Sunday, February 26, 2017

Kuala Lumpur Bird Park

The Kuala Lumpur Bird Park is the most fascinating place I have ever visited in my life, being a non-bird fan myself. 21 acres of luscious green landscape. 3000 birds from 200 species. Free flight concept.  And I was so courageous to visit this place without wearing a hat! I know better next time, and yes, there will be a next time, that's for sure.

I do not know much about birds but I love their colors, especially the parrots and peacocks. I totally am in love with this park simply because it was fun seeing the birds walk and fly all over the place with me in the midst of them. I could stand right next to a Yellow-billed Stork and just snap pictures of it. I have never been so close to a Hornbill before, the feeling was just amazing. I tried bullying a Peacock to spread open its feathers but they have minds of their own as to when and where they wanna show off...annnnnd the peacocks and peahens are E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E! There must be hundreds of them.

The above photo was taken by hubby using his iPhone. Mine went battery-dead and yupp... forgot all about bring a power bank or 3! This place totally took my breath away. Being up close and personal with the birdies is just....urmmm... AWE-INSPIRING.
Seek deep within your inner self and magnify the many colorful layers within your magnificent and vibrant soul. Expose and express your bold and beautiful self by spreading your feathers freely and proudly, for all the world to see. (Melanie Moushigian Koulouris)
Egret
Birds are a miracle because they prove to us there is a finer, simpler state of being which we may strive to attain. (Douglas Coupland)
When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves. 
(William Arthur Ward)

A peacock has too little in its head, too much in its tail! (Swedish Proverb)


Being so close to the Hornbill is such a pleasure. Although it was in a cage but i was standing next to it (at arm's lenth), separated by a fence. I guess it was people friendly as it didn't fly away when it saw me standing so close. Just look at its brilliance.
"Pan, who and what art thou?" he cried huskily
"I'm youth, I'm joy," Peter answered at a venture,
"I'm a little bird that has broken out of the egg."
(J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan)
The arrogant look! Hahaha. I was expected it to stick its head through the fence and give me a peck as it looks kinda naughty. Nope. It was very well behaved.

Rainbow Parakeet
Be like a bird the bird that, passing on her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings. (Victor Hugo)
Faith is a bird that feels dawn breaking and sings while it is still dark. 
(Rabindranath 
Wanna smooch?
Happier of happy though I be, like them
I cannot take possession of the sky
Mount with a thoughtless impulse and wheel there
One of a mighty multitude, whose way
And motion is a harmony and dance
Magnificent
(William Wordsworth)
Victoria crowned Pigeon
I call this bird the Devil's Eye. Look at the bright red color. 
Love is a game that two can play and both win. (Eva Gabor)

These shots I took (above and below) always make me burst out in laughter. I was standing as still as I could trying to get good shots. As I photograhed it, its head kept tilting to the right, as if to say "What in the world are you doing, nutty human?"

Cassowary. It is an endangered species but it is known to be the most dangerous bird on earth! It looks like a dinosaur right? They can run at speeds up to 50 kilometres. If they cornered, they will not hesitate to kill. No wonder these birds were caged individually. 
Let us live in the beauty of our own reality. (Charles Lamb)
This saying cracks me up!!!
Remember that the most beautiful things in the world are the most useless; peacocks and lilies for instance. (John Steinbeck)
I must admit I never could get enough of photographing the peacocks. When they spread their feathers, it is always a huge WOW.  Such beauty. Majestic in colors. I just wonder how heavy it is for them to carry that bundle of feathers with them at all times. Not easy for them to walk around too; they hit everything they passed!
In order to see birds, it is necessary to become part of the silence. (Robert Lynd)
The sound of birds stop the noise in my mind. (Carly Simon)
I am resting. Buzz off!
Hello? May I help you?
Pelicans
A wonderful bird is the pelican
His bill will hold more than his belican
He can take in his beak
Food enough for a week
But I'm damned if I see how the helican
(Dixon Lanier Merritt)
A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song. 
(Maya Angelou)


Sleepy Owl
A wise old owl sat on an oak; The more he saw the less he spoke;
The less he spoke the more he heard; Why aren't we like that wise old bird?
(Edward Hersey Richards)
The little owls call to each other with tremulous, quavering voices throughout the livelong night, as they sit in the creaking trees. (Theodore Roosevelt)
RM38 for a shot with the birds, oh why not?! The only thought that was in my mind at this time was "Please don't shit on my head!" Other than that, all was good and birdies were well behaved. If only Malaysia is not this humid. It is good that it was sunny on the day we visited the park and we enjoyed visiting every nook and corner, but we were totally drenched in sweat. If was ice-creams after ice-creams to try and keep cool, haha! But just being close to the birdies...they made us smile and kept going.
One of my favorite quotes comes from Emily Dickinson. She said "Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tunes without the words, and never stops at all."

Thursday, February 9, 2017

MinNature Malaysia

5 February 2017 Sunday.  Weather was humid and boring. Needed to explore...but where?
Googled and found MinNature Malaysia. Was sceptical at first but decided to go for it and hunt for this place. Situated just on the 4th floor of Summit USJ and there was no regrets. We were greeted by one of the Master Builders (there are about 70 of them) of the whole 17,000 sq ft of space; friendly chap; eager to explain what MinNature is all about and their vision and mission. Impressive is an understatement. It was so awe-inspiring. 

Malay village

Loved the railway tracks and the toy choo choo trains running all over the place

Woodworking


Little townships


Open air eatery






Rock concert
Firemen in action
One of my favorite shots


Theme park

On a date

Rio favela



Cottages


Bones!
Hope to see dragons and princesses in the near future

On the right, Batu Caves is yet to be completed
Thien Hou Temple

Another favorite shot of mine

National Mosque



Dataran Merdeka

Sports



Dataran Merdeka


DKBL Theatre


Pasar malam @ Night market
Masjid Jamek
Museum


The Workshop

I love the little people the most. I can only imagine the amount of work that has been put into the ideas, organization, creation, the moulding, the painting...including the backaches and headaches! I hope MinNature will get more funding from generous people and organizations in time, people who have a parallel vision with this young and ambitious team. I love the open concept that MinNature practices in hoping to educate the young and old to respect the creations, at the same time, giving the public the freedom to touch and feel with care and be happy to take pictures or video clips however much they like. 

I will be back!