Malaysian students in Paris

I was a married student in Ghent, Belgium, in the 70's. And Paris is just a day trip from Ghent. How can one resist. Paris! Romance capital of the world! Our informal Malaysian students organization organized (well, what are organization for) exactly that, a group day trip to Paris. I and my family jumped at the chance and joined the group tour (bus). The interesting thing I saw is our Malaysian version of the controversial Matrade Exhibition and Convention Centre, the Grande Arche de la Défense of Paris. See photo below (second last). Don't it remind you or our very own controversial Matrade which took umpteen years to built plus at huge cost overrun, with a "hole" in the middle of the building (plus a hole in our public fund)?

Paris Attractions

Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower by Steven van Wel

There, that is the icon of Paris, Romance capital of the world, the Eiffel Tower. A real imposing iron structure as seen from the ground. One of the most recognizable structures in the world. That was one of the places we visited. Plus went up in a lift. What a spectacular view of Paris from the top! If you get to Paris, don't ever miss this.

Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Élysées

Arc de Triomphe by Stephen Carlile

Of course we did not miss the Arc de Triomphe, a photo of which you can see above with the Eiffel Tower in the background on the left. The Arc de Triomphe is at the eastern end of the famous Champs-Élysées or what the French call the "Avenue des Champs-Élysées". The Champs-Élysées a very prestigious and broadest avenue in Paris, also much visited by tourists. It has many cinemas, cafés, and luxury specialty shops, one of the most famous streets in the world and the most expensive strip of real estate in the world in Europe, and the second most expensive in the world after New York City's Fifth Avenue.

Louvre and the Louvre Pyramid

Louvre Pyramid by Stephen Carlile

The Louvre which the French calls "Musée du Louvre" is a famous art galleries and museum. It houses antiquities, sculptures and art pieces from all over the world, among them of which are Near Eastern Antiquities, Egyptian Antiquities, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities, Islamic Art, Decorative Arts, Paintings and Prints and Drawings. Among its collections are world famous Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.

The center of the Louvre and its main entrance is now the Louvre Pyramid, a very attractive glass structure designed by the world famous Chinese architect, I.M. Pei. You can see a photo of it above. This is one we missed as it wasn't built yet when we visited Paris.

Grande Arche de la Défense

Grande Arche de la Défense by Christophe Grébert

The Grande Arche de la Défense building was ordered to be built by the French president Mitterand who wanted a modern version of the ancient Arc de Triomphe. A lift to the top of the Grande Arche de la Défense from where you have a beautiful view of Paris city center 4 kilometre away. The sides of the building houses the offices.

Moulin Rouge

Moulin Rouge by Stephen Carlile

Our last stop, the world famous Moulin Rouge, a cabaret famous for its high kicking dancers. It is situated in the red-light district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy near Montmartre. Our package included a ticket to witness the famous high kicking dancers. I was told Frank Sinatra and Zsa-Zsa Gabor performed here, but unfortunately, not when we were there.

With just a one day visit, there is much of Paris we missed. I would like to go back, but this time definitely not a one day visit. This will of course mean getting accommodation which with the environmentally friendly Internet, I will book ahead of arrival at online accommodation booking websites like Paris Hôtels. This is a French online accommodation website. With 2 over years in trilingual Belgium, I have managed to picked up a bit of French, so I think I may abe able to manage the French version of that website especially now with the help of language translator sites like Alta Vista Babel Fish and Google Translate, but it will be a bit bothersome. I learned Dutch when I was in the Dutch part of Belgium, and Dutch have much communality with the German language, so using this German language version of the online accommodation website, Paris Hotels, should not be too much of a problem. And the Spanish version I am guessing is París Hoteles. If I guess correct, that means I am sexa-lingual (six languages - Mandarin (that don't include the dialects), English, Bahasa Malaysia, Dutch, French, Spanish!!!!!!) Not bad eh? (eh, forgot to add German). But being a citizen of a former colony of that former empire on which the sun never set, I guess I would prefer to use Paris Hotels which, needless to say, is the English version of the online Paris accommodation website.

