tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78342345605184970832024-02-18T18:05:42.329-08:00Alison's World & AdrianismUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-49974838935376228332011-12-22T17:50:00.001-08:002011-12-22T17:50:36.088-08:00Land and Life<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XJqmOuEdBBM" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-82333897012642751072011-12-22T17:43:00.001-08:002011-12-22T17:51:22.365-08:00Adrian : I Hope You Dance<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UQ1gqisEHIo" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-49707919914762683372011-12-09T18:34:00.000-08:002011-12-25T20:19:52.451-08:00International Volunteers Week 2011 - Loyar Burok Feature<h1 class="entry_title"><span style="font-size:100%;">When life changed for Ghani, Adrian and I</span></h1><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >This article was written for and first published in <a href="http://www.loyarburok.com/2011/12/05/international-volunteers-week-2-8-dec/">Loyarburok</a> on 5 December 2011, and was subsequently published in the <a href="http://www.selangortimes.com/index.php?section=insight&permalink=20111209121335-when-life-changed-for-ghani-adrian-and-me">Selangor Times</a> ( with different images) on 9 December 2011:</span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify">Life has always been good. Well, pretty good anyway, all things considered.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">We lived a comfortable life, had a decent roof over our heads and enjoyed holidays locally and abroad. In many ways, we were typical Malaysians with the attitude that said – I am okay, so what the heck?</p> <p style="text-align: justify">My first encounter with the Orang Asli of Malaysia was back in 1994, when my late husband and I joined a group of friends for a weekend trip to Tasek Chini in Pahang. It was a very touristy introduction and we never really gave a second thought about our indigenous brothers and sisters until 16 years later.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">We left home when Ghani decided to study law as a mature student in 2000. After living abroad for 8 years, we decided to give up the rat race and return to Malaysia. We took 2 years off to track our way home via the scenic route on land in our trusty 4×4.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">In 2008, we left London when our son, Adrian, was 3 years old and arrived in Malaysia just in time to celebrate his 5<sup>th</sup> birthday. We had travelled through 46 countries on 4 continents.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">During our travels, we made a point to experience as much of the local lifestyle as possible, especially in Africa. For 5 months, we camped where possible in tribal villages, often welcomed into the homes and hearts of total strangers. We were offered food by families who could barely afford to feed themselves and shown such warm hospitality that I can’t even begin to describe how humbled and grateful we felt.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Upon our return to Malaysia, we settled back into a non-nomadic lifestyle with some difficulties. Not only did we have to integrate ourselves back into a society we had been away from for 10 years, we also had to deal with certain health issues faced by Ghani. We realised that our travels had totally changed our mindset and outlook of life.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Our involvement with the Orang Asli communities began in early August 201<del>1</del>0, when Ghani saw an Al Jazeera report on television, entitled “<em><a href="http://youtu.be/U47j2dS6C_I" target="_blank">Malaysia ethnic tribes ‘forced to convert’</a>”, </em>one evening. I was in the kitchen when Ghani called for me to come to the living room and watch the feature. He was gob smacked by what he saw and heard on the television. There we were, looking at villages in Malaysia, somewhat similar to those we saw in Africa. Surely this was not happening in Malaysia, and surely the report was not true?</p> <p style="text-align: justify">The only way to know the truth, Ghani thought, was to find out for ourselves.</p> <p style="text-align: justify"><strong> </strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify">We lived just 15 minutes down the road from the Temuan Orang Asli Village in Sungai Buloh. One Sunday morning, we took a drive out to the village and spent the morning chatting with the villagers. This gave us a much deeper insight of some of the issues faced by the Orang Asli not just in the rural interiors, but also the urban fringe villages that are within close proximity to the city. They live without electricity, basic amenities and still depend on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chute_%28gravity%29" target="_blank">gravity-fed water supply</a>.</p> <p style="text-align: justify"> </p> <div id="attachment_35448" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 460px; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-size:85%;"><img class="size-medium wp-image-35448 " src="http://max-cdn.loyarburok.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Pus-oozing-from-ear-450x300.jpg" alt="" height="300" width="450" /></span></div><p class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-size:85%;">Pus oozing from a 2-year old toddler's infected ear</span></p></div> <p style="text-align: justify">We also found that in this particular village, healthcare services were poor despite being so close to the Sungai Buloh Hospital. The local government-run clinic did not seem to take their ailments seriously. A 2-year old toddler, with pus oozing out of his ear, had been given only eardrops for the past 4 months. Eardrops alone would not have helped to clear the infection as one would first need to clean the wound before applying it; something even we, who are not medically trained, knew.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">It was our fateful encounter with Kedang Pil, brother of the village matriarch, that gave us the drive to do what we can for the Orang Asli communities.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Kedang had spent the past few months in and out of the local Klinik Desa, with complaints of prolonged cough, fever, chills and lethargy. Each time he visited the clinic, he was prescribed Paracetamol, cough mixtures and pain killers. He was told to go home and rest.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">One morning I got a call from Kedang’s niece saying that her uncle had collapsed and was admitted to the Sungai Buloh Hospital. He was placed in an isolation unit and his family did not know what was happening to him. Ghani and I rushed over and were informed that Kedang had been diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB), and that he was in very critical condition.</p> <p style="text-align: justify"> </p> <div id="attachment_35439" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 460px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-35439" src="http://max-cdn.loyarburok.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Kedang-Bin-Pil-in-Isolation-Ward-of-Sg-Buloh-Hospital--450x337.jpg" alt="" height="337" width="450" /><p style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-size:85%;">Kedang fighting to stay alive at Sungai Buloh Hospital's isolation ward</span></p></div> <p style="text-align: justify">Kedang passed away two days later. Trying to get his body released for burial was a challenge. Kedang was a Malaysian. He was no different from me and yet, because he was an Orang Asli, a different set of rules applied. Both Ghani and I were left feeling perplexed.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">The release of his body for burial was delayed, as we first needed clearance from the Jabatan Hal-Ehwal Orang Asli (Orang Asli Welfare Department) and was questioned repeatedly about his religion and which burial rites should apply.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">This was followed by yet another challenge to get the other villagers tested for TB, as they had lived in close contact with Kedang. The children, some of whom were coughing themselves had been exposed to other children in the local schools.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Our frustrations were brought to the attention of Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan, the Chairperson of the Malaysian Bar Council’s Committee on Orang Asli Rights (COAR). She surprised me with a phone call one evening asking details of the issues faced by the village, especially in relation to their healthcare. She then brought this to the attention of Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Hj. Mohd Ismail Merican, the then Director-General of Health under the Ministry of Health.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">This marked the beginning of Ghani, Adrian, and my active involvement in working with different Orang Asli communities. We served as observer members of COAR and co-founded a community support group with some members of COAR and leaders of the Orang Asli network.</p> <p style="text-align: justify"> </p> <div id="attachment_35442" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 460px; text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img class="size-medium wp-image-35442" src="http://max-cdn.loyarburok.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Art-and-craft-session-with-preschool-kids-in-Kampung-Peta-450x300.jpg" alt="" height="300" width="450" /></span><p class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-size:85%;">Arts and craft session with pre-schoolers in Kampung Peta</span></p></div> <p style="text-align: justify">The support group seeks to provide school supplies, guidance and support to several community-run pre-schools in Orang Asli villages. The pre-schools are set up and facilitated by the Orang Asli themselves. The aim is to give each child an opportunity for literacy and not to be at a disadvantaged position once they start their formal education in government-run schools.</p> <p style="text-align: center"> </p> <div id="attachment_35445" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 460px; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img class="size-medium wp-image-35445 " src="http://max-cdn.loyarburok.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Teaching-the-kids-to-make-bean-shakers-out-of-empty-plastic-bottles-450x300.jpg" alt="" height="300" width="450" /></span><p class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-size:85%;">Teaching Orang Asli children how to make bean shakers out of empty plastic bottles</span></p></div> <p style="text-align: justify">Since Ghani’s passing in March this year; Adrian, our now 7 year-old son, and I have carried on with our volunteering work with the Orang Asli Learning Centres Community Project, COAR and other initiatives involving Orang Asli communities. All these are carried out on a pro bono basis, something we have always been grateful for. We have been blessed in life, and this is just a small way for us to give back to society.</p> <p style="text-align: justify"> </p> <div id="attachment_35444" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 308px; text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img class="size-medium wp-image-35444" src="http://max-cdn.loyarburok.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Working-on-grassroot-level-in-Kuala-Koh-298x450.jpg" alt="" height="450" width="298" /></span><p class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-size:85%;">Working with Orang Asli communities at grass roots level in Kuala Koh</span></p></div> <p style="text-align: justify">Volunteering our time and energy has benefitted us greatly. Very often, we find that we receive much more than we’ve given. We have much to learn from our indigenous brothers and sisters, even simple life’s lessons on humanity, humility and the grace of giving when you do not have enough for yourself.</p> <p style="text-align: justify"> </p> <div id="attachment_35440" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 460px; text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img class="size-medium wp-image-35440" src="http://max-cdn.loyarburok.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Adrian-is-very-much-at-home-with-the-Orang-Asli-kids-450x379.jpg" alt="" height="379" width="450" /></span><p class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-size:85%;">Adrian feeling very much at home with the Orang Asli children</span></p></div> <p style="text-align: justify">Many have asked how I’ve managed to drag my 7-year old along on field trips to the interior villages, sometimes up to 3 to 4 days, with no proper water supply, electricity, sanitary facilities, access to medical amenities and often without substantial food. Well, we manage. You learn to live without the mod-cons we have in our everyday life; and more importantly, we learn to appreciate what we do have, knowing how fortunate we are to have them when others at our doorsteps are living without.</p> <p style="text-align: justify"> </p> <div id="attachment_35441" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 460px; text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img class="size-medium wp-image-35441 " src="http://max-cdn.loyarburok.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Adrian-learns-from-experienced-field-workers-and-Indegineous-friends-450x300.jpg" alt="" height="300" width="450" /></span><p class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-size:85%;">The world has always been a classroom for Adrian</span></p></div> <p style="text-align: justify">Adrian spent two of his most formative years living a nomadic life, travelling overland through different countries, experiencing different cultures with different traditions and belief systems. He adapts as all children will, when given the opportunity to experience different environments. He plays with the local kids, and they look out for him. He joins in their traditional celebrations, and can <em><a href="http://youtu.be/coXkFZjZznA" target="_blank">Sewang </a></em> as well as any Orang Asli can.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">As a mother, I cannot be more thankful for the experience Adrian gets from our work and the wealth of knowledge shared with him by other volunteers, field workers and local villagers we work with. The world has always been his classroom and it continues to be so.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">There is still so much to be done. There are still so many wrongs to be corrected and so many issues to be addressed – from land rights to just basic human rights. From creating awareness amongst the communities, advising them on their rights as Malaysian citizens, to walking with them in their efforts to preserve their unique identity, culture and traditions.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">As volunteer field workers, we work with the grassroots communities, doing what we can in our own small little way. One thing is for sure though, no matter how small a part anyone plays, it is never insignificant.</p> <p style="text-align: justify"><em>You don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by many people, can transform the world</em></p> <p style="text-align: justify"><em>– Howard Zinn</em></p><a style="background-color: #F5F5F5; border-right: 1px solid #DDDDDD; border-bottom: medium none; margin: 0pt; padding: 6px; display: block; float: left; text-decoration: none; text-align: left; cursor: pointer;" href="http://www.loyarburok.com/2011/05/07/so-you-want-to-be-a-teacher-part-3stories-from-the-east/"><div style="border: 0pt none ; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; width: 145px; height: 180px;"><div class="gab_authorPic"> <span class="st_facebook_hcount"><span class="stButton" style="text-decoration:none;display:inline-block;cursor:pointer;color:#000000;" ></span></span><img alt="" src="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/2f8271561d4e06d2c6c71c2e35b69883?s=100&d=identicon&r=G" class="avatar avatar-100 photo" height="100" width="100" /> </div></div></a> <p style="text-align: justify; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Alison Murugesu-Ghani is a hotelier by profession. She gave up her corporate life in London to spend two years travelling overland with her late husband and their young son in 2008-2009, taking the scenic route back to their homeland through 46 countries in 4 continents. She is currently living a non-nomadic life in Kuala Lumpur.