The Great Ocean Road – Melbourne, Victoria

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By P Chong                 Sun. 28 Mar. 2010

Photo by Neal-Prichard

Compared to the European continent, Australia is but one great continental mass without cultural heritage & may rightly be termed as a “cultural desert”. What Australia lacks in cultural history, it has some unique geological structures not found anywhere in the world. Ayers Rock in Alice Spring, Wave Rock & the Pinnacles in Western Australia are worthy of mention. In Victoria, close to Melbourne, is unquestionably “The Twelve Great Apost

The Twelve Apostles – another view from my camera

The famous Twelve Apostles are the craggy iconic limestone stacks rising majestically from the Southern Ocean. They are sure to leave you spellbound. They rise up to 70 m from the ocean. You can view them from lookouts between Apollo Bay and Port Campbell. (See map)

The Great Ocean Road Map

The Great Ocean Road

The 108-mile coastal drive along Australia’s south-western shore winds its way around rugged cliffs through lush rainforests & windswept beaches. Recognised as one of the world’s most scenic drives, the Great Ocean Road follows the stunning coastline of Victoria’s south-west. Stretching 243 kilometres from Torquay, just south of Geelong, to Allansford, just east of Warrnambool, the road winds along cliff tops, up to breathtaking headlands, down onto the edge of beaches, across river estuaries and through lush rainforests offering panoramic views of Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean at every turn.

Loch Ard Gorge Lookout

Spectacular vistas – The stretch between Lorne and Apollo Bay is considered by many to be the most picturesque section of the Great Ocean Road. The highway is carved into sheer cliffs that drop away into the ocean, offering commanding views of the waves swelling and crashing onto the rocks and beaches below.

Twelve Apostles
 – Outside Apollo Bay the road winds through the centre of the Great Otway National Park with its beautiful untouched rainforests, before returning to hug the coast for the entire length of the Port Campbell National Park. This is the most famous section of the Great Ocean Road featuring an amazing collection of rock formations known as the Twelve Apostles which have been carved out of the headland by the fierce waves of the southern ocean.

You can drive yourself to enjoy the scenic views or go along on a day trip tour by coach from Melbourne.

The Bible – God’s Instruction Manual

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By P Chong                            Sun. 28 March 2010

The Bible has always been known to be the best selling book in any year. It is God’s Instruction Manual to man for daily living. Often man will turn to the Bible for solace & answers to his problems. Through the service of the Gideons, lone travellers can at most times find a copy of the Bible to read in the hotels.

Nowadays, Bible is readily accessible online.

Whatever your faith or religion, you’ll find joy out of living when you focus on the simple basic things. It’s the basic & fundamental that will provide you with the foundation & lead you to bigger things in life. Failing, neglecting or ignoring them as insignificant often give way to regret later on.

Herein is a list of some everyday items of life which you might want to take note & be guided by the Holy Bible as you live from day to day:

Toothpick – to remind you to pick out the good qualities in others.(Matt 7:1)

Rubber Band – to remind you to be flexible, things might not always go the way you want, but it will work out. (Romans 8:28)

Band Aid – to remind you to heal hurt feelings, yours or someone else. (Col. 3:12-14)

Pencil – to remind you to list your blessings everyday. (Eph. 1:3)

Eraser – to remind you that everyone makes mistakes & it’s okay. (Gen. 50:15-21)

Chewing Gum – to remind you to stick with it & you can accomplish anything. (Phil. 4:13)

Mint – to remind you that you are worth a mint to your Heavenly Father. (John 3: 16-17)

Candy Kisses – to remind you that everybody needs a kiss or a hug everyday. (1 John 4:7)

Herb Tea Bag – to remind you to relax & rejoice daily & go over that list of God’s blessings. (Dt. 12:7)

To the world you maybe just somebody

But to Somebody you are the world.

Share your love & blessings

And make someone’s life a little brighter today!

Related Articles by same writer:

In the Archives, search for

  1. Good News to mankind (August 2009)
  2. The Bible – Some Interesting Facts For The Laymen (Dec. 2009)
  3. The Centre of the Bible (January 2010)

Extraordinary Air Umbrella

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By P Chong

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive

and believe, it can achieve” – Dr. Napoleon Hill

Edward de Bono would attribute man’s ingenuity & creativeness

to having the ability to think “outside the box” (lateral thinking).

These two great men above have time & time again been proven to be right in their philosophy by man’s achievement in the number of creative inventions & innovations. One such creative design is demonstrated by the extraordinary air umbrella which is absolutely different from its traditional typical umbrella with a canopy.

