Kuroi yuukan na neko no monogatari X3...

Net-Affiliate Programmes.

2007-02-28T10:00:00.000+08:00

Check out some of these net-affiliate programmes. They're free, so you got nothing to lose.

Just take a look at them first, and see if you can benefit from any of them.

2007-01-29T10:23:00.000+08:00

Herbalife 1 Year Spectacular was a blast!... I have never had so much fun, in an environment so friendly, with so many wonderful people...

It was a 2-day even... The first day was a new product launch by Herbalife... It's a whole line of fantastic skin and facial care line called NouriFusion... Can't wait to get my hands on them... And it's quite affordable, too... RM216 for the basic package, and RM871 for the whole package... After the product launch, we were trained by Yvonne Ernst, a nice lady from Germany, on how to use the product... Well, that's Herbalife for you... We all use the product, get our results, and start going bising2... Hahaha... Event ended at 11pm, and I went home on a taxi with Josh, a new friend, and Faizal, my distributor... Fortunately made it to KL Sentral for the train, and Terminal Putra for the feeder bus...

The following day is a whole day training (basically an STS, or Success Training School)... Had an uber time there, especially during Dr. Idros' session... He managed to tickle our funny bones XD... You wouldn't have believed that he's an ex-CEO of 2 companies... He quit his job just because he got excellent result on Herbalife products... Isn't that amazing?... After that, we had a short break at 6pm, and 8pm IT'S PARTY TIME!!!... one of the Portugal Distributor, Paolo, taught me how to come up with an ad-hoc rock 'n' roll costume... And I got to take a picture with Dato' Ronnie Tan, the Managing Director of Herbalife Malaysia and Singapore... And Dr. Idros as well!!... He said that he didn't have any costumes, but later on I found him wearing a red Elvis get-ups lol... And if I remember correctly, his upline Frederic brought something red in a plastic bag... That must've been a suprise for him!!... Lol...

Had to went home early, since Anna wouldn't want to stay longer than 10... Man, that was one hell of a day... I'm glad I'm in Herbalife ^_^... Pictures shall be posted on the next post, okay?...

And finally, AN UPDATE...

2007-01-25T10:10:00.000+08:00

Well, how long has it been?... To be honest, I didn't blog much nowadays because I lack the time... There is an urgency to do a lot of things right now due to many factors... Ask me why personally, and I might divulge the situation... But then, judging from the chatterbox, I think no one will ask, since no one knew this post existed :p...

Let me see now... Latest news I got is that Madi aka Shinta has quit his job... He was sick of it to begin with... And I got a feeling that by next Wednesday, Wan Azlan will quit his job... Which he thought was what he wanted to do... Naim is still waiting for an interview... From the looks of it, I made the right choice to work on my own... Well, not really on my own, but rather independently... Though it's kinda frustrating when people you thought would support you calls you crazy for doing something different... What makes it even more frustrating is when that person is your best friend's brother...

Guess what, Herbalife's ONE YEAR OLD in Malaysia... Going to the 1 Year Anniversary Spectacular at Sunway Pyramid tomorrow and Saturday... The challenge is to get a transport... I have no idea HOW to get back from Sunway at 11pm using public transport... Oh, the dilemma... Well, I'll cross the bridge when I cross the bridge... Right now, JUST DO IT!... Right, Ihab?...

2006-12-20T10:54:00.000+08:00

Please help me get some peasants ^_^... Click on the links:

http://www.darkthrone.com/recruit.dt?uid=V30243I30328J30362A30294S30243Q30311N30379

http://www.darkthrone.com/recruit.dt?uid=V30243I30328J30362A30294H30311H30294P30226

http://www.darkthrone.com/recruit.dt?uid=V30243I30328J30362X30277G30277N30362P30226

http://www.darkthrone.com/recruit.dt?uid=V30243I30328J30362X30277G30277D30345H30311

Thank you *hugs*...

2006-11-09T11:37:00.000+08:00

Life sure has its own brand of twists and turns, isn't it?... It can sometimes be extremely unfair, sometimes extremely generous, and sometimes downright unforgiving... Of course, I doubt that the Lord created Life to be that way... Life acts in such a manner because of us human... Indeed, Life does not give you want you need. Life gives you what you deserved (Jim Rohn)...

Some might misunderstood my statement. True, at first glance my statement seems to be saying that some people, no matter how good he/she is, deserves to be living through Hell... That's not what I meant... Of course, my understanding and view of Life is different than most people... Some might say, "unrealistic", "too far from reality". But don't forget, "reality" is what one perceives it to be... Thus different perceptions give birth to different realities...

...

You know, re-reading what I've written above gives me the impression that I'm, at best, making you guys confused... So I'll spare you the confusion...

How many of you here willingly lend your ears to other people's problems, and your shoulder for then to cry on?... We sure do that a lot, don't we?... With the hope that they'll lend us theirs when we need them... For those who have friends who are willing to lend you their ears and shoulders, be grateful... I've been desperately wishing for one, but though I think the Lord did hear my prayers, request is still pending... He didn't say "no", but it's not a "yes" either... I would really love to have someone who would always know that I'm in distress, and ask me if I'm okay... Without me telling them first... *Chuckles* Perhaps that's why I'm looking for the "big-brother"-type, if I were to seek a lover... As if that would ever happen...

Sometime I wonder, "maybe falling from a thousand feet isn't as bad as it sounds"...

2006-10-13T22:02:00.000+08:00

Some people happens to hate me just because I got an Indian look... I got this in my MySpace mail:

From: ** c H r i S **
http://www.myspace.com/chrisbt
Subject: hey hindu boy
Body: hey hindu..wat u doin in malaysia?? wat r u south asians doing in malaysia go bak to fuckn INDIA and stop interbreeding wit the malay race...go fuck a hindu!!! im filipino and we are related to the native malays..ur not malay ur a indian hindu faggot!!..im talkn about the INDIGENOUS MALAYS, INDIGENOUS INDONESIANS, INDIGENUOS FILIPINOS..ETC....get ur people out of there!!!!!

Neat...

Heavy thoughts after a long draught...

2006-10-11T12:15:00.000+08:00

Okay, how long has it been?... A month?... 2 months?... Bleh, I have no idea... It's not that I don't have the time to blog, in fact I have A LOT of time to do it... It's just that I don't have the motivation to do so... It's not like there's anyone out there reading my blog without me asking them to come and visit my lil' blog here... But hey, that's human relation for you... Regardless of how intimate your relationships are, a stranger is a stranger... Not that I've seen it all, but that's what I've experienced so far... Then again, I'm very much and insecure, oblivious, blur person, so my views would probably be a one-sided approach... But let's not talk about it... I'm sure that I'll be subjected to a constant barrage of flaming by various parties if I do so... This is not a flaming blog anyway... Maybe I should start one, a flame site for all my haters haha... That would probably be popular, considering how many enemies I've made so far...

Now, let's talk about what I've been up to until now... I finally got my hands on Nicholas Sparks' "A Walk to Remember" novel... And as expected of Nicholas Sparks, first I smailed, then I laughed, and I cried by the end of the story... No, I haven't go cuckoo, thank you... Go read the novel, and you'll understand what I mean... Business is going on fine, though not as fast as I wanted it to be... But hey, it's a normal business, though the operations are not as normal as your average home-based business, so what do you expect... Still, I have to qualify as a Supervisor if I were to be successfull in this business (not that a normal Distribitor can't be successful, it's just that fast is better than slow)... And I have to do so by the end of December... Several countries are opening next year, and I want to "ride the waves" in those countries... I was hoping that some of my friends would be helpful enough to help me, at least by getting me referrals... But I don't have many friends in need... None, perhaps... My best friend wouldn't even let me explain properly about what I'm doing, my close friends here in UIA... ... ... Well, they prefer to be "normal", though they are not "normal" by normal standards... And so far I've been working with strangers, people I have no idea existed before... Mom is on the products already, and she seems to like them a lot... Dad, well, he's always worrying about the wrong things, so no comments... And my sister will be joining the business after Hari Raya (hopefully)... Now, if only I could drag Mom and Sis to the coming STS... That would be better...

Talking about being "normal", I've been reflecting about my life lately... wondering where my lifestyle and orientation will lead me to (although I have a very good idea where I'll end up after death *sigh*)... Wondering will I end up as a lonely old man, who takes care of cats to kill his time, and die surrounded by cats... Hopefully I will not turn into cat food if I do grow old alone with cats... Wondering if I ever have a chance to be called "dad" (adoption sounds interesting, doesn't it)... Wondering if I can be a good role model (if you take out the orientation part, that is)... Wondering how would I feel when that certain someone decides to start his own family, and what should I do when that time comes... Should I leave his life for good?... Or should I stay and keep my end of the "always be your best friend no matter what" promise?... Either way is hard, I think... I can't handle partings well... Should I get myself a substitute?... It does sound unfair to go out with someone when you have another person in your mind...

Well, I guess it's "normal" to thik about those things... Being 23, and never been in love seriously (wait, I AM in love, but it's a one-sided love) does get to your nerves sometimes, right?...

I haven't heard from Suyin for a long time now... I wonder if she's okay... She even promised to e-mail me, that brat... maybe I should give her a good scolding once she's back... If I ever meet her, that is... Afterall, a stranger is a stranger, no matter how intimate your relationship with them...

A Sister?!!...

2006-08-11T20:41:00.000+08:00

Haih... Today is sure hectic... I went to the Royal Mint Malaysia for a visit with the Communication and Finance Secretariat of EMSS... I even woke up 4 HOURS early just for the visit... Then had to make a mad dash to the designated venue (since no one mentioned the venue, and I went to the wrong place)... We wentat 8.45am, and arrived at around 9-10am... Did learn a few things about the company, and also had a very good idea why out currency (not just ours, but many other countries) is dwindling down in value... And we sure give a big headache to the tour guide XD...

Arrived back in UIA at 4.30pm, and an hour and a half later, I can't help but to ask my roommate to wake me up at 7 (and he woke me up half an hour late)...

After shower, I noticed that I got a few missed calls, and 2 messages... One of them was, well, predictable... The other one, however, was weird... Let's talk about the predictable part first...

FYI, I'm currently active in Herbalife (a wellness company based in America... You can visit the company's website here: Herbalife...) ... I have a friend, a girl in fact (ironic, isn't it, how I found myself surrounded by girls although I'm not interested in girls... But I do want to be a girl, if that's possible :p), who proposed that we should join forces in the business... Since I lack the capital, and she lack the confidence and idea, I give the idea a nod... I gave her this blog's link, since she seems interested in my private life, and after she read the blog, she sent me this:

I've read your blog, and now I don't know whatare you trying to do.

Why I said it's predictable?... Well, that's the most common expression I got when people try to get to know me... Suyin and I had a discussion about this before, and she made a conclusion that I don't want people to understand me... And perhaps she's right... Maybe I just want ONE person to understand me, and no one else... And I got that person already :p... So, Badariah, I hope that answers your blurness already :p...

Now, for the weird message... I got a message from someone who claimed to be my sister... It reads (after some editing):

Assalamualaikum abang. Ni adik. Azi. Ingat lagi tak dengan adik abang? Adik dah jumpa Mama. Orang dengan Mama sekarang.

OMFG... I actually HAVE a sister... A real one... That shares the same genes and all (which was verified by my mom later when she said that her personality matches mine XD)... That totally blew me off... Since I had no idea that I had a kid sister... I do know that I had an elder sister, who died after birth... But a KID SISTER?... Well, at least part of my burden is off *sigh*... Now I can concentrate on what I want to do :D... Can't wait to see her, though... Hope she'll stay by mom's side in my place... Maybe I should ask her to do so... If she doesn't mind, that is...

I guess that's enough about today... Tomorrow I will have several guests (I hope) for the HOM... And my distributor is coming as well... I'll drag the couple if I have to :p... And somehow today I feel that life is starting to change for the better :3... Heck, now that I have a sister (and a real one on top of that), life is at its best, excluding the financial issues ~_~...

Ja, shitsure shimasu...

In the path towards a business empire...

2006-08-01T10:49:00.000+08:00

Allo... Fanally I have some time to spare for the blog... I've been quite busy lately, with the training for my new business venture and stuffs... Will talk about the business venture later...

Yesterday I went to meet a potential investor to ask whether he's willing to invest in my business... I think I got his attention when I said that the guaranteed return is 42% within 4-6 months... I didn't manage to get the funds this month, though... Since he's waiting for his return on investment due by the end of August... He promised to reconsider the application later by the end of the month... But I better not let my hope gets over my head... So next step is to come up with a formal business proposal, and hopefully someone would be willing to take a chance and invest in my business...

My study credit this semester is the lightest ever... I'm only taking 2 subjects, and have classes 2 days in a week for a total of 6 hours :p... But life isn't that exciting (unless if you consider the thrill of a new business venture)... More often than not, I'd found myself alone... Can't do much about it, though... Unless I go bonkers and start asking people to sleep with me :p...

In the meantime, I'm re-playing some of the games I have in my collection... But it seems that the computer is on the slow part, so might have to upgrade it sooner or later...

Beh, I'm out of ideas already... Guess I'll stop here for now... Ciao *kiss*...

For people with weight/health problems...

2006-07-01T10:53:00.000+08:00

Assalamualaikum and good day,

I wish to invite any of you reader to come for our product and company intro session held at Level 14, West Wing Berjaya Times Square. The sessions will be held at these following days and times:

Tuesday & Thursday: 7.45pm
Saturday: 1.45pm

Our company is Herbalife International, and we have 26 years of experience in the wellness business. We are currently the No. 1 company in the slimming and fitness industry, serving over 40 million satisfied customers. We are listed in the NYSE on 16th December 2004. We had recently entered Malaysian market, making a total sales of
RM65.5 million in less than 4 months.

Our products are patented, and they are guaranteed to deliver results. And they come with a 30-day money back guarantee. You don't get that with other health products from other companies. Our products are halal, and approved by the Malaysian Government.

For further information, please call me at 0172421609, or just come to the intro session mentioned above, and look for Nor Ismat. It'll be my pleasure to answer all your inquiries.

Thank you.

2006-06-22T21:10:00.000+08:00

You speak Manglish?

Rabia Abubakar

I was walking past a counter when what I heard stopped me in my tracks. A customer was waiting to collect some documents and the person attending to her asked: "Do you in a rush?"

At first, I wondered whether I misheard the question but it was loud and clear. The question was also put in such a nice and polite way that I could almost believe that it was grammatically correct.

As I continued to my destination, it became my mantra. I was amused at how confident the young lady sounded posing the question. It just so happened that prior to the incident I had read a hilarious article of two American brothers on an odyssey in West Africa, dwelling on their brush with corruption and the language barrier. What interested me the most was not the journey itself but one of the brother's valiant attempts to use Pidgin English (a compound of some elements of the local language and the English language).

I am a West African with a watered-down British accent but you wouldn't catch me speaking pidgin without armour to protect me from the laughter that will definitely assail me. So a picture of an American trying to talk in Pidgin English was just too much to take in. I was chuckling away while reading the article. I guess it just means that in a lot of countries where English is widely spoken, people have formed their own ways of expressing themselves in the language. It doesn't have to be correct but it is understood among the people.

In West Africa people speak pidgin, which is really English hacked to pieces beyond recognition. Manglish (Malaysian English) is also a form of pidgin.

"Do you in a rush?" might be termed as Manglish, as it could have been what the lady might have said had she been speaking in her language or it could have just been a bad case of the grammar bug. Even though I caught on to the meaning I guess a native English speaker might find it a tad difficult to fathom.

What I am trying to say is that Pidgin, Manglish or other forms of the English language are part and parcel of who we are. However, we must also remember to learn to communicate effectively in English so that we are not embarrassed in formal situations like in the office or at important events and conferences.

I may not speak Pidgin English but my country people are surprised when they realise that I can understand "Wetin you talk?" translated into "What are you saying?", "You wan go market?" (Do you want to go to the market?) or "Na oyinbo dat wan" roughly meaning "She thinks she is a white person" (orang putih or mat salleh in Bahasa Malaysia).

I am sure Malaysians or other foreigners who visit a West African country for the first time and hear this sort of hacked English will find it a conundrum just like foreigners who come to Malaysia and hear Manglish.

My first experience with Manglish was in my second week in Malaysia. My friend and I were waiting at the bus stop. Her bus came along while I was still waiting for mine so she said, "I go first, lah"

In Malaysia the ubiquitous "lah" and "mah" are discourse particles used in most phrases. These expressions did not come as a total surprise because in my country we have the equivalent, "sha", which I grew fond of using after a short stay in a local boarding school. I must say that my joy at finding a new word was short-lived, as my mother was not amused.

At a time when everyone is scrambling to be proficient in English, the butchered forms of English are frowned upon. However, language in any form is part of culture. We have to understand that not everyone is able to speak "global English" (whatever that may be), therefore, knowing how to speak Manglish or other hatched forms of the English language can come in handy. We can also learn a lesson or two from the chameleons, those who for example, can switch from Manglish to the Queen's English without skipping a beat.

Rabia is a mass communications graduate with a passion for writing.

2006-06-22T21:08:00.000+08:00

Neophobia at the dawn of minds

Zedeck Siew

Two films from current Malaysian celluloid: the sequel to 2004's Sepet, Yasmin Ahmad's issue-heavy love story Gubra; road film and musical, Amir Muhammad's Lelaki Komunis Terakhir, (The Last Communist) which traces the towns visited by Chin Peng from his birth to independence.

Three reactions: public intellectual Faisal Tehrani's review of Gubra, Gubra Yang Sesat Lagi Menyesatkan (tehranifaisal.blogspot.com, April 24); the banning of Lelaki Komunis Terakhir by the Home Ministry after it passed uncut through the Film Censorship Board; and the Mufti Johor, Datuk Noh Gadut, calling the house-chore-helping husband an instance of "fenomena songsang" worthy of fatwa. (Utusan Malaysia, May 13)

"Before this, men doing housework wasn't an issue," says Toni Kasim, an activist who runs workshops on gender and sexuality issues and frequently works with the Muslim NGO Sisters in Islam (SIS). "Why is it an issue now?"

On April 23, film producer Raja Azmi Raja Sulaiman appeared on TV1's art forum programme Fenomena Seni (that, in a following episode, had panellists justifying vicious gossip as a way of chastening the behaviour of entertainment personalities), accusing Gubra of defiling Malay-Muslim culture - partly because a bilal was shown frying keropok in the kitchen. Her rationale: "A pious wife would not allow her husband to cook." (theSun, April 26).

The feud between Raja Azmi and Yasmin Ahmad is a matter of public opinion. More worrying, Toni contends, is the fact that people like Raja Azmi and entertainment editor Akmal Abdullah (who was also on the programme) now appear to have power to trump due process and sway official reactions, under the umbrella reason that these films attack Malay-Muslim values.

"Lelaki Komunis Terakhir is passed uncut by the Censorship Board," Toni says, "It is shown at a private screening for police officers who also had no problems with it, then all of a sudden Berita Harian publishes articles berating the film, asking people loaded questions like: 'How do you feel about a movie that glorifies communism?', and Amir receives a letter from the Home Ministry saying that he can't screen the film here."

The film neither glorifies the communist struggle nor justifies Chin Peng's actions; it attempts to explore the Malaysia as the future-communist leader might have seen it, by speaking to people from the towns he lived in and satirising propaganda images of the era - Toni was part of the film's chorus, and performed, among other things, a song about how much she loved her identity card.

"If I was a filmmaker I would be so discouraged," Toni says. "Because you never know when the stupidest of reasons, put forth by people who haven't even seen the film, might cause the powers that be to ban your film."

Lelaki Komunis Terakhir has since traversed more surreal territory: after the ban, a screening was organised for Members of Parliament and media on May 21 (a gonzo documentary of which now exists on YouTube in four parts, for the curious) after which Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Rais Yatim said the movie was "Not important enough to be controversial," - on May 24 he then gives an interview, saying that Lelaki Komunis Terakhir "glorified Chin Peng, and we shouldn't glorify him".

A screening of the film was then organised for senators; this was subsequently cancelled, implying that proper channels are being violated at all levels of the issue. "So MPs can see it but senators can't," Toni says, "What does this say about Parliament?" A salient point, considering that the Dewan Negara functions as a balance to the Dewan Rakyat, essential to democratic governance.

Censorship without the inclusion of brains is bad enough. More insidious is, perhaps, the fact that criticisms, allegedly made in the defence of Malay-Muslim mores, carry more weight for the same reason - godless communism is the traditional enemy of Islam; the bilal cooking keropok will bring about a collapse of the family values - what next? Working wives, house-husbands, Akhirat?

Or so it seems. "If husbands doing chores is considered haram, what do we do about the fact that the Prophet himself was under his wife's employ?" Toni says. "Some will argue that the Prophet only helped her and wasn't a full-on house-husband as such - but the fact remains that Khadijah was a businesswoman - in fact, the equivalent to one of today's millionaires. The notion that men are the sole bread-winners of a household may very well be 'un-Islamic'."

Gubra's bilal-chef is only a threat to Islamic family law as it is practised in Malaysia, and the related crusade to make secular legislation defer to Syariah law; this is what Toni and her colleagues are trying to fight.

The opposition is formidable. It is also deaf. Toni talks of how she was heckled over the phone a day ago, because of SIS's involvement in the Article 11 issue.

Ad hominem arguments and name-calling are common in national discourse, especially on issues like religion. Such things are easy to counter. More difficult are the arguments such as is emblemised by young and formerly-liberal thinker Faisal Tehrani, whose review of Gubra quotes a selection of hadiths, employs myriad Arabicisms, and concludes: 'Kalau tak reti agama jangan syarahkan agama dalam filem. Jangan rosakkan orang.'

This piece of criticism, when it surfaced, shocked artistic and intellectual circles, not the least for fact that until a few years ago Faisal was frequently seen in the same circles as other such Malay intellectuals such as Farish Noor and Amir Muhammad, well-known for discourse that challenges or subverts mainstream socio-political norms. Jerome Kugan, who wrote the lyrics for Lelaki Komunis Terakhir, wrote in a Kakiseni.com comment following Toni's review of Gubra: ' Damn, that was scary for me to read as a non-Malay Faisal's comments (and the comments on his comments) - along with those imbecilic interjections on the TV1 show - reveal something I think is really ugly about what the NEP and Mahathir era have managed to produce: the dream of a far right homogenous Malay-Islam nation.'

The "comments on his comments" referred to on Faisal's site generally had the tone of: "Wow, Faisal, you have articulated my gut feelings in an intellectually rigorous way. Thanks!"

Gubra and Lelaki Komunis Terakhir have been attacked for different reasons: the former for containing a plural interpretation of Islam; the latter for a (merely!) perceived love of 'anti-religious' communism - itself an erroneous point; the Peace Village in South Thailand, current resting place of Parti Komunis Malaya, is divided into Malay and non-Malay communities, with religious sensitivities in mind.

Both these offensives have a root: ethnic politics as it is played out in this country, and its adherent's struggle to defend the hegemony. This struggle is powerful, trumping state-sanctioned procedure, like the 'Pope and Tsar' of Marx's Europe; it is deaf, it is uncomprehending. Our misunderstood spectre is multiculturalism, and it haunts us still.

Zedeck Siew, college-going and pretentious, is into aesthetics, civilisational advancement, and the lethality of tea. Send comments to Feedback@thesundaily.com.

2006-06-22T21:07:00.000+08:00

A fundamental problem with rules

Chan Kheng Hoe

Our National Fatwa Council has done it again. After presumably extensive research, countless hours of debate and in-depth study into the Holy Books, they have reached the undeniable conclusion that the practice of "kongsi raya" needs to be re-considered. The reason? It may compromise the faith of Muslims who attend such functions.

This begs the question, is our faith determined by the functions we attend? Does going to the mesjid make us Muslims, and going to the temple make us Buddhists? If that is so, I am afraid that our dear prime minister may have compromised his faith because I clearly remember reading about him attending a Christmas celebration organised by the churches.

Faith is essentially about the unseen. It is not necessary when a fact is evident. The seed of faith springs from our hearts. With our hearts we believe in God, and from our hearts, some of us choose not to believe. Is a person murtad because he sins? Clearly not, otherwise the whole nation will be full of apostates. He can murtad only in the heart. His lifestyle, at best, are mere signposts to indicate the condition of his heart.

So, let's consider the elements of "kongsi raya" that make it so deplorable. To my mind, "kongsi raya" essentially comprises families dressed in nice clothes eating cookies and talking courteously with each other with some form of music playing in the background. If that's deemed a threat to the faith of a person, that person's faith can't be very secure in the first place.

If we're bent on banning corrupting elements, let's consider banning other things as well. Perhaps we can ban the World Cup due to the exposed body parts of both males and females displayed occasionally when a goal is scored. It wouldn't hurt us at all since we are never represented in the World Cup anyway.

Or we could ban Bursa Malaysia. Speculation in securities beyond any logic and economic fundamentals is clearly acknowledged even by non-Muslims to be akin to gambling. Coupled with the fact that the KLCI dipped below 900 points recently, all the more we should ban the Bursa.

Of course, to be fair, the attempt to maintain the "purity" of faith is not confined to Muslims alone. Fundamentalists from all faiths have always sought to keep their faithful on the straight and narrow path by a plethora of rules. At the heart of the rules, however, is not faith but fear. There is an underlying fear among all fundamentalists of every religious persuasion that without the rules, their flock will somehow go astray. Unfortunately, the Almighty God is deemed not mighty enough to keep the faith of the faithful.

Then there is also the fear of syncretism. Wikipedia defines syncretism as the attempt to reconcile disparate, even opposing beliefs, in order to assert an underlying unity. Hence, a syncretist may marry opposing principles of different religions to create new tenets of faith. In the worst case scenario, syncretism would recognise another deity or god alien or even opposed to the original faith.

If that's indeed the fear, I would like to let all fundamentalists in on a secret. Syncretism is already here. It is in fact thriving in our society. It does not manifest itself during "kongsi raya" functions. Years of living under the Damocles' sword of oppressive laws have ensured that every Malaysian knows how to respect another person's faith very well.

Instead, syncretism, like its counterpart faith, also springs from our hearts. Fundamentalist rulings can remove the faithful from the world, but they cannot remove the worldliness embedded in the hearts of the faithful.

Yes, there is an alternative deity in Malaysia. He is worshipped profusely. His adherents do not stray from his teachings, for his teachings are buried deep within their hearts. We have "Friday Muslims", "Wesak Buddhists" and "Sunday Christians", but the followers of this deity are faithful seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Even when they attend the mesjid, temple or church, their thoughts remain faithful to this deity alone.

Who is this pretender to the throne, who has displaced the Almighty, and permeated Malaysian society today with the tentacles of his influence? Let me declare to you now his name, and you judge for yourselves whether you had in the past fallen on your knees to worship him. He is none other than Materialism, the deity embodying the love of money.

Perhaps next year, the Fatwa Council can consider banning "kongsi kaya" instead.

Kheng Hoe is a former fundamentalist who has changed his mind. Comments: feedback@thesundaily.com

Whe the cops went CRAP...

2006-06-22T21:03:00.000+08:00

Police group's protest just out of this world

When the idea of an independent body to look into complaints against the police force was mooted about a year ago, this scribe was among the minority who argued that there is no necessity for it.

I had then argued that what the country needs is a body that looks into complaints against government servants and all government departments.

I had reasoned that zooming in on our policemen would not do anyone any good, because abuses not only take place in the police force, but in every government department. I had suggested an ombudsman, which was subsequently echoed by the minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Nazri Aziz.

