Chili Padi enzyme

It's still working its magic. The enzyme I concocted to chase bugs away from my plants is actually doing them more good than I anticipated.

I first reaped results from my chili-padi enzyme when I sprayed it weekly on my kafir lime tree. I never anticipated it would turn my barren tree around but it did, leaving me in awesome inspiration.

Ever since then, I made sure all my plants receive generous spraying of chili-padi enzyme every week. Now just this week, my cactus which hasn't flowered in nearly 2 years has sprung not one, nor two bud 3 buds.

I photographed them just this morning, and in just a few hours, the oldest bud bloomed to glory.


Hooray for truly organic miracles. Let's keep our plants healthy by giving them real nutrients. Forget about that synthetic stuff. Tell me, would you want to eat synthetic stuff all the time.

Michelia Champaca blooms at last..

Finally after nearly 2 years since planting, my Camelia has bloomed. O happy day!! I've been looking out for it every week, and at last it must have bloomed with the onset of the Tiger Lunar New Year. It's strange how the lunar new year often brings new blooms. My lotus did as well, but the Camelia is the best garden gift of all this year thus far.

Sporting Safe Streets

The rise of snatch theft is appalling. Families of young children are being cheated out of their mothers when one by one the mothers fall prey to these heartless and useless members of society.

Chief of Police says what can they do when it is a mobile crime, just have to cooperate with the rakyat. I'll have to concede that point somewhat. It is really difficult to apprehend these thieving mosquitoes. Mosquitoes drawing blood from their victims, buzzing off as soon as they've got what they wanted.

The only targets they don't victimise are men, very simply because men don't carry handbags. So with the popularisation of the man-bag, fellas better watch out.

But we should really get to the root cause of why this crime of boredom and easy money albeit dangerous has become the crime of the day. Expecting the police to clean up the crime rate however, is precipitation of law and enforcement. Neglect of a solution.

I am guessing that boredom is a key factor in this crime. Let's not even go to the complicating depths of low self-esteem yet. Let's talk about things that everyone can comprehend.

Daily as we move around the urbanised towns and areas, it is increasingly clear that the only development that local governments are concerned about is construction of business parks and high-rise residentials and commercial buildings. Whatever green recreation area is deemed unimportant and of no impact to the well being of its populace. It seems that the authorities approving these developments do so in total oblivion on the impact high density has on the social behaviour. I guess the rakyat is in the same equation as intensive chicken farming.

Oh yea YB Ministers... the rakyat elected you to be our lawmakers because you pledge to have the rakyat's welfare in your heart and mind. Plus we also held hope that you would possess a little more intelligence and some wisdom to boot than the rest of us non-politicians.

The intelligence to recognise that problems need fixing with a progressively permanent solution and the wisdom to recognise that we should learn from others who have reduced or fixed the problem successfully. By recognising that the simplest solutions often have the widest efficacy instead of the all too familiar grandiose actions for the narrowest coverage.

I know for a fact that my friends in Hong Kong and Singapore suffer very low crime rates. It's so safe that even their 15 year old daughter can come home safely from a 1 hour journey in a taxi at midnight. A unfathomable risk in this country because a crime following that ride would certainly be headline news the next day. A plain example of how safe and secure the citizens there feel.

Visitng these 2 countries, I made 2 startling observations
1) recreation areas are plentiful so that youth can spend their growing energy in a constructive way. Playgrounds, playing fields and sports complexes abound in and around the city which you will note ironically have scarce land to spare. If the youth form "gangs"; they fight it out in sports. The way that breeds healthy competition and builds self-esteem. I loathe the proposal of the previous sports minister ~ spend billions of ringgit on building a sports complex in a foreign land for athletes who will probably not even attain the standard to use it because of the lack of competition development at grassroots level. The governments of HongKong and Singapore have long ago realised that mounting social pressure is bound to burst out somewhere, and always in the worst way ~ crimes of all sizes and schemes.

2) sports is compulsory in the school curriculum. No child can go through school life without actively engaging in extra curricular activities. From what I hear from my friends who are parents even PE or PJ as it is now known has been cut down to once a week, and even then lots of excuses to avoid conducting the period. Music and Art lessons virtually non-existent anymore. Where is the outlet then for creative and rambunctious energy? These subjects were included in school curriculum for good reason. The wise people of recent generations recognised that youth need to expend their growing energy, and the more healthy distractions they are given, the more they enjoy themselves and the less they will seek negative thrills. Malaysia seems to have lost that wisdom, thrown it out perhaps viewing it as a colonial heritage. How foolish if true. No one can change principles of nature no matter what your race, creed or colour is.

Can't we learn from their example instead of constantly seeking to reinvent to wheel of society? Why does our government constantly waste time in chasing around the bush? I suspect I know the answer, but if I were to write it here, I'd probably be hauled up on some trumped charge.

