Placing the ring at her future step mother finger.

The cake says it all.
The sibling.

3M function.
To day is a special occasion for my family. My sister decided to end her bachelor life in a very simple ceremony which I called 3M. You might be wondering why I called it 3M. Initially I was informed somebody is coming to 'merisek' my sister. Later it turned out it was more that. It was actualy 3 in 1 ie 'merisek' 'melamar' and 'meminang'. As they say, never delay a good thing. It was very touching indeed to witness one her future step daughter placing the ring on my sister's finger. It was a good start for the family. I pray for they all to have wonderful future.

History of Malaysia Airlines - part II-

New generation of pure jet aircraft.Change of Logo when Singapore left Malaysia.

The Comet.
Malayan Airways became Malaysian Airlines Limited with the formation of Malaysia in 1963. The name changed again to Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA) when the Government of Malaysia and Singapore jointly acquired majority control of Malaysian Airways Limited. Many new destinations were added such as Perth, Sydney, Taipei,Tokyo, Madras and Colombo. The airlines expanded rapidly as Singapore became an important hub in the aviation traffic between Sydney and London.

History of Malaysia Airlines-Part I-

Twin engined Airspeed Consul.

The pioneering ladies of the sky.

Early destinations.

The "winged tiger"

MALAYAN AIRWAYS.

Malayan Airways Limited (MAL) was incorporated on 12th. October 1937 by three companies, Straits Steamship Company of Singapore, Ocean Steamship Company of Liverpool and Imperial Airways after getting approval from the government of Colonial Straits Settlement.

It took another ten years before the inaugural flight from Singapore to Penang via Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh could be mounted on 2nd. April 1947. This longest delay was attributed to second world war which had enveloped the region then.Malayan Airways logo consist of winged tiger. The first aircraft used was a twin engined Airspeed Consul, a five seater plane. During the first year of operation, 20 seater DC-3 aeroplane was added to the fleet, legacy of surplus second world war transport aircraft. Destinations like Batavia (Jakarta), Palembang, Medan and Saigon (Ho Chi Minch City) were added.More aircraft were added, the fleet now consist of Beaver aircraft, DC-4 Skymaster, Vicounts and Bristol Brittania while destinations like Hong Kong, Jesselton (Kota Kinabalu) and Bangkok were added.Malayan Airways came into the jet age in 1962 with the introduction of 5 Comets IVs aircraft.

Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Subang Jaya.
Sponsored banner from one of the IPTS.
Another sponsored banner from one of the IPTS.
One of the thousands PMR candidate.

PMR 2008.

This week my youngest daughter is taking her PMR exam. During my time in 1969 it was known as SRP or LCE. As I recalled it was an important examination to determine which stream you would be in form four. If you get good result you would have more choices or else you have to be in arts stream.

Many of us did well in the exam but due to limited facility there was only one pure science class. As a result many had to leave SDAR to pursue their ambition in technical field. Almost 40 Sdarians left to join RMC and Technical Institutes in KL and Penang. We lost many potential student but many of them did very well in their chosen field.

To all taking examinations this year, best of luck. There are ample scopes for whatever your chosen field.

The Bird House.
I saw this strange looking structure in kampong Sungai Karang, Beserah. It looked like a house but it has no window. It has a staircase with a solitary door at the side. What could it be. When I enquired around I was told it is a bird house. What! a house for birds. Must be some lucky birds compared to some unfortunate human neighbours who only live in dilapidated wooden house. I was told the bird nest can fetch between 4-5K per kilogram. You can read more about this industry at http://burunglayang-layang.blogspot.com/

At Jaya Jusco, Bukit Tinggi, Klang.
Some of the children from Al-Munirah Home.

One of the children saying thank you, Ustaz at the back.

Rotary Club of Kampong Baharu community project.

