Journal of Life&Science

Reform Minded Muslim

2008-11-08T13:09:00.001Z

Im a Malay, and certainly Im not with him...

2008-09-10T01:40:00.002+01:00

..and so many other Malays aren't with him as well!!

Ramadan Mubarak

2008-08-31T21:51:00.000+01:00

Ramadan Mubarak to everyone. May your Ramadan bring many blessings and rewards

Anwar masuk parlimen!!!

2008-08-26T17:06:00.001+01:00

Muslim Fanatics (updated)

2008-08-09T23:16:00.006+01:00

I am getting more confused. From what I understood, its a forum to talk about this complicated issue, not to incite hate or religious disharmony.

refer to Bar Council's web, here and here.

IMO, if u got somethg to say, just freakin join the forum, not shouting like a maniac and talk nonsense, I strongly hate the Mahasiswa Islam rep speech, typical fanatics.

i smell somethg fishy here, it looks like these protestors are being used by the we-know-who-and-we-cant-speak-of-them peoples, so that the party being used loose support from nonMalays (hint: we know who is the culprit of malaysian disunity)
Moreover, since when Malaysians are allowed to protest? Aint that too good to be true?
they even granted an access by police into the forum and become very childish in there, i saw that on tv3's buletin utama, i felt ashame as a fellow muslim

p.s. my back hurt, hv to wait till 10pm for the pharmacy to open as today is Sunday, need some painkillers before I am capable on doing my work, thus why not blogging

Am I Too Stressfull that I cant think clearly?

2008-08-08T12:46:00.005+01:00

reading the top news in Malaysian newspaper, The Star, make me question myself whether I am now plain stupid and cant think logically

see below, now Anwar had been charged with homosexual sex with consent, Saiful's lawyer comment on behalf of his client (the consenter), that they are happy that Anwar now is finally brought to justice.

Saiful thankful Anwar finally brought to justice
PETALING JAYA: Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan is thankful to Allah that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will finally be brought to face justice.
His lawyer Zamri Idrus said in a statement that Mohd Saiful, who was Anwar’s former aide, would give full co-operation to ensure that the judicial court process ran smoothly.

“Mohd Saiful also hopes that all Malaysians will pray that the legal process is carried out smoothly so the truth can be proven in a just manner,” he said yesterday.

I really dont get it, if it was consensual, what is the justice that he want it to be brought up. I wonder if the lawyer misunderstood the court charge, or am I the one confused

what makes it more confusing is that, some politician argues that Saiful is exempted from being charged because he is the one reporting the 'crime'.
What if Anwar made the police report first?

p.s. sometimes i wonder how these people (the lawyer and the politician) became the person they are now, totally not based on their intellectual capacity

Homosexuality in the Quran and Hadith

2008-08-08T10:57:00.002+01:00

Queer Sexuality and Identity in the Qur'an and Hadith

by Faris Malik

The Qur'an generally scorns "approaching males in lust", as well as the castration of males, as the sin of the people of Lot (Qur'an 7:81, 26:165-166, 27:55, 29:28-29).

7:81: "Indeed you approach males in lust excluding women..."
Arabic: "Innakum lata'toona ar-rijaala shahwatan min doon in-nisaa'i."

26:165-166: "You approach the males of the worlds and forsake those whom your Lord has created for you for your mates."
Arabic: "Ata'toona adh-dhukraana min al-'aalameena, wa tadharoona ma khalaqa lakum Rabbukum min azwaajikum."

27:55: "Will you indeed approach males in lust excluding women?"
Arabic: "A 'innakum lata'toona ar-rijaala shahwatan min doon in-nisaa'i?"

29:28-29 "Most surely you are guilty of an indecency which none of the nations has ever done before you; What! do you come unto the males and cut the passageways [i.e. vas deferens and/or urethra] and do so in your private clubs?"
Arabic: "Innakum lata'toona al-faahishata ma sabaqakum biha min ahadin mina al-'aalameena. Innakum lata'toona ar-rijaala wa taqta'oona as-sabeela wa ta'toona fee naadikumu?"

But the Qur'an does not prohibit using, as passive sex partners, the ancient category of men who by nature lacked desire for women, since such men were not considered "male" as a result of their lack of arousal for women. This kind of man is often known as "gay" in modern times, but in the ancient world he was identified as an anatomically whole "natural eunuch." Although the Qur'an never uses the word eunuch [khasiyy], the hadith and the books of the legal scholars do. Furthermore, the Qur'an recognizes that some men are "without the defining skill of males" (24:31: "ghair oolaa il-irbati min ar-rijaali") and so, as domestic servants, are allowed to see women naked. This is a reference to natural eunuchs, i.e. gay men.

A person had to be indifferent to women's bodies in order to assume the role as a servant in women's private space. In one case, a servant who had been assumed to be indifferent to women due to his being an "effeminate" [mukhannath] was evicted by the Prophet because he unexpectedly demonstrated a lascivious attitude toward a woman:

Bukhari, Authentic Traditions, Book of Marriage, Chapter 114 (162) What is forbidden concerning the entering upon the wife by those imitating women. [It was narrated] of Umm Salama that the Prophet, peace be upon him, was at her house, and in the house there was an effeminate [mukhannath], and the effeminate said to the brother of Umm Salama, Abdullah bin Abi Umayya: If God makes you all conquer Ta'if tomorrow, I suggest to you the daughter of Ghailan, for surely she approaches with four and turns her back with eight [?]. Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: This one shall not enter upon you (pl.).

Muslim, Collection of Authentic Traditions, Book of Greetings, Chapter 912 (note: as translated into English by 'Abdul Hamid Siddiqi, who misleadingly uses the word eunuch as the translation for mukhannath. It is precisely because he was not a eunuch that he got into trouble!):

(5415) Umm Salama reported that she had a eunuch [mukhannath] (as a slave) in her house. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was once in the house that he (the eunuch) said to the brother of Umm Salama: 'Abdullah b. Abu Umayya, if Allah grants you victory in Ta'if on the next day, I will show you the daughter of Ghailan, for she has four folds (upon her body) on the front side of her stomach and eight folds on the back. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) heard this and he said: Such (people) should not visit you.

(5416) 'A'isha reported that a eunuch [mukhannath] used to come to the wives of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) and they did not find anything objectionable in his visit, considering him to be a male without any sexual desire [fakaanoo ya'doonahu min ghair oolaa il-irbah]. Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) one day came as he was sitting with some of his wives and he was busy in describing the bodily characteristics of a lady and saying: As she comes in front four folds appear on her front side and as she turns her back eight folds apear on the back side. Thereupon Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: I see that he knows these things; do not, therefore, allow him to enter. She ('A'isha) said: Then they began to observe veil from him.

Note that in 'A'isha's telling of the story, she states that the women allowed him into their private rooms because they assumed he "lacked the defining skill" (the translator added the word male and put "considering him to be a male without any sexual desire," but the Arabic says only that they "deemed him to lack the defining skill"). 'A'isha actually quotes the Qur'anic verse about men who "lack the defining skill of males," demonstrating that his presence in the women's space would have been proper according to the Qur'an if only he had in fact "lacked the defining skill." However, the statement of the effeminate man about the daughter of Ghailan, whatever it meant, indicated to Muhammad that he did not lack the defining skill of males and that, on the contrary, he had an appreciation of women as sexual objects. This disqualifies him as an intimate domestic servant according to the Qur'an as well as the standards of the day. In a system that depends on household servants to be heterosexually indifferent, the main risk is that this indifference can be faked. In other words, a heterosexual male can pretend to be an exclusive homosexual in order to gain free access to the private space of women.

There are other hadiths (Bukhari LXXII 61.773 and 62.774) against cross-dressers in which the Prophet specifically curses "males" who imitate women and women who imitate "males," and in which the consequence of their malfeasance is that he "evicts them from the houses." The specification of "males" is made very explicit:

61.773 The Messenger of God, peace be upon him, cursed female-impersonators [m.pl.] who are males, and the male-impersonators [f.pl.] who are women.
Arabic: la'ana rasoolullah salla allahu 'alaihi wa sallama al-mutashabbiheena min ar-rijaali bil-nisaa'i wal-mutashabbihaati min an-nisaa'i bir-rijaali.

62.774 The Prophet, peace be upon him, cursed the effeminates [m.pl.] who are males, and the male-pretenders [f.pl.] who are women, and he said: Evict them from your houses, and the Prophet, peace be upon him, evicted such-and-such [m.sg.] and 'Umar evicted such-and-such [f.sg.].
Arabic: la'ana an-nabiyy salla allahu 'alaihi wa sallama al-mukhannatheena min ar-rijaali wal-mutarajjilaati min an-nisaa'i wa qaala: akhrijoohum min buyootikum, qaala: fa'akhraja an-nabiyy salla allahu 'alaihi wa sallama fulaanan wa 'akhraja 'umaru fulaanatan.

The words "males" and "women" are obviously emphatic here because the grammar does not really require them to be used. Masculine gender is already provided grammatically by the endings on the words "impersonators" and "effeminates," and feminine gender is already provided in the words "impersonators" and "male-pretenders." Given the emphasis, the curse is specifically directed only at "males" and "women," and does not cover non-males who might be female-impersonators (or non-women who might be male-impersonators, if indeed there was a recognition of "non-women"). It's okay to be a drag queen as long as you are not a straight man posing to gain access to unsuspecting women, or to the wives of unsuspecting husbands.

The Qur'an recognizes that there are some people who are "ineffectual" ['aqeem], thus neither male nor female:

42:49 "To Allah belongs the dominion over the heavens and the earth. It creates what It wills. It prepares for whom It wills females, and It prepares for whom It wills males. 50 Or It marries together the males and the females, and It makes those whom It wills to be ineffectual. Indeed It is the Knowing, the Powerful."
Arabic: "Lillahi mulku us-samaawaati wal'ardhi. Yakhluqu ma yashaa'u. Yahabu liman yashaa'u inaathan wa yahabu liman yashaa'u adh-dhukura. Aw yuzawwijuhum dhukraanan wa inaathan; wa yaj'alu man yashaa'u 'aqeeman: innahu 'Aleemun Qadeerun."

These last two verses (42:49 and 50) are usually interpreted differently in English translations to say that God bestows daughters or sons on whom It wills and gives some people both sons and daughters. But there are problems with this interpretation, one of which being that the word for causing to marry or pairing up [zawwaja] is used in the second verse. When families have boys and girls, the boys and girls do not usually arrive in pairs! The second problem is that, in Qur'anic verses mentioning males and females together, the males are usually mentioned first, and the females second (e.g., 3:195, 4:12, 4:124, 6:143-144, 16:97, 40:40, 42:50, 49:13, 53:21, 53:45, 75:39, 92:3). This is the only verse in the Qur'an, as far as I know, in which the female is mentioned before the male. If these two verses were talking about sons and daughters, we would expect sons to be mentioned before daughters.

In this case, the "males first" principle would indicate that the lines are referring to females and males not as offspring, but as counterparts, i.e. objects of desire, for "whom(ever) God wills." The female objects of desire are mentioned first because they are most typically objects of desire for males. Hence, even this verse is referring to males first, as the most typical "whom(ever)" for whom God prepares females. Yet the use of the word "whom(ever)" leaves it open for females to be objects of desires for other females as well, when God wills, and for males to be love objects for females and other passive non-males. I believe this verse is very neatly and concisely describing the varieties of sexual orientation and gender, which Allah, the All-Knowing and All-Powerful, creates as Allah wishes.

The ineffectual can include abstinent women as well as men, and in fact "the abstinent ones among women, who do not hope for marriage" [wal-qawaa'idu min an-nisaa'i allaati laa yarjoona nikaahan], are permitted to "put off their cover" in Sura 24:60.

Another intriguing example of a gender variant woman is Jesus's mother Mary. According to ancient notions about procreation, males were the only ones capable of producing seed. It would be impossible for a woman to give birth to a child, let alone a boy, without receiving seed from a male. In Christianity, this problem is solved by making God the male father of Jesus. According to the Qur'an, however, God does not procreate. This means that the seed that became Jesus came from within Mary. If Mary carried viable seed originating from within her, then by ancient definitions, she was a male, despite appearances to the contrary. So the Qur'an says that, when Mary was born, her mother declared that she was a female baby, but God knew better:

(Qur'an 3:36) Lord, surely, I have brought it forth a female - and Allah knew best what she brought forth - and the male is not like the female...
Arabic: Rabb, innee wada'tuha unthaa wa Allah 'a'lamu bimaa wada'at wa laisa adh-dhakaru kal-untha ...

There are other traditions about the gender variance of Mary. I have argued elsewhere that Mary's "virginity" is not merely the innocent state of a girl who has not yet known a man, but a more permanent rejection of sex with men, like that of the Vestal virgins in Rome. In Isaiah 7:14, it is predicted that a "virgin" will conceive bear a son, but the word for virgin used there is not the generic bethulah used throughout the Hebrew scripture for girls who have not yet had sex. Instead, the word almah is used, a very rare word in the scriptures, which is the female counterpart to elem, meaning boy. In the other verses in which it is used, it is compatible with a meaning of tomboy or rebuffer of men (cf. Proverbs 30:18-19, in which an almah appears to be impermeable to men).

Homosexual activity by straight men
Homosexual activity by homosexuals (eunuchs) is not spoken of in the Qur'an, which mentions only the unjust homosexual rape perpetrated by straight men against other straight men. Besides the Lut story, sexual exploitation of straight males is also alluded to in the assurance that prophet Joseph's slaveholders "abstained from him" (12:20: "wa kaanuu feehi min az-zaahideen").

But the Qur'an and hadith also have traces of the permitted homosexual desires of straight men. There is even a hadith in Bukhari, admittedly giving not the Prophet's opinion but that of Abu Jafar, according to which a pedophile is prohibited from marrying the mother of his boy-beloved if there is penetration:

(Bukhari LXII, 25) As for whom(ever) plays with a boy: if he caused him to enter him, then he shall not marry his mother.
Arabic: feeman yal'abu bis-sabiyy: in 'adkhalahu feehi falaa yatazawwajanna 'ummahu.

(This rule is accompanied in the same chapter by prohibitions against a man marrying both a mother and her daughter.) Apparently according to this hadith, even sexual penetration of a boy is not considered sodomy, because if it was, surely the sodomite would have more worries than whether he could marry the boy's mother! Like whether he preferred to die by fire, stoning, or falling from a high tower! These are some of the punishments mentioned in the hadith for "doing as the people of Lut did." [A reader wrote in to say that this hadith would not necessarily imply that penetration of boys was not sodomy, but could be a recognition of the fact that not all crimes will be discovered and punished and that one who does penetrate a boy, even if he is not punished for sodomy for whatever reason, should at least know in his own conscience that the mother of his boyfriend is off limits. In any case, one possible inference from this hadith is still very interesting: namely, that if a man plays with a boy without penetration, then marrying the mother is still a possibility!!]

The distinction between pederasty (sex with boys) and sodomy (penetration of "males") was commonly, albeit not universally maintained throughout the ancient world, and indeed survived throughout most of the history of Islam until at least the nineteenth century (in spite of the futile objections of some medieval scholars). Apparently, boy-love was considered okay by many people because, like "natural eunuchs," underage boys also lacked the "defining skill of males" (sexual potency with women). The Qur'an itself gives support to pederasts in its glimpses of paradise:

52:17-29 And they shall have boys [ghilmaan] circulating among them as if they were hidden pearls.

56:22-23 and dark-eyed ones [hoorun 'eenun], the like of hidden pearls

76:19 And immortal boys [wildaanun mukhalladoona] will circulate among them, when you see them you will count them as scattered pearls.

2:25 And they shall have immaculate partners [azwaajun mutahharatun] in [the gardens] ...

4:57 And they shall have immaculate partners [azwaajun mutahharatun] in them ...

One of the great male Sufi contemporaries of Rabi'a al-'Adawiyya provided a divine justification for a pederastic relationship, which was repeated without a hint of disapproval in a 10th century book about great Sufi women:

One day Rabi'a saw Rabah [al-Qaysi] kissing a young boy ["huwa yuqabbil sabiyyan"]. 'Do you love him?' she asked. 'Yes,' he said. To which she replied, 'I did not imagine that there was room in your heart to love anything other than God, the Glorious and Mighty!' Rabah was overcome at this and fainted. When he awoke, he said, 'On the contrary, this is a mercy that God Most High has put into the hearts of his slaves.'
(Quoted from as-Sulami, Early Sufi Women = Dhikr an-niswa al-muta 'abbidat as sufiyyat, translated by Rkia E. Cornell, Louisville, KY: Fons Vitae, 1999, pp. 78-79.)

Besides boys, straight Muslim men were occasionally interested in grown adults as well, provided they were not "male." There is a hadith in which the Prophet's companions asked whether they were allowed to use men (presumably prisoners of war) as "eunuchs" to fulfill their sexual urges, since they were far from their wives.

Bukhari LXII 6:9 [Narrated by ibn Mas'ud:] "We used to fight [in battle] together with the Prophet, peace be upon him. There were no women with us. We said: O Messenger, may we treat some as eunuchs [a laa nastakhsii]? He forbade us to do so."

The version in Bukhari LXII 8:13 says that rather than let the companions "treat [some] as eunuchs" in the absence of their wives, the Prophet "allowed them to marry corrupted women" [rakhasa lana an nankih al-maraa bil-shaub] from the vicinity, and he recited to them from the Qur'an: "O ye who believe! Make not unlawful the good things which Allah has made lawful for you, but commit no transgression."

The fact that Muhammad forbade the companions from designating men as eunuchs is not the point here. Of course, using a straight male as a eunuch was wrong -- that was essentially the sin of the people of Lut. But what about using a eunuch (i.e. one who permanently lacks arousal with women) as a eunuch? Given that ibn Mas'ud made reference to the use of eunuchs for sexual gratification, and given that the Prophet understood what he meant, that indicates that the use of eunuchs for sexual gratification was known in Arabic society, and was considered a use that was appropriate to eunuchs. Since eunuchs were not considered male, there was no prohibition against it, not even in the Qur'an.

Eunuchs were still sex objects for straight men in the Mamluk dynasty, according to David Ayalon in Eunuchs, Caliphs, and Sultans: A Study in Power Relationships (Jerusalem, 1999). They not only served to prevent older Mamluks from having sexual access to younger trainees:

The eunuchs seem to have served as a shield against homosexual lust in yet another way. They themselves formed the target of that lust, thus diverting it from the youngsters. They are described as being womanly and docile in bed at night and manly and warlike by day in a campaign and in similar circumstances (hum nisaa' li-mutmainn muqeem wa rijaal in kaanat al-asfaar; li-annahum bin-nahaar fawaaris wa bil-lail 'araa'is). [Arabic quoted by Ayalon from Abu Mansur al-Tha'alibi, Al-Latâ'if wal-Zarâ'if, Cairo 1324/1906-7, p. 79, lines 1-7; and the same quote from Tha'alibi in his Tamthîl wal-Muhâdara, Cairo 1381/1961, p. 224.]

As for the issue of whether Muhammad himself expressly acknowledged that some people by nature refrain from heterosexuality, thus being natural eunuchs, consider the following hadith. It is related that one of the Prophet's companions, Abu Huraira, went to the Prophet, saying that he was a "young male" who "feared torment for his soul," but that he "did not find the wherewithal to marry a woman" [innee rajulun shaabbun wa ana akhaafu 'alaa nafsee al-'anata wa laa ajidu ma atazawwaju bihi an-nisaa'a]. The Prophet remained silent, even after Abu Huraira repeated his statement three times. Finally after the fourth time, Muhammad said: "O Abu Huraira, the pen is dry regarding what is befitting for you. So be a eunuch for that reason or leave it alone." [ya Abaa Hurairata, jaffa al-qalam bimaa anta laaq fa'akhtasi 'alaa dhalika au dhar] (Bukhari, LXII 8). (For comparison, consider that when Uthman came to Muhammad asking if he could be permitted to live a life of abstinence, he was rebuffed.)

If Muhammad's answer to Abu Huraira is to make sense, then of course it must bear a relation to the statement Abu Huraira made. First we have to ask what kind of torment Abu Huraira feared for his soul [nafs]? Muhammad Muhsin Khan, the translator of Bukhari into English, interpreted it as fear of committing illicit sexual intercourse. If that interpretation is correct, then we still have to determine what "illicit sexual intercourse" would mean for Abu Huraira. As a self-described "male," two forms of sexual activity would be inadmissible and therefore the temptation to them would cause torment for his soul: the desire to be sexually passive with a man (known as ubnah) or the desire to commit adultery with a female. Yet, Abu Huraira ["the father of kittens"] seemed to hint at a solution to his dilemma when he said he did not find (in himself?) what was required for marrying a woman. Now, if that merely meant that he had no money to support a wife, for instance, and was tempted to commit adultery with a female, then the Prophet would surely have advised him to fast and be patient in accordance with Sura 24:33 (also Bukhari LXII 2 and 3), instead of advising him, as he did, to accept his fate and, if appropriate, be a eunuch, something which he denied as an option to Uthman. On the other hand, if Abu Huraira's statement meant he lacked potency with women, then obviously he could not be fearing the temptation to adultery with women. In that case, only passive homosexuality was a danger. However, if he would not ever marry a woman, due to impotency with women or for any other reason, then he would not be acting as a male, but rather as a eunuch, in which case passive homosexuality would not be forbidden for him. But Muhammad cautions him that his identity, either as a eunuch or as a male, has already been determined by his Creator ("the pen is dried"), and he must figure it out which it is and live his life accordingly. If he ever intends to have sex with a woman (i.e. act as a male), then he must avoid passive homosexuality and get married.

If the last hadith has been told to fellow Muslims instead of preaching hatred and homophobia, I think the problem of homsexual males getting married because of social pressure etc2, and later have sex with another male behind his wife, to satisfy his urges, will be solved.
Wallahualam

Kesalahan Luar Tabii di Malaysia (Unnatural Offences in Malaysia)

2008-08-07T10:46:00.006+01:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXLhX8cluXQ

Unnatural Offences
377.Buggery with an animal.
Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse
with an animal shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend
to twenty years, and shall also be liable to fine or to whipping. Explanation
Penetration is sufficient to constitute the carnal intercourse necessary to the
offence described in this section.
377A.Carnal intercourse against the order
of nature.
Any person who has sexual connection with another person by the
introduction of the penis into the anus or mouth of the other person is said to
commit carnal intercourse against the order of
nature. Explanation
Penetration is sufficient to constitute the sexual connection necessary to the
offence described in this section.
377B.Punishment for committing carnal
intercourse against the order of nature.
Whoever voluntarily commits carnal
intercourse against the order of nature shall be punished with imprisonment for
a term which may extend to twenty years, and shall also be liable to whipping.
377C. Committing carnal intercourse against the order of nature without
consent, etc.
Whoever voluntarily commits carnal intercourse against the
order of nature on another
person without the consent, or against the will,
of the other person, or by
putting other person in fear of death or hurt to
the person or any other person,
shall be punished with imprisonment for a
term of not less than five years and
not more than twenty years, and shall
also be liable to whipping.

funny codes...

Outlandish on AlJazeera

2008-08-05T09:57:00.003+01:00

Tired of Politicians

2008-07-06T13:50:00.003+01:00

the song title is Violet Hill by Coldplay, aint the video amusing? ;)
I wish somebody out there could make a similar vdo for Malaysian's 'clowns and jokers'

UnIslamic Muslim?

2008-06-25T20:29:00.008+01:00

Well, the thing is, I can no longer stand male chauvinist stupid remarks, hiding under their own interpretation of Islam, which to me is nothing Islamic, but just polemic,
Muslim men always got away, putting the blame on women, scroll down, you'll see what I mean. duh...

KB council bans lipstick, high heels
KOTA BARU: Muslim women employees working here are forbidden to wear lipstick and high-heeled shoes to work.
This directive is contained in a municipal council circular dated May 25 and signed by its president Shafie Ismail, which has been distributed to business premises here.

A check, however, found that only a few tenants had received the circular this week.

