ENVIRONMENT - CLIMATE CHANGE

The US Global Change Research Programme, a grouping of a dozen US government agencies and the White House, has recently released its report, titled “Global Change Impacts in the United States”. Mr. Jerry Melillo of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts said that “Climate change is happening now, it is not something that will happen decades or centuries in the future”. Mr. Jerry Melillo is one of the lead authors of the report. According to the report, the climate change is caused mainly by human-induced emissions of heat-trapping gases. The report outlines in plain, non-scientific terms hoe global warming has led to an increase of extreme weather like the powerful heat-wave that swept Europe in 2003. Global warming has impact on everything from water supplies to farming, to energy, to health. On Friday, 26th June 2009, The House of Representatives in the United States has narrowly passed the legislation that establishes the United States’ first limits on pollution that is linked to global warming. Democratic Representative, Ed Murkey described the legislation as “the most important energy and environmental legislation in the history of our country”.

On Thursday, 18th of June 2009, the Star reported that the haze that covered the Kuala Lumpur skyline on 17th June 2009. According to that report, the Air Pollutant Index showed that some 26 areas in Malaysia, the air quality reading were between 51 to 100 while in Tanjung Malim area was declared as unhealthy with the reading between 101 and 200 as recorded.


On 27th June 2009, Malaysia Environment NGO (MENGO) in association with the Purple Ants had organised a Treasure Hunt to create awareness of the environmental impact on human life among the people. The Treasurer Hunt took some 500 participants, the majority of whom were below the age of 30 years age, from Petaling Jaya to Jalan Ampang to Jalan Sultan Ismail to Jalan Imbi to Jalan Hang Tuah to Jalan Sambantan areas in Kuala Lumpur. The rules of the Treasure Hunt prohibited the use of cars, buses or any petrol or diesel driven vehicles as a means of transport. It was all fun and challenges that had put the thought of winning in the second place.

The Team, “The Green Hunter”[picture above]is the only team, which has 3 of its 4 members who are above 60 years of age. Among them, the oldest is 70 years old..



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Maestro D’Taijiquan conducts Taijiquan and Qigong in Petaling Jaya. Please contact Master W. Y. Ho at 012-3319234

TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

My name is Ho Wah Ying [better known as W. Y. Ho]. I was a practising TCM Chinese Physician for more than 40 years. For a number of years, I was the Advisor to the Kuala Lumpur Traditional Chinese Physician Association.

Very often I have overheard people at the coffee-shop talks, discussing about usage of herbs to cure certain illness, particularly single-herb prescriptions. Let me share my experience and knowledge, as a Chinese Physician, with you about Chinese Medicine. However, I have to share my knowledge by instalments as it would be too long to describe it in one single article.

Discussion 1 - The Characters and Functions of Traditional Chinese Herbs
Every herb has its own specific characters. Such different characters of the herbs are used to treat diseases, rectify the hyperactivity and hypoactivity of Yin and Yang. It helps the body to restore its normal physiological functions and hence eliminate the diseases and restore the body to good health. The characters and functions of these herbs include: -
[1] herbs’ properties, which refers to the cold, hot, warm, or cool nature of the herbs
[2] Its flavours, which refers to the taste of the herbs – pungent, sweet, sour, bitter, salty, tasteless and
astringent (harsh biting quality)
[3] actions of lifting,
[4] actions of lowering
[5] actions to float
[6] actions to cause Channel Tropism
[7] action to clear or neutralise toxicity, etc.

This theory is based on the theories of Yin and Yang, the viscera, the channels and collaterais, and the treatment principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

W Y Ho
24th June 2009
Next week – Properties and flavours

BLOGGERS CARNIVAL - PJ challenge 2009

The Day on 20th June 2009 is the 3rd Anniversary of Petaling Jaya City Day. As part of the City Day Celebration, the Association of Backpackers Malaysia (ABM) in association with Kaspersky Lab and MBPJ held a one-day Bloggers “K”arnival at Jaya 33 in Petaling Jaya.

More than 500 people came to participate in the Carnival. About 300 of the participants took part in the Blogging Competition while the rest of them took part in the Treasure Hunt, Find Your Match, Photography Contest (Capture Karnival Moments), Mystery Gift for Dad, and the Children’s Colouring Contest, All participants were given a goody-bag of freebies.


The Bloggers Competition was divided into two categories – [1] Basic (Blog 101) and [2] Advanced (Blog 411). The Prizes for the Basic (Blog 101) are Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 Antivirus system and the prizes for the Advanced (Blog 411) are Laptops.

