That was the only time when I didn't require the service of my mandarin-speaking friend as the signage was written in Arabic. This one was right across the road on the east side of the Tiananmen square, only a few meteres from the National Museum of Beijing. The oxtail soup was marvellous - my friend told me, for me as usual I went for nasi.

This pair of insulated glove permanently mounted on the handle of a moped symbolised the creativity of people in China. Probably the most common sight during winter. I wouldn't try to put my hand inside those gloves though.

I like this photo especially my good-friend pose of which reminded me of the yesteryears in the high school. Leaning against the ornate wooden wall of the Hall of Supreme Harmony inside the Forbidden city, he posed just like a pop yeh yeh stud.

Beijing has a rich history and a fair share of foreign invasions. This big gold jar which meant to contain water for fire-fighting inside the Imperial palace was scrapped for its precious

metal.

The sad remnant of Hutong around Beijing. It was not a good sight to see and I was really hoping the next time I visit Beijing there are still some preserved Hutong that survive the brutal onslaught from Beijing fast modernization.

This almost post-card perfect photo (by my own definition) was taken in the Beijing Botanical garden. The water of the lake was frozen hard and almost ready for some nickampook to ice-skate on it.

As I strolled slowly following the quiet path around the lake inside the Botanical garden I noticed this man gracefully practising some form of martial art. Perhaps a Tai Chi. I sat down and watched this man performing his unique moves until one of my colleagues asked me to join in "ajak le dia bersilat bro"

The day we visited the Summer palace it was predicted to be covered with snow. It never happened (the snow fell two days after we left Beijing). It was ear-biting

cold.

On our first night, after a few hours of self-acclimatization in the comfort of our hotel, we took a 40 minute trailblazing taxi ride north to the Olympic village to see this beautiful architecture called the Watercube. I personally thing this building looks much better in the night and very photogenic too with lot of distinctive curvy shapes.

Another architecture wonder, Beijing National stadium which is also known as The Bird's nest just a few steps away from The Water cube.

Scaling the stone path of the Great wall is not a joke. It really requires stamina and determination. I only managed less that one kilometer and I know age is catching up too. I should have jogged

more.

Another great view at another section of the Great wall. It is the Badaling section of the wall which is quite popular by tourist for its 'friendliness' and considered quite forgiving for an ageing traveller like me.

Uncharted mind clogged by rubbish

The lone siput babi that slowly inched away on the bonnet of my car one blissful morning must has some powerful dose of aphrodisiac properties that invoked my dormant state of mind. The docile neurons immediately sprung up and erratically scrambled the right signals to activate the brain. The urge to put some life into my long-forgotten blog was irresistibly strong.

The pace of my life has to be dangerously close to the lightning speed, especially during last two quarters of this year. It superseded the sonic boom barrier. I've almost lost count of the passing days. My life has been very hectic but yet very fulfilling. Many things happened which undoubtedly make this life very interesting. Even though I am no longer chasing the rainbow and never intended to, I found the colors of the rainbow are becoming more and more beautiful each day. From my years of observation, I realized that chasing the rainbow can be very hazardous and detrimental to health especially to the aging people like me. The rainbow will come if you are at the right time and right place - God willing.

Despite the momentary lapse of time and I missed all the fun in this wonderful Blogosphere, I can't help myself but wondering - why on earth this slow-pace and interesting creature has to be called by that undeserving name? Which part of the snail resembles a "babi"? The look? The behavior? Or simply because our jolly good nasi-lemak-eating nation found it very amusing to label anything with such a weird name. Perhaps these questions can be addressed in a more academic manner and become a good sociological study in one of our local universities that of late sprouted mysteriously in abundance. Perhaps "The babiness of a lone siput babi" could be a good title.

Somehow, I have to thank that particular siput babi for tickling my brain and become a good precursor for my brain to start wondering again on some rubbish issues. Most importantly I thank that siput babi for making me realize that I still have a blog.

Ahhhhh...no wonder my pinnacle is wilting!

Yesterday I went to Putrajaya for not one but two reasons. First was to attend a nerve-wrecking high-impact meeting with the very high ranking Gomen officials, and another less important but significant reason was to personally inhale the fresh air of Putrajaya. Despite many tourist buses with full load of eye-pollutants that roamed the area (especially near the Putra mosque), indeed the air was lighter and friendlier to my lung as compared to my sanctuary in Sg. Buloh. It was raining cats and dogs too but that didn't bother me much to cover my wilting head as I know the acid level is considerably low in Putrajaya - average pH of 6.06 (look at the above table). I can only assume that miss Afida of Putrajaya will lead an acid-free life and probably live a thousand years more.

Hard it may seem, it is now scientifically proven that my area, Sg. Buloh has the worst rainwater quality (average pH of 5.47) in term of acidic level as compared to the other sampling areas, which also explains the reason why my head feel lighter and lighter each day as the vegetation up there is getting thinner and thinner. This rainwater result however puzzled me as all this while I though I am living in a safe haven full of oxygen-rich rubber trees, which act as a good guardian against all the bad elements. Looking around me however reveals some sinister fact of which I failed to notice all these years. There are rubber processing factories that whenever in operation emit nauseating odor, numerous laboratories that discharge copious amount of volatile corrosive vapor into the atmosphere, chemical stores (nobody seems to care if there is any leakage or not) and zombies with bad mouth odor that move around aimlessly in the compound. My playground has becoming a dangerous place to be.

Kerteh is a clear winner in this test (average pH 6.41). It has the best rainwater quality. In fact MULAN can save a lot of her water bill by just collecting rainwater not only for her domestic use but also for their consumption too as the pH range for drinking water is around 6.5 - 8. Actually I didn't expect Kerteh to have such a good air quality (which cause acid rain) as Kerteh is very close to a big oil refinery plant that continuously vomiting gasses from its huge distillery that rival any alien cities. I think its location close to the shore with load of gusty wind that blows inland has a cleansing effect to the atmosphere. With such good air quality probably Kerteh is a good place for me to settle down in the future (after pencen lah).

Result from Cheras (5.95), K. brang (5.85), Kuching (6.14) and Pokok sena (5.95) exhibit almost a similar good rainwater quality and can be considered quite normal on a slightly acidic level. They still don't fall below pH 5.6 (a level that is considered acidic). By now the lucky Bloggers must be very happy to know that whenever it is raining in their area, they can simply go out into the rain and wash their hair with the rainwater without worrying to much on using any shampoo to neutralize all the harmful elements.

To conclude my short report on rainwater quality and assuming there is no cheating involve in this experiment, it is clear that most of the sampling areas are safe to live except my area, Sg. Buloh. It is a very sad conclusion but again it is proven that scientific discoveries may change the world views which more often than not are based on many fake assumptions .

Thank you very much to all the participating Bloggers. Your endless sacrifice and timeless effort have made scientific discoveries as interesting as eating budu with petai. Perhaps for the sake of humankind and pure curiosity, we may embark into another bigger scientific endevour in the near future. May Allah bless you all.

Semalam, sembilan belas tahun lalu

Buat sekian kalinya
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