ATBC day 2

woke up at 6.30 ish because jim called my phone. thanks man, cleaned up some stuff from the bag. decided to bring my laptop to the conference, not so much because of the possibility of having to use it, but more of the safety reasons of leaving it behind. I think I should have a roller luggage next time so i can lock it into the bag?

was watching a few minimalist videos lately, quite interested in the packing cubes for the clothes, not like i really need them, since i use the waterproof hypergear instead. anyways, those are just items that my mind should not be upon. there's also the sighting that the people in ABTC tend to be using MacAirs, Dells or HP. is HP a jewish brand? but, no need to think of that since my Acer works perfectly fine and I'm loving every part of it!

THe day started with me meeting Dr Colin as he was coming down the stairway going for a cup of coffee and to mark some papers. I forgot to mention to him that it was raining. and the day kinda started off... quite blurry. Because I..... I didn't have my coffee. I paid for the drinks and such, i dont think the sugar is doing me justice, i still fell asleep for a few of the talks. And then there was the time that I paid for the drinks thinking: "Owh let me get this without asking them, and then they'll be surprised to know that I paid for them" (nobel chin up pose).. what a snob.

it's not even my money, it's SEARP and rainforest trust paying for it.

Anyways, some of the sessions were good. Other than the crazy statistics that I dont really understand. The since field always seems to be repeating itself over the same 6 format over and over again: Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusion.

Three interesting people I met today was firsty Jean Linsky from BGCI, she mentioned briefly about BIo INt... argh.. i can't remember, but it was some initiative in Malaysia to try to record all the trees thatt are known.

then there is Sarah (whome Sarah Scriven) introduce  to me, she was doing birds? and wildlife. and coming up with the heat map for conservation areas. 

THen there's this guy from the Sinapore Natural Parks Hock Keung. He was chit chatting with Tab about singapore and how.. realy they're efficiency comes at a cost.

A girl named Maya from Hawaii also has an interesting poster where she's trying to get all the vertebrate IUCN status and link them to ecological functional.. erm.. gahh so many terms. bleh.

After that just chilled. called a grab to go back. Jim really can't walk, and he's in the hospital now, Loke and Azwan took him there, Eric drove. with.. Oceh? Then there was this lady named Ling too.

ah so many names, but actually really dont need to get to know every single person. JUst a few and those that are important should do fine

 Man i'm so tired, i slept at 1 last night. i really want to sleep now. but i haven't typed out what I learnt from today. Hmmm let me see what did I learn and try to recall.

theres stuff about the iNaturalist and Pl@nt Net. About klang valley green challenge by Benjamin from UM.

okay no i didn't learn much. Good night. not that I can remember, it's in my note book.

ATBC 2018 Day 1

I didn't even really know what ATBC stood for when the undergrad students from University of San Francisco were asking me about the conference I was going for.

So this Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation seems to be like a very big thing among the ecologist in this region. The first thing that came to my mind when attending something like this is how it reminds me so much of the multitudes of church camps that I've been to as a kid. So many people gathering in hotel conference rooms and just, chilling out getting to know one another.

I remember having that awe and wonder as a kid, smelling the fragrance of a living place so unfamiliar from the house, running on the carpets barefooted. Walking in an out and around the place looking for hidden paths and different routes from building to building.

Yup, here I am at an international conference. Thanks to my wonderful lecturer Dr Colin. Really couldn't be here without him. He is the one that sourced out our finances and funding. And gives us allowances and such before hand. How can such a nice selfless guy exist in this world.

The day started off with Jim knocking on my door, before I even woke up. We went down to grab breakfast at the end of the food stalls that were just opposite the place we were staying at: Place2Stay, City Center. The Kolo mee was okay okay lah, cheap but not that tasty. I learnt that if you say whatever-mee "pok", they would give you flat noodles. The mee was good.

gosh am I going to type out everything i did today? haha. I haven't done a journal log like this in AGES. I think it's because I always am so tired and fall asleep every night before I get to do something like this. Man, do I miss typing. Okay, but I don't think I have the time to type out everything. So I'm just gonna to jump all the boring details and talk about the main stuff.

1) the flight yesterday: was good. we ordered food, I should have offered my water to Dr Colin just sitting in front of me. because I know I was thirsty from the dry air, and I had a bottle of water with me while he didn't. owh well, maybe next time, and about having to tell someone about something, maybe its better to wait until they're done doing what they were doing. because... yeah, just be sensitive to their body language lah, if they are looking at something with great interest.. then it's probably not a good time to ask/tell them about something.

1c) I put my feet under the weighing platform to make it lighter, we only bought 15kg of check in. Maybe I should be safe and by 25 kilos for bringing all my stuff back from Sandakan to PJ when I fly back on the the 30th of August. I also really want to get one of those hand luggage weighing scale thing-a-maggies

1b) Owh the walk to the Waterfront was amazing! They were selling a bag similar to the one Crystal left behind in Sim-sim, Sandakan. Should I buy it and post it to her? I've so many things that I've bought for her but haven't gotten the chance to send over, letters. A notebook. Bracelets from Kaamatan. Gosh. I ain't into snail mail anymore because I get to call her everyday I think.

2) Breakfast: when i went down and out and actually a lot of times, I forgot to call Pui Kiat out. Maybe I should be more mindful to do so. Like: I'm gonna knock on his door tomorrow when I wake up for breakfast.

3) Registration: They gave us a metal straw at registration! yea! I've always wanted one! Time to say no to plastic straws.

4) Lunch: We had a good lunch of char sau, siew yuk and veggies at the "something" Barbecue Specialist.