This “air umbrella”, designed by South Koreans Je Sung Park & Woo Jung Kwon, has no canopy, instead, a slim pipe blows enough air to keep the rain away. The user can control the length of its stem & the scale of air cover at will. This cool creative design breaks the traditional thought on the shape of umbrella. It is also eco-friendly as it reduces the use of plastics or other paper or cloth materials for the canopy.

Sheltered from the rain by umbrella without a canopy!

Its stem can be conveniently extended or shortened


Now, you don’t need to wait for the storm to pass.

You can dance in the rain.

You can even “Sing in the Rain” as Gene Kelly did

in the feature film of the same title.

It’s handy to be carried around whatever the weather.

Are we gonna see a change in the atmosphere of the rainy landscape?

A Trillion is Forever!

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By P Chong

Mankind need to reinvent the wheel of fortune to accommodate such humongous sum of money. Millionaires are cheaper by the dozen, even billionaires are numerous these days. But can you visualise what a trillion is?

It’s easy to be a millionaire even starting off with just one dollar. Now if you can double the resulting amount every consecutive day, without any hassle, you’d end up with a million in just three weeks. This is only simple addition & not geometric progression or exponential.

In the initial stage, while the sum is relatively small, your capacity & ability will not be taxed. But when the figures build up . . . then where would you find the equivalent amount to double up? See illustration below:

1                                                                                   Day 1 starting off with 1 dollar

1 + 1 = 2

2 + 2 = 4

4 + 4 = 8

8 + 8 = 16

16 = 16 = 32

32 + 32 = 64

64 + 64 = 128

128 + 128 = 256

256 + 256 = 512                                                      By Day 10 easy to double up

512 + 512 = 1024=2^10                                                    By Day 11 in the thousand category

1024 + 1024 = 2048=2^11

2048 + 2048 = 4096

4096 + 4096 = 8192

8192 + 8192 = 16384

16384 + 16384 = 32768

32768 + 32768 = 65536

65536 + 65536 = 131072                                     Day 18 the amount is in the hundred of thousands

131072 + 131072 = 262144

262144 + 262144 = 524288

524288 + 524288 = 1048576                           By Day 21 . . . if you CAN . . . you’ll be a millionaire!

Ironically, thing can start small & slow . . . but it builds up very SUDDENLY. Conversely, a millionaire was once asked how he lost his fortune. He simply said, “ First slowly. Then suddenly!” Yes, money has that power to multiply & deplete very suddenly.

Another Specimen of One Trillion Dollars ?


Everybody is talking & arguing about stimulus and spending huge amounts of money like they’re throwing away loose change!

What we need is a way to visualise the differences between a million, a billion and a trillion. Something that’s easily visualised is time. If we use seconds as our denomination . . .

1 Million seconds = 11.570 days

1 Billion seconds = 31.709 years

1 Trillion seconds = 31,709.791 years

Thus I Trillion Years is forever.

Now convert that to money …. and as Washington & the Fed toss around BILLIONS AND TRILLIONS like it’s loose change, you’ll have a better & clearer perspective.

What the American face now, is worse than the Great Depression. This is Hyper-Depression! United States, once the strongest country in the world, is quickly becoming insolvent as its banking system remains under-capitalised, its savings depleted and the inevitable consequence of the trillions of money supply growth is hyperinflation.

The $100 Bill in General Circulation

Above: One Trillion Dollars. Notice the size of a man’s figure on the left corner!

Also notice those pallets are double stacked.
 . . and remember those are $100 bills.


So the next time you hear someone toss around the phrase “trillion dollars”. . . that’s what they’re talking about.

A Trillion is Forever!

Ascribe the Blaming Game

On By Paul2 Comments

By P Chong


It’s customary for cowards to ascribe the blaming game to their opponents for the lack of courage in owning up to their responsibilities. It’s the easiest thing to do . . . taking the route of least resistance & adopting all forms of justification & rationalisation. They dare not look squarely at their failure or predicament nor take steps in finding solutions which appear to be so insurmountable.

The exchange rate of Renminbi has become a focal point of international attention. China has been

under great pressure to revalue & resisting it all the way.

Not too long ago, I remember the “ugly” Americans were treading & trespassing all over the world splashing their much valued Greenbacks, spending like dukes & lords. Now the good times are gone. Their pride & arrogance dashed to the ground when seeing others taking over the scene. The scenario is likened to the fading aging movie stars competing with younger & prettier new talents.

Eclipsed by age & opportunities in playing the heroic & romantic roles, experienced older stars will always have other roles to play. This is the natural sequence of entertainment life. When one door closes, other doors will be opening up. After all the prize always go to the fastest & the quickest.

