The Extra Planetary Colonization Age Draws Nearer

November 23 2015 will be marked as a historic year for space travel. Blue Origin a company set to compete with SpaceX has done it. They landed a booster successfully on a target with the goal of reusing it. While this was a test flight and the rocket was nothing in size compared to SpaceX's Falcons, they proved the concept viable–which is to land the booster vertically on a designated point on earth with the intention of reusing it. I hope the two teams at Blue Origin and SpaceX have enough magnanimity to share their data. Undoubtedly the efforts of both these companies are going to set a new standard especially in lowering the cost of access into space. If both the cargo pod and the boosters of the rocket can be wholly or partially be reused the cost of sending satellites into space, let alone people will come down. That is good news for all of us as it means streaming wireless technology will expand rapidly. Kudos to Jeff Bezos founder of Blue Origin and Amazon.com and all the best to Elon Musk's SpaceX until their next launch.

Mars is the next Human frontier, lets save our fossil fuel for Mars climate change and not waste it damaging Earth.

Read Obama's Hopeful UNFCCC Speech

A positive and hopeful speech. Read it here.

Under Obama's tenure despite the uneco-friendly fracking oil boom, he has championed the growth of renewable energy industry in the US like no US Presidents before. Bush Jr. only talked about it when oil prices skyrocketed to more than $80 a barrel during his presidency but did nothing in the way of creating the solar belt in middle America. Under Obama electric cars, solar, wind  and other renewables have been booming. Let's be part of this change. For starters:

image from columbiatn.com

The Renewable Energy Revolution

Solar cells and small wind turbines can be installed conveniently for households nowadays. Until a few years ago installing home solar systems was usually the domain of DIY hobbyist and was quite cost and material prohibitive. But with companies like Solar System Malaysia and many others sprouting everywhere that can sustain a business model because the population is becoming sensitive to the needs of the environment the tide towards residential energy generation is turning. In Malaysia the mainstream grid that is mainly powered with coal is comparatively cheaper that other parts in the world because of government subsidies. Yet because of the urgent concern to stem the causes of global warming concerned citizens are moving on to harness their own clean energy.

Renewable energy systems are not only clean, they are empowering. No doubt electricity is the most convenient form of energy for households. Imagine having to go back to burning oil and wood for light and heat like the old days. Until a few years ago the idea of generating our own electricity used to be an inconvenient one. If not for the progress of renewable energy technology like solar and wind power maintaining a diesel or gas electric generator at home to supply home electric needs would be a messy daily chore we would rather not be bothered with; hence the national power grid.

Renewable energy systems–solar heaters, PV cells and wind turbines require less maintenance than diesel generators and can be a quiet part of any household while freeing the monthly budget off energy costs. Solar PV cells have come down in cost considerably now that national grids are moving big time into solar electric generation. As production ramps up costs are coming down further which is very good news. Eventually the sight of solar panels on rooftops is going to be ubiquitous and if poor households and villages have access to cheap or free energy their living standard is going to improve tremendously. The renewable energy revolution that is starting now as a quiet industry that will become an economic juggernaut that is going to free billions, perhaps even trillions of dollars of energy spending into the consumer market. This is going to be a global phenomenon that will be interesting to keep an eye out for.

Becoming the lords of our own power has serious implications especially for energy companies who are at the source of all economy. If we embrace the option of generating our own clean energy obviously we will have more money for other things and it will also bring down the cost of living immensely. Imagine if you power your home and personal transport with your own energy–using electric cars and electric stoves, that would translate to considerable savings. With a good maintenance routine the ability to live off the grid would open up cheaper real estate where land prices do not need to include grid connections. Renewable energy is going to cause the next economic and political revolution. We are at the cusp of this revolution.

Our Responsibility As Humans

Survival is ingrained in each and every one of us. It is an instinct that we inherited from the very first form of life that came to be in our planet many billions of years ago. If the goal of life is to survive then we humans are very accomplished. We can manipulate and moderate whatever environment we find ourselves in to our needs. In just some thousands of years of working and sharing together as a species we have come up with amazing technologies up to where we can realistically contemplate colonising other planets. Factor in genetic engineering where we can tinker with nature even further and what is to come in the future is truly mind boggling.

