TEDx: SPECTRUM

(Nota kepala: I had this post drafted since January but hadn't got around finishing it, until today).

There's a high chance that you've seen someone shared a TED video on your social media timeline. So here is my share... TEDx Penang 2017: SPECTRUM

TEDx PenangRoad was a good start for 2017.

I was a bit hesitant to go at first because the ticket was not cheap (RM100) and the location was very far, about 1 hr drive from home. dekat Tanjung Bungah nun (*in Penang, if you have to drive >30 mins to get somewhere, it is considered FAR). Fortunately the event location changed to The Majestic Theatre, somewhere closer within the 30mins drive limit.

Prior to the event, the highlight speakers that I was really looking forward to listen to are Dr SJ Lam  (the your PhD who discovered a new method to kill superbugs) and Serina Hijjas, a prominent architect, but i know her as the sister of the yellow-Bersih-balloon-thingy some long time ago. Unfortunately, these two couldn't make it due to personal circumstances. I was disappointed, but the show went on regardless.

There were 11 other speakers that day and they did not disappoint and nothing short of inspirational. We had Judy Chen-Hopkins, Laura Francois, Monica Tong, Henrique Nasc, Stephen Hanlon, Dissa Ahdanisa, Jay Lim, Mehedi Hassan, Benjamin Von Wong, Sada Borneo. Here are some of them in grid pictures.

These are some of the speakers

TED: IDEAS WORTH SHARING

Earlier, I wanted to share in detail on what these amazing speakers shared with us, but I decided not to because it wouldn't be the best way to present this and it will be an exhausting read. Instead I'm gonna summarise the entire day in a concise manner.

All these speakers are ordinary people like me, but what sets them ahead is that they're doing extra-ordinary things that they believe in and passionate about it. Sometimes, that "extra ordinary things" doesn't have to be an extravagant thing that you have to do to make a change in this world. Your action might now make a tectonic shift in the world around us, but as long as it makes a dent, no matter how small it is, still counts as a good work. Just get off your lazy ass and go out there and make the world a better place for others.

Initially, Mehedi set out to help his fellow countrymen (Bangladeshis) to send money back to their families and make living abroad easier for them in the digital age despite of their circumstances (as we all generally know). He ENABLES PEOPLE IN NEED. In time, his good work is growing and I (followed his fb) am seeing that he is going places sharing his workings with others (look up MyCash Online)

A good work could also entails YOU working on BETTERING YOURSELF, which also will open up doors of opportunities for you and others. Dissa explained how her interests in learning a new language help her to eventually help people with disabilities earn a living (look up Fingertalk). Learn a new language, put yourself out there and you'll meet new people, chances are they are a lot of inspiring and amazing people out there.

The attitude of learning a new language is also important as Marianna Pascal mentioned, you have to throw away that feeling of insecurities and self consciousness. Focus on the other person where you want your point to go across and see if they understood it.

A good work could also be about making people or a system to realise about sustainability of the world that we live in. Judy shares her observations where a fragile/fail state (that has corruption, poor governance, poverty, devisions that cuts through religion, race) will eventually create youths that doesn't have nationalism and eventually fights in civil wars. Which is why it is important to have an institution that is resilient and honest to the rule of law. On a smaller scale, Laura invokes a realisation that the fashion industry is a big culprit to the environment. Dye pollution is the 2nd top water pollution and is destroying water sources. Here is where I learn about the importance of finding the origins of the clothes you wear.

Those were some notes about inspiration work and living consciously. Overall, I had a good time and met new people.

Sada Borneo performing Hey Ya in their unique style

Reclaim Your Heart (Part 2)

The talk given by Sr Yasmin Mogahed last night revolves around the topic of :- Lessons that we could learn from the stories in The Quran.

Disclaimer: the following are my notes taken during last night's talk. If there are any mistakes or misinformation, do let me know so that it could be corrected. I do hope we could all benefit from it.

Many of the stories told in The Quran are about The Prophets. The main reasons why we are told these stories are not just for time-fillers or entertainment, but they are to inspire us, to guide us and there are lessons for us to learn from.

(I think I will start with typing the content of the talk first and followed by a summary).

