Muzium Marin Labuan

Bangunan Muzium Marin Labuan.

Muzium Marin Labuan merupakan antara tarikan utama di Labuan dan terletak di lokasi yang amat mudah untuk dikunjungi. Muzium yang dibuka pada 26 Januari 2003 telah dirancang semenjak tahun 1990-an lagi sehinggalah Perbadanan Labuan menawarkan tapak dan bangunan di Kompleks Sukan Laut Antarabangsa Labuan di mana ianya berada sekarang. Ia merupakan muzium pertama seumpamanya di Malaysia yang bertujuan memupuk pengetahuan mengenai hidupan laut dan kepentingannya.

Terdapat kira-kira 572 koleksi bahan pameran yang terdiri daripada spesimen-spesimen hidupan marin dan bahan-bahan kontemporari seperti peralatan memancing, menyelam dan oceanografi. Antara bahan pameran yang unik di sini termasuklah rangka anak ikan paus Indian Fin sepanjang 42 kaki yang berusia lebih 100 tahun selain seekor dugong telah diawet dijumpai di Pulau Papan. Selain itu ia juga turut menyediakan kolam sentuh bagi memberi peluang kepada para pengunjung untuk menyentuh pelbagai hidupan marin.

Terdapat beberapa bahagian berbeza pada 4 ruang pameran yang disediakan di bahagian bawah muzium ini termasuk Seksyen Hidupan Marin, Seksyen Maklumat Kapal Karam, Seksyen Batu Karang dan Seksyen Paya Bakau. Terdapat sebanyak 14 akuarium pelbagai saiz yang menempatkan pelbagai spesis hidupan laut yang terdapat di sekitar Labuan dan Borneo.

Pada galeri di bahagian atas bangunan ini pula memaparkan pelbagai maklumat mengenai kehidupan marin, peralatan memancing ikan tradisional dan peralatan moden selain peralatan menyelam. Terdapat 4 buah akuarium lagi di bahagian atas yang menempatkan hidupan batu karang dan dua buah sudut bacaan bagi kemudahan para pengunjung.

Muzium adalah dibuka setiap hari dari jam 8:30 pagi sehingga 5:00 petang (ditutup pada Hari Raya Aldilfitri dan Hari Raya Aidiladha) dan bayaran masuk adalah percuma. Ia mudah dikunjungi dari pusat bandar Labuan dengan menggunakan pengangkutan awam samada bas mahupun teksi.

Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan, Malaysia

Pusat Kewangan Labuan, sebagai pusat ekonomi.

Labuan antara destinasi yang menarik di bahagian Timur Malaysia yang jarang dikunjungi. Terletak berhampiran Kota Kinabalu ia boleh dilawati menggunakan pengangkutan air mahupun udara. Walaupun ia merupakan kawasan ekonomi penting di bahagian Timur Malaysia, fungsinya destinasi pelancongan masih lagi belum diolah sepenuhnya.

Labuan terdiri daripada satu pulau utama yang dikenali sebagai Pulau Labuan yang mempunyai keluasan 91.64 km² dan 6 lagi pulau-pulau kecil iaitu Big Rusukan, Burung, Daat, Kuruman, Rusukan Kecil dan Pulau Papan. Ia terletak kira-kira 8 kilometer daripada pantai Borneo dengan puncak tertinggi Pulau Labuan adalah 148 meter. Kebanyakan kawasan di Pulau Labuan masih lagi dipenuhi dengan tumbuh-tumbuhan iaitu sekitar 70% daripada permukaannya. Jadi hanya sebahagian sahaja kawasan di sini yang dibangunkan.

Masjid Negeri, Labuan.

Kwang Fook Kong Temple.

Labuan mempunyai potensi yang baik sebagai kawasan pelancongan memandangkan ia merupakan kawasan pulau yang terletak di Borneo dengan air jernih dan pantai yang cantik. Sememangnya hari ini ia merupakan industri pelancongan utama di Labuan, pembangunan yang lebih baik dan terancang dapat memastikan keseimbangan antara idustri pelancongan dan pemeliharaa alam sekitar.

