Nature's best view - sunrise, sunset and the moon

I'm going to share with you guys some of the best views I get to see this month! There are so breathtakingly beautiful.

[caption id="attachment_1047" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sunrise in blue"][/caption]

This is Sunrise in Blue! Taken some where nearing 7 am. The sky is literally that color. No editing is made to these pictures I'm showing you.

[caption id="attachment_1048" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sunrise in Orange"][/caption]

A couple of seconds later, the sky changes color to this beautiful orangey- blue hue and it's all rise and shine soon after.

Come evening and the sun begins to set ...

[caption id="attachment_1050" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sunset view"][/caption]

... and it's back to that blue-orange color again. Also not forgetting ...

[caption id="attachment_1051" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The moon"][/caption]

The moon!

No photo uploads for now...

It is a shame that I need to be on a constant move and have to rely big time on the portable usb broadband. The connection is not fast enough to allow photo uploads and I don't want be publishing posts with merely writings and no photos since at the moment, I have tonnes of photos to share on to you peeps. So yeah, I'm just going to press the publish button right after this and let's keep our fingers cross that I'm going to be back to 'excellent connection area' hopefully by tonight.

Also, do watch out for more posts from me throughout this weekend because I'm still dreaming big about keeping up with that one post per day for YaszAmzah.com and I haven't been publishing any for the past 6 days. Like OMG, no posts for close to a week?

So over and out for now...

Til more posts to come...

"Brownie Come!" - how to call your dog in Tamil?

Check out this super hilarious video. Do note that I wasn't the one talking in Tamil. I was the cameraman and the one making the 'sweet' noise. I have no idea why you need to speak Tamil to a dog but that's how things went around here. Haha.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsABZHLhPv4

If it were you, how and what language will you be calling a dog or any animals in that matter?

Round island cycling trip at Pangkor Island

One of the best things about living near an island is that we get to swim at the beach at anytime of the year or simply have a fun family 'road trip' around the island. Pangkor Island is a mere 20 minutes or so from where I live in Sitiawan. When I was young, around the early 90's, the whole family used to bring our bicycles in the car, boarded the ferry toward Pangkor Island and went on a round island cycling trip for the whole day. Back then my sisters and I didn't have mountain bikes, so we went around cycling in one of those bicycles fitted with a front basket while my little brother rode on his tiny BMX and my dad on his racing bike. As long that everyone has a bicycle, we were good to go for one of the best early days round island cycling trip at Pangkor island.

If you must know, the road around Pangkor is very steep, hilly, small and either winding up or down. It was very challenging to climb up the steep 35 degrees road but we sure made it around the island either pushing our bicycles, cycling on it as hard as we could or going down the fast downhill road in lighting speed. After what had been ages, my family (minus 2 family members) finally made yet another round island bicycle trip at Pangkor Island last year.

This time around, we rented mountain bikes at the island for a small fee and attempted the round island cycling trip. The result was very shameful. At that time, I had close to zero stamina and a pretty awful fitness level. After merely 15-30 minutes of cycling, I was feeling light headed and nauseous.The trip was made worse when one of our bicycles had a punctured tire and that forced us to turn back and had lunch instead. Haha. The mid afternoon sun was really getting on us, so we left the island soon after a scrumptious lunch. Up until today, we have yet to re-attempt the round island cycling trip at Pangkor and I wonder if July will be a great time to make that fun, cycling trip once again.

If you are adventurous and love the outdoor, cycling around Pangkor Island is a must do. You get to see very the beautiful view of the Naval Base and Lumut town also not forgetting the beaches and other small islands surrounding Pangkor. Along the way, you can also make many several touristy stops for example at the Dutch Fort, the fish factories and other tourist attractions around the island.

I also have some vital notes on cycling around Pangkor Island to share here. There are:

- If you would like to make the cycling trip as a day trip (no sleep over at the island) then, it is best to take the first ferry of the day to the island - I think the earliest is around 7 am or is it earlier? I'm not so sure :). The ferry is very frequent so fret not if you can't make it to the Lumut Jetty that early in the morning. The reason you want to be at the island as early as possible is so that you don't get caught up with the the hot sun later (around 10 am above) on during your cycling trip.
- Dress appropriately -sunblock,hat,shoes or those zap on sandals ( flip-flops are not recommended because you may hurt yourself if you fall on your feet from the bicycle or worse lose the flip-flops along the way. haha), light clothing and if you are a typical Asian and are afraid to be home looking super tan - put on a long sleeve t-shirt and long pants.
- Drink a lot of water and pack some bottles also some food in your bag pack.
- Bring some medicines if you are prone to mild sickness like me. Haha. Some panadols, antiseptic cream and hansaplast plaster will do.
- Most importantly, have a hearty breakfast before you kick off to pack some energy because you need a whole lot of it.
- The trip may take up almost until noon or even later into the afternoon, depending on how fast and fit you are. So be prepared to spend almost the whole day at the island.
- In case and just in case you really can't cycle anymore because you are just plain exhausted, you can still continue on with your round island trip by hiring motorcycles or even cars or simply hail the prominently pink taxi at Pangkor Island. Of course, it wouldn't really be a cycling trip if you ended up taking bikes and cars to finish up the trip and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't end up doing and risk losing all the fun of crazy cycling around the island.

Also, it is not really common to see people cycling around the island. Most people will simply cycle around the beach and they usually won't pass the hilly roads. So I can really assure you that round Pangkor Island cycling trip is adventurous, fun and very recommended for the fit. Happy cycling, peeps!

Animal Anecdotes 7: Brownie and family

If you have been keeping up with the Animal Anecdotes, you may have been introduced to Brownie. The latest updates for Brownie are all great news. She has gone so far to inviting the rest of her family members - 2 adult female dogs and another black puppy just like her. Brownie is also brave enough to come and pick her treat directly from the hand and we also have some Pedigree puppy food for her and little family to eat. The dogs have been keeping us company since last weekend and they are pretty good at making a ruckus if the herd of buffaloes come eating near the fenced up gate.

[caption id="attachment_1034" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Brownie taking her bread"][/caption]

As for now, little Brownie seems to be dominating the cabin area and her 3 other family members are merely her guests because she is always the first one to start eating her feed, the one who will eat more than the rest and also the only one who gets to runaway and play with one black sock and one Croc shoe. The mystery of the missing pair of a Croc shoe is solved when I saw Brownie sleeping just next to it. Haha.

Brownie and family have been sleeping under the cabin at night - so at least, things are a bit secure around the area. The best part is we don't literally own them. If we feed, they will come and I hope they shall be trained and will be at service (working as guard dogs) around the cabin and farm.

[caption id="attachment_1035" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Eating up her Pedigree dog food"][/caption]

Live Curious - ad by National Geographic Channel

Live Curious! Nicely presented by the National Geographic Channel. The very idea of living curious, constantly asking, wanting to learn more than what I've already known, discovering, doubting things and experiencing new things have always been me! The fact that NatGeo has an ad out about it nails the whole point of life in general to pretty much everyone.

If you haven't already watch the ad, check it out below and ponder on the words and make that change in your life now. Live curious because it somehow or rather relates to yourself pushing beyond the ordinary to experience that extraordinary things in this life. So go on and LIVE CURIOUS!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amkuj9QRqvQ&NR=1

Animal Anecdotes 6: Brownie, our first visitor

[caption id="attachment_1019" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Brownie the little doggie"][/caption]

This is our first dog visitor at the cabin. I think it is a little female dog sizing just a little bigger than a big full grown cat. Her visit was just at the nick of time because we were about to have breakfast. One of us threw a little piece of a chicken meat to her. She ate it and the throwing-eating routine lasted for sometime until she finally decided to sit down and eat her meal instead of gobbling the large chunk quickly or running off with the meal to eat just behind the car.

After breakfast, we tried calling her to come closer to us but she was still very apprehensive about it. Instead, she decided to sit and somewhat or rather be on guard at the front gate for a little while.Brownie kept on watch and was eyeing on a running morning jogger. Unfortunately, the little creature backed up and ran a little once the jogger began approaching the front of the gate. Probably a little to young to be a guard dog. Not just yet but hopefully soon enough.

On another note, Brownie is the cutest little puppy with that adorable pair of round eyes. I wonder if she will come back for another visit today.

Green, sustainable, eco-friendly dream home

If you have the means and money, what will your dream home be ? Is it going to be:

A : Huge bungalow, 2-3 storeys, 5 rooms, living room, wet kitchen, dry kitchen, lounge room, dining hall, maid's room, balcony, pantry room, garden, pool, big garage and front yard, fully air-conditioned, 5 bathrooms and strictly tiled front yard with only palm trees alongside with a tiny path of grass for the house landscaping.