The circular stated that the directive, targeted at Muslim women employees working in food outlets and other business premises, was issued to prevent incidents like rape and illicit sex as well as to safeguard the morals and dignity of Muslim women in Kelantan.

It stated that Muslim women were forbidden to wear thick make-up, bright coloured lipstick and high-heeled shoes which made a tapping sound.

Those who insisted on wearing high-heeled shoes should choose those with rubber soles.

Attempts to contact Shafie for clarification were futile.

The directive on the wearing of lipstick and high-heeled shoes are in addition to the wearing of scarves, which should cover the chest and not be of transparent material, blouses with long sleeves, which were long and loose, as well as socks.

Those who do not adhere to the regulation can be fined up to RM500. – Bernama

whats next? forbidding them to shower, because from male chauvinist point of view, smelling good is sexually appealing as well I guess
uhh

p.s. probably he didn't meant to be sexist, but the problem is most of us Muslim thinks like that, its a problem of mindset which I am not sure where it came from.

No Air

2008-06-15T23:10:00.000+01:00

LOVE

2008-06-09T20:45:00.003+01:00

I can live only wholly with you or not at all -
Yes, I am resolved to wander so long away from you until I can fly to your arms and say that I am really at home with you, and can send my soul enwrapped in you into the land of spirits -
Yes, unhappily it must be so -
You will be the more contained since you know my fidelity to you. No one else can ever possess my heart - never - never -
Oh God, why must one be parted from one whom one so loves.
And yet my life in V is now a wretched life -
Your love makes me at once the happiest and the unhappiest of men -
At my age I need a steady, quiet life - can that be so in our connection?
My angel, I have just been told that the mailcoach goes every day - therefore I must close at once so that you may receive the letter at once -
Be calm, only by a calm consideration of our existence can we achieve our purpose to live together -
Be calm - love me - today - yesterday - what tearful longings for you - you - you - my life - my all - farewell.
Oh continue to love me - never misjudge the most faithful heart of your beloved.
ever thine
ever mine
ever ours

Dont get me wrong!
I went for a movie las weekend, and I think that was the most beautiful piece of love poem I ever heard

Sorry for being invisible

2008-06-09T18:27:00.004+01:00

Salam my frens and visitors
I owe u all an apology, as I am long time away or being invisible or whatever equivalent term that refers to not being able to update my blog
I know don't even know what I stand for, in certain issues that I have been struggling for so long, please be kind to me, and forgive my disappearance.
I think I need time to reclaim myself and do a bit of soul searching beside the demanding workload of my research.
-me being not so strong anymore-

Outlandish version of The Little Red Riding Hood

2008-03-21T11:35:00.002Z

I actually cant wait to see them live on Sunday ;)

Glad, no a**hole prohibit him from going to the function

2008-03-21T10:53:00.002Z

Penang CM at Maulidur Rasul function

PENANG: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and two DAP exco members attended the state-level Maulidur Rasul celebrations at the Seberang Jaya expo site here yesterday.

He said he was glad he was able to attend the function, which was attended by about 3,000 Muslims.

“I understand this is the first time a Penang Chief Minister is attending this celebration,” he told reporters covering the event.

Lim said he had sought advice from Deputy Chief Minister I Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin, state Mufti Datuk Hassan Ahmad, PAS and PKR leaders on his attendance and was told he could do so.

Special guest: Tokoh Maulidur Rasul recipient Said Saaban (right) shaking hands with the Chief Minister after receiving the award from the Governor (second from left) on Thursday.
He said he was willing to attend other religious festivals if invited, noting that the state government respected all religions.

Besides Lim and Mohammad Fairus, the exco members were Lim Hock Seng and Phee Boon Poh.

The event was opened by Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas. Also present was his consort Toh Puan Majimor Shariff and state secretary Datuk Jamaluddin Hasan.

Mohammad Fairus, in his speech, said Muslims here should forge stronger ties with the other races to help push the state towards social and economic excellence.

Earlier, Mohammad Fairus led about 2,000 Muslims in a 2km-long procession from the Seberang Jaya mosque to the venue.

Abdul Rahman later presented the state Tokoh Maulidur Rasul 2008 award to former teacher Said Shaaban, 63, the imam of Masjid Kampung Baru, Tasek Gelugor.

In George Town, more than 2,000 Muslims took part in a 3km procession, which started and ended at Kapitan Keling Mosque, to mark the occasion last evening.

Best of Luck Malaysia

2008-03-07T22:58:00.001Z

Malaysian PM on Riz Khan

Penguin! Penguin! Penguin!

2008-03-02T22:41:00.004Z

Finally, I saw a group of them yesterday, right in front of me, happy like a kid

It was a great day...pictures comin soon, the professional photographer hasn't uploaded the pics yet ;P

Feat. Yael Naim

2008-02-26T22:54:00.003Z

...firts heard on MacBook air advert, i thought it is amazing

...though I dont understand this, but still sounded cool, in Hebrew (the only phrase I understand is Shalom Pari)...She is describing Paris I guess, and she is French

Im not campaigning!

2008-02-24T21:09:00.005Z

I think somebody had just realised the potential of internet.
See my hotmail account pop-up add below. I am quite impressed (judging based on their track record)

but anyway, I am disappointed not having the chance to perform my responsibility as a Malaysian, it is supposed to be my first time voting (I'd checked my ID online and my election post is at my primary school! aint that cool?), but I am not back home, and I don't trust the choice I have from here.

All the best for my country...

Way too smart for her* age

2008-02-24T12:02:00.003Z

thats the expression she'll make if somebody ask her to smile ;)

...kerinduan kpd kampung halaman yg amat, hu melancholic sunday...

*she is my 1+ year old niece

Understanding Homosexuality

2008-02-23T11:00:00.005Z

A brilliant talk on describing homosexuality from developmental psychology perspective...

this vdo allow us to understand what does homosexuality alternatively means, rather than looking at it as a normal biological anomaly.

because if we look at it as a normal deviant, it doesn't 'fit-in' in the Religion perspective. Because most Religion condemn this (which actually condemning the act of homosexuality, i.e. having sex with the same gender, not the sexual tendency),
I don't believe whats in our thought matter (as it is all considered as temptation), what matters to Him is our action. After all isn't life is a test?

when an Archbishop speaks on behalf of Islam...

2008-02-12T20:02:00.000Z

I was watching the evening news last night, which is normally not my routine. Did that because I read an interesting headline on my personalized Google homepage about Dr Roman Williams' lecture on Islam in English Law. read more here

Anyways that news did upset somebody that is watching the news with me. She went totally mad with that idea, although she is neither Christian nor English. And started speaking nonsense IMO, saying that it is not realistic to have two set of laws in a country (i corrected it is not a dual law, but a sub law which governs only Muslims, as it is a need esp in Marriage etc) and then she speaks even more nonsense by saying 'if these people want such law they should just go live in Iraq or somewhere else.

"Daa, thats frm the Archbishop mouth himself!"
I didnt say that or anything after that, first I understand her nature being like that over small matter. (really admire her bf's patience) And I understand peoples have the wrong idea about Islamic law, straightaway they'll think about all these barbaric and male chauvinist we always see on media, which is unIslamic, wrongly practiced by some Muslim countries. Shame on us...

but anyways, i realize suddenly that my surrounding is now more 'biblical', this afternoon during a seminar, i overheard people at the back speaking about their Christian congregation back at home, i certainly never heard they speak on that topic.

I do admire Dr Rowan integrity and his depth understanding on Islam (you can read his speech on BBC news web). It shows that he did his research on Islam, because in my opinion even Muslims themselves are afraid to say the word Sharia because they themselves have the misconception on this law.

and I believe in this free-from-political-interference-country, the real values of Islamic Law can be uphold iA

It is not only Malaysian sisters dillema

2008-02-09T14:21:00.001Z

If u are a women, and considering of gettg married, but u think that it is mission impossible
this video might help, but take it lightly, its Baba Ali ;)

Sort of Homesick

2008-02-03T14:50:00.000Z

I woke up this morning, a bit late, mind you, it is Sunday Morning, wohoo!

But the weird thing is I woke up thinking of Terengganu's 'keropok lekor', a type of fish chip, which is a popular 'cuisine' in east coast of peninsular Malaysia. Maybe it is because of heavy dose of dried fish chips that I got from postage delivered here three days ago from my parents.

I miss home maybe. And I found out that there is somethg interesting going on in Terengganu from the phone conversation with my family this afternoon.

nice right?

more pics from the blog below
http://masjidkristal.blogspot.com/

the park also will features replicas of 12 mosques, including the Al-Hambra of Spain and Taj Mahal of India.

aint that cool?

"A Man is an Island"

2008-01-19T01:10:00.000Z

John Bon Jovi wrote in one of his famous song that 'no man is an island'.
I choose not to believe so...
In this I have to totally agree with Hugh Grant in 'About a Boy'

of course minus the 'magnet to Swedish tourist"

Why I like to delude my self in thinking such? because i think relationship (u know what kind of relationship i refer to) is the most complicated thing in the world.

But sometimes I cant help myself feelin that, deluding myself into thinking 'a man is an island' is a complete bullocks.
Maybe I feel a bit lonely today. End of the story. The rest of it the world doesnt need to know ;)

OK, above is just a prologue.

I thought im not going to do the anniversary thing anymore but I cant help myself mentioning it, I just passed a quarter year here. 3 months!
I travel a lot since last week. Last Friday went to Oxford for my research group meetg. It was cool. cant describe more, id signed an agreement, it is a top secret hehe

This week Ive been traveling to London everyday since Wednesday, bcos I have to attend a short course. I cant imagine if I have to do it on daily basis, the public transport is really horrible in the morning. Thank God I live quite away from the bustling city.

Today is the last day of the course, the evening after the course, I went to Wesminister again, for the weekly anti war campaign but the place is quite, erm maybe i got the time wrong. (refer to the previous post about this.)

So, went to Leicester Square instead, to the Chinatown, and bought few packets of fried rice seasoning, Tomyam paste etc, ie all the Malaysian stuff.

When I was walking back to the underground station, I think I went the wrong way, and ended up going through a street with quite numbers of gay bars! LMAO That was quite interesting, pub, with only guys. I guess that must be the hotspot for GLBT in London, as there are also sx-shops, labeled for adult, featuring guys in spandex and the famous rainbow pride flag.

After rushing through the street (I dunno why I did speedup my walk), finally I come across another street with lots of bookshop, and bought a Persian Poem book from the religion's section at BORDERS (the book was placed in the Sufism section?). Maybe someday Ill post some of the beautiful bytes from the book.

And now I havent yet sleep, even though Id planned to start my jogging regime early in the morning. It is hard to do the first start. Life.

6 years of Injustice - Guantanamo Bay

2008-01-12T23:54:00.000Z

I was in London yesterday, have to attend the annual student union meeting and later that evening a birthday bash. (this post is neither about both, just an intro)

So I have some time in between, and decided to stop by at the Westminster area (for non Londoners, it is the area where the Big Ben, House of Parliament and London eye are located). It is a nice place esp in the evening where the lighting effect multiply the artistic nature of the building and its surrounding. In front of the Parliament House there is an open area called Parliament Square (where the statue of Churchill stand) and also there is a small camping site from the anti war group, i admire their determination, as it is a 24-7 campaign.
And yesterday was Friday, there is a weekly protest against the War including other things like the oppressive Guantanamo Bay, and the Palestine Conflict.

I am somehow lucky to turn up that evening, it is a special event. I saw Yvonne Ridley live giving a speech!(she was a British journalist, famous for her Taliban Capture story. Wiki her if u cant remember).

Part of her speech, the last bytes at the end.

also there was a rendition of the famous Cuban Guantanamera song, altered to include the Anti Guantanamo msg, by an artist (sorry i dont know him, but he looks very familiar)

Here is the story of the campaign, it is organised by the Green Party.

For Londoners, u can help by being at the field every Friday evening 6 till 7, shouting anti war slogan towards House of Parliament. It is cool! and hopefully beneficial.

Close Guantanamo

Guantanamo, a place with no soul,
where laws don’t apply,
It’s a legal black hole.

In orange jumpsuits and cages they remain,
for fours years and more they have suffered this pain.

No charges, no trial, no due process,
innocent or guilty they couldn’t care less.

Brought to Cuba from far and wide,
tortured so bad they would rather have died.

Guantanamo, a place with no soul,
where laws don’t apply,
it’s a legal black hole.

Captured and sold to the US by their own,
how have they ended up so far from home?

Families and lives torn apart,
this is the beginning - only the start.
Children labelled as terrorists,
a symbol of injustice is what it is.

Guantanamo, a place with no soul,
where laws don’t apply,
it’s a legal black hole.

Respect for human rights is what they preach,
what a shame its not what they teach.

For every Guantanamo there are many more,
this is what they have in store.

This is America's war on human rights,
without boundaries it reaches new heights.

Guantanamo, a place with no soul,
where laws don’t apply,
it’s a legal black hole.

Who are these people, what was their crime?
Have they not served their time?

America's war comes at a price,
just ask Dr. Condaleeza Rice,

The time has come for us to make a stand,
the time has come for us to demand...

CLOSE GUANTANAMO!!!
Shazia Parveen

p.s. please pardon the vdo quality

BBC reported "Bush urges Israeli occupation end'

2008-01-10T21:16:00.000Z

President George W Bush has said Israel must end its occupation of some Arab land to enable the creation of a viable Palestinian state.

wait, hold your applaud
watch the aljazeera report on this

Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.

Fourteen Twenty Nine

2008-01-09T22:37:00.000Z

Hey all, its the first day of the new year in Islamic Calender, the 1st of Muharam year 1429.
Happy New Year.
a fresh new opportunity for a new years resolution if u had break the resolution for 2008. ;P

here's a vdo from RizKhan's bout new year resolution (a discussion with 2 experts in human behavior). Worth checking out, if u constantly break yr 'resolution'.
Thats why I never had any ;)

Islam on Youtube

2008-01-06T14:34:00.000Z

I have to admit Im an avid 'youtube-ian'. Why I love it? It allows peoples to express their opinions, and say anything they want to the world.
This anyways does somehow result, the emergence of quite a number of youtube-ians bashing Islam via video or their comments, criticising the religion and Prophet Muhammad PBUH. Few years back, I feels very sad watching all these, and feels helpless because I know what they say isnt true, and I had tried my best to correct the things they said by commentg/defensing on the video. But that wasnt really efficient.

And now, I realise there are more and more Muslim youtube-ians start to produce their own video, to correct whats wrong and to deny what is not Islam. Bravo to them.

And below is a summary of the situation.

and bravo to the guy below, there are many more alike him on youtube

more from him at http://ummahfilms.blogspot.com/

In the time where Islam is being humiliated and misrepresented. Allah send us help in a way we didnt think of. Subhanallah.

Two Thousand Eight

2008-01-04T22:30:00.000Z

First of all, Whoa, time does fly fast!

Thinking that its already 2008, makes me wonder what have I done all these months in this 'strange' land, which is now strange no more.
I dont reach my work goals, lots of things I havent master n read n write, which scares me a lot, if 2++ months feels like just a day, am I going to spend my another 4 years here just like another few days!

hopefully the new year, is a new n fresh start for me.
Need to be more efficient, which in my opinion, becoming more organized. I just get a new bed (its a single) delivered, because i want to get rid of the king size bed which took 75% of my bedroom space. With more space, its easier to organize my space, had planted a plant, and just started an indoor vege farm, just a small organic farm, which consist of 3 red onions, yea to produce my own onion leaves (i think there is a special name for it).

And updating my blog does feel too much, i am not sure why, not that I dont have time, i think i do have time, just now i just spent hours on youtube, (on somethg good), but not necesseraly important for now I guess, i should just had do my works actually, which is the priority. But hey, since i just had wasted my time on youtube before, below are somethg from the tube that i found v interesting.

Speed of light derived from the Quran

Subhanallah. The vdo was titled 'how science destroyed Islam', maybe to redirect the target group to watch the vdo.

And I also met this witty girl on my youtube session.
Here a vdo from her disputing the popular accusation that Muhammad PBUH was a pedophile.

I am amazed, she discovered Islam from self study and you can see on other vdo from her, the difficulty she faced when she told her family about her choice when she was still a teen. I am truly inspired.

And the christmas-new year break had past, I did a lot of thgs during the period, too many, i felt a bit lazy to jot down here. But iA I will jot some worth mentioning, which include the Manchaster trip, the Glasgow Islamic Gath and a conference in the 1st day of 2008.

Here is the sneak peek of the conference.

Note: Despite their 'appearance', these guys have a very 'non-conventional' views on Islam. Ill try to find some time to share what I heard that day iA, or you can search them on youtube ;)

Until later...

2 months anniversary

2007-12-16T22:34:00.000Z

Neighbour: I think the water from yr radiator is leaking as well.
Me: I dunno, i dont even know how this thing works. (the radiator) I came from a country that is summer all years
Neighbour: (Surprise face)
and the conversation goes to where I from and how long i have been here.

Then while explaining, it struck my mind that, that today is my 2 months anniversary here!
(thanks to my neighbor downstairs that keeps bugging me since last night because the water leak from my bathroom goes through her ceiling)
Now I cant use my bathroom sink, ha, dont have to shave then

OK. It has been 2 months, i think im doing alright. Thanks to Him.
Succeeded making my sensor works, now it is the painful period of stuck in the lab doin works in a freezin and dark environment.

Anyway, its the christmas season. everyone is in the festive mood. and it is acceptable to be a bit lazy. Cant wait for next week, not the festive, but insyaAllah a trip to the north. this week harus kerja kuat! rabu nak cuti raya, actually the highlighted event adalah makan, sgtla kempunan

Forced to be photographed

2007-12-02T19:40:00.000Z

Last weekend's trip to Central London was the only time I can possibly remember in my lifetime, letting someone took so many pics of me in a day. That was so not me! Anyway pics had been taken, and where else it should be posted rather than here ;)

kenyang nasi lemak Malaysian Hall

the Big Ben

the House of Parliment

London Eye

British Museum, its huge, will come back again

these are 5pics from the 11 taken
I did enjoy the day, not thinking about work for a day

Can u spot the missing info?

2007-11-29T13:46:00.000Z

Although im in a far-far-away land, i still folow the current affairs of our bolehland. Spotted an interesting article from the star about a malaysian born new ausie minister; Interestingly the article had i think intentionally deleted somethg about her. Erm, i do understand why. its like we all malaysian can be proud about her being a minister but it wont go well if the deleted info is undeleted. can u spot the missing info?

From The Star

Sabah dad proud of new Aussie minister
By Muguntan Vanar
KOTA KINABALU: Pride and joy was all over the face of the father of Malaysian-born Penny Wong Ying Yen who has been appointed as a cabinet minister in Australia.
“I am very happy. I hope her appointment will be a blessing for Australia,” said Penny’s father Francis Wong Yit Shing, 66, an architect here.
The 39-year-old Penny, who was born in Sabah but grew up in Australia from the age of eight with her mother, was named Climate Change and Water Minister Thursday by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd whose Labour party won the recent elections.
Francis, who described his daughter as a go-getter, said that the portfolio given to his daughter was very “current and important” not only for Australians but for the people around the world who are concerned about global warming and climate change.
“I know she is a very responsible person and she will work hard to achieve her objectives,” said the father, who keeps in touch with his daughter through SMS.
Describing his daughter as a person with strong personality, he said that he never expected Penny to become a politician.
“I wanted her to be a doctor and she enrolled for it but a year later she switched to law after she went on a student exchange programme to Brazil where she saw the need to help people,” said Francis.
On completing her studies, she got involved in unions and industrial court cases in Australia and “I believe that the Labour Party spotted her capability and urged her join them.”
Penny became the first Asian-born woman Senator when she won a seat in South Australia in 2002 and last week’s Australian elections saw her winning a second term with her party toppling John Howard’s government.
Asked if he had ever given his daughter any political advice, Francis said that the politics that he knew about was only that of South East Asia and that “Australian politics (is) totally different.”
“ We mostly talk family matters ... not much on politics though I always follow developments of her career,” he said, adding that Penny is an outdoor person who has among others, scaled Mount Kinabalu several times and dived in Sipadan.
Francis said Penny and her mother left Sabah for Australia in 1977 for Penny’s education while he remained in the state. Over time, he and his wife separated with Penny taking up her mother’s Australian citizenship.
source http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/11/29/nation/20071129153509&sec=nation

From Wikipedia

Penny Wong
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Penelope Ying-yen "Penny" Wong (Chinese; pinyin: Huáng Yīngxián, born November 5, 1968), Australian politician, has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Senate since 2002, representing South Australia. On 29 November 2007 she was appointed to be the first Australian Minister for Climate Change. She is the first openly gay [1] and the first Asian member of the Australian Cabinet.
PersonalWong was born in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia to a Chinese Malaysian father and an Australian mother.[2][3] She moved to Australia at the age of eight with her mother and brother, after her parents separated. After spending a year on exchange in Brazil, Wong studied Arts/Law at the University of Adelaide. While at university, she worked part time for the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.
CareerShe also became involved in political activism at university, winning a position on the National Executive of the National Union of Students. In 1988, Wong joined the Australian Labor Party, winning a position as a delegate to the party's state convention the following year. She has been a delegate each year since, with the exception of 1995.
Wong graduated from university in 1992, and continued on with the CFMEU, working as an industrial officer, gaining admission to the bar in 1993. During 1995 and 1996, she acted as an advisor to the New South Wales state government, specialising in the area of forest policy. On returning to Adelaide, she began practising law, won a position on the ALP's state executive, and also took on work as a legal officer with the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union.
Wong ran for pre-selection for the Senate in 2001, and was selected for the top spot on the party's South Australian ticket, as a result of affirmative action policies and factional changes. Wong is a member of EMILY's List Australia, the support network for Labor women, and currently sits on a number of Senate committees, primarily those related to economics.
She has been a vocal critic of Prime Minister John Howard's ban on same-sex marriages, despite the ban also having the support of her own party.
In June 2005 Wong was appointed Shadow Minister for Employment and Workforce Participation and Shadow Minister for Corporate Governance and Responsibility. Following the reshuffle in December 2006, she became responsible for the portfolios of Public Administration & Accountability, Corporate Governance & Responsibility, and Workforce Participation.
In November 2007, in the wake of the Labor Party victory in the 2007 election, Wong was appointed Minister for Climate Change and Water. Her appointment as the first Australian from an Asian background to hold a cabinet position was quickly greeted by ethnic groups. She will accompany Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to Bali for the international climate change talks.source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_Wong

One Month Anniversary

2007-11-16T22:36:00.000Z

It is exactly one month im here, yesterday. Alhamdulillah. I cant believe I got through it.

Last week I thought I am getting used to the weather, as it doesnt seems that cold for me although it is single digit.
But this morning it was 0 degree centigrade, an d the night before was negative. I was freezing!

And I did went to central London last week ;) Here are some low quality pics from my phone.

Few burgers and a day travel card, ready for some adventure

London Bridge (Correction: its actually the Tower Bridge, thx Becky for correctg)

I forgot what they call this place, the tower somethg i guess

The tower from the side

Natural History Museum if im not mistaken

Inside the very cool Science Museum

As a big fan of this guy, tebalkan muka naik simulator. it was really cool

found this famous place, on my way to London Central Mosque.

then went to Leicester Square, to meet my housmate and return to Sutton. My, that place is so happening.

On the Wednesday Evening I went to this Orchestra thing, well, it sounded absurd, but the event commemorate Malaysia 50th Independence. Actually its not that bad, and I do kind a like this seems to be dorky thing, especially the serenade, quite interesting.