Saying that we as a species have collectively become a force of nature is a sobering thought and it transfers upon us the heavy responsibility of deciding on the fate of other species. Thus far we have taken the power of nature to replenish herself for granted. We assumed that our planet was too big for us wee humans to cause any serious damage. However things started to change in the 70's when the first nature conservancy WWF for Nature took hold to save the biggest creatures on Earth, the whales and elephants from extinction. Save our Seas–one of WWF's initiative thought me a lot about the different types of whales in the sea and how vulnerable they were in spite of their size and strength when confronted with human technology.

Does it really matter if all the natural environments disappear and we are left with only animals and plants that are important to us for food and to keep as pets. We are heading toward this future. Perhaps a study of the how life evolved over billions of years on Earth and study of the various periods of mass extinction might impress upon us the size and scope of the responsibility of being the master of nature. I think it is easier and more fulfilling to be a steward of nature than lording over it.

2015 Trends as the Year of Ominous Weather Records

The state of global climate will make history in 2015... – WMO

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has come out with a press release on its most current findings about the state of the global climate. It usually reserves its full report until data for an entire year has been collected however as fodder for the World Climate Summit in Paris next month it issued this most current report. I excerpt the most pertinent statements below. The full press release can be read here.

Temperatures have now risen 1 degree Celsius since pre-industrial times (1880-1899).

Levels of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere reached new highs and in the Northern Hemisphere spring 2015 the three month average global concentration of CO2 crossed 400 ppm (parts per million) barrier for the first time.

The global average sea-surface temperature, which set a record last year, is likely to be met or beaten this year. 

The global air average temperature record has been "absolutely smashed in 2015." – Prof. Matthew England UNSW

This warming blows away the record breaking 1997-1998 El Nino by a massive 0.2 degrees Celsius.

These are significant changes for the climate system, with the likelihood that these are the warmest temperatures since the last ice age, and the highest levels of carbon dioxide in more than two-and-a-half-million years. 

The latest estimates of global sea level indicate that the global average sea level in the first half of 2015 was the highest since satellite observations became available in 1993.

Yemen suffered from unprecedented back to back cyclones in early November with Chapala becoming the first tropical cyclone to make landfall followed by Megh.

El Nino 2016 Should Inspire UNFCCC

I was drafting this article before the Paris terror attacks. Its always saddening to me when there is news like this. Whether it is terror by lonely narcissists or zealots inspired by religious madness or political megalomaniacs. Nevertheless it underscores just how dangerous taking our existence on this beautiful planet for granted. Human civilisation is precious and I hope that while not taking the Paris tragedy for granted the world forges ahead with serious strides toward combating climate change at the Paris Climate Summit (UNFCCC).

Environmentalism is now not only cool but a politically savvy philosophy. This year's climate change summit in Paris is going represent a major shift as national leaders jostle for a place to be the king of the podium as they state their unequivocal support for increased green technology. China and India are starting to change their chorus about their right to pollution that has been their drone for the past few decades. President Barack Obama has made climate change his no-holds-barred legacy stand. Hybrid if not electric car technology is set to become ubiquitous and the norm in the next 10 years. It seems we are heading the right direction to begin a serious effort to combat the cause of climate change. I am quite upbeat about all this change and I believe the 2020's is going to herald the era of sustainable development. It's not a moment too soon as the battering forces of El Nino 2016 exacerbates global climate.

Sumatran Rhino was officially declared extinct in Malaysia in 2015, less than 100 survive in Sumatra, a population that is unsustainable. 

Last month October 2016 saw millions of tons of carbon dioxide and other global warming gasses get released into the atmosphere as millions of acres of peat sink burn. Hurricane Koppu in the Philippines and Hurricane Patricia in the Pacific show just how much more devastating rain can become as the average sea temperature creep upward. As scientist mull the highly likely extinction of polar bears in the wild we have to come to terms that the beautiful and shy Sumatran Rhino is extinct because there simply isn't enough prestine rain forest inSouth East Asia to sustain even a small population. El Nino is also predicted to cause a mass tropical coral die-off. Coral cover has already reduced to 50% of its original cover pre world-industrialisation. Mass coral bleaching are sad events, so we have to brace ourself for the white death that will occur in the Pacific Ocean, most notably in Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Lets hope the climate change summit this year does not get derailed by anti-terror rhetoric. We want to hear what global leaders are putting in place in their respective countries to stay average temperature rise from 2 degrees Celsius and not breach 400 ppm for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. We are at the cusp of El Nino 2016 and extreme climate its causing should underscore the urgent need for serious macro measures to deal with the causes of climate change. It has to be as important if not more important the the fight against terror. 

