Moving house advice

One of our friends recently moved back to Malaysia after completing his studies. The small community of Malaysians here all came over and helped moved their stuff which they had spent packing literally over the past month onto the 40 footer container. Even with all the guys, it took almost all morning to get the stuff loaded on and finally we were done.

However, sometimes it is better to use the professionals. I once helped my sister-in-law move house when we realised that there was no way we could dismantle their sofa or bring it down their narrow winding stairs. In the end they called a local mover and it was amazing watching them take the sofa through the window through a system of pulleys down to the guys waiting below. The guy in charge told me that they had carried much heavier items including pianos similarly.

I guess it is best to call in the professionals if you can afford it. For example, another friend was moving house and these guys came in a big truck and had packed up and cleared the house in half a day. Later on my friends told me that none of the furnitures had even a scratch.

However the question is how to find and hire general help for moving. And you are of course concerned - Are they reliable? Are they accountable? I have heard so many horror stories about getting day movers that sometimes risking a slipped disk sounds like a better option.

Four naked Barbies

While cleaning up, my daughter came across her Barbie collection and she was telling me that she's doesn't like playing with dolls any more as "only kids play dolls".



Examining the dolls, I realised that they are all different. Three of them are made in China (all 1999 batch) while the first from left which we bought for her at a car boot sale was made in Indonesia. Update: At first I thought that it was a vintage Barbie from 1966 but later found out that they did not make Barbie in Indonesia in the 1960s.

At Greenwich park Christmas Eve 2012

We were at my sis-in-law's place in Greenwich this Christmas. On Christmas Eve, it was a chilly and cloudy but we were bored cooped up inside the house and decided to visit Greenwich Park.

Running after the squirrel


Leafless trees

At 0 Degrees Longitude - The Prime Meridian.

Auld Lang Syne

According to a recent Daily Mail article, most people do not know the lyrics of the most popular New Year's Eve song Auld Lang Syne.

Written by Scottish poet, Robert Burns, this song is sung by millions across the World.

Well here is the full song (with lyrics) sung by Dougie MacLean on the album Tribute.



Wishing all visitors to Ah Ok Lah a very Happy and Prosperous New Year 2012.

UK Protests : What's the point?

Since the Liberal Democrats formed a coalition government with the Conservatives, there have been so many protests in the UK. Discussing them with some of my friends, we wondered whether there was any point in these protests since they didn't change anything and in several cases, actually resulted in violence, disorder and looting.

Among the major ones were:

2010 UK student protests - 10, 24 and 30 November and 9 December. Peaceful protest that turned violent.

Pension reform protests. Violence breaks out again.

2011 Student tuition fees protests – 9 November. Relatively peaceful this time as compared to last year.

And of course we can't forget the recent riots between 6 and 10 August 2011, which started off as a peaceful march on 6 August 2011 related to the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan by the Metropolitan Police on 4 August 2011 and ended in widespread looting and the death of Five people.

The Occupy London protests are still going on: with tents set up one outside St Paul's Cathedral in Central London and the other in Finsbury Square just to the north.

And it looks like more protests and strikes are on the way - Public sector workers have also decided to go on strike on 30 November over the government’s public sector pension changes.

The question is whether any of these protests had any positive impact.

Whatever sympathy that people had for the students mostly dried up after seeing the images of violence on TV and in the newspapers. The student fees still went up. Mark Duggan is all but forgotten and most people were not even aware that people were protesting outside St Paul's Cathedral until the chancellor followed by the dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London resigned.

My friend tells me that these incidents show that democracy is well and alive in the UK but what's the point if these protests didn't actually achieve anything.

How the Netherlands became a cycling nation

As the following video shows, it did not happen overnight. The people demanded it, the conditions were right and the Government listened to the people.



And now they are providing their expertise to other countries.

How to Increase Cycling in the City

Everyone knows that cycling is an environmentally responsible way to get around town. While purchasing a decent bike is cheap, most people still opt out for the convenient transportation a car provides. If we were to conduct paid surveys and online polls, most people would say that they want more sustainable and affordable ways to commute.

Cycling may get excellent poll numbers and publicity, but people still refuse to actually do it on a consistent basis. In order to get more people into this healthy, sustainable, and fun activity, the community needs to create more incentives for its residents. Here are some solutions to help get people out of their cars and pedaling to their destinations more often:

Paid Advertising

When you look out on the road, there are tones of mobile advertisements: NASCAR drivers are sponsored by major corporations, major corporations are using mobile billboards, and regular people are getting their vehicles sponsored in order to save on gas money. Why shouldn't cyclists be able to do the same thing?

Lance Armstrong wore the USPS' logo on his uniform for several years because he was seen by millions. Smaller businesses with smaller budgets can place their brand image on local cyclists who commute to work every day on busy city streets.

Social Events

In many cities, there are people using Facebook to plan cycling pub crawl events. Groups of riders dart around town on their bikes and visit designated pubs for refreshment. While these types of events are gaining popularity, there is one that stands above the pack. The World Naked Bike Ride is a massive event taking place over many cities that encourages riders to “Bare as You Dare.” This clothing optional event helps raise awareness for sharing the road while promoting positive body-image issues.

Whacky Races

The New Belgium brewery located in Colorado sponsors a series of races across the country simply dubbed the Urban Assault Ride. In these city-wide races, teams of cyclists pair together to race through their respective streets, parks, and neighborhoods while stopping at checkpoints to complete obstacle courses. After the race is over, New Belgium offers a healthy sampling of all of their brews for the thirsty participants. This is a good way to juxtapose the physical fitness of cycling with the atmosphere of a backyard BBQ.

Mobile Reward Apps

In London, the RecycleBank company is starting a programme that allows smartphone users to download an app that rewards them for physical activity. This app lets people who walk or cycle around town gain points which they can then redeem at local merchants. This is an excellent way to get people to become more active and rely less on their cars. It is essentially bribing them to get more physical, but the ends justify the means.

There are several other ways that cities are trying to garner an interest in cycling. This will eventually lead to a more physically fit population, better air quality, less pollution, and less congested traffic during rush hour. All you have to do to participate - just strap on a helmet and start cycling.