Pursuit of Happiness

And happiness comes in the form of discounts, they say. Before that, let me tell a story:

"Once upon a time, there were two friends. Let's call them I and H. They went to an orientation program organised by a central bank of a Southeast Asian country. To cut a long story short, H had no shoes with him, and out of desperation borrowed I's leather shoes, a size 9 which was probably too big for H. Out of the question.

To cut this short story shorter, the program ended, and I unfortunately forgot all about the shoes. Unfortunately for him, H forgot too, and left the shoes in a comfortable hotel room. Oops. And when I phoned the hotel they had the nerve to not call back. There goes the shoes. Double oops. Luckily H is a decent young fellow who promised to reimburse whatever amount is needed to buy new shoes (with an upper limit of RM 130). Hooray! The End."

And so we go back to the story of discounts. Like a miracle, a flyer dropped into my postbox yesterday:

80% discount? Now that's happiness :) So this morning i went with my dearest mom to the coveted warehouse sale, to provide relief for H's pocket in these trying times. And i found what I came for: affordable yet comfortable shoes. They range from RM60 to 130, and i'm talking about brands like Hush Puppies. I'm surprised at how uncrowded it was at the sale.

After a little bit of looking around, i settled on a pair that would bring a smile to my face (it was worth the price) and a smile on H's face (it was well below his price range). I love win-win situations. =) And besides shoes, there are a number of other clothing items on sale. But no, you can't haggle for lower prices, they're already cheap compared to boutique prices.

The sale will be held until 4th of January. Calling all bargain hunters! The warehouse sale is located at 2nd floor, Dataran Hamodal, Jalan 13/4 Petaling Jaya (behind the Colgate-Palmolive building). Happy hunting ;)

A Time for Change

First and foremost, a joyous Awal Muharram to all Muslims =) It's not just a public holiday for extra sleeping uses, but a time for us to reflect on how we have behaved all this while, and move on to become better people. That is the spirit of hijrah.

We need to also reflect on the state of things in the world today. Hijrah is not bound for Muslims only. The world is dynamic. Every wrong thing needs to be fixed. Not necessarily a sudden, complete change. Sometimes, one small step at a time. But the essence is still the same: Change. 'The only constant is change', quotes Isaac Asimov.

Speaking of world affairs, i happened to glance upon an article in Time.com, 'On the Gaza Border:Israelis Cheering On the Attacks', a report on Israel's attack on Gaza. Time.com is the website of the prestigious news magazine (US-owned). A cut-out of the article:

"Later on, the spectators listened to radio reports that Israeli helicopters had attacked Qassam launchers, the weapons that Hamas militants have been using to terrorizing Israeli towns along the Gaza strip. The choppers attacked immediately militants had fired a Qassam towards the town of Netivot, six miles east of the Gaza strip. Hamas claims that the attacks have killed nearly 300 people over the course of two days."

Their way of reporting is, to me, one-sided. When Israel attacks Palestinians, it sounds like a strategic move to defend their hometown. But how do they portray Palestinians, particularly Hamas? As 'militants' who are 'terrorizing' Israeli towns. Such negativity and biasness, when the reasons for Palestinian attacks are also to defend their homeland, which had been taken away forcefully by Israelis. But the US is controlled by Israel, so of course they wont say anything bad.

And what does the US do to stop the attacks? Nothing. Like they always do, just put pressure on Israel to stop the attacks. And maybe a peace treaty or two, or more.

Crikey!!

I never thought the day would come when i'd reach the home of the Crocodile Hunter. But on 16th December 2008, that day came. Crikey!!!!

Australia Zoo is located in Beerwah, Queensland, nearly 2 hours north of Gold Coast. But first, we had to endure a traffic jam on the highway (luckily they don't have tolls) :

The zoo is ingeniously located in a rather secluded part of Queensland, perfect for peaceful wildlife enclosures. The scenery was a welcome change after enduring the jam:

At last, we reached Australia Zoo. Steve Irwin may be gone, but his legacy is still strong and always present:

He was, and still is, an international icon for wildlife conservation, and his passion shows through in every aspect of the zoo he helped build from scratch:

1. For starters, unlike other zoos i've been to, there was no smell of animal faeces or urine. Everything was overwhelmingly clean and comfortable.

2. The animal shows are truly aimed at inspiring wildlife conservation, and feeling love for the animals. (nobody's putting their heads in the crocodile's mouth..what does that aim to prove anyway? That crocodiles are harmless predators?)

