Malaysian, Truly Asian

Looking for Jobs in Malaysia?

2012-02-06T15:54:00.000-08:00

Malaysia reign as the world’s biggest producer of rubber, tin and palm oil. Oil & Gas is another area of Malaysia's greatest expertise. It has managed to maintain steady growth with the Government playing an important role in spending as well as providing incentives for foreign investors, together with massive plots of land in the special economic zones selected for development. As the economy continues to expand steadily, finding a job at Malaysia’s thriving industries will be not be a problem. These are some of the sites you can check out for job search in Malaysia.

http://www.bestjobs.com.my
http://malaysia.recruit.net
http://www.jobstreet.com.my
http://www.rigzone.com (for oil&gas job search)
http://jobsearch.monster.com
http://my.jobsdb.com/my

Malaysian Government

2012-02-04T09:41:00.000-08:00

Yang Amat Berhormat Dato' Seri Najib Razak

Malaysia practices Parliamentary Democracy with a constitutional monarch, His Majesty Yang Di Pertuan AGong as the Supreme Head of the country. In keeping with the concept of Parliamentary Democracy which forms the basis of the Government administration in Malaysia, the Federal Constitution underlines the separation of governing powers among the Executive, Judicial and Legislative Authorities. The separation of power occurs both at the Federal and State level.

The current Prime Minister of Malaysia is Yang Amat Berhormat Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak and the current Deputy Prime Minister is Yang Amat Berhormat Tan Sri Dato' Haji Muhyiddin Hj. Mohd Yassin.

The current 14th King of Malaysia is His Majesty Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah ibni Sultan Badlishah.

Malaysia & International Fame

2012-02-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

Martha Stewart finds Malaysia.

A VISIT to her chiropractor in midtown Manhattan led popular television personality Martha Stewart to discover a new colourful destination to feature in her show. While waiting for her appointment, Stewart, aka America’s Domestic Goddess, decided to drop by at the Tourism Malaysia office next door. The tycoon cook, author and magazine publisher has been back a few times since, each time leaving with more brochures on Malaysian attractions.

Obviously impressed, the New York-based entrepreneur has decided to make a trip to Kuala Lumpur and Sabah this May. Martha attending the launching of Colours of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur on May 22 and the Pesta Ka’amatan (harvest festival) in Sabah in 2010. Both events were featured in her daytime programme which also showcased Malaysian cuisine, handicraft and culture to her fans in the United States and many other countries.

Nick Nolte

In 1989, Nick Nolte starred in a movie called Farewell To The King and the whole movie was shot in Sarawak, which is part of the Borneo.

The plot is about an American soldier who escapes the execution of his comrades by Japanese soldiers in Borneo during WWII becomes the leader of a personal empire among the headhunters in this war story told in the style of Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling. The American is reluctant to rejoin the fight against the Japanese on the urging of a British commando team but conducts a war of vengeance when the Japanese attack his adopted people.

Jessica Alba

In 2003, Jessica starred in the movie The Sleeping Dictionary, a film by Guy Jenkin. It was filmed in Sarawak and is set during the British colonial rule in the 1930s. The plot is about a young and naive Englishman, John Truscott, goes to the British colony of Sarawak in the Borneo to try and apply his father's work to the Iban society. He tries to civilize them, building schools and providing education for the Iban people. He is met with unfamiliar local customs. Selima (Jessica Alba) becomes his "sleeping dictionary," who sleeps with him and teaches him the language and the habits of the locals. Despite their intents, the two find themselves falling into a forbidden love. John is eager to marry Selima despite the longhouse not allowing it. ma then agrees to marry in the longhouse and they part ways.

Catherine Zeta Jones & Sean Connery

Zeta Jones starred in a 1999 movie called the Entrapment, an American caper film directed by Jon Amiel.

This is how the plot goes. Following the theft of a highly-secured piece of artwork, an agent (Zeta Jones) convinces her insurance agency employers to allow her to wriggle into the company of an aging but active master thief (Connery). Connery's burglar takes her on suspiciously and demands rigorous training before their first job together--stealing a highly-valued mask from a chichi party. Their deepening attraction and distrust could tear apart their partnership but the promise of a bigger prize (some eight billion odd dollars) by Zeta-Jones keeps the game interesting.