It has become an annual event for Rotary Club of Kampong Baharu to extend the joy of celebrating Hari Raya with the under privilege children. Last Sunday on 21st. September 2008 the members of Rotary Club of Kampong Baharu took 46 children from Al-Munirah Welfare Home in Klang for Hari Raya shopping at Jaya Jusco , Klang.
Since most of the children had never done hari raya shopping before so they were assisted by a group of volunteers who acted as their foster parent for the day. The joy reflected on the children faces make the effort worth while.
Note: The writer is the club treasurer for 08-09 session.

KESAS (Klang Shah Alam expressway)
As a road user I find the numerous highway and expressway available in the country make my journey easier and safer.
The journey from Kuala Lumpur to Taiping which in the past took as long as eight hours, now can be reduced to less than four hours. My other regular destination Kuala Lumpur - Kuantan also took about eight hours, now can be accomplished in less than four hours also. I used to drive all by myself, now I am very confident to let my wife and even my daughters to take over whenever the need arise. The other aspect is the convenient of rest area if you need to stop and rest. It was so difficult before to look for toilet or surau, now you can take for granted that you will find one at all the rest area. Of course every now and then the rest area is very crowded but it only happened during festive period. We are happy to pay for the services and this will go on for eternity.
When I travel oversea to Europe or USA I find they have same thing more or less but why is it free. The organization that have been licenced to operate highway in Malaysia, who are they actually. Why can't it be free just like those highway oversea?

The moment before the second hijacked plane crashed into one of the World trade Centre Tower building. The other tower can be seen burning in the background.(photo from foxnews.com)

The side renamed 'Ground Zero' as seen to day. (photo from foxnews.com)

September11 remembered.
One of the landmark of modern history. On that day four aeroplanes were hijacked by 19 al-Qeada linked fighters and subsequently crashed onto several targets. This suicidal kamikaze attacked by al-Qeada inflamed the world and led USA to mount an invasion of Afganistan Taliban government which was accused of harbouring the al-Qeada leader Osama bin Ladin.
Two of the planes were crashed onto World Trade Centre in New York killing all the passengers on board as well as many on ground after the famous building collapsed within two hours. Another plane crashed on Pentagon while the remaining one crashed near Shanksville short of their intended target suspected to be Washington DC.
As a result of the event security measures were tightened for all air travels and the cause of al-Qeada fight became publicised to the world. My sympathy goes to all the innocent victims and their immediate family members and relatives. May God bless them. Amen.

Shopping for Hari Raya.
Preparation for the big day continues. You can see hive of activities at all the shopping complexes. I was at Ampang Park to day doing some shopping for my family members. Well, actually I was just the driver but my family insisted my role as a banker was more important to them. Tried to be purchasing analyst but my sense of colour matching was never good. Most of the time, when consulted I just nod my approval. I was more concerned in keeping everything within the budget. My bank is small so can be easily broken.
I like to see the joy in the shoppers face when bargaining for their item. I noticed those celebrating Hari Raya seemed to focus on purchasing dresses and assessories. Not like christmas time when people focus on getting presents for their close one.
As usual my family break fasted at Cosy Corner, our favourite restaurant. The place was full house and had to turn away many customers. The staff had a hard time trying to meet customers demand as they wanted to eat at the same time but with different menu. Additional tables were placed along the restaurant corridor to add capacity.

Tony Fernandes started his blog.

CEO of AirAsia Dato' Tony Fernandes started his blog http://tonyfernandesblog.com/ on 31st. Aug 2008. More CEOs should follow his foot step to enable direct interaction with the customers. Aviation ftratenities are looking forward for future postings by Tony. I just hope he will manage to cope with public responses as his blog defenitely going to be a big hit.

Beijing Olympic 2008 - day 16-
Finally it is over. Now I can breath easy and look at other channel on the Astro. Malaysia has one lone silver medal to show but that had given birth to two datukship. When CM of Penang announced LCW to be awarded datukship I was awed. Then his coach Misbun Sidek to get one too from the Malacca state, that was awesome. It is about time sportsmen and sportswomen in this country be given the due recognition. Their contributions to the country is too valuable to the future generation. I am hoping Shalin to be given one soon for her contribution in Bowling.
For the overall medal score, China must be commended for being a model host and for being the first Asian nation to be the Olympic Champion.
OK lets see London in 2012.