We thought they will play all these traditional instruments, but it turned out to be 100% modern classic , but still sounded Malaysian. Before the event started, everyone in the hall had to stand up for Negaraku. hehe

Well it might sounded like im in some kind of vacation, but its not really the case.
Life at the institute requires really hard work. Only after a month, I finally doesnt sound that stupid in my weekly meeting with my supers. Alhamdulillah. Thanks for the strength.

p.s. dear frens, anyone want a postcard from here, just leave yr address below or mail me, will try to send it :-)

Autumn Sutton

2007-11-09T19:18:00.000Z

Below are some pics to help you comprehend the awfully described Sutton in the last post

typical english houses

pathway to the institute

my workdesk, before i move to another room

makcik yang hampir diseludup ke ldn melalui hand luggage ;) miss her huhu

going to LDN tomorrow, dah beli pun 1 day travelcard supaya rancangan menjadi

3 weeks in Sutton

2007-11-04T21:10:00.000Z

Id thought of not posting anymore, but it doesnt feel right, i need to reflect and recap, and writing is a good channel for fragmenting my thoughts and experiences. For my family and friends as well, to inform them that i am still the same hafiz three weeks before ;)

Where to start? Aha the place, Sutton aka London Borough of Sutton, although its in Surrey, it is still considered part of London, its a subUrb of London I guess. In Zone 6, the furthest zone from the central. Its nice here, basically filled with lots of houses, typical English houses, and tress, and wildlife hehe, seriously u can easily spot squirrels, pigeons, other birds that i never saw before, and foxes too! And their size is bigger than their family in Malaysia. The cats too are rather bigger. Probably bcos of the thicker fur. With that in mind, i hope i dont grow too much hair during my stay here hehe. Its cold here, and the weather is unpredictable. but anyway i somehow do like it, bcos its hard to become sweaty here, which is quite a problem for me before.

What else, the ICR. It is a nice place. I got two cards, one to access the hospital (the NHS) and the other for the institute, which is somehow cool! The peoples are nice, and extremely bright! and sometimes i do feel like, am i the only one stupid here? haha. Most of the students in my group have a very strong background in either physics and maths which is seriously intimidating. Thus, I guess i need to work twice as hard.

My supers, they are nice as well, extremely patience with my stupidity hehe. I think they are the most patient academics i ever met. seriously, even after three weeks im performing below par, on the weekly meeting, They are still calm and collected tackling on my weakness, and recommending more reading materials, so that i have a strong related science foundation to pursue on my research.

aha, my housmate, is a very nice guy, hail from switzerland and is very nice (did i repeat? hehe).So nice that, you might think that he is gay if he dont have a gf. He is an atheist, but anyway quite tolerant in dealing with all my 'no'. We do the veges, if we eat together, so there is no problem in the eating department. And his gf is an Indian livin in London, she stop by at our house like every weekend, and she is very nice as well, so i have the chance to feel like 'home', after weekdays spending time with the whites. Bcos of this east and west mix, my house does have curry, rice and not only bread. So its not that bad. Just that Ive to eat sandwiches for lunch at the institute, which left me feeling not so full. Cant imagine how they do that everyday. I bought my own food for lunch, bcos the only sandwich i can eat at the cafes is the cold cheese and tomate sandwich, which taste like yuks.

I havent been to the central London, Id planned to go there today, but I just realised this morning that I havent got my student oyster (a saving transport card for student), so I have to cancel the plan. And went to the town center instead, which have everything u need. Probably next week Ill visit it.

I think thats the major highlight for now. Thanks all for your care and concerns about my life here, Really terharu. And sorry for being idle and my apology for the delay on responding to yr msgs and emails and friendster's comments.

Have a great life everyone!

Finally

2007-10-23T18:20:00.000+01:00

Sorry guys for not updating for a while, I just got everything works out at this totally strange land ;-) Anyway I am coping well, dont worry about me. Generally peoples are nice here. Its just the weather is a bit harsh, I almost freezed my brain on my way to the institute this morning Ill update soon. Take care all Cheers

Eid Mubarak

2007-10-13T05:09:00.000+01:00

Selamat Hari Raya semua, semoga berbahagia di Aidilfitri ini.
Setahun berlalu begitu pantas, esok bermula musim baru JOLAS, stay tune k ;-P.
Doakan dipermudahkan.

To all my friends in Malaysia, insyaAllah kita jumpa lagi. Salam.

Angkasa1 in less than 1 day

2007-10-09T17:03:00.000+01:00

In less than 24 hours, Dr Sheik will be the first Malaysian in space, Congratulation. [more infos and live stream here] Despite the program was turned into a political mockery, I cant help myself feeling proud when I see this pic on the front page of Utusan Malaysia.

hopefully, this program will really be a catalyst for our Science and Technology development, or at least an inspiration to all of us.

Published ISS* Guidelines for Muslim

2007-10-06T16:22:00.000+01:00

*ISS = International Space Station

I did posted about this months before, and today I've been alerted by the Star that the guidelines have been published. So straightaway I downloaded it from JAKIM web.
You can download the docs here (Malay) and here (English translation), and also a fancy looking version here.

Although, I applaud such effort, which is able to tell the world that its not a problem for Muslim to be in space, but I couldn't accept the way they put up the guideline.

First of all, it doesnt have the authors' name in it (even the fancy version), I think having a name or two or more does matter, to whom the readers are supposed to refer to in case they need further explanation.

Second, lacking of source. Islam is a religion that uphold its references such as The Quran and the authentic Hadith, thus it is important to elaborate how they had come up with such guide, or the sources of scholars book they refer to.

Third, I dont like the way the write it. It doesn't in line with the standard as the guideline for ISS and doesn't reflect the way Islamic books on ruling supposed to be written.

For examples:

1) Cleaning the no.1 & no.2 section

Istinja’ (washing-up)
Istinja’ means cleaning of the private parts after relieving onself. Istinja’ is by using wipes/tissues which are available at the ISS.

Rules of making istinja’:

Using pure, not sacred material
Using a solid material
Using a dry, non-slippery material
Using not less than 3 pieces wipes/tissues
Before the najas (filth) dries
Before the najas (filth) spreads

I did stumble on this before, its just a normal way of performing istinjak, even on earth we can do the same. Why on earth they have to put such rules, for example rules no1 until 3. Since we all know that they will use the tissue provided in the ISS, why cant we just eliminate these 3 rules, since we all know that the tissue is hygenic, solid and dry?
The way they put it, looks like its just a copy paste work.

2) Eat

4.1 Food

If there is doubt on whether the food served on ISS it is halal or not, it is then permissible to eat the food on the basis of not to starve.

Why the 'if' is still necessary, I think it is possible to check what are the foods that will be prepared for the ISS. And why we still need to put the clause that if it is non halal, it is only permissible to eat to avoid starving. Taking into account how highly scientific ISS station is, I'm sure that they all had calculated the food intake that will provide enough nutrition to each individual on the station. Thus there will be no problem about eating non halal food excessively, the intake is just enough for survival, and isn't that make the non halal now permissible?

3. Pray

3.5 Praying
ii The performance of the physical postures (such as standing, bowing and prostrating) is to suit the conditions in ISS,prioritizing as follows:
If upright standing is not possible, then any standing posture,
Sitting. Bowing is by bringing down the chin closer to the knee or the prostrating place,
Lying down on the right side with body facing the direction of Qibla,
Lying flat
Using the eye lid as an indicator of the changing of postures in prayer,
Imagining the sequence of prayer.

The guideline for Praying, is also a copy paste from the existed rules on how to Pray when the normal ways is not possible. Why on earth, they cant just be exact on how to do it on ISS, taking into account the ISS situation?

I have to admit that my knowledge on Islamic rulings is not in depth, but I can't just zip out my mouth, knowing that such guideline that will be distributed worldwide and carry the Islamic image is not done on par with Islamic analytical sense on rulings. Wallahu'alam.

Morning in HUSM

2007-10-04T15:39:00.000+01:00

No, Not at this clinic, the Psychiatry. Went to the Orthopedic, the clinic beside Psych, to remove operation stitches from my previous minor surgery (foreign body removal).

The Orthopedic Clinic. Observe the clinic's front desk differences (with above), looks like this clinic is well funded compared to the Psych.

And the book that accompanied me that morning. Thank God I finally found it at Border's Times Square during my recent trip to KL. Had been looking for it all over Penang, but couldn't find. Highly recommended, even if you are an extrovert.

Introvert and Proud! ;-)

Sami Yusuf on Riz Khan AlJazeera

2007-10-03T10:12:00.000+01:00

...you can still be a good Muslim, even if Music is yr thing...

12 hours in KL

2007-09-25T07:29:00.000+01:00

Had return in one piece this morning from my trip to KL, Alhamdulillah segala urusan dipermudah.

Sempat juga ke Tasik Titiwangsa naik Eye on Malaysia. Thanks Zakiah (coursemate dulu) for accompanying me around KL that day, walaupun dah naik dan waktu tu mmg langsng tak sesuai, dengan panas terik 2pm.

Gayat! Zakiah rilek je, berdiri dlm coach tu, sambil menerangkan prinsip physics yang berlaku :P

And Thx to Rizuan (schoolmate dulu) sudi berbuka bersama di Times Square walaupun sgt lah sibuk dgn final yr project.

Seronok berjalan, walaupun dlm keadaan berpuasa.

Guys, Will miss u all huhu

p.s. Azim rugi ko tak ikut, best tau naik train hehe

I will never grow up

2007-09-22T23:22:00.000+01:00

A Maze of Transportation Methods to KL (my personal journey to collect my visa tomorrow)

Want to go via KTM train (13 hours journey 6pm-7pm, but I think it is worth a try, plus it have berth to sleep on, will be much more convenient than bus, plus my head dept in the UK, is a locomotive collector/fan, will have somethg to talk about with him, i mean out of the academic thgs)
ACCESS DENIED: adviced to take a bus to Shah Alam, go to yr relative house, and ask his help to take you to the Visa Center

Dont like to interrupt others daily life, plus I am not that close to him.
And if I took a bus, I will arrive early morning, since bus trips are usually at night.
Thus, still insist with train
ACCESS GRANTED: not fully heartedly, they bought me a train ticket.

Later told by the granters: You cant bring yr laptop along, also yr atm card. KL is not a safe place. And they brought up the issue of me being robed in KL 4 years ago (I made a mistake, waitin for my fren at a black area in KL, the Central Market). Old memories freshen up again.

Without laptop, the 13 hours journey will become unbearable. And I am now feels insecure about this trip, If others don't believe in me, how can I believe in myself. Dont wanna be blamed later, if somethg happens to me in the trip that is not really agreed by the access granter.

Thus, I had made a decision to sell back the train ticket (will lost 50%) and buy a return (on the same day) flight ticket. Yup that had pissed off the access granters. (I am really sorry, didnt mean to be a disobedient son Huhu)
I think that is the safest. Reduce my time being in KL, and hopefully i am back in one piece.

Pray for my safe journey ya this Monday.

-7.45 am-
After an hour later of rethinking:
I think I shouldn't give up and will go on with the train journey.
I have to believe that I can stand on my own two feet.
I have to grow up!

will be MIA

2007-09-22T15:33:00.000+01:00

The Freshers' week
1st Oct: Pub Quiz Night (probably in Cheam)
2nd Oct: No scheduled event
3rd Oct: Ten Pin Bowling @ Bloomsbury bowl, Tavistock Sq, Central
London
4th Oct: Comedy @ Jongleurs, Clapham
5th Oct: Induction day for new students - PhBar + Pizzas + Games +
Band

U know what? I am exempted, hehe, my reason: I want to celebrate Eid with my family here in Msia, and my super said, dont worry, Ull catch up the induction later.
Isnt my super, super nice :)
(jgn jeles kengkawan ku yg slalu kena marah dgn supernya, sabar je la ye hehe)

And yah, a huge sum of money need to be deposited to my housemate account for my house in the UK,
Will money transfer frm Malaysian bank account to Europe's gonna take some time? I know cheque will take at least a month long. For those who are expert in ths, PM me pls Thx

Money2, where are you, I can sense a future of part time Janitor LOL

p.s. my niece is one year old today. Selamat Hari Lahir Amni Nasuha from yr only PakNgah. She is way much brighter now...

I am now have a Power...

2007-09-21T07:37:00.000+01:00

...but too bad, couldn't make it this year,
and I dont dare to vote via post from overseas, skeptical of its confidentiality

hopefully, nobody dares to use my ID as a phantom voter. (this answer why I had deliberately erased the details)
Please do check yr status here even if you havent register with SPR
thx En Arip for alerting this

CRAZY WORLD it is

2007-09-20T10:37:00.000+01:00

The body found in the bag is in fact the 30 days missing girl, Nurin, DNA test had confirmed. Breaking news from the Star

I AM SICK TO MY STOMACH!

In fact, I just came back from KL for my VISA application, did stayed in Kg Baru for a night, and I found that the bag the CRAZY BEAST stuffed Nurin in was sold at only RM10 in the ramadan market there.

God, give her parents and families, strength to endure this. Amin. My deepest condolences towards them.

It is time to do something. Make it unlawful for parents to live their kids alone/roaming freely.

More sickening news and pics here

30 More Days...

2007-09-15T10:24:00.000+01:00

Its official; in 30 Days, I am going to leave my beloved country, my comfort zone, to a foreign land...InsyaAllah

By this time; in 30 Days, I will be 10 Megameters away from home, in the Capital of the United Kingdom, to pursue my next level of education in an institute ranked 4th in its research and listed among the best company in the UK.

It does feel surreal, I always felt that I am just an average Joe (or average Awang in Malay context).

Its been an emotional roller coaster, recently.

Sometimes I am high, happy that the new chapter in my life will soon begin, my baby steps towards my dream realisation.

But sometimes I do feel down, with excessive anxiety. How I am going to cope when I got there? In fact, I never went out of Malaysia! Just once to Singapore, but that happened during my earliest childhood time (in the 80s), where I can barely remember (My mum told me that I was dragging my newly bought bigger-than-me sized stuff bear all over the city, haha)

The fact that Ill be in a place so foreign, plus Ill be the only Malaysian at the institute, does scared the hell out of me.

Ill try hard to always remain positive. I have a friend who had just went to Canada, the only Malaysian at the University, it is hard, yup, but still endurable, and the fact that my friend is a she, makes me feel that I don't deserve to be down, I'm sure its even harder for her.

Thus, Ill try to stay strong.

Are Religions Genetic?

2007-09-14T01:09:00.000+01:00

Somebody in a group I subscribed to, started this thread. I think it is worth sharing here.

M wrote:
Are Religions Genetic?

N wrote:
The Nazi's thought so.

M wrote:
you probably didnt understand the question.
or maybe I was not clear in asking
Let me rephrase.
Are you free to change your religion? or is it innate?

A wrote:

Hi M and fellow Mensans,

I think religion is genetic and religions are not genetic.

I said religion is genetic because human believes in God or if not God, other means of Divinity, or supernaturals is intrinsic, it is human nature. Stephen R Covey in his book, entitled The 8th habit from effectiveness to greatness, wrote "spiritual intelligence is the central and most fundamental of all the intelligence, because it becomes the source of guidance of other 3 intelligence" (source: Covey, Stephen R, The 8th Habit from Effectiveness to Greatness. New York: Simon Schuster Inc, 2004). He puts Spiritual Intelligence above IQ and EQ.

Religions are not genetic because a religion is seldom exclusively for certain race or skin color. It looks predetermined by race, only because of the history; its origin and how the religion being spread. (I think it is no longer applicable in this information overload age) Thus, it is possible to change our religion, which is usually determined by our parents, to the one we seems appropriate. The thing that we need to do is to study the religions from its source, the holy book ie the Bible, the Quran, the Torah, The Bhagavad Gita, to name a few, just to be fair. Do you know that; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all originated with a
divine covenant between the God of the ancient Israelites and Abraham
around 2000 BCE. There are lots of similarity between these three religions, therefore I dont think its hard to study these three for starters, Im sure all of us (the top 2 %) ;), are very capable of.

My 2 cents
arepiece

JOLAS readers 2 cents?

Ihya Ramadan

2007-09-12T02:38:00.000+01:00

Ihya Ramadan (Hidupkan Bulan Ramadan)

"manusia dan binatang hidup dengan makanan, kenderaan hidup dengan minyak/bateri, begitu juga dengan Ramadan, perlu juga dihidupkan, iaitu dengan Tilawah AlQuran, Zikir, Solat Terawih, Tadarus, Munajat dan Doa, seperti yang telah Nabi Muhammad SAW lakukan 1400tahun dahulu"
Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, Menteri Besar Kelantan, dalam Ucaptama beliau sempena Sambutan Ihya Ramadhan yang sedang berlangsung sekarang.

Saya sentiasa tertunggu-tunggu mutiara kata beliau, analoginya selalunya ringkas dan mudah difahami, tetapi maksudnya mendalam. Alhamdulillah pagi ini, berkesempatan menonton ucapanya, secara langsung melalui Kelantan WebTV walaupun tidak berkesempatan menghadiri majlis tersebut.

Bulan Ramadan, Bulan mulanya Al Quran diturunkan
Bulan Jihad menentang Nafsu
Selamat Menyambut Ramadan Al Mubarak kepada semua Muslimin dan Muslimat

hayatilah lagu bertajuk Welcome o Ramadan oleh Zain Bhikha

dan ya, Ramadan bermula malam ni

just for laugh ;)

p.s. seriously I think, Kelantan is been underrated by the media, Development are everywhere (not just the infrastructure, but also the spiritual developement), Kelantanese have a decent life (you can spot luxurious car everywhere), and interracial relationship is the best in Malaysia (simply because Islam is a colour blind religion), and I think Im blessed been given the opportunity to live in this land.

My patriotism works?

2007-09-08T16:27:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, Malaysian Budget for 2008 had announced that there will be an increase in government sponsored students' COLA (Cost of Living Allowance) in the UK, the US and Canada starting this month. The increment will be up to 97%, which is almost double the previous rate, but that doesn't mean a 97% increase, im sure the UK will get a lower increment (thx to the freakin high exchange rate), but still Alhamdulillah at least there will be an increase, insyaAllah gov sponsored student at these countries will no longer live below the poverty line hehe (how many increase did i repeat? haha I am freakin obses with the word now)

While searching for the exact amount of the increment on the net (yea, im a patient guy :P), I stumbled upon few interesting blogs writing about this, most are happy (yea the benefiters i.e. the students), but it can never satisfies all, I also stumbled upon a person who did not agree about the increment (this fella argue that the students are wasting the taxpayers money, touring europe and didnt return) let this fella disagree, he need to be in the students' shoe, then only he is able to understands how hard it is Anyway forget about this, I think the funniest comment about the increment is below (LMAO)

"Rasa macam nak berenti cuci jamban hari ni jugakkk:"
<source>

Among other things in the budget that I really applaud is that it covers the whole spectrum of Malaysians. I think its great, if the budget is really the plan (i mean not just a freakin piece of writing), im sure a lot of peoples will benefit from it.

The couple of patriotism posts recently is worthy I guess

My thanks to all peoples that had worked hard to make this a realisation. Esp the students that never give up writing to the gov, letting them know that they dont hv enough money, apparently it is no longer fell on deaf ears

p.s. Haha Funny when I think how easy I was being bought

Merdeka spirit

2007-09-04T05:31:00.000+01:00

Im still in the merdeka spirit, hehe. Funny that I felt like this only at my 23rd encounter with the 31st of August. Probably because it is the 50th anniversary and probably because, ha you all know

Anyway enjoy these TV commercials commemorating 50th Anniversary as an Independent Nation

Media Prima

"...no matter how much Malaysia will change in the future, its a comfort, that something will always remain the same..."

Malaysian Airports

"...tak terfikir langsung nak ke London..."

Perodua

"...tanah air memberi banyak, mesra mendakap kita..."

p.s. I always love Malaysian TV adverts, especially the special ads for religious/cultural/national celebrations, it is rich in esthetical values with deep profound messages. Weird when we cant produced good movies/drama series par with our commercials. If you watch an American channel, ull realize that their adverts are seriously stupid, but somehow they can make great movies/TV series . still cant comprehend yet

Negaraku

2007-08-31T04:28:00.000+01:00

Malaysia Tanah Airku
Celebrating 50 years of Nationhood
Keep it up Malaysians!

Weird, I havent step my feet in some of these landmarks, huhu

Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!
Sometimes I wish we can simply value our patriotism by how loud we shout these words or how modern the buildings we build...Anyway, Im still proud to be Malaysian!

When people had freakin lost their hope in health care

2007-08-28T16:40:00.000+01:00

This story happens in a village in Indera Kayangan which is not literally floating in the sky but located in the Northern Peninsular of Malaysia. It all begins when an old father to three, grandfather to twelve and great grandfather to two; accidentally felled down from his chair and injured his head. As soon as he fall, he lost his consciousness, but unfortunately he was not brought to the hospital and treated as an emergency case. Instead the people that lived in the same house with the old father thought that he is going to freakin die. Probably after being consulted by the imam next door, they both (the daughter and the imam) had made a freakin decision not to bring him to the hospital, if this occur in the western world, I bet these fella can be brought up to the court and being hold responsible for the death if that’s happen. But, no. He did not die later. The news about the incident was only known by the old father’s son after about an hour later via the phone as he lives hundreds kilometers away. Through the phone the son’s had asked them to send his old father to the hospital immediately, but no, they said they wanna freakin discuss first. What the hell is the discussion for, that guy is freakin need of medical care.

So the far away son, drove the long way to see his dad, with thought that his father is going to freakin die. On the way, he got the news that the old father had regained his consciousness, Alhamdulillah, so he asked them again to bring him to the hospital but now they said that the old father refused to go. They said he hand signaled that he don’t want to go there, when they ask him (since after the incident he cannot walk nor talk). Does in this case, permission is freakin required!?

Now the far away son had arrived, and with the dogma that his dad doesn’t want medical care, he tried his best to find a doc all over the state of Indera Kayangan to diagnose the condition of his dad. Unfortunately it is Sunday and almost all docs are either busy in their clinics or busy with their vacation. But fortunately later at 5.00 pm, a doc comes to the sick old father’s house. As presumed by the writer, the doc can’t do anything as the old father needs to be hospitalized. His head is injured and the mouth region is paralyzed. He barely can swallow, as he breath through his mouth since his nose is probably injured, it is swelling. What he needs is freakin CT Scan and IV (to bring in fluid to the body). No, that’s not the doc’s words, of course the doc will say as plain as he can.

The far away son could not do anything as his dad refused to go to the hospital. Thanks to an 'ustaz', who had suggested that the far way son must follow his dad’s will, Anak Derhaka or disobedient son if he did not. Freakin doesn’t-makes-sense!

He need to be hospitalized that’s it. Im sure the old father did not comprehend what he is going through, probably he is in the state of confusion or disorientation. Suddenly he could not speak, therefore of course he has a very high concern that he will be barbarized in the hospital and die there. Thanks to the memories of his late wife (may Allah bless her soul). But I don’t think this will happen in this case, he just need freakin IV and optionally head CT scan to see where goes wrong and if he permit the necessary surgery. The freakin important thing is IV and his daily pills!

And after three days had passed, he is weakening. Of course he is, he barely can swallow anything, only few drips of water per day. Although the far way son had been persuasive to send his dad to the hospital, but he cant. Especially when other siblings kind a don’t want to send him to the hospital (they just wait for their bro’s decision). If they want too, if course they will send the old dad to the hospital right away after the incident. That is what happening in indera kayangan where many people had lost hope in freakin health care.

One of the son of the far away dad, felt quite annoyed with what is happening. He later tried to persuade his old grandfather to go to the hospital after he failed to persuade his dad. The old grandfather just looks at him without saying anything or signal out anything. Of course he cant, he is just too weak then. Her aunt then respond, “if u want to help, read Yasin near him out loud” Typical! Not that he don’t believe in such thing. The old father need freakin medical care now, asking God’s help without doing anything is not right.

Later this evening, the far away dad, felt that his dad urgently need to be taken to the hospital since he later realized that he need nutrition and the only way to get it is by taking him to the hospital. He tried to persuade the old father again, but no luck, he still refuses. The old father strongly disagrees, by shaking his head. Anyway, he has to follow his dad’s determination although its tough too.

If u can comprehend the author's feelin of helpless right now…

Prayers to the old father:
Semoga Allah mempermudahkan segala keinginannya, meringankan bebannya, dan memberikan ketabahan kepada anak-anaknya dan keluarga terdekat tatkala menghadapi saat sukar ini, Amin.

