Jabber On

Lawak Arab

2010-12-17T11:59:00.000Z

Conversation between a young Arab and his father:

YA: What is this weird hat that we are wearing ?

Father: It's a "chechia" because in the desert it protects our heads from the sun !

YA: And what is this type of clothing that we are wearing ?

Father: It's a "djbellah" because in the desert it is very hot and it
protects your body !

YA: And what are these ugly shoes that we have on our feet ?

Father: These are "babouches", which keep us from burning our feet when in the desert !

YA: Tell me, papa...

Father: Yes, my son ?

YA: Why are we living in Kuala Lumpur and still wearing all this shit, with the Malays following us in doing so?

SORAK!!!

Courtesy of St Bull

Lepak pun OK?

2010-10-20T16:19:00.001+01:00

Are the French a bunch of lazy slackers?

Youths clash with police during protests in Lyon, 19 October

Reuters/Robert Pratta

By Tony Cross

The French - if they’re not on strike, they’re taking long holidays or having extra days off thanks to the 35-hour week. That’s a widespread view, as can be seen from comments on RFI’s reports of the strikes against President Nicolas Sarkozy’s pension reforms. But do the statistics bear it out?

No-one could deny that France has a combative labour movement, especially when right-wing parties are in power and, as the unions see it, trying to take back gains won by years of struggle.

Dossier: Eurozone in crisis

And international media headlines often give the impression of a country wracked by industrial conflict, which must surely be bringing the economy to its knees.

So is France heading for ruin – a world champion in strikes and lazing around and a world loser in wealth production?

Here’s what the figures show:

Strikes: The world leader in days lost in strikes in 2009 was … Canada. Its score was 2.2 million, according to the UK journal The Economist. Next came South Africa with 1.5 million. France came third with 1.4 million. France comes top of the European league table for the period 2005-2009, according to the European Foundation for the improvement of Living and Working Conditions. But in 2008 its efforts were dwarfed by Denmark, thanks to a strike wave, one of whose demands was a 35-hour working week. The damage to the economy is not as high as might be expected, judging by statistics from 2005 when a three-week strike cut 0.05 of a point from the growth rate, according to the Finance Ministry.

Hours worked: French workers work an average of 1,453 hours a year, well below the OECD group of developed nations' average of just over 1,700 hours a year but above Germany and Norway (1,337), Sweden (1316) and the Netherlands (1309). South Koreans work the longest hours in the OECD at 2,390 per year.

Retirement: French women retire at the same age as women in Italy, South Korea, Hungary, the UK, Greece and Poland but earlier than Turks and Czechs. Men have the lowest retirement age in the OECD. The government's proposals will bring them in line with Czechs and Hungarians and raise the age that retirees can claim the full pension to 67, provided they have paid over 40 years of contributions.

GDP: France’s Gross Domestic Product has doubled in the last 20 years. It was over 2000 billion euros in 2009, according to the IMF and the World Bank. That puts it fifth in the world league table, behind the US, Japan, China and Germany and just ahead of the UK. Over the same period, there has been a 10 per cent shift of the share of GDP from salaries to profits.

Productivity: French workers’ productivity has risen five times since 1960. Although it has fallen slightly over the last two years thanks to the recession, it is expected to double again over the next 20 years. GDP per hour worked is lower than in the US and Ireland but higher than in many countries, including the UK, Germany and Japan.

Debt: France has the sixth highest public deficit in Europe in percentage terms, at 8.2 per cent. The US’s deficit reached 12.5 per cent in 2009. The debt of French households was 89.1 per cent of income in 2006, according to the OECD. In Britain and the United States that ratio stood at 168.5 percent and 139.7 percent respectively.

Unemployment: French unemployment stands at 10 per cent, the average for the eurozone. As in other industrialised countries, the figure has been pushed up by the recession but was already relatively high at 8.2 per cent in 2001. US unemployment stood at 9.6 per cent in June 2010.

Nat's Version of Humpty Dumpty

2010-06-24T18:59:00.001+01:00

Cari Kat London

2010-02-19T21:52:00.004Z

The late 80's were the Rock years. It was huge, globally as well as in our dear own Malaysia. For a very realistic feel of what I'm talking about, check out the local movie "Rock". Depicting exactly as it was in the 80's. Weekend nights were usually spent at the Red Rooster (Medan Tuanku), Kathy's Lounge (TTDI), Hard Rock Cafe (TTDI - before Concorde) and Beer Keller (SS 14). The dress code was, well .. rock. Acid washed jeans, with rock bands patches sewn on them, some torn, t-shirts were mainly of British or American rock bands - almost inevitably black, bandanas were usually an option. I used to have stud bracelets, even once I bought a "rantai motor" belt (confiscated by one of the warden at section 18 Shah Alam .. tiu..) I suppose about 90% of the pub frequenters drank. Me, proud to announce that I'm a teetotaler. The motto was always "there's so many other stuff to drink".

The up & coming bands playing around that time were the likes of Search, Bloodshed, Wings, May, Rahim Maarof & the White Steel, Ella & the Boys, Lefthanded & Rusty Blade. Live gigs were a mark of a true rock band. Most played Maiden, Priest, Sabbath, Ozzy, Van Halen, Whitesnake .. among others. Those bands eventually came up with their own songs & albums. Personally, during those years, I practically memorised all their lyrics.

Alas, study comes 1st. Due to the years I was in Australia, I never had the chance to enjoy their concerts. But I went to a lot of international bands' though .. Anthrax, Stryper, Metallica, Bon Jovi, Poison, Guns & Roses .. among others, which I enjoyed immensely. The best was probably Metallica's. For us students, Friday nights were jamming nights .. we played English as well as Malay numbers. New malay albums were mostly mailed from Malaysia .. in the form of cassette. CDs were only taking off during that time. So, we were never out of touch.

Last night was sublime. After 30 years .. Search came to London. Played at Scala, next to Kings Cross Station. They rocked & they rocked hard. Well worth my £25. Heck, even got myself their Eire & UK Tour t-shirt. Hujan, the starting band was quite fantastic in their own way as well. Brilliant!

Chelsea Chelsea

2010-02-10T17:44:00.003Z

Walau pun aku menyampah dgn Chelsea, pasal asyik potong Man U je, baju diorang sangat cun (belum beli lagi .. hari tu beli untuk Abang Y .. diri sendiri tak de). Drogba pun tak stop2 score.

So aku pun nak gi tengok lah hari Sabtu ni .. jangan maree. Emm .. Valentine's lunch .. aaa .. next week lah.

Niqab Ban

2009-10-08T00:30:00.002+01:00

Came across this article today:

Egypt cleric 'to ban full veils'

The niqab has become increasingly popular among Egypt's Muslim radicals

Egypt's highest Muslim authority has said he will issue a religious edict against the growing trend for full women's veils, known as the niqab.

Sheikh Mohamed Tantawi, dean of al-Azhar university, called full-face veiling a custom that has nothing to do with the Islamic faith.

Although most Muslim women in Egypt wear the Islamic headscarf, increasing numbers are adopting the niqab as well.

The practice is widely associated with more radical trends of Islam.

The niqab question reportedly arose when Sheikh Tantawi was visiting a girls' school in Cairo at the weekend and asked one of the students to remove her niqab.

The Egyptian newspaper al-Masri al-Yom quoted him expressing surprise at the girl's attire and telling her it was merely a tradition, with no connection to religion or the Koran.

After reading the Sheikh's point, I can't help from recalling this photo called "What's the point"

You've Got Mail

2009-09-22T11:01:00.002+01:00

A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a
particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where
they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier. Because of hectic
schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So,
the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his
wife flying down the following day. The husband checked into the hotel.
There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an email to his
wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email
address, and without realizing his error, sent the email.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from
her husband's funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory
following a heart attack. The widow decided to check her email expecting
messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message,
she gasped and fainted. The widow's son rushed into the room, found his
mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My Loving Wife
Subject: I've Arrived
Date: October 16, 2005

I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here
now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I've just
arrived and have been checked in. I've seen that everything has been
prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you
then!!!! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P. S. Sure is freaking hot down here!!!!

Welcome Ramadan

2009-08-21T23:47:00.000+01:00

Ramadan tomorrow.

Don't know esok 1st day camana.
Pagi - driving range.
Petang - Emirates: Arsenal v Portsmouth
Buka 2010.
OK kot.

Terawih & niat posa .. Erry imam terawih, gua imamkan witir.

Welcome Naqeeb

2009-08-20T12:35:00.001+01:00

It was 0235 .. baru je tidor around 0100. Rasa mamai ya amat. Mummy kejut .. Skin dah contraction 7 minutes apart. Terkalut kejap. By 0300 sampai St Peter's Hospital. After a while, balik dulu sambung tidor.

0616 Naqeeb was born. Tambah satu nephew .. bengkok la Erry & Skin nak layan.
Congrats!!!

Ni dia budak comel tu.

Balik rumah terus gali lubang bawah pokok plum, nak tanam placenta .. cari tempat redup sikit, so budak ni nanti cool sikit. Tapi tanah tu banyak beno batu .. hopefully beso nanti powero budak ni. Ni placenta lepas mandi .. heart shaped .. macam akar kayu, if turned upside down - macam tree of life.

First Green

2009-08-17T15:33:00.002+01:00

Yesterday was my 1st time going on the green. It was at Addington Court in Croydon. Before this it has always been the driving range. My first time hitting the ball was in 1980 very near Ayah Su's place, where Sime UEP had some area cleared for residential property building. Fantastic au naturale driving range. There was this Chinese uncle who was hitting balls when we came to watch on our bikes. He then told us to have a go - and we had a bloody good time blasting the balls away. At that point of time I was thinking "Oh gosh! I'm a natural golfer"

But that was then. Fast forward to the late 90's - many friends took up golf. Many became buaya & sewaktu dengannya. Most times, my association with golf was limited to hitting the balls on driving ranges. Usually with Apen, Nik, Jai etc. And oh boy! Was I bad at it or what. And I thought, "I'm never going to the green. I just couldn't play. I'm just hopeless.".

But yesterday was something else. I knew I could revisit that 1980 thoughts.

Now I need a set & a pair of shoes.

Jua Ikan

2009-07-18T18:11:00.003+01:00

Amende la tajuk hari ni .. actually ianya berkenaan "selfish" sebab tu jua ikan bukan jual ikan.

Aku tak de menda nak buat, biasa lah .. masuk FB main Barn Buddy, curi hasil tanaman kawan2 sikit, tolong siram tanah2 yg kering etc. Sambil2 tu termasuk page member kamceng aku, Pak Din. Aku tersangat2 la kamceng ngan dia ni specifically masa aku study kat Adelaide dulu.

So, aku teringat pergi Selama (Perak) one time dulu. Sembang2 ngan ayah dia. Mat Sani namanya, aku panggil Pak Long. Dia ni imam kampung tu, merangkap penghulu. Sihat dan sasa orangnya. Sekarang ni tak tau lah, dah tua kan. Anak2 ramai juga. Memang layan sembang ngan orang tua ni. Banyak buah2 fikiran yg bernas. Infact, one of his advice was what led me to decide to go ahead & marry Ann. Ye lah kan, muda2 masa tu .. cold feet la, takut nak mampus dgn commitment etc.

Ada satu hari tu masa aku lepak2 ngan Pak Din, dia cerita kat aku, one fine day masa dia kecik - dia pergi la dapur & then buat la air (milo kot) satu mug. Tengah bersenang lenang minum Milo, boss panggil. Belum sempat cakap apa, sebijik pelempang dah hinggap kat pipi. Sambil Pak Din tercengang2 Pak Long tanya, "berapa orang duduk dalam rumah ni?" .. Pak Din jawab, "7" (aku rasa lah). "Habis tu buat air satu gelas kenapa? Lain kali nak buat air, buat satu teko."

Sejak hari tu, Pak Din pun menjadi seorang yang sharing, dah tidak lagi selfish. Oleh itu rajin2 lah buat air untuk kawan2/ahli keluarga, i.e. jangan buat untuk sendiri2 aje.

p/s aku memang malas buat air + potong bawang

Sekian, terima kasih.

Pulut Kuning

2009-07-16T19:23:00.004+01:00

Ada mamat tu gigih suruh eksplen jugak pasal pulut kuning ni as per here.

So here goes.

Whenever there is a majlis khatam Quran for Malaysian Malays (can't vouch for Brunei, Indonesian, Phillipines, Sri Lankan, Thai, South African, Hawaii .. etc) almost inevitably among the menu would be Pulut Kuning. Now, what has pulut kuning got to do with khatam Quran? I'm pretty certain zaman2 Saidina Hassan & Hussin dulu diorang khatam sure makan shish kebab or something like that. Probably with nasi Bukhara (itu kalau zaman2 Imam Bukhari lah kot). What I mean is, its definitely a Malay tradition.

My suspicion is, khatam Quran being a highlight in the life of a kid, he or she is supposed to be treated like a royal. Hence the colour yellow in the pulut. Kalau putih je, tak de kelas la kan? Makan dengan kelapa parut & ikan masin - peasant food gitu (sedap siot!)

Another possible explanation was given by Mar a long time ago.
Kata dia: Masa khatam orang baca Lamyakunillazi (Surah 98 i.e. Al-Bayyinah [Bukti]). Orang Kelantan sebut Lamyakuning .. hence the Pulut Kuning!!

Wallahua'lam

p/s aku memang suka gila pulut kuning ni. Tak caya tanya Mar. Paling kokak makan dgn telur dadar potong jalur2.

Ex-squeeze Me

2009-07-07T14:02:00.000+01:00

A father walks into a restaurant with his young son..

He gives the young boy three coins to play with to keep him occupied.

Suddenly, the boy starts choking, going blue in the face..

The father realizes the boy has swallowed the coins and starts slapping him on the back..

The boy coughs up two of the coins, but keeps choking.

Looking at his son, the father is panicking, shouting for help.

A well dressed, attractive, and serious looking woman, in a blue business suit is sitting at a coffee bar reading a newspaper and sipping a cup of coffee. At the sound of the commotion, she looks up, puts her coffee cup down, neatly folds the newspaper and places it on the counter, gets up from her seat and makes her way, unhurriedly, across the restaurant.

Reaching the boy, the woman carefully drops his pants; takes hold of the boy's' testicles and starts to squeeze and twist, gently at first and then ever so firmly.. After a few seconds the boy convulses violently and Coughs up the last coin, which the woman deftly catches in her free hand.

Releasing the boy's testicles, the woman hands the coin to the father and walks back to her seat at the coffee bar without saying a word.

As soon as he is sure that his son has suffered no ill effects, the father rushes over to the woman and starts thanking her saying, "I've never seen anybody do anything like that before, it was fantastic. Are you a doctor? "

'No,' the woman replied. 'I'm with The Inland Revenue.'

Morning in SJ

2009-06-21T02:44:00.001+01:00

Still groggy .. It's 0940 in Subang Jaya while Ann & the gang sleep
blissfully (hopefully) at 0240 in Egham.

Despite late night supper with Erry - maggi goreng + sup kambing +
tosai, the tummy growls.

Terima lah, murtabak RM10.

London Jam

2009-06-10T15:25:00.003+01:00

RMT (the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) decided to go ahead with the strike. Thanks to Bob Crow, the General Secretary. Amazing! Tube drivers earn between 38,000 & 60,000 p.a. and yet they want an inflation busting increment of 5%. All this when people like us don't know whether we're gonna keep our job or not next week.

Reached Waterloo around 0830. No tube was working except Northern Line. Screw the tubes. Buses were full too. Taxis make truck loads of money today. Me, I decided to give my pedometer something to do. Equipped with my walking shoes & Norah Jones, I strolled to work today - from Waterloo along the south bank, crossed the Millenium Bridge (for the first time, can you believe it!) and admired St Paul's Cathedral. Got in 45 minutes & 6,000 steps later.

Now, I have to do that again tomorrow. Pray it won't rain. FU Bob Crow.

Man Up

2009-05-28T00:16:00.000+01:00

Arrrrrrgggghhhhhh!!!!
Frust nyaaaaa !!!

Two Plastic Bags

2009-03-18T13:03:00.001Z

Got Basic Material conference at Claridge's today. Am killing time at Debenham. Bad news all round. Something to cheer all of us up.

A little old lady was walking down the street dragging two large plastic garbage bags behind her. One of the bags was riped and every once in a while a $20 fell out onto the sidewalk.

Noticing this, a policeman stopped her, and said, "Ma'am, there are $20 bills falling out of that bag".

"Oh really? Darn it!" said the little old lady. "I'd better go back and see if I can find them. Thanks for telling me officer."

"Well, now, not so fast," said the cop. Where did you get all that money? You didn't steal it, did you?"

"Oh, no, no", said the old lady. "You see, my back yard is right next to the football stadium parking lot. On game days, a lot of fans come and pee through a knot hole in the fence, right into my flower garden. It used to really tick me off. Kills the flowers, you know. Then I thought, 'why not make the best of it? So, now, on game days, I stand behind the fence by the knot hole, real quiet, with my hedge clippers. Every time some guy sticks his pecker through my fence, I surprise him, grab hold of it and say, 'O.K., buddy! Give me $20, or off it comes.'

"Well, that seems only fair," said the cop, laughing. "OK. Good luck! Oh, by the way, what's in the other bag?"

"Well, you know", said the little old lady, "not everybody pays."

ASB via m2u

2009-03-17T16:55:00.001Z

Just a lil bit of promo from the ASNB ....as of today, u can deposit your excess cash into investment in ASB via maybank2u.

Just go under investment, and you'll see the icon "purchase of ASNB Unit Trust". But bear in mind, a small charge of RM0.50 applies. Also not to mention, kena provide TAC.

Boleh la Mr Dentease melabur. Duit nasi lemak surau Birmingham University tu banyak wooo!

Mr Kenit in Amsterdam .. walau jauh beribu batu, tapi masih bumiputera lagi kan? He hee.

Tazkirah Jumaat

2009-03-13T10:00:00.001Z

Before you head for Friday the 13th prayer. A short tazkirah.

