This is definately for the shelf....

'The Complete Taj Mahal' by Ebba Koch.

The Taj Mahal is the unchallenged masterpiece of Mughal art and one of the most famous buildings in the world. Ebba Koch has been working on the palaces and gardens of Shah Jahan for thirty years since 1976, and on the Taj Mahal itself for a decade.

This almost complete book of Taj Mahal has all attractive photos and architectural detail drawings beautifully hand drawn by indian architect Richard A. Barraud. This is a very serious book and worth a penny if you are into ancient buildings or architecture.

The book covers from the construction to a walk through the Taj Mahal. This is the complete book on Taj Mahal but almost. Go to Agra to complete it yourself.

DOn't leave Agra without it. Its about US85.00

Finally......

Two long months of radiotherapy and another two months later, that is today...finally, I was declared cleared of cancer tumor at my nasal pharynx. It is now as clear as new. So, where to go from here ?

Guys.... me need more healthy diet of organic food, more fruits, more exercise, more rest, less stress......and a list of more and less with no endings. Well, can I start smoking, drinking and gamble? I had never done that !

I believe I should do what I must and what I can. Life is more vibrant from now on and begin to believe that there is no safe path in life. You may escape six feet under from cancer but end of days can come from heart failure, maybe hit by a train, hey.. how about earthquake, tsunami and someone not too long ago dropped death from watching football. Don't accidentally slipped and fell to qualify as a goner....anyway keep thinking!

To all my friends, colleagues, people, well wishers, relatives and most of all my wife and family, brothers and sisters, I owe you all a heartfelt thanks. Your love and a small place in your heart and thoughts are everything I need. Your prayers, visitations and gifts are all made in heaven. Thank you.

Tomorrow night I will have a light celebration at Centre Stage, Hard Rock Hotel in Kuta.. let me drink all the way and if you happened to be there...come join in the gala time with me.......

From Ng Kok Hong, Feb 28th, 2007.

India's Journal of Landscape Architecture

Journal of Landscape Architecture. A well designed and informative journal for those who are in the field of landscaping. Subjects coverage is broad and very much up to date infomation and articles. India is fast growing and so does other developments and therefore landscaping services are beginning to unfold gradually.

The editors, Brijender S. Dua and Geeta Wahi Dua are a dynamic couple. Besides running the magazine, they also involved in designing projects.

You may subscribe at grafiniti@gmail.com for 4 issues a year for US 40 and can further check out more at www.indianlandscapes.com.

Personally, I am very impressed by the quality and the good works done by the Duas.

Pandan Harum... a Practical Plant for Pond.

Most garden owners wanted waterlilies in their ponds. It requires a bit of time and know-how to maintain waterlilies. In most cases, they died off or shrinked to pathethic looking plant after a couple of months or so. Unless you are a hobbyist and have all the time to 'tender loving care' your plant, otherwise try to consider other more practical plant in ponds.

One of the recommended plant for pond is pandan harum (Pandanus amaryllifolius). This plant might not be as attractive or flowers like waterlilies but it functions and thrives well in freshwater. The root system that extends into the water, absorb dissolved organic nutrients from it and thus in a way cleaning it. It releases nice aromatic smell very strikingly especially in the morning and also in the evening. No maintenance is required other than controlling its growth. Fertilizing is not necessary at all.

Each time you need pandan for your cooking........well, just walk to your pond with a pair of scissor.

Who's Who: M. S. Oberoi

Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi

Founder of the Oberoi Group of Hotels and can be aptly termed as the father of the Indian hotel industry. He worked tirelessly to put Indian hotel industry on global tourism map. M.S. Oberoi was born on August 15, 1898, in the erstwhile undivided Punjab, now in Pakistan.

In 1922, to escape the epidemic of Plague, he came to Simla, and got a job of front desk clerk, at The Cecil Hotel at a salary of Rs 50 per month. M.S. Oberoi was a quick learner and shouldered many additional responsibilities along with the job of desk clerk. M. S. Oberoi's diligence prompted Mr. Clarke to request Mohan Singh Oberoi to assist him when he acquired Clarkes Hotel.

In 1934, M.S. Oberoi acquired The Clarkes Hotel from his mentor, by mortgaging his wife's jewelry and all his assets.

In 1938, he signed a lease to takeover operations of the five hundred room Grand Hotel in Calcutta, which was up for sale following a cholera epidemic.

In 1943, Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi, acquired the controlling interest in the Associated Hotels of India (AHI) which owned the Cecil, and Corstophans in Simla, the Maidens and the Imperial in Delhi, and a hotel each in Lahore, Murree, Rawalpindi and Peshawar. He thus became the first Indian to run the largest and finest hotel chain.

In 1965, M.S. Oberoi opened the first modern, five star international hotel in the country, The Oberoi Intercontinental, in Delhi.

Today, The Oberoi Group owns or manages 37 luxury and first class international hotels in seven countries. In 1943, he was conferred the title of Rai Bahadur by the British Government. M.S. Oberoi was honored with Padma Bhushan in 2001. M.S. Oberoi passed away on May 3, 2002 at the age of 103.

Book: M. S. Oberoi, Dare to Dream

SP Eco-Park - The Entrance of Harmony

The entrance feature at SP Eco-Park, Shah Alam was designed with effective combination of colours, form and elements of nature. It was to reflect the nature of eco-park. A water feature at the fore-front to represent its vitality. Two walls were designed to display the characters and colours of nature. These wall flanked the perimeter of the feature with trees and shrubs planted behind and around them to be 'protected'. Thus, the eco-park theme is refected in this traingular shaped entrance statement.

This design is like the story of nature to be blended and live symbiotically with other architectural elements in the midst of existing society. I called it 'the island's beacon'. It's attractive enough.

The Paradise Ponds at Novotel Coralia Benoa.

Novotel Coralia Benoa is one of the most

interesting hotel along the stretch of Nusa Dua, Bali. It was designed by Lek Bunnag and landscaped by Bill Bensley. In 2005-06, we were given the task to implement our bio-filtration system to all the ponds with a total area of approximately 300 sq.m.

There are two large entrance ponds and five smaller ones at the pool side. The ponds were murkish brown and nothing can be seen due to its water turbidity, tilapias spreading every where making the ponds looked abandoned.

My team worked through late into the night with minimal noise as there were then guests walking around and very curious of what was happening. The ponds were flushed and cleaned. The bio-filtration system were installed, new pineapple sculptured pot were brought in with some fresh aquatic plants and fishes. Using local lava stone as the main filtration medium, it makes the pond appeared to be very mysterious with its brownish black bottom.

When it was completed, fishes like shubunkin, tinfoil barb (Puntius schwanenfeldii) stand out strikingly with their reddish colour body against the dark background in the all new filtered fresh crisp clear water.

It was an interesting job when surounded by a strange atmosphere of environment created by Bunnag and Bensley. You have to visit Novotel Coralia Benoa to experience it.