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" > Posted on 5 December 2011.</span><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-71152648687263026402011-04-03T00:16:00.000-07:002011-04-04T04:26:10.684-07:00Capt Ghani Ishak, 2 Jun 1947-21 Mar 2011<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvlCLTIsuncXnMq0Tx5gq_LNnWjwGyYpygidceyq89XY2WZbVwLx0PeabelQuOONYMijuzrairag9fGK6soqAmeZsSOfJB0CTSN0VOIki1hoctjcwTJbwsGHeX0fqq3k33gxlQUxt5TvF7/s1600/Ghani+B+%252B+W.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvlCLTIsuncXnMq0Tx5gq_LNnWjwGyYpygidceyq89XY2WZbVwLx0PeabelQuOONYMijuzrairag9fGK6soqAmeZsSOfJB0CTSN0VOIki1hoctjcwTJbwsGHeX0fqq3k33gxlQUxt5TvF7/s320/Ghani+B+%252B+W.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591254075658756466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Capt Ghani Ishak</span> <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >2 June 1947 - 21 March 2011</span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">It will be two weeks tomorrow</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;">. I can't even</span> say if it feels like yesterday, or if it feels like forever. It's a day that I somehow knew at the back of my head would one day come. But the 21 March 2011 was not supposed to have been that day.<br /><br />Ghani has had a heart condition for as long as I have known him. He was on his 3rd pacemaker and it had a good 3 years left on it, before it was due for replacement. He had an enlarged heart (or he was big hearted, as he would say), a leaky valve, low platelets and an enlarged spleen, amongst other things. He also survived a stroke which he suffered in Norway, in 2008, 3 months into our travels. The stroke left him completely paralyzed on his right, but the medics in Bodo, some 200km north of the Arctic Circle got him talking in 6 hours and moving in 9 hours. 2 weeks later we were back on the road, and a month and a half later, Ghani himself was driving us from London to Cape Town.<br /><br />That Monday morning, Ghani woke early, around 4-5am, mumbled something about football and board paper and stumbled out of bed. I awoke at 7.30am, heard footie on the tv and lazed around in the room till Adrian awoke at 8.30am. As I tidied up the bed, I heard Adrian's voice in the living room and the next thing I knew Adrian came barging into our room saying, 'Mum, there's something wrong with Dad'.<br /><br />Ghani was sat upright in his favourite spot on our brown sofa, an empty glass of water next to him, and an empty jar of 'rempeyek' (a local savoury snack which was his favourite) in front of him. The jar had been half full. He had his reading glasses on, his board papers for his 10am meeting were on his lap and his pen was still in his hand. It seems that Ghani had suffered a massive heart attack some two hours before. So massive that he didn't even know what hit him.<br /><br />In accordance to Muslim rites, the burial took place the same day. Everything that happened after the time Adrian and I sat with him on our sofa for about 10 minutes, hugging him for the last time, before the paramedics and family and friends started arriving became one fuzzy, surreal experience. At 8.30am, we were sat with Ghani on the sofa and at 2.30pm, Ghani was laid to rest. There were hundreds of people paying their last respects to this wonderful man at the Bukit Damansara Mosque, where he was prepared for burial and lay in state, before Adrian and I accompanied him on our last journey together, in the back of the hearse to the Kiara Muslim Burial Ground.<br /><br />Family and friends have helped us get through these past 14 days. Mum is now with us and will be with us till we get our feet back on the ground. So many have reached out to us and we are ever so grateful and humbled by the outpouring of care, love and concern. And the prayers.<br /><br />Ghani was hugely respected and very much loved for the person he was. He touched many lives during his teenage years at HMS Conway; at sea as a Master Mariner; when he was at MISC practicing ship management and human resource and in the oil and gas industry; as a biker; a law student and a barrister at law; as a traveller; a neighbour; through his outreach work with Orang Asli communities in Malaysia and most of all, as a friend.<br /><br />We spent 17 years together, 12 of them as husband and wife, with Adrian making us complete in 2004. Ghani was my 'confinement man' after Adrian was born in London, and he probably spent more time with Adrian in his 6.5 years, than many of us spend with our fathers in a lifetime.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8U3nfJSFofjHIW3aNW7in0ZqxnFaH6ldL9Tjrsf9hlOPqO-l1I4aSI27CGPK7QJAWQktqMQeJPiOrwxuhg5J3SmoUd-p7nnC2EzK9jEKv-P36zcbUJH8iv8kkiIgJnApVzEtT00jipSsP/s1600/father+and+son.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8U3nfJSFofjHIW3aNW7in0ZqxnFaH6ldL9Tjrsf9hlOPqO-l1I4aSI27CGPK7QJAWQktqMQeJPiOrwxuhg5J3SmoUd-p7nnC2EzK9jEKv-P36zcbUJH8iv8kkiIgJnApVzEtT00jipSsP/s320/father+and+son.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591582831370862834" border="0" /></a>What gives us the strength to let go of Ghani is the fact that he left us in the most dignified, painless way, with no suffering, no hospitals, no tubes and no needles. He ate the foods he loved, right up to the last minute and did all the things he wanted to. Most of all, he left with Adrian and I knowing without a single doubt, that he loved us.<br /><br />Ghani's favourite song had always been <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L1sg7RImyM&feature=related">Frank Sinatra's My Way</a>. I last heard him sing it at my Godpa's 80th birthday celebrations in Penang on 12 March 2011. When I reflect on the lyrics now, they truly speak of Ghani's life and how he lived it - His Way!<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">And now the end is near<br />And so I face the final curtain<br />My friend I'll say it clear<br />I'll state my case of which I'm certain<br /><br />I've lived a life that's full<br />I traveled each and every highway<br />And more, much more than this<br />I did it my way<br /><br />Regrets I've had a few<br />But then again too few to mention<br />I did what I had to do<br />And saw it through without exemption<br /><br />I planned each charted course<br />Each careful step along the byway<br />And more, much more than this<br />I did it my way<br /><br />Yes there were times I'm sure you knew<br />When I bit off more than I could chew<br />But through it all when there was doubt<br />I ate it up and spit it out, I faced it all<br />And I stood tall and did it my way<br /><br />I've loved, I've laughed and cried<br />I've had my fill, my share of losing<br />And now as tears subside<br />I find it all so amusing<br /><br />To think I did all that<br />And may I say not in a shy way<br />Oh no, oh no, not me<br />I did it my way<br /><br />For what is a man what has he got<br />If not himself then he has not<br />To say the things he truly feels<br />And not the words of one who kneels<br />The record shows I took the blows<br />And did it my way<br /><br />Yes it was my way<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegQjvAG1ZavsBpFSVoJdB790ENymPBIEVAlIJZJtNYZEqMbNnc1A0LTOYHgHdtNejnT9rDAEVNdHMhM205DBwCvXGVSrDSAbKjZUb0Pvw69GWVKvePnUWVv4WBmCkeLXVGf9hLrN0j3NO/s1600/hanging+around.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegQjvAG1ZavsBpFSVoJdB790ENymPBIEVAlIJZJtNYZEqMbNnc1A0LTOYHgHdtNejnT9rDAEVNdHMhM205DBwCvXGVSrDSAbKjZUb0Pvw69GWVKvePnUWVv4WBmCkeLXVGf9hLrN0j3NO/s320/hanging+around.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591582832548647186" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-29344725097130784912011-03-15T04:29:00.000-07:002011-03-15T04:35:07.372-07:00Grand Uncle Sonny turns 80!<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_2mkOxObCRSjevS-57Vx5SNvdb904Y1yh_tApq-h9Sd2xCeayIzygdKrwzc5ulwDiRQvse_rurVyKCZ43J8AX6-FL4yyk6mXH8XtrHVQRb6p6-YMmk9wh9_CiREw4gMizm8Ssk-4alvt/s1600/DSC_0104.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 377px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_2mkOxObCRSjevS-57Vx5SNvdb904Y1yh_tApq-h9Sd2xCeayIzygdKrwzc5ulwDiRQvse_rurVyKCZ43J8AX6-FL4yyk6mXH8XtrHVQRb6p6-YMmk9wh9_CiREw4gMizm8Ssk-4alvt/s320/DSC_0104.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584267518240517186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" >by Adrian Ghani<br /><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" >My Grand Uncle Sonny celebrated his 80th birthday on 10 March 2011. Mum and her cousin, Uncle Jonathan hosted a surprise dinner party for him on the 12th March, in Penang and invited the entire family!<br /><br />I met so many relatives. I never knew we had so many people in what Mum <span style="font-family: arial;">calls our extended family.</span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I led everyone in singing the Birthday Song. I had fun.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-86342421827036842242011-03-10T00:47:00.000-08:002011-03-10T01:00:24.574-08:00Adrianism<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DzqluXnGYZTG5bhZuHQGqp_wkmYVtI2CN5gFoE_qQ0X3FfZXJSYUWlyMpePlXZbrE3HUdVpM_07NvV1cjaEM5VyE2ydEWVHahGcie4zwHI6HmfvSgyhVIn1JrhTprH428mjC8CimiX0b/s1600/8317_163575450333_591510333_3364849_2741023_n.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 227px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DzqluXnGYZTG5bhZuHQGqp_wkmYVtI2CN5gFoE_qQ0X3FfZXJSYUWlyMpePlXZbrE3HUdVpM_07NvV1cjaEM5VyE2ydEWVHahGcie4zwHI6HmfvSgyhVIn1JrhTprH428mjC8CimiX0b/s320/8317_163575450333_591510333_3364849_2741023_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582372119632102770" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />I Don't Like Being Sick</span></span><br />By Adrian Ghani<br /><br />I don't like having a fever or a cough and runny nose. I don't like it when I can't breathe properly. I don't like taking medicines and not being able to go outside to play.<br /><br />The only thing I like about being sick is sleeping in Dad's and Mum's bed and sticking that cold gel thing on my forehead.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> </span><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" > </span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-31209908150703076962011-03-08T00:05:00.000-08:002011-03-08T06:55:31.494-08:00Adrian's Field Trip Report : Elmer The Elephant Live on Stage<span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >We had a good morning on </span><span style="font-size:100%;">the <span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;">4 March 2011</span></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >, at <a href="http://www.pjla.com.my/">PJ Live Arts</a>, watching <a href="http://gardnerandwife.com/11_elmer.asp">Elmer the Elephant</a>, performed by the Blunderbus Theatre Company, based on the children's book by David McKee. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Here's Adrian's report on it:</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Elmer The Elephant</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">by Adrian Ghani</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Mum and Cahaya's Mum got tickets for us to go to the theater. We watched Elmer the Elephant. I had an Elmer book when I was younger. The actors chatted with us before the show. We had the front seats.<br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqTCO2xRViptc-Fnfv9GWahrSK_e07eEmNvjb73BsZDjkiD8-Dk98zlmRdXGb186TZdrX_Gr87qucBycOJCRPn8igyBgMiSym1Rc7aapL_Q9ZB1KH9uX7bFK5-_gwycF3Ob7W4kVl-Jum/s1600/1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqTCO2xRViptc-Fnfv9GWahrSK_e07eEmNvjb73BsZDjkiD8-Dk98zlmRdXGb186TZdrX_Gr87qucBycOJCRPn8igyBgMiSym1Rc7aapL_Q9ZB1KH9uX7bFK5-_gwycF3Ob7W4kVl-Jum/s320/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581620267359684610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Elmer make an appearance</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMsO68tYlKnTL4mGyHwzW8qYVVgMW7EH5j6I3Jy3A6BFLgLtjiXdS0zU7ae_GdZ0YPI683jI5l7SEAl27dHpqoJu5BTIkVJ7R-rN7errQcmbfGn7MAK-g-70bwpYWLoYrE0jmMOhdJu2U/s1600/2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMsO68tYlKnTL4mGyHwzW8qYVVgMW7EH5j6I3Jy3A6BFLgLtjiXdS0zU7ae_GdZ0YPI683jI5l7SEAl27dHpqoJu5BTIkVJ7R-rN7errQcmbfGn7MAK-g-70bwpYWLoYrE0jmMOhdJu2U/s320/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581620270115181842" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Elements of shadow play<br /></span></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">There was lots of singing and dancing and we got squirted by a water gun. Elmer wanted to be the same colour as all the other elephants, instead of patchwork. I enjoyed the show very much.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5j2llI91CdwcYKCdga3GO37s3HouxeoFYE-jmfH47ub20eG-i2gdYrKb-vb_6DQj71aDbeNweXYz28D7DjR_39Rav0AFQuGiZwWS1nQ23GdCSBuk2FXx60cY8yAREIEh0xnt4qtScJ1IG/s1600/3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5j2llI91CdwcYKCdga3GO37s3HouxeoFYE-jmfH47ub20eG-i2gdYrKb-vb_6DQj71aDbeNweXYz28D7DjR_39Rav0AFQuGiZwWS1nQ23GdCSBuk2FXx60cY8yAREIEh0xnt4qtScJ1IG/s320/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581620273829448722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Nelly, the 200 year old matriarch </span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg22_S4m32jhyphenhyphenZjfyB1rrpbf8tqGq1IjiIBYlPZYNdG2QLS9Uw5dFrBr0aUGv5acUs30cgPmjrxILW3JP1UsmrD7oZ6lqty17MHYxYVyFfnSj_ey-bZ2a9jG6W118vhf0T_bO53gU5zM87O/s1600/4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg22_S4m32jhyphenhyphenZjfyB1rrpbf8tqGq1IjiIBYlPZYNdG2QLS9Uw5dFrBr0aUGv5acUs30cgPmjrxILW3JP1UsmrD7oZ6lqty17MHYxYVyFfnSj_ey-bZ2a9jG6W118vhf0T_bO53gU5zM87O/s320/4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581620276381782178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Elmer and Baby Lion as he was off to look for the<br />Elephant Coloured Berry Bush<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:arial;">After the show we went downstairs for ice cream.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnSQiLowa8DIeHEyrSu2y_7vEi49b7fFjPNkYsPIweG65dQkcKEjBeEmoq0ZZ0cAiJVniOzx3s10XZkh_ijP9aY67y3gXVaFqRvUU7EmnsxdWghRBAKChIjdYl4fOGx4fRNQ2dLOotfYE/s1600/5.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnSQiLowa8DIeHEyrSu2y_7vEi49b7fFjPNkYsPIweG65dQkcKEjBeEmoq0ZZ0cAiJVniOzx3s10XZkh_ijP9aY67y3gXVaFqRvUU7EmnsxdWghRBAKChIjdYl4fOGx4fRNQ2dLOotfYE/s320/5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581620275862449378" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >The Last Polka's Nutella Ice Cream at the Bee cafe</span><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-45208529675344848102011-02-24T06:56:00.001-08:002011-02-24T17:28:26.393-08:00Adrianism<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" ><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 51);">Blame The Boi</span></span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jbwhshU7IskFEofyCL8nIHIBVTKSHVZCFJu5btIJgITtwHXbnluH61pW_tZwzRaHcenMvpwmUivtLDc7GKvheXoqvkcWNah3e7jebWsfbLsYrqFgnqwDPMqG6BXnKpQgjdTYrHFC9Xcv/s1600/February+2011+090.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jbwhshU7IskFEofyCL8nIHIBVTKSHVZCFJu5btIJgITtwHXbnluH61pW_tZwzRaHcenMvpwmUivtLDc7GKvheXoqvkcWNah3e7jebWsfbLsYrqFgnqwDPMqG6BXnKpQgjdTYrHFC9Xcv/s320/February+2011+090.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577432784180272498" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="messageBody"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Adrian and his Kiromboi caused a small storm in KL this afternoon</span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="messageBody"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14fVfDKO0U0">Kiromboi</a></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" > (rain maker) are a hand held percussive instrument of the Bidayuh people of western Sarawak, in Borneo. They are made from two giant snail shells that are attached to the ends of a split bamboo stick so they lightly touch each other. A small stic</span><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >k is passed quickly between the snail shells so they rattle against each other producing a sound remarkably similar to that of the local frogs.</span></span></span></span><br /></div><h6 style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":"msg"}"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="messageBody"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:180%;" ><br /></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14fVfDKO0U0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span><br /></span></a></span></span></span></h6>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-46240839099028840852011-02-16T04:13:00.000-08:002011-02-16T05:46:16.587-08:00Adrian's Field Trip Report : Rimba Ilmu, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">We joined a guided tour of University Malaya's <a href="http://rimba.um.edu.my/index.html">Rimba Ilmu</a> on the 16 February 2011. The guides from the <a href="http://www.mns.my/">Malaysian Nature Society</a> (MNS) took us through the botanical gardens and we ended up visiting the exhibition hall. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">Here's Adrian's report on the field trip:</span></span></span></span><br /></div><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><br /></span></span></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" ><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Walking in Rimba Ilmu</span></b></span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><br />B</span><span style="font-family:arial;">y Adrian Ghani</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >Today we went to a botanical garden. It was a bit like a forest. The guides explained about different plants to us. There was one with flowers from the tree trunk.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8TujHo52UsiE_aWUBio1NdzTvKk7Pw4W30O22bcAaSsXP84WKmxvnTDazv6CodK69633jKsOVxwH35EuIpcnndLEFXUze_5EFoxkTP25LjW99h_C8iPmGL5Sl3OC-R66YeLOQNtm9fojo/s1600/Rimba+Ilmu+-+16+Feb+2011+019.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8TujHo52UsiE_aWUBio1NdzTvKk7Pw4W30O22bcAaSsXP84WKmxvnTDazv6CodK69633jKsOVxwH35EuIpcnndLEFXUze_5EFoxkTP25LjW99h_C8iPmGL5Sl3OC-R66YeLOQNtm9fojo/s320/Rimba+Ilmu+-+16+Feb+2011+019.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574260367451411458" border="0" /></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1dj1VWEvQouFgC37JWk3Apn78uKkduZqKnLEVQLnwUPe6tVncZhid6wayzpFc0pfIhAm_iaXGM97xs6NBNsmkQVJh2bb1FGRpG0uD3GhVD2lxjXCIHPokb0ETGYXyIyLiY3JxLIEOkW9/s1600/Rimba+Ilmu+-+16+Feb+2011+039.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiso3hHKj5g1YSJiPMCjziqD6NaCb-2O4s3DqDRQzaHvjmtlkcPac53-jT66TIetL3viZOFYOSKdZ0PgQZ2w3rmKZvdeQ6GpBp3_fixwa3LckU4XglgUmrYW46tlw4QVQ1VXusMwKTh5jrZ/s320/Rimba+Ilmu+-+16+Feb+2011+018.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574260372934456626" border="0" /><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1dj1VWEvQouFgC37JWk3Apn78uKkduZqKnLEVQLnwUPe6tVncZhid6wayzpFc0pfIhAm_iaXGM97xs6NBNsmkQVJh2bb1FGRpG0uD3GhVD2lxjXCIHPokb0ETGYXyIyLiY3JxLIEOkW9/s320/Rimba+Ilmu+-+16+Feb+2011+039.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574260382049626274" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >We were allowed to touch some seeds and fruits like the til seed and the forest mangosteen</span></p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0qxeecvbl0MB3dsTuR9E_umlZX7y7UwKdwJbrqaXmMRZ_DwLgUPG1SsMz9QAvYa4VeGPnOrIvSJpeN-I28OpIap5qXU6WYCScZxoJ7aI37Rs-9nOULDVFCWEODs2u24_PqQs-vnhjSRj/s1600/Rimba+Ilmu+-+16+Feb+2011+034.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0qxeecvbl0MB3dsTuR9E_umlZX7y7UwKdwJbrqaXmMRZ_DwLgUPG1SsMz9QAvYa4VeGPnOrIvSJpeN-I28OpIap5qXU6WYCScZxoJ7aI37Rs-9nOULDVFCWEODs2u24_PqQs-vnhjSRj/s320/Rimba+Ilmu+-+16+Feb+2011+034.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574261157356221026" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6VqVvAs0tieWvJyfSP8g-47KfXdmVEaSEVT-L4mAjdqPLsnpqL45xBLxsi-GUzXL5Pqmm_PYIDBtqphr_cY1sGZpYO7ByOJj9cAbTIjesu__DtS6cPqQ3yvDysGNLtvhRscbLSG7DaqZ/s1600/Rimba+Ilmu+-+16+Feb+2011+037.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6VqVvAs0tieWvJyfSP8g-47KfXdmVEaSEVT-L4mAjdqPLsnpqL45xBLxsi-GUzXL5Pqmm_PYIDBtqphr_cY1sGZpYO7ByOJj9cAbTIjesu__DtS6cPqQ3yvDysGNLtvhRscbLSG7DaqZ/s320/Rimba+Ilmu+-+16+Feb+2011+037.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574261810936706114" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;" align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqULvGGWW8iNSEdt3lzUWrxZSxIYbW-fWfzn5Y0xMJQ_SIIsY2RoPu4eTbpWtwU9zOhDvmIfSyVajs8h_OMx2qtldr6ncbvhajNkWYABdeCc7ysaNo-B0SvUBH6zfX8ayVFxApFYuegdW8/s1600/Rimba+Ilmu+-+16+Feb+2011+045.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqULvGGWW8iNSEdt3lzUWrxZSxIYbW-fWfzn5Y0xMJQ_SIIsY2RoPu4eTbpWtwU9zOhDvmIfSyVajs8h_OMx2qtldr6ncbvhajNkWYABdeCc7ysaNo-B0SvUBH6zfX8ayVFxApFYuegdW8/s320/Rimba+Ilmu+-+16+Feb+2011+045.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574261152971220018" border="0" /></a><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" > </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal" ><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" face="arial"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >There was also a tree with a red tree trunk and the bark was peeling off like paper</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbWw7vhypNQ47XE9AFLKVMqFeptblJYOI24BIL3zY83evLjkKeFI-7hCHBWsSNXeruy5BM8KVSRGrWqI2fhKlPwqCS5lzAs9SrOvvp9BmaAtBJr3omCfWHpin9haJGLW-ZaYxS3SK2IKnT/s1600/Rimba+Ilmu+-+16+Feb+2011+048.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-QfW9dAGF6Oqo2FBU3K9GIXm-_HvuKzNHb08Z4ELEmE-TdKnMoBsQxyOlg0VIVJsTbPNNc4X9DHPs9-uQ22J6xaqktRdBRtmkmz33PzusluEyQWslllbb_-4nTj_sVbfZ5mn89npEsYH6/s320/Rimba+Ilmu+-+16+Feb+2011+055.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574260385817249538" border="0" /><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbWw7vhypNQ47XE9AFLKVMqFeptblJYOI24BIL3zY83evLjkKeFI-7hCHBWsSNXeruy5BM8KVSRGrWqI2fhKlPwqCS5lzAs9SrOvvp9BmaAtBJr3omCfWHpin9haJGLW-ZaYxS3SK2IKnT/s320/Rimba+Ilmu+-+16+Feb+2011+048.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574261163861725986" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQbe4sfRR7qqG3jnp3t7EiPtHziYI7wawg2AxX9KxKo3_9bJ5ODhyphenhyphenq_i4gAd48pSx5PDBN4n3sC31tWJ_353w7Zp38Sq1bmLgDYxiNT_W2Sfb45hLqaCRUj3uODw1gwKR4kYWkEHsDNdr/s1600/Rimba+Ilmu+-+16+Feb+2011+007.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQbe4sfRR7qqG3jnp3t7EiPtHziYI7wawg2AxX9KxKo3_9bJ5ODhyphenhyphenq_i4gAd48pSx5PDBN4n3sC31tWJ_353w7Zp38Sq1bmLgDYxiNT_W2Sfb45hLqaCRUj3uODw1gwKR4kYWkEHsDNdr/s320/Rimba+Ilmu+-+16+Feb+2011+007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574260377204120002" border="0" /></a></p><p face="arial" class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >After walking in the garden, we went into the exhibition hall.</span></p><p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial" class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ7dGl4pmn2L5-w1w0TMzRLCabeOaIbucDa0WCBc0tfDtoahYKOdVQp3AcyFohYDIJ7etpIb7dnvO2h-fd6nU0EuhemqTZFdCQYFFD9raA6v5_X3_wxtb8kx8bc3Uo9oHvVLYmeoeWpbcH/s1600/Rimba+Ilmu+-+16+Feb+2011+064.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ7dGl4pmn2L5-w1w0TMzRLCabeOaIbucDa0WCBc0tfDtoahYKOdVQp3AcyFohYDIJ7etpIb7dnvO2h-fd6nU0EuhemqTZFdCQYFFD9raA6v5_X3_wxtb8kx8bc3Uo9oHvVLYmeoeWpbcH/s320/Rimba+Ilmu+-+16+Feb+2011+064.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574261165886993170" border="0" /></a></p><table face="arial" width="100%" border="0"><tbody><tr style="font-family: arial;"><td style="vertical-align: top;"><br /></td><td style="vertical-align: top;"><br /></td><td style="vertical-align: top;"><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial;" width="55%"><br /></td><td style="vertical-align: top; font-family: arial;"><br /></td><td width="45%"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-68702413513839249082011-02-12T04:30:00.000-08:002011-02-12T18:22:32.628-08:00Chinese New Year 2011 : The Lion Dance<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivq-HdSizRtMu_wdF9jDBcE0kRU_SA2p_sVwLfDHQmzN9gfQhdL1IIbnzvwfbom-3q2-MpmO4cOQXJZMS8R7T3vGTV6bAXp5ckGGF5SIE75NQrOCLPXxDcRE4FLuGLmwj0Ks4hnS06WRgz/s1600/konijn.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 212px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivq-HdSizRtMu_wdF9jDBcE0kRU_SA2p_sVwLfDHQmzN9gfQhdL1IIbnzvwfbom-3q2-MpmO4cOQXJZMS8R7T3vGTV6bAXp5ckGGF5SIE75NQrOCLPXxDcRE4FLuGLmwj0Ks4hnS06WRgz/s320/konijn.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572993724551496738" border="0" /></a>Every year, in London or in Kuala Lumpur, we have always looked forward to our annual Lion Dance to celebrate the festival of Chinese New Year.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Adrian had been looking forward to it and was prepared this year, with a pair of ear plugs!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">This year, we not only had the Lion Dance troop visit our residential development, but we had the two lions pose with Tuah and Adrian!<br /></div></div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEPp5_TysKXRAF9bzcQ6Ryw2b9kFTbPaQHRNHCpfaKuMrcLXNmdfisGJkmo9gLxHlf1TJS5HQH7LPEryI-dOhyhSps3hhQ_uCR-0RJ3L_CykqtqoF47pAQFeDClq6MEd4LGCsv7v8vano/s1600/Lion+Dance+12+Feb+2011+008.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEPp5_TysKXRAF9bzcQ6Ryw2b9kFTbPaQHRNHCpfaKuMrcLXNmdfisGJkmo9gLxHlf1TJS5HQH7LPEryI-dOhyhSps3hhQ_uCR-0RJ3L_CykqtqoF47pAQFeDClq6MEd4LGCsv7v8vano/s320/Lion+Dance+12+Feb+2011+008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572780870778904770" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Adrian and a lion's head before the performance<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4q4EmfJRB7ZHzvxawH3UGjeKM2FJroG1qf7S8pbleqQAuafXpJRQyH8HDLtGiUDsESDP_EAHr6dXZLcQpsg6TU2hpLWe_I3G9nm4-hZwQ-tsO6a3aHFipSzVmdtrUT7TiTSpmgHk_A0FH/s1600/Lion+Dance+12+Feb+2011+032.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4q4EmfJRB7ZHzvxawH3UGjeKM2FJroG1qf7S8pbleqQAuafXpJRQyH8HDLtGiUDsESDP_EAHr6dXZLcQpsg6TU2hpLWe_I3G9nm4-hZwQ-tsO6a3aHFipSzVmdtrUT7TiTSpmgHk_A0FH/s320/Lion+Dance+12+Feb+2011+032.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572780873248634706" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >The drum, gong and cymbals </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3b8nfGR_oJpkTxpqKFlWAjgMdRiDVl5rtRuyVcJygfsc6ihBbNOCUuKjkkvqYUNQ9PTx2FAwDMdz_3SlPDr1ly04UOmUVM7EZBzYw9pIKPHnMXNkO0KoZTAL0wAwOWudHGQ7V3EIE-R6-/s1600/Lion+Dance+12+Feb+2011+064.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3b8nfGR_oJpkTxpqKFlWAjgMdRiDVl5rtRuyVcJygfsc6ihBbNOCUuKjkkvqYUNQ9PTx2FAwDMdz_3SlPDr1ly04UOmUVM7EZBzYw9pIKPHnMXNkO0KoZTAL0wAwOWudHGQ7V3EIE-R6-/s320/Lion+Dance+12+Feb+2011+064.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572780867353994082" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Adrian and his friend, Yuki</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigRKy1KChjXeEfK0iqqlXXY3AYuNKM5dkdy2A0f2r10ymcMM4xTiC0V6g_OTjYc8iA7lQqSVrylLWtMc5cbdCQpkeh8eVsG-uT1Octph4vNifbhLsihKTLHuxiUK9YxKHi5vYLzsZ4KLXU/s1600/Lion+Dance+12+Feb+2011+050.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigRKy1KChjXeEfK0iqqlXXY3AYuNKM5dkdy2A0f2r10ymcMM4xTiC0V6g_OTjYc8iA7lQqSVrylLWtMc5cbdCQpkeh8eVsG-uT1Octph4vNifbhLsihKTLHuxiUK9YxKHi5vYLzsZ4KLXU/s320/Lion+Dance+12+Feb+2011+050.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572780509160060578" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Here's looking at you</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOh_P7hgRsQiXthovsDtfEo2wmEIXbxgiP5X1VkNr75uMWBFcUuuvlBvLc7tbYDCAYLayZpJHvlpvCgyRtMfUf9Cd85S15RUNuDAH-flm2F62ifWQu1iHrCgIbVe8mL0ufEhcili9QQsvK/s1600/Lion+Dance+12+Feb+2011+066.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOh_P7hgRsQiXthovsDtfEo2wmEIXbxgiP5X1VkNr75uMWBFcUuuvlBvLc7tbYDCAYLayZpJHvlpvCgyRtMfUf9Cd85S15RUNuDAH-flm2F62ifWQu1iHrCgIbVe8mL0ufEhcili9QQsvK/s320/Lion+Dance+12+Feb+2011+066.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572780503850120850" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >In action</span><br /><br /></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkYrubrneFNdnP1oz6ZASEDp3fkydAq-DbmOmsUSw2pZPHONjuSVqRVK2E9uwnFNDKHApCHd_ilo4ZE-2d3w93cwLTj_kSxcfMVJ8weFD4mHVpc4Nq6d_r3ui1OavRMBsE-kvnhPijZGwq/s1600/Lion+Dance+12+Feb+2011+070.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkYrubrneFNdnP1oz6ZASEDp3fkydAq-DbmOmsUSw2pZPHONjuSVqRVK2E9uwnFNDKHApCHd_ilo4ZE-2d3w93cwLTj_kSxcfMVJ8weFD4mHVpc4Nq6d_r3ui1OavRMBsE-kvnhPijZGwq/s320/Lion+Dance+12+Feb+2011+070.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572780499412416098" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Not just pigs that fly!<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Qbw3DcIgNnYpg_32Y694cyvnNxmplP_rzKzNvug0qFjbtFahMYi8OrHTIGhVdq8ogLpdX5jcZf8SGJVUoo0Fh3hkZcpSsnQIEBCg4QybmzFGLFbmmRd18qOnPpf5auzt1V27ltlFNQqR/s1600/Lion+Dance+12+Feb+2011+078.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Qbw3DcIgNnYpg_32Y694cyvnNxmplP_rzKzNvug0qFjbtFahMYi8OrHTIGhVdq8ogLpdX5jcZf8SGJVUoo0Fh3hkZcpSsnQIEBCg4QybmzFGLFbmmRd18qOnPpf5auzt1V27ltlFNQqR/s320/Lion+Dance+12+Feb+2011+078.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572780492929323810" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Acrobatic lion</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnjYh-MEFBExiwH2C8z7VnvhDPcdAI60GkiFF-efwYezWiXhn4yYIZlsa-9XlgyxDwLFCKsPxdeZtYwCN4YuIU92dUdfOmeTPLlmZMGLgzNFCFbj6LkqJIRiDZxejvsmOJvD08UNC-O0q/s1600/Lion+Dance+12+Feb+2011+113.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnjYh-MEFBExiwH2C8z7VnvhDPcdAI60GkiFF-efwYezWiXhn4yYIZlsa-9XlgyxDwLFCKsPxdeZtYwCN4YuIU92dUdfOmeTPLlmZMGLgzNFCFbj6LkqJIRiDZxejvsmOJvD08UNC-O0q/s320/Lion+Dance+12+Feb+2011+113.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572780494115996530" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Adrian wondering if the lion has fleas</span><br /><br /></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNS8Cp2eggywilelqV81m-m2ydyVzs4hW96YsEZAurdFJhzy8x7raC_9zSfxAbWWRQYyLqgxBmx4fJlcLPxrz05reNCNZfraBCUnPfN73xWQiDyXIiWW_i7O3BTlFzFD7i7ecXOZ5y6NZ2/s1600/Lion+Dance+12+Feb+2011+095.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 292px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNS8Cp2eggywilelqV81m-m2ydyVzs4hW96YsEZAurdFJhzy8x7raC_9zSfxAbWWRQYyLqgxBmx4fJlcLPxrz05reNCNZfraBCUnPfN73xWQiDyXIiWW_i7O3BTlFzFD7i7ecXOZ5y6NZ2/s320/Lion+Dance+12+Feb+2011+095.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572779650914275794" border="0" /></a></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-40664273239433845002011-02-11T21:24:00.000-08:002011-02-11T22:00:02.843-08:00Adrian In The Her World Cookbook Special Edition (Volume 77)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTVX-FPA0nDNSZXYWGXYD0QwHuo-DSJCFRRm_ORNWL8aWG1ZriRbYrJ36ED2eFdMMECOoG2tt1BNVJmYP6bK8LkKVurC7XN7gptFjNqo2o5rbaPR1Q8_Kyg1OOAS-vF2vJP-bd08944Ed/s1600/AA.JPG"><br /></a><br />It was an honour to be invited by <a href="http://www.rohanijelani.com/intro.htm">Rohani Jelani</a> to have Adrian as a junior chef in a special class which also served as a photoshoot for the Her World Cookbook, which took place on 4th May 2010 at her beautiful Culinary Resort, <a href="http://www.bayanindah.com/">Bayan Indah</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DmCfzrF8-j-MIl4HfGV6ZOTznhXo1h4YbjS5qT_8AcvhCV-S2HiO6nGUcrcTeii4MZY2muPQhht7HtkVtz0T4G3lRp1B0FUnbAbQ7Fpouwm1nf0AAOAxVPDo7-3-2ANhLqQs-x4J9Qqq/s1600/February+2011+062.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DmCfzrF8-j-MIl4HfGV6ZOTznhXo1h4YbjS5qT_8AcvhCV-S2HiO6nGUcrcTeii4MZY2muPQhht7HtkVtz0T4G3lRp1B0FUnbAbQ7Fpouwm1nf0AAOAxVPDo7-3-2ANhLqQs-x4J9Qqq/s320/February+2011+062.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572677490477912578" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here are some of the photos taken during the photoshoot<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdcDpu1ZD2ssqOkWc20QuqCXXSmQ-HDABb1UvqMdnE8Ojo1QOKoqOcphQDYlLGaIO1BsH9kWhxRA737ERiSxzciCLhbDreEZO3HwEEv_haBF52Q1qC-RnEoCidMQsalGPhQPeOK1-P8yB/s1600/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+001.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdcDpu1ZD2ssqOkWc20QuqCXXSmQ-HDABb1UvqMdnE8Ojo1QOKoqOcphQDYlLGaIO1BsH9kWhxRA737ERiSxzciCLhbDreEZO3HwEEv_haBF52Q1qC-RnEoCidMQsalGPhQPeOK1-P8yB/s320/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572672758029804898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Rohani helping Adrian tie his apron<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4veZtI9tgH91mew9s6eCU6S85WB_8RcIVTz0i9hXFxs4hbSx0TQ1PnaKZUSwl2235PBj8mfJY3r8a1bCTTbC3I4-lV6OaDGC3C5e8nri3vJ8En_kY8Vk2_11INRGW_gxmhv3hMZPftWI/s1600/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+024.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4veZtI9tgH91mew9s6eCU6S85WB_8RcIVTz0i9hXFxs4hbSx0TQ1PnaKZUSwl2235PBj8mfJY3r8a1bCTTbC3I4-lV6OaDGC3C5e8nri3vJ8En_kY8Vk2_11INRGW_gxmhv3hMZPftWI/s320/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+024.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572672762005391554" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Students diligently watching and listening</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-s89BrFP-m48HHT76uu9gyLcv9YBeGUTh8br564eGSEFLLYxBb4CadFd19T3H56J6LiulhtBOrweuDS2uWvwhhjAJEaRnVtZ9oCTcRT1KzAeVaep09gIwogQAFpOv5biGi3I4bplhnWY/s1600/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+086.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-s89BrFP-m48HHT76uu9gyLcv9YBeGUTh8br564eGSEFLLYxBb4CadFd19T3H56J6LiulhtBOrweuDS2uWvwhhjAJEaRnVtZ9oCTcRT1KzAeVaep09gIwogQAFpOv5biGi3I4bplhnWY/s320/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+086.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572672770006400546" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Adrian and Rohani at a food processor. Note the camera through the window</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkX40VgiCNp7iAj6bK1qXJX8biwqJne2eCD6LH_WjDhGHFzduxZG0Ee6aPmousNhEDpHXq6FnINL_aSgZTW8YQ5rsKnoD9pRcKcc8WFcQ6a4l0YK2q8m_Xxp8Omv1A6-oQWstyIoPSg6ae/s1600/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+091.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkX40VgiCNp7iAj6bK1qXJX8biwqJne2eCD6LH_WjDhGHFzduxZG0Ee6aPmousNhEDpHXq6FnINL_aSgZTW8YQ5rsKnoD9pRcKcc8WFcQ6a4l0YK2q8m_Xxp8Omv1A6-oQWstyIoPSg6ae/s320/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+091.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572672780096233522" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Preparing the bread for the meatballs</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwzT8iTrEMtXN10-Y8Ejf7ME48H0mqppeUFvaDO8AgLJMRyWyzP_RAjOU6NKunbT4rPkm67UmkaOKJX9-8EBsFV46Il6KytALTWcGleWRSDfIlrePdbUMysNRqAldjA2TROiBoAdcyVFt/s1600/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+088.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwzT8iTrEMtXN10-Y8Ejf7ME48H0mqppeUFvaDO8AgLJMRyWyzP_RAjOU6NKunbT4rPkm67UmkaOKJX9-8EBsFV46Il6KytALTWcGleWRSDfIlrePdbUMysNRqAldjA2TROiBoAdcyVFt/s320/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+088.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572672773636422770" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Sauteing the fragrant ingredients</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBw05Y2Wbp7YHba0ikMcGMai9rKpT5Cir-EiPmRLoKodSQoh8p3NpoHuSTq03A3t9fQLYMcARbfk3UIf6XVQk9vw3kdnR4P2Jt1J9jbr42wEg6ypmxlLQpddUFSHCm0CQEcn3HUv7wLXa8/s1600/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+084.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBw05Y2Wbp7YHba0ikMcGMai9rKpT5Cir-EiPmRLoKodSQoh8p3NpoHuSTq03A3t9fQLYMcARbfk3UIf6XVQk9vw3kdnR4P2Jt1J9jbr42wEg6ypmxlLQpddUFSHCm0CQEcn3HUv7wLXa8/s320/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+084.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572674520040715122" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Adrian having a bit of fun<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7O0APAxnNTRX5UNg0Xkas1-NehHWy1_7P_0dFFnvs_yi0WOu-rUysTaMqR9dS6NDrgq_vlz3uWOTVd5zVPcKsedWB8zCGagGFRl7FmDZqtFpKisGiPjk4GiJU-PPgJ_yvNDscqQEJLFlz/s1600/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+036.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7O0APAxnNTRX5UNg0Xkas1-NehHWy1_7P_0dFFnvs_yi0WOu-rUysTaMqR9dS6NDrgq_vlz3uWOTVd5zVPcKsedWB8zCGagGFRl7FmDZqtFpKisGiPjk4GiJU-PPgJ_yvNDscqQEJLFlz/s320/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+036.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572674524853123410" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Getting ready to shoot the cover picture</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VEOPyx2T1iSzcZRiRGDrB6PMjJ74KUZTTqDrt27DOkWNp5AsbAo6Ty_fO82OhHrSTEGcVMlLIIo1ZRJKWglCX5aeGicaw_wwz_EEadNnCACWQHXHeEBSnBctJJNl7eC6CJegAs3HtzCe/s1600/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+080.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VEOPyx2T1iSzcZRiRGDrB6PMjJ74KUZTTqDrt27DOkWNp5AsbAo6Ty_fO82OhHrSTEGcVMlLIIo1ZRJKWglCX5aeGicaw_wwz_EEadNnCACWQHXHeEBSnBctJJNl7eC6CJegAs3HtzCe/s320/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+080.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572674530566785202" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >This must have been take number 237</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu28VCrYs7a7Ab-wf0WJAIAHEaeukQlp0MBQwC3OdB2OHfS4lI53AxkKFMPnMeyIgFyaae2pwyfGGqaA8icM4_H6Hj1xmjEytBgSlesRGiBOT7fANAPtf1hirsi6yphoQhtzRbELeVq0u_/s1600/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+020.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu28VCrYs7a7Ab-wf0WJAIAHEaeukQlp0MBQwC3OdB2OHfS4lI53AxkKFMPnMeyIgFyaae2pwyfGGqaA8icM4_H6Hj1xmjEytBgSlesRGiBOT7fANAPtf1hirsi6yphoQhtzRbELeVq0u_/s320/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+020.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572674543168934930" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >One of Adrian's creations<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lRbh315zPHFCXOIG4adh5yYcLw4Q4zCPM0zI6H6eNpSIBAm0fowv72FuF2jw6GYld1VqrcpU-FgzMfkMVRrCdg1ZNx-Kf93_aauTXhSFje3lVv8loAJt9b4iyilnMFeTanR_2hrHwlpy/s1600/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+029.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lRbh315zPHFCXOIG4adh5yYcLw4Q4zCPM0zI6H6eNpSIBAm0fowv72FuF2jw6GYld1VqrcpU-FgzMfkMVRrCdg1ZNx-Kf93_aauTXhSFje3lVv8loAJt9b4iyilnMFeTanR_2hrHwlpy/s320/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+029.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572674538103293858" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >The Lil Chef</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPbw92w7JVCU6A1Gh1oRcEde3xYy322bhA9De97wD9OKoFUiKBvdLokekt2CDR3mJhS1BjBvOzEVT8wBIb2WSxPbxHYSDz5yeaZ78PbrpNxX9NPgv0gULoo2MoSydpcc-o2JnIRDSVMHI/s1600/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+028.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPbw92w7JVCU6A1Gh1oRcEde3xYy322bhA9De97wD9OKoFUiKBvdLokekt2CDR3mJhS1BjBvOzEVT8wBIb2WSxPbxHYSDz5yeaZ78PbrpNxX9NPgv0gULoo2MoSydpcc-o2JnIRDSVMHI/s320/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+028.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572676243837928226" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Kids run off to play in Bayan Indah's beautiful grounds</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEOexUg-xPuCAIUFZujTgqnxxtDKA_b8axwBI48KVCJHyS4oniv1M6pV_OU0ISbGW5xYlH7XFtlb59riFn4Gjkoqu4OIx5KskdPV8JH_NKypD62KKZNUuoSYXrcSChlFMmxjGcx8rjGHx/s1600/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+040.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEOexUg-xPuCAIUFZujTgqnxxtDKA_b8axwBI48KVCJHyS4oniv1M6pV_OU0ISbGW5xYlH7XFtlb59riFn4Gjkoqu4OIx5KskdPV8JH_NKypD62KKZNUuoSYXrcSChlFMmxjGcx8rjGHx/s320/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+040.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572676249993267282" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Table setting<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QGt6rpwhmrOWAZWP-Y9wNqlaF1f9hKlgadzFRCbRoWVXe-J-JBmCJBX9x36GtxFmZrAbeppxYmgiAXHrv6SDA2KOrOE5kgkWwMhtVfTOJcswCKG4zCYIse_nTaF2esk8FhE4O_1mZqtl/s1600/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+005.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QGt6rpwhmrOWAZWP-Y9wNqlaF1f9hKlgadzFRCbRoWVXe-J-JBmCJBX9x36GtxFmZrAbeppxYmgiAXHrv6SDA2KOrOE5kgkWwMhtVfTOJcswCKG4zCYIse_nTaF2esk8FhE4O_1mZqtl/s320/Her+World+Photoshoot+4+May+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572676255966843202" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Sampling his tasty sneaky meatball and pasta dish</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQT71QKg6UvhDney3Z_CJinBBgkdVKOjXoFS2Ff0OZHPMXc0OSKoWypXAojNbueSZOAPwkvS1MukM4InVqaSAmGz6yy2_Tbxy4lkKxr7dYqRZO1C4xICk0zCatUsFpAPYR-XGIf22HdrUt/s1600/08-13-2010+01%253B59%253B06PM.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQT71QKg6UvhDney3Z_CJinBBgkdVKOjXoFS2Ff0OZHPMXc0OSKoWypXAojNbueSZOAPwkvS1MukM4InVqaSAmGz6yy2_Tbxy4lkKxr7dYqRZO1C4xICk0zCatUsFpAPYR-XGIf22HdrUt/s320/08-13-2010+01%253B59%253B06PM.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572676261694941666" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzt05MEdjgfHeKMV8qtXjupHcOrYvCsF6jx3CV9db-h2jHnV1zan6QR8k3mytrGIKWPTCjS_wjJAHhGlIpGO4Z3zXmcXsfotoJY2YQ56yhBdqg47Xx4XFN_Cpzp4qRPqETLTxxWLhyphenhyphenZzF/s1600/08-13-2010+02%253B04%253B04PM.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 312px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzt05MEdjgfHeKMV8qtXjupHcOrYvCsF6jx3CV9db-h2jHnV1zan6QR8k3mytrGIKWPTCjS_wjJAHhGlIpGO4Z3zXmcXsfotoJY2YQ56yhBdqg47Xx4XFN_Cpzp4qRPqETLTxxWLhyphenhyphenZzF/s320/08-13-2010+02%253B04%253B04PM.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572676267252077346" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7kYMpcRhUppANO12cGJPT42AxV-tVa_RQ8dYVhKB5f_z2R5ANnsUwwO3-Ru68dQ-g-QXKGGr98Es-UPyIWvBxWc-YrkosbnBDRyWml94FTG28u6q2I7i1PzGepByre7AEncKGhjGASgc/s1600/08-13-2010+02%253B08%253B14PM.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7kYMpcRhUppANO12cGJPT42AxV-tVa_RQ8dYVhKB5f_z2R5ANnsUwwO3-Ru68dQ-g-QXKGGr98Es-UPyIWvBxWc-YrkosbnBDRyWml94FTG28u6q2I7i1PzGepByre7AEncKGhjGASgc/s320/08-13-2010+02%253B08%253B14PM.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572677479430943858" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm248fSsIAfWETrEkdEtFzNIZ9HdXGLvAJ2LdC_-3IMeEisRkS-WDTMscrKTF6XTJXu8GDG7e8XKh798GNXIne4u0kNeb0HTwPjA1yNhigILMlLV7vT5gqPZIDb8Gaf_hMavASIjB_PYAR/s1600/08-13-2010+02%253B10%253B22PM.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm248fSsIAfWETrEkdEtFzNIZ9HdXGLvAJ2LdC_-3IMeEisRkS-WDTMscrKTF6XTJXu8GDG7e8XKh798GNXIne4u0kNeb0HTwPjA1yNhigILMlLV7vT5gqPZIDb8Gaf_hMavASIjB_PYAR/s320/08-13-2010+02%253B10%253B22PM.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572677487788030946" border="0" /></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTVX-FPA0nDNSZXYWGXYD0QwHuo-DSJCFRRm_ORNWL8aWG1ZriRbYrJ36ED2eFdMMECOoG2tt1BNVJmYP6bK8LkKVurC7XN7gptFjNqo2o5rbaPR1Q8_Kyg1OOAS-vF2vJP-bd08944Ed/s1600/AA.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 503px; height: 312px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTVX-FPA0nDNSZXYWGXYD0QwHuo-DSJCFRRm_ORNWL8aWG1ZriRbYrJ36ED2eFdMMECOoG2tt1BNVJmYP6bK8LkKVurC7XN7gptFjNqo2o5rbaPR1Q8_Kyg1OOAS-vF2vJP-bd08944Ed/s320/AA.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572678616470973346" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-8744608969502456692011-02-11T19:55:00.000-08:002011-02-13T04:57:40.061-08:00Adrianism<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEfiR6-YcWLtmVx_I_nMnkUfYOnC_z6WgjQuBOzIew07GLsoYnLyyt_mZT4vv68OkAHNgEshQtQok0YIyiqyGrDJ0TdBeTmbcOZaaJ4VAbL8TmIVcFbbNaEN45tePtudw7JJC5IzibP_O/s1600/February+2011.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEfiR6-YcWLtmVx_I_nMnkUfYOnC_z6WgjQuBOzIew07GLsoYnLyyt_mZT4vv68OkAHNgEshQtQok0YIyiqyGrDJ0TdBeTmbcOZaaJ4VAbL8TmIVcFbbNaEN45tePtudw7JJC5IzibP_O/s320/February+2011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572647086237030962" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Adrian recently saw Ghani's and my wedding photo for the first time and was quite amused. He actually asked, "Oh, so you and Dad are married?"</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-47369011158539649562011-02-11T19:41:00.000-08:002011-02-12T20:00:55.520-08:00<span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Adrian’s Field Trip Report : The Greatest Show On Earth: A Circus Story</span></b></span> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >Venue : Shantanand Auditorium, The Temple of Fine Arts, Brickfields, KL</span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >Date :6 Feb 2011</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;" align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQb1Zb6vMnsg-HDltlgPLm58uAs_2UzeXKDgJWGWM6gppns9cJL1te8pCkkOixPNS7nwNw-gaBqGUYzM6UrOD8F2hiktV_E62_a-UPtMbGB_2HBnYBqCUixOlN8Kow_U5OdB4hE58I91Y_/s1600/February+2011+050.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQb1Zb6vMnsg-HDltlgPLm58uAs_2UzeXKDgJWGWM6gppns9cJL1te8pCkkOixPNS7nwNw-gaBqGUYzM6UrOD8F2hiktV_E62_a-UPtMbGB_2HBnYBqCUixOlN8Kow_U5OdB4hE58I91Y_/s320/February+2011+050.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572643797223395170" border="0" /></a><br /></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">The Greatest Show On Earth: A Circus Story</span></b></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >By Adrian Ghani</span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >Mum bought tickets for us to go to the Circus Story. Dad came too. It was not a real circus. It was like a concert. Some of my friends were there. The actors wore colourful costumes. There was a lot of singing and dancing. We had a snack break and I played with my friends. After the show, Mum took a photo of me with some of the actors</span></p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVi_SXOY_KYNfMYX0MKACNj3HtI-CXM-a223E3xjiEI77rUjuRyXVLeANpRyy9wySkAD4tanDzLRzPRTBay_FU297ZDgj50v4p0V2BL3Laqn4DwyhT3tJerobwI5VnkS_xz3DbME3nHbjP/s1600/February+2011+048.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVi_SXOY_KYNfMYX0MKACNj3HtI-CXM-a223E3xjiEI77rUjuRyXVLeANpRyy9wySkAD4tanDzLRzPRTBay_FU297ZDgj50v4p0V2BL3Laqn4DwyhT3tJerobwI5VnkS_xz3DbME3nHbjP/s320/February+2011+048.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572644678221032194" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_6clvBBOpr6ldZDAbz7Zyq6m-vZvtquOGQ9nWF-2FMnwX7yQHpjwNQzbG3BFXVkhBX3K-_XLkJ5ahFHQ64N1ZDBEYgBI99AHYqXZ210cqo2FjwsnZBdqEfHSjw2OyJEG_WkirDoUnjyR/s1600/February+2011+047.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_6clvBBOpr6ldZDAbz7Zyq6m-vZvtquOGQ9nWF-2FMnwX7yQHpjwNQzbG3BFXVkhBX3K-_XLkJ5ahFHQ64N1ZDBEYgBI99AHYqXZ210cqo2FjwsnZBdqEfHSjw2OyJEG_WkirDoUnjyR/s320/February+2011+047.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572644668700023266" border="0" /></a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-2107247414781310762011-01-29T19:41:00.000-08:002011-01-29T20:07:33.638-08:00Travelling threesome<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >From <a href="http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2008/11/22/lifetravel/2517655&sec=lifetravel">The Star</a>, Malaysia</span><h3 style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" id="story_date"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">Saturday November 22, 2008</span></span></h3> <h3 style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" id="story_date"><span style="font-size:100%;">By Yasmin Rose Karim</span><br /></h3><h3 style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" id="story_date"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></h3><p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">While some people are able to find magic within the parameters of home, a couple and their toddler decided to go further afield.</span> </p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">They had their passport photos scrutinised in 28 countries, but London-based Capt Ghani Ishak, 61, his wife Alison Murugesu, 37, and their son Adrian, 4, aren’t your average package tourists who fly in, breeze through the main attractions and jet off to the next destination.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Travelling overland, the family is using a 4WD to get through five continents in a 30-month-long expedition called Malaysians in Motion.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“The idea was first mooted by Ghani in November last year. Despite his health hiccups, he wanted us to experience the greatest adventure of our lives together. Some thought we were mad but we felt there was no better time to do it then now, before Adrian starts schooling,” says Alison, a hotelier.</span></p> <div class="story_image center" style="width: 264px;font-family:arial;"><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><img src="http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/11/22/lifetravel/f_p2threesome.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="221" /><span style="font-style: italic;" class="caption">Capt Ghani Ishak, wife Alison and son Adrian are on a 30-month expedition across five continents in their trusty 4WD named Tuah (pic, below).</span></span> </div> </div> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Groundwork and preparations took up to six months. On May 1, 2008, the family left London for a four-month trip across Europe and Morocco. As the first week passed, they slowly adapted to being away from home.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“We shelved our usual cares ie. work, maintaining a household and adopted new ones like where to camp, which way to go and what’s safe for Adrian etc,” says Alison.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The family is back in Kuala Lumpur for a short break before moving on to Cape Town, South Africa this month. From there, <i>Tuah</i>, their Nissan Patrol named after the legendary Malay warrior, will be shipped to New York for the North American, Canadian and South American legs of their adventure.</span></p> <div class="story_image center" style="width: 364px;font-family:arial;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><img src="http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/11/22/lifetravel/f_p2Tuah.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="244" /></span> </div> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“Then it’s on to Australia for two months, before crossing over to Asia. By September 2010, we expect to arrive back in England,” says Capt Ghani, a barrister-at-law and master mariner.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">To raise cash, the couple rented out their flat in Lockes Wharf, London. Rainforest Challenge (a 4WD adventure company) donated two places in an upcoming adventure expedition which they raffled off and presented the proceeds to Petpositive, a non-profit society in Malaysia that provides animal-assisted therapy for the disabled and elderly.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“We knew we must not spend more than RM6,000 a month, otherwise, we could end up abandoning the project halfway through. Thank God, the fuel prices have come down!” sighs Alison.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Spending around RM200 a day on this epic road trip, Ghani and Alison achieved an unparalleled closeness with Adrian and with each other through the shared experiences, like in Morocco when motoring through the narrow and winding Tondra Gorge — the toughest piste in the country — for five harrowing hours and watching swirling wind forming mini-cyclones on the way to Tinghir.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“Almost every day brought excitement and fun activities — having snowball fights in Andorra (a small country bordered by Spain and France), learning to tie a Berber headdress in Morocco, watching polar bears feeding on frozen grub at Ranua Wildlife Park in Finland, and seeing Adrian chase and being chased by squabbling ducks in Hamburg, Germany,” says Alison.</span></p> <div class="story_image center" style="width: 364px; font-style: italic;font-family:arial;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><img src="http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/11/22/lifetravel/f_p3camp.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="263" /><span class="caption">The family in Morocco.</span></span> </div> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“We indulged curious onlookers who wanted to know about the expedition and Malaysia. And in Romania, we traded ice cream for Tourism Malaysia’s Visit Malaysia stickers, a VCD and a booklet on Malaysia,” she recalls fondly.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Some experiences, though, were downright bitter.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“Ghani’s dictaphone was swiped by a tout as we were trying to cross into Morocco at Ceuta, Spain. And at a highway rest, 60km outside Milan, Italy, <i>Tuah</i>’s front passenger window was smashed and my toiletries kit was stolen along with 20 days’ supply of contact lenses,” relates Alison.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">While Adrian didn’t seem to understand the significance of the places he visited, the couple hopes he will be able to recollect his adventures when he’s grown up.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“We took thousands of photos and wrote online journals from his perspective. Perhaps it will help jog his memory,” says Alison.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“Even if at the end of it all, he lacks knowledge of his alphabets and arithmetic, hopefully he will be aware of other ways of life and cultures,” says Capt Ghani.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Adrian did learn a useful life lesson at a souk in Azrou, Morroco though — that nothing in life comes free.</span></p> <div class="story_image center" style="width: 394px;font-family:arial;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><img src="http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/11/22/lifetravel/f_p3roofTent.jpg" alt="" width="380" height="288" /><span style="font-style: italic;" class="caption">The 4WD with its roof tent.</span></span> </div> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“He accepted an apricot offered to him, and ended up having to trade his hat for it!”</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">While expecting the very best, the couple embarked on the expedition prepared for the worst.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“Ghani has had medical training and I have attended St John’s Ambulance basic First Aid and First Aid for babies and children, and we have been immunised against a litany of diseases. Global Doctors International Medical packed us a supply of medication, ointments, and a First Aid kit,” Alison says.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Their medical kit proved useful when Adrian fell into a prickly bush in Austria, but they weren’t at all prepared when Ghani had a stroke after enjoying fish and chips at a campsite in Fauska, Norway.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“I was in a bit of a daze. I heard Alison screaming for an ambulance and she was asking me whether I was all right,” recalls Ghani. “The ambulance got there in under 10 minutes and I’m OK now.”</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The trip, says Ghani, has given them a fresh perspective on even the most mundane aspects of everyday life. Every interaction becomes a new experience offering pleasure and sometimes frustrations.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“In Romania I ended up with some kind of wild bird for dinner as my hand gesture which was meant to be fish was wrongly interpreted, while Alison’s vegetarian spaghetti turned out to contain some mystery meat,” he adds.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Total strangers have gone out of their way to come to the family’s aid, reinstating their faith in people’s kindness.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“We had tent trouble in Germany — one half refused to collapse, so we drove for 2½ hours with the rear up until we reached a workshop. A man named Mathiias Kruger and his mechanic set to work immediately. Using bicycle parts, he got the tent back in order after 90 minutes. The best part was he refused payment, insisting that it was a service from him!” says Capt Ghani.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">En route, the family also met up with other Malaysians abroad.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“We were invited to the home of the director of Tourism Malaysia in Paris, Jeffri Munir, and had a scrumptious meal prepared by his wife.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Malaysia’s ambassador to Germany, Datuk Zakaria Sulong, invited us to his residence in Berlin for a Merdeka gathering he hosted. This was an extra special day for us as it was also Adrian’s fourth birthday,” says Alison.</span></p> <div class="story_image center" style="width: 364px;font-family:arial;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="font-style: italic;" src="http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/11/22/lifetravel/f_p3Kruger.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="241" /><span class="caption"><b style="font-style: italic;">No charge:</b><span style="font-style: italic;"> German Mathias Kruger didn’t charge Capt Ghani for the repairs he did on the roof tent.</span> </span></span> </div> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“At a campsite in Helsinki, Finland we were approached by a Malaysian woman and her husband who spotted our Jalur Gemilang.And at a restaurant in Blagaj, Bosnia, we bumped into another Malaysian family who were on a short break,” adds Capt Ghani.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">After having spent four months on the road, the couple admit to being wiser travellers.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“We packed far too many clothes for the first leg. On the next leg, besides one set of warm clothing and jackets, we are packing a few sets of comfortable, quick-drying pants and T-shirts, comfortable hiking shoes and flip flops,” says Capt Ghani.</span></p> <p style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“We are now very aware of how little one can live on and are quite amazed that we managed to do with the minimum when on the road. The amount of wastage we generate as a family on a daily basis is quite disgusting, and we will definitely endeavour to ensure we continue to do our bit for the environment,” he concludes.</span></p> <p><i><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Need a little nudge to go for that extended vacation you’ve been dreaming about? Log on to <a href="http://www.malaysiansinmotion.com/" target="on_top">www.malaysiansinmotion.com</a> for inspiration. </span><br /></i></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-9287675089957282032011-01-29T19:28:00.000-08:002011-01-29T19:40:21.512-08:00Tuah in Africa<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >From <a href="http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2009/5/16/lifetravel/3878682&sec=lifetravel">The Star</a>, Malaysia</span><h2 style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;" id="story_byline"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;font-size:100%;" >Saturday May 16, 2009</span><br /></h2><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">By Rose Yasmin Karim</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Photos by Ghani Ishak & Alison Murugesu</span></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpz-WAIlfPAEHsaL2Gwa31a7aGt4WReHyHyaE4CNt6hj_DIqswU4MuxQCE0hpUN28qBy-DEPIb06t92s6w9liKO31OmXFjaZIzcwQKRIv9d_SLhMVVQCIGntggSQXKVep8rm5dCsnD3qQU/s1600/Africa+012.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpz-WAIlfPAEHsaL2Gwa31a7aGt4WReHyHyaE4CNt6hj_DIqswU4MuxQCE0hpUN28qBy-DEPIb06t92s6w9liKO31OmXFjaZIzcwQKRIv9d_SLhMVVQCIGntggSQXKVep8rm5dCsnD3qQU/s320/Africa+012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567818578876827954" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Uprooting and jumping into the unknown is a huge deal, especially when you’re doing it as a family.</span><div style="font-family: arial;" id="story_content"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" ></span> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">When do you know it’s a good time to take your little one out of his play pen and into the backseat of a 4x4 Nissan Patrol for an extended road trip?</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">For feisty couple Alison Murugesu, 38, and her husband, Ghani Ishak, 61, the answer is when he’s been potty-trained and is strong enough to handle a long journey.</span></p> <div class="story_image center" style="width: 414px; font-style: italic;"><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><img src="http://thestar.com.my/archives/2009/5/16/lifetravel/f_07jordan.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="250" /></span> <span class="caption" style="font-size:100%;">Alison, Adrian and Ghani at the Western Colonnades in Jordan.</span></div> </div> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">Not wanting to deal with the fiasco that can be air travel today, the couple, who met in 1994 through a superbikers’ charity gathering in London, and their son Adrian, four, set off overland in May last year, traversing three continents and 43 countries in a specially rigged-out 4WD they christened <i>Tuah</i>.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">They rented out their London flat to cover the trip’s expenses, sorted out the insurance, did all that was needful, said their goodbyes and hit the road.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“We have timed the expedition so that we will be back in Malaysia in time for Adrian to begin Primary One at a school here in 2011, the year he turns seven,” said Alison.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“People asked us, ‘How can you afford this? Did you win the lottery?’</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“The truth is we saved our money for something that was important to us — travelling,” said former hotelier, Alison, at their home in Mont Kiara.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">The family is on a three-week break before embarking on the next leg of their trip to North, Central and South America.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">Little Adrian’s adventures took place on a grand scale, and he has benefited<i> </i>from it.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">The trip has left him a couple of shades darker, but the boy became familiar with names like Nefertiti and Ramses, stalked rhinos in South Africa’s Kruger National Park and learnt pottery-making in Nkhotakota, Malawi.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“When we are on the road he does sums and practises his handwriting. Perhaps, when he’s all grown up, he too will inherit our free spirit and unconventional thinking,” Alison mused.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">For the first leg of their five-part trip, the family covered Europe — a continent Ghani, a barrister-at-law and master mariner, knows well — and Morocco. On the second leg in November last year, they rolled into Africa, the second largest continent in the world, and home to 54 nations and nearly a billion people.</span></p> <div class="story_image center" style="width: 284px; font-style: italic;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><img src="http://thestar.com.my/archives/2009/5/16/lifetravel/f_pg10adrian.jpg" alt="" width="270" height="303" /></span> <span class="caption" style="font-size:100%;">Adrian and Masai Tikka in Voi, Kenya.</span> </div> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">Here they encountered a moonscape of potholes, deserts and bribe-seeking men in uniform. It was unfamilar territory.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“Our African leg began in the UK on Nov 10, 2008 and took us through France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Swaziland,” said Alison.