OPINION EUROPE: MARCH 8, 2009, 8:21 P.M. ET

Islam Needs to Prove It's a Religion of Peace

Muslims can start with a new Quranic scholarship that rejects radicalism.

By TAWFIK HAMID | From the Wall Street Journal Europe.

The film "Fitna" by Dutch parliament member Geert Wilders has created an uproar around the world as it linked violence committed by Islamists to Islam.

Many commentators and politicians -- including the British government, which denied him entry to the country last month -- reflexively accused Mr. Wilders of inciting hatred. The question, however, is whether the blame is with Mr. Wilders, who simply exposed Islamic radicalism, or with those who promote and engage in this religious extremism. In other words, shall we fault Mr. Wilders for showing photos of the hanging of homosexuals, or shall we fault those who actually promote and practice this crime?

There is a certain schizophrenia among many Muslims who seem to believe that it is acceptable to teach hatred and violence in the name of their religion, while at the same time expecting the world to respect Islam as "a religion of peace, love and harmony."

Scholars in the most prestigious Islamic institutes and universities continue to teach things like Jews are "pigs and monkeys," that women and men must be stoned to death for adultery, or that Muslims must fight the world to spread their religion. Isn't, then, Mr. Wilders's criticism appropriate? Instead of blaming him, we must blame the leading Islamic scholars for having failed to produce an authoritative book on Islamic jurisprudence that is accepted in the Islamic world and unambiguously rejects these violent teachings.

While many religious texts preach violence, the interpretation, modern usage and implementation of these teachings make all the difference. For example, the stoning of women exists in both the Old Testament and in the Islamic tradition, or "Sunna" -- the recorded deeds and manners of the prophet Muhammad. The difference, though, is that leading Jewish scholars agreed to discontinue these practices centuries ago while Muslim scholars have yet to do so. Hence we do not see the stoning of women practiced or promoted in Israel, the "Jewish" state, but we see it practiced and promoted in Iran and Saudi Arabia, the "Islamic" states!

When the British government banned Geert Wilders from entering the country to present his film in the House of Lords, it made two egregious errors. The first was to suppress free speech, a canon of the civilized Western world. The second mistake was to blame the messenger -- punishing, so to speak, the witness who exposed the crime instead of punishing the criminal. Mr. Wilders did not produce the content of the violent Islamic message he showed in his film -- the Islamic world did that. Until the Islamic clerical establishment takes concrete steps to reject violence in the name of their religion, Mr. Wilders criticism is not only permissible as "controversial" free speech but justified.

So, Islamic scholars and clerics, it is up to you to produce a Shariah book that will be accepted in the Islamic world and that teaches that Jews are not pigs and monkeys, and that declaring war to spread Islam is unacceptable, and killing apostates is a crime. Such a book would prove that Islam is a religion of peace.

Mr. Hamid, a former member of an Islamist terrorist group, is an Islamic reformer and senior fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies.

Licensed at Last

2009-03-11T18:22:00.001Z

Fuh! Finally! After 1 week of penantian yg mendebarkan. Especially with the passports with DVLA and knowing we need them by 3 April. Siap pergi Wimbledon lagi, konon nya nak buat premium checking (DVLA check pas tu tak yah hantar passport). Kutu tu stone je .. "tak boleh bang, passport kena hantar jugak. Pasal lesen HK tapi passport Mesia". Pegi Friday, 27th Feb tapi Mat tu kata "kitorang kumpul dulu, Isnin baru hantar". So aku budget 5 working days, ambik sunnah lesen Mazza. Lepas tu baru aku dibenarkan cemas. Tunggu jugak, kot2 ada any mamat DVLA nak call tanya soalan2 cepumas like "kau pass lesen ni kat mana?", "apasal passport kau tak de pun travel ke Hong Kong tapi lesen kau dated February?" etc.

Alhamdulillah. Aku yang cemas, Ann rilek je. Kitorang siap prepare story mory kot2 ada diorang call. Macam nak commit the perfect murder plak.

Nah .. ini dia lesen aku. Mata pandang ke lain, suit terpeleot coz amik gambar kat booth at Egham station (pelik tul, muka aku dah masuk dalam oval, mata dah dalam slot - pas tu keluar gambar rambut terkeluar frame atas .. so kena lah adjust agak2 sendiri). 3 kali shot allowed .. ini yg terbaik. Boh je lah.

Sekarang aku tak payah lagi nak budget kot2 ada polis lepak kat Runnymede roundabout ke, exit Heathrow ke M4 ke. Aku rasa bebas! Yiiihaaa!

Magpies vs Red Devils

2009-03-10T23:54:00.001Z

Sambung reporting live yg terbengkalai.

Went to Newcastle with Dell, upon invitation by Faez (thank you for letting us crash at yr place!)
Arrived around 1400+. Sempat pergi Royal Quay lagi. Masuk Mountain Life cari fleece coz temp was suppose to be around zero that night. Belasah satu black fleece (for women) sebab nampak cun sangat. Bila aku pakai tak de pun nampak cam bapok? OK je. Pas tu layan Nike Outlet .. lanyak a few £4.89 t-shirts. Just for the heck of it. Entah bila aku nak pakai pun tak tau.

1900 we were already at St James Park (thank you Ita for chauferring us). Rupanya ticket kitorang kira canggih juga. Siap masuk via Bar 1892 and dapat programme magazine lagi.

In front of Bar 1892

Musang berbulu ayam. Siap pakai baju Newcastle .. sebab duduk box diorang. Man U fans (away) nun jauh di belakang gol. Lepas tu bila Rooney score equalizer buat2 frust .. ha haa.

Warm up B4 da game

It snowed at 1700 so kena shovel penalty box.

Man U defending a corner

The day after - with Faez & Dell

Reporting Live

2009-03-04T19:37:00.001Z

Buat kerja gila hari ni. Dell & I drove up to Newcastle to watch the
Magpies vs the Red Devils. Game's gonna start in 8 minutes. More later.

2-in-1 Macam Shampoo

2009-02-25T21:43:00.000Z

Happy Birthday & Happy Anniversary Mama Diny.

Perception

2009-02-23T20:23:00.000Z

Enjoy This Short Read

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3-year-old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

Kapchai

2009-02-19T08:17:00.000Z

Honda Cub kat rumah tepi kubur Egham - jarang2 nampak nih! Makes me
miss Malaysia.

Who Doesn't?

2009-02-11T14:33:00.001Z

Spotted in front of office during lunch

Disneyland Paris

2009-02-01T23:24:00.007Z

Went to Disneyland Paris for 3 days.
Syiokkkkk!!! But it took 2 thermal, 2 t-shirts, gloves, a warm jacket, long stockings, socks, leather shoes .. to fight the cold. But definitely worth it.

Stinggarden

2009-01-28T23:11:00.004Z

Rented a Vauxhall Corsa on Saturday because of inadequate seats in my car to bring all of us to Birmingham. Chose that car coz its mileage was only 6,000 miles & it was a 1.2 .. so better mileage per gallon (at least that was what we thought). So it was 6 + 3. All to celebrate Amir's & Maisarah's birthday.

Hassled Mr Dentist to download the movie that I wanted to watch: Slumdog Millionaire
I had actually downloaded it already but left it at home. Did so because when I checked IMDB, the rating given was 8.1 out of 10.0!!! That's the first time I saw a movie rated higher than 8.0

True to its rating, we enjoyed the movie tremendously that we watched it again on Sunday. It's about a boy (Jamal) from the slum (Dharavi) who is one question away from the jackpot of 20 million Rupees, but accused of cheating. Pretty reasonable to accuse him of cheating. How does a slum kid from Mumbai know where Cambridge Circus is in England? How does a slum kid from India know whose face is on the USD100? Now that's where it really gets interesting. He knows the answers! In fact these are answers (or more like information) which he could never forget.

Watch it! You won't regret it. Gotta go pack. Disneyland is calling .. he he.

Cheap Bulbs

2009-01-23T15:20:00.001Z

It's recession in the UK. GDP growth for the fourth quarter 2008 shrunk more that what analysts forecast. A 1.5% drop from the previous quarter, the biggest contraction since 1980. Analysts were predicting -1.2%. Pound & stocks fell in tandem.

A good time to go running to Robert Dyas & stock your house up with 10 for £1.00 energy saving bulbs. Its looking grimmmm ...

Nihongo

2009-01-20T23:30:00.002Z

Hajime mashite ..
Betul ke ni? Biar benar?
Another language to learn .. another office to manage .. another country to explore

B'bojeng

2009-01-16T22:33:00.000Z

Tadi aku singgah kedai gunting celah2 Queensway shops untuk berbojeng (Kelate for gunting rambut). Sebabnya rambut aku dah ala-ala Lion King. Lagi pun big boss sampai esok , next week dia gi Amsterdam pas tu BOD meeting the week after. So kena la hensem sikit, gaya, mutu, keunggulan gitu.

Awek yg gunting rambut tu la pulak - Chuuuun nya! Awek Polish. Bila aku tanya, "Are you European?", dia kata "No, I'm Polish". Pening aku kejap. May be very late 20's or early 30's. Ntah, minah2 salleh ni kengkadang muka cam tua tapi umur baru 20'an. So masa dia sepit2 rambut aku dgn jari dia, terus teringat Tom Selleck masa Paulina Porizkova gunting rambut dia in Her Alibi.

Dia ni lah satu2 nya model pujaan aku, awek Czech. Masa dulu2 aku ingat aku collect semua pamphlet Estee Lauder yg ada gambar dia. Tak gila ke? Seorang balak dok kutip Estee Lauder punya pamphlets? But that was what I did every time I pass through David Jones or Myer at Rundle Mall. Sambil2 tu spray la perfume testers mana yg patut kan (alang2 dah ada kat area cosmetic). Bila masuk lecture, wangi je. Rasa2 nya masa tu yg agak hot perfume were Jazz (YSL ke?) and Drakkar Noir. Kadang2 tu pasal dah selalu sangat buat, bila masuk je area perfume tu, macam terdengar2 announcement: "All cosmetic staff. Please hide all testers."

Paulina Porizkova - bapak la cun nya

As the Arabs see the Jews

2009-01-14T19:52:00.001Z

Aku selalu kutuk Arab. But this is one piece I think everybody should read.

Summary

This fascinating essay, written by King Hussein’s grandfather King Abdullah, appeared in the United States six months before the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. In the article, King Abdullah disputes the mistaken view that Arab opposition to Zionism (and later the state of Israel) is because of longstanding religious or ethnic hatred. He notes that Jews and Muslims enjoyed a long history of peaceful coexistence in the Middle East, and that Jews have historically suffered far more at the hands of Christian Europe. Pointing to the tragedy of the holocaust that Jews suffered during World War II, the monarch asks why America and Europe are refusing to accept more than a token handful of Jewish immigrants and refugees. It is unfair, he argues, to make Palestine, which is innocent of anti-Semitism, pay for the crimes of Europe. King Abdullah also asks how Jews can claim a historic right to Palestine, when Arabs have been the overwhelming majority there for nearly 1300 uninterrupted years? The essay ends on an ominous note, warning of dire consequences if a peaceful solution cannot be found to protect the rights of the indigenous Arabs of Palestine.

"As the Arabs see the Jews"
His Majesty King Abdullah,
The American Magazine
November, 1947

I am especially delighted to address an American audience, for the tragic problem of Palestine will never be solved without American understanding, American sympathy, American support.

So many billions of words have been written about Palestine—perhaps more than on any other subject in history—that I hesitate to add to them. Yet I am compelled to do so, for I am reluctantly convinced that the world in general, and America in particular, knows almost nothing of the true case for the Arabs.

We Arabs follow, perhaps far more than you think, the press of America. We are frankly disturbed to find that for every word printed on the Arab side, a thousand are printed on the Zionist side.

There are many reasons for this. You have many millions of Jewish citizens interested in this question. They are highly vocal and wise in the ways of publicity. There are few Arab citizens in America, and we are as yet unskilled in the technique of modern propaganda.

The results have been alarming for us. In your press we see a horrible caricature and are told it is our true portrait. In all justice, we cannot let this pass by default.

Our case is quite simple: For nearly 2,000 years Palestine has been almost 100 per cent Arab. It is still preponderantly Arab today, in spite of enormous Jewish immigration. But if this immigration continues we shall soon be outnumbered—a minority in our home.

Palestine is a small and very poor country, about the size of your state of Vermont. Its Arab population is only about 1,200,000. Already we have had forced on us, against our will, some 600,000 Zionist Jews. We are threatened with many hundreds of thousands more.

Our position is so simple and natural that we are amazed it should even be questioned. It is exactly the same position you in America take in regard to the unhappy European Jews. You are sorry for them, but you do not want them in your country.

We do not want them in ours, either. Not because they are Jews, but because they are foreigners. We would not want hundreds of thousands of foreigners in our country, be they Englishmen or Norwegians or Brazilians or whatever.

Think for a moment: In the last 25 years we have had one third of our entire population forced upon us. In America that would be the equivalent of 45,000,000 complete strangers admitted to your country, over your violent protest, since 1921. How would you have reacted to that?

Because of our perfectly natural dislike of being overwhelmed in our own homeland, we are called blind nationalists and heartless anti-Semites. This charge would be ludicrous were it not so dangerous.

No people on earth have been less "anti-Semitic" than the Arabs. The persecution of the Jews has been confined almost entirely to the Christian nations of the West. Jews, themselves, will admit that never since the Great Dispersion did Jews develop so freely and reach such importance as in Spain when it was an Arab possession. With very minor exceptions, Jews have lived for many centuries in the Middle East, in complete peace and friendliness with their Arab neighbours.

Damascus, Baghdad, Beirut and other Arab centres have always contained large and prosperous Jewish colonies. Until the Zionist invasion of Palestine began, these Jews received the most generous treatment—far, far better than in Christian Europe. Now, unhappily, for the first time in history, these Jews are beginning to feel the effects of Arab resistance to the Zionist assault. Most of them are as anxious as Arabs to stop it. Most of these Jews who have found happy homes among us resent, as we do, the coming of these strangers.

I was puzzled for a long time about the odd belief which apparently persists in America that Palestine has somehow "always been a Jewish land." Recently an American I talked to cleared up this mystery. He pointed out that the only things most Americans know about Palestine are what they read in the Bible. It was a Jewish land in those days, they reason, and they assume it has always remained so.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. It is absurd to reach so far back into the mists of history to argue about who should have Palestine today, and I apologise for it. Yet the Jews do this, and I must reply to their "historic claim." I wonder if the world has ever seen a stranger sight than a group of people seriously pretending to claim a land because their ancestors lived there some 2,000 years ago!

If you suggest that I am biased, I invite you to read any sound history of the period and verify the facts.

Such fragmentary records as we have indicate that the Jews were wandering nomads from Iraq who moved to southern Turkey, came south to Palestine, stayed there a short time, and then passed to Egypt, where they remained about 400 years. About 1300 BC (according to your calendar) they left Egypt and gradually conquered most—but not all—of the inhabitants of Palestine.

It is significant that the Philistines—not the Jews—gave their name to the country: "Palestine" is merely the Greek form of "Philistia."

Only once, during the empire of David and Solomon, did the Jews ever control nearly—but not all—the land which is today Palestine. This empire lasted only 70 years, ending in 926 BC. Only 250 years later the Kingdom of Judah had shrunk to a small province around Jerusalem, barely a quarter of modern Palestine.

In 63 BC the Jews were conquered by Roman Pompey, and never again had even the vestige of independence. The Roman Emperor Hadrian finally wiped them out about 135 AD. He utterly destroyed Jerusalem, rebuilt under another name, and for hundreds of years no Jew was permitted to enter it. A handful of Jews remained in Palestine but the vast majority were killed or scattered to other countries, in the Diaspora, or the Great Dispersion. From that time Palestine ceased to be a Jewish country, in any conceivable sense.

This was 1,815 years ago, and yet the Jews solemnly pretend they still own Palestine! If such fantasy were allowed, how the map of the world would dance about!

Italians might claim England, which the Romans held so long. England might claim France, "homeland" of the conquering Normans. And the French Normans might claim Norway, where their ancestors originated. And incidentally, we Arabs might claim Spain, which we held for 700 years.

Many Mexicans might claim Spain, "homeland" of their forefathers. They might even claim Texas, which was Mexican until 100 years ago. And suppose the American Indians claimed the "homeland" of which they were the sole, native, and ancient occupants until only some 450 years ago!

I am not being facetious. All these claims are just as valid—or just as fantastic—as the Jewish "historic connection" with Palestine. Most are more valid.

In any event, the great Moslem expansion about 650 AD finally settled things. It dominated Palestine completely. From that day on, Palestine was solidly Arabic in population, language, and religion. When British armies entered the country during the last war, they found 500,000 Arabs and only 65,000 Jews.

If solid, uninterrupted Arab occupation for nearly 1,300 years does not make a country "Arab", what does?

The Jews say, and rightly, that Palestine is the home of their religion. It is likewise the birthplace of Christianity, but would any Christian nation claim it on that account? In passing, let me say that the Christian Arabs—and there are many hundreds of thousands of them in the Arab World—are in absolute agreement with all other Arabs in opposing the Zionist invasion of Palestine.

May I also point out that Jerusalem is, after Mecca and Medina, the holiest place in Islam. In fact, in the early days of our religion, Moslems prayed toward Jerusalem instead of Mecca.

The Jewish "religious claim" to Palestine is as absurd as the "historic claim." The Holy Places, sacred to three great religions, must be open to all, the monopoly of none. Let us not confuse religion and politics.

We are told that we are inhumane and heartless because do not accept with open arms the perhaps 200,000 Jews in Europe who suffered so frightfully under Nazi cruelty, and who even now—almost three years after war’s end—still languish in cold, depressing camps.

Let me underline several facts. The unimaginable persecution of the Jews was not done by the Arabs: it was done by a Christian nation in the West. The war which ruined Europe and made it almost impossible for these Jews to rehabilitate themselves was fought by the Christian nations of the West. The rich and empty portions of the earth belong, not to the Arabs, but to the Christian nations of the West.