The huge, $8 million Crocoseum, venue for wildlife shows

3. The animals are so damn happy (well-fed, well cared for, etc.) I assume they're happy, because they respond actively. The snakes look like they're ready to strike..amazing =)

I love this zoo because its the first time i saw real live native Australian animals. Like cute, cuddly koalas and cute, cuddly kangaroos.

Yep, they're sleeping. Koalas sleep for 20 hours a day. Much like yours truly during the holidays.

And the object of Steve Irwin's passion: crocodiles.

Since i couldnt catch a photo with a croc without being lunch, i settled on a croc statue instead.

Theme Park Fever (continued)

My initial feeling upon reaching Movieworld is one of unabashed excitement. There was a big Movieworld gateway before entering the carpark,and i could see all the tempting rides inside. =)

There were a few flags hoisted in front of the park, and one of them was:

Yes, our Jalur Gemilang. And rightly so, because the place was full with Malaysian tourists, getting a piece of Hollywood on the gold coast.

Let's take a peek inside =)

Once you enter, the first thing that greets you is a towering menace, the Batwing Spaceshot. I looked at it and thought 'Hey, this seems harmless..i can't hear screams' and gave it a try. I guessed wrongly. The ride propels you upward at 4.5 G,followed by a freefall, and people can't hear the screams because you're so high up. It's an amazing ride.

Walking around in Movieworld feels like being in a movie set (what else?) There are movie characters taking a stroll on the streets, shops styled after movies (there's a Harry Potter shop and a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory store..that sells Cadbury instead of Willy Wonka chocs)

And of course, there are shows all day long, where you can watch, among other things, a Looney Tunes dance-off. (amazing how these places make you feel unashamed to be a kid again) But for me, the real attractions of the park are the awesome thrill rides, again inspired by movies. One of the best roller coasters i've ever rode on is this:

The Superman Escape. From a stop, 'superman' pushes you upward at a speed of..well, it made me scream my pants off, followed by a nearly vertical drop. Another scream-filled ride is the Lethal Weapon, a hanging coaster that has non-stop loops, dives, and every other imaginable twist on the track. Non-stop screams. Crazy.

A totally different kind of ride is the Shrek 4D adventure, kind of 3D with added effects (water, moving seats, etc) Everything in this theme park is so fun! So if you get the opportunity, do come here =)

And i give the same advice here. You wont want to miss any of the rides, so come as soon as the park opens at 10. And the park also has a small surau (in the middle of a bazaar-themed set)

Scenes from a seemingly mundane life

We humans find reason to celebrate over every little achievement. The first child, the time we successfully tied up a friend on his birthday, etc. And this picture explains my reason for celebrating today:

I am officially number 1 on 'Who Has the Biggest Brain?' =)

I'm not bragging or anything. I'm just celebrating a tiny achievement. It's a human thing. =)

Theme Park Fever

There are a number of themed parks in the Gold Coast, but i went to only 3: Sea World, Movieworld and Wet n Wild Waterworld (because there are discounted prices if you buy the tickets together). I took the Fun Pass: visit 3 parks over 5 days. Price? $149 for adults, which is cheaper than buying individual tickets for all 3 parks.

2nd day-Seaworld

Unfortunately, on the day we went to Seaworld it was raining heavily.

But of course, it was the 1st outing, so a teeny bit of rain won't dampen our high spirits :)

Seaworld showcases, well, sealife, but if i was to compare, the aquarium at Aquaria KLCC provides a larger variety of marine life. Seaworld has two aquarium exhibits: a small one for reef fishes, and a HUGE tank for open ocean animals.

The author, staring out into the open ocean

But it's the shows that set Seaworld apart from other ocean theme parks. There are 2 main wildlife shows: a sealion show and a dolphin show.

This is part of the dolphin show. Believe it or not, that guy is actually riding on two dolphins. Simply breathtaking. :) And the shows aren't just about the animals and the tricks that they can do. They emphasize on the message of conservation, which is what wildlife parks are supposed to do.

And that's not all. There's a super-cool waterskiing show and a Sesame Street stage show (obviously intended for little kids). But i somehow found myself enjoying the show by familiar Sesame Street characters. I grew up watching Sesame Street, and it was exhilirating to find that i remembered every single one of them. Ahhh..wish i was a kid again.

If watching fishes, sharks and sea mammals (or watching kiddie shows) aren't for you, Seaworld also has some thrill rides. The one i like best is the Bermuda Triangle, where you ride in a 12-man boat and supposedly unlock the secret of the bermuda triangle. With state-of-the-art special effects, its not so adrenaline-pumping, but it sure is thrilling :)

My brother and i wanted to take a ride on the corkscrew roller coaster, but unfortunately the theme park closes fairly early, at 5 pm. (it opens late, at 10 am) That is about the only downside to all theme parks in the gold coast. My advice? Come as early as possible, if possible as soon as the park opens. Believe me, you'll be hard-pushed to find time to see all the shows and experience all the rides at the same time.

