My mum was eager to pay the museum a visit too… so we took the chance to visit the place while visiting my sister in Seberang Perai during the weekend.

The paddy museum is located near Alor Setar, besides Gunung Keriang, a limestone hill. The highlight of the museum is actually a huge 360-degrees picture that features the bird eyes view of the surrounding environment around the museum, as well as the rice-growing cycle from ploughing to harvesting.

Some photos from the museum, including portions of the 360-degrees painting

I have heard of some good stuff about the painting prior to the visit, but I didn’t really expect it to be that good. The attention to details was amazing, and I really like how the picture was portraying the life of the farmers, from paddy planting routines to the daily activities etc.

The only downside, if the rumour is true, is that the picture was not drawn by locals, but by some Koreans instead. Regardless, a place worth going if you are visiting the Northern region.

How to get there

It’s a pain trying to find our way there, as there is not much info online.

The easiest way (driving) is probably to exit through Alor Setar (Utara) interchange of the North-South Expressway, and head straight after the toll. You would pass by a few traffic lights before you see a signboard on your left (you need to turn right after that)… just follow the signboard from then on.

The contact number for the museum is (supposedly) 04-735 1315… but it’s not working for us.

Entrance to the museum is free, but you would need to buy tickets (RM3 per adult) to enter the revolving tower, which house the 360-degrees painting.

Paddy Museum, Kedah

This fella, a representative at Taiwan Tourism Bureau’s booth, managed to draw a large crowd with his cute marshmallows, which were made on the spot and free for sampling.

Cute marshmallows

Was hoping to catch some other interesting stuff at the cultural show (from various countries), but the performances were pretty similar to the previous fair… still ok anyway.

MATTA Fair 2008, Taiwan, marshmallows

I would dream that I got the exam date wrong, forgot to bring by calculator or writing tools, woke up late and had to rush to the exam hall and some other funny stuff. Well, the earlier two incidents actually did happen… I have no idea where the other recurring imaginations came from.

Sometimes, having nightmares is not really a bad thing. Every time when I woke up from these exam nightmares, I got the huge sense of relieve that I am already beyond those exam days, and it always made me giggled at how foolish those dreams were.

Exam nightmares

Beautiful Sunday morning

It’s not just the scenery that pleased me, but the unexpected circumstances… it reminds me that life should be blissful, and that happiness could be found easily if we choose to find it.

Appreciate life, be happy, and Carpe diem.

Lovely morning and blissful joy

High school friends, university friends, ex-colleague etc… there must be a large group of people that they have promised to keep in touch with… but lots of the time, “keep in touch” sounds like an alternative way to say goodbye, and nothing more.

People might bumped into their old friends once in a while, it’s a small world after all… they chat a bit and then exchanged contacts, and vowed to keep in touch… but this 2nd chance to keep in contact would slip away again for the same reasons.

They are some people who tried to hang on to their promise though, to keep in touch… it might work well at first, but later on “keeping in touch” simply means sending friends a bunch of useless chain mails.

Off course there are exceptions that people are keeping in touch despite moving on different path of life for years… these are friendship worth cherishing for life.

It doesn’t necessary mean though, that people don’t care if they failed to keep in touch… lots of the times they simply don’t know what to say… and as time goes by… it became increasing awkward to contact people they have not been in contact for ages.

Do you know anyone that you have promised to keep in touch with and not yet doing so? Time to dig into your phone book and email address book… whatever… time to dig into mine.

Keep in touch.

Keep in touch

Besides, KL folks are bolder in lighting up the fire crackers despite the public ban. I don’t mind at all though… the banning of fire crackers is ridiculous at the first place.

Some lion dance photos taken from Ipoh at my cousins’ home on Feb 8. Happy CNY guys…

Drum - the heart of lion dance performances

Green vege - a sign of prosperity

Lion dance, Chinese New Year 2008

Petaling Street, Kuala Lumpur

To begin with, you can’t really feel like CNY is approaching in Petaling Street; there are not many stalls selling CNY goods… a few flower stalls, a few bakkwa (dried meat) stalls and a few candy stalls… that’s it.

Flower stall in Petaling Street

Besides, you can’t find many Chinese merchants in Petaling Street these days. You would see lots of Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indonesians, Thai, or whatever… selling all the ‘genuine’ fake goods. The elements that are severely lacking though… are things that could reflect the Chinese culture in Malaysia.

I was not really happy when Petaling Street was being branded as Chinatown, as I always felt that Chinese could be seen everywhere in Malaysia, thus we don’t really need a Chinatown. Still, it’s kinda disappointing when this famous street is losing its Chinese charm and is dominated by foreign merchants instead.

The only worth mentioning Chinese stuff is the food… but then, lots of the workers in the restaurants are not Chinese as well. In fact, you can hardly hear anyone speaking Chinese in Petaling Street.

You probably won’t feel that Petaling Street is a China Town these days… in fact you might not feel like you are in Malaysia when visiting the street. Malaysia truly Asia… such irony.

Petaling Street, Chinatown no more

Those people that you want to sh!t at won’t bother about how idiotic you are… probably because they are much idiotic than you could ever be.

Some people are born to be idiots… some are just not meant to be.

It’s tough being an idiot