Earth’s Lungs In Flames

The haze is choking South East Asia. Its been weeks since I’ve enjoyed blue skies with clouds. About 10 days ago there was just a few days when it seemed that the haze season was finally over for 2015 but it came back to all our consternation in the Klang Valley worse than ever! Its bad enough that this man made problem in South East Asia has become so ubiquitous that we’ve had to become somewhat impervious to its nuisance begrudgingly accepting it as a season as if it was a natural quirk of nature, this year we have to endure a longer and more hazardous period. This situation however has been predicted for this year. We are feeling the adverse effects of El Nino. For all the efforts of daring fire fighters and no matter how much money governments can throw at the problem with expensive water bombing and cloud seeding operations only Mother Nature can douse her own fiery tempest with seasonal monsoon rains that are failing due to El Nino.

The South East Asian haze is probably one of the most ignored ecological disaster that is being perpetrated by man. Forest fires are not at all the norm for equatorial rain forests which are so important to mankind and all life on earth as its function as the lungs of the planet. The intensity of photosynthesis that occurs year round in equatorial rain forests not only recycles carbon dioxide into oxygen, it also sinks tons of carbon into plant tissue. Much of the carbon becomes trapped in the food chain and a big portion of it gets sunk in the ground as forest peat. The peat is supposed to be constantly damp or water logged which keeps it from ever burning even in the driest of years. Unlike temperate forests in the northern hemisphere which require periodic fires as part of the ecology to sustain those forest, burning peat kills rain forest trees by burning out their roots. Equatorial rain forest trees and animals also depens largely on the peat for nutrition, without the peat in these rain forests its soil is just too bare to support trees and seedlings.

The haze this year is terrible because of El Nino. More forests are getting killed by the fires this year than on the average year. However as a haze season suggest this unnatural 'natural disaster' has been happening every year for the past 3 decades. So apart from the pressures that Equatorial rain forest face from agricultural land clearing, mining concessions and timber extractations we have this burning to further reduce the size of virgin rain forests. These are forests that have taken many millennia to form and mature. A single giant equatorial rain forest tree can take a century to grow to its majestic proportions–when we lose them we cannot expect to regrow them for a few generations.

To compound this bad news the burning peat adds billions of tons of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. It has been estimated that every haze season adds greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere equivalent to Germany's production in a year. This year we can expect even more than that. While some argue that the greenhouse gasses from the burning forests will be reabsorbed by the new growth its important to remember that peat is a type of fossil fuel. It takes decades, even centuries to form so most of the greenhouse gases emitted from burning peat will add directly to global warming. Add to that we are losing more of Earth's lungs every year in all the continental equatorial rain forests which makes the burning peat in South East Asia a serious global problem.

The equatorial rain forests across the globe are very important to all of us. If we take the South East Asian haze problem as a regional issue and not a global one we are ignoring the fact that Earth's lungs are on fire–this cannot be good for any of us no matter where we live. Less oxygen and less unpolluted fresh water is not a problem we should take for granted. Its time the world takes note of the volume of equatorial rain forest we still have and pressure countries and industries to protect them for the sake of mankind. Its also time we completely halt the economy around virgin timber from any forest and its time the world regulated the oil palm industry which is the main culprit behind the haze.

No doubt the following year is going to be a tough one for South East Asia. One one side South China, Japan and the Philippines have been battered by ferocious winds and floods. On this side of the region, its getting bone dry. This is going to effect rice production in the world's rice basket so rice is going to be more expensive and we cannot tabulate yet the effect of all the greenhouse gasses being released into the atmosphere. We are probably going to feel its effects as the era of global warming rolls on. 

Elon Musk Needs Marketing Help

Way to go Tesla–its much anticipated Model X SUV rolls out albeit with little fanfare–this I think is where Elon can use some help. I went through the whole 30 minutes and as much as I appreciated his data based presentation and I am convinced its a great car, a pioneer in many ways, I can't help but mention that the presentation was boring. At the very least they could have had some cool music and a light show as the car rolled up on the stage–and how about some confetti? The next big turn off was talking about crash tests with graphics to boot right after the roll out! Again I appreciate the info on how Model X is topping the charts on safety but instead of droning data and crashed Teslas a Campaign Ad style ad with a happy family in the car enjoying a care free ride would have done the trick. First impressions do make a difference in how people perceive things, though I am sure that most of the people in the audience are Tesla and Elon fans (Teslans) as I am and would sit through any presentation he puts on we'd also like to see Tesla take on the big guys at their game too. You don't have to go with sexy car models if thats not your thing but a band to liven up the atmosphere isn't too much to ask I think. It would have made all the difference.

