Of Chocolates, Mountains in Malaysia and Switzerland

Rain poured down from heavens above, as I sat under this small cabin at the base of Berembun mountains in Negeri Sembilan, watching the forest in silence. I was happy being serenaded by Stripe-throated bulbuls once the rain stopped. The flowerpeckers and sunbirds were just too fast-moving that afternoon for me to get a good glimpse through my binoculars. A flock of unidentified swifts and swiftlets were circling above the forest canopy throughout the downpour.   

I had a quick lunch at the Oriental Foodcourt at Super Seven Supermarket at Semenyih Vista Valley. The Supermarket has a website which can be viewed HERE. The vegetables and seafood look very fresh and I was seriously contemplating a revisit to stock up for Chinese New Year 2024 BEFORE the Dragon approaches. Took me less than 1 hour to reach Pantai District from Semenyih (via LEKAS highway) and I got lost trying to locate the road that headed towards the base of Berembun mountains. A very informative blog written by a hiker from Singapore on her hike up the Berembun (Dew-like) mountains in Negeri Sembilan can be read HERE. She included a story about the wreckage site from World War Two which hikers will come across at the hiking trail up the mountains of Berembun. Apparently there are also identically-named mountains named "Berembun" in the states of Perak and Terengganu. I've not seen products in Malaysia such as chocolates or coffee etc. which depict any of the mountains in Peninsular Malaysia but I stand corrected on this. There's Mount Kinabalu Coffee whose locally grown arabica coffee is described further in their website HERE. 

Mount Kinabalu by itself holds the record as the highest mountain in Southeast Asia and Kinabalu Park is a designated World Heritage Site under the management of Sabah Parks which you can read more about HERE.  

Matterhorn mountain from Switzerland aka Swiss Alps region is depicted in many products, one of which is of course in a chocolate bar under the trademarked name of Toblerone. Toblerone Chocolate and personalization of their products as demonstrated by yours truly holding a bar bought by my sister from Down Under when she visited, years ago - my bar still had the Alpine mountain depicted on it hence the Swiss-connection. It is after all one of many popular products owned by Mondelez and the removal of the iconic Swiss mountain from the packaging was covered by the Guardian newspaper of UK which you can read about HERE. 

The Matterhorn is said to be one of the most photographed mountains in the world according to the Switzerland Tourism website HERE. It stands at 4478m compared to Mount Kinabalu's 4095m.

My lunch at Sekinchan - Hakka Pan Mee with crunchy anchovies. 

The Berembun forest and all its magical glory after the rain.

 

Down Memory Lane during Mid-Autumn Festival

Had dinner with my mum at Odon, a Hong Kong-style cafe at Atria Shopping Gallery one of the Sundays when my mum's helper was on her day off. The cafe's tagline was authentic Hong Kong Malaysian cuisine. This cafe has a webpage at Linktree site HERE. Malaysian food is becoming world-famous thanks to positive stories shared by travelers such as iChang, etc. through their YouTube channels. A video on their sponsored trip to Johor can be viewed at the end of this blog. Johor State Government has a portal which is available HERE for their residents which works as tool for the State agencies to provide services to rakyat, public servants, tourists and employees working with the State Secretary. Tourists can venture beyond the state government's portal to explore the attractions around the State through a web portal maintained by Johor Tourism HERE.

With an old friend from our neighbourhood in the older part of

Segamat town, Johor. She was visiting her daughter in KL.

Mid-Autumn festival decorations in the Shopping Centre

A Japanese couple who are currently living in Malaysia chronicles their food adventures through their YouTube channel iChang. They aired an interesting episode on their relaxing holiday in Johor which can be viewed below:-

Birdwatching in Central Park, an incident and an inspirational journey to rediscover the Natural World

 

The joy of birdwatching through Central Park, New York is so evidently displayed by Mr Christian Cooper in the video above. There was an incident that took place at a spot called the Rambles between him and a lady who was later dismissed by her employer. It appeared that the lady filed a legal suit against her employer for wrongful/illegal dismissal which was dismissed and it was reported that the appeals court in New York, USA refused to reinstate the lawsuit. Mr Christian Cooper has since gone on to pen a New York Times best-seller titled "Better Living through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World" and you can read about his interview with The Cornell Lab HERE. I hope I can rediscover the Natural World the way Mr. Christian Cooper has done after undergoing such adversities. Digressing to food, after dropping off my sister who is working in Singapore at the KLIA airport, I had stomach indigestion from a donut bought at the Dunkin Donuts branch along Mex highway (near Seri Kembangan exit) when I was driving towards the airport from KL. Note to Self:- No more donuts from that branch! Had a pleasant lunch the following day at Ipoh Vintage in Nu Sentral. Their branch here serves what I thought were quite authentic Ipoh dishes (as pictured below). Their website is available HERE.  The KL Botanical Park (Lake Gardens) is the nearest park to Nu Sentral. I did my GBD within the periphery of the park in 2018 which can be read HERE. It would be one of my ultimate dream come true to visit Central Park in New York and go birdwatching there 🐦. Perhaps a pit stop on the way to more birdwatching adventures in Central or South America or just on a work-related trip. 

