Origami Dugong

Can you guess what is this? Well, this is a cute origami dugong. My boss gave it to me after coming back from his business trip at Jeju Island, Korea. I think there was a booth of a project on "Save the Dugong" during the meeting and this origami was a symbol of the good effort.

Here are the steps to create the origami which are illustrated by me (^_^).  Come on, give a try! I would be very happy if you could have your own dugong.

Enjoy!!!

Illustration Friday- Crooked

After reading an email from Illustration Friday about the topic of this week, I opened my dictionary to look up for the word "crooked". The word sounds familiar but I couldn't recall the meaning. 

Crook means a dishonest person. That used-car salesman is a real crook.

Crook means a bend or curve in something.

Crook also means a long stick with a large hook at one hand.

But then, I realized that "crook" is not a new word for me after I found the famous idiom.. "by hook or by crook"

These are information that I got from my dictionary. But Illustration Friday gives me more definitions of the word and believe me, it's a good platform for us to learn and understand a new vocabulary from other peoples' perspectives.

Who is Liyusina?

Who is Liyusina? Those who read my post on “A Story of A Bad Tree” might think that I was just creating a story for kids. Well, yes! That’s the idea.

Photo: Wirawandesa (http://madisyak.blogspot.com)

But the truth is Liyusina does exist in our real life.  Leucaena leucocephala is known as Petai Belalang in Malaysia. I could easily see the tree along the roadside at Sungai Buloh and on my way to Putrajaya. While searching some information of this tree species, I’ve found out that the young pods are edible and there’s also a recipe of Sambal Petai Belalang over the internet! 

I was attending an international seminar on “Reclamation, Rehabilitation and Restoration Towards Greener Asia” in July 2012. During the seminar, two presenters from Taiwan raised the issue of Leucaena leucocephala which has been highly invasive in certain part of Taiwan.

What happened at the West Coast of HengChung, Southern Taiwan?

1) Forest have been seriously invaded by Leucaena leucocephala which is listed in the world’s 100 worst invasive species.

2) Leucaena leucocephala is almost a mono-species plant and could be dominated stands replacing the native-species.

3) All Leucaena leucocephala  trees were cut and removed in removal strips of 6m or 12m, but about 20 new sprouts occurred around the stump in a week.

 

4) The best way to kill the tree is by drilling a small hole in the trunk and injecting glyphosate herbicide.

Illustration Friday- Burst

Focus... Focus... Hit the target! Burst the ballon!

We have to focus on our life and and trying to achieve our goals. I dream to improve my drawing skill to a better level and I know that all I have to do is to focus, practice and practice!

When I Was in GuangZhou, China...

Guangzhou is amazing! I was there (again) last week and went to the Fabric and Accessories Wholesale Markets using the subway.

How to buy your favourite fabric? Well, choose the fabric from the displayed samples and do the payment. They will ask you to wait for one hour. Why?

They need time to get your fabric from the warehouse which is located quite far from the shop. And most of them are using bicycles. So, while waiting for the fabric, you might want to visit another shops. But remember, each time you decide to buy a new fabric, then you have to wait for another one hour. The market will close around 7 pm, so please stop shopping at 6pm (^_^)

My Special Dates... and Special Gift for You

31 August 2012 

 

The 55th anniversary of Malaysia's Independence Day. And yes, we should be grateful as Malaysia has remained a peaceful and harmony country. I’m proud to be Malaysian!

In the spirit of the Independence Day, I bought two books at Popular Bookstore to explore some information on Malaysia’s history. 

1- Peristiwa 13 Mei: Sejarah Perhubungan Melayu-Cina by Dr Leon Comber

2- 13 Mei Sebelum dan Selepas by Tunku Abdul Rahman

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1 September 2012

My 5^th wedding anniversary. I believe that the most valuable day in one’s life is the day of marriage wedding. Thank you Mohd Hafidz Hadi for being my husband, my partner, my lover and my best friend. With you, I became a better person. Thank you for choosing me as your better half. Happy anniversary! 

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2 September 2012

Happy Birthday! It’s my birthday. This year, I plan to buy a set of books by Emila Yusof as a special birthday gift for myself.  Yeay!

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4 September 2012

Happy Birthday Anas Hakim! Anas was born on 4 September 2009. Well, actually I thought and expected that he would share the same birthdate with me. By the way, 4 September is also perfect. Both of us can always celebrate our birthday together every year. 

 

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Well, let me complete the list.

30 August 2012

I will be in Guangzhou, China for a couple of days. This is my second trip to Guangzhou as I was there in December last year. Ohh, I wish I could have a good writing skill like Emila Yusof! There are many interesting places in Guangzhou and great experiences to be shared with you, but it’s hard for me to write even the first paragraph. The feeling is like I’m having frozen fingers. Oh man, I need to sharpen my writing skill then. But for now, here is a photo of me enjoying the view of Canton Tower while night cruising along the Pearl River in Guangzhou.

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Postcard Exchange

Here comes the best part. Anyone interested to receive a postcard from Guangzhou? Just leave your comment on this post and send your mailing address to sesepat@yahoo.com. I will send you a postcard from Guangzhou, and if I have any problem to do that, I promise that you will get at least a fridge magnet from me. And, this offer is for the first 2 commenters only, ok (^_^)

Salam Aidilfitri

Salam Aidilfitri! Wish all of you a meaningful celebration with friends and family.