Just like good cops and bad cops, there are good civil servants and equally bad ones. Therefore, if a body is set up to look into police complaints, shouldn't there be a similar body for the customs department, the department of environment and so on?

Those countering my views were quick to point out that there already exists an organisation - the Public Complaints Bureau (PCB) - which undertakes those functions.

But not many are aware that the PCB is nothing but a postman, who receives a complaint from Joe Public and forwards it to the relevant department for "appropriate action."

Whether the department takes action or dumps the complaint in the waste paper basket, the PCB does not know. If the department does not reply, the PCB sends a reminder. If the reminder is ignored, there's nothing that can be done.

My views have not changed and they are not likely to change in the near future, but what I read in the official website of the Royal Malaysian Police over the weekend caused some serious concern.

One of the three groups representing police officers has challenged the system and to put it bluntly, has issued an ultimatum to the government - go ahead (with the independent body) and you'll face the consequences.

First and foremost, let's accept the fact that the police officers have a right to their views, however right or however wrong, and that a person no less than the prime minister listened to their views.

After having done that, why are challenges and ultimatums issued to the government?

Among other things, the group wants to embark on a nationwide road show to explain its stand to the people.

It also wants to reject the RM100 allowance and demand to have an eight-hour-five-day-week schedule.

There's also a suggestion that investigation officers resign en-masse, among other "out of this world" suggestions.

Under the heading "Lost (sic) of powers by politicians" The group says: "The explicit and implicit effect of the formation of an independent body is that the real organ which exercise powers of control over the police will be the commissioners of the body and NOT the minister. Let politicians beware that they will eventually lose powers, control and influence over a neutral, professional and people-centered Police (as suggested by the Royal Commission)."

It appears that the group has jumped the gun as to how this body will look into complaints. It may have wrongly judged the operations of the body by claiming that "conducting investigations and hearings outside the purview of rules and practices of evidence, and no right of appearance or representation in a hearing go against the grain of the Rule of Law."

"This blatant infringement of rights cannot be countenanced under any pretext," it says.

"It is settled law that right to be heard cannot be denied to a condemned person. If a hearing is done behind his back, he is tried in absentia. He has the right to know and be allowed to examine evidence against him. The rules of natural justice are the minimum standards of fair decision-making imposed on persons and consists of the right to a fair hearing and the rule against bias," it adds.

How did the union come to the conclusion that accused persons would not be given the right to be heard?

The union may be right in assuming that when the independent body is formed, it has disciplinary powers over members of the force including dismissal and reduction in rank.

It is also right to say that these powers are currently within the domain of the Police Force Commission, a constitutional body headed by the Minister-in-charge of the police.

But it is untenable for the group to argue that an organ created by an Act of Parliament can usurp the function of a body which is a creature of the Constitution.

There will be complications as well, since the same body has no power to hire but endowed with the right to fire.

The group may have good grounds to protest and have reasonable points to present. However, what is worrisome is the fact that the group has not fully utilised the internal grievance handling procedures before resorting to such threats. The PM and the government has always advocated the notion of "consultation, not confrontation."

So, let's use the existing systems in place before this whole issue becomes a tussle for supremacy between the force and the administration.

It is heartening to note that the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohd Bakri Omar has distanced himself from the posting of the group's thoughts on the website. But the sad thing is, everytime someone down the line does something silly, he is on the firing line.

R. Nadeswaran is Deputy Editor (special reporting and investigations) at theSun. He can be reached at citizen-nades@thesundaily.com

A tribute...

2006-06-22T21:00:00.000+08:00

A tribute to Ahmad Noordin Zakaria

In his private life, Tan Sri Ahmad Noordin Zakaria was as low-key as one could be, so much so that when he passed away last week, the event went practically unnoticed.

The funeral of a truly great Malaysian hero took place with no fanfare and no remembrance by much of the nation which is really a great pity because he was an outstanding icon for all upstanding, incorruptible and dedicated civil servants.

He served as Auditor-General from 1975-1986, undoubtedly Malaysia's most famous one, and brought a new meaning to the word for a generation of Malaysians who had not heard that word before.

He did this by simply keeping an eagle eye on government expenditure and bringing to the public view many instances of excessive expenditure. But sadly, despite his disclosures, the wastage kept taking place.

He refused to be cowed by any other influence and persisted in doing his job faithfully and with dedication despite snide remarks by those in power which included the Prime Minister for part of that period Datuk Seri (now Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Ahmad Noordin also headed the commission which investigated the Bumiputra Malaysia Finance (BMF) scandal, Malaysia's first big financial scandal, when government-owned Bank Bumiputra, through its subsidiary, lost some RM2 billion by dubious lending in Hongkong in the late seventies and early eighties.

That was talk of the town for many months, especially after an auditor sent by Bank Bumiputra to investigate the case in Hongkong was murdered and his body dumped in a banana plantation.

Ahmad Noordin and his team investigated the BMF scandal in his trademark, no-favours style and the revelations implicated complicity at some levels of government causing some irritation to Mahathir when it was made public in the eighties. Mahathir was reported to have said: "You have created doubts and suspicion about them without their being able to clear themselves. It is elementary justice that people must be allowed to give their side of the story."

After he retired from public life, Ahmad Noordin was not the sort to seek publicity. But he left a legacy behind which showed that it was possible for a civil servant to do his job and do his job well.

This was what he had to say when he received the Ramon Magsaysay for government service in 1985, a year before he retired: "I have been given

this award for just doing the work for which I get paid. I did not think much about getting recognition. If the result of what I am doing in the line of duty has brought about an impact of some benefit to society, that in itself, is already reward enough for me."

If only more people did the work for which they got paid.

Featured conversation...

2006-06-22T20:58:00.000+08:00

Stepping forth to explain

Zainon Ahmad and Jacqueline Ann Surin

A group of Muslim professionals, mostly doctors and lawyers, are beginning to make waves in their attempt to explain and clarify some misconceptions about Islam that have emerged during the current unstructured public debate about the religion, the manner in which it is practised in this country and their implications on others. Formed less than two years ago, the Muslim Professionals Forum (MPF) also attributes the misconceptions to the distortions of mainstream Islam by 'fundamentalists' and 'hyperliberals'. The forum seeks to address these issues in English because it is in the English media that much of the debate on these controversies is raging, MPF chairman Dr Mazeni Alwi tells ZAINON AHMAD and JACQUELINE ANN SURIN.

theSun: Can you tell us a little about the Muslim Professionals Forum (MPF). I know it was officially launched in August of 2004. Who are the founding members and what was the motivation for setting it up?

The founding members basically are a group of friends, and many of them are actually from the medical profession, and then also a few other professionals like lawyers.

And the reason why we set this up, we felt there was a need to address some of these issues in the English language. It's not that we have any problems with the Malay language but I think a lot of the controversies are in the English media.

And there are two, basically, two trends which we feel are not really representative of mainstream Islam. One is the fundamentalists, called the fanatics, or whatever people call them. That term, I think, is very loaded but people understand when you say 'fundamentalist', it means people who have a rather extreme view of Islam. And we don't think that's representative of Islamic teaching.

And on the other hand also, a very liberal re-interpretation of Islam which we don't think accords well with mainstream beliefs, mainstream teachings that Muslims uphold.

So, basically these are the two trends that we felt need to be addressed and that's why we set it (the MPF) up.

And we plan to do it in a way which is non-confrontational, you know, if possible through dialogue, through publication. And we think that whatever that is not within the law is not appropriate for us, especially as professionals.

I read your website (www.mpf.org.my) and it says that one of the things that you all are very concerned with is 'hyperliberal Islam'. Do you see a threat of hyperliberal Islam in Malaysia?

Aah, not exactly in terms of violence, whatever it is. But in terms of what Muslims uphold. I think sensitive matters like the syariah (Islamic law) and all which is being challenged in ways which can be detrimental to the harmony of the nation and also to the unity of Muslims.

We feel that some of these issues have their relevance, have their social and historical relevance, and we have no problems about people wanting to express their views about Islam, how they live their lives whether as Muslims or non-Muslims, how much piety they want to have.

But I think when they want to impose these on mainstream Muslims, then that's a problem because a lot of Muslims still are very traditional. They hold to traditional teachings, and therefore trying to make Malay society very liberal can be detrimental.

Can you cite an example so that it becomes a bit clearer?

For example, the issue of hijab, the tudung (head cover). We disagree that it should be imposed.

But we also know and I think people should understand that it comes from the sources of Islamic teaching. To question that it is not Islamic, that it is just a local (cultural practice), that it is, ah, that it must be imposed in a Muslim society, is wrong. But then again, it is something which is from the Islamic teachings, but it is up to people's choice to wear or not to wear. That's one.

And number two, I think the polygamy issue. I think a lot of the family law aspects of the syariah which is being questioned and we feel that this, ah, people have the right to question but then again to impose it and to say that, 'This is un-Islamic. This is not from Islam', is a bit overboard.

But a particular viewpoint about syariah is being imposed. So, who decides then which viewpoint should be imposed?

I think the authorities have the right to do it. And they get feedback from society.

So, it is perfectly within the rights of any Muslim to give their feedback but then again, it can be a very minority view. And they must not say that, they must not complain when it is not adoptedlah because the majority still wants to uphold a view which is more conservative.

As long as it doesn't, it doesn't infringe on the rights of non-Muslims, I think that is fair.

How is MPF different from other Muslim organisations? Because there are already several out there.

Oh, yes, yes. We are, I suppose, one, we tend to express a lot of our ideas, a lot of our views using the English language and in the English media because we felt that the Malay media and all that is fairly well served by the other organisations, more established organisations, as well as by the authorities.

And a lot of the controversies that are actually being played out (are) within the English media. That is one.

And number two, we are very new. And we are rather small, and ah (chuckles), we don't think we are elitist but most of our members are from those who have higher education and also probably trained abroad, myself included, but not everyone.

So, who are your members and how many do you have?

Oh, not very many. Maybe 30 plus or so, including our spouses.

We don't aim for big numbers. We just aim for having a platform to express our views. This is not meant to be a social organisation. It's just meant to be a platform whereby we can, are able to, express our views on certain matters that we think are important to society.

Somebody said to me in the course of talking about MPF that most of your members were formerly members of JIM (Jemaah Islah Malaysia). Is that right?

Oh, no, no. I, myself, am not a member of any organisation. As far as I know, only one, Dr Musa Nordin, he's from JIM. But the rest are not.

It's not a spillover from another organisation?

Ah, no, no, no. We are, most of us are above 40, so we are old enough not to be embroiled in inter-organisational conflicts (chuckles).

What kind of main activities have you all had so far?

Over the past two years, there are two, I think you can classify into two broad aspects. One is dealing with what our objectives are. So that constitutes holding talks, seminars.

And number two, we try to do a bit of charity work. For example, for Aceh after the tsunami. We spent quite a bit on that because we sponsored about 100 medical students who were in their final year but lost their parents and their sources of funding. Most of them have already graduated actually.

Plus a few other charitable works but this is not our main focus. Our main focus is basically participating in important issues that affect our society through discussion. So a lot of it is through our writings, our website writings as well as our newsletter.

Have you had forums or conferences?

One seminar. One or two public forums.

And have those been well received?

Depends on what you mean by 'well received'. Like, some of them, yes. Some of them, not so. We've had visitors from, most of these visitors are actually visitors from abroad who come to Malaysia either on our invitation or they came for some other purposes, and we take the opportunity to have them speak at our forums.

Well, one observer has also said that the MPF is like a mirror organisation or a counterweight to an organisation like, say, Sisters in Islam (SIS).

Aah, I suppose, I don't know whether, that is not, we don't really exist because we want to counterweight SIS. It happens that some of the issues that we deal with are also issues that are being dealt with or being promoted by SIS. And so, it happens to be that way.

But our objective is not to counter any existing organisation.

Do you agree that holding kongsi raya (joint festive) celebrations and open houses would erode the faith of Muslims and could lead to blasphemy as suggested by Perak Mufti Datuk Seri Harussani Zakaria (on behalf of the National Fatwa Committee on June 13)?

I think, firstly, Datuk Seri Harussani's view needs to be seen not in the context where Hari Raya today has been stripped of its religious meaning to degenerate into a consumerist indulgence of excessive consumption, wastage and banal TV entertainment.

Eidul Fitri (Hari Raya Puasa) marks the end of the fasting of Ramadan and payment of zakat (tithe), the third and fourth pillars of Islam that aim to bring back the believers to the state of fitra (original, purified state).

Eidul Adha (Hari Raya Haji) marks the fifth pillar of Islam, the hajj, and serves to remind Muslims of Prophet Abraham's mission and sacrifice in bringing the concept of tauhid (one-ness of God, the principal Islamic doctrine) into man's consciousness.

Both have very much to do with doctrine and rituals of worship, so it doesn't make much sense for those who don't believe in them to kongsi or share.

Conversely, the Hindu and Christian festivities have their own religious meanings which we respect but do not share. The national holidays dedicated to them is a way of showing that respect. I think it is in this sense that it needs to be seen.

Secondly, I am not sure if genuine harmony and understanding can be achieved by stripping these festivities of their spiritual significance so that they can be kongsi-ed by all Malaysians. In other words, does exclusivity always mean mistrust and prejudice? Going by what we see today, all that consumption and waste has only produced more Islamophobia and conversely, I think Muslims in general don't really understand better the essence of the other religions in Malaysia.

As we said earlier, it would be much more meaningful if we all tried to understand our religions better and try to practise their teachings as sincerely as we can in the face of relentless secularisation.

As a lay person, I am not very sure if offering greetings to our close friends and accepting invitations to their houses during these festivities - something that I do - amounts to that (blasphemy). I think we need to have more feedback from the public and deliberation by the scholars before this is adopted as government policy.

What do you think of the proposal (also announced by Harussani) for the government to set up a monitoring body to stop the spread of liberal Islamic thinking, especially through the Internet?

Nothing can stop people from having their own personal opinions or taking information from the Net to form their own ideas of how things should be, in this case the interpretation of Islam. That is a right that has to be respected.

However, if liberal Islam is inimical to the government's view of how Islam should have its role in public life and in the administration of Muslim affairs as represented by the various religious institutions, authorities and think-tanks, monitoring and responding to it (liberal Islam) in a dignified manner that is within the limits of the law is fair.

As it is, I am sure the pronouncements of the mainstream ulama and scholars are also being monitored and responded to by those who disagree with them. It is a normal societal affair.

I know that the MPF was part of a delegation that met with (Minister in the Prime Minister's Department) Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri (Abdul Aziz) at Parliament (in March), and a comment was made about non-Muslims speaking out on Islamic issues.

(In that meeting, a few representatives expressed unhappiness at 'the interference of non-Muslims, ignorant in Islamic texts and jurisprudence, in what is clearly an Islamic issue'.)

Ah, ok.

Does MPF believe that non-Muslims shouldn't talk about Islamic issues?

It depends. I think for cases like the Moorthy (the family of Everest climber, the late M. Moorthy, could not bury him according to Hindu rites because he had converted to Islam without their knowledge) and the Nyonya (Tahir who had left Islam and whose children wanted to bury her according to Buddhist rites) cases, I think that's perfectly, it's valid grounds for non-Muslims to have their say.

But, some other things, like for example, that is involved in Islamic teaching like polygamy and the hijab and all that, though there is the right of everyone to express any opinion, but then again, I think sensitivities need to be observed that can make some people upset.

We are mature enough to accept that kind of thing, but I think (with) the wider society, there needs to be some care.

Especially the doctrinal?

Yes, correct. Because it doesn't affect non-Muslims so for them to just do it (question may not be acceptable). We (Muslims) don't really question any of the Hindus or the Christians, in the same way, we expect non-Muslims to respect the doctrinal, ritual aspects of Islam.

But perhaps it's because Islam has an impact on public policy.

That is true.

And in the case of say, S. Shamala (who found that her estranged and converted husband could unilaterally convert their children to Islam), even though she is a non-Muslim, she is affected by Islamic legislation in this country to some extent.

That is true. Whenever it affects (non-Muslims), same as in the Moorthy and Nyonya Tahir cases, it is perfectly legitimate (to question it).

But things that really concern Muslims and which do not affect non-Muslims, I think, not that we cannot say it, you have the right to do it, but then again, I think, in our plural society, there needs to be some care.

Sure, but then the teachings of other religions do not really affect Muslims in this country, right?

Of course. What I mean is that some of the teachings of Islam don't, but I think that as policy, yes, I agree that the government has the policy of, ah, apa (what)? Menerapkan nilai-nilai Islam (Applying Islamic values). Yes, that has some effect on the non-Muslims and that is stuff that is valid for you all to voice your opinion.

Because, sometimes, as (with) any government official, they can go a bit overboard and that might not sit very well with you all. For example, imposing some aspect of dress code on non-Muslims. I agree that you all have a right to voice out (against it).

But in matters like, for example, the hijab only for Muslims, then I think it won't be very nice because we are still very much an Asian traditional society. The respect that one needs to accord to another is still important.

What about hijab with regards to the Universiti Islam (International Islamic University) campus?

Right, I think if you make it very clear, for example, ya.

The hijab, in general, should not be imposed on anybody, even on Muslims, let alone non-Muslims. But I think for an institution which is being established in the name of Islam, I think it has the right to impose certain dress code. Just like a convent has a right to impose certain aspects of Christian rituals and dress.

And any institution which is established in the name of Islam has certain rights to impose that. It must be spelt out very clearly beforehand so that those who apply (to enter the university) know that this is the condition. You may apply but these are the conditions.

But in any other circumstances, for example, in public, there is no valid reason for anyone to impose any of these things, either on Muslims, let alone non-Muslims.

But even within Islamic jurisprudence, the court is still out on whether or not there should be a particular form of dress code for Muslim women.

I think that's not true.

There are differing view points among Muslim jurists about the tudung.

Not in the courts, but I think among Muslims, but not in the courts. Not in the law, but in matters of personal moral codes, there are (different views), I agree. But the mainstream views, the mainstream opinions, what you call the consensus among the scholars is what we have now.

The minority opinion is really minority.

But then if people want to uphold that (minority opinion), that is fine but it is their personal decision. But this is the mainstream consensus with regards to dress code among Muslim women.

Then what happens to wearing the tudung in the police parades (for Muslim and non-Muslim officers), for example? What do you think of that?

To me, I find that difficult. I find that difficult. But then again, I have no powers to say 'yes' or 'no' but in my opinion, I find that difficult.

But I think if the government makes it very clear before anyone joins the force, that for special ceremonial purposes, this is what you have to wear, then I think it's fine. But for now, there is none (no clear statement). I think that's the problem.

I think it needs to be spelt out very clearly what it involves. And I'm sure, not because the rule is there, I don't think it cannot be challenged. I think there is room for negotiation, there is room for dialogue. There's no need to go overboard on either side, to be really critical of one another in ways which are very unreasonable.

What is MPF's position on the proposed Inter-Faith Commis-sion (IFC)?

As a whole, I think that's a very difficult thing. Aah, we like people to be religious, whether they are Christians, Hindus or Sikhs. I think it's good for religious people to talk to one another, to promote harmony and understanding.

But I think the problem that we can find with the Inter-Faith Commission is that, aah, it is, it is, aah, trying to do it from above, not from below by establishing a body with statutory powers, ah, appointed by Parliament and maybe, the Agong. It has power even by the Constitution to force people to do dialogue.

To force people to dialogue?

Ya, I mean, it has the power to, for example, to summon religious leaders to settle disputes. I think that's not correct. I think harmony and understanding should come from below. Should come from religious leaders of their free will.

And, I think, ah (pauses), the main thing is that people must be sincere, they sincerely want to have an understanding and talk to one another.

The problem here, I suppose, is a lot of it has to do with the fact that many of the Muslim authorities and organisations were not represented. The way it was promulgated, the early stages of the institution for the proposal of the IFC was clouded in a lot of mystery, was clouded in a lot of secrecy.

I don't know, we did not exist at that time but from what I heard from people who attended the earlier meetings, they were not very happy with the way it was handled.

What we disagree is that dialogue should not be imposed from above by a body that is in power. It should come from below with the free will of individuals, various groups, people who are sincere.

But, still there are problems on the ground...

Of course, there are many! Any multi-religious society, there'll be problems.

Sure. So what other options for better dialogue or better mechanisms for resolution can MPF think of? I think the IFC was probably one proposed solution to some of the problems that have cropped up but obviously, it has its own problems as well. So, what other mechanisms could there potentially be?

I suppose, this is a question that is difficult that I've been thinking about, but I suppose in some ways the authorities must provide a platform, to invite bona fide, genuinely sincere people of all religious backgrounds from all the major religions to get together without imposing any restrictions.

And the purpose here must be sincerity.

So, you question the sincerity of the people behind the IFC?

Aah, from the Muslim side, yes.

You mean, the Muslims behind the IFC?

Yes.

Oh, ok.

Because there's a lot of Muslim NGOs (non-governmental organisations) and people from the mainstream, these are people who are for the mainstream Islamic interpretation.

But the rest, from the non-Muslim side, we don't really know. I don't know them personally, and also we were in existence only for the past one-and-a-half years, so we don't really know, we were not very much involved in what happened in the past few years.

Because, you see, this is very, very controversial among Muslims (in) that some people who are wanting to promote the Muslims to not uphold the mainstream views and teachings of Islam. So, that is the problem.

What about MPF's position on the notions of freedom of religion and apostasy?

Ah, well, that (freedom of religion) is in the Constitution, and we respect that, but I think there are also sub-clauses in that particular article with regards to Islam. I think that has to do with the political and historical background of the country, and that's why those clauses are put in.

And it's basically to protect sensitivities. And I think it is reasonable.

So, basically, in general, yes, of course, religion is something that involves conscience, so it must come from our own free will. So, we must respect that.

But, on the other hand, as we said before, there's the issue of sensitivities (that) must be respected and must be observed.

And also there's the issue of history, how Malaysia came about. And what was Malaysia before, and that is why those clauses are put in. They may not seem very fair, but basically, I think this is for the common good. It's to prevent any unnecessary anarchy and disharmony. That is very fundamental.

But, secondly, with regards to apostasy, again, this is something that has to do with conscience. And people can hide what their real religious feeling is and any Muslim who professes the faith can not follow the Islamic practices in their private lives. Nobody can question that. That is their right.

But, the problem is that once this is being (pauses) stated in public in a way that Muslims find insensitive, then that is the problem. I'm sure there are many Muslims who do not really care and do not really believe in Islamic teachings in their own private lives and they go on as they are. And that is perfectly ok.

But, the problem is when they start to make, ah, a very public statement out of it. And that can be too sensitive to some Muslims.

But if Islam is a religion that doesn't force somebody to believe...

True, true.

...and it's a religion that is not about compulsion...

True, true.

...then do you think that Muslims in this country should also have the right to also choose to leave the religion?

In fact, in theory, yes. But I think, as I said, in private lives, I'm sure that is perfectly fine. People do it here, there, in the past, in the present.

But, I think to make that as an official, as a public statement, it can be, in terms of sensitivity, it can be quite damaging.

How do you think this 'sensitivity' came about in Malaysian society?

Because the Malays are fairly conservative. They view Islam and Malay as inseparable. So, when someone leaves the religion, it is such a big thing. That is why.

And is this problematic at all, you think?

Yes, it is. It is problematic. For now, anyway. But, I think, as society progresses, it won't be like that anymore.

But, as it stands now, many Muslims find it difficult, and especially when it is in the context where it is seen as being encouraged by some, I think conservative Muslims find it insensitive. That is all.

You think that it's a bit insensitive if there are groups that are actually encouraging people to leave the religion?

Yes, correct.

These are Muslim groups?

No, whatever. Muslim or non-Muslim who say, 'You are free to do this. Go ahead, go ahead.' I think in general, Muslims in the country will find it insensitive.

And is that happening right now?

I don't know. I'm sure if you test the waters, you might see a reaction. But, I think, it is better not to play with this kind of thing.

You were talking about the public realm and the private realm. This comes to the question of morality. You know, there are a lot of views on this. Some say you need to legislate morality while some say this should be left to the individual as long you don't do it publicly. What do you think of morality laws?

I think we have to understand that human beings are basically, not all human beings are exactly strong in their integrity as you or me or Jacqueline (chuckles). You might say there are no morality laws in the UK or in the US. (But), they do exist.

For example, in some states in America, even oral sex is against the law. Sodomy is against the law, as I read it a few years ago. If you go to New York today, in certain places, you cannot dress in any way you like. There are dress codes. And there are certain hours when pubs are open. And all these are morality laws.

The only thing is that for Muslims, it (morality) comes from the religion but in the West, it doesn't come from the religion. But that is not completely true (either). I think laws in the West, although the hold of religion is less now, I think many of the laws, including morality laws, most likely came from Christian teachings.

But, I can't remember the name of this professor, who said something like, 'I think the law has no business to regulate morality. For as long as you do not cross that line, for as long as it doesn't go beyond the limits of tolerance, for as long as it's not disgusting in public. I think whatever happens should be ok. We leave it to personal decisions whether to do it or not.'

The only problem is that, for example, this issue of having sex with minors. Even in England, it is still a crime to have sex with a girl who is 15, although she may be very mature physically, has had previous sexual encounters, but it is still a crime. It is still a crime. There is such a thing as the age of consent. Why?

What I mean is that this is, of course, disgusting. It goes beyond the limits of tolerance.

To you. But to many people, it's not.

But I think it is to a minority.

I don't think so.

For the majority to have sex, maybe 15 is quite alright, let's say a five-year-old girl.

Of course, it is (disgusting). Even at the age of 16, for example, a very mature woman and she understands, she knows what she is doing, it is still wrong. Although times have changed, this is not in the 60s, but still it is the law.

What more things like incest, even paedophilia, that's even more.

But then again, if you say that we leave it to individual control, it doesn't happen that way.

No, no, but what I meant was, these are extreme things.

It's not extreme (chuckles).

Ok, from your point of view. But, let's say this incident about this boy and this girl, sort of necking in a public park.

Again, again, it depends on the society as well. In Malaysia, in general, people still are rather conservative. I think this set of municipal laws, I think, every municipal authority has the right to make laws with regards to this. This is not the Penal Code. This is not a crime. These are just moral laws.

I think each municipal council has the right to make laws but it must make it in cognisance with what people feel, what is the general feeling of the people because in a conservative society, it has to follow the mores of that society.

In a more liberal society, then it follows (that). So, to say that morality laws should be abolished, I think that ...

No, no, no. I didn't say that.

I know you didn't. To say that it's unnecessary is, it should be left to the individual ...

For minor things, you know.

Yes, for minor things as well.

Like, for example, Justice Devlin, he said, it shouldn't go beyond the limits of tolerance.

Ya, I agree, too.

But again, beyond the limit of tolerance depends on time and place.

Depends on where you are.

For instance, if a Malay Muslim wants to opt out of the religion, you said earlier, maybe now is not right because society is such but maybe 20 years or 50 years into the future, this is possible.

That's right.

So, I was saying something like this as far as morality laws are concerned.

I tell you one incident where Janet Jackson suddenly exposed her breast (during a televised performance). But people made an uproar. Why?

America is a modern society, this kind of thing should not be (such a big deal). I think, there is still such a thing as morality laws. Anywhere in the world.

Because society needs to function, and it functions on the existence of laws. And how that law is being drafted, it depends on the level of maturity and the mores of society. It's going to vary according to time and place.

But also, enforcing this, I think, is very difficult.

Ya, of course. Of course.

But I think there should be space for humans to also have their own privacy, you know.

Of course.

And for them to make their own decisions. I mean, we shouldn't regulate everything.

Of course.

If you regulate everything, then there is no space. Then you're forcing people to do it.