Lin Chee Kang with colourful green & pink jellies

Chee Cheong Fun - just missing the crunchy Foo-chuk (Soyabean-based crackers).

Walk Down Memory Lane at Kuala Selangor Nature Park

Sunset over the Selangor River as my mum (her helper) and myself wait for our seafood dinner at Kuala Muara Kitchen. Did some birdwatching in the paddyfields and the Kuala Selangor Nature Park on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. The Ebird Checklists from Tanjung Karang and Kuala Selangor Nature Park (Taman Alam Kuala Selangor) are available by clicking on these location names. It has been a long time since I last visited Kuala Selangor with my family. My mum surprisingly still remembered the fireflies. This was a trip we took many years ago when the fireflies still existed along the shores of Kampung Kuantan. That is sadly a thing of the past. 

Fireflies song by Owl City is a sad reminder of an incredible species of insects that once lit up the trees alongside the Selangor riverbanks at Kampung Kuantan. 

Dinner at the newly opened Kuala Muara Kitchen next to Le-Shore Hotel. Aquamarine-painted walls were cool. Our dinner comprised mussels cooked in salted egg butter sauce, seafood fried rice (with a relatively large prawn), mango kerabu (which my mum rated as delicious and as a former nurse who worked in Perlis, Penang & Kedah, some of the best kerabu originates from those States so she knows how to rate kerabu) and fish & chips.

                                          Her first slice of BBQ Stingray (Pari) followed by ..............                                               a SECOND slice of pari. 

                              PanTimor's BBQ Spread was irresistible. 

      A nyonya heritage-looking shophouse with a cafe at Pekan Lama Kuala Selangor named Auntie Foo.

A large monitor lizard ambles across the road nearby the temple in Pasir Penambang

Monkey King (Soo Wu Gong) gazes sternly at all who visit the temple in Pasir Penambang 

 

Autan anti-mosquito lotion is essential to be slathered liberally across every inch of my skin before I began my walk into the Kuala Selangor Nature Park. The Collared Kingfisher is such a welcome sight at the entrance of the Kuala Selangor Nature Park.  

Dreaming of the Ferruginous Partridge

 

At 3,500 feet this Japanese Gardens was reported as the first of its kind to be located on the highest elevation in the highlands of Malaysia at Bukit Tinggi in the district of Bentong, Pahang. I was observing black carpenter ants which were attracted to the sugar produced by the bright red flowers of a gingery-looking plant. Looks like some of the plants were facing aphids infestation.  

The Japanese tatami cottage below fascinated me and being in the midst of a forest, one starts to imagine anime characters from the likes of Totoro, the Catbus from My Neighbour Totoro. Studio Ghibli which created these fantastical anime cartoon series launched their theme park and their website can be viewed HERE. Their first website was launched on 1st February 2022. Totoro is a giant, friendly forest spirit in Japanese and looks like an owl when perched on a tree branch. 

via GIPHY

Previous trips have been made to Bukit Tinggi with friends to look for the Mountain Peacock Pheasant, which can be read HERE. The hills were alive with bird songs that afternoon and seeing some of these such as the blue-winged leafbirds, cinereous bulbuls, grey and buff woodpeckers, as well as hearing the calls of the gold-faced barbets still brings so much joy to me. Wish I could continue birdwatching regularly again once I complete my online distance learning program with the IUMW.

The convenience shop is still operational at the top of the hill nearby the Japanese gardens with working toilets (as pictured above). Despite having a rubbish bin near the shop, youngsters still litter the area with ice cream wrappers. Spare the rod, spoil the child? 

Looking at the valleys beyond the hills which form part of the Titiwangsa Range of Peninsular Malaysia. 

