Expression of Thoughts

I have moved

2011-12-21T01:46:00.001+08:00

Hey fellas, I have moved to new site:

http://stevescribbles.wordpress.com/

See y'all there! :)

A good omen?

2011-12-19T23:43:00.001+08:00

In the previous post, I did say about my anticipation for a good news regarding the placement to school. I was - or should I say 'am' because I'm still hoping at the moment - hoping that the good news will come soon. In January to be exact.

And today, while doing my current daily routine of browsing through my twitter page, something caught my attention. Is this a good omen?

Forget about the first few sentences. This particular one caught my attention: "B.Ed Tesl graduates (both graduated in June & Nov 2012 *typo?*, DPLI & IPTA graduates who passed the SPP interview recently will get be posted in Jan 2012"

Whatever it is, I hope what everyone's being hoping/praying for all these while will soon become reality. And yes, I also hope I pass the SPP interview. It's the prerequisite requirement before I get to be posted to school.

And as for now, I'm just hoping for the best. Just wait and see. The time will come. Sooner or later.

Nothing much...Just a random update for y'all.

2011-12-18T17:21:00.000+08:00

I've lost count on how many times I've been apologizing for not updating this blog. I mean, are there even people who bother to wait for me to update my blog? :)

Anyway, today I feel like updating this blog although I have nothing special in particular to be posted here. Just an update of my current being at the moment; I am still unemployed and that also means I am financially broke. There's no good news regarding the placement to school as of yet but I know sooner or later the time will come. It's almost a surreal feeling that I (together with the other C4 peeps) have been holding this unemployed status for 8 months!

I would be lying if I am not feeling devastated to the fact that I've yet to be posted to the school and start earning money. I did feel so frustrated before but I think I have so-called 'moved on' and after all I do not have any other options, do I? I would also be lying if I say I am not anticipating any great news every now and then. Whenever I go to my Facebook page, I would expect some good news shared by fellow C4 in the group's page. Nevertheless, as for now, I am just going to wait for the official announcement and I am crossing my fingers that it is going to be real soon. Say, January perhaps? God speed.

I believe there are reasons on why all of the C4 graduates (that includes me, of course) being dragged into this predicament - be it good or potentially-stupid reasons! Be nice to say, I believe there's blessing in disguise although that means I have to go through this long period of waiting.

As for now, one of the things that I am currently excited for now is definitely the coming of Christmas Day! It is definitely the time of the year where families gather together and share the joyful moments. We are literally 7 more days till Christmas Day. In terms of preparation, there's nothing much from my side. I decided not to buy new clothes or whatnot for this coming festive season. Not to say that I can't buy it. I can always ask my parents for 'favour' but I just decided not to. I still have almost-looked-like-new clothes in my closet.

I guess that's it for now friends. Till my next post (and yes, I do not know when!). Have a great day!

Gone too soon: Eulogy for Joshua.

2011-12-04T22:16:00.001+08:00

Joshua had lived an amazing life even though it was rather short. He was a great friend; he was the kind of friend that stands by you when you need somebody to be there. What is it that we remember when we think of Joshua? I think everyone who knows him very well would agree with me on this. It was his sense of humor. He was the kind of person that would make everyone laugh so hard that they’d end up crying. Who could forget about his jokes? How about all his games during every gathering? Goodness! Just thinking about those jokes/games still make me laugh. Joshua's departure was sudden. I remember when I heard the news I simply could not believe it. He was too young but as it slowly occurred to me I have realized that he indeed lived his life wonderfully. He was well-loved and he had done so many things on earth and I’m sure he’ll do much more in heaven. All the memories I have shared with him will forever be cherished and remembered. Joshua will forever live in in our heart.

R.I.P Joshua

SPP interview: Yours truly's perspective.

2011-12-01T02:16:00.001+08:00

This supposedly to be posted here days ago but anyway here it goes...

