For Bro Kerpie

I was sifting sifting through the news just after doing the same thing with the in-box of my email when I decided to put hold of everything as my head was getting woozy. Per day alone I get - not personal emails, mind you - between 500-800 emails out of which maybe only 10% which are newsworthy; the rest fall between interesting reads or worse, junk mails. Then the wooziness sets in and I decided to take a break and do an entry for our bro kerp. After all, in his last comment of my previous entry he wrote:
"ok la shah, show us what you've got in mind and if its worth jumping in, i'll be right behind you."
Now, I will be holding him to his words :)

Cakapaje has been sitting on the same spot for hours now. His chins resting on his hands which in turn rests on the kneecaps of his legs which were drawn in. He has not moved much from this position, except for his right hand which he moves in a sweeping manner on the cold surface, and at times as if sketching the surface with his fingers. Every once so often, he would shift the position of his head so that it would lie on either his left or right hand. And his eyes, gaze far into a distant, ignoring all objects nearby. His mind empty, save for the thoughts of a dear friend whom he will not be able to meet in a very long while. And such very thoughts have induced him into a state of stupor. He feels, hear and see nothing else but which the thoughts direct him to.

After what it seem almost an eternity, Cakapaje stands on his feet. His movement were slow yet fluid, never jerky or sudden which one would have thought of a person in such state of mind. His, was purposeful and with intent.

Cakapaje gaze all around him but his eyes still does not see anything, either near objects nor far. Or if he does, those objects are just a mere blur, nothing which could any longer recognise, and certainly nothing which which could snap him out of his mind. With his head now bent down, he slowly pushes his right leg forward, almost in a glide. Then the left, and again right. He continues doing so till he reach the edge of the surface, and not once during the slow march did his head ever shift, putting intense focus on every glide of his legs.

Now, Cakapaje stand precariously on the very edge of the surface; balancing his body with only half of both feet, while the other half dangles midair. His head still bent down, looking at the empty space below and in front of him. Slowly his vision returns and he begins to see tiny objects moving around almost without direction, and Cakapaje smile to himself. The moment is now at hand and Cakapaje must decide on a course of action that may forever change his life. And he must make the decision soon before his very own fear stops him. Suddenly, a voice calls our for him from the rear and snaps him out of his stupor. He suddenly realises where he is and fear begins to envelop him.

The voice calls out to him again and Cakapaje turns his head and in the process of doing so, begins to lose his balance. Both his arms begins to flail in an attempt to regain balance but with his torso already thrust forward, it is a futile attempt, and he falls flat onto the new surface with a loud splash! The water of the swimming pool however, is a refreshing welcome from the hot midday sun.

Now, I hope you didn't think I was attempting suicide, did you?


Yo kerp! Gua gayat le bro! Camna gua nak panjat tinggi tinggi :) You are most certainly welcome to try it, but with all of us around to haul you back up later lah!

Anway, moral of the story is: Sesunggohnya, hidup ku, mati ku, ibadah ku dan solat ku, adalah hanya untuk Allah s.w.t.

Mint-something Deficiency Syndrome.

"A diabetic person, you are not!" said an old man to me only just now.
"Say...?" I did not know this old man, he was, a perfect stranger. But somehow, something, triggered him to approach me and say those words which caught me off guard.

I was sitting on a public bench somewhere in KL earlier this morning, not to catch my breath mind you, but just to rest my left leg. I had seen the old man earlier but did not take too much notice of him as he was just one of the many people milling around the area; if I were to start taking notice of one, then I would have to take notice of all, which in an area where people come and go as they please, would not be a very wise or prudent thing to do. Strangers, after all, can be bad and good. And alhamdulillah, I have been blessed to meet many more of the good than the bad. And with sun hidden and the day cooling, you just cannot blame anyone for finding it hard to keep their eyes open. It was, in other words, a very lazy morning!

I have to admit here though, I was not feeling all perky myself this morning. Somehow, I feel like I will be very sad tonight. A mere premonition, perhaps. And I try to shrug it off putting all blame on the weather...until I found the old man sitting beside me. He did not say anything at first but gave a curious glance or two towards me. And being the clown I am, I off course smiled to him. Didn't feel like doing much talking.

After several minutes, I was about to stand up and walk off when the old man uttered those words "A diabetic you are not!"
"Say...?" I did not know this old man, he was, a perfect stranger. But somehow, something, triggered him to approach me and say those words which caught me off guard.

There was something odd about this man which I then began to notice. I could not make out his height but he must be at least 5foot 5. Sitting erect on a bench which an average Malaysian would find comfortable, his legs juts out rather uncomfortably and it was from that observation I deduced his heights. He had an almost worn out brown barrette on his head and his shirt and pants were well ironed which to me mean the old man is no beggar. With a gentle breeze blowing, I could faintly smell a cologne which I was not able to recognise. The same gentle breeze too kept blowing at his long, white but sparse beard, making it seem to float softly then fall back in place when each breeze die down. In his right hand, he held a cane, the kind which is rare to be seen nowadays. Noticing a line just below the head and all around the cane, I would swear it hides a long dagger. Perhaps I may be wrong, but this is no ordinary old man sitting beside me. I asked him again "Say...?".

"You are feeling sad,"he quickly replied. "But you are not feeling sad for the past nor the present moment."
I was half stunned and my mind went like "Say, is this guy a soothsayer or something?"
Much to my shock, he replied "Look, I am not a soothsayer or bomoh, but simply a retired medical practitioner with years long experience in life. I have come to notice and observed you for quite a bit and know you are feeling troubled. Again, as I mentioned earlier, not for the past nor the present, but for the very near future we each will pass through."
"Hello!" my mind went again, "is this guy Yoda unplugged?"

"My friend," the old man continued "none in this world is by himself. We each are part of a community and the community, us. When narrowed down to individuals, we each are a community by ourself, but a community incomplete."

"You look tired, and I know you are tired. As many who have walked the life we have would be." the old man said looking at my face which must a blank expression as my eyes were looking for the crystal ball which I thought he surely would have. But there were none to be seen.

"I will not bore you with details as I am quite sure you have to be going very soon already. But for now, let me be directly honest: Your trouble and anxiety is not for losing something you never had, but missing something which you have just experienced, as anyone would in their life. And it is this very experience now causing you to feel sad and tired. But it is not an ailment nor a disease. Rather, it is what I would like to think of Mint-something Deficiency Syndrome." The final part came out more of a garble to me as he mentioned it in a softer tone which was further drowned of a passing heavy traffic.

"Mint..what?" I asked him.
"Mint-something Deficiency Syndrome." But his face was already turned the other way, perhaps distracted by the sound of a child crying wanting to be held by her mother. At the same time too, a gust of wind blew from my back and carried his words away from my hearing. And even as I opened my mouth to speak and ask him again, the old man had stood up and was beginning to walk towards the child. But he stopped a moment and turned his whole body facing towards me.

"Do not be overly worried, my friend,"he said. "Live as you have, and cry if you must. But do it alone where none can see you. In perhaps a year at most, you will have the answer to which your heart now seek, but your ears hear yet not." And he walked off again.

Mint-something Deficiency Syndrome; is that a chocolate or something? Whatever. Now my mind is more trouble than it was not. Maybe.

Happy Women's Day?

Seriously, I was never one to give notice to calender events save for those which I am unable to ignore like: Aidil Fitri, Aidil Adha, Ma'al Hijrah, emak's birthday, and may be one or 2 more. Then suddenly, I stumble on this site via this, and found out that today is actually Women's Day! Or so I am made to believe.