B : A condominium or town house with super tight security needing for residents passes at guard house entrance, lobby entrance and a pass on the elevator to get to your front door at the penthouse. Home security is purely essential since no one is to be trusted. No pets are allowed in the residents homes and the only trees you can plant are cactus or small plants.

C: A flat or low cost home. No need for trees because everyone will make their front yard fully tiled or cemented and awning roofs will be placed for shades.

D: Typical traditional wooden Malay home. Would be best if it is build without nails and highly decorated with intricate traditional wood carvings and designs. Lots of plants and trees in the yard with some free range chickens running around the yard and vegetables are also planted for the household consumption.

E: Simple, super low cost home made with almost 100% of recycled materials by using used wood, roof, doors,etc. Powered with solar panels for electricity.Water source will come either from collected rain water or pumped from underground or from the river by the side of the house. All waste from the household will be recycled and used as fertilizer for the plants and vegetables. There is always a constant supply of fresh cow's milk, eggs, chicken meat and beef. The house is surrounded by big rain trees and other trees to provide good air quality around the house, shade, privacy and it attracted different species of animals from birds, insects to small reptiles. Totally a green home that is sustainable and very self-sufficient however most importantly, it is very eco-friendly.

Of all the choices above, which one will your dream home be?

My personal choice is of course the most obvious which is E. Life is much simpler when you live green, working on with recycle materials to avoid unnecessary waste on your pocket as well as to avoid polluting unwanted waste on mother Earth. In the long run, this green home living concept provides a better life for everyone including both the animals and plants. If you are big about making a different in your life, you can start now by making good choices and choosing to live green is one small way to make that huge different in this life.

Quick, no nonsense remedy for sprained ankle or knee

Have you ever had a sprained ankle or knee and the pain won't go away even after days of agony? You found yourself limping to the side and the pain seemed to get worse and no better as days past. When you run to the doctor, some will make you bandage your sprained ankle or knee for days and life seems to suck so bad soon after. If this is the situation with you on your ankle or knee, here is a quick, no nonsense remedy to it - although I must warn forehand that this is a home remedy and always consult with your doctor if the problem persists.

My no nonsense and super quick plus working remedy for any sprained ankle or knee is:

1. Do not bandage the area - I've seen some doctors do to some people and I  never get it why. In my rational sense, I believe that bandaging a sprained area tightens the sprain even more when all you need to put at the moment is the least amount of pressure possible on the sprain.

2. Do some deep heat massage around the sprained area. Get one of those deep heat rub for relieve of muscle pain and stiffness. If you don't know how to massage on  you own, get someone who knows the job. A massage every morning especially after you wake up is essential to loosen those stiff body parts.

3. As much as possible, try to go about your daily activity with your sprained ankle or knee. Never allow the pain to grow and simply succumbing to the pain, thus letting your ankle or knee to rest without making much movement to it. By 'pampering' your sprained body parts, the muscle around the area will continue to be in pain and do note that, nature has its thing of 'fixing itself'. So if you are in pain, counter it by moving around and try to move the muscle around the sprain just a little bit. The sprained veins may as well align back to its original, normal track if you move around. For example, on a sprain ankle, keep on walking normally with it or drive with it, allowing for the muscle to move and heal on its own.

* If problem still persists, stop treating on your own and get medical consultation right away.

I hope this quick, no nonsense home remedy for sprained ankle or knee will help you in a case of any sprained situation. Always remember, pain is only in the mind. Good luck and stay healthy!

The Climb

It is a bit hard to begin enjoying and liking "The Climb" when all the while I mostly listen to dance, electronica and alike kind of music. Thanks to radio for spinning the song for the million times last year and right now, the song pretty much is hooked inside my brain - so to speak. My friend, Zue in particular loves this song so much that I reckon she played the song on repeat on her ipod during our climb.

The more I listen to the words, the more inspiring it is to me and at the moment, whenever I feel down or upset - The Climb will resume play on automatic in my head like over and over again. If you don't get enough inspiration in a day or you just feel like giving up in that important something you are trying to achieve in life, take a breather,step back and make a little time to listen to this song. It is truly inspiring and for sure will keep you climbing as high as you wanted it to.