And yet, to ease their consciences, these Christian nations of the West are asking Palestine—a poor and tiny Moslem country of the East—to accept the entire burden. "We have hurt these people terribly," cries the West to the East. "Won’t you please take care of them for us?"

We find neither logic nor justice in this. Are we therefore "cruel and heartless nationalists"?

We are a generous people: we are proud that "Arab hospitality" is a phrase famous throughout the world. We are a humane people: no one was shocked more than we by the Hitlerite terror. No one pities the present plight of the desperate European Jews more than we.

But we say that Palestine has already sheltered 600,000 refugees. We believe that is enough to expect of us—even too much. We believe it is now the turn of the rest of the world to accept some of them.

I will be entirely frank with you. There is one thing the Arab world simply cannot understand. Of all the nations of the earth, America is most insistent that something be done for these suffering Jews of Europe. This feeling does credit to the humanity for which America is famous, and to that glorious inscription on your Statue of Liberty.

And yet this same America—the richest, greatest, most powerful nation the world has ever known—refuses to accept more than a token handful of these same Jews herself!

I hope you will not think I am being bitter about this. I have tried hard to understand that mysterious paradox, and I confess I cannot. Nor can any other Arab.

Perhaps you have been informed that "the Jews in Europe want to go to no other place except Palestine."

This myth is one of the greatest propaganda triumphs of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, the organisation which promotes with fanatic zeal the emigration to Palestine. It is a subtle half-truth, thus doubly dangerous.

The astounding truth is that nobody on earth really knows where these unfortunate Jews really want to go!

You would think that in so grave a problem, the American, British, and other authorities responsible for the European Jews would have made a very careful survey, probably by vote, to find out where each Jew actually wants to go. Amazingly enough this has never been done! The Jewish Agency has prevented it.

Some time ago the American Military Governor in Germany was asked at a press conference how he was so certain that all Jews there wanted to go to Palestine. His answer was simple: "My Jewish advisors tell me so." He admitted no poll had ever been made. Preparations were indeed begun for one, but the Jewish Agency stepped in to stop it.

The truth is that the Jews in German camps are now subjected to a Zionist pressure campaign which learned much from the Nazi terror. It is dangerous for a Jew to say that he would rather go to some other country, not Palestine. Such dissenters have been severely beaten, and worse.

Not long ago, in Palestine, nearly 1,000 Austrian Jews informed the international refugee organisation that they would like to go back to Austria, and plans were made to repatriate them.

The Jewish Agency heard of this, and exerted enough political pressure to stop it. It would be bad propaganda for Zionism if Jews began leaving Palestine. The nearly 1,000 Austrian are still there, against their will.

The fact is that most of the European Jews are Western in culture and outlook, entirely urban in experience and habits. They cannot really have their hearts set on becoming pioneers in the barren, arid, cramped land which is Palestine.

One thing, however, is undoubtedly true. As matters stand now, most refugee Jews in Europe would, indeed, vote for Palestine, simply because they know no other country will have them.

If you or I were given a choice between a near-prison camp for the rest of our lives—or Palestine—we would both choose Palestine, too.

But open up any other alternative to them—give them any other choice, and see what happens!

No poll, however, will be worth anything unless the nations of the earth are willing to open their doors—just a little—to the Jews. In other words, if in such a poll a Jew says he wants to go to Sweden, Sweden must be willing to accept him. If he votes for America, you must let him come in.

Any other kind of poll would be a farce. For the desperate Jew, this is no idle testing of opinion: this is a grave matter of life or death. Unless he is absolutely sure that his vote means something, he will always vote for Palestine, so as not to risk his bird in the hand for one in the bush.

In any event, Palestine can accept no more. The 65,000 Jews in Palestine in 1918 have jumped to 600,000 today. We Arabs have increased, too, but not by immigration. The Jews were then a mere 11 per cent of our population. Today they are one third of it.

The rate of increase has been terrifying. In a few more years—unless stopped now—it will overwhelm us, and we shall be an important minority in our own home.

Surely the rest of the wide world is rich enough and generous enough to find a place for 200,000 Jews—about one third the number that tiny, poor Palestine has already sheltered. For the rest of the world, it is hardly a drop in the bucket. For us it means national suicide.

We are sometimes told that since the Jews came to Palestine, the Arab standard of living has improved. This is a most complicated question. But let us even assume, for the argument, that it is true. We would rather be a bit poorer, and masters of our own home. Is this unnatural?

The sorry story of the so-called "Balfour Declaration," which started Zionist immigration into Palestine, is too complicated to repeat here in detail. It is grounded in broken promises to the Arabs—promises made in cold print which admit no denying.

We utterly deny its validity. We utterly deny the right of Great Britain to give away Arab land for a "national home" for an entirely foreign people.

Even the League of Nations sanction does not alter this. At the time, not a single Arab state was a member of the League. We were not allowed to say a word in our own defense.

I must point out, again in friendly frankness, that America was nearly as responsible as Britain for this Balfour Declaration. President Wilson approved it before it was issued, and the American Congress adopted it word for word in a joint resolution on 30^th June, 1922.

In the 1920s, Arabs were annoyed and insulted by Zionist immigration, but not alarmed by it. It was steady, but fairly small, as even the Zionist founders thought it would remain. Indeed for some years, more Jews left Palestine than entered it—in 1927 almost twice as many.

But two new factors, entirely unforeseen by Britain or the League or America or the most fervent Zionist, arose in the early thirties to raise the immigration to undreamed heights. One was the World Depression; the second the rise of Hitler.

In 1932, the year before Hitler came to power, only 9,500 Jews came to Palestine. We did not welcome them, but we were not afraid that, at that rate, our solid Arab majority would ever be in danger.

But the next year—the year of Hitler—it jumped to 30,000! In 1934 it was 42,000! In 1935 it reached 61,000!

It was no longer the orderly arrival of idealist Zionists. Rather, all Europe was pouring its frightened Jews upon us. Then, at last, we, too, became frightened. We knew that unless this enormous influx stopped, we were, as Arabs, doomed in our Palestine homeland. And we have not changed our minds.

I have the impression that many Americans believe the trouble in Palestine is very remote from them, that America had little to do with it, and that your only interest now is that of a humane bystander.

I believe that you do not realise how directly you are, as a nation, responsible in general for the whole Zionist move and specifically for the present terrorism. I call this to your attention because I am certain that if you realise your responsibility you will act fairly to admit it and assume it.

Quite aside from official American support for the "National Home" of the Balfour Declaration, the Zionist settlements in Palestine would have been almost impossible, on anything like the current scale, without American money. This was contributed by American Jewry in an idealistic effort to help their fellows.

The motive was worthy: the result were disastrous. The contributions were by private individuals, but they were almost entirely Americans, and, as a nation, only America can answer for it.

The present catastrophe may be laid almost entirely at your door. Your government, almost alone in the world, is insisting on the immediate admission of 100,000 more Jews into Palestine—to be followed by countless additional ones. This will have the most frightful consequences in bloody chaos beyond anything ever hinted at in Palestine before.

It is your press and political leadership, almost alone in the world, who press this demand. It is almost entirely American money which hires or buys the "refugee ships" that steam illegally toward Palestine: American money which pays their crews. The illegal immigration from Europe is arranged by the Jewish Agency, supported almost entirely by American funds. It is American dollars which support the terrorists, which buy the bullets and pistols that kill British soldiers—your allies—and Arab citizens—your friends.

We in the Arab world were stunned to hear that you permit open advertisements in newspapers asking for money to finance these terrorists, to arm them openly and deliberately for murder. We could not believe this could really happen in the modern world. Now we must believe it: we have seen the advertisements with our own eyes.

I point out these things because nothing less than complete frankness will be of use. The crisis is too stark for mere polite vagueness which means nothing.

I have the most complete confidence in the fair-mindedness and generosity of the American public. We Arabs ask no favours. We ask only that you know the full truth, not half of it. We ask only that when you judge the Palestine question, you put yourselves in our place.

What would your answer be if some outside agency told you that you must accept in America many millions of utter strangers in your midst—enough to dominate your country—merely because they insisted on going to America, and because their forefathers had once lived there some 2,000 years ago?

Our answer is the same.

And what would be your action if, in spite of your refusal, this outside agency began forcing them on you?

Ours will be the same.

Warrick

2009-01-13T22:18:00.003Z

It's the new season for CSI: Vegas tonight. I know he's into drugs and things. But so what? Why are you guys doing this to me? Arghhhh!!!

Gary Dourdan

Right Foot

2009-01-05T23:57:00.004Z

HOW SMART IS YOUR RIGHT FOOT?

Just try this, it only takes a few seconds.

This will boggle your mind and it will keep you trying over and over again to see if you can outsmart your foot, but, you can't.

It's pre-programmed in your brain!

1. Without anyone watching you (they will think you are GOOFY......) and while sitting at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.

2. Now, while doing this, draw the number '6' in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction.

I told you so!!! And there's nothing you can do about it! You and I both know how stupid it is, but before the day is done you are going to try it again, if you've not already done so.

Islam, Malay ..

2009-01-05T11:36:00.003Z

Enlightening article by Dr Bakri.

Islam and the Malay Mindset: What Went Wrong?

December 21st, 2008

This was the topic for a small group discussion at a recent seminar organized by Kelab UMNO New York/New Jersey. I was a passive participant at this dialogue, at least initially.

In the ensuing discussions, the students duly reaffirmed the greatness of Islam, citing many ready examples. Islam emancipated the ancient Bedouins out of their Age of Jahilliyah (Ignorance), and did it all within a generation. Islam then spread as far westward as Andalusia and eastward right up to China. In the process Islam inspired and created great civilizations and empires that lasted till at least the early part of the last century.

After over 1400 years however, Islam (at least the physical empire, though not the faith) was done in by European colonialism. With colonialism’s ending, there was a quick resurgence of Islam. Today it is the faith of a quarter of the world’s population, and fast growing.

Islam has been part of the Malay world for well over half a millennium. It is very much an integral part of our “Malayness” such that the statutory definition of a Malay is tied to the faith. Our embrace of Islam remains firm if not enhanced, despite being under complete Western (specifically British) colonial domination for a good portion of the time.

With the resurgence of Islam, Malays like Muslims everywhere yearn for the return of those earlier glorious days. Thus far that is all there is to it – just a yearning; much of the Muslim world remains tragically mired in poverty, with its citizens deprived of their basic human dignity and rights.

In Malaysia, the achievement gaps between Malays and non-Malays continue to widen despite the political leadership and public institutions being dominated by Malays. This glaring disparity remains a continuous source of communal angst, triggering more than just a few occasions of mass “acting out” behaviors as keris wielding and shrill calls for Ketuanan Melayu.

Why is Islam unable to emancipate Malays as it did the ancient Bedouins? What went wrong? Being true believers, the students rightly asserted that there is nothing wrong with this great faith, rather with our understanding – and thus practice – of it.

We are obsessed with rituals at the expense of appreciating the essence of Islam, the students observed. The universal message of Islam is lost with the associated Arabism, they continued. We are consumed in being Arabs, or at least aping them in the belief that it is the same thing as being Islamic or pious.

In teaching our young we are too preoccupied with being punitive and not enough with being positive. When they are naughty or grab a toy from another child, we would admonish them by saying that God would punish them by burning them in hell. Such concepts are beyond the comprehension of young minds, except to imprint on them horror-filled images of suffering and torture.

A more understandable and thus effective way would be to teach those children to imagine how they would feel if someone were to steal their toys. Such an approach would also be an excellent way to impart upon them the Golden Rule, to do unto others what you want done to you, a basic precept in all faiths.

We make our young recite and even memorize the Quran at a very early age without expending commensurate time and effort in teaching them the meaning or significance of those verses in our every day lives. We have reduced this great religion to a series of rituals instead of being a guide to a “total way of life” that is righteous, pleases Allah, and leads to a harmonious society. We pray, fast, pay our tithe, and undertake the pilgrimage but then go right ahead and accept bribes, neglect our jobs, and ignore our families and society.

We go to great lengths avoiding pork and improperly slaughtered chicken and cows, rightly considering them haram, but we have no compulsion in accepting bribes or neglecting our duties.

The students did a credible job of societal self-introspection. As they were summarizing their conclusions to present to the larger group, I enquired how we as a society have strayed from the central message of Islam. More relevantly, how could we rediscover the essence of Islam so that it too would do for us what it did for the ancient Arabs?

Taqlid, Bidaa, and Tajdid

Taqlid and bidaa are two central concepts in the learning and transmission of Islam. Taqlid refers to following the teachings of those more learned and pious than and before us. Specifically, it refers to adhering to the practices of one of the established schools of jurisprudence or mahdhab.

The Arabic root of the word means to place a collar around the neck, as we would to guide an animal. The operative word there is “guide,” to lead us along the straight path.

Malay villagers however, do not put a collar around our kerbau (buffalo) rather a ring through its nose. It serves the same purpose, and more. For in addition to leading the animal we also effectively control it.

Therein lies the problem. Does taqlid mean letting us be guided or be controlled? Is taqlid a collar slung loosely around our neck to nudge us to the left or right as a rein to a horse, or a ring pierced through our nose as with our kerbau? There is a vast difference between paying deference to precedents (as lawyers and judges do) versus being held captive by them. If it were the latter, slavery would still be legal in America.

Likewise with bidaa; with every khutba the Imam would duly warn the flock of the awesome Hellfire that awaits those who would dare engage in bidaa. Invariably the word is translated as “innovation.” “Innovation” means more than just change; it implies change for the better, and thus something commendable and to strive for. Bidaa obviously does not mean innovation; it is closer to corruption or adulteration, hence the dire warning against partaking in it!

My point here was to sensitize the students to the potential treacherous trap in interpreting the meaning of words especially where translations were involved. Such dangers exist even without translations, as words can change their meanings and connotations over time. During the prophet’s time for example, poets were held in low regard, as clearly stated in some Quranic verses, as they used their talent to mock the prophet.

Thus when a religious scholar quotes a verse from the Quran or hadith and then confidently assert with such certitude, “And the verse means … ,” that belies an arrogant mindset, impervious to reasons and intolerant of differing interpretations. A more humble and also accurate way would be to add the proviso, “When approximately translated.” Translations are at best approximate and provisional.

Our Prophet Muhammad, s.a.w., anticipated this erosion and corruption of the faith, as had happened to earlier revelations to other prophets before him. Hence the Quranic references to the appearance of a “prophet amongst us every hundred years” to renew the faith by getting rid of the inevitable accretions of extraneous practices and beliefs that would inevitably develop over time. “Prophet” here of course means “leader,” as to Muslims Muhammad, s.a.w, was the Last Prophet.

This concept of renewal or tajdid is a long established tradition in Islam. However, we cannot have renewal if we remain a slave to precedents, or if we consider every change a bidaa or an affront to taqlid. Islam has never been short of reformers, right from the first rightly-guided caliphs to the rationalists Mutazilites and many modern-day reformers. Like reformers in other faith, some have paid dearly for their attempts.

America with its freedom provides fertile ground for the renewal of Islam. America is also fortunate in having many brilliant Islamic scholars who have been driven away from their native land for their innovative ideas. To their folks back home, these reformers are engaging in bidaa, a mortal sin.

We are also fortunate in America to have the freedom to explore the rich and varied traditions of our faith. In Malaysia you could be detained under the ISA for reading Shiite literature! To put that in perspective, that is the same punishment if you were to engage in subversive or communist activities. Add to that the favorite past time of our leaders: banning books and restricting speakers! That ring through our noses can be very restricting!

What went Right

To end the students’ discussion on a positive note, I asked them to consider the flip side of their query, to ponder what went right. I nudged them to imagine what would have happened had Islam not landed on our shores.

One student reacted with horror at that prospect as we would then still have our animist ways and Hindu beliefs. At which point I enquired whether the Balinese (who are racially Malays) are somehow inferior to us because they are not Muslims. Or for that matter the Protestant Bataks in Sumatra.

As that seemed to dampen the discussion, I volunteered that there are many things that went right with Islam and Malays. Seeing it strictly from my professional perspective, I am glad that Malays are Muslims. When I was a surgeon in Malaysia, I never saw a single case of alcohol-related injuries among Malays. Before America had its strict drunk driving laws, a large part of my work as a surgeon was to repair the horrible damages wrecked by drunks. In the Philippines, alcohol-related crimes and injuries are rampant.

I wish our Quran would have similar explicit prohibitions against drugs and corruption as it does against alcohol!

On a higher level, Islam introduced the written word to our world. Once a society adopted a written culture, there is a quantum lap in its intellectual development. Yes, before the arrival of Arabic Malays had Sanskrit, but that was a dead language. Many of the ancient Malay literature are adaptations of stories from the Middle East, and our language borrows heavily from Arabic.

On that positive note we ended the discussion. What went wrong is not with Islam rather how we have missed the essence of this great faith in our obsession with its peripherals.

You know you are fat when ..

2009-01-03T20:35:00.001Z

You know you are fat when:

1. Your kids say you look like a pregnant woman in your body hugging thermal wear.

2. When your kids say you look like 9 months pregnant, your sister - in all honesty & sincerity, quashed the claim and said instead, "No. That looks like 6 months. 9 months is so much bigger."

3. Your wife says, "I've waited 12 years for him to go kurus. I can wait another 6 months."

4. You mumble profanity when bending down to help your heels into the shoes.

5. You bought a shirt your size, come back home try it on and see in the mirror something similar to "nangka pakai baju" at Tok's house.

6. You pick up a Levi's jeans and say "Uh .. this is huge." Try it on and say "This fits so well".

7. You'd rather wait for the level crossing bar to come up & cross the rail track than cross the pedestrian bridge to the other side.

8. When you weigh yourself up, you look at the scale and soothe yourself by saying - "the jeans is about 1 kg, shirt 300 g, sweater 500 g, socks ...."