Perhaps Tesla's marketing or really the lack thereof has more to do with Tesla's noble mission to "accelerate the advent of sustainable transport". In the recent unveiling of Porsche's electric concept car the Mission-e that set news media abuzz, touting it as a competition to Tesla's technology, Elon Musk suavely welcomed Mission-e as a success of Tesla's goals. He said, "Any action in the direction of electric mobility is good...Our goal at Tesla is for cars to transition to e-vechicles. That is why we have opened up all our patents for use by anybody."

Thus we have today mainstream car makers jostling for pole position in moving toward the green agenda. Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Chevrolet are all out with all electric models and even if you wanted to buy other gas models such as the Honda Civic you can opt for the hybrid one. From what I've read about Tesla's mission this is exactly what they have been waiting for when they created the first ever Tesla, the Roadster–that is 100% electric vehicles are just as safe, reliable and powerful as fossil fuel powered cars. Perhaps this is why Tesla is not so concerned about fanfare, its about pushing the tech envelope towards a fossil fuel free world faster. Elon Musk and Tesla are the "It can be done now!" force of innovation and the "here's the data and here's how you can do it" thumb in the face. So it seems that Teslan's don't care very much for glitz and glamour. Cheers be to Tesla–I'm waiting for the pickup truck!

A Great Book of Quotes for Free

The Great Book of Best Quotes of All Time is a free ebook created by one Abhi Sharma as his academic project. The quotes that he has selected for this book is organised by alphabetical order of origin of the quotes, so Albert Einstein is in A, Henry Ford is in H–yes, use the first name to search for your favourite quoter, this is Asian style. The collection encompasses the famous and infamous, so you can find Adolf Hitlers fist thumpers and Joseph Stalins oxymorons. There are also themes such as Humor, Inspiration, Movies, Music and more. There are altogether 2000+ quotes on 200+ pages. The book is an incredible compendium that is way more worth the few seconds it takes to download. Here is the link to download this book for free. I assure you it will be among the most entertaining and useful books you'd download. Thank You Mr. Abhi Sharma and the quoters.

Destination Mars–Speak About Travel Ideas!

How about a vacation on Mars? I am excited about humans being able to go to Mars, especially the notion of us becoming extra planetary. It is also an endeavour that can unify us as a people where   perhaps we can make Mars a race and religion free zone. If you think about it race and religious culture is primarily build on history and locations on Earth that may not be practical to export to Mars. Anyhow the discussion of how we might populate Mars is still at least a century away in technology–I think we are about a decade away from sending an international team of astronauts, but as The Martian depicts it Mars is far from hospitable to life as we know it here on Earth. It is however a planet that can be Terra-formed, or made Earth-like; the tech and machines needed to condition Mars to mirror Earth is certainly within our means and it can be useful to us now to keep our amazing planet from becoming less hospitable to us.

What is Mars like compared to Earth?

Gravity: A bit less than half of Earth, more specifically 0.375 Earth's gravity. So things are lots lighter on Mars. Mars is almost exactly half the size of Earth.

Atmospheric pressure: Mars has very light atmospheric pressure which is variable across the planet and is calculated as a planetary average of about 1/1000 of Earth's very stable 1 atmosphere. Mars' air is mainly carbon dioxide with a little nitrogen and very little oxygen, still it has the ingredients to support plant life in a green house which can eventually change the balance of atmospheric composition towards more oxygen and less carbon dioxide. In fact to Terra form Mars we can export our CO2 and fossil fuels to Mars. Machines in combination with plants can use the byproducts of burning fossil fuels for energy in Mars to increase the volume and types of gasses in Mars' atmosphere to become Earth like. Perhaps we should reserve our current reserves of fossil fuels on Earth for Terra forming Mars!

Average Temprature: Another big difference between Mars and Earth. Average temperature of Earth is 14 degrees Celsius, Mars is at super deep freeze -(minus)63 degrees Celsius. However the average temperature on Mars could go up significantly if we pumped greenhouse gasses into its atmosphere! We need global warming on Mars not Earth! I think its time we stopped the global warming experiment on Earth, we now know it works.

