Friday, May 29, 2015

Skywatch Friday : awakening in concrete jungle

Skywatch Friday
A piece of tranquil moment found in every morning, a relaxing walk from KLCC Park to my office.



Thursday, May 28, 2015

Send you a postcard from Angkor Watt, Cambodia


One of the series postcards that I received from my lady boss during her travel to Angkor Watt in 2009)
















Hi , hope you all are well out there. 

I'm so happy that I have finally purchase my flight ticket to travel to Angkor Watt, Siem Reap, Cambodia in a week time. Angkor Watt, the sacred temple that I wish to go since 2008 (7 years ago).
It is 2 hours flight from Malaysia.  

I wonder if my readers would like to receive a postcard from me in Cambodia (up to 5 postcards).

Kindly leave your comment here or email me at layhoon(dot)chua(at)gmail(dot)com by latest June 4 ..ooops..my birthday :)

(edited on Jun 12,2015)
4 of the postcards are underway from Cambodia. 

Monday, May 25, 2015

Oblique Night Image of Taiwan and China































你好 (Pronounced as 'Ni Hao', meant Hope you are well in Mandarin)

A very special postcard wrapped with plastic sheet delivered to my doorstep this April. Lily Hung from Taipei sent me this Night Image postcard with an image shot from an altitude of 223 miles. The oblique night image of Taiwan (center foreground) and part of mainland China was taken by one of the Expedition team, comprised of 40 crews aboard the International Space Station on July 27,2014.    



Friday, May 22, 2015

Traditional Batak Toba House, Indonesia

Apa kabar? (means How are you in Indonesia)

Agung from Indonesia sent me this postcard via Postcrossing. 
This postcard shows the traditional house of Indonesia ~ Batak House, which is also known as Jabu Bolon (means long and big house). I'm intrigued the boat-shaped with intricately carved gables and up sweeping roof ridges. This architectural design can be found in North Sumatra by an ethic group called Batak. Agung mentioned to me in his postcard that there were no nails found in the Batak house. Furthermore, the unique part was each of the doors has special decorations, shaped like eggs and darts.  





Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Shuijo Castle, Okinawa Islands


photo by Satoshi Kobashigawa

Shuri Castle was originally built in the late 1300s and played an 
integral role in the political unification of the island.
However, wars and fires destroyed the castle many times. 
The current buildings are reconstructions dating from 1992.



Friday, May 15, 2015

Gunung - gunung (Mountains) Malaysia

Mount Jerai ~ standing at 1,200 m high, Kedah's Gunung Jerai is home to many fascinating local legends. It was once reputed to be the adobe of 'Raja Bersiong' (the King of Fangs) whose private bathing pool has been discovered in the vicinity.


Mount Mulu ~ Gunung Mulu is the second highest peak in Sarawak, standing at 2,376 m. The caves found in Gunung Mulu Naional Park are recorded breaker in their own right: the world's largest cave passage (Deer Cave), the world largest natural chamber (Sarawak Chamber) and the longest cave in Southeast Asia (Clearwater Cave)



Mount Ledang ~ also known for Mount Ophir, Gunung Ledang is the highest mountain in Johor at 1,276m. Another attraction to be found in Gunung Ledang is a 50 m waterfall. 
One of the most captivating tales is the legend of a fairy princess who allegedly lived on Mount Ledang and Sultan (noble title). The Sultan had heard of her beauty and wanted to marry her, but she set seven impossible conditions for him.


Friday, May 8, 2015

Quedlinburg, Germany


Quedlinburg is a town located north of the Harz mountains, in the Land of Sachsen-Anhalt, was a capital of the East Franconian German Empire at the time of the Saxonian-Ottonian ruling dynasty. 
It has been a prosperous trading town since the Middle Ages. 
In 1994 the medieval court and the old town were included on the UNESCO world heritage list. The number and high quality of the timber-framed buildings make Quedlinburg an exceptional example of a medieval European town. 

The Collegiate Church of St Servatius is one of the masterpieces of Romanesque architecture.


Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Baba Nyonya ~ Wedding Chamber



(Bridal Chamber ~ Postcard I bought from The Baba Nyonya Heritage in Melaka)

Baba and Nyonya are the descendants of Chinese from China who intermarried with local women. The men are known as the Babas and Women are Nyonyas. The Babas and Nyonyas are known as 'Peranakan' , they speak the Malay patois which is Malay mixed with Chinese phrases.


A traditional Baba Nyonya Wedding or Peranakan Wedding is loaded with complex rites preparations and numerous ceremonies which lasts up to 12-30 days for the riches! It’s a very tedious process (both in the preparations, time and money). Similar like their Chinese counterpart, the Peranakan put a great emphasis on choosing auspicious dates and times and even the furniture that incorporates lots of Chinese elements. However, their taboos are much more and strictly observed than the Chinese. 


* There were some differences between Baba Nyonya in Melaka (Malacca) and Penang, basically due to influences from the West (Holland and British) in those old days. 


The following are the mansions of the riches which has converted into a Museum 



48/50, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock
75200 Malacca. 
Malaysia.

29, Church Street, 
10200 Penang. 
Malaysia.