1) Prophet Adam A.S.
Lessons we can learn from the creation of Adam A.S. and what goes down between him and Iblis is that the creation makes mistakes; Adam ate the forbidden fruit and Iblis didn't want to bow down to Adam A.S. when commanded to do so.

Both made mistakes, but what differentiates them was how they reacted. Adam A.S. repented and took responsibility for his mistakes. He asked for Allah SWT forgiveness in full humility. On the other hand, Iblis allowed arrogance to take over, refused to repent and instead vowed to take as many human beings as he could together with him into Hell.

2) Prophet Yunus A.S.
Nabi Yunus A.S. was trapped in the belly of a whale in the middle of the deep blue ocean. He was practically "trapped upon a trap". There is no one that could save him, not even himself. Even if he managed to get out of the whale's belly, he's still in the middle of the sea or underwater with no where to go. The only One who could save him is Allah SWT.

Nothing is more worthy of worship than You, Allah is high above anything else. And indeed I was among the wrong doers.

That is how Yunus A.S. responded to calamity, with humility. Fully believing that only Allah SWT that could take him out of that problem. Our external situation will not change if we don't change our internal self (situation). And in the end Yunus A.S. was saved, by Allah SWT.

3) Prophet Musa A.S.
Nabi Musa A.S. is individually trained by Allah SWT. He lived in a very difficult situation since childhood. Starting from the time when Firaun wanted to kill all baby boys in that time. When his mother puts her son (Musa A.S.) in a basket and let the river floats him, that is an act of Tawakkul to Allah SWT. She lets go of something that she loves the most for the sake of Allah SWT. She puts her trust in Allah SWT that He will take care of her baby son. And indeed Allah SWT has kept Musa A.S. safe and later brought back to her in a much better situation, as the adopted son of Firaun (thanks to A'siyah R.A) and was raised as a prince.

When Musa A.S. was at Mount Tsur, Allah SWT introduced Himself as the The Lord. Told him to make rememberance to Allah SWT through Solah. He also told Musa A.S. to throw his staff that he leans on to the ground and then it became a snake and when it was picked up again it return back into a staff. This is to show that we musn't fully rely on the means because it could become something that could hurt you (snake) at one time, and could be something that could help you in another time. We can use the tools and the means, but never truly depend on them.

During the great escape from Firaun's army, Musa A.S. and the Israelis were blocked by the Red sea and was trap between the sea and the impending army with no possible escape route. But Musa A.S. trusts is in Allah SWT. "By no means, my Lord is with me and will guide me through". He struck the staff to the water and by Allah's will, the Red Sea parted into two and created a safe path for the refugees to pass through. The staff is only the means, the True Provider is Allah SWT. He will give His servants a way out of a sticky situation in a way that is beyond our imagination.

4) Prophet Ibrahim A.S.
Nabi Ibrahim A.S. is also one that is individually trained by Allah SWT. He observed the movements of the sun, moon and the stars, noticed that even the most impressive things have imperfections and they can't be god. The creation is imperfect. Only The One True Creator is Most Perfect and has the power to control all the creations.

When Ibrahim A.S. was thrown into the fire by the disbelievers, the only help Ibrahim A.S. needed to keep him safe from the fire is only from Allah SWT. He doesn't fear the creation and he believes that Allah SWT will protect him from harm. Allah SWT cooled the fire and secured Ibrahim A.S. Within the hardship, there can be a place for security if our hearts is turned only to Allah SWT.

Then came a command from Allah SWT on sacrificing his beloved son, Ismail A.S., as we know that Ibrahim A.S. only got Ismail A.S. after many, many years of marriage and definitely his son is very precious to him. Despite of his love to Ismail, Ibrahim still followed the command of Allah SWT. Eventually, Ismail A.S.'s place has been replaced by an animal during the Qurban. This is a symbolic of slaughtering a potential competitor for his love to Allah SWT. When we are given gifts from The Giver, we sometimes forget and lose perspective of the The One that we should be focusing on. When He takes the gifts away from us, it gives us the chance to refocus ourselves to what is important. Our response when the gift is taken from us depends on what is in our hearts. In return, He will give us something much more priceless than that has been taken away.

