I want a clean public toilet !!

      I keep wondering why public toilets/ bathroom in Malaysia are generally smelly and dirty? My friend from another country who visited me last month said she loves Malaysia ( the scenery and the food especially). But she really dislikes and was shock at the condition of our public toilet even though she has mentally prepared herself after i told her about some "little experiences" of my own.

    She was even more dissapointed when we went to Tesco one weekend, to find that there is not even a single roll of toilet paper in the toilet >.<  and the cubicle was so wet that we thought that someone has just showered there. Also, she almost flee from the toilet because of the smell. I don't know why people just don't flush after they used the toilets.

    You could probably find 2 type of toilet bowls in the ladies : the seats and the squats. My mum used to only go into the squats one until she can no longer do so. The reason :  there are footprints on top of the seats and that looks disgusting. Now, she will bring her own tissue and wipe it before she even start using the seats. I just don't understand how all these people could balance themselves on such a small space without the fear of falling off.

Please sit and not squat on the toilet bowl

  

 My sister refuse to go into the public toilet unless she knows the place is clean or she saw the cleaners has just cleaned the toilets. She will rather not use the toilets even she is in great emergency. Maybe that is the reason why Urinary tract infection (UTI) in Malaysia is so high. Malaysia is a beautiful country but this doesn't means that it has has a clean public toilet. 

Extinction of bees = Extinction of mankind ????

        Was walking in the bookshop the other day and saw this book,  title :

A Book title: A world without bees

    Was alarmed and shocked by some of the information that the books disclosed, so i google search online when i went home and found these articles:

1)  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1270698/Bees-face-extinction-billions-colonies-die-worldwide.html
2) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7240456.stm
3) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11199779

     I came across this alarming quote from Albert Einstein linking the extinction of bees with the extinction of mankind and were cited by many bee keepers :" If the bees dissapear from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than 4 years to live". I do not know how true this is as i could not find any supporting references or evidences about this statement and some reports by others shown that after massive search of Einstein's writing and speeches, they could not find this " 4 years " phase as well.

Will Extinction of bees lead to extinction of mankind ?

   Will the Colony Collapse Disorder ( CCD) face by the bees now lead to " Civilisation Collapse Disorder" in the future if mankind are lack of food??

We are confused, We could not find our way home ---> CCD

  

     One might think what is such a big problem if the number of bees decrease?? It is just about having to live without honey, and there are many other sweeteners in this world that can be use to replace honey. But, lack of honey is just a minor problem, the main problem is, bees play an incredibly important role as they are pollinators for many fruits and vegetables. Without these hardworking creatures, crop yields would fall dramatically. It is estimated that 1/3 of all the food that we eat relies on bees for its production. For example: apple, orange, coffee, chocolate, nuts, melons and some oilseeds.  Maybe other insects might be able to take over the role of bees over evolutionary timescale, but this will not be happening in a short period of time. Thus, this mysterious wiping out of bees would cause widespread economic hardship and possibly famine until alternatives can be develop. If we do not want to stuck with just grains and water in the future, the scientists,    entomologist and biologists should try to find a way to preserve and increase the numbers of these little creatures. 

With enough bees on earth, We will always  'Bee Happy"

* All The images are adapted from google image

Bored?? Let's play a IQ game =)

Came across this IQ question in the newspaper today :

100 rabbits went to a farm that is full of carrot and started to steal the carrots there.

Rabbit stealing carrots in the carrot farm

 Then, the farmer came out and found that the rabbit are stealing his precious goods.

 He was really angry and took out a gun . He aimed at the rabbits and opened fire.

Angry Farmer firing at the poor rabbits

 " BANG"  a rabbit was dead.

A dead bunny

So, how many rabbits are left in the farm now??

Survivor?

Survivor??

Survivor???

                                                                        

Survivor?????

Survivor????

                                                                                                    

  So, What do you think?? How many rabbits are there in the farm now?? 99?? 0??  ( Do let me know your answer by posting in the comment column)

   Hmmm.. eager to know what is the answer .... have a look at the picture below:

This is the answer: There is only one rabbit left in the farm. The one that the farmer had killed

WoW !! Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate

      Was introduce to this chocolate by one of my very best friend. We are those who will share all the goodies with each other since our schooling days. I was not very into the chocolate when she brought me the  pack as my birthday gift and i thought : " oh great! Another chocolate. How am i going to finish all the chocolate inside the fridge ? "  She was a bit dissapointed by my expression ( although i say nothing , but since she knows me well enough to read from my face expression), she keep stressing how much she likes it.

     The chocolate was wrap in a multi-layer/ dry- ice enclosed packaging. It took quite some work to unwrap it but it is worth the trouble of going through all the unwrapping .....

The wrapping and the dry ice

NAMA chocolate - Cherry Marnier

     

     By the 1st bite of it,  I totally fell in love with it. The chocolate is smooth... sublime .... and most importantly not overly sweet but full of chocolate taste. 