1dragoncall.blogspot. com has won a prize in the Basic category.



There were also cultural activities to entertain the people who came to Jaya 33 to participate in the Carnival as well as to shop there.

BEAUTES OF BUKIT GASING, P. JAYA

The recent fire in May 2009 that burnt out part of the Bukit Gasing range, has destroyed some of the flora and fauna in the forest on those hills of the Bukit Gasing range. However, not all are lost. Below are some of the beauties that you can still find in the forest of Bukit Gasing.
















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Maestro D’Taijiquan conducts Taijiquan and Qigong in Petaling Jaya. Please contact Master W. Y. Ho at 012-3319234

Meditation - the seven basic steps

In learning to meditate, it is essential to begin with the seven basic steps. They are:
[1] Start out with focussing the mind by placing the Tian Mu [a point at midpoint between, but immediately above the eyebrows] at the mid-point that lies between the Solar Plexus and the navel of your own body. I refer to that point as the M-point
[2] Take 7 long, smooth, silent and deep in-out breathing [to breathe in and out is one breath]
[3] Concentrate on the M-point and observe and be aware of the movements of the M-point as you
breathe in and breathe out.
[4] Following the seven long breathing, learn to adjust the breathing in the following 4 ways:
[a] Long in and long out
[b] short in and long out
[c] long in and short out
[d] short in and short out
[5] Let the mind be at ease as you breathe, but without lose of concentration and focus
[6] Spread your awareness [your sense of conscious feeling] to every parts of your body
[7] Unite the breath sensations that are spread all over your body and let them flow together freely
and comfortably, but keep your awareness as broad as possible.

Once fully aware of the aspects of your breathing, you will come to know all other aspects of things as well. By its nature, the breathing has many facets, i.e., breathing sensations flowing in the nerves, those flowing around and about the nerves in the body to every pore. In summary, meditation:
[a] will improve the energy that is already existed in your body so that you can contend with such things as diseases and pain;
[b] can clarify the knowledge that is already within you so that it can become a basis for the skills that will lead to release and purity of heart.

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Maestro D’Taijiquan conducts Taijiquan and Qigong in Petaling Jaya. Please contact Master W. Y. Ho at 012-3319234

PHILOSOPHY of SUCCESS

Men are bound by their desire to succeed in their missions that they had set forth to achieve their ultimate victory. For thousands of years, many wars had been fought from Asia through Europe to America. Many victors and losers had been created out of those wars, but what is success?

In the modern world, the criteria for success begin with a set of belief follow by the strong focus on that belief with high standard of mental strength and energy. Success lies not in the “win”, but the endurance in the “challenge” to the end. Jean Babtiste Henri Lacordaire once said, “Neither genius, fame, nor love show the greatness of the soul. Only kindness can do that”. Thus the success lies in the act of kindness to other living beings and things.

The spirit of Challenge is the success of the day. What is “challenge”? Is it an act to oppose for opposing sake? Challenge is an art of skilful creation and display of one’s individual talent in harmony with the intellectual assembly of thought for the external execution of actions.

The aim of the Challenge is not to defeat any one, but to participate in demonstration of one’s skills and talents with complete harmony and balance with one’s mind. In that completeness there is no excess and at the same times no deficiency. Ex-President of USA, Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are”. Life is not in the good cards that one holds, but in the manner of playing well with those cards that one has. “The tragedy of life is not that the man loses, but that he almost wins” said Heywood Brown.

To a wise man, life is only a festival in time. Participation is the aim in time, but winning in a competition is the satisfaction of the man’s ego. Buddha said, “To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.



Life is worthwhile if one is willing to learn from one’s own positive and negative experiences, i.e, learn from one’s mistakes in order for one to do things positively right. Success in life is in the willingness to learn from one’s mistakes as well from others. Human beings learn by observation, paying attention as good listeners to selective input, i.e., accept what one considers acceptable and put aside, but not discard all that one considers unreasonable.

Life is not worthwhile if one has not try on what one has learned. Try will make a difference. It is the “Try” that brings oneself to the next level of success. Without trying one will never know. Albert Einstein said, “I think that only daring speculation can lead us further and not accumulation of facts” and John F. Kennedy said, “There are risks and costs to a program. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.

A man must strong and bold, but he must not be rude and a bully. He must be humble and express his kindness, but must not be weak and timid. He must be proud of his achievements, but he must not be arrogant. These are the ingredients of success. Success in life is not the acquisition of material wealth or one has achieved one’s goal in one’s mission, but the enjoyment of the experience gained and all that one has learned from one’s own mistakes during one’s participation in the challenges in one’s lifetime.

