Old Chinese Proverb

Learn to cultivate fish, the home’s way

Domestic aquaculture. A small scale, low density farming of aquatic organisms like fish and plants, within an urban homes or communities with the use of re-cycle organic and non-harmful wastes.

Graph showing the stagnated landing from captured fisheries (sea fishing) and cultured (aquaculture) fisheries

With home or domestic aquaculture, well, we are not here to save the world. Just to get educated in the most natural and friendly way. Too much internet and social connectivities through the screen. It is common to see young couples sit together in a cafe but each will be hooked to their tablet as the ‘loved ones’ rather than to each other.

The real net we need is a fish net. Growing fish at home ponds can be relaxing. Some fishes do grow well with left overs from the kitchen. When come a time, they can be harvested as food. At home pond, can see the fish grows, look at its behaviour and feeding habits. Yes, the water colour changes, the fish swims and a lot more excitement when you are trying to catch the fish.

I am talking about the real fish farming at home, not the apps in your Android. email: aquadomest@gmail.com

]]> http://ayermatahari.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/sustainable-domestic-aquaculture/ Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:52:49 +0000 Ng Kok Hong http://ayermatahari.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/sustainable-domestic-aquaculture/

Just in time for dinner. A kelah (Tor tambroides) from my home pond.

Back in 1988, I was then 28 years old and started my own business. Never in my life then, I had ever heard of economic recession. But I can see some changes as local chinese labourers ventured out into Europe and West Asia for jobs. One came back and told me his story as a labourer in Germany. He was well paid there but life was miserable. Other than roughing out in the cold during day time or the rest of the time tugged and hidden in the room. Nothing else to do and await a time to come home for the love ones. A pitiful story for the year of the dragon. The country’s economy improves the same year and hit all time high by early 90s… until another dragon on its way….

In the year 2000, the dragon came again and the economy was then cold enough to feel the chill. It started earlier from Thai Baht fell out and eventually it hits the stage whereby most of us felt the cracks and the quakes. Year 2000 was bitter for most bank accounts and lots of unpaid bills. I was humbly then growing aquatic plants and embarking on small projects in Sabah. Not much of activities on the road and some friends needed help.

This coming year 2012 is labelled as the year of world economic crisis ! Or even worst, the arrival of the next solar maximum, or in simple term, the end of the world ! No need to explain this doomsday as all of us already known.  Can we handle another economic crisis? Forget about the doomsday, if it does come, let us ride along. It is going to be a big party. But what about another hole in the pocket?

George W. Bush says, “……you don’t choose which challenges come to your desk, you do decide how to response.” If the dragon came and started throwing fire at you, you might need to duck or otherwise shield yourself. If the dragon blows water at you, tear your shirt apart and flush it back with your Superman’s chest. And if the dragon does nothing, well guys let get back to work.

The year 2012, I believe, is the year whereby the dragon will sleep and lie low, snore his bad breath away until some bad ass stick out his itchy finger to wake up the most fiery dragon that we ever encountered enough to make an impact in the economy where some says only the fittest will survive.

So, get ready and look out for those itchy fingers!

Chai along Mumbai

There are habits that are hard to stop. In my last post, I have decided to stop continuing writing in this blog but back again writing. Just hard to stop especially when readership keep increasing.

My kids enjoying time in Bangkok. Time is joy.

Time is money. Such reminder that time is all about money is not truly healthy. Time is happiness and make time for this. We are once again like an annual ritual back to a time to enjoy our holiday and seasons for celebration.

It is time to cut work loads in the office and start packing for a good leisure break. I started early right on the first week of the school holiday whereby I shipped my wife and 3 kids to Bangkok. Bangkok, a city I can never get tired going. A place to relax with good spicy food and a heaven for shopping for new gears and books. Old friends are still around and jokes and joy are everywhere.

Last week in Bangkok, my family gathered together with long time Thai friend Dr Opart and family. We talked about good old times, family and kids matter and even had a good time together with the kids for a IMAX 3D movie. Of course, all the time of chattering went well along with prakhaphao, tom yam and other Thai delicacies.