Jodie Foster
Anna and the King is a 1999 biographical drama film loosely based on the original Anna & The King of Siam, the story of Anna Leonowens, who was an English schoolteacher in Siam, now Thailand, in the 19th century.

The film was directed by Andy Tennat and stars Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-fat. It was mostly shot in Malaysia, particularly in the Penang and Ipoh region. It was an Academy Award nominee in 2000 for Best Art Director and Best Costume Design.

Bollywood- Bollywood is formally referred to as Hindi cinema. The influence of the Bollywood film and music have such strong presence in the Malaysian community.

The International Indian Film Academy awards were presented few times in Malaysia in Genting Highlands, a famous casino spot in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. Quite a few Bollywood movies were shot in Malaysia, in various city sights.

Visit Malaysia video - by Tourism Malaysia

2012-02-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

King of Fruits - The Durian

2012-02-02T07:35:00.000-08:00

About Durian
One of its own kinds, Durian fruit is delicious, soft, succulent and very popular for its unique characteristics. Durian is widely revered as the "King of Fruits" in the South-East Asian countries, namely in a country like Malaysia.

Description

The tree is tropical in origin and belongs to the genus Durio, family of Malvaceae; a large family of plant species which also include hibiscus, okra etc. It is botanically known as Durio zibethinus.

The fruit is distinctive for its large size, unique odor, and formidable thorn-covered husk. It can reach up to 30 cm (12 in) long and 15 cm (6 in) in diameter, and typically weighs one to four kilograms (2 to 7 lb). Shape wise, it varies from round to oblong; color of its husk (rind) is green to brown; and its flesh has creamy-yellow to saffron color depending on the species.

The flesh or pulp can be consumed at various stages of ripeness, and is used as flavor base in a wide variety of culinary and sweet preparations in Southeast Asian cuisines.

Edible flesh emits distinctive odor which can be described as strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact; this unusual stinky flavor and intense odor of the fruit have prompted many people to express diverse and peculiar opinions ranging from deep appreciation to intense disgust about durian.

Health benefits of Durian fruit

Durian fruit, like Banana, avocado and jack fruit, is rich in energy, minerals and vitamins.

The many benefits of durian include:1. Provides vitamins to the body.
2. Helps in curing jaundice.
3. Lowers cholesterol.
4. Detoxification of blood.
5. Improves the general well-being.
6. Helps to build muscles.
7. Improves sex function.
8. Anti-inflammatory activity.
9. Antioxidant Activity.

Children's Book on Malaysia: Instilling Pride in Children's Heritage - Bernama News

2012-02-02T07:17:00.000-08:00

Malaysia-born Marina survives cancer to write a children's book in the United States.
By Nani Rahayu Yusof

NEW YORK: Despite being diagnosed with the Big C, breast cancer survivor Marina Mustafa was not deterred from living life to the fullest and she even went on to write a children’s book, “Little Asha’s Adventure – A Girl’s Journal Of Malaysia”.

The 54 page illustrated book tells the story of an eight-year-old girl named Asha, who lives on a farm in North Carolina, United States and her visit to Malaysia to meet her maternal grandparents.

Marina, 39, who hails from Kuala Lumpur also sketched all the illustrations in the book.

She lives in Boone, a small town in North Carolina and is married to Dr Brad Batchelor, a chiropractor whom she met on a business trip, five years ago.

Contacted by Bernama recently, the mother of three-year-old Asha said, “In early 2010, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer, I had just turned 37 and my daughter was just 15 months old.”

“I started writing the very month I was diagnosed. Writing and drawing took my mind off my illness. I was very fortunate that there were zero nodes affected and could choose from several treatment options. After getting three medical opinions I chose to have a mastectomy, which was to remove my left breast, with no radiation,” she said.

Marina, who is an Economics graduate from the University of Missouri, Kansas City said it took her nearly four months to complete the book.

When asked what inspired her to write the book , Marina said : “Upon returning from a holiday in Malaysia with my family, and realising that children learn about other cultures and people through the internet, other media sources and in school, this book was written to educate young readers on the rich culture of an Asian country like Malaysia.