Billboard (3)
On the 14th. July 2008 I wrote something about billboard that portray politician faces. It turn out I was not the only one who was curious on the effectiveness of such advertisement to promote tourism in this country. Mr. Lim Kit Siang posted similar question in parliament recently but did not get any answer yet. Refer below:
16. PR-1213-L16059
*Tuan Lim Kit Siang* [Ipoh Timur] minta *MENTERI PELANCONGAN* menyatakan bilangan dan kos papan-papan iklan promosi pelancongan yang diletak di sepanjang Lebuh Raya Utara-Selatan, serta rasional bagi gambar-gambar YAB Perdana Menteri, Timbalan Perdana Menteri serta Menteri turut dipaparkan di papan-papan iklan berkenaan, apakah kajian saintifik yang menunjukkan gambar-gambarberkenaan turut membantu menggalakkan pelancongan.

Beijing Olympic 2008.
At last Malaysia get a medal, albeit only a silver. How many days the countyry have been waiting? I can't remember anymore but it is worth it. Now Malaysia is on the list. More than 50% of the paticipating countries don't even have a medal to show. At least we can proudly say we are among the medal winner like China and USA. He he must be the understatement of the year.
In the mean time Michael Phelps has become the greatest Olympian of all time after winning his 8th gold metal, seven of them in new world record time. A monumental feat indeed.

Day....3 Beijing Olympic 2008
Park Tae-hwan of Korea ended the American and Australian domination in the pool by taking 400 metre free style. The Thai lady scored gold in weight lifting 53Kg category. What is interesting is her long name.. Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakon. Malaysian double lady badminton bowed out after losing to the Korean.
Day....4 Beijing Olympic 2008
Surprise .. Wong Choong Hann beat Taufik Hidayat in the second round of man badminton. Michael Phelps on to his second gold...almost as his team mate, Jason Lezak came from behind to win the 4X100m free style.
Day....5 Beijing Olympic 2008
Malaysians medal hope melting away. First saw the archery team event losing to Italy by just a mere 5 point. On the last shoot out two of the Malaysian archer scored bull eye but it was too late to catch up with the Italians.
In badminton, lady single player lost out to China by a whisker and our double men best hope saw the exit by the Indonesian. We are left with LCW.
Day....6 Beijing Olympic 2008
The medal tally list is getting longer. Now more than 52 countries has won at least one medal, what ever the colour may be. Where is Malaysia? Still not there. Our badminton hero LCW is still in the medal hunt. Hang on there my hero. The whole country is looking forward to this.
Michael Phelps continued his medal hunt with fifth gold. What a performance. I think he will have no problem in breaking Mark Spitz’s 36 years old record of winning 7 gold.
China continue to lead with 22 gold and the nearest rival is USA with 10 gold. Saw picture of President Bush with one of the beach volleyball player. He is still there in Beijing. Wonder who is running the country.
Day....7 Beijing Olympic 2008
LCW into the final after beating the Korean at the same time ensuring Malaysia at least a silver medal. That really put off the pressure on him. To most Malaysians me included the hope is for him to get the gold. It will really do the country proud.
Day....8 Beijing Olympic 2008
Michael Phelps on target. He is already on his 7th gold, equalling the feat achieved by Mark Spitz at Atlanta. Field and track started.

Beijing Olympic 2nd. day -
List of countries with medal is getting longer, more than 32 on the second day but Malaysia is nowhere to be seen. Michael Phelps on target going for his maximum record of eight gold medals. Even the American is crazy with figure 8. Surprise.. surprise China, the host country is leading with 8 medal tally. Oh eight again.
Is it so hard to get even one bronze medal after spending millions. It is hard. It is easier to sent somebody to outer space.
I doesn't seemed fair when a person can swim away with eight gold medal and yet for a soccer team to get a gold, it is a hard and winding road for the whole team.