Length of the Year: The Mars year is about twice that of Earth. Earth at 365 and Mars–687 Earth days. However Mars has almost similar day length to Earth at 24 hours and 37 minutes and its tilt at its axis is 25 degrees whereas Earth is 23.45 degrees. So there are seasons and differing climatic zones in Mars as on Earth.

I got all these comparisons from the Phoenix Mars Mission website. Here's the link.

Its good that the US and Europe have been at the frontier of Mars exploration since the 70's. If the West continue to hold the monopoly of information on Mars than at least we know universality will be a consideration of human ambitions on Mars. As the interest grows in Mars especially with the discovery of liquid water pointing to a possible subterranean source the Mars race is about to begin. China and Russia will not want to be left out especially since India has successfully sent a probe to Mars. Hopefully this endeavour will unify us and bring us into a new era of international ambitions.

El Nino 2015 Rakes Up in Damages and Human Lives

2 super typhoons, Dujuan and Mujigae just days after each other make for a very busy and powerful typhoon season for the South China Sea. Two super typhoons one after the other just shows how much heat the sea has to dissipate. Mujigae also spawned a rare tornado as it is made landfall. This amazing but devastating sight can be seen caught on camera. Global Warming is raising its destructive head with these weather dramas.

Meanwhile a whole lot of precipitation in China and Taiwan did not help us here in South East Asia, especially in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia as a lack of rain and wind worsened the hazy conditions in many parts of the country to hazardous levels. In Malaysia the government had to close schools and the price of vegetables and chicken have spiked as farmers suffer reduced vegetable productivity from lack of sunlight and and chickens die in the millions breathing the smog. Usually by this time of the year, October, the burning peat in the forests and farmland will be put out by seasonal monsoon rains. But as predicted El Nino has disrupted the monsoon pattern and instead of the usual wet end of year we are in for a drought.

Learn more about El Nino 2015 - 2016 here.

The Destruction of Palmyra–Blame it on Water Shortage

More specifically it has been suggested that the civil war in Syria was caused by country's dwindling fresh water supply. It seems rural Syrian farmers had to migrate to cities like Damascus in the thousands to look for livelihood as their farmland dried up. As the population grew in the desert cities, the cities became exhausted from shortages of basic amenities and work fuelling a growing disgruntled population to revolt against authorities and the elites. The feud turned to war. Thus ISIS which is systematically destroying pre-Islamic historical monuments which arose from the Syrian Civil War that can be blamed on water shortage. So instead of spending billions in destructive bombing campaigns, perhaps just build desalination plants and work on an equitable water agreement of the Tigris and Euphrates basin. The same farmers who are bearing arms might just turn in their guns for pitch forks and the peace of farming. As the world gets hotter and human population climbs water shortages are inevitable. Bombing people who are fighting for basic needs is certainly a horrible way to solve the problem, they get angry and do silly things.

I came across this article from the Smithsonian as I was looking up the destroyed Arch of Triumph that connects the the problem of the lack of water to the Syrian crisis. Learn more about the historical significance of Palmyra from BBC. At least we have the internet to remember what the monuments looked like–like the Buddhas of Bamiyan, Afghanistan.

These are travel ideas unfortunately relegated to the history books and google images.

China and India coming to the table on Climate Change

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert does his thing to give us a heads up on the latest on the politics of Climate Change. His hilarious take on China signing an historic agreement that Obama has brought to the table for China to cap its appetite for fossil fuels underscores China's huge investment in green tech–US$89 billion in 2014 and continuing its commitment toward replacing its coal fired plants that still accounts for 66% of its power generation. However China still estimates that its greenhouse emissions will continue to increase until 2030 and fall thereafter–keeping my fingers crossed.

India too is moving head long into solar power. Today Germany's Merkel and India's Modi signed an Euro 1billion deal to solarise India, nevertheless India is upping its coal production for energy in the short term. Part of the foolish thinking in Asia and other developing countries that it has the right to pollution as the price of development. If only a kid can teach the 'the powers that be' that development means improving conditions not degrading them.