It was wonderful to spot four different species of monkeys that afternoon which were the Dusky Leaf (as above and below), Siamang, White-thighed Surili and Pig-tailed Macaque. The Dusky Leaf was quite a big group jumping from tree to tree, and munching on young shoots. Checklists from eBird Malaysia from that short afternoon trip are available at https://ebird.org/checklist/S141923283 and https://ebird.org/checklist/S141923829 - hoping to make more time to birdwatch with friends soon. 

Two Dusky Leaf Monkeys viewed from afar (as pictured below). It was lovely to see a flock of Grey-Rumped Treeswifts roosting in a tree as I was walking back to my car.  

I can only dream of seeing the Ferruginous Partridge again next time. I heard it calling in the valley beyond as I left the hills. The first Ferruginous Partridge that I saw was at Bukit Tinggi and that shy denizen of the forest floor can be viewed here via eBIRD Checklist below:-

https://ebird.org/checklist/S41790284

Creative 404 Webpage Error with Flamingoes, Vultures and Collared Owlet (Mine)

Mallards in flight, a wader, and a family of grebe in the pond plus a flying swift/swallow species were being observed by a girl through her binoculars - this makes for a great introduction to birdwatching in terms of visualization should anyone starting a website or needing promotional material on birds & birdwatching, whether you are a teacher or a volunteer or journalist or website designer/administrator or a hobbyist or working with an environmental organization (local or international) and need cool graphics to promote events like World Migratory Bird Day, Asian Waterbirds Census, World Wetlands Day and more. The banner above was sourced from this website which you can explore HERE . Sometimes, organizations, schools, companies, etc have websites where web users may encounter a webpage that does not exist, has been moved or has a dead or broken link. This is known as the 404 error code, one of the most frequent errors a web or internet user may encounter. When that happens the IT team should be provided with innovative and creative website templates to alert, inform and educate the internet user accordingly about a 404 error occurring. INSIDER has compiled the most creative 404 error pages on the web in 2015 which you can read about, view (and chuckle accordingly) HERE.  

The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) has a very creative way to alert web/internet users who visit their website above. For more creative 404 webpages, you can browse through funny ones including Dilbert's tip to drain the Internet which the dinosaur-age manager takes too literally, HERE. Vultures were associated with DEAD LINKS for a 404 Page Error by Incore, a software development company (as demonstrated via their webpage below). You can see how NASA incorporated cosmic humour and LEGO's iconic bricks into their 404 error webpages HERE. 

For more practical tips including how to fix 404 error pages, find out through an

article HERE. The 404 error page for my website will feature pictures of the Collared Owlet which I took from Fraser Hill where I'd recommend for my website visitors to return Home to me by clicking on the Home page of my website:)

Banded Woodpecker, Flameback and the Californian Dream

Banded Woodpecker - a pair was seen pecking on the trunks of a tree within the National Archives Centre, Kuala Lumpur. It is a dream of mine to go on a trip looking for woodpeckers in California and to order and eat from a KOGI Food Truck which you can read about HERE. Pioneered by Roy Choi who had worked with Jon Favreau on the movie "CHEF." Both of them went on a culinary adventure via the CHEF food series on Netflix. The episode on San Francisco Bay area where they looked for oysters that were sustainably being harvested in the Bay area was fascinating. The Hog Island Oyster Co's website which you can check out HERE where six different oyster varieties including the Eastern Pacific oyster originating from the Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan (the Hog Island Kumamoto), and the Manila Clams are featured. The Oyster's Journey with the process neatly summarized from seed to nursery, their grow out, the tipping & flipping (which was demonstrated by both Roy & Jon using baseball bats),  harvesting, and live wet storage (large aquarium environment according to the website). There's a Shucking 101 video by Chef Jamie on the Hog Island Oyster Co website as well. Seeing the oysters being eaten reminded me of the cautionary tale of the young and foolish Oysters who left the oyster bed and ended up in the tummies of the Walrus and the Carpenter in the Lewis Carroll classic poem (reproduced in full below):-

"The sun was shining on the sea,

Shining with all his might:

He did his very best to make

The billows smooth and bright —

And this was odd, because it was

The middle of the night.

The moon was shining sulkily,

Because she thought the sun

Had got no business to be there

After the day was done —

"It's very rude of him," she said,

"To come and spoil the fun."

The sea was wet as wet could be,

The sands were dry as dry.

You could not see a cloud, because

No cloud was in the sky:

No birds were flying overhead —

There were no birds to fly.

The Walrus and the Carpenter

Were walking close at hand;

They wept like anything to see

Such quantities of sand:

If this were only cleared away,'

They said, it would be grand!'

