Tight Schedule and Greening Cities.

Tight Schedule

I have not been updating the blog for almost a month now. I am on a tight schedule these few weeks, up and down,  in and out.The laptop was having tantrums and had to be reformatted. Meanwhile the broadband is sluggish again and again. These add to the problem.

Luckily the automatic watering system is doing fine...., bottle feeding plants 5 times a day. There are 90 chili plants in white polibags around the house right now. Kakdah seems to enjoy picking the ripe ones everyday.  All are giveaways for now.

Recently, we took 3 kilogram of chili centil to Kota Kinabalu Sabah, packed in 100g packets. We still have friends over there in Sabah, so most got their share........ We spent 3 days breathing the air of Sabah, in conjunction  with the 58th birthday of Yang DiPertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin.  I was there as a recipient of State's Award.

Greening Cities

After going through some promotional blitz with rooftop gardening adventure...., through media on third week of July,  International Greentech and Eco-Product Exhibition Malaysia 7 - 10 September 2011, and the recent Farmer's Day Kelantan held over a week, ending yesterday....., the team is ready to take on a new adventure.... that is greening cities.

There had been requests from many quarters, seeking technical support to do rooftop gardening all over the country. One is as far as Miri Sarawak, another in Bukit Bintang Kuala Lumpur, Kuantan etc.  We will help each of them.

Today "Four Polluted Towns; Shah Alam, Putrajaya, Nilai and Tanjung Malim" is at the front page of local newspaper Utusan Malaysia. Pollutions due to car's exhaust changed used-to-be-safe-for living towns into polluted towns. Research done by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia also indicated worrying conditions in Seberang Perai and Johor Bahru.

We thought, rooftop gardening is an adventure worth implementing with multi-pronged purposes to deal with rising pollution in towns and cities. Rooftop gardening is a pure commercial adventure with cleaner air as by products!... How sweet. And the team is negotiating with TV1 and TV3 for a short exposure in November.

Tomorrow I will head towards Kuala Lumpur, a long journey for a short half an hour important meeting. In the meantime I will squeeze in updates to keep "my little vegetable garden" alive, whenever I can.

bangchik and kakdah

rooftop gardening, a showcase at IGEM 2011 KLCC.

rooftop gardening for future generations

nearby kintergarden children posing 

in our rooftop garden

So, the rooftop gardening entrepreneurial team will be displaying their dare to dream package at the IGEM 2011, KLCC 7 - 10 September 2011.  They are exhibiting their own brand of success story, an adventure into rooftop gardening.

The team had published a book titled "rooftop gardening ~ an experience" to be made available at the booth, at quite a reasonable price for hard cover.  The early birds will get door gifts and a green bag to put everything in. If the stock is enough, visitors will take home a packet of red hot chili, from our rooftop garden.

Quite a number had shown interest  to replicate similar commercial rooftop gardening at the factories and buildings. One factory owner is ready to go ahead with the exciting gardening adventure, as early as 1st of October this year, which is just around the corner. Our team will provide the necessary technical support to help him. I guess their hands will soon be tied up....... it is going to be exciting, to see idle rooftops painted green everywhere.......

There are more than 600 exhibitors from all over the world taking part. Most are showing real physical products on greentech, but our team is showing something different, a concept : to green cities, to cool down buildings, to add more oxygen to the atmosphere, as a viable economic adventure....., bringing everyone along with the noble concept "dare to dream".  The team is offering real spirit, skills and technology behind rooftop gardening...

Efforts to green the earth is for children of today and tomorrow , 

the future generations........

Update: 8th of September 2011

a prospective client being briefed about rooftop gardening.
IGEM 2011, KLCC Kuala Lumpur
8th of September 2011

The young Mr K sharpening his marketing skills.

Our team presented the book "rooftop gardening ~ an adventure" 

to the Prime Minister at IGEM2011, KLCC, 

8th of September 2011

 Come and visit rooftop gardening 

at booth D052, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC)

7-10 September 2011.

the team has 
enthusiasm, 
skills 
and 
technology 
to offer.

 bangchik and kakdah will be there on the 10th September 2011.

rooftop gardening: for the community.

rooftop gardening: visitors

Our rooftop gardening is not about planting and harvesting only, it evolves into research on rooftop gardening's  impact to the environment, electronic and robotic applications in farming and a focal point for the community. The place is open for everyone to see and learn. Whoever gets to the rooftop, briefed about the technology behind it will get a certificate "friends of rooftop gardening". The number swells to a thousand now, serial 0001 goes to Dato Mustapha, 0002 Dato Rohani, and so on.

It is very much a social responsibility, pushing home the notion that gardening is a vocation, it is not old fashion, it is earth friendly. Everyone should get involved even as small as having a few pots at the balcony. So we received steady numbers of visitors from schools in Kelantan.....

students from nearby school

she was explaining about growth and harvest

primary school children

ready for a group photo

a group photo of primary school pupils.

They are allowed to meander about within a designated section.

books over the head, it was hot for some.

Future is in their hands, the younger generations. 

Rooftop gardening is about "dare to dream" and making use of idle space. 

And finally gardening is a profitable adventure.

The post on rooftop gardening is the last, 
until I assemble enough information on marketing aspects.

bangchik and kakdah

gardening: an interesting social outlet

I wonder if there is another race being more colouful and flamboyant than the Malays. Their dress can be extravagantly colourful. There's a saying "biar papa asal bergaya", meaning in style even poor. I have attended a seminar in the middle east years ago, I thought they were a bit limited in choice of colour. For the ladies, their dress would be black shawl, black coat, black veil..... Huh....,the Malays  play with colours like living with rainbows.....