9. Your wardrobe turns blackish.

10. Your wife tries to help you lose weight, and you say "you kasi I makan ini aje?"

That's it. Losing weight is definitely gonna be at the top of this year's resolution.

New Year New Friends

2009-01-01T19:46:00.001Z

I have always maintained that my pitching is better than Mawi's. Amazing! Winning a singing talent show due to other qualities than singing. Ooooh! Terbakar all those Mawi fans out there.. Kah kah kah..

The real talent I've seen/heard so far in the AF series is Idayu. Whatever happened to her?

Back to Mawi. More amazing is the fact that he is supported by all walks of life. I remember talking to a hard-core Pas (the party) security guard pak cik. He said, "Ohh! Mawi menyanyi semalam sedap betul lah. Pak cik memang suka. Bagus betul budak tu." And another hard-core Umno guy sitting with us at the table immediately approved the statement. And I went "Huh?" (dalam hati of course).

Mawi has also seem to bond people out of nowhere, out of nothing. There were/are internet forums everywhere dedicated to him. And this new year 2009, I had the privilege of meeting some new friends from one these forums/groups (which I am not a member). This one is called KBR (short for Kiambang Bertaut Resort - which I've yet to korek what the heck that means).

Via my BIL (fan No 1!!) & Sis, I met Sawal & Anom from Southampton. The micro-electronic engineers doing PhD. Hosted breakfast before leaving with them to Harrod's. Anom wanted to change her Vera Wang perfume. Imagine you bought a perfume, got home, and found that the bottle empty - not a drop. Macam tu pun ada ye?

BIL belanja makan at Mesia Hall. Sedaap - coz makan free. Yiiihaa!

Then off to Popat Store at Wembley. Quite a collection of Corelle. Not bad. I think they are the sole distributor in UK. The shot to Uxbridge for another meeting with Mawi-related buddies. This time Srikandi (forum nick) or actual Fazida & hubby Razif, studying at Brunnel University.

BIL, Sis, Fazida, Razif, Sawal, Syafiq & Anom

A non-Mawi fan gets new friends because of Mawi. Now, that's a first.

Manimal

2008-12-29T23:26:00.000Z

Gaza is being assaulted again and again. Israelis rammed aid ships to prevent them from reaching (to help) the Paletinians. One look at the Israeli soldiers - young, boyish looking. All brainwashed by "orang2 terdahulu". Of being the chosen one (in other words, accusing God of being racist). Its ok if I screw you, but you can't screw me. Because we are the chosen one. Pure Shylock.

Never have I seen blatant approval of genocide, from the US, British & the enemies of Muslims, let alone the Israelis who lauched the attacks. Where blood was shed - women, children, civillians. And the world say, " we support Israel retaliation". What retaliation? Hamas (who is so damn stupid too) rockets create craters the size of flower pots. Israel's bombs create craters the size of buildings. 1 Israel guy died, 315 Muslims died. Don't tell me all these years of weapon building you can't aim at the correct buildings that there need to be collateral damage? Pure ethnic cleansing I'd say. Animals don't do this.

Egypt & Jordan closed their gates. What is this? The Saudis are ball-less. Infact the Muslims are in so deep a shit, these events will just be another statistic. Filthy stinking rich Mercedes cheuffered leaders whose people don't even know how to build a bicycle.

Conclusion: We have to equip ourselves with knowledge, translated into actions to at least be at par with the world. Then we have the respect we need to execute change.

Happy New Year

2008-12-28T23:36:00.002Z

Its 1430 years after Rasulullah ensured that 9:20 was implemented.

9:20 Orang-orang yang beriman dan berhijrah serta berjihad di jalan Allah dengan harta, benda dan diri mereka, adalah lebih tinggi derajatnya di sisi Allah; dan itulah orang-orang yang mendapat kemenangan.

Me, a few small "faaizuun (kemenangan)" here and there. Nothing compares to you, my dear Rasulullah.

Today, we had an English lunch at Terry's & Kak Bib's. Roast Beef yang sangat kaw. I've never tasted any better than this.

Then we had early dinner with Dell & family. Mas & kids will be going away for good. Mas has exhausted her leave of absence & all possible tricks to stay longer. Anne is pretty sad .. no more friend to do this & that together. Sent them to LHR, thanks to Baha, checked in almost everything.

So long Mas, Syamil & Syida. See you guys in May (if I'm still here). And Salam Maal Hijrah.

Boxing Day at Cheshire Oak

2008-12-26T21:04:00.000Z

Largest Christmas tree at the largest designer outlet in Europe. Gambar kantoi sket, biasalah .. iPhone punya camera bodoh vs other makers.

Pergh! Jauh mai peghabih duit. Saja, since we wanna spend xMas off day
at Diny's in Birm, C Oaks seems the natural choice, what with the 140+
outlets. 10.30 am to 5.40 pm. Rebeh poket Joe.

Kids got the bulk of the loot. TQ to Mr Dentease the designated driver for the day. Saja suruh kutu tunjuk skill lesen British.

Merry Keris Mas

2008-12-25T09:48:00.004Z

Last week I received a (chain) mail advising against wishing friends "Selamat Hari Nata.. or Merry Christma..". Note that the email did not even finish the words. It's like in Harry Potter, "he whose name shall not be mentioned" kind of thing. A bit difficult for me coz most of my friends & those I do business with over here in this part of the world, are Christians - be it Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Protestant, Mormon etc. Banyak ek? Well before you say anything Islam has pretty much the same thing - Sunni, Shiites, Ahmadiyah, Ismailis .. etc.

What is Christmas anyway? Well, in its current spirit, it is celebrating the birth of Jesus. For Christians - the birth of god/son of god .. whatever. For Muslims I suppose we can celebrate it too as Maulidurrasul. Isa is a messenger spreading the same thing right? Islam. Actually, come to think of it, we should celebrate it if we are among the believers. That's what one of the most recited doa in any of our functions says:

2:285 Rasul telah beriman kepada Al Quran yang diturunkan kepadanya dari Tuhannya, demikian pula orang-orang yang beriman. Semuanya beriman kepada Allah, malaikat-malaikat-Nya, kitab-kitab-Nya dan rasul-rasul-Nya. (Mereka mengatakan): "Kami tidak membeda-bedakan antara seseorangpun dari rasul-rasul-Nya", dan mereka mengatakan: "Kami dengar dan kami taat." (Mereka berdoa): "Ampunilah kami ya Tuhan kami dan kepada Engkaulah tempat kembali."

Anyway, digressing again. Christmas can be broken into 2 words: Christ & Mas.
Christ came from the Orthodox Greek Kristos which means Messiah or the Annointed One.
Mas came from Mass. So it basically means Messiah Mass or Perhimpunan Untuk Utusan. Pretty harmless I would say, language wise.

BTW, Jesus wasn't born on December 25th. God knows when.

Oh, and the same person has previously sent me pics of Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran showing him in humbling poses (partly to compare him with Pak Lah). Well, just check out what this role model wrote (look at the 1st line) in his blog.

I know I'm pretty merry today. Spending an off day with family. Ciao.

OxStreet on Xmas Eve

2008-12-24T20:45:00.000Z

Buat bodoh today pakai jeans. Its gonna be half day & not gonna trade anyway. Only British, French & Dutch markets were opened. By 2pm dah terpacak kat Tottenham Court Road. Had lunch with Dell, Mas & Anne at the restaurant at the corner of TCR ntah apa nama tah. Had mixed donno what (ada lamb shish, kebab & chicken) + chicken doner. Not bad, sedap juga .. so boleh pegi lagi. Damage for 4 pax around £32. OK lah.

Then rendek2 tengok orang berpusu2. But this is so much less vs last year especially since this year sale signs are everywhere. Up to 50% off etc. Then imagine on this 26th boxing day pulak (some shops 27th). How much more are they gonna slash?

I bet in January everything will dry up. By March some companies will be stretched. April we'll hear administration, liquidation & all that jazz. Imminent, Zavvi having problem. As for currency, £1 is now RM5.09 when I left office. Man .. this currency is £**<€d!! Imagine from £1 = RM7.13 at one point to now. That's bloody 29% devaluation. May be now its time for Malaysian companies to buy up British assets. Tunggu sikit lagi, houses might fall another 30%.

Anyway, ended up buying 1 shirt from Gap for £9 something (I bet its gonna be cheaper tomorrow, then may be I go and return it and repurchase it at lower price .. ha haa haaa [ketawa jin afrit]). Cun juga cuma tak de riak (the term riak means bila orang tengok orang tau tu brand apa - may be the logo at the pocket, strip on the side, engraved buttons etc). Although sometimes its brilliant not to have any "riak" especially when you bought stuff from Primark, which I do quite a lot for myself, baju £3, sweater £5 .. murah siot. Ye lah, coz nak kasi wife pakai MNG, Morgan, Uniqlo .. anakanda pakai Monsoon, Gap, Osh Kosh. Heh heh, suami cum bapak mithali. Woo hooo!

Yeayy! The books arrived.

2008-12-18T22:18:00.002Z

2 days are what it takes for the books to arrive. Bought via Amazon
marketplace. 1 p each with P&P £2.75 ea. Hardcovers! Bloody good deal
I would say. Tah bila nak baca ntah la.

Red Handed

2008-12-16T23:06:00.003Z

I think I'm gonna add another label, K .. short for knowledge. For anything that's like info or sewaktu dengannya.

Today I dropped by the National Gallery for a quick dart through those precious artworks with Gavin - a fund manager turned tourist guide. While admiring one of the art, can't remember which artist but it was showing his house & garden with vast land going into the horizon. In the picture there was a poacher (illegal hunter) with a gun eyeing some ducks.

Now, the knowledge that I got today is the figure of speech "caught red handed".
This comes from the fact that a person is proven a poacher when he is caught with his hand red (bloodied) from the shot animal.

Eid Mubarak

2008-12-08T19:00:00.001Z

Solat Raya at the Youth Centre at Egham, an indoor basketball to be precise. Should've gone to M'sian Hall coz Dr Asri was delivering the khutbah. May be next time, perhaps in Birm. Plus my feet are still killing me.

Dell & Mas, Terry & Kak Bib, Sam & Linda singgah around 11.00 am. Had nasi impit, lemang, rendang, kari ayam w/o santan, laksa Johor .. meriah!

This is the time of the year to think of the needy and the less fortunate.

Citigroup, AIG, Lehman Brothers, General Motors...

- David Letterman-

Eid Mubarak Everyone

SocGen Conference

2008-12-07T22:59:00.001Z

Dissapeared for a few days to attend SocGen Premium Review conference at La
Bourse, Paris with Dell. Anne tetiba muncul one day after .. tak sempat nak ngorat .. hmmmph.

Conference was pretty good with Economist quite bullish vs the Global Strategist dubbing what's going on as the Great Experiment. I suppose .. ok, its gonna get bad, perhaps the real economy gets really shitty .. then the stock market recovers 9 months in advance. Perhaps something like the Asian Crisis, this time the Global Crisis!

Took Friday off .. rendek2. Managed to squeeze a trip to Musee d'Orsay .. worth it! Then ronda2 Champs Elysee .. layan LV. Pergh! Harga maut, but no doubt product memang baguih.

Saturday went to the Louvre, kononnya nak complete the previous tour. Arggh! Its soo huge .. tak habis2. And my feet felt like burning. And the audioguide that we rented was crappy. There're so little paintings/sculptures with numbers (to key in in the audio thing & listen to explanations on the item).

Some pics from the wintry, drizzly trip. Nevertheless, enjoyable .. especially since Eurostar return was to cheap at £59. To be cont..

Makan Secupak Perut Jadi Segantang

2008-11-27T00:05:00.001Z

Been about 1 week I avoided rice. Muka dah kuncup sket, perut needs
some work. And this is my dinner tonight: Nick Nairn Sear Salmon with
hot potato & tomato salad.

Hmm .. Sedapp. I like.

Kera di Hutan Anak di Rumah

2008-11-26T15:55:00.007Z

Surfed for news from homeland. As usual most are bad news or at the very least, stupid news (as in how the thing become news). A lot of debates on Ketuanan Melayu, democracy, tak sedar di untung, Melayu mudah lupa, PAS vs UMNO, PAS vs DAP within Pakatan Rakyat, Umnoputra, Ameno, Fatwa, Altantuya, ish banyak nya membaca .. tak kerja ke aku ni?

Anyway, something from Datuk Kadir Jasin, a friend of Arwah Abah, sebijik kena batang hidung. BTW, I like his house .. cantik siot, kat Tropicana lagi ..

Melakar Cerita Suka Duka
A Kadir Jasin

HARI ini, izinkan saya berpuisi
Meluah rasa terbuku di hati
Melakar cerita suka dan duka
Tanah Melayu bumi ibunda
Semakin hari dibenci dikeji
Ditertawa dipersenda di desa dan kota
Kerana Melayu semakin tidak berani.

Kerana apa?
Kerana yang berkuasa
Lesu tidak bermaya
Yang diberi amanat
Dan memegang wasiat
Hilang dan sesat
Lupa sumpah dan janji
Tidur lena dibuai mimpi
Tidak peduli lagi perjuangan suci
Kerana selesa berpura-pura
Diracuni harta dan kuasa.

Yang Melayunya berkata:
“Kamilah Bumiputera
Peribumi tanah pusaka
Inilah tempat tumpah darah kami
Di sinilah kami hidup dan mati
Kerana di sinilah terkubur
Nenek moyang kami
Polis dan askar Melayu
Dan perwira-perwira dulu
Datuk Bahaman
Datuk Maharaja Lela
Tok Janggut
Dol Said
Mat Kilau
Tok Gajah
Mat Salleh
Datuk Sagor
Tok Kenali
Dan ramai lagi
Yang tumpas dan mati
Demi bumi dan pertiwi.

Orang India dan Cina
Yang asal usulnya
Pedagang dan buruh ikatan
Jauh dari seberang lautan
Pun menuntut hak yang sama
Menolak kontrak yang ada
Kononnya demi reformasi
Meritokrasi dan globalisasi
Lupa bahawa nenek moyang mereka
Kiblat mereka bumi asalnya
Aspirasinya Parti Kongres India
Kuomintang dan Parti Komunis China.

Tetapi Melayu mudah kasihan
Mudah pula diperkotak-katikkan
Maka oleh British disyaratkan
Terimalah mereka sebagai rakan
Maka dapatlah mereka
Satu juta kerakyatan
Di bumi Malaysia yang merdeka
Tanpa orang Melayu sedar dan perasan.

British hebat putar-belitnya
Mereka tidak buruh Cina dan India
Dari tanah jajahan bernama Malaya
Membanjiri bumi suci mereka
Menuntut taraf warganegara
(Seperti terjadi dengan Orang India dari Uganda)
Maka yang mereka bawa
Dari China dan India
Mereka tinggalkan di Malaya
Kerana Melayu pemurah hatinya
Dan mudah pula lupa.

Sekarang Melayu layu dan lesu
Pertahan hak sudah tidak tahu
Takut, malas dan malu
Menjadi defensif dan apologetik
Hanya berharap kepada kuasa politik
Yang gagal diartikulasi dan diisi
Kerana terlalu lama dibuai mimpi
Tidur lena kerana jenama Bumiputera
Lega dan selesa
Dengan tanah se kangkang kera
Dan panji-panji politik yang hambar warnanya.

Kalau Melayu tidak bangkit
Tidak sedar jiwanya berpenyakit
Jangan salahkan orang lain
Kalau terlondeh baju dan kain
Bogel bagaikan orang gila
Di bumi sendiri yang kononnya merdeka.

Ingatlah permata kata
Nenek moyang kita yang bijaksana
Kerana Melayu kita berbudi
Kerana Islam kita beriman
Maka jika Melayu kenal diri
Jadilah dia orang budiman
Yang harga dirinya
Bukan pada wang berjuta
Tetapi pada budi dan bahasa
Tauhid dan pekerti mulia.

Kerana Melayu mudah lupa
Apa sudah jadi kepada negara?
Bumi ini menjadi tempat buangan
Pelacur dan GRO dari Yunan
Ke bumi ini konon mencari pelajaran
Pengemis dan Shao Lin Master
Yang entah dari mana datangnya
Sepatah haram bahasa Melayu tidak tahu
Meminta sedekah hilir dan hulu.

Itu belum dikira
Pendatang haram yang berjuta
Dari Indonesia, Burma dan Afrika
Yang masuk keluar sesuka hati
Maka jadilah bumi ibunda ini
Periuk menidih yang isinya basi
Jenayah dan maksiat menjadi-jadi
Kerana birokrasi dibaham korupsi
Rasuah, pecah amanah
Salah guna kuasa dan berbagai lagi.

Melayu sudah jadi pengkhianat
Lupa kepada amanah dan wasiat
Kerana wang, kuasa dan harta
Mereka khianati bangsa dan negara.

Akhir nukilan,
Ingatkan pesanan orang tua-tua
Sesal dahulu kedapatan
Sesal kemudian tidak berguna
Kera di hutan disusukan
Anak di rumah mati kelaparan.

Tak Habis Lagi?

2008-11-24T14:50:00.003Z

Ter-listened to a phone conversation re: suruh ....

Sapa yg baca ni rasa nak marah, tok sah. Nanti kena jual.

Happy Birthday My Luv

2008-11-21T22:27:00.007Z

It's 21st Nov, and again I failed to get her flowers. Instead I got Anne a Dell Notebook. Actually I am the one yg teruja lebih2 with the spec. For £449 its got among others:

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5800
3072MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM
320GB (5.400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
2.0 Mega pixel web camera

and for the heck of it, topped up another £29 to give the notebook her favourite colour.

Spring Green Colour with Microsatin Finish

Checked for such spec everywhere, even Malaysia cannot give such spec for that kind of price. Advert pun keluar 1 day je. Need to chat with sales rep (in India) to get the proper link for the item.

Anyway, brought Anne out to Que Tapas in Staines. Just our luck some stupid printer rosak la pulak. We waited for 1 hour but still no food. When we checked with the waitress then she told about the printer. Brought our receipt & got everything done within 15 minutes. 1 hour 15 minutes .. that must be some record. But they were quite good, gave us complimentary drinks as well as complimentary desserts worth about £11. It was Churros & Choc fudge cake (sedap giller!!) Heh hee .. makan pree. Tak pe lah, tak de lah lapar sangat. Siap tapau lagi.

