Malaysia Day -16 September,2017 in Bintulu.

Tree Planting at Bintulu Sentral - 16 Sept'17

Painting the mural

Today is a special day for Bintuluians as we celebrate Malaysia Day in a unique way.  I joined the local community, government servants and students in a tree planting program at an open or green space within the Bintulu Sentral, a new shopping location just opened for business about two years ago.  The event was spearheaded by Bintulu Development Authority which provided the plants and place.  I planted a Hibiscus mutabilis species.

Me planting the Hibiscus mutabilis species

Participants happily planting

After the planting ceremony, I joined the crowd in a mural painting activity.  The exposed rock surfaced formed by an outcrop near the traffic lights junction close-by was chosen as the mural site.  Two types of mural painting were carried out.  One set of murals were painted along a short concrete wall about 320 meters long that surrounded the base of the outcrop.  Here I tried my hand at painting a tiny section of the mural design which was already laid using a template on the wall surface.  On the outcrop two ‘graffiti artists’ were busy doing the mural painting using spray cans and standing on scaffolding pipes laid perpendicular to the sloping rock surface, thereby comes the name of today’s project – Mural the Rock.

Painting a small section in the long mural, about 320 meters long when completed.

"Mural the Rock" project

Aerobic dancing on the sidelines

GM BDA - Rodziah Hj Morshidi

On the sidelines, an aerobic dance was organised for the public and students of all ages and denominations to participate.  Food and  plenty of drinking water were freely served to the participating public.   

At a tent location, music was broadcasted and a basking team was in action.  During one of the ‘basking time’ I joined the GM of BDA, Puan Rodziah Hj. Morshidi in delivering two Bee Gees number – To Love Somebody and Words, with me on the guitar.

Singing with GM BDA, Rodziah Hj. Morshidi.

 Today’s celebration has more meaning to me than the normal tea parties that are usually held in conjunction with Malaysia Day celebration.  It has been a unique event with a difference, memorable and truly unique.

Happy Malaysia Day, Sarawak!

  ( This is the fourth of a series of articles as my writing contribution on what Malaysia Day means to me as a Sarawakian 2017)                                

In the year 2007, a bloom hunter I became

Flowers of the Poui tree (Tabebuia rosea) at Bintulu.

Daily Cut flower in
Kambatik Style

In the year 2007, a bloom hunter I became.  It is my passion for plants and photography that made me indulge in bloom hunting, besides a mission to define the Malaysian garden.   I started my first blog on ‘all the plants’ in June, 2007 and initially used the  Nokia phone camera n93i to capture the images mainly in three shots - CU, MS and LS.  The blog currently is in its fourth edition.  I have set myself on a mission to compile all the plants I encounter or hunt throughout Malaysian towns in my pursuit  for a comprehensive list of plants suitable for the Malaysian garden, which I defined as the Kambatik Garden or 'Laman Kambatik' in Malay.   The list covers the major groups of tropical plants, such as fruits trees, ornamental trees, palms, shrubs, covers, grasses, climbers, aquatic plants and orchids.  The blog on orchids - '4 da love of orchids'  is dedicated to garden enthusiasts, photographers, lovers and bloggers of tropical orchids.  Another relevant blog called 'Daily Cut Flowers' concentrates on floral arrangement using flowers in the Kambatik style.  The blogs covering a span of eight years have received reasonably good response as shown by the page views below: (as at 8 Sept'15)......

1) All the plants ( 1st Ed.) - 54,778 

2) All the plants ( 2nd Ed.) - 31,255

3) Laman Kambatik Plants List ( 3rd Ed.) - 210,558

4) Laman Kambatik Plants List (4th Ed.) - 12,764

5) 4 da love  of orchids - 78,718 

6) Daily Cut Flowers - 15,442

                        Total = 403,515 page views

It is my fervent hope that the name 'Kambatik' will one day be accepted into the Kamus Dewan ( Malay dictionary) as the name to define the Malaysian garden.

Happy Malaysia Day, Sarawak.

(Note: This is the 8th  post on what it is meant to be a Malaysian as part of my writing contribution to Malaysia Day which will  to be celebrated on the 16th of September.)

Capturing orchids at the Orchid Park, Kuching.