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2010

Posted by Kai on March 12th, 2010

According to the Mayan calendar, from today we have exactly 1014 days left on Earth. That's what the ancient tribal people believe, or maybe it's just that they had no time to continue writing the calendar. I bet, many of you out there have watched the film 2012 - perhaps the most epic, thrilling devastation blockbuster movie. Coming to think of it realistically, do you think the world would just blow up in an instant?

If the world were to end, it would be a long and painful process. And for the dinosaurs who once roamed the Earth, we're still not sure how they went extinct, but they don't die all at once that's for sure. Humanity just won't get wiped out in a flash. 2012 will have to start early.

And started it has, as within two and a half months into 2010 we had three massive earthquakes: the most devastating one being Haiti, where more than 230,000 people died and millions homeless; followed by the largest tsunami scare in the world with its epicenter in Chile; and a recent one in Turkey. Now now, THREE earthquakes in different parts of the world within two and a half months? This is unprecedented. Something must've  gone seriously wrong.

For Haiti, the earthquake's massive death toll has hit one of history's most horrific earthquakes. And on such a poor country! Refugees are left hungry, starving, homeless, pointless... it will be very hard for the nation to rebuild, but help is definitely on the way. As for Chile, not as many died, but the earthquake on the coast of South America propagated waves across the pacific, triggering tsunami alerts along the arc of pacific's opposite end - from Japan to New Zealand. But in the end, the tidal waves subsided and did not have enough pace to make it all the way to Asia.

Even back in Malaysia - we had possibly the hottest Chinese New Year season in a decade. The temperature was so freakin' hot along the tropics we literally burned. Droughts happened all over Malaysia's rural areas, including Johor, Pahang and Perak. Where had the rain gone to? In East Malaysia, not only was there drought, there were forest fires which made the air quality bad - like Indonesia. The weather, climate and meteorological conditions of the world are worsening, and going upside down!

Have the tectonic plates of the world moved? Has global warming an effect on the Earth's crust? Had God come to punish us? If so, why would He punish by killing hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens in Haiti?

Questions are left to be answered, but 2012 is already starting. If this is how the end of the world would look like, killing country by country, population by population; we'll have nowhere to run to.

The Tunnels of Cu Chi

Posted by Kai on December 28th, 2008

We don't see any Vietcong, but the Vietcong forces are everywhere! - a troubled American soldier

The Vietnam War was one of the bloodiest battles in recent times. When I went there to see what was left behind of the war, I was absolutely blown away. The Vietcong's patriotism was more than anybody would have imagined, succesfully fighting off the mighty American forces, albeit fighting without modern weaponry.

- Me, lurking around the tunnels
Most of all, the symbol of guerilla warfare introduced by the Vietcong was the Cu Chi tunnels.
The vast network of underground tunnels was a sight to behold, though you couldn't actually see the entire structure. You can imagine, like an entire city hidden beneath the surface, the Vietcong communist forces lurk around a huge American base above, ready to strike at anytime, anywhere.
-Booby traps within the tunnels
The network of claustrophobic tunnel complex span at least 25 kilometers long. They're filled with homes, hospitals, kitchens, armouries, shooting bunkers, command centres, meeting rooms, as well as deadly booby traps. When I went there, I was officially speechless.
- The original hole for the Vietcong forces to *disappear*, my dad having trouble getting out of it.
Sadly for the Vietcong, the Americans managed to pump deadly toxic gases into the tunnels to eliminate the threat they failed to overcome. And in the end, in the tunnels alone, more than 10,000 Vietcong patriots died.
A Warning: the long trail that the guide would offer you to go is not for the claustrophobic.

Serpent Encounter

Posted by Kai on December 25th, 2008

There I was, about a week ago, in Ho Chi Minh City, Southern Vietnam.