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“We had a satellite phone that we could use to SOS even in the most remotest places and stand-by medication: a First Aid kit, ant-malaria pills, mosquito repellent and ointments,” Ghani chipped in.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“Road signs stating ‘Crime Area, Do Not Stop’ did unnerve us. Once Alison was stocking up on groceries when I was approached by a glue-sniffing man who demanded money,” disclosed Ghani.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“I told him I had nothing, and he reacted by warning me to go and not come back as otherwise I would never leave the car park. I just ignored him and got inside <i>Tuah</i> and locked the doors. After a while he gave up talking to me and walked away.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">Africa has given them so many stories to tell.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“In the sand dunes of Wadi Rum, Jordan, <i>Tuah</i> got bogged down because I made the mistake of slowing down at an incline. I had to use a shovel to free the tyres, but <i>Tuah</i> ended up getting bogged in even more when I tried to budge forward. Just as I was about to turn to the last resort of getting the high-lift jack out, Alison spotted a 4x4 truck, and we waved it down.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“The Bedouins said they would help us out for 100 dinars (RM500). There was no room for arguing or bargaining as far as they were concerned, so, within half an hour, with our winch line hooked to their truck, we were out.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“Victoria Falls Park, a Unesco World Heritage Site on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, was breathtaking,” Alison remarked fondly.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“It was the wet season, which made it hard to see the falls clearly because of the water spray, but we could see what was called the ‘Boiling Pot’ at the bottom of the falls.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">The Khami Ruins, also a Unesco World Heritage sight, in Bulawayo, a city in Zimbabwe was, however, a let-down.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“We paid US$20 (RM71) and felt we had been conned because all that remained were some walls, most of them rebuilt by volunteers. We needn’t have paid as the same walls could be seen outside the main entrance to the ruins but we didn’t know that,” Alison said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">The family almost missed Swaziland, which Ghani described as being nothing short of spectacular.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“Alison said that she thought I didn’t want to go. But I only told her that the king was looking for his 14th wife and asked whether she dared to go . . . and risk the king taking a fancy to her!” said Ghani.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">In Dumazulu Village, South Africa, Ghani was kitted out as a Zulu warrior but fortunately was allowed to keep his pants on.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“The Zulu men can marry as many women as they wish as long as they can afford it; the cost for each wife is 11 cows.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“Traditionally the man with many wives would have his hut built in the middle, surrounded by each of the wives’ huts. He would call the wife he wanted for the night and she would go to sleep on the opposite side of his tent until he touched her with a stick, and then only would she go to his side. By early morning she would leave his tent,” he divulged.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“Adrian had a grand time in a place called Scratch Patch in Cape Town. He was given an empty cup and entered an area like a big sand pit that was filled with little coloured stones. He filled his cup and took it home and even got a little card which showed the different types of stones he had collected,” said Alison.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">The couple also saw how coming face to face with poverty affected Adrian.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“Schools in Ethiopia were worse off than in Africa, generally. There was no water, no electricity and children Adrian’s age were balancing heavy water buckets on their heads. Along the way, kids and adults had their hands out asking to be given something, anything and they kept chanting: ‘You, you, money, money, money’,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“A kid even tried to take the shoes off my feet, and some got nasty and threw stones after the car. You could see 200 faces pressed to our window,” recalled Ghani.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">Wanting to teach Adrian generosity but not wanting the locals to continue expecting things from foreigners, the family gave away pens to schools.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">On more than one occasion, Adrian also got to enjoy the generosity of new-found friends. At Mikumi National Park, Tanzania, he was given a shedded snake skin, which now sits rolled up in a box on top of the DVD player at home.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">Adrian took the opportunity to show me his “music melon”, a gift from a lady friend named Andrea.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“It’s a melon that’s been left in the sun for many weeks until it dries up. The seeds inside make a sound like a maracas,” explained his mother.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">Adrian’s other keepsakes include a black dessert stone, an orange water pistol and a wonderful goody bag of pewter and stone animal figures given to him by a curio shop owner in Cape Town.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“In Sudan, we stopped by Holiday Villa thinking perhaps we could get directions to the embassy for an introduction letter for our Ethiopian visa application. The general manager, Hossam Suwailem, who had heard of our expedition, greeted us and, to our surprise, immediately offered us not only a room, but a suite compliments of Holiday Villa!” said Alison.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">The adventurers became fast friends with many people they met along the way.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“In Sudan and Ethiopia, we were hosted to dinner by several Petronas representatives, and in Nairobi we met up with a Mr Dunstan, a Malaysian living there,” said Ghani.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“He read about us in <i>The Star</i> last year and we had been in touch ever since. In Jordan we met another Malaysian, Hanim and her French husband Karim and their kids, Louisa and Rayan, who were living in Qatar.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“We also ran across a young couple, Sulaiman, a Spaniard, and his Indonesian wife, Galuh, who were cycling back to Indonesia from Tunisia via Yemen and Oman. They wanted to do the journey before having children and while they were still fit.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“And then there was this Japanese lady named Yuki who had been on the road for the last seven months, on her 250cc Suzuki, making her way through Russia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan, heading down the same route as us to Cape Town.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“From Egypt to Sudan we shared a ferry with a Dutch couple, Jan and Yvonne, and later shared their company when we camped in the desert in Nairobi. In Malawi, we met two American teachers working as volunteers in the villages, teaching English in the day schools,” Ghani added.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“People would tell us how lucky we were and how they wished they could do something similar,” said Alison.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“Go for it, we would reply. It’s the best education you can give your child. You and your child can experience the way of life, culture and traditions of the many different people and tribes.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">“The interactions Adrian has had have definitely made him a very confident child. You just need to be willing to step out of your box, your comfort zone and take some risks,” Alison concluded.</span></p> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-82267019898745590112011-01-29T19:22:00.000-08:002011-01-29T19:27:44.625-08:00Island family to explore the world<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Up7rtGrGZ6MFKzVArZBj-XHla3hUG0x4w7SbkKYlGkeH8Sufu54GewNPTicjehb3NQmZwJbKEjc51Hx9VltufCWE-r0yIiZ3Q5us8RvBcac2gZRDLy9SRebDwHdTfyjroYx4aj2NQFlw/s1600/wharf+3.jpg"><br /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Article in our local London weekly, <a href="http://www.wharf.co.uk/2008/04/island-family-to-explore-the-w.html">The Wharf</a></span><p style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.wharf.co.uk/2008/05/swapping-dogs-life-for-dream-t.html">By </a><a href="http://www.wharf.co.uk/john_hill/">John Hill</a> on April 17, 2008</p><p style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bBNrCusnajp-ikUlVWOLMz_kNnGbZzjs8lrLdzIzPPlCdABTYsHPyWQsQJ3rapp39hLM8pxpk2wg9u_9J_8T0QCgdSClqZxVlxo8oNAClJlMG4ybh27PLu6QvIwtrMmbBDo9OCtmxDve/s1600/wharf+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bBNrCusnajp-ikUlVWOLMz_kNnGbZzjs8lrLdzIzPPlCdABTYsHPyWQsQJ3rapp39hLM8pxpk2wg9u_9J_8T0QCgdSClqZxVlxo8oNAClJlMG4ybh27PLu6QvIwtrMmbBDo9OCtmxDve/s320/wharf+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567815017417696962" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-family: arial;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: arial;">HAVE you ever dreamt of giving up your job and travelling around the world?</p> <p style="font-family: arial;">This Docklands family are to do just that – and they’re taking their three-year-old son along for the ride.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;">Intrepid explorers Ishak Ghani and Alison Murugesu-Ghani will leave the Isle of Dogs on May 1 for a two-and-a-half year journey around the globe in aid of Malaysian pet therapy charity Petpositive.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;">The pair, who live in Lockes Wharf, will be joined by bubbly son Adrian.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;">Alison said: “My husband and I are keen bikers, and we’d always wanted to travel around the world. We’ve always put it off to see if more people would get involved. But now we felt it was the right time to pack up and go.<br />“With Adrian around, bikes are out of the question though. We’ll be using a four-wheel drive vehicle instead."</p> <p style="font-family: arial;">The travelling trio will be taking in the sights of Europe until September. They will briefly return to London, before jetting off to Cape Town, South Africa, in November.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;">The 4x4 will be shipped to New York in April next year to allow the family to explore North America, Canada and South America. They will then travel from Panama to Australia for a two-month visit, before making their way across Asia to countries such as Thailand, China, Pakistan, India and Malaysia.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;">The expedition is expected to arrive back in England in September 2010.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;">Alison said: “It’s going to be quite a nomadic existence, but we’re going to love learning about different cultures and their food.<br />“We’ve got a roof tent for the 4x4 and we’re going to be camping in different villages along the way. A lot of our attention will be on Adrian. We’ll be home schooling him and we’re going to approach local schools to see if he can join them."</p> <p style="font-family: arial;">The family will be chronicling their experiences online at <a href="http://www.malaysiansinmotion.com/">www.malaysiansinmotion.com</a>.</p><p style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Up7rtGrGZ6MFKzVArZBj-XHla3hUG0x4w7SbkKYlGkeH8Sufu54GewNPTicjehb3NQmZwJbKEjc51Hx9VltufCWE-r0yIiZ3Q5us8RvBcac2gZRDLy9SRebDwHdTfyjroYx4aj2NQFlw/s1600/wharf+3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Up7rtGrGZ6MFKzVArZBj-XHla3hUG0x4w7SbkKYlGkeH8Sufu54GewNPTicjehb3NQmZwJbKEjc51Hx9VltufCWE-r0yIiZ3Q5us8RvBcac2gZRDLy9SRebDwHdTfyjroYx4aj2NQFlw/s320/wharf+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567815018201002146" border="0" /></a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-68249318217375898822011-01-29T19:18:00.000-08:002011-01-29T19:21:59.821-08:00Swapping "dogs" life for dream trip<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCa9HPX1kOQnpA8m99AVu4LOEedQQWBD6lCFpBgCVD6Q332EQzT0wLeOy19B9BiPNubeQ-get_a1WZD0R8FyyWNy6XfObjsfPcu063BvfLv4eQGR453I0gLJ6M1K8znA14XoAizxZdGTcp/s1600/wharf+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCa9HPX1kOQnpA8m99AVu4LOEedQQWBD6lCFpBgCVD6Q332EQzT0wLeOy19B9BiPNubeQ-get_a1WZD0R8FyyWNy6XfObjsfPcu063BvfLv4eQGR453I0gLJ6M1K8znA14XoAizxZdGTcp/s320/wharf+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567813863407284514" border="0" /></a><br /><div class="asset-header"> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Article in our local London weekly, <a href="http://www.wharf.co.uk/2008/05/swapping-dogs-life-for-dream-t.html">The Wharf</a></span> <div class="asset-meta"><br />By <a href="http://www.wharf.co.uk/john_hill/">John Hill</a> on May 8, 2008<br /></div></div><p><br /></p><p>AN ISLE of Dogs family has set off on the longest road trip of their lives.</p> <p>Ishak Ghani, his wife Alison Murugesu-Ghani and their three-year-old son Adrian, will trade Docklands for the delights of America, Europe and Asia on a two-and-a-half year charity expedition.</p> <p>The Malaysians in Motion team left their home in Lockes Wharf last Thursday, and were flagged off by Tourism Malaysia’s UK deputy director Razaidi Abd Rahim.</p> <p>They hope to raise money for pet therapy charity Petpositive.</p> <div id="more" class="asset-more"> <p>Captain Ishak said: “It’s a trip of a lifetime. We’re really looking forward to exploring new places and seeing how people receive us.<br />“It’s a different challenge travelling with a young child. I’d imagine he’ll be asking if we’re there yet every few minutes. But we’re not in any hurry, so we can make a few stops along the way.</p> <p>The family will be exploring the planet in a four-wheel drive vehicle, packed with everything from medical supplies to Coco Pops. Their hardy mode of transport, which is equipped with a roof tent to provide overnight shelter away from creepy-crawlies, was recommended by the team who followed actor Ewan McGregor on his marathon Long Way Round world trip.</p> <p>The first few months will be spent in Europe, before the family briefly return to England in September.<br />The expedition will continue to Cape Town, South Africa in November, before the vehicle is shipped to New York in April next year.</p> <p>Having explored North America, Canada and South America, the trio will head from Panama to Australia, before heading across Asian countries such as Thailand, China, Pakistan, India and Malaysia.<br />They expect to return to England in September 2010.</p> <p>The intrepid group will be keeping a journal of their experiences at <a href="http://www.malaysiansinmotion.com/">www.malaysiansinmotion.com</a>.</p> <p>They hope to find a sponsor in the Wharf to help them to buy a satellite communications system to allow them to keep in touch at any time and place. Interested businesses can contact them via their website.</p> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-75978160498171012542011-01-29T03:34:00.000-08:002011-01-29T19:22:47.108-08:00The World, My Classroom<p><span style="font-style: italic;">This is from an interview we did with Eileen Lian of </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://parenting-works.com/?p=581">Parenting Works</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> in February 2010</span><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>On 1 May 2008, <a href="http://www.malaysiansinmotion.com/">Alison Murugesu-Ghani and Ghani Ishak</a> set off with their three-year old son, Adrian, to see the world in a Nissan Patrol 4×4 that they have fondly dubbed Tuah.