sustainability science and practice

sharing with you our article that's just come out in Architecture Malaysia (published by the Persatuan Arkitek Malaysia).

I love this article. The pictures and diagrams are really amazing!

composing in Malaysia

it's been nearly a month since I came back. I have to admit that it's been really difficult to keep up with the things going on around me...

Today I took some time to say hello to old friend, Yasmin Rasyid, at her Ecofilm fest in Universiti Malaya. It's already the fourth time that Yasmin is successfully organising this annual event (which is her brainchild).

I must also mention that I met with former student, Wong Pui May, who was 'manning' her Traffic booth. Pui May looked as bright as usual and I think she's doing a great job for the wildlife.

Lunch in Bangsar at a place that looked more like a museum than a restaurant. The food tasted like something that I would have at a friend's place. Lovely place.

Recently, I went to Miri to collect firefly specimens for my student to take to Finland (for research OK). Musa Masbah and Faisal Musa were our hosts there.

A melanau woman trying to sell ikan pari to me... just moments before the men landed the catch onto the jetty and this pasar is located right beside the jetty and the sellers were mostly women.

pictures i took on the bus ride to BOKU

Bus 37A from Spitelau to BOKU.
The incinerator designed by a famous architect Hunderwasser. When I first saw it I didn't immediately recognize that it's the building that I'd seen many times before in the textbook that we used to teach EMG3001 (Man & Environment), but something about the design really piqued my interest and then (several hours later) it registered in my adled brain.

The tram right in the middle of the intersection.

Notice the climber (plant!) going up the building facade? Cool.

Traffic jam (it's everywhere). The red brick longish building is actually a bridge for the metro (subway) train. It was designed by Otto Wagner of the Secession School (Art Decor).

Cement mixer. Yes, construction is everywhere.

The bus and the passenger in front of me.

cold

I caught a cold, I suspect, a few days ago when I arrived but I somehow managed to ignore it until it gets bad enough that I just have to take a rest for this weekend. Yesterday I went sight seeing with a colleague from BOKU and since she's a very knowleagable Viennese I really enjoyed her as my tour guide. Yes, the best or quickest way to get to know a place is by going around with a local (or locals). Then you should go again to see these places on your own and see if you could find new things (meaning/ interpretation/experiences) on your own.

But I digress (just blame the flu virus in my body). Actually I'd like to use this space right now to tell you that I'm in Austria as an Erasmus Mundus scholar (within the framework of Eurasia 2 program). This is a 'cool' (not cold) program that allows Asian scholars (students and faculty) to travel to European universities to study. In my case I'm based at the University of Natural Resources and Life Science (BOKU), specifically at the Institute of Landscape Planning (ILAP). At ILAP, I am sharing knowledge and learning from my Austrian supervisor and colleagues about landscape ecology/planning and gender mainstreaming. It's been really exciting because I'm doing something different from what I was doing before - but not altogether different because landscape planning is very closely related to ecology; and gender issues have always attracted my interest for as long as I can remember. In fact I took a course called Women's studies at Indiana University when I did my English program (JPA-ATU-IU circa '93) and already learned a lot about gender issues back then. I remembered being the only Malaysian in a class of perhaps 20 American university students, and I was just graduating from highschool.

Again I digress. My mobility program (that's what they call the Erasmus program) involves field trips, discussions, presentation/ formal conversation, writing papers, attending workshop and conference. The field trips really are great - I simply call them sight seeing and I tell you, Vienna was made for sight seeing.

This whole thing would not have been possible without the help of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)/Erasmus Mundus Eurasia 2 program. I'm thankful to so many people (the people at the International Office UPM; the international Office at BOKU; and the Institute of Landscape Planning BOKU) who've worked hard to ensure that people like myself have the opportunity to explore a different experience. My colleagues at ILAP really take good care of myself - the lunches are great so don't stop cooking! *I deliberately don't mention names but you know who you are*

more pictures of Vienna

I'm sharing with you the pictures that I took ealier today when I went sight seeing on my own again (yes I sort of skipped school today). But I have tell my story in a reverse chronological order because that's how blogspot intends it to be!
This a picture of the signboard of the Coptic Orthodox church in front of the United Nations building in the International Centre. The whole place (or plaza) is located on an 'artificial' island (I need to check my facts later) in the middle of the Danube river.

This is the ramp in front of the United Nations building.

The United Nations building. I don't know who designed it or the story behind the design. All I know is that it's tall and many business-like people wearing suits work there.