5) Hajar R.A.
The story of Hajar R.A. is of dependence to Allah SWT is an act of the heart as well as the act of the body. She stayed back with her baby, Ismail A.S. in the desert of the hijaz. As they grow desperate for water, Hajar was running to and fro from Safa to Marwa looking for water. Usually, for a normal human being like me, I would just stop after one round of running between these two places if I failed to find anything. But Hajar, she kept on it for 7 times, never giving up effort to look for a water source. Finally, a source of water sprang out from their feet and it continues to supply water until today, which is the Zamzam water.

This is action, this is hope and this is sabr. The results of our actions doesn't come solely from our efforts. It comes from Allah SWT.

In Conclusion:

There are a chestful of treasures that we could learn from the stories mentioned in The Quran. Among them are:

Humility:
admit your shortcomings to the Creator. Do not be like Iblis who was arrogant. Adam A.S. and Yunus A.S. were humbled by the calamities that befall them. They acknowledged Allah is the Most Greatest.

Repentance:
do not despair in the mercy and forgiveness of Allah SWT. Adam A.S. was forgiven for his mistakes for consuming the prohibited fruit.
The imperfection of the creation: This is the design of the creation that are with flaws.

Tawakkul:
Fully trust in Allah SWT that He will provide and keep up secure. He will create an exit for you during hardship. But you must act with your faith intact. Do not lose hope, keep on striving and have sabr.

Giving up something you love for the sake of Allah SWT:
take lessons from Musa A.S. 's mother and Ibrahim A.S. act of Qurban. For everything that we give up for the sake of Allah SWT, He will definitely replace it for you with something much more better.

Never lean on the means:
The means are just tools to help you get closer to Allah SWT. If misused, they could be the thing that causes you pain or distracts you from the real focus. The more you need the creation, the more it lets you down and the more it runs away from you.

Love the Giver more than the gift, then you will be gifted.


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Reclaim Your Heart - Yasmin Mogahed in Malaysia (Part 1)

God works in the most mysterious ways (from our point of view using our limited knowledge. Of course He is The Most Knowing). A good friend of mine NinaIjan (or IjanNina; I always get confused on this cos they're interchangeable?) texted me one night, asking if I wanted to go to a Yasmin Mogahed's event an replace her seat since she wasn't able to go. So there I was, last night at Matrade Centre thanks to her generousity. May Allah SWT bless her with many rewards in this world and the hereafter.

The event was called Reclaim Your Heart, based on Sister (Sr.) Yasmin's latest book of the same title. Although the event was from 8-11pm, the talk by Sr. Yasmin only started at 930 until 11-ish. The first hour was filled with other interesting show/sessions: a Quran recitation of Surah An-Nur (35-38), a talk by the NGO director of Viva Palestina Malaysia (VPM) about Adopt A Hafeez Program, a short drama sketch by children about going to school in Gaza (which was distressing) and a lengthy video about VPM volunteers telling us about their experiences.

Part 2 will cover the content of her talk. I hope it will be beneficial for me and oher readers. Just watch this space, insyaAllah.

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Astronaut Public Lecture

Last month on the end of October I had the chance to attend a Public Lecture given by two astronauts, Dr Daniel T. Barry, US NASA Astronaut and Dr Sheikh Muzaphar Shukor (Dr SMS), our own very own Angkasawan.

Well, most of us know Dr SMS story, so I'll skip that and bring you Dr Dan Barry's story, which I personally think is an inspiring one.

Dr Dan Barry wanted to be an astronaut since he was a young boy. Back at that time, everyone wanted to be an astronaut, it was the 'thing' to be because man just landed on the moon some time back and that was a really big thing at the time. As he grew up, he still holds to his ambition to become an astronaut, but people kept telling him he was not smart enough, not athletic enough, does not dress smart enough, or not good looking enough to be an astronaut. So he stopped telling everyone about his dreams and ambition because of these remarks.

He started sending his application to NASA for the astronaut post when he was 23 years old. After NASA rejects his application, he would send another the next year, and the following years... and NASA kept sending him rejection letters back. While waiting for the 'good news' he did what he thought would help him with the application. He did a degree in electrical engineering, then pursued a PhD in the subject, then went on to study for a medical degree and became a professor at a university. So, this guy had two "Dr" titles, one from his PhD and the other as a medical Doctor. Awesome right? But that didn't impressed NASA because they still did not accept his applications.

He finally got a break and got 'the call' from NASA after 15 years of waiting. And boy, was he really happy. Listen to his story from the link below that I recorded at the lecture. No one tells the story better than him himself.