Just as I step right back to my home, well, it is also time to wish good friends greetings to all those from US for the Thansgiving day. Thanksgiving day is very meaningful to the Americans and good to know for those whom known to me were having a great time with their turkeys.

The day was not even over after back from Bangkok, again, I was with my family back on cool seats watching ‘A Christmas Carol’ with Ebenezer Scrooge reminding us of our ways and selfishness have to go… You don’t want any ghosts visits. Well, time for Christmas is near. New year 2010 is close. My youngest kid, born on 1 January is all out for party….and celebrations to come.

So, have you started packing? Work needs to be wrapped up for hibernation. Don’t worry about Dubai fallout and the economy on slaught. Time is not all about money but happiness and Happiness is here. Have a great time.

Creative shop at Chatuchak Market, Bangkok

Bangkok. I am always attracted to woodwork. I have wood carvings from Java, Bali, India, Taiwan, Thailand and even a few pieces done with my own hands. A recent trip to Bangkok, I found that those guests came with me shared the same attraction to woodwork. Hand made photo frames, small furniture and also an entire set up of a stall from re-cycle wood. That’s why I enjoy Bangkok as there are many creative ideas that will inspire you to work hard and smart. Hand work of old woods were truly good at Siam@Siam with all bare and raw finishes with dark tones. Just like work done incomplete but completed. Rated: Good Old Mind.

At Arsom Silp Institute, I was impressed by design simplicity without leaving the environmental complexity. Architect Khun Joy told me of their design to incorporate re-cycle of sewage water, a walk by the lake side and no vehicle to drive right into the institute. I enjoy architecural approach that are culturally correct, environmentally acceptable and design practical. That is The Ashram…. or Arsom Silp about 30 mins drive from central Bangkok. Rated: Good Mind

Say NO to Stupid Ideas!

Back in KL… and talking about care for environment, I received a big plastic bag which my wife finds it very useful. It is big enough for everything except the message printed on the plastic bag..” Say No to Plastic Bags“. It is like offering someone a cigarette and tell him not to smoke! Why in the first place the organiser distributes plastic bags to send such message? This is truly out of mind and how to say no to plastic bag that is suppose to carry a message printed on it! Rated: No Mind.

Old Story.

I walked into an old dental clinic. I was told to sit on the chair with lamps and mirrors everywhere. Then, the hand shaking dentist asked me to open my mouth so he can get a good view of my teeth.

The dentist said, “One of your tooth is crooked!”

“Can you straighten it or should you extract it?” I asked.

He replied, “I need to twist your jaw to straighten your tooth!”

Say NO to Stupid Ideas!

Fish mass mortality again .....?

It is like a yearly ritual that you are bound to come across in the newspaper about mass mortality of fishes in ponds especially around the months of June-July-August. Reports normally tagged with words like poison, mystery, oil pollution, sabotage and dragged along parties like the circus, factories, sewage plant and even schools.

Why June-July-August? These are the hottest months in Malaysia. Life in the pond have to be revolutionised slightly. The sunny day is bright with much light and nutrients accumulated in the pond allow further massive growth of algae. Dissolved nutrients like nitrates and ammonia tend to accumulate in man-made ponds. Algae will start to bloom out from much light and nutrients causing the ponds to look green. Green means lots and lots of algae…normally small cellular form of suspended algae like the chlorella.

Algae like plants release oxygen in the daytime and absorp back in the night when there is no light. The greener the water the more oxygen will be taken by the algae. But then, there are fishes like Tilapia which are prolific and breeds like rabbits or worse. Their insatiable breeding program is not helping the aquatic communities as this high population of fishes like the tilapia needs oxygen to survive too.

So, when the massive amount of algae needs to absorp the limited oxygen in water particularly in the late night or early morning before the sun is out…they have to compete with other underwater civilians particularly the fishes. Those who need oxygen most will begin to struggle and eventually suffocate when the level of oxygen drops to critical level. Therefore, first to be exterminated are the tilapias…They die in mass numbers from limited oxygen in water.

And the report in the local newspaper would be “....diesel from nearby circus poisoned and killed fishes in ponds!” or “..mysterious mass death of fish..”  CSI team will be there to analyse, sample, study, record, and to blame others with their reports ranging from circus diesel, bacterial infection to bombs.