Sehingga hari ini terdapat beberapa destinasi utama sebagai tarikan bagi pengunjung-pengunjung yang melawati Labuan. Selain daripada destinasi ini, terdapat beberapa aktiviti menarik yang turut disediakan oleh syarikat pelancongan. Antara destinasi tersebut adalah;

• Taman Burung Labuan
• Taman Botani, Labuan
• Masjid Negeri An-Nur
• Kwang Fook Kong Temple
• Muzium Marin Labuan
• Dataran Labuan
• Pantai Pancur Hitam
• Peace Park
• Pantai Pohon Batu
• Pulau Papan
• Kompleks Sukan Air Antarabangsa, Labuan
• Muzium Chimney
• Terowong Tanjung Kubung
• Kampung-kampung Air
• World War II Memorial

Pantai Pancur Hitam.

Kejernihan Air Pulau Papan.

Replika Menara Jam 1906.

Kampung-kampung air di Labuan.

Industri pelancongan di Labuan masih lagi tidak dibangunkan dengan sepenuhnya. Kebanyakan kemudahan penginapan di sini juga adalah terlalu mahal bagi pengunjung biasa, makala hotel-hotel pada harga murah dan sederhana tidak memenuhi keperluan pengunjung. Ia merupakan antara perkara penting yang perlu diberikan perhatian bagi menarik lebih ramai pengunjung mengunjungi pulau yang mempunyai potensi tinggi ini.

Color Changing Animals

The most famous celebrity in the 'camouflage' world.
(Credit: Michel C Milinkovitch)

The ability of some animals that can change their colors whether in dealing with danger or under certain circumstances always catches our intentions. This will helps us to understand more about the nature and even something that can benefits us in the future.

In fact there are many species of animals that has this ability from different groups of families – perhaps some animals more popular than the other. Apart from just changing colors, animal such as cuttlefish (cephalopods) go beyond by changing their physical too. Let us take a closer looks the colors changes behavior across different animals.

The speed of the color changes in these animals are different from few seconds to few weeks; cephalopods family known as the fastest color changer in the animal kingdom. While chameleon will take longer time to change their color. In contrast animals such as ‘ptarmigan’ or ‘snowshoe hare’ will change their colors according to the seasons – with the cycle of the four seasons.

Thus changing colors and physical skills is one of the important characteristics possessed by many living things on earth. Even with different method, the act of converting this physical appearance is an important skill in life, especially for small and medium sized animals to help them to obtain food and avoiding enemies.

Here are few types of animals that can change color;

Chameleons – there are many types of chameleons that can live in the warm areas of Africa, Madagascar, South Europe, and South Africa to Sri Lanka. It varies with the species of small lizard that also can change their colors that know as ‘anoles’ – but in some countries peoples mistakenly thought them as chameleons.

Squid – squid together with the large families of cephalopod species; including octopus, squid and cuttlefish, changing color and resemble the surrounding environment are their specialist. The changes will take effect in very short time with stunning result. Cephalopods use these capabilities for hunting, camouflage and also for interaction between them.

Squid is the most skilled animal for changing color and physical.

Fish – there are types of fishes too that can change their color such as flounder and fish from group of ‘Acanthuridae’ that inhabit the coral reefs. Flounder hunt in shallow water and the ability to their change colors not just help them to hunt but actually to save them from their main predator; an eagles. 

Fish 'flounder' with similar environments.

Bird – not many birds can change their colors but ptarmigan will change their colors according to the seasons. Since ptarmigan not a migrating bird like most other species of birds, adaptation to their environment is very important. The different changes in their surrounding make them easy target for enemies if their colors not change.

Mammals – for some mammals such as snowshoe hare, Alaskan hare, Arctic hare and stoat change their colors as well as ptarmigan to resemble their environment of white winter. This change make is easier for them to hide from the enemies.

Snowshoe hare in winter.

Amphibians – some frogs also have the ability to change colors and the most known is the gray tree frog. Unlike any other frogs, the gray tree frog spent their time on the trees. It will be easier for them to be seen if their colors different from their surroundings.

Insects – apart from the animals mentioned above insects are also having the ability to change their colors. There are several species of spiders and beetles that can change their colors. Insect such as golden tortoise beetle can change their color according to the seasons or when disturbed.

The variety of colors 'golden tortoise beetle'.

So now we know there are many animals and insects that capable to change their colors and physicals for various purposes. If previously you only knew some of these animals know we know there are many of them that have these abilities in a wider scope. Although chameleon is the most popular in the world of changing colors, cephalopods families are still the champion in this competition.

Hotel Hutan Menegak Pertama Asia, Nanjing, China

Konsep "Hutan Menegak" bakal menjadi trend baru.

