I tasted the delicate freshness of Norway 11 hours' ago.
It was a special event entitled, A Taste of Norway, Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner 2008 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel near the twin towers - Kuala Lumpur City Centre(KLCC).
The function,graced by guest-of-honour,Yang Berhormat Tan Sri Datuk Amirsham A. Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department of Malaysia and former CEO of Malayan Banking Berhad,was a grand affair.
The organizers,Malaysia Norway Business Council(MNBC) and Royal Norwegian Embassy,truly threw big Norwegian Kroners by flying in fresh seafood,100 varieties or more,prepared by nine chefs from Norway,Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
The packed grand ballroom witnessed Aker Solutions, a renowned oil and gas engineering services company,clinching the MNBC Business Innovation award for its contribution towards Norway-Malaysia business development.Its solutions are being used at the Kikeh deepsea oilfield off Sabah and elsewhere.
The Royal Norwegian Embassy, headed by its top envoy H.E.Arild Braastad, and ably assisted by his secretary,Ms Voon,who was seated beside me, efficiently entertained the guests and distributed copies of informative kits including:
* minifacts about Norway/2008;
* a Taste of Norway with introduction on Norwegain cuisine and tasty recipes;
*Norwegian Contemporary Glass and Ceramics Exhibition 2008 brief. This joint co-operation project between the Malaysian National Art Gallery and Royal Norwegian Embassy is being held at the National Art Gallery from October 30 to November 30,2008.
*Norway Summer 2008 Tourism Guide;
and
*November 2008 issue of Reader's Digest with the tagline: SEE-HEAR-SMELL-TASTE-TOUCH NORWAY over picturesque cabin at Norway's famed fjord on its cover.
Norway,land of the midnight sun,offers breathtaking scenic views of fjords,glaciers,mountains,salmon fresh rivers,fertile hills, unspoilt coasts,beaches and cabin dotted farms.
The Kingdom stretches 385,199 sq.kilometres with its largest lake MJOSA at 362 sq. kilometres; highest mountain GALDHOPIGGEN at 2,469 metres; largest glacier JOSTEDALSBREEN at 487 sq. kilometres and longest fjord SOGNEFJORDEN at 204 kilometres.
It is a mountainous country stretching 1,750 kilometres across the northern tip of Europe.
One third of its landmass lies north of the Arctic Circle
For 24 hours a day,the sun is visible in its northern regions from mid-May to end-July.
That's the time to visit Norway to see the aurora borealis -the northern lights.
Between November and February, one may be amazed by nature's magical display of solar particles flickering in dramatic colours in the dark winter skies.
The Royal House of Norway is ruled by King Harald V and his consort Queen Sonja.
The system of government is Constitutional Monarchy and Parliamentary Democracy.Currently,the coalition of three major parties, Labour,Socialist Left and Centre, formed the government led by Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg of the Labour Party.
Interestingly, there is a Parliamentary Ombudsman for Public Administration Arne Fliflet to oversee and scrutinise public administration to ensure its integrity, independence and accountability to the country and people, something that Norway's famous dramatist Henri Ibsen (renowned for his plays Enemy of the People,Brand and The Ugly Duckling) would approve.
Enlightened democracies should emulate the establishment of this vital institution.
The population of Norway totals more than 4,737,171 (2007 census) at 16 inhabitants per sq. kilometres land area.This is made up of indigenous Sami population as well as five national minorities.
It is significant to note that average lifespan is 82 years for females and 78 for males, ranking Norway eighth in the world ahead of USA and Russia.Relatively, the population profile is rather youthful with the major proportion aged 30 years and below.
The national religion is protestant christianity.
The currency is the Norwegian Kroner,NOK. One EUR equals 7.96 NOK.
The official languages are Norwegian,two forms of Bokmal and Nynorsk, and Sami which has equal status with Norwegian in parts of Troms and Finnmark countries.
Norway,home of the Viking warriors, is renowned as an outdoor paradise. It has vast national parks totalling 29 stretching 2,675,600 hectares; 1,790 nature reserves totalling 419,300 hectares, 174 landscape protection areas totalling 1,509,300 hectares and 118 other protected areas totalling 12,654 hectares.
All these green lungs are protected by the Conservation Law, January 2007.
So one can ski,golf,hike,bike,sail,canoe,fish,swim,run and walk for hours and enjoy the great outdoors and beauty of nature in Norway.
Oslo, the largest city is the capital and seat of the royal family. Here one finds memorable outings in this historic habitat.
It is a bustling metropolis where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded annually.
Bergen, the 13th century capital and second largest city,is linked to Oslo via the Bergensbanan railway, the highest railway line in Europe. One may watch stunning scenic vistas of mountains and water at 1,200 metres above sea level travelling in a train.
Western Norway offers breathtaking views of fjords such as the Sognetfjorden.
Richly bestowed with oil and gas in the North Seas and fjords and rivers teeming with salmons,herrings and all kinds of fishes,norway's per capita income and standard of living are ranked in the world's top nations' league.
Its fresh fish.reindeer,moose,red deer, goose,goat, cheese and bakery and active oudoor lifestyle enable Norwegians to upkeep themselves in firm trim healthy shapes.
I plan to go for a spin in Norway next summer! Two beautiful ladies,Esther Chandran,StarMetro journalist and Nancy Bakhshy,Turkish-Iranian belly dance instructor,shared the wonderful evening and sumptuous spread at the special table with Ms Voon, my brother Steve Kong Chin Peng and Health Ministry's faithful official Chong last night.Wow! Was that an evening worth a blog!!!
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