Enjoy The Climb video by non other than Miley Cyrus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG2zyeVRcbs

A visit down to Monsopiad Cultural Village, Penampang

I finally made it to Monsopiad Cultural Village at Penampang, Sabah last month despite being suggested by a fellow local friend last year that a visit down to this place is not worth the travel, it is expensive and boring. Well at least that's what local Sabahan will think off. It is a whole different view, culture and knowledge that I was really looking forward to at this cultural village. It was  something that most Peninsular Malaysian are unaware off that in another part of Malaysia which is Borneo ( Sabah and Sarawak) the people are different in their looks, lifestyle and even the spoken language. However, most importantly they form the large community of various tribes and ethnics, so diverse in culture from the Peninsular people and for the most obvious are more unique than the  melting pot of that typical blend of Malay, Chinese and Indian that we have in the Peninsular. All those reasoning combined, that made a pretty good reason why any Malaysian from the Peninsular will be so excited and eagerly anticipating a visit down at the Monsopiad Cultural Village. Oh well, at least I do!

Getting to Monsopiad Cultural Village was a bit of a challenge if you choose to drive down to Penampang on your own if you don't know where you are going of course, haha. In our case we simply head out to just Monsopiad in mind thinking all the while that it is marked somewhere in the tourist map that we have and of course the local people will most certainly know of this place.However, we later found out in the car that it was not mentioned in the map, even the lady behind our hotel reception desk said it will be difficult to look for the place if we choose to drive there on our own - joining their ridiculously priced tour package is much recommended while a stop at a particular Shell Station got the workers of the station mind boggle and clueless of the cultural village. The girl at the gas station mentioned it was the first time she ever heard of the cultural village. We simply have asked the wrong people at the wrong place then. A few phone calls later, we headed our for Penampang and stopped at a Petronas gas station around Donggongon and from there on it was pretty easy.



So to get to Monsopiad Cultural Village from Kota Kinabalu, simply head on to Penampang ( landmark Queen Elizabeth Hospital) then go straight on passing along the way Donggongon town and keep going until you see the Lok Kawi Wildlife signboard. Follow that sign and after sometime  you have to take a left turn to Penampang entering smaller village area  and be on the eye for Monsopiad signboard  on your left side and a few meters inside the smaller road you will see the cultural village. The address for this place is:

Jln Kg. Kuai Kandazon Penampang or call +6088774337 or visit their website www.monsopiad.com

Since the entrance fee is slightly pricey and will cost more if you are a foreigner, make sure you spend a lot of time at the village by really taking the time to learn and ask on Monsopiad's history and the Sabahan culture, enjoy locally made dishes provided, walk around the whole area, enjoy the rice wine or known as Lihing if you drink and of course the fun part - join in the Sumazau and bamboo dance. We did all that even the dancing even though our legs are killing us thanks to Mount Kinabalu but it sure was fun!

Do enjoy the photos and a video below and Monsopiad Cultural Village is a must visit destination at Sabah provided you are not a local Sabahan or probably Sarawakian.



[caption id="attachment_986" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Choice of rice wine(lihing) or non-alcoholic drinks served at the entrance. Lihing is in the bamboo shot."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_989" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="The headhunters will put all beheaded heads to dry and for public display on the bamboo"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_990" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The greatest warrior- Monsopiad's skulls collection"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_991" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Rice dish by the local -bambangan, ikan masin, some fish meat. Delicous!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_993" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Rice wine/ lihing"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_994" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Us and the cultural dancers at Monsopiad"][/caption]

The video of the dancers doing some cool, fast paced  bamboo dance and later on us struggling to dance along.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ERx1C-jLjU

Tanjung Aru Beach Run

Recently, I got a knack for running on the beach because it so much fun! It is a change and different from running at the park or at the long stretch of air track field that I'm used to running. My first beach run a.k.a biathlon for the year was at Teluk Senangin and the second time around was at Tanjung Aru beach, Kota Kinabalu.

[caption id="attachment_970" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Tanjung Aru beach, Kota Kinabalu[/caption]

The gang and myself headed out to Tanjung Aru a day after we summit and descended down from Mt. Kinabalu. I couldn't resist myself from running on the beach despite my sore legs from descending the mountain when I saw a couple of runners jogging along the shore and the breathtakingly long sandy beach. I'll let the pictures do all the writing here. On a side note, the little jog helped to ease the sore and aching muscles just a little bit.

[caption id="attachment_972" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Beach jogger 1 at Tanjung Aru[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_973" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Beach jogger 2. He really didn't mind getting his feet all wet.[/caption]

Aren't you tempted for some awesome beach runs? Imagine sea breeze blowing all over your face and hair while at the same time burning good calories along the beach. Extremely fun guys! Beach runs are the best run you can have to get away from your mundane run at the park routine. It's a must to give beach run ago and if you happen to be down on a holiday at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah - Tanjung Aru beach is a must RUN!