The world is preparing for the Climate Summit in Paris this December and I think for the first time being serious about commitments to stop polluting Earth has moved from the stubborn lair of scientists and sappy flower-power 'new-agees' to finally gain worth in political currency. The Chinese Premier and Indian Prime Minister making public shows of their effort to be environmentally responsible is a big step forward albeit somewhat late in the game. Thanks to scientists coming together to unequivocally declare that burning fossil fuels is the main cause of the current Global Warming crisis. Progress like everything else moves the fastest with popularity–lets keep our fingers crossed and make not wasting cool.

500 Useful 'How To Do This and That'

If you have time and have struck out on ideas of what to do this pictorial book is what you need. Whether you are looking for things to do with your kids or wondering how to salt the rim of your margarita glass properly to learning about soccer, this book-Show Me How–500 Things You Should Know can tickle you with all sorts of creative plans. There are 499 DIY pictorial plates that give you basic steps that can inspire science experiments with kids or hitting the dance floor with some groovy moves. Granted you wouldn't master most of the 500 suggestions by simply looking at the pictorials-like how to do a skateboard flip, or get that perfect golf swing but it does prepare you with basic knowledge that's helpful for a tryout. Good for parents, teachers and older teenagers (16+). Just flip the pages and you will have plenty of fodder for stuff that may have been on your todo list for years but just didn't have the time to get the info you need to get you started.

Lots of fashion and style info and tips. From what makes a perfect suit, to henna tattoo patterns, hair braiding, facials...etc

Doing the tango and other grooves come under romance 'how tos'

Ever wondered how to make a perfect bed or how to organise house chores to daily, weekly, annually?

What about fending off a shark, navigating using stars and figuring out compass directions using sun shadow?–plenty more survival stuff.

If want to keep pets better to get as much info before hand.

Gardening tips aplenty.

Really helpful stuff for taking care of baby and kids.

Art stuff to do with kids like secret messages using invisible ink

Quick fix recipes.

 Know your wines like a pro, which wine goes with what food.

 Hobby projects like making a basic motor, turning potatoes into battery or making a homemade radio.

Don't ever get bored again, there is plenty of fun stuff to do and learn, Show Me How can inspire.

Volkswagen and Emission Politics

If I couldn't drive around in an electric car economically, I would at the very least opt for a car that is certified with high clean emission standard. But to find out that such a trusted brand as Volkswagen would knowingly cheat its customers to thinking that they were being environmentally responsible when they bought their cars is disappointing to say the least.

As far as I know Europe is leading the world in moving towards green and sustainable technologies and certainly Volkswagen is not a company that is short of ideas and innovative possibilities nor are they scrimped for resources. The other thing to ponder is also how authorities in Europe could have been fooled by the company, surely they must be aware of this cheat software. I mean if my job was to certify real Rolex from fake ones I would keep abreast with how cheaters fake a Rolex. It's hard to think that relevant authorities would omit checking a car for the cheat software. Then again maybe they too were conned by Volkswagen's trustworthy reputation.

John Oliver takes VW to the cleaners, be prepared its not for kids.

The silver lining of this story is that Volkswagen got caught with its pants down and will have to face expensive consequences. I think the CEO of Volkswagen coming out Jobs style with a show of sincere apology is not what customers are looking for–its lame. This will be a hard fix for VW's reputation and kudos to the media for highlighting this story and whacking a giant company where it hurts the most–undeniable facts. No pussy footing or politicking around what matters the most–a planet free from pollution.

Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida

It so happened that I was watching an Indonesian variety programme about amazing places to explore off the usual track in Indonesia. When it comes to thinking about Indonesia, Bali is almost always the next thought that comes to mind. I have been to Bali only once, that was in 1982. I loved the place as a kid. My parents were no adventurers or that much into nature, they just liked places with nice scenery where they could take photos comfortably. I on the other would relish at hiking into forests or jumping into oceans to check out the wild and natural. 1982 I was only 11 and simply went along with my parents idea of travel. Still I really enjoyed Bali's amazing exotic and friendly vibe.

I live in Malaysia it's the same region as Bali, we speak more or less the same language as them yet Malaysia with its industrial-developed nation ambitions gave only scant regard to preserving and highlighting much of its native culture. We are still the King in SEA when it comes to food variety but when it comes to nature, culture and that uniquely exotic South East Asia feel even we Malaysian's need to go Indonesia, Thailand or Indochina.

I sidetracked a bit. This post is actually a reminder for me to check out these two islands off Bali in my future visit that have amazing coastal scenery, diving and snorkelling spots. Bali itself doesn't have much to offer in diving and snorkelling but three islands Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida that are 20kms off Bali make up for that shortage.