But I think in the private space, for example, in the home, there should be no intrusion at all. Completely.

But in public, I think it is up to the society as well to have what kind of mores they want according to the sensitivities at that time. It might change with time. It may become more strict or more liberal but I think society has the right, the majority has the right. What is the mainstream preference should be (the benchmark).

But also to decide the limits of tolerance is also difficult. Again, time and place.

Yes, that's right. And these kinds of things need a lot of feedback from a lot of people.

And also the enforcers themselves, they prefer to watch it to their satisfaction (laughs), then they go in, you know.

That's wrong. That's also a problem. Some enforcers are heavy-handed, go overboard, and this complicates the issue.

And also like the case of what happened at the disco Zouk (in Kuala Lumpur where Muslim patrons were rounded up publicly and then detained). Here, I think we have this principle of, if they are doing something which is mungkar (disobedient of God's laws), we should of course, do our duty to sort of hinder them from doing those things. But, I think, there is also the other principle about the need that whenever you do things like that, you must make sure that the person involved is not shamed. Because public shame is really abhorred by religion.

Ya, it should not be tolerated. I agree.

I think here in the case of the Zouk incident, I think it was the over-zealousness of the enforcement officers.

Ya, very heavy-handed approach. The law is there. Do it but don't go overboard.

What do you think about the protest in Penang over the Article 11 forum?

We wrote a letter. We disagreed with it (the protest) because we don't think it's appropriate. The issues (at the Article 11 forum), to me, are valid but then again the way to do it is not correctlah, those kind of things.

One thing is it's (the protest) inappropriate and number two, it backfires on the cause that they want to bring to the attention of the public.

They (the protesters) shouldn't have done it that way.

No, no, of course not.

Subsequently, they have released a statement that promises that there will be more trouble if Article 11 continues on its road show.

Ah. Again, we disagree. People must act within the law.

And have dialogue.

And have dialogue.

So, the forum should be allowed to continue?

I think everyone has the right to that kind of thing but as we wrote there (in our press statement), you must think also of the sensitivities and also the peace of the wider society.

I think in theory, it is something that can go both ways. It is a right but whether you should exercise that right or not is something else.

To me, the issues raised (by Article 11) are sensitive.

So, because they are 'sensitive', they shouldn't be talked about in a public forum?

It can (be talked about) but I think it must be done in a way, first of all, the intention must be correct to arrive at a decision which can be accepted by all parties.

But, I think a lot of people see that as provocative, bringing up those issues and from what I heard, I think the way the forum was conducted may not be, may have upset some of the protesters. So, those things must be looked into.

News from the Sun

2006-06-22T20:55:00.000+08:00

Added Bonus:

DrM: US is a bankrupt country, reject the greenback

Husna Yusop and R. Manirajan

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said countries that depended on trade with the United States and the US dollar had contributed to it becoming a superpower and using its money to build war machines.

He described the US as a "bankrupt country" because of its double trade and budget deficits.

However, he said, due to the dependence of many countries on trade with the US and its currency, "we created a demand for their currency".

"If we reject the US dollar ... they (US) will have no money to invent new weapons," Mahathir said during a question and answer session in the Perdana Global Peace Forum Special Session in the Putra World Trade Centre today (June22, 2006).

However, Mahathir, who is the forum chairman, acknowledged that countries like Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, China and many others depended a lot on the US - the world's largest economy.

"It will hurt us if the US is defeated or its economy faces problems. There is a price for everything, nothing comes free.

"But I would rather pay that price ... than be seeing people get killed and knowing the world would be a much better place," Mahathir said. The theme of the forum was "The Middle East Agenda: Oil, Dollar Hegemony and Islam."

Earlier in his speech, Mahathir said in order to succeed in criminalising war, one must call a spade a spade and win the war against misinformation.

Wasted words...

2006-06-22T20:25:00.000+08:00

Sorry for the wait... Currently busy with my internship... Next week will be the last week for my internship with Permodalan Nasional Berhad... And I'm currently struggling to finish up the report on my internship there...

You know, I've never thik highly of myself... I always feel inferior and undeserving... Yet today, I'm reminded once again that we can't see our own reflection without a mirror... And that other people are the best mirror that reflects our image and our true self...

As you guys know, I belong to the IIUM MASUM Archery Team... And last week (or was it 2 weeks ago?), we had a meeting with our manager cum coordinator... I happent to be absent from the meeting because of my internship... Today, on my way to the office, I bumped into one of my fellow archer whom we fondly called "Abang Long" (because he is literally the eldest within our team)... He told me what the Captain (refer to previous post) and our manager talked about me during the meeting:

Faiz, the Captain:
I was moved when I saw the hand-made quiver he brought... Never in my archery career have I ever saw anyone who made their own quivers... That's why I asked my friend to lend him his quiver... Honestly, if the suitable arrows were not ready yet by the time we're ging to Labuan, I'm willing to lend him my arrow...

When he's good, he's really good... But when he's out of it, he's worse than an amateur... That's why on my opinion, while he still got the "feeling", we should push him so that he won't lose it...

Kak Ana, the Manager:
It's a good thing we have him in our team... Else the team will not be as happening as it is now, and I wouldn't have any idea whether you guys are really okay or if there's any problem at all... The officers thought that all the equipments were okay, but when I heard him complaining, then I know that it's not okay at all...

Gosh... I'm speechless... Those words were wasted on me... I'm just doing the most logical and rational thing any rational being would do (do whatever it takes for your passion, make things that you can't afford to buy, be honest if there's any problem at all)... But I'm truly grateful... Thank you Allah, for placing me in company of people who would give their utmost to help me out... Thank you guys, for simply being there and bringing the best out of me... Ihab (my number 1 important person), Madi (the sword and shield that always look out for me), Ayob (the best person I could ever think of to have an intellectual discussion), Naim (my second mum), Wana (my third mum), Anna (my business and marketing mentor and friend from Australia), Kak Aisah (the best coach I've ever came across), Faiz (no other captain can ever match his calibre), etc... I don't know if I can ever pay you guys back for all that you guys had done for me...

Again, thank you... And may Allah bless you guys from the day your lives begin, until the last day this world exists... Amin...

More Pictures!!...

2006-06-03T13:21:00.000+08:00

Okay... Some more pictures... Malas lak nak menaip...

A picture before we embark on our MASUM adventure...

Warming-up before training at MSN Sports Complex Keramat...

Introducing our Captain:
Mohd Faiz Abu Samah
22
Psychology

Our Assistant Coach, Kak Aisah... She's currently a state player... And country player as well, I think...

Fooling around during the Masum Launching Night...

IIUM humble archers, and their troublesome assistant manager...

Our proud bows... Mine's the one with YAMAHA written on it...

Group photo together with our Coach, Encik Ismail, and his assistant, Kak Aisah...

Warming up before the last battle...

Discussing battle plans...

Aftermath picture... FYI, yours truly got a high fever right after the match...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's something I snatched from The Sun Online... It's an interview with one of our venerable filmmaker that we all should be proud of, Yasmin Ahmad...
____________________________________________

All about feelings

Bissme S.

Yasmin Ahmad, who shot to prominence with her touching Petronas commercials, has been very much in the news lately as her latest films, Sepet and Gubra, have drawn a great deal of controversy. It began when a producer was unhappy that Sepet was adjudged the Best Film at the Malaysian Film Festival 2005 over the RM20 million production, Puteri Gunung Ledang. Then a Malay daily ran a series of articles that discredited Sepet. A forum on TV saw two of the panellists criticising Yasmin and calling her films pencemar budaya (culture polluters). Hurt, the director is not submitting Gubra for this year's Malaysian Film Festival. But she is not discouraged and will continue to make films - works with feeling. The talented Yasmin shares with BISSME S. how she wishes people would just see the love and compassion in her films.

theSun: What is the message you try to impart in your films?

A film doesn't have to have a message. How I decide whether I like a film or not, is whether the film has feelings.
Feelings don't just mean tears and great melodramas - which my films are filled with. Feelings are also about laughter, compassion, joy, sadness, disappointment, fear and relief.

So you put more emphasis on feelings than messages?

Yes. Nothing intellectual, nothing rational. Just feelings. In my movies, I want people to feel love and compassion. I want people to choose them to the opposite - no love and no compassion.

What is the biggest limitation you face as a filmmaker in Malaysia?

My own limitation. I often feel I am not good enough.

Why do you think you are not good enough?

When I watch old films by Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Billy Wilder, Satyajit Ray, and early films of Stanley Kubrick, I realise their films are so much better and they were made so long ago. They made me feel a kind of nothing. My biggest limitation in this country and anywhere else is myself. I feel I have a long way to go.

What do you think of the censorship board?

It has begun to improve greatly. The passing of Lelaki Komunis Terakhir (LKT) and Gubra led me to think the censorship board is now headed by someone much more level-headed and much more understanding of films.

But LKT was banned.

It wasn't the censorship (board) that clamped down on LKT. It was the home ministry. In one clean sweep, some ministry has declared Lembaga Penapis Filem (LPF) is nothing. Why have LPF when you are not going to respect its decision?
You appointed the people and you pay their salary and you completely disregard their decision. As a filmmaker I feel this ban is the biggest joke in the film industry.

Have you watched LKT and what do you think of it?

LKT is a lovely film that doesn't glorify Chin Peng in any way. It is a film where in the end, it shows that ideology has nothing to do with it and people are the product of their environment.
Chin Peng was born in a very violent environment - with a lot of fighting between freedom fighters and British colonialists and then the Japanese.
He came out from this violent environment and became violent himself. The film doesn't forgive him for what he did. In the end, the communists collaborated with the British to oust the Japanese.
People they are against, they collaborated with. It is not about ideology at all. It is about power and it is about economics more than anything else. It puts things in perspective.

What do you think of all the negative comments that have been said of Lelaki Komunis Terakhir?

There is a reason why Special Branch didn't have a problem with the film. There is a reason why LPF didn't have a problem with the film. I hope it will be shown. It puts things in perspective. It is funny and it has musical breaks which are hilarious.

Are you afraid that your next film will suffer the same fate as LKT?

I am only afraid of God. Even then, it is not enough. I should fear God even more. My parents had taught me only to fear God. Like Chin Peng, I am a product of my environment. Though I fear for my next film, I just continue making films. The fate of my film is really in God's hands.

Recently there was a forum on TV which hinted your movies Sepet and Gubra mencemarkan budaya (polluted the culture). What is your comment on the show?

I didn't see the programme when it was on air. But somebody showed me a recording. I can understand why so many people are outraged by it. It is not so much the comments on my films. It is the racist comments that they passed which I am very surprised that nobody has rapped their knuckles for it.
I am surprised nobody came down on a forum which everybody watched and which was bluntly racist and clearly unsettling for society. I was shocked by the racial slur. I was sure the authorities were coming down on them but they didn't.

Do you think your films mencemarkan budaya?

If they can define what budaya means, I might state an opinion. Do they mean Budaya Melayu?

I think they did mean Budaya Melayu.

The forum was conducted by people who were dressed like Western people. I wear Melayu bajus more often than they do. I don't understand what this Budaya Melayu really means. I have heard some people say Budaya Melayu is budaya lemah lembut (gentle).
But I find the Japanese are more lemah lembut than the Melayu. We don't hold the candle for lemah lembut. In fact, the forum itself proved, given the things people said, the champions of Budaya Melayu are not so lemah lembut, so what budaya are they championing?

Has the forum discouraged you from making films?

I am making another film. Perhaps it has not discouraged me.

Some say in your films, you like to put down the Malay race?

Actually, in my films I put down and I put up everybody. If you think about it, in Sepet the Chinese family is quite loveless and the Malay family is full of love. If I were Chinese I could say Yasmin was putting down the Chinese.
We see what we want to see. If you draw four dots on a piece of paper, some people can draw a square, some people will draw a cross.
I really don't think I was putting down the Malays. I am Malay, why should I put down my people? There are a lot of Malays who have said in my website as well as in Kakiseni that it is ridiculous to describe my films as pencemar budaya. I think there are only a few Malays who have a problem with it. I am not like them, therefore I don't really understand them. Maybe, I am stupid, that is (the) reason I don't see why they feel that way.

Tell me more about your new movie.

It is called Mukhsin. It tries to examine one very common human condition - how (the relationship of) two very good friends of the opposite sex goes awry when one of them starts having romantic feelings for the other.
It always fascinates me why something as beautiful as friendship can be destroyed by something as beautiful as love. You would think two beautiful things put together and you will get even more beautiful things. But sometimes, you don't.

Have you experienced such feelings?

Of course. I think everybody has been through this. You are good friends with somebody and suddenly you develop romantic feelings for them. Or they develop romantic feelings for you and things go horribly wrong.
With my husband though, it worked very well. We started as friends and we fell in love.

Give theSun a sneak preview - what can we expect from your (new) movie?

There is a scene in the film where somebody mentions the phrase Pencemar Budaya (Both of us laugh loudly.)

One film personality said Yasmin should be stopped from making films. Why do you think there is so much hostility against you? Are you afraid of your harsh critics?

I really don't understand about this hostility. My films are not big box-offices and they didn't steal business from other people's films. For some reason, some people feel threatened by my films. I just think they are being silly. Like I said earlier, I am not afraid of anyone, except Allah. I remembered being told If everybody joins hands to do good for you they cannot do any more good than Allah will allow them to. If everybody joins hands to do bad to you, they cannot do any more bad than Allah will allow them to.

It is said Gubra will not participate in this year's Malaysian Film Festival. Is that true?

Yes. That is true. They have made it so painful for me for having won last year. Despite some accusations against me, I don't make films for awards. Someone once said: All an artist needs to know about awards is that Mozart never won one.
But when I meet with such hostility, many people from the mainstream (movie industry) called me to (say) go ahead and carry on your work.

How long will you stay away from the local award ceremony?

For this time. Next year, God knows.

Some people say you can't take criticism and that is why you pulled out from the Malaysian Film Festival. Your comment?

It is not the criticism that hurts. It is the weight in which the criticism was dished out. It is so constant, unending, relentless and unclamped by the authorities. It is clear victimisation. I am not going to sit here and play the game. It is not my game. As my make-up artist on the set of Gubra said, they are beating the drums, let them dance. I do not want to dance. I just want to make films.

Do you think you can handle criticism?

I don't mind people saying my film Sepet was not good enough. But who said it, annoys me. It is not criticism but where it comes from (that) annoys me. By God's blessing, the film went (on) to win the Best Asian Award at the Tokyo Film Festival and the chairman of the jury was Zhang Yimou.
It matters to me (that) he likes it. Nobody can handle criticism. It is bound to affect you. But I am still making films. Whenever I get extreme criticism, I go to Rotten Tomatoes websites. Even brilliant films like All About My Mother and Talk To Her get good and bad reviews. What is Sepet.

Where do you get inspiration?

From real life. From people. Only people interest me. How people handle love and hate and how people choose between the two.

What is the best compliment and worst criticism you have received about your films?

The best compliment is when people say my movies touched them and when they say they see people of different races in the cinema watching my movies. The worst, of course, have been so many and the worst insult to me is that my movies are pencemar budaya.

Some people say you love to push boundaries. For example, in Gubra you have a scene where a bilal touches a dog.

I don't think a bilal touching a dog was pushing the boundaries. I think casting stones at dogs for no apparent reason is pushing boundaries. So my film was in protest of people who pushed the boundaries. I don't do films just to push the boundaries, I just want to tell stories.

What is the greatest misconception people have of Yasmin Ahmad?

That I pushed boundaries. (laughs) ... That I am a rebel. But I am not.

One newspaper has been writing a series of unflattering articles about you. Are you sceptical about the media and journalists now?

Journalism is like other professions. There are good and bad ones (journalists). You would think every doctor is a good person because they are supposed to save lives. But there are doctors who prescribe medicine that is not needed. They tend to gain by this.

Who are the filmmakers you admire and why?

Charlie Chaplin. Because he managed to mix great humour with great human drama. Satyajit Ray for humanity in his films and how he achieved this with small budgets. Pedro Almodovar. Because he always features people who are outcasts and unforgivable and found redeeming qualities in them. I am impressed how forgiving he is of those whom society has not forgiven. Takishi Kitano. Because of the ease he hides the emotions and violence with minimum cuts and minimum scripting.

Any local directors you admire?

Ho Yuhang. Because he portrays the section of Chinese society that does not drive Mercedes-Benz or have a lot of money. He focuses on the poorer Chinese and believe me, they exist! He focuses on them in a very controlled and dispassionate way. He shows me a world I have not seen before.
Osman Ali, because he is not afraid to be sentimental. In the commercial world I admire Kamal Mustapha. He, of course, taught me practically everything I know about films. Contrary to popular belief, he directed most of the Petronas commercials and not me. I just wrote most of the scripts and he encouraged me to direct some of them. I admire him greatly.

Why do you think your movies are so controversial and make people uncomfortable?

I really don't know.

You must must have some idea.

(After thinking for a while) In many local films, it is very clear-cut, bad people (are) always bad and the good people always good.
Which is to me anyway, completely unfaithful to real life. In real life, good people have (some) bad in them and bad people have some good in them.
My film Sepet features someone like Orked who reads the Quran and prays and wears baju kurung. She holds the hand of a Chinese boy. Some people wonder how she can read the Quran and pray, and yet fall in love with a Chinese boy.
People don't understand I didn't make Orked out to be an angel. People want my films to feature good people as always good and bad people as always bad.
The person who said in the forum she (Orked) can't be a good Muslim if she goes out with a Chinese boy and holds his hands, I find it very silly.
Gubra shows prostitutes are not all villains. She may be bad for selling her body, but she is a good mother and takes care of her son. The grey area makes people uncomfortable.
We have been showing films and dramas where people are exemplary citizens. Society has not improved. Handbag-snatching is at an all-time high, child rape is at an all-time high and drug addiction has not abated.
Perhaps, featuring people as exemplary citizens has not worked. Perhaps understanding their contradiction might work better.

Some say you only explore human emotions in your movies and you are not a versatile director. What do you say to that?

To be told I have a particular trend in my films is not an insult to me. All the directors I admired have consistent themes in their movies.
People have asked me, why don't I make a war or sci-fi film and prove that I am a versatile filmmaker. I never went into films to be a versatile director. I went into it to examine emotions. If you want versatility, go for somebody else.

Do you get offended when people say you can never get away from Petronas commercials and that your films are long extensions of these commercials?

Not all. Petronas commercials are the most popular commercials in the history of the advertising industry in Malaysia. I would rather my films are long Petronas ads than long detergent ads.

Every director has a dream project. What is yours?

I want to make a film on Dr M. But I am not wise and knowledgeable enough to make this film. It has to be in the hands of Kamal Mustapha.

What is the best moment in your life?

When Sepet won the top award at the 27th Creteil International Women Director Festival in France last year. My parents came on stage with me to get the award. They were so happy. Every time I make my parents happy, I feel God's pleasure.

How would you like to be remembered?

It is not so important to me to be remembered. Ego and arrogance are things that God doesn't approve of. I like people to remember the love and compassion that is so prevalent in my films. Some people choose not to see it. They see other things.

Some directors love it when their movies are controversial. What about you?

It surprises me that my movies are controversial. It surprises me that people are shocked by a Malay girl in a baju kurung going to a party. Going to a party is the not worst thing that a Malay girl in baju kurung has done. My films are so tame compared to real life.
It surprises me when I show a scene of an elderly couple very much in love; people call it obscene.
But, almost on a weekly basis, they watch Malay dramas where husbands betray their wives, marry more than one, shout at their wives and beat them. And this is not shocking?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This one is an older interview, featuring the International Managing Director of Al-Jazeera...
___________________________________

A balancing point of view

Cindy Tham

Qatar-based Al Jazeera International promises to revolutionise television news in the English-speaking world, offering a balancing perspective on news and issues. The 24-hour news and current affairs channel also promises to live up to the tradition set by its Arabic sister channel Al Jazeera, which has gained its fair share of fame as well as notoriety for refusing to 'sanitise' the gory images of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and for broadcasting video footage allegedly from Osama bin Laden. Al Jazeera International's managing director Nigel Parsons recently looked in on the Kuala Lumpur centre, one of the four high-definition broadcast centres besides Doha, London and Washington DC. The initial plan to begin broadcasting last month, aiming to reach 40 million homes worldwide from day one, has run into some delay. Parsons talks to CINDY THAM about the challenges at hand as the channel gears up to go on air.

theSun: When I last interviewed you, in November last year, Al Jazeera International was supposed to begin broadcasting in April, which was last month. I understand there has been some delay. What's holding it back?

It's a mixture of the building and technological installation. We originally hoped to go on air in late spring. We'd never put an exact date but then, that was always dependent on the building work and the technological installation. I think it is the single most complicated project ever attempted in television in the world.

You mean the high-definition broadcast centres?

It was high-definition, with four centres and all linked by fibre. So it's new software. First, the building work was late. Not a big surprise. If you have ever had a new kitchen fixed, you'd know something's always late. And then, we're waiting for the technological hand-over. So, yeah, there's been some delay. We actually don't think it's particularly important. I think people will judge us by what we produce, and not when we produce it. It's not a huge delay.

And I think to have achieved what we have achieved in a year and a half - to build these four centres and to get them ready for launch, it's phenomenal, it's a huge undertaking - I'm not overly disappointed or overly concerned. I don't think it's a huge issue.

Is the delay in all the four hubs or in specific centres?

The buildings have been a little bit late in all four places. I'm here because the staff are just moving into the new building. Obviously, we have a lot more staff. When I last saw you, we had maybe 10 people and now we've got 60 or 70 and by the time we launch, we'll be nearly 100 here, which is also slightly bigger than we first expected.

It's a few more programming staff, more on the technical and operations side. But we are almost staffed upÉ There's a lot of training under way. Lots of people have been going from here to Doha. We have about 10 people from the office at the moment in Doha doing training on news browse, desktop editing systems, newsroom systems. We're making a lot of paper pilots, we're doing a lot of pre-filming, making documentaries.

Just over the weekend, Al Jazeera International announced the appointment of two weekend presenters at the Kuala Lumpur centre, Divya Gopalan and Hamish MacDonald. They join a team of very seasoned journalists like Sir David Frost, Veronica Pedrosa, Riz Khan. These are all very familiar faces in international news networks. Now, you've said many times before that Al Jazeera International is going to be very different from what we have so far, the CNN, BBC, Sky News. Yet you are relying on a lot of these familiar faces who were trained in or are very accustomed to the conventional TV news that we have been used to. So, how is Al Jazeera International going to be different?

Well, they're joining us for a reason. And, actually, the two people you mentioned as weekend presenters are not internationally known figures. Yes, Veronica is, Teymoor (Nabili) is, but they've joined us for a reason. They've said that they were frustrated previously and the kind of journalism we offer is what they want to do. Veronica, in particular, is very keen on an Asian agenda and an Asian perspective, which is what we offer, which is why we built these four broadcast centres.

I think we are a mix of experiences, and a big part of our philosophy once we get on air is actually to be training local people in the regions where we are, which should offer lots of opportunities for the people here. Just for the launch, we can't go with all inexperienced people. It's too complicated. And the pool of talent just in Malaysia, for example, of people whose written and spoken English and whose television experience is good enough to go on the international stage, it's a big step up. Once we're on air, we will have training programmes, we will be bringing people up to speed.

So we've gone for that mixture. And in the office here, we have employees from China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and Korea. So we have a big spread.

And the thing about David Frost is, he's not a member of (the) staff. He's been contracted to make a certain number of programmes over a certain period. It's a once-a-week show. So, yes, he's a big name but that's one show a week. There are lots more besides.

Well, you've said before that Al Jazeera International will be different from the BBC, CNN, otherwise there will be no point in setting it up. So does this mean that with a different outfit, the same journalists could actually present news in a different way?

Well, I would argue strongly that we're not the same journalistsÉ We are based in the Middle East looking out. The Middle East is the world's hot spot. We work very closely with the Arabic channel. We share video, we share planning, we share offices across the world, and we'll have access to all of each other's content...

The example I'll give you this morning - if you look at all the main organisations now - take the Iran nuclear story. Actually no one in the Middle East wants anyone to have any nuclear weapon, at all, ideally. However, when you see that story reported at the moment, it is always, you know, "Iran nuclear threat". That is the angle of the story. If you are sitting in Teheran, in Iran, they're thinking, "Oh, how come Israel can have it, how come India can have it, and we can't?" There's no balance to that story. Pakistan isn't allowed it, India is. Israel is allowed it, Iran isn't.

And actually, if you're sitting in Iran, you know, they are surrounded by potential enemies. They've been invaded more than once over the last 100 years. I don't think they've actually ever invaded anybody else. So, from their perspective, there's a lot of double standards at play. I think we would offer that alternative view. We would turn that around.

And similarly, when we are here in Kuala Lumpur, we are offering viewers an Asian perspective on world events. So I don't think it's fair to say that we are entirely staffed up by people from those organisations. We have across the Middle East, by and large, Arabic staff. You're also forgetting that half the channel is programming and programming is, we are a commissioning house.

We are commissioning local producers everywhere in the world. When we make documentaries here, we are making documentaries with local Asian production houses. Our programme director was here a week ago meeting local production houses. He was very impressed with the standards he came across. So, when you've got a programme like Everywoman or People in Power, the Kuala Lumpur office will be contributing the Asian perspective on any given issue.

That's a very interesting (approach). I mean, if there's one theme and you take one subject, you get contributions from all the different offices, you get to understand that there are four different perspectives or more on these stories. We run a unique commissioning website so that any producer anywhere in the world can pitch an idea to us and if we like it, we'll commission it off the website. So, you know, I strongly disagree with you about just copying the others.

I guess it's because, you know, when you look at the line-up of anchors you have appointed, the first impression one would get is these are people who used to be at the BBC or CNN...

...or Abu Dhabi TV, or Dubai TV, or ...

Right, fair enough.

We have a huge mix but the thing is that we are taking on the heritage of Al Jazeera. We are a sister channel of an existing channel. We have the same code of ethics. We share the same editorial guidelines. We are not a completely different beast. We have a wider world audience that we are aiming at, with a different language, but we are sister channels and we share the same ethos. That's why we will be the authority on the Middle East, helping you understand what's going on there because that's where we are. Even though I'm living there, yes I'm not an Arab, however I'm working with my Arab counterpart. He helps me understand some of what's going on under the surface. And that will be respected.

Are there certain expectations that Al Jazeera the Arabic channel has of Al Jazeera International, because you are a spin-off of that channel? Are there certain standards that are expected of Al Jazeera International and also concerns that because it is staffed by a team of - for lack of a better term - Western journalists and managers, it may be quite different from Al Jazeera?

I think they are legitimate concerns and we are addressing them, those who are already now working on a daily basis with the Arabic channel. There are various team-building, relationship-building initiatives under way... Of course, we are acutely aware that we could damage the brand, if you like. And that's what people are concerned about, I think, on the Arabic side; some, not all. Concerns have been expressed but I can assure you, and we have assured these people who have expressed the concerns, that we are not there to dilute the brand. We are there to take their spirit of journalism to a wider world audience.

There were concerns also that certain words that are loaded with moral or political meaning like jihad have been used by the Arabic channel. I understand that, well you have been reported to have said, that there's a stylebook that Al Jazeera International wants to set up...

Yeah, we are working together, both channels. We will share. There are some words that when you translate from Arabic to English, they have a completely different meaning or they carry a moral judgment. I mean, it's very difficult to use the word "suicide bomber" in Arabic.

There isn't an equivalent or a direct translation?

If you translate it directly, it carries a moral judgment, and as a news organisation, that's not our job... One man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter. Am I going to call him a "terrorist" or am I going to call him a "freedom fighter"? I'm going to find something that does not judge him.