“I believe that by exposing children and widening their horizons to people of different cultures, they will be better prepared to function in the diverse global society that we live in,” said Marina, who is also active in breast cancer awareness activities and writes for magazines and blogs on health issues in the US.

“Children should be taught to have pride in their heritage. They need to develop sensitivity for others’ beliefs, values and customs. If Euro-American children find only people like themselves represented in literature, they could easily get the impression that they are somehow better or more worthy as a group than others,” she added.

Second book underway

Marina wants her daughter to be raised in a society that is culturally aware and for people to be sensitive to the common needs and emotions of all people.

She said Malaysia was one of the few countries in the world that has a strong multi–ethnic, multicultural and multilingual society, with the various groups still maintaining separate cultural identities.

“Most important, we have always lived peacefully and in harmony despite the differences in race, religion, language and ethnic background. Malaysia observes quite a number of festivities throughout the year. So, children are taught from a very young age to acknowledge and respect people of different backgrounds. I grew up embracing all sorts of ethnic and religious festivities and celebrations,” she said.

She described the main character in the book, little Asha, as herself when she was a little child with many friends from different cultural backgrounds and said she was always fascinated and curious with their lifestyles, which was very different than hers.

Marina is now writing her second book on Asha’s experience during her trip to Bali, Indonesia.

- Bernama News

'Little Asha's Adventure: A Girl's Journal of Malaysia' can be purchased at www.authorhouse.com or at www.amazon.com. You can also contact the author at ashaadventures@yahoo.com for an autography copy.

Against The Wind movie - coming in 2011

2010-11-13T09:20:00.000-08:00

Against The Wind is a movie that was directed and produced by Dr. Brad Batchelor, my husband. This movie is in its final editing stage and hopefully it will be available in 2011.

There are quite a few scenes in the movie that were filmed in Malaysia, namely in the historical state of Melaka and the beautiful island of Penang (up-north Malaysia). A few Malaysians, including some of my friends, will be featured in the movie.

www.flyingscotsmanproductions.com
www.againstthewindfilm.com

A four minutes trailer for the movie is also available in youtube.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUUOyOuLEAE

Kuala Lumpur (the capital city!)

2010-11-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

Kuala Lumpur (also known as KL) is the capital of Malaysia. Literally meaning "muddy estuary" in Malay, KL has grown from a small sleepy Chinese tin-mining village to a bustling metropolis of around 6.5 million (city-proper population of 1.8 million) in just 150 years.

The city can be divided into the following areas, each of which offers a particular attraction or activity:

City Center – This is the traditional core of Kuala Lumpur where you’ll find the former colonial administrative centre. This district also includes Kuala Lumpur’s old Chinese commercial centre which everyone refers to now as Chinatown.

Tuanku Abdul Rahman/Chow Kit – This is the traditional colourful shopping district of Kuala Lumpur and located just beside the Golden Triangle with many popular budget accommodations.

Brickfields – This area, located south of the city center, is Kuala Lumpur’s Little India filled with saree shops and banana leaf rice restaurants. Kuala Lumpur’s main railway station – KL Sentral – is located here.

Bangsar & Midvalley – Located south of the city, Bangsar is a popular restaurant and clubbing district while Midvalley is famous for shopping.

Damansara & Hartamas – Largely suburban, these two districts to the west of the city house some interesting pockets of restaurants and drinking areas.

This district also merges into the northern part of Petaling Jaya.

Ampang – Located east of the city, Ampang is home to Kuala Lumpur’s Little Korea and most foreign embassies.

Northern Suburbs – This huge area to the north of the city is home to several attractions, such as the famous Batu Caves, and the National Zoo.
Batu Caves is a limestone hill, which has a series of caves and cave temples, located 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north of Kuala Lumpur. The cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India, dedicated to Lord Murugan.

Southern Suburbs – This district may not interest travellers much, although The Mines theme park is located here.

Famous Malaysian Designers

2010-11-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

Jimmy Choo,
Zang Toi

Jimmy Choo, born Jimmy Choo Yeang Keat, is a Malaysian fashion designer based in London, United Kingdom. He is best known for founding Jimmy Choo Ltd that became known for its hand-made women's shoes. Choo was born in Penang, Malaysia into a family of shoemakers.

Jimmy Choo's beginnings can be traced back to his workshop in Hackney, North London, which he opened in 1986 by renting an old hospital building. His craftsmanship and designs were soon noticed and he came to the verge of international notability when his creations were featured in a record eight pages in a 1988 issue of Vogue magazine. Patronage from Diana, Princess of Wales from 1990 onwards further boosted his image. In 1996, he co-founded Jimmy Choo Ltd with British Vogue accessories editor Tamara Mellon.

In April 2001, Choo sold his 50% stake in the company for £10 million. He has since been concentrating his work on the exclusive Jimmy Choo Couture line produced under license from Jimmy Choo Ltd. The Jimmy Choo London line, also known as Jimmy Choo Ready-To-Wear or, simply, Jimmy Choo, is under the purview of Tamara Mellon. The ready-to-wear line has expanded to include accessories such as handbags.

Zang Toi is a New York based Malaysian fashion designer. Toi left his native Malaysia at the age of eighteen, and via Toronto, landed in New York a year later. There he attended Parsons School of Design and apprenticed with Mary Jane Marcasiano and Ronaldus Shamask. In 1989, with a modest collection of bright sarongs, strong suits and regal dresses, he opened his own atelier.

Toi has served several style arbiters including Sharon Stone, Ivana Trump, Hazelle Goodman, Kelly Preston, Kirstie Alley, Jennifer Tilly, Meg Ryan, and Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas. Be it the House of Toi signature collection or the “Z” collection, his moderately priced bridge line, Toi’s creations are marketed as original and feminine pieces. Zang Toi is available in globally fine stores including the Couture Department at Nordstrom, fine specialty boutiques and Zang Toi Boutiques in Malaysia.

Langkawi Island (famous for it's legend!)

2010-11-02T07:33:00.000-07:00

Langkawi is an archipelago of 99 islands in the Andaman Sea, some 30 km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. The islands are a part of a state called Kedah, which is adjacent to the Thai border. Langkawi means reddish brown eagle in colloquial Malay. The Malay word for eagle is helang - shortened is "lang". Kawi means the colour reddish brown.

A sunny, hot and humid, tropical climate with an average annual temperature of about 32 degrees Celsius and the rainy season is during August/September. Only 4 of the 99 islands are inhabited - Pulau Langkawi (the main island), Pulau Tuba, Pulau Rebak, and Pulau Dayang Bunting.

One of the most famous tourist attractions at the island is the 'Dayang Bunting Lake' or Tasik Dayang Bunting . Legend said that its the favorite bathing pool of a celestial princess named Mambang Sari. A prince, Mat Teja, fell madly in love with her and tricked her into marrying him. Sadly, their child died from a mysterious illness at the age of seven days. Distraught, the grieving Mambang Sari left the child's body in the lake and returned to her heavenly abode. Today, some believe barren women who bathe in this lake will be endowed with a child. Many have claimed to be successful.

AirAsia provides budget connections to the island. Air Asia is a very famous Malaysian low-cost airline.

Tioman Island (famous for Scuba Diving!)

2010-11-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

Tioman Island is a small island located 32 km off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia in the state of Pahang, and is some 39 km long and 12 km wide. The densely forested island is sparsely inhabited, and is surrounded by numerous coral reefs, making it a popular scuba diving spot. There are also a lot of resorts and chalets around the island which has duty free status.

Its beaches were depicted in the 1958 movie, South Pacific as Bali Hai. In the 1970s, TIME Magazine selected Tioman as one of the world's most beautiful islands.

Salang is the northernmost village on the island of Tioman. It is very small, yet popular with backpackers. It has a few bars, some dive shops and two main chalet complexes. Although the village itself is polluted, it is within close access to the best reef sites. Salang is located close to the uninhabited "Monkey Bay" so named because monkeys are seen walking along the beach.

Perhentian Island (a must visit!)

