Bears Galore;1600 in All

A whole army of 1600 black and white bears has invaded the Publika, Solaris Dutamas. They came on the 13th January and will only leave on the 25th. But not to worry because they are really cute little pandas made of papier-mache. They are currently in Malaysia on their world tour program begun in 2008 with the cooperation of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Since 21 December 2014, they have already 'visited' some 14 iconic locations including Dataran Merdeka, Taiping Lake Gardens, Red Square Melaka, Cheong Fatt Tze Pulau Pinang, Dataran Menara Condong Teluk Intan, etc. They are travelling the world to remind you and me about animal welfare and environmental conservation.

Note: The panda sculptures are by Frenchman Paulo Grangeon, who reportedly used recycled paper to create the 1600 pandas, this number being the symbolic representation of pandas left in the wild.

Snapshots: Sunrise over Shah Alam

Sunrise and sunset are magical times especially when a myriad of colours abound in the sky. I have always found dawn and dusk fascinating. Here is what I captured of a beautiful sunrise over Shah Alam recently.

                                               @7.22 am

                              @7.32 am                                           @7.41 am

                                           @7.42 am
13 January 2015

A Librarians' Reunion

Thirteen former Librarians of Universiti Sains Malaysia had a reunion in Petaling Jaya recently. It was great to be able to catch up with ex-colleagues to find out what they were up to now and to especially reminisce about 'the good old days' working in the Library of USM.

Siti Kulthum is all the way from Greece, Penelope from Sabah, Noor Ida from Johor, Rashidah and Ramli from Pulau Pinang. Sook Jean, Siw Lai, Mary, Sakinah, Nurin, Habsah, Pang and I now reside in Selangor. Of course we all agreed to start a whatsapp group immediately to enhance our camaraderie. We look forward to more joining the group, and to more reunions of course.

SA Garden Catalogue: Umbrella Plant

Scientific name: Cyperus involucratus
Syn: Cyperus alternifolius
Common name: Umbrella plant
Family: Cyperaceae/Sedge family
Origin: Uncertain, probably Africa

This Umbrella plant has been in my little garden since I became a permanent Shah Alam resident nearly seven years ago. My good new neighbour gave me a clump from her own plant and it has thrived well in a container. In fact this hardy plant can thrive in marshy places as well as on dry land. It likes to be grown in full sun although the partial sunshine it gets in my garden has posed no problem. Propagation is really easy - by division (like the 'clump' I started with).

Cyperaceae are a family of herbs that look like grasses. The best known species commercially is the rather delicious and crunchy Water chestnut (Eleocharis tuberosa) and then there is the historically famous Papyrus plant (Cyperus papyrus), made into writing paper as far back as 2000 BC in Egypt.

The weather this January is of rather hot spells with thunderstorms every so often in the late afternoons.

Ref:Tropical Horticulture and Gardening/Francis S P Ng. (Ex Libris CNB 1866)

Refreshing Rituals for the Body at the aVi Spa, Avillion

"Steam. Water. Scent. Touch. The essential elements of a spa experience have been the same since people flocked to public steam baths in ancient Sparta. The benefits of spa have remained constant, too. While bathing and pampering help to care for the body, the rituals of spa treatments also help to unify mind, body and spirit for overall well-being" - Leslie Wolski.

We need spa therapies for our active lifestyles, to restore our bodies, revive our minds and energise our spirits. Treatments may range from simple chair massages (in our homes, shopping outlets, even airports, etc.), to public steam baths, to full-day pampering at luxury spas.

The aVi Spa in Avillion Port Dickson offers the best of a luxury spa. Housed in a beautiful white floating building, we couldn't help checking it out when we stayed at a (Avillion) water chalet on New Year Eve recently. We wanted to 'experience their healing philosophy through the serene environment and the selection of rejuvenating and soothing treatments.'

The next day before leaving, we opted for their aVi Signature Rub and Malay Healer massages. After the hour-long session we came away quite refreshed and rejuvenated. We would definitely make return visits.

Ref: Spa/Leslie Wolski. The Body Shop, 2003. Ex Libris CNB 1653
           http://avispa.com.my

Ushering in the New Year at Port Dickson

We wanted to capture the last sunset of 2014 and greet the first sunrise of 2015 by the sea. To breathe the fresh sea breezes and feel the sand under our feet. And Port Dickson seemed the best location because it is near enough to Kuala Lumpur/Shah Alam. So it was a pleasant drive to the Avillion Port Dickson (at the 3rd Mile Jalan Pantai) on the 31st December, for a night's stay there.

Unfortunately, when dusk came, there was no sunset. The sky had been downcast for most of the afternoon although it did not rain. Ces't la vie!

We had dinner at The Verte, and joined in the countdown to the new year with other guests there. There were no fireworks and a minute's silence was observed for victims of our recent disasters. It was altogether a very low-key celebration, appropriate in these difficult times for the nation.

On New Year's day the weather was most pleasant and we spent our time walking barefoot on the beach, strolling around the resort's beautifully landscaped environment (complete with herb garden and roaming peacocks) and enjoying some of the facilities available.

There are two beaches, although the smaller one, Tumasek Beach, being the historic landing place of the Avillion founder Lord Avery (?) was closed. I will have to verify this (piece of local history) later. The three swimming pools cater for family, adults and children. A pet farm/mini zoo seems quite an attraction for kids (and the kid in us all).

We ended our pleasant stay at Avillion Port Dickson with a visit to their award-winning  aVi Spa. (More on this later).

31/12/14-01/01/15        P.S. Thank you B for the New Year treat.

NY@PD; Hello 2015

                                                   Happy New Year 2015
                                    Jumping for joy on the first day of the year at Avillion Port Dickson