Perhaps a reader may want to add his or her opinion to the topics listed here. Perhaps you may want to contribute a picture or two. Perhaps you have a Tanarimba story to tell. If so, please send it to outsiderrecords@gmail.com.
Have a merry end to this year and may your start to next year be exactly how you wish it to be!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
No need to lock the door, honey!
A recent email to me sort of prompted this idea which I think can absolutely work!
Are you one of those from the generation or kampong where you needn’t have to lock your door when you leave your house for the grocery shops? You know – the good old days?
Did you use to know your neighbours well enough to attend their children’s weddings as almost like an extended family member? Do you recall open houses that were truly open houses because the whole gang and more would come over for satay during Chinese New Year, or nasi lemak during Deepavali or muruku during Hari Raya?
We can actually bring back the good old days to Tanarimba. We are starting afresh in an area relaxed enough and hopefully, we can actually start leaving our houses without locking our doors! It only takes a little willingness and openness from Tanarimba residents… easy!
What do you say? Shall we give it a shot? Perhaps first with a get-to-know session at the Visitors Centre? Who’s in?
Are you one of those from the generation or kampong where you needn’t have to lock your door when you leave your house for the grocery shops? You know – the good old days?
Did you use to know your neighbours well enough to attend their children’s weddings as almost like an extended family member? Do you recall open houses that were truly open houses because the whole gang and more would come over for satay during Chinese New Year, or nasi lemak during Deepavali or muruku during Hari Raya?
We can actually bring back the good old days to Tanarimba. We are starting afresh in an area relaxed enough and hopefully, we can actually start leaving our houses without locking our doors! It only takes a little willingness and openness from Tanarimba residents… easy!
What do you say? Shall we give it a shot? Perhaps first with a get-to-know session at the Visitors Centre? Who’s in?
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Please consider before you order the next steamed fish dish…
The nearby Bukit Tinggi Village has a number of seafood restaurants. On certain occasions, a few of them would offer that special, fresh, recently caught ‘river fish’. Certainly more expensive than the farmed ones that come from Bentong or the other side of the highway. For good reasons they say. As the fish was not farmed, it is a healthier option and certainly tastier. Some would just jump at the opportunity of savoring that rare river fish at any cost.
However, I think that’s being irresponsible. River fish as well as sea fishes have been overfished so much that certain species have dwindled to population levels that are deemed unsustainable. Similar to the impact of the consumption of turtle eggs on turtle population and shark fins on the shark population.
So, how do we know which type of fish shall we order for our next meal? Finally, we have a guide. WWF Malaysia and the Malaysian Nature Society have together issued a Malaysian Sustainable Seafood Guide. This guide which can be found at www.saveourseafood.my. It classifies the types of seafood to (1) Avoid (2) Think Twice (3) Recommended and (4) Marine Stewardship Council Certified.
As for river fishes, I would avoid all fishes that are expensive and rare. I have not come across a guide for river fishes yet, but to support a sustainable river fish population, we should only order river fishes that are commonly offered or farmed.
However, I think that’s being irresponsible. River fish as well as sea fishes have been overfished so much that certain species have dwindled to population levels that are deemed unsustainable. Similar to the impact of the consumption of turtle eggs on turtle population and shark fins on the shark population.
So, how do we know which type of fish shall we order for our next meal? Finally, we have a guide. WWF Malaysia and the Malaysian Nature Society have together issued a Malaysian Sustainable Seafood Guide. This guide which can be found at www.saveourseafood.my. It classifies the types of seafood to (1) Avoid (2) Think Twice (3) Recommended and (4) Marine Stewardship Council Certified.
As for river fishes, I would avoid all fishes that are expensive and rare. I have not come across a guide for river fishes yet, but to support a sustainable river fish population, we should only order river fishes that are commonly offered or farmed.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The Green Highway
In an earlier posting I had warned about the expanding circumference of KL from KL Ring Road (Jln Tun Razak) to KL Middle Ring Road II (MRR II) to KL Outer Ring Road (to be built) which would not only expand an already choked up city (and the reason why we chose Tanarimba for respite) but may threaten our chosen solitude.