</p> <p>Together they covered more than 60,000 miles in 43 countries across four continents before their journey was prematurely cut short in August 2009 by a medical emergency—Ghani needed treatment for his heart condition.</p> <p>The family is now back in Kuala Lumpur—Adrian has started pre-school, Ghani is well and back on his feet and Alison is busy keeping all their friends updated through their <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#%21/group.php?gid=97207294275&ref=ts">Facebook page</a>. They are waiting for Tuah to arrive in KL so that they can resume their adventures in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.</p><p><br /></p> <p><strong>What were your objectives for making the journey?</strong></p> <p>We wanted to experience one of the greatest adventures of our lives; to gain an insight into the culture and history of the people who we meet and the places that we visit; to inspire others particularly those from the Global South to fulfill their dreams; and to promote our country, Malaysia.</p><p><br /></p> <p><strong>Why did you decide to do it when Adrian was so young? </strong></p> <p>Adrian was 3.5 years old when we started off. Having a young child doesn’t mean the end of adventure holidays. We were determined that we were not going to be confined to a future of paddle pool and play area holidays and we thought that if we really did want to make this trip—a long-time dream—we would have to do it while Ghani and I were still fit and able to cope. Otherwise, we would end up just talking about it, never doing it and possibly one day regretting that.</p><p><br /></p> <p><strong>Were there any special preparations that you had to make for Adrian?</strong></p> <div id="attachment_592" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://parenting-works.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Adrians-homeschooling-Lilongwe-Zambia.jpg" rel="lightbox[581]"><img class="size-medium wp-image-592" title="Adrian's homeschooling - Lilongwe, Zambia" src="http://parenting-works.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Adrians-homeschooling-Lilongwe-Zambia-300x225.jpg" alt="Lilongwe, Zambia" width="300" height="225" /></a></div><p style="font-style: italic;" class="wp-caption-text">Lilongwe, Zambia</p></div> <p>We made sure that Adrian had some comforts of home and a proper place to sit, eat, draw and do some homeschooling exercises—this was one of our top priorities.</p> <p>Not many toys made the trip with us. We brought along a few toys, some art and craft materials and lots of imagination. We also had a portable DVD player, which provided in-car entertainment and was used for Adrian to listen to his audio books.</p> <p>Adrian had a litany of vaccinations before we began our travels and I took a special First Aid for Babies and Children course.</p><p><br /></p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>How do you think the trip has benefited Adrian? </strong></p> <p>Adrian has become a very independent and confident child. He has seen how people live in different countries, eat different foods, have different traditions and customs and he has learnt to understand the need to respect them.</p> <p>Adrian has seen how in many parts of the world, some of the things that we take for granted are, in fact, luxuries. He has seen children his age and younger walking for miles carrying water home for the family and working in the fields for the night’s dinner. Hopefully, he will remember these and be grateful for what he has.</p> <p>He has learnt that a cold shower is better than no shower and that poverty doesn’t automatically equate to unhappiness. Some of the biggest smiles we’ve seen have been in areas where people have the least.</p> <p>He has seen how in some places, like Finland, the environment and nature are so wonderfully preserved and, hopefully, he will learn the importance of being ‘green’.</p><p><br /></p> <p><strong>How has it changed you and Ghani as parents?</strong></p> <p>We have learnt not to be over-protective of Adrian. We learnt that to allow him the freedom to explore and discover, was the best learning tool for him.</p> <p><strong>What were some of the adventures you experienced along the way?</strong></p> <div id="attachment_595" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px;"><a href="http://parenting-works.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/on-a-sled-White-Sands-Alamogardo-NM.jpg" rel="lightbox[581]"><img class="size-medium wp-image-595" title="on a sled White Sands, Alamogardo, NM" src="http://parenting-works.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/on-a-sled-White-Sands-Alamogardo-NM-300x200.jpg" alt="White Sands, Alamogardo, New Mexico" width="300" height="200" /></a><p style="font-style: italic;" class="wp-caption-text">White Sands, Alamogardo, New Mexico</p></div> <p>We were following an off road trail between the Dades and Tundra Gorges in Morocco, not realising that it was one of the most challenging trails in the country. It took us five hours to drive the 30 km between the two gorges, and we needed the help of the local Berber Tribe at one point to clear large rocks from the path.</p> <p>Ghani suffered a stroke when we were in Norway—three months into our travels. Fortunately, I recognised the symptoms and managed to get a paramedic to come to us within 10 minutes. Ghani was rushed to the nearest hospital, 60 km away, where the neurologist and his team were waiting to attend to him. Ghani regained the use of his limbs within nine hours and his speech within 12. That was nothing short of a miracle, really.</p> <p>When we crossed Lake Nasir from Egypt to Sudan, Tuah was bundled onto a barge at the risk of not being seen again. This was an eventful ferry ride for us—one of our fellow travelers was hit by the ferry’s exhaust fan door, which missed Adrian by a few inches, thank goodness. On the ferry, Ghani was given special treatment by the staff by virtue of his experience as a Ship Master. This gave us the privilege of being on the bridge as we passed by the temple at Abu Simbel.</p> <p>There was great excitement when we saw a couple of lions within touching distance at the Kruger National Park in South Africa, after having searched the park for a few days. Then on our way out of the Park, we spotted a rhinoceros by the roadside bushes but it decided that it wasn’t going to wait around for Ghani to reverse Tuah so that we could all take a look.</p><p><br /></p> <p><strong>What adjustments did you all have to make being back in Malaysia?</strong></p> <p>Adrian needed no time at all to adjust to life in KL.</p> <p>For me, the hardest thing about coming back was recognising the amount of waste we churn out daily as a family. When we were living in a truck, with limited water and other supplies, we were very cautious of everything we used and the impact that our waste had on the environment and local wildlife.</p><p><br /></p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Would you encourage other parents to make similar journeys?</strong></p> <p>We would definitely recommend that anyone who is able to make such a journey should do so. It not only opened the eyes of our child to the world around us, it also opened our own eyes.</p> <div id="attachment_596" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px;"><a href="http://parenting-works.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Adrian-and-children-from-a-Zulu-Village-South-Africa.jpg" rel="lightbox[581]"><img class="size-medium wp-image-596" title="Adrian and children from a Zulu Village, South Africa" src="http://parenting-works.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Adrian-and-children-from-a-Zulu-Village-South-Africa-300x200.jpg" alt="At a Zulu Village in South Africa" width="300" height="200" /></a><p style="font-style: italic;" class="wp-caption-text">At a Zulu Village in South Africa</p></div> <p>While on the road, we were sometimes invited to join families for meals. Many of these families could hardly afford to feed themselves. We have been invited to stay in homes, allowed to camp in tribal villages—these are experiences and life lessons that you cannot gain by watching a documentary or reading a book.</p> <p>Spending so much time camping outdoors has made us more aware of our surroundings, of the beauty of nature and of the need to respect the environment.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-72752836971000697122011-01-27T07:35:00.000-08:002011-01-27T18:08:44.842-08:00Walking up Vesuvio, Italy<p>Mount Vesuvius is best known for its eruption in AD 79 that led to the destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. They were never rebuilt, although surviving townspeople and probably looters did undertake extensive salvage work after the destructions. The towns' locations were eventually forgotten until their accidental rediscovery in the 18th century. The eruption also changed the course of the Sarno River and raised the sea beach, so that Pompeii was now neither on the river nor adjacent to the coast. Vesuvius itself underwent major changes – its slopes were denuded of vegetation and its summit changed considerably due to the force of the eruption. Vesuvius has erupted many times since and is today regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of the population of 3,000,000 people living nearby and its tendency towards explosive eruptions. It is the most densely populated volcanic region in the world</p><p> </p><p>The summit of Vesuvius is open to visitors and there is a small network of paths around the mountain that are maintained by the park authorities. There is access by road to within 200 metres (660 ft) of the summit (measured vertically), but thereafter access is on foot only. There is a spiral walkway around the mountain from the road to the crater.The walk would take a healthy person 25 minutes. Ghani insisted on completing the walk to the crater and huffed and puffed his way up in 45 minutes.</p><p> </p><p>We were given a lift down by the keepers and Adrian was given a volcanic rock from the crater as a souvenir.</p><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v376/145/87/591510333/n591510333_1559628_835.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Volcano Vesuvio, covered by clouds<br />Napoli, Italy<br />20 Nov 08</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v376/145/87/591510333/n591510333_1559630_1483.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Adrian runs up the volcanic slopes<br />Vesuvio, Napoli<br />20 Nov 08</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v376/145/87/591510333/n591510333_1559631_1804.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Ghani huffs and puffs behind<br />Vesuvio, Napoli<br />20 Nov</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v376/145/87/591510333/n591510333_1559634_5777.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">The crater of the Vesuvio, Europe's only active volcano, last erupted in 1944 and thankfully, not today!<br />Napoli<br />20 Nov 08</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v376/145/87/591510333/n591510333_1559636_6438.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Smoking crater<br />Vesuvio, Napoli<br />20 Nov 08</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v376/145/87/591510333/n591510333_1559637_6784.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Ghani and Tuah with Guides at Vesuvio<br />Antonio, Camio and Stefano<br />Napoli<br />20 Nov 08</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v376/145/87/591510333/n591510333_1559638_7102.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Adrian checks out some volcanic rocks<br />Vesuvio, Napoli<br />20 Nov 08</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-29816072431340772422011-01-27T07:32:00.000-08:002011-01-27T18:19:14.968-08:00Bedouin Experience in Wadi Rum, Jordan<div class="mbl notesBlogText clearfix"><div><p>A Bedouin is any member of a community of Arabic-speaking desert nomads of the Middle East. Ethnically, the Bedouin are identical to other Arabs. Bedouin traditionally have made their living by animal husbandry, and social rank among them is determined by the animals that they herd: camel nomads enjoy the greatest status, followed by sheep and goat herders and, finally, cattle nomads. Traditionally, Bedouin would migrate into the desert during the rainy season and return to cultivated areas during the dry season, but since World War II (1939 – 45) the governments of many countries have nationalized their range lands, and conflicts over land use have arisen. Many Bedouin have since adopted sedentary ways of life; most, however, retain pride in their nomadic heritage.<br /></p><p>Wadi Rum also known as The Valley of the Moon is a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in south Jordan at 60 Km to the east of Aqaba. It is the largest wadi in Jordan. The name Rum most likely comes from an Aramaic root meaning 'high' or 'elevated'. To reflect its proper Arabic pronunciation, archaeologists transcribe it as Wadi Ramm.<br /></p><p>Wadi Rum has been inhabited by many human cultures since prehistoric times, with many cultures — including the Nabateans — leaving their mark in the form of rock paintings, graffiti, and temples. As of 2007, several Bedouin tribes inhabit Rum and the surrounding area. In the West, Wadi Rum may be best known for its connection with British officer T. E. Lawrence aka Lawrence of Arabia, who based his operations here during the Arab Revolt of 1917–18. In the 1980s one of the impressive rock formations in Wadi Rum was named "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" in memory of Lawrence's book penned in the aftermath of the war, though the 'Seven Pillars' referred to in the book actually have no connection with Wadi Rum.</p><p>When we arrived in Wadi Rum, we were pleasantly surprised to meet Hanim Benziane, a Malaysian living in Doha, with her Husband Karim, and kids, Ryan and Louisa. We had a great night camping in the desert and were visited by wild dogs overnight. The next morning however, we got bogged down in the sand and as were were digging our way out, met some Bedouin, in a 4WD who offered to let us attach our winch to their truck, for a fee.</p><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1720/145/87/591510333/n591510333_1681429_3173.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Desert dining<br />Wadi Rum, Jordan<br />21 Dec 08</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1720/145/87/591510333/n591510333_1681430_3541.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">The desert is one big sandpit<br />Wadi Rum, Jordan<br />22 Dec 08</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1720/145/87/591510333/n591510333_1681433_1100.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Tuah gets bogged down<br />Wadi Rum, Jordan<br />22 Dec 08</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1720/145/87/591510333/n591510333_1681434_1426.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">We need to dig Tuah out of the dunes<br />Wadi Rum, Jordan<br />22 Dec 08</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1720/145/87/591510333/n591510333_1681432_754.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Adrian and his Bedouin friend<br />Wadi Rum, Jordan<br />22 Dec 08</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs339.ash1/29120_398841835333_591510333_4814265_1400238_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">What's left of what was supposed to be Lawrence of Adrabia's house<br />Wadi Rum<br />Jordan</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs339.ash1/29120_398841845333_591510333_4814266_4932702_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Plants growing in the middle of the desert<br />Wadi Rum<br />Jordan</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs339.ash1/29120_398843220333_591510333_4814325_7291345_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Running wild in the desert<br />God's idea of a giant sand pit<br />Wadi Run<br />Jordan</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs339.ash1/29120_398841820333_591510333_4814264_6646650_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Nabatean Stone Drawings<br />Wadi Rum<br />Jordan</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs129.snc4/36821_421699580333_591510333_5448374_4027823_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">With Hanim, Karim, Louisa and Ryan<br />Wadi Rum, Jordan</div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-12971945931488952412011-01-27T07:30:00.000-08:002011-01-27T18:19:39.004-08:00Sleding on the White Sands, NM, USA<p>Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening White Sands National Monument of New Mexico. Here, great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert and created the world's largest gypsum dune field. White Sands National Monument preserves a major portion of this unique dune field, along with the plants and animals that have successfully adapted to this constantly changing environment.