P/s: amazingly, even though this is a country governed by non-muslims there are halal food outlets and even a surau, complete with praying mats. Thats one good thing about westerners. They are sensitive to other religions' needs.

Destination: Gold Coast

The Gold Coast. Picture miles of white sandy beaches. Sunshine beating down on a brilliantly bright day. Friendly aussie blokes and hot aussie babes. Ok, delete that last part.

A view of gold coast at sunset..notice the blue sea in the background

It has always been a favourite among Malaysians looking for an overseas escapade. And now, with AirAsia X, 'everyone can fly Xtra long' to Australia, including myself. :)

Our journey began at the crowded Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT). It beats me why they have to have a separate terminal for budget airlines, right next door to the main KLIA building. They could always re-use the old Subang airport, which is less half an hour away from my house, saving lots of travel time.

I love Air Asia. It makes air travel affordable for almost anybody. However, that low-price comes with a cost. Absolutely no frills. No food. No in-flight entertainment. You have to pay for everything else. Even the pilots have to buy their own tickets, cause air asia doesnt give free tickets to its crew. Considering the fact that you get cheap tickets, that's a small price to pay i guess.

The international departure terminal was, in a way, similar to a bus station. Why? Because of the huge crowd:

It reminded me of the crowd at Jalan Duta.

Excited faces..=D in the background: flight D7 2702

At 10.30, we took off on an agonisingly long 8-hour flight to Coolangatta airport, gold coast. As promised, unlike Malaysia Airlines there was no food included. It had to be purchased on board or pre-booked online. A box of food (nasi lemak or bbq chicken) = RM15. Comfort kit (neck pillow, blanket, eyeshades)=RM 35. Entertainment set=RM30. Expensive, yes, but thats the price you pay for getting cheaper overseas travel. :)

I met and chatted with an interesting passenger on the plane. He is an ex-australian army who's currently working as security in Iraq. Dangerous job. Some of his friends lost their lives working in Iraq. From what he said, Iraqis regard whites as 'infidels', while Asians are 'savages'.

A few points to note from our conversation:

On Americans : An arrogant people who think they are the best.

On Iraq muslims : Their love for Allah is beautiful, but their disunity and squabbling makes them less intelligent.

On Saddam Hussein : Even Westerners realise (in hindsight) that he was a good and necessary leader.

After a long talk, touching areas like Arab behaviour and failure of the UN, i slept very unsoundly, with all the turbulence.

And woke up to a beautiful sight. :)

Notice that on one side, it was subuh and on another, the sun had already risen

It was an inspiring sight to behold. And since its cold up there, frost formed on the windows:





Isn't Allah's creation just wonderful?



And finally after 8 hours of flying, we could see the Australian coastline:


Gold Coast, meet Ikmal. Ikmal, meet Gold Coast.

My Soon-to-be Aussie Adventure

After months of planning, tomorrow my whole family is going to take a much-needed and long awaited vacation. Location? Gold Coast, Australia. :D

This blog will remain dormant until some time, but after that, (hopefully) it will be filled with a vibrant travelogue. and pictures.

Till then, cya. :)

On This Day..

I would like to wish my Muslim readers..

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILADHA!!!! :)

These are some things you should remember to do on this day of barakah and sacrifice:

- Sacrifice your after-subuh sleep, take a shower and go for solat sunat aidiladha
- Ask for forgiveness from your loved ones
- Dont eat too much until you end up in hospital

For those not going back to kampung (like me), dont feel sad..it is hari raya qurban after all,and we can surely withstand that little sacrifice :)

p/s: at my house there's rendang, lemang, nasi impit and bihun sup tulang..and other lovely dishes..tell me first if u wnt 2 come alrite ;)

Fluffy Goodness

I ate something so good today, i felt compelled to share it with all of you. :)

Figure 1

Cupcakes! :D

As you can see from Figure 1, the smile on my little brother's face shows how good those cupcakes are..*licking lips* They come in two flavors. Vanilla with a topping of coloured-chocolate rice, and chocolate with whipped cream topping.

Figure 2: chocolatey goodness

The fluffy and light chocolate dough, added with a creamy topping, creates a perfect balance. Exquisite.

The best thing is, they're homemade. :)

There's a Barber and a Butcher

Not wanting to look like a Beatles' band member, i decided to get a haircut. Not far, just walking distance.

