Raya preparation begins

I remember when I was small, preparation for Hari Raya was like a festive in
itself. A joyous occasion.

A couple of weeks to the actual big day, my brothers and I would already be busy "helping out" Emak to cook the customary must-have bauhuluor kuih siput, and taking down the langsir or cushion cover to be washed. Sometimes, we would also be assigned to wipe and clean the naco window panes.

Two or three days before Raya, if we were in Kampong Kepayang, we would go into the woods and help Apak to get the buluh lemang. And of course we would also be asked to collect firewood for bakar lemang and for Emak to cook her big kuali-full of rendang.

So you see, Hari Raya preparation is always a good occasion to help our parents, for bonding with my siblings, and be enjoyable all at the same time.

Pics above show how my daughter, Nadiah, prepares the ketupat cases (sarung ketupat) for making ketupat daun palas using leaves from the palas tree.


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Green city initiatives: some British examples

Bicycle hire station, London

Rows of bicycles for hire at a cheap rate, a brain-child of the Mayor of London himself

One of the many electric vehicle charging stations dotted around London



A car belonging to the City Car Club. The club has over 500 low-emission vehicles for people to hire. Car clubs help to reduce car ownership and encourage a transport mix mor ein line with being a sustainable city. This car is a Toyota Prius, a full hybrid electric vehicle



The London Olympic 2012 stadium under construction. The London Olympic aims to be the first Olympic ever to achieve 100% travel by public transport, cycling and by foot. That's 100%!

BedZED (Beddington Zero Energy Development). A zero-energy, environmentally friendly residential development in Hackbridge, Sutton near London. The houses have been designed to use minimum energy for heating and cooling through proper insulation and orientation of the buldings. Only energy from renewable sources generated on site is used. The buildings are also water efficient and constructed using low-impact materials. i.e. they are renewable or recycled materials from within 35 milesof the site, thus minimizing the energy required for their transportation

Walkable city. The new town of Poundbury in Dorchester has been planned based on traditional high-density urban pattern designed to create an integrated community of shops and housing. They are designed and built around the people rather than the car. The world famous architect and urban planner, Leon Krier, prepared the overall concept for Poundbury's master plan



This is an advertisement on the glass window of a restaurant. Instead of displaying the the prices of dishes on offer at the restaurant, it actually shows the amount of carbon emission that one could save (reduce) when one consume each type of dish

 

Small things matter. Even the carton which holds my breakfast egg & mayonnaise sandwhich was manufactured in an environmentally-friendly manner: recycled plastics, recycled paper etc.



 

The Malaysian Government has announced that Putrajaya - together with Cyberjaya, will be Malaysia's pioneer green city. That announcement was made way back in 2009, during his 2010 Budget Speech.

Not many people understood what that announcement really entails. But almost two years later, the two pioneering cities have managed to make some stride towards becoming Malaysia's true "green cities".

True, a lot still needs to be done. There was a lot of mis-conception. But at least now many understand that being a green city is not about landscaping as in planting more trees.

Green cities, in short, equates low-carbon cities. These are cities with conscious and concerted efforts and programs to reduce carbon emission.

Why the need to reduce carbon emission? It is because the release of carbon into the atmosphere will result in the phenomenon aptly called the "green-house effect" which would lead to global warming. And we all know what global warming means, don't we? Climate changes resulting in  sea level rise and dozens of natural disasters such as flooding, land slides, extreme drought and so on.

So how do we become a low-carbon society? There are numerous ways and means which will contribute to reducing carbon emission. Carbon reduction strategies would cover wide-ranging actions in sectors such as energy, transport, buildings, housing, waste management, and urban planning itself. More specifically, they would include activities like reducing the usage of fossil fuels (petrol, coal), increase utilization of public transportation, reduce long commuting, the use of renewable energy and so on.

Admittedly, we are still new in this. But in more modern societies, low-carbon development and environmentally-friendly life-style is already the way of life. From the housewife who does her waste seperation, right to the taxi driver who would chatter away on how his city is turning green, eveyone understands it and will do their bit to make it a success.