Dr Barry's profile on Wikipedia [link].

I think the 'take away' from Dr Barry's story is this:

• Never give up on your dreams, even if it takes 10 or 20 years of waiting.
• While in the subject of 'waiting', don't just sit there and do nothing while waiting for things to happen. Do something useful. Like get a PhD or do a second degree in Medicine or something. (lulz, ha!)
• People will tell you that you can't do this and that. Don't take advice from people who don't believe in you and your dreams.
• Do the things that you love to do.

Additional item:

Lecture and motivational speech from Dr SMS.

Changing Habits

When I was young and fresh out of university, I had this big dream of changing the world (or at least my own country) for the better. Maybe everyone is doe eyed and as enthusiastic as me once in their life. But as I grow older, well, reality starts to sink in. Changing the world is not possible.

Please hold that thought, I'm not a pessimist, but I am a realist.Think of it as physical bodies having mass that will exert gravitational force in space. The larger the object is, the larger it's gravitational pull. Then imagine you, as a speck of dust, trying to change the course of the earth's orbit. Not possible.

Even though I can't change the world, the good news is I can change MY own world, which is more realistic.
 

I wanted to change the world.

But I have found the the only thing one can be sure of changing is one self.

Come, spend some time watching this 3 minutes video and be inspired.

If you've read some of my previous entries, I did try to change some of my habits (quitting coffee and facebook). One of the reason is just for fun (coffee) and the other is to stop wasting my time (facebook). That did not went down well. Mainly because I only refrained myself for 2 weeks and the change that I implemented was a big drastic change.

I am thinking of implementing a new habit in my life. There's a short list on the top of my head:

1. Exercise more.
2. Read more.
3. Eat more healthily.
4. Save more and spend less.
5. Watch tv less.

That is just some rough and general ideas. To get more things done more efficiently I must be more specific on the goals. Will get back to you on this later (ha! one more thing, No Procrastination!)

Tell me, what old habits would you like to change or new things that you would like to take up in the course of 30 days?

Stay Hungry and Stay Foolish #SteveJobs

Today marks the passing of a great innovator and entrepreneur, Mr Steve Jobs.




As an engineer, I think Steve is a person who managed to bridge the future with the present. He also made technology fun and welcoming.

As a gadget enthusiast, I think Steve is a person who brought us many wonderful gadgets into our lives. Heck, I even had my share of spending half a day lining up at the Apple Store just to get my hands on my iPad.

We can all read about Steve's life stories and how he started Apple, from the vast reading links on the Internet. You can be inspired all you want or just learn about this person, who, with all his faults and falterings have come to become one of the most iconic person in the world of technology. I will leave you to do your own reading.




Although slightly faulty, it still plays good music after 6 years of tough love.

Apple products have always held my interests more than anything else. Although I must admit that I was always sceptical about Apple's products at first, like the iPhone with it's touchscreen, the iPod which is bulky and the iPad for it's silly name. I remembered the awe when I first (secretly) tested the iMac, touching Apple's magic mouse, back in the days when I was doing cleaning jobs at the uni. Boy, did that put my old pc to shame... At the end, I have come to agree that nothing much compares to the sleekness and ease of use of these shiny little electronic things.
As hard as I try to deny, I think I might be a closeted fangirl.

He led the way, and people followed.

Thank you Steve Jobs for bringing the future to us. You will be missed.




The King has died. Long live the King (in his iDevices)
(I felt compelled to write a tribute to him, for if not for the iPad that he introduced, this post will not be possible.)


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Bidding farewell to a loyal companion

I just sold my trusty DSLR camera to a dear friend. It's a bitter sweet feeling letting the camera go. It feels surreal knowing that the camerabag is empty.

The DSLR is my loyal travel companion. It's the first thing that I pack when I'm leaving to some place. For Godsakes, it has its own special bag (which Yuna complimented as nice and cool when I met her the other day). That camera was like my extended limb during my travels. I decided to buy a dslr two weeks before I left for India. That was its first maiden journey with me. From then on, we went to many places and continents together. India, China, Denmark, Brunei, United States and many other local destinations together. The greatest time I had with the dslr was when I mounted it on a telescope that was the size of a large bucket and captured images of the moon. Even staying idle at home, we had great times experimenting with lighting and taking stills.