The Royce quality declaration

Freshly made chocolate that only have a shelf-life of  1 month

      This definitely is one of the best chocolate that i have tasted for so many years. Thanks for introducing me to such a yummy chocolate ya , cpg ! ( she even took all the trouble to go to KLCC to buy it before meeting me in Mid Valley so that i could get a fresh one). Thanks again ya my friend ^_^ . This definitely is one of the best birthday gift i receive this year.

The Different Royce chocolate - adapted from ROYCE

Movie review : Black Swan

       I prefer comedy over any other type of movies as i like happy ending and prefer to switch off my mind while watching movie. However, i was dragged into the cinema to watch this movie (black swan) by a friend since the movie has such good feedback.( i usually wont pick this kind of movie)

The Black Swan poster - adapted from google image

    

      The film is directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel,  and Mila Kunis. Its plot revolves around a production of Tchaikovsky's swan lake ballet by a prestigious New York company. The production requires a ballerina to portray both the innocent and naive white swan and the sensual and seductive black swan. Nina ( Natalie Portman) is a timid but dedicated dancer in the company. Like most ballerinas, dancing is her life and her overbearing mother ( Barbara Hershey) , a former ballerina, ensures that her life comprised of nothing but ballet. A technically flawless dancer, Nina is the perfect candidate for the role of black swan but she lack the qualities that is needed for the other half of the role. While Lily ( Mila Kunis), a new dancer who joins the company, has all the sensual energy that fits the description of the black swan. When the 2 compete for the role, the two from and uneasy relationship and Nina began to find a darkside of herself . As the role begins to consume her, strange things happen to Nina. Her body as well as her mine change and reality begins to blur in terrifying transformation and hallucinations.

    

Natalie Portman, Adapted from google image

    

       I had a knot in my stomach during the entire movie. It is dark and intense. There's no excess drama and no excess dragging except the pace at the front is a bit slow. The look of the movie is quite simple, almost entirely black or white in terms of costume and set. The different colour of the costume wore by the people often give some hint towards their intent ( white for good and black for evil). It also manage to beautifully blend its own story with the original story of swan lake. Although this movie is beautifully film and masterly acted and i would give it a 8/10 score . This is not a movie that i will throw in the DVD and watch repeatedly.

Black Swan, Adapted from google image

15 Things To Do when you are bored at home

        Usually, i feel happy and relax when i am at home. At home means i don't  need to work ( this is the best of all  ). But sometimes, i do get bored ( I don't know why and maybe this is the main reason as " wiki " defined Boredom as an emotional state experienced during periods lacking activity or when individuals are uninterested in their surroundings. ). So, these are something that i would do when i feel bored:

  1) Take a nap

  2) Re-read your favourite book

  3) Walk and play with your dog or your pet .

  4) Play with your food

Cantaloupe Monkey, Adopted from instructable

     5) Take a bubble bath or hot bath 

     6) Throw out stuff that you don't need ( Believe me, this really kill times)

     7) Call and chat with your friends

     8) Make a CD or playlist of your favourite songs

     9) Go jogging , bike riding , swimming etc ( this is so not me)

    10) Play board game

    11) Play a nice, funny prank on someone

    12) Watch some dramas/ movies on tv or com

    13) Read Comics

    14) Play online games / video games

    15) Re-organize your closet


p/s : Let me know what you all do when you feel bored so maybe i can have other things to do when i feel bored next time

Japan Tsunami

     On 11/3/10, a 8.9 magnitude earthquake triggered off a devastating tsunami that sent walls of water as high as 30 feet (10m) washing over coastal cities in the north of Japan. The death toll was the highest recorded number in Japan and most of the victims were drown. Thousands of home were destroyed, trains and buses services were suspended and power and cellphones remained down. 

The tsunami, seen crashing into homes in Natori, adapted from The New York Times

An area in Sendai City, in northeastern Japan, that had been swept by the tsunami, adapted from Kyodo News

        No one know what will happen tomorrow. Sometimes,  we only realize how lucky we are when compare to those who are less fortunate.  This tsunami incidence make me realise how unpredictable and fragile life is, maybe you are happy and alive this minute, but you might be dead the next minute. We should be grateful of what we have, be grateful that we are having a roof over our head, be grateful for having food on our table, be grateful that we have family and friends that love us and are still with us. We should start to appreciate small things that could make our life happier and more colourful.

Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.

-- Oprah Winfrey 

Traffic Jam in Malaysia

     If i said Malaysia is famous for its traffic jam and toll, i guess many would agree, especially those who live in Klang Valley. Despite the rising fuel price and government aggressive reduction on fuel subsidy in recent years, the numbers of cars never seems to reduce, in fact, it grows day by day. Congestion during peak hour is normal and i understand that. I never expect traffic to be clear all the way, but i also never expect that my car would crawled 5cm every 3mins. I took almost 1 and 1/2 hours to reach my workplace compare to 45 minutes during normal day and i am using the so- called high way.