5) Use a foldable umbrella when walking in the sunny day. Foldable umbrella's are indispensable. I gotta add that into my minimalist items.

6) Mentor session, Azwan, Fazli, Hoo and I slipped in. It was only meant for members. The session reminded me of.... how it was like to be in a camp group or a cell group. Where we introduced ourselves, something amazing we've encountered and something unique about ourselves. We didn't really follow the rules. Then there was the triple expectation of what we would like to get out of these:

i) Mentoring: guidance? and peers to talk about with that can relate to my problems? and share advice?
ii) ABTC, kuching: to meet experts in the field and learn more about the current trends and latest advancements in the industry? (SDM and statistics)
iii) long term: Forest Conservation through application.

7) met a singaporean girl studying phd in James Cook university, she was in Canada before this. She does wildlife connectivity viaducts in Peninsular. Talks so much. Tabitha hui? Has a friend that has plenty of interest, like taking undistorted photographs with Toyo cameras and collecting bricks form the historical brick factories in Singapore (they used to have a lot of brick factories)

8)  This local girl have a talk on Orang Utans mixed in with some short history of Sarawak. Form how the Dayaks were the Orang Asal (not the same as Bumiputera (Malays, Orang Asli)), and how they were only associated with 'indigenous' because of the colonisation of their land. How Native Community Rights (NCR), force them 'adat' (tradition) of going from place to place to plant crops have locked them down into un fertile land. and yeah.. conservation of a species that adapts to human intervention quite amazingly. She hopped the Chief Minister could have stay back for her talk.

9) Hi-Tea .. mingling time. Didn't be super extroverted and friendly going up to random people and chatting them up. Sigh. But Crystal allows me to do so already. Do I still blame her for the trauma of not wanting to talk to people, of not wanting to be too friendly, because that's what she says about me last time "That I love everyone one and that she is no different from anyone". Does me not talking to other people something that she cant see, show that she is more loved than everone else? Can't she see it. But she says she's different now because she's... much more busy with her own work and not like last time when she will just sit around at home....

yeah, I should talk to more people. That's the whole purpose I'm here, not network and make contacts for future collaborations. That's all part of the sciences. Crystal isn't stopping me. She never intended to. I just make it as if she does. How evil of me. Be gone, devil.

Kept taking the Grab back with Jim. He's leg hurts really badly, maybe I should pray for him.

Had beers. okay I'm supposed to be paying and collecting bills. becasue I have RM300 for 5 days. that equals to about 60 bucks a day. wow.

okay I think that is all. watch your mouth yew leung. don't be foul and learn to speak graciously. Let your lips always be seasoned with salt.

hope for a good day tmr! nights!

Minimalist

When you stop owning things you do not value,
You stop valuing things you do not own.
You start realizing the value of things you already own.

Grief = loving someone

"Grief is the price we pay for love" - Queen Elizabeth II

It is wonderful to be able to grief,
for then one will know that they have truly loved.

only you matter

why bother to hand out with people that put you down?
when you can be constantly be around people that make you laugh?

even when you know what the former says holds some truth,
and the joy and pleasure that comes from the latter is just.. temporal.

who will be there when you really need help?

can you stop caring for everyone?
just to love one person?

can you stop bothering to ask about others,
so that there is only one person that you should asking things about.

: when others are sick, should i bother to whatsapp them?

nay,

life is.... a community.
it isn't just an individual.

"No man is an island"

yet...

yet i find the life of an introvert quite appealing.

yes i may be fond of talking to others to get energy,
but that was the extroverted me.

which waste alot of time....
alot of time..

doing meaningless things like... making friendships.

i already have enough people around me,
all i need is just to .. dig deeper.

just to focus.

a love, those directly around me.

love..

you.

and only you.

not allowed to, so what

you dont bother to show your best anymore,
when you are around people that you can't impress.

that's why it's so important to keep your vision,
on who you should be impressing, God. He's always there.

why i am drained

maybe i know why i'm always feeling tired every single day, even just when i wake up in the morning.

its funny, how true this video is, i can no longer see the implications of my actions into the future,
i cant make any more connections, i dont remember things and life is just.... passing on day by day, just trying to get by

I once thought i could leave everyone i met around me with energy due to engaging them,
least did i know that i wasn't taking care of my own relationships that determined if i was being drained or energized.
i thought i was like a battery with infinite energy,
least i know that i'm drained and empty now.

9 may 2018

A historical day for Malaysia.
The opposition won. 113/222 seats.
The first time a change in government

The oldest prime Minister at 92.
The youngest parliament rep at 22.

The highest majority at 100,000 votes.

Despite the gerrymandering, the phantom voters, the delays in signing Borang 14 and such.

Its okay, God still has a plan.

GE 13 we weren't ready to step up.
He gave us a proper transition by overlapping the total change of government.
Now its time, when we are ready.

God's will will definitely come to pass,
When we pray we are not changing God's hand.
We are praying to know where we fit into His plan.

Thank you Jesus.

Wash all greed away from the politicians.
Let forgiveness, love and peace flow.

We are not seeking revenge,
Restore the rule of Law.

Regenerate this country.
Let there be freedom of religion.
Let the poor not be oppressed.

Give wisdom, and diligence.
Unity.

Bring back proper development.
Open tenders, let not our politicians be bought over by money.
Bring back jobs, take care of the poor, the needy, the widows, the orphans, the migrants and refugees.
Take care of the land, the environment
The social the economics.

Tony Pua for Finance minister.

Let the voice of the youth be spoken out and heard.
Let the voice of the people be heard.

May God bless Tun Mahathir with strength!