2010-11-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

The Perhentian Islands (Pulau Perhentian in Malay) lay approximately 10 nautical miles (19 km) offshore the coast of northeastern Malaysia in the state of Terengganu, approximately 40 miles (64 km) south of the Thai border. The islands are divided into Perhentian Besar "Big Perhentian" and Perhentian Kecil "Small Perhentian".

Geographically, both islands are fringed by white sand beach, and the reefs and crystalline water are host to a wide variety of coral, sea-turtles, jellyfish, small sharks and reef-fish. The islands' maximum elevation is approximately 100 m (328 ft) and they are uniformly covered in coastal tropical jungle, with few interior foot-trails and no roads. Perhentian Island also has a sandy beach called "Pasir Panjang" (Long Beach). It is located at Perhentian Kecil (Small Perhentian). You will find many wonderful restaurants and places to party and hang out at Long Beach.

Other than the owners and staff of the numerous cabin-style resorts that dot the islands (many of whom depart for the monsoon season), the islands' only permanent inhabitants live in a small fishing village on Kecil. With the exception of a single mainland-communications tower on each island, there are no structures taller than two storeys. The islands are open to tourists between March and September/October.

Tourism is the base of economic activity in Perhentian. However, owing to the Islands' protected status, the main tourist activities are minimal in environmental impact: sunbathing, snorkeling, scuba diving, and turtle and shark-watching. Perhentian Islands are home to a significant turtle nesting population. The island was once home to hundreds of nesting Green and Hawksbill turtles but now the islands only receives 300 nestings per year partly due to frequent oil spills from oil production platforms and oil tankers.

Religion

2010-10-31T17:29:00.000-07:00

Religion In Malaysia
The Malaysian constitution guarantees freedom of religion, although Islam is the largest and official religion of Malaysia. Other than Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism and other traditional Chinese religions are embraced in Malaysia.

Other faiths include animism, folk religion, and Sikhis.

Meet The Animals

2010-10-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

The orangutans are the only exclusively Asian living genus of great ape. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping nests each night from branches and foliage. They are generally not aggressive and live a mostly solitary life foraging for food. They are the largest living arboreal animals with longer arms than other great apes. Their hair is typically reddish-brown, instead of the brown or black hair typical of other great apes. Native to Indonesia and Malaysia, orangutans are currently found only in rainforests on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.
A very famous elephant sanctuary in Malaysia can be found at Kuala Gandah. This center is owned and operated by the Malaysian government's of Wildlife and National Park. The elephant pictured here is Swee Lee King, a 22 year old elephant at the sanctuary. Swee Lee was also featured in the famous movie Anna & The King (with Jodie Foster).
A tapir is a large browsing animal, similar in shape to a pig and with a short snout. Tapirs can be found in South America, Central America and in Southeast Asia. There are four species of Tapirs: the Brazilian tapir, the Malayan tapir, Baird's tapir and the Mountain tapir. Malayan tapir can be found in Malaysia. The animal is easily identified by its markings, most notably the light-colored “saddle” which extends from its shoulders to its rump. The rest of its hair is black, except for the tips of its ears which, as with other tapirs, are rimmed with white.

Tribal People

2010-10-04T17:45:00.000-07:00

The oldest inhabitants of Malaysia are its tribal people. They account for about 5% of Malaysia's total population and a majority of them can be found in Sarawak and Sabah. Sarawak and Sabah are located in the island of Borneo. Sarawak is the largest state in Malaysia.

The 1989 film Farewell To The King was shot in Sarawak, starring Nick Nolte.

Aquaria KLCC

2010-10-03T18:06:00.000-07:00

The Aquaria KLCC is an underwater park located beneath Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre within Kuala Lumpur City Centre development precinct.

Featuring 60,000 sq ft (6,000 m²) in two levels with a 90-metre long underwater tunnel, Aquaria KLCC houses over 250 different species and over 20,000 land and aquatic animals from Malaysia and around the world.

Malaysian Cuisine

2010-10-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

Malaysian cuisine reflects the multicultural aspects of Malaysia. Various ethnic groups in Malaysia have their own dishes, but many dishes in Malaysia are derived from multiple ethnic influences.
Food preparation differs from place to place, even though they are all cooking the same food.

