Trials or Punishment (In relation to the great flood of 2014)

What is it about calamities that befall others which makes us think whether what those poor souls are going through are the consequences of their bad behaviours and bad decision making?

We are a creation of cause of consequence. Being given the ability to think (akal), we want to find reasons behind everything that happens around us even though the amount of knowledge that we have about the world around us is limited. We only know what we only know, might just be a nano-drop from a drop of water in the vast sea of knowledge.

When a natural disaster (which is always beyond out control) happens, it saddens me when I hear people say "oh, those people had it coming, they've been doing mungkar things all these while".

Hold on to your horses for a while and get down from that high riding horse. 

First off, let the judgment be done by The Almighty.

Secondly (this is my main point):

Sometimes we do not know whether the adversities or hardship that we are going through is a test or a punishment from Allah SWT?

It is an interesting point brought up during one of Q&A session in one of Yasmin Mogahed's podcast session/talk (can't remember which one, but anyways..) according to her explanations, the way to know which is which is by looking at the outcome of what you've become after all of it.

• A Punishment from Allah SWT:
  If the tribulations that happen to you takes you away from the rememberance of Allah SWT.
  
• A Test from Allah SWT:
  If the tribulations that happen to you brings you closer to Allah SWT. You will be rewarded for being patient.

Allah knows best.

I also found another interesting post here: http://islamqa.info/en/324

Punishments are what happen to people in return for their evil deeds. Trials are tests which are sent to try people, and people may be tested by good things or by bad.

Concerning punishments, Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Whatever of good reaches you, is from Allah, but whatever of evil befalls you, is from yourself…”

[al-Nisa 4:79]

Concerning trials, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “If Allah loves a people, He tries them, and whoever has patience will have patience, and whoever is anxious 

will be anxious.” (Reported by al-Imam Ahmad; Saheeh al-Jami’, 1706).

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said: “The extent of the reward will be in accordance with the extent of the trial. If Allah loves a people, He tries them, and whoever is content will have contentment, and whoever is angry will have anger.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 2320; Saheeh al-Jami’, 2210).

Story of houses

If I was a ruler of a country or a regulator of real estate properties or something, I would definitely implement these rules to control the price of houses:

1. People are not allowed to buy houses for 'Investment'. House buyers must buy and keep their houses for at least 7 years before selling it to people.

2. Small families are not allowed to buy large houses. Single person: Studio apartment. Couples: Apartment with 3 bedrooms. Family with 6 kids: A bungalow. That would make much sense.

3. Not everyone has to BUY a property. RENTING a place should be made cool again. Well, minus the crazy landlord part.

4. Home developer should fully utilise all the sunlight that Msian homes are getting. Maximise natural lighting.

5. Of couse houses should be made of quality materials.

I am just bummed out by the fact that I am not (or maybe will not be) able to afford ahouse on my own. I see my friends, lef tand right, buying houses. Some don't even have a spouse yet. I am so lagging behind of everyone.

Maybe the property bubble will burst and the prices of properties will start to plummet down to reasonable numbers. But at this moment, I don't have any urges to buy a house yet. Like I don't know.. what's the point? Maybe an apartment. Not a house. Unless I have a growing family, then that's a different story perhaps.

Do we come as One? Or Do we come as One of this, one of that and one of those?

Do you find it weird that after 50 years of our country's independence, we are still preaching our people to be tolerant and respectful of other races, religions and cultures?

We have to teach our children about unity, whereby children are all pure of hearts and skin colour blind. How did they get the idea of 'races' in the first place? Adults-lah.

After 50 years, our political parties are still based on our ethnicity. Malay party, Chinese party and India party. all vowing to fight for the rights of their own races... and then at the same time saying we want to unite. I find it quite a contradictory.

After 50 years, we still segregate our education system. The Kebangsaan school, then there's other kind of schools based. Luckily, there are far thinking parents who send their children to these schools so their children could learn and  master an additional language and mix with other children from different cultural background.

After 50 years, we still have have to make the same adverts for the same product at least THREE times. One for each language. Why could not they just make one in BM, supposedly our main national language, which by right EVERYBODY should be able to understand and use for their daily method of communication, and the second advert in English, for tourists or those 'elitist'. I mean, isn't it costly to make a lot of adverts that conveys the same message? The same goes for prime News time. Like come-on lah, we even segregate our tv channels!

Everything we do and say, we always have to be mindful and 'politically correct'. If we say Abu, then we also have to say Ah Chong and Rama as well. If we want to use a Malay kompangs for a national event, then we have to also include the Chinese drums and India tablas as well because we fear of being 'insensitive' towards others.

I am not trying to 'kill' our culture and language, I did not say ban or stop using other languages other than BM or start imposing a 'neutral-culture-free' names for our children. Because it is absurd. Culture is what defines us and our individuality. I am just trying to highlight some redundancies that we do because we are afraid that if we don't do it, we are disloyal to our own people. If we are trying to preach unity, it should first from the basics of the masses like language, education, media. You don't tie up trees at their branches and leaves to collect them together right? You start to tie them up when they're still young saplings, right at the very beginning, close to their roots so that once they grow big and strong, they'll grow closer to each other.