The title of this post speaks it all - I'm going to share with you my experience during that important interview. Well, it all started on that one particular fine day when I logged on to Facebook and I saw a tiny red box on that notifications button on the top left hand corner of the page. So, I clicked on it and was then directed to a group's page - a group page that belongs to the at-the-moment-unemployed creatures of the earth a.k.a TESL graduates of 2011. There, I saw a post saying that the status for the interview can be accessed by us starting on that day onwards. Yours truly then clicked the link provided in the post and a page popped out. The page required me to fill in my IC number. So, after filling my IC number, the page appeared and it didn't show me the expected result. Yeah. My name was not in the record. I didn't feel bad about because I was confident enough that the information will be updated sooner or later and my name will appear in the system. On the next day, I checked the page again and as expected, my name's already in the system. The interview date for me was set on the 23rd November 2011 at SPP (Wisma BSN, Kota Kinabalu). Call time was stated as 7.30 am. From that day onwards, the group page was filled with so-called notes for all of us to read as preparation for the upcoming interview and all of a sudden, life (for most of us who are still jobless) became 'meaningful' again. LMAO! People started discussing on various topics mostly on the so-called hot topics (i.e. MBMMBI, NKRA etc). I consulted one of my friends who had attended the interview earlier this year and asked him to share his experience. He told me that his interview session was more like a 'sharing' session and of course he was asked about theoretical items, policies and whatnot.

As the day's approaching, I get a little bit nervous as I knew I couldn't 'digest' all those fact into my memory. I'm not really good at memorizing things but exceptions should be given to song lyrics though! :) Anyway, I did prepare myself by forcing myself to read the notes that I got from the Internet.

Finally, the most awaited day arrived. I woke up as early as 5 in the morning. Before leaving for the interview, I checked all my documents for the very last time just to make sure everything's ready in that file and well-sorted. I left the house at about 6.30 am and drove mom to work first before heading to Wisma BSN. Once I reached there, I saw few people smartly dressed waiting at the entrance. So, after I parked my car, I walked towards the entrance and met few familiar faces. Had a little chit-chat with them. It was probably about 7 in the morning, a lady asked to go upstairs. To cut the story short, before the interview started, everyone had to consult the lady the counter for a brief documents check-up. It was just to make sure that all the documents are ready for the interview. Everyone was also divided into few groups: five persons per session. I was in the 2nd group. The four of us were all from TESL background and the other one was from the Arts option (DPLI).

The interview in a nutshell:

SELF-INTRODUCTION:

The five of us all introduced ourselves in BM. It was kind of awkward because it was very rare for me to introduce myself formally with few extra details about myself. So, made it short and simple: "Selamat pagi datuk. Nama saya Steve George, berasal dari Kota Kinabalu dan berbangsa Kadazandusun. Saya mengambil opsyen TESL dari program berkembar antara Institut Perguruan Batu Lintang, Kuching, Sarawak dengan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Saya menjalani praktikum di SMK Jugra, Banting Selangor pada tahun lepas." That's it. I didn't know what else to say after the last sentence. :)

THE 1ST QUESTION:

The five of us were extremely nervous and waited for the question. Suddenly, the interviewer took a newspaper from the table and showed us the health section. The article was about SMOKING and then the interviewer asked us 'How to EDUCATE students on curbing the smoking habit'. All of us smiled. So, the Q&A began and I decided to be the last person person to answer. Reason? I was buying myself time to think about the so-called good answer for that particular question. Pfft! My colleagues gave various good answers and when it was my turn I remembered mentioning about the importance of the teacher to be a role model to students and the 'education' should start from the early level of education; pre-school level. I also mentioned about the relevance of showing the 'graphic' causes of smoking to the students and let the students make inference based on their observation and at the end of the day, it's up to the students to decide; to smoke or not to smoke. Most importantly, teachers should impart good moral values. I did elaborated my answer but I couldn't really recall everything that I said. I was extremely satisfied with my answer though.

2ND QUESTION:

The question was about fun learning - how to make a fun lesson in the classroom. This one was certainly not a problem for all of us. I mentioned about making the lesson interesting in accordance to the national education policy (JERI). I also mentioned about the usage of ICT - which is common nowadays. Other than that, I did mention the relevance of language lab and even utilizing the social networking sites as part of teaching material - if possible. The elaboration went on and on. I got so carried away and I think I spoke non-stop for more than 5 minutes when suddenly I remembered I was not the only one being interviewed in that room! Erk! Anyway, I also remembered saying, 'teaching is a combination of science and arts; science comes from the pedagogical aspect and arts from the teachers' creativity'. That was my closing statement. *wink*

There were only TWO questions and no questions related to policies or whatnot were asked at all! The interview took us exactly ONE hour. Nevertheless, I felt good about the interview and I believe my other counterparts felt the same way too. We walked out the room with glowing smile! :) And yes, instantly, we were swarmed by the remaining candidates and were asked about what questions were asked. :) To so-called celebrate the 'freedom' from the interview, we all went to treat ourselves a good meal at McD Center Point.