Floods in Malaysia. Save trees. Trees save

Floods hit Malaysia very hard this time, and it is no great surprise. This widely distributed and very meaningful photo will tell the story very eloquently:



Included in the forwarded message was another very meaningful "Save trees. Trees save". the photo and the 2 short sentences tells why Malaysia is facing such a terrible situation. Many people have to be evacuated, homes damaged, even destroyed. Lives lost. Why? Malaysia had not been able to control logging and deforestation very well. Result is a large tract of Malaysia's forest had been destroyed.

Now tree cover is very important. They act like a sponge in the event of heavy rainfall. The rain drops get caught in the foliage (leaves) and only slowly drips down to the forest floor. Some water seeps into the ground and some ended up as surface runoff that eventually ends up in the rivers. Main point is that the surface runoff is much reduced leading to only a small increase in the river flow.

Chop down the trees and you exposed the ground to the heavy rainfall. It does not have time to seep into the ground, so most of it ends up as surface runoff, and these ends up in the rivers. Result. Huge surge in river flow. Floods downstream. People displaced. Lives lost.

That little boy is lucky because there is still a lonely tree left he can climb up to to save himself from drowning. How many are so "lucky"?

Let us save trees. They save people's homes, lives, great inconveniences.

Malaysian Extended Family Gathering in Australia

My sister and her family migrated to Australia because they were worried about the education of their children quite some time ago. They have been back to Malaysia quite frequently for various occasions or sometimes just to see old friends and relatives. My sister broached the idea of having an extended family gathering. I just wonder if having such a gathering in Australia is feasible. Now if it were to materialise, we obviously cannot all squeeze into her home in Australia. We will have to stack our self one on top of the other to sleep. Neither is staying in hotels an option. What is left is serviced apartments which is usually a cheaper alternative to hotels plus usually include cooking facilities so or families can cook our own meals rather eating out. I believe most will also have special places for barbecue.

Serviced Apartments in Melbourne

Where should this mainly Malaysian Extended Family Gathering in Australia takes place if it ever materialises? The best place I can think of is Melbourne, where my sister and her family have settled down. I found Melbourne Accomodation has partnership agreements with various hotels and apartments for group bookings services which I would assume will provide for discounts. An example is Park Squire Motor Inn And Serviced Apartments. Their serviced apartments contain a fully equipped kitchen which is what I am looking for. However, some don't like the unpredictable weather plus perhaps my sister in Melbourne plus her family may look forward to a vacation away from Melbourne for a change. So let us look at other alternatives.

Serviced apartments in Perth

While Perth, capital city of Western Australia, may be the city furthest from any city, it is an Australian city that is nearest to our home country, so the airfare is expected to the the lowest except my sister and her family will have to travel from Melbourne. Perth receives moderate though highly seasonal rainfall. The climate in Perth is not cold in winter, unlike Melbourne, which may be what may of our extended family may like. Its climate has been described as a typical Mediterranean climate. Let us see what is available from Perth Accommodation. I found Seashells Serviced Apartments located at the Scarborough Beach overlooking the emerald clear Indian Ocean. The kids would love that. There are many cities in Australia. Let us look at other alternatives:

Serviced apartments in Brisbane

At Brisbane Accommodation, I found Summit Central Apartment Hotel which has baby sitting service, barbecue area, children's playground plus outdoor swimming pool. Perfect for an extended family gathering. Not only that, the Summit's website says that its location is easily accessible to all the famous sights and attractions of Brisbane, only 500 metres to the City Hall, and Albert and Victoria Parks where all of us can go for refreshing morning walks. Also, Brisbane has a humid subtropical climate not much different from Malaysia. Plus I now have a very good online Australian friend in Sunshine Coast whose sons lives in Brisbane. It will be nice to meet him in person. Brisbane should be a good choice, but.....