If there's one thing I wanted to change, it is the name of my biggest project when I was in Uni. Festiv@l of Diversity was a spin off of Malaysian Night. I admit that. C.U's Msian Night last time was, as I heard, went down infamously because of some moral issues. But that story is not relevant here. Back to the point, maybe the 'possible' correct name for FOD is Festiv@l of United Diversity. Or maybe it should be called F.O.O.D. Night and create a creative name for the FOOD acronym.

Back to my first question:
Do you find it weird that after 50 years of our country's independence, we are still preaching our people to be tolerant and respectful of other races, religions and cultures?

Maybe it's not weird. After all, it took the Americans like hundreds of years to abolish slavery and practice equality among their citizens. What's hundreds of years, compared to 50? Right?

What are we afraid of? Losing of power. Being economically crippled. Being someone else's modern slaves. IDK, this entry is half baked and I'm typing it off from my head as it passes through my thoughts. I hope you get the idea of what I'm trying to convey here.

Divided opinion

I have fixed the image. Hopefully it's crystal clear this time for everyone to read.

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Chivalry is dead, is it not?

Last Sunday I went grocery shopping. While walking to the entrance door of the apartment's elevator room with a handful of heavy carrying bags, a man passed by me, opened the door, he entered and then left door to slam shut before me. I was just 5 paces away.

OK, maybe he didn't saw me.

After I managed to open the door myself, I stepped in and saw him walking into an opened elevator. As I was hurrying to the closing elevator, we managed to make eye contact and then the door closed right in front of my face. He didn't even stopped the elevator door from closing.

At that point of time, I am sure he did saw me. And at that point of time, I knew that chivalry is dead.

How sad =(
==============
What is it with men, or actually Malaysian men with being nice and gentlemanly towards damsels in distress that are not their girlfriends (or wife)? I wonder if they treat their significant other differently?

• It is maybe because I am not hot babelicious chick or model-esque enough to be assisted? (btw, have you seen the Rexona advert? If you don't have fair, clean shaven pits no guy is gonna help you with that flat tires of yours even if you ARE a hot babe).
• Are they scared that if they held the door open, their significant other will get jealous and they'll have to sleep outside that night?
• Are they worried that if they held the door opened for me, I will instantly fall head over heels for them? Let me tell you brother, it takes more than that lah. I'm not some floozy.

I know, I know... women has come a long way from being the wailing damsel in distress. Our foremothers fought for equality and rights. But it doesn't mean that we should be treated as men. Obviously on the physical strength side, we are the lesser gender. I admit that.

Even though sometimes, I might sound like a feminist, I do like to be offered with help or assistance once in a while (service that I don't have to pay for).

Talking about chivalry brings about some stories from the UK.

• My final year team mates, who were all guys insisted that they walked me to this printing place in Riveside because they knew that place was quite 'dodgy'. Kind of like protecting me lar.
• People held doors open to others behind them even if they are 10 feet away.
• Some Muslim guys -the kebab types, upon seeing that I am travelling alone, wanted to accompany me to my destination to make sure I get there safely. I politely declined because I think it will be very awkward.

Stories from work.

• My work sometimes requires me to move around large and heavy equipments. I normally could manage one, but if it's more it's quite a bother. I sat across from two burly and tall men. Sometimes I had to grunt, huff and puff loudly to make it obvious I needed a hand to lift the heavy stuff. Sometimes I had to call them out and ask if they would offer me their service to help.
• There's a guy, let's call him E. I think he's the sweetest and nicest guy at work. Whenever he saw me carrying something heavy, he will run towards me and helped. Even when I said I could manage. There was one time at a dinner event, I could not forget this, we had some big prawns during the main course, E who was sitting next to me offered to 'dissect' the prawns for me and separated the shells. He did this for the lady sitting next to him too. Mind you, he already has a wife and I believe is happily married. But the point is, ladies and gentleman, I think E is the most chivalrous man I've ever met in Malaysian soil. Bravo!
• So that's one, out of 10. Or maybe more... 100? 1000?

I am not asking you guys out there to be like E, but I am not stopping you guys either ;) It's just that it would be nice that once in a while someone goes out of his/her way to help others without expecting anything in return.

Come to think of it, I think I am more chivalrous than some of the men out there because I've held the door open to some of the men and they didn't even say 'Thank you'. Not even a squeak!

But that won't stop me from being polite to people. The effort continues on my part.

Based on last week experience,
I am convinced now that chivalry is almost dead. Please prove me wrong and I will stop whining.

11_A Photograph of your Town

Hi y'all... Now I'm back for business.

Bayan Baru from Vistana Hotel top. (Don't mind the 'uneven' skies, I stitched 4 photos together.)

If you remembered your PMR geography lessons, you'll be familiar with this name -> Bayan Lepas, it's the Free Industrial Trade Zone in Penang Island. I lived in a satellite town that's located there called Bayan Baru (just read here for more 'formal' details).