Different preparations have different taste and decoration, but generally the ingredients used are the same.

Rice tends to be a staple food in Malaysia as in most countries in the region. The rice eaten in Malaysia tends to be the local variety of rice or fragrant rice from Thailand, its northern neighbour.

Quality Indian basmati is used in biryani dishes due to its long grained shape, fragrance and delicate flavour. Japanese short grain rice and others are slowly entering the Malaysian diet as Malaysians expand their culinary tastes to new areas.

Noodles and Indian style bread are also eaten by most Malaysians.

The Petronas Twin Tower of Kuala Lumpur

2010-10-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

The Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur were the world's tallest buildings from 1998 to 2004, when the height was surpassed by Taipei 101. From 2001 until today, the towers remain the tallest twin buildings in the world.

Suria KLCC is a huge shopping mall measuring 1.5 million sq feet located at the feet of the twin towers. It features mostly foreign and local luxury goods and high-street labels. In the towers, attractions include an art gallery, a philharmonic theater, an underwater aquarium and also a Science theater.

The Petronas Towers were a setting for some movie scenes and one of them was in the 1999 film Entrapment starring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Malaysian Wedding Dress

2010-09-27T18:31:00.000-07:00

These are pictures of a Malaysian wedding dress. The white dress is worn during the solemnization ceremony while the green dress is worn at the wedding party. The designs of the wedding dresses vary according to the preference of the bride.

Batik Painting

2010-09-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

Batik

2010-09-27T14:49:00.000-07:00

Batik is a cloth that traditionally uses a manual wax resist dyeing technique. Batik or fabrics with the traditional batik patterns are also found in several countries such as Malaysia, Japan, China, Azerbaijan, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Senegal, and Singapore.

Malaysian batik often displays plants and flowers. In one form or another, batik has worldwide popularity. Now, not only is batik used as a material to clothe the human body, its uses also include furnishing fabrics, heavy canvas wall hangings, tablecloths and household accessories.
Batik techniques are used by famous artists to create batik paintings, which grace many homes and offices.

Batik is often worn in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, and southern Thailand brought there by Indonesian immigrants or merchants in the 19th century. The most popular motifs are leaves, flowers and butterfly. The Malaysian batik is also famous for its geometrical designs, such as spirals. The method of Malaysian batik making also quite different from those of Indonesian Javanese batik, the pattern is larger and simpler, it seldom or never uses canting to create intricate patterns and rely heavily on brush painting method to apply colors on fabrics. The colors also tends to be more light and vibrant than deep colored Javanese batik.
The flight attendants of Indonesian, Singaporean, and Malaysian national airlines all wear batik in their uniform. Batik sarongs are also designed as wraps for casual beachwear.

Malaysia Travel Guide - Part 2

2010-09-27T13:31:00.001-07:00

Malaysia - Travel Guide Part 1

2010-09-27T13:31:00.000-07:00

ANNA AND THE KING - movie was filmed in Thailand and Malaysia.

2010-09-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

2010-09-26T15:15:00.000-07:00

Is Wearing Shoes In The House A Cultural Thing or Just A Healthy Practice? - article was published in Women of The High Country magazine in 2009.

This article is not intended to offend anyone's feelings or their way of life but as a person that practices healthy living, i would like to share my thoughts and views about this subject. Wearing Shoes In The House.

The first time i told a guest to kindly take off his shoes before entering my house, he said "...ahhh...its in your culture.." In my culture??

Even Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is a regular guest on Oprah Winfrey's how, said that to reverse aging and stay younger, one of the things recommended to do is to take off shoes when entering the house so that pesticides, bacteria or other toxic substance is not track to home floors. And may i add, not just your home only, but other homes too that you are entering.

I am a Malaysian, married to an American and is currently residing in Boone, North Carolina. From my observation living here in America, majority of people here are so concerned with their health and would do and pay anything to have a healthy lifestyle. Organic stores were established to promote healthy food without pesticides, natural laundry detergent, purified drinking water, vitamins and supplements. Gymnasiums were also set up to encourage exercise in the community. Not forgetting, Farmers Markets are also there in summer for fresh fruits, vegetables, even homemade cakes and pies, free from any chemicals. However, does healthy living does not include a personal healthy clean living space?