The reality is that it has nothing to do with ghost, bombs or cyanide… it is all about basic and proper understanding of pond management. Lake management is a practice by specialise people who study freshwater system. They are the limologist.

The Malayan Airbus Gouramy

If you happened to browse some old books on tropical fishes, the chances are good that you might come across a small fish called ‘The Malayan Airbus Gouramy’. This fish grows to about 5-6cm in length and lives in acidic water of about 4-6.5 pH. I used to wondered about in peat soil estate to look for this fish. It was once my favourite. As it swims, if floated about in water with minimal vigorous movement. Today this little air breather is no longer known as The Malayan Airbus but is now the chocolate gouramy due to its colour. Technically, it is termed as Sphaerichthys osphromenoides.

Another organism in water was also once called ‘The Malayan Giant Freshwater Prawn’. It was technically called as Macrobrachium rosenbergii or simply udang galah in Malay. Again, like the gouramy, this crustacean is no longer the Malayan but known as the giant freshwater prawn or the Hawaiian giant freshwater prawn or simply freshwater prawn.

Both the little finfish and the giant shellfish lost their original identity as once The Malayan. Like the fish, we are now Malaysian and not Malayan.

The Malayan Giant Freshwater Prawn

Some places in Malaysia still very much reflect the time when once we were called Malayan. Old towns, small towns are still around with such identities. Taiping is one of the towns. The Malayan can be brought back and this has put me a place to design a concept accepting old time activities that are very much back to nature in the form of farming in water for fishes or even harvesting fruits from trees. Like those time back in the kampong that can be re-created in my new entry simply called The Malayan, an ec0-style farm resort.

The Malayan

If this interests you, contact me to know more.

The 100-year old Hotel Majapahit

Once a younger brother of a well established founder-developer said to me, ” I  do the closing ceremonies and my brother did the openings.” In Surabaya last week, another curtain closed from the curse of the global economic crisis. The once hailed to be the most high-high end development is made to collect dust today. Lights off.

Time was generous with me in Surabaya and decided to heed the advice of the poet Sara Teasdale, “I make the most of all that comes and least of all that goes.” So, I decided to stay back into the place and cooked myself long enough just to be there like a standing pillar of the majestic Hotel Majapahit.

If you decided to go for recluse, forget the Himalayas, but check-in at the Hotel Majapahit. Once it was called the Mandarin Oriental Majapahit. It was opened in 1st June 1910 by the Sarkies brothers as the Oranje Hotel. The colonial-style architecure plus the well landscaped space with classic settings and atmosphere will never failed your heart and senses for this hotel. It is a must for those who have eyes and soul for architectural design from the past.

An old tree for a 100 year old building?

The comfort and space for US150 a night.

Though I was served the best coffee ever at the hotel cafe, but by the streets in Surabaya you might want to try some seafood delicacies or more down the road into the local dishes of lontong balap, tahu kraton, rujak cingur or ayam penyet. Not to worry if you are not familiar to such names, but these are the right local dishes to try in Surabaya.

If you are familiar with Surabaya, the lights at the old china-town ‘Kya-Kya’ are no longer glittering but a new happenings arise and kicking at the G-Walk at Citraland, west of the city.

Once upon a time, the classic Hotel Majapahit was called “Yamato Hoteru”. The worst insult to such a grandiose hotel ever from the land of the rising sun. Banzai!

Captured with Kerkythea. Impressive, fast and free.

Old brother P Nui surprisingly finished a good and very tamed design for the office at Chiangmai. Worked pretty well with SketchUp and rendered to realistic output through Pov-ray. If you ever heard of Kerkythea, you will get an impressive night scene rendering  as realistic as those seen in Soi Cowboy! Fast and easy with Kerkythea.

Tana Champ, long time friend, came to meet me like his usual self. Clean cut as ever and heard him breezing into the hotel lobby with his Merc and always late at night. Had our favourite ‘Phak Kra Phao Moo’. Never get tired eating this spicy dish. With limited taste (taste buds partly destroyed from radiation therapy), I managed to enjoy this piece of fantastic meal out of past memory. ‘Aroy mak mak”.  Working on one hotel bronze logo with Tana and discussing the prices of copper that had being going up and down like roller coaster.