Anyway the writer doesn’t hold any grunge to the ‘fictional’ characters above. He understands that they all are wise enough to make their decision. He knows that he is just a freakin inmature who needs to let all these go away… Semoga Allah membersihkan hati penulis dari prejudis terhadap saudara pertalian darahnya.

freakin p.s. for those who knows the above characters, please keep this just with you, only for your info not others. It might be factually imperfect here and there, as it is a one sided perspective. Thanks

Malaysian, forget Malaysia truely Asia! are we truely Malaysian?

2007-08-24T13:18:00.000+01:00

"Kamu semua tahu tak, Cina tak mandi pagi sebelum pergi sekolah, sebab tu mata dia sepet"
“You all know? Chinese don’t take a morning shower before they go to school, that’s why their eyes like that”

I heard that phrase when I was teaching at a tuition center this evening. It’s not from a student, instead its from a teacher in the next class beside mine, who is easily classified in the male's prime age (supposed to be mature enough). I cant understand why he had to speak like that in front of his all Malay student. Its immature (even though I know his intention is to uplift the spirit of the PMR candidate, to study hard - among other issue that arises). Furthermore it is not appropriate especially in Kelantan context, where it is literally hard to find Chinese around, therefore its harder for these students to mix with others. I don’t want them to get a wrong impression about other Malaysian. And its not fair to the Kelantanese Chinese since they are generally and relatively nicer compared to their kin in other states (blend in well and speak very good Malay).

I bet, that teacher’s political ideology differs than the ruling state’s, based on his ideas of nationalism which I frequently overheard when he teaches next my class. He is supposed to be the role model, not advocating racism. I later shut off the sliding door partitioning the two classes, indicating my objection.

Even though we are proud to say that we are all Malaysian, we live in peace and harmony despite the differences in culture and belief, we branded our nation as the Truly Asia! Yet I found that most of us are hypocrites.

Take a look at the pics below.

What came up on yr mind? Yr feeling?

I knew this from my university’s alumni online group. The pics and some more got into the group from several similar FORWARD post by fellow Malays who got pissed by the way she hold the pig and ‘proudly’ (quote from what they say) take pics with the animal. The group was flooded with similar post, one after another but with different title.

An example:
Anak sapa la ni…kerja ladang babi…
Whose daughter is this? Work in the pigs’ barn

What is the purpose of forwarding this email? The clear intention is to demonize this girl, which in my opinion hasn’t done anything wrong. Its not that she had choped off the pig’s head or slaughtered it, roasted it’s meat, and eat it.

It is even sadder when later, many of the group member (yup, the so called educated people of Malaysia) start leavin their comment about the pic, and demanding explanation from this poor girl. Which later replied by a university’s lecturer, explaining that she is in the Vet program of the uni. But still people cannot accept the way she posed in front of the cam and accused her on putting Islamic law behind. Its ridiculious. I learned that Muslim is just not allowed to eat its meat, we can still touch with a precondition that we clean it later as described by the scholars.

This chaos can give Islam a bad impression. Thanks to these Muslim chaotic maker.

We all tend to mix things up. I think it is the stigma. We are banned to eat its meat. That’s it. Why we have to ‘jump’, and make a big mountain over not even a molehill. Be sensitive, we live in a country, where there are others that appreciate its meat.

That’s why I said we are hypocrite. When we have the opportunity to speak up anonymously, we put aside the borders and say all the insensitive things about others without deep thinking and analysis and this clearly potrays our shallow stands in the issues . This also apply to other races, I often found racist comments by the Chinese in the internet media (the blog and its comments) and even in my blog as well like in this, this and this posts' comment section. Some are insensitive remark on Islam, which was a direct results of Muslims failed to portray the true teaching of the religion. So its not their fault either, it is also ours, that carry the Islamic image in Malaysia.

Its not that I want to stir a racial tension, but it is what we all face, really.

Take a look at the ruling party, they themselves portrayed the similar issue. When one of the subparty declared that we are an Islamic nation, but then the other sub denied it. See, their understanding of our constitution is also clearly apart. It is not a surprise that the peoples they rule, themselves have the common misunderstanding, hypocritical stand in few issue.

The recent popular arguments, Bahasa Malaysia or Bahasa Melayu. My views? I don’t care! Even after we had changed our school’s name frm Sekolah Melayu to Sekolah Kebangsaan, still some despise these schools and choose vernacular instead. It is not about the branding! Not that I blame this to only nonMalay, we shouldn’t just look at things superficially, try to understand, why there are such reluctance. Is it the way the school being handle? Is it their teachers? (I’m sure the example at the top can influence in someway). We need more than, just accusing people being unpatriotic because they don’t want to follow 'the national custom'. Why don’t we all embrace all custom, don’t limit us just to the so called national Identity.

Luckily we all are very nice people, rarely causes any real problem, despite the issues and disagreement hidden beneath our friendly faces.

50 years had past…

I think we are lucky, living in a 'dream nation', but we all have to stop day dreaming and face the reality somehow. There are still lots of issues that need to be straighten up, esp. when the scenario still permit such discussion, fix where possible, before its too late!

Selamat Menyambut Ulang tahun yang ke-50, its time to bring it to the next level, Mutual-understanding is no longer enough…

p.s. I sometimes sense that we are seriously being attacked and poked by non-Malaysians esp. some of our ‘neighbors’, which have their own agenda. I think there are peoples that loath Malaysian peace and will do whatever it takes (thx to the www anonymity) to destroy the current state of serenity. So beware fellow Malaysians!

Guilty of Murder

2007-08-20T08:17:00.000+01:00

Kota Bharu, August 20th 2007 (7.40 am) - An idle postgraduate student was found guilty without trial this morning under the offense of he-isn’t-sure-which-degree-of-murder. He had accidentally killed his cat (one of the newborn) while reversing his car out of the porch to send his sister to school which started at 8am that day. The incident occurs due to the false impression of the driver that all his cats have been removed from the pathway by his sister who was earlier waiting outside. The accident occurs so fast, and the kitten died on the scene simultaneously. Not only that, he was also yelled by his mother (it is so loud that he thought all the neighbors can hear he was being scolded), who was mad at him since he is in a hurry as he woke up late (after his Subuh prayer nap) that morning because he slept a bit late last night chatting with a stranger about Hizbu Tahrir (the stranger is one of the member).

The offender was reached for his comment about the incident while he was burying the kitten after he went back from sending his sister. With tears going down his cheek he said, “I take full responsibility over the dead kitten (May Allah forgive me), there is no point on blaming others. Although I am a bit frustrated being scolded like a kid, I accept it, she is just doing her job” "I never reverse without checking the car's under, but I didn't do that this morning, it is a mistake. I regret I did not do that." He is very sad that he had killed a life, especially when the kitten is the cutest among the three. He feel that he need to apologize to Minah (the kitten’s mum) and he feel a bit relieved when he later saw Minah is acting like usual. Only Allah knows what is in her mind.

When further asked about his comment on Hizbu Tahrir (HT), he said "I cant comment in a comprehensive way since my knowledge about this movement is still limited" Moreover, the stranger failed to address some of his question (such as how this going to work in Malaysia), The stranger said he cannot give the answer now, as it doesn’t work if he describe it online.

BTW, he felt that it is a good thing that there is such movement. However he think that the movement only sounded good theoretically and he is not sure how it is going to work practically especially in Malaysian context. He added, “I am sure Daulah Islamiah is the answer to the current miseries in Muslim majority nation especially the Middle East. However, I have no idea on how this is going to work via HT’s way, as I never heard of such movement before, it’s not even a real political party here!” He also promised to do his research on this by watching all the vdos and infos given by the stranger, and later get back to this issue, insyaAllah.

Sterile Memories, yet not cleaned

2007-08-16T14:05:00.001+01:00

I went to HUSM this morning, to take my Hepatitis screening result. It is for my medical check up for the scholarship thingy. The health screening was done on Monday, but the result for the Hepatitis test can only be known after a week (bcos of the waitin list), but luckily the nurse expedite the process for me, I got the result today (after 3days). It is Negative.

And they also did an HIV screening on my blood which was not required in the forms. BTW, the doc asked me whether I would like to know the result, as the result is not displayed on the online system. Since the test has been done, why not?, I replied. So, the nurse went to the lab, and brought back a sealed result, Its also negative. Good to know there is anonymity in this full-of-stigma-disease screening, hope more and more people will take up the test, so that they won't spread it to others.

Alhamdulillah, I'm certified medically fit. Free from Hepatitis and HIV. Not that I'm in the high risk group. But there are possibilities for us to get these viruses even though we don't engage in the common you-all-know-what-activities that increase your risk of getting these deadly diseases. But having experienced being hospitalised, does make me a bit concern about this. You know its not a very safe place and accident can occurs. Luckily I was spared.

Speaking about accident, I had once in 2001, which is quite an awful mishap actually. The collision between my dad's boon-siew-honda with a car, causes part of my right hand skin tore apart exposing my bone. Its eerie when I think about it again, but at that moment I didn't feel any pain actually, I even managed to pick up the bike, and move it to the road side in the middle of the busy road, thanks to the adrenaline rush, funny somehow. Two nice peoples brought me to the hospital. As it is a government's, they only sew it back after 3 hours. I was only an after pre-uni student at that time, it happens during the break between pre-uni and my 1^st degree. I didn't say much that time, only wait for them to do their job, how unlucky. Some nurses in the ward are extremely furious when they attend the patient, lucky, they are nicer to me since later they knew I am a future health sc student. Very bias.

And today after about 6 years, I complaind to the doc attending my health screening, about the foreign materials I recently felt under my skin in the injured region (of course after I've been certified medically fit), she send me to the x-ray room, and they found that there are small pieces of glass scattered around my hand. I am shocked to see the x-ray film myself, I thought its only one, but its more than 5 pieces of tiny glass. Shit, why they didn't removed it during the after crash surgery, damn it. (Well I didn't swear verbally). The doc said probably bcos of the severity of the injury, makes sense, but with my limited knowledge about medicine back then, I do realise I was not treated in a proper way, but I didn't make a big fuss bout it, it is past).

Back to today's story, So the nice doc scheduled me with an orthopaedic next month. Another surgery mayb. Dont feel sorry for me, I am used to surgery. I already had two after the crash, one is to reconstruct the scar by a plastic surgeon, (luckily I was studying at one of the best university hospital in the country, so its all free and from the best) Anyway the scar is still there, but the appearance is greatly minimized. Another surgery was done to remove 3 small pieces of glass 2 years after the surgery. And I had endured series of injection after the reconstruction surgery, the plastic surgeon injected the scar region with a kind of steroid to minimise the scar appearance. So I'm not really scared with needles and docs n hospital. I'm used to it and have fair enough knowledge, so I do understand, comprehend and not that scared. Please don't pity me, OK?

My advice to my dear reader regarding our Government Hospital (based on my experience and my observation), NEVER go to these hospitals, if you are not knowledgeable (medically), since the doc will treat you like you cannot comprehend even a word from him (the docs wont say anything really). I know the doc's huge work load etc, but it doesn't hurt if the doc explain it in a simple way, I'm sure people can understand. Rather than, giving the silence treatment, and people misunderstood it. I had experienced a lot of these when I went back to my villages (the place of birth for my mum and dad). Because of the reluctance of these docs to explain things, people tend to take the alternative instead, which is meeting the bomoh etc, instead of taking the required treatment. Some bomoh is full of bullshit, seriously, black-magic or kena-buat-orang is usually the causative of the illness, not that I don't believe in these things, but Dr Harun Din had made a statement that there is no single human being can know the hidden stuff or the perkara ghaib, even our Prophet Muhammad PBUH don't know things beyond his senses, unless he was told by Allah.

And the result of misunderstanding the modern meds is unnecessary death. Yup its fate, but when there are ways to spare it, the death is not supposed to happen. And by eliminating peoples' believe in science based treatment, people tend to belief in khurafat and syirik based methodology, because in time of despair, people will do whatever it takes. Which is worst.

I had once go through this silly public health system when my close family, which is my grandma (may Allah bless her soul) pass away due to colon cancer few years ago without the families (even my dad) knowing the cause of death initially. I only knew it is due to colon cancer when I read the death cert. Thanks to the docs, which had zipped their mouth starting from my grandma's admission to the hospital (her stomach was bloated that time), to surgery and to few days unconscious in ICU till her life ends. Its fate I know. But this type of cancer needs years to develop to this stage. Again thanks to the docs at general practitioner or the clinics, that don't done/recommend any necessary screening during the cancer development, instead they prescribed kinds of pain killer and eventually to the steroid based med without prompting any caution. No offense, but I think this is how the health system works in Malaysia, I know there are good docs, but I haven't found any in the gov hospital, nothin compared to the university hospital (probably I am having a better treatment because I am one of them, mayb).

And it is also doesn't hurt if the docs treating my grandma (may her soul rest in peace) tell her son and daughters the cause of death, so that necessary cautious can be taken, as some diseases have genetic causative, meaning if yr parent have it, you have higher risk of getting it. Therefore the children are well informed in this, So that they can take the available preventive measures such as periodic scanning etc, right?

Enough blabbering I guess, nothing gained from it. The only way to improve this is to take part in the system and change it. InsyaAllah soon!

p.s. just remembered! about a nice General Hospital (GH) Doctor. He is a GH ophthalmologist that had performed a cataract surgery on my mum's eye at a private hospital (he work part time there), I wrote about this before, the link is here. He is not just willing to explain, but also charmin (my mum said so) And is still single (My sister in law's mum works at the GH, she knows all the gossips). So for singles out there in KB, you can try pretending having an eye complication, and go to the GH, lucky, you'll be scheduled to meet him. Yes he is a Kelantanese (an important aspect for Kelantanese)

My Twisted Love *updated KBMall PC Fair Kelantan

2007-08-11T17:29:00.000+01:00

HP Pavilion TX1000

Read review by the professional here

My review:
Pros: the design, tablet (u can write on the screen, but its not very sensitive, need to press a bit harder than normal writing on paper); finger print reader; remote for media; plus almost all other things usually on normal notebook
Cons: like i said the touchscreen is a lil insensitive, but still alright, very useful for research student, as they will spent large amount of time reading journals digitally; can get pretty hot but not burning hot; Vista OS (hv few problems, normal microsoft thingy, is it a conspiracy?); no international warranty, only Asia Pacific; quite thick, but not that heavy.

It is now retaild at August's PCFair at RM2999 (for AMD Athlon X2 processor model, not the Turion, Turion is at RM4999, other specs are the same). I just wanna share this great deal. I almost going to spend 5K for it, Alhamdulillah I did went to Penang's PC Fair, and found about this there)

I think you can still grab this twisted beauty at venues below from HP's authorised reseller, HP only hv booth in KL's PCFair, which was held last week. I grab mine at Penang's, from one of the reseller, which v.nicely throw me a free HP carrying case along with this great deal (anybody wanna buy the bag, let me know, im going to put on ebay in few days).

The next/current PC Fair venues

10 - 12 August 2007
11:00 am - 9:00 pm

Johor Bahru City Square, Johor
Jalan Wong Ah Fook, 80000 Johor Bahru
Stadium Indera Mulia, Ipoh, Perak
Jalan Stadium Perak, 31400 Ipoh
Central Square, Sungai Petani, Kedah
Jalan Kampung Baru, 08000 Sungai Petani
Dewan Sri Mentakab, Pahang
Mentakab, Pahang

16 - 18 August 2007
11:00 am - 9:00 pm

KB Mall, Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Jalan Hamzah, 15050 Kota Bharu
Terengganu Trade Centre, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu
Padang Hiliran, 21100 Kuala Terengganu

17 - 19 August 2007
11:00 am - 9:00 pm

Mahkota Parade Melaka
Jalan Merdeka, 75000 Bandar Hilir, Melaka
Star Parade, Alor Star, Kedah
Jalan Teluk Wanjah, 05200 Alor Star
Dewan Merdeka MP Manjung, Perak
Jalan Pinang Raja, 32040 Seri Manjung

This is a must have notebook for college students esp the postgrads, its the cheapest Tablet u can get, most Tablet sell at a whopping retail price of 7K and above (Fujitsu, IBM etc)

p.s. I did went to the Kelantan's PC Fair this evening. This deal is not available here based on the HP's pamplet. Just wanna let you know.
Prbbly u have to checked it yourself at the PC Fair, bcos there is a booth I didnt visit, which is owned by the person I quarelled with in this post.

Tagged

2007-07-31T09:28:00.000+01:00

There is this tag thing, among the bloggers, Im sure u all know what tag mean, you yourself is a blogger or at least an avid reader.
I was tagged by Zafi, in the name of charity. I dont think it is still valid, but anyway its fun to answer all the questions, actually more like completing 27 phrases. Here is my response in about 20 minutes time

1. A person is only as good as ... infinity, there is no limitation to be good

2. Friendship is always ... important, they are the want u talk to, things u cant talk with yr family

3. To love is to ...like something or somebody very much

4. Money makes me ...spend, or think about spending

5. I miss ...my childhood, where my judgmental is pure

6. My way of saying I care is by ...extending my help, if cant, my prayers

7. I try to spread love and happiness by...spreading the truth

8. Pick the flowers when ...I was ask to, I never pick a flower, no reason on doing that

9. To love someone is to ... admire someone

10. Beauty is ...not skin deep

11. When I was thirteen, what I remember the most was ...I was in an all boys boarding school

12. When I was twenty one, I remember...I was struggling to find myself

13. I am most happy when ... I feel happy, I am usually not sure why I am happy

14. Nothing makes me happier than ...the world is in peace

15. If I can change one thing, I will change ...something about myself

16. If smiles were ... therapeutic, why people don't smile to cure their misery

17. Wouldn't it be nice if we could ...all 'see'

18. If you want to be useful then you have to ...contribute

19. Money is not everything but ...it is a necessity

20. The most touching moment I have experienced is ...when my D praises me

21. I smile when ... I want to

22. When I am happy, I ...smile and talk more than usual

23. If only I don't have to work then...I will still work, doing something is working

24. The best thing I did yesterday was ...(sorry cant tell you, it is none of yr business :P)

25. If I ever write a book, I will give it this title ...SELF TITLED BOOK (hehe)

26. One thing I must do before I die is ...getting closer to Him

27. Doing this me, I feel like ... Im done

Im not going to tag anybody, feel free to copy if you want to answer these questions, its fun. Cheers!

What is gay? by a 12 years old boy

2007-07-27T15:35:00.000+01:00

Look at the diagram below, observe the pictures and read the hyphenated words.

No, I’m not asking you to do the task. (If u want to, please, and please don’t ask me to mark, I am myself have lots of grammatical error in my sentences :P) But this task was given by me to a group of 12 years old for their English class. I was their on-call teacher.

Student A & B: [Talking and laughing]
Me: Boys, Whats so funny about?
Student A: He said Gerald is gay. [Pointing at student B]
Student B: [Sheepishly smile and avoid eye contact]
Me: [Not sure whats appropriate to say for a second. Come up with a question to Student A] What is gay?
Student A: Pondan! sir [confidently tell me]
Me: No, its not. [cant hold the straight face, I did smile]
Student A: Yes, it is [smiling]
The girls: [Smiling too]
Other boys: [No reaction]
Me: [Change topic, and laughing inside (No, im not going to change this English class to a sexual education forum)]

Im not surprise they know the jargon (which should not be known by their age at my time), its all over the media (the celebrity gossip etc). But I just don’t understand how they come up with that conclusion (Gerald is gay). Obviously they associate the term with effeminate male (they pics suggest he is befriending with two girls, thus Gerald is not masculine, maybe?), and its not about sexual orientation Haha Even many adult don’t understand this, how can I expect their kids to understand (speakin in Malaysian context). Even some of the so called expert on TV somehow suggest to viewers that gay is about the sexual activity u-know-between-not-the opposite-sex.
Thank God im not that shallow and I did take some social science subjects back in college.

Islam is a sexist religion?

2007-07-23T09:15:00.000+01:00

I'm sure we all aware of this statement, from the media, or from other people around us, or even from our own thought, when we think about it base on our shallow understanding of Islam.
I guess its normal, we all human, logical being, faith doesnt come by without deeper understanding and thinking.

Therefore sometime, even Muslims themselves believe in this statement, and some even try to reinterpret the Quran because they think there are bias in the interpretation as it was translated by males, therefore it is from male perspective.
Probably this is an unnecessary step, because what I believe, we don't need 'new' interpretation, as the most important thing is, to understand the meaning behind what had been interpreted.

As a Muslim, we believe in all things Allah had told us to, its in the faith.
But, how you as a Muslims, going to face such remark on Islam. Is your current methodology is wise enough?
Or if you are still searching, you want the answer and you feel that your faith is not strong enough.

Even if you are not a Muslim, but you are open minded, and want to learn what Islam actually is, and why there are the so called 'sexist rules' in the religion,
Or you have been irked and unsatisfied, by the common answer from a Muslim regarding Islam. for example, When u asked, why a Muslim women need to cover up?, they replied with the common stereotypical: to prevent her from being raped. Of course this doesnt make sense.

There are answers for this.
Perfect Justice: Debunking the male bias myth by Yasir Qadhi

The introduction transcript

The topic that has been assigned for me for today, is entitled perfect justice debunking the male bias myth. In other words the topic is about explaining to non Muslims in our time even many Muslims why is it there are so many gender specific rules. Gender different rules in Islam.

Why do our women have to wear hijab and not man?

Why is it that a man is allowed to practice polygamy and not women?

Why is it that the inheritance is different?

Why, Why Why?

So many questions arise from non Muslims and even in our times for many Muslims They are questioning the fundamentals of their religion. The fundamentals of Fiqh. The fundamentals of Usul. The fundamentals of male female interaction and they are wondering why is our religion is so different from what we see around us today. From the environment we have been raised in and so I’m trying to explain in this talk in a nutshell our proper methodology of response.

How do we response to these allegation Somebody comes and tell us Islam is a very Chauvinistic religion? Its a sexist faith? It prefers men over women? And they list a number of things such as polygamy, such as hijab, such as inheritance, such as this and that, witnesses in the court and they list a number of things and they say look, look at this type of religion, its making women backwards, and is promoting male chauvinism and making men better than women. How do we response to these allegation? how do we defend our faith from these accusations?

Now the topic that I’m talking about is very common, is very common you’d heard it so many times on human rights in Islam, in fact I may even go so far as to say that this has become a staple topic for many conventions and many speakers. So much so that an average talk that is advertise with this topic in mind, would not even generate a great response because its cliché been there done that. I’ve heard this conversation before So let me reassure you that although the topic might indeed be very common. In fact one of the most common topics at Muslim conventions and gatherings. Let me be so bold as to state that the response you’ll hear today insyaAllah is a very very unique response It is a response that is rarely heard It is a response that I personally believe is a much better and perfect response than the traditional, than the stereotypical response that is given to these questions

Because and I claim perhaps very boldly and Ill justify this claim that the traditional methodology of responding to these allegations by traditional methodology I’m referring to answers that all of you know.

Why is a men is allowed to have more than one wife and a women isn’t? Well because during the times of war its men who dies and the women is more numerous because there is orphans because you know more widowers.

Why is it that u know the inheritances is more for the men vs. the women? Well because the men has more financial obligation than a women, so you have these (excuse me) stereotypical responses okay.

And I state quite boldly and Ill defend this insyaAllah that these responses have not, cannot and will not succeed in doing justice to our religion These traditional responses, they will not succeed in solving this bias In solving this perception that non Muslims and unfortunately many Muslims who are now grounded in their religion have of our religion with regards to male female interactions.

I hope, above transcript of the introduction had intrigue your interest in watching and listening to the video below. Mark your planner for an hour date with this Yasir Qadhi’s lecture, because I think it is the best lecture providing the best answer in this issue.

to download, find the link here

About Yasir Qadhi
Yasir Qadhi was born in Houston, Texas and completed his primary and secondary education in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He graduated with a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston, after which he was accepted as a student at the Islamic University of Madinah. After completing a diploma in Arabic, he graduated with a B.A. from the College of Hadith and Islamic Sciences. Thereafter, he completed a M.A. in Islamic Theology from the College of Dawah.
His published works include Riya'a: The Hidden Shirk, Du'aa: The Weapon of the Believer, and An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur'an.
Yasir Qadhi is currently pursuing his doctorate, in Religious Studies, at Yale University in New Haven, CT. At AlMaghrib Instiute he teaches the Light of Guidance and the Light Upon Light seminars, which focus on aqeedah.