The pics above show some relevant British examples photographed during my trip to the UK last December.

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Aahhh...bazaar Ramadhan

It's Ramadhan. So, it is that time of the year again when the perennial bazaar Ramadhan would sprout like mushrooms across the nation.

During Ramadhan, every evening, certain roads in cities, towns and kampongs alike would get choked with traffic and congested with people as they throng the bazaar ramadhan like ants attracted to sweets.

Granted, Ramadhan is the holy month much awaited by all Muslims for the bountiful barakah that it brings. All good deeds would be rewarded multi-fold during Ramadhan.

But more than that, it also brings joys and feel-good experiences of its own.

When I was small, Ramadhan is the month I would be sent on an errand to buy the ice blocks at the local sundry shop to be used to make cold drinks for iftar (break of fast). Then there was also the visit to the local mosque where I'd queue up to fill up our  "sia" (some call mangkuk tingkat) with steamy, delicious kanji or bubur nasi.

Today, my children never get to experience such chores associated with Ramadhan. In this day and age when everything is commercialized and available for purchase, the one experience much often associated with Ramadhan is the visit to the local bazaar Ramadhan.

I don't make it a habit to visit the bazaar ramadhan. Buying food on an empty stomach, most often than not, would make us over-indulge and buy food which we never really can finish during iftar.

But what is Ramadhan without a trip or two to your pasar ramadhan? So my family and I do make the odd trips.

Usually it would be a fairly rewarding trip. For if ever we want to "tukar selera" then the pasar ramadhan would offer you loads of choice to choose from - anything which fancies your taste bud! But more than that, the pasar trip is also a good means for community building and socializing.

As one wanders around - and drool over the food and drinks on show - one is bound to meet up with friends and neighbours. The customary salam and small chats would ensue, allowing for sillaturrahim and friendships to be strengthened.

Isn't it just lovely the holy month of Ramadhan?

Note: pics above are at the Bazaar Ramadhan Bandar Tun Husein Onn @ around 5.30pm today
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Ramadhan karim

Engkau dinanti
Bulan agung nan berkah
Bawa hidayah

Cuci hatiku
Yang kotor bergelora

Ramadhan karim

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Surat Man, 15 Januari 1981

Man (on tricycle) with yours truly (circa 1965). Pic taken by Apak under Tok Hussein's old house before it was rebuilt. Behind us is a kandang-like storage area where Tok Hussein used to store his motorcycle during the night

My brother, Azman, is THE scribe in the family.

From schooling days it was already obvious that he was very expressive, and had a way with words. And it showed through his many letters to me when I was away in England. Each letter would be filled with little stories and news and his views of what's happening around him.

Here is a sample.


                                                                                             AZMAN
                                                                                             15 JANUARY 1981
                                                                                             FRIDAY


Menemui Yop semoga berada di dalam keadaan sihat dan riang selalu.

Terlebih dahulu Man pohon maaf kepada Yop kerana tidak pernah menulis surat kepada Yop. Man telah bercadang menulis kepada Yop semenjak 2 minggu yang lalu tetapi Man memang tidak punya masa langsung...kerja-kerja sekolah terlalu banyak dan cikgu juga tak putus-putus memberi nota yang ditaipnya untuk dibaca di rumah. Hari ini Jumaat dan esok cuti, boleh lah luangkan sikit masa. Man cuti hingga Monday kerana Monday ialah hari cuti Maulud Nabi. Walau bagaimanapun homework tetap banyak.

Tahun ini Man telah dilantik menjadi bendahari kelas Man, dan bagi Man ini adalah satu lagi sebab yang membuat masa Man sentiasa penuh, kena kutip duit dan kira tak renti-renti, takut hilang. Yang payahnya duit syiling banyak sangat. Duit-duit itu semua dikumpul untuk membeli barang-barang keperluan kelas yang di luar bekalan pihak sekolah seperti alas meja, barang-barang hiasan kelas dan yang utamanya untuk membeli majalah-majalah untuk dijadikan bahan rujukan seperti Mastika, Aktual, Dewan Masyarakat dan banyak lagi.