Thank you Jesus!!!

Let the media and news show the truth.
Let men not be afraid and oppressed

God... You will be done in our lives

why did God allow desserts?

Why did God create deserts?

so that mankind could face hardships... to innovate and make cutting edge technology for agriculture.
China and Israel are making leaps and bounds in the industry.

Maybe one day these will be brought to other arid planets for terraforming

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8_Hnmty4vY&list=FL8gEnWuuNnBc6QPghEFUlhA

Hosea 13:5 "I cared for you in the wilderness, In the land of drought."

M545 control plus

new mouse!

M545 Control plus. Popular was having a sale in 1B.
70% off a RM119 mouse... so it was roughly 35 bucks.

Not bad. it has a nice scoll, and some extra buttons at the side for back and fourth web browsing.

the optic laser-level also enables it to function off most surfaces.

and to think i had a dilemma in choosing the old or new package. lol!
my mouse is not equally balanced tough, not sure if its the table...

what you can't ask by Paul Graham.

another compulsory reading for the thinker,
for the university student

"what you cant say" - by Paul Graham.

ask why when there are labels
watch your own thoughts from a distance
moral fashions. social customs

thoughts | speech

"Argue with idiots and you become an idiot"
probably my favourite quote from the essay

mhmm Nineteen Eighty-Four looks like a book that should go on the "to read list"

after I finish off "Three body problem" and "Ender Saga" - by scott card

missed all the deadlines

shit, i'm missing so much deadlines

It was a free photobook from airasia, 40 pictures. I could have activated it before march and then slowly taken the time to select the photos until 31 may. now the chance is over. sigh.

I also missed adding one variable into the models. Altitude. i have to freaking do everything again, the modelling, the data entry in progress sheet, the presence absence in DIVA.. sigh

And i missed the MyBRAIN scholarship application.. shit

all the deadlines were on 31st march.

I got saman for my driving license being expired for a year too, RNM70.. renewed it and paid the saman.

Well, atleast I had a good time with my darling.

Feelings

Better to feel something than nothing.

Sheep offerings

They had to make so many goats, ram, sheep for offerings in numbers... The Israelites must have been breeding them so much... They would have good food security

Calling the free one

"The one whom is not free will constantly call the one whom is just to ... Have a feel of that freedom shared"

Drink water only when speaker does

The Malay audience only drink water when the speaker in front does. What teaching is this? Respect? I remember in school we had to ask the teachers permission to drink water xD

Prof Jacqueline, she is soooooo good. Like Dr Colin

Please just let me live my life

Hoodie airism

Thanks yee kor and lai yee

Roams 21

V21 Romans what benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death.

I gave my self to be a living stone for Christ.

Sin had left a crimson stain, but he washed it white as snow.

Will I continue to live a life of debouching or materialism,

Hoarding and touching what is not mine.

No more, in all that I do, I belong to Christ and Christ alone

He owns my all, and to him I will freely give 

1 Corinthians 16:13&14

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.

Do everything in love

Celine Joshua

Do not be too dogmatic about things.

Learn to hitch hike

6, 7, 9 rabu khamis Ahad terakhir 

Some birthdays

Jun Hao 22 October

Jia Sheng 24 May

Elle 27 October

Samuel 30 jun

Mandy 11 August

Zi Hao 

Zoey 3 Jan

Hui min 2 May

Sze Wee 25 August

Elmo 15 July

Crystal 

Hui ping 11 Jan

Lam wai yip 30 May

Unhappy

Innoprise

Forestry division

Yayasan sabah group

Rosemary, Kenneth,

Kenneth - Forest certification unit, CHP

EIA

Forget management plan 1984

Commercial 

Rakyat Bejaya

While Sabah - RIL

Pngkalan, Tanggung, Stumping

OSH

Base camps - ISO

Safety walk way

Contractors - phillipino and Indonesia

8/24 belong to Yayasan

Can't certify one by one - miniZe the cost

FSC strict

20 - 24  - certification

Policy, procedure, Tainan, wild life corridor,

6 moths, 2 years. 15/16 since 2005. Bent awash, concerted to oil palm.

Tilas

VLO AND VLC

Different contractor, guide, monitor, human factors

Biggest hindrance, mentality

Principal owner bears the cost.

Wisdom

Wisdom

Stress is the feeling that we have when we perceive that we have a need or obligation [but] inadequate resources to handle it,

We allow our minds to run in circles of bitching and moaning and then wonder why we feel too tired to make anything happen. We leave ourselves zero energy left to deal with the actual problems (which probably are way different than the ones we imagined).

Your trust changes your perspective

Intellectual love

3 nov 2014

I wasn't fighting for the sake of intellectual recognition,

I was just doing what I love and felt fight in my heart to do so.

Why no post grad

19 Mac 2015

 Spoke to Dr Colin about why UMS students don't want to continue postgraduate studies here.

Why? What is the problem.

No interest

No idea what is forestry or the academic life like.

No background or foundation to build upon.

Think that other universities are better

No budget.

Elementary

No exposure.

No testimonies.

What's the purpose of coming to university.

Focus on those who are interested

Don't force anyone to what they don't want to

The degree is not like an SPM cert.

Bakelalan

21 July 2015

Bakelalan

It brings peace to the soul. Rejuvenation and rest to a weary one.

The air brings a sense of peace and seri its that can't be found in the city.

To hear the birds chirping in the early mornings and watch a horse gallop by,

To see the fish splashing at edges of pools and dogs chasing each other.

The water to bath is extremely cold, shakes you to the bones.

There's no electricity here at certain hours, making life apart from technology a norm.

