Two of my friends enquiring at Kinabalu Park lodge counter before we started our hike to the top of Mount Kinabalu.
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Sights of Mount Kinabalu -- Sneak Preview
That's right.Photos from the peak of South East Asia coming soon.
Two of my friends enquiring at Kinabalu Park lodge counter before we started our hike to the top of Mount Kinabalu.
Two of my friends enquiring at Kinabalu Park lodge counter before we started our hike to the top of Mount Kinabalu.
Sunday, 10 July 2011
Customising Wikipedia -- Truly the Encyclopedia Anyone Can Edit
I have always loved Wikipedia. Having the world's knowledge in your hands is rarely a disadvantage. I always say this -- if I have access to Wikipedia in Who Wants to be A Millionaire I could probably go all the way easily.
Browsing is so addictive that I would frequently spend hours Wiki-hopping. However, reading large chunks of text for long periods of time on a computer screen is very tiring. If only Wikipedia is in black, I thought.
But few days ago I realised something -- that could easily be true.
In Wikipedia's preference menu (you need an account for this) you get to choose which skin to render Wikipedia in. I kept mine at the default (called 'Vector') because IMO the others just looked horrendous.
However, beside each skin, there are two buttons, one of which is labelled "custom CSS".
Well, well, well. This is where the fun begins.
To save you the trouble of having to read through all the CSS terms and my painful and repetitive testing phases, we'll just skip straight to the results I get two days after I started.
Tada! Wikipedia in Black. I even removed the (in my opinion) rather redundant sidebar to save more space in case I want to go Wiki-hopping on my phone instead.
Cool, eh!
Friday, 8 July 2011
Sights of Ipoh: Pee
P. The 16th alphabet. This letter is awesome. It stands for Power. And the all-yummy Pizza. Not to forget Pasta. There's P for Pass. Even better, P for Perfect. P for play. P for Pentium 4 (OK maybe this isn't so good) and P for er, prawn.
But there's also P for Piss. And of course Pee.
But don't underestimate the power of passing water. Trying to wet that disgusting frog at the backyard, the so-cliché hand-in-warm-water prank. The guys enjoyed reading advertisements strategically placed above urinals in public toilets, and apparently the girls had fun engaging in cross-cubicle chats.
How many times have we used the ultimate I-really-have-to-go excuse without arousing any suspicion at all?
We owe that much childhood fun and laughter to it. So much that the word 'piss' became an integral part of the spoken English.
OK I really have a lot more to share about this but I really have to pee. Till next time then.
But there's also P for Piss. And of course Pee.
But don't underestimate the power of passing water. Trying to wet that disgusting frog at the backyard, the so-cliché hand-in-warm-water prank. The guys enjoyed reading advertisements strategically placed above urinals in public toilets, and apparently the girls had fun engaging in cross-cubicle chats.
How many times have we used the ultimate I-really-have-to-go excuse without arousing any suspicion at all?
We owe that much childhood fun and laughter to it. So much that the word 'piss' became an integral part of the spoken English.
OK I really have a lot more to share about this but I really have to pee. Till next time then.
Monday, 4 July 2011
Sights of Ipoh: Kek Lok Cave
I spent the past Chinese New Year with my family in Cameron Highlands, which isn't new to me at all -- dad used to drive us up there a few times every year.
This time, however, before driving all the way back to Klang after the trip, we made a small detour and stopped by Ipoh for a half day.
Before you go bombarding me with questions like "Oooh, did you try the Ipoh xxx?" (replace xxx with one of the many famous delicacies in Ipoh) let me first tell you that we only ate one meal there, and it was just a simple fried rice, which in Malaysia is as common as salt in the sea.
Nope. But we spent our time in Kek Lok Cave, a Buddhist cave instead. I went around taking pictures while my parents set up their tools and started sketching.
Main entrance to the cave.
The place is genuinely interesting, even before entering the cave. There is a koi pond, and another tortoise pool. I'd never seen so many tortoises in such a small area before. Small man-made miniatures line up along the path into the cave. While I'm not a big fan of still life photography, I approached a few interesting looking ones and snapped a number of pictures anyway.
Everything gets darker once you step into the cave. It wasn't actually too hot inside, despite the blazing hot Malaysian sun, probably due to the high ceilings. Floors are fully man-made with cement to ease navigation.