If its truly so, permit me then to wish all the ladies out there a Happy Women's Day! If not, then sit back and enjoy this comic video, in which either case, I hope you will enjoy it. Do pardon the puns and what not in it though :)

An Early Break

I am just feeling happy today. No, make that elated! Don't really know why. Perhaps, its due to the early break I took today from a schedule which can be hectic. Nah, nothing like what those politicians or their supporters are as I am only a small fry. But hectic it will be, insyAllah.

Took a drive up to Janda Baik, I did. Last I went up there was something like 20 years ago, but found the place still beautiful and cooling, the river water still clear and mountain cold, and the greeneries still refreshing. But off course, when you are feeling the way I did and still do, where the spirit is sky high as...well, the sky, off course :), everything is beautiful and it is like you are living in a wonderland.

You are, or rather, I was and am, feeling on top of the world.

Who Do You Want To Call? Ghostbusters!

Got this very interesting email which you must try out. No, it is not a puzzle, nor a game. Well, at least no to serious minded people like you and I, and perhaps almost the entire eligible voters in Malaysia. Almost, but not all.

"akashah" shaz_3394@yahoo.com.sg

try to put any of these numbers kat senarai semak pemilih SPR at
http://daftarj. spr.gov.my/ daftar.asp

801018775059
800311086231
811028045577
830416610017
841207065917
851222740019
850513106435
851117106729
850802106378
850916086838
860320145365
861101105077
860208145701
860320145357
861217145011
860126145839
87120574 015
870914105781
870418105790
871016146308
881231100432
881103750027
880505066047
880906087033
881030136332
891102740096
891129740088
890520610089
890112146416
890920076065
890403615016
910609755079
920622710069

funny isn't it? ni lah undi hantu!!!

If ever you are skeptical about the link given by this Akashah, then perhaps you may to try the SPR link on the top left corner of this blog. I won't say anything more except for two things: look at the birth date; and yes, I have forwarded the email to concerned people in hope they will bring the matter further up. In the meantime, do enjoy the video.


If ever anyone think the inclusion of the video makes the whole thing look like a sick joke, believe me, I think this sad affair of SPR is coming to that, if it is not already.


UPDATE 8.34am: Not satisfied with the matter, I tried to look at the IC numbers again. But this time the records showed as 'not found'.

Nomination Day Video

Foremost, kindly accept my apologies if I bore you with an almost rehash.

For yesterday's Nomination Day, Wak Kasiran and cakapaje split our ways with Wak covering Gombak while cakapaje the Titiwangsa Parliamentary seat. Unfortunately, the audio for the latter is rather weak having to depend on the internal microphone alone.

"Try not to cry"

Outlandish & Sami Yusuf "Try not to cry" 4 Children of Adam

Nomination Day Morning

The crowd were already there when I arrive. Unlike Ijok by-election, this time the Police and SPR allocated different routes for each supporter group. Unlike Ijok too, this time there were no bottle throwing incident as both group were separated by a buffer zone of about 200 meters. By the time I parked a distant away from PAS supporters, loaded my camera, and walked the distance, Doctor Lo'lo' had already entered the nomination hall accompanied by 3 party officials.

Nothing much happened after that as each group of supporters were busy either singing their anthem, or as with PAS supporters, reciting zikir and selawat, with some short ceramahs thrown in between. I began shooting and moving through the crowd of about 500 men, women and children; rather small to my liking but I later learned many more were in Putrajaya in show of support to the Persuruhjaya PAS Wilayah Persekutuan nomination there.

In between shots, the reporters from various agencies mingle with each other and so did I. And from that angle, away from the PAS supporters, I spotted a suspicious looking man dressed as any undercover cop would, what with leather shoes, tucked out short sleeve, and neat short hair, he probably was one of the several local Special Branch officers on duty. But I did not like the way he was smiling while taking pictures of the crowd with his cellular phone, and informed an AMAL volunteer to keep an eye on him. If any trouble were to brew up, it most certainly will begin with this guy.

At 10am, the SPR Manager announced the closing of the nomination hours and it was time objection time for all parties concerned. The previous day and before fear of having all PAS, PKR and DAP candidates papers rejected on technicalities had died down as each party worked hard to have the papers duty-stamped in accordance to SPR's issuance at 3pm on Thursday. There were suspicion that SPR had purposely delayed the announcement on that day so as to give opposition candidates little time to comply. The suspicion was further strengthened when several BN candidates had their papers objected to on the same ground, but SPR declined the objection saying that it had since been rescinded!

At the Nomination Hall in Taman Maluri, apart from the matter above, Doctor Lo'lo' and her party raised 2 different objections:
1. PAS officials were prevented from fully scrutinising the papers of the opposite number, and
2. The opposite number had used what looked very much like a cheque to pay the election deposit (Dr Lo'Lo' had paid in cash).
But all the objections were turned down by SPR even though PAS officials questioned the validity of the cheque itself especially. Doctor Lo'lo's statement was recorded and may be viewed later at webtv8.

The incident above was not isolated to Taman Maluri alone, but almost throughout the country with SPR continuously covering the arse of the ruling party. Where, I ask you, is the fairness and impartiality of SPR?

UPDATE 8.13pm: The ruling which SPR wanted to enforce above and later rescinded quietly at the last minute was also reported by MalaysiaKini and made available at The Kuala Lumpur Traveler.

YB Now Means....

For too long now, the serf-feudal lord mentality of many Malaysians – especially Malays – have treated the people elected officials of both, the state assemblies, and the Parliament, with respect and fervor almost fit for a king. In many cases involving the Cabinet Ministers, even more! The ego of the ‘YBs’ are continuously fed and feted not only by the public, but by the civil servants including the Police force who by law, are supposed to act neutral, but yet they scrounge the very grounds where these ‘YBs’ step on almost in worship. Nay! Make that in worship.

Perhaps to the Malaysians mentioned above, their state of mind can be forgiven for day in and out of the life they have been living, they have been subjected to subtle brainwashing of the mainstream media, extolling the virtues and righteousness of those people in power. And unless there is a political game afoot within their ranks, the media would never expose any scandals or abuse to the public. And when you come to think about it, it is as though we are living in a communist/socialist regime, where the media is used to its fullest to subjugate the minds of the people.

In North Korea for example, they even have megaphones erected at corners of the streets to announce simple statements such as this: “Good morning People of NK! Your glorious president, KIJ, has just rebuked the capitalist government of SK and the US for accusing our fatherland as an evil regime; we are not! We are the Democratic Republic of NK! We are the people’s government!” Off course you are...only that the people are made to slave for a living, almost akin to sweatshops of the very capitalist economy you condemn, living in an almost pigeon-like homes, while the officials of the country lives in splendour trappings of the modern world.

Or, remember ‘The Gang of Four’ in the big C? Before Chairman Mao’s death, they were untouchable! And they remained so for a short while until the unthinkable purge happened within the ranks and a new Chairman was elected. What happened to ‘The Gang of Four’? The regime used every means of the media then to vilify them in the open before sentencing them to lifetime imprisonment. And the public was made to believe in the evils of ‘The Gang of Four’. It did not matter who was right or wrong there. What mattered was what their government wanted to portray and put into the minds of the people within and out of the big C! And it worked!

Or, have we forgotten how the media was used rather successfully in US to justify an invasion of Afghanistan over the 9-11, and later Iraq for the still unfounded Weapons of Mass Destruction?