Olympic 2008 - Lets the game begin -
It's happening every four years, the sporting meet that get more grand every time it is being organised and the 2008 games is no different. The opening ceremony, estimated cost 100 millions USD, was one of the most spectacular the world had ever seen.
204 nations are taking part this time round. Brunei state did make a name that night by failing to submit competitors name on time, so was not allowed to participate in the game. Malaysian contingent was among the first to appear marching proudly in the national dress.
As many as 54 head of states attended the function including Yang Di Pertuan Agong.
Many of the events will be shown live on Astro channel for the next two weeks. May the best sportsmen/women win. Malaysians hope of bringing the first gold medal home looked very bright this time. Our badminton fans will have to wait and see.

There must be thousands of them. Many years ago during my primary school days, I was taught in details the kind of life these little ants live. There is the queen, the soldiers and of course the workers. Ever wonder if you are just one of the ant. Living in an ants colony could be interesting you know. One thing for sure you do not have to worry about the cost of living.

This old bungalow is the remnant of the colonial era. Judging by the old chimney protruding from the roof, it could be constructed in the mid fifties. It could be the residence of one of the senior government servant during the time. The building still looked solid. Why is it being abandoned? I wonder why?
I was exploring the area behind the Kuala Pilah rest house. The road was leading to the communication tower on the hill top. The spot seemed isolated from the rest of the town. When many people are still with out proper dwelling, it seemed like a waste.

I was down with dengue fever since 27th July 08. I did not quite realise it at that time thinking it was just a normal fever. It started with my mrs when she was admitted to DE Medical centre on 23rd July08. I was very occupied with her illness and my daughter too had some form of virus infection. So I just went for the normal fever treatment, so was on MC for three days. After my mrs was discharged and my daughter became better I decided to go for blood test at DE Medical centre in Shah Alam. True enough I was diagnosed with dengue but fortunately the blood count had gone up and my condition was considered stable. I am still not feeling well and this is my first attempt at my blog.It was a terrible feeling when everything doesn't feel right. All the joint aches and that bitter feeling in the mouth. But I am feeling better now. He he God is testing me.

Billboards (2)
Stated in the STAR today, there is a move to regulate billboards in Selangor state(N33) as the percentage of the illegal one could be as high as 80%. Not surprised, as the article also mentioned the revenue generated by such billboard in Petaling Jaya could fetch as high as RM300K per annum. The land owner who allowed such structure to be built on their land could collect cool 30% of it.
Come to think of it, if authorities could not handle illegal billboards, such gigantic structures firmly planted on the ground, how are they going to handle pirated CD and imitation goods sold at night market. Sound familiar with illegal factories and illegal dumping sites? So it might takes sometimes for the authorities to sort out the legal aspects in the mean time those who want exploit the situation can make millions.

NEW AIRCRAFT FOR MAS.
Malaysia Airlines announced that they have ordered 35 Next-Generation 737-800 airplanes. The order is valued at more than $2.6 billion. The airline has also acquired purchase rights for an additional 20 Next-Generation 737-800s which will replace their existing 737-400 fleet, allowing expansion to points which were not economically viable currently.
Both Airbus and Boeing had been lobbying heavily to get this sale. MAS being one of the largest B737-400 operator in the world decided to continue using Boeing products. There are many angles to consider when making the decision and the most important one being the commercial considerations.

Politician billboard. One too many.

One or two along the highway may looked nice but when you have a jungle of them, it does not make the intended impact. It is understandable some product can be promoted this way but I find it ridiculous why some government ministry need to promote their minister’s face. Now every time there is a cabinet reshuffle, the billboard need to be updated. What make it worse is the size of the billboard. What a pity to see a miniature billboard featuring the minister sitting below a giant billboard promoting a car. May be those in advertising industry have a better understanding on this.