Dragon Ho
16th June 2009


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Learn Taijiquan & Qigong from Maestro D’Taijiquan. Contact Master W Y Ho at 012-3319234

The high standard of the English Language used and spoken in Malaysia is fast becoming history. It has not acquire the status of history yet, just becoming antic. English is the foreign language that once Malaysians could speak and write so well that even the Englishmen were proud and envy of.

To-day, the Senior Citizen can still speak and write good perfect English, but most of the young Malaysians today speak and write what is called Communicative English. What is Communicative English? It is a language that sounds like English, similar to that of English, most young Malaysians can understand the thoughts of the transmitters of the messages, but it is not English. As an example of the Communicative English, I quoted below the following passage from an English daily:

“Two nabbed over sex posters in hotel
Two men who were busy posting posters offering sexual services in the toilet of a five-star hotel in Genting Highlands have been arrested”.

Let us analyse the sentence.
The main clause in the sentence is: “Two men have been arrested”.
The adjectival subordinate clause is: “who were posting posters” describing what the two men were doing.
“offer sexual services” is an adjectival phrase that describes the kind of posters that the two men were in the process of posting when they were arrested
Where did they intend to provide the sexual services? “in the toilet” is another adjectival phrase that describe the venue for the sexual services.
Which toilet? In the toilet “of a five-star hotel in Genting Highlands” is another adjective phrase that identified the location of the toilet.

Is this the message that the reporter was trying to tell the public? I think not. I believe that the author of the sentence is confused in the construction of that sentence. The sentence is consisted of one main clause, one adjectival clause and three adjectival phrases. The main problem in the sentence is that there is no punctuation therein and therefore the poster describes the kind and venue of the offer, 1.e., “sexual services in the toilet”.

According to the Rules of English Grammar, the adjective is the describing word, which must be placed as close as possible to the noun or another adjective it qualifies. The same rule applies to adjectival clause and the adjectival phrase. Applying the rules to the aforesaid sentence, “sexual services” describes the kind of offer in the “offering” and the phrase “in the toilet” describes the place or venue where the “sexual services” was going to be rendered.

Is it better to restructure the sentence as follows?

The police had arrested two men who were busy posting posters in the toilet of a five-star hotel in Genting Highlands. The posters reveal the offer of sexual services [probably in the hotel or elsewhere, as it was not reported in the English daily].

Here is another sentence that tells you information that is everybody’s guess.

“Free return Airfare to Ho Chi Minh City?”

This advertisement was placed on the Malaysian English daily that I had obtained it in Petaling Jaya. In the first instant, it appears that the advertisement aims to attract the Vietnamese in Ho Chi Minh City to visit Malaysia, but how can the residents of Ho Chi Minh City read it when the newspaper is sold in Malaysia?

Read on further, you will find that the prerequisite qualification is “minimum total of 3 nights stay required at Hotel XXXXXX Ho Chi Minh City”. It becomes clear that the advertisement is intended for the Malaysian residents to read. From here, let us analyse the word “return”. The word ‘return’ means to go back to the place where you came from. Why must I return to Ho Chi Minh City again after visiting Ho Chi Minh City?

Where are we heading from here?

PJ Challenge spreads its wings

The P J Challenge 2009, organised by the Association of Backpackers Malaysia (ABM) in association with Kaspersky Lab and Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya, has spread its wings into community services.

Today, Dato’ Dr. Wong Sai Hou, the President of Association of Backpackers Malaysia, and Organising Chairman of P J Challenge 2009 held a press conference at the Sungai Way Old Folks Homes to give out donations to 5 institutions in the vicinity of Sungai Way New Villages.

Dato’ Dr. Wong Sai Hou said that PJ Challenge would, in the future, look into the needs of the communities of the various races in the PJ Utara constituency particularly the communities in the various kampongs and new villages in PJ Utara area. The next press conference will be held on Friday, 12/6/2009 at the SS3 Community Centre at 10 a.m. Come to the Centre to hear out what is going to say.

The group of hashers, road runners, mountain climbers, housewives and families who formed the Association of Backpackers Malaysia (ABM) in 1991 to pursue a common interest – to enjoy the pleasure of enhancing one’s knowledge about the natural beauties of the great outdoor environment, has now moved into the new horizon of interest. The ABM is now committed to serve the communities of the PJ Utara area one community at a time. All of us together can make a difference. Support the ABM’s cause to make a difference. You can make a difference.