I view the police as goalkeepers, they stand and wait for the intruders to arrive at the doorstep. They are trained to quash infiltration, while the tactical game is played out on our streets. That's where all the forward training becomes reality. How tactical the players (lawmakers) are is the result we (rakyat) reap in the end. The lawmakers are the rakyat's means to a safe existence.

The Education Ministry always has a monumental task and it's appointed minister needs to be of powerful rank in the government hierarchy. For this I do credit our current Prime Minister for assigning this fundamental ministry to his Deputy. The Prime Minister's responsibility is to the current generation while the Deputy is tasked with the future generation. The quality of this ministry should be visionary because education is really a "futures" investment. It must always be helmed by someone who is recognised for his wisdom. I haven't yet firmed my opinion of our DPM/Education Minister, but with all the promises of the new Prime Minister and his reshuffled cabinet, I can only pray for long overdue wisdom for the good future of this country, my home.

O happy day that it was when the news carried this report
Monday May 11, 2009
Muhyiddin proposes a review of education curriculum

Finally, finally I am beginning to see some hope now that we have an Education Minister with the right clout who sees the wisdom in going back to basics.

Will we see the desired result?

Enzymes ~ our life evangelists

Yes I know, I know enzymes are catalysts. But if you think about it aren't they really evangelists? They know they have a job to do to keep life going at a healthy pace and they are constantly looking for biochemicals to convert into another form. Reminds me of evangelists.

Anyway, since I attended the MNS Raptor Watch last month where I got to learn more about making and the use of enzymes outside of our bodies, I have been intrigued. Then it appeared in the newspapers this week, the green section, and it got me thinking. I better get my act together and get a few things going to see for myself how these enzymes can make my home a better place.

I mean, if it keeps my kitchen sewer clean from oil or other mucky build-up, I'm all for it. If it improves my dog's scaly skin by digesting away all the offending yeast infection, I want it now! If it protects my home from those bloodsucking mosquitoes, creepy cockroaches and omnipresent ants, I'm enzyming every last pandan and serai I can get my hands on.

So I have embarked on an enzymatic journey. I have now 4 bottles brewing potent fermentation.
1) Chili padi enzyme ~ supposedly good to keep aphids and bugs away from plants
2) Citrus enzyme ~ my own combination to fight my dog's Seborrheic dermatitis associated with Malassezia pachydermatitis and Staph intermedius which has plagued the poor girl for years.
3) Pandan & Serai enzyme ~ another own concoction in the hope of deterring mosquitoes and other crawling vermin
4) Generic kitchen waste enzyme ~ sink and sewer cleaner.

The recipe is simple, but try getting those large jars...

The crockery shop corner of PJ Old Town was where I thought would be the easiest to get this essential in enzyme making. Not true! I enquired at at least 5 shops and only at the 6th did they have stock of the large plastic jar. It's seasonal, the shop assistants tell me i.e. cookie season which it is not now.

I'll have to wait 3 months from now before my brews are harvested, is that the word to use?

Anyway, there's loads of articles on the net of course. A neighbour told me this morning that she heard it also has ambient temperature lowering properties. I found something to this effect on the net published in our local newspaper

So how does trimming trash help to bring down the earth’s temperature?

“The production of garbage enzyme generates ground-level Ozone (O3). The O3 helps to maintain the earth’s temperature by releasing the heat trapped by the heavy metal in the clouds. If every household turns its garbage into enzyme, we can protect our ozone, live in a smog-free environment and eat food free from toxins,” explains Oon.

By mixing garbage enzyme with chemical cleaning products, Oon explains, the enzyme flowing into our drainage system will cleanse the rivers and oceans.

“We are running a campaign to encourage Malaysians to pour garbage enzyme into our rivers", says Oon.

Birds or Longans? A tough choice

A visit to Tanjong Sepat and Morib recently unearthed an ugly discovery. Visitors to this region of Selangor, Malaysia know that the main attraction here is agricultural tourism. Plantations and farms abound with dragonfruit, longan (mata-kuching), durian, mushroom, and all kinds of tubers for the keropok (crisps) industry.

So my family and I visited the longan farm. It was closed but the perimeter of the farm was draped with fine fishing net to keep birds out. Just look at this beautiful bee-eater that we managed to save from a long, arduous death.



Isn't our wildlife in peril enough without these farms further decimating what precious little is left?

Rivers of life, or are they really...?

I love rivers. I have always been fascinated by the promise they hold, and the mysterious secrets they keep of the history they've run through. A river's journey starts ever so humble, a little spring somewhere. I hope to have the opportunity to see such a spring some day. It would please me greatly to observe the origin of a river.

As it meanders over rocks, cutting its way to the sea, what should be an exciting journey must now be a horrendous one, as Old Man River has found out ever since man began civilisations on its banks.