In the world of globalisation & international trade & exchanges, the playing field is fair for one & all. All play by the same rule . . . no question of double standard or with unfair due advantage. It’s a game of survival of the fittest.

Retrospectively, during the last global financial crisis, China helped to stabilise Asia’s financial market when it endured great pressure and resisted depreciating its exchange rate. History is on the repeat.

Industry insiders say it’s unreasonable to ascribe China’s trade surpluses to the Yuan’s exchange. The American are saying that the Yuan is undervalued by as much as 40%. For that reason alone, US economy is shouldering all the woes!

Let’s take a look at the the RMB Exchange Rate:

From the Table below you’ll note that the Yuan appreciated nearly 15 percent from July 2008 to February 2009, while the US dollar depreciated. This makes it hard to argue that the RMB’s undervalued.

As reported by CCTV, Professor Niall Ferguson from Harvard University says the US should not take protectionist measures towards China since it’s still in recession. He suggests the US learn from the recession in the 1930s, when trade protectionism slowed down its economic recovery. He says not only is a trade war on the verge of breaking out, but a currency war is only a hair-trigger away.

Harvard Professor Niall Ferguson

Ferguson says China is becoming the engine of the world economy, and has taken the lead in the recovery. So if the US squeezes China too much, it may snuff out the recovery, bringing a deeper crisis for the world economy. U.S. exports to China hit about 70 billion US$in 2009 — representing a flat growth during 2008 that analysts attribute to the global economic slowdown.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has maintained that a stable RMB is good & essential for the global economic recovery. Likewise, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Li Yang, who’s also the Vice President of the China Society for Finance and Banking, is of the same opinion.

Li Yang

Li Yang said, “The United States is always reiterating that low prices of Chinese products have hurt America’s traditional industries. It tends to ignore the fact that cheap Chinese products have maintained commodity prices in the U.S. at a relatively low level. Furthermore, China’s trade surplus has accumulated large amount of foreign exchange assets. It actually supported the US government’s bailout plans, because America has huge deficit no matter whether it is for the banks or for the government. The U.S. needs a creditor. The current situation in China is helping the US economy warm up. “

Li Yang adds the exchange rate is also a matter of a sovereignty and it’s not appropriate for other countries to intervene. Respect begets respect. Jim O’Neill, Goldman Sachs Chief Global Economist, when interviewed by Bloomberg TV, said that US should be less vocal on China’s Yuan.

I might just add here to say that to profess capitalism you must have capital. Sensibly too, a capitalist economy needs to adopt & focus on long term policies rather than short term greed. Stability is so very essential for growth & progress.

Desert Or Deserted?

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By P Chong


“Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was,

but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus”. ~ Galatians 1:17

When Paul was struck down on the way to Damascus and received his commission from Christ, he did not make immediate contact with the rest of the Apostles. He went instead into Arabia and spent a good three years there. Why?

This is God’s way of preparing him for the great task ahead. There was a need for:

  • a time of separation between the old life and the new
  • a time of consideration of what had taken place in his life
  • a time to develop an intimate knowledge & relationship with the newfound Saviour
  • to prepare himself for a life that would change dramatically

All in all to prepare for what was coming – which could be painful and difficult to endure as Paul’s case.

Biblically, there were others called upon by God to perform His purposes and undergone similar circumstances;

  • Joseph was sold into slavery and separated from his family
  • Jacob was sent to live with his uncle
  • Moses had to spend forty years in desert seclusion

In the case of Moses, who was an Egyptian Prince used to all conceivable comforts and security, with his pride and arrogance, this was by no means smallish sacrifice.

Have you ever found yourself in like situation? Secluded in a Desert or Deserted? Or trying to make sense of the situation you are in? God’s ways are not our ways. Infinitively, His thoughts are not our thoughts. There is no compare.

Let Us Pray

As we participate

And each other educate

We seek Thy wisdom

To behold Thy Kingdom

A wisdom to understand Thy Word

That we can strengthen our worth

To view life not with all its futility

But to prepare for yonder eternity

As we lift our hearts and spirit to Thee

Let us have Thy Divine objectivity.

Evil Shall Fail . . . The Righteous Prevail

On By Paul2 Comments

By P Chong

Nuclear Explosion

If you ever feel that evildoers seemed to be more blessed, and the righteous more prosecuted, just remember God’s words as saying in Malachi 3:16-18:

“They will be Mine,” says the Lord Almighty, “in the day when I take up My treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not”

The forces of evil are abundantly out there; you have to stand tall and courageous to brave them all. Remember the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah in Biblical times, so many perished and so few were saved. Those days evil was seemingly more confined, but without a doubt in modern time evil is everywhere. There is no escaping. People are even justifying by saying that it is right if the majority is doing it. Another argument goes by the notion of personal right. When overcome by evil desire countless justification will flourish to ease the wronged conscience.