So this is a stylebook that is going to shared by Al Jazeera and Al Jazeera International?

Well, we're working together because if we're going to be in two different languages, we need to understand precisely those kinds of issues. In English, a "suicide bomber" is a suicide bomber. In Arabic, it carries a different meaning altogether. We need to understand that ... maybe we won't use that word in English. We haven't made that call yet. We wouldn't use the word "martyr" either... What do you call the people in Iraq? Do you call them "resistance fighters", do you call them "armed groups", do you call them "insurgents" ... ?

Other than diction, are there other issues that Al Jazeera International would want to put emphasis on, considering how you have critics watching your every move, every word, every footage?

Yeah, we are under close scrutiny, there's no doubt about it. We are aware of it but we're quite confident our journalists will be free, impartial and accurate. What we're after is to connect with the street, if you like, which is what the Arabic channel has so successfully done. They've managed to address the concerns of ordinary people. They are not just following the agenda that's set by the politicians. They are not afraid to ask difficult questions. They don't go out looking deliberately for controversy but they're not frightened of it either.

But the geographic location (of the news organisation) isn't necessarily what would determine one's understanding of the problem. I'm curious, I mean, you don't have to be in Qatar to see that (what's happening in Israel and Palestine).

You don't, you don't. But, clearly, for that particular story and the Iranian story, the headlines you are getting are the politicians' sound bites, and we're saying there is not enough critical analysis of that. There is another side to all of these stories. You don't have to lose your balance, you don't have to lose your accuracy, but there are other sides to the story. You're right, you don't have to be in the Middle East to see that but why isn't it being reported more often from the other side, the other angle. I don't think we're getting a balanced picture at the moment.

So you think Al Jazeera International will be able to fill that gap or vacuum?

Absolutely! That's what we'll do. That's exactly the gap we're going into and we think it's a very good environment for us. We do think this vacuum has been created and it was particularly apparent during the invasion of Iraq. I don't think the major organisations have really recovered from that.

Today is World Press Freedom Day (May 3). You've been in this profession and industry for, oh, more than 30 years... From where you're coming from, how do you think the state of press freedom and the standard of journalism have evolved, or have been affected by international events or influenced by development?

I actually think, from a broadcast perspective, we're not talking about the print media here, I think we're in a fairly difficult time. I think the main broadcasters in the United States have been cowed by this administration. It's almost like the Russian media in the 70s. They're frightened of the administration. The Russian media is still the Russian media in the 70s. They came forward a little bit in the 80s and 90s and now they've gone right back to state control.

That is why it is a good environment for us. I think this word "globalisation" has tended to impact not just trade but also the media. There's this tendency to think we should all have the same standards, you know, one size fits all, the smaller world, et cetera, et cetera. Personally I disagree with that very strongly. I think we should be celebrating our differences and respecting our differences.

And, if you like, Al Jazeera would like to make the world a bigger place again, not a smaller place. We would go against that trend and I think journalists have kind of fallen into that trap, broadcasters in particular, all following each other...

I think it's a very dangerous time for journalists. The casualty rate is just phenomenal. That's an absolute tragedy. People taking huge risks. If you look at the number that has been killed in Iraq, it's just unbelievable. When I was in the field, particularly in conflict zones, journalists did die or get wounded but it tended to be by accident. These days, journalists are targets.

The target groups - decision-makers, professionals, people aged 20 to 35 - these have, according to you (in a past interview) shown particular interest in a channel like Al Jazeera International. What are the concerns that they have and what is it that Al Jazeera International will be able to give them?

I'd probably go back to my earlier answer that there's this disconnect, if you like, that's happening between the political leaders and the people on the street. It's reflected across the world and voting figures really, particularly in the Western world. I think people will watch us because we will be revolutionising viewer choice and offering up a different menu. There's a strong feeling at the moment that they're not getting the whole story. I think we'll have a big curiosity turn-on because of that and hopefully they will stay with us when they see the product.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And this is what really sparks my courage to speak up...
________________________________________

Dialogue of civilisations

INTERNATIONALLY known intellectual and social activist Dr Chandra Muzaffar, who celebrated his 59th birthday recently, believes that people, especially the more erudite among the middle class, should speak up on issues currently confronting the nation. They should not leave completely to the politicians the course this nation should take. Kedah-born Chandra is still as committed to the cause of social justice as he was when as a young academician three decades ago he founded Aliran. He remained its guiding light until 1992 when left to form JUST, the International Movement for a Just World. He left the academic world when his contract as professor-cum-director at the Centre for Civilizational Dialogue, University of Malaya, was not renewed. There was a politically vocal middle class once but now it is by and large tame and timid, the former academician told ZAINON AHMAD and MARIA J. DASS.

theSun: You have been a social activist for a long time, first in Aliran for one and a half decades and since 1992 as Just president. You were an academician as well but now you are a full-time social activist. Why?

I could have taken a different path. I could have been an academic, and not involved in social issues in social issues. A lot of academics are not involved in social issues, but I don't think I would have been happy. As an academic if you have had the good fortune of acquiring a certain level of education, if you have accumulated a certain quantum of knowledge, I think you should ensure that that knowledge is used to serve society, especially if you are in the social sciences where you are trained to think about society's challenges - if you don't use that training for a larger purpose then I don't think you have fulfilled your role.

The other reason why I've always had the urge to commit myself is because of certain instances in my own past. It may have something to do with the fact that my own father was a very public-spirited person. He established the first English school in Bidong, Kedah, set up a home for the destitute and at the same time he ran the local council there. And that made an impact on me.

Now the other elements from my own background was the fact that I was stricken with polio at the age of four and it made me very sensitive to human suffering wanting to do what one could to eliminate human suffering.

Politicians did not like you very much when you were in Aliran. You openly criticised government policies. Former PM Tun Mahathir Mohamad was one of those who took exception to your criticism of him that during the 1986 general elections he said if you wanted to criticise the government then you must enter politics. But you were not intimidated and continued to speak up. Do you think that was one reason why you were arrested in Operation Lallang?

I see Operasi Lallang introspectively as a move by the government - the Mahathir leadership - to ensure that the expanding middle class would not become too independent in its thinking. Of the 180 people who were arrested under Operasi Lallang, quite a lot of them were from professional and academic backgrounds. And I would interpret Operasi Lallang, apart from its other aims, it may have been prompted by the internal politics in Umno, the Umno election of 1987 where there was team A and team B and things that were very much in the public arena then like the Chinese schools issue and so on. But you also have an increasingly vocal middle class, they are the ones who attend Aliran functions and the functions of other NGOs and the middle class was just beginning to assert their independence, think for themselves - the power to be part of politics. This is what I call citizens politics. It is different from party politics - you don't have to be a member of a political party to stand for elections. As citizens they have a right to be concerned with what's happening to the country and this is what we were doing.

So citizens politics was beginning to grow and develop and people were becoming more and more concerned about issues and speaking up, and at that moment in time Operasi Lallang was a way of stopping the growth of an independent, autonomous, thinking society.

But this autonomous middle class - does it exist now?

A: I don't think so. I think our middle class intelligensia here is still weak. In terms of numbers, we have a big middle class but a lot of people don't speak up. And the sort of activism we see in other countries and even our neighbours with middle class communities which in proportional terms are smaller than our middle class in Malaysia, but we find that they have is much greater activism in some of these societies compared to Malaysia.

Why do you think this is so? Why don't people speak up for instance or indulge in public debate on government policies.

Operasi Lallang is one of the reasons. There are other reasons which I think are more important. We are ethnically divided. It's one of the reasons why we haven't been able to crystalise that sort of middle class which has that sort of commitment to democratic values, egalitarian values and so on. It's partly because we are ethnically divided.

Maybe also because we are fairly properous?

Yes, that too. We are fairly prosperous and when you have a prosperous middle class which at the same time does not have a certain intellectual history behind it, they don't have a certain tradition of dissent, of speaking up, they don't have such values and you have all this prosperity around you ... I suppose you are lulled into complacency and that's what happened to our middle class. Our prosperity has played a role, our ethnic situation has played a role and the absence of a certain history has actually created a situation which confronts us today - a middle class which is by and large tame and timid.

Many people were quite surprised when you entered politics. Would you rather forget those years when you were in it?

I entered party politics - I distinguish party politics from citizens politics - largely because of the situation which confronted the nation at that time. We had an extraordinary situation in 1998. A situation a lot of us felt that the fundamental institutions of governments were under threat. By which I mean institutions such as the judiciary, the police, the media - the way in which all these institutions were harnessed to serve a particular purpose related to the sacking of the deputy prime minister, and there was a response from a segment of the general public who responded to the situation with demonstrations ... people felt that something was wrong. We've been talking all about injustices, accountability, freedom of expression and then you hear people are beginning to speak up. And if you don't respond you would not have lived up their expectation, you would have in a sense betrayed the people, so you have to respond to that situation.

So what happened to myself and a number of others was not unusual. We were just responding to that situation.

I was there for two and a half years - in party politics - and I learnt things about politics which I didn't learn in political science course in the universities (laughs). When you join a party, you learn a few things about politics while you are there in the arena - you learn a lot of things -things that you may not be aware of if you didn't join politics.

And you didn't like that?

No, I didn't like that. We've always known that in politics you are more concerned with power than anything else, but I think you have to get into the ring to see what it really means - this obsession with power. It's actually the major preoccupation of politicians, it's not the ideals which they spout from time to time ... their real obsession is power, and I thinks it is very difficult to hold down certain principals in party politics. You have to compromise all the while, you have to adjust to various situations and you have to be very, very partisan in your outlook...but sometimes by becoming overly partisan you become unjust to the realities, the truth as you see it.

You want to articulate the truth but you can't, because you got a partisan position to take. And you have to adhere to that partisan position, this I think is part of the problem where you have to be very, very partisan to a point where you sacrifice truth.

At the same time you have to compromise on your principals, you can't run away from that. All the while you have to make compromises in party politics.

If you want to survive you have to be like the others. You've have to make power your central goal.you can't be talking about idealistic principals and so on it's power.

But don't you think you need to get power first before you could implement your ideas and goals?

That's true. Unless one gets into party politics, unless you are part of that game where you acquire power, you will not be able to bring about certain changes. I suppose that is sort of a dilemma you would like someone else to grapple with.

If you were asked to write a book on Dr Mahathir maybe ten years from now, how would your evaluation of him be like?

Any evaluation of Dr Mahathir like an evaluation of any leader who has made a very big impact on society should be balanced and not for or against him. You have to take into account his strengths, his weaknesses you have to be balanced to convince people that it is a sort of evaluation which is not motivated by bias, because the reality is that there are good things he has done for the country which one cannot ignore and there are also things which have happened that one could define as negative. So it will be a balanced evaluation if I would have to do an evaluation in ten years' time.

He was big on infrastructure, wasn't he?

Yes. I would certainly acknowledge what he has done for infrastructure development of the country which has been an important contribution to people's well being. The roads, the ports the infrastructure development was remarkable.

He's also helped to bring about certain transformations to society like the expansion and the strengthening of the middle class under his tutelage. At the same time you see the growth of the Malay middle class. If you look at the situation in the 60's and 70's, it's a tremendous achievement and it has helped assimilation in the country. Because if a very big segment of the Malay community had remained poor, I don't think there would have been inter-ethnic peace or harmony in our country. That sort of transformation, I think is very important and Dr Mahathir pushed very hard for it. His foreign policy was also studious and staid in a sense that he was always very conscious of our independence and sovereignty at a time when the global situation had become less hospitable to that sort of attempt to maintain our independence and sovereignty.

Almost 10 - 12 years into his stewardship the Soviet Union collapsed, the Cold War had come to an end and we had a unipolar world and politics. Most countries have succumbed to unipolar politics, but Malaysia had succeeded in keeping its independence and voicing out its opinions on what is happening in the world - whether on Bosnia, Palestine, Iraq and that has been remarkable.

He has also the man who was partly responsible for the expansion of Asean ---- as an entity that covered the entire region. It was also quite an achievement, because despite certain weaknesses in governments like Myanmar you cannot run away from the fact that a regional entity that encompasses the whole of South East Asia, is an achievement and it has given strength and identity to the region.

What were those things he did you would define as negative?

On the negative side, we should be concerned with the growth of corruption. During his tenure - corruption had become more serious. He may have been concerned of corruption but I don't think there were any sort of concrete measures he took to fight corruption. We should be concerned also with the emasculation of the judiciary and obliterating of the media the and other institutions which are important for any democratic country. Parliament was also very much under the thumb of the executive. We had overwhelming executive dominance during his stewardship, and while we were able to operate society, groups and so on these were under the sufferance of the powers that be. So I think that this was something we are not very happy about.

If you look at the economic side, yes infrastructure development was good but don't forget that the income inequities in this country is also quite serious.

Malaysia has one of the worst income inequities in the Asia Pacific region between people right at the top and those of the bottom.

Of course we have reduced absolute poverty which is good --- official figure is about 5%, maybe more --- but whatever it is, the real challenge is not absolute poverty, it's relative poverty and that's the real challenge. In other words people who can make ends meet and so on but given the situation today, you have what I like to describe as a growing gap between the have-a-lots and the have-a-little. It's not have and have-nots. This gap has grown over the last 10 to 15 years and that's serious and that's something that was not attended to.

What about ethic relations under him?

Because of a certain degree of economic success we had managed to blunt some of the sharper edges in relations between communities, but at the same time we cannot deny that we are still a very divided nation. People still operate very much within their own little ethnic cocoons whether it is politics, economics, education --- you see this everywhere.

You talked about the overwhelming executive power. Do you think there are signs that the present government is gradually dismantling this?

Well there is more openness now, we have more vocal parliament - if you look at the back- benchers they speak up much more, the media too has given some attention to investigative journalism if you look at what TV3 does, and the newspapers also attempt to expose wrong doing. I think bureaucracy too is fast to respond to some of the complaints from the general public. This is what makes the government more accountable and these are the positive changes over the last two and a half years.

Having said that I think the Malaysian public has every right to be disappointed. The pace of change has been slow, elite corruption is still a challenge and though there is a certain degree of freedom where the media is concerned, I don't think they dare to investigate certain cases --- it's something which will not happen.

I supposed there are problems even now and ethnic relations I don't have become any worse but I don't think it has improved either, there are more challenges -- polarisations, people adopting a very communal position and seeing challenges from within their own sectarian ethnic perspective. And justice is seen through the prism of a particular community and interpreted of course by the opinionated.

You are involved in civilisational dialogue than when you were at the Centre for Civilisational Dialouge --- with more passion in fact. Do you think you can make the difference?

One has to continue to dialogue, one has to continue to engage the other. One has to continue to continue to get rid of prejudices, stereotypes which colour and condition relations between civilizations, cultures and so on.

You have to continue to find common ground, you have to continue to articulate shared values. It is important because you have to realize that this is one human family, you can't run away from that. I'm talking of a human family in a global sense. A common humanity, it's a challenge which is going to last for a long, long while.

It's going to take generations to arrive at this point. To instil that this common human identity of ours is far more important than individual, or community, or militant or nationality, but this common human identity is what really counts.

That is what civilisational dialogue is all about --- an attempt to reach that point.

In view of all this talk about clashes of civilizations and what the religious zealots and extremists are doing, don't you think that is tough going?

It is. No way one is going to see it in one's lifetime, and all that what we can do is to make a small, modest contribution towards this process of building bridges.

It's going to be very, very difficult and what is made difficult and this challenge has been there for a while. You cannot have meaningful interaction between cultures, communities, civilisations if there's no respect, if you don't recognise the other as your equal. The whole concept of the other it can be cultural, can be religious, can be linguistics, can be civilisation, but you must be prepared to respect the other you must be prepared to see the other as your equal.

That is not possible in a situation where there is asymmetric power, that is so overwhelming at this point.

Please explain.

If you look at the global situation you will find that there is a small elite not confined to any particular country, that dominates and rules the world. These are the rulers of the world. So how can you have a dialogue in a situation where you have this coterie, this elite right at the helm and the rest of us (the whole of humanity) is at their mercy. You can't really have a dialogue.

It reminds me of what Tolstoy, the Russian philosopher, said: "I sit on a person's back and I want all that is good for him. I'll do everything to help him except get off his back". You can't possibly have a dialogue in that sort of situation --- when you're sitting on someone's back. You have to have a dialogue of equals.

But that doesn't mean that one should not continue to dialogue just because you have an unequal situation. You have to go on talking, persuading and showing what the situation is like. You just have to continue.

Coping with a troubled world

theSun: After the Sept 11 incident, Muslims seem to be under siege. It seems Muslims everywhere are reeling from the onslaught of this war on terror. Why do you think they are not rallying and fighting back? Is it for lack of leadership?

I think there are two questions here, one is Muslims under siege. I think it's true. It's something that's real. We're not talking of a situation where Muslims are perceived to be under siege. It is real in a sense that we are part of this global system that we talked about a while ago - which is very unequal and they see certain things happening that convince them that the whole system is against them.

You look at Palestine for instance. Palestinians had their own land taken over by someone else, they've been expelled from their land, killed and persecuted. They are under siege in that sense.

Look at Iraq - invaded, occupied so they feel under siege. Look at Afghanistan and look at the way Muslim minorities are harmed and harassed in different parts of the world and how they become the target as it were of hegemonic power that dominates the globe. Muslims feel that they are not treated well and they are marginalised.

But why don't they respond?

Now if you say that Muslims are not responding to this challenge that is not altogether true. There is a response, except it is the sort of response that we are not comfortable with.

Al Qaeda is responding, Osama is responding to this challenge. If you look at the birth of Al Qaeda, when did Al Qaeda come into being?

It came into being after the US set up bases in Saudi Arabia, this is when Al Qaeda announced to the world that it was going to fight the United States of America. This was after the US bases in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia - and you know that one of the first strikes was the Dhahran air base.

So the Al Qaeda responded, Osama's response is also through violence, because as far as they are concerned there is no other way.

It was hopeless. So if you want to liberate your land, if you want to push out the invader you just have to fight, you have to resort to violence. But we know violence is not the solution, because violence begets violence. ClichŽ maybe, but its true. It's something that should not be ignored.

Even from a strategic perspective the sort of violence that Al Qaeda is engaged in offers them hope in the short term or the long run. If you look at Sept 11, if it is Al Qaeda which is responsible for Sept 11. They decide to destroy a symbol of American global power, economic power and the symbol of global military power (the Pentagon), they killed almost 3,000 people but what have they accomplished?

They got their short thrill but it is the US which benefitted the most.

Yes. As a result of Sept 11, the US managed to topple the Taliban regime, but even more significant after toppling the Taliban regime they extended their tentacles over the entire Central Asian region - the five Central Asian republics. They've got bases in two of them today and they have agreements with all countries in that region. The US wanted an oil and gas pipe line from a Central Asian republic to a white water port. They couldn't do this when the Taliban was there but now they have succeeded in getting this done.

That's as far as Afghanistan is concerned. They accomplished this after Sept 11 and in other words expanded their military growth.

If you look at Iraq, again using the war on terror and weapons of mass destruction which is linked to terror and all that, they go to Iraq and invade and occupy Iraq - the world's second biggest oil exporter and as a result of controlling Iraq they also control another vital resource in the middle east that becomes more important in the future- water.

Iraq, one country which has the richest water resource in the entire region, they control that. It is expected that future wars will be over water. If you look at the strategic location of Iraq in Central and West Asia, it's a very strategic country.

The conservative government in Washington argue that water is very important as far as their attempt to re-do the map of the Middle East is concerned, which is what they are trying to do, which has given them an excuse to move into Iraq, re-do the map of the Middle East as a result of what you had done.

Sept 11 gave them the perfect excuse - that the US is under threat of being attacked, so we have protect ourselves from terrorists, from people who want to destroy our way of life - this is the rhetoric, this is the political propaganda they use.

They are able to use this rhetoric because of the foolish actions of people like Osama who have given them an excuse to expand their empire.

There's no doubt at all that the war on terror has become a very convenient excuse to expand their empire.

Even nearer home. Straits of Malacca, for instance. The Philippines, which once chased them out, have welcomed them back.

Yes, their war on terror has been expanded to the Straits of Malacca, except that the littoral states - two of them at least - Malaysia and Indonesia have been resistant, but they want control over the Straits of Malacca.

They returned to the Southern Philippines after Sept 11. They were forced out of Clark airbase after the fall of Marcos, but now they have returned. Again post Sept 11.

So if you look back at all the moves in various places, the war on terror has become a very, very convenient excuse for expanding the tentacles of the empire. That's why I think that in some respects Al Qaeda and the others have been very, very foolish.

What about the inability of other Muslims to respond?

I think this is very important, in a situation where you have one type of response - a response presented by Osama; other Muslims who are not happy with this should turn to their governments and say what is your response. Are you standing up? Are you speaking up? Are you getting together? Mobilising your resources and strengths? Are you saying that we won't allow certain things? That's not happening.

That's because I think a number of Muslim governments are very close to the empire builders and they are a part of the empire. This is what a lot of Muslims don' t realise - that they also helped to facilitate the expansion of the empire.

Let's ask ourselves very simple questions, would the invasion of Iraq have taken place without the support of some of Iraq's neighbours. They allow their airbases and territories to be used.

You know that they have these elites in the Gulf region and elsewhere - they have colluded with the empire builders.

So for a lot of Muslims this is something which has caused a great amount of disillusionment with their leaders, that their leaders don't stand out, in fact they help to oppress the masses of this world, through their collusion with the empire builders. This is why some of the militant groups are not only targeting Washington, London or Tel Aviv, they are also targeting their own governments and they make no bones about it.

So this is part of the problem. If you are looking for leadership from other segments of the ummah - I don't see any leadership. The absence of the leadership I think has contributed to the situation that we are in. It has exacerbated the crisis. The absence of leadership that can use democratic channels, to be able to negotiate and use diplomacy to bring about some changes.

Now I'm not saying that if there were these approaches, changes would take place. In fact there will be people that argue that if you look at what the international institutions have become, even if you use these channels there is no hope of change taking place.

If you look at the United Nations (UN) after 60 years, attempts to reform the UN didn't work.

We have talked about reforms when the UN was 50 years old, 60 years old we talked about reforms - nothing had happened.

Basic power structure remains the same - security council, veto, dominance of the powerful, the 10% veto being ineffective.

Look at other institutions related to the UN - the World Bank. Since the 1998 financial crisis in the region people have been talking about financial architecture - not a single reform has taken place after 1998.

World Bank's fundamental role is to eradicate global poverty but the World bank has not been successful in this. In fact it has contributed to poverty in some instances.

Nothing has happened. Look at the WTO (World Trade Organisation), look at the difficulties of negotiating a global trade agreement, the Doha rounds - it's still going on. You look at all the international institutions, look at attempts to curb nuclear weapons - total failure, no progress, nothing.

Every institution that we look at the situation is not hopeful. Which is what makes one very, very pessimistic about the future because if these institutions don't work, then you are just strengthening the militants because they assume nothing works at the global level.

We should not allow this sort of situation to develop, because what is going to happen is that you have these militants on one hand and you have others that also use violence and terror - meaning the global hegemonic powers will also use violence and terror as in the case of Iraq. So you have two forces pitted against each other. Both believe that violence is the only way. You conquer and then you respond to that conquest also with violence. This will only lead the world to its destruction.

The situation in Iran, which is standing up to the Americans. Could it also end up like Iraq?

The situation in Iraq is very, very bad. The situation is very, very difficult in Iraq. This I think will dissuade the US from trying anything in Iran. Don't forget that 60% of the Muslims in Iran are Shi'ite. Now if you move against Iran, it will inflame passions in Iraq and the Shi'ite population - because of their supreme spiritual leader Ayatollah Sistani. He has been able to hold them back up to this point. In fact they have cooperated with the US. As far as the occupation is concerned it is the Sunnis that have been resisting the occupation. But if the US invades Iran then I think the Shi'ite population in Iraq will respond.

There are many other factors, because Iran is different from Iraq - in terms of nuclear facilities and camouflage, I think they are much better than Iraq. In 1981 Israel destroyed the nuclear reactor in Iraq in a unilateral strike.

Nonetheless if you believe in world domination, if you are the type that has been miscalculating all the while, you can miscalculate again and go to war in Iran - it can happen.

This is also where the Iranian leadership can be more strategic in its response, meaning they should look at the situation carefully and see what is possible, what it can do, what its long-term gains would be.

Iran in some ways has done fairly well in strengthening its position in the region and if you look at what has happened in Iraq, what has happened in Lebanon, what has happened in Afghanistan, in all these countries you will find that the Shi'ite segment of society which was oppressed and suppressed in one way or the other, they have re-emerged. Iraq is one example as a result of the fall of Saddam. In the case of Lebanon you will find that the Shi'ites have become a very, very important factor now, because it was the Shi'ites under the Hezbollah that succeeded in defeating the Israeli army in certain parts of Lebanon and they have become politically very important.

In Afghanistan with the fall of the Taliban - the Taliban oppressed the Shi'ites - you find the Shi'ites have a role in Afghan politics. So the Shi'ite factor has re-emerged and this favours Iran. So Iran has to think about all of this rather than gauge the situation where there is a war and Iran is pulverised, even if you are no pulverised you pay the price in one way or another if there is a war. So I think Iran should avoid a military confrontation.

That's where I think wisdom and strategy become more important than just sort of a reactive approach.

In the case of the caricatures of Prophet Muhammad published by the Danish newspapers. Do you think Muslims over-reacted?

One should not be surprised that Muslims reacted because of their love for the Prophet which is deep and profound as far as Muslims are concerned. This is something Muslims - doesn't matter what their school of thought or community is - their love is profound.

But the reaction in some parts of the Muslim world to my mind merely helped to reinforce the stereotypes about Muslims. Why do I say this? Because they reacted in a violent manner. If the purpose of the cartoons was to depict Islam as a violent religion - because way the Prophet was depicted - but by reacting in a violent manner, you are just reinforcing the stereotypes. I think it was very foolish to react in that manner. I remember telling people at a meeting in Doha, right in the midst of this cartoon crisis a few weeks ago that maybe when the Danish imams first responded to the cartoons at the end of 2005. What they should have done is to say, hey look these cartoons ... you talk of freedom of expression ... we demand media space to respond to what you have done.

Write to this newspaper, other Danish newspapers and maybe other papers in Europe, explaining why Muslims feel this way about the Prophet and why this depiction of the Prophet as the head of a violent religion is a travesty of justice. We should explain why this is a travesty of justice. It's so easy to explain. Look at the whole history of Islam. Look at the history and life of the Prophet himself - how he responded to taunts, insults and attacks - physical attacks upon his person.

Outside Mecca once he was taunted and assaulted, but he refused to react. This was the mark of a human being and this is something people should understand. You want to defend the honour of the Prophet but you are not prepared to emulate the Prophet. This is so wrong. The way some of them reacted was wrong. There are other ways to respond to insults of this sort. Why does one have to be so violent, at least some of them. I want to emphasise that a lot of Muslims also reacted in a very rational way but there were also Muslims who reacted in a very irrational manner.

There seems to be a lot of signs of ethnic tensions in our country. Why do you think this is happening?

Tensions I suppose one could classify into two categories, one is tensions which are the product of specific instances, like what we see now, tensions of that sort. Number two is what we should be more concerned about - tensions which are manifestations of deep-seated problems between communities.

Now some of the incidents, episodes over the last few weeks and months related to the way in which Islam is perceived by certain circles, Muslims and non-Muslims looking at Islam in a certain way. I think this has contributed to it. Which I think really underscores the importance of developing a better understanding of each other's religion and culture. Indepth understanding of one another - this has not happened at all in our country. We have remained - this is a cliche that I have used for a very long time - a nation of strangers.

