Getting Around The World - Grand Opening

My second blog - created 27/10/10 2319 hrs

Malaysia: Birds - Winter 2010

Believe it or not, there are various kind of birds just in front of the gate of my parent's house. I didn't even need to step into the FRIM to get these pictures. How amazing life form is diversified here...

 Brown-throated Sunbird 棕喉太陽鳥 นกกินปลีคอสีน้ำตาล

Green-tailed Sunbird  绿喉太阳鸟 นกกินปลีหางยาวเขียว

Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis)
亚洲辉椋鸟 นกกิ้งโครงฟิลิปปิน

Juvenile Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis)

Female olive-backed sunbird 黄腹花蜜鸟 นกกินปลีอกเหลือง

Orange-breasted green-pigeon 橙胸綠鳩 นกเปล้าอกสีม่วงน้ำตาล

Yellow-vented Bulbul 黃臀鵯 นกปรอดหน้านวล

Kind of Warbler  莺 นกกระจิบ

Barn Swallow 家燕 นกนางแอ่นบ้าน 

Malaysia: Lovely Cats 2010

You expect to see a lot of cats in a Muslim country, as dogs are considered ritually unclean under the Islamic teaching and Muslims are not allowed to raise dog as pet.

Without exception, being a Muslim dominated country, cats are everywhere here in Malaysia. I just took the liberty to photograph these lovely felines raised by our Malays neighbors.

Yes it is my proton car

I don't need sun block, do you?

a beautiful sunny day

I am peeping tom cat

head or tails?

on the road

  

looking back the years

I am serious

Don't bully me, plsss

Malaysia: Sea Food (Kuala Selangor chef)

A new restaurant that has recently become my brother's favorite. The food here not only tastes good but more importantly not overly priced.

Fried Butter Crab

Bun eating with the butter fried with crab - Rachel's favorite

Fried Chili Shark's meat - ok to me but compared to the shark's skin I had in Endau, is still far from good

Tom Yam Fried Squid and Prawn - tastes good as ever

This is not too bad, tofu seafood soup, mocking the shark's fin soup 

Clam cooked in ginger soup

Deep Fried Pork Spareribs with fermented tofu

Szechuan Style Steamed Stingray

Malaysia: Local Food

Malaysia is a multiracial melting pot, the society here contains many ethnic groups and created a unique diversified culture. There are many good and bad things in a multiracial country, but food diversity is definitely one of the good things. 

Chicken and Mutton Satay - you just won't get pork satay in M'sia

A session of ABC with my nieces (abbreviation of Air Batu Campur, or literally means Mixed Ice in Malay Language)

Penang Laksa

Nasi Lemak - luxury style with meat side dish

M'sia "Patongko" - obviously longer compared to those in Thailand

Nasi Lemak - roadside version, simple but taste better

A closer look

Roti Telur Bawang - M'sian style flatbread with egg and onion

Next to it is a plate of curry as a dipping sauce, and a cup of teh tarik (pulled tea)

Malaysia: Blue-tailed Bee-eater 栗喉蜂虎 นกจาบคาหัวเขียว

I saw these flying birds flying, the long tail has grabbed

my attention and this was how I discovered their existence

It was just some pure luck brought me to the Blue-tailed Bee-eaters, widely recognized as one of the most beautiful bird in the world, the birds by some reason has migrated to the park behind my parent's house in Kepong.

Blue-tailed bee-eaters (Merops philippinus) are gregarious, meaning it lives in group and sociable. When I saw the first bird, I know there could be more and a quick search to the surrounding quickly proved that I was right. The birds are not only colorful, it also flies in an elegant way. Each time the bird perch, there is always something in its beak. It could be a bee, wasp or even hornet, underlines it common name "bee-eater" although dragonfly is also in its menu.

Blue-tailed Bee-eaters

The bird smacked the prey (probably a bee or
dragonfly) on the metal antenna to kill.

I have waiting for the bird to perch from the other side,
but it looks like this is the only side the bird would perch.

Another picture taking from the back

right: hi, how are you

left: don't disturb me

left: get away from me

right: we can live together peacefully