That's all folks!

I'll be back [แล้ว จะ มา ใหม่ ครับ]

2011-11-27T02:27:00.001+08:00

Sorry for the delay. Again. Yours truly was preoccupied with so many important matters lately. Anyway, in this post, like I promised before, I'll summarize my visit to Thailand recently.

Here we go.

The journey:
On the day we embarked our journey from KK (Kota Kinabalu International Airport) to Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi International Airport), it took us approximately 6 hours to reach Bangkok. Our flight first stopped at Brunei for about an hour before continuing the journey to our destination - Bangkok. Everybody was excited (including yours truly) when the captain announced that the plane was currently entering Thailand's air territory. Yes. So sakai. Lol! There were several incidents of turbulence during the flight but it was not that bad as the pilot managed to maneuver the plane professionally. Kudos to the pilot! On the other hand, the journey from the airport to the hotel was kinda an eye-opening for us. I mean, that was the time when we really had the opportunity to witness the destruction brought by the massive flood. Houses, business premises, factories and of course the road/highway were submerged. Luckily, the taxi driver knew the route well and took the alternative road (i.e. not affected by the flood) although it was a tad bit far from the usual highway; according to the driver.

The hotel:

We didn't stayed at a 5-star hotel simply because we can't afford it. Yes. The trip was strictly limited by our already limited budget. Sigh. Nevertheless, we managed to find a budget hotel and it was located right in the heart of Bangkok. Most importantly, it was NOT affected by the flood! Although it was a budget hotel but it didn't looked like one. It was fancy! If I were to compare it with a hotel here in KK, I would compare it with Tang Dynasty hotel. Like seriously. The service was superb! A 5-star service I would describe it. The room was just fine; nothing extremely fancy or extravagant. Nevertheless, it was well-equipped with necessary things like high-pressure shower (with heater), clean toilet, hair dryer (not a common thing found in a budget hotel, mind you), 21 inch TV (with quite a generous number of channels although most of it are in Thai), phone (duh!), air-conditioner (a must!) and most importantly, FREE wi-fi. What more can I ask for? The hotel was super strategic. It's located only few blocks away from the famous night market and major shopping malls.

The itinerary:

If you've read my previous post, you would noticed that I mentioned about a brochure I found at the hotel's lobby. It became our main source of information throughout our stay there! We wanted to go to the so-called must-visit places in Bangkok but unfortunately not all are accessible at that particular period of time due to the flood situation. Therefore, we narrowed down our options to few places - located near to our hotel and easily accessible by walking and public transportation. Somehow, after an impromptu plan, we ended up visiting Pattaya - located at southeast of Bangkok. Well, as some of you might know, Pattaya is famous with its nightlife and the must-visit place would definitely be the place called the Walking Street. It's more like Changkat area at Bukit Bintang; difference is - it's 'wilder'. Prostitution (no offense) is rampant but we didn't go there for that. We did some club hopping though. Here are some of the places that we visited in Pattaya: Walking Street (nightlife yo!), Pattaya Floating Market (love the foods!!), Outlet Mall Pattaya (you people should go here if you want to find reasonable branded items! Yours truly ended up buying 2 pairs of Adidas shoes!) and the bazaars (mostly for souvenirs). Back to Bangkok; we didn't get to visit many places in Bangkok though. We, however, spent most of our time there by food-hunting (street food in particular). Bangkok is blessed with so many hawkers selling mouth-watering street food. I got the chance to taste the authentic Tom Yam Khung (or Gung). There were many kinds of food we tasted and our tummies were well-taken care of - bloated/protruding all day long! We also visited the malls (duh!), and my favourite one would definitely be the Siam Paragon mall. It's huge! It somehow reminded me of Pavilion KL though. Watching movie at Siam Paragon was a totally different experience. I felt like watching movie at cinema for the first time (this might sound over-dramatic). The screen was huge!! And their 3D glasses were much funkier than the ones we had here in Malaysia. Oh yes. The cinema's called IMAX.