However, here are some good news...
The 10MP is setting aside 2 massive conservation areas in Peninsular and Sabah & Sarawak. The Central Forest Spine (CFS) in Peninsular will cover 4.2 million hectares and will link four major forest complexes from Perlis in the north to Johor in the south, namely Banjaran Titiwangsa-Banjaran Bintang-Banjaran Nakawan, Taman Negara-Banjaran Timur, South East Pahang-Chini and Bera and the Endau Rompin Park-Kluang Wildlife Reserve. CFS should zoom past Tanarimba thus giving us some 'protection'.
The other forest complex will become the Heart of Borneo, covering areas in Sabah, Sarawk and Kalimantan. An extremely important step in protecting the unique biodiversity of Borneo.
CFS is equally as impressive in terms of biodiversity, noting that we do not have tigers in Borneo and some of you may not realise that Fraser's Hill has tarantulas! This small hill has an amazingly diverse number of bird species - more than the entire UK.Belum in Perak is probably home to the most number of hornbills congregation in the world!
I have quoted freely from Malaysiakini. Please read more about it there or in other postings.
However, here are some good news...
The 10MP is setting aside 2 massive conservation areas in Peninsular and Sabah & Sarawak. The Central Forest Spine (CFS) in Peninsular will cover 4.2 million hectares and will link four major forest complexes from Perlis in the north to Johor in the south, namely Banjaran Titiwangsa-Banjaran Bintang-Banjaran Nakawan, Taman Negara-Banjaran Timur, South East Pahang-Chini and Bera and the Endau Rompin Park-Kluang Wildlife Reserve. CFS should zoom past Tanarimba thus giving us some 'protection'.
The other forest complex will become the Heart of Borneo, covering areas in Sabah, Sarawk and Kalimantan. An extremely important step in protecting the unique biodiversity of Borneo.
CFS is equally as impressive in terms of biodiversity, noting that we do not have tigers in Borneo and some of you may not realise that Fraser's Hill has tarantulas! This small hill has an amazingly diverse number of bird species - more than the entire UK.Belum in Perak is probably home to the most number of hornbills congregation in the world!
I have quoted freely from Malaysiakini. Please read more about it there or in other postings.
Monday, June 7, 2010
How shall I construct my home in Tanarimba ?
Now that we have made the commitment to live here, the next question to answer would be ‘How shall my home be?’. For many of us, we would have conceptualized the home - how it should look like, where it should face etc - as early as the first time we took interest in Tanarimba. Should it be a mansion of 20 rooms all facing the forest across the stream or should it be a 3 bedroom house just enough for a small family with oversized verandahs for the weekend getaway?
Whichever design we would choose, I would humbly encourage my neighbours to adopt building designs and concepts that would suit Tanarimba.
Here are some ideas:-
1. The right architect and the right contractor
I would choose an architect who ‘feels’ for Tanarimba. Someone who can design a house that fits into Tanarimba, not one that would stick out like that sore thumb. The contractor would be equally important if not more. He or she should be cognizant of the uniqueness of the place and must be conscious enough to work with us and practise good and ecologically-friendly construction methods.
2. Care for our other ‘neighbours’
I am talking about the non-human neighbours. In our design and during construction we should not disturb or harm the animals in the forests. For example, about 2 years ago, the workers of a contractor offered me a Malaysian porcupine if I wanted one, because they said they can easily catch one with their home made trap. I saw the trap but not the porcupine. I reported it to Nathan and they weren’t too friendly with me thereafter.
3. Care for the surroundings
Said many times in this blog, please keep as much of the natural vegetation as possible.
4. It must be a ‘green’ house
Having a home in Tanarimba gives us a unique opportunity to build the perfect green home. It should meet our human needs while at the same time built with the right materials and design to be as green as possible. This topic would justify another few specialized articles on this blog but for now, let me offer some ideas.