Vietnam, being a superb tourist destination spot, obviously thrilled me very much. The trip was unexpectedly fun. A country whose status is lower than the country you live in always try their very best to satisfy you. That was a fact when visiting India, Cambodia, and now Vietnam. It makes you enjoy. They provide top-class food, excellent service and a whole lot of privacy.
Going to a third world country makes you feel patriotic.
But the experience was not the main topic. I had experienced it already in several third world nations. It was the first time I held a snake that was interesting...
There I was, in the Mekong River Delta, on an island called Coconut Island. Our guide led us to a small little hut in the middle of a thick rainforest. There was the snake - a huge, beautifully patterned python, at least 2 meters long. Our guide picked it up with his bare hands, and asked who will like to, try it out.
My mom ran berserkedly away, covering her eyes. My dad tried to avoid seeing the gruesome snake. Only I didn't run, I stepped up to let the snake drape on my back. It was damn heavy! And so, the snake seemed to stare at me, tongue sltihering out often. Another tourist, it might have thought.
So i touched its slender body. The body felt cold, as it was a cold blooded animal. I could feel the insides of the huge python gurgling and writhing, trying to slip away. And then it was over. Our guide placed the snake back into the cage.
So I had to say bye to the beautiful snake. The experience was worth it. Words cannot describe it. You have it to try it out yourself.

Icons of Beijing

Posted by Kai on August 20th, 2008

The Olympics are simply marvelous.

The Olympics have brought wild architectural designs to the massive city while opening the eyes of the Chinese to globalisation. They're the new icons of Beijing - the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube.
Bird's Nest and Water Cube... they don't seem much of a stunning feature by the names. Don't judge a book by its cover though.
This is the Bird's Nest, the main stadium. Thousands of fireworks, hundreds of thousands of seats, billions of viewers. This is one of the most eye-catching stadiums across the globe. 
Beijing National Stadium hosts the olympics 2008 with a bang. An impressive display of historic and modern highlights brought about the opening ceremony of Beijing 2008, and will be the ground for the athletics sports events to be held.
The Water Cube. Beijing Aquatics Centre.
One glimpse of it, you'd be thinking what kind of alien substance is this? This is the place where Michael Phelps created history by snatching eight gold medals in only one sport - swimming. Obviously you will know that this is where swimming and diving will be held.
Beautiful design. Colourful light effects. Irregularly shaped polygons and tetrahedrons everywhere. Simply captivating.
Never mind the terrible haze. 
Something you will look forward to see in the future when Beijing welcomes you.

Search for the Optimum Energy Source

Posted by Kai on April 9th, 2008

We now face a desperate crisis. A battle to really fight for, in order to gain the perfect piece of material to produce energy. It's a dying world if we don't discover it soon, an unending world war is just around the corner. The search is on!

Observe the picture above (click to enlarge). The US rely a damn lot on non renewable sources. Renewable sources are put aside. This is proof that US cannot advance IF they do not research into the new era.

Energy sources like nuclear, natural gas and coal will fade away totally in a century. So, we shall concentrate of renewable sources like biofuel, wind, solar and hydro. These are the keys to the new era of energy sources.

1. Biofuel

Only tropical countries can grow oil palms. Malaysia is filled up with oil palms. If these cooking oils were to be mass-utilized as energy sources, these tropical nations could be the richest countries in the world. Look at the middle east now, among the richest because they were blessed with petroleum. Oil palms could be equivalents.

2. Wind

This cannot be a major energy source. First, it's not windy all the time. Second, they produce less energy than other renewable sources. It is indeed widely used in Netherlands, Australia and USA's western coast, but its poor performance may cause it to be sidelined for sometime. Unless a hurricane could just strike these wind power stations...

3. Hydro

The hydro electric generators are pollution-free, but still not entirely friendly to the environment. The generators kill fish and the construction can cause landslides. Nevertheless, most people believe the hydros are the key to the future. Although it produces a significant amount of energy, it's still not as powerful enough to match non-renewable sources. Therefore, we would require A LOT of hydros if we were to totally rely on it.

4. Solar

Alright, this is fully, totally, entirely friendly to the environment. But there's always a setback to this modern technology. Firstly, it does not produce enough energy to be mass-utilized. It requires a large field like this picture to produce energy to match the hydro. Secondly, it is too heavy it were to be used to power cars. Lastly, if today's not a sunny day, expect a blackout.

There are indeed other renewable sources yet to be discovered. One thing I missed out is the charismatic geothermal energy. I will elaborate it in the coming posts.

Expect more to come!

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