Happy Birthday My Luv

Leadership

2008-11-17T22:31:00.004Z

There I was, sitting infront of the idiot box, squeezing my mind hoping that it would ooze out words for the speech/talk I'm preparing for my boss to present in Cardiff this weekend. The title is: Corporate Leadership: Challenges and Prospects (or is it Opportunities? whatever .. sounds the same to me).

The TV was playing School of Rock .. you know, Jack Black. Damn! It's all there. He played a phony teacher after being thrown out of his rock band. And how stupid this may sound, his "teacher on crack" character really has some leadership qualities.

Has an eye for talent, not unlike Sir Alex of Man U.
Great empowerment - assigned each and everyone a great role according to their strength
Everybody listens to him! - although it was actually some kind of a manipulation
Flexible enough to change - who does what
Listens to & solves greviences - consoled the chubby black girl when she wanted out because of her weight problem
Understand the organization (school)
A great mentor/teacher - taught the class the evolution of rock
Leading the team - the Rock Band called the School of Rock

Damn! I enjoy this movie. Again.

Now, why am I writing this? I'm supposed to write the speech. Duh!

Monk

2008-11-11T20:50:00.001Z

Received this today. Truly amazing discovery.

MONK

A man is driving down the road and breaks down near a monastery.

He goes to the monastery, knocks on the door, and says, 'My car broke down.
Do you think I could stay the night'?

The monks graciously accept him, feed him dinner, and even fix his car.

As the man tries to fall asleep, he hears a strange sound; a sound like no other that he has ever heard. The next morning, he asks the monks what the sound was, but they say, 'We can't tell you. You're not a monk'.

The man is disappointed but thanks them anyway and goes about his merry way.
Some years later, the same man breaks down in front of the same monastery.

The monks again accept him, feed him, and even fix his car.

That night, he hears the same strange mesmerizing sound that he had heard years earlier.

The next morning, he asks what the sound was, but the monks reply,

'We can't tell you. You're not a monk'.

The man says, 'All right, all right. I'm dying to know. If the only way I can find out what that sound was, is to become a monk, how do I become a monk'?

The monks reply, 'You must travel the earth and tell us how many blades of grass there are and the exact number of sand pebbles. When you find these numbers, you will become a monk'.

The man sets about his task. Some forty-five years later, he returns and knocks on the door of the monastery. He says, 'I have travelled the earth and devoted my life to the task demanded and have found what you had asked for.

There are 371,145,236,284,232 blades of grass and 231,281,219,999,129,382 sand pebbles on the earth'.

The monks reply, 'Congratulations, you are correct and now you are a monk'.

'We shall now show you the way to the sound'.

The monks lead the man to a wooden door, where the head monk says, the sound is behind that door.

The man reaches for the knob, but the door is locked. He asks, 'May I have the key'?

The monks give him the key, and he opens the door.

Behind the wooden door is another door made of stone. The man requests the key to the stone door.

The monks give him the key, and he opens it, only to find a door made of ruby. He demands another key from the monks, who provide it. Behind that door is another door, this one made of sapphire. And so it went until the man had gone through doors of emerald,......silver, topaz, and amethyst.

Finally, the monks say, 'This is the key to the last door'.

The man is relieved to no end. He unlocks the door, turns the knob, and behind that door he is astonished to find the source of that strange sound.

It is truly an amazing and unbelievable sight

. . But I can't tell you what it is because you're not a monk.

DON'T SWEAR AT ME,
I'M STILL HUNTING FOR THE IDIOT WHO SENT THIS TO ME!

Dubya Out Mubarak In

2008-11-05T11:56:00.003Z

Yesterday, in Washington, the Secret Service arrested a man who climbed over the White House fence.

Secret Service told the man, "Get back here, Mr. President. You have two more months."

- Conan O'Brien

It's Obama Mania all over again. After the most expensive campaign ever, where all candidates raised $1,553 million (of which Obama alone raised $639). 21 months of traveling & campaigning. We see history today - 1st American black President.

Checkout Obama's acceptance speech - made infront of 240,000 audience at Grant Park, Chicago. Moving! Pandai siot speech writer dia. This is the CNN version which has a transcript (siap nyala2 macam karaoke lagi).

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/04/video.transcript/index.html

I probably will never forget this day. It's Shasya's birthday too .. dah belasan tahun kalau dalam Melayu (sebelas). But in England she's yet to be a teenager, only Venager (eleven).

BTW, I certainly hope the new President will live up to his name .. Barakah.

2008 New Stock Market Terms and Definitions

2008-11-03T23:02:00.000Z

I've not dropped by my own blog for a few days now. The directors are in town, so a bit busy. May be I should explain to them some new definitions in capital markets.

2008 New Stock Market Terms and Definitions…

CEO --Chief Embezzlement Officer.

CFO -- Corporate Fraud Officer.

BULL MARKET -- A random market movement causing an investor to mistake himself for a financial genius.

BEAR MARKET -- A 6 to 18 month period when the kids get no allowance, the wife gets no jewelry, and the husband gets no sex.

VALUE INVESTING -- The art of buying low and selling lower.

P/E RATIO -- The percentage of investors wetting their pants as the market keeps crashing.

BROKER -- What my broker has made me.

STANDARD & POOR -- Your life in a nutshell.

STOCK ANALYST -- The idiot who just downgraded your stock.

STOCK SPLIT -- When your ex-wife and her lawyer split your assets equally between themselves.

FINANCIAL PLANNER -- A guy whose phone has been disconnected.

MARKET CORRECTION -- The day after you buy stocks.

CASH FLOW-- The movement your money makes as it disappears down the toilet.

YAHOO -- What you yell after selling it to some poor sucker for $240 per share.

WINDOWS -- What you jump out of when you're the sucker who bought Yahoo @ $240 per share.

INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR -- Past year investor who's now locked up in a nuthouse.

PROFIT -- An archaic word no longer in use.

Dato' Latt - Ketua Bahagian Kuala Kedah

2008-10-28T23:45:00.007Z

TERMUDA: Latt Shariman Abdullah, 40, kelmarin menjadi Ketua Bahagian termuda di Kedah apabila memenangi jawatan Ketua Bahagian Umno Kuala Kedah.Latt Shariman, kini bertugas sebagai Pegawai Tugas-Tugas Khas Timbalan Perdana Menteri Najib Razak, menewaskan Timbalan Ketua Bahagian Hashim Jasin. Ketua Bahagian dahulu Syed Razak Syed Zain Barakbah tidak mendapat cukup pencalonan untuk mempertahankan jawatan beliau.

Dato' Latt is my buddy from school. Great guy. Will go to illogical length to help people. After school we were quite active for old boys dinner/concert. I think at least 3 times I acted in sketches with him. Twice I was Tun Ghaffar Baba (Encik at that time) and he was DSAI. That was fun .. so much so that people who don't remember my name, simply call me "Ghafur".

Dato' Latt was the guy who persuaded me to go to UK for the 1st time in 1993 (FX was RM3.87:£1.00 !!). He even gave soft loan for half the ticket price, which was only RM1,600 return. Murah kan? We stayed near Baker Street station that time. Kalau tak, memang tak merasalah jadi tourist.

Congratz bro!

BTW, it snowed just now. Hmmm .. it's still October. Camana January nanti???

In Others' Shoes

2008-10-27T23:24:00.003Z

Today's the first time I go to work in a car. Dell drove (I couldn't), coz Anne & the gang ada Rombongan Cik Kiah to Queen Anne & Stoke. Left around 0615 & reached office close to 0700. Took Earl's Court/Embankment route, missed turning near Queen Victoria St & had to take a slightly longer route. Actually, we took the car coz we had to bring the extra office carpet from previous renovation which is now parked in my garage.

Duh, forgot that I had an appointment with Dr Galton at 0900. Brilliant! Had to take the train back to Egham. The best doctor at Grove Medical Centre so far.

Anyway, got back to the office. Suffered some anxiety. Am starting to get immuned with the non-stop markets fall. Left around 1715. It's already dark by then.

Heck! Now I can emphatise with drivers in London. Most times I am a pedestrian. Today, we saw/avoided:
1. Pedestrian selamba kodok crossed roads while talking on the phone.
2. Pedestrians testing their luck crossing roads at non-designated crossings/middle of the road.
3. So many cyclists hogging the left lane of the streets.
4. Cyclists with dark clothing & no light on their bikes.
5. Small streets, sharing with psyco cabs & bus drivers.
6. Dark streets - dah la tengah twilight.
7. Bus lanes, although it was already dark - all the CCTV still berkuat kuasa. Thanks to the new time.
8. Idiotic drivers who flashed light at traffic light as if we were so slow moving, although the light just turned green 0.01 second ago.
9. Jam at M25 Junction 14, nasib baik ada ramp T5 - boleh cut queue via that ramp.
10. Stingy drivers - kemut tak kasi masuk lane. Nak kena lepuk tuh..

Next time, no peak hour driving for me. I believe Dell had the same feeling.

BNM Open House

2008-10-25T22:53:00.000+01:00

After a terrible heart-stopping day at the office. Left for Bank Negara's open house at Berkeley Square .. quite easy to park at around 1815. Parkings were ample around the square.

Good food, from Makan Cafe I heard. Dannial undecided.

Asset managers & bankers, mengumpat Hank Paulson kot?

Asaraf + wife & Mazlan

Before leaving, saw these signs .. immediately reminded of this:

6:116 Dan jika kamu menuruti kebanyakan orang-orang yang di muka bumi ini, nescaya mereka akan menyesatkan mu dari jalan Allah. Mereka tidak lain hanyalah mengikuti persangkaan belaka, dan mereka tidak lain hanyalah berdusta.

Two Little Three Little Indians

2008-10-24T21:58:00.003+01:00

Markets tanked again today.
*&%£@/,.# arrrghhhh!!!!

It was autumn, and the Red Indians asked their New Chief if the winter was going to be cold or mild. Since he was a Red Indian chief in a modern society, he couldn't tell what the weather was going to be.

Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he replied to his Tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect wood to be prepared.

But also being a practical leader, after several days he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked 'Is the coming winter going to be cold?'

'It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold indeed,' the weather man responded.

So the Chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more wood. A week later, he called the National Weather Service again. 'Is it going to be a very cold winter?'

'Yes,' the man at National Weather Service again replied, 'It's definitely going to be a very cold winter.'

The Chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of wood they could find. Two weeks later, he called the National Weather Service again. 'Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?'

'Absolutely,' The Man replied. 'It's going to be one of the coldest winters ever.'

'How can you be so sure?' the Chief asked.

The weatherman replied, 'The Red Indians are collecting wood like Crazy.'

Now, that is how Stock Markets work!!!

Top Shelf

2008-10-24T00:45:00.004+01:00

Went to Top Shelf at Whitecross Street Market (its a stall selling cheap books & slightly outdated magazines, named it as such because .. ermm, well you can just check out any book/mag stores .. see what mags you can find on their top shelves). Picked up some mags for the analysts clan in KL.

The street is one of London's oldest street markets,dating back to mediavel times. At this market you can fantastic local and regional food - Portugese, Albanian, Indian, Thai, Arabic .. macam2 lah. Settled for falafel wrapped up in kinda pita bread for lunch. Sedap jugak.
Had the most amazing experience while eating at Golden Lane's Park. The doves were all over the place, circling our feet for crumbs. All of a sudden every single one of them flew away together, I mean away from the ground of the park! Kisahnya there was a police car siren. I thought only man yg cuak dgn police. Burung pun?

Rewang

2008-10-18T19:15:00.002+01:00

Saw this car yesterday when I took Faez & Ita to Staines. Pretty apt for there was a queue for parking & everybody was me-lilau looking for one. Went to Mas & Dell's later makan-makan. Lontong, lemang & nasi tomato ... sedaaaap!

Feel like stress level is high. Just a hunch. May be I should get that high blood pressure monitor from Lloyd's. And not to forget, start exercise balik. Puasa & raya punya hal .. lama nar pause nih.

Fall Season

2008-10-17T10:42:00.000+01:00

It's autumn in New York. Leaves are falling...
Also bonds, stocks, banks...
- David Letterman

On leave today. Tapi hatiku tak tenang. Damn you Yankee banks!!!

Bush Bailout

2008-10-13T00:14:00.000+01:00

The past several days, President Bush has been speaking out about the Wall Street bailout, and today a reporter asked him what he planned to do about AIG.

Bush got upset and said, "Why does everyone always spell in front of me?"

- Conan O'Brien

Lockets

2008-10-10T14:46:00.003+01:00

Have sore throat? Like me at the moment. It's hell. Don't go for Strepsils. Go for Lockets. It's so much stronger.

And what if you have hiccups? According to our Colombian cleaner, Calixto - chew sugar. Yes, sugar .. sucre, you get what I mean. Forget standing on your head. Try sugar .. it works!

Po in Rantau Panjang

2008-10-07T11:41:00.003+01:00

Markets in Europe made a spectacular drop again yesterday, mostly dropping more than 7% with France & Ireland falling close to 10%. So today, I am feeling rather depressed. And this overdose of rendang & kuah nasi himpit is not helping either.

Anyway, saw this in NST site. Nice architecture. Reminds me of Po a.k.a. Kung Fu Panda jumping around trying to reach the Dragon Scroll. Ahh .. I need to exercise. I'm tired .. yawn...

Open Houses - Non-Stop Eating!

2008-10-05T16:37:00.007+01:00

Raya .. incomplete without open houses.

1st Weekend.

At Gumok's/Zakiah's

At Jai's/Mazza's

At Our's

Eid Mubarak

2008-10-05T16:02:00.007+01:00

'twas just after 1500 on Sept 29. The US indices started to fall .. quite badly. As usual, the European follow suit. Weren't in no mood to do anything. Had a suspicion that tomorrow will be Eid for London & yg sewaktu dengannya. I say yang sewaktu dengannya coz definitely some will raya on 29th Sept, some on 1st Oct and maybe a few on 2nd Oct. Really ironic for a religion which emphasize Tauhid as such an important concept. No need to ulas .. I did it before here.

Gedebak-gedebuk, managed to complete our cooking etc. This year we are all Boy Scouts (coz their motto is "Be Prepared"). Managed to leave for Birm around 2245 & reached there just after midnight. Rumah baru wooo...!! Along the way, got texts asking me to check out news. Oh my god! S&P 500 just fell 9%!!!!

Eid

I was quite early mengerah the kids to shower etc. Coz solat will be at 0945. First time solat raya this late! Despite that, we were still late - masbuq into the 2nd rakaat. Biasak la .. nak mengatur 7 adults & 8 kids.

Open house at Sis' .. Whoaaa!! I think about 200 came! Memang Birm ramai Melayu!!

Raya Photos in Birmingham - Quinton Road

Songkok ketat sket. Songkok shrink ke, aku dah besar kepala sket?

Nat - standard ~ mesti x nak pandang camera

Hah, duit raya Mar mana? ..

Eh, you pakai perfume Sarah Jessica Parker ke? I like ..

Aiman missing & budak baju kuning tu plak tersesat masuk.

Gotcha! Everybody in.

Briyani, khuzi kambing, laksa Johor, nasi impit, rendang ..

Khuzi Diny - terangkat siol!

Laksa Johor - kick giller!!

Nasib BIL & Kak Yah - basuh pinggan lah kamu yea

Pantun Raya

2008-09-28T20:05:00.002+01:00

Some pantun raya that I love:

Kelantan
Make ike cicoh budu
Jange lupo tamboh satar
Kelik ghayyo toksey laju
Nati ghayyo dale spita

Terengganu
Makang ubi jamang jepong
Makang kepok cicah cuke
Bulang pose mung bengong
Bulang raye mung gile

Pahang
Sepadan Pahang ada kasino
Nasi dagang ikan patin
Jange mu masam muko
Raya makan rendang sadin

Johor
Cegitu cegini awak suke
Awak suke kite tak suke
Esok luse hari raye
Sama-sama bersuke rie

Melaka
Hawau kau berak merate
Kaki bengkak ulau patok
Kalu balik naik kerete
Jangan pandu kalau ngantok

N. Sembilan
Masak lomak cili api
Campo dongan daun turi
Hari rayo kolumpo sopi
Tinggal penyamun dongan pencuri
(org kolumpo jgn kocik ati!!)

Selangor/K.Lumpur...
Wa cakap lu wa tak tau
Tapi wa tipu sama lu
Raya jangan buat tak tau
Angpau ada bagi gua dulu

Perak
Gulei tempoyak ikan mayong
Deroyan busok tebok tupei
Pandu hemat ingat kampong
Ase(Asal) teman selamat sampei

Kedah
Aloq Staq terketaq-ketaq
Lapaq perut makan pau
Macam mana tak ketaq
Kena paksa bagi angpau

Penang
Nasi kandaq kedai mamak
Anak mami juai pesemboq
Lepaih raya jgn dok triak
Kalu ceti mai kot dapoq

Perlis
Padang besaq kecik aja
Tempat Siam lalu lalang
Hari raya kita berbelanja
Jangan sampai menambah utang

Sabah
Nanti raya sia pulang sabah,
Teringin jumpa kawan lama,
Hari raya sudah mau datang bah,
Dosa lama diampunkan saja..

Sarawak
Bila tiba buka puasa,
Kek lapis, terubuk bakar kamek suka,
Meh sini kamek mau madah sama kita,
SELAMAT HARI RAYA!!

Buy Sell

2008-09-24T14:55:00.003+01:00

Financial Crisis in Summary

2008-09-23T16:11:00.003+01:00

A Summary of What's Been Going On The Past Week

The last few days and weeks have been truly extraordinary. In short, we have seen events that none of us thought we would see in our generation:
• A bank run in the UK.
• The central bank of the most powerful country of this planet offering help to households on the first page of its webpage.
• A dramatic change in this central bank’s balance sheet now filled with repackaged mortgages at the expense of government bonds.
• Financial authorities who explored new paths in search of the best market support
• Repurchase agreements of huge proportions.