Closer to home, there’s the infamous trial of DSAI. No matter how many times the prosecuting team blundered during the trials, a large number of people continued on to believe he was guilty, overlooking the actual facts which were buried by tons and tons of media coverage condemning DSAI, and by itself already a verdict even before the court announced it

Similarly with any campaign, be it General or a by-election, the mainstream media will be used to the fullest by the incumbent party, throwing lies about the opposition while extolling their deeds whilst in office. Deeds, what deed? If any, in Islam, the deeds of an office bearer is by virtue of holding an ‘amanat’ from the Allah s.w.t., a trust that was handed to him from the people, by the people, and to the people he serve. And if he manage to fulfill such a trust which by all means is sacred, only truly then he is worthy of respect and the calling of ‘Yang Berhormat’. Unfortunately now, even as a party member of those goons in power steps into office, it has become a tradition and expectation for him to be called as such. But no more.

All these while ever since Malaysia obtained its independence, the so called people's representatives in either State Assembly or Parliament have been carrying out their duties without fear or favour, rather without fear and plenty of favours to be exacted in return. There have never been at any point of time a yardstick to measure their performance in office except for the General Elections, and that too - due to too many doubts within the system - can be argumentative...until now.

Earlier today at around 11am, a group of concerned citizens invited all the political parties in Malaysia to a joint declaration of what is called ‘Deklarasi Rakyat’, or ‘The People’s Declaration’. Some 100 people from all walks of life attended the event at The Blog House in Medan Damansara to witness PAS, PKR, DAP, MDP, PSM and PASOK (PSM and PASOK were unable to attend) giving their support to the declaration. The ruling coalition parties if present, were not in their official capacity.

The People's Declaration is actually a benchmark meant for the public to measure the performance of their elected representatives. Based on an abandoned 'Barisan Alternatif' 1999 manifesto, it was improved after an in depth study made on the matter, and as I have come to know it, was led by Haris Ibrahim of The People's Parliament (Please go to Colour Blind and download the declaration from there). Perhaps to put it in simple terms: We (voters) have the right to expect the product(service) we bought sold to us by the sellers(elected officials). If the seller fail to deliver on their product, we have the right to get a refund or change.

In other words, 'YB' will no longer mean 'Yang Berhormat, but 'Yang Berkhidmat'!

*Off note: Haris Ibrahim was my senior in secondary school. Apart from the 2 of us being visibly active in politics, I felt a tinge of pride when his name was mentioned as one of the leading figures in this move today. Before leaving, I shook his hands and said "Haris, you make me proud to be a Victorian!"

A Sad News

Innalillahhi wa inna ilaihi roji'un

Abdul Malek Othman, whom I wrote about visiting him in IJN last month, has passed away on Wednesday. I only managed to know of this via an email sent by his younger sister as per below:

"maslinda mohd" lin5111976@yahoo.com



Adalah dimaklumkan Pak Ngah atau nama sebenarnya Abdul Malek bin Othman telah kembali ke rahmatullah beberapa hari lepas (19 Feb 2008) di Hospital Teluk Intan.

Sama-sama kita doakan Pak Ngah ditempatkan di kalangan para anbiya' dan mukminin. Al-Fatihah.. ..

Bagi yang ingin menghubungi keluarga aewah boleh lah menghubungi adik arwah, Suhaila Othman 019-3543780.

*****.*****

Allahyarham was more affectionately known as Pakngah within a circle of several yahoogroups, was a religious man who was loved by his friends and family, suffered a burst vein on his right arm while being administered for dialysis treatment at Kuala Selangor Hospital. I was unable to get more information as the sister was unable to control her emotion.

Semoga Allah s.w.t. mencucuri RahmatNya keatas roh Allahyarham.

AlFatihah.

General Election Campaign Mode

Foremost to all my blogging friends - Doc TA, Cikgu, Kerp, Pak Mior, Pak Zabs, Pak Zawi, Mat Salo, Hero and Nad, Minci, Water Lilly, Accia, Bergen, Nadya, Mekna, Miqdad, GM, MB, and too many more to mention here - I extend my hand in humble apology should I not be able to visit and make a comment or 2 for the duration of the PRU12. Apart from my commitment to Webtv8, Lajnah Kebajikan dan Kemasyarakatan PAS Pusat, and PAS Kelana Jaya, I most especially have to maintain my momentum in sending news and maintain the NYMHM blog; these would keep me especially busy for this short period.

I write this for fear of losing your friendship, one which I have come to appreciate and value. Please, if ever such a thought that I may be aloof now, strike it out of your mind and know that I will always remain your friend. Permit me, once this period is done with, to once again visit you as I always have prior to this.

InsyAllah, I will still be updating this humble and at many a times, a nonsensical blog which all of you have so kindly visited and humour me - I thank you. Writing - even the nonsensicals which I always have - gives me the freedom to release and relieve myself from...whatever. Joy, sadness, love, and hate, I once read are the same emotional phase we go through in life; only the manner one receive and channel out the emotion makes the difference in a person. I, for one much prior to this, was a very emotional and tumultuous person.

A man I knew and still does, had invited me to learn the skills of a writer for he said that my very character then - repulsive at time as it may be - were the mark of a creative person; I could only but laugh at him then...and still do. Still, I find myself...writing and blogging; one of the numerous millions who write not for money nor fame, but the very pleasure in being able to express oneself in the way we only can. Each and every one of us are unique, and most certainly each and every one of us are creative in our very own way. And we write because we want to...

For my friends who are very much interested in politics, please, avail yourself to the many blogs and sites at readscentral, some which many are well acquainted with already. And especially for the PRU12, some like minded people has put up a blog entirely dedicated to keep tabs of the latest news and posting. Do give Election 2008 - Malaysian Media Monitor's Diary a peek at the very least - they have been around since May 2003.

At the peak of Battle of Britain, Churchill said "Never was so much owed by so many to so few (people)", in reference to the brave fighter pilots of the Royal Air Force who successfully repelled many a Luftwaffe raid. But in the context of Malaysian politics, it perhaps should be read: "Never have so few owed so much - through tyranny and treachery - to so many", in reference to those politicians who not only abuse their power, but are corrupt to the core.

"Lawan, Tetap Lawan!", insyAllah. Agi idup, agi nglaban.

I Shot The Sheriff!

Unlike the song, I did not shoot the Sheriff but shot the deputy instead. And unlike the song too, I did not use a gun, rather a camera. And who the deputy is, I am not at liberty to say for now.

After finishing my personal errands early this afternoon, I rendezvoused with Wak Kasiran somewhere near Cheras to begin shooting a series of video clips of the candidates for the upcoming PRU12. We made it there early to avoid the traffic snarls which Cheras was very infamous for, and found it still is. While we made it to the location at 5pm - an hour ahead of the scheduled time - our subject for the shoot unfortunately was caught in the snarl! With the afternoon sun blazing hot, we had no choice but to seek refuge in a tomyam shop for a teh tarik or two. Nothing else we could do but wait. And waiting, is a very tiring affair. Then finally at around 6.30, with the light fading fast, did we manage to begin shooting.

After we went through the storyboard in a hurry, the candidate requested changes and we had no choice but to comply. Thus, that sometime cameraman sometime reporter sometime a lovesick fella and sometime supirman of cakapaje had to devise and salvage what little there was. Not too bright a fella too that cakapaje guy, as he resorted to a textbook shoot which is almost similar to an RTM production. Urgh! To make matter worse, the candidate had to leave by 8.30 to catch a flight! So, believe me when I mentioned earlier, there was precious little of salvaging to be had.