Although most of the time it's overshadowed by it's elder brother and it may lack the 'heritage feel' that you get when walking in Georgetown; Bayan Baru is a great place to live. This is because it is a planned township and everything is within reach. You don't need to go to Georgetown to get whatchamacallits stuff because:

• There's a lot of shopping places around (Queensbay, Sunshine, Giant and Bukit Jambul Complex).
• A golf club.
• A sports arena, PISA for PC Fairs, concerts, ekspo, clearance sales and of course for exercising.
• A hiking trail, Bukit Jambul for health buff and for 'cuci mata'.
• Great food. And moderately priced and clean too (Penang standard-lah). Mee Udang, Kapitan, Seafood, Nasi Ayam, Char Kuew Tiau, Laksa and the list goes on...
• If you find the need to still go to Georgetown, well  it's just 15 minutes away if you use the Coastal Highway.
• The Penang Bridge, seaside and other small islands (Pulau Jerejak) are nearby, but I won't recommend bathing in the sea unless you want rashes and jellyfish to sting.
• For the historians (or museum buff) there's the War Museum, USM Science, Art and Gallery Museum and there's also the Snake Temple.

I Love Penang!

Kisah masyarakat yang tak sedap didengar

Pada hujung minggu yang lepas, saya pergi ke rumah sepupu saya yang melangsungkan perkahwinan dengan pilihan hati. Majlis diadakan di rumahnya, jadi macam biasalah kat Msia ni jalan depan rumah akan penuh dengan sesak dengan khemah dan tetamu2 yang hadir. Jadi faham2 lah keadaan sekitar akan jadi sedikit kucar-kacir dan banyak kereta yg parking disepanjang dan berhampiran jalan tersebut.

Selepas selesai makan dan bertemu-muka (socialising by talking) saya bergerak pulang ke kereta. Dari jauh nampak sekumpulan orang berkerumun keliling sebuah kereta. Bila sampai kat situ, rupanya ada 'drama' yang sedang berlangsung.

Cerita dia macam ni (kisah benar ni):

Anak jiran sepupu saya parking kereta beliau didepan sebuah rumah yang sedang direnovate (yang tiada penghuni lagi) sebab ada khemah block jalan. Bila tuan rumah yg sedang renovate(dia baru beli rumah ni) ni datang dan nampak ada kereta parking depan rumah dia, dia bagitau DJ kenduri kahwin buat pengumuman over the PA supaya tuan kereta tu alih kereta dia. Agaknya si jiran tu lambat datang ataupun si renovate tu tak sabar menunggu dia pun terus calarkan bonet kereta tu, siap buat karangan.. "kan dah kata jangan parking, padan muka" (lebih kurang lah, saya pun lupa) dan pancitkan tayar (2 tayar!) dengan screwdriver dengan menikam tayar tu bertubi-tubi. Bila tuan kereta ni datang, bayangkan lah apa perasaan dia tambahan lagi kereta tu masih baru lagi (kalau ikut plat kereta tu macam beli 3-6 bulan lepas). Kalau saya, nangis dah kot kat situ.

Jadi si mangsa ni pergi lah ke rumah si renovate ni dengan hajat nak berbincang (secara baik) mcm mana nak settle benda ni kan. Tapi si renovate ni pergi marah pulak si mangsa dan mak mangsa sekali dimarahnya pasal parking depan rumah dia. Bila anggota RELA datang utk break the heat, dengan si RELA ni pun dihamburnya. Jadi akhirnya perbincangan tu tak ke mana. Saya cadangkan dekat makcik tu pergi ke balai polis utk buat report polis ke atas si renovate tu sebab dia merosakkan harta benda orang lain. Harap2 polis ambil tindakan lah.

Sigh.. benda2 macam ni lah yang buat saya mengeluh panjang... sila faham, ada kenduri, memang org parking merata2. harap bersabar.

Saya tak sangka ada orang seangkuh si renovate tu. Selalu jumpa orang bongkak dan kurang ajar macam ni dalam drama tv je, rupanya ada hidup2 orang macam ni. Tau la kau baru beli rumah, rasa best la kot pasal ada duit banyak, tapi Please! Tolong hormat orang tua. Dah le baru nak duduk kat kawasan tu, dah buat samseng dan eksyen. Macam orang luar berkelana, masuk sebuah kampung, bina rumah utk tinggal dan pergi bakar rumah jiran dia.

Saya tak dapat nak bayangkan macam mana nanti mereka hidup berjiran nanti bila si renovate masuk rumah baru tu. Depa duk dekat2 je, satu lorong. Mesti bengang je. Orang2 macam si renovate ni patut duduk dalam hutan jauh dari orang lain. Mungkin hutan pun dibakarnya. Ya Allah, Engkau jauhkanlah aku daripada orang2 yang hati jahat macam ni.

OK, memang la saya pun akan bengang kalau ada orang parking depan kereta saya menghalang jalan saya, tapi tak tergamak nak buat macam ni. Dan orang yang parking merata pun (especially double parking), tolonglah considerate sikit dan letak la no phone utk contact atau jangan tarik handbrake. Bila saya google pasal benda ni [pancit tayar + calar kereta] rupanya benda macam ni "normal" di kota besar.  Berjaga2 lah korang parking kereta, kalau silap parking, bersiap sedia lah utk panggil tow truck. 

Saya SANGAT SEDIH ramai orang macam ni.... rasa hormat terhadap orang lain dah hilang. Yang tahu hanya kepentingan diri sendiri. Dah takdak agama kot? Kalau ikut kan mana2 agama pun mengajar utk hormat orang dan jangan buat jahat dekat orang lain. Pendek je fius kesabaran, cepat je nak meletup marah.