The guy cutting my hair wore a mask. U know, the ones they wear in a haze or a SARS attack. Before me, there was 1 more customer. So i waited and read some newspapers, namely Kosmo!. I rarely read tabloids, cause its not what i'd consider real news. Its all just sensational. On the front cover: The Norman Hakim-Abby Abadi showdown. Some new artiste couple on the verge of breaking up. See? No news.

Then it was my turn. The masked man first lifted his mask and spit into the rubbish bin.*urghh* I pretended i didnt see.


'Belakang, tepi slope, atas potong pendek sikit je'

And he started work on my hopeless, unorganised hair. You know, sometimes it feels so good, you just wanna doze off. I think i dozed off a few times. It must have felt like forever for the guy after me(there was only one hair-cutter in the shop).

Then i woke up and looked at the mirror.

There's a barber and a butcher.

I went to the wrong shop.

Waiting is Agony

Have you ever waited for something? Im sure you have. Its not the nicest feeling in the world, this feeling of waiting, but it sometimes is a necessary evil.

Like waiting for university offers.

Trust me, its nerve-wrecking. Going on UCAS everyday, checking for replies from any of the 5 universities...hearing your friends get more offers than you have..you have to have absolute willpower to stop from glaring at (or slapping) your smiley-faced friend..(i wouldnt ever slap a friend..*twinkling eyes*)

me?

i got a conditional offer from Man U(manchester university) last week..good luck fellow friends :)
dont glare at me or slap me..

The Day I..Arrrghhhhh

Driving test. 2 words that could induce panic and nervousness among the unlicensed masses. Just hearing it makes my palms sweat. Darn it.


Woke up at 6.20. Showered. Went to the pick-up point at 7. Here's a conversation snippet between Abang Mat, the driver of the van and Mr.X, a repeat candidate.


Abang Mat: tengok flyover ni. Panjang sangat. Patut boleh potong separuh, jimat berpuluh juta.
Mr.X : tula. jimat berpuluh juta blh bagi saya.
Abg Mat: Berjuta-juta tu, x hbs makan. Ni semua salah *an ex-JKR minister*, bazir duit rakyat.


And that was a snippet of grassroots opinion on politicians who lack planning and integrity. Yes, its not totally the politicians' fault, but since they are the public face of the Government, the public's blame is on them. With great power, comes great responsibility.


Ok, moving on to my driving test. Reached the test venue at 8 something. Waited. And more waiting. Looked at my watch:
An hour later, i still havent registered. The wait was agonising.

After more waiting, it was finally my turn :) Got into the car and grabbed the wheel with sweat-filled hands. Prayed that my hands wouldnt slip.

JPJ Test, Bahagian 2

Hill : Went smoother than i expected. :D

Parking and 3-point turn: I think i hit the divider 2 times,and i was thinking 'there goes my 14-hours of lessons', but the officer either didnt see or had a lot of sympathy in him. Lucky me :)

JPJ Test, Bahagian 3

After the road test..my original L license..

Remained an L license..because i failed miserably. The JPJ officer was an iron faced woman who could have been in a Terminator movie (exaggeration intended). She gave me chills, and i couldnt think that properly. I failed to brake when the car slid downhill, and the officer-without hesitation-gave me a telling off, and a big tick in the 'Kandas' box. Wasnt even on the real road yet. Frustration mounted to a climactic level..arghhhhh

But the timing was in a way perfect. The BNM program taught me, among other things, to 'learn from mistakes'.

I dont want to be a sore loser. So there's nothing else to do except being optimistic. ;))

I Wanna Sleep Early Tonight

Im tired from the 3-days 2-nights orientation program (my eyes were the colour of a Man U jersey yesterday night)...so i'll just post something light today :)

New definitions of everyday words:

School: A place where Papa pays and Son plays.

Life Insurance: A contract that keeps you poor all your life so that you can die Rich.

Nurse: A person who wakes u up to give you sleeping pills.

Marriage: It's an agreement in which a man loses his bachelor degree and a woman gains her masters.

Divorce: Future tense of Marriage.

Tears: The hydraulic force by which masculine willpower is defeated by feminine waterpower.

Lecture: An art of transferring information from the notes of the Lecturer to the notes of the students without passing through "the minds of either"

Conference: The confusion of one man multiplied by the number present.

Compromise: The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got the biggest piece.

Dictionary: A place where success comes before work. Conference Room: A place where everybody talks, nobody listens and everybody disagrees later on.

Father: A banker provided by nature.

Criminal:A guy no different from the rest....except that he got caught.