     What are the causes of traffic jam?? ( just personal opinion)

• Too many cars
• The road are not wide enough - during congestion , a 3- lane highway may become 6-7 lanes
• Accidents ( main reasons)
• The drivers are sight seeing and not driving
• Too many Ah beng racing and showing off on the road
• Highway construction
• Government planners sucks in urban planning
• Maybe the government plan to put the traffic jam into Malaysia guinness record (joking)

  Traffic jams caused lots of loss. A lot of money is unnecessarily spent on fuel and people get stress and anxious when they are stuck in the jam. Also, the numbers of accidents would rise and this would caused more traffic congestion and thus, increasing the hospitalization cost due to the  motor injuries and deaths.

     The government should provide better public transport so that people could choose to drive or use public transports during peak hours (Singapore did a really great job on this) if they do not want traffic congestion to become another wonders of Malaysia. Also, many Malaysia drivers need to be re-educate on their road manners ( they are just too rude!!)

     Another thing that we as a driver can do is to check this webapge before we plan our journey : http://llmtrafik.gov.my/traffic.aspx.  if we  have more than one alternative to reach our destination as the web-page provides a real- time traffic information for most highways like Kesas, north south highway, LPT , sprint etc.

Coffee - Irish Coffee

     

A poster of Irish Coffee

     Irish coffee was very popular among my friends in 2003 after we read about the popular online love story.  As no Irish coffee that we tried in Malaysia fitted the description and taste like we read in the article. Some are too sweet while others are basically a cup of coffee flavoured with a bit of whisky. We even make the trying of  " irish coffee' on our to-do list when we went to Ireland. This is the beautiful, yet sad story that make us like the Irish coffee so much:

     A bartender in Dublin's airport fell in love with an air stewardess who visited the bar every time when she landed at the airport. The air stewardess would order different type of coffee according to her mood that day but never cocktail. In order for the air stewardess to talk to him, the bartender created a drink specially for the air stewardess and he created a special menu only for that air stewardess. However, the air stewardess never order that drink.

    After 1 whole year, the air stewardess finally discovered the special drink the bartender created for her and ordered it. The bartender was very emotional when the air stewardess finally order the drink and he cried. The tears drop into the glass. The air stewardess fell in love with the drink once she tried it and would ordered it every time when she landed at the air port.

   As time goes by, both the bar tender and the air stewardess become close friend. The bartender even taught the air stewardess the secret of making the Irish coffee. Then, came a day when the air stewardess decided to retire from her job and she went and say farewell to the bartender. The bartender make her the Irish coffee for one last time and ask her : " Would you like tears to go with it ?" He was hoping she could realize what the taste of fermentation represents.

      The air stewardess went back to her home in San Francisco and she couldn't find any Irish coffee in any pubs around her area. She then realized that the drink was created specially for her by the bartender. She opened a cafe and started selling Irish coffee. That is why Irish coffee is considered a cocktail in Dublin but coffee beverage in San Francisco.

     We got to try the irish coffee that fitted the description at the Brazen Head, the oldest bar in Dublin. This is the Irish coffee recipe that i get from the article : 

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 Oz strong, hot black coffee
• 1 1/2 Oz Irish whisky
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 Oz whippping cream

Preparation

1. Put a tea spoon into an Irish Coffee glass or mug.
2. Pour some hot, boiling water into the glass to warm it up.
3. Pour the shot of whiskey into the glass.
4. Pour the black coffee into the glass to within 15mm from the top.
5. Add in 2 tsp of sugar and stir until all the sugar has dissolved. This is important as the sugar ensure that the cream will float.
6. Thick cream is carefully poured over the back of a spoon initially held just above the surface.The layer of cream will float on the coffee without mixing.
7. The coffee is drunk through the layer of cream.

A glass of Irish Coffee

     I never tried any Irish coffee since 2004 as most of the old friends either went back to their hometown or leave the country to work overseas. However, maybe it would be a good idea that we try and gather at a cafe or pub that sell a good Irish coffee one day and have a good catch up.

Coffee

      Today, 7 out of 10 people that you asked around will tell you  that they like coffee and statistics showed that it is the 2nd most widely used drink after water. Some of the people prefer its taste, some prefer its smell, some are just addicted to it and has become a routine for them and some might not like the coffee by itself but the little stories that accompany it. 