Dekat2 nak Malidur Rasul ni saya rasa sayu pulak. Kalau lah setiap insan ni ada at least sedikit sifat Rasulullah SAW dlm jiwa diorang, mesti rasa bahagia dan aman je tinggal kat dunia sekarang. Tau tak Rasulullah SAW tolong makcik tua angkat kayu balik ke rumah dan sepanjang perjalanan tu makcik tu dok mengutuk Rasulullah SAW? Baginda tak kata apa2 pun, dia senyum ja.

Mungkin ada baiknya, kalau kita ditimpa ujian, kita berfikir sejenak, apa yang Rasulullah SAW akan buat? Jangan lupa selawat banyak2 dan mengucap syahadah.

tentang revolusi rakyat

Sepanjang cuti panjang tahun Baru Cina, selain daripada keluar menziarahi shopping2 mall, saya dan keluarga meninjau perkembangan di Mesir melalui internet streaming website-website berita seperti Al-Jazeera, CNN, dan banyak lagi, sampai nak habis fair usage threshold internet P1Wimax (mind you, ni baru 6hb February. Ada lagi 22 hari utk renew threshold baru. huhu.. tapi apa boleh buat?).

Amazing how the fall of one country leader (Tunisia) could trigger domino effect across the middle east region.

Apa yang berlaku kat Tunisia pun bermula dengan satu 'trigger' yang agak unik, seorang pemuda mati akibat kecederaan kerana beliau membakar diri sendiri (self immolation) sebagai tanda protes terhadap pemimpin. Sebenarnya itu bukan 'self-immolation' yang pertama kali berlaku di Tunisia. Ramai yang telah membakar diri sebagai tanda protes, tapi yang ni satu ni yg mencetuskan huru-hara dan protes di seluruh negara sampaikan Ben Ali terpaksa lari keluar dari negara sendiri. Persoalannya, bagaimana ianya menjadi 'viral' dan semangat itu tersebar sampai ke Mesir, Yaman dan beberapa negara Arab yang lain?

Pada pendapat saya, pemuda tersebut mesti memiliki pengaruh yang tersendiri di kawasan tersebut. Dan terkena pula pada masa, protes ibunya dikongsi di internet dan saluran berita. Dan tindakan pemimpin yang cuak menghentikan internet dan lambat bertindak membakar lagi kemarahan rakyat. All boils in one pot. Bila api tak ditutup, membuak2 lah kuah yang panas di dalam periuk. Panasnya periuk tersebut dapat dirasakan oleh kuali yang terletak bersebelahan periuk. (Refer Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell).

The things that you are capable of doing when you are not afraid anymore.

Saya tak tau. Tapi saya kagum dengan rakyat2 Tunisia dan Mesir yang bangkit menentang pemimpin2 yang tidak berlaku adil. Walaupun setelah 20-30 tahun bersabar dengan kerenah pemimpin tersebut. Mereka keluar dari rumah2 mereka untuk berkumpul di dataran, tak takut kemungkinan yang mereka akan dibalun oleh polis. Marah. Mana tak mereka tak marah? Corruption, kekayaan negara tak dikongsi sama rata, rakyat miskin dan tiada pekerjaan.

When you have nothing, you are willing to risk it all to fight for something.

Kemudian saya terfikir tentang negara saya. Tak mungkin boleh berlaku sebegini teruk kot. Sebabnya kita (saya terutamanya) mempunyai banyak kepentingan. Mungkin tak sanggup untuk mencagarkan semuanya untuk itu. Duit di bank, kereta, rumah dan barang2 di dalamnya, mesti takut hilang semua kalau berlaku huru-hara. Keluarga, saudara-mara dan kawan-kawan semuanya sihat dan segar bugar, tak sanggup kita tinggalkan mereka begitu sahaja. Itulah, 'attachments'. Baru saya tahu kenapa pada zaman Rasulullah SAW dahulu, para sahabat sanggup untuk derma/ tinggalkan harta dan keluarga untuk memperjuangkan Islam. Kerana dengan meninggalkan 'attachments' kita hanya ada diri kita sendiri dan dapat berikan 100% fokus utk mencapai matlamat utama tanpa perlu risaukan apa2 dan sesiapa dibelakang.

Semoga revolusi rakyat di Tunisia, Mesir dan negara2 yang terlibat mencapai matlamat dan objektif utama mereka. Dan diharapkan agar pemimpin2 zalim yang senang duduk di atas kerusi empuk mereka berasa panas punggung dan cepat2 insaf.

As Mrs Gump would have said it

... no, not the "Life is like a box of chocolate.." quote, but the other one where she talks about stupidity. You know which one.

We just heard the financial plans for next year and surely enough no one wouldn't miss the opportunity to pass on the jokes about if you know what I mean. Internal joke shared by Msian :)

There is one plan that I detest the most, which is the MEGA-WASTEFUL MEGATOWER MEGA-PLAN.
The initial budget set for this plan superextraordinary out of this world amount. All Msians would have known it by now (unless they're lost somewhere without communication with the rest of the country).

To me, that money would have done miraculous changes to the nation; with rules that half of it is doesn't go to the pockets of the corrupted(s). Changes like education, food, transportation and quality of life of the people.

I am sick and tired of the rich getting richer everyday and the poor who could only dream for such a lavish life. I am just a small potato in this country and I know my blog wouldn't in anyway create a revolution, but I am doing my part as a concerned rakyat by becoming a part of a facebook movement who stand as one who rejects this plan.

