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The Jackfruit Tree (center)

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Jackfruit, or known locally in Malay as Nangka, is the largest tree borne fruit in the world. This tree is located at a field in my neighborhood. The tree is native to the Philippines, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Nepal, but is also very common in Malaysia.

The fruits which stick out of the main tree trunk can reach 36kg in weight and up to 90cm long and 50cm in diameter.

Before cutting up the fruit, it is best to have some cooking oil handy. Apply generous amount of oil onto the knife and your hands, otherwise it will be difficult to get rid of the sticky sap, which can even be used as glue. If the hands or the knife get stained, apply oil even during the cutting process. Note that it's best to have a very sharp knife.

It's common to coat the fruits with flour and fry them in oil. The leftover seeds can be steamed and are delicious to eat, like chestnuts.

"Cheng Beng" Ceremony in April

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Earlier this month, on 5th April, we observed the Cheng Beng ceremony (All Souls Day) at the Buddhist Chetawan Temple in Petaling Jaya where the ashes of our ancestors are kept. The ashes are contained in urns which are stored in cubicles at the columbarium in the temple.

Seven Buddhist monks sitting in lotus position in a row chanted suttras for the departed.

We were lucky because many others had to wake up very early and head for the hills where the cemetries are sited and where their ancestors were buried. They had to spend the whole morning cleaning up the sites, whereas we spent the whole morning listening to the soothing chanting by the monks.

Pineapple plant in backyard

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This is a pineapple plant in my sister-in-law's backyard in Kajang.

Origin: The pineapple is native to southern Brazil and Paraguay where wild relatives occur. It was spread by the Indians up through South and Central America to the West Indies before Columbus arrived. In 1493 Columbus found the fruit on the island of Guadaloupe and carried it back to Spain and it was spread around the world on sailing ships that carried it for protection against scurvy. The Spanish introduced it into the Philippines and may have taken it to Hawaii and Guam early in the 16th Century. The pineapple reached England in 1660 and began to be grown in greenhouses for its fruit around 1720.

Growth Habit: The pineapple plant is a herbaceous perennial, 2-1/2 to 5 ft. high with a spread of 3 to 4 ft. It is essentially a short, stout stem with a rosette of waxy, straplike leaves.

Harvest: It is difficult to tell when the pineapple is ready to be harvested. Some people judge ripeness and quality by snapping a finger against the side of the fruit. A good, ripe fruit has a dull, solid sound. Immaturity and poor quality are indicated by a hollow thud. The fruit should be stored at 45° F or above, but should be stored for no longer than 4 - 6 weeks.

Flame of the Forest

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This morning as I was driving in my neighbourhood I saw this gorgeous Flame of the Forest tree in bloom with its scarlet flowers. So I took a couple of pictures of it.

Flame of the Forest, or Delonix Regia, is often planted as a shade tree in parks because of its broadly spreading crown. However, it is more so an ornamental tree species recognised for its exuberant scarlet flowers when in full bloom.

A native of Madagascar, it was discovered by botanist Wenzel Bojer in 1820. Since then the tree has been planted in Africa, Asia and Southeast Asia.

The Flame of the Forest is a medium to large-size tree which can reach up to 60 feet high. The flowers are scarlet and fairly scented. The fruits are long pods dangling down sword-like from the branches.

Jambu Air (water guava) or Rose Apple flowers and fruits

Jambu Air is water guava or Rose Apple and comes in three colours, red, white and pink. Before a Jambu Air tree bears fruits, the whole crown of the tree will be covered with prickly and hairy light colored blossoms.

A Jambu Air tree in bloom will spread a refreshing light fragrance in the air. Jambu Air tree grows quickly and easily and is quite hardy. The fruits are very juicy, though not exactly sweet or sour. The white variety is sweeter than its colored sisters, although the red ones are more juicy. Jambu Air is an important ingredient in the local salad, "Rojak."

Subdued New Year celebrations

The festive season is still in the air, although on a rather subdued note due to the economic downturn. Picture shows a scene of chinese new year traditions in Subang Parade shopping center where not many people are seen to be around and most are just window shopping. However, the eateries are well patronised. People eat in celebrating the Chinese New Year.

Eagerly awaiting Chinese New Year

Also pictured here is my good friend Chris Y, an ethnic Chinese Malaysian, eagerly waiting for the Chinese New Year celebrations to begin. He will be celebrating it in his hometown Ipoh, in central peninsular Malaysia.

Chinese New Year celebrations

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Decorations and goodies at The Summit shopping mall in preparation for the Chinese New Year which falls on Monday, the 26th of January, 2009.