Very good to escape the grasp that the Internet holds those in addiction to.

Life vision, mission, goals

8 good 2015

Vision in life

To know and be known by God 

Mission

To be the salt and light

The great commission

Goals

To be transformed daily and changed into the likeness of Christ.

To fear the Lord in awe and reverence.

How

Spend time each day consistently in

Reading and meditation on the Word

Scripture memorisation

Prayer and supplication in the Holy Spirit

Praise and worship from the heart and soul

Life principals

Work smart, play hard

Do what you need to do, so that you can do what you want to do

Early is on time, on time is late

Remember the teachers, mentors and coaches in life.

Commitment, sacrifice to one focus

Protect reputation: hard to build, easy to destroy

Habits to cultivate

Elevate in the mornings

Chinese

30 minutes of exercise a day

30 minutes of music instrument a day

Sleep at 10pm

Random quotes

Live each day as if it was your last

Cultivate a genuine interest in life long learning. Grasps and understand concepts until you can convey and explain it in simple terms to others through a clear communicating presentation.

It's not about think positively or having self confidence, it's knowing and being sure of who you are in God's eyes. It's how the Father sees you not now you see yourself.

All time is God's time, for which we must give account as a steward.

Speaker of the dead quotes

8 August 2015

Speaker of the dead

Page 165

It was the Bishop's own fault. From his vantage point, calling the Speaker satanic put him at the farthest extreme from himself and all good Catholics: The Speaker is the opposite of us. But to those who were not theologically sophisticated, while Satan was frightening and powerful, so was God. They understood well enough the continuum of good and evil that the Bishop referred to, but they were far more interested in the continuum of strong and weak-- that was the one they lived with day by day. And on that continuum, they were weak, and God and Satan and the Bishop all were strong. The Bishop had elevated the Speaker to stand with him as a man of power. The people were thus prepared to believe the whispered hints of miracles. 

Page 225

Compassionate enough," she said, "to put the hot iron into the wound when that's the only way to heal it."

As one who had felt his burning iron cauterize her deepest wounds, she had the right to speak; and he believed her, and it eased his heart for the bloody work ahead. 

Page 242

"It's also like being born," said Ender. "As long as you keep getting born, it's all right to die sometimes." 

Xenotime

Page 63

And yet that was how human beings satisfied their sense of responsibility-- checking again even when they knew it was unnecessary. 

Page 72

Someone once told me that the only teacher who's worth anything to you is your enemy." 

Page 85

Then I judge that it's no sin to speak to the unbelievers in the language of their unbelief," said Qing-jao. 

Page 126

The gods had caused Wang-mu to say that it was unjust to punish Qing-jao for simply hearing another person's disrespectful opinions. Perhaps Wang-mu's statement was true. But it was also true that the gods could not be unjust. Therefore it must be that Qing-jao was not being punished for simply hearing the treasonous opinions of the people. No, Qing-jao had to purify herself because, in her heart of hearts, some part of her must believe those opinions. She must cleanse herself because deep inside she still doubted the heavenly mandate of Starways Congress; she still believed they were not just. 

Page 127

Servants are always happier when they know their voices are heard by their master. 

Page 143

Quim smiled to see how easily Andrew turned away the quarrel that Grego wanted to pick. Grego was no fool. He knew he was being handled. But Wiggin hadn't left him any reasonable grounds for showing his disgruntlement. It was one of the most infuriating skills of the Speaker for the Dead. 

Page 190

People only really believe in what they've seen before. 

Page 232

When you have wisdom that another person knows that he needs, you give it freely. But when the other person doesn't yet know that he needs your wisdom, you keep it to yourself. Food only looks good to a hungry man. 

Page

Field course on tropical forestry

6 October 2015

Eth Zurich field course on tropical forestry.

Glenn Reynolds.

Searrp

Palm oil and habitat fragmentation.

Commercial forest to totally protected.

Lowland forest under pressure.

Sabah foundation concession.

Is there Redd in pristine forest? Or other carbon mitigation.

Are we able to sell the biodiversity? Rich, not just tourism, scientific research.

What is the ration of corruption to integrity in maintaining? Non logging.

Dominance forest structure, dipterocarps.

Elective logging, choosing the largest .

Impacts of timber harvesting, recovery, natural regeneration. Restoration

Enrichment planting, silviculture,

David

Long term records, weather, it's getting warmer and wetter, more erratic

Less scientist in Danube valley, more in plantations.

Soy stem functions and services.

Do you advocate the change/conversion from forested areas to oil palm plantations that are sustainably managed?

Long term forest dynamics In Terms of climate change.

Forest fragmentations due to plantations.

Restoration

Payment for ecosystem services

How can human modified landscapes support livelihood & economic returns, ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation?

Win-win natural values and human values.

No one expects developing country to maintain its land under forested areas.

Land use policy is under state government not federal.

Areas that are best protected are the sites with the most activity in it.

Sabah foundation so rich, could they not fund it?

Playing out the scenario is to attract carbon trading.

Permian global.

 Currently Sabah forest is not in carbon trading due to lack of scientific data to prove.

Forest reserves can be oil palm plantations.

Paying carbon credits is paying corruption.

Highly fragmented but still rich in wildlife.

The conversion of forest is inevitable.

Orang utans building nest in oil palm plantations.

Elephants and orang utans seen in very degraded forest.

So what your saying is an altered forest is better for wildlife. Better than their natural habitat 100s of years ago.

Forest will never be paid for ecosystem services.

Acacia is a naturally invasive species

Something fundamentally wrong, morally, ethically.