Satan has a way of switching the “price tags” turning the world topsy turvy. It seems so difficult to distinguish between right and wrong. In the courts of law, with a good lawyer you can get away with murder. Con artists flourish with their silver tongues. Burglars enrich themselves by depriving the unfortunate of their worldly possessions. The true meaning of a joyous occasion becomes camouflaged and concealed with commercial overtone attached. The news media in consideration of sensationalism and profit highlight the negative rather than the good. Such is the nature of the world we live in.

Evil is widespread beyond all territorial restrictions. Wars these days kill more people than the battles of ancient time. Waves of change flow with the tides, penetrating every shore on earth. Instant communication, both audio and visual impact the homes without exception. It’s been more than thirty years since Darwin was swept away and devastated by Cyclone Tracy. Dare we to say that with moral deterioration, destruction will be more instant and widespread globally. There have been of late  more natural disasters & wars ever experienced by mankind. Whither are we going?

More than ever this is the time for reflection. This is the time for us to draw closer to God. Morally we need to be fortified in order to withstand. This is the season and the reason to concentrate on Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. Let there be more loving and sharing. Be of good cheer. God rewards faithful obedience. Relationship with God requires patience, suffering, and perseverance.

Nude Painting Or Bodyart

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By P Chong

"The naked Maja" by Goya

Nude painting has come a long way since my college days in 1959/60 when I first set my eyes on the “Naked Maja” by Francesco Goya (1746-1828), the famous Spanish painter. Known in Spanish as “a maja desnuda”, it is an an oil canvas painting portraying a nude woman reclining on a bed of pillows. It was executed some time between 1797 and 1800, and is sometimes said to be the first clear depiction of female pubic hair in a large Western painting. The painting is in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

As can be seen from the above picture, the beauty & physical attributes of the model (whoever she was) are somewhat of a different standard from the present norm.

Chinese Artist Paints Daughter As An Oriental Goddess

I am not an artist, but I notice that nude painting has evolved into a bodyart form. Not content to just presenting & displaying nude paintings on canvases, artists have developed an art on nude female bodies.

BodyPainting - Chinese Art

From my previous article “Flashing Feminine Wares For Masculine Stare & Dare!” (9 August 2009), you might remember some of these similar pictures.

These female models in the nude displayed classic Chinese paintings on their bodies at the 8th China (Zibo) International Ceremics Expo. Similar attempts have been seen at Motor Vehicle Exhibitions. Would you call this “sexploitation”?

"Sexploitation?"

Some artists are rather skilfull in presenting & displaying their art works. Here are some of the very best bodyart – could you perceive a naked model in each of the faces of the tiger?

Artist at Work

Maxwell Hill – Taiping, Malaysia

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By P Chong                               Wed. 24 Mar. 2010

Taiping Town as viewed from Maxwell Hill


I remember Maxwell Hill well – a holiday & adventure of a place, where greenery prevails & fauna & flora flourish, where streams flow & waterfalls cascading upon the slopes, where the twists & turns in the ascent or descent, whether you are trekking or in a jeep, never fail to delight & surprise you with sights of wonder & beauty & absolute serenity. Talk of an eco-destination, this natural hill resort provides the best there is right at the door step of Taiping.

If you are thinking of a quiet honeymoon, a quick getaway, an affordable weekend romantic retreat, a simple rest & recreation, or even a day trip to get away from the heat & humility of the tropical lowlands, Maxwell Hill is your answer.

No other towns or cities in Malaysia can boast of a hill retreat in such close proximity & accessibility. It is the wettest part of Malaysia and located approximately 9 km from Taiping Town.

Maxwell Hill, now known as Bukit Larut, next to Penang Hill, is Malaysia’s oldest and smallest hill resort. Maxwell Hill stands 1,035m above sea level, and is accessible only by government-owned four-wheel-drive vehicles. A return journey up Maxwell Hill costs an economical RM4, meaning a mere RM2 takes you all the way up the lengthy and headache-inducing hill road. The road twists & turns with a total of 72 bends through lush green tropical rainforests, and you can hear the sound of birds & monkeys with the air becoming gradually cooler as the jeep climbs higher.