Boss: Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are early.

Politician: One who shakes your hand before elections and your Confidence after.

Doctor: A person who kills your ills by pills, and kills you by bills.

Classic: Books, which people praise, but do not read.

Smile: A curve that can set a lot of things straight.

Office: A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life.

Yawn: The only time some married men ever get to open their mouth.

Etc.: A sign to make others believe that you know more than you actually do.

Committee: Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit to decide that nothing can be done together.

Experience: The name men give to their mistakes.

Atom Bomb: An invention to end all inventions.

Philosopher: A fool who torments himself during life, to be spoken of when dead

Posh Treatment

Today, lets play a game. Its called 'Guess where i am?':

Ok, now its your turn. Guess. :)

Holiday Inn?

Wrong.

Some other 5-star resort?

Nearly there.

Ok, i'll spill.

The picture above is the room im staying in at Bank Negara Malaysia's Lanai Kijang resort, for an 'orientation program' until Sunday. Orientation program. Everyone expected it to be some sort of summer camp. Never in our wildest dreams did we expect to be greeted by a hotel lobby:

Or be given a single room each, and a queen sized bed. Apakah???!!! Im beginning to love BNM more n more by the minute. :) Im not a**kissing. The look on their faces says it all:

Looking forward to an exciting program. :D

My Last Driving Lesson

Today is the last time i'll be going for the 2-hour driving lessons. Hopefully. (If i fail my test on Monday i'll probably hav to take xtra lessons..nauzubillah)

As you can see, the class was early in the morning..*cannot tidur balik..sigh*

Tada! This is the place for my driving test..im sure im gonna get real nervous on monday..especially on the..

Hill..at least 2 of my friends failed on the slope.(FYI, i hit the divider once during parking and my engine stalled once on the actual road=instant failure should i happen to repeat that on Monday). Cuak weyh..hahaha


Anyways, on a different note


Do you know Malaysia's rank on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI)? 43 out of 179 countries. However, look at the score. 5.1 out of 10 points. (1 being the worst and 10 being the least perceived corruption)


Its not so bad, but still not good enough for a developing country of our stature. the CPI measures public opinion on corruption, and the public in Malaysia ain't stupid.


Corruption in our country is widespread. If politicians, our elected and trusted representatives, dabble in money politics, then dont be surprised if the man on the street does the same.


This is where my personal experience comes in.


A few months ago, during one of my driving lessons, another instructor came into the car. he talked about something with my instructor. What were they talking about? Bribing a JPJ official to 'close one eye' to a particular student. The student is guilty for bribing, the instructor is guilty for being a mediator and the JPJ,guilty for taking bribes. Welcome to Malaysia. You'll like it here.


With that kind of attitude, its no wonder our drivers are known for their 'ini-jalan-bapa-aku' style of driving. Im not saying Malaysian drivers are generally bad, but as usually happens, a single bad deed brings a bad name to all of us. No amount of Ops Sikap , no amount of safety measures can reduce accidents and road maladies if drivers' attitude remain a constant variable. Change your attitude. You can make a difference. =)

Obama likes Indonesian food??

"JAKARTA (Reuters) - U.S. president-elect Barack Obama, who spent part of his childhood in Jakarta, told Indonesia's leader he would like to visit the Southeast Asian nation again and recalled a taste for local food.

The Indonesian president said that Obama also said that besides forging greater cooperation between the two nations, a visit would give him a chance to try local food again including meatball soup, nasi goreng and rambutan, the paper reported."

If what is reported proves to be true, then Obama would have set two new records. The first African-American president. And the first American President to have a liking for nasi goreng. They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

So Indonesia, when Obama pays a visit remember to give him the best damn nasi goreng, and a rambutan dessert.

Maybe then America will be more sympathetic and help lessen Indonesia's debt with the IMF, a debt that, once eliminated, could help Indonesia divert its wealth to help alleviate poverty in the country. (27.1% of Indonesians live below the poverty line, which is roughly 63 million people).

Remember, in the first place it was a Hungarian-born American speculator's speculative activity that crushed the Southeast Asian economy a decade ago. America, do a favour for the world. Stop bullying.

An Inspiring Conversation

An Atheist Professor of Philosophy was speaking to his Class on the Problem Science has with GOD, the ALMIGHTY. He asked one of his students to stand and . . .
Professor : Do you Believe in GOD ?
Student : Absolutely, sir.

Professor : Is GOD Good ?
Student : Sure.

Professor : Is GOD ALL - POWERFUL ?
Student : Yes.
Professor : My Brother died of Cancer even though he Prayed to GOD to Heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn't. How is this GOD good then? Hmm? (Student was silent

Professor : You can't answer, can you ? Let's start again, Young Fella. Is GOD Good?
student : Yes.