</p><p>Unlike dunes made of quartz-based sand crystals, the gypsum does not readily convert the sun's energy into heat and thus can be walked upon safely with bare feet, even in the hottest summer months. In areas accessible by car, children frequently use the dunes for downhill sledding. Sliding downhill is an exhilarating sport. The proper position for sledding is to sit or lay on your back on the top of the sled, with your feet pointing downhill. Sledding head first increases the risk of head injury and should be avoided. </p><p>The white sands dune field is an active dune field. The dunes move from west to east as much as thirty feet per year. Many species of plants and animals have developed very specialized means of surviving in this area of cold winters, hot summers, with very little surface water and highly mineralized ground water. Most desert animals are nocturnal, coming out to feed only at night when temperatures are cooler. Every animal in the white sands makes tracks on the dunes as it moves, leaving clues to its nocturnal activities.</p><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs130.snc1/5571_121881075333_591510333_2920304_7174209_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Tuah in the White Sands<br />Alamogardo, NM<br />11 August 2009</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs130.snc1/5571_121881130333_591510333_2920313_2021745_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Adrian seeks shelter<br />White Sands<br />Alamogardo, NM<br />11 August 2009</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs130.snc1/5571_121881195333_591510333_2920326_6592519_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Adrian in the White Sands<br />Alamogardo, NM<br />11 August 2009</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs130.snc1/5571_121881200333_591510333_2920327_7102391_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Adrian in the White Sands<br />Alamogardo, NM<br />11 August 2009</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs150.snc1/5571_121881135333_591510333_2920314_2459047_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Ghani makes his way up the dunes....slowly<br />White Sands<br />Alamogardo, NM<br />11 August 2009</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs150.snc1/5571_121881140333_591510333_2920315_3053102_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">...and he's up...<br />White Sands<br />Alamogardo, NM<br />11 August 2009</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs150.snc1/5571_121881150333_591510333_2920317_2192259_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">....and he's on his way down!<br />White Sands<br />Alamogardo, NM<br />11 August 2009</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs130.snc1/5571_121881230333_591510333_2920331_4033453_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Ghani, Adriani and Tuah in the White Sands<br />Alamogardo, NM<br />11 August 2009</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs130.snc1/5571_121881235333_591510333_2920332_6198660_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Adrian in a Junior ranger vest and a Park Ranger<br />White Sands<br />Alamogardo, NM<br />11 August 2009</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-24843261974798192012011-01-27T07:29:00.000-08:002011-01-27T07:30:26.208-08:00The Colosseum, Rome, Italy<p>The Colosseum is probably the most impressive building of the Roman empire. Originally known as the Flavian Amphitheater, it was the largest building of the era. The monumental structure has fallen into ruins, but even today it is an imposing and beautiful sight.</p><p> </p><p>The elliptical building is immense. The Colosseum could accommodate some 55,000 spectators who could enter the building through no less than 80 entrances. Above the ground are four storeys, the upper storey contained seating for lower classes and women. The lowest storey was preserved for prominent citizens. Below the ground were rooms with mechanical devices and cages containing wild animals. The cages could be hoisted, enabling the animals to appear in the middle of the arena</p><p> </p><p>The Colosseum was covered with an enormous awning known as the velarium. This protected the spectators from the sun. It was attached to large poles on top of the Colosseum and anchored to the ground by large ropes. A team of some 1,000 men was used to install the awning.</p><p> </p><p>The southern side of the Colosseum was felled by an earthquake in 847. Parts of the building - including the marble facade - were used for the construction of later monuments, including the St. Peter's Basilica. </p><p> </p><p>Nowdays, it's a bit of a Disneyland of kiss me quick Gladiators and long queues</p><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v376/145/87/591510333/n591510333_1548619_177.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">In front of the Colosseum<br />Rome, Italy<br />16 Nov 08</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v376/145/87/591510333/n591510333_1548620_577.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">The arch at the Colosseum<br />Rome, Italy<br />16 Nov 08</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs339.ash1/29120_398828765333_591510333_4813583_3768283_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Colosseum<br />Rome<br />Italy</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-7730661392020997412011-01-27T07:27:00.000-08:002011-01-27T22:15:48.702-08:00Way Down South : Key West, USAKey West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys.<br /><br />One of the biggest attractions on the island is a concrete replica of a buoy at the corner of South and Whitehead Streets that claims to be the southernmost point in the contiguous 48 states The point was originally just marked with a sign, which was often stolen. In response to this, the city of Key West erected the now famous monument in 1983. Brightly painted and labeled "SOUTHERNMOST POINT CONTINENTAL U.S.A.", it is one of the most visited and photographed attractions in Key West.<br /><br />Land on the Truman Annex property just west of the buoy is the true southernmost point, but it has no marker since it is U.S. Navy land and cannot be entered by civilian tourists. The private yards directly to the east of the buoy and the beach areas of Truman Annex and Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park also lie farther south than the buoy. The farthest-south location that the public can visit is the beach at the state park for a small entrance fee.<br /><br />Florida's southernmost point is Ballast Key, a privately owned island just south and west of Key West. Signs on the island strictly prohibit unauthorized visitors. The claim "90 Miles to Cuba" on the monument isn't entirely accurate either, since Cuba at its closest point is 94 statute miles from Key West. Further south than the southernmost point of Florida lies the entire state of Hawaii as well as US territories, with two (American Samoa and Jarvis Island) actually in the Southern Hemisphere.<br /><br />We spent a wonderful day out on the Florida Keys with Susie Goh, a Malaysian living in Miami, whom we bumped into in Orlando. We were honoured to have been invited to stay in her home during our time in Miami.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs174.snc1/6531_108448740333_591510333_2704756_2307970_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Us at the southernmost point on Continental USA<br />90miles from Cuba<br />Key West<br />Miami, FL<br />12 July 2009</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs194.snc1/6531_108448750333_591510333_2704758_3023935_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Susie with Adrian at South Beach<br />Key West, FL<br />12 July 2009</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs174.snc1/6531_108563295333_591510333_2707253_456435_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Tuah at Mile 0<br />Mile 0 of US Route 1....the road to America begins here!<br />Key West, FL<br />12 July 2009</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs194.snc1/6531_108563305333_591510333_2707254_2448325_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Key West Sunset<br />Florida<br />12 July 2009</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs174.snc1/6531_108448730333_591510333_2704754_6577370_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Adrian finds a spot to prance around<br />Key West<br />Miami, FL<br />12 July 2009<br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz99khy8vqPv9OYNZc7ubZIwcoL-lFZYmFOOSM0D2IVKeJ8clns3C1KJzZaW9cFshyzW_3tTGxAsRRT2adl' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-47261149909434011372011-01-27T07:25:00.000-08:002011-01-27T07:26:28.431-08:00Cracking Up The Fire In Krakow, PolandLong ago in Poland’s early history, On the River Vistula, there was a small settlement of wooden huts inhabited by peaceful people who farmed the land and plied their trades. Near this village was Wawel Hill. In the side of Wawel Hill was a deep cave. The entrance was overgrown with tall, grass, bushes, and weeds. No man had ever ventured inside that cave, and some said that a fearsome dragon lived within it. The young people of the village didn’t believe in the dragon. The old people of the village said that they had heard their fathers tell of a dragon who slept in the cave, and no man must dare waken it, or there would be dire consequences for them all. Some of the youths decided to explore the cave and put an end to such foolish talk. They thought that they knew better and dragons were just old stories from the past.<br /><br />A group of these young people took some torches and went to the cave. They slowly entered the cave until they came to a dark mass of scales blocking their way and the sound of heavy breathing. The boys ran as the dragon awakened and roared. Fire came from it’s mouth warming the boys heels and backs. When they were far enough away, they looked back and saw the dragon at the entrance of the cave, very angry being awakened from it’s sleep. From that day on, the people knew no peace. Every day the dragon appeared and carried off a sheep or preferably young virgins. The populace made many attempts to kill the dragon but nothing succeeded and many of those that attempted were killed.<br /><br />The hero in this part of the story differs. In the village lived a wise man, or a shoemaker or a shoe makers apprentice named Krakus or Krac. He got some sheep and mixed a thick, yellow paste from sulfur. Krakus smeared it all over the animals. Then led them to a place where the dragon would see them. The dragon came out as expected, saw the sheep, roared, rushed down the hill and devoured the sheep. The dragon had a terrible fire within him, and a terrible thirst. It rushed to the River Vistula and started drinking. It drank and drank and could not stop. The dragon began to swell, but still it drank more and more. It went on drinking till suddenly there was a great explosion, and the dragon burst. There was great rejoicing by the people.<br /><br />Krakus, was made ruler of the village, and they built a stronghold on Wawel Hill. The country prospered under the rule of Krakus and a city grew up around the hill which was called Krakow, in honour of Krakus. When Krakus died, the people gave him a magnificent burial, and erected a mound over his tomb which can be seen to this day. The people brought earth with their own hands to the mound, and it has endured through all the centuries as a memorial to the person that killed the dragon of Krakow.<br /><br />The large 200-foot-long cave in Wawel Hill, Krakow, which has been known for centuries as the monster’s den, now attracts thousands of visitors each year. Whatever the truth of the dragon legend, the Dragon’s Cave (Polish ‘Smocza Jama’) is Cracow’s oldest residence, inhabited by man from the Stone Age through the 16th century.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v274/145/87/591510333/n591510333_1064126_5024.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Adrian with the 'dragon' of Krakow Castle<br />Krakow, Poland<br />13 July 2008</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834234560518497083.post-30911762305837384612011-01-27T07:24:00.000-08:002011-01-27T18:10:35.958-08:00Christmas All Year Round: Rovaniemi, FinlandSanta Claus spends his time at the Santa Claus Village every day of the year to take care of his mission in life; to enhance the wellbeing of children and the kindness of grown-ups, as well as spreading the message love and goodwill of Christmas Spirit throughout the globe.<br /><br />Rovaniemi is The Official Home of Santa Claus.You can meet Santa Claus and cross the magical Arctic Circle every day at the Santa Claus Village in Lapland. Send friends and relatives greetings from the Santa Claus Main Post Office with the unique Arctic Circle postmark.<br /><br />When Santa Claus declared Rovaniemi as his hometown, he told how his home at Ear Mountain (Korvatunturi) was revealed at the beginning of the last century and how this closely guarded secret spread the world over. In order to retain the privacy of his secret location, the Elf folk decided to build a place where Santa could meet people from near and far at the Northern Arctic Circle.<br /><br />For kids and grown ups alike, meeting Santa in his office is a magical experience. On asking us where we had travelled from, Santa greeted us with a cheery, "Selamat Datang". Most impressive!<br /><br />As we were leaving the village, Ghani, still excited from being interviewed by the local press while Adrian and I were busy writing Christmas Cards (in July, to be posted in December), left his camera on the bumper of the truck. When we were at a red light about 2 km down the road, a little white car drove up along side us and beeped. When we looked, the driver was holding up Ghani's camera, saying we dropped it along the way! The magic of Christmas and goodwill to all men does exist in this place!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v308/145/87/591510333/n591510333_1112084_9923.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">On the Artic Circle<br />Santa's Village, Finland<br />26 July 2008</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v308/145/87/591510333/n591510333_1112085_304.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Adrian at Santa's Post office,<br />Finland<br />26 July 2008</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-ash1/v208/145/87/591510333/n591510333_1112069_4729.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">We've hit the Artic Circle<br />5pm on 26 July 2008<br />Roviniemi, Finland</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v308/145/87/591510333/n591510333_1112086_642.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">Adrian running off to see Santa in his office<br />Santa's Village<br />26 July 2008</div></div><div style="text-align: center;" class="photo photo_none"><div class="photo_img"><img style="width: 393px;" class="img" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs129.ash2/39765_416891810333_591510333_5313055_7736376_n.jpg" /></div><div class="caption">With Santa at<br />Santa's Village, Finland<br />26 July 2008</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com