We know a few things about each other's culture, religion but in-depth understanding is not there and this I think has to be developed. For instance Syariah law, because this has been at the centre of some of the incidents of late. Let's look at the non-Muslim reaction to Syariah. We're not talking about masses. We're talking about lawyers, professionals, academics and others - there is a knee jerk reaction against the Syariah among non-Muslims in this country. When you mention Syariah - oh! it's wrong! it's bad! cannot have the Syariah! and so on. I think one needs to be a little more balanced in one's approach. One needs to say let's find out what this is all about. A lot of non-Muslim lawyers in this country for instance know nothing about the Syariah and yet they tend to react all the while to the Syariah without understanding.

This is to my mind a good example of legal illiteracy as far as a system of law is concerned. The Syariah has got a very long history behind it and it is something that has evolved over time. There are some wonderful principles in the Syariah if you look at it in-depth - almost every area of life.

So among the educated we don't have such a balanced view. With civil law there may be some differences or similarities - let's try to understand. Now that's one side.

On the Muslim side, you find a lot of Muslim professionals and their response to Syariah is that it is divine law. You must not forget that 90% of Syariah is a product of historic evolution. It is made by human beings over a period of time, by great jurists who in their historical context looked at certain principles and tried to understand. Because I find that the laws they made and edicts they came out with, the rules that they produced was their attempt to apply their minds to their setting - over a long period of time.

What we call Fiqh (jurisprudence) in Islam is a product of evolution. It is the roots of the Syariah that are in the Quran which one would regard as divine. Certain underlying principles and values in the Quran pertaining to human conduct which one would regard as divine, but not all the rules and regulations that were developed over a long period of time.

So I think Muslims must also approach the Syariah in a more evaluative manner and look at it in terms of its strengths. Syariah as it applies to the 21st century - what is it that you can apply today, what is it that you can't apply today - there should be that sort of attitude that one doesn't see amongst the Muslims in this country. You have sort of a blind, unthinking approach on one side, and you have a knee jerk reaction on the other and this doesn't help ethnic relations.

It's not the episodes from time to time that concerns me - these are merely part of the symptoms. I think what really concerns me is that as religion impacts more and more upon daily life - and it's going to happen. Way back in the early 80's when I wrote a book about the signs of Islamic resurgence in Malaysia, I said in that book that religion was going to become a major new divider in our society in the future. This is why it is going to happen. As religion becomes more and more important people are going to coalesce on religion. If you don't have an enlightened approach towards religion then imagine what the consequences will be in a society like ours and I think this is what is happening. That religion is becoming more and more important not just in this country but also all around the world.

In Malaysia we know why it has become a more important identity marker because if you look at the Malay community, in 60's it was language but as the 70's and 80's unfolded religion had become a more important identity marker. Why? Because the Malay language had become more of a common language.

So religion has become an identity marker and this is why you find more and more issues related to religion. When we talk to ethnic polarisation - people not mixing with one another, Muslim kids not going to non-Muslim homes, non-Muslim kids not going to Muslim homes, ethic relations and so on.

Many of these issues are related to what I regard as a superficial understanding of religion. The problem is not with religion as such but the way you understand religion. That Islam does not prohibit people from interacting with one another. It does not prohibit people from establishing close bonds with people who are from a different religion.

All the more reason why we should have interfaith dialogues. Doesn't Islam encourage this?

Of course it does. In fact if you look at the history, this is the first religion in history to have encouraged interfaith dialogue.

The first major work on interfaith dialogue was was written by a Muslim by the name of Al-Biruni who died in 1051. Very famous thinker who wrote this classic work called kitab Al-Hindh which was on Hinduism. One of the things he said in that book was that you must put yourself in the shoes of the other person to understand about his religion É, which is a profound statement and he made out various principles of interfaith interaction. If you look at the first encyclopaedia of religions, it is also an encyclopaedia produced by a Muslim known as As-Shahrastani who lived in the 12th century. He was one of the first persons to write an encyclopaedia on religions. It also discussed the Buddha and Buddhism with a great deal of understanding and objectivity. He probed the five precepts - the Panchasila and the 10 precepts the Dashasila.

Look at the openness, but today you find that Muslims are afraid of dialogue, they are afraid of interactions, which is the Islamic heritage. In terms of dialogue, interaction, understanding and so on things have changed greatly, which is a pity. In our society it's because we are a stature and identity based society - a society that is so preoccupied with ethnic identity. It is something that permeates our entire society. This is the problem. You can only transcend that if you begin to see the other as also a human being like you and if you begin to understand this common bond which is the sort of understanding they had at that time.

What of our efforts at interfaith dialogue?

I think that the people who pushed for the idea also bungled. I think that it is an idea which is important. This country of all countries should be at the forefront of interfaith dialogue and interaction. In fact, if I may mention - Muslims that really know Islam are not afraid of interfaith dialogue. The former president of Iran Mohammed Khatami had set up an international institute for the dialogue of cultures and civilisations after he finished his term as president. It had a centre in Tehran before and now he decided to set up an international centre for the dialogue of culture and civilisations and he has asked me to be member of the governing council. This will be based in Tehran.

I feel that our society, multiracial and multireligious, should take the lead in these kinds of things, but we have failed. And others like Iran which is 98% Muslim, you have a president who is actually a distinguished scholar and philosopher, who sees the importance of this sort of dialogue and understanding. It is not just getting to know one another, it is understanding humanity and feeling that there is a common human bond and that is what dialogue is all about.

A corrupted judgement...

2006-05-25T18:07:00.000+08:00

For Malaysian who read about the Jasin MP who used his influence/power ans asked the Custom Department to "close an eye" on an unlawful consignment of inported logs, The Sun reported that he's going to be questioned by a panel of 4 people from the Cabinet... Unfortunately, look at the members of the panel:

Head : Najib Tun Razak (a womaniser)
Panel 1 : Chan Kong choy (no comment on him, yet)
Panel 2 : Nazri Aziz (after his statement about BN MPs cannot support any motion by Opposition MPs, I swear he's nowhere near "integrity")
Panel 3 : Samy Vellu (the logest serving, well-known corrupt)

Great... A bunch of corrupts questioning another corrupt... I bet the Jasin MP was laughing his ass off when he knew who the panels are going to be... I'm sure that people would be happier if the panel was made off neutral, non-MP members...

Which makes me wonder; Does Pak Lah meant what he said, when he made the statement that he's going to uphold integrity... I sure hope he's not sugar-coating his speech...

Piccies :p...

2006-05-22T20:19:00.000+08:00

Here's some of the pics I managed to scan from a fellow archer... Others will be posted once I got my hands on them...

Trying to find the "feeling"... Konna kanji desu... Ehto, donna kanji ka na?... =.=;;...

Yosh, got the "feeling"... Now, aiiiiiimmmmm~~~...

FIRE!!!~~~... ... ... ... *silence*... Eh, where did the arrow go, ah?... Haih, that's the trouble when you have a rabun archer >.<;;...

MASUM rants and groans...

2006-05-20T10:42:00.000+08:00

Okay, as promised here's the update on my archery adventure, representing the university you'd love to hate (UIA) on MASUM '06... Sorry, no picture... ... ... Yet :p...

We arrived at UITM on Thursday, and were lodged at one of the female housing college (which, during one of my early strolling, happened to STILL have some female inhabitants)... It's kinda shocking to see how "open" UITM towards free mingling between the opposite sex (and perhaps, the same sex)... But being the typical Ismat, got over it in no time :p...

Us 2 and a half guys decided to survey our battleground, the UITM stadium, and perhaps have an early training... We were later joined by the girls... Much to our dismay, the shooting ground is not even prepared yet, and there's a big chance that the tournament is being postponed without our knowledge... We asked whether there is a shooting range available for us to start practice, which of course they do... Problem is, we have no idea where on UITM is the place -.-"... On top of that, the weather is just not on our side; it rained as heavy as you can imagine 15 minutes after we were back in our rooms... Haih...

The next day, we went to MSN Sports Complex at Keramat for training, and it's clear enough that we have improved a lot... Kak Aisah, our coach, gave some tips and advices, and reminded us to take the tournament as an exposure towards greater level of tournaments...

Saturday marks the beginning of the battle... No real battles yet, since we were just "target-practicing", or in archery term, sighters... Only managed to have it for half day, since, like I said before, the weather is not on our side for the time being...

Sunday, and the battle starts... All of us archers had to shoot 144 arrows for 4 distances: 90m (male), 70m (male n female), 60m (female), 50m (male n female), and 30m (male n female)... It was damn tiring, and yours truley here got trouble finding his "form" for the first 2 distances... A combination of mismatched equipments (will explain later) and windy range was believed to be the cause... Come evening, I managed to get a grip on myself, and landed on number 18 (or was it 19) overall... And for staying under the scorching sun for the whole day, the already hitam legam writer here got even darker than the darkest night (will tell about a funny story related later)... Kak Aisah told us to get a good rest, and Encik Ismail, her boss, told us not to take spicy food (whice we gracefully ate later that night XD)...

Monday, last day of the tournament (for archery, that is)... First of all, Individuals Olimpic Round... All the players, save the captain and 1-2 of the girls managed to fight it out twards the semi-finals, captain lost at quarter finals... Next is the Team Event Olimpic Round... Our first rival was USM... The sure underestimated us a lot, since we were using aluminium arrows... UIA's archers were yours truly, the captain, and our "Abang Long", 26-year old Azril... We beat the crap out of USM in all 3 rounds XD... Next on the list was UPM... They treated us with respect, we were fighting almost with an even footing (minus the arrows), until yours truly lost his grip again, and we lost by 20 points... Nonetheless, we landed on the 4th place for team event, which according to the captain, was not bad at all, considering we were all (minus the captain) newbies, and were competing with mismatched equipments...

Went back to our respective rooms, start packing, and yours truly starts to fall ill (and still not well while typing this post)...

Back home, I got news that we were mistreated by the UIA Sports Officials... Consider this:
UM players got RM150 for the span of 3 days as allowances,
UITM got a lump sum of RM800 as allowances,
UIAM gave its athletes a meager RM45 for 3 days (UM got more for 1 day)

KUIM offered RM500 for each medal won, regardless whether it's gold, silver, or gangsa (I forgot the term in English <.<)
UIAM refused to give any incentives for medals won... The most they can offer are the jerseys...

What a letdown... Here we are, UIAM students, sacrificing our time and efforts, only to find out that our efforts meant nothing...

INFO ON ARCHERY
If you guys got interested about archery, here's a list of links you can visit if you want to:
http://www.yale.edu/archery/about.html
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/joetapley/ (A very nice site, explaining the physics of archery...)
http://www.kyudo.com/asahiam-intro.html (Japanese Archery...)
http://www.strictlybowhunting.com/Anov01issue/carbon_vs_alluminum.htm (Explaination on why we lost...)
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/joetapley/target.htm

Funny story after archery
Remember I mentioned about being darker?... Some of the students were collecting donations room-to-room... They came to mine, and to my feverish confusion, start talking in English... At first I thought they were high on English, but then I realised: They thought I was an International/Overseas student (WTF *sweats*)... Once they finished explaining their objectives, I told them, "Bahase Melayu pon takpe"... Oh, the joy of seeing their expression... And as I went to get my money, I heard one of them said, "Serious, aku ingatkan foreigner tadi"... Tell me, should I get furious, or should I be proud?...

Ihab's singing clip
http://www.savefile.com/files/2242136 Here it is...

Okay, that's all for now... PLEASE VISIT MY BLOG MORE TT__TT...

Something to tickle your funny bone...

2006-05-18T21:28:00.000+08:00

No updates for MASUM yet... But here's something to compensate for the wait :p...

Go to this site www.thesurrealist.co.uk/slogan.cgi and enter your name in the box then hit the Sloganize button. DON'T CHEAT, KEEP THE FIRST ONE THEY GIVE YOU.

1. Ben- "Better ingredients, better Ben."
2. Laura-"Aaahh, Laura!"
3. Gary - "Nobody Better Lay a Finger on my Gary." beat that!
4. Hannah - "When You Get Bored, Call For Hannah"Yess Beat THAT!
5. Ruby-"Loneliness is a Pleasure."
6.Raffi-"You can do it when you Raffi it".
7. Eliza-"sharing the Eliza of your life"
8. James- "Gives A Meal James-Appeal"
9. Hanna- "Break Me Off a Piece of That Hanna".
10.ben - "FOR A HARD EARNED THIRST, BEN." (haha)
11.Caitlin-"Try Caitlin, you'll LIKE IT...!!"
12.Tara- "Probably the best tara in the world"
13. Carl-"See the Face You Love Light Up With Carl.????????????"
14. Witney - "Stimulation for body & Witney!"
15. Beau - "Get Serious. Get Beau."
16. Grimm - "Tell Them About The Grimm, Mummy." [[hahahaha]]
17. Trev - "Trev. Australian For Beer."(how did they know?)
18. Julian- "Shake the bottle, wake the Julian." (hhahahahaa)
19.Jessica- "Loves the Jessica you hate."
20. Jackie - "We Don't Make Jackie. We Make Jackie Better." (hell yeah! lol)
21. Erin - "An Erin Works Wonders" (She sure does!!!! )
22. Scott- "If only everything in life was reliable as a scott- i think it's broken."
23. Kat - "Get the door - its Kat" (man, how boring is mine!!)
24.Michelle-"Beware Of Expensive Michelle!" ( LoL i'm expensive?)
25. Celeste- "Once you pop,u cant stop CELESTE"..Hahaha
26. Teri- Four Out Of Five Dentists Recommended Teri... ((for what actually??))
27. Jason - "Jason- It does a body good"... hahaha.. makes me sound like im a sex toy or sumthing.. LOL
28. shurl - "do u eat the shurl last".. am i dat tasty?? hahaha
28 frank - Hand-Built by Frank....huh??
29 ahmad redzwan-the home of (my name).... blank..????
30. anne - 'there's first love,and there's anne love' vewy vewy nicey ;p
31. evon- "Let's Face The Music and Evon".. umm..
@ yvonne- "Reach for the Yvonne"...LOL
32. alom - "alom really satisfies"..i do? @
petrus - 'splash petrus all over'...wadda?!
33. Elizabeth- Just like elizabeth used to make.
*Adrienne~things happen after and adrienne
34.MaLIa - Australians Wouldn't Give A Malia For Anything Else. (hahaha)...
35.Fakhrullah-"Tastes Great, Less Fakhrullah.".<--wakakaka..wth..
36. gloria- it's gloria time!.. *yeah baby!! *
37. aaron - Leggo My Aaron (uh???)
38. Alia - Make Someone Happy With An Alia. :)
39. Shareen - Half the Shareen, All the Taste. ;) hahah
40. Shira - I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Shira.
41. Dalila - The Best Dalila A Man Can Get.
42. Nabeela - Have Nabeela Your Way
43. Taufiq - Race for the Taufiq (hahahahahahaa)
44. Farahana - You Cant Top a Farahana
45. Rendra - Think Once, Think Twice, Think Rendra. (tht makes me sound like a drug.....)
46.yati - We Are Serious About Yati (what a crap..)
47.Let's buy the world of Mahhey
48. Aiman - Have You Had Your Aiman Today?
49. Ismat - It Takes A Tough Man To Make A Tender Ismat. O_o W T F
Nor Ismat - We Don't Make Nor Ismat. We Make Nor Ismat Better.

Praise the sun...

2006-04-17T21:55:00.000+08:00

Guys, Malaysians especially, I suggest that you get your copy of The Sun everyday, and read... Here's some of the interesting articles I found in that free newspaper... And I mean "FREE"...

The oppression of conformity
Umran Kadir

Mat: We Muslims have it so hard these days. In the West, we're either ridiculed or looked upon with suspicion. In Iraq, a former centre of Islamic civilisation, Muslims are on the verge of civil war. Aren't we lucky to be in Malaysia where Muslims needn't fear violence or oppression?

Din: Yeah we're lucky to be living in such a peaceful country; but just how well off are Muslims?

Mat: What are you talking about? Thanks to our Constitution, Islam holds a special place in Malaysia and the government is responsive to the needs of the Muslim community.

Din: Just hear me out. I attended this forum last month on the Constitution and heard people from minority Muslim communities saying that they are being persecuted.

Mat: Are you referring to some odd cult? They aren't real Muslims anyway. Please don't start with your human rights nonsense. It's all a Western import you know.

Din: Well, the Constitution that you speak so highly of guarantees freedom of religion for all persons. Besides, there isn't a consensus among scholars on the limit of religious freedom in Islam. In fact, a number of prominent scholars believe that Islam upholds freedom of religion for everyone, including Muslims.

Mat: Are you certain?

Din: Yes, you can check it out for yourself. Did you know that in Penang there is a fatwa which prevents Shiite teachings?

Mat: Alamak! Are you serious? That's really odd, considering that there has been a Shiite community in Malaysia since before independence. And didn't the Iranian President just visit Malaysia?

Din: Yes. You can check on fatwas in Malaysian states on the internet (http://ii.islam.gov. my/default.asp).

Mat: I'll check it out. Hey, I just remembered that both Proton and Petronas have large investments in Iran as well.

Din: Odd policy we have, huh? But it's not just minority Muslim communities who are given a tough time. Did you know that under various state laws known as the Syariah Offence Enactments, it is currently an offence to question a gazetted fatwa? This offence is punishable by either a maximum fine of RM3,000, jail term of 24 months or both.

Mat: Hold on, I thought a fatwa was just a scholarly opinion that one could voluntarily abide by?

Din: That's the case in other parts of the Muslim world, but not here.

Mat: So you mean it's an offence for us to even think?

Din: It sure looks that way, doesn't it?

Mat: This reminds me of George Orwell's 1984! This serious discussion calls for a cigarette!

Din: Put that cigarette away.

Mat: Why? Afraid of a little secondhand smoke?

Din: Just thought you should know that there is a fatwa in Selangor that makes smoking cigarettes an offence.

The writer, a project manager with a software company, believes that by placing emphasis on justice and equality, we can make a better Malaysia.

(Shinnoir's note: Hah!... Not only we are paranoid of apostates (is that how we spell it?)... We are also paranoid of fellow Muslims...)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Poverty in the midst of our plenty
Petra Gimbad

KUALA LUMPUR can be an odd place: where wealth and poverty sit side-by-side. Reading this did not make sense till I left Malaysia. Upon my return, I noticed for the first time the distorted scenery: KLCC, a symbol of our success, surrounded by squatters. I was confronted by this image wherever I drove. School taught us to take pride in our country's economic progress. Development, however, has not lifted everyone out of poverty and its effects.

I once knew a girl whose mother experienced breast pains. Breast cancer had killed her grandmother. Cajoling her mother to the doctor proved useless: Mak cakap, buat apa? Kalau ada apa-apa pun, bayar bagaimana? ("What's the point? Even if they find something, how are we to pay?") Sickness and death were not alien to her, having lost a brother to a "mysterious" illness a few years before. Apparently, he was fine one day, and died the next. It was years before it dawned on me that he was aware of his illness, but suffered quietly. For what good can talk do?

Poverty impacts choice: My mother told me of a girl who could not afford more than a meal a day. It was not uncommon for many girls in her situation to survive each day on a packet of Maggi noodles. For the few years they attend school, they travel by foot for an hour or two to their classroom, and another hour or two back. They drop out young, to feed their families. The few jobs available offer miniscule wages and scant chance of promotion.

Friends and I once tutored at a children's home which was extremely rundown - horrifyingly unsanitary (lice and scabies were common), and with more children than space. We would teach a child how to add and subtract numbers, returning only to discover that all was forgotten. The cycle was endless; these children lacked what we thought was normal: parents who bought books and sat down to teach, tutors when we struggled in school. Most of the kids did not complete their homework, because they did not know how. (One of the boys circumvented punishment by getting - I suspected bullying - a friend to do his homework.) Many teachers, I knew, would tell them off for laziness without acknowledging that the problem goes far deeper that that. When you do not have self-esteem, you will not believe yourself capable of anything. This was what hurt most: their adamant inability to believe in themselves. Studying requires faith that if one works hard enough, the answers will come. The children gave up all too easily in the face of math problems like `21 - 9 = ?' or writing one-line sentences in English, a language that is hard to grasp without sufficient exposure and patient teaching.

I had too many friends in school who believed they were stupid for performing dismally in math and English. Their ability to pass exams in spite of the little support they received was amazing. Our school system often allocates classes by exam grades. Placing the poorest achieving students into a single class can backfire, for they automatically earn the labels of dummies and no-gooders. As a temporary teacher, I was told by one teacher after another: "Oh, you're teaching `that class'? Don't even bother trying.

Seriously! They memang tak guna one! (They're really useless!)" A more patient colleague pointed out in all seriousness:

"Actually, kasihan (pity) these kids - their parents are poor, work all the time, no time to watch their kids, keep them out of trouble." Pause. "These will grow up to become your VCD sellers."

In the showdown between life and money, life can be worthless. These stories - people I know - cause me to grit my teeth when I listen to others talk about "the noble suffering of the poor".

It is cheap to give someone admiration, when there is cash to spare. In a country where the poverty line for a monthly household income is RM510, the poor have no need of words. What they deserve is what others have: a chance at life, with the choices many of us take for granted.

Petra likes feminism, social justice, and working on the online magazine, Vox. She is a law student in her spare time.

(Shinnoir's note: Hmm... I wonder if the Government will fulfill their promise and carry out whatever they have said for RMK9... Honestly, I'm tired of watching the people suffer, while the Malays who calls themselves as "leaders" and "protectors of civillians" are filling their own stomach...)

2006-04-12T21:45:00.000+08:00

My apologies, readers... I think I'll have to postpone the introduction to my office senpais... But here's something for youguys to read, and ponder... Ripped from The Sun...

Hard talk on hidden prejudices
Shanon Shah

Conversations in my head, after stumbling upon a website:

Ronnie Paris, Jr.
Location: Tampa, Florida
Cause of death: Beaten to death by his father, Ronnie Paris, Sr.
Date of death: January 28, 2005
Paris, a three-year-old, died from swellings on both sides of the brain caused by his father, Ronnie Paris, Sr. Paris Jr. had been slapped against the head numerous times, until the child went into a coma. The father did not want to 'raise a sissy,' as the child had seemingly not been masculine enough for the father.

Unnamed transwoman
Location: Surco, Peru
Cause of death: Incinerated
Date of death: Nov 26, 2004
This unknown victim was roughly twenty-two years old. On the night of Nov 26, four people dropped her from a car, then set her body on fire.
(Source: The Day of Remembrance website, http://www.gender.org/remember/ day/who.html)

Shanon 1: Why have you listed these gruesome details here?

Shanon 2: Because lately, I've been getting sick of pondan and pengkid jokes. (pengkid = Malay slang for butch lesbians; female-to-male transgendered people) I've never understood the need to make fun of them, or to peddle hatred and fear towards them as though it were a patriotic or religious duty.

Shanon 1: But why are you so hung up about this? You're not even a pondan yourself!

Shanon 2: Well, I found this on the website, too:

Unknown Transperson
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Cause of Death: Slit throat
Date of death: Nov 11, 2005
Notes: If you have any information on this murder, please contact the city police hotline at (03) 2115-9999 or by sending an SMS to "POLISKL" at 32728.

This victim remains unknown, but was likely of Chinese of East Malaysian descent, but living within the local area. The victim's body was discovered head-first in a garbage bin, wearing a dark T-shirt, white shorts and padded bra. Police revealed that there was a single slash wound on the neck and numerous bruises on the body.

Shanon 1: And?

Shanon 2: Don't you see? Malaysia is also no stranger to incidents of violence towards transsexuals!

Shanon 1: What are you saying? There's no proof that any of these 'incidents' were motivated by hatred towards transsexuals. They could've all just been theft-related violence. You want to get arrested for making these unwarranted claims?

Shanon 2: Listen, when four people in Peru drop a transwoman from a car and set her body on fire, I have difficulty attributing their actions to 'theft'. When a father in Tampa, Florida beats his three-year-old son to death because he thinks his son is a 'sissy', I doubt that it's 'theft-related' violence. So I wonder about the Malaysian incident.

Shanon 1: OK, fine. But why are you worrying about these pondan and pengkid murders? Don't you have other things to worry about? The illegal occupation of Palestine and Iraq, for example?

Shanon 2: I can weep and act for the Palestinians and Iraqis, as well as for people who have died because of transphobia.

Shanon 1: Trans-what?

Shanon 2: Transphobia. You know, when transsexuals are kicked out of their homes, denied employment and publicly ridiculed. When many of them have to resort to sex work and petty crimes in order to survive, and are then accused of being transmitters of disease and threats to public order. When they are then arrested and humiliated even further. When they are beaten and killed. Just for being transsexuals.

Shanon 1: So drama lah you. Anyway, so some people can't stand pondans and pengkids. Big deal. You have to admit they're freaks anyway. Oh, sorry, am I guilty of 'transphobia'?

Shanon 2: Listen, in the District of Columbia, Tyra Hunter was involved in an automobile accident. When rescue workers discovered that she was a transsexual, they screamed obscenities at her and stopped administering treatment. She later died in hospital. You might not call that 'transphobia', but I'd call it a crime against humanity.

Shanon 1: Fine. You win. Oh, the poor pondans and pengkids. They get to transgress the very order of nature, and they have the likes of you to defend them. People with common sense get attacked for having a moral compass.

Shanon 2: Is your 'moral compass' telling you to justify these deaths?

Shanon Shah is a singer-songwriter whose debut Malay album, "Dilanda Cinta", was released last year to rave reviews. He also works on human rights issues, including gender, sexuality and HIV/AIDS.

Those who had experienced what the author said, might get what I'm getting at...

Update on the first day of internship...

2006-04-10T21:06:00.000+08:00

Finally, exam is over... And Today marks the first day of my internship at PNB... As I promised before, I'll post about whatever happens during my internship there...

I came to work late today TT__TT... I had to collect a letter from my department (Department of Business Administration), so I had to wait for the office to open first... Supposedly, I should've collected the letter earlier... The problem is, I was only informed about the letter on the last day of exam, even worse, just before dinner!!... Nobody mentioned it to me earlier, not even the closest friends I have here... Wait a minute... I don't have even one close friend here +_+... Nasakenai na... But it's partly my fault as well... I should've keep my ears opened and eyes peeled for any latest news about the internship... Oh well, We can't turn back the time, right?... Later I was warned, no, advised to be punctual by the HR Officers...

You know what, the department I was assigned to was great!!... They are all friendly... Very friendly... It's just the first day, yet I feel almost at home... They didn't let us to be tense at all... I'll introduce the staff of the department to you guys later... With pictures, Insya Allah... I think they'll properly make an intro session once the staff are all present...

Day 1 consist of a short briefing on the department; its function, jobscope, significance, people incharge, etc, and also our first job (which may turn into our internship assignment)... I was kinda disappointed to learn that the division didn't involved in any investment activity, but the first task was not something I'm unfamiliar of... In fact, I may have enjoyed it :p... We were supposed to extract data from a list (data entry on a dumb terminal)... I guess my fingers will have ample exercise for the 3-month period XD...

I think I should make a forecast on my exam result here... Most probably will flop 2 subjects (flop, not fail)... The aother 4 subjects are okay, I think... And see an increase in my CGPA...

It's hillariously dirty XD...