Basic Directions:
Get there by ferry from a port in Sanur on Bali. Takes 45 mins. Most scuba trips from Bali go to these islands.
Agoda has more hotel deals on Nusa Lembongan compared to Ceningan and Penida. 

How To Read Bar Codes–Useful Info

Especially if you want to find out if Donald Trumps merchandise is made in China or Mexico.

Many products no longer show where they were made, only give where the distributor is located.
It is important to read the bar code to track its origin.

How to read Bar Codes
This may be useful to know when grocery shopping, if it's a concern to you.

If the first 3 digits of the barcode are 690 to 695, the product is Made in China.
471 is Made in Taiwan. 740-745 made in Central America.

This is our right to know, but the government and related departments never educate the
public.

Nowadays, Chinese businessmen know that many consumers do not prefer products "MADE IN CHINA ", so they don't show from which country it is made.

However, you may now refer to the barcode - remember if the first 3 digits are:

690-692 ... then it is MADE IN CHINA
00 - 09 ... USA & CANADA
30 - 37 FRANCE
40 - 44 GERMANY
471 ... TAIWAN
49 ... JAPAN
50 ... UK

Travel Ideas

I am a fan of the internet, from communications, recipes, creative ideas, education to travel it has certainly revolutionised the way I go about life. However when it comes to travel and adventure I sometimes think too much information spoils the experience. I don’t mean the convenience of booking travel tickets or accommodation, its just that there is less to explore and enjoy fresh without having the opinions of some random traveller in mind colouring the experience.Then again its really tempting to get info before hand from the web on what its like to visit a place, bazaar or restaurant. The problem is once a review is read the unexpected or surprise factor is lost.

Its hard to ignore what the internet has to offer before I even decide on a destination because I would rather not lose out on value for money. Reading first hand traveller reviews of a hotel is impossible to avoid. The benefits of this is obvious but on the other hand booking a hotel that looks good on paper but junk on hand is kind of a fun experience in retrospect. The unexpected is the stuff of adventures, the stuff of fun stories and interesting conversation fodder.

So I am behooved to look for places to travel off the beaten track. I am going to use my blog here to also keep travel ideas that I encounter every so often through books, news and documentaries. For a start I got this book from amazon.com–The Road Less Travelled. 1000 Amazing Places Off The Tourist Trail by Eyewitness Travel. What caught my interest is ‘thousand places’. That should keep me spoilt for choice I reckoned. The book doesn’t disappoint. What I liked straight off is the way the content is organised which is based on travel themes–Ancient and Historical Sights, Great Journeys, Festivals and Parties, Architectural Marvels, Natural Wonders, Sports and Activities, Cities, Beaches & Art and Culture.

I am in South East Asia and I have never imagined going to Laos. This book says the Pak Ou Caves are worth a visit and it gives some basic information and the best way to get there and best time to go. I am sure I can get more info from the internet, but I would rather not wiki or google it until I’ve gone there. If you are interested in party holidays in Asia while there is the famous Koh Phagan full moon parties in Thailand, there is also the secret full moon parties in Goa, India.

 Crusing Lake Nasser vs Cruising the Nile

 Everywhere else in India except the Taj Mahal and Mumbai

 Never Run Out of Beach and Island Escapades! 

The Solution to Malaysia’s Haze Problem is Simple

Forest fires used to be very rare in South East Asia. In the 70’s and 80’s, during my schooling years there was no such thing as the annual haze. I remember in the late 80’s and 90’s you could see the sun occasionally covered by an ever so slight haze. It is nothing like what it is nowadays. For the most part of the 90’s I lived in as far as one can be from constraining pollution–the Hawaiian island of Kauai. When I came back to Malaysia in 2002 I got reacquainted with the haze as a season.

August through October, the driest months in Malaysia are also its haziest. We have learned not to bother complaining about it, to just live with it and walk around with a surgeons mask on especially acrid days. Every so many years, as in El Nino years, the haze gets so hazardous that the government has to shut down schools and advise people not to go out as politicians come out to speak about curing the problem once and for all–until the next year.