Rivers have become natural and convenient sewers. Whatever that's discarded, inevitably ends up in a river. And it's not only trash either. Developers quite non-chalantly allow silt to flow into rivers, raising the river bed, padding the banks. No one notices until one day the heavens open and a huge downpour showers the earth with blessings. At first, it looks like a stream of red sludge. Uncleared after a few years,the sludge forms into a new bank causing narrowing and shallowing of rivers. And what's the result of that? Floods of course! And with it the destruction of beauty that once banked the river.






The photographs you just saw are of Sungai Kayu Ara which runs through Ara Damansara. When I take my walks in the morning, it dismays me that this river, which in its unpolluted and undisturbed state would be a carrier of untold natural beauty. I can only think back to the days when I lived overseas at how beautiful the river and canal banks were.

The river and canal cruises are so enjoyable and relaxed not only because of its slow pace as it meanders and negotiates the turns and curves of the waterway, but the view being on board affords. The river bank teems with amphibious and bird wildlife. The odd reptile appears now again which raises the excitement level on the boat for a brief moment.

The canal routes on ground are equally pleasant. Because the banks of the canal are well cared for, no not professionally landscaped (ugh!). It's preservation of the natural environment. A cycle path weaves over the bank where cyclists, either on errands or just leisure have a pleasant ride to and from their destinations. And for pedestrians, ooo la la, what joy and peace to take a walk along the canal bank path on a sunny day with a balmy breeze blowing. Just off the beaten path, you will come across a village pub for a great lager and scrumptious pub food. Just a simple search for "canal boat trips" reveals a rich list of canals throughout the UK, which shows you just how popular these sort of excursions are.

Is that too much to hope for our Malaysian river banks? Looking at the total disregard towards our rivers, I'm afraid the answer is "yes". I truly wish for the local and federal authorities to realise just how much potential there is for rehabilitating our rivers and the economic potential they hold for local tourism (especially for schools to educate their children on river ecology), foreign tourism (another way for foreigners to appreciate the local life) and most of all what pride our country could take in promoting our living rivers as opposed to its current state of "dying sewer".

A cycle track cum walking path along the river banks makes for inspirational exercise. No doubt I'm sure after a while a Ramli Burger or Keropok Lekor stall will set up, but as long as all trading en route is regulated so that the path does not turn into a hawker trail, I still think the idea viable.

With so many corporates getting on the conservation bandwagon, I am praying someone out there will spare a thought for our once beautiful rivers and bring them back to be recognised as a gift from nature.

Community Green Lungs

Being a member of the Malaysian Nature Society, I have been invited to their KL Green Lung Seminar to be held on 14th June 2008 @ Rimba Ilmu Building, UM, KL

The primary concern of the MNS at this seminar arises from the unveiling of the KL Draft City Plan2020. “The issue of city planning and green lung conservation is of utmost importance. As such, we at the MNS feel that this seminar would be a good opportunity for the wider community to come together and address the issue with feedbacks and inputs from the relevant people and authorities.”

The suburb I live in, was an oil palm estate before redevelopment. The whole parcel is sub-divided and owned by various parties. Most parcels have already been developed but those that have not, all the oil palm was cut down and the land just left to overgrow with acacia and lallang. I constantly question the wisdom of cutting down trees that are not in anyone’s way or a threat to safety.

So firstly, why cut down the oil palm trees if development is not going to take place immediately? Why can't the trees be left to support the existing habitat and provide refuge for wildlife until such time as development begins?

Secondly, if the landowners do clear the land and not immediately commence development, then they should be made responsible to plant easily manageable crop for the community and/or allow the surrounding community to cultivate the land with non-woody plants. My suggestion of non-woody plants is so that it is easier to clear when development does begin.

Idle land can be planted with bananas, papayas, serai, lengkuas, kantan and such like for the community to help themselves. These plants propagate easily and hardly require maintenance except from nature's goodwill. Now with food shortage and escalating prices, cleared and abandoned land should be fully utilised to provide for the people. The landowner can clearly state on a notice board, the details of ownership of the land and that no permanent structure or resident can legally take tenancy on the land. Until development arrives, the vacant land can be cultivated by the surrounding community.

Make a visit to Bandar Harapan in Ara Damansara one day.

It is a very interesting community project on land below high-tension pylons. Here anyone can cultivate a small allotment of land, harvest produce for themselves, while the excess goes towards the underprivileged community that maintains it i.e for the purchase of fertilizer. It is fully organic. I spoke to a 'farmer' there one day. He was a man who loves gardening but because he stays in an apartment, he cannot live his passion in his concrete box. Instead he says, the Bandar Harapan provides him an avenue to cultivate a garden and help the underprivileged at the same time. The harvest is sold to the public on Sundays.

Let’s put wasteland to good use, and leave our forests alone to do their god-given job.

Visit my other community blog
Ara Damansara Reality Files