If its an indication of how much shoot we managed to get, then imagine this: We wrapped up by 8.15!

There is no one to be blamed; everyone is to be blamed! Namely, that cakapaje guy for getting his left leg swollen like a small balloon during the 10-11 Open House at Istana Negara. Otherwise, webtv8 could have planned for a better time with room for errors and what not! Sigh. But what to do? Perhaps next when we do the shooting, someone ought to bring an elephant gun and shoot that cakapaje's leg for good! But till then, let's all enjoy this song.


I'm feeling too sleepy and tired to be sending any news tonight. Its not just a matter of picking an article and sending it out alone, but it involves searching for the right news, reading it and then like that sometime reporter cakapaje like to do, marrying the news before sending it out. It takes time...and energy. That last bit, is just something I don't have anymore for tonight. And if its curses that awaits me by those in waiting, then curses it shall be. Hello! I don't do this for a living! I mean, I do have a life too!

To my friends and anyone reading, forgive me. I am just too bloody frustrated with the turn of events today!

Dreaming

Went to meet some people earlier this morning at some not so obscure hotel somewhere in KL. Nothing much actually but since they were staying there, might as well I meet them at the lounge.

Now, normally at some far end of a corridor of the lounge, you would find a mini grand piano lazing by itself till about early evening, when a pianist contracted by the hotel would play some tune just to lay some kind of ambiance. Since I arrived there around mid morning, the only music that was heard was some Latin instrumentals playing over the hotel's PA system. Nothing much one would applaud about, and the music too, was barely audible. But what caught my attention was...

As I was walking towards the lounge through a long corridor, I noticed some workers were pushing the piano into a small hall. Since I was in a hurry, I just could did not have to time to be curious about it. But later on the way out - soon after my meet was done with - I had a peek into the hall and found it empty, except for some dining tables and chairs laid out almost haphazardly with the mini grand piano placed towards the end of the hall. Since there was no dais, I gather there will be some sort of very private function either tonight or tomorrow. But that did not bother me. What did was...the sudden urge to give the piano a thump! Er...do excuse me for using the word; it not that its offensive, but just not the correct word. Then again, considering that I have not really touched the piano for quite sometime, perhaps thump is the correct word.

Well, by now I guess almost everyone know that is not me playing up there in the video. Or, nowhere near I could ever. But I can always dream, can't I?

Be End's Cupid

They say the corruption in this country is sinking to its lowest depth. I believe them. Having traveled a wee bit, I may have seen a much worse scenario. Like my experience with an immigration officer at an airport sometime back. An acquaintance and I were both new to a certain company and was sent to this city we shall call DJ, to learn the trades from their officers there. This acquaintance, K, was a much senior person but from the way he moved and talked, I gathered he has not been around much. And true enough, much to my woe.

K was standing in front of me in one of the lines at DJ's airport immigration check. When the officer called him, I just stood lazily waiting for my turn, for I do get bored waiting in queues and what not. Then my ears began picking up K's voice rising in pitch and began wondering what the heck was going on. I mean, immigration check through should be a whiz at the time before 9-11, and this should not be an exception as well. But no. That old goat K, feeling all high and mighty for being sent here, proudly boasted to the immigration officer that he was here for a business trip, which meant a different visa than tourist we were traveling as. So, being a country that's largely made of people who are used to taking things under the counter, the officer began harassing K. In turn, K, being the *rs* he is, pointed to me and said "What about him?" The immigration officer called me up and in a loud voice I asked him back "How much do you want?", which made heads turned towards our direction. Well, I got through just fine after that with a parting of RM50. Its either that of a flight back to KL, where I would certainly have to bear the cost of coming back. But K had to forked out RM150 very quietly. Served him right too for trying to squeal on someone else.

Looking at the episode above, and the level of corruption in Malaysia, I could swear we are heading into the sewers, where the country above was 10 years ago. Though corruption level there is still high there, public awareness is growing and there are changes to show an improvement for the betterment of the society there as a whole. Unfortunately, such is not so true here. And through the use of the media which is controlled by the goons in power, they are painting a rosy picture of a highly efficient and clean Malaysia. Even worse now, day in and out they are painting the opposition as hooligans. Its come to a point that the opposition has advised all concerned to boycott the media. And thus, I too have followed suit, missing out on my Tuesdays and Thursdays tabloid. It does get me down.

While rummaging through a stack of old tabloids, I came across one reason why I should continue boycotting. It does seem the propaganda run by the goons has seeped to such a low level that almost nothing is impossible to be bought. I gaped in sadness when I saw this section and makes me wonder where we are heading to next.

Only some few days back, news was abuzz about the goonies penchant to seek bomohs and dukuns especially at this time of the year. Even Cikgu wrote a sort of satire about it which had readers chuckling quietly by themselves. Oops! Make that by myself as I do not not know about the rest of the readers, but each night I sit alone in front of the pc while laughing, jabbering and chuckling by myself, while emak's downstairs either in prayers or reading her stuff. Or, she might already be sleeping as she normally does after Isyak. Hang on, I'm going way off now. Where were we? Ok, the bomohs and dukuns.

Its not surprising. I mean, bomohs and dukuns are the 'professionals' in their what ever field, that the list of their clients may include even the top most goon in the country (Who that top most goon is, I leave it to you to decide). Anyway, when I saw this section, apart from it leaving my mouth wide enough for a mosquito to come flying in, I also had to slap my face in disbelief! I mean, take a look for yourself...even Cupid's now corrupted!



Sheesh! Don't it make you feel sick to the...heart!

Hmm...oh well. Nothing much I can do there now but carry on with the struggle in an effort to make things better. In the end, who knows, that Cupid guy might just take me into his heart and let fly one stunning shot in the direction I would like him to. But till then, I guess I just have to listen alone to the song below.

Something Serious...A Petition

Through one of the many egroups I am in, I received the following email with regards to wikipedia putting up an illustration of our beloved Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. When I went to wikipedia last, the illustration was still there and thus I have put my name as one of the petitioners. If you think this merit your time and small effort, kindly follow suit.

* A note about the illustration: I believe it was taken from a Times/Life publication of a book series which was published sometime in 1974. I had the entire series which include civilisations and religions of the world then, but was just a mere child to either take any form of action, or was just too small to understand matters then.

From: "Shahz'd" ych.com
Subject: Petition

Dear All

Wiki have illustrations of our loving prophet Muhammad (PBUH). For removal of those illustration follow this link. http://www.thepetit ionsite.com/ 2/removal- of-the-pics- of-muhammad- from-wikipedia

Thanks and forward this so that we can prevent this kind wrong things

SHAHZ'd

ych I I I

A Need We Could Do Without...

Foremost, this posting has got nothing of what so ever to do with my previous posting. It does however, has to do with the 12th General Election we will soon face.

I received this SMS and I just like it a whole lot and thought of sharing. But kindly remember, I am not a person so who likes to swear. The message I received:

"Sebagai langkah untuk memancing undi orang India, Pak Lah telah menubuhkan satu badan khas untuk menyelsaikan masalah kaum India dan menamakan Sami Velu untuk mengepalangi badan ini yang diberi nama 'Badan Untuk Tolong Orang Hindu', atau dengan kata pendeknya BUTOH.

Sami Velu menerima perlantikkan nya selaku Kepala BUTOH dengan gumbira!"