Time to move on onto greater things. I will still be taking pictures, but from a smaller and simpler camera. Maybe I'll get a new dslr body (I still have the prime lens, zoom lens and flash unit with me), but not so soon. There are other things that's more important now.

Goodbye dslr. I hope your new owner will take good care of you and fully utilise you like I did, ot maybe even better.

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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.

CPH... Of working..

It's a very fine weather in Copenhagen. Even though the sun is shining brightly, the cool breeze that's blowing evens out the temperature making it mild and moderate.

My first day here have been a mixture of a couple of blunders. Here's what happened, first I left my handphone in the taxi that I too from the airport to the hotel and secondly, when going home from the workplace, I took the wrong bus and ended up 2 zones away from my intended destination. I won't put a lot of pressure on myself for those errors because I got my handphone back (although had to pay taxi fare for the second time) and as for the wrong route, I have accidentally found out the Pakistani area, where I can easily find halal food.

There are not many cars on the road compared to Penang or even London. People get from A to B by public transport or cycling. Getting around using public transportation is a bit of a puzzle at first, but as time progresses bits and pieces starts to fall into place and you'll get to see the a big and clear picture. To work, it's only a bus and a train ride, which only takes 20-30 mins. Even though it's suppose to be rush hour 8-9 am, the crowd are small and there's always a few empty seat, thanks to the frequent train timings.

The place I am temporarily working is surprisingly small, considering the number of 'big guns' located here. I think it's 1/4 the size of my local workplace. Furthermore, it's located very near to a mall, train station and a peaceful housing area.

The office itself is very organised, it just look like it came out from an IKEA catalogue. Even the office air smells like an IKEA showroom. The building energy management is energy efficient. The toilets have motion sensors and it will only turn on the lights when someone enters. Big windows to let the lights in. People rarely use elevators. All central soldering station smoke absorber are turned off after 5pm.

Working conditions are far way better than my own cubicle. Although the cubicle desk is just slightly longer, there's minimum clutter. They don't hog the equipments like we do and make our own space crowded. Parts and components are organised together in the same place, so there's no need to go to each cube and ask if they're keeping parts. No need to worry others nicking your tweezers or soldering iron because they're aplenty!

Engineers here during the summer dress casually to work. Shorts, t-shirts and flip flops. They come to work on time and leave home on time. They also enjoy their work. Freedom to have any many cappuccino from the vending machine, freedom to leave your tweezers and soldering iron without having to worry someone will nick it.

I feel that the working environment is very conducive and motivates for productivity without being like a slave driver. I wonder if these kind of changes implemented back home, would it make everything better? Would I love my job more, rather than being in a 'love-hate' relationship with my job?

All of the different working culture makes me think whether are what we are because of us being Asians? We work harder and we slave for our job because that's what our parents and their parents did. The paddy concept. You sow what you reap. If you fail to sow, your family won't get to eat for the rest of the season. You'll have to read Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers to understand this idea better.

Our culture also taught us to respect the elderly and people with higher authority. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this, in fact it is praised upon and requested by The Quran to respect the elderly. However, somehow it got twisted it a wicked way that we fear ones with authority and follow what the elderly told us to do without questions even if it is wrong. When we fear to ask questions, we fail to understand. And this is a great loss when we are trying to gain knowledge. What's worse, we might even fail to share it.

This post is getting heavier by the minute. You might say that I'm just awestruck by my new environment, yes I am. I'm writing down what I feel only maa...

Everyday Heroes

Did you watch CNN Heroes last raya weekend? I did, and I thought those people were among the most inspiring people around. Some even brought tears to my eyes. I felt humbled by their great achievements.

Everyday heroes are the ones that deserves to have songs of praise sang to them. But more often than not, they go through life as unsung heroes.

After watching that and done some contemplation for a bit, I personally feel that we are sometimes out of reach from each other and up to a point of being selfish. I try not to be cliche here, but I can't help but to ask, "What have I done to help change other people's life for the better today? or ever?".

Don't need to wait until we have a million dollars in our bank account to help others. Don't need to wait until we are as strong as superman/superwoman to help others. Don't need to wait until we 'pencen' and don't know what to do with the excess spare time to help others.

Visit: CNN Heroes.