Ss8048lss5845b

Field course for tropical forestry, eth Zurich 

I flew back to Sabah from KL on the 29th January and slept over night at UMS in my own room at the university hostel. Met Abang Shafiq and helped him to plant some ornamental plants outside of Ibnu Khaldun. Had a good dinner with Sam and hui xian, we went to McDonald's after that for ice-cream. We talked about music and how pop culture is influencing the younger generation.

On the 30th morning I took the motorbike out with Jeph to 1B to buy stuff. We forgot the shopping list given to us by the chef and ended up not buying the right ingredients. Lesson learnt, take the small effort to prevent a big hiccup. So we couldn't eat steamboat that night and instead ate rice with salted fish. I had to leave early to meet Dr. Chris Kettle down in upper star KK. Took the bus too late and it was a little jam. Lesson learnt: go to the meeting point earlier, factor in travel time and traffic. Walked around and found them all seated around. 9 girls and 5 boys. Anna x2, carol x2, Liea, Diana,  Rebecca, Dezzerie and the guys were Jonas, Lukas, Fabian and Herzi (who is Malaysian and lives in Taman Tun). After the rain stopped we walked over to the Phillipino market and ate sea food. Slept over in the grades hotel, walked up to the rooftop bar and pool side, beautiful.

On the 31st Jan 2015, we woke up and had a buffet breakfast, we packed our bags and went over to the air port to fly to Lahad Datu. Arriving at LD we were picked up and brought over to the Danum Valley Conservation Center (DVCC). There we had a short walk through the jungle as Chris explained about various expects in the forest to us. Stressing other importance of dipterocarps. Every few meters we walked he would tell us something. We went to the tree tower where some climbed up while others walked around the trial. We left Daisy behind after coming out of the forest. It rains so much there. We should really head count and check before moving from one place to another.

On the 1st February, Fabian and I woke up at 5 am to go to the watch tower and catch sunrise and see some birds. We saw a pair or hornbills fly pass us. Next we went back to the lodge and waited for breakfast and our field trip into the forest again trekking all the way to a waterfall. Long track and I accidentally left my packed food there. When we got out we waited for Glenn Raynolds to give a talk. We asked question that probed into him sharing genuinely how corrupt the politics in the state is and how political will is what will change things. Oil palm. Secondary forest. It's not so much the results from experiments that protect the land is the running of the experiments that do. We also swam in the river after coming out of the forest. It wasn't that high.

On the 2nd February we had a talk by Charlotte about the work she was doing in enrichment planting and tree rehabilitation. We walked into the jungle again to see some 50 hectares plots that were being marked out and surveying done. Really tedious work. We came back through the river way. Lesson learnt: don't put on boots straight after coming out of the river, water from the pants will flow into the socks. And I should probably a set of forest cloths. Lesson learnt: don't swim in muddy rivers with white shirts, they get stained with silt pretty badly... And stink too. The river water rose significantly. Saw Professor David Nubrey. 

On the 3rd February we all woke up at 5 am in the morning to catch sunrise st the watch tower near the global climate weather station was. But it was too cloudy and we didn't see much. Glenn brought us to places where logging was carried out whereby a Center would just pull and drag logs with chains into the middle where it stood. We went to places that were logged twice and also to a place where reduced impact logging was carried out. Then we went to meet Mikey who was doing a biodiversity experiment in Danum Valley. Embolism and ground water potential. Type of plants that open and close their stomatal.  In the afternoon we were to go to the Borneo Rainforest Lodge (where old rich bird lovers pay USD 300 per night to stay) to have a nice dinner. The gate was locked so Herzi and I ran 3 kilometres, in my new Teva flip flops. I should have walked much slower in the canopy walk. Sigh, regrets. The dinner that night was super. 

On the 4th February we took a long road trip. Travelling from DVCS back to Lahad Datu. We then went to an oil palm plantation called Sabahmas which is under Wilmar. Mr Frederick Chok gave us a nice presentation. We were told not to ask too much probing questions as the field course would like to come back next year. Their mill and operations are run so efficiently that it is RSPO certified. They take care of their workers welfare and health. Genuinely having good intentions they retained the riparian strip beside the river as a wildlife corridor going beyond the required 20 meters to 50 meters. We then went to a Tropical Rainforest Biodiversity bank. Malaysian NGO that works to maintain genetic resources. They gave a nice tea time with local snacks such as banana fritters and 'kuih cincin'. Next we made our way to Sepilok and the butterfly resort. We arrived at 9 pm ish, went for dinner and after s good shower used the Internet and had a goodnights sleep at 12.30. I washed my cloths in the sink and hung them to dry outside on the balcony, which I realised had a fan only the next day. They have laundry services here, Rm 10 for 1 kilo.

5th February, we met James Margove and Collin Maycock. We walked over to RDC where we had lunch and had a presentation by Reuben, Betty, Huebert and Robert Ong. We met some local girls doing LI there it was a good talk with them. Next we went to FRC where we saw James work on drowning dipterocarp seedlings and then we went to the entomology library where a huge collection of bugs were.

On the 6th February, Fabian and I woke up at 5.30 to go to the observation tower where the birds only come out at 7am. Next, we went to the RDC again and had a talk by Benoit. He was doing remote sensing on snow leopards, elephants, civets and monitor lizards around Kinabatangan. Next we went to the Sunbear conservation center. Along the way we ate lunch in the forest.  And enthusiastic wong gave a wonderful presentation on how sunbeams are important to the ecosystem. Working as forest doctors, eating termites and preventing population boom, turning over rotting logs and tearing them apart, making nest for the hornbills in trees way up high. Then we walked to the observational tower. After that we went back to B&B to take a shower and go meet Robert Ong where we asked hard question. We had dinner and went back for a good nights sleep early. Just do the small things, show interest and get the right contacts. That's how you move up, don't worry too much about the funding. Step out from being so conservative about the Church, listen to others and the way they think. Life isn't always fair. Especially if your dad died at a young age. Some people's hearts can be very broken. It is not us who heals it, but Christ at the end of the day. We... Just.. Listen and shine zoos light of hope. Diana doesn't believe that God created the world and that he isn't always good. I really should read the book where is God when it rots by Phillip Yancy. And maybe even pass it to her.