Bangkok (or Thailand in general) is definitely a place that I'll visit again someday. I hope the flood will subside soon so that I'll get the chance to visit other places. I'll come again for sure but I've to save money for that. Sigh. POSTING Y U NO COME?? Yours truly needs ka-ching for the next trip!

Thailand, แล้ว จะ มา ใหม่ ครับ (I'll be back).

สวัสดี ครับ (Bye).

Hello! สวัสดี ! [Part 2]

2011-11-15T18:43:00.001+08:00

So, let me share with you more on our recent trip to Thailand.

We arrived at the hotel in the evening and all of us decided to take a quick rest since the journey from KK to Bangkok took us approximately 6 hours (including the journey from the airport to the hotel) therefore all of us were drained! I did take my nap. It was just about 30 minutes as I was extremely excited to explore the city. Pfft! Anyway, the others were still sleeping and I did not want to wake them up. So, I headed down to the lobby and wandered around the hotel - to gaze at the wonderful ambiance of the hotel. I sat down at lounging corner and read several brochures just to have some ideas on the interesting whereabouts in Thailand; particularly in Bangkok. There was a list of must-visit places in the brochures that caught my attention.

While I was going through the list, a tourist, a Caucasian dude - judging from his accent, I assumed he's an Aussie - greeted me and we started a brief conversation.

"You're not local, are you?" He asked.

"Nope. I'm Malaysian" I answered.

**Few introductory exchanges**

"So what brings you here?" He inquired.

"I'm here for a trip with my family" I told him and smiled.

"You do know about the current situation here right?" again he asked.

"Yeah, we didn't expect it's going to be this bad. Besides, we've planned this trip from early this year so here we are now. Hahahaha!"

"So, you're here for a vacation as well I supposed?" I tried to change the direction of the conversation. *Grin*

"Kinda. Well, actually I'm here to be part of the volunteer team to help the flood victim" He said.

**and the conversation went on**

I was impressed with him. He came all the way from Australia to help the Thai flood victims. A very good Samaritan indeed.

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.
.
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After that brief conversation with Mr. Good Samaritan from Australia, I headed back to the room to wake the rest of the team because I was super hungry! And I wanted my doses of authentic Thai food. *Wink*
After all were ready, we went out for food hunting but before that, we went to the counter at the lobby to ask few suggestions from the receptionist. She was kind enough to provide us with ample suggestions. Oh, by the way, her name was Pia, the gorgeous and kind Pia. *wink*

To our surprise, the place suggested by Pia was only few minutes walk from the hotel. It was like a Pasar Malam area where you can find a vast choices of street food. There were so many stalls and the place actually reminded me of Gaya Street in KK and Jalan Alor in KL. So that night, I opted for the authentic Thai Tom Yam for dinner. That was the first time I ever tasted the original Tom Yam or better known as Tom Yam Khung. Super spicy but I loved it so much. My cousins ordered different type of food from the menu. Yes. They did prepare menu for tourists. Convenient eh?

After dinner we went for a walk around that area to find something to munch to be brought back at the hotel. Once we got what we wanted we walked back to the hotel with our bloated tummy. :)

That night, I showed my cousins the brochure that I took frm the lobby and we then continued planning our trip. Talking about last minute planning. Luckily I found the brochure otherwise we would not have any clue about the places that we wanted to visit on that trip.

**My next post would be the summary of our visit in Thailand.**

Be right back!!

Hello! สวัสดี !

2011-11-14T20:11:00.001+08:00

Hey! I'm back. You see, I am not an avid blogger and that is the reason why I rarely keep this blog updated.

You want to ask about what am I up to these days, yes? Well, just so you know, I've graduated but unfortunately I have yet to be posted to the school as a qualified English teacher. Sad, isn't? By right, I should've started teaching and most probably I am invigilating the SPM exam at the moment. Most importantly, I should've enjoyed my first salary! I can list all the should've-s but that's not the main point here now.