And if you feel the same as I do, please click "LIKE" on the Facebook button located at the left side of this blog. Notice the big black box there.

But if you don't agree with me, well, it's okay... everybody has their own rights to not be part of this 200,000 (and quickly growing) number of Malaysians who shares the same opinion as me.

BTW, this is not in anyway telling others what my political views are. I'm just against the idea of wasting huge amount of money on things when there are many other beneficial things you can use it for.

So many cars on the road

The average Malaysia families living in the city typically owns two cars at least. One for the husband and the other for the wife. Sometimes there would be a third car, which is allocated for their children to drive to college.

Cars are not cheap in Malaysia, a car owner have to stay committed to spare at least RM300-RM500 a month for the next 3 to 5 years, that is only for a locally manufactured cars; which we assume was taken from old Milo cans (but now they sell in plastic refill bags only, are cars now made out of recycled plastics?). The monthly payment will increase from RM500 to RM900 if the potential car buyer fancies an imported car (depending on the brand and model).

On top of the monthly payment, there's also extras that is needed to get the engine running. Money for petrol (that increases every so often), insurance, road tax, maintenance, tolls and unnecessary accessories. So overall the cost of covering a car for a month is roughly RM1000 to RM2500. That's a lot, if you think of the amount in McDonald's visits, it is enough to feed all the kids that came to your house for Hari Raya with Happy Meals.

By the number of jammed up highways during the recent Balik Kampung exodus, we have A LOT of cars on the roads, which means our people think they can afford to own a car. This view is also supported by the fact that it is almost impossible to find a decent parking spot at the supermarket during weekends and there's traffic jam for no apparent reason on the Penang Bridge, exit to Damansara Utama, Tambak Johor, Tanah Merah.

On the other hand, some of us are forced to own a car due to the inefficiencies of the public transport. Some people I know had to spend one hour and take 3 different transportations to get from A to B, when with a car only needs 20 minutes. The problem with our public transport is that it is slow, not far reaching, expensive and not travel savvy.

Public transportation is slow because the bus gets stuck in the traffic jam created by the people who didn't want to take the bus to work. People don't take the bus because the bus system doesn't follow a time table. Therefore, commuters can't plan their travel. The buses can't have a time table because they're always stuck in the traffic jam. If there are no cars, there's no jam, and it would be able to travel faster and be on time. But since the bus system is not working that way, it's better and faster to drive to your destinations. When everybody wants to do the same, the roads get clogged up. This is a classic case of chicken and egg situation.

Public transportations are not far reaching. When I was studying/working abroad the Uni and the workplace was a walking distance from the bus stop. Unlike here, you'd have to walk a considerable amount of distance that equals to a cardio workout to get to the nearest bus stop. I don't know why that is so. Public convenience is key to good management. Same goes with rubbish bins (topic lain dah ni), if you place rubbish bins like 500m away from each other, I can bet there'll be rubbish strewn every 100 meters between those two bins.

Public transportation is expensive, I would say so if you had to pay RM10 for a 1hr ride on public transportation. Time is money. A bus ride from Pen to KL is RM40/RM60 per trip. Sometimes I think AirAsia can beat that price and they'll take you to your destination faster.

Public transportation are not travel savvy. Not chic. Who wants to come out of a bus smelling like diesel? When I was abroad, mums used to go the city pushing their babies on prams on a bus. There are also compartments for you to place your bicycles or shopping bags in the train/bus itself. Simple and yet convenient.

I hope to see the day we are able to rely on public transportation to go to places. But is it only a pipe dream? Would it affect the sales of our local car manufacturers and make them roll their mats (gulung tikar)? I'd rather put my RM1k up for investment than paying for a metal case with wheels that depreciates yearly.

Just some thoughts that came up to me when I spent 30mins just to find and frakkin' parking space. I have a decade worth of experience as a driver. And in that span of time I've only received 4 summons and I've got all of them when my car is not moving --> when it is parked at the wrong place and at the wrong time (illegally). This unnecessary expenses could have been avoided if there was enough parking space for everyone or there's a decent public transportation that could help me to get there. 

Gua Niah

My intention to share my visit to Niah Caves earlier this year was stunted because I lost the original copies of the pictures when my portable hard disk was stolen by that stupid thief and I didn't have it duplicated on a CD (that's why multiple back up is important ladies and gents).

Fortunately for me, I had some pics already pre-uploaded into Tabblo. Although the resolution is small and I can't edit much, it is still presentable. So, to complete my Miri trip, here's a preview of my Niah Caves Tabblo.

Other Tabblos in Miri - Brunei series:
1. Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque
2. Miri, Sarawak
3. Bandar Sri Begawan

Akhir kata, Cuti-Cuti di Malaysia pun best sebenarnya,

Racist bigot

No man is an island. It's perfectly true in our so called 'Globalised' World we live in today. And it's just totally wrong to ask people to 'return' to their 'own' country when their family has lived here for more than 50 years.  If I told you to go back to your great grandfather's kampung and start your life there, would you be able to do so without any difficulty? I myself wouldn't think I would be able to cope if I were to return to Sumatera or Thailand, or the inner parts of Kelantan or wherever my great grandads came from.

I'm just saying you know, there's a number of emails and news about some people being a racist bigot.  Unless you're talking to illegal immigrants, I don't mind, but if you're referring to people who have been staying in my country since even before Merdeka, I would say that is just rude, unfair and despicably racist.