Serviced apartments in Adelaide

Some members of our extended family are crazy over culture and festivals, and Adelaide, the capital city of of South Australia is nicknamed the City of Festivals because many festivals like the world famous Adelaide Festival of Arts, Fringe Festival, Adelaide Film Festival, Adelaide Festival of Ideas, Adelaide Writers' Week, the Feast Festival, and the WOMADelaide, which is Australia's premier world music event, are held there. There is a suitable serviced apartment available from Adelaide Accommodation, the Quest Mansions Serviced Apartments which is classified a 3 to 5 star accommodation. Quest Mansions Serviced Apartments is located conveniently near the City area, which should please the ladies whom I am sure would like to go for some shopping. Adelaide too has a Mediterranean climate which should be mild enough to our extended family members from Malaysia used to warm climate.

Now, the question is, which city? Got lots of consultation, compromises and hopefully no heated arguments when it comes to decision time.

Malaysian married couple's honeymoon in Greece

My Daughter and Son-in-Law's honeymoon in Greece

One of my son-in-law (eldest daughter) works for Digi, with Telenor the major shareholder, a big mobile phone operator. He had the good fortune of winning a contest for the best suggestion to improve the company. For that honor, he got a full expense paid trip to Oslo to attend a conference with all the other prize winners from all over the world. In addition to that, he got an all expense paid trip to anywhere in the world for two. He reserved that for his then planned wedding and the honeymoon. For the destination for the honeymoon, like the obedient husband-to-be, he let my daughter choose. She chose Greece. I told her she must like history to choose as there are lots of relics of ancient historic sites like those you see below:

Athens: Photo courtesy of Blogger Employee

Athens: Photo courtesy of Blogger Employee

Greece Attractions

Well, she stuck to her decision and had their honeymoon in historic Greece. However, Greece is not only ancient relics of historical buildings. There is also the amazing deep Corinth Canal:

Corinth Canal: Photo courtesy of Calvin

You can go for a helicopter ride over Athens, the capital city. There are also lots of lovely beaches and hundreds of islands and one of the more popular one is Myconos. See photo below:

Athens: Photo courtesy of Blogger Employee

To get to Mykonos, you will probably have to take a ferry ride using ferry services like Greece ferries. Now with the environmentally friendly Internet, you can even book your tickets online at Greece ferry tickets. You can embark or disembark at various Major Ports for Greek Ferries which includes Mykonos.

Malaysia and Hawaii

Malaysia and Hawaii: Similarities

Malaysia and Hawaii shares quite a lot of similarities. Both have tropical climate and both have luxuriant tropical forest with diverse fauna and flora. Both have beautiful beaches plus bountiful sunshine, although I have to admit Hawaii may some beaches more famous than Malaysian beaches. Both have great scuba diving sites. Both are multi-racial. Ethnic Chinese form almost 5% of Hawaii's population while the percentage of Chinese in Malaysia is higher, but dropping fast.

Malaysia and Hawaii: Differences

Malaysia has only one official language - Bahasa Malaysia while Hawaii has two - English and Hawaiian. Hawaii has volcanoes (in fact Hawaii is formed out of volcanoes) while Malaysia has none. Malaysia has an official religion - Islam, while Hawaii do not have any official religion but with a large percentage of Christians. West Malaysia is a peninsula while Hawaii consists of a chain of many islands. You get hump back whales visiting Hawaii every December I think. I don't think I remember ever reading anything about any of those docile giants of the sea paying Malaysia a visit.

Why some Malaysians may want to visit or migrate to Hawaii

I don't know about other Malaysians, but I am one Malaysian who would want to visit, perhaps even migrate to Hawaii given the chance. I am curious as to what an active volcano looks like. I will like to compare our beaches and Hawaii's beaches. I understand they can have pretty big waves over there. I would like to engage in a bit of whale watching. I may even indulge in a bit of celebrities staling for I understand buy Hawaiian properties. The Internet billionaire Bill Gates held million dollars wedding in Hawaii. Oprah Winfrey bought two properties in Hawaii, one of them a huge one - 1,000 acres on Maui located high on the slopes of Haleakala with a house surrounded by cool upland pastures and an enviable view of the island’s beaches and agricultural fields. Celebrities are attracted to Wailea on Maui Island like ants (or bees) to honey where many buy single-family and condominium complexes offer gated entryways for enhanced security and privacy. Wailea also has many famous resorts like Grand Wailea Resort & Spa, Wailea Beach Marriott and Four Seasons Maui where celebrities congregate and where perhaps we can engage in some celebrities gaping.

