Lifelong Learning

Lifelong Learning is process of continuous learning to gain new knowledge. The basic principle for lifelong learning is the love of reading. A recent interview with former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad which was published in this article Kampung Boy No More, it is interesting to know that reading is still the most valuable tools of learning as compared to watching Educational TV programme.

We learn more by reading since the information stays longer in our mind. We also learn the language i.e. the way the book is written.

As opposed to watching TV, we learn how to communicate by reading books, i.e. we learn how to convey our thinking to another person.

According to him, reading also improves our perception of things and trains us to analyse and understand complex matters. The more we read, the more we acquire the experience of others.

Love to read is a must in order for oneself to appreciate Lifelong Learning. Once we started to read we cannot stop reading.

Danger! Beach is Closed.

IMG_4700e
Originally uploaded by wanhashim

The sea condition is quite choppy due to the monsoon season and also very high tide. Due to this, the beach at the Damai Beach Resort is closed for swimming due to the treacherous sea condition. The tide is also very high due to the King Tide period. If it is raining heavily for several continuous days, several low lying areas might be flooded.

Therefore, during this monsoon season, just go to the beach and watch the waves.

Dozing off after lunch?

Have you ever experienced the urge to doze off after heavy lunch. I bet all of us did our best to get a power nap especially after lunch. According to this article Dozing off after lunch?, excessive sleepiness after the afternoon meal could be a sign of a health problem.

If you are interested to know the health related problem and how to overcome the excessive sleepiness after taking the afternoon meal, read the article.

The article suggests that the urge to feel asleep is related to the amount and types of carbohydrates that we consumed.

Sunset at Kota Semarahan

Sunset
Originally uploaded by wanhashim

It has not been raining for several days in Kota Semarahan as compared to a few days ago.

While it is not raining, I have the opportunity to capture the sunset view at Kota Semarahan.

Helicopter

Helicopter
Originally uploaded by wanhashim

This hornbill Skyways' helicopter looks very impressive. The helicopter looks like a compact helicopter which can accommodate only few passengers.

The helicopter is one of the major mode of transport in Sarawak. Flying using the helicopter will ensure that all remote areas are accessible.

Also, it is a quick way of travelling from one place to another.

I think this type of helicopter is much safer since the design of the rotor looks very sturdy and solid.

Villager fights off crocodile by poking its eyes

Another crocodile attact at one of the Sarawak's river. Villager fights off crocodile by poking its eyes. While I was small, I heard also the advice that in case that you were attacked by crocodile just keep on poking his eye. As shown by this incident, the advice seemed to be working. However, keep in mind that, due to the vicious attacks by the crocodile, the victim sometime just cannot think of an appropriate action to make the crocodile releasing her mighty jaw.

Good Start for the Public Transport Service

RapidBET or Rapid Bus Express Transit system is a newly introduced public transport system in the Klang Valley. RapidBET is the first of the implementations carried out by the urban public transport laboratory under the National Key Result Areas (NKRAs). There are two routes for RapidBET, i.e. RapidBET1 from Kota Damansara to Pasar Seni via the Penchala and Kerinchi Links, and RapidBET2 from Bandar Sungai Long to Pasar Seni via the Grand Saga Highway.

Buses plying the RapidBET route uses less congested highways to link heavily populated areas and the city centre, allowing travel time to be cut by half.

It has limited stops and gets to its final destination in half the time of regular buses.

RapidBET1: Kota Damansara - Pasar Seni Route

Rumah Flat sec 8 - Jalan Pekaka 8/1

Flat Cempaka - Jalan Cecawi 6/19

Flat Teratai - Jln Cecawi 6

Flat Siantan - Jln Sepah Puteri 5/1

Gugusan Semarak - Jln Camar 4/5

Gugusan Melati/Mawar - Jln Camar 4/5

Palm Spring - Persiaran Spring

Pelangi - Persiaran Surian

Pelangi - Persiaran Surian

IKEA - Persiaran Surian

Mid Valley - Jln Syed Putra

SRJKC Kwan Cheng - Jln Syed Putra

Pasar Seni - Jln Sultan Mohamed

RapidBET2: Bandar Sungai Long - Pasar Seni Route

UTAR, Jln Sg Long

TM Batu 10, Jln Grand Saga

Plaza Phoenix, Jln Cheras

Jejantaaas, Taman Segar

Taman Midah

Fajar/Wisma SEA, Jln Sg Besi

Majestic, Jln Pudu

Penjara Pudu, Jln Pudu

Swiss Garden, Jln Pudu

Kota Raya, Jln Tun Tan Cheng Lock

Pasar Seni - Jln Sultan Mohamed

It runs at 15-minute intervals during peak hours from 6.30am to 7.15am and from 6pm to 6.45pm, and cost the same as regular buses.