Why after 53 years of Merdeka and hundreds of years of living together in one country we still think like this, and if I came with a microphone to do an interview about 'Why you love this country?', I would bet 7 out of 10 times you would say, "Because we live harmoniously with each other". Oh, come on, man!

If you think you're so good... tell me, what good have you done fo your country today? Do you work and even contribute back to the country? Are you doing any research that helps our agricultural sector? Are you helping to put the teenage kids off the streets, off drugs and off zina?

Do something useful for yourself and others. If you love your people so much, do something for them. Beating up poor unsuspecting people is the lowest of the low. Inciting racism in the hearts of children doesn't count as a good thing. Hanging out in shopping malls 4-5 hours a day doesn't count as contributing to the economy (unless you're buying something Malaysian made, maybe). Following your leaders everywhere and kissing their hands and eating free food is just waste of my tax money.

IMHO, race is irrelevant in this modern world. If we want to live as 1, then we should start being as 1. In and out. Top to bottom. Govn't and it's people. Be honest with ourselves and be to others. Don't take opportunity over others' weaknesses. Work together, help each other.

Sounds like a Utopian dream to me, but stranger things have happened before.

Back into the real world

I am finally back on Penang ground. It's good to be back and it's great to be able to sleep in your own bed :)

After 2-3 weeks of absence, there's a few things happened. To name the least, petrol price increased & sugar price increased.

... And also some things never change, rush hour traffic jams and rude service counters even after you walk towards them with a big smile and greeted them 'Salaam' and 'Good Morning'. It's a shame.

And tomorrow, I bet it'll be the worst Monday Blues EVER!!!

Safety must always be first!‏

There are a handful of people that have the same name like mine living in this township (i think). But this particular one, yours sincerely, thought that maybe she'd write a letter to the editor one fine Thursday morning after she read a couple of bad news online, about the poor maintenance fellow and the unfortunate samaritans.

The editor was kind enough to think that my letter (Give safety priority and money, time and lives can be saved) was worthy of being publish in the news paper today. Now I hope the message of safety will be sent out throughout the country and reaches the right people and they will take the right action. I hope, I hope and I hope... although I secretly feel it's hopeless.

Well, although the editor might have changed and chopped part of my letter to his/her likings but it still good enough for the public. But I think my original version was slightly more 'fierce' that the one published. Here it is...

Safety must always be first!

I am felt very sad after reading the news about the maintenance workers who fell from a gondola while trying to remove a beehive from the building wall on The Star date 13th August 2009.

I'd like to ask the building administrators who commissioned the works whether proper safety training and safety equipments have been given to these fellow workers before they carry out their works?

By right, for those kind of work that requires workers being scaled up one or more storeys high in a gondola such as removing a beehive or cleaning windows, the workers must wear safety harnesses, helmets and other safety gears to prevent them from falling off their gondola and from sustaining other kinds of injuries in case of any freak accidents that might happen. In this case, if they already know that they will be removing a beehive, the workers should be made to wear a protection suit and face mask to prevent them from being stung by the bees and wearing safety harnesses, might be able to save the life of that poor worker who fell to his death.

Another sad case would be the incident of ammonia poisoning at Tanjung Karang, where 6 people have died. The lack of knowledge and information of how hazardous ammonia gas is and what to do in case of emergency were one of the causes why so many people died in the incident.

I noticed that most of us don't give much thought about safety precautions. This is a very sad state of mentality because some of the accidents and fatality that happened could be easily prevented if we just take some time to think before executing the tasks and carry out the necessary safety measures. It is such a waste of time, money and most of all a waste of precious life if we don't take safety precaution matter seriously into our hands.

I hope the administrators who are responsible for many of the hard manual labour or with any work that deals with heavy machinery operation and hazardous working environment should take up the responsibility to ensure their workers follow the correct safety guidelines in order to create a safe working environment for their workers. Safety training and refreshers course should be carried out on a regular basis so that everyone is aware of what to do during an emergency. Quick thinking and action might saves lives.

Let us bear in mind that prevention is always better than compensation.


Sincerely,
Diyana, Bayan lepas, penang.

We always want better things in life, but we dare not change our mindset and is always waiting for others to do that for us. Little do we know that we will always lose if we keep on thinking like this.

I'd like to hear your opinion. Really.

Sudahlah.

Once in a while, we will meet people who are able open our eyes and touches our heart even when we never meet with them face to face but somehow, in the things that they do, it left some impact to our lives.

That's what I thought of Allahyarhamah (the late) Yasmin Ahmad.
(I would assume everyone in Malaysia who have a television that could receive the basic national tv stations and those who have the capacity to read this blog, that means you have internet connection, would agree that her works are very familiar to us Malaysians).
I think, when you do things not just for the money, the work that you do are more meaningful.

She surpasses the local silver screen stereotypes. Most of all, she's honest to herself. I liked that about her. But I dislike what stereotyped people said about her (and even after her passing).

I watched Tv3's special tribute documentary to honour her legacy. That last bit, when the reporter interview her parents, who were teribbly grief stricken, after the funeral was really heart wrenching for me. When a mother loves her child unconditionally like that, then who gave us the right to judge?
Stop all of this nonsense.