4.1 Rain water for non-drinking purposes
I would incorporate rain collection gutter and tank systems and reuse the collected rain water for flushing toilets, washing machine, car wash and general cleaning within and outside the house. I would even have concurrent taps in several areas to utilize the rain water as and when I want. I would just colour code the taps.
4.2 No air-conditioning
I personally think that having an air-condition goes against the very principle of living in Tanarimba. The filtered air that comes out of an air-conditioner will not be half as ‘fresh’ as that coming directly from the outside. In addition, the compressors that run the air-cons would blow hot air out which to me just doesn’t make sense when you are here in Tanarimba.
4.3 Solar panels
This is a tough decision. While I would like to be self sufficient energy wise, the cost of installing and maintaining solar panels to generate electricity for the entire house will be too much to bear at this time- at least for me. But for my other more fortunate neighbours, I would encourage it. I wouldn’t even mind participating in a scheme (if there is one) to have centralized solar panels to generate electricity for Tanarimba’s own use. Maybe in the near future, Sitrac?
4.4 Building materials – are they green?
I ask myself this question all the time. This is where a good contractor comes in. I would strongly encourage my contractor to choose only timber from FSC certified forests, use as little form work as possible, no granite or marble (because the limestone hills where the marble comes from cannot be replaced), know the source of all the building materials so that I can assess the ‘greenness’ for myself. Really tough thing to do in Malaysia, I know, but I would at least try. The more the consumers demand of it, the more effort will the businesses put in to cater to our needs. There’s no other way, green concepts must be led by the consumer. A business’ prime motive is to make profit, so it would not be naturally inspired to offer green products unless there is demand for them.
5. How green is green
We may even choose to follow industry benchmarks when constructing our home.
In Malaysia we have the Green Building Index
http://www.greenbuildingindex.org/
In Singapore, it is the Green Mark
http://www.bca.gov.sg/
In Australia, it is the Green Star
http://www.bgca.org.au/
In the US, it is known as LEEDS
http://www.bgca.org/
6. Will it cost more?
I am convinced not. It does not necessarily mean that a green building will be more expensive than the conventional counterpart. While it is true at this time in Malaysia at least that the more green the building, the more expensive it gets but there are always in between options and we can always plan it such that it is done in stages.
Whichever design we would choose, I would humbly encourage my neighbours to adopt building designs and concepts that would suit Tanarimba.
Here are some ideas:-
1. The right architect and the right contractor
I would choose an architect who ‘feels’ for Tanarimba. Someone who can design a house that fits into Tanarimba, not one that would stick out like that sore thumb. The contractor would be equally important if not more. He or she should be cognizant of the uniqueness of the place and must be conscious enough to work with us and practise good and ecologically-friendly construction methods.
2. Care for our other ‘neighbours’
I am talking about the non-human neighbours. In our design and during construction we should not disturb or harm the animals in the forests. For example, about 2 years ago, the workers of a contractor offered me a Malaysian porcupine if I wanted one, because they said they can easily catch one with their home made trap. I saw the trap but not the porcupine. I reported it to Nathan and they weren’t too friendly with me thereafter.
3. Care for the surroundings
Said many times in this blog, please keep as much of the natural vegetation as possible.
4. It must be a ‘green’ house
Having a home in Tanarimba gives us a unique opportunity to build the perfect green home. It should meet our human needs while at the same time built with the right materials and design to be as green as possible. This topic would justify another few specialized articles on this blog but for now, let me offer some ideas.
4.1 Rain water for non-drinking purposes
I would incorporate rain collection gutter and tank systems and reuse the collected rain water for flushing toilets, washing machine, car wash and general cleaning within and outside the house. I would even have concurrent taps in several areas to utilize the rain water as and when I want. I would just colour code the taps.
4.2 No air-conditioning
I personally think that having an air-condition goes against the very principle of living in Tanarimba. The filtered air that comes out of an air-conditioner will not be half as ‘fresh’ as that coming directly from the outside. In addition, the compressors that run the air-cons would blow hot air out which to me just doesn’t make sense when you are here in Tanarimba.