Man akan mengambil SPM hujung tahun ini dan tentu sekali punya cita-cita untuk maju dan berjaya dengan keputusan yang membanggakan. Nasihat Yop dengan panjang lebar diperlukan...kalau boleh. Di sekolah sekarang Man sentiasa ada mood untuk belajar dan Man harap ini akan terus kekal. Man duduk depan meja guru di dalam kelas supaya fikiran sentiasa tertumpu kepada guru. Pada hari Khamis waktu persekolahan habis pukul 2.30, dan pada hari-hari lain pukul 1.50 kecuali Jumaat. Sampai di rumah tentulah makan dulu. Belah petang siapkan homework yang mudah dan sedikit, belah malam baru buat Maths atau Physics. Man sekarang ambil tuition Maths di bangunan SKOMK. Apak juga suruh Man ambil tuition BMalaysia. Man turut saja kata dia. Nyah sekarang nampaknya duk rumah saja. Belah petang dia tolong Mak jaga Azlina dan belah malam dia dengar rancangan dari FM Stereo.

Keputusan SRP tahun 1980 telahpun keluar dan ianya adalah lebih baik dari tahun-tahun dulu di mana 25 buah sekolah berjaya mendapat kelulusan 100% antaranya MCKayKay, STAR, Izzuddin Shah Ipoh, dan juga skolah lama Yop di Kangar.

Berita paling hangat di Malaysia ialah penyerahan diri Musa bin Ahmad, pengerusi Parti Komunis Malaya. Beliau telah dipujuk dan dibawa pulang dari Peking, China melalui sebuah operasi sulit di bawah Tan Sri Ghazali Shafie, Menteri Pertahanan Dalam Negeri.

Masa Man menulis surat ini, Apak, Emak dan Zizah sedang menonton tayangan gambar Melayu, cerita Harimau Berantai. Nyah sedang dalam bilek dengar radio dan Cun pula dah pun lelap. Dia tu makin nakal nampaknya tapi cerdik juga dan boleh hafal kali-kali 5 atau 6 setakat ini,

Sekian  dulu dari Man untuk kali ini dan sambutlah salam sejahtera Man buat Yop.

                                         
                                                                                          dari

                                                                                        Azman

Thank you Liverpool FC

Full house

Bukit Jalil National Stadium filled to the brim

Outside the stadium, it's like a huge pasar malam

Match in full flow. This pic is during second half when 7 goals were scored!!

Charlie Adam being introduced to the roaring approval of fans

Three Kopites from Cheras

Two Kopites from Cheras

Game over. Syafiq and Anas showing their appreciation and saying their goodbyes to the Reds

It is not often that the mighty Liverpool FC juggernaut reach our shores.
So when they did, it was a rare opportunity that I just couldn't afford to
miss.

I'd been in Singapore for work since last Wednesday. I was supposed to fly
back home Saturday afternoon, which would mean that I couldn't be at Bukit
Jalil in time for the match.

But I was determined to be there with my two die-hard Liverpool sons,
Syafiq and Anas.

So a change in flight schedule was duly made, and I managed to reach home at
12.45pm. After solat and a quick lunch, by 2.45pm, we were well on our way
to the stadium, donning our Liverpool jerseys.

The atmosphere in the stadium was unbelievable. Everywhere you look you'd
see RED, literally.

Over 80,000 Kopites descended upon Bukit Jalil (that's the population of a medium-sized town - sorry, can't help the comparison, I am a TOWN PLANNER after all).

Thank you Liverpool FC for a hugely entertaining game. But many thanks also to
Harimau Malaya who didn't go down tamely and provided a good fight.

Nine goals scored over 94 minutes. Now that's value for money!

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Floria Putrajaya 2011

English garden

Tried to find also baja for tuan pokok yang malas, but there was none

The rose garden - my favourite of them all

The annual flower show Floria Putrajaya is back with bang!

This years's theme is "Roses are Forever". Numerous flowers and thematic gardens were on display.

For gardeners and flower lovers, this is definitely an event not to be missed . The Floria Putrajaya 2011 runs until next Sunday 17 July.