Also, there have been various happenings in Malaysia can cause some Malaysians go somewhere like Hawaii for a change. There were the BERSIH rally for clean and fair election, the Malaysia Bar organized Long March for Justice, and the recent HINDRAF gathering to hand in memorandum to Queen Elizabeth for help in appointing Queen Counsel to represent them in their class action suit where tear gases and water cannons with chemical-laced chemicals were used liberally on the defenseless participants, the pressure to turn Malaysia from a secular state to Malaysia, an Islamic state and a few others unsettling events and developments. The all-year-round warm weather of Hawaii, much similar to Malaysia's, is a major draw.

Game for a change? Well, maybe we can try Hawaii Realtor. Maui is the second largest Hawaiian Islands which now have a rapid population growth because many people, having visited Maui, decide to move or retire to the island. For help in locating suitable real estates, Maui homes for sale. This Hawaii Real Estate website even have a blog real estate news where you can be updated on the happenings in the Hawaiian real estate industry and perhaps even leave a comment and interact with the blog author. Ah, blogs, my favorite. Maybe I can even continue blogging from there.

Malaysia and Florida: Similarities and differences

Similarities between Malaysia and Florida, USA

Malaysia and Florida shares many similarities. Malaysia has a year round warm equatorial (tropical) climate while Florida has a humid subtropical climate for the most part and similar tropical climate in southern Florid. Both have wet and dry seasons. Both have frequent thunderstorm, but Florida has been nicknamed the lightning capital of the United States. Malaysia is practically free from earth quakes except for occasional tremors originating from neighboring Indonesia while earth quakes in Florida are very rare. Malaysia has a number of National Reserves, but in this case I think beat Malaysia by the larger numbers of National Park Reserves.

The population of Malaysia is approximately 27 million while that of Florida is not far behind at 18 million. Both are multi-racial, the race and culture of Malaysia is probably more diverse.

Differences between Malaysia and Florida

Malaysia don't experience any snow (unless you include the snow houses and the "snow" car washes) but Florida do have occasional snowfall. Malaysia is blessed with hardly any major natural calamities, but Florida is subjected to not infrequent hurricanes that can cause havoc. The official language is Bahasa Malaysia (based on the Malay language) but English is widely spoken. I don't know if Florida has an official language, but 77% Florida residents speak only English at home as a first language, and I guess official documents and correspondences is probably English. Malaysia is majority Muslim while Florida is mostly Protestant Christian with a small Roman Catholic community.

Florida has Disneyland theme park as well as many other theme parks. Malaysia did try to get a Disneyland theme park in the Iskandar Development Region but I believed it was a failed attempt.

See for yourself

If you want to really finds out about the similarities and differences between Malaysia and Florida, it is best to go see for yourself. Not only are there many theme parks in Florida, it has also the famous Miami Beach plus many other attractions. The best way to see Florida is by driving around, that means a car. And unless you have relatives or friends who are willing to let you use theirs, that mean car rental which you can get at Car Rental in Florida which the website says offers the lowest rates online for Florida Car Rentals. I was told by them that if you rent through them, you don't need to pay until you arrive in Florida. That is real reassuring as obviously one wouldn't want to pay first, then end up with no car on arrival. You also can receive a confirmation without credit card payment at the time of booking. They will only need to know the type of credit card you have. Apparently, you can cancel anytime without incurring penalty charges and Florida Car Rental booking form seems to confirm them.

If Disneyland and other theme parks attract you, the theme park capital is Orlando and you can actually arrange to pick up your rental car at Orlando itself. Many other Florida cities are also included, including Miami. You can find thrifty rates at Discount Rates on Car Rentals in Florida