Green for Fly, Red for Politics

2007-07-20T17:57:00.000+01:00

This post is not about green/red apple nor political parties official colour.
But Its a bout me! metaphorically described.
As I am about to cross an important junction in my life.

Finally, an absolute green light from the scholarship provider.
Insya'Allah Im going to leave Msia this October, but not for-ever, I hope.
Finally, I think I'm happy, but mixed with all kind of emotions.
Perhaps, I am not really happy, huh emotion are complicated, wont be able to comprehend myself.

I have to start prepping spiritually, mentally and physically, I think I did already start, probably I need to multiply the effort.
More time on enriching these.
Maybe by cutting down my online hours, especially the time spend on political web-logs and news.
I came up to a conclusion recently that I don't feel I gained anything positive from reading 'em. Just plain hatred, which only boils my blood (haha, a bit exaggerating). But cant deny that I am pissed when the truth will usually find its way under the carpet. Swept by the prime media and lies.
At the end of the day, what I felt is a sense of anger and helpless. Which is not good for me, I need to cheer up and loosen up more.

I cant do anything to correct it, yes, but I did note it in my mind, Ill give my attention to this when the time comes, in the near future.

I have to focus in the most important things for me, for now, and let the other things revolve around. Prioritize!

Thanks all for your extended prayers, God bless.
Thank You, for the only You, the only one entitled for the credit, for all the blessing.
Hoping for bright years ahead.

p.s. Ive been tagged by Zafi.
Did saw the same tag on MarinaM's blog few weeks bfor,
will get back to the questions soon.

Jom Heboh Penang

2007-07-15T01:23:00.000+01:00

Last weekend, I was in Penang. And coincidentally, Jom Heboh was bein held there that weekend. As I never been to this carnival, I decided to give it a try. So early that morning, my sister and I head to Queensbay Mall to experience it ourselves.

Well, its not bad at all. I arrived early, people not yet got up from their extra time weekend morning nap, therefore I was less bothered by mass amount of people. There were lots of booth from TV3's owned to food product to automotive to hotlink supersized booth to a ministry booth.

For those who hv never been to this carnival, here are things u can do:
TV3 booth, u can meet the celebrities, get their autograph, take pics (its no big deal for me)
Food booth, u can sample food, and buy em, they sold it cheaper compared to retail
it is a fun place to be.

The highlight of my Jom Heboh was Muadz.
He is a singer, a new talent with good intention. A good addition to our local music industry. We can categorized him in Nasheed, but with a fresh approach, contemporary image and music to spread the message of truth through the lyrics. Alhamdulillah, there are such efforts. Its a great thing I found about him there.

Here are the pics of the autographed CD (my sister's)

My sister was suprised that Muadz is an extremely nice guy when we met him. Probably because she never met a celeb, they are supposed to be nice, but I think he is genuine. He expressed his gratitude over our purchase, in fact he was the one opening the CD plastic wrapping using his own coin. I felt silly for a moment, I think I didn't even say thank you when we left. But I did say Good Luck (it is unnecessary when I think about it again) and All the best!

Haven't yet heard all the tracks as the CD is with my sis, but i did heard some (i think its live) during the carnival. He has a good voice, really nice tone, suite the lyrics and music. And his inspiration (written in the CD) are Sami Yusof and Outlandish (to name a few), owh now I see how he come up with this album. I hope Malaysian can embrace this kind of Nasheed genre. Its time to move away from the MTV guys, it is so 90s haha

I felt a bit sad, bcos he didnt get a good support during the carnival. Nobody bother to stop when he sang live at a booth, it was just couple of us and a few, which I think is pathetic. I saw most are Malay there at the carnival and of course Muslim, come on, give him a support at least by stopping by. Probably bcos no one knew him (just recently he got into the newspaper), he deserves attention like these guys below had.

...sucked into hedonisme for a while.
The male celebs were on makeup (not light!), hehe, i know2, the camera thingy, but seriously theyd lost their masculinity

Back to Muadz story, He has his own blog at http://muadzseekinglight.blogspot.com/
There are some clips from his album. Its worth a try to give a visit and listen to some. "The Wayfarers" is an awesome track.
For those in Malaysia, Grab his CD in stores. It cost less than RM30 and you are helping him spreading the words of wisdom to humankind.

Muadz is a lawyer by profession, and a singer by passion.

p.s. Frens, great to see you all in Penang.

Malaysian Muslims Cant Solat (Pray) in the next GE?

2007-07-12T09:58:00.000+01:00

I was alerted by MarinaM's blog bout the usage of ink mark on voters in the next General Election (GE) (I didnt read the newspaper yesterday). So far the decision on this hasn't yet been finalised. The obstacle is Islam according to him.

Teresa Kok (DAP – Seputeh): Why the Government had not made a decision to implemen the use of indelible ink in the next general elections?
He: Muslims could not perform their prayers if the ink could not be washed off for a few days after voting. For Muslims, when they pray, they have to wash their face, hands and feet and the water (air wuduk) must touch their skin. With indelible ink, the water will not be able to touch the skin and Muslims will not be able to perform their prayers
(he said while winding up the debate on the Elections (Amendment) Bill 2007)

Come on, give me a break.
Don't speak bout Islam or on behalf of Islam, if he is unsure.

Who is he? Read here on TheStar article

Minah, a new mum

2007-07-09T14:32:00.000+01:00

I wrote the paragraph below in draft a week ago:

My she-cat Minah is currently pregnant, oh yes, from her s**ual escapades 2 months ago. Id calculated the due date of her labour.

The gestation (human term is pregnancy) for cat is 63-65 days.
The escapades happened on May 9 and 10.
So she’ll deliver her babies on July 12 to 15.
Hopefully she will be alright. Im sure she’ll be a responsible mum, its in her instinct. And hopefully she wont be chased away from home, by my parents bcos of the babies.

Today:
Minah disappeared during the lunch time and later in the evening we discovered she was nursing three new babies. Congratulation Minah! For the success in delivering 3 cute newborns, a black, a white and another one is exactly like her.

Look like her gestation period is only 60 days, 2 months exact, I think I know the father to the newborn (based on the kittens colour), It must be the black and white amputated rear foot cat (We called him Capit/Tempang) as he is the only he-cat I know of that colour and was following Minah during her escapade)

p.s. Till further notice, Dolah (Minah's bro) is gay

Before Tomorrow

2007-07-05T11:00:00.000+01:00

I’m going to drive my Kancil back home tomorrow, since Ill be MIA for few years in few months, so its best that my sister use it in Penang.

Ill be missg him, he had served me and being a good friend for almost 2 years and he rarely breakdown (just some minor) although he is not a virgin when I got him (a second hand car).
He is the Kancil, yup a he-car, because he rarely causes any trouble, haha, sorry girls, a male chauvinistic remark, I’m just jesting. You all know im not a he-ass :P or am I?

Finally, I got the electronic copy of my offer letter last night, the original was mailed but haven’t yet arrived. Astounded by the amount of fees needed to be paid which is about 25k pound annum (Fee 14.5k + Consumable 10.4k), I thought it was a mistake. But when I checked with other good universities in the UK, it’s a common/standard international fee for medical related research degrees, obviously it’s a profit making business.
Well, Its not that I’m the one who is going to pay the fees, but I feel that (actually, Im not sure how I felt) it’s a lot of money spend especially when it is converted to Malaysian ringgit. Feel like it’s a huge responsibility for me to put my whole+extra effort in it, so that the money will be well spent.

Wonder why our public universities don’t charge a noticeable fee difference for the international students (In the UK, the fee for EU/UK students are much lower compared to internationals’). Plus most of the international students in Malaysia are very rich, their country too esp the middle eastern countries like UAE. But then, when I heard these countries are spending billions in our local universities research. I think it’s a simple give and take. Anyway, we have to charge based on our quality of education, probably higher rate in the future when the quality get better, hopefully, with all the sudden baby steps taken by MOHE.

Will forward the offer letter tomorrow to the scholarship provider, hope everything will be fine, the next meeting for finalizing the scholarship is in the next week, and I was told in a phone conversation with the officer that the fees wont be a problem. Lega! Anyway I'm still hoping a smooth process ahead.

And the stated date for the 2007/08 intake in the offer letter is the 1st October. OMG it is in Ramadan which is before Eid. Felt like I wanna burst when I realized bout it. Probably I can forward the date to after Eid hopefully, hey Im a paid customer, I can do what I want hehe

Tomorrow too, my buddy is going to leave Malaysia for a month. Goodbye mate, sorry can’t wave g'bye at the airport. Im sure u’ll be fine and come back home in one piece. Ill pray for your safety. Thx for the sate treat ths evening, huhu, Im actually sad u r goin to leave.

And this stack of books plus some more at home in Penang is for my friend who is going to pursue her Masters which will start tomorrow. All the best, pal. Hope all these notes help. She wrote in her blog that I'm one of the person that has inspired her to discontinue her job and continue with her study. I am very flatterd Id unintentionally persuade someone for something good, but a bit weird as I myself don't feel that I can be inspiring. I'm sure you wont regret your decision on doing this, pal. Knowledge is power!

Off topic, I haven’t blog bout current affairs esp politic for sometime, but Im very happy bout the release of the BBC reporter in Palestine yesterday. See, Hamas is not a bad group of people; they had shown to the international that they are not an extremist; they are just fighting for their land which was stolen. Hopefully this event will clean up their image.

Cant wait to be in Penang tomorrow, I felt attached there probably because I grew up there. Will spend the few days, with friends back home and my cute nice. She is so smart right now, sometimes a bit naughty. Will blog bout her when I come back.

Till then. Adios!

p.s. Cikgu Hafiz (as addressed by lots of my fren recently haha) have to take few days leave for his trip to Penang. He'll be back in few days, teaching and at the same time learning.

The New Seven Wonders, vote before 07/07/07

2007-07-03T16:49:00.000+01:00

The new seven wonders of the world project is going to end in approximately 3 days. There are 20 man made wonders to be chosen from (excluding the Egypt Piramid, automatically will be in the 7 list).

The new seven wonders candidate.
[website link]

Probably, u don't bother, or don't care to participate. Neither was I, before I watch about this on AlJazeera's Riz Khan. I think it is important for us to vote and to choose the new 7, this will make sure the new 7 is based on yr opinion too. So lets vote.

To help you narrowing up the choices, I have a suggestion of 3 wonders that IMO must be voted

Alhambra (12th century) Granada, Spain

Mohammed I, the first king of the Nasriden – a Moorish dynasty in Granada - converted a 9th-century castle into his private royal residence, and it is this which we now know as the Alhambra. The structure, which covers an area of 13 hectares, is renowned for its stunning frescoes and interior detail. The building is one of the finest examples of Moorish architecture in the world and is among Europe’s most-visited tourist attractions.
In short - vote for the Alhambra, because it now represents
- Dignity & Dialog!

The Hagia Sophia (532 - 537 A.D.) Istanbul, Turkey

The Hagia Sophia was erected during the reign of Emperor Justinian (532 - 537 A.D.), when the Byzantine Empire was at the height of its power and influence. The massive dome, which is the prominent architectural feature, has since often been used as a model for the design of Islamic mosques. Indeed, after the fall of Byzantium, the Hagia Sophia was converted into an Ottoman mosque. Today, the monument is a museum serving both Christians and Muslims.
In short - vote for the Hagia Sophia, because it now stands for
- Faith & Respect!

Timbuktu (12th century) Mali

In the 12th century, Timbuktu was at the crossroads of the four most important caravan paths supplying the Arab world, which then spanned from the Middle East all the way to Spain. The accumulation of wealth made it one of the wealthiest places on earth at the time. This allowed one of the first universities in the history of humankind to be established– the celebrated Islamic university called the Koranic Sankore, where 20,000 students studied law, medicine, rhetoric, etc. Today, it remains with us as a powerful myth and, in this way, resembles another Ancient Wonder, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
In short - vote for Timbuktu, because it stands for - Intellect & Mysticism!

Obviously, u can understand why those three.
Other 4 wonders, you can select from another 17 wonders, but I think we need to include the old wonders as well, so the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall obviously need to be in the list. But thats all is up to you.

The New 7 Wonders of the World will be announced during the Official Declaration ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal on Saturday, July 7, 2007 - 07.07.07.

Vote Online click here
Happy Voting!

Future Malaysian Neuroscientist?

2007-07-01T10:57:00.000+01:00

Utusan Malaysia 29 Jun 2007 (Timur)

2 pelajar USM catat sejarah

KOTA BHARU 28 Jun - Dua penuntut Sarjana Sains Neuro, Pusat Pengajian Sains Perubatan (PPSP) Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Kubang Kerian mencatat sejarah apabila terpilih menyertai program kajian berkaitan bidang berkenaan di peringkat antarabangsa.

Dua penuntut sarjana tersebut, Mohd. Nor Azim Ab. Patar, 24, dan Rahida Mohd. Shadli, 26, terpilih setelah kajian mereka mendapat pengiktirafan badan penyelidikan antarabangsa yang membolehkan mereka menyertai program dan kursus intensif dalam bidang sains neuro.

MOHD. Nor Azim Ab. Patar dan Rahida Mohd. Shadli berbincang mengenal kajian kecederaan otak dan tulang belakang di Kampus Kesihatan, USM Kubang Kerian, Kota Bharu, semalam.

Mohd. Nor Azim yang kini meneruskan pengajian dalam bidang kecederaan otak dan tulang belakang di PPSP, mendapat tajaan Pertubuhan Penyelidikan Otak Antarabangsa yang beribu pejabat di Switzerland.

Dengan penajaan itu, beliau akan mengikuti kursus di State University Ohio, Anierika Syarikat, selama sebulan mulai 6 Julai hingga 6 Ogos depan.

Mohd. Nor Azim juga merupakan antara 16 penuntut dari seluruh dunia yang terpiih dan satu-satunya pelajar tunggal dari negara ini mendapat tawaran kursus berprestij itu.

Beliau yang ditemui berkata, peluang tersebut akan dimanfaatkan sepenuhnya dengan memberikan tumpuan untuk mendapat sebanyak mungkin pengalaman dan pendedahan menerusi kursus itu.

Katanya, ini kerana peluang mengikuti kursus di universiti tersebut cukup berharga kerana di situlah terkumpulnya ramai pakar perubatan yang terlibat dalam rawatan kecederaan otak dan tulang belakang.

Beliau ditemui selepas majlis perasmian Bengkel Pengenalan Sains Neuro anjuran Jabatan Neurosains PPSP, Kampus Kesihatan, Universiti Sains Malaysia di sini hari mi.
Mohd. Nor Azim yang berasal dan Kota Bharu berkata, beliau sebelum ini berpeluang mengikuti kajian kecederaan otak dan tulang belakang secara praktikal di Universiti Tarbiat Modaras, di Tehran pada tahun 2006.

Kemampuan beliau menguasai pengajian dalam bidang tersebut juga membolehkannya menyertai Konvensyen Kyoto di Jepun tajaan Elsevier, sebuah syarikat antarabangsa yang mencetak dan mengeluarkan bahan serta jurnal sains.

Berikutan pelbagai peluang yang diperoleh itu, Mohd. Nor Azim berazam untuk melanjutkan pengajiannya ke peringkat doktor falsafah.

Bagi Rahida pula, beliau mendapat tawaran untuk membentangkan kertas keija berkaitan di Program Musim Panas Institut Sains Otak RIKEN di Kyoto, Jepun.

Katanya, peluang menyertai program itu dapat menambahken pengetahuan dan pengalaman terutamanya dalam mengendalikan kes trauma berpunca daripada kecederaan otak pada masa hadapan.

“Saya akan menumpukan kepada bidang kajian psikologi neuro serta kesan akibat kecederaan otak yang merupakan minat saya selama mi,” jelasnya.

Congratulation to En Azim (for making a headline) :D, and Bon Voyage. Take care Bro

p.s.
Sorry Azim, I have to publish this article although u didnt let me hehe. Its for your own good, Im digitizing it, and making sure it lasted for long, so u can show this to yr grandchildren in the future, InsyaAllah

No More War

2007-06-26T12:11:00.000+01:00

Read the post below, Id to repost the video because the blogger video function didn't work (vdo suddenly shrink), it is still under development, Hopefully will work nicely soon.

My world view 3 years before

2007-06-26T04:08:00.000+01:00

I was organizing my hard disk (still, well credit to procrastination), and accidentally found this video my groupmate and I made years before and watching it again after a long time not, does bring back my university years' memory. This video entitled No More War, pls don’t pay much attention to the content (its not accurate), its actually a video editing assignment for my undergrad computer literacy class.

No More War

Video Disclaimer: This video does not represent the personal opinion of any entity credited in the video.

I have to admit that my knowledge bout the world; politic, social or economy was a bit shallow back then. When I was a student, my attention was given to my study (not really my study I think, probably time wasting as I didn’t recalled what I did back then) and I didn’t give a damn whats happening globally, which is a miserable and penitent way to spend ones university years’.

Yup, It’s not a good thing to mumble bout the past. John Spencer in The Present wrote a beautiful story which brought up the essence of success in life; learn from the past, be in / enjoy the present and plan for the future (Id forgotten the exact words, but the meaning is there).

The past is a past, well Im allowed to regret but the most important thing is to learn from it.
I have to enjoy the present and plan for the future.
And most importantly remember that life is too short, its only a transit.
So be a good 'creature' of the Creator.

p.s. try out new blogger features, video upload like Youtube, so you don't have to upload yr video in Youtube first bfor putting the html code in order for the vdo to appear here. This feature is still on trial but you can already utilise this function, click here to do that.

*Hafiz don’t feel healthy today, his throat is killin him, probably because of the heavy rain yesterday. He hasn’t been sick due to rain for a long time. He needs high dose of Vitamin C to improve his immune system.

Karen Armstrong in Malaysia *updated

2007-06-17T17:02:00.000+01:00

Dr Karen Armstrong was in Malaysia for the conference on "Islam and the West: Bridging the Gap" organised by Wisma Putra’s Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations.

Her keynote speech is "The External and Internal Challenges of Islam"
...We (Muslims) have to spread the message of peace...

Muslims must project an image of peace if they are not to affirm Western prejudices against Islam...By showing that Muslims are peaceful, it does not mean that they are being feeble or pushovers for the West...It, in fact, takes great strength to stand for peace in a world which has become increasingly violent. It is an internal challenge for Muslims against the bigotries of the West...

read more here in NST

Her public lecture "The Role of Religion in the 21st Century"
...We all need to practice our religion...

Religion is a matter that should be put into concrete practice in order to discover the truth

read more here in NST

You can read the article regarding her interview with Utusan's Zin Mahmud here

Ditanya apakah yang menarik tentang Islam? Beliau meletakkan pluralisme sebagai sifat agama ini yang menjadi kekuatan.

Totally agree on her view that Islam's strength is in its theology; the pluralism, this is what make Islam unique, although the religion is facing all sort of challenges esp. by non-Muslim's common sense arguments, no one can argue Islam's pluralism belief.

Im not sure what is her current faith, but thats none of my business, its between her and the Creator. However, what she is doin is awesome.
Semoga beliau akan mendapat hidayah dari-Nya sekiranya masih belum terbuka pintu hati, Amin.

p.s. Above highlight which I extracted from the news is not enough. You can read more here written by MarinaM, she was there listening live

Weekend Organizing

2007-06-17T05:31:00.000+01:00

Ive been very busy lately, I just came back from Penang 2 days ago, Spend the week finalizing the forms. Alhamdulillah every urgent things that need to be done is completed.
Id completed my part, its now the scholarship provider to do their’s. Hopefully everything will goes well.

Yesterday, I spent my time un-cluttering this PC, still an ongoing process, had moved the downloaded movies to DVDs, so that more space available in the hardisk, so that I can download more.
Id found a great software for this. I’ll blog bout it later.

My desktop is still cluttered, will spend today for that.

What else…Its an endless list, lots of thing I want to do which Id plan to, but not yet realized.
Hopefully after organizing this PC, Ill be more organized and become more efficient. Its described in my personality trait that a perfect melancholy person, cant function in an unperfect situation, see how the environment can influence my performance.

Alright, I need to get back to this organizing thingy. Sorry bout the delay in responding to your commenter here and the incapability of me spending my time reading yours and responding my 2 cents. Im back to normal after this.
Take care all!

40 years of occupation: 6-Day War

2007-06-11T15:44:00.000+01:00

It was 1967, 40 years ago, and it took less than a week,
40 years later, nothin much changed
Focus on this devastating event by AlJazeera

Al Jazeera is marking the 40th anniversary of the 1967 war with a series of special reports.
Our correspondents will be reporting on every side of the war, asking those involved how the war changed their lives, what was won - and lost - and what it means for the future of the region.

the Timeline

June 5: At 10:10 GMT Israel launches first wave of attacks, leaving nearly 400 Egyptian aircraft destroyed and huge craters in runway

June 6: Israel captures Gaza Strip, defeating part of Egyptian army

June 7: Israeli paratroopers seize control of Jerusalem's old city; 40,000 troops and 200 tanks deployed against Jordanian army; West Bank and East Jerusalem taken

June 8: Sinai captured and Egyptian forces defeated

June 9: Ground fighting between Israeli and Syrian forces continues in Golan region

June 10: Israel defeats Syrian army in Golan Heights. Syria accepts UN ceasefire resolution and Israel heeds UN warning not to advance into Syria

More and more woman landed on Mars

2007-06-07T03:25:00.000+01:00

I like this article by Dina Zaman in the Star today, not because of the sympathy, but simply because I never read any article by women trying to understand what men are going through actually, despite their superficial strong image, characterized and demanded by the society.

The only thing I read from women about men is that men are such an ass. I guess we like to highlight only the negative side of ppls.

Some bits of this article is a bit exaggerating or not applicable to most of us, but I think the general idea is true, Its is not easy to be a man!

