Malaysia truly Asia!

This year, Malaysia will celebrate 50 years of independence. The month of August will be filled with a myriad of parades, cultural performances, street shows and carnivals to commemorate the country's Independence or Merdeka Day on 31st August.

It was on 31st August 1957 when history was made as the Union Jack was lowered and the Malaysian flag hoisted, with the first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj leading the people in the famous shouts of Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka! (Independence!)

For more than 30 years, Merdeka Day celebrations have been marked by parades involving uniformed personnel, corporate players, school children, cultural dancers, athletes and Malaysians from all walks of life. However, in recent years, the event has grown into a much anticipated and exciting month-long celebration nationwide.

This forthcoming Golden Jubilee celebration marks a significant milestone in the history of the nation. Join the enthusiastic crowd at the Merdeka Square in Kuala Lumpur on the eve of Merdeka Day for the countdown to this momentous event. Another highlight of the year will be the Citrawarna or Colours and Flavours of Malaysia parade, an annual event showcasing the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the country. This will be the grandest celebration for this event yet.

Malaysia invites all visitors to share in the joy and excitement of this momentous occasion. Come and be mesmerised by a unique multicultural populace celebrating 50 years of nationhood in harmony and peaceful co-existance. You will truly be fascinated.

To accompany your visit to Malaysia, here are several books that I think suitable for foreigners (and Malaysians as well, of course) to get to know the nature beauty of this country. Don’t forget about the variety of Malaysian foods, comprising Malay, Chinese, Indian and others delicious cooking throughout Malaysia. I’m proud to be Malaysian!

Beaches of Malaysia
Beaches of Malaysia takes you on a captivating journey to the many familiar as well as seldom traversed beaches of Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, some of which have been acclaimed as waters, gentle surf, long stretches of warm golden sands and quaint fishing villages invoke an ambience of supreme tranquility and rustic charm.

Over 300 pages of excellent photographs and an entertaining text capture the unique characteristics and moods of the beaches and the varied life that surrounds them.

Title: Beaches of Malaysia
Author: Johnny Ong & Leela Govindasamy
Publisher: Design Dimension Sdn Bhd
ISBN: 9838720070
Format: Hardcover

Marine Parks of Malaysia

Marine Parks of Malaysia details Malaysia's determined efforts in conserving its invaluable marine heritage by the establishment of marine parks. More than this, the book covers all aspects of marine habitats and life found in the waters of the designated parks, supported by a highly readable text and superb photographs. A most noteworthy publication for any nature-loving enthusiast and indispensable volume in any library shelf.

Title: Marine Parks of Malaysia
Author: Mohd Taupek Mohd Nasir & Nor Ainy Mahyudin
Publisher: The Department of Fisheries Malaysia
ISBN: 9838720100
Format: Hardcover

Orchids: The Living Jewels of Malaysia

This book details comprehensively the wide variety of orchid species found in Malaysia, including hybrids, in simple text comprehensible to the layperson. Combined with excellent photography, the book will provide great reading pleasure for anyone with an interest in nature.

Title: Orchids: The Living Jewels of Malaysia
Author: Fadelah Abdul Aziz, et al
Publisher: MARDI
ISBN: 967936397X
Format: Hardcover

Plants and Flowers of Malaysia

A lavishly illustrated handbook, Plants and Flowers of Malaysia captures some of the wonderful, weird, beautiful, rare and common plants that are part of Malaysia's natural heritage. The book features 170 native and naturalized Malaysian plant species, including a parade of carnivorous pitcher plants - the world's most successful vegetable trappers of insects - and extraordinary ant plants; the fantastic, giant-flowered, parasitic Rafflesia; little-known mountain rhododendrons; and beautiful orchids.

Title: Plants and Flowers of Malaysia (Revised)

Author: Polunin, Ivan

Publisher: Times Edition

ISBN: 9812328874

Format: Hardcover

Biography of Albert Einstein

Dear booklovers, here is new book about Albert Einstein.

By the author of the acclaimed bestseller Benjamin Franklin, this is the first full biography of Albert Einstein since all of his papers have become available. How did his mind work? What made him a genius? Isaacson's biography shows how his scientific imagination sprang from the rebellious nature of his personality. His fascinating story is a testament to the connection between creativity and freedom.

Labour Law Books

Happy Labour Day for all Malaysian and for those who celebrate Wesak Day, drive carefully. Take a rest if tired. Happy holiday for all. Labor law or labour law is the body of laws, administrative rulings, and precedents which address the relationship between and among employers, employees, and labor organizations, often dealing with issues of public law. It is distinguished between employment law which deals only with employment contracts and issues regarding employment and workplace discrimination and other private law issues. (Source: wikipedia.org)

A lot of books on labour law, locally and abroad. Better find one and read it for our own protection.

Don’t forget the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fare. The KLIB 2007 will be held from 27 April to 6 May 2007 – Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Its aim is to exhibit the latest publications, including educational materials, published and produced locally and abroad. Besides that it will also be a meeting point for publishers, book traders and readers from around the globe.

What is an eBooks?

There are tons of websites that offer eBooks, most of them are free. What is an eBooks? An eBook is an electronic version of a traditional print book that can be read by using a personal computer or by using an eBook reader. (An eBook reader can be a software application for use on a computer, such as Microsoft's free Reader application, or a book-sized computer that is used solely as a reading device.

Users can purchase an eBook on diskette or CD, but the most popular method of getting an eBook is to purchase a downloadable file of the eBook (or other reading material) from a website (such as Amazon.com) to be read from the user's computer or reading device. Generally, an eBook can be downloaded in five minutes or less (depending on which type of internet access you are using; broadband is better).

Although it is not necessary to use a reader application or device in order to read an eBook (most books can be read as PDF files), they are popular because they enable options similar to those of a paper book - readers can bookmark pages, make notes, highlight passages, and save selected text. In addition to these familiar possibilities, eBook readers also include built-in dictionaries, and alterable font sizes and styles.

Typically, an eBook reader hand-held device weighs from about twenty-two ounces to three or four pounds and can store from four thousand to over half a million pages of text and graphics. A popular feature is its back-lit screen (which makes reading in the dark possible).

Some eBooks can be downloaded for free or at reduced cost, however, prices for many eBooks - especially bestsellers - are similar to those of hardcover books, and are sometimes higher. Most eBooks at Amazon.com, for example, are comparable in price to their traditional print versions. (Source: WhatIs.com)

Nevertheless, I don’t know when an eBooks can replace paper based books that dominated the market for a very long time. To be honest, I still don’t see any drastic change in people’s habit to see, touch and hold books. In Malaysia, eBooks seems not popular, yet.

I love reading fiction. What are your favourite authors? Mine are Tom Clancy, Micheal Cricton, R.J. Pineiro, Clive Cussler, Neal Stephenson, Dan Brown, Dale Brown, Robert Ludlum, John LeCarre, Frederick Forsyth, W.E.B. Griffin, John Sandford, Vince Flynn and Jeffery Deaver. The latest hi-tech thriller I was reading is Exposure by R.J. Pineiro.