You might ask, am I working part-time while waiting for my posting? Yes. Used to though. I used to work as a part-time tutor at the nearest tuition center here in KK but I resigned couple of months before. The reason? I was so-called getting myself ready to be posted to school and I needed to give my boss the 1 week notice before leaving the tuition center. Again, like what I've mentioned beforehand, I'm not posted to any school yet. Jobless till this moment of typing this out.

Anyway, I am just going to wait although the waiting is so 'torturing'. Besides, next week, on the 23rd to be exact, I will go for an important interview - 'Temu Duga Pelantikan ke Jawatan Tetap Pegawai Perkhidmatan Pendidikan Siswazah (PPPS) Gred DG41. Sounds fancy, eh? Being optimistic with the current situation, I think everything will be settled soon; posting is coming on its way.

So, if you noticed, the title of this post is 'Hello' and next to the word is another word in Thai (characters) which connotes the same meaning. Why do I put the title in such a way? Just to share with you fellow readers, I visited Bangkok recently with my cousins. It was an impromptu plan. I mean, we bought the tickets earlier this year and almost forgot about it. We could've missed our flight if we didn't open the e-mail sent by the airlines company. Didn't want to waste the tickets, we decided to fly to Bangkok despite the fact that Bangkok is now facing a terrible flood. After so much consideration and research (online), we packed our stuffs and off we went to the capital city of Thailand, Bangkok.

Picture credit: Google image

It was like a 'kamikaze' trip I would say. On the morning we left for Bangkok, we overheard from the radio about the flood situation in Bangkok and all of us looked at each other. One of my cousins said, "Let's do this. Hantam saja la. Sayang bah tu tikit!". We took the first flight of the day en route to Bangkok via Brunei. Yes. The flight stopped for a transit at Brunei and then continued the journey to Bangkok.

After about 4 and a half hours flight, we touched down at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. It was like a surreal feeling. We were all super excited! We walked out of the aircraft and was greeted by the ground staff. Yes. The first word that all of us heard was the trademark word: 'sa-wa-dee-kha' accompanied by the hand gesture (placing the palms of their hands together as in prayer and raising them to the level of their face whilst bowing slightly). Apparently, the hand gesture is called the 'wai' (pronounced as 'why'). I love the warm, friendly and welcoming ambiance. I can say I felt like a tourist. A real tourist.

Picture credit: Google image

After settling the immigration stuff we went to collect our luggage and took the taxi to the hotel. My cousins did all the bookings including the hotel reservation. Very systematic indeed. We took two taxis because there were six of us traveling together.

On the way to the hotel, we passed by some areas affected by the flood. I was then realized how terrible the flood was. The journey to the hotel took about half and hour and the taxi driver was friendly. We had a nice conversation throughout the journey although most of the time it was very hard to understand his English. Once we reached the hotel, we settled our check-in and went up to our room. I was extremely tired (from that long hour flight). All of us decided to take a short rest before going out for our first food hunting in Thailand.

*to be continued*

Happy Daddy's Day!

2011-06-18T23:20:00.000+08:00

Dedicated to the general of the house, none other than

*drum rolls*

My daddy, MR. GEORGE SAIM.

I LOVE YOU DADDY!

Sincerely,

Your son, Steve George

On this day, 35 years ago...

2011-06-06T23:29:00.000+08:00

THE DOUBLE SIX TRAGEDY

[Taken from Wikipedia]

The Double Six Tragedy, also known as the Double Six Crash, was a plane crash which took place on June 6, 1976 in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The plane, operated by Sabah Air, coming from Labuan crashed in the sub-district of Sembulan in Kota Kinabalu upon approaching Kota Kinabalu International Airport. The crash killed everyone on board the flight, including Tun Fuad Stephens, the Chief Minister of Sabah at that time. The other passengers on the flight were State Ministers Datuk Salleh Sulong, Datuk Peter Mojuntin, Chong Thien Vun, and assistant minister Darius Binion. Others who perished were the then Secretary of State for the Ministry of Finance of Sabah Datuk Wahid Peter Andau, Director of Economic Planning Unit of Sabah Dr. Syed Hussein Wafa, Isak Atan (Private Secretary to Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah), Corporal Said Mohammad (bodyguard to Tun Fuad Stephens), Captain Gandhi Nathan (the pilot of the aircraft) and Tun Fuad's eldest son Johari Stephens.