If seven maids with seven mops

Swept it for half a year,

Do you suppose,' the Walrus said,

That they could get it clear?'

I doubt it,' said the Carpenter,

And shed a bitter tear.

'O Oysters, come and walk with us!'

The Walrus did beseech.

A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,

Along the briny beach:

'We cannot do with more than four,

To give a hand to each.'

The eldest Oyster looked at him,

But never a word he said:

The eldest Oyster winked his eye,

And shook his heavy head —

Meaning to say he did not choose

To leave the oyster-bed.

But four young Oysters hurried up,

All eager for the treat:

Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,

Their shoes were clean and neat —

And this was odd, because, you know,

They hadn't any feet.

Four other Oysters followed them,

And yet another four;

And thick and fast they came at last,

And more, and more, and more —

All hopping through the frothy waves,

And scrambling to the shore.

The Walrus and the Carpenter

Walked on a mile or so,

And then they rested on a rock

Conveniently low:

And all the little Oysters stood

And waited in a row.

'The time has come,' the Walrus said,

To talk of many things:

Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —

Of cabbages — and kings —

And why the sea is boiling hot —

And whether pigs have wings.'

'But wait a bit,' the Oysters cried,

Before we have our chat;

For some of us are out of breath,

And all of us are fat!'

No hurry!' said the Carpenter.

They thanked him much for that.

A loaf of bread,' the Walrus said,

Is what we chiefly need:

Pepper and vinegar besides

Are very good indeed —

Now if you're ready, Oysters dear,

We can begin to feed.'

But not on us!' the Oysters cried,

Turning a little blue.

After such kindness, that would be

A dismal thing to do!'

The night is fine,' the Walrus said.

Do you admire the view?

It was so kind of you to come!

And you are very nice!'

The Carpenter said nothing but

Cut us another slice:

I wish you were not quite so deaf —

I've had to ask you twice!'

It seems a shame,' the Walrus said,

To play them such a trick,

After we've brought them out so far,

And made them trot so quick!'

The Carpenter said nothing but

The butter's spread too thick!'

I weep for you,' the Walrus said:

I deeply sympathize.'

With sobs and tears he sorted out

Those of the largest size,

Holding his pocket-handkerchief

Before his streaming eyes.

O Oysters,' said the Carpenter,

You've had a pleasant run!

Shall we be trotting home again?'

But answer came there none —

And this was scarcely odd, because

They'd eaten every one."

Fourteen (14) different species of woodpeckers in California, with pictures, sound and some videos published on this website by Bird Advisors HERE. Another website mentioned there are fifteen (15) different species of woodpeckers in California with videos, audio and highlighting differences between male and female species which you can read, see and hear HERE. Sapsucker and Flicker are such unique names for these woodies in California. Brace yourself for one of the woodies named Gila Woodpecker and the last, a Californian native called the Nuttall's Woodpecker found only in oak woodlands and among the oak trees in suburban areas according to Birdwatching HQ. I like their tip which is to stay still when one hears the rattling (calls) of the Nuttall Woodpecker, which means an observer has a chance to spot them in action probing for juicy protein-rich (insect) snacks in the tree trunks:) Whilst I continue to work in meeting this Californian dream of mine, amidst my current obligations at work, to my studies and to my family, I present below our Common Flameback (formerly known as the Goldenback) species - a female which lacks the red colours on its crest. Only the male Common Flameback has this distinctive red crest. A pleasure to have spotted a pair at the KL Lake Gardens (Perdana Botanical Gardens) sometime back in September 2018 which you can read about HERE. I end my blog with a picture of trees standing tall in the Peace Hills (Bukit Aman) area of Kuala Lumpur post-meeting with the law enforcement authority at a government building hidden somewhere within the same vicinity as the Perdana Botanical Gardens.  

Of Austria and Accentors with a hint of the Big Year

 

I digress by beginning my blog about a very informational piece of video from the Domain Name Registry of Austria known as NIC.at which explained the importance of protecting a domain name under their country code top level domain for Austria which is .AT (For Malaysia, our ccTLD is .MY). I love how they compare their .AT domain name to that of a car and how it is important for one's car (in Austria) to be protected by insurance against the weather and wild animals like the stag/deer in the video above.