4.3 Solar panels
This is a tough decision. While I would like to be self sufficient energy wise, the cost of installing and maintaining solar panels to generate electricity for the entire house will be too much to bear at this time- at least for me. But for my other more fortunate neighbours, I would encourage it. I wouldn’t even mind participating in a scheme (if there is one) to have centralized solar panels to generate electricity for Tanarimba’s own use. Maybe in the near future, Sitrac?
4.4 Building materials – are they green?
I ask myself this question all the time. This is where a good contractor comes in. I would strongly encourage my contractor to choose only timber from FSC certified forests, use as little form work as possible, no granite or marble (because the limestone hills where the marble comes from cannot be replaced), know the source of all the building materials so that I can assess the ‘greenness’ for myself. Really tough thing to do in Malaysia, I know, but I would at least try. The more the consumers demand of it, the more effort will the businesses put in to cater to our needs. There’s no other way, green concepts must be led by the consumer. A business’ prime motive is to make profit, so it would not be naturally inspired to offer green products unless there is demand for them.
5. How green is green
We may even choose to follow industry benchmarks when constructing our home.
In Malaysia we have the Green Building Index
http://www.greenbuildingindex.org/
In Singapore, it is the Green Mark
http://www.bca.gov.sg/
In Australia, it is the Green Star
http://www.bgca.org.au/
In the US, it is known as LEEDS
http://www.bgca.org/
6. Will it cost more?
I am convinced not. It does not necessarily mean that a green building will be more expensive than the conventional counterpart. While it is true at this time in Malaysia at least that the more green the building, the more expensive it gets but there are always in between options and we can always plan it such that it is done in stages.
Friday, May 21, 2010
New species found in PNG
Reported here:-
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/2010/05/201051883348225658.html
Scientists found several new species in Foja Mountains in Papua New Guinea. A wallaby (like a kangaroo but smaller), a long-nosed frog and a yellow-eyed gecko. Yellow-eyed? Have you seen anything that has yellow eyes before? I haven't.
Actually, new species are not actually new per se. It is more that they were newly discovered. A few years ago, we discovered that the smaller sized elephants found in Sabah are a distinct species rather than a cousin or relative of the Asian elephant found in the region. So the Asian pygmy elephant was declared a new species.
Besides the bigger celebrities, we also have many lesser new stars like insects, snails, plants, bugs, well bugs are insects, being discovered every now and then.
So, what's the relevance to this blog, you ask.
We have a backyard of a forest. It is not a park but a forest. It is not just a grouping of trees and some undergrowth but it's a living eco-system. It is hence very important for us, the residents of Tanarimba, to retain as much as possible the original state of the land and allow it to evolve.
The so-called creepy crawlies, the bats, the swiflets that crash into your windows or shit onto them if they don't, the babi hutan that digs up your vegetable patch, will inevitably cause some of us some discomfort and even grief. But hey, they were here first. And unless they are about to threaten our lives, we should find a way to live with them. Be part of the ecosystem.
Another friendly reminder... :)
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/2010/05/201051883348225658.html
Scientists found several new species in Foja Mountains in Papua New Guinea. A wallaby (like a kangaroo but smaller), a long-nosed frog and a yellow-eyed gecko. Yellow-eyed? Have you seen anything that has yellow eyes before? I haven't.
Actually, new species are not actually new per se. It is more that they were newly discovered. A few years ago, we discovered that the smaller sized elephants found in Sabah are a distinct species rather than a cousin or relative of the Asian elephant found in the region. So the Asian pygmy elephant was declared a new species.
Besides the bigger celebrities, we also have many lesser new stars like insects, snails, plants, bugs, well bugs are insects, being discovered every now and then.
So, what's the relevance to this blog, you ask.
We have a backyard of a forest. It is not a park but a forest. It is not just a grouping of trees and some undergrowth but it's a living eco-system. It is hence very important for us, the residents of Tanarimba, to retain as much as possible the original state of the land and allow it to evolve.