Along the way you should see clusters of hikers conquering Maxwell Hill, a feat that takes approximately two to three hours. I have had my fair share of trekking up the hill, taking short cuts upon steep slopes in a more direct ascent. You’ve got to exercise a lot of caution for often you literally have to cling on to only tree roots for support. This is real jungle trekking. There are many jungle trails and one of the popular one is the Gunung Hijau Trail. This trail leads you to the peak of Gunung Hijau at 1,449 m above sea level, where you’ll find the best panoramic view of Taiping Town.

Maxwell Hill was named after William Edward Maxwell, who was appointed Assistant Resident of Perak in 1875. At that time, the British was looking for a hill retreat away from the tropical heat for its senior officers & wives, a place similar to Simla in India. After much searching, Maxwell discovered that there’s a hill right on his doorstep.  The journey from foot to peak is 13 kilometres, making it suitable for the purpose intended. Hence Maxwell Hill was born.

Steps were immediately taken to develop Maxwell Hill as it was then known. By the 1870’s, among the visitors included famous names like Isabella Bird and Ambrose Rathborne. In those days, the visitors have a choice of walking, taking a pony, or being carried on a “mountain chair”. It wasn’t until the mid 1940’s that the road was widened and made suitable for vehicles. That was during World War II, when Taiping was declared the administrative center for Perak and Indonesia by the occupying Japanese forces, the Japanese official made Maxwell Hill his residency. He forced the prisoners of war to build the road up the hill. Although the road was only opened in 1948, three years after the Japanese surrender, much of it was built through the sweat, blood and lives of ragged prisoners of war.

Bungalow or Cottage

The cottages on Maxwell Hill all carry their own personalities and names. Today most of these names have been localised & renamed, among them: The Hut (now Cendana), The Cottage, Treacher (Tempinis), Watson’s Rest House (Beringin), The Federal Bungalows (Sri Angkasa), Speedy’s Chalet (Rumah Rehat Gunung Hijau), The Nest and The Box. Sad to say, many of these bungalows are in various stages of deterioration, a real shame from their former glory.

Midway to the top is the Tea Garden House that was once part of the tea-estate. The view at this point is magnificent and features the entire Taiping town as well as the Lake Gardens. Also visible are the suburbs of Aulong and Simpang and the 19km stretch of Taiping – Port Weld road & the first railway line in Malaysia linking Taiping with Port Weld, no longer operational.

Apart from the Telecommunication Tower on Gunung Hijau where the Cottage stands, there hasn’t been much development on Maxwell Hill, apart from the recent interest in tulip cultivation.

Maxwell Hill is 290 km from the city of Kuala Lumpur. After arriving in Taiping town, go towards Taiping Lake Garden and follow the turning to Jalan Air Terjun towards the foot of the hill. From the foot of the hill, the journey up to the summit in just half an hour is by government Land Rover.

Taiping, once the capital of Perak, is credited with many firsts. As mentioned, the first to have a public Lake Gardens & the first railway, it is also the first in having a high-walled security prison, the oldest golf course and a museum – all the infrastructures that could be built on for the tourist industry. Yet, with such advantages nothing is capitalised on & even the North South Highway bypasses Taiping, cutting it off & setting it to its “sleeping hollow” fate. What about greater exposure & tourist promotion to bring life back to Taiping?

David – “A Man After God’s Own Heart”

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By P Chong                                       Wed.24 Mar. 2010

David & Goliath

“And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and

that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of His people Israel.“~ 1 Chronicles 14:2

Much have been written & known of David slaying the giant Goliath as a shepherd boy

or how he usurped  his captain’s wife, Bathsheba.

Strangely enough, David, who was credited as “a man after God’s own heart” was far from perfect. He was  sinful and yet God blessed him. He commited adultery and even murder just so he could have Bathsheba. Handpicked by God to be King of Israel when he was just a shepherd boy, his life was mixed with both tribulations and triumph.

Certainly, David received blessings from God not because he was perfect and deserved it, though he was a great military strategist. Or that he ascribed his Psalms and Songs to God. God never blesses an individual solely exclusively for his sake. God blessed David essentially for the sake of His people Israel. This is the important lesson that David learnt. Each one of us is called by God to be a blessing unto others.

David underwent great trials and tribulations. Pursued by King Saul and even by his own son Absalom, he was living largely a fugitive life. His family life was topsy-turvy. But he never failed to turn his heart to God’s own heart despite his perils. and trouble.David’s repentance was truly genuine and God’s blessings flowed from him to His people.

Be a blessing unto others. God’s blessings should bear spiritual fruits that others can harvest from. Blessings shared and freely flowing unto others are manifested manifold. To you, as in Numbers 6:24-26 ~

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make His face shine upon you

And be gracious to you;

The LORD turn his face toward you

And give you peace.”