2006-04-07T10:56:00.000+08:00

Can't help but to post this... Snatched from my Friendster:

"penis" ya all...
Okay y'all.... this is a fun game... lets see how many people we can get to participate in it... The name of the game says it all.... all you have to do is copy this bulletin into a new one. Take the name of a TV show and replace one of the
words with PENIS. Don't forget to put your name on it - then we can all see how perverted our friends are. NO REPEATS!!!

1.Naomi~Sex & the Penis (city)
2.Keith~The Penis At Home (war)
3. Christina-Family Penis (guy)
4.Naomi~Penis Park (south)
5. Jackie ~ Penis Swap (wife)
5. Nate ~ PENIS or NO PENIS? (deal)
6. Gary ~ I Love Penis (Lucy)
7. Rob ~ Penis Rider (Knight)
8. Sess~ Penis Tuck (Nip), lol
9. John~ The real Penis (world)
10. Fran ~ One Penis at a Time (Day)
11. Dawn ~ The King of Penis (Queens)
12. Sedi ~ Iron Penis (Chef)
13. John ~ PENIS (ALF)
14. Heidi ~ Penis Corner Death Match (Craft)
15. Sarah~ Regis and Penis (Kelly)
16. Jason~ Who's the Penis (Boss)
17. Ben~ Golden Penis (Girls)
18. Ryan~Everybody Loves Penis (Raymond)
19. Lauren~ Penis in Charge (Charles)
20. Jessah ~ The Facts of Penis (Life)
21. John~ Who's penis is it anyway? (line)
22. Brandon~ Salute Your Penis (Shorts)
23. Alex~ Penis Island (Gilligans)
24. Kylie ~ $40 a Penis (day)
25. Shafira~ 3rd Penis From The Sun (Rock)
26. lado ~ who wants to be a penis (millionaire)
27. chibi ~ the amazing penis (race)
28. hakim ~ america's next top penis (model)
29. anas ~ pimp my penis (ride)
30. Bungga ~ main-main penis (cinta)
31. Beejay/Ben ~ Gila-Gila Penis Remaja (pengantin)
32. Baini ~ Penis Development (Arrested)
33. Leni ~ Penis in The Middle (Malcolm)
34. c9 ~ Still Penis(Standing) - Damn leni!! You're insulting my fav tv show!! >:(
35. zoejane ~ ada apa dengan penis? (cinta)
36. one ~ Mr & Mrs penis (smith)
37. zeek ~ Penis Hari Ini (wanita)
38. Fara (im too creative)
~ White Penis (Chix)
~ Along came Penis (Polly)
~ Dick n Penis (Jane) hahaha
~ My best friend's penis (wedding)
39.AJ (im creative too)
~Penis Geographic (National)
~Dr.Penis (House)
~Misteri Penis (Nusantara)
~Penis Return (Batman)
~Penis Wars (Star)
~Crime Penis Investigation (Scene)
~Akademi Penis (Fantasia)
40. Gie (me too...)
~Desperate Penis (housewives)
~Dude,Where's My Penis (car)
~Penis Day Out (baby)
~What A Penis Wants (girl)
~You've Got Penis (mail)
~Hot Penis (chick)
41. lyana
~P for Penis
~Penis and the Chocolate factory
~Just like Penis
~Big Penis's House 2 < Momma>
~Final Penis < Final Destination>
~Fing me Penis
~Penis Watch
~Penis Pan
42. LuFi
- penis harum sundal malam (pontianak)
- tentang penis (dia)
- ada apa dengan penis (cinta)
- lord of the penis (ring)
- baik punya penis (cilok)
43. Axlangel
- long penis (khorn)
- kisah penis (benar)
- king penis (kong)
- kuliah penis (cinta)
- persona non penis (grata)
- penis menjerit (KL)
- 9 penis (naga)
- Penis Idol (malasian)
-44. Rosec
- bujang penis(senang)
- who want to be a penis(millionaire)
- akademi penis(fantasia)
- trek penis(selebriti)
- carta penis(era)
45. zaffira
- the penis (apprentice)
- kunci penis (khazanah)

TUKAR NAME LAGU PULAK LA....

46. SaMeL
penis dalam lumpur (bernafas) - wings
inti penis (fada) - rabbani
penis tak kembali (pergi) - Rabbani
honey penis nya hangus (lempeng) - exist
losing penis (grip) - avril
penis of the week (flavor) - american hi5
penis buat kekasih (doa) - ramli sarip
sedang kan penis lagi tergigit (lidah) - p ramlee
penis kekasih (kasih) - in team

47. Nor Is (Layan je la)
Penisku Untukmu - (Lagu) Hasnol
Bahtera Penis - (Merdeka) Aishah
Siapalah Penis - (Aku) Amy Mastura
Bernafas Dalam Penis (camne tu???) - (Lumpur) Wings
----Lagu Inggeris leh?----
Can't Fight the Penis - (Moonlight) LeAnn Rymes
My Penis - (All) Mariah Carey
A New Penis Has Come - (Day) Celine Dion
Enter Penis - (Sandman) Metallica

Hadoi... Sape nak layan silekan... Tapi ceratin penyanyi tak digalakkan ye... Noraniza ngan M. Nasir jangan sentuh, ok :p...

Well, another paper done... Now for the biggest battle of the semester tomorrow... 2 papers, morning and evening... I feel like my life had been shortened by a few years >_<...

Selfish me...

2006-04-05T23:39:00.000+08:00

Okay, I know I said, "No updates until after the exam", right... But things happen, and I believe I better drop a line or two about it...

First of all, some of you readers might not know about this, but the bus system in KL had been integrated already... Now you can just pay a max of RM4 and take any Rapid KL bus to most of the destination within KL... It does sound and look complicated at first, but once you got the hang of it, it's quite useful... Especially for a poor guy like me :p... Now, if only I could figure out how to get to Wangsa Maju by Rapid KL...

I've upgraded my computer... Now I have:
1) A Pentium 4 2.4Ghz Hyper Threading Processor
2) An ASUS Nvidia GeForce FX5200 Graphic Accelerator
3) A Creative SB Live! 5.1 Sound Card

Item 1 was given by a friend of Madi for free :p... Item 2 and 3 was bought over the internet at Lelong.Com at quite a nice price... Talking about Lelong.Com, I suggest you guys take a peek at the site as well... There's a lot of items you can buy there at a low price, if not reasonable...

Wan Azlan lost his mother on 3rd April at 3am... Let us share a moment of silence, and dedicate Al-Fatihah to her... May her soul rest in peace, blessed by His Grace... I don't know her personally... But I believe she's a kind person... And Wan Azlan seems to be closer to her, rather than his dad... I haven't seen Wan Azlan, yet... But I think it's better that I don't... I might end up hurting his feeling unintentionally... That's the only specialty of mine that I know of...

It's confirmed... I'M ONE OF THE MASUM (Majlis Sukan Universiti Malaysia) TEAM MEMBER FOR ARCHERY... Training will start during the break (that's after internship everyday), and the tournament will be in May... There's going to be a meeting on Thursday the 6th at 5.30pm... I hope I can atleast help the team win... Even if it's just by one point...

Lastly, this is something that I wish I could talk face to face with you, Ihab... Gomen, ne... Lately I just can't seem to trust anyone... It's like everyone treats me like a big joke... That's why I kinda lost it when you kinda laugh at the fact that I'm selling Nasi Lemak... I know, it's a small matter for me to be pissed of at... Then again, it's not like you have ever been in my shoes... Furthermore, about the question you posted as a counter to mine (you do have a habit of answering questions that you don't want to answer with another question, don't you... That makes you even cuter ^_^)... You're right... I don't want to be your best friend... No, let me rephrase that; I don't want to be just a bestfriend of yours... I want to be more than that...

Not just a bestfriend, but more than that...

I wonder what would be Nad-tachi's reaction when they read that... Maybe I shoudl just be frank about it: I never thought of Ihab as just a bestfriend... I'm infatuated with him... There are times that I wish he was mine alone... But of course, that's impossible... Even if it is mutual, there's no way that that's possible... To be honest, I've always see myself as a replacement... A very pitiful, pathetic replacement of someone I may never be at par with... Someone who was his bestfriend before... I'm still wondering, just what in the world gives me the right to earn the place as his bestfriend... In what way do I qualify to be one?... Of course, I've asked Ihab many times before... And as usual, he wouldn't answer... And because he's cute, I just stopped at that ^_^;;... Baka da ne, atashi wa...

2006-03-26T13:31:00.000+08:00

ANDA TAK RUGI APA2...

Nak notebook FREE??..
Cepat dapatkan nya!!..

Caranya mudah sangat:

Anda perlu mempromosi kepada 18 orang member2 korang dengan
mengirimkan URL yg kita dah buat.

Stepnya:
1. Daftar diri anda dgn link ini .. klik/copy+paste kat address bar -->

http://notebook.GustoNetwork.com/index.php?mid=599895

kalau tak dapat, copy and paste pada address internet browser..
(internet explorer).. Then klik register. Selepas register, anda akan
di beri referrals dgn mengklik No Thanks. Just continue to
notebook.GustoNetwork.com

2. Lepas tu klik pada menu(tab) referrals (dibahagian atas selepas
anda register).
Klik pada sponsor search engine, kemudian klik link kembali ke
GustoNetwork. Then,
anda akan dapat lihat URL atau link Referral anda seperti kat atas
tu..

3. Then promosikan link URL anda yang diperolehi dari langkah 2
kepada 18 orang teman anda mengenai produk notebook Acer ini. Hanya
18 orang dah anda telah success.

4. Selepas 18 orang mendaftar melalui referrals anda, anda boleh lah
Order Notebook Acer Travelmate dan ia akan di hantar terus ke alamat
rumah anda.

Selamat mencuba

Free Acer Notebook

A long hiatus...

2006-03-20T09:37:00.000+08:00

Okay, today will be the last post of the semester... But don't worry, I'll be back blogging about my internship soon enough ^_^... OMG, I'll be in the job market soon... Nanka KOWAIII~~~!!! >.<...

Although I will not be blogging for quite some time, it doesn't mean that I will not be browsing the blog... Dakara do visit from time to time and comment/spam/whatever the cbox as well as the comment section... I'll try to respond to them as much as I could ^_^...

By the way, Puteri Nad seems to noticed the abundance of advetisements here... For your information, I'm trying to make some money over the internet... That should explain the addies, shouldn't it?... And if it's not imposing, I'd like you guys to try and join these surf and earn programmes:

Surf Junky
Surf Junky pays you a minimum of USD0.45 per hour of autosurfing their affiliated websites... Get USD25, and they'll either send you a cheque, or send the money to your paypal/e-gold/stormpay account... Payment made from the 1st to the 15th of each month...

Studio Traffic
Studio Traffic pays you 1% of your account level perday or autosurfing a stipulated number of their affiliated websites... Sign-up for an account, and they'll give you a free USD10 level account... Which means you'll get to earn USD0.10 perday... Upgrade your account, and the earning perday will increase as well...

At least you will not be net-surfing for nothing, right?...

Actually I was thinking about reminiscing on how I got Ihab as my bestfriend... Then again, it's too embarassing for me... Maybe I'll blog about it if Ihab asks me to :p...

Well then, until the exam is over... Shitsure shimasu~~~ :3...

A good idea?...

2006-03-17T01:11:00.000+08:00

cara2 nk menghalau roomate korg yg tk sekepala....

1.Beli pepokok bonsai. Bercakap & tidor dengan pokok tu setiap hari. Selepas seminggu, bertengkar dgn pokok tu dan cakap "Aku tak boleh hidup sebilik dengan kau lagi" sambil keluar & menghempaskan pintu bilik dgn kuat... Buang pokok tu tapi biarkan pasu kat situ.

2.Beli pisau banyak-banyak. Tajamkan setiap malam sambil merenung roommate kao sambil
berkata "Tak lama lagi...tak lama lagi"

3.Bila roommate kau balik, berpura2 tengah telefon. Caci maki dan menjerit dengan kuat kat telefon tu. Lepas tu letak telefon dan cakap kat roommate kau bhw yg telefon tadi adalah mak dia. Cakap mak dia akan telefon balik.

4.Duduk & renung roommate kau dlm 2-3 jam. Kalau boleh, bawa member2 sekali sambil makan kacang & popcorn. Buat macam kau tengah tengok wayang.

5.(Khas Untuk Lelaki Sahaja) Pegang & gosok-gosok rambut roommate kau sambil berkata "Rambut kau hitam, lurus dan berkilat la... Macam teknik rebonding...". Sekali-sekala buat masa dia tengah tidur.

6.Sembunyikan seluar dalam/baju dalam kau yg telah dipakai bawah bantal roommate kau. Bila dia balik, komplen bhw seluar/baju dalam kau hilang. Toksah nak ngada2 pegi cari kat lain, pegi straight kat bantal dia. Lepas tu tuduh roommate kau
homo/gay/lesbian.

7.Ketika roommate kau sedang buka pakaian/bersalin pakaian, pandang dengan ghairah... kalau boleh lelehkan air liur sekali lagi bagus...(Pesanan pihak penaja:
AWAS! Teknik ini sangat merbahaya. Kalau kau tersilap pilih org, maka kau akan 'terkena' la...hahaha...)

8.Tahu peanut butter? beli sebotol. pastikan roommate kau tak tahu kau beli peanut butter. sapukan peanut butter kat seluar dalam kau yg telah dipakai di kawasan lubang najis. Gantung/letakkan seluar dalam tu kat tempat yg boleh dilihat oleh roommate kau. Bila dia balik, pura2 tekan perut & mengerang kesakitan. Lakukan 5 hari berturut2. sembuh pada hujung minggu. Sambung semula hari Isnin...

A morning of emotions...

2006-03-16T11:39:00.000+08:00

*Yawn* As usual, me and my sleepy self is blogging after class... Today is officially the last day of class, but there are 2 replacement classes to be attended tomorrow... Haih... Plus, there are 4 assignments to be submitted before the exam... *Sigh* Mou, iyada na >.<...

Today I got to class a bit late, even skipping my 8.00am English class :p... Why, you might ask... Well, I was currently stuck with 2 graphic novels I got from Rage Guy, titled Narcissu and Planetarian: Reverie of a Little Planet... I don't know how to describe them without posting a lengthy entry, so I guess I'll just ask you guys to download, install, and read them on your own... The novels were originally in Japanese, but the website had included the English patch together in the Zip file...

Narcissu evolves around 2 patients who suffered from terminal illness... While they were not confined to their beds, they know that they will soon die... The two of them we assigned to the 7F ward, a ward specially for those who will soon die... They also know their fate; to die in 7F, or at home... The story later tells about their journey, which ended with the suicide of the older patient...

Planetarian, in the other hand, tells about a Junker and his encounter with a robot left at a disfunctional planetarium... A touching story that makes me wonder about our humanity...

I found myself at the verge of tears reading them, and believe that you will, too... Given that you really absorb the story lah :p...

These days, I often found myself visiting Ihab's blog... It's good to know that he's always surrounded by good people... People whom I would probably feel awkward talking to... It somehow amazes me how we fit together well as bestfriends, despite the polar differences we have... He being the centre of attention, I being the usual loner... He's the smart one, I'm the slightly-less-than-stupid one (tak nak mengaku stupid tuh :p)... He's the most of the time fortunate guy, I'm the sometime fortunate guy... He's the type who could easily make friends, I'm the type who effortlessly make enemies... An even clearer evidence would be my cbox... It's empty... ... ...

Then again, since the ancient times it has been a rule of thumb that "the opposite attracts" ^_^... I guess I should just enjoy this friendship to the fullest... Until the inevitable come, and I'd have to leave his side...

Well, that's all for the time being, I guess... Might update this entry later tonight (if I have the motivation)... Now, how should I start on the ASSignments?...

Mom and Dad'a quirky quote...

2006-03-14T16:39:00.000+08:00

I asked Mum and Dad about being an adult... Now let us share their answer:

Me: Mum, Dad, what does it mean to be an adult?. (Apa maknanya menjadi dewasa?)
Mum & Dad: Wise thinking, smart action, consistent thought. Or, become Dewan Bahasa - Dew+Asa!.. (Berfikiran bernas, bertindak bijak, berpendirian tetap. Atau jadi Dewan Bahasa - Dew+Asa!..)

Haih... That's my parents fyi... Sly as foxes... Plus there are two of them... Nanka... ... ... OMOSHIROI~~~~!!!... XD XD XD...

.Hack//Probability...

2006-03-13T10:05:00.000+08:00

*Yawn* It's 3.30am in the morning, and here I am, wide awake after a marathon of .Hack//Sign... And while waiting for my laundry to finish, I thought that I could kill the time blogging on my thoughts...

You know, it hit me while I was watching .Hack... The line between reality and virtual is getting blurrer by the second... Right now, we have numerous MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Play Game) titles available... Ragnarok, Fung Wan Online, etc... People are using the virtual world as their escape from the harsh reality... Then again, reality itself is something subjective... But that's for another discussion... Using the virtual world as their escape, users try to do things they can't do offline... Looking for friendship, love, place to belong to (something like Maslow's hierarchy of need, but I forgot which part :p)... But as they get familiar with the virtual world, they find it difficult to differentiate between the reality and virtual life... For instance, look at how many offline Player Killing cases happening across the globe... And we're not even close to the technology featured in .Hack...

Imagine if we have that kind of gaming technology... Visor-like control terminal, or even a more elaborated terminals like in Full Metal Panic (the one on the submarine)... You log in, stay in the game until you lost track of time, and can never log out without having trouble figuring out whether you are still in the game or are you offline... And then there's the problem of your input receptors going bonkers, which can be deadly... We all know that the mind tells you what you believe... Imagine you are playing Ragnarok using a VR terminal, and in the game you're being bashed to death by some monsters... To make it even better, the graphic is good enough to make you believe that you ARE being beaten to death... I wonder what'll happen?... Would you really die if your brain tells you that you are dead?...

But still, we ought to ponder whether the virtual world is good or not... Those who are my age would remember how they spend their childhood... Play tag, climbing trees, cycling around the village/housing estate, etc... But the younger generation spend their time in the virtual world... Nanka sabishii...

2006-03-11T14:34:00.000+08:00

*yawn*... Bleh, I'm still sleepy after all that sleep ~_~... Yare yare...

Anyway, felt more or less relaxed, since most of the critical assignments are done *phew*... Exam is just around the corner, and I'm not one bit nervous... Or so I thought... ... ...

Chatted with Suyin last night... It was a very short chat, too short for my liking at least... Considering that I may not talk to her in a year... Or should I say, last night may be the last time we talked... I guess I've gotten too attached with her... Which may be a good thing, then again, maybe a bad thing...

We talked about which is more important to her between a bf and manga collection (obviously MANGA), and whether she has someone whom she cherished above all else (not anymore)... Then I popped the question I would always ask my close dearests, "moshi me no mae ni atashi ga shinda, dou omou?" (for translation, please grab the nearest Japanese divtionary, or call your nearest Japanese speaking friend ^_^)... I got almost the same answer I got from Ihab... Except that Ihab would ignore me after giving me a scolding... Why are most of the people I got attached to seem to be going faraway... ... ...

I bet you guys have read her post about the "tudung saji" incident at Nezumi, Times Square, right?... To Suyin, here's a tudung saji:

Oops, lab's closing... Until then, ja ne :3...

After a long hiatus (yeah, right)...

2006-03-08T11:53:00.000+08:00

Just highlighting some events happening now and then...

# I got a placement for internship at Permodalan Nasional Berhad (beside Tabung Haji main building), Unit Trust Division... Internship starts on 10th April...

# Currently, I'm a Nasi Lemak seller... Feel free to call me for ordering :p...

# Went for a date with Suyin on Sunday... Damn, I'm going to miss her for a year TT__TT... Jun Jun joined us later that evening... OMG, she's grown up!!!...

# For heavy internet users, I would like to suggest you guys to join these programmes:

Surf Junky
Studio Traffic

At least you could earn while surfing XD...

That's all for now... Will post a long post before the end of the month :p...

In trouble... Mayoi, mayoi, koneko-chan...

2005-12-19T13:21:00.000+08:00

Ah... I'm currently in cho dai-trouble... Got several not so good news... First from PTPTN, saying that my loan has ended already (eeep >.<)... but I still have a couple of semesters until I graduate... Dou shi yo TT__TT... Then TMnet called, reminding me of my unpaid internet account... Fortunately mum offered to pay it on my behalf (love you, mum)... And now my friend asked me to find a source of income ASAP (I bought an mp3 player from him thinking that I'd still have my loan to pay him)... There's no way I'm canceling the purchase... The mp3 player is the only thing that kept me sane all this while TT__TT...

Okay, that aside... Suyin seems happier nowadays (like all high-school students, before they start their college/varsity life XD)... I think I won't be needed anymore... Then again, I was never needed in the first place... Who would be crazy enough to have a lousy, ugly, gay malay as a "brother" after all?... Well, I wish her all the best, and may she have enough of everything in life... As for me, I'll just see what life have in store for lil' old me ^_^... Though for the time being, all I can see is a long period of loneliness... Boyz2Men's "4 Seasons of Loneliness", anyone?...

Shinta came~~~... And gave me his old (and broken XD) graphic card... But I can't use it yet, since I need to have certain software to make the broken graphic card work well... If not, it'll be the end of me :p...

*Sigh* I have no idea what to write at the moment... Empty stomach, empty brain :p... Ma, ato tsuzusasemasu... Shitsure shimasu :3...

Ah, tsukareta...

2005-12-05T09:10:00.000+08:00

Saturday, 031205, 2206.

Finally, I managed to start off a bit on the business paper I'm supposed to work on a long time ago... Got stuck somewhere in the middle, so I had to call Uncle Azid to get a better picture of what I'm supposed to be doing... He then suggested that I come and meet him at his office at around 5pm... I wonder if I could come back on time ~_~...

Suyin called, mentioning about an EB held at One Utama, and also Comic Fiesta... She's not too keen on going to the EB (because Suyin does not go well with "Elegant" *chuckles*)... But I managed to persuade her to go anyway... After all, there are some faces wish to see again... Including the person who casted a curse on me XD... That's you, Xiong Ie XD XD...

Have you guys heard the song "Amrita" by Yui Makino?... I kinda liked the song, since the lyrics sounded sad and sentimental... Just like me XD... Will be looking for the full lyrics soon... Maybe I'll start pasting favourite lyrics on my room wall...

I want to read Yami no Matsuei!!!... I have up to Volume 5 Chapter 5... I want to read more TT__TT *curses Viz for licensing the manga*... I want more yaoi manga... Currently short on yaoi manga... But I got a lot of yuri manga, though... *Sigh* I'm sooooo NOT normal ~_~...

******************************************************

Monday, 051205, 0800.

Woke up late today... Was... ... ... Busy and occupied with something *blush*... Anyway, today marks the first day of class, and the busiest week of the semester, since students will be trying to match their schedule to their liking... One of them would be me, since I have another subject I wish to take...

Yesterday was very tiring... I went to UM for nothing... Well, partly it's my fault... I should've called before I was on my way... Oh well... At least I've left a note... My boss would call me anytime soon today...

2 Days Worth of Ranting...

2005-11-30T11:07:00.000+08:00

It's 5am in the morning, and here I am preparing a draft for my blog... Honestly, my biological clock is definitely not functioning... Oh well...

You know, right now I kinda feel tired of sleeping alone (warning: YAOI)... Eating alone (well, not all the time, since sometimes someone would offer to eat with me)... Walking alone... Waking up alone... Sure, I was alone from the beginning, and I should've gotten used to it... But it do gets into your nerves tama-tama ni...

How did some people who look even worse than me get their partners anyway?...

Melancholy aside, I've been re-re-re-re-re-watching Gundam SEED... And it makes me wonder... The idea of a world without war, and how screwed up an unjustified war is has already been around for quite some times... Yet we still get into meaningless wars... Iraq, Bosnia, Palestine, and soon Syria, Iran, and maybe Malaysia... Is war really that fun?... So exciting you just can't get enough?... Or maybe a certain President should have a taste of going out for a battle himself... What the hell was he thinking sending soldiers to wherever he wanted without thinking about the cost, both financial and non-financial?...

"If you shoot a husband, his wife will hate you. If you shoot a son, his mother will hate you. And if someone shoots you, I will definitely hate that person. Why can't you understand such simple cycle?" -Uzumi Attha-

Which brings us to the next issue... Recently, we can see a lot of terrorist activities which was claimed to be masterminded by Muslims... I can't agree with that... Sure, we Muslims had been treated unjustly a lot (and so does other people who end up being a terrorist), but majority of us are not war-lovers... Nothing can be gained from a war... When we go for a war, a country will lose a huge sum of its GDP, individuals who could've made the country better and contribute to the economy, fathers of many childs, husbands of many wives, etc... ANd even in Islam, the objective of going for a war is to defend... And we Muslims only shoot to kill when the enemy is deemed to harm in any way he can... Muslims shoot to disarm, to make the enemies lose their capacity to shoot... But not to kill...

"Kill because someone killed somebody, be killed because somebody was killed, do you really think that peace will come that way?" -Cagalli Yula Attha-

I strongly belive some of the adults who are being given the duty as decision makers (presidents, prime ministers, CEOs, etc) should watch some animes which makes sense... And stop reading American comics... And try to see things from all the possible aspects of an issue... War is just for defending ourselves when harm is definitely coming our way, weapons are made to support neutrality and maintain peace, winning a war through massacre does not make anyone happy... Sou omotta kara...

"Knowledge is power. Power is just power. With great power, comes great responsibilities. Power alone, nor will alone, will change anything at all." -Shinnoir-

------------------------------------
***Addition***
------------------------------------

Bleh... I got sick, again... The same old sickness; sore throat, mild fever, coughing... I guess I do lack some nutrients... And a lot of exercise...

Got my exam result today, and boy, am I glad to see that I've done good enough, if not well... At least no failure, and all of the grades exceeded my expectations... Now that that's out of the way, I can calmly start my project paper... I hope TT__TT...

Anyway, have you guys ever think about this: How would it feel to kill your own best friend?... I kept asking this question time and again (to myself, of course), and I still can't picture myself doing it... Fighting against my best friend may not be a task too hard for me, but ending a best friend's life?... I doubt that I could ever do so... If he wants to end MY life, I wouldn't object, though...

So what's the relevance of this stupid question of mine?... Well, consider this: Someday we will all part ways with one another... And if, let's say, by cruel fate we were to meet again as foes, be it business rivals or, in an extreme event, as opposing members of different groups, how would you react?... If you still don't get what I'm talking about, consider Kira Yamato and Athrun Zala (GS, GSD), Natsuki and Shizuru (Mai-HiME), Sasuke and Naruto (well, Sasuke seems to be more than willing to end Naruto's life)...

I'll leave it to you guys to ponder about it... Then again, who would ever ponder on the words of a naive guy who acts like a teenager?... Although on my opinion, if everyone stubbornlt holds true to their naivities, the world would've been a better place...

Ranting after a long hiatus...

2005-11-23T09:35:00.000+08:00

Ah... Hisashiburi da ne... I've been very lazy lately (readers: shouldn't it be " AS ALWAYS"?), that's why I haven't blogged for quite some time... For those who visited this lame excuse of a blog, thank you very much, and thousands of apologies for not updating... My life is a very dull life anyway :p...

Currently, I'm staying im my room at the college illegally (kids, don't EVER follow my footsteps), waiting for the new term to start... In the mean time, I'm working on the business paper that has been long due (and I haven't started anything yet, eep >.<) and practicing for the coming archery tournament... Nanka doki doki surun'da, hajimete dakara participating as a university representative... Wish me luck okay... And on top of that, i'm supposed to prepare my resume... Since my practical training will start off next semester... Now this is something I don't want to screw up... I don't mind losing that archery tournament, nor the L'oreal Estrat Challenge... But if I failed to please my employer, not only will I shame the university, I might also have a bleak working future T_T... Kami-sama, tasukete... ... ...