The so-called creepy crawlies, the bats, the swiflets that crash into your windows or shit onto them if they don't, the babi hutan that digs up your vegetable patch, will inevitably cause some of us some discomfort and even grief. But hey, they were here first. And unless they are about to threaten our lives, we should find a way to live with them. Be part of the ecosystem.
Another friendly reminder... :)
Friday, April 30, 2010
PLEASE do something about it...
Recently, three e-petition emails reached my inbox.
The first one was about a petition against the continued logging and poaching of Temengor Forest Reserve which shares the boundary with the Royal Belum State Park. The Belum- Temengor forested area sits in the north of Perak. It has more hornbill species than Sarawak plus probably holds the world record of having the most number of hornbills in flight recorded in a single evening. Over 2000 hornbills were sighted flying over the area – from Belum to Temengor in one evening sometime in November of 1993. I was there 3 months before and I will never forget the sight of over 160 hornbills flying over Sg Halong at the Temengor area and will always regret that I should have been there 3 months later!
So, I signed the petition in an instant.
The second one was about saving the Malaysian rainforest. In conjunction with Earth Day, someone wanted to send another message to the government of the day that we should treasure and not destroy our biodiversity. This was another easy one, so signed also within an instant.
Then the third one came and I signed it even before I finished reading it. It was a petition against the construction of the Kuala Lumpur Outer Ring Road. KLORR. This is closer to home, Tanarimba that is. Google it or check it out at MPAJ office in Pandan Indah. The KLORR will be constructed to surround KL and will cut across the Gombak Forest Reserve which separates Klang Gates Ridge (Bukit Tabur) and Tanarimba! I fear it might even be built within sling shot distance to Tanarimba. I do hope I’m wrong. In any case, it will dissect the already depleted forest reserves in Selangor and Pahang and to me there are less ecologically-destructive ways to reduce traffic congestion in the city. So, if I were you, I would sign it too before you finish reading this article. We know how special Tanarimba is to us. The Klang Gates Ridge which is experiencing tremendous pressure from housing developments creeping up to its feet, is one of the largest, if not the largest, single standing karst formation of its sort in the world! If you haven’t climbed it yet, you should and if you walk in a straight line towards Pahang, you will probably end up in your own doorstep in Tanarimba within a day, not more.
So, please click underneath and do the right thing.
No to KLORR
http://www.petitiononline.com/KLORR/petition.html
No to destruction of Malaysian rainforest
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-peninsular-malaysia-rainforest/
No to logging and poaching in Belum- Temengor Forest Area
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/savetemengor2010
The first one was about a petition against the continued logging and poaching of Temengor Forest Reserve which shares the boundary with the Royal Belum State Park. The Belum- Temengor forested area sits in the north of Perak. It has more hornbill species than Sarawak plus probably holds the world record of having the most number of hornbills in flight recorded in a single evening. Over 2000 hornbills were sighted flying over the area – from Belum to Temengor in one evening sometime in November of 1993. I was there 3 months before and I will never forget the sight of over 160 hornbills flying over Sg Halong at the Temengor area and will always regret that I should have been there 3 months later!
So, I signed the petition in an instant.
The second one was about saving the Malaysian rainforest. In conjunction with Earth Day, someone wanted to send another message to the government of the day that we should treasure and not destroy our biodiversity. This was another easy one, so signed also within an instant.
Then the third one came and I signed it even before I finished reading it. It was a petition against the construction of the Kuala Lumpur Outer Ring Road. KLORR. This is closer to home, Tanarimba that is. Google it or check it out at MPAJ office in Pandan Indah. The KLORR will be constructed to surround KL and will cut across the Gombak Forest Reserve which separates Klang Gates Ridge (Bukit Tabur) and Tanarimba! I fear it might even be built within sling shot distance to Tanarimba. I do hope I’m wrong. In any case, it will dissect the already depleted forest reserves in Selangor and Pahang and to me there are less ecologically-destructive ways to reduce traffic congestion in the city. So, if I were you, I would sign it too before you finish reading this article. We know how special Tanarimba is to us. The Klang Gates Ridge which is experiencing tremendous pressure from housing developments creeping up to its feet, is one of the largest, if not the largest, single standing karst formation of its sort in the world! If you haven’t climbed it yet, you should and if you walk in a straight line towards Pahang, you will probably end up in your own doorstep in Tanarimba within a day, not more.
