Gender Alteration?

No more costly, painful and risky procedures. Change your gender now! :P

EcoCare Goes into the Jungle!

One of my company's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program is EcoCare. EcoCare is focused on mostly on conservation of mangrooves along Sungai Kerteh, Terengganu. However, this year EcoCare team had diversified their focus by inviting the fellow volunteers for a jungle-trekking in Rimba Hutan Bukit Bauk.

Yazid from EcoCare delivering a short briefing to the volunteers

My colleague from Maintenance Department

I arrived at Rimba Hutan Bukit Bauk at around 8:30 AM. After having breakfast, the volunteers gathered at Jabatan Perhutanan Terengganu office in Bukit Bauk. The officers from Forestry Department of Terengganu had delivered a short briefing to all 70 volunteers who were present on that day.

The bosses

En. Manan from Jabatan Perhutanan Terengganu

Some of the volunteers

According to the officer, Bukit Bauk is unique because it is the only place where 'Kapur' trees are abundant. The forest is also home to few endemic species (nearly extinct) such as Mempisang. It is important to preserve the forest to make sure these species will not extinct in the future.

Pokok Kapur, makes up the most of Bukit Bauk Forest Reserve

Pokok Kapur tree trunk

After briefing, we were divided into 5 groups and each group were led by a forest ranger that explained about the trees that are available in the forest.

 

 Nearly extinct Mempisang plant

Lime green mushroom

I have also spotted a green Wagler pit viper or locally known as 'Ular Tapak Gajah'. This is a very poisonous snake, however it is blind during the day and can only sense using thermal detection.

Ular tapak gajah (Tropidolaemus wagleri)

Each group sent one representative to share about what they had learnt from the jungle-trekking activities soon after we complete the walk.

With some of the volunteers after the jungle trekking

 

Then, we were served with lunch provided by EcoCare team. I also took opportunity to taste 'Karas' tea that is made from 'Karas' tree bark. It taste like Chinese tea and is said to have benefit for men's health.

Karas tea

 Karas tea for sale, can be obtained from Forestry Department office

 

A big thank you from EcoCare folks to the guys in Forestry Department!

Jungle Clearing

Time to cool my head off... I should be able to save my hair gel consumption for at least two months. :)

Same place, different day

Newborns

I've taken long leave after plant turn around activity ends to go back to my beloved hometown, Banting. I've taken the opportunity to visit my friends who had just have been 'promoted' to be parents. Congratulation to Cikun and Zunita for their first daughter named Safiyyah. She is already around 4 month's old when I paid a visit to their house in Puchong.

 

Safiyyah binti Shahrul Nizam

 

Safiyyah & me

Two days after that, I received information about the birth of a baby boy belongs to Hazmi and Shahirah. I paid them a visit once Shahirah has been discharged from the hospital. The boy was named Harith Sufyan and the most notable feature is the nose that really reminds me of Hazmi. :P

Harith Sufyan bin Hazmi Hijazi

1 day old Harith Sufyan with his dad

Anyway, congratulations to both couples and I wish the babies will grow healthily to be a bright and good person in the future. :)

With Cikun and his daughter

 Fellow Banting friends visiting Hazmi and family