Staircase not far away from the main entrance.
Not being a regular visitor of Malaysian caves, I was impressed by the natural structure of the ceilings and the walls.
Most sections are artificially lit with lamps strategically positioned not just to illuminate the surroundings, but to increase contrast of the walls and ceilings to bring out their shapes. I personally prefer them to be naturally lit, though, as lamps usually introduce a yellow cast, which I don't really fancy. Check out this following picture of a naturally lit section of the cave.
From some angles, the texture and structure of the walls are simply astounding.
If you're lucky, like I was, you may be able to notice the internal layering of the walls.
Took me so many tries (and that much dust on my beloved camera) to get this shot.
Once you read the end of the cave, though, you'll reach another exit.
The exit at the other end of the cave.
Beyond, you'll see a park with a huge lake, surrounded by hills. Breathtaking view.
The scene that caused so many to suddenly stop in their tracks. A panorama -- click on the picture to see a bigger image.
Guess what this little building is? Hint: zoom in to see symbols of a man and a lady.
So next time, when you visit Ipoh, stop thinking about xxx (replace xxx with favourite Ipoh cuisine) and start looking around for things you may have missed.
This time, however, before driving all the way back to Klang after the trip, we made a small detour and stopped by Ipoh for a half day.
Before you go bombarding me with questions like "Oooh, did you try the Ipoh xxx?" (replace xxx with one of the many famous delicacies in Ipoh) let me first tell you that we only ate one meal there, and it was just a simple fried rice, which in Malaysia is as common as salt in the sea.
Nope. But we spent our time in Kek Lok Cave, a Buddhist cave instead. I went around taking pictures while my parents set up their tools and started sketching.
Main entrance to the cave.
The place is genuinely interesting, even before entering the cave. There is a koi pond, and another tortoise pool. I'd never seen so many tortoises in such a small area before. Small man-made miniatures line up along the path into the cave. While I'm not a big fan of still life photography, I approached a few interesting looking ones and snapped a number of pictures anyway.
Everything gets darker once you step into the cave. It wasn't actually too hot inside, despite the blazing hot Malaysian sun, probably due to the high ceilings. Floors are fully man-made with cement to ease navigation.
Staircase not far away from the main entrance.
Not being a regular visitor of Malaysian caves, I was impressed by the natural structure of the ceilings and the walls.
Most sections are artificially lit with lamps strategically positioned not just to illuminate the surroundings, but to increase contrast of the walls and ceilings to bring out their shapes. I personally prefer them to be naturally lit, though, as lamps usually introduce a yellow cast, which I don't really fancy. Check out this following picture of a naturally lit section of the cave.
From some angles, the texture and structure of the walls are simply astounding.
If you're lucky, like I was, you may be able to notice the internal layering of the walls.
Took me so many tries (and that much dust on my beloved camera) to get this shot.
Once you read the end of the cave, though, you'll reach another exit.
The exit at the other end of the cave.
Beyond, you'll see a park with a huge lake, surrounded by hills. Breathtaking view.
The scene that caused so many to suddenly stop in their tracks. A panorama -- click on the picture to see a bigger image.
Guess what this little building is? Hint: zoom in to see symbols of a man and a lady.
So next time, when you visit Ipoh, stop thinking about xxx (replace xxx with favourite Ipoh cuisine) and start looking around for things you may have missed.
Friday, 1 July 2011
Live!
As of 2300 hours (or the 'eleventh' hour), 1st July, my new blog is now live! That's really a lot sooner than I thought, but the crucial pieces seem to be in place to make the place functional. Please drop in for a quick visit at http://owl-order.appspot.com/
With immediate effect, all developments on this very blog have now officially ceased (not that I've been developing this blog at all recently). I urge my visitors (if any, though I'm not hopeful) to switch their attentions to the new blog instead.
However, blogposts will be posted to both blogs for the time being, just in case.
Hope you like the new place!
LIVE!!!
With immediate effect, all developments on this very blog have now officially ceased (not that I've been developing this blog at all recently). I urge my visitors (if any, though I'm not hopeful) to switch their attentions to the new blog instead.
However, blogposts will be posted to both blogs for the time being, just in case.
Hope you like the new place!
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