Things that were unthinkable have happened:
• A central bank going out of jurisdiction to bail out an investment bank.

In the last three weeks, we saw:
• The two biggest mortgage providers of this planet becoming nationalized
• Followed one week later by the largest insurer
• The disappearance of a 150 year old financial institution, meanwhile its competitor was taken over by a bank.

And last week:
• A major shortage of dollars on a worldwide basis.
• A money market fund’s NAV dropped below $1.00 (a situation known as "broken the buck"), prompting huge redemptions and forcing other MMFs to suspend redemptions.
• Commercial paper yields rose from 3% to 5% in one day, the result of MMF sales.
• The US central bank directly injected a whopping $245bn into financial institutions.
• Other foreign central banks injected $247bn in financial markets for their part.
(Pictet)

The reflief rally following the promised $700 billion clean-up of Wall Street's toxic waste lasted barely more than a trading day. One day!! Foreign investors finally realising that they are bailing out Uncle Sam.

For most of September, Treasury bond prices rose on the theory that, in the midst of a crisis, they were a safe haven. But, as Hank Paulson and Ben Bernanke have approved a bewildering array of ever more far-rearching bailouts, investors started adding up the numbers.

Depending how you account for the quasi-nationalisations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the total cost is now well over $1 trillion - and possible several trillion dollars.

If Uncle Sam was rich, this might not matter too much. But the government's deficit is already yawning as the result of a slowing economy. On conservative estimates, it will reach $450bn next year. It doesn't take a dire assumption to think it could top $1tr by 2010.

What's more, the country as a whole is still relying on funds from abroad to finance its trade gap. The current account deficit is running at $60bn a month, a cool $720bn annually

From an international investor's perspective, this is beginning to look worrying. Last week they were receiving a yield of only 3.4% for holding US government paper for 10 years. Even if inflation comes back under control and hovers around 3%, that doesn't look like much compensation. Something more like 5%-6% would be reasonable. If inflation starts to take off - and Monday's astonishing 12% spike in oil prices is not a comforting omen - a reasonable bond yield would be still higher.

In the past week, the dollar has fallen by 3% on a trade-weighted index while the price of 10-year Treasuries have dropped 4%. Put these together and foreign buyers of have suffered a 7% loss. The real worry is that there could be a stampede for the exits as they try to cash out before suffering even bigger losses. The Federal Reserve might then be forced into the unpleasant task of pushing up interest rates in the midst of a crisis.

In short, we're £u<*#&!

Mad Rally

2008-09-21T16:05:00.003+01:00

It was the most unbelievable rally I've ever seen in my life. It was like a stampede. This was due to the SEC's temporary ban on short-selling of 799 financial stocks. Same with UK, ban on short selling for financial stocks. Friday saw Wall Street extended Thursday's rally. European markets went crazy as well. At one point FTSE100 was almost 10% up. Russian MICEX was 28% up

The ban was effective Friday, to help protect any future victims of short sellers, who have been criticized in the demise of Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers and AIG. (Short selling occurs when traders borrow a stock, betting it will go down, only to buy it at a lower price)

Portfolio's a bit stable now. Headed for Maybank's iftar session at Holiday Villa. The ox-tail soup was fantastic. Then rushed back - to drive to Birmingham. Pekena nasi briani for sahur. Then melepek the whole day.

Today went to Asda, Dunelm Mill Shop (bought pillows for Shasya & Rina), then to Wing Yip - lantak one box of 40 Indo Mie - mee goreng (share with Diny). Now, after watching Man U squandered that one goal lead against Chelsea (final score 1 - 1), off to pau making.

Dear Investor

2008-09-19T12:36:00.002+01:00

This is hilarious if you understand investment & finance.

ACME Systematic Leveraged Macro Momentum Fund LP
321 Overprice Street
Greenwich, CT
00573

Dear Investor,

This letter is to inform you that the wheels have come off of the proverbial wagon at ACME Systematic Leveraged Macro Momentum Fund LP, and that the same awesome thematic portfolio that made you feel (in the first half-year) as if you'd become very rich in comparison to those sucking wind on their leveraged MBS portfolios or Japanese Small-Cap Value Funds, has, quite literally, spontaneously combusted in our faces.

Our long-oil (PBR, SU, SWN), long coal (MEE, BTU), long fertilizer (POT, MOS), and long iron ore (CLF, RIO) positions have been crushed (no pun intended), and though we remain hopeful going forward as the story remains "in tact", our models have forced us to sell some in response to prevailing price action. Our offsetting shorts in selected financials (MS, BLK, GS, and LM) have not fared as we expected, while our core retail and consumer discretionary shorts in AZO & URBN, DECK have quite literally been lodged deeply and inexplicably in an unmentionable orifice.

If that were all we'd not be too sullen, all things considered, but unfortunately our short US dollar positions (vs. everything), our JPYNZD & CHFAUD carry trades have also not performed to forecasted expectations, and both our our long-only, and zero-exposure long vs. short commodity baskets have imploded with a rapidity that would even frighten Taleb to vows of silence. Oh, and if that weren't enough, our gold and silver longs, too, have gone south as if trying to re-embed themselves in the ground, whilst the short Russell-2000 ETFs we've been using as a hedge have been behaving all-too priapically. These losses of course are not as bad - relatively speaking - as some of our peers (who regretfully are no longer in business) and should of course be viewed in the proper context of our delft avoidance of long exposure in the worst of the RMBS and CMBS sectors, our eschewing of becoming a CDO issuer/manager, and our resolve to avoid anything denominated in Icelandic Kronor. Unfortunately we still have a large (leveraged) position in high-yielding cov-lite loans, US sub-prime credit-card-backed receivables for which we remain unable to obtain sensible bids at levels near to where our auditors and administrators agreed that we should pay our prior year's incentive fees. Only our long Japanese REIT portfolio and our unlisted fund of Spanish Olive Groves have held their ground, though regretfully we refrained from hedging the currency risk, and so these too, are now in the red and eroding rapidly.

We have no explanation, since our trades are systematically based upon doing what others are doing (only, hopefully, faster... though, in this instance, not fast enough). Nor do we offer you apologies. You [presumably] knew the risks, and felt the glory (if only for a while). We do lament the the now-sky-high high-water mark, and the absence of performance fees (this year).

Finally, saving the best for last, we will be suspending redemptions as per the Force Majeure clause 6(c)-2 of the Private Placement Information Memorandum of the Fund. We trust you'll agree that only something supernatural could have torpedoed such a finely constructed portfolio put together by the best and the brightest Wall St. has to offer.

Yours sincerely,

Hugh G. Fallis - Managing Partner
ACME Systematic Leveraged Macro Momentum Fund LP

Lehman Bankrupt, AIG on the Brink

2008-09-17T22:56:00.004+01:00

Yesterday Lehman Bros filed for bankruptcy. Price came down 93% since 1-year ago. Today, I'm jolly pleased that Barclays (who walked away from talks to buy Lehman) came back to renegotiate especially the broker-dealer side. That helped a bit. But then another tragedy wacked us today. AIG, the biggest insurer in the world, is in the brink of bankruptcy due to sub-prime mortgage. The stock price crashed by 95% from over USD70 a share to around USD3 a share. So the Federal Reserve had to come up with an USD80 billion rescue package to avoid AIG filing for bankruptcy today. Gosh! That's why they say - The bigger you are, the harder you fall.

How big is AIG? Picture this: its total asset was worth USD 1 trillion. Note that the US GDP is around USD 13 trillion, making AIG’s asset about 7% of US GDP. AIG employs over 100,000 worldwide spanning 5 continents.

So thanks to the US tax payers, another major catstrophy in the financial world has been avoided. But wait a minute .. isn't it more like the rest of the world esp. Japan & China, who are financing this deal? Picture this - Fed need electronic money to finance this rescue (you call it "rescue" if its developed market, and "bail out" when its developing markets like Malaysia), the Fed will issue more bonds (which essentially are debts) which are mostly snapped up by countries with high savings rate like Asian countries. Hmmm .. might as well I go and ask Khazanah to do the bailing out.

Now, where's that small kitab? I need to go talkin kan my equity portfolio.

Ramadan Potluck

2008-09-15T21:30:00.008+01:00

It was a fine Sunday, fit for a barbeque. But it's Ramadan .. what are we to do? Potluck iftar of course. Our house is the venue & just need to masak nasi and sup ekor/ox tail.

We got Dell, Mas & Co, Rosli, Rahiyah & Huda, the Malaysia Airlines families: Asmadi - Aniza, Baha - Ana, Ros. Plus all trailers a.k.a askars. Sam, Linda & Co - absent with apologies.

Kids - either playing games or watching Camp Rock.

Food: nasi, sup ekor, ayam masak lomak cili api, fried chicken for kids, urab, ikan bakar, sayur gorreng, roti jala, serimuka durian flavoured, ikan bilis cili

More Food: tembikai, blackberry, cara goreng, agar2 buah, tiramisu. Gallons of mango lassi, juices, teh tarik, nescafe tarik etc.
In other words - kenyang ya amat laa ..

Girls on Film

Posing in kitchen (Aniza using Shasya as tummy cover .. tau tak pe .. kih kih)

Baha the penglipur lara: corruption stories - slow2, nanti kena ISA!!

Khusyuk dengar cerita airport & immigration
(Note: Poster behind Asmadi is a cover for Nat's grafitti)

Nothing to do with anything. This is today's kueh bom. Just happy its now quite round, not penjong like last week's. Where last week, true to its name - kueh bom ni melotup-lotup, terus jadi ghope labu Sayong.

Popia Basah Day

2008-09-11T14:09:00.005+01:00

Wanted to make popia basah & black pepper beef for iftar today, so needed to find a few things like: tauge, carrot, flour, shiitake mushroom, leek .. mmm, that's about it. So headed for Sainsbury's - coz parking is free.

But, its Ramadan .. so in the end, its the tummy who does all the shopping. A trolleyful at last.

Nafsu

So, got home & started on the popia. Now I know why the popia basah mamak infront of the small Giant Kelana Jaya is so good. The kulit is hand made! My hands & the pan were so messy just now.

Work in Progress

Inventory

Finished product for "export" (to Sam & Linda and Zamri & Maswa)

And finally - the black pepper beef, masin sket - so repair just before b'buka. Cantik kuali kan?

24

2008-09-11T01:09:00.003+01:00

Market is ruthless. The bear ate my profits like nobody's business. I wish I could just go away on holiday for 1-month. Then come back & resume work. Umm, like its gonna get any better. The truth is I think it's gonna stay this way for the next 6 months. Pure torture.

Meetings during Ramadan .. hmmm.. I try my best to avoid. Coz I just don't know when the tummy is gonna growl. Like this afternoon, I think Alex heard the growlings, hence her questions about Ramadan.

Just completed Season 2 of 24. Thrilling! Very interesting depiction of White House management. Season 1 is almost like what's happening in the US at the moment, where a black senator (David Palmer = Obama) is in a race for the Presidency of the USA. Season 2 is quite wicked, full of conspiracies. Totally worth it.

Now, I should get some sleep before sahur. Nat's teacher is coming for a home visit tomorrow.

The Admirable Exercise of Restraint

2008-09-04T09:16:00.004+01:00

It's getting chilly nowadays. The office has the heater on .. emmm .. ramad lah pulak. Coz its dry and I long for a gulp of cold diet coke .. fizzzzz!! Aaah .. ok ok, lets ponder an old article by Bro Rehman .. (I do not share some of his interpretations though .. anyway read on, a good article)

THE ADMIRABLE EXERCISE OF RESTRAINT
By : Rehman Rashid

RAMADAN commemorates the time of year during which the man who would
be the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad bin Abdullah, peace be upon him,
took his annual retreat into the hills behind Mecca to fast and
meditate in a spiritual cleansing.

About three weeks into that seclusion in the year 610, Muhammad
underwent the shattering experience that marked the commencement of
the Revelation of the Holy Quran — the affirmation and seal of the
great message of Abraham (Q3:95).

Ever since, Ramadan has been observed by Muslims as a month of dawn-
to-dusk fasting, prayer and spiritual observance (Q2:184-185). The
classical Arabic word for this abstinence is siyam or sawm. It refers
to a condition of stillness, expressing an ideal tranquility of mind,
heart and soul.

A mundane interpretation of the Fast says it is meant to remind
Muslims of what it feels like to be poor and hungry. To some extent
this is valid (though millions of Muslims would need no such
reminder), but the Fast is much deeper. It seeks to cleanse the
physical body by asserting the discipline of the will. As such,
fasting is an exercise in transcendence.

Yet, Ramadan is not meant to be a sequestered, joyless time. The
duties of life are not to be forgone; work continues by day, if at a
gentler pace to allow for leaner fuel. By night, families are meant
to commune at the Breaking of Fast, and married couples are
encouraged to intimacy (Q2:187) — many Muslim cultures consider
children conceived during the month of Ramadan to be doubly blessed.

Most of all, Ramadan is a time for the suspension of hostilities. The
Quran is too knowing of human nature blithely to call for peace and
goodwill, but for this one month, there was to be no warring.
Instead, antagonists were to reflect on themselves in contemplation
of who they are, what they are intended to do, how they are to do it,
and above all, why (Q4:94).

Ramadan is a time of contemplation towards clarity; of the analysis
of motives and deeds.

The 22nd or 23rd night of the month is known as Laylat Al-Qadr,
the "Night of Power" marking what is believed to be the actual
anniversary of the Revelation; of the conjoining of Heaven and Earth
for the salvation of Man. At this time, those who have most
diligently observed the Fast engage in night-long vigils of prayer
and meditation, with their physical constitutions cleansed and their
consciences clear and open to insight and epiphany.

A week or so later, with the sighting of the new moon, Ramadan ends
in the most important festival of the Muslim year — a day or two
spent in soulful memory of the departed, communal prayers, charitable
acts and festive family gatherings.

Ramadan is, therefore, a crucial annual check in the cycle of life.
Observed as it should be, each year includes a month in which
humanity pauses for a stock-taking and "spring-cleaning" of the
individual soul, and of the societies formed of them. In this noblest
of months, there is no place for negative thoughts — except insofar
as they can be seen for what they are, and pondered upon for
realisation, repentance, and forgiveness.

For all these reasons, the simple sacrifice of food and drink never
seems to be so great as to merit much fuss. Think of it as having an
earlier breakfast and skipping lunch, no big deal.

But, as Bob Marley observed, "a hungry man is an angry man". A
definite crabbiness does come with an empty belly — which is all the
more reason to welcome the discipline of fasting as a reminder to not
be such a grump about it. (Besides, Marley was referring to hunger
caused by repression, corruption and bigotry, not a passing
peckishness.)

In sum, though, the fundamental ethos of Ramadan is one of retreat.
Some take this literally, opting to take their annual leave off work
to ease back on the throttle and glide a loftier trajectory; perhaps
even spending the month in the Holy Land at this very special time of
year.

For most, the "retreat" has to be more internal than actual; furling
the sails to rest on calmer, more reflective waters.

In search of those calmer waters, there are certain places that are
best avoided during the fasting month. Pre-eminent among them are
the "food courts" of shopping malls and the buka puasa buffets of
hotels.

The final hour of the fasting day is perforce the longest and
hardest, hypoglycaemia being what it is. Remaining calm, therefore,
may be hardest of all when witnessing what happens in that hour in
such places during Ramadan.

They fill to overflowing with Muslims sitting at tables with their
dinners piled high before them congealing on their plates, ice
melting in their tumblers, tea cooling in their cups, waiting in dry-
mouthed and glazed-eyed anticipation for the call of the Azan, not to
pray but to eat.

What's worse, this never happens at any other time of year, when the
call to prayer means exactly that.

True, it is proper to break one's fast at the appointed time, but
this was supposed to be done with a piece of bread or fruit and a
drink of water prior to prayer, with a leisurely and hopefully
convivial dinner to follow. This is a perfectly sound dietary regimen
while fasting; gently restoring fodder to depleted alimentary systems.

Suddenly shoving a kilo of dates, rice, curry, satay, meat,
vegetables, lobster thermidor and air bandung down a parched throat
into an empty stomach, however, can play havoc with the system. Blood
drains from the head to the gut to deal with the sudden engorgement,
blood-sugar levels skyrocket, and the brain is left stuporous.

That the blessed hour of Maghrib throughout the holy month of Ramadan
in this country is now associated with such public spectacles of
preposterous gluttony — for an obsession with food to be the hallmark
of the fasting month — is a riddle to be contemplated with detachment
(Q42:37).

To all Muslims everywhere: Peace and Coolness be upon Thee. Enjoy the
month. Selamat Berbuka Puasa. (Q5:93.)

Indonesian Passport Extension

2008-09-03T21:56:00.002+01:00

Part of my 1st day of Ramadan was spent at the Indonesian Consular, getting Kak Yah's passport expiry extended.

The location is at Adam's Row, W1K near Grosvenor Square (where the Indonesian Embassy is: 38 Grosvenor Square, London W1K 2HW, Tel: 020 7499 7661).
It looks kinda like a back lane! However I must say I was pleased to see that there's no queue! Not like the Indonesian Embassy in KL. The office is smallish with a just a few row of seats (3 rows x 6 kot), nothing like the Malaysian Immigration/Consular office. Machine ambik nombor pun kong!

This office is for those who decide to visit instead of mail their application for:
Renewal of passport/New passport.
Extension of passport expiry.
Visa to Indonesia.
Registration of new births.

Official times are:
10.30 - 13.30 Submission
14.30 - 16.00 Collection

Anyway, the officer was sempoy .. semua boleh. Among others:
Q: Bisa buat bayaran bila buat collection Pak?
A: Boleh

Q: Boleh fax kan saja bank statement?
A: Boleh

Q: Can my father fax his bank statement?
A: Can

Yang tak boleh: Pay by Cash. From 24 July 2007, the policy is to only accept payment either by postal order or bank draft.