Professor : Is Satan good ?
Student : No.

Professor : Where does Satan come from ?
Student : From . . . GOD . . .

Professor : That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this World?
Student : Yes.

Professor : Evil is everywhere, isn't it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?
Student : Yes.

Professor : So who created evil ? (Student did not answer)

Professor : Is there Sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the World, don't they?
Student : Yes, sir.

Professor : So, who Created them ? (Student had no answer)

Professor : Science says you have 5 Senses you use to Identify and Observe the World around you. Tell me, son . . . Have you ever Seen GOD?
Student : No, sir.

Professor : Tell us if you have ever Heard your GOD?
Student : No, sir.

Professor : Have you ever Felt your GOD, Tasted your GOD, Smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any Sensory Perception of GOD for that matter?
Student : No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.

Professor : Yet you still Believe in HIM?
Student : Yes.

Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student : Nothing. I only have my Faith.

Professor : Yes,Faith. And that is the Problem Science has.
Student : Professor, is there such a thing as Heat?
Professor : Yes.

Student : And is there such a thing as Cold?
Professor : Yes.

Student : No, sir. There isn't. (The Lecture Theatre became very quiet with this turn of events )

Student : Sir, you can have Lots of Heat, even More Heat, Superheat, Mega Heat, White Heat, a Little Heat or No Heat. But we don't have anything called Cold. We can hit 458 Degrees below Zero which is No Heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as Cold. Cold is only a Word we use to describe the Absence of Heat. We cannot Measure Cold. Heat is Energy. Cold is Not the Opposite of Heat, sir, just the Absence of it. (There was Pin-Drop Silence in the Lecture Theatre )

Student : What about Darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as Darkness?
Professor : Yes. What is Night if there isn't Darkness?

Student : You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the Absence of Something. You can have Low Light, Normal Light, Bright Light, Flashing Light . . . But if you have No Light constantly, you have nothing and its called Darkness, isn't it? In reality, Darkness isn't. If it is, were you would be able to make Darkness Darker, wouldn't you?
Professor : So what is the point you are making, Young Man ?

Student : Sir, my point is your Philosophical Premise is flawed.
Professor : Flawed ? Can you explain how?

Student : Sir, you are working on the Premise of Duality. You argue there is Life and then there is Death, a Good GOD and a Bad GOD. You are viewing the Concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can't even explain a Thought. It uses Electricity and Magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view Death as the Opposite of Life is to be ignorant of the fact that Death cannot exist as a Substantive Thing. Death is Not the Opposite of Life: just the Absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your Students that they evolved from a Monkey?
Professor : If you are referring to the Natural Evolutionary Process, yes, of course, I do.

Student : Have you ever observed Evolution with your own eyes, sir? (The Professor shook his head with a Smile, beginning to realize where the Argument was going )

Student : Since no one has ever observed the Process of Evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an On-Going Endeavor, are you not teaching your Opinion, sir? Are you not a Scientist but a Preacher? (The Class was in Uproar )

Student : Is there anyone in the Class who has ever seen the Professor's Brain? (The Class broke out into Laughter )

Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's Brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? . . . No one appears to have done so. So, according to the Established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that You have No Brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your Lectures, sir? (The Room was Silent. The Professor stared at the Student, his face unfathomable)
Professor : I guess you'll have to take them on Faith, son.

Student : That is it sir . . . Exactly ! The Link between Man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that Keeps Things Alive and Moving.

Exactly. Without faith everything would fail. Faith was the basis of the greatest Muslim empires, and yet we see a great erosion of faith today.

So you know what to do.

Who was that student? That student was Albert Einstein.

Jalan-jalan Cari Makan

I went out for teatime with my family today.

And with that short introduction, let me introduce you to one of the best places to have popiah basah =) :

Figure 1:'Medan Selera' Pasar Section 14, PJ

This place looks gloomy and unappetizing?

No, its not. The gloom is caused by my low-tech camera..hehe. It happens to house a small popiah basah stall, and believe me, the popiah is delicious. :)

The stall..so unassuming,yet so scrumdiddlyumptious

The stall is run by an indian muslim guy. During Ramadhan, he sells popiah at the Section 14 Ramadhan Bazaar. But be warned: during Ramadhan, there's a 45-minute queue, longer than trying to get on a theme park ride.(45 minutes IF you're lucky). Yes, its that popular.

That's what im talking about :)

If this looks appetising to you, head to Pasar Section 14, PJ. RM1 would seem a bit expensive for popiah basah, but hey, at least its cheaper than teatime at Starbucks.

Then we went to One Utama to find a new digicam. (My brother unwittingly lost the old one at school).

The author, proud advertiser for THE house of glory

But the cameras in bukit bintang were cheaper, so in the end we left without buying.

And by some twist of fate, we ended up in Home-Fix D.I.Y. Its amazing how these DIY people manage to come up with all sorts of partly-necessary 'gadgets' to help us part with our money, like this magazine-and-tissue holder:

I guess you use the magazine when you run out of toilet paper.

If only i had this during DOE..

But unfortunately..

If only i had that kind of money..huhu

Before going home, we bought mexican coffee buns at ROTIBOY. Coffee on the outside, butter on the inside..pure heaven =D

And that was the end of my short outing..anyways, feels good to be spending time with your family :)

What To Do if You're Home and Bored

Its that time of the year again..school holidays. :D
In college, we look forward to going back.
But at home, we get bored..and for some reason, everyone goes into 'malas mode', our books tucked away safely in some conveniently hidden shelf, waiting for last-minute perusing (the author is also guilty of this)
Gosh, we're hard to satisfy, aren't we?

If you're wondering how to fill your holidays with meaningful joy *snicker*, try these (compiled from Holiday Fillers for Dummies.. hihi):

1. Write a blog
-Blogging may be a bit time consuming (ok, i sat blogging for almost 3 hours last nite), but hey, u have a lot of time at home..plus, you can that deadened creative brain the work out it needs :) For cool blog templates and widgets for your blog, check out http://www.pyzam.com/.

2. Help your mom
-Yes. There's no better time to prove to your mum that ur not just 'menghabiskan beras'. Bring a smile to her face. :) There's a host of things you can do(sleeping until noon is not one of them). For example, this morning i helped clean the toilet: =D

the author, brushing away s**t

3. Surf the net

- Go online. make friends on facebook. chat. do something useful on the Web(like blogging). Or if you love the printed word, read the book that has collected dust in the bookshelf. But stay away from adult websites k? ;)

4. Video Games

- If the above is not for you, then do what my brothers do: play games for hours.

Warning: The author is not liable for any naggings and hurt ears that may result from excessive gaming. :)

Parents day

Date : 2 days ago
Time : 11 something
Venue : Great Hall of Lembah Beringin

In KYUEM, we have a parents day on the last day of each semester. U know, that day when you have to sit with your parents in front of your teachers. And discuss your progress. And your behaviour in class is kantoi-ed. ;p

My teachers' report was:

Mr K: "absolutely no comments"..i assume thats good

Mr. Highton: "He plays Hamlet, he dances..but his maths is hopeless" (in a very serious tone)

(Then he moves on to talk about my real maths performance, which was fairly good)

*after tht,he looks at me and says* "its ok, u can give me the money later..all these praises for just RM200..its good isnt it?"

haha..dear old mr.highton..

Ms.Zai : "He's the next Keynes"..kidding ;p

Dr Foord: "How do you think you're doing?"

Me: "fairly good, but i need to improve"

Dr.Foord: "that's a standard answer."

p/s: everybody else also gave a standard answer. :)

Conclusion : My parents were quite happy with ths semester's results..and that's important, making ur parents happy =D

to those who were bashed by their teachers during parents day, dont worry..b optimistic..everything has to get worse before it gets better..ganbatte!! :)

Now, 1 more semester to go..cepatnya.......

Recession : Is it Coming?

A strange phenomenon happened yesterday in KL. What's so strange, you ask? Well, consider these factors:

1. It was a Sunday

2. It is a school holiday

3. KL streets weren't as crowded as usual

4. Dwindling numbers of shoppers at our year-long Sogo Sale



I can offer two explanations for this unusual phenomenon :



1. Its school holiday, so lots of people are going on holiday (somewhere other than KL, that is)

2. Consumer spending has been dampened by the imminent onslaught of a recession



The first explanation is unlikely. Why? We hear about recession almost daily on the news, with words like 'credit crunch' becoming part of our 'kopitiam' conversations. People fear about the gloomy economy. They fear that recession in other parts of the world will affect them, make them lose their jobs. Therefore, consumers tend to spend less on luxury items such as travel, although a case study of 'the Sogo effect' yesterday shows that, at first glance, people also cut spending on clothing.