Road Accident

One of your reasons to buy an expensive car is because of its credential safety features. Usually, most expensive luxury cars are equipped with state-of-the-Art gadgets that will keep the car occupants safe during crashes.

However, a late night out to celebrate the New Year Eve turned tragic when a Toyota Camry carrying five family members crashes with a Mercedes-Benz and crashed into a signboard pillar on the New Klang Valley Expressway.

It seemed that the luxury car cannot protect the car occupants from fatality once the car crashes into the fixed objects located besides the road.

The moral of the story is that, no matter what kind of cars that you drive, please drive carefully and obey the traffic rules.

Also, the local authority should have considered designing a more forgiving highways by ensuring that there are no fixed objects being installed along sides all highways in Malaysia. If there are fixed objects such as the signboard pillar, the authority should cover the signpost using crash cushions to reduce the likelihood of fatal accident from happening.

For further story of the tragic event, read HERE.

Parking Woes

Looking for a parking space in central business district can be such a daunting task. Due to the unavailability of parking spaces, drivers usually have to do the following attempt:

1. Double Park: Vehicle is parked behind the parked vehicles
2. Triple Park: Vehicle is parked besides the double parked vehicle
3. Park at the place where it is illegal to park

All of the above maneuvers will agitate the vehicles that are being blocked and cause fighting and damaging the respective vehicles. As reported in the news, cops in Shah Alam are in all out war on illegal parking. The doubled and tripled parked cars cause fighting among the vehicle owners.

Another article in the news also indicates similar grouses from road users about parking woes.

Why such incidences happen in the first place? The parking woes happened, most of the time, due to inadequate number of available parking spaces.  Due to the trips generated at such places, the number of parking spaces is always an issue causing drivers to circulate endlessly around the area just to find a parking space. Another cause of such incidents is the drivers' behavior. The drivers who do the double or triple parked can be categorized as inconsiderate to others.

I think it is time for the relevant authorities to put an end to all of the parking woes affecting all kind of road users throughout the country.

The picture below is an example of vehicles being parked alongside a stretch of road.




An example of a taxi parked under the no parking signage may be due to the fact that there is just no extra parking space for the driver to park his vehicle.



In case that you cannot find a decent parking space available, you may end up parking your car as in the following picture.




Another way of utilizing the available areas to park your vehicle since there isn't any free parking spaces at the locality.



The following is the usual scene at the famous Gambier Street where vehicles are parked on the road side. Most of the time, the vehicles are double or triple parked.

Same Things Every Time of the Year

For those who have children going to schools, this time of the year they will have to send their children to register for the new academic session.

As shown in the picture below, all of the parents seemed to send their children by car including myself. Due to the inadequate number of parking places within the school compound, most vehicles were parked alongside the main road. Luckily, the school registration exercise is on Saturday and not many vehicles are on the road. Otherwise, if the registration process is being carried out during normal weekdays, then severe traffic congestion will occur due to the extraordinary number of vehicles converging at the school.

Another view of the vehicles parked alongside the roads near the school.

The only road leading to school is being parked on both sides of the road create bottleneck for incoming and outgoing vehicles. Some parents that had send their children wanted to drive out of the school compound whereas other parents just wanted to drop their children at the school entrance causing a lot of traffic havoc at the vicinity. Well, it happens only once in a year that is during this time of the year.

The registration process is on going where parents will have to fork out some money for all kinds of fees which is beneficial for the children.

Several other parents are busy helping their children counting books which are provided on loan basis by the school.

Several other parents even help their children register each book into the form provided.

Several other parents help their children asking anything to the teachers in charge.

Several other parents and students just don't know what else to do next and waiting for the next instruction from the teachers.

Where is the Taxi Station?

The following picture is used to be the taxi station in Kuching. Most of the taxi drivers are waiting anxiously for their customers. Their customers, no matter local or tourists, know where to find them.



Another view of the historical taxi station in Kuching.




Another view of the historical taxi station in Kuching.




The following picture is what the place looks like now. The taxi station had made ways for the new development surrounding the area. I am not sure where all of the taxis are located since there is not even a single information indicating their temporary place. What about tourists looking for taxi service? The tourists may have to use "kereta sewa", an alternative to taxi service or they have to use the Kuching Bus service.

The relevant authority should have provide some kind of notice near the vicinity to inform the public about the new location of the taxi station. Also, the relevant authority should have provide a better taxi station.