Jux for Photos

Have you tried Jux? It is a cool platform for showcasing your photos. With the clean background and fullsize view of the image, you get to really pimp your shots.

Even though it might be a little 'crimped' as a blogging platform, it is huge when it come to handling photos and making slideshows. Best part is you can embed the slideshow into your blog post.

Here is an example of slideshows I have created. This from one that is called Penangiana.

Click here to see my Jux site in a new tab.


And here is another one that I intend to use for pictures from everywhere (Mea Imaginibus)

Click here to see this Jux site in a new tab.

Cool right? After viewing that slideshow, you can go through the entire site via the go back or forward arrows. To keep the slideshow from bringing visitors to your Jux site, and leaving your blogging platform, embed the code from "iframe src="... to /iframe.

Try it at Jux.com.

Happy Earth Day 2013 - Flowers from Mother Earth

In conjunction with Earth Day 2013, let me show you two flowers (or rather inflorescence) from two very common plant in Malaysia. Though these plants are very common in our gardens, they are not native to the Malesia region and are rarely seen in flower.

Dracaena sanderiana - Sander's Draceana

The first one is the Ribbon Plant aka Lucky Bamboo aka Guan Yin Bamboo. This plant, scientifically known as Dracaena sanderiana, is neither a bamboo nor is it a native to Asia. This plant is actually native to Cameroon in tropical Africa! With various cultivars that have lovely leaf variegation, this plant is a hot seller during Chinese New Year, especially those twisted into various shapes or arranged into tiers. Like the more common Dracaena surculosa (sometimes called Japanese Bamboo), the flowers are whitish-green and opens at night, only to wither the next morning.

The buds on the inflorescence of the Ribbon Plant (Dracaena sanderiana). This is the plain-leafed type. The stems are slightly over six feet in height.

The flowers are scented, and probably smell a little 'weird' like those of Dracaena surculosa. The photos of the flowering Draceana sanderiana was taken off a clump that was planted inside the Guan Yin Temple beside KLCC (Dharma Realm Guan Yin Sagely Monastery). I was there on Guan Yin's Birthday celebration day and noticed that the clump had inflorescence on the taller stems.

A closer look at one of the inflorescence of Dracaena sanderiana. The green arrows point to withered flowers whilst the blue arrow is pointing at a stigma from the withered bloom.

The flowers unfortunately had all withered as it was past midday. As I didn't had a chance of dropping by at night, I didn't managed to capture the open blooms. However, from the withered flowers, one can still see the stigma and stamens.

Beaucarnea (syn. Nolina) recurvata - Ponytail palm / Elephant's Foot

The next plant is the ponytail palm aka elephant foot plant. Again the common name of this plant is a misnomers, for it is not a palm but more related to the Agave, Asparagus and Sansevieria. Formerly known as Nolina, but now placed into Beaucarnea, these caudiciform plants are very popular as 'feng shui' lucky plants in Malaysia. The plant featured here looks like a Beaucarnea recurvata or possibly B. gracilis and it is growing on a little patch of soil by the driveway, along the road leading to Kelab Darul Ehsan in Taman TAR, Ampang.

A flowering Beaucarnea (possibly B. recurvata). Undilah parti pokok Beaucarnea...the flower stalk vying for attention with the various political party flags that lined the road. 

The nice middle-aged lady that owns the plant told me that the plant was left by the house's previous owner, and that she had cared for it for many years. She hadn't noticed the flower stalk until she was informed by passers-by. The inflorescence was light green in colour when it was emerging, but now has taken on yellowish-cream tones as most of the flowers had bloomed and withered away.

Inflorescence of Beaucarnea, with yellowish white flowers that attracts a lot of little bees. 

Finally here's a message from a friendly inhabitant of planet Earth (pictured below)... Please take care of the Earth, for you share it with others, and only borrowed it from your children and our children. PS - Buy me a bunch of bananas please

Haven't you seen a monkey in a basket?? Like Jack-in a box, Genie in a bottle...No???

Easter Sunday Fire at Ampang New Village Light Industry Area

Sunday 31st March 2013. There was a fire in the Pandan area in Selangor this morning (possibly on the  border of Pandan Indah - Kawasan Perindustrian Ringan Kampung Baru Ampang area) at the Light Industrial Area of Ampang New Village. The area affected are some factories located between Jalan 14 (Ampang New Village Light Industrial Area) and Jalan 11 of the Kg Baru Ampang Tambahan/Pandan Indah Light Industrial Area , just off Jalan Pandan Indah.

The fire probably started just before 2am. By the time we noticed it from our balcony around 2.10am, the smoke plume had just risen to about eye level when viewed from our place. The fire was huge and on three occasions we saw huge fireballs erupting into the air.

Photo at 2.10am - the smoke plume was black and had just risen to eye level when viewed from our 13th floor balcony in Bandar Baru Ampang.

Photo at 2.14am - the fire getting stronger. After this there were several flare-ups that rose to as high as the height of the electric pylon.

At one stage, the fire seemed to be under control, and smoke that is more white in colour were seen rising from it. However, the situation took a turn and flames and black smoke were seen spewing from an area that wasn't on fire in the early stages of the event.

Photo at 2.29am The fire engulfing another building to the side of the fire.

Photo at 2.37am - You can see fire on the roof of the structure. This was after a huge fireball erupted from the fire.

Even now at 4.08am, there is an orange glow and white smoke rising from the area. Here's the video of one of the fire flare-up. The flare-up is around the 1.00 minute mark.

UPDATE: The area affected was at the light industrial area of Ampang New Village, just off from Jalan Pandan Indah, Selangor. I managed to talk to the wife of a factory owner who was there around midday. According to her, the fire appeared to have started from some factory on Jalan 11 (the Pandan Indah/Kg Baru Ampang Tambahan side), but spread and gutted theirs on Jalan 14 (the Ampang New Village Industrial Area side). She said thankfully her worker managed to escape unhurt and that she received a call about the fire past 2am.

Some of the workers cleaning up during midday. At that time, the firemen were also clearing up their equipment. The area razed was far less extensive than what would have been expected from the flames in the early morning hours of Sunday. Perhaps the gas canisters and large metal drums that were 'blown' open from the heat might be source of the intense flames and spectacular flare-ups.

After the fire, only a pile of scrap metal remains. The large metal drums must have taken a beating from the heat - the top cover have signs of 'blowing open' at the sealed edge.