On the 7th we packed our bags and squeezed into room 4 as a new group was coming in. Forgot to bring over my towel. A few of the people had money stolen from them which included Chris, Diana and Anna. Quite a large substantial amount. Thank God their passports didn't get touched. We walked through the jungle for quite some time to get out at the mangrove area where there was a nice riverside hut built. We hiked back and I talked to Colin along the way. Learnt so much things on how UMS is run and why people like Azizi can't transfer to Geology cause they would have to run the whole course in English then. The next VC is also preferably a Sabahan which makes it hard to get people who actually has leadership skills in running things. I really need to focus on my studies. And be specialised. I can't be everywhere.. 

13 nov 2015

It was inspiring for Datuk Sam to take time and personally address the students from UMS forestry courses. Having such a prominent figure, the director himself give us a speech was motivating and strengthened the resolve to continue studying as to graduate a successful forestry student and contribute back to the sector. I wish that all of my course mates could have been at HoB to be blessed by the knowledge gained and see the relevance in research and work opportunities available with the set of skills forestry studies provides. Taking care of the forest is not just important for long term sustainable economic growth, but also vital for the continuity of healthy communities that depend on the services provided by forest, which is, every single person in the state. The HoB theme of watersheds bring to light a whole new level of managing a forest properly, something that might have dire consequences if overlooked. Because of that, I'm truly grateful for the awareness and wisdom added to my personal philosophy of being a good steward of God's creation. I resolve to do my best, to take care of nature, that in turn takes care of peoples including my loved ones, in a practical way.

Birthday message to dad

19 nov 2015

When I was young, I could remember going up a cable car, the fog was cold but mom brought a dark blue jacket for me to keep warm. There was also a time we went to ice wonderland at the mines. I get to sleep in the master bedroom all the time too, with the super silky brown blanket and fat-fat which would get me through dad's snoring.

Dad would come home to eat lunch sometimes and never missed family dinner ever single night unless he was outstation. Mom would without fail cook 3 wonderful meals a day. My brains were kept healthy with all the fish stocked up in the fridge from all the trips. When we went back to Ipoh we would drive on un-tarred roads, an adventure, but I always trusted dad knew the way. We would set up 'camp' with the boot of the van opened. And 'sau tong' when dusk approached.

Every morning mom would make breakfast, and I would see my brothers dress up in white uniforms going out into the dark. Dad would fetch wai Yan to school first and come back home for me, on his AM799. I love sitting behind and hugging him.

We went to eat lok-lok frequently on Sunday nights after walking to the pasar malam nearby. Never once did I have to pay for my own food when out with you my parents. I miss the laksa and kit chai we had ritually weekly. Not to forget the char Siew pows and lo mai Kai before church.

I followed them to cell group and when I got home dad would carry me up to the room to sleep. Of cause I was woken up abit, but I pretended to sleep to get the free ride. It was nice to be held in your arms.

Following you on field trips was fun! Digging for fossil leafs in Jerantut/Greek? And those long rides behind the Jaguh to far away places. If we could not come, mom would fold red hearts and ask us to write stuff on it to put into his clothes luggage.

It's amazing how you two mange to juggle all 4 children with love and faith. Happy birthday dad! I love you all!! Mom, dad, tai Kor, Yee Kor, jie jie!!!

Bus

22 February 2016

Today coming to klia 2 I fell asleep on the bus. And missed the station and instead went to klia 1. The bus driver told me that I could sit the next bus of the same company back to klia 2. I went inside and asked a counter where I could take a bus back to klia 2. She pointed me to another bus. On the way walking to it, the bus driver called out to me and asked me to wait at the initial gate.

He saw me walking the wrong way and called out.

At klia 2, I've never been to boarding gates K before. K18 was really far, and I was so used to going to J gates. Surprisingly met Adib there, and we witnessed a young lad who missed his flight at a neighbouring gate. The attended did try to help him by calling using the phone, unfortunately it was just too late.

I missed a bus station, he missed a plane take off, by a few minutes.

Thank God for second chances, He is indeed gracious.

Yet sometimes there are consequences to mistakes made that are... Irrevocable

And tough to bear.

Worship

11 dec 2016

What is the meaning to worship? Pa yew Meng. PPBC 

To end the series, we're going back to the beginning

Genesis 22:1-19

The attitude of our hearts, not just the methods,

Not just on Sunday's, but outside the church.

After this things, God TESTED Abraham.

If it's not being tested, it can't be trusted 

How do we know we really love the Lord?

When something is at stake, the what is inside your heart is exposed.

A blessing given too early, at the wrong time, can become a curse.

Highlighted about the son:

1) the only son, solely, irreplaceable 

2) whom you love.

Abraham, had already lost one son, Ishmael

When he sent him away.

Who we truly are, who we truly was, who was Lord over our lives.

1) test of adversity, suffering

2) test of prosperity, blessing

Looking back, you might surprise yourself,

Eh why did I think that way.

Potential to lead you into godliness or unholiness

Potential to build you or break you.