The Indonesian meaning for 'butuh', means need, or a need. Going by that, I guess, Sami Velu is a need we can do without.

Correction: I believe I should add this: the joke here is not against the Indian community nor those of the Hindu faith; but it is against Sami Velu and his cronies.

Just A Reminder

Mimpi Palestin

Face of a Djin?

Honestly, I do not know what to make of it. Yes, I do believe the existence of djinns and may have personally encountered some too, but this...?



I think, if you ask some technical experts to analyse it, they would say its either a lightening effect or a glitch in the camera...fine. But perhaps, that is their only way of answering to things which they cannot explain. After all, many people do not believe in other life forms and take the easy way out. My take...does it matter? What matter is how you take it. Hehe...but I do believe in other life forms which is stated in the Al-Quran and Hadiths.

Watch the video at amdang81.

Update 10.01pm: You can also read about it here.

No Vacancy

It was a meet I had not expected. Prior to it, I had the choice of putting my guard up or just be casual about it; I chose the latter. And I am glad I did, for 2 reasons. One, had I put up my guard up, I would be rather rude for it mean having suppositions about the people I was about to meet, and it would be a tense and tiring affair. And I do hate being all tensed up and hate it more later when I would be all tired over the matter. Now, the other reason is that by being casual about it, the meet became friendly, allowing some precious knowledge to enter my thick skull.

Now, before I carry on, I would like to share some simple notes a dear friend imparted to me last night. Its about a human invention that has left an indelible mark but one that may well not be liked by lovers of the fountain pen, and one that many consciously not give it a second thought - the humble lead pencil.

1. like a pencil, we are capable of doing things ..for that pencil, there's a hand that guides it to do sketches sumer kan..so for human beings.. that hand is God's hands..and God will guide us with His will lah...

2. once in a while, the pencil needs some sharpening kan..sbb tumpul..so masa tuh pensel tuh mcm 'terseksa' kejap BUT in the ned it becomes sharper than before. it goes to show in our lives that trials and tribulations are necessary to make you stronger

3. bila guna pencil, ada guna eraser jugak kan. so the point is bila kita kena buat perubahan dlm kehidupan or kalau dlm buku it says 'rub out any mistake', is not necessarily a bad thing, just goes to show that it will keep us on the right track.

4. luaran pensel tk penting, yg granite dlm tuh lagi penting. so kalo manusia, it's what inside of you yg penting..

5. pencils leave a mark. so, kita hidup pun kena conscious and aware of what we do for it too will leave a mark.

Back to the meet I had, it was with 2 elderly gentlemen from Johor. Both men are called Ustaz by the host of the house they were staying and each specialise in their respective field; Ustaz Haji tries to assist those with physical ailments via do'a and herbal medicines, while Ustaz Yusof engages visitors with Islamic thoughts and views. Together, they make a very likable pair especially with the former constantly intruding the conversation with his remarks which though true in many instances, his body and face expressions brought out small laughs amongst those present. And the conversation itself - though it was supposed to be a talk by Ustaz Yusof, was not dry and monologue, but opened to participation from those present, who beside my emak and I, were the host family members. It was only towards the later stage did I manage to engage Ustaz Yusof for a private conversation.

Surprisingly, the conversation we had later, did touch on aspects similar to the pencil above. And it was nothing too deep for my mind to handle. Yet, it was, shall I say...enlightening? Indeed it was, and most especially when he touched on my personal side. Then again, perhaps he was being diplomatic about it, and like Ustaz Haji, humorous as well? I can't say, I dare not say.

Our private conversation touched on political issues as well, which he was very obliging and I am glad to note, similar to my stand. What made me smile most was when touched on the hadharian issue with an unquoted hadith "towards the later time, there will be many false apostles prophets. Perhaps they have forgotten that the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. is the last of the prophets; the post and title of prophets have already been filled up, and there is no more vacancy".

Restless in Kota Damansara

The BERSIH Press Conference that was supposed to take place near the Istana Negara was disrupted by the Police, Malaysiakini reported via BERSIH; what else is new? When ever the opposition tries to hold a gathering anywhere, the gomen will use the police to disrupt it, citing amongst the ridiculous of reasons, security concern or without permit. But when challenged by DSAI - as evident in the video footage in my previous to last posting - the police could not reply the logic of their reasons at all. What else is new?

I had wanted to do the coverage of the PC above but was told by Roslan not to come. He had, earlier to my call, received calls of the impending situation at the venue. Perhaps they were from friendly parties, perhaps not, he would not say. Further, no one was able to contact Wak Kasiran to cover the PC, and without the camera, my presence would be futile, he added. Yeah, sure. And I am sitting restless here waiting for assignments. Apart from 10-11, the last major assignment I had was the Ijok by election, which is something like eons ago already. And I'm through with climbing poles and trees to put up banners and what not, which in any case, the job should be handled by the Pemuda groups. Similarly with walking the streets and door to door to hand out posters and leaflets which is the conventional method of delivering our message to the people of Malaysia. Age old it may be, but still proven effective. But for the past 4 years or so, I have been delivering, but via the Internet. Still, I am restless for more action.

For the moment, the Kami Perihatin meetings have been postponed, along with the concert which was to be held on March 3, since most of the KP members are also involved in the general election. Personally though, I am of mind that the concert should and could have been used to deliver our message to the youngsters in KL, at the very least. But such a decision is not mine to make. Perhaps, they foresee the using of the concert as part of our campaign may backfire, with the lilliputian minds saying we are now just similar to them; for in the past, such is exactly how the lilliputians have been campaigning especially in the rural areas. Still, this leave me nowhere as I am still restless!

It is only unfortunate that we lack resources to cover the GE more widely. Otherwise, we could have - perhaps - shot this near violent action and open up more eyes and minds. Then again, perhaps it is better that we lack such resources for fear that we too may end up with the abuse and corruption similar to those by the lilliputians. But where does that leave me? Restless!

Heck! When Samuel Houston and his ragtag army of volunteers fought for his Lone Star Federation against the Mexican Army of the Spanish Government some 2 centuries back, he led his army with one retreat after another until his very army nearly rebelled against him! The men, had thought he was a coward and became very restless with each retreat. Off course, perhaps by chance, they did win the war when they literally caught Santa Anna's army with their pants down. Well, not literally with their pants down, but close enough. Hmm...wonder if that's how Roslan intend to use me - as a catapult or a high speed battering ram against the ramparts of the lilliputians castle! Whee! Look ma, I'm flying...splat! Ugh! That would be painful.

Till then or whatever, when ever, I'm still restless in Kota Damansara. Sigh.

The Lull Before The Storm.

Before the storm begin in earnest (which will be by tomorrow)...

The Hunt for the Red October, is one of the best thriller books I have ever read. It was a gripping drama about the latest (then) Soviet missile submarine and was masterfully written by Tom Clancy, that there were strong rumours that such an event did take place secretly. But when they turned the book into a movie, it was a major disappointment not only for many of the book's fans, but also for the producers of the film.

For the fans of the book, the film failed to live up to the excitement in the book. For the producers though, they fail to make it into a box office movie. This was perhaps due to the film was released soon after the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union came to an end. Thus, most people just could not be bothered about watching it. But as I mentioned, perhaps.

Thus I thought of doing a spoof here. But since I am having trouble keeping my eyes opened now, I shall make it brief so that you too will not have the same problem as I am.