Some of you (particularly Suyin, Ihab, and some of my friends) knew that I was expecting someone to live with me (illegally, that is)... Well, it turned out to be a dream afterall... He backed-off at the last minute, saying that he's busy and all... And he hadn't contacted me AT ALL... Oh, well... I should've known better... Love is a luxury I can't afford anyway, plus Shuu-chan DID put a curse on me... Bleh... So, I'm still single ^_^... And I can concentrate on Ihab XD XD...

Have you guys read XXXHolic manga?... It's damn funny, and I kinda found that Youko is an interesting person... I wish to know someone like that... Someone persuasive and manipulative, and in Suyin's words, "freakingly powerful and evil"... I kinda like the way she toyed with Watanuki, and somehow I felt like she actually cared for Watanuki a lot... Though her personality hides that very efficiently ^_^;;... I wonder if the anime has been released... We all know the movie has, in conjunction with one of Tsubasa's episodes...

Well, I think I'll stop here for the time being... If I write any longer, then I won't have anything else to write later on ;3... Until then, ja ne... Shitsure shimasu :3 ~~~...

Any computer geeks around here?...

2005-10-07T09:26:00.000+08:00

Argh... My computer meragam lagi... Dangnabit >.<... Now I can't log into the computer other than via safe mode... And whe I'm lucky enough to log in using the normal mode, the comp will definitely freeze after 2-3 hours... What the f**king hell is wrong with my God-damned computer!!~~... Can anyone offer me some useful advises on how to solve this problem?...

That irritating point aside, I'm currently addicted to "Shining Star" by Tamaki Nami (she's the singer for several Gundam Seed Destiny' s theme)... The video clip was nice, and the song certainly remind me of someone who's currently studying at UK... Actually almost ALL of her songs are nice, and she dance better than Britney and J-Lo put together... Then again, my view might be biased, since I'm a sucker for Japanese artists XD...

It's the third day of Ramadhan today, and I've yet to see any sign of my tummy getting slimmer... The only sign I see is that my appetite is getting scarier (this morning sahur 2 round; 1st round nasi berlauk ayam goreng, some vegies, and sambal belacan, 2nd round 6 slices of bread)... I'm sure I'm going to need a personal fitness trainer very, very soon... Anyone wants to volunteer?... *Looks around* Guess not...

Haih... Exam is just 2 weeks away, and deadlines are coming fast... I hope I could meet them all in time... Well, that should conclude my post today... Ja ne~~...

A new hair have come~~~... :p...

2005-10-03T15:52:00.000+08:00

Guess what?... I'm blogging again... Here I am, skipping my International Finance class without any care XD, and downloading tonnes of animes and video clips ^_^... I've cut my hair short, and people have been praising me through out the day... I'll post my pic in Friendster later... Tonight, perhaps?...

Sheesh, so many problems this weeks; deadlines to meet, computer to fix, yada yada yada... And still I'm taking things slowly and steadily... I must have lost some of the wires in my brain ~_~"... And there's the problem of some of the people in my MSN list not talking to me anymore... Okay, I know I sounded paranoid... Perhaps they are busy, right?... RIGHT @_@...

I just hope things will clear up soon... Ah, before i forgot, SELAMAT BERPUASA (HAPPY FASTING) to all my Muslim friends... May this year's Ramadhan brings the best of all of us ^_^...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I sense that some people I knew (forumers) are keeping their distance from me, for reasons I don't know myself... I wonder when did what went wrong and why...

Hau~~~...

2005-08-22T10:18:00.000+08:00

Bleh... I definitely lost my voice... A nice combo of sore-throat and dry cough left me with no voice and made me grew easily tired even more... Honestly, these past few days I felt most crappiest than I've ever felt the few week earlier... Ow, heck... It's nice to be sick once in a while... It's a sign that a) my body is still upgrading its immune system a.k.a anti-virus software (mine is AVG, what's yours?) XD, and b) it's a sign that God still included me in His list of favourite people <3 (not that I'm confident about it)... Besides, being sick gives you the privilege of people being nice to you... At least some of them will treat you better XD...

Ohkay, let's do some flashback on what happened in my life these few days/weeks/decades...

I've been quite active in Anicom Forum lately, due to the wonderful topics they have, the wonderful forumers hanging around there, and the fact that I'm one of the FISHERs there (acronym for FIle SHarER, note the capital letters)... Currently I've uploaded Shingetsukan Tsukihime (very nice, wanna watch it again during the long holiday :3) and Chobits... but there's this one very annoying brat who kept on acting like a saru yama no taisho of the forum... He even threaten to resign from being a FISHER and leave the forum because one of the forumer and I kept criticising over his rude gestures... Even worse, he has the tendency to act as if he's the pro of all pros... What a jerk... Ah, hell with him... If he's hungry for more of my "laser guided nukes", I'd be more than happy to shove 'em up his holes <.<... Today I'll be uploading Loveless there... Hope the yaoi lovers there will love it ^_^...

Last Friday I had a mid-term paper (Promotion Management)... Imagine having an exam when your body is not at its best condition and you are not mentally prepared... But then, how do you know that you are mentally prepared?... Oh, well... The point is, I took the paper in a condition where I can't talk, and was wheezing for air... It's sooo annoying... And I can't concentrate at all T_T... Definitely flop the paper... And there's more coming my way +_+...

Last night, I could swear I was the happiest gay person on Earth (gosh, suddenly I feel like someone or something is glaring on me from above *shivers*)... I was doing my assignment (due today) when suddenly I felt so bored and lonely *bg music: lonely~~.. I am so lonely~~..*... So I decided to misscall some people (Suyin included, but it seems that her hp was switched off)... Later got a message from Ihab *squeal*, inviting me to his brother's room for his bro's birthday feast... I expected the normal "Hi, Bye" greeting, but it turned out that he missed me a lot (maa, tabun kinosei dakedo)... Upon entering his brother's room, he insisted that I hug him (yes, we do hug a lot, but he seldom insist on it unless he really wanted to), and later starts hogging me (first hugs, then hogs)... We talked a bit (via the message function on my hp XD), and ate a lot (he did, I was still full since I've had my dinner a couple of hours in advance)... Then I asked whether he contacted Khalid (another of our friend)... His reply made me really happy ^_^ : Takde. Aku contact kau sorang je. Sangat la bestfriend, kan... Then I even got a glimps of his backside (no, not below there you ecchi people... Above the waist <.<), which gave my stomach several backflips and my heart a 100m dash... Boy, something is really wrong with me...

Later he send me back to my room, and he voiced out his regret about not being able to spend much time together with me... He then assure me that after his cousins return to Saudi, he'll make sure that we'll spend some time together... I'm sure looking forward to it...

Someone suggested an early birthday celebration to me (can't remember who... I bet the suggestor was busy as well)... I'm waiting for the cue to be sure of when and where the celebration will take place (then again, I don't think I'll be celebrating a birthday at all since no one really remembered my birthday)...

Ah, before I forget... My university is currently holding a convocation festival until 25th of August... Please, come and visit the festival if you have the time... To go to UIA, take a Putra to Terminal Putra Gombak, then take feeder bus (make sure it has UIA stated on the destination) straight to UIA... Don't worry about tudung or scarf... Just say that you're visiting a relative... We do have non-Muslims in UIA (despite the "Islamic" title the university possesses)...

Well, I guess I'll be off to bed... It's waaaay beyond my bedtime already... Ja, shitsure shimasu~~~...

Speechless?...

2005-08-18T20:27:00.002+08:00

Bleh... I lost my voice... My precious voice... Come to think of it, I think I'm having a fever at the moment T_T... To make matters worse, tomorrow I have an exam >.<... I hope my brain wouldn't stop functioning because of the fever ~_~... Haih, the bane of sore throat... Reminds me of Tomoyo (CCS) when Voice took her voice...

Things are quite hectic at the moment... Juggling between my assignments, work and the all-dreadfull mid-terms, it's a nightmare... Then again, I'd say nightmares are even better... Since they are not real (except if you happen to be an oracle... You have my pity)... And what am I doing to handle all these?... Busy myself uploading anime <.<... Yep, I'm one of the FISHers (FIle SHarERs) at Anime Community forum... Feel free to come and download anime there... It'll cost you a few post (the lowest number of required post I've ever came across) though...

To be honest, I don't know what to fill my blog with at the moment... Too many (or sometimes nothing) things are flying across my mind right now... Maybe I'll post something worth reading when my head is clearer...

Ja, shitsure shimasu...

Speechless?...

2005-08-18T20:27:00.001+08:00

Arggghhhhh!!!!...

2005-07-10T10:24:00.000+08:00

Bummer... Yesterday some guys went into my room asking whether I was the person sending lewd sms-es to their nakama... One of them mentioned something about "penis"... WTF... I'd like you readers to do me a favour and bombard this number (0196921306) as many miss-calls as possible... I want his/her life to turn into hell...

That aside, I went to Mid-Valley to watch War of the Worlds... Verdict: WotW sucks... Don't even think about buying pirated DVD of the movie... Too many loopholes in the storyline... And the title should be changed into war of Tom Cruise instead of War of the Worlds... Steevy Spielly just focused on the main character, and he only showed the alien attack in America... If it's a worldwide attack, he should have at least show bits and pieces of the attack on other countries...

Bleh, I'm out of ideas at the moment... Tomorrow marks the beginning of a new semester (classes, bleh)... Ja, shitsurei shimasu...

Hai, hai...

2005-07-07T09:11:00.000+08:00

Geez... People are actually poking me to update my blog <.<... "Taku... Oh well...

I'm back~~... Aikawarazu, back before the break ends :p... Unfortunately, my room is occupied at the moment :p... So I'm "menumpang di tanah sendiri" at the moment XD... Fortunately the people occupying my room are nice people (washi no youni-rashii XD XD)... It's okay, though... Since they'll be moving to their designated rooms tomorrow...

So, what have I been doing these past few months?... Watching, downloading, and uploading animes XD... Pita Ten, Stratos 4, Gokujou Seitokai, Marimite, Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito, etc... Ah, kore wa rakuen de gozaru XD... Too bad the site I'm dloading the files from is currently down >.>...

Ne, would you consider someone who's all words and no action as your bestfriend?... I'm currently pissed off with a girl who claimed that I'm her bestest buddy, but she lies time and over to me... What kind of person would have the guts to claim that they are someone's best friend, but at the same time take their friendship for granted... I feel cheated... She better not cross my path... After she paid the money she promised, that is :p...

People I called "my sisters" are in pain... 2 of them because of love (ironic, isn't it?... Love's supposed to heal), and as for the other one, well, she's always in pain... Love is just one of them... At least one of them is willing to tell me why (at last)... *Sigh* What a bad year to have relationship... Exams, expectations, etc... Maybe I should thank God for granting Xiong's curse... At least the possibility of me hurting other people or get hurt by others because of love is relatively low...

Well, I'm out of ideas as to what I want to type... I guess that's all for now... Ja, shitsure shimasu~~~...

2005-06-16T12:20:00.000+08:00

Your #1 Love Type: ISFP

The Artist

In love, you feel deeply and experience intense emotions.
For you, sex is serious. It's how you best express your feelings.

Overall, you are laid back, warm, and a good listener.
However, you tend to seem lazy and disinterested sometimes.

Best matches: ESFJ and ENFJ

What's Your Love Type?

Ummu... Somewhat reflects me... Then again, never really got the chance to see it in real life... Bleh...

Your Deadly Sins

Envy: 60%

Gluttony: 60%

Greed: 60%

Lust: 40%

Sloth: 40%

Wrath: 40%

Pride: 0%

Chance You'll Go to Hell: 43%

You will die at the hands of a jealous lover. How ironic.

How Sinful Are You?

Ceh... Only 43%?... I thought mine would go over 50%... Oh well...

Your Expression Number is 3

A natural performer, your destiny lies in writing, speaking, acting, or teaching.
Imaginative and unique, you have a natural creative talent in the arts.
You're also a natural salesperson. You can easily sell your ideas and yourself.

A total optimist, you are enthusiastic about life and living.
You are friendly and social - and people are taken by your charm.
Your role in life is to inspire, motivate, and raise others' spirits.

At times, you can seem a bit superficial.
Sometimes you're a bit unfocused and too easygoing.
You're best off when you don't dwell on trivial matters, especially gossip.

What's Your Expression Number?

Oro?...

Ah, got a message from someone... It reads, "it's so true me n x (not real name) r on a rocky path. MAN I DO HATE HIS EGO!! AAARGH."... Hmm... To the sender, this is the only advice I can offer... Keep in mind the reason you choose him... Tell him the reason... Tell him what you like about him, and what you don't like about him... Be sincere...

It seems that some of the readers didn't get why I said, "Too bad she's a girl"... And I thought my blogheader was the best clue about myself ~_~... Oh well...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Got tagged by Michy ~_~... Yare yare... Mendokusei da na ~_~...

If you didn't already know, its a game where you can pick 5 occupations out of the list below, and then pass the tag along to 3 friends so that they could do it.

+ + + + + + +

If I could be a scientist
If I could be a farmer
If I could be a musician
If I could be a doctor
If I could be a painter
If I could be a gardener
If I could be a missionary
If I could be a chef
If I could be an architect
If I could be a linguist
If I could be a psychologist
If I could be a librarian
If I could be an athlete
If I could be a lawyer
If I could be an innkeeper
If I could be a professor
If I could be a writer
If I could be a llama-rider
If I could be a bonnie pirate
If I could be a service member
If I could be a photographer
If I could be a philanthropist
If I could be a rap artist
If I could be a child actor
If I could be a secret agent
If I could be a comedian/comedienne
If I could be a priest
If I could be a radio announcer
If I could be a phlebotomist
If I could be Paris Hilton's stylist
If I could be a movie producer
If I could be the CEO of Microsoft
If I could be an astronaut
If I could be a world famous blogger
If I could be a justice on any one court in the world
If I could be married to any current famous political figure
If I could be a dog trainer

If I could be an innkeeper
You can be sure that my inn is a men only inn... And the counter is next to the door... So that I can decide whether or not one can be granted access :p...

If I could be a scientist
I'd make Watari-san from Yami no Matsuei proud... Gender changing via nano machines XD...

If I could be a world famous bloggerI'd make sure that all my blogs have a lot of advertisements... It's all about money, baby XD...

If I could be a writer
I'd write a love story, dedicated to a certain someone I knew for almost 8-9 years... And all of you reading this blog would have to pay to read my entries, since it's all copyrighted XD...

If I could be married to any current famous political figure
Heck, I'd persuade him to make it compulsary for all children to watch anime XD...

I tag Aiko, Snow, and Starry XD...

2005-06-14T15:41:00.000+08:00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You entered: 9/16/1983
You were born on a Friday
under the astrological sign Virgo.
Your Life path number is 1.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2445593.5.
The golden number for 1983 is 8.
The epact number for 1983 is 16.
The year 1983 was not a leap year.

As of 6/14/2005 2:38:42 AM CDT
You are 21 years old.
You are 261 months old.
You are 1,135 weeks old.
You are 7,942 days old.
You are 190,610 hours old.
You are 11,436,638 minutes old.
You are 686,198,322 seconds old.

There are 94 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 22 candles on it.

Those 22 candles produce 22 BTU's,
or 5,544 calories of heat (that's only 5.5440 food Calories!) .
You can boil 2.51 US ounces of water with that many candles.

Your birth tree is

Lime Tree, the Doubt
Accepts what life dishes out in a composed way, hates fighting, stress and labour, tends to laziness and idleness, soft and relenting, makes sacrifices for friends, many talents but not tenacious enough to make them blossom, often wailing and complaining, very jealous, loyal.

Read about lifepath number 1

1
The Life Path 1 drive in this life is characterized by individualist desires, independence, and the need for personal attainment. The purpose to be fulfilled on this Life Path is that of becoming independent. This is a two part learning process; first, you must learn to stand on your own two feet and learn not to depend on others. After you are indeed free and independent, you must learn to be a leader. Many of our Generals, corporate leaders, and political leaders are men and women having the Life Path number 1. The 1 always has the potential for greatness as a leader, but they may fail as a follower. Many 1's spend most of their lives shaking off their dependent side. When this happens, there is little time left for enjoying the rewards to be gained through independence. The individual with Life Path 1 has to overcome an environment in which it is very easy to be dependent, and difficult to be independent.

A person with positive 1 traits abounds in creative inspiration, and possesses the enthusiasm and drive to accomplish a great deal. Your drive and potential for action comes directly from the enormous depth of strength you have. This is both the physical and inner varieties of strength. With this strength comes utter determination and the capability to lead. As a natural leader you have a flair for taking charge of any situation. Highly original, you may have talents as an inventor or innovator of some sort. In any work that you choose, your independent attitude can show through. You have very strong personal needs and desires, and you feel it is always necessary to follow your own convictions. You are ambitious, and either understand or must learn the need for aggressive action to promote yourself. Although you may hide the fact for social reasons, you are highly self-centered and demand to have your way in most circumstances.

When the 1 Life Path person is not fully developed and expressing the negative side of this number, the demeanor may appear very dependent rather than independent. If you are expressing this negative trait of the number 1, you are likely to be very dissatisfied with your circumstances, and long for self-sufficiency. This is defined as the weak or dependent side of the negative 1 Life Path. On the strong side of this negative curve, the 1 energy can become too self-serving, selfish and egotistical. Over-confidence and impatience mark this individual.

There are 194 days till Christmas 2005!

The moon's phase on the day you were
born was waxing gibbous.

Wah... somewhat true :p...

well, i'm done with my exam... YIPPEEE~~~!!!... currently going on a downloading spree, since my friend lend me his portable harddisk XD... and planning to re-revamp my website and change it into an MP3, anime and manga request site... I see a future of mass uploading and downloading ahed of me... Fufufu >3...

My luck is a bit bad at the moment... I was supposed to receive RM250 from a friend tomorrow... But it turns out that she's facing a difficulty at the moment (car sent to workshop... sayonara, kane-sama)... So the date was postponed to 26th June... There goes my plan to go back to JB... Ryoji ni oshieru ka na?... Kono mondai... Oh well... It's not like I enjoy staying home XD... And I'm down to RM10 already... How do I survive until 26th @_@... Fortunately, oneof my senior friends came and bought 20 blank CDs... RM12 extra funds, wai~~~ wai~~~ <3... Tasukatta ~_~...

Well, that's all for now... Anyway, for those who thought that I'm Aiko's bf, drill this into your head:

AIKO IS A GIRL, GOD-DAMNIT

...

*Took a deep breath*

That's better :p...

uhm... is it anyone's fault that i'm alone?...

2005-06-09T21:18:00.000+08:00

Your Birthdate: September 16

Your birth on the 16th day of the month gives a sense of loneliness and generally the desire to work alone.

You are relatively inflexible, and insist on your being independent.

You need a good deal of time to rest and to meditate.

You are introspective and a little stubborn.

Because of this, it may not be easy for you to maintain permanent relationships, but you probably will as you are very much into home and family.

This birth day inclines to interests in the technical, the scientific, and to the religious or the unknown realm of spiritual explorations.

The date gives you a tendency to seek unusual approaches and makes your style seem a little different and unique to those around you.

Your intuition is aided by the day of your birth, but most of your actions are bedded in logic, responsibility, and the rational approach.

You may be emotional, but have a hard time expressing these emotions.

Because of this, there may be some difficulty in giving or receiving affection.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Heh, no wonder I'm still alone...

Well, today I went to Times Square to watch the worst movie I've ever watched... No, I don't mean the movie was lame... But it is FREAKY... Freaky enough to make Jun-chi puke +_+... I'm sooo not going to visit a wax museum, EVER >.<...

After the movie, I looked at Su-chin, Jun-chi, and Aiko-ran... And I looked at myself as well... I noticed how happy they are, although I might have overlooked something in Aiko's case... Here's what my observation yields:

Suyin
She looks happy with Kil, and although she denies it, the way she and Kil acted around eachother speaks volume... I hope I won't see a second Alex in her, broken-hearted a lot of time... Although I can't see Kil doing that to her... Then again, I'm no seer... I'm just Shinnoir...

Jun Jun
She's crazy, drives you crazy, yada yada yada... But she's sweet, in a retarded way... I hope she'll get hooked up with the right guy, not some hentai yaro like Aoi or who's-that-freakingly-tall-guy *got smacked by both of the guys*... If she got into the wrong bunch, I fear that she might walk the path her sister took... I'm talking general here... It could be any aspect of the path her sister took... I won't let that happen, though ^_^...

Melinda
She's a nice girl, and too bad her family fails to see that most of the time... Sure, she got someone already, but I can smell a rocky relationship from a mile away... I hope Chris is serious with her... Although I don't think she'll be single for long if Chris is foolish enough to dump her... Too bad you're a "she" XD...

You might wonder, "why the sudden observation?"... Well, basically I'm tired of being alone... Not that I can help it... A few days back, a close girl friend of mine confessed her interest in Ihab, the person I happen to have a crush on... I was horrified, of course... Devastated... But if Ihab likes her as well, it's not like I can persuade him the other way around... As if I could ever compete with a real girl... This is reality, not a Yaoi anime...

Before that, I got a pleasant suprise (is it?)... I got a message in Friendster, from an 18-year old boy (could be younger), asking if I'd like to be his boyfriend... But I can never see myself in a relationship... So I asked him to start off as a friend first... It's better to start from something harmless, right...

I don't know... So far, I can only see a long, pitch-black road of loneliness in front of me... Maybe I'll find someone who'll walk by my side... Maybe I won't at all... I guess it doesn't matter at all...

Manga Marathon...

2005-05-27T08:56:00.000+08:00

Wheee~~~... Been downloading Love Mode (YAOI) yesterday (even finished reading it already :p)... Liked the story very much... Makes me wish that I have a koibito like that... ... ... I wonder if there is someone baka enough to be my koibito... Ahhhh~~~... This is depressing >.<... Oh, I downloaded Yuyu Hakusho as well ^^... So far until Chapter 44... Battle Royale had to be put on hold, since the downloading server sucks big time...

Tonight I have an exam... And I'm not very sure whether I can score well, although I'm confident that I'll pass the subject one way or another (is there another way?)... I hate exams...

Ah, Alex and Miaka ish coming over~~~... Brownies and a cheeky sister (plus a certain someone from UK), what a month to look forward to <3... I wonder if Ihab is done with his exam... I have full confidence that he would not fail any paper, but then... Oh well, I guess we'll have to wait and see...

I guess that's all for now... Shitsure shimasu~~~...

More quizzes...

2005-05-25T20:51:00.000+08:00

: [*] They call me:
Is...

[*] Also:
Shin, Mayang, Mat, etc...

[*] Sex:
guy (unfortunately TT__TT)...

[*] Birthday:
16-09-1983

________________RIGHT NOW_______________

[*] Feeling:
sleepy...

[*] Listening:
none...

[*] Doing:
typing and downloading battle royale manga...

[*] Talking to:
no one...

[*] Craving:
more yuri and yaoi manga and anime ~_^...

[*] Thinking of:
when will i get my money...

[*] Hating:
exams, malay movies, malay songs, brats, hot
days, parent's way of thinking...

__________________LOVE___________________

[*] Love:
some people...

[*] Love or lust?:
both...

[*] True or false:
true...

____________MISCELLANEOUS_____________

[*] Can you swim:
nope... cats don't swim, do they?...

[*] Whats your most embarrassing
moment:
when the whole field laughed at my voice...

[*] What are you scared of:
blood... and losing a precious person...

[*] Do you like tomatoes:
sort of... not tomatoe sauce, though...

[*] How many TVs in the house:
1...

[*] How many telephone in the house:
2... when i'm home la...

[*] How many rooms n bathrooms in the house:
3 rooms, 1 bathroom... it's my parent's house...

______________YOUR LOOKS______________

[*] Hair color:
black...

[*] Eye color:
dark brown...

[*] Height:
174cm...

[*] Do u wear contacts or glasses:
neither for now... might wear glasses soon...

[*] Do u have any piercings:
nope...

______________JUST LATELY_______________

[*] How are you today:
as usual, sleepy...

[*] What does your hair look like at the moment :
the usual messy...

[*] What song are u listening to right now:
none :p...

[*] Last person you met:
my friend, we're in the same computer lab...

[*] Last conversation:
a senior, about his computer... baka na yatsu...

[*] Last Dream you can remember:
don't remember, meh...

[*] What time is it :
somewhere between 2-4am...
____________MORE ABOUT YOU____________

[*] What are the last four digits of your
cell number:
2840

[*] If u were a crayon, what color would
you be:
black...

[*] What's the stupidest thing u ever did:
betraying a friend...

[*] Where do you shop the most:
low yat plaze... mostly for anime :p...

[*] How many kids do you want to have:
5, each of different sexual orientation... good for
research purpose :p...

[*] Shampoo:
rejoice rich...

[*] Do you have your own cellphone line:
prepaid is considered as own line, right?...

[*] Have you ever
broken/sprained/fractured a bone:
yes, my left hand...

[*] Who do you dream about:
a certain someone who's currently studying in uk
^^...

[*] Who do you tell your dreams to:
my best friend, my "sister", myself, my mum...

_____________HAVE YOU EVER____________

[*] Wanted to kill someone:
yes, since i'm not a saint...

[*] Broke the law:
if you consider buying pirated goods as breaking
the law, yes...

[*] Tried to kill yourself??:
question: in what way suicide is good?...

[*] Made yourself cry to get out of trouble:
nope, it's the other way around...

Haih... so tired one...

2005-05-24T20:36:00.000+08:00

Okay, webt out to meet Masamune and Suyin today... Left UIA at around 11, arrive at TS around 12... Wandered around until about 12.30, and saw a familiar cute face that is Masa-rin... Being the usual shy-guy, just watched him from afar, and kept following him until he finished Para-Para-ing... Honestly, he should exchange voice with me :p... Then accompanied him to buy a shirt, since he was scantily clad (I'll leave it to your imagination :3), then spend another hour in the arcade before hitting teppanyaki, where Suyin is going to join us... The waiters there are not that friendly, I'll give you that... Then again, the food ish nice <3... Thanks Masa-rin for the lunch *_*... Ooh, forgot to mention BMJ and DMJ... Eh, which one is Jared, ah?... *Blurs*...

After lunchm, we went back to the arcade (where else?), but DMJ and BMJ had to leave... So that left me, Suyin and Masa-rin... Masa went on his usual game, so does Suyin, and went to the candy machine (am I really 22?)... Saw some chibis crowding the machine, trying to figure out how to get the candies... Being the usual chibi-loving guy, I played once, got LOTSA candies, and hand some of them to the chibis... They're sooo cute when they say, "Thank you"... I want a chibi, too +_+... Then Suyin handed me Sukisho (gonna watch it tonight... Crap, assignment not finished yet O_o)... Went home at 5.30, in the rain *_*... I got a feeling that I', going to get sick tomorrow... Heavy headache is expected early in the morning ~_~... Yare yare...

Ooh, warui kedo, katte ni... I hope you really mean it about my birthday present, Masa-rin (not like it matters if you don't)... Afterall, I can always download the manga ^_^... And Jared, I hope that someday you could teach me how to duel, and that we can talk more about what we talk at teppanyaki... It's good to argue about something productive like that ^_^...

Ahhh~~~... Back to downloading manga... Shitsure shimasu~~~...

yurineshh...