My lunch at the U4 station "Heiligenstadt". They gave me a good luck cookie but the piece of paper in it is written in my new third language, i.e. german. If and when I finally get it translated (google translator can do this in seconds) I may share it with you. Anyway, the last time I had a good luck cookie was years ago when I was an undergrad at Duke...I don't remember if I ever got one in Cambridge... Anyway, the lunch was quite spicy so I couldn't finish it all. So much for being a Minangkabau from Negeri Sembilan.

psssttt *I probably need to rename my blog*

pictures of vienna

This picture was taken in a brand-new building at the university of natural resources and life sciences (BOKU) where I'm based at for the month. The story of the building is an interesting one especially for heritage conservationists but you have to email me for details. In the far distance you could actually see the United Nations tower. Most buildings in Vienna are low but there a few skyscapers, like the tower.

This is a picture of the street that I live on - Spengergasse (you must pronounce it right). Just a week ago I was still trying to picture in my mind how it looked like and voila! here I am.

No idea what this building is but I suspect it's a church. It's located near the Krantzplatz metro station, just by the Technical University of Vienna. Yesterdays there were so many university kids parading about in costumes. I guess they were having some kind 'orientation' week.

This picture was taken on the third day I was here and it shows the street along the canal / metro line. Pilgramgasse station can be seen here. This is where I take the metro (subway train) to get to BOKU. Getting around the city is really easy using the public transportation, especially if you're used to taking trains/buses like me (because I use them in Malaysia). I bought a monthly ticket which cost me Euro49,50 (notice the comma?).

trying hard to lose myself....

so that I have every reason in this world to find it back....

I'm blogging from Vienna. Today is my fourth day here. Just now it took me quite awhile to get to this page because unlike it normally did back in Malaysia, all of a sudden the language was in German instead of English, my beloved second language.

I speak no German except for one or two words and I have the bad habit mispronouncing words (even in Malay and English) so communication (hence understanding) can be very difficult. Worse, I am a shy sort of person so when I make mistakes I get really embarrassed and feel that I shouldn't even try next time. *bad*

In case you're wondering what took me to this part of the world, I'll tell you that I'm here to do research! Nothing else. Only to learn and study and gain knowledge that I can share with my students (especially) and colleagues (maybe) and friends and family (of course).

People here speak plenty of English (thank heavens) but write little English. I mean you only see German on the back of buses or water bottles. Two days ago I had to ask the girl at the counter if what I'd picked up was really a facial cleanser and she confirmed that it was indeed used as 'make up remover'. Yes the phrase 'make up' is on the label.

This being-lost-in-german experience has been really wonderful. This is my first time ever on continental Europe and thank heavens it's Vienna and not some other place (can't name names).

I took this picture of the fastfood-restaurant where I ate rice for three consecutive days (maybe today as well). Notice the Marilyn Monroe figure on the Coke can? I have been drinking well.

putting down roots in Petaling Jaya

I am now putting down roots in Petaling Jaya - Section 17 to be exact. Apparently I'm not the only one from the Jempol-Kuala Pilah area to be doing so in this part of Selangor.
The owners of the Hailam Kopitiam also thought S17 was a good place to open shop. I don't go there especially for the food or the tea, but for this photo of an old building that I really liked in Kuala Pilah.
S17 town reminds me of old Kuala Pilah or Bahau (that is before people started putting up traffic lights and tearing down old buildings and expanding the roads).

heritable friendships

we have been friends since that time of our lives when we had near-photographic memories, i.e. when we were young.

now we are both aging. Ha ha ha.

friendships like legacies are heritable I bet.

Ecofilming - environmental advocacy

While tidying up the house, I found this old book in one of the old cupboards. whose book was it? It is mine now.

When I first saw it the title just leaped out at me because I used to teach a course called by the same name, "man and environment", at the university, but we used different textbooks. This one is much older and so it interests me in a "historical" kind of way. It consists of mostly words and this copy was published by Penguin in 1973. Almost as old as me!

Quickly I flipped through it (as I would normally do with any book I just come across). In this book, there are several supplements and one in particular is interesting - "Films and the environment". I need to share it with my friend Yasmin (founder & president of Ecoknights.org) who in 2008 organized, what is perhaps, the first environmentally-themed film festival in Malaysia. Below I share with you an excerpt:

"Film can inform people in an entertaining and dramatic way about the realities of the physical world. It can help us to understand and to respond to natural processes and the rhythm of the seasons and to appreciate the primitive drives and instincts which man has inherited but which now need to be set within our cultural environment..."

urban agriculture

I suppose my fingers aren't only pretty, they are also pretty green. Still I have no idea my lado bosar plants (two of them growing in one small pot) can only give me two fruits per plant!

wild life in the city

I took my students (EKOLOGI SUMBER ASLI) to check out the wild life in Kuala Lumpur. So I am sharing some photos with you all: