To some (especially studs), Labour Day is just any normal day. It’s a probably a day off from the whole hellish week they encounter. True, one cud get up L8 from bed, no school no lectures but shopping, manicuring, bla bla bla ( da list goes on )
But 2008’s Labour Day marks a significant moment in my life. Its da first Labour Day I ever celebrated (despite I’ve been working 4 quite sumtimes in da UK, but since UK got no Labour Day so it is not be counted)
And da first person 2 send me a wish was my student in College. She sent me a beautiful text early when sunrises which I will forever treasure during my working days in Taylors.
“Happy Labour Day in advance! (I’m da 1st to wish u?) Hehe. It’s a joy not to be part of the unemployed statistics, for unlike Australia, Malaysia has no unemployment benefits ^ ^ -+6016-40****-
Besides, I had a very fulfilling and a thoughtful day on 1st May. Went to watch “The Kite Runner” (which I marked ****) –to avoid misinterpretation * means a star and not the 4 letter-word – ‘sigh’ with Pacel and he spent me a lunch too (@ Secret Recipe Summore) weeeeeee. I had fun n relaxing hours away from College and notes. Hurrahhhh
To all employees who serve their superior(s) with all da best that they could, a Happy Labour Day to you. May all of our work be much appreciated and be rewarded accordingly.
Friday, May 02, 2008
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
ISLAM: A Blessing to Malaysians?
Dear all,
This was given by my colleague (not a Malay Muslim but by a Chinese Buddhist). To some, this topic might be outdated as the debate is leading the Malaysians to no-where point and would be a clueless direction as we are yet to have a collective interest for all subjects. Even to claim oneself as a Malaysian rather than “I-am-Malay” or “I-am-Chinese” is far too difficult to achieve. But quoting Prof Shad Faruqi (whom I attended one of his remarkable lectures): “Its in not about the result we matter but the actions and effort that matter.”
How true. And the old saying that been taught since in kindergarten is ‘A thousand mile journey begins with a single step’ – motivating us the human to keep on putting effort and striving even though we may perceive the results would be impossible. Yeah the taught that counts.
Ok I wont give a long speech dis time but I leave u with an excerpt before u can start analyzing the arguments put forward by the speaker (I also provided a bit of the speaker details at the end of the essay) Just in case u would accuse me committing plagiarism. LOL
A little lengthy, but makes a lot of sense. The same applies to all religions and race. We should start thinking as Malaysians!!!
Lets God’s Love Unite Us All,
Zokhri
Subject: "Islam: a Blessing to Malaysians?" by Wan Saiful Wan Jan*
www.malaysiathinktank.org.uk
This is an edited transcript of the speech delivered by Wan Saiful Wan Jan, Director General of Malaysia Think Tank London, at the Ibn Khaldun Seminar on 18 December 2007, organised by the Centre for Public Policy Studies and Malaysia Think Tank London at Menara Integriti, Institut Integriti Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. The theme of the seminar was "Islam: a Blessing to Malaysians?".
To start with, let me tell you a bit about Malaysia Think Tank London. We are relatively young classical liberal think tank. Our focus in on policy issues and we try to use classical liberal values to produce policy proposals. Based in London, we started our operations lastyear. I lead the senior management team and we are supported by an International Advisory Board. We are now looking into the possibility of opening a KL office, and we are planning a series of events beginning from February next year in Malaysia.
The topic tonight is not an easy one. I know the publicity of this event explicitly links me with PAS but I am not speaking for PAS. I represent myself in this forum.
Majority - minority relationship
Let us start with a scenario.
Having lived in the country for many years, a group of ethnic minority wants to contribute to making the country stronger and more prosperous. They decided to speak up and contribute proactively to ongoing debates on policy matters by presenting the views of their ethnic group to policy-makers. Among the things they asked for was for the majority to treat them as equals, and to allow them to practice their religion freely.
How did the majority community respond? They responded by saying that the ethnic minority group:
- may have hostile agenda
- is ungrateful and divisive
- does not respect the majority community
- is trying to change the socio-demography country
- does not respect the feeling of the majority
One politician said that the ethnic minority group is a minority population and should not try and punch above their weight in changing the country's culture or policy.
Where do you think the above took place? It could easily have happened in Britain where the ethnic minority were Muslims, the majority was White British.
But, unsurprisingly, it could also be read as a Malaysian problem wherein the minority group was the Christians or Hindus or Buddhists or any non-Muslim groups, and the majority was the Malay Muslims in Malaysia.
As a Malaysian Muslim living in Britain, I feel that it is not easy being an ethnic minority, especially when the majority feels that you are threatening them.
Living as a minority
Speaking in London on 15 November 2007, Professor Tariq Ramadan called for Muslims in Britain to engage in a "post-integration discourse". He said that Britain is home for many Muslims. Their parents may have come from other countries, but for the younger generation, Britain is home. And that is why the minority Muslim communities in Britain are being urged to speak up - because Britain is their home. Speaking up is not an option. But it is an obligation for them to work as hard as they can to make the country better. I believe that the same arguments can be applied to non-Malay non-Muslims in Malaysia.
In the UK, the Muslim minority is demanding that they are treated as equals. That they are allowed to practice and to preach their religion, that they be allowed to pray and fast while at work or in school. That they be allowed to wear what they want to wear, where-ever and whenever they want to wear it. That they are allowed to build more places of worship in the areas where they live in. And so on and so forth.
Looking at Malaysia from abroad, I see non-Muslim non-Malays in Malaysia also asking to be treated as equals. I see some of the more religious non-Muslims asking to be allowed to practice and preach their religion. That they be allowed to build or retain holy sites, churches, temples and so on.
In short, non-Muslims in Malaysia seem to be asking for exactly the same rights as Muslims in the West are fighting for. In the West, Muslims are crying to be equals with the majority non-Muslims. In Malaysia non-Muslims want to be treated as equals too. But, in the West, some local non-Muslims are saying "Don't challenge us, this is our country!".
In Malaysia some Malay Muslims are also saying "Don't challenge us, this is our country!".
It is not easy being a minority, is it?
It saddens me when I see and hear about how the majority tries to silence the minority. Only this time, it is the reverse of the situation on the UK. Over there the majority is the non-Muslim. Over here, the majority is the Muslims.
Confusing ethnicity and religiosity
That is, of course, a big over-simplification. I propose that there are actually two layers of the problem, and these two layers have been mixed into one, making the composite problem 'thicker'.
The first layer is essentially the differences between ethnic groups. Since the early stages of the life of our nation, there have been rather visible differences between the socio-economic status of the different ethnic communities. They may live in one country called Malaysia, but they are oblivious to "the other". They live together, but in many sense, they are actually living apart. Things like demands for the protection of ketuanan Melayu or recent calls for special privileges for Indians, only make this problem worse. So, if we dissect the problem, we will see that the first layer is the differences between ethnic groups who are grappling with the challenges of becoming a bangsa Malaysia.
The second layer is the differences between religious groups. There are obvious differences between one religion and another. Once again, we find cases where people of different religions find it difficult, and some even refuse, to inter-mingle.
Ethnicity and religiosity are supposed to be different issues. You cannot necessarily tell one's religion based on one's ethnic group. One ethnic group is not necessarily adherence to one particular religion. The Prophet Muhammad and Abu Jahal were both Arabs, but one was a Muslim and the other was not. Saidina Abu Bakr and Salman al-Farisi were not from the same ethnic group, but both were Muslim. So, in that sense, Malays are not necessarily Muslims. Chinese are not necessarily Buddhists or Christians. Indians are not necessarily Hindus. Ethnicity and religion are two separate things.
Unfortunately for us Malaysians, somewhere along the line, these two layers got mixed. That is when you start seeing Malay groups like UMNO claiming to defend Islam; Indian groups like the MIC fighting for Hindu temples, but not saying much when mosques were demolished, even though there are Indians who are Muslims; and groups claiming to be the defenders of Islam like PAS and ABIM seem to focus more on Malay rights when there are Muslims who are not Malays and Malays who are not Muslims. You also see a relatively new Hindu group - HINDRAF (Hindu Rights Action Force) - claiming to act for all Indians when not all Indians are Hindus, and not all Hindus are Indians. Somehow, the two layers - ethnicity and religion - became blurred and the actions of these groups make the problem worse.
A disaster to mankind
So the question is, is Islam a blessing to Malaysians? Islam is a blessing to Malaysians if practised as it should be practised. The problem is not with Islam, but with Muslims, and with those who say they speak for Islam. In reality, some Muslims, and some groups who claim to speak for Islam, are simply disastrous.
Although Islam is a blessing to mankind, many Muslims (not all), and some Muslim groups (not all) are simply a disaster to mankind. They seek to impose their beliefs on others. They want to coerce others into living the way of life that they define as acceptable. Even within the Muslim communities - and note that I am saying Muslim communities in the plural because I do not believe there is only one interpretation of Islam - they say you must follow their interpretation because they know best what Islam is.
In short, we have living amongst us, Muslims who believe in coercion and imposition, not just coercing non-Muslims into living lives the way they say, but also coercing Muslims into subscribing to their version of Islam.
These people have forgotten that Islam is a non-hierarchical religion. We do not have a central religious body that decides what is Islamic and what is not. If we go back to the golden age of Islam, you will see that Islam was practised in different ways. I believe that that age was golden because learned Muslims at different places were able to interpret Islam in different ways, and subsequently there was competition between the different schools of thought.
For example, when Sufism became widespread in the Muslim world, there were various different orders of tariqah. When Islamic fiqh was being developed, there was not just one school but several. Even in the matter of aqidah, there was not just one school, but several. It was the competition among the various schools that allowed the flourishing of knowledge and wisdom among Muslim communities.
Moving forward. So, let me come back to the issue of Islam being a blessing to Malaysians but many Muslims are a disaster. How do we move forward?
I have been a member of PAS since 1992 and I am proud to see the party gradually changing for the better. I have been very lucky because I have been given the opportunity to deal and communicate directly with many of the top leaders in PAS. Through my association with PAS, I have been very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to get to know many Islamic groups in Malaysia. At the same time, in the UK, as well as my involvement in the British Conservative Party, I have been involved with various Muslim organisations in the United Kingdom, and, believe me, the variety of Muslim groups in the UK is even wider than what we have in Malaysia.
Looking at Malaysia and Britain, I think there is a common thread weaving through many (not all) of these various religious and ethnic-based organisations. Many feel like they are victims, or they feel that they have been victimised at one stage in the past. Many feel like they have been, or are being oppressed, and they need to speak as one religious or ethnic group. Many feel like they have to defend themselves from attacks by other religious or ethnic groups, and that is why they group together as one religious or ethnic grouping.
It is funny that in the UK, where Muslims are the minority, they feel they need to be defensive about Islam, but you also see the same thing in a country like Malaysia, where Muslims are in the majority. Muslims in Malaysia also feel that they need to be defensive about Islam, even though they are the majority. And their reactions to current issues are almost very similar. They group together to create an "us" versus "them" situation, and they appeal to the emotions of followers.
For Malaysia, in order to move forward I believe we, Muslims, have to stop being defensive. Islam is a confident religion. Why is it that Muslims seem to have lost our confidence? Why is it that when others disagree with us, we show them the keris, or we insist on putting our beliefs into law, which is, just like the keris, a tool for coercion?
I believe these are all signs of defensiveness, and I believe it is high-time for Muslims, and in fact, those of any religion, to stop being defensive, and go into what Professor Tariq Ramadan calls, a "post-integration discourse". We are not, or no lonegr, victims. Even though we are a minority, we are an integral part of this society.
Let us debate substantive policy issues that will improve the country as a whole.
Liberating values of Islam
In order to move forward, we Muslims and Islamists must go back to the liberating values of Islam and formulate and propose policy ideas that are also liberating and fair for everyone. Non-Muslims should do the same and stop intentionally stirring emotional issues that would only create more division.
Let us move away from divisive emotional debates and try to focus about the very positive and liberating aspects of Islam, and other religions.
Rather than continuing to talk about the emotive issues like race and religion, let us shift the debate to real policy issues. Stop sensationalising issues like apostasy and threat to Malay rights. When talking religion, why is it that we like so much to debate about apostasy when we know it is divisive? Why can't we debate education, health, crime, domestic and international trade, economy, public services, schools, universities, hospitals and so on?
Islam promotes choice and defends the right of individuals to choose. That is positive. Let us stop all this rubbish about "Dalam Islam memang ada pilihan tetapi pilihan itu ada hadnya". This type of statements is turning a positive into a negative. We should go straight into the positives of choice, and find ways to introduce choice into national policies.
Choice in education
Let us look at education - the key to building a successful nation. Let us talk about how to introduce choice into our education system, particularly in schools, so that everybody, Muslim or not, would benefit. Let us make sure our education system is fair in the Islamic sense of putting the right thing at the right place.
To give a more specific example, citizens in this country pay taxes (or at least are supposed to do so!). Is it fair that, when everyone regardless of their religion, pays the taxes, and that tax money is then used to pay for schools and teachers, we still lump students into two groups - Muslim students learn Islamic studies, all other non-Muslims learn Pendidikan Moral. Buddhists pay taxes. Christians pay taxes. Hindus pay taxes. Why don't we have Pendidikan Agama Islam, Pendidikan Agama Kristian, Pendidikan Agama Buddha, Pendidikan Agama Hindu in schools?
Did Islam not teach us to be fair? If fairness means putting things where they rightly belong, surely the most rightful thing to do is to allow Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Baha'is and so on to learn about their own religion, because after all, they have paid for those services through their taxes. Is it fair to force them to pay taxes to ensure Muslim children get Islamic education, but at the same time depriving children of other religions from learning theirs?
Let us translate the Islamic value of choice into giving true choice to parents - give them the choice to decide what religion their children will study in schools. This should not be dictated by the state, especially when the diktat is unfair to those of other religions.
Protecting consumers
Let us go to a second example. Let us look at how to ensure consumers pay the lowest prices for the best products. Surely protecting the consumers and ensuring that consumers get the best deal is a very Islamic thing to do. How do we ensure consumers get the best deal? The answer is by providing a guarantee for choice and competition in the market place, by removing government intervention in the markets, and by allowing traders to compete with others freely to give consumers the best value for money.
We have seen how government interventions only result in cronyism. State interference in the marketplace must be removed, and the role of the state in the market place must be limited. Let us open up our markets for traders, so that they have to compete to give best value for money. Who will benefit? The consumers, of course!
Let us allow the Islamic values of competing to do good (fastabikul khairat) to also operate in the market place. This 'invisible hand' will push traders, in their quest to attract consumers, to do good for the consumers, by striving to provide consumers with the best value for money, even though the traders themselves may not be intending to do so.
New Economic Policy
Let us look at a third example - the New Economic Policy. I know many Islamists try to justify this pro-Malay policy by saying that the Malays need help the most, and therefore they must be assisted. I don't know how these Islamists sleep at night because if they truly believe Malays need special treatment because they are all poor, they are either lying or are naive. The reality is, there are Indians, Chinese, Malays, Ibans, Kadazans, Orang Asli, and many more who are also poor and are in need of help.
Islam is a fair religion, and there is nothing more fair than abolishing the NEP that favours only one skin-colour, and introduce a scheme to assist everyone who is in need. Yes, perhaps it should be done gradually. But there should be a clear target and we should develop a timetable towards that aim.
It baffles me to see our Muslim politicians battling each other to argue how Malays are still poor and that the NEP is still needed. This is like arguing that they have failed to do what they were elected to do. And the Malay voters are even more ridiculous. They keep on electing these self-confessed, failed politicians!
What could be more Islamic than campaigning for the abolition of the NEP, towards the creation of a policy that truly helps those in need, regardless or race and religion? If "adil" means putting things where they rightly belong, then the most rightful thing to do with the NEP is to put it into the rubbish-bin.
I can't really go into the details of each policy area as this would require more time and space that this short occasion. But my main point is, we should move away from debates on race and religion, and start talking about really substantive policy issues.
Malaysia for all Malaysians
The Muslim Malays must grow up. This is not just a Malay or Muslim country. This is our country and you can see the diversity of our population as soon as you venture outside your own house. We have to realise that when people talk about Malay rights, it is not necessarily because they want to threaten the Malays, but it is because they want to improve the country as a whole.
I know how it feels to be told to stay away from certain issues because, in England where I live, I am a minority. It saddens me to see my non-Muslim non Malay brothers and sisters to be told the same in Malaysia.
So, let me conclude by saying this. I am a Malaysian Muslim. I consider myself an Islamist who believes in classical liberal values. I live in England where I am a minority. I know it is not easy being in the minority. When you speak up, some (not all) of the majority says that you shouldn't punch above your weight. When you try to make constructive proposals, some (not all) of the majority say you are trying to change their country. But, in all honesty, all that you want to do is to make the country better for everyone, not just for yourself. Somehow, because you are a minority, you are looked at with suspicion.
That is why I am urging every Muslim to make Islam truly a blessing for all Malaysians by not going too much into emotive issues. And this is equally applicable to people of all religions. We all should stop deliberately stirring up emotions, and we should move towards debating policy issues using the moral values of our religions, if you really want to use religion as the basis of your thinking.
Let us stop debating and sensationalising things. Let us walk away from debates that appeal only to the emotions. Instead, let us debate policy issues, and appeal to the intellect. Let us debate things that really make a difference to the lives of everyone in this beloved country of ours. Let us think about how to introduce policies that can liberate the people from the grip of the state. Let us together find ways to give back freedom and liberty to the people, socially, economically and politically, while at the same time holding true to the values of our religions.
And, especially to Muslims, let us go back to the values of Islam that promote fairness, freedom and liberty, not the centralising and socialistic tendencies of some Islamists factions.
*Wan Saiful Wan Jan is Director General of Malaysia Think Tank London.Previously, he was at the British Conservative Party Research Department and the Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit. Wan Saiful is a life-member of PAS. While completing his university studies in England, he was actively involved in HIZBI, a movement for Malaysians in the United Kingdom closely associated with PAS. He was among the longest-serving President of HIZBI, and after he stepped down, wasappointed as Mursyid. He moved from KL to England in 1993 and has been living there since. In May 2007, he contested in the English local elections as a Conservative Party Candidate. He is active in the Conservative Party's Muslim Forum (CMF) and has co-authored a submission to the shadow cabinet on (British) National and International Security.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
My Dream Comes True
Facebook Status Update : Zokhri feels like @ da top of da world becuz of da lurvely gift.
Wednesday saw me going to Sunway Pyramid joining me best fren 4 a date. I was still in a great Goosebumps to receive a call from my dearly fren, asking me out after work. All I cud recall, its for a celebration.
And she really seemed celebrating. She has eventually released herself from a daunting period of her life and welcoming series of joy and happiness ahead.
-Kudos to u sweetheart. May da dark clouds fade away and da sun shines all da way throughout ur life- amen
As she was (and still I think) in a happy mode + giving mode, she spent me dinner @ Ichiban Ramen … yeah me like Japanese … da Tenpayaki Salmon Set was awesome. (Kenyang nak man-push)
N after dat, we headed to MPH & Popular (da must-go places whenever I visit Sunway). She proclaimed, “dear, in da mood of giving. Get any book dat u want @ any price”
Waaaaaaaaaaaa… (although I pretended to be speechless)
Feeling unabashedly, (hehe) I asked 4 a book dat I always wanna have and to re-read. It was only in every of my visits to da bookstores, it ended up wif a disappointing (n cud be demoralising too) statement “Sorry, no stock”
Without further a due,
Tadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ….
Yeay
Telling u, it’s a really a masterpiece. It’s a perfect blend of melancholies and motivation from da very beginning till da end. It preaches da reader to believe in true love (which I’ve wrote dat once b4).
Believe u me, by merely reading da synopsis, u will start beaming into tears (seriously shit ok)
*Some people wait their whole lives to find their soul mates. But not Holly and Gerry. They were childhood sweethearts – no one could imagine Holly and Gerry without each other. Until the unthinkable happens. Gerry’s death devastates Holly. But as her 30th birthday looms Holly discovers that Gerry has left her a bundle of notes, gently guiding her into her new life without him, each signed “P.S. I Love You”.
With some help from her friends, and her noisy and loving family, Holly finds herself laughing, crying, singing, dancing – and being braver than ever before.
Live is for living, she realises – but it always helps if there’s an angel watching over you.*
-sedey giler plis-
My Target : I must finish reading before watching the film. Its already showing in the States and cud be in any moment from now in Malaysia.
My Next Reading will be : The Kite Runner by Khaled Hoseini.
Off to lecturing …
Wednesday saw me going to Sunway Pyramid joining me best fren 4 a date. I was still in a great Goosebumps to receive a call from my dearly fren, asking me out after work. All I cud recall, its for a celebration.
And she really seemed celebrating. She has eventually released herself from a daunting period of her life and welcoming series of joy and happiness ahead.
-Kudos to u sweetheart. May da dark clouds fade away and da sun shines all da way throughout ur life- amen
As she was (and still I think) in a happy mode + giving mode, she spent me dinner @ Ichiban Ramen … yeah me like Japanese … da Tenpayaki Salmon Set was awesome. (Kenyang nak man-push)
N after dat, we headed to MPH & Popular (da must-go places whenever I visit Sunway). She proclaimed, “dear, in da mood of giving. Get any book dat u want @ any price”
Waaaaaaaaaaaa… (although I pretended to be speechless)
Feeling unabashedly, (hehe) I asked 4 a book dat I always wanna have and to re-read. It was only in every of my visits to da bookstores, it ended up wif a disappointing (n cud be demoralising too) statement “Sorry, no stock”
Without further a due,
Tadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ….
Yeay
Telling u, it’s a really a masterpiece. It’s a perfect blend of melancholies and motivation from da very beginning till da end. It preaches da reader to believe in true love (which I’ve wrote dat once b4).
Believe u me, by merely reading da synopsis, u will start beaming into tears (seriously shit ok)
*Some people wait their whole lives to find their soul mates. But not Holly and Gerry. They were childhood sweethearts – no one could imagine Holly and Gerry without each other. Until the unthinkable happens. Gerry’s death devastates Holly. But as her 30th birthday looms Holly discovers that Gerry has left her a bundle of notes, gently guiding her into her new life without him, each signed “P.S. I Love You”.
With some help from her friends, and her noisy and loving family, Holly finds herself laughing, crying, singing, dancing – and being braver than ever before.
Live is for living, she realises – but it always helps if there’s an angel watching over you.*
-sedey giler plis-
My Target : I must finish reading before watching the film. Its already showing in the States and cud be in any moment from now in Malaysia.
My Next Reading will be : The Kite Runner by Khaled Hoseini.
Off to lecturing …
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
TODAY IS EARTH DAY : SHOW YOUR CONCERN
Valued Visitors @ readers,
Today is Earth Day. Let us contribute in some small way to help our "Mother Earth", today, tomorrow or any day. U mite question how can a small effort of urs would change the whole world? Wat does da difference it makes shud u really care? How could the earth return all da good deeds we’ve shown to her?
But have u ever wondered, if dis small effort been understood and embraced by everyone, don’t u think dat something can be done.? Admittedly, it’s the law of the nature that - to create awareness aint easy. Not within few days and months or even years. But there has to be a start somewhere by someone. The starter mite not even witness da change will take place during his lifetime, but his initiative will be fondly remembered n cherished even though he’s no longer exist on dis mortal earth. And wudnt dat put him/her die in honour, because of initiating a start to the whole mankind? A start dat bring benefit 2 da entire universe in sustaining and maintaining sumting dats called L-I-F-E ? Dats da least we can hope for shud we really care and love our earth.
I understand people can give tones of excuses if he/she wish not to do it, but believe you me, if God wud like to charge us for ever 02 dat we inhale n for da CO2 dat we release, u wudnt even dare to raise an objection. Only if we know da price of a fresh air to breath, da value of a nice conducive place to stay, da price of high blue sky up high n da nice feelings of the seething winds, we definitely wudn’t allow ourselves for a single taught disagreeing with da idea.
Today is Earth Day. Let us contribute in some small way to help our "Mother Earth", today, tomorrow or any day. U mite question how can a small effort of urs would change the whole world? Wat does da difference it makes shud u really care? How could the earth return all da good deeds we’ve shown to her?
But have u ever wondered, if dis small effort been understood and embraced by everyone, don’t u think dat something can be done.? Admittedly, it’s the law of the nature that - to create awareness aint easy. Not within few days and months or even years. But there has to be a start somewhere by someone. The starter mite not even witness da change will take place during his lifetime, but his initiative will be fondly remembered n cherished even though he’s no longer exist on dis mortal earth. And wudnt dat put him/her die in honour, because of initiating a start to the whole mankind? A start dat bring benefit 2 da entire universe in sustaining and maintaining sumting dats called L-I-F-E ? Dats da least we can hope for shud we really care and love our earth.
I understand people can give tones of excuses if he/she wish not to do it, but believe you me, if God wud like to charge us for ever 02 dat we inhale n for da CO2 dat we release, u wudnt even dare to raise an objection. Only if we know da price of a fresh air to breath, da value of a nice conducive place to stay, da price of high blue sky up high n da nice feelings of the seething winds, we definitely wudn’t allow ourselves for a single taught disagreeing with da idea.
Above all, may I throw u wif a question
If its not us, who else ….
Zokhri
(Its never too late 4 a change)
Today is EARTH DAY
As we observe Earth Day today and to show our support towards reducing our carbon footprints, these are some of the little things you can do to help preserve what is left of our natural environment.
What you can do:Find out how your actions impact the global environment and discover a number of simple ways in which you can make a real difference.
WATER
Where does it all go?
A leaking tap can waste 140 litres (37 US gallons) of water per week, almost the amount of water needed for a whole load of laundry.
A dishwasher uses up to 70 litres (18 US gallons) of water to complete a full cycle.
Washing clothes uses as much as 25% of residential water, each machine load using up to 150 litres (40 US gallons) of water, more than a full bathtub.
A running tap can waste up to 6 litres (1.5 US gallons) per minute.
An average toilet uses 13 litres (3.5 US gallons) per flush. An older toilet may use up to 20 litres (5.5 US gallons) per flush while a low-flush toilet uses only 6 litres (1.5 US gallons) or less.
3 things you can do today:
Install a water butt to collect rainwater and use this or household leftover water in the garden and for watering indoor plants.
Take a shower instead of a bath, but remember - power showers can waste even more water than a bath.
Only wash full loads of laundry unless you can change the load setting in your machine each time.
A dishwasher uses up to 70 litres (18 US gallons) of water to complete a full cycle.
Washing clothes uses as much as 25% of residential water, each machine load using up to 150 litres (40 US gallons) of water, more than a full bathtub.
A running tap can waste up to 6 litres (1.5 US gallons) per minute.
An average toilet uses 13 litres (3.5 US gallons) per flush. An older toilet may use up to 20 litres (5.5 US gallons) per flush while a low-flush toilet uses only 6 litres (1.5 US gallons) or less.
3 things you can do today:
Install a water butt to collect rainwater and use this or household leftover water in the garden and for watering indoor plants.
Take a shower instead of a bath, but remember - power showers can waste even more water than a bath.
Only wash full loads of laundry unless you can change the load setting in your machine each time.
CARBON DIOXIDE
Where does it all go?
Driving a 12mpg (5kpl) 4x4 will waste more energy in 1 year than leaving the fridge door open for 7 years.
A car produces approximately three times its weight in CO2 emissions every year: therefore, owning unnecessarily large vehicles can cause needless damage to the environment.
Air travel is the fastest growing contributor of global carbon dioxide emissions. At present, it contributes 3.5%, but this is expected to rise to 25% by 2030.
3 things you can do today:
Buy local produce to reduce transport costs, CO2 emissions, and food miles, and hence the harmful effects on the climate. Further benefits include less vitamin depletion due to reduced transportation time and increased local business.
Adopt a car-share scheme with a friend or colleague for your journeys to and from work. This cuts pollution and saves you money.
Switch to green electricity. Most energy suppliers offer competitively priced domestic tariffs, which use green or renewable energy to help tackle climate change and can reduce your household CO2 emissions by at least a third.
WASTE
Where does it all go?
Food miles = the distance travelled by your food from the source to your table. The greater the distance travelled, the greater the impact on the environment. The transportation of food, including by air, train or road, wastes fuel energy and increases CO2 emissions.
Americans throw away enough office and writing paper annually to build a wall 12 feet (3.7 meters) high stretching from Los Angeles to New York City - a distance of 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometres).
About two-thirds of household rubbish can be composted. The average person throws away 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of organic waste every year - equivalent to 2,800 banana skins.
3 things you can do today:
Take a reusable bag when you go shopping.
Use local recycling schemes for all appropriate household waste such as paper, cans, glass, plastic and clothing.
Make compost from your organic kitchen waste. It makes a great fertilizer and reduces pollutants.
ENERGY
Where does it all go?
Leaving a computer monitor on at night wastes enough power to microwave three dinners.
By 2015, China's population is projected to be around 1.4 billion. If the average Chinese consumer used as much oil as the average American uses, China would require 90 million barrels per day - 11 million more than the entire world produced each day in 2001.
Poor roof insulation can waste up to US$320 in energy costs every year.
3 things you can do today:
Install energy-efficient light bulbs, these can save nearly US$130 each over their lifetime compared to normal light bulbs.
Let your leftovers cool before putting them in the fridge, this will reduce the amount of energy used.
Try putting on a sweater instead of turning up the thermostat.
With regard to Earth Day, I would like to share that there's a sponsored public screening of a film by Leonardo DiCaprio The 11th Hour, a thought-provoking documentary on the importance of preserving nature.
Public screening will take place from 30 Apr - 4 May 2008 at Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac). Free tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-served-basis and are obtainable upon registration at www.ytlcommunity.com/climatechange.
We encourage all friends & colleagues to go watch the film! Who would want to miss out on Leonardo?
The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac) Sentul Park Jalan Strachan (Off Jalan Ipoh) 51100 Kuala Lumpur.
Cheers and have a great day.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Time After Time (Mode:Emo)
*In the name of time*
*Verily, man is in loss*
*Except those who believe (in Faith & Religion) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth [i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (al-Ma’ruf) which Lord has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (al-Mungkar) which Lord has forbidden] and recommend I another to patience (for the sufferings, harms and injuries which one may encounter in God’s cause during preaching His religion)*
I realise more often than not, dat Im drowning in da sea of hectic ness, overloaded wif work and future plans executions 2gether wif existing commitment. How 24 hours a day seem not to be enough as our commitments demand more.
Which reminds me of an old Arabic saying (professed by the late As-Syahid Imam Hassan Al-Banna :
Al-Wajibaatu Aksaaru Minal Auqat
i.e. our obligation is indeed more than the time given
As April 16th has elapsed, I’ve been ‘awarded’ wif 96 Essay Scripts from studs. 1 script at least will contain 2 essays. N I’ve 2 finish marking em soon as studs are eager 2 know wat will they get after their ‘mini-so-and-so’ battle. N da office n sum of em expect me 2 spend some extra time & effort labouring over dis menace ongoing n 4ever never be ended (@least not before November)
-Agonising myself ….. unobstrusively.
Gone laaaaa my weekends … -
Despite being fully occupied/overloaded, I still wanna do few stuffs (which of course not being carried out … just yet)
- Blog Updating: I wanna share how depress I am 4 being told and designed 2 b sum1 whom I am not. N da s*** reason they say is ‘ u r employee of the Company. U are abided by our policies and ethics’ -Screw YOU-
- Ask Rozairee out 4 free meal (Secret Recipe kannnnnnnnn?)
- Revise and improvise my piano lesson wif Maxine Lao Shi’
- Finishing “The World is Flat” by Thomas Friedman
- Treat E-1 for his belated 23rd birthday
- Balik Kampung aka Visiting grandma n kuzzies
- Participate in Islamic Study Circle (Usrah) by KBI. But im afraid studs wont accept me.
- Conduct extra coaching/tuition on Legals (strictly to certain individuals whom I identify really in need of help)
- Organise a personal “Career Talk in Law” wif me studs.
- Improvising my Quranic verses memorisation.
- Legal Update: to follow up a famous n most controversy case in Aussie of John n Jenny Deaves – it’s about an incest of father-daughter relationship … n they got a baby after 7 years of consummating.
EUWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
- Plan a vacation sumwhere in mid May wif ……… @ Redang ? Cherating ? Langkawi ? – U Choose
- N clubbing perhaps? He he -grins- dis shud be da most awaiting agenda of da month I think weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Dere r so many things 2 do within dis short period of tyme.
Haihhhhhzzzzzzzzzzzzz
HATE SAM HATE TAYLORS
Full stop & Signing-off
P/S: me dunno how can I come up wif ‘kinda-bit’ such an Islamic entry dis tyme. Got Quranic n Arabic sayings summore =)
XXX 2152 SAM Office XXX
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Zokhri's World Book of Record
Dis is 2 declare dat I've surpassed my world record by sleeping 4 more than 12 hours in just one day
Walaooooooooooweeiiiiiiiiiii
Starting Time : 0035
Ending Time : 1309
n u know how long is dat? Gud Heaven
Dat shows College & Studs really drill me hard dis week. Test n marking r totally stressful & never ending ...
Let c if I able 2 achieve da record 2nite (which I bet I will)
Adiosss ... Off 2 Starbucks 4 marking
XXX
Thursday, April 10, 2008
My Lil' Prayer ...
O Allah,
Grant Me The Serenity To Accept The Things I Cannot Change, The Courage To Change The Things I Can, And The Wisdom To Know The Difference …
Amen
Grant Me The Serenity To Accept The Things I Cannot Change, The Courage To Change The Things I Can, And The Wisdom To Know The Difference …
Amen
Sunday, April 06, 2008
TRUE LOVE: IZZIT TOO GUD TO BE TRUE ???
Me went clubbing (again) last nite. 2 those who always thot & 4eva will be thinking clubbing is sumting outraged n digress, I beg 2 differ. Their reason(s) cud be becuz they assume all clubbers r alcoholic-affiliated n they can’t be convinced dat not all of club lovers, love to drink too. N me one of em
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
In fact, clubbing cud be viewed in a positive way, I submit. Its an avenue for u 2 enjoy, 2 have a bit of fun, 4getting da s*** @ ur workplace. It’s a place 4 u to release the tension (which relatively similar wif da first reason)
Haihzzzzzzzzz
N its also a platform 2 build n 2 broaden da existing networking by exchanging issues n opinions about everything. N dat ‘everything’ really cud be everything. Life – success – failures – love – friendship – career and even SEX
Yeah, u read it rite, babe.
So after went clubbing yday wif my high skewl mates, we spent hours sitting in a ‘mamak’ restraunt n guess wat?? We talked about “true love” (euwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww) but dat topic per se, made us stay 4 hours wif countlessly add-up teh tarik* (debating cud b thirsty)
LOL
So,why true love is hard to find?
Why izzit too gud to be true?
Izzit just a myth, a fantasy dat will never happen in da world of realilty?
Ever since small, I’ve been indoctrinated bout ‘true love’ fantasy. Da estranged couple wud definitely meet their true love even they av 2 wait long. ‘True love’ eventually happens but it comes wif battle of tears, belief and hope along a miserable period in between.
N I’m wondering is true love really exist in dis world?
Each and every1 of us has revealed our own stories a.k.a our epics of love since we firstly knew bout love. Shud I say since high skewl? LOL
N all of da stories ended wif disappointment n frustration. Even how much we’ve put our effort in sustaining da relationship, they still encountered da dead-end.
Perhaps, by putting too much expectation 4 a true love, we end up nothing. But I always telling myself dat I just want sumbody who can understand me, who accept me 4 who I am
… who can shower me wif unconditional love n care
… who can stand beside me no matter succeed or srewed I am in life
… who can lend me a shoulder to lean on and ears to listen
… who will still look up on me even da whole world turns its back to me.
… who can inspire me, even how f***ed up life I am aving, dat person will say “its alrite babe. everything will b alrite n we can go thru dis 2gether”
Dats all FULL STOP
( I dun want ur face, ur shape, ur money or all of ur time )
N true love isn’t sumting u can buy neither sumting u can sell. It comes sincerely from an honest feeling.
N why till now I am yet 2 have (even) one?
Ppl look admirably on me as they thot I got everything dat I wanted. Excellent education abroad, gud job, reasonable pay n loads of fabulous n fantastic buddies n studs around.
But deep in my heart, I am just an ordinary lonely boy who still need 2 love n 2 b loved =)
à best song 2 describe me : ‘Lucky’ by Britney Spears
In short, da discussion was concluded wif few resolutions :-
1) da time hasn’t cum yet. God has destined dat true love has to wait.
2) Its all about meeting da rite person @ da rite time. Till we actually meet dat person, we shall never loose hope on LOVE.
3) There’s alwiz a sumbody 4 everybody. Dis is encapsulated by my previous supervisor Yvonne during my summer job (back in da UK)
But still, I cudnt help meself from feeling envious staring @ couples, holding hands n portraying their romance n happiness. ( OMG statement gersang ya amats nih ) haha. May they stay 2gether, till da day they leave dis world.
N I hope my time will come to me ….. soon
@ nites I cry.
* da most fav drink to all who call themselves as ‘Malaysians.’
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
SHOPPING IS THE BEST THERAPHY FOR STRESS
@ 1st, I cudnt accept it nor I always agree with the above-mentioned thesis statement. Not being sexist, but I would normally find myself in argument(s) with the XX clans shud they raise da point dat stress can be relieved when a lady when for shopping.
Which made me to categorise them as materialistic, unrealistic and …………………. Plastic ??? (Runnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn)
But then, as da sand on da beaches change so am I (how bad) –grins-
Monday saw how dis contention becomes true. Truth be told, I began to realise dat shopping does help in reducing ( if not releasing ) stress/tension of the mind. It was an awful Monday to embark wif. Suddenly been assigned wif tones of niu tasks together with ongoing responsibilities resulting in my patience and determination gradually decaying and slowly impoverishing.
I dun deserve these anymore. Studs constantly giving me migraine as they portray (whether deliberately or accidentally) themselves as kids and dandy (as if fussy kinda like) creatures ever created amongst da entire mankind.
Arghhhhhhhhhh wat a berserk day
Luckily my acquaint ant (me long term buddy in Manchester) and me had arranged 4 a date on yesterday’s eve. We went to Sunway Pyramid, feeding ourselves wif Indonesian Cuisine @ Ole Ole Bali – using my L3’s 10% coupons …ha ha (Since they dun read me blog dat frequent, I think its safe to confess in ere) Sorry L3, no more 10% discount coupon 4 u. LOL
Then we took a stroll, touring each and every outlet in the Mall. Me eyes converged @ sumting dat I’ve been wishing n aiming 4 da past 2 months. Now da war started to begin – my wits keep on rationalising da temptation aroused wildly in my heart.
I walked making my way – passing by the ‘thing’ n da shop
But wait…….
I cant let it go dis time ( Considering my pay has just been banked in less than a week ). At dis moment of despair and uncertain, I heard an angelic voice whispering
“ If I let U go, I wud never know
Wat My Life wud Be, holding U close 2 me
Will I ever see u smiling back @ me?
How will I know if I let u go? ”
Damn it laaaaa
After a hard n long consideration ( till I sweat saturatedly in da air conditioned mall ) and a tirade (x pasal2 dpt ceramah free) from a fren, here is wat had happened
Me bought it … without due hesitation. Phewwwwwww
N since then, I’ve been looking @ it every 10 Secs … (obviously laaaa kan ..niu watch maaaaa )
Only know I knoe why ppl (especially those XX chromosome holders) say shopping is an excellent stress therapy. How true. It really worked ( @ least 2 me ) LOL. I able 2 set aside da melancholic n hellish day I had in College and feel gud when I’ve done sumting huge 2 credit meself.
Da cost? Naaaaaaaaaa no regret. Having money cudn’t guarantee one being happy. So da best way – SPEND IT !!! (I wud rather put it as ur quality-life investment rather than spending) (^_^) Although a big spender I am not, but once in a blue moon, I need to treat myself well … after working so hard in my so-called noble (emphasis added) profession. LOL
So to all respective ladies and sum metro chaps, only now I know da power of shopping. It feels like ‘u-are-the-man’ kinda feeling which make I partially (not totally) forgot about da blardy day n no matter how disastrous shit happens, CARPE DIEM !!!
N 1 gud thing, I spent using my own initiative, I worked hard 4 it, putting my very individual effort to it, so why feel guilty in spending? Im not using anyone’s money (erkkkk students’ money cud be laaaaaa) its my very own self-rewarding..
After all, if im not da one who rewarding myself, who else cud be?
Which made me to categorise them as materialistic, unrealistic and …………………. Plastic ??? (Runnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn)
But then, as da sand on da beaches change so am I (how bad) –grins-
Monday saw how dis contention becomes true. Truth be told, I began to realise dat shopping does help in reducing ( if not releasing ) stress/tension of the mind. It was an awful Monday to embark wif. Suddenly been assigned wif tones of niu tasks together with ongoing responsibilities resulting in my patience and determination gradually decaying and slowly impoverishing.
I dun deserve these anymore. Studs constantly giving me migraine as they portray (whether deliberately or accidentally) themselves as kids and dandy (as if fussy kinda like) creatures ever created amongst da entire mankind.
Arghhhhhhhhhh wat a berserk day
Luckily my acquaint ant (me long term buddy in Manchester) and me had arranged 4 a date on yesterday’s eve. We went to Sunway Pyramid, feeding ourselves wif Indonesian Cuisine @ Ole Ole Bali – using my L3’s 10% coupons …ha ha (Since they dun read me blog dat frequent, I think its safe to confess in ere) Sorry L3, no more 10% discount coupon 4 u. LOL
Then we took a stroll, touring each and every outlet in the Mall. Me eyes converged @ sumting dat I’ve been wishing n aiming 4 da past 2 months. Now da war started to begin – my wits keep on rationalising da temptation aroused wildly in my heart.
I walked making my way – passing by the ‘thing’ n da shop
But wait…….
I cant let it go dis time ( Considering my pay has just been banked in less than a week ). At dis moment of despair and uncertain, I heard an angelic voice whispering
“ If I let U go, I wud never know
Wat My Life wud Be, holding U close 2 me
Will I ever see u smiling back @ me?
How will I know if I let u go? ”
Damn it laaaaa
After a hard n long consideration ( till I sweat saturatedly in da air conditioned mall ) and a tirade (x pasal2 dpt ceramah free) from a fren, here is wat had happened
Me bought it … without due hesitation. Phewwwwwww
N since then, I’ve been looking @ it every 10 Secs … (obviously laaaa kan ..niu watch maaaaa )
Only know I knoe why ppl (especially those XX chromosome holders) say shopping is an excellent stress therapy. How true. It really worked ( @ least 2 me ) LOL. I able 2 set aside da melancholic n hellish day I had in College and feel gud when I’ve done sumting huge 2 credit meself.
Da cost? Naaaaaaaaaa no regret. Having money cudn’t guarantee one being happy. So da best way – SPEND IT !!! (I wud rather put it as ur quality-life investment rather than spending) (^_^) Although a big spender I am not, but once in a blue moon, I need to treat myself well … after working so hard in my so-called noble (emphasis added) profession. LOL
So to all respective ladies and sum metro chaps, only now I know da power of shopping. It feels like ‘u-are-the-man’ kinda feeling which make I partially (not totally) forgot about da blardy day n no matter how disastrous shit happens, CARPE DIEM !!!
N 1 gud thing, I spent using my own initiative, I worked hard 4 it, putting my very individual effort to it, so why feel guilty in spending? Im not using anyone’s money (erkkkk students’ money cud be laaaaaa) its my very own self-rewarding..
After all, if im not da one who rewarding myself, who else cud be?
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
PLEASE JOIN ME, GUYS SHOW UR SUPPORT
On March 31 2007, for one hour, Sydney made a powerful statement about the greatest contributor to global warming – coal-fired electricity – by turning off its lights. Over 2.2 million Sydney residents and over 2,100 businesses switched off, leading to a 10.2% energy reduction across the city. What began as one city taking a stand against global warming caught the attention of the world.
In 2008, 24 global cities will participate in Earth Hour at 8pm on March 29. Earth Hour is the highlight of a major campaign to encourage businesses, communities and individuals to take the simple steps needed to cut their emissions on an ongoing basis. It is about simple changes that will collectively make a difference – from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty, to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby.
Mount Angsi in Memory
Dear readers,
My previous entry has made it clear. I engaged in Taylor’s Excursion Trip 2 Mount Angsi and undeniably, the trip invites many controversies and furors amongst those who participated. U probably have read the local outlines which described the events from their own perspectives but yeah, da challenges dat we encountered was not in our contemplation and control and things din ran smooth 2wards da end.
Please allow me to second and to assert my full support to the report forwarded by my learned colleague Miss Ng Kwee Noi. Indeed, da trip was successful and one should not be feeling regret for joining the initiative ever since it embarked. Things just happened but we accepted it, face it, and overcame it with a high spirit of teamwork and ‘togetherness.’
Without you (supportive lecturers and studs) the trip wouldn’t be a success. We took our precious time to respond to the last-minute changes and put our whole heart into it, just to turn our plans into execution, and we did it !!! ur self-persistent and sacrificial spirit 4 all shalt b a role model for both lects and studs.
I would personally rate dis trip as a victory wif unexpected things occurred but dat din allocate us to any state of discouragement and despondency. Yes, we were ‘struck down’ but NOT destroyed!! Challenges in life are meant 2 mould us 2 b a perfect person – preparing us 4 a better 2moro. N dis is juz one of ‘em.
Da incident, or shall I call it “god thrown blessings’, was basically an assignment for us and must b accomplished (in da day) wif an equal portion of patience, dedication, love, teamwork and never-give-up without any room of prejudice and discrimination.
N we did it …. We passed da “god given assignment”
Its an avenue 4 us 2 know each other more than normal ordinary contacts in lectures and in office. It’s a blessing in disguise – seeing few groups of ppl holding hands, hugging each other @ da riverside – after da rainpour- juz 2 keep ourselves warm n stable. We din remember ( and not even tried 2 b ) who da hell r u? Where r u cuming from? U Chinese, Malay, Indian? R u Muslims or Non Muslims? HELL NO!!! All we knew dat we wanted all of us 2 b safe n comfy.
We dug our bag searching 4 supplies, offering foods n water n everything dat we av so no one will feel hunger and thirst whilst waiting da rescue to come.
O Lord, how beautiful moment was dat 2 me …
Untill da Rescue came, dere wasn’t any moment of fear & regret. All we did – we never stop from HOPING !!! No complaints, no whinings but juz a whisper of Hope may Lord sends His Mercy … n He did
@ da end of d day, I’ve learnt, dat we shud all 4get minor differences btw us but 2 focus and striving 2getjer towards our greater and similar destination, which is a survivalism, a living and a life.
Let God’s Love Unite Us All,
ZI
My previous entry has made it clear. I engaged in Taylor’s Excursion Trip 2 Mount Angsi and undeniably, the trip invites many controversies and furors amongst those who participated. U probably have read the local outlines which described the events from their own perspectives but yeah, da challenges dat we encountered was not in our contemplation and control and things din ran smooth 2wards da end.
Please allow me to second and to assert my full support to the report forwarded by my learned colleague Miss Ng Kwee Noi. Indeed, da trip was successful and one should not be feeling regret for joining the initiative ever since it embarked. Things just happened but we accepted it, face it, and overcame it with a high spirit of teamwork and ‘togetherness.’
Without you (supportive lecturers and studs) the trip wouldn’t be a success. We took our precious time to respond to the last-minute changes and put our whole heart into it, just to turn our plans into execution, and we did it !!! ur self-persistent and sacrificial spirit 4 all shalt b a role model for both lects and studs.
I would personally rate dis trip as a victory wif unexpected things occurred but dat din allocate us to any state of discouragement and despondency. Yes, we were ‘struck down’ but NOT destroyed!! Challenges in life are meant 2 mould us 2 b a perfect person – preparing us 4 a better 2moro. N dis is juz one of ‘em.
Da incident, or shall I call it “god thrown blessings’, was basically an assignment for us and must b accomplished (in da day) wif an equal portion of patience, dedication, love, teamwork and never-give-up without any room of prejudice and discrimination.
N we did it …. We passed da “god given assignment”
Its an avenue 4 us 2 know each other more than normal ordinary contacts in lectures and in office. It’s a blessing in disguise – seeing few groups of ppl holding hands, hugging each other @ da riverside – after da rainpour- juz 2 keep ourselves warm n stable. We din remember ( and not even tried 2 b ) who da hell r u? Where r u cuming from? U Chinese, Malay, Indian? R u Muslims or Non Muslims? HELL NO!!! All we knew dat we wanted all of us 2 b safe n comfy.
We dug our bag searching 4 supplies, offering foods n water n everything dat we av so no one will feel hunger and thirst whilst waiting da rescue to come.
O Lord, how beautiful moment was dat 2 me …
Untill da Rescue came, dere wasn’t any moment of fear & regret. All we did – we never stop from HOPING !!! No complaints, no whinings but juz a whisper of Hope may Lord sends His Mercy … n He did
@ da end of d day, I’ve learnt, dat we shud all 4get minor differences btw us but 2 focus and striving 2getjer towards our greater and similar destination, which is a survivalism, a living and a life.
Let God’s Love Unite Us All,
ZI
Pics Pics and Pics
Can U read it ???
Can U find where am I?
Legal Studies Lecture at the Peak ... walaaaaaaaaaaaaooooweiiiii
Is AnyOne Can Read Chinese?
After a few hours of hiking, dun tell me dis is da peak *sigh*
Finally, We Touched Down with Pride (^_^)
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Official Press Statement by the Committee
A very well-written explaination by Miss Ng Kwee Noi. Kudos to Miss Ng
XXX
My dear colleagues,
You would, no doubt, have heard details of our adventure when the Humanities Department (& Explorers’ Club of SAM) took 72 students on an expedition to scale Mt. Angsi on Saturday, 22 March. Here is our brief account of this first excursion of 2008 which was “prominent” enough to get press attention from the local print media. [Check out Sunday night’s edition of the Nanyang Siang Pau. Sin Chew Jit Poh and China Press, but don’t believe everything you read there!]
The 72 students were transported in two buses which left the College at 7:40 a.m. to arrive at the Ulu Bendul Recreational Forest which is a part of the Angsi Forest Reserve before 10:00 a.m. Accompanying them were Yap Keat Leong, Yap Yuen Kiat, Tong Jin Chong, Madhavan, Wan Zokhri and I. On the climb, the students were split into two groups, each having a lecturer at its head, in the midst of the pack and at the rear, to monitor their progress and to ensure no one was left behind. In all, 68 students succeeded in scaling the summit while only four (4) of the lecturers did so.
The ascent up to the 825 m mountain took roughly 3 ~ 3½ hours for the majority of the climbers. Several female students experienced minor difficulties in the upper reaches of the trail where the gradient was steeper than along the lower portion which meandered through secondary forest which used to be part of a rubber estate. Most merely required frequent stops along the trail to catch their breath before proceeding upward. However, two (2) among them had more serious problems as they are asthmatic and had not seen fit to bring along any medication for their condition. Moreover, in the Indemnity Form they had had completed and returned to us, they had failed to inform us of their condition &/or that they were on long-term medication. As a result, each of these girls had to be closely monitored at all times by a lecturer and a classmate as we made the laboured progress up the mountain. After covering about 80% of the trail, they were finally persuaded to turn back, resulting in these six (6) persons being unable to reach the peak. To complicate matters, one of the girls had surrendered her backpack to a boy who had offered to carry it after seeing how she had been struggling to keep up with the rest of the climbers. That backpack did not make it down the mountain even after the last of the 68 successful climbers returned to the starting point!
Partly because the slow progress of the weaker students had delayed the descent from the summit until about 2:00 p.m. and the rain that fell soon after caused the conditions on the trail to rapidly deteriorate, the journey was hampered when the climbers attempted to ford the river at two points along the trail. The last group of 24 students and two (2) lecturers were the most severely affected as they had already trudged so far in the miserable, cold and wet conditions but worked selflessly as a team to get everyone across. At the first point, despite the (normally) ankle-deep waters having risen to mid-thigh level, the males formed a human chain across the breath of the river to slow down the force of the current to allow the females to inch their way across first before, they, too, one by one, made it safely to the opposite bank. However, they were not so lucky at the second. By the time they arrived at the left bank of Sungai Batang Terachi, where the waters had been at mid-calf depth earlier that day, the river had risen to hip level and was now raging even more powerfully. Fearing for the safety of the entire group, they, together with Keat Leong who had been waiting there for these last 26, made the decision to stay put on the far bank of the now impassable river. After passing his torchlight and the last of this food supplies to the stranded members, he quickly made his way down to the park Office to alert the officer-in-charge there of the situation. By that time, it was already after 6:00 p.m.
Meanwhile, in the car park, another decision was made for 43 of the 48 students already safely ensconced in the two buses to get into one bus and make the journey back to Subang Jaya while Keat Leong, Yuen Kiat and Tong were to wait with the other bus to accompany the remaining 28 students, Madhavan and Zokhri back to the College. I took the last seat on the 44-seater bus that left about about 7:00 p.m. and arrived outside the College gates at 8:40 p.m. Along the way, Mrs. Hoe and Zaidah both called on the handphone to inform me that the press had been alerted to our situation and that the Civil Defence Department had dispatched a 13-member rescue team to help lead our members out.
On returning to the College, we found parents already there to collect their children, including a couple whose son was one of the stranded 24. After explaining the situation to them, I went to the Staffroom to get the Indemnity Forms so we could begin calling the parents of the affected students to allay their fears and concern since their children could not be contacted (there being no phone reception on the mountain). Mrs. Hoe and Mrs. Quek had returned to the College expressly to deal with this situation and together with them and Ms. Prema (who was hard at work on the March-intake timetables), we phoned each of the parents of the stranded students; by the time we talked to the last few parents, they informed us that they had already received news from their children that they were, indeed, safe and sound. What a relief that was to us! It was after 10:30 p.m. when we could relax and think of feeding our thirst and hunger at Asia Café.
From what I have been told, our students and lecturers kept calm throughout the time they had to wait, not for the rescuers to arrive but, for the waters to recede sufficiently. When they deemed it safe to attempt crossing Sungai Batang Terachi, again they linked arms to form a human chain to enable each member to scramble to safety on the other side. From then on, darkness was the biggest impediment; however, with seven torchlights amongst them, they could light up their way sufficiently to make out the trail and head in the direction of the park’s entrance. When that final leg was more than halfway completed, they were met by the Civil Defence rescue team who had been utterly surprised that our climbers had not suffered any injuries and were in good condition to walk out of the forest unaided. It took them another half-an-hour before they were thrust, literally, into the glare of publicity by the press photographers who lit up the night with an explosion of flashes as soon as the once-stranded group of 26 arrived at the head of the trail. They were treated like celebrities and some of them interviewed about their experiences. Even the State Assemblyman for Seri Menanti, En. Abdul Samad Ibrahim, was present to talk to the students who, by now, were ravenous and parched and only wanted ice cold-Coca Cola and 100 Plus to wash down their burgers and chips.
Once they had satisfied their hunger and thirst, and changed into drier clothes, the 26 got on board the bus with the waiting four (4) students and three (3) lecturers. It was close to 11:30 p.m. when the bus left the Ulu Bendul Recreational Forest and it arrived at our starting point a little past 1:00 a.m. Those students were quickly bundled into their parents’ cars, soon after, all six lecturers also dispersed. The only “casualty” that night was the backpack that seemed to have been left behind in the midst of all the unexpected turn of events. However, like all “fairy tales” that deserve a happy ending, I am happy to report that early yesterday (Monday) afternoon, a ranger from the park called the owner’s family to say that the missing backpack had been found. Moreover, the contents, including the student’s handphone, were intact!
There is much we have learnt from this experience and both the students and lecturers will surely remember how their sense of esprit de corps had saved the day. We have learnt that life has a way of throwing challenges at us when we least expect it but that with calmness, patience and fortitude, and faith in ourselves, we can overcome almost any adversity and, more importantly, emerge stronger and better individuals. However, before we get carried away clapping ourselves on the back, I would like to acknowledge the contributions of the following persons without whom the success of our expedition would have been impossible:
(a) Yap Keat Leong, whose leadership, fitness and experience of jungle-trekking resulted in him being the one having to traverse the length of the trail, back and forth several times, to ensure that climbers from both groups were able to reach the peak and return safely down. His was the most physically demanding task on the entire expedition. He also ensured that the environment was protected by threatening “bodily harm” to anyone who took more than photographs and left behind more than their footprints
(b) Yap Yuen Kiat, whose patience, quiet calmness and sensitivity enabled him to deal with the students’ many requests (reasonable as well as ridiculous) and parents’ frantic phone enquiries make him a candidate for automatic sainthood, and for his sacrifice ~ he did not make it to the summit through no fault of his own!
(c) Tong Jin Chong, whose tenacity and perseverance were an example to the youngsters that age and (outward) physical condition are not impediments to great physical achievements, and for his sense of humour and positive outlook. He was the first lecturer to reach the peak!
(d) Madhavan and Zokhri, whose quick action, cool-headedness (despite their lack of experience in the jungle) and perfect judgment were responsible for the stranded making it out of the jungle without a scratch on them and for getting strangers to bond into a team formidable enough to defeat even the forces of nature! They were the most reliable and amiable of companions along the trail and Madhavan makes the most sumptuous’s tuna fish sandwiches.
You are all first class colleagues and team members: I cannot ask for a more co-operative, selfless and reliable set of individuals to be stuck on a mountain with and, I believe, I can trust you with my life!
(e) Zaidah, for your constant help, support and offers of assistance, especially, with your expertise with Bahasa Malaysia, in the numerous arrangements prior to the expedition
(f) Angelene, Azreena, Banu, Geetha, Kevin, Indra, Prem, Rajani, Rachel, Santha, (Ting) Mee Kean and Yong Poo Ling, for being ready to help and assist (at short notice) in disseminating information, collecting money and forms and checking students’ personal particulars, etc. Without you, we would not have had such overwhelming response to our very first excursion nor would we have had such orderly conduct from students before and during the expedition
(g) Amarjeet and Adelina, for the orderly collection and safe-keeping of the Indemnity Forms, and for the constant enquiries from the students concerning the expedition
(h) Mrs. Hoe, Mrs. Quek and Ms. Prema, for your confidence in us, for giving us the freedom and opportunity to decide and execute plans our way and for your support ~ the safety net without which no first step would have been taken. Thank you, also, for rushing to our aid, at the drop of a hat, when ”damage control” was required.
There are, or course, others we need to thank but they are from outside the Programme. Rest assured, they and their contributions will be suitably acknowledged in due course. I apologise if I have inadvertently left out any deserving individual(s).
With much gratitude,
Kwee Noi
Chairperson,
Excursions, Trips & Visits Committee
P.S. If you wish to view some photographs and videp clips from the expedition, you may do so at tfile/SAM Academic/Photos/20080322 Mount Angsi. Also posted there are the press reports on “rescue” by the Civil Defence Department personnel. Enjoy!
XXX
My dear colleagues,
You would, no doubt, have heard details of our adventure when the Humanities Department (& Explorers’ Club of SAM) took 72 students on an expedition to scale Mt. Angsi on Saturday, 22 March. Here is our brief account of this first excursion of 2008 which was “prominent” enough to get press attention from the local print media. [Check out Sunday night’s edition of the Nanyang Siang Pau. Sin Chew Jit Poh and China Press, but don’t believe everything you read there!]
The 72 students were transported in two buses which left the College at 7:40 a.m. to arrive at the Ulu Bendul Recreational Forest which is a part of the Angsi Forest Reserve before 10:00 a.m. Accompanying them were Yap Keat Leong, Yap Yuen Kiat, Tong Jin Chong, Madhavan, Wan Zokhri and I. On the climb, the students were split into two groups, each having a lecturer at its head, in the midst of the pack and at the rear, to monitor their progress and to ensure no one was left behind. In all, 68 students succeeded in scaling the summit while only four (4) of the lecturers did so.
The ascent up to the 825 m mountain took roughly 3 ~ 3½ hours for the majority of the climbers. Several female students experienced minor difficulties in the upper reaches of the trail where the gradient was steeper than along the lower portion which meandered through secondary forest which used to be part of a rubber estate. Most merely required frequent stops along the trail to catch their breath before proceeding upward. However, two (2) among them had more serious problems as they are asthmatic and had not seen fit to bring along any medication for their condition. Moreover, in the Indemnity Form they had had completed and returned to us, they had failed to inform us of their condition &/or that they were on long-term medication. As a result, each of these girls had to be closely monitored at all times by a lecturer and a classmate as we made the laboured progress up the mountain. After covering about 80% of the trail, they were finally persuaded to turn back, resulting in these six (6) persons being unable to reach the peak. To complicate matters, one of the girls had surrendered her backpack to a boy who had offered to carry it after seeing how she had been struggling to keep up with the rest of the climbers. That backpack did not make it down the mountain even after the last of the 68 successful climbers returned to the starting point!
Partly because the slow progress of the weaker students had delayed the descent from the summit until about 2:00 p.m. and the rain that fell soon after caused the conditions on the trail to rapidly deteriorate, the journey was hampered when the climbers attempted to ford the river at two points along the trail. The last group of 24 students and two (2) lecturers were the most severely affected as they had already trudged so far in the miserable, cold and wet conditions but worked selflessly as a team to get everyone across. At the first point, despite the (normally) ankle-deep waters having risen to mid-thigh level, the males formed a human chain across the breath of the river to slow down the force of the current to allow the females to inch their way across first before, they, too, one by one, made it safely to the opposite bank. However, they were not so lucky at the second. By the time they arrived at the left bank of Sungai Batang Terachi, where the waters had been at mid-calf depth earlier that day, the river had risen to hip level and was now raging even more powerfully. Fearing for the safety of the entire group, they, together with Keat Leong who had been waiting there for these last 26, made the decision to stay put on the far bank of the now impassable river. After passing his torchlight and the last of this food supplies to the stranded members, he quickly made his way down to the park Office to alert the officer-in-charge there of the situation. By that time, it was already after 6:00 p.m.
Meanwhile, in the car park, another decision was made for 43 of the 48 students already safely ensconced in the two buses to get into one bus and make the journey back to Subang Jaya while Keat Leong, Yuen Kiat and Tong were to wait with the other bus to accompany the remaining 28 students, Madhavan and Zokhri back to the College. I took the last seat on the 44-seater bus that left about about 7:00 p.m. and arrived outside the College gates at 8:40 p.m. Along the way, Mrs. Hoe and Zaidah both called on the handphone to inform me that the press had been alerted to our situation and that the Civil Defence Department had dispatched a 13-member rescue team to help lead our members out.
On returning to the College, we found parents already there to collect their children, including a couple whose son was one of the stranded 24. After explaining the situation to them, I went to the Staffroom to get the Indemnity Forms so we could begin calling the parents of the affected students to allay their fears and concern since their children could not be contacted (there being no phone reception on the mountain). Mrs. Hoe and Mrs. Quek had returned to the College expressly to deal with this situation and together with them and Ms. Prema (who was hard at work on the March-intake timetables), we phoned each of the parents of the stranded students; by the time we talked to the last few parents, they informed us that they had already received news from their children that they were, indeed, safe and sound. What a relief that was to us! It was after 10:30 p.m. when we could relax and think of feeding our thirst and hunger at Asia Café.
From what I have been told, our students and lecturers kept calm throughout the time they had to wait, not for the rescuers to arrive but, for the waters to recede sufficiently. When they deemed it safe to attempt crossing Sungai Batang Terachi, again they linked arms to form a human chain to enable each member to scramble to safety on the other side. From then on, darkness was the biggest impediment; however, with seven torchlights amongst them, they could light up their way sufficiently to make out the trail and head in the direction of the park’s entrance. When that final leg was more than halfway completed, they were met by the Civil Defence rescue team who had been utterly surprised that our climbers had not suffered any injuries and were in good condition to walk out of the forest unaided. It took them another half-an-hour before they were thrust, literally, into the glare of publicity by the press photographers who lit up the night with an explosion of flashes as soon as the once-stranded group of 26 arrived at the head of the trail. They were treated like celebrities and some of them interviewed about their experiences. Even the State Assemblyman for Seri Menanti, En. Abdul Samad Ibrahim, was present to talk to the students who, by now, were ravenous and parched and only wanted ice cold-Coca Cola and 100 Plus to wash down their burgers and chips.
Once they had satisfied their hunger and thirst, and changed into drier clothes, the 26 got on board the bus with the waiting four (4) students and three (3) lecturers. It was close to 11:30 p.m. when the bus left the Ulu Bendul Recreational Forest and it arrived at our starting point a little past 1:00 a.m. Those students were quickly bundled into their parents’ cars, soon after, all six lecturers also dispersed. The only “casualty” that night was the backpack that seemed to have been left behind in the midst of all the unexpected turn of events. However, like all “fairy tales” that deserve a happy ending, I am happy to report that early yesterday (Monday) afternoon, a ranger from the park called the owner’s family to say that the missing backpack had been found. Moreover, the contents, including the student’s handphone, were intact!
There is much we have learnt from this experience and both the students and lecturers will surely remember how their sense of esprit de corps had saved the day. We have learnt that life has a way of throwing challenges at us when we least expect it but that with calmness, patience and fortitude, and faith in ourselves, we can overcome almost any adversity and, more importantly, emerge stronger and better individuals. However, before we get carried away clapping ourselves on the back, I would like to acknowledge the contributions of the following persons without whom the success of our expedition would have been impossible:
(a) Yap Keat Leong, whose leadership, fitness and experience of jungle-trekking resulted in him being the one having to traverse the length of the trail, back and forth several times, to ensure that climbers from both groups were able to reach the peak and return safely down. His was the most physically demanding task on the entire expedition. He also ensured that the environment was protected by threatening “bodily harm” to anyone who took more than photographs and left behind more than their footprints
(b) Yap Yuen Kiat, whose patience, quiet calmness and sensitivity enabled him to deal with the students’ many requests (reasonable as well as ridiculous) and parents’ frantic phone enquiries make him a candidate for automatic sainthood, and for his sacrifice ~ he did not make it to the summit through no fault of his own!
(c) Tong Jin Chong, whose tenacity and perseverance were an example to the youngsters that age and (outward) physical condition are not impediments to great physical achievements, and for his sense of humour and positive outlook. He was the first lecturer to reach the peak!
(d) Madhavan and Zokhri, whose quick action, cool-headedness (despite their lack of experience in the jungle) and perfect judgment were responsible for the stranded making it out of the jungle without a scratch on them and for getting strangers to bond into a team formidable enough to defeat even the forces of nature! They were the most reliable and amiable of companions along the trail and Madhavan makes the most sumptuous’s tuna fish sandwiches.
You are all first class colleagues and team members: I cannot ask for a more co-operative, selfless and reliable set of individuals to be stuck on a mountain with and, I believe, I can trust you with my life!
(e) Zaidah, for your constant help, support and offers of assistance, especially, with your expertise with Bahasa Malaysia, in the numerous arrangements prior to the expedition
(f) Angelene, Azreena, Banu, Geetha, Kevin, Indra, Prem, Rajani, Rachel, Santha, (Ting) Mee Kean and Yong Poo Ling, for being ready to help and assist (at short notice) in disseminating information, collecting money and forms and checking students’ personal particulars, etc. Without you, we would not have had such overwhelming response to our very first excursion nor would we have had such orderly conduct from students before and during the expedition
(g) Amarjeet and Adelina, for the orderly collection and safe-keeping of the Indemnity Forms, and for the constant enquiries from the students concerning the expedition
(h) Mrs. Hoe, Mrs. Quek and Ms. Prema, for your confidence in us, for giving us the freedom and opportunity to decide and execute plans our way and for your support ~ the safety net without which no first step would have been taken. Thank you, also, for rushing to our aid, at the drop of a hat, when ”damage control” was required.
There are, or course, others we need to thank but they are from outside the Programme. Rest assured, they and their contributions will be suitably acknowledged in due course. I apologise if I have inadvertently left out any deserving individual(s).
With much gratitude,
Kwee Noi
Chairperson,
Excursions, Trips & Visits Committee
P.S. If you wish to view some photographs and videp clips from the expedition, you may do so at tfile/SAM Academic/Photos/20080322 Mount Angsi. Also posted there are the press reports on “rescue” by the Civil Defence Department personnel. Enjoy!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Can U Spot Da Difference?
Dear all,
I usually disregard junk emails as I’ve no time 2 glance thru and most of the times the contents r nuts n dirty (well u know wat I mean) lol
But da one I received y’day was clearly an exception. I was speechless –jaw dropping- while reading 2wards da end. Blatantly, only now I know why our ‘neighbour’ is far more advanced and sophisticated than us. From da easiest disciplinary implementation on environment (every1 knows dat littering on any part of Singapore, one’ll be fined as well cud possibly end up in prison) 2 da hardest and most crucial nation governance of da country.
I still cud recall, upon attending Tunku Abdul Aziz’s public lecture on ‘Ethical Conduct of Malaysian MPs’, he vividly mentioned dat Singapore’s victory in combating bribery and corruption lies from its leaders who came into office wif clean hands n running da office wif clean pockets. They strictly observe “check and balance” policy, ensuring da every penny of the tax-payer’s contribution wudn’t b wasted and make it a worthwhile.
N only know I come to realize, how cud dis impossible scenario (in Malaysia) b possible in Singapore. I submit, da level of intellectuality and intelligence between these set of leaders, has justifiably distinguished da standards upheld among two nations.
However, you shudnt accuse me of degrading our local unis. I am not asserting dat da Malaysian unis aren’t gud/excellent (or whatever remark u wish to write) in its field but its just not as compatible as da universities where da Singaporean leaders graduated from. But frankly speaking, u dun av to preach anyone wif da fact dat, Cambridge n Harvard are far better than UM.
No objections @ all. Nuff sed.
Proven, da level of intelligence generates ‘outstanding outputs’ from its subjects. N I av been experiencing dis a lot. Those who are abroad-graduated demonstrate a different way of thinking, idealism and aspiration wif da one graduated locally. Whether they r better or worst, is a second issue. Both have their own ‘respective’ parameters to offer.
N I’m not an exception 2 dis. da way I perceive things 5 years back wasn’t da same wif wat I am analysing now. Still I cudnt find da answer how cud I jumped from being quite so-and-so conservative/orthodox into one being flexible, relaxed and positive way in looking @ n sailing in life.
Ya ya people changed. So do I
Back to da discussion, shall we? LOL
Again, pointing out fingers 2 da Malaysian leaders wudn’t solve da issue(s). Dere’s no way we can change or even touch da Minister’s portfolio which has been recently spelled out by the PM.
Perhaps a gud Q 2 throw is – wat can I do 4 a better Malaysia? Where will I stand in the next 10 years time? Time rotates incredibly fast, witnessing da transformation of da young becoming old (or not-so-young like me) n da olds will be leaving. Da issue is, are we prepared 4 such changes?
Im sorry shud my submission is flaw and contains no substance (at all???) in it. Yeah, it cud be any of my daily ramblings when I see things around. But hey, its my freedom of expression n I av da rite 2 express myself in anyway I want.
When there’s a will, there always be a way
For a better Malaysia,
ZI
P/S: I wont be able 2 reply within dis weekends as I’ll be away for Taylors’ Excursion 2 Mount Angsi wif studs. (n please dun ask me where da hell da Mount is or I’ll only can tell once I got back) I’ll be checking mails on Monday n onwards. Till then buh-bye
XXX
SINGAPORE CABINET
MALAYSIA CABINET
PM Lee Hsien Loong Cambridge University - First Class Honours (1974) Harvard University - Masters (1980)
PM Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi University of Malaya - Bachelor of Arts Honours (1964)
SM Goh Chok Tong University of Singapore - First Class Honours (1964) Williams College , USA - Masters (1967)
Deputy PM Dato' Sri Najib Razak University of Nottingham - Bachelor of Arts Honours (1974)
MM Lee Kuan Yew Cambridge University - First Class Honours (1949)
Minister of Foregn Affairs Syed Hamid Albar (can someone tell me his univeristy? )- Bachelor of Arts [ UITM ]
Minister for Law Prof. S Jayakumar University of Singapore - Bachelor of Law Honours (1963) Yale Univerity - Masters (1966)
Ministry of Works- Dato' Seri Samy Vellu (Education Unknown) [ Form 6, Anderson School ]
Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng University of Singapore - Bachelor of Arts & Business Admin (1977) London Business School - Masters (1979)
Ministry of International Trade & Industry Rafidah binti Aziz Universiti Malaya - Bachelor of Arts Honours
Minister for Foreign Affairs BG George Yeo Cambridge University - Double First Class Honours (1976) Harvard Business School - MBA w/ Distinction (1985)
Minister of Agriculture Muhyiddin Yassin (Education Unknown) [ Polytechnic Ungku Omar ]
Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang Cambridge University - First Class Honours w/ Distinction (1976) Harvard University - Masters (1986)
Ministry of Domestic Trade Shafie Apdal (Education Unknown) [ Form 5, Failed English ]
Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean University of Manchester - First Class Honours (1976) Imperial College, London - Masters w/ Distinction (1977)
Minister of Education Hishammuddin Hussein (Education Unknown) [ Bachelor of Arts, Social Science ] Aberswyth, Wales
Minister for Education Tharman Shanmugaratnam London School of Economics - Bachelor of Arts Cambridge University - Masters Harvard University - Masters
Minister of Home Affairs Radzi bin Sheikh Ahmad (Education Unknown) [ Kolej Islam Malaysia , Diploma ]
**That is why they are so desperate to get Khairy Jamaluddin up so fast, because he is from Cambridge . God knows how he got in
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Salam To Ye O Our Holy Prophet
Salam and May Peace be Upon Ye,
Asignofthecreator would like to wish a Happy “Maulid-Ar-Rasul” to all Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) ahlul bait*, companions and followers all around the world. May our remembrance to him and his teachings will be forever cherished and appreciated.
Wassalam
ZI
*ahlul bait means the family and relatives of the Holy Prophet
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Mind Your Language Sir/Madam
Got if from colleague, at least I can plaster a smile on my lips upon reading down da lines
1. If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?
2. Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks?
3. If olive oil comes from olives, where does baby oil come from?
4. If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes?
5. Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
6. Why the man who invests all your money called a broker?
7. If horrific means to make horrible, does terrific mean to make terrible?
8. Why is it called building when it is already built?
9. If a book about failures doesn't sell, is it a success?
10. If you're not supposed to drink and drive, then why do Bars have parking lots?
11. If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented?
12. If vegetarians eat vegetables, what do humanitarians eat??
Have a nice day and a really gud day-off (for tomorrow) before a full month of April strikes in.
-grins-
1. If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?
2. Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks?
3. If olive oil comes from olives, where does baby oil come from?
4. If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes?
5. Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
6. Why the man who invests all your money called a broker?
7. If horrific means to make horrible, does terrific mean to make terrible?
8. Why is it called building when it is already built?
9. If a book about failures doesn't sell, is it a success?
10. If you're not supposed to drink and drive, then why do Bars have parking lots?
11. If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented?
12. If vegetarians eat vegetables, what do humanitarians eat??
Have a nice day and a really gud day-off (for tomorrow) before a full month of April strikes in.
-grins-
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Its Just Any Other Day
March 12 marked big impact 2 da recent SPM* leavers. Its da moment of truth – 2 know whether or not their 2 year effort been paid off. It cud be rewarding yet cud oso b frustrating. My time has already passed. Its my 8th year now since I last sat for da cert and cant hardly remember da rumbles and feelings I felt inside upon receiving da results.
Da fact is – I’ve been surrounded by countless individuals who sat for da exam n got their results yday. Commencing since da nite b4, my Nokia 5600 has been working hard, receiving messages of fear, anxious, hope and unease … n I think dat da blessings 4 being a young (emphasis added) lecturer at Taylors, where stud n I share our feelings without any boundary of age and profession. Speaking from a person who has underwent da trauma n nitemares, all I cud do is 2 give em strength to keep on hoping n praying, n never surrender unless da actual day strikes.
N Im glad cuz God gives me da chance 2 do dat – 2 stand (technically) beside sum1 when he/she needs most help and company. U dun av 2 b a great councillor 2 hear probs, neither a degree in psychology nor counselling – all u need 2 av is a pair of sincere ears and a heart to listen
Da nite passed, I slept, with my Nokia in my palm.
Sometimes, things just dun turn out in da way we supposed them to be. All da fear, anxious, hope and unease were converted into hopeless, chagrin and an extreme level of despondency. My brother even brimmed, when he was holding da slip in da hall –whoefully
Wat can I do?
N dis is wat I’ve done. I told him …
Life offers glories and defeats. It brings us up and cud also bring us down … rolling and rolling till da day we leave life. But life offers no regret. We shudnt be regretting for wat God has given to us. Although u’ve studied hard n did everything wif da best dat u can, God reserves ur success 4 a better moment in future. N if u played a truant n just din bother from da start, He is beckoning u dat dere’s a larger n far more critical test waiting u ahead n u better wake up now or forever u’ll b sorry.
Hence dere;s always a wisdom behind all things dat took place. I quoted once in me blog “U’ll find God’s grace in every mistakes” Its only whether u decipher n embrace it or ignore it
After 8 years of passing SPM, I come 2 a conclusion dat SPM its not everything in life. Its just a beginning 4 ur ongoing future. Believe u me, I’ve faced more than juz sitting-in-the-hall-for-papers test. I’ve been thru da most downfall moment in my life, da most killing frustration I ever felt, n da very hopeless n helpless situation I ever faced which all beyond compare.
N I’ve learnt, shud I fall, I’ll get up n walk, shud I’ll loose, I’ll raise n fight. Becuz da only reason da humans r still living is becuz we r still fighting … not 4 a war not even for money but fighting for a survival
Yup. Our very own survivalism
U mite blame urself 4 not putting da slope of tangents/derivatives formulae rite, but have u ever wonder, dat more than half a millions of ur fren all over da world, who cant even count 1, 2, 3
U probably be cursing for not getting A for ur EST (sorry I dun know how 2 describe da subject, its far too advanced … LOL) but do u know dat da Somalis,African and da rest from poor countries dun even know how 2 spell ‘book’
Still u forget
Thus, cant u c how lucky u r compared 2 them? Dun u think dat da world has acted unjustly 2 em n not 2 u (3 not getting str8 As in SPM ? ) they r da ones who shud whine … by rite they shud blame their fate 4 making them suffering without a proper cause n wudnt av da chance 2 change da cause. And all we know, they did nothing much. They carry out their life wif wat they av n wif wat they own. Everything dat they av, they appreciate it
Y cant u?
Occay, Im bit over da line now. LOL Ampunnnnnnnnn
In short, da glory n joy are awaiting u ahead. God wants u 2 wait a lil longer so dat u’ll keep on giving ur best 4 ur life. N da waiting will never be a waste. It’s a worthwhile – an investment 4 a brite n better life in da years 2 cum
So no more tears, conclude farewell 2 sadness. U’ll welcome challenges n test which eventually make u firm n stern – appreciate wif wat u have n be positive wif wat u dun
Last, but not least, albeit 2 sum up my sermon 4 2day –grins-, please lend ur ears 2 dis soul-enlightening call of my favourite band, The Rascal
May it boosts back da dying spirit, revamping da strength 2 drive 4 d next phase in life.
After all, MARCH 12 will be just any normal day 2 you …
Best wishes,
ZI
* Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia aka Malaysian Certificate of Education
Da fact is – I’ve been surrounded by countless individuals who sat for da exam n got their results yday. Commencing since da nite b4, my Nokia 5600 has been working hard, receiving messages of fear, anxious, hope and unease … n I think dat da blessings 4 being a young (emphasis added) lecturer at Taylors, where stud n I share our feelings without any boundary of age and profession. Speaking from a person who has underwent da trauma n nitemares, all I cud do is 2 give em strength to keep on hoping n praying, n never surrender unless da actual day strikes.
N Im glad cuz God gives me da chance 2 do dat – 2 stand (technically) beside sum1 when he/she needs most help and company. U dun av 2 b a great councillor 2 hear probs, neither a degree in psychology nor counselling – all u need 2 av is a pair of sincere ears and a heart to listen
Da nite passed, I slept, with my Nokia in my palm.
Sometimes, things just dun turn out in da way we supposed them to be. All da fear, anxious, hope and unease were converted into hopeless, chagrin and an extreme level of despondency. My brother even brimmed, when he was holding da slip in da hall –whoefully
Wat can I do?
N dis is wat I’ve done. I told him …
Life offers glories and defeats. It brings us up and cud also bring us down … rolling and rolling till da day we leave life. But life offers no regret. We shudnt be regretting for wat God has given to us. Although u’ve studied hard n did everything wif da best dat u can, God reserves ur success 4 a better moment in future. N if u played a truant n just din bother from da start, He is beckoning u dat dere’s a larger n far more critical test waiting u ahead n u better wake up now or forever u’ll b sorry.
Hence dere;s always a wisdom behind all things dat took place. I quoted once in me blog “U’ll find God’s grace in every mistakes” Its only whether u decipher n embrace it or ignore it
After 8 years of passing SPM, I come 2 a conclusion dat SPM its not everything in life. Its just a beginning 4 ur ongoing future. Believe u me, I’ve faced more than juz sitting-in-the-hall-for-papers test. I’ve been thru da most downfall moment in my life, da most killing frustration I ever felt, n da very hopeless n helpless situation I ever faced which all beyond compare.
N I’ve learnt, shud I fall, I’ll get up n walk, shud I’ll loose, I’ll raise n fight. Becuz da only reason da humans r still living is becuz we r still fighting … not 4 a war not even for money but fighting for a survival
Yup. Our very own survivalism
U mite blame urself 4 not putting da slope of tangents/derivatives formulae rite, but have u ever wonder, dat more than half a millions of ur fren all over da world, who cant even count 1, 2, 3
U probably be cursing for not getting A for ur EST (sorry I dun know how 2 describe da subject, its far too advanced … LOL) but do u know dat da Somalis,African and da rest from poor countries dun even know how 2 spell ‘book’
Still u forget
Thus, cant u c how lucky u r compared 2 them? Dun u think dat da world has acted unjustly 2 em n not 2 u (3 not getting str8 As in SPM ? ) they r da ones who shud whine … by rite they shud blame their fate 4 making them suffering without a proper cause n wudnt av da chance 2 change da cause. And all we know, they did nothing much. They carry out their life wif wat they av n wif wat they own. Everything dat they av, they appreciate it
Y cant u?
Occay, Im bit over da line now. LOL Ampunnnnnnnnn
In short, da glory n joy are awaiting u ahead. God wants u 2 wait a lil longer so dat u’ll keep on giving ur best 4 ur life. N da waiting will never be a waste. It’s a worthwhile – an investment 4 a brite n better life in da years 2 cum
So no more tears, conclude farewell 2 sadness. U’ll welcome challenges n test which eventually make u firm n stern – appreciate wif wat u have n be positive wif wat u dun
Last, but not least, albeit 2 sum up my sermon 4 2day –grins-, please lend ur ears 2 dis soul-enlightening call of my favourite band, The Rascal
May it boosts back da dying spirit, revamping da strength 2 drive 4 d next phase in life.
After all, MARCH 12 will be just any normal day 2 you …
Best wishes,
ZI
* Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia aka Malaysian Certificate of Education
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