So, is recession really hitting Malaysian shores? Or is it the expectation of a recession that is actually dampening the economy? (If deflation is happening, i dont see it..a plate of nasi beriyani at Insaf restaurant (the best nasi beriyani ever) costs a hefty RM 11..tp sbb sedap makan jgk)



According to a friend of my dad's who works in the financial sector, recession may not hit us just yet, probably next year. Still, we malaysians know from our 1997 experience that it doesn't hurt to prepare an umbrella before it rains. In the US, it has already been forecasted that unemployment would reach 8%, a troubling number for a troubled economy, as a result of retrenchment. Less workers, less output. Less output, less, trade. less trade, less income=less consumer spending. Overall, its pretty bad. (tula..sapa suruh riba byk sgt kn2??)

How will it affect us students? Well, the pound sterling, for one, has depreciated (RM 5++ for each pound), so our government and corporate sponsors could better afford to send students to the UK.

However

If a recession is coming, it poses a question as to whether they have the means to support students, wth less money coming in from trade and spending(hopefully they continue to sponsor in spite of the gloom..amin:))..(and please dont reduce my monthly allowance..hihi)

Whatever's happening, dont forget your responsibilities. Study well. Insyaallah, we'll get there. :)

Moshi moshi!!

lately, i've been afflicted by 'japanese series' fever. Can watching only one series addictively be called a fever? boleh kot :)

my chaletmates introduced me to this series. It's called 'my boss my hero'..best dowh :D

its about ths 27 year old guy, Sasaki Makio who's going to be a yakuza boss. but he's hopelessly baka (stupid), so he has 2 go to high school and graduate to become boss.

Sounds boring?

No,its not!! it has a mixture of laugh-out-loud and drama, rolled into a delightful platter of fun :)

And

Japanese chicks are kawaii (cute)!!

kawaii!! ;p

come to my chalet if u want a copy :)

The Last Dinner for The Penultimate Semester

Time flies when ur having fun..its been almost a year in kyuem..a fantastic year, of course, but nevertheless its sad to live life in the fast lane and not fully notice the wonderful things around you..

ok

i wont go emo just yet

because

there's a lot of things to be said for the end-of-sem dinner =D

1stly

the food: nasi lemak ayam berempah..kuey teow penang..yong taw foo..need i say anymore?

however, there were 8 stalls n 400 students. according to economics, when demand exceeds supply (the kuey teow guy 'goreng' each plate individually, u know) there is a shortage..

n tht means..

major queues..

luckily my tablemates agreed on a form of division of labour.

b'youte: nasi lemak for 8 people

chakoy: pasembor " " "

ikmal: supposed to take nasi lemak tapi b'youte dh ambik dulu

it was smthng like that.

n our table was laden wth food..(i thnk it made the neighbours jealous..sorry guys, we had more efficiency)

banyak gler makanan..

HOme Video Awards: no prizes 4 guessing the winner..'golden cage' won so many awards, i lost count..anyways, congrats to tiger n oggy..hope to see your commercials on TV soon :)

Isa's Band: Luurve it. U gotta hand it to the Garage Band Geeks..its true Isa, Slash would hv been Nithi if he was darker..haha(no offense Nithi). And Isa's been singing that song almost everyday when he was my chaletmate last semester.*imagine coming out of the bathroom hearing an acapella 'Sweet Child of Mine'* I guess it was a dream come true 4 Isa to become an Axl Rose impersonator..haha..*applause*

Cultural Performance: This, for me, was THE highlight of the night (ok, i performed in it, thats why) i was nervous as hell weyh. i kept asking nantini 'nan, bila nk pg backstage?' well, u know us kiasus. must b punctual all the time ;P

the performance kicked off with a nice and slow zapin dance. and then a ribbons-and-fans chinese dance to the tune of a funky jay chow song..imrul created a fanclub by being the only ribbon guy..(i jokingly asked him for an autograph later..hihi)

n then

my debut moment

the indian dance!!:)

the guys were datuk shah rukh khan wannabees..and the girls were dancing like kareena kapoor.

*nach baliye..*

oops..the song is in my head.

it was that fun..and i had the time of my life dancing :)

mr highton said i could be an indian dancer if i dont wanna study..haha

(sorry..angkat bakul byk sgt)

Now im malas already..so lets wrap it up.

western dance: superb

british students' performance: ermm...

All-in-all, it was a great dinner..thanks 4 organising it aainaa :)

Back in Business

After months of neglect (with only 3 freakin posts), i finally have the balls (figuratively speaking) to start blogging again..yay. =D

anyways

welcome to my blog people. Im back in business..eventhough statistically two-thirds of new businesses fail.

so, what are my areas of interest?

nothing in particular. i like almost everything. some people call that 'kiasu'. ;)

enjoy my blog.:)