She will be dearly missed. And I am sorry that our country has lost one of her brilliant gems.

Related post:
Mukhsin

Click! Snap! (updated)

Just to rub it in some more :D

Mine got choosen as Tabblo Of the Day (TOD). Yeay!

It is always good to know that your work is being acknowledged by others. It builds confidence in you and also there's that feel good factor, in which, you'll try to strive to gain more and more as you grow and the only way to have it is to improve yourself and become better than the last time.

On Saturday, I went to attend a photo sharing event organised by this big lens maker group in the heart of Penang (itu Georgetown lah). Reknowned and seasoned photographer Mr Foo Kok Kin was there to share his experience and work. He's a nice, funny and friendly man and his work is nothing less than excellent.

According to him, the thing about taking pictures is that you have to think outside of the box, look at different angles and you have to concetrate and think very hard about what are you trying to capture and how to compose it. There is always a story behind every picture. When you press the shutter, it's not just the finger pressing the button, but together with the heart.

Footsteps

So, this is my story about the picture above (I'll tell you later what his story is) :
Here are footprints left by someone who had walked on this pavement in the past. Over the years, the marks left behind are still visible and still remains on the ground although many people have walked over it countless of times. This picture shows the past, the present and the future (the on-coming people). (Poyo kan cerita tu? I wanted to take the picture of the footprints and the moss growing around it, and coincidentally there were a few kids walking up towards me and I tried to capture that moment, a lot of legs and feet, really).

Here is Sifu's story:
The long shot of the pavement is somewhat like life's journey, The road ahead is long and it's not always smooth. The white marks are like obstacles that needs to be overcome.

Well, it's open to interpretation, but I have no intention of making this a philosophical segment in anyway.

To me, this particular image is the one that I will treasure the most because Sifu personally pick mine as one of the Best 3 Photos of the Day. (Say what??! yeah, you read it right, Best 3). Out of 90 over worth of selections. It really made my day. Yeah! Wohoo!

Ya, I'm one of the boys now. LOL! (More pics here)

Here are other photos taken by me (Vol.1) and (Vol.2) . Comments and criticism are welcomed. (But, please don't be mean).

Monday Jazz (2)

For lunch, I had pizza and a couple of glasses of soft drinks. Told you it would be a day fun-filled with junk food and fast food. For dinner, I think I'll eat something normal and slow.

To laze around like a bum, that I did not manage to do.

I did quite a lot today (apart from blogging the second time for today). Paid my bills, vacuumed the house, bought some grocery stuff and went to see the dentist.

I'm pretty content with the day. Oh, except for the part where I got a call from the office asking what is the part number a capacitor. Sheesh! They can't live a day without me.

Terlajak cakap pasal kerja... Remember about two months ago I was feeling unsettled about work and 'looking for greener pastures'. Well, if I haven't told you yet, I did get the offer + some extra incentives. Moneywise, it's a straightforward decision, for someone who gets paid with peanuts for the amount of blood and sweat they'd given to Motoland, it would be insane for that person not to accept it. And I heard over there they only work 9-5 from Monday to Friday.

But Dang! The only problem is the office is in KL. Back in the day when I was young and foolish (that last Feb), the idea of moving to the big city sounds very glamorous, alluring and adventurous. With me being me, I did my usual meticulous study and thinking process until I get headaches (my critical thinking skills is on overdrive). I guess, I'm still not ready to move away from home.

I came down to a conclusion that I have proven myself that I'm not as bad as I thought I was in this industry. I tested the market and I found out that I am sought after and I can make demands if I want to! I don't feel so bad about that.

Somehow, someone who has 'internal contacts' and have a normal level of Malaysian kepochi instinct in the blood came up to me and asked me why I did not took the prize money. Also not forgetting the police-like interrogation and a hint of judgment in the tone of voice and glint of the eye. Clearly there has been more than one moral ethics that has been violated there, professionally and personally.

But what the heck, I've decided to stay and enjoy all the peanuts that I've earned. And that's what I want to do.

Reading Gwyneth Paltrow really have given me some positive energy. Everyone should read GOOP.

Monday Jazz

I'm taking a day off today. Will be binge-ing myself with junk food (already started my day with McD) and be a lazy bum for a day. I totally deserve this because I am the most 'hardworkest' person on Motoland. I also paying my taxes. Take my money and use it to buy RM150 flower pots which you can find the same kind at Gi@nt for only RM15.

Still remember that thing that I've bought and complained didn't have a bluetooth connection last month? If you are still wondering what it is, it's here, here and here. Somehow, seems like everybody is going by pretty slow nowadays.

My plea

One full page ad in theStar newspaper today really grabbed my attention. It was casually placed in between the World News after the international celebrity news, quite unexpected, really. A sudden eye opener. In hopes that it will open the 'brains' of our politicians (those in power and those who are not) to set their focus and priorities in the right place.

I am sick and tired of Msian's politics. Up to the extent that, when reading the newspapers, I rather read world news and section 2 than our local news, which i feel worthy to be skipped.

Just look at UnitedStates, after the new president got elected, they immediately got down to business and went diving head first straight into trying to fix their economic situation. (you may say, lagi-lagi US x2. Diorang ni tak layak dijadikan contoh sbb itu dan ini. But then, isn't it the right thing to do?).