It began early Saturday morning when Makcik Yam and her family coming to the house. And from there, we convoyed in 2 cars and headed to one of the many places I dread to go under normal circumstances. But since many people were still on Chinese New Year mood and mode, I guess it does fall into the abnormal circumstances category. And alhamdulillah, so it was as parking was ample, and the place almost deserted of shoppers.

So, while my Emak, Makcik Yam, Midah (MY's D-I-L), went off for their hunt, Azman and I went browsing at the bookstores along with his kids. Whilst there, I managed to get a pretty decent book as a present for a dear friend. I mean, I could not help it at all - just one look at the book and I was reminded of the friend! Then again, anywhere I look, I am always reminded of the dear friend too! Hmm...scary!

Anway, after some very long agonising wait afterwards, did the 2 beautiful sisters meet us back at the prearranged spot. And soon, we were off for lunch and a funny thing happened. While we had lunch at a shop somewhere near my friend's house, my friend was having lunch in a mall near my house! Well, it was funny to me then...can't say the same for you.

Anyway, since I have been mentioning her quite a bit, I just thought of putting my Makwa's picture up.

So now, the secret is out. On the left up there, is my beautiful 76year young Makwa with her sweet 72year young sister. Amongst her former primary school students as well friend's children, my emak is known as Makwa or Cikgu Hawa. For reasons unknown to me, Azman decided to bring his camera along and just started clicking away.


And that up there, is a corner of my Makwa's garden which she likes to work on. She does have a helper, mind you. There's a Wak Kromo aka Wak Supirman who comes around every morning to the garden to water them, besides being what I jokingly term as 'kuli-paksaan', as a reminder to those Japanese Forced Labour during World War II. And oh, that Wak Kromo aka Wak Supirman also goes by the name of cakapaje.

Back to the hunt. Just like the elusive Red October before it surrendered, the Red Tudung was never found. End of story.

A Must See!

This is simply a great video produced by - you may not believe it - some ladies! Do watch it and please, if you think it is good too, do copy it onto your blog and spread it wide!

I've put it up here as well, and have included the excerpts from the original sender below.

"Khaulah Azwar" khaulah0809@yahoo.com

Salam.. Pk..Pk knlah wahai rakyat.. moga tak terslh pilihan..

***

"nur sabrina" nursabrina_1313@yahoo.com

assalamualaikum..
ana alu2kan sahabat ke:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiE2M7U9XU4


montaj ni antara montaj yang disiarkan sms ijtima' nisa bersama timb pres haritu. hasil kerja Nisa' Malaysia jg. ana harap kita smua sama2 dpt sebarkan montaj ni pada mad'u kita di luar sana, sgt berguna utk menyampaikan maklumat. for those yang rasa susah nak jelaskan scr live, this is the right way to explain .
utk pengetahuan smua juga, ana ada montaj2 yang lain juga spt Badar 313 , Young Dai'e, dan amanat timb pres. sape2 yang berminat boleh minta pada ana ye. dlm usaha nak write dlm CD. insya Allah.

And Now, It's Not Quite Right...

I received this news from a trusted acquaintance about a woman with 7 chronic diseases seeking financial assistance from the public. The news came via email and normally when receiving such news, I would verify it with the person in the news to ascertain facts and make sure it is a bona fide case before mass circulating it. But as it was, this was one of the rare occasions I did not.

The sender - a Mohd Monier - is one of the rare few I have come to recognise for sending genuine news, and have been doing so for more than a few years. As a member of a welfare ngo, Warga Kilang - as memberships are limited for people in the manufacturing industry - I saw no reason to doubt the above said news at all. However, people being susceptible to mistakes, it seems I too made a small blunder. Well, not exactly true, but close enough.

After circulating the news earlier in the afternoon, I received a feedback from a reader who pointed out on the supposed newspaper publication date: 14 February 2008! Today - the day I relayed the news - is only the 11th! Woe me! I felt like someone had just 'dush, dush, toing, piang, piang and kebaboom' me! [sakit tau! :) ]

Anyway, all was not lost. I called the husband of Puan Norsiah and he told me that the pulication date was actually 14th February 2006 - 2 years ago! But that does not mean everything is well and rosy for them now as the wife still suffer from her ailments, and the family could use with some financial assistance.

Should any of my friends here would like to assist or even know more, kindly visit the news here. May Allah s.w.t. bless you, thank you.

And by the way, do watch this latest video clip from webtv8 via You Tube.

Not Quite Wrong...

Another thoughtful email...

Alkisah seorang budak......

Dia selalu tersenyum dekat tabung masjid. Perilaku itu dilihat oleh imam dan imam itu berasa hairan dan curiga.

Suatu hari imam bertanya pada budak tersebut, ''nape ko sonyum kat tabung tu ?"
Budak tu pun jawab, ''Cikgu saya pesan, senyum itu satu sedekah..saya xde duit nak sedekah, jadi senyum jelah kat tabung tu."

Sedekah jugak!

Tagged!

Oh dear! I have been tagged again! I think it was a well laid trap set up by Pak Zabs, and I was the first to have fallen into it! Caramba!

Anyway, the rule of this tag is that I have to share 5 of my favourite links and...

1. MUST be clean. No X-rated sites.

2. Only FIVE links.

3. MUST tell 5 people.

4. A link back to the person who tagged you.

5. An active link.

So, I now display 5 of the many links I favour, though not in the order of ranking.

1. http://www.youtube.com/ As the name would suggest, this is the place for me to search for the video songs I would like to watch and see.

2. http://www.harakahdaily.net/bm/ This site serve as my main source of political news in Malaysia.

3. http://www.zaharuddin.net/ Like Pak Zabs, I too read this site for more knowledge.

4. http://readsonly.blogspot.com/ I am not trying to be vain here, but I do visit this blog of my own quite regularly to refresh my knowledge and ensure the entries I put in are correct, or to use it for reference. Undoubtedly there's nothing much now, but I do hope to build a small library, and attract people who want some light reading material for one reason or another.

5. http://malaysia-today.net/2008/ A highly controversial site for some, I visit Malaysia Today regularly for some thought provoking news.

Now, regarding the 5 people I am supposed to tag, I will update this entry later tonight after I gain their Ok.

UPDATE:
Ok, seems not so Ok...sigh. Been running around I did not even get the chance to ask any except for Minci. Then, since our bro kerp likes to do tags, I will tag him too. So, the choice is:

1. Minci
2. Kerp
3. Cikgu (if you are up to it)
4. Water Lilly
5. Pak Shah.

Black Spy vs White Spy

A long long time ago in another century where the Internet was just making its debut to the public, there was a humorous magazine called 'MAD'. It was more like a spoof magazine cleverly laid out in caricatures that would tickle just about anybody. And my favourite caricature was in a comic strip entitled 'Black Spy vs White Spy'.

The thing about BSWS I like best is there were virtually no lines or dialogs between the Black Spy (jahat) and the supposedly the good White Spy. It was, just plain black-and-white sketches of the 2 characters battling each other out in the eternal battle between good and evil. Off course, in each episode, the White Spy wins towards the end. And now when I look back at it from another angle, the BSWS is almost like the Mr Bean series. Now, the reason why I mention the BSWS is this...

Several days back I received this text message from a person claiming to be a lady who would like to purchase parts of a video clip where Tun Dr M launched his book sometime last week or the other from webtv8. I checked with Roslan and text her back that it was not a problem and once ready we - I, that is - will deliver it to her without any charges. We are afterall, on the same side...or so as I would like to think.

