Floria Putrajaya 2011, troisième partie

Sneak Peek

Cedric decided to give us a sneak peek yesterday. First sight we've had of the little fella.

T minus 37 to another seismic shift in our lives.

Extreme Challenge @ Skytrex, Shah Alam

All of 15 minutes from my office in Shah Alam, there had been talk of going to Extreme Adventure Park for the past one year. Never got around to it until last Saturday. There were 6 of us and we were there for the Extreme Challenge, the toughest one available on the course.

the Flying Fox - flying without wings

Now how would I describe the course ? Think of it as an obstacle course on a playground. Not very difficult except that it was held some 50-70 feet in the air amongst the trees.

Of course, if you're afraid of heights, then it gets very challenging. But what I found was that once you've completed the first 2-3 activities, you don't really notice that you're pretty high up in the air.

walking the plank ala Pirates.

I like this photo cos the girl standing on the platform can be used

as an approximation to help measure the distance to the ground.

The price is RM50 for the Extreme Challenge - not particularly expensive. And you need just a reasonable fitness level. Nothing that one walk a week, or youth, cannot provide. If you're interested, click Skytrex.

self-portrait while climbing down near the end of the course

And at the end, you'll feel fly like a G6.

And now for the photo of the day; or at least the most action packed one.

Floria Putrajaya 2011, part deux

It would have been better if they could put their faces at the window

but they were not allowed to step on the grass

Rehab ? No, No, No !

Dedicated to Amy Winehouse RIP.

I guess that this song captures her essence perfectly. It's her biggest hit and one that she lived to the bitter end.

They tried to make me go to rehab,
I said "No, No, No."

Why some will find it difficult to vote BN

There are many things wrong with the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, I will admit that. And Anwar as a Prime Minister - with his history - is not a prospect that I exactly savour. But when I see that a French lawyer (William Bourdon) investigating a crooked deal made by the Malaysian Defence Ministry get deported ......

.... I get frustrated. The current Malaysian government will not allow their books to be opened citing military confidentiality. The question is, what is there to hide ? If there are no shenanigans, what is there to worry about ? Bourdon wasn't even conducting his investigations in Malaysia - he was doing it in France !

Further down, MP Tony Pua outlines other deals made by the Defence Ministry which draw scrutiny :

A rough calculation shows that for the 3 deals, an additional RM11.7 billion was paid compared to purchases made by other governments. That buys a lot of diamonds !!

So the questions - and the frustration - are

If there is nothing to hide, why aren't you opening the books ?
Isn't it important to have transparency ?
Isn't it important to show that you are not 'squandering' the rakyat's money ?
Isn't it important to clear your name and shows us proof that the amounts paid were justifiable ?
Damn it, it's my money too !

There are many things wrong with the Barisan Nasional. Granted, perfection is unattainable. But surely a reasonably competent government is not too much to ask for ? Or one where the taint of corruption doesn't stink up the joint !

on Flowers - Floria Putrajaya 2011

We popped into the Floria Putrajaya flower show last weekend on a chance remark from the kitten's nanny. She said that she was thinking of going. I mentioned it to Dream and we decided to go that afternoon itself.

And it's funny - I never realized that Putrajaya is all of 20 minutes from where we stay. We've been driving to Subang Jaya, USJ, Shah Alam, LCCT, KLIA and you see all those road signs which say "Putrajaya" and yet I have not gone there for donkey years.

Anyway, we spent a few hours there and my impressions were :

* It's a pretty decent sized flower show

* There were many people there

* 95% of the people there looked local

Photos. I've split them into a few parts as I go through the catalogue of shots taken. This is the first part.

at the bridge leading to Precinct 2

School expedition. I don't recall going on one in my primary school days.

a better photo would have been if the kitten was sat right in the

midst of those brilliant orange flowers - not gonna happen

cameras everywhere, of course

a few exhibits in the air-conditioned tent coming up next

chaos

That's it for now.

Kingdom of Rust by Doves

When you play this video, close your eyes as it begins. This is what I see in my mind.

One, two, maybe three cowboys riding on horses heading to town. As in spaghetti westerns, they are on their way to solve Trouble.


And when the guitars kick in at 2:11, the Gunfight at the OK Corral begins - and those cowboys kick ass - cue John Woo slow-mo shootout scenes.

Man, this song would sound great in a western. But maybe it's just me ....

Bersih 2.0 : on Speaking without Words

You know the saying 'A Picture speaks a Thousand Words' ? Well, when Queen Elizabeth met Malaysian Prime Minister Najib on 14th July - a mere 5 days after the Bersih 2.0 rally on 9th July - decked out in a striking yellow dress ........ That Dress spoke a thousand words.

Bearing in mind that there aren't many photos of the Queen in a yellow dress, surely this was a coincidence ? But just in case it wasn't .....


Even the flowers in the room were yellow - talk about matching.

vol. XIV