What about cleanliness in the homes, the place that many call their sanctuary, the place where we eat, sleep, shower and play. We clean our kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, vacuum the house and even change our bed sheets and pillow covers frequently. But by wearing shoes in the house, contaminants from outside will persist no matter how frequent we vacuum our carpets or floors. And do you think by wiping your shoes on the doormat before entering the house, all bacteria stuck to your shoes will vanish and no germs will be track in to the house?

In the hospital, the first thing we are advised to do is to wash our hands or in some cases to wear a mask when visiting a sick patient of a newly born baby. But what about your shoes when u enter the patient's room? Has the management of hospitals ever wondered about that? Your hands are clean when touching the baby or the patient but ever wondered about all the dirt and bacteria on your shoes brought into the patient's room. I am not asking visitors to take off their shoes when entering a hospital, only the rooms of patients and the Intensive Care Unit. I wonder if doctors are wearing shoes dedicated only for indoor usage during surgeries. Hospitals should provide shoe box where visitors can put their shoes at the door before entering the room. Every hospital should provide disposable slippers for visitors and if cost is an issue, then hospitals can charge visitors $0.25 per slipper. Why not add to the health care reform a cleanliness reform as well. Somebody should have a word with the congress about this matter because this is equally as important as any other health issues! Only a unhygienic person would not see the importance of this. I have seen this practice in private clinics and hospitals outside America and it is definitely isn't difficult to practice and is not troublesome to visitors. The patient's health should be a priority, not your discomfort of taking of your shoes.

Some are very uncomfortable without shoes in the house and yet they are comfortable barefoot by the beach. Why not provide in-house slippers or even better disposable slippers for your your family and guests. If we can spend thousands of dollars on cars, beauty care, jewelry, and clothing, what is a few dollars on disposable slippers. Some people might feel uncomfortable displaying their barefoot and socks, and many find it too troublesome to take off their shoes or boots. Should the discomfort and troubles supercede the cleanliness of our home or our friend's home?

This issue is especially important to owners of homes with babies and small children. Children normally play on the floor and i am sure we do not want anything from our shoes to be in their hands or mouth. Sometimes i do insist that a guest to take off his/her shoes before entering my house but when there are too many guests in the house, it can be a hassle and offending to some. So, when my guests leave my house, i will immediately vacuum and mop my whole house. If only every soul in this world practice taking off shoes in the house, our lives would be even healthier. I remember one incident involving some contract workers in my house. i was having a renovation in my house on the bottom floor and we have this beautiful Persian carpet covering almost the whole floor of that area. Some workers had to come in to enter a room on that floor and i was not aware of their presence downstairs. The next thing i saw was my whole Persian carpet covered with mud, from their muddy boots!!! I think it doesn't take a genius to fold the carpet knowing that they will need to walk on the carpet. Well, that only explains one thing. They are unhealthy, unhygienic people and most importantly they have no respect to people's home! I wonder how clean their houses are.

Me

2010-09-26T14:47:00.000-07:00

My name is Marina Mustafa Batchelor and i live with my hubby and my daughter in a small town called Boone in North Carolina. My hubby's name is Dr. Brad Batchelor and he has been practicing as a Chiropractor in Boone for the past 30 years. My daughter's name is Asha Marina.

I was born and raised in a beautiful tropical country in Southeast Asia called Malaysia. Geographically Malaysia is situated between Thailand and Singapore. If you take a flight to Malaysia from United States, estimated total number of hours for the destination (excluding domestic and international transits) are around 18 - 20 hours.

I got married to my husband in June 2007 and since then, so many unexpected things have happened to me. One of the unplanned things was i wrote my first children's book called Little Asha's Adventure: A Girl's Journal of Malaysia. I am also a breast cancer survivor.

This blog will be dedicated to exposing and educating readers, particularly readers from Western countries, about the cultures and the experiences they can encounter when visiting an Asian country like Malaysia.

www.littleashaadventure.blogspot.com