So how to extend passport?
1. Fill in form (formulir) for extension, get it here (Form_Perpanjangan_Paspor)

2. If you are an Indonesian but yet to register your existence with the Embassy, you are required to fill in this form (include 1 passport photo),get it here (Form_Registrasi)

3. Write your details in the "black book" (register)

Wallah! That's it. Then you wait if there's not many people. Kak Yah's passport took about half hour from the point of submission. Best if you pre-fill all those forms. And extension is free!

Then we went back for iftar - mee kari!!! Yiihaaa!
Tapi nak tunggu 7.48 pm tu .. hmmm .. tengok movie la, Simpson la, exercise la.
Nasib baik la makin lama makin cepat Maghrib bulan pose nie.

Ramadhan

2008-08-31T23:20:00.005+01:00

2:183. Hai orang-orang yang beriman, diwajibkan atas kamu berpuasa sebagaimana diwajibkan atas orang-orang sebelum kamu agar kamu bertakwa.

The London Central Mosque has announced that, the first month of Ramadhan is confirmed to be on the 1st September 2008.

Selamat menyambut Ramadhan Mubarak kepada semua.

Seperti kebiasaan, setiap tahun akan ada saja isu mula puasa tidak sama hari. Ini kerana ada negara guna falak, ada negara lihat anak bulan. Alangkan satu negara pun tidak sama jika berlainan area. Macam di UK, Egham where my home is, and Croydon (Khalil & Jai's homes) - puasa dan raya selang sehari last 2 years.

I am amazed that this phenomenon keeps popping up year in year out. Not unlike the terawih 8 rakaat vs 20 rakaat debate. Oh ya, by the way, terawih tu sembahyang sunat, meaning - tak buat pun tak dapat dosa. I suppose new technologies can pinpoint the day anak bulan will emerge, if not the second. So, on that score - actually its a non-issue if you use technology.

BTW, we have been so hard up on this precision of when to start and end Ramadhan all our life. However, looking at Al-Baqarah 2:183 (translation above) - it clearly says puasa is wajib "sebagaimana diwajibkan atas orang-orang sebelum kamu ". This means before me and you, there were people which fasting is ordained e.g. our parents, grandparents, forefathers .. etc. going back to Rasulullah. And since this ayat was first delivered to Rasulullah, it means before him, there were people ordained to fast too. Perhaps Nabi: Isa, Musa, Ibrahim, Noh .. all the way to Adam.

Fact:
1. All of believers (orang2 yg beriman) must puasa/siam (as in "kutiba alai kumussiam")
2. Puasa is in the month/period of Ramadhan (2:185)

The Islamic Calendar, which is based purely on lunar cycles, was first introduced in 638 by the close companion of Rasulullah cum the second Caliph, Umar ibn Al-Khattab (592-644). He did it in an attempt to rationalize the various, at times conflicting, dating systems used during his time. Umar consulted with his advisors on the starting date of the new Muslim chronology. It was finally agreed that the most appropriate reference point for the Islamic calendar was the Hijrah. The actual starting date for the Calendar was chosen (on the basis of purely lunar years, counting backwards) to be the first day of the first month (1 Muharram) of the year of the Hijrah.

Fact:
3. Rasulullah - Nabi Muhammad (lifetime - circa: 570 Mekah – June 8, 632 Madinah)
4. Hijrah calendar created after his death by Saidina Umar Al-Khattab.

Therefore, how do "orang-orang sebelum kamu (Muhammad)" fast in Ramadhan, when Ramadhan was established - say, for Nabi Isa, about 638 years after his birth?

Interesting question innit?

So lets all not get too uptight about the timing of the month & events.

Ramadhan is time to:
1. Refresh our faith
2. Reflect on how Rasululah & his companions "puasa dunia" to achieve what we are enjoying today.
3. Reflect and find ways to improve the lives of the unfortunate ones among us.

Salam Ramadhan.

Isle of Wight

2008-08-27T23:51:00.006+01:00

Went to Isle of Wight for 3D 2N Wednesday to Friday.
Excellent! Beautiful island!
Some pics.
This is the Ferry (St Catherine) we took from Portsmouth to IoW. Damage: about £71 (depending of headcount). Once parked, everybody must go up to the lounge or wherever as long as not in the car. View on a good day is superb.

This is the Needles - the name 'Needles' is believed to have been derived from a slender tapering rock pinnacle which was formerly situated a little to the north (i.e. on the Alum Bay side) of the present central rock. This needle-shaped rock, about 120ft high and known as 'Lot's Wife' collapsed into the sea in 1764 with a crash which was said to have been heard many miles away! The stump of this pinnacle can still be seen at low water where it forms a dangerous reef.

URTV Moment

Alum Bay is rocky and the sands are of many colours. Going down to the beach - you can either walk down or take the chair lift. We chose to walk down .. jimat sket beb! Beach is not sandy however, but made of pebbles! Close your eyes & listen to the pebbles knocking each other with the ebb & flow of the sea. I like.

Needles Park - kind of a mini park. Check out the sand store .. fill in souvenir glasses with colourful sands of Alum Bay. See how glasses are made. Play mini golf. Layaaannn!

Sandown: Dino Isle - IOW is one of the world's great dinasour localities. Probably the 4th richest dinasour localities in the world. I think about 15 species were found on this island. This Dino Isle is rather small but full of info on dinasour.

Sandown Beach - quite a nice beach. But nothing compared to Tioman lah. This portion of the beach is just infront of Dino Isle, ada jetty.

Ventnor - ramai gak orang but beach is full of sea weed plus its sand is reddish. Sandown sand better.

I count at least 12 layers of building structure starting from the street level. Reminds me of Switzerland.

Shanklin - a lot of old houses like this in Shanklin. Dell told me the beach here is better than Sandown. Tak sempat nak pegi beach.

Ryde - singgah before leaving for Portsmouth (from Fishbourne Ferry jetty). Had lunch at Alexanders .. pekena Fish & Chips last kopek.

Paling Kodi

2008-08-22T21:24:00.005+01:00

Been away a few days. Checking out the Isle of Wight - Cool!

Something to ponder on a Friday (courtesy from Amali)

At-Tiin

95:4 Sesungguhnya Kami telah menciptakan manusia dalam bentuk yang sebaik-baiknya.
95:5 Kemudian Kami kembalikan dia ke tempat yang serendah-rendahnya.
95:6 kecuali orang-orang yang beriman dan mengerjakan amal saleh; maka bagi mereka pahala yang tiada putus-putusnya.

Terdesak

2008-08-20T00:05:00.002+01:00

Found this while surfing .. ye lah, agaknya Kampong Jubai tak de internet. Kalau tak, boleh cuba online match making sites.

Any takers?

Wish List - Masjid

2008-08-15T02:35:00.002+01:00

(pic cilok from cibil - boleh kan...?)

A friend asked me one time, for some possible things to do at his area's newly formed masjid (in Bangi) so that it attracts youngsters to frequent the joint.

To me, we should bring it back to what it was before. Masjid is pusat ibadah (which includes administering/governing) - isn't god kingdom heaven & earth, and we are the governors (for the earth portion at least). Where best to govern if not from masjid. So I proposed some ideas to him, among others:

1. Learnings, kuliah subuh not just on Islamic studies/feqah/tauhid stuff, but also on economics, how to participate in stock markets. How to read annual reports and those accounting stuff.

2. Saturdays - entrepreneurship seminars - minimal fee/perhaps sponsored by tabung masjid/lecturer takes minimal token (duit minyak - aloo minyak mahal woo!)

3. Games in compounds of masjid - Hmmm, what kind? How about takraw, volleyball, badminton, tennis (if compound big enough), basket ball. Only after Asar, and 20 minutes before azan maghrib stop game - kalau tak, sunat kan lagi sekali sekor2.

4. Cafe, wifi - ok, pushing it.

5. Library - full ok, not just buku agama. Macamana nak jadi ahlil kitab, kalau tak baca kitab.

6. Site for Kids Camp (call it Khemah Pimpinan Ibadat if u want to), where kids get thought about life, some history of the world - esp. the part how the Muslims got to such a low level today, leadership, purpose of life, unity

and all this, non-muslims can join too. We want to bring unity, not dis-unity remember? Ya ayyuhannas remember? Islam is for everyone, not our copyright.

But at the end of the day if I remember correctly, that masjid turned out like the ones we already have. Sigh! .. so much for asking for ideas...

On another note, a write up by a guy named Hamizul on Masjid & kids here and a good article by SS Dr Asri here

Running Right

2008-08-13T00:33:00.003+01:00

Its summer and its olympic time (Everybody's secretly admiring those athletes' bodies huh? And wishing to somehow get those bodies within one miraculous week) So, must do something kan? Perfect timing for running, even at 2000 just before CSI starts. We get loads of advice on diets but on running? Quite rare I must say. So, ciloked from a mag, these are the things I should remember when I run.

HEAD
What you do Run with your eyes firmly focused on your feet. After all, you don’t know what’s down there.
What you should do Your head weighs 3-4½ kg, and looking down brings the weight of your head forwards, throwing the spine out of alignment. Your eyes should look at the ground between 10 and 30m in front of you, even when that pretty lass speeds past.

SHOULDERS
What you do Like a coil, wound up tight and ready to spring, you run with your shoulders hunched up somewhere around your ears.
What you should do Let those shoulders hang loose. Hunched shoulders waste energy and restrict your movement. A slight rotation of the shoulder girdle is normal and counterbalances the rotation of the hips.

ARMS
What you do Forget about your arms while you run. They could be doing the hand jive for all you know.
What you should do Imagine your arms are pistons propelling you forwards, with elbows bent close to 90 degrees. Move them in a forwards-backwards direction. Use more arm power when running hard, and less when jogging.

CHEST
What you do As you tire (about five minutes in for us), you can’t resist the urge to lean forwards, sinking towards the ground.
What you should do Keep your chest open. Think upwards and forwards, as if you had a string tied to your breastbone, drawing you forwards. But don’t bend from the waist.HIPS What you do Drag your feet along while you run, so your legs don’t lift up very high and don’t bend behind you much either. Your quads (thighs) and hip fl exors are doing the work instead of your hamstrings and gluteals. What you should do Visualise rolling your hips underneath you, so your bum isn’t sticking out. Running with your hips forward will improve your knee drive.

PELVIS
What you do ‘Sit in the bucket’. Meaning you run with your bum pushed out and an excessive arch in the lumbar spine. If you get hooted at by white-van drivers, this could be you.
What you should do Picture your pelvis as a bucket full of water – tip it and you’ll spill its contents, so keep it as level as possible. This requires strength and fl exibility in your core area and lower back.

HIPS
What you do Drag your feet along while you run, so your legs don’t lift up very high and don’t bend behind you much either. Your quads (thighs) and hip fl exors are doing the work instead of your hamstrings and gluteals.
What you should do Visualise rolling your hips underneath you, so your bum isn’t sticking out. Running with your hips forward will improve your knee drive.

KNEES
What you do To look like you’re working really hard, you bound along, all height and no pace.
What you should do Lifting your knees results in a wasteful bouncing motion that stresses the joints. The knee-lift is about driving the leg forwards, not up. Taking quick, light steps will help you do this.

FEET
What you do Your feet slap loudly on the pavement, but you simply drown it out with a bit of Bon Jovi.
What you should do If your feet land heavily you may be overstriding. At touchdown your foot should be under your centre of gravity, not in front of the knee. Avoid clenching your toes and deliberately springing off your toes too.

(By Sam Murphy and Sarah Connors)

Manalah tau kan, buat selalu2 badan boleh jadi cam ni. Mimpi la woy .. hi hiii..

Friday 08.08.08 China Olympic

2008-08-08T21:39:00.004+01:00

Let the Games Beijing

It's Friday. I love Fridays.
Today, while monitoring the yo-yo market, we watched the most elaborate, most spectacular opening ceremony for an olympic games ever. The Chinese are determined to show the world that they are a new Superpower to be reckoned with. Simply superb show!

We even rushed back from our Friday prayer, apart from a quick take out visit to the Chicken Cottage at Old St. to be back at the office to continue watching the flamboyant show.

Friday. I was told once by somebody that we, the Muslims created Friday as our "holy" day to compete with the Jews whose holy day is Saturday, and the Christians, Sunday.

Basically, this Friday business came from the 62nd surah of the Al Quran (AQ), Al Jumu'ah which means Friday. The Friday prayer came from Ayat 9 of the same Surah as follows:

[62:9] O ye who believe! When the call is heard for the prayer of the day of congregation, haste unto remembrance of Allah and leave your trading. That is better for you if ye did but know. (Marmaduke Pickthall)

(Hai orang-orang beriman, apabila diseru untuk menunaikan shalat Jum'at, maka bersegeralah kamu kepada mengingat Allah dan tinggalkanlah jual beli. Yang demikian itu lebih baik bagimu jika kamu mengetahui. - Uthmani Version -)

This is true if "solawati min yawmil jumuati" means "the call is heard for the prayer on Friday". Note that Marmaduke Pickthall translated Jumuati as "the day of congregation".

Some critics says that the meaning of the word YAWM in the Quran can vary from one context to another but the main meaning or the essence of this word is in something that deals with time. It can mean when, then, during, day, period of time, time and etc. i.e. not necessarily "day". (YAWM is mentioned > 400 times in AQ)

Also, they say it is rather queer for Arabs to use Al Jumu'ah or Jumuati to refer to the day Friday. Since it is common for them to use numbers to indicate days i.e. day 1 means Sunday (wahid), day 2 - Monday (ithnani), and hence Friday is very commonly termed as Day 6, not Jumu'ah. Just like Bruneians (if I'm not mistaken) who refers to days as Hari Satu, Hari Dua ...

So, should "min yawmil jumuati" be taken as "in/during a time of congregation" as opposed to “on the day of congregation", the translation becomes:

“O you who believe, when the call is made for salat, in/during the time of congregation, haste unto remembrance of Allah and leave your trading. That is better for you if ye did but know.”

Hence, if the time of congregation refer to events like marriage, conferences, businesses, fairs etc, where does Friday prayer comes?

Anyway, that's what I read & study, purely from AQ of course. But to me the congregation on Fridays is such a superb way of conveying messages (needs to be contemporary of course) to the Muslim masses - either localised message or a uniformed message throughout the nation or even the world. It's like a mass e-mail message sent to all Muslim contacts.

That said, I like Fridays. And today, the Chinese just made my Friday.

Briani Diana, Special Branch & Generosity

2008-08-06T20:56:00.005+01:00

When in KL, once in a while I'll get this phone call, either from my insurance broker buddy - Joel or my politician-in-the-making buddy, Doc Fitter. Reason being: ajak makan kat Diana Nasi Beriani

Its a stall located at the Taman Melawati business district (that's what I call it lah - pandai2 bagi nama). Alah, area across jalan besar from Giant tu. Anyway, everytime pi .. sure angkat kambing, ayam goreng, ayam pedas and may be just for the heck of it, daging. Memang superb! Conversation usually turns to politics and business.

There's another location nearby, which kambing is reputedly better than this, but Doc said the rice at Diana is better. Once in a while, as usual you get beggars and some sellers selling things that needs persuasion before they can be bought. Sidetrack: Most people would try their best to avoid these people, but Abang Rip, my biras - will call these people and ask them, "Eh, adik jual apa tu?". Contrast betul lah manusia nih.

Sometimes you get one guy berboleng with only shirts on, fingernails with dirt from god knows where, body & face bercalit2 like he's just completed an engine overhaul. Not to mention the hair .. macam tak mandi seminggu. Sometimes we give him cigarettes or ask him whether he wants to eat. Usually he's content with the cigarette. But Doc Fitter warned, its not unusual for Special Branch officers to be incognito like this and loiter around to listen to what people are talking about at public places.

I guess so, coz I have one ex-Special Branch officer friend whom I know spent 2 months in Arqam, spotting the Taliban beard, turban, green jubah .. the works.
So, the next time you see somebody whose screw is a bit loose, don't be stingy. If you continually give, you will continually have.

Liga Super Perdana Malaysia

2008-08-05T10:44:00.006+01:00

Can't bring myself not to post this. Kelakow ..

Selepas kita menyaksikan aksi pemain Eropah dari kelab Chelsea mengalahkan
pasukan

Malaysia

2-0 di Stadium Shah Alam minggu lepas,

Malaysia

sekali
lagi bakal menyaksikan aksi sebuah kelab bolasepak ternama dari Tanah
Malaya 1969, BN Athletic dalam siri jelajahnya ke Permatang Pauh
pertengahan Ogos ini sebagai persediaan sebelum musim baru Liga Perdana
Pakatan Rakyat bermula 16 September depan. BN Athletic bakal melayan tuan
rumah, Anwar FC di Permatang Pauh pertengahan bulan ini

Pasukan ini bakal dibarisi pemain-pemain bertenaga hasil gabungan dari
pemain berpengalaman dan baru. Menurut pengurusnya, Sir Abdullah Badawi
pasukan beliau akan menggunakan formasi yang pelik dan tidak penah
digunakan oleh mana-mana kelab di dunia ini. Beliau mempertaruhkan formasi
0-6-4 ketika menentang Anwar FC nanti iaitu tidak menggunakan pertahanan.
Berikut adalah line-up kesebelasan utama BN Athletic :-

Goalkeeper - Ahmad Shabery Cheek.  Menjaga benteng pertahanan terakhir pasukan
sama ada membenarkan stesen TV menyiarkan keputusan perlawanan atau tidak
jika pasukannya tewas di tangan Anwar FC atau menyembunyikan keputusan
tersebut. Mampu menangkis rembatan pasukan lawan kerana beliau selalu
meludah lebihan air liurnya untuk disapukan ke kedua-dua glove tangannya
supaya bola melekat.

Right Midfielder – Syed Hamid Albar . Kemahiran menanduk bola adalah senjata
utamanya kerana kilauan pada kepalanya mampu membuatkan pemain lawan silau.
Ini membuatkan pihak lawan keliru dan sering tertukar menendang kepala
beliau atau bola.