Dated 10th June 2009

1st Puterajaya International Dragon Boat Festival

cene : The Lake at Precinct 6
Date : Saturday, 6th June 2009
Weather : Sunny and bright
Temperature ; hot
Time covered
In the report : Berween 11.00a.m. to 3.00p.m.

It is the first time the festival of Dragon Boat Race is being in Puterajaya.
The 1st Puterajaya Drangon Boat Festival has attracted many participants from China, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan Indonesia and Singapore. The festival is scheduled to last from 5th June 2009 to 7th June 2009. It starts from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.

The festival drew a crowd of about 200 spectators on 6th June 2009, but it lack the carnival atmosphere. Besides the boat race in the lake, there are a row of about 10 tented stalls to the left flank of the participant stations, selling T-shirts and other souvenir items. To the right of the participant stations, are a number of food and Drink stalls providing a variety of Malaysian delicacies, pizza, burgers and other tummy pacifiers.

It is a good place for family outing tomorrow if you do not mind the heat, provided also that it don’t rain.

P J Challenge 2009

PJ Challenge 2009 –BLOGGERS “K”ARNIVAL

Come 20th June 2009 is another festival of challenges for Malaysians of all ages from 7 and above. Come to Jaya 33 {Lobby & Level 4) at Section Section 14, Petaling Jaya to Feel Green in the Knowledge City of Petaling Jaya. Join the P J Challenge to make a difference. You can make a difference.P J Challenge 2009 is organised by Association of Backpackers Malaysia (ABM) in association with Kaspersky Lab and Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya.

Today, Dato’ Dr Wong Sai Hou, the President of Association of Backpackers Malaysia, and Organising Chairman of P J Challenge 2009 gave a press conference at Jaya 33 to announce the event of the year. The first phase of the annual P J Challenge organised since 2004 emphasized on awareness of Environment Audit Adventures, i.e:

2004 Climb the 4 Hills in 1 day [Bkt Sg. Rumput, Bkt. Kota Damansara, Bkt. Lanjan and Bkt. Gasing.
2005 Climb the 4 Hills in 1 day, Relays on roads and use of LRT – to promote
use of public transport.
2006 Menara MPPJ Towerthon & Environment Expo
2007 Step by Step Up for Charity
2008 We Love PJU Rivers Campaign – to get groups to save our Earth

P J Challenge 2009 marked the beginning of a new phase – the finger walking to replace the leg walking in the activities, blogging. Come to Jaya 33 on 20th June 2009 to find out more about finger walking. You can make a difference.

Fact about ABM
In 1991 a group of hashers, road runners, mountain climbers, housewives and families got together to form the Association of Backpackers Malaysia to pursue a common interest – to enjoy the pleasure of enhancing one’s knowledge about the natural beauties of the great outdoor environment. The ABM’s main activities are the delightful and yet inexpensive trekking through countries, mountain climing, caving, camping, trail blazing, rock, mountain biking, aquatic adventure, etc. Before the coming of the P J Challenge, the ABM had held the following challenges:

1994 Gunung Tahan All Women’s Team - to climb Gunung Tahan
1995 Climb fot thr Nation
1997 Trans Banjaran Titiwangsa
1998 Cameron Titiwangsa Ascent

Dated 5th June 2009

Bukit Gasing after the Fire

On the hot Saturday afternoon of 9th May 2009, the fire burnt the hillock to the left of the Route One trail. The fire burned from about 3p.m. until it was put out about 7.30p.m. The cause of the fire was everybody’s guess. Nonetheless, the damage to the hillock is quiet extensive. Most of the plants, trees, bushes and shrubs on that hill surrounded by the popular trails near the Look out Tower were destroyed.

Twenty-two days had passed by when I visited the hill again on the morning of 31st May 2009. The scenery of the hill remained very much the same as I visited on Sunday and Monday afternoon of 10th and 11th May 2009 respectively. The hill has yet to be restored the hill to its natural grandeur. There are signs of soil erosion appearing the slopes facing the fence that runs along part of the trail that leads towards the canopy walk [Monkey Bridge].

Restoration work has to start fast before major erosion takes place. The Association of Backpackers Malaysia invites other NGOs and MBPJ to take part in its plan to plant 206 trees on the hill to mark the beginning of the restoration project. Those who are interested in the project should contact the President of the Association of Backpackers Malaysia, Dato’ (Dr) Wong Sai Hou at contact No. 019-3886122.

On the ridge -2nd day after
the fire [10/5/2009]

Erosion near the fence [on 31/5/2009


Near [below] the Look-out Tower [on 31/5/2009




Path leading to the Look-out Tower[on 31/5/2009]


Along the path parallel to the fence [on 31/5/2009