At Nakorn Chaisi, the remarkable lady whom that I met 10 years ago is going strong as ever. Always busy and flow of visitors never seems to end. She owns the biggest garden and art retail outlet. She travels the world for art pieces. Ask Mrs Keaw if you want to know more about garden art and accessories trading through this region. Japan, China, Turkey, Russia, Europe, India, Indonesia? Here at Nakorn Chaisi, a small restaurant serves fantastic roast duck soup but if you are more adventurous, try the riverside restaurant. Giant gouramy, giant freshwater prawn, tom yam, thod mun and lots more of heavely made food you do not wish to miss!

In between meeting times of sunrise and sunset and alone, I managed to browse a few good books like ‘The Reader’ for me and ‘Twlight’ for my daughter. Unfortunately, wasted 120 minutes and Bht180 stucked in a chilly theatre watching ‘Underworld 3′. A tasteless, colourless mono graphic movie with entirely no imagination. Go for ‘The Reader’ and be adult enough.

Welcome to Bangkok alone. Heard of Soi Nana? Don’t!

Announcement: ARCH2009 in Bangkok from 29th Apr to 3rdMay. An event for architects, developers, students….anyone. I’ll be in Bangkok the same time to present my work at the Symposium entitled: “Expressing with Water, the Bali Experience.” So..anyone hopping along?

17th February 2009. Dr Selva of NCICH said to me, “You’re cured”.

Time flies. I remember right after my CT scan results I was back in Bali on 1st March 2007. Friends like Made, Gede, Karl and a host of others lost of words when they saw me. The same Ng Kok Hong minus 13.5 kg, tanned skin, coarse voice and add another 10 years to his age.

After a short break in Bali and a few more months trying to adjust my paper-thin body, I was back presenting my pond concept to the team for St Regis Resort project at Sheraton Laguna, Bali. I don’t think Bill Bensley noticed anything about my newly scrapped image back then. He was very focused on my slide show.

One month after the therapy..& another to go!

With so much to do for both private and business tasks, I have no time to think about cancer. All I know is that cancer gave me a new ground that allows me to look at life positively. It is like re-branding myself. Things with me seems to be better and such never being able to experience in my previous life style. It is like crossing the border into a whole new ground. Something that you’ve been wondering and looking for it but did not have the gut to spill over. Cancer, like accident, pushed me and made me crossed that border. Life is a journey, a long one wheather with or without cancer.  I am glad that I am back but on a new track. Thank God.

You're cured. Picture taken by my 3 yr-old son.

Heard that people to lose jobs in Japan like 400000 in numbers,  Singapore 300000 and more in Indonesia, Korea, China and Malaysia is not spared either. Is this going to be an economic cancer? Well  guys, it is time to crossed the border. Believe me.

“Therefore, I urge all men to be in the front rank of progress and not to stand still, lest they be left behind.”

This trip was filled with much time and fun after a long 2008 year end break. Managed some time to catch up with friends like Thorsten, Karl Princic, Pak Agung Yokasara and Putra. Also bumped into Pak Ariel Ali..The Kayana GM. Not bad for a rapid conversation with him to strategize the formation of a 7-star resort from a ‘kopi tiam’. Will sure to meet him again soon.

With Alvin, I made a yearly pilgrimage to favourites like The Kirana Spa at Ubud, tea at Bvlgary and a nice tour to all spas at The Ritz-Carlton. Don’t missed the Spa on the Rock if you plan to be there. The Ritz-Carlton will be renamed by April this year. Therefore, there will be no more The Ritz-Carlton Bali soon. Also, managed to stretch my time to pay a short visit to Waka Gangga for the yearly salt spray experience!

Back to work….the ponds at St Regis are more matured now. Fishes are still timid and its time to train them to act like those in the circus. The plants are growing wild and all are like springing back to nature. The weather was not kind as it rained almost the whole morning. Not much was done while waiting for the rain to stop.

Last year I was in Queens of India for my RM15 a piece capati and this time I managed to swallow my RM70 ‘goreng pisang’ (fried banana). Anyone? Welcome to Bali.