Fried Chicken Recipe - Success Story

Woo hoo!

I can't hardly remember the last time I made a post on recipes. I used to have the time to cook but not anymore now. Anyhow, I saw this recipe while watching "Chuck's Day Off" on the AFC Channel and it got me tempted to try cooking the same way he made his super delish fried chicken.

[caption id="attachment_958" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Fried Chicken Recipe"][/caption]

The Fried Chicken attempt was a major success and it was the first time ever that I'd made a nice, crispy well cooked, moist fried chicken. My other attempts always left me with some half cooked chicken and it didn't get crispy for long. So here goes the ultimately simple fried chicken recipe - guaranteed to be tasting as what you get and taste on any KFC fried chicken outlets out there.

Fried Chicken Recipe :

1. Save the fuss and hassle, so go get yourself one of those Fried Chicken flour mix sold in a box for about RM 1. If you don't have the time to get one, use some flour, add a mix of spice of choice, salt and pepper. The trick to cooking is to be creative and let your taste bud do the work.

2. Follow the instruction on the box:

- beat some egg white ( I didn't want to waste the yolk so I beat one whole egg instead) and dip the chicken pieces into the egg.

- cover the chicken with the flour mixture (I added some chilli powder to for a spicy flavored fried chicken)

- deep fry the flour coated chicken pieces for 10-15 minute on each sides ( depending on the size of your pieces)

3. Once that done the trick of trade here is to put all your deep fried chicken into a pyrex and shove it into the oven for the next 15 minutes or so. This will help to cook the inside bit of your chicken thus leaving the texture all moist and juicy.

Real yummy and a must try. It beats going after that Spicy Ayam Goreng McD or Spicy KFC Fried Chicken. It's less the salt, healthy, and worth the effort. Although be prepared to take sometime for the cooking process. It takes patience to enjoy a great fried chicken. Do give this fried chicken recipe a go!

Animal Anecdotes 5 : Tiger the returning kitten

As of writing now,  I can hear a few tiny meowing from Tiger coming out from our front lawn. Tiger's out of the blue return to the house has becoming increasingly annoying and rather disturbing to whole household. The reason being:

A: the last we saw Tiger and his family ( a cat mom and another brother kitten whom had famously got stucked inside our car's rim) was when we chased the family out from the drain ( that was in late April this year)because the kittens were literally littering the place with foul feces and the smell permeates right into the family living room.

B: we NEVER at any condition allowed or invited or welcome any animals in this case a cat to make our home their home because knowing cats, they are good for only asking for food and pooping around the lawn. Also, not that they are going to protect or provide any kind of returning security for us unlike what a loyal dog will do. It is one of those take and no giving relationship that we had gone through many times with most cats that we had.

C: Tiger came unannounced and unexpectedly crying desperately for food and he looked like he has seen better days with runny nose, ticks, dirtied eyes and scrawny looking because its ribs are showing. The kitten has even the nerves to try sneaking into our front door whenever there's a chance and I never understand why. Why for returning after more than a month? Why keep coming back after we had chased him out again? Oh why?

Another part reason to Tiger being consistent and relentless about sticking around the house was the fact that I gave him food. Oh yes I did! One major mistake done. However you tell me, how can you have no mercy seeing a wailing kitty, looking very hungry, dirty and skinny just like in these photos below and go on about in life like nothing is happening right in front of you?

[caption id="attachment_950" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Tiger eating the left over fish I was making a fuss about in the morning because someone in the house didn't eat it and left it to be thrown away. Luckily Tiger the kitten came along."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_951" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="He got his name from this Tiger Poster by WWF he was eating on. That piece of paper was picked out by chance and what do you know it had to be a Tiger poster. On a side note, do support the Tiger mission by WWF wil you!"][/caption]

We are still contemplating on what to do with this cat. Someone got a bright idea to throw it far away from the house so that he can have a chance of the real life outside our home or more accurately, quit popping around the house and pooping around as well. If you are in my shoes, what will you do with this poor kitty?

Mount Kinabalu Expedition: Final Episode - The Climbathon descent

You would have thought that my previous post , the Mount Kinabalu Expedition: Final Episode - Low's Peak would have been the last post for my Mt. Kinabalu 2D1N expedition would you? You got it wrong! Haha. I can assure you that this post will be the final episode for my Mount Kinabalu Expedition series.I call this post as the Mount Kinabalu Climbathon descent because that's what happened during the first few minutes of my descent from Low's Peak toward Sayat- Sayat.