Monday, April 02, 2007

Spring Blooms - Agave, Daffodil, Cherry Blossom..


Update: Ain’t really cherry blossoms but since I couldn’t be in Washington DC (heheh!) for the Cherry Blossoms Festival (starting this weekend where the original trees are gifted by the Japanese people); either see the real McCoy in South Korea or Japan; eventually I’ll just make do with what we’ve got around here. The blooms were quite lovely (deep pink/purplish in colour) before the heavy rains that occur late afternoon recently.

I’m sure 'agave' is the correct name for that ‘succulent plant with rosettes of narrow spiny leaves and tall flower spikes’ (OED) since I’ve seen a similar pic from a Bahraini’s blog. Sure surprise to find out that it’s actually native to the southern US and tropical America.

Daffodil (teka mana satu?) or not, I’m not sure – too lazy to ‘google’ out there. It reminds me of tulips & pansies & many others. I’ve only non-digital pic of them from my short stint in UK. Now, I’ll be happy with just bunga kertas, orkid & ros. Wonder what’s the name of that tree with yellow flowers? On early mornings, the path underneath the tree is like a yellow carpet of blooms. Before they are crushed by the passing traffic!

Pokok pinang – did you know that the green moss live only on one side of the (any) tree trunk? It’s the one facing sun-down. So, if you’re lost in a jungle & looking for direction- Well, there you have it!

The above is my current fav pic. I used to day-dream what a wonderful idea it is to open up a Starbuck or Coffee Beans (with Wifi access) down there facing the waterfront (or riverside or whatever) so we will have students like me taking much needed break from the mundane world of academic & enjoy a cup of espresso over an intellectual discussion (Bleh!) with fresh breeze surrounding us. In the early evening, we can have struggling-with-time students enjoying activities; boat/canoe rides much like the gondola in Venice’s canals or punting in Cambridge!

I wake up to reality:
1. Poor students (moi included) can afford ke?
2. Starbuck coffee drinks got E471-animal origin in it!
“Please note that all chocolate, vanilla and coffee drinks at Coffee Bean and Starbuck contains E471 (Emulsifier 471), mono di-glycefides which is from animal origin (pork). Raspberry Frap uses cherries that has been dip n alcohol & the tiramisu contains RUM. Call JAKIM 03 - 8886 4000 for more information.”
3. Cannot even enjoy a bottle of Coke -“According to a report published in Jordanian magazine, the head of Delhi University Science and Technology , Dr. Mangoshada scientifically proved that the key element in Pepsi and Cola contains extract from the intestines of Pig which causes cancer and other deadly diseases.” (P/s: I leave it to you to find out whether this is another 'urban legends' that goes around on the Net!)
4. And Ribena pulak (New Zealand) ain’t got Vitamin C! (refer recent news' article)

Tipah tertipu! Sob2x.








12 comments:

D said...

aikkk.. picts only? no comment? so, i'll say, "no komen!"

Anonymous said...

Hmm...Tak sangka cantik gak view kat ukm ekk...

simah said...

lama betul tak tengok ukm...dulu masa naik basikal pi kelas kat sana oandang depan ja..bunga bungan tak pandang pun..
azie buat apa kat sana?

Anonymous said...

hahahaha so sorry rad... tersalah tuan blog! hahahahah so ampun maaf..!!

still...lamanyaaaaa tak tengok ukm... i still remember dulu kayuh basikal pi fakulti pusat bahasa n fakulti pendidikan...can u imagine that i usually cycle uppp sampai atas kat fakulti pendidikan?? terrer kan i?

rad said...

d,
Pic says a thousand words kan? I thot just to let you guys enjoy it but it seems that my running commentaries are still much needed eh?