Video clip below is my first attempt. Are you Suzie Quatro fan? Enjoy the song if you are. It keep me awake during those otherwise boring journey to and fro to KLIA. I blog something about her book few months ago.BTW loading of video clip may take hours :-(

FREE WATER.
It was raining heavily yesterday. My bedroom sprung a bad leak so I had to use a pail to collect the water. In jest I was telling my daughter, "This must be the free water promised by the new MB of Selangor". She replied' "Not funny, dad, wait till you get free electricity". As soon as she finished her sentence there was lightening followed by thunder and the power tripped.

DESA INN.
I was surfing for accommodation in Kuala Pilah when I found this hotel listed in Virtual Tourist website but there was no contact or email address given. As we were approaching the town, I saw signage giving direction to the hotel. It was simple enough and we found the hotel somewhere near the bus station.
It has 29 air-conditioned rooms, each equipped with ctv and phone. Surprising it has no wi fi or even email address for that matter. I met the manager, Mrs. Lee. A very friendly lady. She was telling me the hotel rates has not been revised for many years now despite rising cost. It is so much easier to answer any enquiries on rate by saying ‘Harga dulu juga lah, tak de naik” Then she went on explaining the strategy she adopted to keep her overheads low. Wow! Mrs. Lee, with such expertise, you can run an airlines anytime. According to her, the owner had purchased a piece of land nearby and was planning to build a bigger hotel. She was hoping the new hotel will have on line reservation facilities.
I found the room very clean and the staff worked efficiently.
Address: Desa Inn, Lot 745, Jalan Chevalier, Kuala Pilah, 72000, Negeri Sembilan DK, Malaysia . Telephone: 606- 481 8033 Fax :606- 481 8213

The main junction.
Nicely painted shop house.
The main street.
Empty corridors.

KUALA PILAH.
I woke up early and decided to explore the town before checking out from the hotel, Desa Inn. The town looked deserted, small wonder, after all it was Sunday morning. So the town folks could still be in their dream land. Few shops were already opened conducting their business as usual. Surprisingly I saw several 4 digits shops full with punters trying or checking their lucky star. Most of the punters looked like Malays. I just wonder what happened to Islam Hadhari.
The road took me to the bus station where all the activities seemed to be taking place with coaches arriving and departing with full load of passengers each time. I saw this nicely painted corner shop house beside the station but since it was closed I could not guess what business there were in. An antique postal box can be seen in front the shop house. It seemed to be in people path. It was not as old as some colonial postal box, with royal mail logo which can be found in some old township.
As I was passing in front the food stall, the owner kept asking me if I would like to purchase something. They were so friendly, which is typical of small town folks.
Kuala Pilah is also famous for Minangkabau food as many Nasi padang food stall can be found.

Meeting an old friend.
Last week I received SMS from Zainal inviting me to attend his daughter wedding in Shah Alam. Well it looked like wedding card is getting out of fashion or is it curbing inflation is the order of the day where all the ‘nice to have’ have to go. Any way, it is a mammoth task trying to distribute wedding card personally. SMS is more practical as you might have last minute invitation to do. It might not be in this case but the lingering thought was there since I happened to know of the function through a friend earlier ( I hope you are not reading this).
Zainal and I was close during our boarding school days, the early part, then he left for Technical Institute in Penang after form three, together with few others like Yaakub, Najid and Saaid. I met him several time in Kuala Lumpur over the years but not in the last few years though.
So finally I met an old friend. He hasn’t changed much except extra kg here and there and slight graying on top. Since he had quite a few guests to take care, we could only talk for few minute. The rest of the time I was talking to Saaid who happened to bring his grand son along who cling to him like orang utan baby. Cute boy.
I spend some time talking to a boy who inspire to be a pastry cook. I could see from the parent face they did not agree with the choice. Their face light up when the son mentioned he also had an interest to become aircraft engineer but do not have much in formations on the subject. So I volunteered some info on the subject, even the parent join in. There were wondering how come I have so much information on the subject. So I told them….