Left Midfielder – Musa Hassan . Selalu menyimpan senjata mainan seperti
pistol, water canon, belantan dalam poket seluarnya ketika berada di padang
permainan walaupun telah dimarahi penonton sebelum ini. Jerseynya ditempah
khas dengan membuat poket ditepi semata-mata mahu menyimpan gari untuk
digunakan ketika bermain.

Central Midfielder – Abdul Gani Patail . Pemain ini terkenal kerana sering
mempertikaikan keputusan pengadil. Sering mengeluarkan hujah-hujah ketika
berbalah dengan pengadil. Pernah mengumpul koleksi kad merah dan tiket
kapal terbang MAS ketika beliau sering berulang-alik ke Terengganu
menyelesaikan kes lempar batu dari penonton.

Central Midfielder – Pirdaus Ismail . Memiliki tendangan kaki yang padu dan
kuat dan sering dibandingkan dengan pemain Eropah lain seperti Francesco
Totti. Mampu menendang selaju 124.2 m/s ke gawang lawan. Apabila ditanya
rahsia memiliki tendangan kuat itu, beliau memberitahu wartawan beliau
berlatih menendang tong sampah ketika pilihan raya.

Defensive Midfielder – Najib Razak ( C4 )  Ketua pasukan yang digeruni pihak
lawan kerana sering mengugut pemain lawan dengan ancaman bom dan bunga api.
Latihan ala ketenteraan beliau banyak membantu mempertingkatkan skill
mengelecek bola. Diarahkan pengurus pasukan supaya menjaga pergerakan
kapten Anwar FC nanti.

Attacking Midfielder – Abdul Rashid Abd Rahman. Pelik tapi benar. Beliau
merupakan pemain BN Athletic utama tetapi dalam masa yang sama dilantik
menjadi pengadil prlawanan. Banyak mempengaruhi kemenangan BN Athletic
musim lepas sehingga turun divisyen dan kerap membatalkan gol yang
dijaringkan pihak lawan kerana penjaga golnya tidak bersedia.

Centre Forward – Noh Omar.  Pemain yang berani tapi takut. Macam mana tu?
Beliau memiliki mulut yang lantang bercakap di sidang media sahaja. Tapi
apabila beraksi di padang, BN Athletic seolah-olah bermain 10 orang.
Kelibatnya jarang kelihatan di padang. Pernah melabelkan kapten Anwar FC
bukan anak jantan disebabkan bermain di Stadium Permatang Pauh bukan di
Stadium Tertutup Tanjung Karang.

Centre Forward – Shahrir Samad . Bakal turun sebagai penggempur utama kerana
kelebihan memiliki simpanan minyak yang lebih. BN Athletic betul-betul
memerlukan pemain sepertinya kerana pandai mencurahkan lebihan minyak
subsidi rakyat di tengah-tengah padang permainan dengan tujuan supaya
pemain pihak lawan licin dan terjatuh. Rambut putih ala-ala Beckham beliau
banyak membantu menaikkan populariti beliau musim ini.

Striker – Ezam Md. Noor . Perpindahan penyerang prolifik ini dari kelab
lamanya Anwar FC banyak menimbulkan tanda tanya berikutan perjanjian harga
perpindahan yang dirahsiakan. Bagaimanapun penyerang ini yang mampu
menyumbat gol dari sudut sukar mempunyai kelebihan mengawal bola di dalam
kotak-kotak penalti. Berapa banyak kotak daaaa… 

Striker – Saiful Bukhari ( Terbaru). Penyerang muda ini sekarang menjadi
rebutan kelab-kelab ternama eropah berikutan penyebaran gambarnya dengan
ejen-ejen kuasa besar bolasepak eropah. Bakal menggempur pertahanan Anwar
FC nanti dengan trademark tendangan menggunakan punggungnya yang dipanggil 'reverse ass kick'.

Sepi

2008-08-02T17:00:00.005+01:00

Its Malaysia Week 2008 in London, this year at Potters Field Park (which nobody knows where!). Actually its right next to City Hall or on the other side, the Tower Bridge (yg org selalu mistaken as London Bridge). Well, should've advertised these 2 main landmarks .. sambil2 pergi Tower Bridge, boleh makan satay ye dak?

Anyway, bergenu Batik stalls & a few crafts stalls. Food stalls - Malay House, Bonda Cafe, Holiday Villa, Sate House & Awana. All selling crap masak-pukal food at profiteering price, instead of "promotion" (for Malaysia) price.

Jei, anak Mak Cik Melah i.e. Ann's cousin is around too, manning (OK sounds sexist, change to womanning) the No 5 stall i.e. Yayasan Budi Penyayang a.k.a. Batik Sri Hendon. Hmm .. alaa yang Nori punya tuu. I suppose a lot of people breeze through but don't buy anything (okay, a batik tie may be). Also I receive a suggestion that may be we could arrange with a bank to enable credit card users to pay. Well, a nyonya kebaya easily cost £50 - £80, and not everybody walks with that kind of money okay.

And, coming to the title of this entry .. I had the opportunity to tuang kerja after lunch (due to invitation) to go to Odeon Covent Garden to watch the film "Sepi". Oooh! Vanida Imran was gorgeous!! Maya Karin was there too. So were Apek & Riezman. Sungguh teruja tengok V!! Pas tu sign autograph untuk gua dengan penuh syahdu plak tu.

OK, forget V, she's married .. alaaahai. The film is about 2 lonesome guys, Adam (Afdlin Shauki) Sufi (Tony Eusoff) & a playwright writer, newcomer Baizura Kahar as Imaan. Director is Kabir Bhatia. Tak kuasa nak recap, so you can read about it here.

I find it brilliant, as good as a classy Korean movie, worthy to be shown overseas. Cinematography great, class acting (with some can improve some more lah kan), story line - how the 3 characters cross each others' lives & the twist at the end, class. So overall, I like lah.

Tapi .. still can't get V out of my mind. Arggghhh!!

Live With It

2008-07-29T18:17:00.004+01:00

Met Dr Nordstrom today .. and she just saw in my file that I was admitted at St Peter's itu hari. Explained about my fever & the instruction by Dr Murray to stop taking the antibiotics. She told me - she cannot administer the same thing, so I just have to live with it. Looked at the statistics on my liver, siap tanya, "Do you take alcohol?" Either it was sky high or I got the kaki botol look. Same with the blood samples - high jugerk. Giller nar Rifinah nih.

So I just have to be careful not to let my immune system down. Kalau tak, possible virus menyerang. Hmmm .. Live and let die lah kot?

Mak Long Has Been Called

2008-07-27T23:18:00.002+01:00

Mar & Diny called to inform about Mak Long, who passed on at about 1230 - 0100 M'sian time. May she be placed among the believers.

Spoke to Cik Nah shortly after knowing and she said it was almost the same as what happened when Abah passed on. Same thing, there were only two of them in the house at the time. It was also in July, 11 years ago.

Prayed for her & family to face this with patience & keredhaan.

Mak Long - somebody I believe could have been the likes of Tan Sri Datin Paduka Seri Dr. Aishah Ghani, had she got the chance to get the same kind of education and exposure.

Innalillahiwa-inna-ilaihirajiuun.

Unforgettable

2008-07-27T19:54:00.001+01:00

L is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you adore

He hee .. happy coz I bought Natalie Cole - Unforgettable CD for 10p today.

Jom Makan - 1st Visit After Launching

2008-07-26T16:34:00.002+01:00

Been a while since I saw Steve. Called him up and he suggested Jom Makan. Went to the joint with Jai at 1800. Met Steve there. Had Zain gave us a "Menu Tour". At last both me & Steve chose Lamb Briani while Jai had Nasi Ayam.

Verdict

Lamb Briani
OK, Khan's better - but of course lah kan.
The rice taste spiceous, same with the lamb. May be tone down a bit on the spice then better.
Dalca was good. Acar OK - may be a bit more pineapple would be nice.
Overall: 5.5/10

Nasi Ayam
Nasi - nice
Chicken (steamed) - nice. But no skin .. Arrrrgh! Slack la omputeh2 ni. Should have been roasted!
(Zain told us that this is one of the best sellers)
Sambal tak sempat rasa.
Kicap (soy sauce) taste like true kicap. Should make it more nasi-ayam-kicap-like if you know what I mean.
Overall: 7/10

Teh Tarik - Quite splendid
Mango Lychee juice - Steve had 2 of this, must be good.

Desert
Caramel - Splendid 8/10
Kuih ketayap - not moist enough, both the pan cake & the inti 3/10

Overall, I'm quite pleased with the menu (next time will try nasi goreng - smells nice! Also the satays.)
Ambiance is really good for talk-talk i.e. not so loud & comfy.
Patronage seems good, mostly couples. And 1 table booked for 10. Walk-ins quite many.

Seems like Jom Makan can take off, with better menu & improved cooking. I'll come again.

The Drain

2008-07-24T21:37:00.003+01:00

I take the train (South West) everyday and my final destination is London Waterloo. (And traveling cost goes up every year, damn!) From Waterloo I continue my journey via Underground: Waterloo - City Line a.k.a. The Drain. It's about 3 minutes plus trip ending at Bank station. Now, this is when things get a bit annoying for me.

Why the heck can't people who opt to take the left side of the escalator keep on walking once they reach the end of the escalator. Same thing whether at the top or at the bottom of the line. Does it mean that people suddenly get tired near the end of the trail? Irks me everytime.

Same thing in KL. Haven't people realised yet after so many years that you are supposed to stand on the left should you opt to stand instead of walk? But I notice very seldom people are in a hurry in KL (as compared with Londoners) so definitely most will opt to stand and let the escalator bring 'em up or down. The worst is at Sentral Station when you are in a hurry to catch the commuter and some d!€#head blocks the escalator (and right on top of his/her head there's this signboard telling you where to stand). Idiots!!

There .. that's my pet peeve of the week.

The Sorry Tale of Sir Roger

2008-07-22T23:43:00.003+01:00

The following strange story was relayed to me by John Montier.
In her intriguing book The Science of Sherlock Holmes, E.J. Wagner recounts the true tale of Sir Roger Tichborne. In 1854, Sir Roger was reported as lost at sea. His mother refused to believe that her son, whom she had lovingly raised in France, was gone forever. She kept putting out inquiries, asking for any news on her son.

Twelve years after the loss of Sir Roger, it appeared that Lady Tichborne's prayers had been answered. She received a letter from Australia (from a lawyer) claiming to have found her son. The letter explained that having been shipwrecked, Sir Roger eventually made his way to Australia, where he became involved in a series of business ventures after having vowed to make a success of himself following his miraculous escape. Unfortunately, the businesses did
not work as well as he had expected, and he had been too embarrassed to contact his mother.
However, he had recently seen her inquiries and was filled with remorse for the worry he had caused her over the years! The letter concluded with a request to send the money for the travel fare for Sir Roger, his wife and children.

Lady Tichborne was delighted to hear this news, and sent the relevant monies to allow for the family reunion. When Sir Roger arrived in England he was received by Lady Tichborne as her long lost son, and granted a stipend of £1,000 p.a. However, not all the Tichborne family were quite as convinced that this new arrival was indeed the real Sir Roger. After all they reasoned, Sir Roger had been a lithe man of slim frame, the new arrival was obese in the extreme (to see photographs go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tichborne_Claimant). While people can change their size, it is rare that tattoos disappear; Sir Roger had some, the new arrival had none. Nor is it easy to change one's eye colour, Sir Roger had blue eyes, the new arrival had brown eyes. He was also an inch taller than Sir Roger had been, didn't speak French (which Sir Roger did) and had a birth mark on his torso which Sir Roger didn't!

Somehow Lady Tichborne managed to ignore all this evidence. It was only after her death, that the family finally managed to show that the Australian import was an impostor. He ended up serving ten years for imposture and perjury.

Why I am recounting this tale of blindness to evidence? Well, it strikes me that human hopes a lot and most of the time are in denial.

In the investment world, investors hope markets will go up despite evidence otherwise.
Your job sucks, but you stay on in the hope that it'll get better and you'll learn to like it.
Your gf/bf is definitely not for you but you stay on with the hope that it will miraculously work out.

and so on and so forth.

World's Shortest Fairytale

2008-07-21T21:36:00.001+01:00

To my beloved wife who's been taking care of me the whole time I was sick & all the married ladies out there. Jangan menyesal yee..

Once upon a time, a guy asked a girl "Will you marry me?"

The girl said, "NO!"

And the girl lived happily ever after and went shopping, dancing, drank martinis, always had a clean house, never had to cook, did whatever she wanted, never argued, didn't get fat, travelled more, saved more money, and had all the hot water to herself. She watched chick flicks, not football, had high self esteem, never cried or yelled, felt and looked fabulous in tracksuit pants, and burped, and farted all the time…

The End

(Ori from Lindsey, Melbourne)

Back in Business

2008-07-14T22:07:00.003+01:00

Got locked away at St Peter's Hospital for 2 nights. Had 2 litres of IV drips. Popped up a few pills .. bangun pagi terus cun je. Dr Peter Murray told me to cut off my Rifinah 300. Tak tau la apa kata Dr Nordstrom nanti. Lantak dema.

First night bilik solo .. layan. Macam dok Ampang Putri. By 4pm next day they swapped me to the general ward (10 langkah je) .. sharing with six (hmm GH la pulak). There were Paul (70s) - lung puncture, when he walks he carries a tong with red fluid in it with him connected to his lung, Philip (60s) - Italiano mana tah, blurr je, Dennis (70s) - 2 broken legs, Laurie (80s) - donno what's his problem but never wanna eat at all except ice cream, and taraaa .. he's the only privilleged one who get to bathe in bed .. by the 2 beautiful shower girls and lastly, next to me Peter (60 -70) - cancer treatment. Cosmopolitan tu.

Hats off to the docs, nurses & staffs yang sanggup kerja kat St Peters which is always so busy.
Alhamdulillah I'm back.

p/s Mr Dentist, FYI I tried air zam zam before .. no effect.

X

2008-07-12T12:44:00.002+01:00

The tenth day. So far so good. May be a bit dedar time and again. But you'll never know. Like yesterday, I thought that was the last of it ... but nooo! It came like a tsunami in the afternoon. I woke up at 5 pm boiling, shaking and with boom & bangs in my head.

In fact, I think its starting .. I'm shaking & shivering. Better go.

Viral

2008-07-08T18:13:00.003+01:00

Today is the 6th day I'm down with this viral fever. Its really sickening (pun or no pun its really bad). I mean, I'll start getting heaty in the afternoon. By night time - full fledged fever. This is when I don't know what time it is, try to sleep but wake up every few minutes (or hour/s - I don't know the time right). Yesterday at 9 am I ate 3 spoon of nasi goreng (which to my taste bud was the worst in the world) .. and that's it - until 9 am today. Even the taste of water sucks.

Now, everytime I get this kind of fever, my brain always finds a way to torture itself. It is always preoccupied with objects, shapes. This time round the task it ask itself to do is:
To move a rock the size of Greater London to another location. Now, in between sipping water, waking up, Ann putting wet towels on me, and thinking its time to wake up to go to work when it's 10 pm - the mind really got confused, and I swear to god I really thought this was something I must do. How the hell was I suppose to do it? If I move it a few million people will have to evacuate to make space for this rock. And I'll probably need a crane the size of England to lift that rock. May be I can call the chairman of Caterpillar and ask him to make one for me. After 2 sleepless nights it dawned upon me: What's the point?

I suppose when a brain is confused you can tell it to believe, do or say anything you want.

Sounds familiar?

Sensible Eating

2008-07-03T20:22:00.000+01:00

I am feeling sick today. At the office just now my hands were heaty. And now its hot all over like the beginning of a fever. Could be the stress of the free falling stock markets. Could be something I ate. May be I should heed some advice on sensible eating that somebody just sent me . Here goes (Note: some of the advice are for non-muslims only kay :p)

Q. I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! .. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around themiddle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape! "BULAT IS IN!!!!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets. And remember:

'Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO, What a Ride!!!'

AND.....

For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION

Eat and drink what you like.
Being an American is what kills you. So if you a Melayu, jangan ragu ragu, balun!

Old Chaps - UK Eire Chapter

2008-07-03T00:10:00.004+01:00

Watched Fedex - Ancic at the office. Predictable. Then Nadal - Murray. Half way of the 1st set I left for M'sian Hall for a drink with some old chaps of my old school, Sekolah Melayu Jalan Stesen. Hey, we now have a UK-Eire Chapter. Thanks to bro Faizal who's the President (de facto? - I'm not sure coz I was in Birm when they had a lauching party last month) who did a lot of work to make this possible. I just helped a bit here and there.

There were: Faizal (Vintage 80), Jibon (V 83), Gumok (V 85), Ganole (V 85), me (V 85), Kazan (V 86), Ali (V 2002) and last but not least, Megat Said (V 72) - whose visit to this part of the world has been extended due to the unfortunate incident to his wife, who broke her thigh bone at St Pancras. Get well soon Kak.

We'll probably make this teh tarik session regular, to be on the 1st wednesday of each month. Hopefully at Tok Din's future outlet. Why? Cozz his Kue Tiaw kick ass! (Those who went to Brickendonbury last year for the Merdeka celebration would vouch for this).

Conversations unavoidably ended up on politics, and how sad it is that our leaders choose to squabble, using all tactics possible to step on each other. At the expense of us. The country is in the dumps .. hey, go govern man. Make Malaysia great again. The hot topic is Bro Anwar (V 64) and his aide's accusation. Well, who knows .. but Anwar should be gaining all the publicity this time round. Malaysia Kini's survey resulted in 94% not believing the accusation. Me - I think if its true, that must be one of the stupidest thing to do at this time. Sounds dumb though, a 5' 10'' - 6 footer guy who is 23 years old couldn't defend a 61 year-old's approach. Pakai Petronas Syntium apa?

Anyway, check out the hottest pic at the moment which I believe everybody must've seen.Forget Saiful. Check out Khairil Annas. I love your singlet man!