Late this afternoon she sent me another text on the same matter. Once Roslan confirmed to me everything was ready, I tried calling her but she would not pick up the call. Ok, she may be busy, the thought came to me. Perhaps, she will call back. Now, its nearly 10pm, about 3 hours since I called her and still nothing. This caused my mind to remember the BSWS mentioned above. I mean, what if it is a trap for me? I go to meet her to deliver the clip at some secluded place somewhere just outside of KL, and some 3 days later, all the dailies splash this news below:

" Aeroback car found burnt to cinders in the distrit of Ijok. Police have not confirmed that there were no bodies found but have yet to identify the owner of the car...blah blah blah."

But the good news is I now do not have to deliver the lips...so, solamatlah den ni ha! Instead, Azzaidy, one of the technical members of the team will.

Anyway, webtv8 has started putting their clips on the You Tube to relieve the over capacity problem on the server. And the latest clip is as below. Do watch it, thank you.

I Have Begun...To Read Pramoedya

Early last evening, our bro MS dropped over my area for a teh tarik and...to loan me his book 'This Earth of Mankind' by Pramoedya Ananta Toer. And for the whole of last night, I did not even attempt to begin reading it. Instead, I placed it standing on my PC table like it was a much clamoured piece of art and stealing only glimpses of it, just like a girl would with someone she finds attractive. But off course, I am no girl nor a lady, but just a man who has taken a sudden mystifying interest about the book.

Early this morning, I took the book into my hands and looked at it from all the possible angles and then allowed my finger to caress the slightly coarse cover. A certain aura envelops me every time I look and touch the book. Then I slowly turn the pages, reading each line, as slowly as I can while fighting the urge to speed read through. No. This will be one book which I will take pleasure in reading it slow. I will savour each word, each line, each paragraph, just as a chef would with the food of his choice. I will immerse myself into this book and am certain I will find it a delicacy to my eyes and mind. When I am done, I will lie on the bed, my senses fulfilled and brimming with delight. And if I feel up to it, I may even write about the book. But to what avail the words of literature busker when compared to a master?

Pramoedya, I have begun reading 'This Earh of Mankind'; will you reveal your mystery to me?

A Different Kind of Love Song

When I first heard this song back in 1976, I was like many other people thinking it was just another love song about a boy and a girl. The song after all, did not indicate otherwise, except for a line in the lyrics which many either chose to ignore or did not understand. Then, somehow sometime later, I read what the true meaning of this was.

Released in 1972, this song was written and sung by David Gates in memory of his father who had died earlier. The excerpt here says it all: "My success would have been so special to him as he was my greatest influence. So I decided to write and record Everything I Own about him. If you listen to the words, 'You sheltered me from harm, kept me warm, gave my life to me, set me free,' it says it all."

Half the night earlier, I was on the line chatting with a very dear and close friend, and mentioned the loss Cikgu and akak just had. Whilst doing that, I could not help but wonder how or what I would do were I to be in the situation.

For the past 15 years or so my emak and I have been living an almost solitary life. I mean, we have been through an awful lot together and though there have been times where I have been out of line, she has always been there for me as she would with any of her children.

Funny, its only now I realised that last I wrote about emak was more than a year ago. And as much as I would like to so now, I find myself unable to do for so many reasons. The fears which I relayed earlier in the evening was soothed and calmed by the dear friend who said "lets cross the bridge when we get to it"; a most apt and wise thing to say and do, thank you. But lets not get into that now.

If ever there is a song I would like to dedicate to my emak, I guess the song above is it.

"Wahai Pemeliharaku, kasihanilah mereka(ibubapa) sebagaimana mereka memelihara aku semasa aku kecil." (17:24)

Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi roji'un

I have just received a text message from Doc Tokasid that our beloved friend, Cikgu Nazir of Kata Tak Nak, has just lost his mother in law. Together, let us pray for Allahyarham Puan Rahila Bee; semoga rohnya ditempatkan bersama mereka yang beriman. AlFatehah.

Please continue reading at Doc Tokasid. Thank you.

Bad at Greetings

I'm bad at greetings, I really am. Take this Chinese New Year for instance, it is only now much after the Big Dinner is way over, that it occurred to me to wish my Chinese friends. And still, I really do not know how to! Hmm...until I found this nice email. Undoubtedly, it has nothing to do with the celebration, but, it is from one friend to another.

So, let me wish all my Chinese friends a Very Happy Chinese New Year! May it bring prosperity and justice to all of us!

NAIL IN THE FENCE

oooooooooooooo

Make sure you read all the way down to the last sentence.

(Most importantly the last sentence)

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally

able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out.

It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. "A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one�.

�Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed.

They lend an ear, they share words of praise and they always want to open their hearts to us."

Show your friends how much you care. Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND, even if it means sending it back to the person who sent it to you. If it comes back to you, then you'll know you have a circle of friends.

YOU ARE MY FRIEND AND I AM HONORED!

Now send this to every friend you have!! And to

Your family

Please forgive me if I have ever left a hole.

������������������� ���� ����� ��� �����

Next

On one of the very rare weeknights I am able to watch TV, there's absolutely nothing noteworthy to watch! Well, except for 'Next' which had Nicholas Cage starring opposite Juliane Moore. Still, the premise has been filmed time and time again, about a man with paranormal ability to see into the future. The only difference here is that half the movie length was about Cage seeing the future happening and the director had the viewers mind reeled back to the moment it happened as it reach the end. Then, it ended there with nothing definite.

About the only part which had me sitting up was, would you believe it, the credits! I mean, I find it cheeky when they had the credits rolled down from the end instead of going up. Talking of which...

I took the below from Surind

Now, that is what I would like to believe as a nice way of looking into the future. It may not happen this PRU12, or 13, or even 14. But insyAllah it will happen. For the people of Malaysia who dare stands up for the truth, they will continue to do so no matter how many defeats they suffer. At worse, they will continue their struggle until victory is achieved; if not by them, then by the many others who will stand in line to take their place. No matter how many people you have in front of you, you know one way or another your turn will come.

Its just like waiting your turn at the clinic where every head will turn when the nurse says 'next!'.

G Rating: For General Audience.

The comments exchange I've had of recent prompts me to put this video here for the viewing pleasure of all. This video was sent to Nathaniel Tan at Jelas.Info, and is now also made available here, and now in this blog. Nathaniel Tan, incidentally, is a young Malaysian who was taken forcefully by the police and held in custody for more than 20 hours when he uncovered a serious corrupt practice within the government some months back. But, just watch the video.

http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=OmxoN_BL- IM


All the news items mentioned above cannot be denied as they were even reported by the mainstream media; there is after all, a deep rift within not only the BN, but within UMNO itself.

FOMCA-TNB Dialogue

I just received this text message from Encik Md Sha'ani of FOMCA, which is meant for the public.

"TNB telah cadangkan satu majlis dialog bersama FOMCA yang akan diadakan pada satu masa dan tarikh yang akan ditetapkan kemudian. Dalam majlis dialog itu nanti, antara perkara yang akan dibincangkan adalah isu isu yang berkaitan dengan TNB dan orangramai.

Maka dengan itu, FOMCA mempelawa orangramai untuk mengemukakan sebarang perkara yang berkaitan sebelum 14hb Februari 2008, melalui emel: secgen@fomca.org.my."

Honestly folks, I don't know whether the invitation by TNB has anything to do with the elections or not, but reckon if you have any grouses, why the heck not?