An autobiography - The story of my experiments with truth.
This is Mahatma Gandhi’s story covering the period(1869-1921)before his life was made public. In his journey seeking the truth in life he discovered freedom and justice. He later devoted his life as freedom fighter which eventually led him to free India from the colonial masters. After reading law in England, Gandhi served the Indian community in South Africa where he saw the Indians there being discriminated. He succeeded in getting better treatment for them. Based on the experienced gained, he eventually brought his trade mark of non-violent movement to India, to gain India’s independence.
The book tells us the qualities that make a good leader.

Rotary Club of Kampung Baharu Installation Dinner, Saturday 21.06.2008.

Appointment of new office bearers in any Rotary Club take place on an annual basis. This is unique to Rotary movement where a person do not cling to his post forever. In a simple dinner function rotarians of Kampung Baharu met last Saturday to formalised the new office bearers. They are known as Board of Directors. I had been appointed as the treasurer for the 08/09 session which commence from 1st July 08 to 30th June 09. Approximately 60 people attended the function which was held at Maju Palace Restaurant, Maju Junction, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.

KOLOKIUM KECEMERLANGAN PELAJAR PROJEK KHAS 'SBP'.
Kementrian Pelajaran Malaysia dengan kerjasama Alumni Sekolah-Sekolah Berasrama Penuh telah menganjurkan kolokium ini dengan tujuan memberi bimbingan kepada pelajar pelajar yang datang dari keluarga kurang kemampuan dari segi kewangan. Seramai 216 pelajar dari 54 SBP telah dikumpulkan di Tiara Beach Resort, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan dari 15 hingga 17 June 2008.
Saya berpeluang memberi sumbangan, membantu pelajar tersebut dengan memberi bantuan kounseling dan berkongsi pengalaman semasa berstatus pelajar pada suatu masa dahulu. Apa yang saya dapati ia lah mereka terdiri dari pelajar yang cerdik dam mempunyai cita cita dan kemahuan yang tinggi. Mereka sentiasa berterima kaseh kepada peluang yang diberi. Rata rata mereka ingin menyahut cabaran supaya dapat membela keluarga dan memberi kehidupan yang lebih selesa buat diri dan famili mereka dimasa hadapan. Kebanyakan mereka juga datang dari famili yang mempunyai ahli yang besar, ia itu enam hingga tujuh orang. Ini menyukarkan lagi buat ibu bapa mereka untuk memberi tumpuan kepada mereka.
Ini adalah kali pertama program seperti ini diadakan. Saya berpendapat program seperti ini elok terus diadakan pada masa hadapan. Pelajar yang mengambil bahagian juga elok di dedahkan dengan melawat tempat terkenal supaya fikiran mereka lebih terbuka.

ARC DE TRIOMPHE.
Commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 to commemorate his fine victory at Austerlitz. France was master of Europe then. It was completed in 1836. The arch is located in a middle of a large round about known as Palace Charles de Gaulle. As many as eight major roads congregate at this point making it a traffic nightmare as far as I can see, but the Parisian seemed to manage it some how with the assistance of blaring horn of course.
The inner wall of the arc was decorated with 558 names of generals who had served under napoleon. Beneath the arch lies the tomb of the unknown soldier from the world war one. We spent one hour exploring the monument.

MEETING FORMER SCHOOL MATE.

Wan Hassan called me around 3pm and told me he was transiting at main terminal building waiting to go back to Kuala Terengganu.
Time to catch up with an old friend from Kuala Trengganu who I have not met for several years now. He looked just like before even after having seven children. We talked, mainly about our families what is our retirement plan.
I learned that he had written three books and one them had been published recently. The book is about town planning. He is getting few ringgit royalty for the book but what is more important to him is that he is able to contribute to the younger generation. His other book is on travel.
I am very proud of you Wan for achieving that. Lets hope we meet again soon.
Note: Wan Hassan was staying at Rumah Shahbandar, room 5 while I was staying in the house but in room 2.