2005-05-17T13:00:00.000+08:00

I went to Low Yat on Saturday after going to 2 meetings with a UM lecturer... And guess what i bought: Yuri Anime... I bought Kannazuki/Kannaduki no Miko, and WOW... IT'S YURY ^O^!!!... unlike most anime where the yuri character often get the "I love you, too... but as a friend" reply, in this series the character actually got her love requited XD... It's sooooo sweet >3... Hui Leen suggested Maria-sama ga Miteru, but I haven't seen the anime available in Low Yat...

I managed to get mysel on Xiong Ie's bad side, again... Oh well... It's not the first time, and I bet it's not the last time either... If you want to know what happened, ask him... I'm not in the mood to talk about it...

Oh, any of you guys interested in investing?... My friend offered me a handphone worth less than rm1000 if I managed to get 1 person to buy her investment fund... You need to invest a minimum of RM50 monthly, though... Contact me if you are interested...

Been chatting with Masa-rin (notice the change of suffix?... I just knew that he's younger :p)... He's sooo BISHIE~~!!!... Ah, I'm in heaven XD... Can't wait to get online with him and oggle the bishiness he is XD...

Well, that's all... Shitsure shimasu~~~...

Gao~~...

2005-05-12T15:31:00.000+08:00

Ah, isogashii isogashii *copying Dave-san's favourite phrase :p*... It has been a bit tiresome thse few days... Not to mention troublesome... The subject I'm taking is getting tougher by the nanosecond... And we are going to have our midterm exam on 27th @_@... Gao...

Neways, last night I called Suyin, asking wether she's free this weekend (which she is not +_+), and later made an appointment to meet her online tonight... Although it seems that she's going online to meet up with Masa-nii... Oh well... I'm meeting Masa-nii online, too :p... And earlier yesterday, I was damn frustrated... I was to hand some Cds to a friend, who promised to wait at a designated place before lunch... And guess what... She didn't come at all... I'm soooo not going to talk to her until the end of the semester... And I think she's in the lab where I'm typing this entry... Hmph...

Currently I'm getting high on manga ;p... Yesterday finished downloading Mahou Sensei Negima until chapter 73... Can't wait for chapter 74... And right now, I'm downloading Spiral until chapter 15... I think I'm going for a yaoi manga hunt, since my hunger for yaoi is yet to be quenched :p... I wonder what Masa-nii and Suyin will think if they read this ^^;;...

Oh, that other day, I was fooling around with Xiong Ie... He has a girlfriend now (good for him)... So I start saying that it's too bad, since I'm targetting him :p... We end up talking about whether I should try and tell Seiji that I like him *_*... I wonder if I should do that... Most importantly, I wonder how will he react O_o... But honestly, anyone, regardless of their gender, would be lucky to have Seiji as his/her partner... He's kind (i think) and cute... And kinda look innocent... I feel like pinching his cheeks X3...

Bleh... I think I end here... Shitsure shimasu~~~...

more quizzes...

2005-05-10T16:19:00.000+08:00

The Hopeful

What human aspect fits your personality? (images)
brought to you by Quizilla

Kazuo - Man of peace
Sponsored by www.life-blood.cjb.net

What would your Japanese name be? (male)
brought to you by Quizilla

You are an
assassin.
That means you are a proffessional and do your
job without mixing any emotions in it. In your
life you have probably been hurt many times and
have gotten some mental scars. This results in
you being distant from people. Though many
think that you are evil, you are not. What you
really are is a person, trying to forget your
pain and past. You are the person who never
seems to care and that is why being an assassin
fits you good. Atleast, that's what people
think. Even if you don't care that much for
your victims, you still have the ability to
care and to generally feel. It is not lost,
just a little forgotten. In crowds you tend to
not get to noticed, and dress in black or other
discrete colours. You don't being in the
spotlight and wish people would just leave you
alone. But once you do get close to someone you
have a hard time letting go and get real down
if you loose him/her.

Main weapon: Sniper
Quote: "The walls we build around
us to keep out the sadness also keep out the
joy" -Jim Rohn
Facial expression: Narrowed eyes

What Type of Killer Are You? [cool pictures + detailed answeres]
brought to you by Quizilla

Unlike the wanna-be you are really interested in
their culture, knowing that anime doesn't rule
the lives of Japanese. You hang with them you
learn and speak their language. They love you
because you are an imrepssive gaijin. Good that
you don't annoy people like those stupid anime
nerds. Maybe they can learn from you.

What Kind of Japanese Are You? (with reallistic pictures, none of that anime BS hahah)
brought to you by Quizilla

Katana and wakizashi!

Which Japanese Weapon is Best for You?
brought to you by Quizilla

You are a faerie! Faeries are fairly shy, and are
usually beautiful, both in boys and girls. The
have more magic than they know what to do with,
but next to none of it is offensive magic. They
are the healers and the defenders, nothing
more.

What Mythical Japanese Creature are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Ah... So boooorrrreeeedddd... Bleh...

Gah...

2005-05-09T21:07:00.000+08:00

Some quizzes... Scribble-chan kara tsukamaita...

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to those who have a split personality - cold as ice on the outside but hot as fire in the heart.

In love, you feel the most alive when things are straight-forward, and you're told that you're loved.

You'd like to your lover to think you are stylish and alluring.

You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please.

Your ideal relationship is comforting. You crave a relationship where you always feel warmth and love.

Your risk of cheating is 100%. You are not suited for a monogamous relationship.

You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred.

In this moment, you think of love as something you can get or discard anytime. You're feeling self centered.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

You scored as Rock Lee. You are Rock Lee, the genius of hard work.
You believe that anything can be achieved through hard work. You can’t be the best at everything, so you have decided to master one skill better than anyone. Feeling constant need to prove yourself, you tend to be competitive and a little hard for yourself.

Rock Lee

88%

Neji

81%

Genma

81%

Hinata

81%

Iruka

81%

Kakashi

81%

Shikamaru

75%

TenTen

63%

Naruto

56%

Sasuke

38%

Which Naruto ninja are you most like?
created with QuizFarm.com

Fuzzy eyebrows?... ... ... IIIIYAAAAAA~~~~!!!!!...

Baito ga arimasu~~~~...

2005-05-04T20:57:00.000+08:00

Nyahaha... Today, I went to UM to meet up with a lecturer who hired me for a job as a report/business proposal writer X3... Thanks to my class mate that is, since he recommended me for the job <3... And the best thing about the job is that I can do it at the comfort of my messy room XD XD... Saikyou desu!!!...

Well, iro-iro had happened these few days... I found out how BORING it can be taking the short sememster with just one subject... It's soooo boring, that death would be an easy escape... Ended playing computer games, until I don't know what else I should play... Sheesh...

I'm planning to add some more features to my website (download page, japanese class page, etc)... But with the baito I'm having right now, I might not have the time at all to update that poor kid TT__TT... What to do ah?...

Hmm... Tomorrow I'm going to ask about my salary... Hopefully I'll have it by Friday... Then can ask Suyin out on Saturday... Wanna go and buy new handset >3... Hmm... Sore dake da ne... Ja, shitsure shimasu~~...

More discoveries on myself...

2005-04-28T20:29:00.000+08:00

Your Brain is 60.00% Female, 40.00% Male

Your brain is a healthy mix of male and female

You are both sensitive and savvy

Rational and reasonable, you tend to keep level headed

But you also tend to wear your heart on your sleeve

What Gender Is Your Brain?

Ack... @_@...

Your Japanese Name Is...

Shino Oimikado

What's your Japanese Name?

You Will Die at Age 58

58

Not bad, considering your super wild lifestyle

Want to live longer? Try losing a few bad habits.

What Age Will You Die?

Somehow longer than I expected... Troublesome >.<...

MUHAMMADNORISMAT
M	is for	Modern
U	is for	Unique
H	is for	Hilarious
A	is for	Animated
M	is for	Modern
M	is for	Magnificent
A	is for	Active
D	is for	Darling
N	is for	Nerdy
O	is for	Openhearted
R	is for	Radiant
I	is for	Industrious
S	is for	Saucy
M	is for	Mysterious
A	is for	Animated
T	is for	Timeless

What Does Your Name Mean?

Your True Birth Month Is March

Moody

Secretive

Revengeful

Trustworthy

Affectionate

Loves traveling

Loves attention

Shy and reserved

Musically talented

Loves home decor

Not easily angered

Sensitive to others

Loves special things

Attractive personality

Loves to serve others

Loves peace and serenity

Observant and assess others

Loves to dream and fantasize

Appreciative and returns kindness

Hasty decisions in choosing partners

Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic

What's Your True Birth Month?

Wah... Don't tell me I'm 6 months overscheduled!!... @_@...

You Know You're Addicted to Anime When...

You call your dog Shinji.

You perform a canon ball dive into a pool while yelling "Spirit Bomb!"

Your house has an anime room.

You and your friends flash peace signs and take girlish poses when you are happy.

You get an anime tattoo. even though you're scared of needles.

Your walls are covered in wallscrolls and posters from your favorite series.

If you use the term 'Kawaii' for describing everything.

You try to convince your girlfriend that 'cat ears' and 'tail' really looks good on them.

You can sing songs from your favorite shows, in Japanese, even though you dont speek Japanese...

You spent hours looking through your library for a copy of "The Universe of Four Gods"

You have legally changed your name to that of your favorite charcter.

You wear a necklace and fall down everytime someone says sit boy.

You insist on having an entrance that includes spotlights, music, and raining cherry blossoms (while you hold a rose if you're a guy).

Your only dream is to attend Tokyo U with a girl you haven't seen in 15 years.

You play an instrument and you nick name it Inuyasha

For valinetines day you buy a stuffed dog and make up your on japanese name for it

If you get mad at you teacher and draw a picture of her as a anime demon cat

You wtch Iron Chef constanly to pick up great recipes ( haven't done it but plan to )

You've bought a twenty dollar ring in the shaped of a dragon to show off at school.

You always have your hair covering your left eye and always fliping it so you look like a anime character.

You think that falling flat on your back with your legs in the air is a normal reaction to big news.

You are worried because you don't have several desirable members of the opposite sex frantically trying to make you fall in love with them.

You shave a cresent moon onto your cats head, dye the cat purple, then take it to school and insist it's Luna, your talking cat.

You go around town trying to eat donuts and act all crazy-like, all the while saying you're Vash the Stampede.

To resolve a conflict, you insist in a duel.

The employees at Gamestop know you, and tell you when you walk in if they've gotten a new shipment of anime DVDs.

You've gotten angry at someone and placed two fingers on your forehead shouted the word "Makanekasopo!" (specail beam cannon or light of death) and then poked them in the eye.

You waste countless amounts of hair gel to get that "Goku look"

You map out points in Tokyo where the Dragons of Earth might attack

You believe it is possible for a person to be severly beaten in the head with a large hammer, stick, etc...and still come out alive.

You have a moment of confusion whenever you go to school because there are no girls in those tiny little skirts that come with their school uniform

You yell out 'Baka hanyou Inu-Yasha!' at your birthday party and everyone (except your parents) knows you're talking to your boyfriend.

You tell your parents you need to stay out past curfew to save the colonies.

Each time you see a stray animal, you turn your hat sideways and throw one of those plastic Pokeballs Burger King was giving out in their kids' meals yelling, "POKEBALL, GO!"

You add "no da" to the end of all statements you make

The majority of your CDs are Japanese or the English version of a Japanese soundtrack or the English soundtrack of an anime that just decided that it would use English in its songs.

You misplace your manga and someone at school you don't even know gives it to you saying they knew it was yours.

You incorporate Japanese, somehow, into every class.

You can sing songs from your favorite shows, in Japanese, even though you dont speek Japanese...

You use random Japanese words such as baka, kawaii, and hentai.

You try to read every book from right to left

You take a break from watching anime to go to your computer (nicknamed Lord Conti) to download anime (for previewing purposes only! ;) ), while visiting your favorite anime forum, while listening to Japanese webradio...

You call your parents Oka-san and Otou-san

You say ITADAKIMASU!! before you eat your meals

You think that locket your boyfriend gave you will turn you into a magical girl

You'll risk grounding to get a good new fanfic.

You constantly say "w00p" after almost every sentance.

You insist on chopsticks for everyday use.

Your bookshelf is filled with anime boxed sets and no books

You stop listening to the radio because english makes no sense to you anymore and it's your first spoken language

You call yourself "otaku."

All of your family portraits have been altered to the proper super large eye size.

Random battles seem to erupt wherever you go.

You take the time to write messages on your cigarettes, only to burn them right away.

Your dreams are animated.

You naru punch all the guys at school, and then wonder why they don't follow you around like keitaro follows naru.

You hold your eyes really wide all day trying to make them stay big

Duct tape is really funny to you and most of your threats involve taping people to walls.

When you're washing dishes you yell out "SUPAH WAVE SMASHUH!" or any water attack.

You run out of space on your computer because the hard drive is taken up by hundreds of anime pics, mp3s, midis, and music videos.

You spend all night trying to figure out how many people you can get to go in with you on buying the complete collection of Sailor Moon episodes in Japanese.

You spend your whole spring break working on an anime webpage.

You expect to see a teardrop over someone's head when they get embarressed.

You start to speak with an odd accent.

You can watch two animes in the same room at the same time and still have the TV off.

You know your favorite character's bloodtype.

Knowing Sailor Moon helps you on an Astronomy test.

You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends who are addicted to anime.

Get Your Own Addicted Meme Here

More cool things for your blog at
Blogthings

You are 47% Virgo

How much do you match your zodiac sign?

Oh my... What should I do to be more Virgo-rashii?...

You Are From the Sun

Of all your friends, you're the shining star.
You're dramatic - loving attention and the spotlight.
You're a totally entertainer and the life of the party.
Watch out! The Sun can be stubborn, demanding, and flirty.
Overall, you're a great leader and great friend. The very best!

What Planet Are You From?

Ara... Nanka bokurashikunai, darou?...

You Are "Tearful"

What Japanese Smiley Are You?

Huhuhu...

Your EQ is

120

50 or less: Thanks for answering honestly. Now get yourself a shrink, quick!

51-70: When it comes to understanding human emotions, you'd have better luck understanding Chinese.

71-90: You've got more emotional intelligence than the average frat boy. Barely.

91-110: You're average. It's easy to predict how you'll react to things. But anyone could have guessed that.

111-130: You usually have it going on emotionally, but roadblocks tend to land you on your butt.

131-150: You are remarkable when it comes to relating with others. Only the biggest losers get under your skin.

150+: Two possibilities - you've either out "Dr. Phil-ed" Dr. Phil... or you're a dirty liar.

What's Your EQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient)?

Is it a good thing, or a bad thing?...

You Are 35% Left Brained, 65% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning.

Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others.

If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic.

Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet.

The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility.

Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way.

If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art.

Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

I think I'm going to laugh this one out...

You Are 50% Normal

(Somewhat Normal)

While some of your behavior is quite normal...

Other things you do are downright strange

You've got a little of your freak going on

But you mostly keep your weirdness to yourself

How Normal Are You?

Again... Is this good or bad?...

You Are Best Described By...

Jeune Fille Vert

By Tamara De Lempicka

What Famous Work of Art Are You?

Your Element Is Air

You dislike conflict, and you've been able to rise above the angst of the world.
And when things don't go your way, you know they'll blow over quickly.

Easygoing, you tend to find joy from the simple things in life.
You roll with the punches, and as a result, your life is light and cheerful.

You find it easy to adapt to most situations, and you're an open person.
With you, what you see is what you get... and people love that!

What's Your Element?

Sou... Ka?...

You Are Green Tea Pocky

Your attitude: natural and zen
Peaceful yet full of life. Deep and thoughtful.
You're halfway to tantric bliss!

What Flavor Pocky Are You?

Gotta try it sooner or later... Maybe I'll ask Shoji to buy 'em for me XD...

You Are a Visionary Soul

You are a curious person, always in a state of awareness.
Connected to all things spiritual, you are very connect to your soul.
You are wise and bright: able to reason and be reasonable.
Occasionally, you get quite depressed and have dark feelings.

You have great vision and can be very insightful.
In fact, you are often profound in a way that surprises yourself.
Visionary souls like you can be the best type of friend.
You are intuitive, understanding, sympathetic, and a good healer.

Souls you are most compatible with: Old Soul and Peacemaker Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Well, that's all for now... I'm having my dinner at 10 again, today... As usual, the menu = MAGGIE XD...

Ja, shitsure shimasu~~....

If I disappear...

2005-04-27T20:11:00.000+08:00

Ever wonder about it?... If one day you just "disappear"?... Without a trace... I've been giving a deep thought about it, and somehow I think it'll be great if God grant me the luxury to just disappear someday... One people less who bug others time and again, one people less in this crowded place called Earth, one potential whatever less in the future... Heck, the benefits are endless... Ah, I wonder if Suyin or Alex read this... Or Ihab, or Shinta... Hmm... Maybe they'll ignore it anyway... It's not like I'm in their top-list or whatever...

Now, about today... Lemme see... ... ... Class today is juat as great as today... I got to know the lecturer even more... He's someone passionate about life... I sense it when he talked about Siti Shamiza (I hope I spelled her name right), the executive who was shot at Giant the other day... He said, "No one should die the way she died"... Someone so passionate about life of others as well as himself... I wish I had that quality... I'm more passionate about other people's life (in other word, suke menyibuk), than my own...

Today, I eat alone (again), sleep after lunch (again), feel miserable (as usual) etc... Stll haven't got my salary, and my enumerators were getting anxious... Need to get a job soon... I don't want to ask money from Mom and Dad again... Or from my friends... Not that I have any... ... ... Problem is, my luck sucks everytime I really need them... At this rate, I might have to scour EVERY possible place for a job, WITHOUT actually hoping to get one... *Sigh* I guess being Ismat aka Shinnoir comes with a no-luck guarantee stamped on your head... How pathetic...

Suyin seems happy theese days... That's good... Being grouchy and moody in your exam year is never a good idea...

Out of ideas to type... Ja, shitsure shimasu...

A brand new day, NYAAAA!!!!~~~~...

2005-04-25T20:28:00.000+08:00

Today marks the new term, and the first day of class for me... Class was OK, despite the fact that the lecturer is kinda demanding... But one thing he said kept on ringing in my ears... Something about believing that we could do wonders to the world... Sure, we're all students now, but that's an investment for a greater return in the future... Sure, we could forgo our study, and be somebody earning 5k, but that's it... We forgo our chance in the employment market to make ourselves better in the future... So, Suyin, don't worry about not doing anything significant at all, OK?... We still have plenty of time... Although we never really know if we only have just enough time, right?...

Anyway, Last night I got to chat with 3 SS-Class taisetsu na mono, and 1 S-Class taisetsu na mono (you know who you are ^^)... 1 is having an exam, another can't decide what to take for her college, one can't wait to have her sushi, and another is having a bad time... I missed all of them A LOT... And the fact that I lost my HP makes it even more unbearable TTTTT_____TTTTT...

Still haven't got my salary... I hope it'll be given out by the end of this week... Else I'll have to live off my boss :p... Have less than RM10 at the moment... If any of you readers want to give out some donations (maggie, Nescafe 3 in 1, MONEY :p), you are MOST welcome XD XD...

Am I lucky?... Am I not?...

2005-04-21T17:22:00.000+08:00

Bleh... Have you ever got the best news in your life as well as the worst news in your life on the same morning?... Happened to me yesterday ~_~... You see, yesterday I checked out my exam result... And it was waaaaay better than I expected...

I got:
Fiqh for Economist B+

Internet Application A-

Management Information System A-
(I was expecting a C... Maximum B-)

Malaysian Business Law A-
(Now this IS a miracle... I was expecting an F :p)

Organizational Behavior B
(Another miracle... It's impossible for a B, unless I aced the final paper)

Strategic Management B+

GPA = 3.352 CGPA = 2.739

The bad news was, I lost my handset... Yep, lost it somewhere... Yes, I tried calling the number, but nobody answered... Which means, nobody is holding it... How do I know?... Well, if they took my simcard off my phone, I will get a "The number you dialled is not active... Please try again later..." message each time I dial the number... I hope I just misplaced it somewhere... But hey, look at the bright side... Lost handphone = Got new one XD... I see another semester of dust in my purse... Bleh... Oh, Sandy... In case you are reading this, I can't make it this Saturday... Please tell that to Suyin, together with my utmost apologies... To Suyin: I missed you very much... More than my lost handset... XD...

Meme mania...

2005-04-15T20:30:00.001+08:00

What anime are you from? by squasar
Your name:
Your gender:
Your age:
You are from:
Your color is:	Bright red

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Which 2 anime guys would you catch doing... decidedly yaoi-ish things? by kumagorou
Username
Favourite anime
You would catch:	Yuki and Kyo (Furuba)

Quiz created with MemeGen!

What is you True Anime Character? (Girls&Boys) by albino blackWolf
Name/Username
Birthday
Favorite Anime
Candy or Ice Cream?
What is your favorite color?
Your Apperance
You want..	Money

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Your Yaoi Anime by eccosophi
User Name
Your Yaoi Title	Young Lust
Plot	You are a buisness man on a trip, who's never had a 'yaoi' experience....
Tragic Twist	He kills you in a fit of rage and jealousy.

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Who is your anime mate(for both males and females)? by AngelXXuan
What is your name
This is your male mate (take into consideration)	Gren (both sexes lucky you)
This is your female mate(take into consideration)	Kagome
This is how much the wedding will cost	$550,607,571,882
This is the date the wedding will be	February 9, 2986

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Who will Be your Anime Bishonen Husband? by KouYami
Username
Age
Husband	Monkey D. Luffy
When you will marry	June 1, 2020
Where will you marry	In the SEED organization
How Many Kids	0

Quiz created with MemeGen!

What Anime would you star in? by achenar
Name
Colour
Sexuality
Main Character	A blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl with magical special powers.
Plot	Save the world, sacrificing your love interest's life to do so.
Love Interest	An insane lunatic with guns as big as his afro.
Genre	Sci-Fi
Episodes	544

Quiz created with MemeGen!

you as an anime girl (with pics) by ayane isozaki
Name
Date of Birth
You

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Which anime charictor is YOUR alter ego? by Tabbykit
Name or username:
Age:
Gender:
Charictor:	Sanosuke
Traits:	perky and hyper

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Which Japanese word are you? by gokumew2
LJ Username
You are:	Akai (red)

Quiz created with MemeGen!

What happens when you try to be Japanese? by hideto
Your Name
Your Age
Your Japanese Name	Usagi (Rabbit)
Your New Style	Ganguro Gal! AHHH!
Your Favourite Singer	Kana
You end up becoming..	A prostitute
Cash flow?	$151,353,243
You die..	From an STD.

Quiz created with MemeGen!

What happens when you try to be Japanese? by hideto
Your Name
Your Age
Your Japanese Name	Kabi (Mold)
Your New Style	Ganguro Gal! AHHH!
Your Favourite Singer	Kozi
You end up becoming..	A newscaster
Cash flow?	$221,299,199
You die..	Suicide (freezing yourself to death in a meatlocker)

Quiz created with MemeGen!

What Legendary Japanese Monster Are You? by kumauru
User Name
Element
Quote
You are...

Quiz created with MemeGen!

What is Your Japanese Name? by ciambawildcat
First Name:
Last Name:
Japanese First Name:	Jiro
Japanese Last Name Part One:	Furu
Japanese Last Name Part Two:	Kawa
Suffix:	Sensei

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Your Japanese Name and Home... by America_Mamushi

Your Current First Name...

Your Current Last Name...

Your New Last Name (Remember, Last name first)...

Kojima

New Japanese First Name (If your male)...

Tadayuki

New Japanese First Name (If your female)...

Rumiko

And you now live in this Japanese city...

Kure in the Hiroshima prefecture

Favorite thing about your new Japanese life?

All sushi all the time

You fit in this much...: 8%

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Your Inner Japanese Name by Shirebourn
Your Name
Age
Your First Name	Mitsuko
Your Middle Name	Etsuya
Your Last Name	Fuchida
Your Nickname	Goro

Quiz created with MemeGen!

A night of blue...

2005-04-05T13:39:00.000+08:00

Last night, without any warnings, etc... I had a blues attack... I dunno why, but I felt very lonesome, which is troublesome, not to mention burdensome... One mistake I made was sending an sms to Kaede, which may have made her worried... Why was it a mistake?... Look it up in her blog... Later, I made a call to UK... Yes, it was actually because I've been missing HIM too much that these burdensome feelings starting to get into my nerves... Nyuu~~... Hayaku koko ni kaeru yo~~... TT__TT...

Right now I'm at a Cyber Cafe, slacking off while my enumeratorsare toiling to get some respondents for our survey... Apparently Selangor team (the one I'm in charge) is the slowest in terms of performance ~_~||... Haih... Maybe I'll have to start SLAVE-DRIVING them >3... My data entry job will start either ashita ya asatte desu... I hope I can do about 1500 questionaires... That means 500 questionaires perday... 1500 x RM2 = RM3000... Wow... $_$...

It seems that the Daily MP3 script I used for both my website and blog is working well... Maybe I'll suscribe to as many geocities accounts as possible, and make an itsy bitsy change to the script, so that they'll be 364 MP3's... Now THAT's daily XD...

Gah... No idea what to blog... Ah, to Kaede: Sorry if the message I sent made you worried... Ja, shitsure shimasu~~...

What Makes You Sexy? by eva71
Name/NickName
Gender
Sexy Body Part Is	Your Lips
Special Talents Are	Absolutely Nothing

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Generate your Anime Style by Jena-su
Name:
Hair:	Dark and cut short.
Clothes:	Dark and sexy. With randomly placed belts. Lots and lots of belts...
Powers:	Psychic powers
Special Features:	Bunny ears and tail
Sidekick:	Large dragon.
Attitude:	Cheerful, but calm. The voice of reason.
Weapon:	Over-sized paper fan.

Quiz created with MemeGen!

What would your Anime life be like? by hearthlight
Name:
Gender:
Your looks:	Lot's of leather.
Your best friend:	Someone no one else can see.
Your powers:	Everything.
Your beloved:	None, you haven't the time.
Your occupation:	Wanderer.
Your ending:	You sacrifice yourself.

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Be An Anime Character by mangacatgirl
Character Name
Eyes	Black
Hair	Bald
Fashion Style	Loose Baggy Comfy Clothes
Attitude	Innocent
Role	Space Cowboy

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Blind date with a hot anime guy ^.^ by Originality
Name
Age
Lucky Number
Favorite color
Date ===
Where the date is	His Place ^,-,^
First thing date says to you	"I like food"
Last thing date says to you	"Sorry about the whole noodle thing."

Quiz created with MemeGen!

RPG or Anime Character by ChaoticSoul
Your Name
Species	Human
Hair Color	Pale Blue
Eye Color	Grey
Personality	Whimsical
Weapon/Power	Bow and Arrows

Quiz created with MemeGen!

What Kind of Anime Do You Belong In? by Amb
Whats Your Name?
Whats your favorite song?
How Old Are You?
Whats Your Favorite Color?
Whats Your Anime?	Rurouni Kenshin

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Your Anime Life by kazoku
Your username
Gross income of creators	$9,889,715
Genre	Horror
Your role	Almost A Hero But Not
Your secret	You have the hots for your (same sex) partner.
Will you save the world?	Yes, and you do so with the powers of truth, love, and an insane sugarhigh.

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Oh... My... God...

What Is your anime Picture by vegasama
Name Or Username
Gender
Favorite Color or thing
birthday month
Image
Anime Personality	Control Freak

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Your Anime Self by blargityblarg
Full Name:
Hair Style:	Short
Hair Color:	Green
Eye Color:	Blue
Weapon:	None
Role:	Randomly Placed Person

Quiz created with MemeGen!