Is it tough to be a man?
A writer's life
By DINA ZAMAN
[source]
WAVING his hand at me, my friend asked: “Do you know why men visit prostitutes?”
“For sex?” I answered, blithely.
“No! To talk! Men pay prostitutes to listen to them. All the women do is listen. It’s not always about sex!”
In my short life as a woman, I have come to learn one thing about men, and one of the easiest ways of handling their ridiculous logic is by nodding and hemming at the right moments while daydreaming about my next project.
Meanwhile, I store the bits of useful as well as useless information they spout at me in one corner of my brain so that when they ask whether I’m listening I am able to regurgitate their pearls of wisdom.
Then they beam and say I am a marvellous listener. I flutter my eyelashes and coo, “Chen-chew baby.” Then when I am home I detox my brain. Whew!
I don’t mean to malign my male friends at all; in all honesty, I have utter sympathy for them, because the truth is that to be a man, especially a very successful man, is tough. We’re Asians, and our society is patriarchal. And in spite of everyone saying that they are Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, atheists, I’m beginning to think that money is their real god.
Being a woman is fantastic in spite of our troubles, MPs coming up with crackpot comments about our menstrual cycles (they should try living with endometriosis; that should shut them up good and proper) and clothing; despite the crap and battles we wage, I personally feel being a woman is 200 times better than being a man.
At the same time, I note that 21st century living is a killer. To be a man in this century, I think, would probably mean a lifetime swallowing Xanax (a short-acting drug used to treat anxiety disorders). My friend’s outburst earlier on became a nightlong conversation about what it meant to be a contemporary Malaysian man.
It is not enough to have a good job, he has to be a millionaire at that. It is not enough to have a wife and family, because as he rises to the top, there is pressure to conform to society’s idea of wealth: taking on mistresses and other wives.
Friends and peers compete with each other on who has a better Number Two while nubile women throw themselves at him. If that’s not enough, men compete over other things: cars, watches, clothes, holidays, hobbies, country clubs.
My God, these men!
And, yes, he has to be the best lover in the country. No wonder Viagra is doing brisk sales. All these pressures would render even a tomcat in heat impotent.
I also believe women too play a part in this. I may have said I’m all for women’s rights, but I’m not blind. It’s never enough for some women. A lot of mothers, wives and girlfriends want this, this, and that.
You can’t marry the girl you really love, you must marry a girl from the right sort of background.
Wives, especially the harridan types married their men because of prospect! Ambition! Security! Hell, in this town, what is love? It sure ain’t carte blanche to the good life. If you call this feminism, well, it’s bonkers.
I have this friend. Very successful divorced man, who’s in love with a single mother but his maman wants him to marry a virgin from the right background. I still remember him bawling at his mother over the phone, “Mak! I don’t want a virgin! I’m not a virgin myself!”
A lot of times, I blame mothers (not all, so don’t chuck the kuali at me yet) for these pressures. Men can’t upset their mothers, not in Malaysia anyway. Which is probably why we single girls opt to stay single: nobody wants to deal with fearsome mothers-in-law.
The pressure to succeed is another thing. From the time men were babies, it’s been go, go, go. The straight As. The degrees, and then the jobs. Hitting big time. Their fathers are equally as cruel as their mothers. That’s it? You call that success? Turn your company into a PLC first, then we'll talk.
Men in the end believe that money is power. This goes from top down and bottom up. A man’s role is to provide. Full stop. No wonder they go absolutely potty. They’re not taught correct responsibility, respect towards women and others.
With their families and society perpetuating the myth of Man, and them bending backwards so these men will thrive in this country, KL Tower, we have a problem.
So while our men are waging corporate wars, building bridges and making and breaking multi-million dollar mergers, the retail industry throws them for a loop. Before you put on the Zegna suit, perhaps monsieur should visit the spa and have a facial while at it. Mon dieu. Talk about the emasculation of the male gender and ego.
And these are heterosexual men we are talking about. You try talking to the gay boy who’s a corporate raider but has to pretend he’s straight and has to do all the right things so his cover won’t be blown ... that one lagi sakit otak.
Men, for all their blustering, have fragile egos. Women may weep and wail, but when push comes to shove, women dust themselves off after a fall or two and get on with it. Men drown themselves in material things because these are symbols of masculinity.
As I listened to my friend explain why it’s tough to be a man, I was struck by an image of a tired and bored circus lion jumping through fiery hoops.
“So what do you think?” My friend asked. “Am I not the saviour of all men?”
I looked at him.
“Erm,” I said, “I think you’re going to have a heart attack by the end of the year.”

Dina Zaman’s journalistic hero is Tintin, Boy Reporter.

Me and this girl

2007-06-06T15:09:00.000+01:00

This is an open ended question, the details have to be disclosed, because I dont wanna cause any shame to the girl if I brought up every bits of detail here. Hopefully she didnt read this, as I dont think she will, bcos Id told her bout my blog, but she replied she is too lazy to read.

The questions:

What if there is this person, that give all kind of hints (some are just too direct) that suggest she wanna be yr life partner. (stop laughing! I am dead serious haha) (I know when a person mean this, I am not perasan or somethin like that, Id lived 23 yrs to understand ths) In fact another fren of mine also feel the same way I feel when I told her bout this girl, she said its too obvious! (thats from another girl perspective)

What if you, on the other hand, dont feel the same way. You are nice to the person, bcos she is your friend. Its fren's responsibility to encourage, support others right? Caring and compassionate bout others is not wrong right? Your kindness towards the person is just because the person is yr fren, nothin more attached to it (you know what i mean).

Now, I feel that by continuing being nice to the person, will give her false hope? I did clarify her that our rship is just as fren, and im sure it wont evolve, and she did agree. But lately, she is keep pushing, but keep saying that she is just kidding. Erk.

Did she thought im too shy to express my feelins on her? No, bcos if I like a person more than as fren, I wont keep it inside, Ill let the person know.

Did she think I like her bcos me being nice to her? Erk, Im not, I tend to be nice, If the other person being nice to me. Its simple social behavior.

Relationship is a two ways thing, U cant 'be with' a person, if u are not 'into' the other person right? I feel sorry for this girl, if she is deeply into me, (again, dont laugh on this, I am serious) my apology and probably my mistake as well, I shouldnt be that nice to the person mayb, but what I did is genuine, not my intention to result this.
Argh, Men are from Mars, women are from Venus.

p.s. well, not all women are from Venus, some had adapted with Mars, TQ to these women (girls more suited to their age) for just being my frens :)

Misunderstood Muslims and Apostatsy in Malaysia

2007-06-03T12:59:00.000+01:00

Apostasy is one of the current issues in Malaysia, after several cases arise followed by confusion on how to address these cases which is blamed on the current bi law system practice in Malaysia, the Sharia law and the Civil law, this had created debate not only among Malaysian Muslims but also non-Muslims and peoples internationally.

Ive been waiting for Dr Asri's view on this, Alhamdulillah, it is published on today's Utusan. Below is the article reproduced here. Sorry, I don't have the time to translate it to English, the main target for this article is Malaysian Muslims btw.

Murtad: Antara emosi dan realiti
Oleh: MOHD. ASRI ZAINUL ABIDIN

MURTAD adalah ungkapan yang menakutkan. Tidak ada mukmin yang sebenar tidak berasa sensitif atau ketakutan apabila perkataan murtad dikaitkan dengannya. Bahkan mukmin yang sejati apabila mendengar perkataan murtad atau kufur akan menyebut dalam jiwanya, “aku pohon perlindungan dengan Allah dari itu semua.” Allah berfirman dalam surah al-Baqarah: 217: (maksudnya) dan sesiapa di antara kamu yang murtad (berpaling tadah) dari agamanya (agama Islam), lalu dia mati dalam keadaan kafir, maka mereka itu rosaklah amalan (yang baik) mereka di dunia dan di akhirat, dan mereka itulah ahli neraka, kekal mereka di dalamnya (selama-lamanya).

Murtad jika menjadi satu fenomena ia akan mengancam masyarakat muslim. Jika masyarakat itu telah membentuk negara muslim, ia akan mengancam identiti negara tersebut. Maka fenomena murtad sangat berbahaya serta boleh mencetuskan perubahan identiti atau maruah sesebuah negara muslim. Dalam masyarakat hari ini, kita menangkap dan mengambil tindakan kepada penyalahgunaan dadah. Walaupun mudarat langsung itu kelihatan berlaku kepada diri individu, namun jika ia menjadi arus, ia akan mengancam identiti dan keseimbangan sesebuah masyarakat.

Maka tidak hairan apabila murtad menjadi gelombang yang mengancam kestabilan maka Abu Bakar mengambil tindakan memerangi mereka. Hakikat ini tidak wajar dipertikaikan oleh seorang muslim.

Namun dalam suasana sekarang ini, saya ingin mengajak persoalan ini dilihat luar dari sempadan emosi, tetapi atas kerangka tanggungjawab agama dan kepentingan umat. Langkah pencegahan ke arah murtad perlu dilakukan secara bersungguh. Ini sesuatu yang kita sepakati. Di samping sesuatu yang perlu kita tahu bahawa seseorang itu menjadi murtad apabila dia melanggar batasan akidah Islam secara sedar, faham dan tidak dipaksa. Sama ada pelanggaran itu dalam bentuk perkataan, atau perbuatan, atau keyakinan. Apabila pelanggaran itu dilakukan seperti menghina Allah dan Rasul-Nya, atau mengisytiharkan diri telah keluar atau ingin keluar dari Islam maka dia menjadi murtad.

Kemurtadan ini tetap berlaku sama ada disahkan atau tidak disahkan oleh mana- mana pihak. Pernyataan agama dalam kad pengenalan bukanlah penentu sebenar kepada hakikat akidah seseorang. Ia hanya untuk urusan kemasyarakatan atau pentadbiran. Ini bererti sekiranya kita berjaya menahan seribu orang yang mengisytihar diri keluar dari Islam agar tidak dapat menukar agama kad pengenalannya, kita sebenarnya hanya menyimpan seribu orang murtad yang akan bertopeng dalam masyarakat muslim sahaja. Apa jadi, jika kad pengenalan itu dijadikan ukuran oleh beberapa pihak lalu berkahwinlah golongan murtad ini dengan orang-orang Islam yang sebenar?

Mereka juga mungkin menguasai institusi-institusi agama atas kebijaksanaan mereka dalam bidang tertentu, sedangkan mereka murtad. Akhirnya kita menyimpan barah yang amat berbahaya dalam tubuh umat. Maka sekadar pertahankan perubahan agama pada kad pengenalan semata, bukan satu kejayaan. Bahkan mungkin menjadi musibah jika berleluasa pada suatu hari nanti. Kejayaan yang sebenar adalah mengembalikan mereka ke pangkuan Islam secara reda dan menghilangkan kekeliruan mereka mengenai agama ini.

Berikutnya, kita jangan sampai diperdayakan oleh musuh dengan meletakkan angka murtad sehingga ratusan ribu. Walaupun ada, ia tidak sampai kepada angka tersebut. Jangan pula kita mudah menghukum orang lain murtad hanya atas khabar angin. Apakah kita ingin menghidupkan suasana kafir-mengkafir atas andaian semata. Perbuatan itu hanya memporak- perandakan masyarakat Islam.

Meletakkan angka yang sebesar itu hanya melancarkan agenda musuh-musuh Islam. Ia akan menyebabkan dunia menekan negara agar tidak mengabaikan hak jumlah manusia yang ratusan ribu itu. Lantas usaha ke arah murtad mendapat sokongan dunia luar.

Kedua, meletakkan jumlah yang sedemikian besar, hanya akan mematahkan semangat mereka yang ingin menganut Islam dan usaha ke arah mengajak manusia kepada Islam. Alangkah malunya, ketika umat Islam dunia Barat yang ditekan sedang giat dan berjaya mengislamkan saban hari jumlah begitu banyak penduduk Barat sedangkan kita kalut dengan cerita orang murtad. Padahal tidak ada kerajaan yang memberikan keistimewaan kepada umat Islam di Barat. Apatah lagi perlembagaan yang boleh dikaitkan dengan Islam. Tiba- tiba dalam negara yang banyak masjid, ceramah agama di sana sini, ada pejabat agama dan mufti, pelbagai pertubuhan Islam wujud, perlembagaannya menyebut Islam, ustaz-ustaznya pun banyak duit ceramah yang telah dihasilkan, mufti-muftinya pun ramai yang berjenama mewah, slogan Islam pun banyak kedengaran di sana sini, lalu kita isytiharkan ratusan ribu telah murtad.

Sedangkan umat Islam Barat yang lebih mencabar keadaan mereka itu mengisytiharkan ratusan ribu yang menganut Islam. Bahkan begitu banyak gereja bertukar menjadi masjid. Padahal tidak ada mahkamah syariah pun di negara-negara tersebut. Namun mereka berdakwah dengan penuh amanah dan kesarjanaan. Lantas, manusia berbondong-bondong menganut Islam.

Aduhai malangnya kita. Jika hal yang berlaku sebaliknya. Kalau begitu, barangkali elok sahaja kita pencenkan menteri Jakim, mufti-mufti kesemuanya yang sewaktu dengan mereka kerana ternyata gagal mempertahan dan menjelaskan Islam yang agung ini kepada umat.

Kita juga hendaklah mengkaji sebab-sebab murtad di negara ini. Jangan hanya menuding jari ke pihak lain, tanpa melihat kepada diri kita sendiri. Jika kita teliti, ramai yang ingin meninggalkan Islam terdiri daripada mereka yang dahulunya beragama lain. Mereka menganut Islam kadangkala disebabkan faktor perkahwinan. Apabila berlaku perceraian, mereka hilang tempat bergantung. Masyarakat Islam pula ramai yang kurang prihatin terhadap saudara baru. Lalu mereka tiada pilihan, terpaksa kembali kepada keluarga asal atau masyarakat yang lebih memahami mereka. Sebab itu, saya mencadangkan masjid Cina. Antara sebabnya membolehkan mereka bertemu dengan yang senasib atau yang lebih faham tentang diri mereka. Lalu berlaku bantu-membantu. Juga proses pemahaman Islam lebih lancar dan mudah. Itu pun ada yang membantah cadangan tersebut. Kononnya hendak jaga identiti Melayu.

Takut berpecah antara sesama Islam yang berlainan bangsa. Itulah andaian emosi tanpa satu kajian. Padahal, apa yang berlaku sekarang bukan sekadar berpecah, bahkan keluar agama!

Baru-baru ini ada saudara baru yang minta hendak menganut Islam di hadapan saya. Katanya, dia telah ke pejabat agama sebuah negeri tetapi ditolak beberapa kali kerana lidahnya tidak dapat menyebut ucapan syahadah dengan baik. Inilah sikap buruk sesetengah kita yang menghalang orang hendak menganut Islam. Barangkali ustaz berkenaan kalau boleh bacaan tajwid orang yang hendak menganut Islam pun hendak diujinya. Ya syeikh! Islam dianuti bukan kerana kefasihan lidah, tetapi keyakinan dan akidah!

Amatlah pelik, bagi agama yang indah, harmoni dan dipenuhi pula dengan hujah dan alasan, tiba-tiba ada pula yang tidak puas hati dengannya dan ingin meninggalkannya. Padahal saluran penerangan Islam begitu luas dalam negara ini. Sedangkan Islam sudah sempurna. Tidak ada masalah dengan inti kandungannya. Ia agama yang mampu dicabar. Firman Allah dalam surah al-Baqarah ayat 111: (maksudnya): Dan mereka (Yahudi dan Nasrani) berkata pula: “Tidak sekali-kali akan masuk syurga melainkan orang-orang yang berugama Yahudi atau Nasrani.” Yang demikian itu hanyalah angan-angan mereka sahaja. Katakanlah (Wahai Muhammad): “Bawalah bukti-bukti kamu itu, jika betul kamu orang-orang yang benar.”

Apa yang tinggal untuk dipersoalkan adalah sikap penganutnya. Manusia lari meninggalkan Islam kerana sikap penganutnya atau huraian Islam yang salah. Bukan kerana Islam. Kita gagal membina benteng yang mampu mempertahankan Islam. Kita lebih suka menyalahkan orang lain apabila kita lemah. Saya ambil contoh dalam masalah Bible dalam bahasa melayu. Saya bukan ingin mengatakan dibolehkan atau tidak. Tetapi sehingga bila kita ingin menjerit dan membantah. Kita bimbang anak-anak kita terpengaruh dengan Bible jika ianya dalam bahasa Melayu. Apakah kita tidak bimbang jika anak kita pandai bahasa Inggeris dan nanti dia boleh baca Bible dalam bahasa Inggeris pula? Tidak inginkah pula kita mengharamkan bahasa Inggeris untuk anak-anak kita? Apa pula yang hendak kita buat dengan Internet yang seseorang mampu mendapatkan apa sahaja daripadanya? Apa kita kata jika kita dapati ada satu bangsa yang takut orang- orangnya diberi kesempatan membaca al- Quran terjemahan dalam bahasa mereka. Tentu kita akan kata; mereka takut sebab al-Quran itu benar. Demikianlah orang lain fikir tentang kitab mereka apabila dihalang. Sehingga bila kita mampu menghalang? Sepatutnya kita membina benteng ketahanan yang kuat. Lihat apa yang dibuat oleh Ahmad Deedat dan Dr. Zakir Naik dalam menjawab Bible. Orang menganut Islam apabila mendengar mereka membahaskan Bible. Huraikan Bible secara ilmiah dan buktikan kebenaran al-Quran dan Islam. Ustaz-ustaz mesti meningkatkan kemampuan menguasai bidang yang pelbagai sesuai dengan tuntutan zaman. Bukan asyik kempen kismis jampi sahaja. Kocek penuh, umat lari. Jawab segala tuduhan terhadap Islam dengan penuh wibawa dan ilmiah. Bukan emosi semata. Bahkan kalau perlu dihuraikan Das Kapital pun huraikanlah sekalipun dalam masjid. Namun apabila ceramah dan syarahan agama lebih banyak jenaka dan lawak ‘tak pandai’ maka pelbagai tohmahan terhadap Islam gagal ditangkis dengan mantap. Sedangkan al-Quran mengajar pelbagai isi dan cara berdialog menghadapai Ahl al-Kitab. Antaranya Allah menyebutkan: (maksudnya) Dan janganlah kamu berbahas dengan Ahli Kitab melainkan dengan cara yang lebih baik, kecuali orang- orang yang berlaku zalim di antara mereka; dan katakanlah (kepada mereka): “Kami beriman kepada (al-Quran) yang diturunkan kepada Kami dan kepada (Taurat dan Injil) yang diturunkan kepada kamu; dan Tuhan kami, juga Tuhan kamu, adalah satu; dan kepada-Nyalah Kami patuh dengan berserah diri.” (al-Ankabut: 46).

Anak-anak kaum muslimin mustahil akan terpengaruh dengan Bible jika mereka membaca al-Quran. Ada yang kata: masalahnya mereka tidak baca al-Quran. Kita tanya; jika al-Quran pun mereka tidak minat baca, macam mana pula mereka berminat membaca Bible? Atau barangkali di rumah mereka tidak ada al-Quran terjemahan? Ataupun mungkin juga cara al-Quran dihuraikan oleh sesetengah kita menjadikan orang salah faham atau tidak minat dengan al-Quran.

Apa yang penting, kita mesti bina ketahanan diri dalam kefahaman umat Islam di Malaysia ini. Sejauh manakah kita hendak bertahan dengan jeritan dan bantahan terhadap orang lain, jika kita sendiri lemah. Umat Islam di negara Barat tanpa pelbagai keistimewaan seperti kita tetapi mampu menyebarkan Islam. Bahkan selepas 11 September al-Quran dilaporkan begitu laris di pasaran mereka. Mengapa kita sebaliknya?

Ramai yang memperkatakan hukuman murtad. Saya tidak ingin melebarkan khilaf fuqaha di sini. Namun kita tidak melaksanakan langkah-langkah yang diperintahkan syarak sebelum menghukum orang murtad. Hasil dari nas-nas hadis dan amalan sahabah, para fuqaha menyatakan hendaklah orang murtad itu diberikan ruang perbincangan, dihilangkan kekeliruannya mengenai agama dan diajak bertaubat (lihat: Abd al-Halim ‘Uwais, Mausu‘ah al-Fiqh al-Islami al-Mu‘asir, 3/438).

Proses ini penting, sebelum kita sibuk memperkatakan tentang hukuman. Proses ini boleh dibuat oleh pelbagai pihak. Tidak semesti memerlukan kuasa. Namun hanya sedikit yang melakukannya. Banyak perkara yang mengelirukan umat Islam pada zaman ini. Manusia mungkin murtad disebabkan kurangnya penjelasan yang meyakinkan. Sikap, tindakan dan pentafsiran sesetengah pihak di kalangan umat Islam juga boleh menyebabkan orang bingung dengan Islam. Tiba-tiba apabila mereka murtad terus sahaja ada pihak yang memperkatakan tentang hukuman sebelum mendengar dan membuat penjelasan secara mantap dan adil, mana mungkin jiwa yang merdeka dapat menerimanya. Proses penerangan dan dialog tentang Islam dengan cara yang lebih terbuka dan berani patut dilakukan. Di negara lain, tokoh-tokoh umat Islam sudah lama mampu menyampaikan penerangan tentang Islam sehingga di gereja dan di pelbagai saluran.

Hari ini tidak ada Abu Bakar yang mampu menolong kita. Apa yang patut kita fikirkan adalah membina ketahanan umat agar kukuh kefahamannya terhadap Islam. Pengukuhan itu tidak akan berlaku jika pihak yang menerangkan Islam itu sendiri rapuh kefahamannya dan menakutkan pula wataknya. Lebih penting isu murtad jangan dijadikan sebagai peluang untuk mempromosi diri, persatuan atau modal politik. Sebaliknya lihat ia sebagai tanggungjawab bersama yang mesti ditangani secara ilmiah, bukan sentimen.

- Dr. Mohd. Asri Zainul Abidin ialah Mufti Kerajaan Negeri Perlis.

[source]

My comment: I couldn't agree more! Stop turning this issue into political game, this arise because of our (Muslims) misunderstanding on Islam, thanks to certain group of peoples that claim they are the religious group who know exactly what Islam is. There is no simple solution on this. Not by simply changing our law, what we need is the broad understanding of this issue, I think the most important thing to tackle right now is the delivery of Islam by the Muslims themselves, quote from Dr Asri," Namun apabila ceramah dan syarahan agama lebih banyak jenaka dan lawak ‘tak pandai’ maka pelbagai tohmahan terhadap Islam gagal ditangkis dengan mantap. Sedangkan al-Quran mengajar pelbagai isi dan cara berdialog menghadapai Ahl al-Kitab."
Wallahualam.

Islam, a strange lifestyle?

2007-05-31T15:08:00.000+01:00

Answer to the question, nicely written by Ajmal Masroor, in the New Statesman

Article 1:

'Islam is a strange religion'
[full article]

'Muslims are not normal and Islam is a strange religion!' Do you believe this or do you demonstrate this in your direct and indirect behaviour?

Ask a Muslim this question and I can almost guarantee you that he/she would have felt treated like this, if not on a regular basis, occasionally. This has become the popular perception amongst many non-Muslims today. Once I went out for dinner with a group of people.

They all ordered alcohol and I ordered a glass of fresh juice. This sparked off a discussion amongst us all, why I did not drink alcohol; in the course of the discussion one of them asked what was wrong with me that I do not drink?. I explained to them that according to my faith drinking or taking any intoxicants was forbidden.

I know this makes me different from the popular culture here in Britain but what is wrong with being different? In fact Islam encourages me to challenge such cultural values, not to shove Islamic values down anyone throat, but to engage in a reasoned rational discussion about the benefit and harm of some of these popular cultures.

Article 2:

Islam is a lifestyle
[full article]

Islam and Muslims are often portrayed as abnormal and not compatible to the modern Western world. Muslims are shown in a negative way in today’s media; they are labelled as enemies within and out to destroy the West. My fear is that this has created the perfect environment for young people to feel excluded, increase community disarray and it is creating destructive popular cultures. There was a time when Jewish, Irish and Black people were part of the popular culture’s sick jokes, racist caricatures and hostility but now Muslims are on the receiving end of it all. This is a slippery slope and if we are not careful this may wreak havoc in our society.

My faith, Islam, teaches me to be colour and culture blind. I try my best to be a devout Muslim and at the same time to be a loyal citizen. I take my Bangladeshi ethnic background as an enriching feature and very proud of all layers of my identity. My religious duties and social responsibilities are two sides of the same coin. My faith is very important to me but not just as a set of rituals and "do’s and don’ts". It defines me as a person and shapes my worldview; it helps me develop deeper and more meaningful relationships with my surrounding and most importantly enables me to balance between material life and spirituality.

I have always had a very inquisitive mind and never accepted matters of faith without reason. I used to question every aspect of my faith and was never satisfied with emotional links to faith. Islam for me is a lifestyle, one that I have chosen as a result of conscious search, knowledge, faith and conviction. This lifestyle makes me conscious of my relationship with God.

At the core of my faith is the acceptance of God’s existence and His presence in my daily life. My relationship with God is direct and encompasses my private and public life.

My daily prayer is "O God please give me success of this world and the success of the Hereafter, strengthen me in my faith and help me to be content with what I have. Bless me with energy to be active and relieve me from laziness, help me to be generous with the richness that you give and relieve me of miserliness; help me to be just and save me from oppression."

About Ajmal [link]

Ajmal Masroor is regularly invited to speak on issues on integration and Islam in the modern world. He leads Friday prayers in several Mosques across London.

p.s. the prospect of me livin in a foreign environment in the near future scared the hell out of me. Thx for these articles, I think Ill face what Ajmal is going through, hopefully, these challenges will make me stronger and shape a better me. Amin.

Instant Academician?