So, please click underneath and do the right thing.
No to KLORR
http://www.petitiononline.com/KLORR/petition.html
No to destruction of Malaysian rainforest
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-peninsular-malaysia-rainforest/
No to logging and poaching in Belum- Temengor Forest Area
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/savetemengor2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Court decision on the Asian Carp in the US
It was reported in yesterday's papers that a Court in the US will decide on whether to allow an introduced species of river fish - the Asian Carp - to 'move' into Lake Michigan. The Asian carp is a predator. It is an introduced species and therefore there are no other fish in the rivers that will feed on it, allowing the species to grow in numbers and practically decimate the natural species in the rivers. The fish can grow to almost 100lbs. It's big.
A similar story is found in our Malaysian rivers, with the South American arapiama invading our natural waters after some previous owners didn't want to keep them as a pet anymore. That fish can grow up to 30 feet in size. The 'monster' reportedly spotted in Tasik Temenggor was alleged to have cause the death of 2 fishermen - knocked off the boat and drowned.
Then there is the flowerhorn fish, that owners kept and bred for a while for good luck but then threw them in the waterways after getting bored of them. Another introduced / exotic species that are now king of many waterways killing the natural fishes in its domain....
Many more examples why we should be careful what we put into the rivers of Tanarimba.
...and this story can be expanded to the type of trees, the pets that we bring with us etc to the still balanced and sensitive eco-system that exist in Tanarimba.
Monday, January 11, 2010
A lot happening....
Back in December 2009, I did a quick run to Tanarimba and was surprised by the pace of 'development'. The community is finally moving in. I hope that we will continue to observe and preserve the essence of Tanarimba and help each other keep its unique identity. And if you don't know what that is, just take a peek at Sitrac's official tanarimba website.
Just a few reminders once again. More can be found in earlier postings of this blog.
1. Please keep as many trees as possible. It is stated in the title deed after all. And if we have to cut some down (example for the road), it is recommended that we plant six for every single tree cut.
2. Along with the trees, please keep as much of the natural undergrowth as possible. Just clearing the land and planting taiwanese grass might appeal to most, but a jungle is a jungle. It needs a natural ecosystem which includes the undergrowth. You might want to have some clearing for a play area, but I would recommend you keep the other parts of your land in its natural form, please.
3. Blend in with the locals. The animals, birds, insects and worms (including leeches) were there first. So, we are the invaders. It would only be neighbourly to leave them some ( a lot if we keep most of the trees and undergrowth) space and freedom to co-exist with us.
4. It is recommended that we plant only indigenious trees. Please try to avoid imported (also called exotic) species that are not naturally found in the area or along such terrain. It will disturb the natural ecosystem.
Welcome to the rainforest!
Just a few reminders once again. More can be found in earlier postings of this blog.
1. Please keep as many trees as possible. It is stated in the title deed after all. And if we have to cut some down (example for the road), it is recommended that we plant six for every single tree cut.
2. Along with the trees, please keep as much of the natural undergrowth as possible. Just clearing the land and planting taiwanese grass might appeal to most, but a jungle is a jungle. It needs a natural ecosystem which includes the undergrowth. You might want to have some clearing for a play area, but I would recommend you keep the other parts of your land in its natural form, please.
3. Blend in with the locals. The animals, birds, insects and worms (including leeches) were there first. So, we are the invaders. It would only be neighbourly to leave them some ( a lot if we keep most of the trees and undergrowth) space and freedom to co-exist with us.
4. It is recommended that we plant only indigenious trees. Please try to avoid imported (also called exotic) species that are not naturally found in the area or along such terrain. It will disturb the natural ecosystem.
Welcome to the rainforest!
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