Sometimes called the Spring Festival, it is one of the most important traditional Chinese holidays. It is also called the Lunar New Year, especially by people outside of China.

The festival begins on the first day of the first lunar month of the Chinese calendar and ends with a Lantern Festival on the 15th day, also called Chap Goh Meh.

Celebrated in areas with large populations of ethnic Chinese, it is considered the most important holiday for the Chinese. It had influence on the new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors, as well as cultures with whom the Chinese have had extensive interaction.

These include Aboriginal Taiwanese people, Koreans, Mongolians, Nepalese, Bhutanese and Vietnamese. In mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and other countries with significant Han Chinese populations, Chinese New year is also celebrated, and has, to varying degrees, become part of the traditional culture of these countries.

In Canada, although Chinese New Year is not an official holiday, many ethnic Chinese hold large celebrations and Canada Post Office issues Chinese New Year theme stamps in domestic and international rates.

In Malaysia, it is a 2-day holiday and the ethnic Chinese celebrate it in a very big way. There will be open houses and food and traditional Chinese New Year cookies will be served to relatives and friends who come avisiting.

The elders will give out red packets of money or "ang pows" to the younger ones who are not yet married. Inmates of old folks' homes and children's homes will also receive "ang pows", food and mandarin oranges. It is a time of great rejoicing.

My Friendly Dogs

My friendly dogs, Bam and Pete, putting on a good show. They are also excellent guard dogs.

Past Full Bloom

The Arabian Jasmine past full bloom and just about to wither, but with new buds coming out. This time the focussing is perfect, if I may say so.

Yellow Flowers

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Lovely yellow flowers in my neighborhood, but don't know what species.

Arabian Jasmine buds

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Determined to make good my Arabian Jasmine photos (below) which were not properly focused, I went back to the site but only to find that the flowers had faded away and had dropped off.

However, there were many fresh buds coming out and, as true Arabian Jasmine, were already heavily scented and fragrant even though they were only buds.

This time I used proper equipment - Olympus C740 Ultra Zoom camera in Macro mode.

Lone white flower

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Gorgeous picture of a lone white flower of unknown species. I will be thankful if anyone can tell me what species it is?

Common fragrant jasmine

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Two picture of another type of jasmine which is more common and flowers profusely, also heavily scented. These are popular with the Hindus who harvest them every morning to adorn them in their ornaments of worship.

Heavily scented Arabian Jasmine

A neighbour of mine has this flower plant called Arabian Jasmine or Jasminum Sambac. It is an evergreen shrub, that often reaches 5 feet high in pots.

The flowers are used in making perfumes and as a flovouring in tea. It is often called Arabian Jasmine due to its heavy scent.

It blooms all year round in the greenhouse. The flowers are white, 3/4 to 1 inch across and have a very powerful fragrance.

In Malaysia it is called Bunga Melor. It originated in India and was brought to Malaysia and Java around the 3rd century. It has since been widely cultivated throughout the Malesian region for its abundant heavily scented flowers.

It is the national flower of the Philippines, adopted by the government in 1937.

In Hawaii, the flower is known as "pikake", and is used to make fragrant leis. In South India, jasmines are strung into thick strands and worn as a hair adornment. In China, the flower is processed and used as the main ingredient inn jasmine tea.

Another beautiful bunch of flowers in the same garden. However, it is most unfortunate that I don't know its name. Anyone knows? Will be grateful if you can tell me.

Xmas Day Photos

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Christmas Day photos at Sunway Pyramid shopping mall show that, inspite of the economic downturn, lots of people are going out to spend money to enjoy themselves over Christmas.

The car parks were full to capacity and the shopping mall was packed with holiday makers watching Christmas shows or just doing their own thing.

The decorations were up in full swing and there were brightly lit Christmas trees galore for all to admire.

All decked up for Xmas. Merry Xmas, everyone!

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Inspite of the economic downturn, there seems to be no let-up in celebrating Christmas. Shopping malls are all  decked up with decorations for the festive season, as can be seen in the photos taken at Subang Parade.

All other shopping malls in and around Kuala Lumpur have come out with excellent displays to equal many other cities in the world. But unfortunately I did not capture shots of them, for some reason or other.

However, you can view excellent Xmas shots of KL at the Star Photo Gallery.

Magnificent Traveler's Tree

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Near my house is this magnificient Traveler's Tree or Traveler's Palm.

Its Latin name is Ravenala Madagascariensis and as its name suggests, it is native to Madagascar, along the East Coast of the Continent of Africa.