Brand New Friend.
This is a hilarious funny novel about a young couple, Rob and Ashley who is about to settle down after staying together for several years. Both wanted to maintain their platonic relationships to their best friend after marriage. The problem is Rob best friend is a girl, Joe and Ashley best friend is a man, Neil. It became very complicated when Joe realized she was actually in love with Rob. Her sacrifice in letting Rob marrying Ashley gave the story a happy ending.
The book give us an insight of the promiscuous life style practiced by western society to day where marriage institution is no longer relevant.

Where is Mona Lisa?
You are now my Queen!

The Louvre Museum.

The original building dated as far back as 1200AD. Initially it was meant to store royal archive as treasurer but on and off was also used at royal residence. The present appearance was the result of Napoleon III desire to complete the louvre in 1852. Apart from the thousands painting and sculptures of various ages, the louvre is well known as the residence of the famous master piece Mona Lisa. The complex is so huge that one day is insufficient to cover all the ground.

It is a place where you can stare at all the nude painting without feeling guilty or ashame of yourself. After all it is work of art and I am sure the painter wants you to appreciate their work. The painting depicting coronation of Napoleon I was painted on an enormous canvas measuring 580 square foot. It was three years work of Jacques-Louise David. A visit to Paris is considered not complete if one skip the Louvre.

MONA LISA

Judging by the throng of visitors she received daily, it will not do justice not to have a separate account to describe this famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci. The model is a young Florentine women, who in 1495 was married to Francesco del Giocondo. Thus the work is also known as La Gioconda. It was one of Leornardo favorite painting. It was mentioned that he carried it with him every where. Eventually it was sold to Francis 1. It was considered prototype of renaissance painting. It really became famous in 1911 when it was stolen from the Louvre. It was missing for almost two years and rediscovered in a hotel in Florence. Why it is considered a master piece, only the real artist can appreciate it. It is said the slight smile of Mona Lisa is the attraction. The painter used a special technique of continuous interaction between light and shade which made the painting looked difference with the time of the day. All signage at louvre lead to the painting, so it was not difficult to find it on the first floor. You will be greeted by large crowd, all inching their way to have a closer look at the painting. It is a small painting compared to those gigantic painting elsewhere in the building. Barrier was erected in front it as not to allow visitors to get too close to it. In addition the painting is housed behind a thick glass wall. As many as 6 security guards could be seen around the painting at any one time. The satisfaction of seeing the painting could not be described here but I think it is worth the 9 Euro entrance fees charged. Leonardo, despite being jack of all trade, engineer, inventor,philosopher, poet is famous for creating this master piece. He is truly somebody who live few hundred years ahead of his time.

Fatin and Aina

EIFFEL TOWER

Designed by famous French architect Gustave Eiffel, suppose to be a temporary structure as part of World’s Fair 1889, celebrating 100th year of French revolution. Initially the steel structure was considered ugly by the Parisians however it was very popular with the visitor so it remained as landmark and icon of Paris till to day. It received more than 6.5 million visitors annually. It stand at 324M, not veryhigh compared to other modern tower such as KL tower which standat 421m. It was built in record time of 2 years, 2 months and 5 days.To say that it is beautiful is an understatement. It looked more like a vertical steel bridge to me, however I am attracted by the practical aspect of steel lattice work which we learned during school days being put to good use. The tower still has practical use as transmission tower in the modern era.It open to visitors 7 days a week. Other works associated with Mr.Eiffel is Statue of Liberty and Panama canal.

Mahatma Gandhi wrote in his autobiography about the tower. He was studying in England at that time.

'A particular attraction of the exhibition was the Eiffel tower , constructed entirely of iron and nearly 1000ft high. There were of course many other thing of interest, but the tower was the chief one, inasmuch it had been supposed till then that a structure of that height could not safely stand. Tolstoy mentioned that it was a monument of human folly.'