However, going back across the opposite continent, look at us, almost a year after the general election, our politicians are actively working on how to bring the opposing person down. Sigh.

So, I'm iterating what Anaz Zubedy posted in TheStar today with hopes that at least one politician would read my blog.

Dear Malaysian Politicians,

Please stop the power chase, call for a truce and focus on the economy.

I do not claim to speak on behalf of all Malaysians, but I have strong convictions that many share my sentiments.

Our concern today is not who rules the country or heads the state governments but the looming bad economy.

Whether Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat leads, it is meaningless if Malaysians have no job to go to, no money to pay rent and no means to put food on the table.

I am a business owner, like other business owners and managers of corporations I have a responsibility to ensure people under my care and payroll continue to have jobs and a decent income to take home. We work hard and willing to go the extra mile to make sure our nation not only survive this crisis but come out stronger and wiser. We need your help.

Let me explain. I am in the business of Training, Development and Consultancy and have 20 people in my team.

Saedah is 42. She keeps the office clean and helps organise the training rooms. She has four children and her husband is unemployed. She was first hired on a part time basis, because she is very hard working and has a great attitude, we offered her a full time job to help provide a stable income for her family. Even then, when her third child started school this year, it was a struggle for her to buy new school uniforms and other necessities. Saedah lives on a ‘kais bulan, makan bulan’ basis, so, if she is jobless, her tap runs dry.

Samsuri is 27 years old. He lives with his sister and her family in a low cost government flat in Sunway. He does our despatch, helps with various clerical works and occasionally acts as a driver. During the first week at zubedy, we learned that he not only did not have money to buy new clothes and shoes for work, he had no money for lunch. Like Saedah, if he has no job, his tap runs dry too.

Alicia in Client Servicing turns 26 this year. She lives with her dad who is 71 years old and retired. Her mom passed away when she was little. Alicia is a hard-working team member, has a gentle caring outlook and fun to be with. (We like to poke fun at her as she blushes easily). Last May her dad went through a major operation, thank God he has recovered well. Alicia needs a job, both for herself and her dad.

Sudesh, 38, is one of our facilitators. When his father passed away last year, he moved back and lives with his mother in Seremban. He shuttles between Kuala Lumpur and Seremban daily, leaving home sometimes as early as 4 in the morning and returning late at night. He is no stranger to hard work and sacrifice, he knows what he needs to do to survive and to care for his mother, but he too needs a job.

Like fellow Malaysians, every one of us in zubedy needs employment, those that live from hand to mouth like Saedah and Samsuri and others like Alicia and Sudesh with family to care for. We Malaysians need the Malaysian economy to be strong. We need you, our leaders, to work hard and to work together to make our economy viable.

So this is my plea.

Pakatan Rakyat, please stop your attempts to take over the federal government and persuade BN’s lawmakers to join you. Stop all legal proceedings, no more 916 and let go, just let go. The nation can wait till the next general elections if they want change. By doing so, Malaysians will see your party as caring, unselfish and gracious and give you their support in the next elections.

Barisan Nasional, please stop any attempts to take over PR states and win over PR’s lawmakers. You have proven your point with Perak. The nation can wait for the next general elections if they want your party. Focus all your talent, energy and hard work in steering the country out of an economic downturn. By doing so, Malaysians will see your party as caring, unselfish and smart and give you their support in the next elections.

BN and PR! Call for a truce. Get together and compromise. Someone has to give in. Or has hate consumed your heart till it blinds you? You can do it. You have enough intelligent people between you. I am sure you can find solutions. Take the nation to heart. That is why you are in politics in the first place.

Focus on the people.

Focus on the economy.

Anas Zubedy
Managing Director
Zubedy (M) Sdn Bhd

ETc..

1. Hey, did you noticed that lately mcd is is always full with people during lunch time on weekdays? Yep, it's because of that lunch set priced at a bargain of RM6. You know lah- Malaysian always so kiasu. And also want everything cheap-cheap, if free is lagi better. People... what happened to the 'mari meboikot beramai-ramai barangan US dan Israel' ??? I totally agree when doktor M said Melayu mudah lupa. It's true. No need to melatah.
   
   That's why I think boycotting stuff will only be just 'a phase'. When everything is toned down, life just resumes as normal. Hangat-hangat chicken poop. I've told you before, to be strong, we need to build from within.
   
   
2. Kalau boleh set kumpulan kerja baru dengan cara orang yang bahagia melompat-lompat, tak payah la kitorang susah-susah keluar beratur kat sekolah pagi-pagi buta untuk tanda X dalam kotak. Buang tenaga saja.
   
   
   
3. Dokumentari Alexander Bukan Zulkarnain last Friday memang bagus. Semua orang digalakkan untuk tengok. Cyrus the Great @ Khurosh mungkin adalah Iskandar Zulkarnain yang disebut di dalam Al-Quran.
   Mungkin ada lagi satu rahsia utk dikaji. Siapakah Luqman Al-Hakim? Dia sangat wise.
   
   I've always wanted to go back in time using a time machine and find out all these questions.
   
   
4. Today's entry has a weird format and mood because I think I've lost my blogging mojo. I've to confess! OMG! I haven't been blogging because I was occupied playing Bubble Trouble (no, not going to attach a link because. Not risking others to stop blogging :P). It's soo addictive, or maybe it's just me who's obsessed about it. I'm in level 13, BTW.

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