Pembangunan pesat dan pencemaran udara adalah dua perkara yang saling berkait. Namun sebagai manusia yang diberikan akal pemikiran, sudah tentunya kita memikirkan jalan penyelesaian terbaik tanpa mengabaikan kemjuan yang juga penting kepada manusia. Pembinaan bangunan “Hutan Menegak” atau juga dikenali sebagai “vertical forest”, kini semakin giat dibina termasuk di negara-negara Asia seperti China.

Bangunan yang akan didirikan sebagai ‘hutan menegak’ tersebut adalah sebuah hotel yang dimiliki oleh rangkaian Hyatt Hotel yang terdiri daripada 2 buah bangunan yang terletak di Bandar Nanjing, China. Apa yang menarik selain daripada dipenuhi oleh tumbuh-tumbuhan, kedua-dua bangunan tersebut dikatakan berupaya untuk menyerap sehingga 25 ton CO2 setiap tahun. Pada masa yang sama pula ia bakal membebaskan sehingga 60 kg Oksigen sehari.

Bangunan ini adalah hasil rekabentuk oleh pereka Italy iaitu Stefano Boeri yang telah menyiapkan projek yang seumpamanya di Milan pada tahun 2014 lagi. Projek di Nanjing dijangka akan disiapkan menjelang 2018. Ia juga akan menempatkan sehingga 1,100 batang pokok dan 2,500 tumbuhan-tumbuhan lain.

Menara berkembar yang dipenuhi dengan tumbuh-tumbuhan.

Satu daripada menara ini akan menempatkan Hotel Hyatt.

Bangunan pertama rekaan Stefano Boeri di Milan siap pada tahun 2014.

Satu daripada bangunan tersebut dengan ketinggian 335 kaki merupakan bangunan Hotel Hyatt beserta kolam renang di bumbungnya. Manakala bangunan kedua pula akan menempatkan bangunan pejabat, muzium, sekolah rekabentuk bangunan hijau dan kelab persendirian sehingga ke tingkat-38.

Bangunan berkonsepkan ‘hutan menegak’ ini akan terus berkembang di serata bandaraya utama dunia. Walaupun tidak semua bangunan di bandar-bandar utama menyerupai bangunan rekaan Stefano Boeri, namun kebanyakan bangunan hari ini turut menyediakan ruang yang banyak untuk diisi dengan pelbagai tumbuh-tumbuhan yang menyegarkan udara.

Putra Mosque at Putrajaya

Putra Mosque next to Putra Perdana building.

There are two main buildings at Putrajaya that will be easily catches ones glimpse once they arrive there for the first time. Besides there are many others beautiful buildings these two will be the main attractions for its location. The first building is Putra Perdana and the second is Putra Mosque.

Here we are going to see more about Putra Mosque, one of the most visited buildings in Putrajaya. Even though built in contrast to Putra Perdana these two building seems to be a perfect match to be built side by side. Located in by the edge of Putrajaya Lake it can easily be seen by most part of Putrajaya.

Close up view of Putra Mosque.

The interior is simple yet elegant.

The interior of the dome.

The Putra Mosque has unique artistic architecture with pink rose tinted granite that’s totally different from most of the mosques built in Malaysia. Anyway some features make it blend in perfectly to bring in local’s architectures emerge in the first sight. This unique mosque designed resembles few other popular mosques such as King Hassan Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco.

The mosque can accommodate 15,000 worshippers at any one time. It also consists of three main functional areas the prayer hall, the Sahn, or courtyard, and various learning facilities and function rooms. The interior (prayer hall) is simple and elegant suitable for all worshiper to perform their prayer in comfort. This majestic designs supported by 12 columns with the highest point below the dome is 250 feet above the ground level.

Putra Mosque during the sunset.

One of the iconic building in Putrajaya.

The construction of the mosque completes on 1 September 1999 with cost of around RM250 millions. It is named after the first Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al Haj. Putra Mosque becomes one of the mosque unique mosques in Malaysia by combining the Middle Eastern and traditional Malay design elements.

Putra Mosques become one of the most popular attractions in Putrajaya for locals and tourist. Non-Muslims also permitted to visit outside of prayer times without any admission charge. Robes are provided for visitors and they are requires to follow the rules when visiting the mosque.

Next to the mosque are Putra Square, food courts by the lakeside and the Putrajaya Lake Cruise that added visitors’ experiences when they visit this mosque. This will be the opener to any visitor to Putrajaya before they are ready to explore to any other part of this area.