Wednesday

Our condo up the hill, through the haze, and on the left

I noticed that I have used the word "haze" in every post so I wanted to bust out of this pattern even though it is something we think about every day and almost every moment. It was a bit better today, with API readings in the low 100's and below. Rain finally came in the afternoon and that certainly must have helped push the noxious particles down to ground - what a relief!

Aurelia and her doll

I picked up the keys for the new apartment today and am excited to move in. It seems like a great place - lots more space, and a immediate access to a garden for the kids to play outside (when the air is not poison). Now we just have to rent out the current place!

No school again today, so the Manmumms organized to meet at the Bangsar Village jungle gym with all the kids. Aurelia and Rowan had a great time with Oslo and Finley as usual, and made some new friends in Annabelle and Daisy, as well as Clementine who will be in Aurelia's class in Alice Smith. We are really looking forward to her going there.

We had lunch at Marmalade - a restaurant with a decent play area - and then off to Arts and Crafts on the 3rd floor. Rowan made a paddle with attached ball and Aurelia made an amazing Ariel mermaid out of clay. Marlene was working from home so we had to stay out as long as possible. Finally at home Aurelia kept working on a doll she had been making. School should be back tomorrow and am really looking forward to yoga!

A little less haze

There was a break in the haze today. Well, visibility was increased to a good 1.5 kilometres or so and this made everyone feel a lot better. The government readings were still elevated around the mid to high 100s, but no one really trusts these readings anyways.

We took the opportunity to stroll down to Richard and Sharon's flat where their friend was doing a fashion shoot for her clothing line. There were two models, a photographer and two assistants, accessories people and a hair stylist - quite a professional group. Aurelia was awed with the models getting their hair done, changing clothes, and trying on neck lasses and other accessories. Rowan and I were quite indifferent of course, but Rowan got a big lip smack on the cheek from one of the models.

Later in the day we made our way over to Plaza Damas in Sri Hartamas to try out a ballet class. The mall holds some interesting eateries and lots of Iranian carpet places. Aurelia enjoyed the class, the teacher, and the other students. I was so happy to see her dancing again. Afterwards we grabbed a BBQ pork belly at a Chinese restaurant to bring home for dinner and then found two air purifiers! I snapped them up immediately and we are presently enjoying cleaner air than we have had in a while. Kids in bed now, and I am pooped - can't wait for school to resume!

Aurelia is in fuchsia, but the shot is meant to show
the teacher's face mask

Despite the haze

This is a retro-perspective of the last week. The haze has been bad, but we have not let it stop us in our tracks - not yet anyways...

Last Wednesday the kids and I took a monorail trip from one end of the line to the other - 22 minutes! Good thing we could do a return trip. The monorail is a nice way to see the city because it is elevated and there is a lot to see - among the highlights are Bukit Bintang, Chow Kit market, and Rowan's favourite - the Twin Towers!

On Thursday we went to the arts and crafts activity centre at Bangsar Village. This is a pretty cool place, where the kids can choose one of several items to build. Last week Rowan built a train and Aurelia a fox-bag. This week it was a car with wings and a camera.

Friday saw us at Base Camp 5 in 1 Utama (4th largest mall in the world). We went with Adam and his son Oslo and brought along Sharon, Richard, and Finley too. It was fun! What a great place for kids of all ages. I got to do some climbing with the self belay machines, but enjoyed it even more taking turn belaying with Adam. The kids had fun on a decent sized boulder and going up and down the routes in the caving part of the gym. I don't normally like climbing in gyms, but I think I can get used to this.

Saturday was very hazy so we stayed inside all day until the afternoon when it cleared up a little bit. Sharon had us over for a cupcake party with Alex and Gaby and together with a cold bottle of wine - we all had a good time! Aurelia was thrilled by the neighbours little dog and just smitten when she picked him up and held him.

Haze 2

The smog as viewed from Garden City Mall

It's hazy - another smoky day in a string of smoky days going back over a week. Today is the worst of it though. The government website indicates that all the Selengor locations are over or around 200 API (air pollution index) - though most people I've spoken with suspect it is more. The prevailing winds have edged northward relieving Singapore from the Sumatra forest fires and plunging KL into the abysmal grey haze.

Noses are running, coughs are prevalent, and everyone is complaining about the Indonesians. I feel completely trapped: at home or inside, in the city, and in this country. Schools have been ordered shut and we are to stay inside. Outside the city the haze is just as bad if not worse. Richard was in the Genting highlands yesterday to try and escape the smell, but it was even worse there apparently. So there is no where to go. The whole country is blanketed by smog. Selma places are better than others but it changes on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, we have come to mid valley mall to play at the jungle gym and buy some items - air purifiers included. They sold out at our local place so I'm hoping there is stock left here. Then, lots of movies at home presumably. 

Update: no air purifiers anywhere...

The Haze

View from our condo this morning

The haze we've been experiencing over the last week is not the most auspicious start to the family blog, but I guess some things are more motivating than others. When things are going fine it is enough to just enjoy, but when you come across events that bother you, one must take some form of action. Either way - the haze is a good enough reason to get started on this blog.

The smoke that has come to pervade KL originates in Sumatra and is carried over the Straights of Melaka by the prevailing winds. Apparently various forestry companies are burning to clear areas for new crops and the farmers are burning to prepare their lands for the planting season. Either way the fires escape their original boundaries and massive wild fires ensue.

These hazy dayz started a week ago and we have had quite a moderate time of it here in KL. Singapore is doing terribly and so is southern Malaysia in Johor. In these places the API index is consistently above 300 - or "Hazardous." News outlets are showing people in masks (which don't do anything), filthy air where you can barely see anything, and advising people to stay indoors (which can't do much). 

Here in KL the API index was previously below 100 or "moderate", but today it is somewhere slightly above, or "unhealthy." I woke up smelling the smoke and going to the window to see the visibility, which is a pathetic 400 meters or so. I think the government sensors are on the optimistic side.

A constant conversation around here is what can be done about the situation. The Malaysian and Singaporean governments have sent representatives to Jakarta to pressure the government. However, the government there tries to fob off their responsibility by saying it is Malaysian and Singaporean companies that are doing the burning. Even my Indonesian friends blame these companies like Sime Darby, and say that the Malaysian and Singaporean governments are reluctant to put pressure on these companies - which sounds a bout right for sure. The point is, however, it is not the responsibilities of these countries, but Indonesia's responsibility as the host country wherein these companies operate. Indonesia must make burning activities illegal and must actively enforce the legislation. But why should they? The smoke blows away anyways, so why bother?! And this is where Malaysia and Singapore have to step up. They need to provide financial backing to help police and prosecute those who continue to break the law. 

There is apathy on all sides of this triangular equation as the political and business elites tend to place their needs above those of the larger populace (and of course this is human nature, not a localized phenomenon). Citizens and residents of these countries need to mobilize to motivate government to act on their behalf, but then this brings up another important question - why are Malaysian's so anti-conflict? The seeds of something more appear to have taken root after the last election, but these are questions for another posting. Any insight is most welcome - we are dying here.