Don't let riches lead you away astray

In that prosperity, God was going to test if Abrahams heart was still true to him

Testimony to his 

1) rose early, dedication, urgency 

2) saddled his donkey, making sure he's prepared,

Some cannot obey because they are not prepared.

3) friends that can journey along with you.

Worship: sacrifice

Frederick Lewis 

7 social sins. Affects society as a whole

Individual sins.

Church, express our worship.

Living sacrifice.

Love and reverence expressed.

Garry chapman,

5 languages of love.

1) quality time, love some you spend time

Sit at the feet of Jesus, prayer, meditate on His word

2) words of affirmation 

Share our testimony and the gospel, the good news to those around us.

Don't fear being rejected.

3) gifts.

Lord I give you everything. Tithes and offerings

4) serving.

Serve others. Unglamorous, upfront 

5) physical touch

Are we the body of Christ that reaches out and touches lives,

Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless.

Go beyond the Sunday service.

It did not involve any music.

I insist to pay for this, because I will not offer anything to God that cost me nothing.

Everything outward is already there, the fire, the wood.

The church building, the music instruments.

Dethroning the god of self.

And leaving this place differently.

What is the mark of true worship?

That it's not just say emotional time.

The fruit.

Verse 9

God will never shortchanged you.

God wants you to be free, forfuwq

Why we can't remember

The reason why we can't remember things so well nowadays is because:

There is not enough adequate time for things to sink in.

New knowledge comes too easily and we are flooded by information,

All thanks to the double edge of Internet.

When we read something, before it can materialise and matures in our minds,

It is buried by the never ending flow.

Choose.

Lining running shoes

After my blue Aesics got stolen when i left it outside the hous in KingFisher.. (they still smelled new!) =( sigh just thinking back i miss them so much...

i've been without running shoes for quite some time now,
so i was in a delima.. should i buy a pair of badminton shoes (cause i play it so much nowadays in FRC) or should i get a general purpose all rounder running shoe? (with lower heels so as not to sprain like the mizouno.. that was a really bad sprain)..

after wearing the stiff badmninton shoes i decided to go for the super light weight runners =)

there was a discount too and also lucky draw entry, fingers crossed might get the RM2k voucher, nyahahaha

RM242 after the discount, not too cheap, but owh well

thanks dad

Romoss ranger 17

always wanted a dual USB car charger that was small. but good, with proper chips and all inside it. So was contemplating either a Xiao Mi =m Anker or Romoss. I went for the latter

They are quite nice, after registering the the authentication key, they sent me a nice mail, from a girl named Chloe =)

haha, in the mail they even have this link below on "how long should you charge your powerbank for the first time", haha. i guess they get that question pretty alot!

for RM35... this is probably worth it. haven't had the chance to use it yet, but i like its design and how light it is

Sam the .. erm... socialist

Met a guy named sam, he's scottish and has traveled the world before 20.
Was just looking for a friend to send him to the hospital, but so many people are weary about him, my parents included. i think i just met a genuine guy whose been travelling around the world. wow.

https://samspeaks.blog/blog/

https://www.facebook.com/samspeaksaboutstuff/?

it was nice to listen to his stories,
he could.. just walk around with the clothes on his back,
and emergency passport

and.... a plastic bag of trash. wow.

wow.....

sub specie aeternitatis

sub specie aeternitatis

"under the aspect of eternity"

makes the problems of life seem so small.
make life fun =)

Planta fruit

Found in Sandakan, Sabah.
Very soft and spongy with a sweet taste.
Can be broken with just the hands.

Bee pairs holding each other in a ball

One of the weirdest phenomena i've seen in my life. was sitting down on a bench just as dawn was breaking. the air cold and chilly.... and suddenly these bees started dropping down from the tree above. they came down mostly in pairs and were... almost always hugging each other making a ball.

peculiar. they must be cold too

LapThor Acer Aspire V3-471G i5-2450M, nvidea GT630M 2GB VRAM, 16GB DDR3 1600mhz, 120gb SSD Samsung Evo, (+2tb Firecuda to come)

Was thinking of getting a dual M.2 NVMe adapter to SATA III for my laptop (after the HDD caddy with 2TB fire cuda) which i haven't gotten myself to do yet.

IT's no that expensive either.. (the caddy and SSHD).

But the m.2 . woahh.. those will be priceyyy
was thinking of the Samsung 960s .. i like samsung.
And if i were to upgrade the laptop, i'll splunk in a high upgrade price.
so maybe a 500gb SSD =P or the 1TB? x2.. haha

the RAM's maxed out.. sigh at 16GB DDR3 ram.. i think this is one of the reasons my battery life is so crappy.

did you konw the V3-471G has soldering points on the motherboard for a M.2 port? just that it isn't used? so sad right...

was also looking at eGPU.. but that.. would just be a heck waste of time unless i'm not moving the laptop around anymore. gosh.. i love this LapTHor.. so customisable.

and.. i'm gonna keep it at win7. NEVER ever going to upgrade to win 10.. even if it's for free (btw today was the last day for free upgrades if you have 'accessibility' needs)



I read the Dell Inspiron 15 7559 is good for upgrading easily: WIndows Central

or maybe an Eurocom? which can put in a full desktop class CPU and also MXM graphics cards.. up to 2 x M.2 and 2 x 2.5'... 4 slots of RAM up to 64gb.... crazy... who would need so much computing power??

changing engine oil for Ex5

changed engine oil for the Papa's Ex5

cant remember the last time i did. it was black

last time was because the engine couldn't start on cold mornings. lol.

went to a different shop.. Wee Maju, actually any motorbike shop is the same i guess.