I have ZERO knowledge of the bird species in the European region and more so for Austria so it was a delight to come across a blog that was written about some of the birds spotted such as Alpine Accentor, and Common Blackbird in Austria. These were included in an American birder's listings through eBird during her birding trip to Austria, as posted in her blog aptly named Bird Chick which you read about HERE. Her earlier trip in 2013 where she spotted the Alpine Chough can be read HERE. I'd be lucky if I could have dreams of Innsbruck, Austria which I had first visited with my family after graduating from the University of Manchester in 1996. It was a very hectic trip where we toured 6 European countries in 9 days. We slept in the coach (our driver was an Italian national - that much I remembered) for 4 nights traveling through several cities in Europe, staying 1 night only each in Germany, Italy, France, and the Netherlands. I do not recall seeing a single species of bird during that hectic tour.  Ebird is an amazing portal that belongs to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, USA. They count the EuroBirdPortal as one of their regional partners & collaborators. EuroBirdPortal has an impressive LIVE time mode of the Barn Swallow and Common Cuckoo species in their portal, where anyone can visualize the traces of these two species as well as three species of Swan (Mute, Black, Whooper) and five species of Goose (Bean, Pink-footed, Lesser White-fronted, Greater White-fronted and Greylag). The Euro Bird Portal listed one of their objectives was to adapt and improve the current EBP demo viewer and the spatial bird distribution models to reliably display detailed and up-to-date European-wide spatiotemporal patterns of bird distribution in near-real-time. You can learn more about them including the funding they received from the EU  HERE and about the European Bird Census Council which is described as an association of like-minded expert ornithologists cooperating in a range of ways to improve bird monitoring and atlas work and thereby inform and improve the management and conservation of birds populations in Europe HERE.  A screenshot of the portal's front page with the time mode and bird species display is shown below:- 

The Pink-footed Goose sticks in my mind as this species was mentioned by Jack Black's character in the movie about crazy birders "The Big Year" where he goes looking for it in Boston as part of his quest to become the best birder in America. Take a look at the Behind-the-Scenes snippet from the movie starring Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson below:-

Back to Nature thanks to the Good Widow

 

I was finally able to analyze my research survey data through SPSS software after hitting 100 responses by the second week of February 2023. It was not easy getting 100 responses to my questionnaire. Quantitative data analysis was (and still is) very new to me. One Sunday was needed to reconnect with Mother Nature and re-charge after work and study. My mum had not been outdoors for several months now so it was time to visit the nearest green hills to Kuala Lumpur (other than Genting Highlands). She hesitated to order tea-set from the cafe at Pineyard, Tanarimba preferring to gaze at the greenery beyond (as pictured above). The opening and closing hours of Pineyard are listed HERE. Her appetite returned as we headed to the quaint village of Bukit Tinggi for an early dinner. She was happy though with the seafood fried rice and stir-fried french beans with salted egg yolk that I ordered for our dinner. The Bentong Soy Sauce and Bentong Ginger were a happy find for her as well. The latter has been certified as a geographical indication in 2015 by the Agricultural Dept of Pahang and its popularity as a high-quality ingredient for cooking was acknowledged by Michelin Guide HERE. Dare I venture beyond and onwards to Bentong, Pahang one day? I just might.

Quaint village of Bukit Tinggi in Pahang. This road leads toward the police station.

My mum - contented with this dish of stir-fried french beans with salted egg yolk. 

Waiting for me at the entrance to the Tanarimba Halls.

Best view ever that Sunday afternoon. 

15 days of CNY 2023 and Sad News from Jenjarom Temple

It is heartening to see the re-growth of my potted orchid plant after 2.5 years. This pot of phalaenopsis orchid species was purchased way back in 2019 and the orchid flowers fell off after a few months. It never did well on my condo balcony so I got some tips from the friendly staff at Pudu Ria Florist who suggested I hang this pot in a tree. I scouted for and found a suitable tree in my condo rooftop garden sometime in 2019 and left this potted orchid plant there. It survived the lockdown phase. It was only when my sister and I returned to KL from our 2023 Chinese New Year trip to Johor that I happened to pass by the tree and saw the new flowers. I must learn how to maintain orchids with tips from the World of Orchids farm in Hulu Yam. Their website can be visited HERE.