2007-05-28T02:34:00.000+01:00

Lately there has been sudden move by the gov, to spend large amount of money on sponsoring students to continue their postgrad studies up to the PhD level. Well, I shouldn't bitch bout this, as I did benefit from it, Thank You.

I just found bout the latest method of hiring academician from TonyP, Education in Malaysia. Below is the extract of the hiring advert from MOHE.

Putrajaya — Temuduga pengambilan tenaga akademik secara berpusat bagi calon-calon yang memiliki ijazah Doktor Falsafah (PhD) akan diadakan pada 26-28 Mei 2007 mulai jam 9.00 pagi hingga 4.00 petang di Aras 2, Stesen Sentral, Kuala Lumpur.
Bagi calon-calon yang berminat terutamanya pemegang ijazah PhD yang mempunyai pengalaman kerja di sektor kerajaan atau industri amat dialu-alukan terutamanya di kalangan bukan bumiputra.
Program ni dilaksanakan oleh Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi (KPT) selaras dengan dasar untuk meningkatkan bilangan tenaga akademik yang berkelayakan PhD atau setaraf denganya sehingga 60% menjelang 2010 di PTA.
Pada masa yang sama temuduga bagi penajaan Biasiswa KPT ke peringkat PhD dan Sarjana serta pameran IPTAjuga diadakan. Selain datang sendiri ke lokasi temuduga in pemohon juga boleh mengemukakan permohonan melalui laman web IPTA berkenaan. Pemohon yang datang sendiri dikehendaki membawa bersama-sama kad pengenalan asal, sijil asal SPM, ljazah Sarjana Muda/Sarjana/PhD, biodata peribadi dan gambar berukuran passport berserta dua salman setiap satu.

I didnt feel the sudden need for hiring more PhD holders as I graduated from a local institution with the largest amount of PhD holders, all my lecturers have the title Dr.
Alhamdulillah, I personally believe that I got my 1st degree and master at&from the best here.

But I do realise, its rare for majority of other institution to have such dynamic academicians, its not that Im dissing lecturers with no PhDs, but it is a need, to have Dr. to supervise student's project, not lecturer's with masters degree supervising masters student? Or a bachelor degree lect teach first degree students, right? like what happened with most other institution.

So, in this pandemic shortage, MOHE had come up with this new method of hiring.
Its a walk-in interview at the central station (yes, the train station), bring yr biodata (erk, what is biodata?) and what intrigue me to write is not the method but the result of the interview written in the Star today. Full news here.

KUALA LUMPUR: Universities hired more than 200 academic staff on the first day of a centralised recruitment fair organised by the Higher Education Ministry.
Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed described the initial response to the three-day event as “beyond expectation” and said that police had to be called in on Saturday, the first day of the fair, to help control the crowd.
A total of 38 PhD holders were hired while 106 master’s holders will be sponsored to do their PhD by the universities, and 63 first-degree holders their master’s.

Alright, its stated that more than 200 were hired in the first day. Thats a lot of people for a day.

And 38 of them are PhD holders, erk, who are these peoples? Are they from the industry that suddenly wanna switch to academic? I dont think so, common sense, money is the main decision factor, people wont switch carrier unless they got higher pay, which is not that high. Is PhD in this country not worthed? Scary to think about this. But then who am I to judge these people, probably they have the purest intention towards our public uni progress, not bcos of desperation for job.

Another thing is, why it (the hiring) need to be centralised? There are already mechanism for each university to hire their own academician, through direct hiring or scholarship scheme. Or is MOHE doesnt like the way each university conduct it? Some peoples do make a good point that, centralised hiring does make the process more translucent.

No matter how, I always hope for the best outcome, if through this we can hire the best, let it done this way then, or any way much better.
The most important thing is, Education need to be free! Not just monetary but also politically.

Cikgu Hafiz, the On Call Teacher

2007-05-25T16:50:00.000+01:00

Since past 2 months, Ive been teaching at AA tuition center which is located about 5 mins drive from home.
I hv 4 hours of class perweek, an hour for each diff subject, so Ive to prepare for 4 subjects each week (maths, physics, science SPM, English PMR) but thats not the point, besides the 4 hours, Im the 'on call teacher' or the replacement teacher or 'the bidan terjun',
U know, most of the teachers at tuition centers, are the experienced teacher, or in other word, have kids /family of their own, so there are all sort of prob might arise which suddenly need them to cancel their classes. So Ive to come and replace them if Im free, which is always for me.

Today 5 pm, I got a called from AA owner
AA: Hafiz! (he always call my name like there is an exclamation mark at the end, but not yelling though) can u teach tomorrow English Form 1 8.30 to 10.30 and Form 2 10-30-12.30
ME: Erm Alright (Ok, Ill prepare the notes&exercises tonight)

Today 8.15pm, another phone call
AA: Hafiz! can you teach tonight 8.30-10.30 pm English Form 3, the teacher suddenly cant come, u can use the notes u prepared for the class tomorrow
ME: I havent prepare the notes&exercises yet
AA: Erm Its alright, use anything u'd prepared for the class before
ME: OK
arrived at 8.35 pm, photocopy the materials, and the class startd at 8.45 pm

I have 4 hours class comin tomorrow mornin and another hour in the evening (my own class)

This is how my weekend usually spend, haha, sometimes Im scared to pick up my phone if AA call, usually, Ill get the notice just before the class start, like what happened this evening, Alhamdulillah everything was alright in that class, sometimes, funny things happen when I am not well prepared for a class.

And I dont know how I always agree to replace, though I feel a bit reluctant inside. I think AA have some kind of psychic power of persuasion. Or probbly, when people give me the trust by allowing me to teach, I tend to be nice to these ppl, and tend to just agree with what they request. Dangerous huh

Owh yes, you can make money via tuition, its funny to think people pay me to teach,
but I always try my best, hopefully the sincerity prevail and my 2 cents benefit the students.

OK Officially I declare myself an On Call Teacher (sounds more professional, before, I thought Im an AA's Robot) beep! beep! beep!

My PhD Interview *updated

2007-05-24T11:52:00.000+01:00

Seriously I am so tired today.
The interview went for about 45 mins, Overall, from my perspective IT IS PRETTY BAD!

The panel asked me bout the physics of medical interaction, seriously it is already rusty.
So Id answered the best I can, huhu, I didn't think they will ask bout that.
And my confidence considerably drop after that, Hope its no too obvious.

And it is hard to communicate via video conferencing, there is this stupid video lag, that make you unsure where to interrupt the speaker.

I hope I look fine to them,
thank God, I didn't wear tie/suit, one of the project's supervisor appear in his undershirt, but they are pretty friendly to me,
but I hate my performance back then.

Erm, result can only be known in few days, Now I am certainly not sure, am I really a PhD material after the interview. Seriously DOWN! and tired with today.

Update on 10.00pm
feel much better Alhamdulillah
Still hoping...

Update on 25th (8 hours after the interview)
an email from the project supervisor

Dear Hafiz,

Thank you for letting us interview you today. We were impressed with your performance and are interesting in taking you on as a student for the project we discussed with you, but as I said this morning, we need to sort out one or two things before we can offer you a place. My colleagues at The Registry are finalising the financial details and will be in a position to tell you exactly what the costs are (both your living costs and all institute fees) within the next two weeks. Then they will email you with an offer of a place subject to the fees being paid and you being self-supporting financially. They will also write to you with a contract. Once again thanks for approaching us concerning this studentship.

Best wishes,

Alhamdulillah, Ill get a conditional offer letter, hope the scholarship can support the fees.
Thanks all for yr prayers.
My feelings? I think Im too numb, to feel anything at the moment

7 Days to Go

2007-05-16T17:02:00.000+01:00

A conformation mail regarding the interview, 7 days to go 'live'...

Dear Hafiz

Good - let's go for Thursday 24th May at 9.30 - 10.30 am (our time) 5.30-6.30pm (your time).

Supervisors please note this interview will take place in the BLB Video Meeting Room.

...., our Audio Visual Co-ordinator, can do the 5 min pre-event test on Tuesday 22nd May at 10.00am (our time) - 6.00pm ( your time).

Obviously, we MUST have the ISDN number your end soon to be ready to call on Tuesday and Thursday.

Re the charges for the room your end you can post back the expense claim form I sent you yesterday after completion (signing on the bottom right).

Our ISDN No is ...... and the transmission speed required is 384 kbps.

Regards

Im still confuse bout the time zone, since Malaysia is GMT +8, the time difference should be 8 hours right? like what the person had stated in the email.
But Id check with my cousin (thank you) Its actually 7 hours in advance here, Id check it online and its true, Thank God, if im not aware of this, I might be an hour late for the interview
erm whats the best explanation for this, GMT +8 but its actually 7 hours diff? (I want to clarify this with the other end)

Another thing, anybody know how to receive money from the UK, the best way is into my personal account. Thx in advance

Pray for me guys
Adios, need to prepare for the interview script LOL

State of AlJazeera English in the States

2007-05-14T17:13:00.000+01:00

Al-Jazeera English version big, but not in U.S.
By Jim Krane, Associated Press
full article here

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Al-Jazeera’s English language television has in its six-month existence gained strong viewership across Europe, in parts of Asia, Australia — and even Israel, according to executives and local companies that carry it. But no major cable or satellite provider in the U.S. is carrying the channel, a decision the network blames on political pressure. U.S. carriers, however, say there is simply no market.

"It’s extraordinary that while the rest of the world is happy to watch us ... the U.S. stands in splendid isolation," said Al-Jazeera English managing director Nigel Parsons at the station’s headquarters in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar.

Al-Jazeera faces questions about its marketability in America, however. At one major cable carrier, an executive said Al-Jazeera’s English programming was too similar to BBC World and there weren’t enough likely American viewers to add another foreign-centric news channel.

The executive spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss corporate strategy.

Interestingly, however, Al-Jazeera English has found an audience in Israel for its mix of extensive African, Asian and Middle Eastern coverage. Viewers in Israel also have access to Al-Jazeera’s original Arabic news channel.

"This is thought of as one of the best news channels in the world," said Yes TV spokeswoman Libi Zipser, speaking of Al-Jazeera English. "There are those who think that certain channels are less supportive of Israel, but we just let our customers see what they want to see."

Its funny, how the so called liberated country, have this freakin lunatic media control. But this answer how Bush remains in power, one of it is via media control, obviously

It is also reported that Bush had planned a missile for AlJazeera
more bout this here in the New Statesman

I love this AlJazeera ad from friends of AlJazeera

All the best for AlJazeera, you are the best! keep up the good work.

People in the US, u can still view AlJazeera from this streaming live tv site,
free our mind from the absurdity of moronic leaders!

Emak Bedridden on Mei 12

2007-05-12T14:12:00.000+01:00

She had a minor surgery today, a cataract operation on her right eye, which was scheduled earlier today, on mother's day, thus we had forwarded the treat earlier.
The surgery was successfully performed this morning, Alhamdulillah, without any complication, later discharged from the ward in the evening.
Pray that she'll recover soon

Since she is in post surgery, I think this is the best mother's day she had, literally she CANT do any house chores for few days, let extend it to a week. My mum is like "selagi ada kudrat selagi tu la nak buat kerja". But not this time, since the doc said so

We have a new boss in the house LOL
good to have my sister around, she has been a great help,
yea, my lil sister help around too :P

Emak, u know we will always love you :D

The Sun is Bright

2007-05-09T16:41:00.000+01:00

An update on my university application. Previous post regarding this, was posted here (Facing rejection) and here (Sunshine after the rain?).

I just received an email from my supervisor (soon, hopefully) this evening.

I am really sorry this has taken so long. The background is, as you write, that we have had some concerns about your level of funding that we are still trying to resolve internally. Rather than keep you waiting any longer, the sensible and fair thing is to interview you, with the understanding that we will still have to sort out some financial issues and be convinced your level of funding can support you and pay all the necessary fees, but at least we can establish how suitable you are for the project. My colleague .... will arrange things. Please can you provide her with details of when you are available between now and the end of May, and how we can set up a video interview, i.e. details of how to contact your video conferencing system.

Again I am very sorry this has dragged on for so long. Please accept our apologies.

Alhamdulillah, hopefully the interview will go well. I need to prepare, after months (I applied in December 2006), I even had forgotten the title of the proposed research project.

p.s. Based on the email, dont you think he is a very very nice guy, or am I alone in this?

Minah's s**ual escapade

2007-05-09T05:49:00.000+01:00

Warning: This post is silly

Minah Closeup

This is about my friends, the outdoor cats that hang out around my house. Sort of mine I guess, as they’d made my house their home as we feed them, occasionally they'll try to come in and tour around inside the house. If u haven’t heard of them, u can read my previous post about them here and here.

Flashback: From left, Bedah (ibu beranak tujuh), Dolah (Bedah’s son from the first generation), and Minah (Bedah’s oldest daughter from the second birth)

Alright, bfor I proceed with the story, better I update what had been going on with them.
Bedah and her newborns are now not here anymore, huhu, my parents had deported them to a nearby big market, of course without my consent. Bcos her newborns are too much too handle they said, u know 5 babies and they all smell horrible, even after I bathd them. I wish they live happily ever after there in their new home with plenty of fresh fish. Since my last visit to the market, bout a month ago, I never spot any sign of Bedah and her kids, hopefully they'd adapt.

This post is actually about Minah (remember the oldest Bedah’s daughter). She is now bout 9 months old, and surprisingly 2 days ago, she was following other males, owh yes, it’s the mating season. I never had a she-cat, so it is a surprise for me, since my he-cat only show this kind of behaviour after about a year old.

See my Minah is flirting with 2 males (sorry its a bit dark, the sun had set, but u can still see 2 shiny pairs of eyes near her)
Like usual, Dolah enterframe

Minah posing maut

To comprehend what my cat is going through, I do read bout this on wikipedia. Yes absurd, see I got plenty of time doing silly thing.

….cats normally reach sexual maturity at 4-10 months (females) and to 5-7 months (males). Cats have many periods of heat over the course of a year. A heat period lasts about 4 to 7 days if the female is bred; if she is not, the heat period lasts longer. Multiple males will be attracted to a female in heat. The males will fight over her, and the victor wins the right to mate. At first, the female will reject the male. But eventually, the female will allow the male to mate. The female will give a loud yowl as the male pulls out….
Alright enough read, the following description is unnecessary. If u r curious to know what happen next, u can read more here :P

Now I understand that my cat is in ‘heat’ or horny in human term, except it is not to gratify the sexual desire, but to reproduce, simple biology :D
Minah, I thought u were still a baby, why don’t u tell me u wanna be a mama?

Alright, a concern friend (me) don’t want Minah to get pregnant this early, she is just a tiny she-cat. Cant imagine how she’ll deal with the pregnancy etc. So I try to catch her from the males, 3 of them, selective breeding scientists said, to ensure better new generation they speculate, but I see all the males are under par (with diseases etc), seriously, there are much more healthy cat around, but why Minah, them? Huhu My cat has a bad taste.

My attempt to grab her out of the situation was never a success; she followed the males trough tiny holes that I cant go through. I got frustrated. And let her go,
If that’s what u want Minah! Deal with the consequence alone! don’t come to me when u got pregnant and thrown away by my parents. I was really mad at her that time *silly

Finally I got her the next day, after she went missing the whole night bfor.
At first she tried to escape from me, but this time I managed to get her and solitary confined her in a basket. She need to eat I think after 24 hours without food, so I fed her and she ate. But later she cried in there, I feel pity for her.
It is inhuman, its her right, her animal right to breed! So I let her out after an hour in confinement. Again she disappeared that night.

Minah in solitary confinement

Minah "I hate you! Its my right to..."

But today she is back around, Back to normal, I guess her mission had accomplished I hope she is naturally sterilized, so no baby. But if she give birth in the future, I think its cool, hope its OK with my parents as well. Mayb I can name her baby according to the characters in Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan. It will be hilarious!

But I stil don’t understand her Bro, Dolah. He is already more than 1 years old. But still not showing any sign of maturity, only occasionally get into argument with other males, mayb this is for good. But he has this special he-fren named Topeng, I saw once Topeng try to mate with Dolah. Maybe Topeng got confused LOL as Dolah like rolling on ground like a female in heat Haha I will always love you Dolah no matter what,
Good to see your sis back, after 2 nights of carousing.

Minah is back teasing her bro, and play like a kid she was.

Minah why dont u breed with Topeng? He has nice blue eyes. Your bro has a good taste.

Sharia Law on Stem Cell Research

2007-05-08T09:05:00.000+01:00

There have been lots of debate arise from stem cell research activity, simply because one of the techniques utilize the creation and usage of human embryonic stem cells. It is controversial bcos people regard embryo as human, and the argument is, it is inhuman to 'play' with this kind of cell. (embryo is the early stage of human development in the uterus-few weeks old after fertilization)

For those who are not in life science, you may read the para below; a quoted brief introduction about stem cell from Wikipedia.

Stem cells are cells that are able to differentiate into specialized cell types but also retain the ability to renew themselves through cell division. They were first identified in embryos.
read more about stem cell research controversy here in Wikipedia

But, what is Islamic view on this? Based on Sharia law it is permitted, or scientifically it is ethical.
I quote paragraphs below from Wired Science, full article here

But asked about Dubai's regulatory environment, he enthusiastically mentioned that Islamic law -- Sharia law, to be precise, but that word has such fundamentalist connotations in the west that I'm reluctant to use it -- was actually more open than the United States to certain types of research, particularly embryonic stem cell research.
"The definition of human being in Catholic is from the day of conception -- whereas in Islamic law, a fetus is considered human after four months of pregnancy," he said. "Under Sharia law, any research that has human benefit is supported. There is no boundary for that."
Historically, said Al Khayat, Islamic science flourished between the 14th and 16th centuries; that Dubai could be a home for cutting-edge life science research in the 21st century was simply part of the grand cycle of history, the rise and fall and rise again of the East.

Let us pray and work hard for the 'rise again' in the East. Amin.

Nicolas Sarkozy, the new France's President

2007-05-07T02:34:00.000+01:00

PARIS (Reuters) - Conservative leader Nicolas Sarkozy triumphed in France's presidential election on Sunday, beating his Socialist rival Segolene Royal by a comprehensive margin and extending the right's 12-year grip on power.
He also reached out to both the United States, which has had frosty relations with France since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and to European Union partners, saying he would make the fight against global warming a priority.

full news on The Star here

Who is he?
I quote below from somewhere i dont wanna give link to

French Jews celebrate Sarkozy victory
Nicolas Sarkozy, the grandson of a Greek Jew, has been elected president of France. Optimistic and celebratory, Jewish groups were quick to offer congratulations to Nicolas Sarkozy after his victory in French presidential elections.Sarkozy, of the ruling Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), defeated Socialist Party candidate Segolene Royal in Sunday's runoff.He garnered some 53 percent to Royal's 47 percent in the election, which featured a huge voter turnout.The former interior minister was seen by Jewish voters as a friend to Israel and an important figure in the fight against antisemitism. Soon after his opponent conceded, Jewish groups came out with their good wishes."At a time when French Jews felt directly threatened by the rise in violent antisemitism in Paris and elsewhere across France a few years ago, Sarkozy played a critical role in moving the French government to finally recognise the gravity of the problem and to do what is necessary to address the ill winds that not only threaten the largest Jewish community in Western Europe, but, as we know from history, would ultimately pose a threat to wider French society," American Jewish Committee executive director David Harris said in a statement.The AJCommittee recalled that Sarkozy during that period was instrumental in stepping up police protection around Jewish buildings and schools, and arresting and prosecuting those who committed anti-Semitic acts. He told the group in a Washington address in 2004 that he would "consider any insult against Jews an insult against France."CRIF, the French Jewish community's umbrella group, addressed its "warmest and most respectful congratulations" to Sarkozy in a Sunday statement.
Sarkozy said, "Only if Israel is guaranteed that its existence will not be threatened and the Palestinians are allowed to form a viable state can we achieve a durable and viable solution."One Jewish voter said, "As far as Israel is concerned, Royal has nothing to offer us, compared to Sarkozy."Outside a synagogue in the Jewish Quarter, one Sarkozy voter rued some of Royal's supporters. "As a Jew I don't like the fact that many pro-Palestinian radical activists participate at her meetings," said Armand, who asked that his last name not be used. "I think this is dangerous."Sarkozy, on the other hand, is one of the only [future] heads of states to have gone to the U.S. to meet President Bush. I'm not a fan of Bush, but still. In any case, I don't think that Sarkozy is a fascist, as some people try to make us believe."

Fom FoxNews (American Media Perspective)

Sarkozy, more pro-American and pro-Israeli than most French leaders, said the United States can "count on our friendship" but added, "friendship means accepting that friends can have different opinions." He urged the United States to take the lead on climate change and said the issue would be a priority for France.

U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair called Sarkozy to congratulate him, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel wished him "much luck and success."

You can read the good and the bad side of him from a Lebanese perspective here which Id highlighted some below.

GOOD:
his stand on French internal socio-politic
BAD:
he is a Bush's lackey,
his priority seems to be for Israel,
he is the final line of a Western political leader who could merge in with the Bush dynasty's hegemonic policy; UK has Blair, Australia got Howard, Canada is ruled by Harper,
he seems to be ignorant in his dealings with Islamic integration in France

I guess we can only wait and see the future changes on France stand in the middle east conflicts.

First Official Guideline for Muslims in Space

2007-05-01T17:09:00.000+01:00

Muslim-majority Malaysia's first astronaut will get guidelines allowing flexibility in praying in zero gravity and eating space meals under Islamic rules, the country space chief said Monday.

Officials have previously said an Islamic code of conduct in space is necessary because few Muslims have embarked on such expeditions, and there have been no standardized guidelines for them.

Full article here

Ijok from University Students' Perspective

2007-04-29T03:55:00.000+01:00

Disclaimer: This post does not associate me to any entity / political party. (I just paste the info here, nothin below can be credited towards me) TQ

A group of students went for an exposure trip to the recent Ijok by-election.
Below are the highlight of their experience. You can read it full from the author here.

Their mission...

soak up the election atmosphere,
mingle with the locals, find out their opinions, attitudes,
find out what influences the vote, if they vote based on race,
what their concerns are, how they feel etc.

Their findings...

There were SO many violations, it's not even funny.
It's insulting.
Bloody politicians turned this little town into a circus.
Roads were being tarred, only because there's an election.
It's quite hilarious to see village roads with fresh tar on it.
As if new roads can buy you more votes.
Nobody cares about the roads.
Who cares for new roads that bring in these "political tourists"?
They fix the big roads, make it all fancysmancy
but ignore the little ones that the locals walk on every day.
Nobody we spoke to really believes any of the promises
made by campaigners and politicians. Thumbs up!
If BN loses this Sunday, will they still get RM36 million?
Even if they win, will they still see any of it?

All went well,
our Indian hosts and the estate residents were wonderful!
All went well, until the end of our visit.
Three men, from the the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC)
which is also a part of the ruling party
arrived at the estate and started getting aggressive with us.
Shouting. Being unpleasant thugs. Tried to intimidate us.
They wanted us out.
They obviously didn't want us there talking to the people.
They didn't want us to see the conditions of the estate.
They started threatening us by using a MP's name
(we later found out it was some faraway MP)
They grabbed our questionnaires. Shouted more.
Hostile bunch. Most unpleasant.
They threatened to call a hundred men down to get us
Oh my god we're just students dammit!!!
How immature. Bad taste. Shame on you!
The two indian girls in our group were amazing!
They spoke out, they spoke up!
Respect! I love people who are not passive.

Video of the incident on Youtube

At lunch, we got harassed by a group of Malay men
who were from the Department of Student Affairs or
Jabatan Hal-Ehwal Pelajar from various universities
which I think is basically, this good for nothing group
set up to monitor student activity (on and off campus)
particularly political activism and involvment
particularly government university students.
They came up to us at lunch and started taking photos
without our permission until i yelled at them
asking them who are you why are you taking photos?
Then they pretended not to hear.
They walked off.
They came back three times.
I told them off each time.
Nobody else did anything.
They hid their faces.
I know they can't say much,
they're in government unis,
they're on government scholarship.
See this is precisely the shit they do to intimidate you
and put you in your place,
a place that doesn't get in their way
But they cannot do anything if you fight back!!!
If you just let them do what they do, they get braver.
Our camera man went to return the favour.
We have videos of them and their ugly faces.
We have photos of their vehicles, number plates, logos etc.