just that some mechanics are more toughtful and observant

(like they will rock the bike to get out all the old oil)

and some don't pour in the whole bottle

i asked the lady at the counter which one,

she said Honda? owh that one loh

Honda 4T SL 10W-30 RM 22 0.8L calcium additive prevents clutch slipping reduce engine friction Asked the guy about oil, he said change every 2000km and he recommends Shell, cheap

but i still feel like some of them are longer lasting and better for the engine.
I mean seriously.. calcium to prevent slipping? isn't the oil supposed to make stuff more slippery

Then theres the codes 10W-30
the first number on the left indicates the viscosity (how easy it flows) at a COLD start
so 10 would be before it's heated up... and so 5 would be less thicker than 10 and easier to start on cold mornings... the W stands for windete btw

the second number on the right indicates it at operating temperature, i.e. 30 at 100C
so is it better to get a ticker oil? what's the effects on the engine components? which one is better long term, which one has better fuel economy, which one is smoother, which one is cleaner ..

a 5W-30 will flow better than a 10W-30
a 10W-50 is thicker than a 10W-40

good place to read stuff:
: http://www.hcdmag.com/5w30-vs-10w30/

10W-30 is not as fluid, it's thicker.. better for older engines and protects the components thicker got more drag tough.
5W-30 is more fuel efficient, for new engines with small gaps and no need to worry about seal.

and whats the diference between wet cluch and dry?
basically if the clutch uses the engine oil for lubrication, its a wet clutch.
Dry is for when it's separated from the engine

i know some are for automatic scooters

sigh, i dont know if i bought the right one.
well i hope that it stays clean for a long time

i know theres alot of difference when chaning the oil tough, i could feel it last time
it was more smooth.

AMD APU vs Intel processors Ideapad 320-14AST

Went shopping with a a friend Suzika because her laptop fried..
instead of changing the mother board which her computer was giving other problems already..

so yeah.. got a Lenovo ideapad 320-14AST
with a AMD A9-9420 processor.. which they said was equivalent to a Intel i5
but it was cheaper... at RM1899 ..

Why lenovo over other brands like Toshiba, Asus or Acer (i personally like acer.. my Aspire V3-471G is so reliable.. well.. after changing the hardisk)

i was thinking of upgrading it even more with a HDD caddy
https://hddcaddy.eu/acer-aspire-v3-471-hdd-caddy/

putting in a 2TB seagate firecuda (cause they have that hybrid SSHD) and my current Samsung EVO 126GB is outta space... but yeah.. its pricey at RM460.. compared to the 1TB version (RM350)

sigh.. well atleast i've maxed out the 16GB ram (2x Kingston DDR3 8Gb ... well yeah i like my laptop alot..

anyways .. AMD has made a good thing by combining the CPU and GPU to allow each other to help one another process stuff.. which.. Intel and Nvidea doesn't do on mine..

APU and SSHD... these are really good technologies for laptops...
and hers has DDR4 ... (i think the extra 200 bucks is worth it for the better processor and newer RAM).. atleast she can upgrade her RAM next time easily instead of trying to find the old DDR3..

well.. i hope she's happy with the purchase and it'll last her for a long long long time to come!
and it comes with a free G03 watch worth RM400+ .. haha well

UPDATE (16 Jan 2018): something is bottlenecking it for heavy computer usage. The mouse disappears, google Earth becomes white, QGIS loads slowly... ANd i just found out that there is only ONE ram slot.. meaning she'll have to buy a 8GB DDR4 RAM to REPLACE the 4gb one, instead of just adding onto it. sigh. And the free watch is crap lah. And you can't put an M.2 NVMe SSD inside unlike the vbigger 15' version wit the number pad. LOLZ... so many things.. don;t purchase a laptop when you aren't feeling well and have fever. DOnt rush a laptop buy but do the research first. Owh well.. maybe the last saving grace would be to throw in and SSD and more RAM and hopefully that punches up the A9 to full capabilities.

frying a laptop with a universal adapter

This brought some peace into my life.

https://askleo.com/can_i_use_a_charger_that_provides_the_same_voltage_but_a_different_amperage/

Suzika's laptop wasn't turning on. When she plugs in the power adapter into the socket the green LED on it comes on.. but when she plugs the other end into her ASUS laptop it just fades off.

So i thought it was her adaptor that had the issue. And such a coincidence Biotech has a spare universal adaptor that we bought which was supposed to be used for the WD NAS (which we didn't set up in the end). I changed the plug heads and gee.. i was so sure that it'll work.

So i plugged it in. pressed the power button once, but it didn't turn on.
THen she tried and it turned on.. i was thinking it was all well and walked off

and then it started smoking oO

GG....

She quickly unplugged it..

and the smell of a toasted motherboard lingered... sigh..

i quickly went and checked the rating on the adaptor and the universal one...
yes both were running 19V.... but the amps was different.. here's was a bout 3.. the adaptor was giving out 4...

i thought... i thought i had just fried my friends laptop

sigh... but anyways, she didn't say anything about her laptop not working before this..
but yeah.. i'd like to chip in for this hard working girl.

way to remember and not memorize

we stop learning because we stop questioning.
This is due to favoring memorization over understanding.
Go back to having a curious mind, to remember better.

card reader slot on laptop not functioning

i think my card reader for the laptop almost died..
when i sorta almost  ejected the card but didn't (half press micro pressed but it didn't pop out)

restarted the computer and even reinstalled the drive..
shined a torch light and poked it with a needle...

it all didn't work...

prayed..
God..

tried again later on...

God.. it works..
the best mechanic: miracles