 Kakdah and Rose in the middle

Rose, a young member of the community recently got transferred to Putrajaya to join her husband there. Kakdah played the role of matriach , bringing ladies to the rooftop to make farewell lasted longer. They did their bit, picking chili centil, posing for pictures and joked around. Some ended with teary eyes, not due to the hot chili, Kakdah insisted.

picking chili centil

the ladies in such jovial mood

cili centil

Kakdah, the matriach.

I am coming to the point, that rooftop gardening is an interesting social outlet.
They laughed and cried before they finally let Rose go......

bangchik and kakdah

Here is Bangchik!

I am responding to Malar's specific question "where is bangchik?" among  the 30 photos displayed covering the whole spectrum of  rooftop gardening - harvest festival! 23rd of July 2011 . A colourful event  indeed  with vibrant pictures as Amir noted,   but I purposely left  out the identity of Bangchik. Those who know me, would quickly recognise Bangchik by just looking at the short spiky hair, with heavy tan complexion. It's hereditary not sunbathing overdose!... aha.

The other day Kakdah called our daughter Farah,  but Adlina (our eldest grand daughter) quickly grabbed the phone, yelled and giggled  "Opah, Along nampak TokAyah dalam surat kabar!" (in English, "Grandma, I saw grandpa in the newspaper!")  She recognised the short spiky hair, more white than black  in Berita Harian 28th July  page 11 varsity section..... aha. So that is Bangchik.

bangchik pointing towards the rooftop to Hj Md Nor, the DG.

"a few hundred steps we will get there"

bangchik, welcoming Dato Ikmal

bangchik, introducing Dato Mustapha to the guests

bangchik responding to Dato Mustapha's question on stage

bangchik talking to Dato Rohani, TKSU  Ministry of Higher Education

bangchik welcoming everyone

bangchik and Dato Mustapha, touching the magic ball

Yesterday around 10.30am, a guy from New Strait Times, a young lady from  national daily Berita Harian and a photographer came  to do coverage on rooftop gardening. The photographer was busy zooming and clicking all over. They will let us know when the article on rooftop gardening will appear. The three young entrepreneurs were smiling and perspiring under the hot sun, harvesting Chili Centil, while the photographer was  busy looking for the best angle and mood and Bangchik kept shifting his role as gardener-blogger and a professional. At the same time I am visualising the busy schedule ahead when I answered yes to Jayanthi Naidu's request , 2 articles a week for Brimful - online lifestyle mag  in the making...

I had been presenting myself as gardener-blogger in my little vegetable garden blog, 
but not much on my professional existence. 
So that is bangchik for you Malar.

update:  Raising the rooftop on gardening
as in  New Straits Times 2011/08/03

from NST 3.8.2011

bangchik and kakdah

rooftop gardening - harvest festival!

It is Pesta Menuai in Malay langguage or Tadau Kaamatan in  Kadazan langguage or the more popular  Harvest Festival. So the day finally came to rejoice over 3 months long endurance  with  rooftop gardening.  Dato Sri Mustapha Mohamed came to grace the occasion. Over a thousand turned up to support the colourful event, ranging from kindergarden children, students, mothers, fathers and as Sulong noted even elderly grandmothers.

The first chili harvested.

Dato Sri Mustapha put it in a decorative basket.

As planned, there were colouring contest for kindergarden children, essay competition for secondary school students, photography contest, flower and veggie arrangements for the ladies. So the crowd came in large numbers for the day. Exhibition booths were set for agencies/companies with agriculture interest. If tarian Sumazau is popular in Sabah during Tadau Kaamatan, over here kindergarden children showed something colourful with their steps.

the crowd, mothers, fathers and children

The crowd, front row

a little girl wishing to have clearer view

pa system spaghetti wires..... and the crowd

Front row:  Fauzi, Kamarudin, Shab and Zairon

Dato Rohani was happy with the large turnout

Dato Ikmal came too.

Tanah Merah DO, Dato Ikmal and Hj Md Nor

Nik sharing a joke.

girls from nearby school

The registration going on..

The ladies helping out.

Kakdah was there too, far right, accompanying Pn Normah.

MC..... Radio Kelantan DJ Kak Wan and Rugayah
handling earlier events; 
singing, dancing and nasyid.

boys and girls queuing up for their show.

Dancing

a different group, a different dance

the smile..., confidence building up.

the children holding hands

another show, nasyid ready to get up the stage

nasyid

nasyid

Dikir Barat

Mail Anak Kala,  an icon in Dikir Barat

MC..... ready for the main event.

Kakdah, front row with spectacles and her friends.

Dato Sri Mustapha Mohamed going up to the rooftop.

crowding over TokPa 

Group Photo for the day.

It is about putting rooftop gardening across to the community,
about educating younger generation to be innovative
about saying Thank You God for bountiful harvest.

Rooftop gardening is no more foreign to the community. Everyone who get to the rooftop and briefed about rooftop gardening will get a certificate ~ friends of rooftop gardening. The number should swell to thousands by the end of the year. The team is targeting to be in Malaysian Book Of Record on the biggest number of rooftop gardening visitors!  Now the team is entering into the next phase, that is marketing. They should work out where to sell chili centil. There is a long list of potential buyers. The first harvest is about 80 kilogram, sold the same day!

(Thanks Nik for hundreds of lovely photos)

Earlier posts on rooftop gardening. 

• July 8, 2011 rooftop vegetable gardening: heavy with green chili
• June 27, 2011  ROOFTOP GARDENING : gearing for a big harvest.
• June 15, 2011  rooftop vegetable gardening: chili flowering 
• May 30, 2011  ROOFTOP GARDENING: they get everybody involved. 
• May 18, 2011  rooftop gardening: Condition them for transplanting. 
• April 28, 2011  Rooftop gardening: they rope me in
• April 19, 2011  Roof Top vegetable gardening

bangchik and kakdah