Coffee and Coffee beans - adapted from google image

    It is interesting that so many people consume coffee but very few know of its origin  (at least i am one of those that do not know the origin of coffee). So, i type ' origin of coffee' in ' Google' the other day just to know how coffee was being discovered. Coffee can be traced back almost 1000 years ago and there are several stories that explain the discover of coffee in different region but this is the most popular one: 

A goat herder named Kaldi from Ethopia realized that his goats did not return home one day and he decided to go and look for his goats. When he found his goats, he noticed that they were dancing after eating some red cherries from a certain bush. Intrigued, Kaldi decided to try the berries. Soon, he too was dancing around. Around this time, a monk named Aucuba passed by. Aucuba was tired, hungry and was on his ways to prayers. Curious, Aucuba ate the berries too. He was then wide-awake and felt refresh again. Aucuba took some of the berries back with him and mixed the berries with the drink in his monastery. People were awake after drinking this special drink and words was spread and since then coffee is popular throughout the world.

Coffee bean on the bush - adapted from google image

Roasted Coffee bean - adapted from google image

      There are a lot of little stories that accompany with coffee in our daily lives. I still remember this little game that my friend used to play with me and some other friends when we were in college. She asked use : Do you all like coffee? Then all of us gave her our answer. She the told us she thinks that a love story of a man and a coffee is not that much different from a love story between humans. Everyone has their way of enjoying coffee and she can more or less tell us how that particular person be able to handle their love relationship. I know that might sound a bit ridiculous but it was really fun listening to her and all her theory. She said a cup of strong espresso is like a loyal partner who always support you when you need it and an incompetently- prepared cappuccino reminded you of a failed blind date. People takes a while to be able to find their perfect type of coffee drink, some might not be able to find it; while those who find it may remain loyal to it for life or they will still try on different combinations as coffee commitment is not just for everyone and it is the excitement if variety is what they preferred.

     Many of my friends need a cup of coffee to kick start their day. I still remembered this very close friend of mine nearly fainted in the theme park in the late afternoon just because she missed her 1st cup of coffee when we went travelling. Since then, we make sure she gets her cup no matter how busy we are. I , myself is not coffee addict as i couldn't really take much coffee. It is the smell of the coffee that i am really fond of. My heart will start pumping faster than normal after 5- 10 mins if i take any strong coffee and i 'll have this dizziness and light headache. Believe me, this is not a good experience. But still, i cant stop myself from getting near to those good coffee because of its aroma. 

     Coffee indeed is something special , especially when you are sharing it with your loved one, your family and friends. Maybe that is one of the reason why it remain so popular after so many centuries.

Circle of ring, Eternity and Cappucino

   

My Greece Trip - Mykonos

    We went to  this beautiful cyclade island on 10.10.10 ( What an easy date to remember). The scenery of this island is picturesque : white little cycladic cubist houses with flowers, colourful windows and doors, hand painted streets, windmills and lots of little churches and wonderful restaurants and cafes.

     It is very easy to explore in mykonos, even if you do not drive. They have good bus connection and most of the tourists attraction is within walking distance.  First , we went to the town and bought ourselves some gelato ( it is really delicious) then we walked ourselves to the windmills  ( one of the most famous landmark of mykonos) and took some pictures there. We heard from some locals that in olden times, people from all over the cyclades would bring their wheat and barley and be made into flour here. Then , we get ourselves a little drink at the " little Venice' just below the windmill.

Mykonos Town

A street at mykonos town

The Famous Landmark

Little Venice - It is really nice to just sit there and sip the coffee while waiting for sunset

The pool at the place we stayed - a really relaxing place

     Later, we visited Parapotiani church and some museums at Enoplon Dynameon Street. After walking north through the winding small streets of Little Venice, we enjoyed the pretty sunset of mykonos  at the Paraportiani church ( another famous landmark of mykonos).

Parapotiani Church

Sunset at mykonos

Sunset at mykonos

   
        We also visited the beaches in mykonos. The azure blue aegean sea is a really a great place to swim/ snorkelling.  It is also really good place to relax with its distant music if you don't feel like doing anything as we did not visit in the peak season. We learned that if it is in the peak season, there will be parties starting at sunset. We thought we could see the famous gay couples when we went paradise beach but we saw none but it is still a really good spot to wonder around.

Relaxing at Paradise beach

Paradise Beach

The beach at the place we stayed

    People who like to party will like mykonos. It was said that the nightlife of mykonos  is one of the best in Europe especially in the summer. Mykonos nightlife focuses mainly on beach bar rather than clubs ; but there are still many well-known night-club like Space dance. But since both of us went in autumn and both of us are not really partying , we just skipped it and enjoy ourselves by sitting at the beach at night. 

A view of a street of the main town at night

      Overall, the whole trip was really fun and we enjoyed ourselves a lot seeing different people, experiencing different culture and eating all the delicious mediterranean- food. The only drawback is that both my friend and i have severe constipation during and after the trip. Maybe that is because we ate too much meat and too little vegetables and fruits. We really ate a lot of souvlaki ( something like kebab) until i dare not step into any kebab stall when i am back in Malaysia.