New Straits Times Asia One 20 Oct 09;
KUALA TERENGGANU: Conservationists Prof Chan Eng Heng, 59, Chen Pelf Nyok, 28, and Chang Kew Fong, 25, plan to stay awake for 24 hours on Sunday, just so they can blog.
But it is not because the trio want to set a personal record of how much they can write before hitting the sack.
They are doing it for the turtles as they hope the blogathon will help raise funds for the newly-established Turtle Conservation Centre in Setiu.
The centre aims to restore the depleted wild population of fresh water, terrestrial and marine turtles in the country, especially in northern Terengganu.
The blogathon will begin at 9pm.
"We will be publishing a blog post every hour about freshwater and marine turtles.
"If there are things that you'd like to know about marine and freshwater turtles but never knew who to ask, this is your chance.
"You have until Sunday to submit the questions and we will post the answers," said Chan, who is also the centre's co-founder.
For Chen, this will be her third run at blogging for 24 hours.
She had participated in two blogathons in 2006 and 2007 previously.
"My third blogathon should be easier as I have Prof Chan and Fong for company.
"And we are not taking shifts either.
"We don't have a strategy as yet on staying awake for the whole day but we won't be brewing coffee," she said, adding that there would be three guest bloggers.
Blogathon nets funds for turtle sanctuary
New Straits Times 29 Oct 09;
KUALA TERENGGANU: They may have had a pot of coffee ready but it was adrenaline that kept conservationists Prof Chan Eng Heng, Pelf Chen Nyok and Chang Kew Fong blogging around the clock.
It paid off well as they raised RM4,500 for the newly-established Turtle Conservation Centre (TCC) in Setiu.
The blogathon was part of efforts to raise funds for the RM2.5 million complex aimed at conserving the species and to provide a site for research and outreach programmes.
TCC also aims to restore the depleted wild population of fresh water, terrestrial and marine turtles in the country, especially in the northern part of the state.
The blogathon, which started at 9pm on Sunday, recorded 700 hits.
"More importantly, we managed to generate interest among the public about turtles. We even had kids as young as 9-years-old participating," Chan, who is also TCC's co-founder, told the New Straits Times.
Chan said Max Gen Sdn Bhd, a vacation incentive service provider sponsored a four-night stay for two at a hotel in either Bali, Indonesia or Pattaya or Phuket in Thailand as well as a two-night stay for two at a hotel in either Langkawi, Genting Highlands, Pulau Perhentian, Penang, Port Dickson or Kuantan.
The winners will be announced today on the www.turtleconservationcentre.org