By the way, reading Malaysia Today, RPK suggest a very strong likelihood that the Parliament may be dissolved on the 12th February. I guess its time start getting down to real leg-breaking work! At least in my case, that may be what it leads to.

Bird Out Of Cage

Well, not really. Its just that cakapaje bloke is beginning to make his move in anticipation of joining a Mutual Fund company, and rekindling acquaintances and friends he has not kept in touch with ever since leaving his last post. And since he was in Kelana Jaya this morning, he called a friend in the film industry for a teh tarik.

Hazrin, has been riding the roller coaster of the film industry for more than 15 years now. Starting from a techinal assistant, he now has his small office and has just come back from a month shooting stint in Singapore, filming a TV mini-series entitled 'Rahmat', which is supposed to be a sequel of sorts to an earlier mini-series called 'Menyusu Anak' or 'Anak Nak Susu', something like that. Do forgive that cakapaje bloke for he was not paying attention on that part. The part that caught his attention most was the part where Hazrin met a Pak Kassim in Geylang.

Now, it seems this Pak Kassim is a good tukang urut and was also in the film industry, working under Shaw Brothers for a good 35 years! It was during this time Pak Kassim met P Ramlee, and even had some minor roles with him! Being the chatty guy Hazrin is, cakapaje did not need to pester him about the tales which are quite interesting. But since time was rather short, Hazrin managed to narrate only 2:

1. Allahyarham P Ramlee was known to be a very generous person then. Back then when his name was an instant attraction in the cinemas, he would be paid RM30,000 for every film he starred in, which is a good sum in those days when a bottle of coke cost only 15cents or so. But of the amount he was paid, Allahyarham only took RM10,000 for himself, preferring to split the bigger share with everyone in the studio.

2. In perhaps a real life scene that became part of Seniman Bujang Lapok, Pak Kassim, Allahyarham, Shamsuddin and another person which Hazrin could not recall, went for lunch together. Allahyarham then asked who has money in which the other 3 replied negatively. Allahyarham then took out RM10 from his pocket and invited all 3 to have lunch on his treat. Along the way, they came across a beggar who put out his hand and asked for money. Allahyarham P Ramlee took out the RM10 - the only money he had for the day and meant to treat his friends - and gave it all to the beggar.

Understandably, his friends were quite upset and asked why he did that, to which he replied "Well, it was his money!".
One of the 3 asked back "What do you mean his money?"
"Well, since he asked for it, then it must be his!".

Being a student of a sufi school, Hazrin mentioned that for every dollar or ringgit we have, there are parts of it which belong to someone else. We, are only entrusted to hold the money till the time comes to give to the rightful person. Ok, cakapaje is not a sufi or even a student of it, but can certainly buy that.

By the way, though Geylang is now growing famous for other kind of 'massage services' as Hazrin informed me, Pak Kassim is a genuine act and he would recommend him to anybody; just look him up in Joo Chiat Complex in Geylang. Now, where that exactly is, that cakapaje bloke has no idea at all! But off course, it is only meant for men with body aches or nerve problems, as Pak Kassim does not seem to even want to heal a broken bone. Talking of which...

For Doc TA, medical doctors and those in the fraternity especially, please read the latest on Dr Basmullah here.

A Good But Tiring Day.

Hmm...guess the title should say it all :)

Anyway, I was at a friend's place earlier and he was playing some old songs by none other but The Nat King Cole! Now, had the songs played were on compact discs and emanating from a digital players, I would not have thought much about it. But this guy is one of those who is returning back to the era of vinyl record and turntables equipped with a piston amplifier! I mean, that's like wow! And here I am relying on you tubes, imeem and what not available on the net...it makes me feel like a Rip Van Winkle. Then again, maybe I am...Well, at least the stuff from the net are environmental friendly...I hope.

Still, lets not damper the spirit I'm having now. So, let's all take it from Mr Nat King Cole...

Environment: The Story of Stuff

This is an interesting email with video link which I would like share with my friends. It is about environment but I can assure you it is not boring at all! Admittedly I am yet able to watch to the end due to the slow connection which seem to affect the whole of Malaysia, but coming for this sister who is a revert, I would even recommend it without seeing it first! That's how much I have come to respect sister Karima and her postings to several groups including Malaysia_Reverts@yahoogroups.com.

By the way, Minci has finally managed to put her fingers together to write her thoughts on Muhibah; kindly visit her.
UPDATE 5:46 pm: A friend, Pak Shah, has sportingly joined in the Muhibah tag. Please visit him as well.

The Story of Stuff www.storyofstuff. com/ From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever. If you haven't seen this yet, I would highly recommend it. Take from it what you will - K a r i m a ____________ _________ _________ _________ ___ B i s m i l l a a h i r R a h m a a n i r R a h e e m Before you view "The Story of Stuff", I would like you to take some time to read Professor Mustafa Abu-Sway's essay "Towards an Islamic Jurisprudence of the Environment" on our role in protecting the environment. Quote: "The basic role of the human being on earth is to worship Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala: “I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me.” (Az-Zaariyaat 51:56) To serve Allaah or to worship Him is a comprehensive way that covers every aspect of life. Fulfilling all that Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala has commanded from us in terms of Praying, Fasting, Zakaah and Hajj indicates worshipping. The same could be said regarding any action that the human being performs in accordance with the Islamic world-view, as long as it is done for the Sake of Allaah Almighty. Every act, as long as it is good (e.g. protecting the environment) and done for the Sake of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala, is considered an act of worshipping that generates reward in this life and the Hereafter. This is the via media between two extremes; total disregard for the environment, and worshipping it as the case of nature worshippers. The total disregard for the environment is detrimental for the human being. The same could be said regarding the extreme position of protecting the environment in an absolute sense. An example is advocating the protection of every single member of the animal kingdom to the level which might endanger the life of the human beings involved in rescue operations. It should be known that Islam advocates the protection of the environment, though not in name, for the word ‘environment’ (bi'ah), along with its connotations, evolved in recent times. That Islam has high regard for the environment is something that can be found in the Holy Qur‘aan and the Sunnah. The fact that to protect the environment is considered an act of worshipping, does not mean that every component of the environment should be saved. In fact, it is sometimes to the contrary. The Prophet, sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam, stated that a person who uprooted a tree (which formed an obstacle) in the path of people, ended up in heaven. The Islamic position forms a middle path between human behaviour that has disregard to the environment and those who practically worship the environment or certain parts of it. While the Islamic world view supports the protection of environment from the greedy behaviour of human beings, it allows room for sustainable development. The Environment is the Loci of the Signs Pointing to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala. The environment is perceived as the place where the signs (e.g. rivers, plants, and birds), pointing to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala exist: "Verily in the heavens and the earth, are Signs for those who believe. And in the creation of yourselves and the fact that animals are scattered (throughout the earth), are Signs for those of assured Faith. And the alteration of Night and Day, and the fact that Allaah sends down Sustenance from the sky, and revives therewith the earth after its death, and in the change of the winds,-are Signs for those that are wise. (Al-Jaathiya 45:3-5) As a result, any destruction occurring to the environment is tantamount to destroying these signs. If any species becomes extinct, it is considered a loss of a Sign that reflects the greatness of the Creator. It is indeed a very sad thing if we continue to destroy the environment, because we will prevent the generations to come from having a healthy relationship with the environment, where “healthy” means the chance to experience these Signs." - Unquote. To read more on the environment, click this link: http://homepages. iol.ie/~afifi/ Articles/ environment. htm Fee Amaanillaah, Your sister, K a r i m a