It is not a palm although it is often called Traveler's Palm, but a tree that is related to the Banana Tree. The leaves are exactly like Banana Tree leaves.

The name "Traveler" is given because the bases of the leaves accumulate water which is said to be drinkable for those in dire need in the wilds of Madagascar. Moreover, cutting a stem causes liquid to gush out, which might be drinkable to thirsty folks.

The appeal of the Traveler's Palm is its sultry magnificence with a stately fan-shaped profile. Even a single plant is an impressive specimen in your landscape - a total half-circle of fan-like foliage - very nice to see. Planted in groups or in rows and you would have made a very bold statement in landscaping.

It thrives especially in tropical or sub-tropical regions.

The Assam Tree

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A hardy sour fruit bearing Assam Tree thriving in my neighbourhood park. The fruits are used for flavouring Eastern cooking from India to the South East Asian countries where they are popular.

If you look carefully at the picture, you will be able to see that the tree is laden with the assam fruits, ready for the picking.

Some neighbourhood people will use a long pole to knock down the fruits and collect them in baskets to take home for their cooking.

Pink bougainvillea adorn a fence

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Another batch of flowers in my neighbourhood. Bougainvillea are popular ornamental plants in most areas with warm climates. They are rapid growing and flower all year in warm climates, especially when pruned. Bloom cycles are typically four to six weeks. The plants require little water to flower.

As indoor houseplants in temperate regions, they can be kept small by bonsai techniques.

Bougainvillea is a genus of flowering plants native to South America. Different authors claim between four and 18 species in the genus. The name comes from Louis Antoine de Bougainville, an admiral in the French Navy who discovered the plant in Brazil in 1768.

Bougainvillea is often referred to as "paper flower" because the petals are thin and papery. But they have very bright and vibrant color.

Brilliant bloom

Once again my neighbourhood Frangipani tree is in full bloom with strikingly brilliant yellow flowers.

These flowers are also known as Plumeria after 17th Century French botanist Charles Plumier. The common name Frangipani comes from an Italian noble family, a 16th Century marquess who invented a plumeria-scented perfume.

Frangipanis are now common naturalised plants in southern and southeastern Asia. In local folk beliefs they provide shelter to ghosts and demons. The scent of the flowers has been associated with a vampire, the pontianak, in Malay folklore.

In modern Polynesian culture, it can be worn by women to indicate their relationship status - over the right ear if seeking a relationship, and over the left if taken.

This humble flower is the national flower of Nicaragua and Laos, where it is known under the local name Sacuanjoche (Nicaragua) and Champa (Laos).

20th Birthday Celebration of SJBA

Subang Jaya Buddhist Association celebrated its 20th anniversary with a get-together dinner on 22nd November 2008 at the hall of Chee Wen School in USJ1.

The theme of the event was Through The Years reflecting on how SJBA has grown in the last two decades. The dinner was a 9-course one and we paid RM40 per pax.

As we celebrated, we recalled the history of SJBA. The idea of forming Subang Jaya Buddhist Association was first mooted by Bro. Cheah Seak Loon in 1987, with the objective of applying for a piece of land in Subang Jaya to build a Buddhist Temple to cater for the Buddhist community in the township. There were already a mosque, a Hindu temple and a church in Subang Jaya but no Buddhist temple. So, a protem committee was formed and Subang Jaya Buddhist Association was registered on 23rd November 1988.

Activities started at a rented premises and the early members contributed to the initial rental of RM650 and other expenses. With limited knowledge and experience but with good teamwork, they began to organise many Dhamma talks, meditation classes and retreats, community service and fellowship activities. Many more residents in Subang Jaya joined the newly formed Association and it became a community and spiritual centre for many Buddhists in and around Subang Jaya.

Realising the importance of providing Dhamma education for the younger generation, the Sunday Dhamma School was formed in 1989 headed by Sis. Gin Geng. In 1990, Sis. Teh Seok Im took over the responsibility of Sunday School Headmistress and had worked diligently to build a strong team of volunteers to expand the Dhamma school by leaps and bounds.

By 2003 the enrolment of the Sunday Dhamma School reached about 1,000 students in 4 sessions with about 70 dedicated volunteer teachers.

There was also a need to cater to the youths. Hence in 1993 the Youth Section was formed. In that year too the Association defined its mission to build a Centre of Excellence for the teaching of Buddha Dhamma and the Buddhist way of life.

Eventually, SJBA successfully obtained a half acre piece of land for a token sum of RM300 from the Selangor State Government to build the temple. The temple was completed in 1997 at a cost of about RM1.75million.