There is a city in there

This year El Nino is up and at it again. The haze has caused a nationwide shutdown of schools though for only one day but we are hoping that the worst is over. I live in the Klang Valley and yesterday after living through a two week blanket of haze and dry weather it rained for a whole day. What a relief. The not so great news is that the rains were the result of days of cloud seeding not the inter monsoon rains that anyway should be disrupted by El Nino. While the Met department is predicting that the the haze will abate, the dryness that El Nino is going to cause this year may be just beginning.

Kids nevertheless know how to have fun when schools out

The annual haze in South East Asia is attributed directly to agriculture. Slash and burn farming is still the cheapest way to clear land for new crop. The main haze contributing crop that is cleared are old growth oil palm–which are big trees. Once the trees are felled and the trunk hauled off for fibre boarding the left over leaves, trunk and root are set ablaze. The main culprits of these fires are small holder farms but because of the lack of enforcement many also believe that the big conglomerate farms are in on the action. On especially dry years like this year, these ‘agri’ fires spark off the forest peat which magnifies the problem.

Agri Slash and Burn

In nature tropical forest peat rarely catch fire, in fact forest fires in the equatorial tropics rarely occur because of peat. The peaty forest beds act as water sinks that prevent fires spreading unlike the forest fires in the temperate forests. Forest fires are also not a natural part of the equatorial ecosystem as it is in the pine forests. In the tropics, large farms need good drainage, the need for this drainage causes the peat in adjoining forest to dry out. When lit peat fires are very difficult and dangerous to put out as it is essentially fire below the surface that creeps at very high temperatures. Water bombing usually doesn’t do much. Incessant monsoon rains that usually get going towards the end of September is the cure. If El Nino interrupts these rains the peat will just have to burn out and the worst of the haze may be yet on the horizon.

Forest Peat on Fire

What strikes me about this haze problem is its scale. It seems so much foliage is burnt that it contributes annually to about 13% of CO2 increase and the resulting smoke blankets thousands of square kilometres engulfing nations for months.Even recent volcanic eruptions pale in comparison. Of course all this burning is renewable as the net CO2 increase will be reabsorbed by replanting what is burnt in a few years. So why not energy companies take advantage of this annual human endeavour and buy the bio mass on the cheap and run power plants instead of using coal. I am sure the volume of growth can last power plants until the next cycle and smoke from the burn can be captured and used by chemical industries and fertiliser plants. Is such an idea far fetched? Its probably easy to implement with the resources that power companies have available to them. Ultimately is about giving up the addiction to coal and crude–that’s as difficult as telling the farmers not to slash and burn. 

Free Photography Books by National Geographic–Eye Openers!

In my younger days I used to travel the world vicariously through National Geographic photos. Those photos taught me to appreciate our truly amazing and beautiful world. Nice photos can capture not just moments but beauty, inspiration, joy, freedom, pain, consternation in a way that cannot be adequately substituted by words.

I've always liked simple point and shoot cameras, even now I am biased to them. Perhaps some day I might get myself a digital SLR but for now I like the ones that I can stash away in my pocket without the hassle of caring too much for it, though I'm not that into camera phones just yet. My favourite point and shoot is the Canon IXUS because of it's awesome colour reproduction. Compared to Sony, Nikon and Olympus which all have their own plus points, Canon's Digic colour processor is outstanding.

Some of my forays with the IXUS

Malaysia's aborigine children ready to eat! The food was provided by a charity that I am part of.

Larger than Life, statue restoration project that I supported.

River Crossing, Takua Pa, Thailand

Temple ruins in a forest, Takuapa, Thailand

Vacation! Tioman Island 2006

Pillow soft glassy coral sand, Tioman Island

Timeless scene. Tanjavur Big Temple, India

Tanjavur Big Temple, India

I don't consider myself anywhere close to a professional photographer, but I have found these following giveaway books on photography by National Geographic very helpful. Here are the links to these books:

Guide to Photography–Photographic Basics is a gem of a book. If you need a simple book to quickly get a grasp of what it takes to take good photos this book on the basics goes a long way. I would say for most of us wannabes who are not really interested in investing time and money in professional photography but want some simple tips just to take decent photos, this is the book to read. You will be done in 10 minutes and realise what the art of taking photos is all about. 

Ultimate Field Guide to Photography is about understanding digital photography. It goes through all the basics of a digital camera, its parts and functions and how exposure, depth of field and the philosophy of backgrounds play their effects on photography. The book is more in-depth and gives a sense of what a professional photographer should know such as light metering, flash effects and so forth. 

The Canon IXUS is also the Powershot ELPH