Anon,
Are sure that the pic refers to ukm? I'm sure I've taken the pic somewhere else. Mayhaps all our campuses are similar in beauty..
I hereby deny any affiliation with the afore-mentioned uni. Thanks you.

simah,
Oh, you were in ukm (where was it again?) before. Naik beskal je pi kelas? Macam students kat Cambridge Uni or Beijing city lak (hahaha! Sure nak muntah coz mentang2 dah gi sana).*wink*
I think the reason why you didn't look at the flowers -you're bz looking at the kumbang! (very few of them indeed)
BTW, you can call me azie pun- takde hal. Maklumlah nama glamer zmn jahiliah dulu - GEE!! (aka azie)
Knowing you mmg terror, tak hairan lah ngayuh beskal sampai f.pend -never been there. Where were you staying that time? Manalah tau, bila2 saya dtg ukm - bole jejak kasih tpt you jatuh beskal! Heheheh..

D said...

urban legends?? It's so difficult nowadays but as they say, "kalau was-was, baik tinggalkan saja..". I always TRY to stick to that philosophy and avoid the debates and propaganda!!

simah said...

now it is ur time to tengok kumbang eh? my time is over.. dah kena masuk sarang :0)

i duduk kat section dua dulu..sewa rumah dengan member.....dulu selalu la lepak kat pusanika (did part time job there).. kat fak pendidikan.. kat bangunan yg melekat kat pusanika tu (apa yek nama fakulti tu)for tutorial classes...... in fact everywhere... hahaha yg i tak pernak masuk is fakulti law yg nuuuuuuuuuuuunnnn lagi la gilaaaaaaaaaaa atas atas hujung dunia tu :0)

Lee said...

Hi Rad, wow! I love your pics, soooo green. We have forgotten what grass looks like after 6 months of winter. Past two weeks suda Spring and temp went up to warm, around 12'c, t-shirt days. Then three days ago the temp plummeted down to -5'c catching everyone off guard, heavy winter jackets and boots suda simpan storage...it snowed!! Dua hari snow!
So, its really nice see your green pics.
You have a great weekend, UL.

Ku Keng said...

Salam Rad,

Interesting that you mentioned of the non-halal contents of certain food. And to call JAKIM for more info. How unfriendly JAKIM is. In Singapore MUIS, publishes the list of non-halal items and placed these booklets in all mosques. We need to do same here.

I for one is not aware of E471 in Starbucks coffee. Anway, Dr. Mangoshada is as mysterious as mangoes in Alaska.

rad said...

d, Byk sgt email yg masuk kata itu ini tak boleh tapi yg hairannya 'pihak berkuasa yg berkenaan' (assuming exist) buat tak heran je..'Ilmu' tu fardhu kifayah utk disampaikan tp nak buat research tentang kebenaran sumber ambik masa la pulak. Cth, email pasal produk Lego hina Nabi Muhammad SAW - after some checking, turns out org lain yg buat dakyah rupanya.

simah,Dulu makan plc mmg pusanika (ops!) tapi la ni tak main dah... we've got restoren terapung! Tak caya, meh dtg tengok.
Lekat dgn pusanika? Hm, kok sebelum is Fac. Sc. Social & Kemasyarakatan & after lak Tun Seri Lanang - the library.

UL, Glad u enjoy the pic. Bear in mind - dah touch up ye.
Itu lah, org tua2 selalu kata, hujan emas di negeri orang, hujan batu di negeri sendiri. Walaupun gian nak main snow kat sana, tapi Malaysia tetap best!! Come back la..

ku keng,
Maaf tak sempat nak check sources for information. Setakat yg mampu buat je. Lupakan Starbucks coffee - kitakan ada Kopi Orang Kampung!Hang Tuah lagi..
I'll post some 'info' on cappucino insyaAllah.

Anonymous said...

[quote](P/s: I leave it to you to find out whether this is another 'urban legends' that goes around on the Net!)[/quote]

yes it is.

(1) muslimonline.org
(2) www.snopes.com

rad said...

hafizbar,
Sorry for the delay. Your 'finger-pointing' is very much appreciated. Syukran jazilan.