Disclaimer: This post does not associate me to any entity / political party. (I just paste the info here, nothin above can be credited towards me) TQ for reading

Firefly's 4th Model

2007-04-28T15:11:00.000+01:00

In the past post bout firefly [Firefly can now Fly High], I was wondering where the hell is the 4th model in the Firefly's official web, promoting the 2000 free seats.

Erm, supposed there are six of them, since these jpegs are numbered from 1 to 6 with number 4 missing.
When u login to firefly, let me know if you found the 4th model Mayb (s)he got banned, bcos his/her pic doesnt pass the 'level of shock' firefly required. Hehe

Finally, I found the 4th person, and he is in real shock. Too shock, it doesn't pass to appear on the web (pls don't take this seriously, Dear reader :P)

Update on Firefly: Firefly will take over FAX

WARNING: TRAVELING BY PLANE CONTRIBUTE TO GLOBAL WARMING
this should be printed on plane tickets in the future, like the warning of harmful health effect of smoking on cigarette box

Indah Water, a Cleaner or a Polluter?

2007-04-25T06:34:00.000+01:00

From The Star (Nation) Wednesday April 25, 2007

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid:
Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) the biggest polluter
Sewage management company Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd (IWK) is the main polluter of rivers in Peninsular Malaysia...Describing the situation as “very bad,” Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid said that IWK had not done its job anywhere it operated...“Ninety one percent of pollution of rivers in the country is from inadequately-treated sewage,” he said...There are some 17 rivers in the country that have been classified as critically polluted, of which three are in Johor – the Sungai Seget, Sungai Skudai and Sungai Tebrau......“To be very blunt, IWK has failed to do complete treatment of the sewage and they are the main culprits,” Abdul Ghani added...When reached, an IWK spokesman declined to comment.
[Full article]

Erm, I am puzzled, we pay IWK to pollute our rivers? Who is actually IWK? So I check their official web

Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd, a national sewerage company, wholly-owned by the Minister of Finance Incorporated, is responsible for providing sewerage services, operating and maintaining over 9,100 public sewage treatment plants, 16,000km networks of sewerage pipelines and providing scheduled desludging services to over 350,000 individual septic tanks in Malaysia since April 1994.

There are mainly two types of sewerage systems/services in Malaysia. The premises' sewerage systems are either connected to a public sewage treatment plant or have an individual septic tank.
IWK is mainly responsible for operating and maintaining the public sewage treatment plants and network of underground sewerage pipelines as well as providing desludging services to individual septic tanks.
The services are rendered through the company's 17 Unit Offices/Customer Service Centres located throughout the country, except Johor Bahru, Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak.

OK, IWK is a gov related body responsible to clean our waste water, but they fail to do so.
As a Malaysian citizen, I wonder what is happening, something fishy perhaps.

3D Images of The Sun

2007-04-24T04:32:00.000+01:00

Subhanallah, an image of the sun recently released by NASA.

NASA's Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) satellites have provided the first three-dimensional images of the sun. For the first time, scientists will be able to see structures in the sun's atmosphere in three dimensions. The new view will greatly aid scientists' ability to understand solar physics and there by improve space weather forecasting.

You can view the 3D image of the 2D image above in the NASA web, but u need a pair of 3D Glasses to appreciate the third dimension. If u don’t have one, u can make one your own using cards and plastics.

Surah 36 Ya-Sin
A sign for them is the night. We strip it of the day, and behold! they are in darkness. And the sun moves (in its course) to a resting-place for it. That is the measuring and ordaining of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing. And for the moon We have appointed mansions till it return like an old shriveled palm-leaf. It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. They float, each in an orbit. (37-40)

The April 22 Earth Day

2007-04-22T01:10:00.000+01:00

Earth Day is a perfect time to reflect about what you are doing to help protect the environment. There are many ways that you can celebrate alone and with others.

[Earth Day in Wikipedia]
[How to celebrate Earth Day]

[Related Previous Post]

JOLAS featuring Outlandish

2007-04-21T16:32:00.000+01:00

This is a special post for Outlandish, they deserve to be featured in Journal of Life and Science (JOLAS) (It supposed to be the other way round Hehe). Thx Nasyrah, for notifying me bout this cool band.

Had been described passably in Wikipedia, so I just quote from there, the intro bout this group.

"Outlandish is a multi-award winning Danish hip-hop group based in Denmark. Formed in 1997, they consist of Isam Bachiri Azouaoui (born in Denmark and of Moroccan background), Waqas Ali Qadri (born in Denmark and of Pakistani background), and Lenny Martinez (from Honduras). All three members are religious, with Isam and Waqas being devout Muslims, and Lenny being Catholic."

From left Waqas, Isam and Lenny
(sorry guys, I took this from your official site, only for promotional purpose)

Their preface in their official MySpace profile...

"We started out as 3 friends back in the early 90's. We all shared the vision of being creative in one way or the other, we found a common passion which was music. We went through many phases to get to where we are today and are still evolving as musicians and as humans. We chose to call our style 'Life music' because thats what our music is about. To break it more down we do a blend of: hip hop, folk, soul and pop all mixed with a heavy doze of ethnical elements. We hail from 3 different continents so therefore you will hear some latin, arabic and asian elements in Outlandish. Lyrically we touch alot of topics from love to racism you can say that we are social realistic and we always talk about the society which shapes us all for the better and worse."

They already hv three Albums, currently under the Sony-BMG label, and had produced several awesome video clips. I’m not a big fan of hip-hop, but their creativity managed to fused it with other music genre, and the result is amazing. Combined with meaningful lyrics, some of the bait can brought tears to your eyes. Though the rap part is a bit hard to understand, you can find all the lyrics in their official web.

Haven’t heard all their songs yet, so far 'calling you' and 'beyond words' are the most awe-inspiring song I’d heard.

Calling you, Closer Than Veins (Official VDO Clip)

Callin U - Outlandish
Uploaded by awayclose

I’m callin’ U; When all my goals, my very soul; Ain’t fallin’ through; I´m in need of U; The trust in my faith; My tears and my ways is drowning so; I cannot always show it; But don´t doubt my love

I’m callin’ U; With all my time and all my fights; In search for the truth; Tryin’ to reach U; See the worth of my sweat; My house and my bed; Am lost in sleep; I will not be false in who I am; As long as I breathe

Oh, no, no; I don’t need nobody; & I don’t fear nobody; I don’t call nobody but U; My One & Only

I don’t need nobody; & I don’t fear nobody; I don’t call nobody but U; U all I need in my life

I’m callin’ U; When all my joy; And all my love is feelin’ good; Cuz it’s due to U;
See the time of my life; My days and my nights; Oh, it’s alright; Cuz at the end of the day; I still got enough for me and my

I’m callin’ U; When all my keys; And all my bizz; Runs all so smooth; I’m thankin’ U; See the halves in my life
My patience, my wife; With all that I know; Oh, take no more than I deserve; Still need to learn more

Oh, no, no; I don’t need nobody; & I don’t fear nobody; I don’t call nobody but U; My One & Only

I don’t need nobody; & I don’t fear nobody; I don’t call nobody but U; U all I need in my life

Our relationship, so complex; Found U while I was headed straight for hell in quest; You have no one to compare to; ‘Cause when I lie to myself nothings hidden from U; I guess I’m thankful; Word on the street is U changed me; It shows in my behaviour; Past present future; Lay it all out; Found my call in your house; And let the whole world know what this love is about

Yo te quiero, te extraño, te olvido; Aunque nunca me has faltado, siempre estas conmigo; Por las veces que he fallado y las heridas tan profundas; Mejor tarde que nunca para pedirte mil disculpas; Estoy gritando callado yo te llamo, te escucho, lo intento; De ti yo me alimento; Cuando el aire que respiro es violento y turbulento; Yo te olvido, te llamo, te siento
Translation: [I love you, I miss you, I forget you; Even though you never let me down and always are by my side; For all the times I’ve failed and hurt you deeply; Better later than never to give you a 1000 apologies; I’m shouting silently, callin’ you, I’m listening to you, I’m tryin’; You nourish me; When the air that I breathe is violent and turbulent; I’m forgettin’ you, I’m callin’ you, I’m feelin’ you]

Oh, no, no; I don’t need nobody; & I don’t fear nobody; I don’t call nobody but U; My One & Only

I don’t need nobody; & I don’t fear nobody; I don’t call nobody but U…

Beyond Words, Closer Than Veins (VDO by Awayclose)

ft. Burhan G. - Beyond Words
Uploaded by awayclose3

If I worship U in fear of hell, burn me in it
And if I worship U in hope of paradise, exclude me from it
But if I worship U for Your own being
Don’t withhold from me Your everlasting beauty

Beautiful songs, All the best to Outlandish.

Nasyrah, Im waiting for the mp3s u promised Ill buy their original when Im back in Penang, the only way I can support them from here :D.

First Holy Quran Translation by Women?

2007-04-18T16:33:00.000+01:00

It was reported in an American media recently, that there is a 'new' translation of Al-Quran by an Iranian-American women, Laleh Bakhtiar PhD.

News Timeline:
November 2006: A brief announcement about this Qur’an translation was made at the WISE Conference: Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equity held in New York
March 24, 2007: Neil MacFarquhar published an article in the New York Times, New Translation Prompts Debate on Islamic Verse, and since then his article has been republished all over the world...and this had created debates in news and blogs globally.
April 2007: The English translation is now released, link here. The English Arabic version in September 2008. Samples of the text are available in the link.

Here is the interview transcript with Laleh Bakhtiar on this, published in The American Muslim Web.

If u dont have much time, below is the highlight of the interview about her translation called The Sublime Quran.

Features of The Sublime Quran

This translation reverts 4:34; “to beat” back to 'its original interpretation meaning' “to go away"
a universal, inclusive translation with no parenthetical expressions
the translation has internal consistency and reliability
There is a different English equivalent for each Arabic grammatical form
words not appearing in the Arabic but necessary for English are in italics
translation is presented line by line and not verse by verse
Symbols indicating how a line is recited in Arabic is indicated

You can find the elaborations of these and more of her arguments about the Arabic terms 'daraba' originally meant "to beat" which is now reverted to "to go away"in the interview transcript.

You can also find more about this in the New York Times article below...

March 25, 2007

New Translation Prompts Debate on Islamic Verse
By NEIL MacFARQUHAR

CHICAGO — Laleh Bakhtiar had already spent two years working on an English translation of the Koran when she came upon Chapter 4, Verse 34.

She nearly dropped the project right then.

The hotly debated verse states that a rebellious woman should first be admonished, then abandoned in bed, and ultimately “beaten” — the most common translation for the Arabic word “daraba” — unless her behavior improves.

“I decided it either has to have a different meaning, or I can’t keep translating,” said Ms. Bakhtiar, an Iranian-American who adopted her father’s Islamic faith as an adult and had not dwelled on the verse before. “I couldn’t believe that God would sanction harming another human being except in war.”

Ms. Bakhtiar worked for five more years, with the translation to be published in April. But while she found a way through the problem, few verses in the Koran have generated as much debate, particularly as more Muslim women study their faith as an academic field.

“This verse became an issue of debate and controversy because of the ethics of the modern age, the universal notions of human rights,” said Khaled Abou El Fadl, an Egyptian-born law professor and Islamic scholar at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The leader of the North American branch of a mystical Islamic order, Sheik Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, said he had been questioned about the verse in places around the world where women were struggling for greater rights, but most of all by Westerners.

Women want to be free “from some of the extreme ideology of some Muslims,” the sheik said, after delivering a sermon on the verse recently in Oakland, Calif.

[In Germany last week, a judge citing the verse caused a public outcry after she rejected the request for a fast track divorce by a Moroccan-German woman because her husband beat her. The judge, removed from the case, had written that the Koran sanctioned physical abuse.]

There are at least 20 English translations of the Koran. “Daraba” has been translated as beat, hit, strike, scourge, chastise, flog, make an example of, spank, pet, tap and even seduce.

“Spank?” exclaimed Professor Abou El Fadl, who has concluded that the verse refers to a rare public legal procedure that ended before the 10th century. “That is really kinky. That is the author fantasizing too much.”

Ms. Bakhtiar, who is 68 and has a doctorate in educational psychology, set out to translate the Koran because she found the existing version inaccessible for Westerners. Many Jewish and Christian names, for example, have been Arabized, so Moses and Jesus appear in the English version of the Koran as Musa and Issa.

When she reached the problematic verse, Ms. Bakhtiar spent the next three months on “daraba.” She does not speak Arabic, but she learned to read the holy texts in Arabic while studying and working as a translator in Iran in the 1970s and ’80s.

Her eureka moment came on roughly her 10th reading of the Arabic-English Lexicon by Edward William Lane, a 3,064-page volume from the 19th century, she said. Among the six pages of definitions for “daraba” was “to go away.”

“I said to myself, ‘Oh, God, that is what the prophet meant,’ ” said Ms. Bakhtiar, speaking in the offices of Kazi Publications in Chicago, a mail-order house for Islamic books that is publishing her translation. “When the prophet had difficulty with his wives, what did he do? He didn’t beat anybody, so why would any Muslim do what the prophet did not?”

She thinks the “beat” translation contradicts another verse, which states that if a woman wants a divorce, she should not be mistreated. Given the option of staying in the marriage and being beaten, or divorcing, women would obviously leave, she said.

There have been similar interpretations, but none have been incorporated into a translation. Debates over translations of the Koran — considered God’s eternal words — revolve around religious tradition and Arabic grammar. Critics fault Ms. Bakhtiar on both scores.

Ms. Bakhtiar said she expected opposition, not least because she is not an Islamic scholar. Men in the Muslim world, she said, will also oppose the idea of an American, especially a woman, reinterpreting the prevailing translation.

“They feel the onslaught of the West against their religious values, and they fear losing their whole suit of armor,” she said. “But women need to know that there is an alternative.”

Religious scholars outline several main threads in the translation of “daraba.”

Conservative scholars suggest the verse has to be taken at face value, with important reservations.

They consider that the Koran holds that force is an acceptable last resort to preserve important institutions, including marriages and nations. Some scholars have accused some Muslims of trying to make the verse palatable to the West.

“I am not apologetic about why the Koran says this,” said Seyyed Hossein Nasr, an Islamic scholar who teaches at George Washington University. The Bible, he noted, addresses stoning people to death.

Sayyid Qutb, an Egyptian whose writings underpin the extremism of groups like Al Qaeda, published extensive commentaries about the Koran before he was hanged in 1966.

Islamic tradition states that Muhammad never hit his 11 wives, and Mr. Qutb considered a man striking his wife as the last measure to save a marriage. He cited the prophet’s horror at the practice by quoting one of his sayings: “Do not beat your wife like you beat your camel, for you will be flogging her early in the day and taking her to bed at night.”

The verse 4:34, with its three-step program, is often called a reform over the violent practices of seventh century Arabia, when the Koran was revealed. The verse was not a license for battery, scholars say, with other interpretations defining the heaviest instrument a man might employ as a twig commonly used as a toothbrush.

Sheik Ali Gomaa, the Islamic scholar who serves as Egypt’s grand mufti, said Koranic verses must be viewed through the prism of the era.

The advice “is always broad in order to be relevant to different cultures and in different times,” he said through a spokesman in an e-mail message. “In our modern context, hitting one’s wife is totally inappropriate as society deems it hateful and it will only serve to sow more discord.”

A caller on a television program in Egypt recently asked the mufti if he should stop sleeping with his wife if she was causing discord, the spokesman said. The mufti replied that the measures in the verse were meant to bring harmony, not to exact revenge.

More liberal commentators, particularly women, say the usual interpretation reflects the patriarchal practices of the Arabian peninsula.

This school holds that the sacred texts have become encrusted with medieval traditions that need to be scraped off like a layer of barnacles. Some Saudi women have been trying to do this by emphasizing the public role played by Aisha, one of the prophet’s wives, while the Asma Society gathered Muslim women from around the world in New York last fall to explore the establishment of a female council to interpret Islamic law.

Some analysts hold that the verse cannot be rendered meaningfully into English because it reflects social and legal practices of Muhammad’s time.

“The whole idea is not to punish her,” said Ingrid Mattson, an expert in early Islamic history at the Hartford Seminary and the first woman to be president of the Islamic Society of North America. “It is like a fear of sexual impropriety, that the husband takes these steps to try to bring their relationship to where it is supposed to be. I think it is a physical gesture of displeasure.”

Contrary, Sunni Sisters argued in their blog that Laleh is actually not the first

Why is it that when A’isha Bewley, who actually speaks Arabic, and is a known and respected translator of classical texts, published a translation of the Qur’an the NYT didn’t profile her? Heck, most Muslims didn’t even know she’d done this, and you have some people today talking about “the first translation by a woman” wrt Bakhtiar (and prior to Bewley’s, there was at least one other version that was done by an Egyptian woman). Is it because Bewley doesn’t fit the image of what Cheryl Benard and Rand told us “friendly” Muslims look like? Scoff all you like. I’m not a fan of conspiracy theories, but more and more coverage of Islam and Muslims seems to take a page from the infamous Rand report. And we go along with it.

Or is it because Bewley didn’t set out with the mindset that she was going to change what the Qur’an meant to English readers or not do it?

“I decided it either has to have a different meaning, or I can’t keep translating.”

What Bakhtiar is doing, then, is a grave, grave disservice to those people who pick up her version. She is doing what liberal Muslims accuse the ‘ulema of having done for 1400 years. It’s not a translation if she decides what the meaning is based on what she wants. It’s wishful thinking. Alhamdulillah, it doesn’t change the meaning of the Qur’an… but saying that English speakers are alienated by Arabic names, deciding yourself to do tafsir, even though you don’t really know Arabic and you admit to having no classical or scholarly training is changing how people who pick up your book will perceive the capital-T Truth, and this can lead one into spiritual territory where one would not want to be caught on the Day That Counts.
more arguments here

Well, Im not an expert in this, but I do agree with Sunni Sister bout the excessive features about this in the media, the fact that she is not the first women itself can actually prompt a debate. Thats not the issue.

But the issue here is, is it To beat or To go away? Yr decision I guess

Back to reality

2007-04-18T08:59:00.000+01:00

Its been 2 days after the Virginia Tech massacre that killed at least 33 peoples, and major news network will be covering this event 24-7 for another week I guess.
It is a sad thing to happen, my condolence to all victim's family and friends.

However, there is some hypocrisy in these news channels except AlJazeera.

Let us not forget on whats happening globally, where hundreds to thousands, die on daily basis in Africa and the Middle East due to war, government corruptions and endless conflicts. And most of the affected peoples are our Muslim brothers and sisters.

My prayers extended to all suffered from cruelty of others.

(Sami Yusof ft Outlandish: Try Not To Cry)

"If anyone sees a wrong let him change it with his hands, if he canot then let him change it with his voice, if he cannot let him hate it (the wrong) in his heart, and beyond that there is no faith." Muhammad PBUH

Virginia Tech Mass Murderer, a Muslim?

2007-04-17T09:05:00.000+01:00

This morning, Im shocked to learn from Anderson Cooper 360 that something horrible had happened at Virginia Tech, USA where at least 32 people including 2 professors were killed by an Asian male who later killed himself, making this the worst campus incident in the US.

Below is the footage from Jamal Al-Barghouti of the incident made via a cell-phone video which appeared on CNN.

Its horrifying something like this could happened.

From local news ths evening, it is reported that all Malayisan studying there are spared from the incident.

As usual people are pointing fingers at Muslims as the news reported that the gunman is an Asian origin. Somehow, the black goat is a Pakistani since VT hv large population of Asian from Pakistan. Later, they learned from the gunman's student visa that the killer is a Chinese. (the speculation link)

I guess, it will become harder for an Asian student to get into American Institution after this incident.

<Comprehensive news on CNN>
<Highlight on Aljazeera English>

Math Tutorials on YouTube

2007-04-16T07:36:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, I was preparing notes for my Math class later that evening, its about Quadratic Equations Factorization.

Need an extra effort, as the student is a bit slow, so I searched on the internet for tips and trick, later fed up with the unhelpful search result, I turned to Youtube.

In this video sharing web, I finally found the tips wanted.

Video below shows how to factorize a hard trinomial using the decomposition method. I actually never knew bout this method, I was thought in school to factorize using the cross method which I think a bit hard to be comprehend by my student.

Thanks to Mr Wayne for his effort in producing this great tutorial. More videos related to Algebra from sketching graph to solving equations are available in his profile. His tutorials are highly recommended, step by step and easy to understand.

With tips from the Canadian teacher, I managed to make trinomial factorization understandable for my student and increase his confidence in solving equations.

I pity him really, as he is in the science stream (taking 12 subjects for SPM) even though he didn't secure any A's bfore in PMR. Although he is in Form 4, the basics of negative and positive integers addition is still confusing for him. I think he managed to get into science stream because he is studying in a private school.

Erm I wonder what his parents think, putting their child into something unbearable is selfish I guess. Sending kids to extra classes is not the solution, sometimes kids need their time to 'grow' as life is not just about scoring straight A's, get into college, and become a Doctor.

Still majority of Malaysian haven't change.

Amazing Race All Star in KL

2007-04-13T11:36:00.000+01:00

This week (the 8th episode), the All Stars had fly all the way from Poland to race in the sun blazing Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The route:

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)

Batu Caves

I didnt know the steps are numbered Hehe

Kampung Baru Mosque

Eric: dirty pirate hookers!
Danielle: shady bitches!
They got mad after being yielded by the Barbies and had to stay in the sun for a while.

Cookie Confection in Chowkit

Upacara memakan kuih raya
They have to search through 600 boxes of traditional Malaysian special cookies and find the one that had a black licorice center

Despite the full support from Malaysian cheering at the back, still they cannot find it!
I salute these girls, especially when they pronounce almost every Malay words in the direction correctly. Way to go girls!

Intense argument as Danny incorrectly believed that he could only taste one cookie in a box and toss it on the ground since all the cookies in a box would taste like licorice if he found the right one. They also failed!

So both proceed with the other Detour.
Only Eric and his partner managed to look for the black licorice after their time out.

Artistic Expression at Dewan Lama

They had to use an ancient technique known as batik to exactly duplicate one of three patterns onto and then dye a 45 square-foot piece of cloth.

Described "The task required the careful application of an artistic skill, but Teams with an eye for detail could find them selves jumping ahead"
Is it that hard? :-)

Dustin & Kandice (The Barbies) had finished the task before the 2 teams that failed the first detour arrive. They'd made a good choice in Detour.

Roadblock in Taman Sri Hartamas
"In this Roadblock, one Team member had to give a nod to Malaysia's eco-friendly practice of recycling. Team members chose a bicycle with a side cart attached and scoured the neighborhood for residents willing to sell them their used newspapers. Once they had collected enough newspapers to make an eight-hands high stack, they would receive their next clue."

Erm...Malaysia's eco-friendly practice of recycling? Hehe, No comment

Surat Khabar Lama?

Thanks to the people of Taman Sri Hartamas. Im amazed, they were very helpful, mayb genuine or mayb bcos there were cameras :P

Since he was the last guy to complete this task, there are not much old newspaper to collect. So he opted to buy the newspapers at a nearby Petronas station, instead.

The 1st team to arrive in the 8th episode

The Barbies!
Erm, There are tendency of all women team to win in Malaysia.
Bfore, Malaysian Zabrina and Joe Jer, the winner of Amazing Race Asia.
Mayb this will repeat in the All Star?

Owh forgot to mentioned, there is another team (Uchenna&Joyce) stranded at the connecting airport (Frankfurt). They are the one eliminated in this episode.

I'm proud when KL is depicted as an eco-friendly city inhabitted by helpful and friendly people. Actually, I never feel that way, I hate the overcrowded congested KL. Erm maybe I need to revisit some time. Things can change, Hopefully :D