Customary to toss Yee Sang on the 7th day of CNY 2023 - my mum tossing the salad I bought from Village Grocer (pictured above). Ren Ri celebrates the birth of human beings. The first humans were created out of clay by a Goddess according to Chinese myth. This reminds me of the Greek myth of Diana aka Wonder Woman who was created out of clay by Queen Hippolyta and given the breath of life by Aphrodite, she was a demi-god according to this article on the Truth about the Amazons. Mandarin oranges being unpacked from boxes post-second day of Chinese New Year at Lotus Kepong. A quick picture of the cut-out board with the tagline "Sama-sama Huat" courtesy of Lotus Mall below:- 

Hong Leong Bank Malaysia paid tribute to Sekinchan's KayaPo in their CNY 2023 YouTube video which can be viewed HERE. This coincides with the bank's partnership with PayNet to transform Sekinchan, Selangor into the first cashless village community in Malaysia according to their website HERE. There's something magical about fruit trees. Even a small lime tree such as the one below:-

 

Sad to learn about the demise of Fo Guang Shan founder, Master Hsing Yun who passed away on 7 February 2023, after Chap Goh Mei, the 15th day of CNY. The Fo Guang Shan network of Buddhist temples and schools extended beyond Taiwan to include a temple located in the village of Jenjarom, Selangor. News of his passing away at the age of 95 years old was reported in China Daily HERE and in the Focus Taiwan web portal HERE. The monastery was created with the purpose of promoting the principles of Humanistic Buddhism and fostering peace and harmony among all peoples of the world. The Jenjarom temple website paid tribute to the late Master Hsing Yun by posting a black and white tribute in Chinese script, screenshot as below:-

Year of the Water Rabbit just around the corner

 The Chinese community from all over the world would welcome the Year of the Water Rabbit in 2023. The Vietnamese, Japanese, and Korean communities would celebrate the New Year as well in their unique ways through food, dance, and honouring the elderly, particularly our parents. Here in Malaysia, the Lion Dance culture has evolved to include acrobatic performances. The Lion Dance societies and clubs have included girls and boys from different racial backgrounds (Malay, Chinese, and Indian). Watch HERE. I drove to KLIA airport happily to welcome my sister (who works in Singapore) home. Watched the Missing Menu together with my mum and sister. A Hakka Cook Book author wrote about the Missing Menu after watching it on Netflix HERE. A quick trip to Pudu Ria Florist on the last two weekends before the Chinese New Year celebration begins on 22 January 2023 in Malaysia, was needed to pick up my two pots of Kalanchoe flowers. Managed to take a quick picture of their center-stage display of cartoonish rabbits and bigger pots of flowers before hurrying back to my car. I bought a potted Phalaenopsis orchid before at this Florist and one of their friendly employees gave me a good tip on how to maintain this orchid plant. Pudu Ria Florist's website can be found HERE. Wish this florist had a wheel-chair-friendly cafe and toilets else I would have brought my mum here for breakfast. We started our journey back to Segamat, Johor on Friday morning. This year I exited the North-South Plus highway through Tangkak. We stopped for lunch at a Bak Kut Teh restaurant in Tangkak named FA LAI which has been blogged about by Johor Kaki. We were lucky enough to be served the final claypot soup dish of the day and side dishes of steamed chicken feet which we wolved down with bowls of rice (as pictured below):- 

Collected freshly plucked Pomelo (Giant Grapefruits I call them) from my mother's friends Mr and Mrs Tan who operate a fruit orchard in Jementah. They grew durian trees, the Musang King variety and generously gave us some to sample. I fell in love again with cold, creamy durian. Really tasted like ice-cream! The view of the Ledang mountains from Jementah (as pictured above) always amazes me. The red pineapple which was grown for decorative purpose and will be offered to the deities during prayers, added to the festive vibe of Chinese New Year although it will be a very quiet welcoming of the Water Rabbit for me and my family in 2023.

A New Beginning and Living with the Cobra

There's a beautiful score in the movie "The Last Samurai" which I came across during the Covid-19 lockdown period. I would listen to this score before my online classes at IUMW started. There are a few lessons from Mother Nature and her creations that are contained in the teachings of the Buddha and told through stories by Buddhist monks, one of whom is the late Ajahn Chah. He has a few chapters which are available HERE, including the Chapter on Living with the Cobra, a paragraph of which is extracted below for further contemplation:-

So we say that mental activity is like the deadly poisonous cobra. 

If we don't interfere with a cobra, it simply goes its own way. 

Even though it may be extremely poisonous, we are not affected by it; 

we don't go near it or take hold of it, and it doesn't bite us. 

The cobra does what is natural for a cobra to do. That's the way it is. 

If you are clever you'll leave it alone. And so you let be that which is good. 

You also let be that which is not good - let it be according to its own nature. 

Let be your liking and your disliking, the same way as you don't interfere with the cobra.

Watching Sunrise again in order to move on to the next chapters of my life.  This is what I need to do soon through traveling. I really do not wish to be stuck in a bad mood for 40 Years else I end up looking like this grumpy character from Steel Magnolias below:-