The reason behind the crash is uncertain. Immediately after the accident there were allegations of foul play because of the death of the Chief Minister, but no evidence of such has ever been found.

The man with a nail in his heart

2011-05-19T23:25:00.000+08:00

There is a man with a nail in his heart
Who sits on the edge of darkness,
He sits all day staring at empty space,
His eyes filled with misery and madness,
A contorted look upon his face,
It's filled with red-eyed tears,
He sits very still, 'cept for a shudder or two
From the ever creeping cold fear.

He sits beneath a midnight moon,
Morning, noon and night,
Adrift on a melancholy ocean,
Conjuring visions of a long forgotten twilight,
Vague memories of happier times
When he felt he'd been smitten by Cupid's dart,
He gave her his life and pledged his soul,
And she hammered a nail into his heart.

Muttering words of rejected thought,
No one hears his wailing sermons
Of a passion, long burned to ash
In the cremation of a love left to mourn,
He clings, with clenched fists, to a memory,
To a dream of hope, and a phoenix,
But the nail in his heart is rusting fast
As his dream escapes into the mist.

As the cobwebs pile up in his mind
To veil his sight further still,
He hears whispering shadows try to talk to him,
Strange words about removing a nail
Is all he can recall.
And he wishes they'd just go away,
To vaporize with his dream,
So as he can catch up with his memory.

For memories are all that's left
Of a love that he once felt immortal,
But she didn't share the love that he gave,
But still she ran off with his soul,
For a pledge is a pledge is a contract,
A legally binding promise,
He pledged his soul, now it's hers to hold,
To leave him with his fear and his madness.

Oh why did you make a fool of me,
To leave me to cry and wail?
I gave you my heart, my life, my soul,
And all you returned was this nail,
This nail that will be the death of me,
For it is in my heart that it's wedged
And I'll keep it there as a memory.
For this nail is all I have left.

By: Harry Boslem

Move on...that's it....

2011-05-12T01:54:00.000+08:00

There is nothing worse than betrayal. The gnawing feeling that eats you up when you trusted someone so much and then finding out 'the ugly truth'. The moment I discovered the infidelity, everything seemed to be so surreal. A lot of questions came out of my mind. I mean like...a lot.

I thought it would be easy for me to forget. I thought and optimistically believed that every thing will be back to normal, and so I thought. I became suspicious with her every move. At first I tried to repress myself, and convincing my mind that everyone deserves another chance. But for the second time around...I don't know.

Someone once told me, "Cheats have a biological disorder, they have no control over themselves they are emotionally redundant and they will always cheat lie and deceive for the rest of their lives." Noted that!

Ain't gonna feel like a fool. Gotta believe that there are people out there can play a heart like a violin. I'll stick to believing in myself wholeheartedly. I'm gonna have myself guard up, as life can throw some painful things at me (and everybody else).

This may be an overused saying, but time really heals all wounds and sorrow. I think people have evolved to develop selective amnesia to forget painful things that keep them from being happy. And one thing for sure, recovering from the past will come out naturally if we just let ourselves move on, as we are gifted with a resilient heart.

And always remember these—love like you’ve never been hurt and live life like it would be your last day.

Very much inspiring

2011-04-30T14:21:00.000+08:00

I know everyone is talking about 'the wedding' - the Royal Wedding. Frankly speaking, this is my very first time watching a grandeur royal wedding (through satellite tv of course). I couldn't imagine myself to be standing outside Westminster Abbey and the Buckingham Palace together with the huge crowd. After all, it would cost me a fortune just to go to London. Thanks for the technology because I was able to watch the live coverage of the royal wedding via satellite tv.

While watching the service, something caught my attention. It's not the wedding dress. It's not the fancy hats worn by guests. It's not Victoria's sky-high Louboutin heels (woman, you're a preggie and those heels are surely hazardous for the lil' one). It's not (well, admittedly yes at the beginning) Beckham's debonair hairdo. It's not even Princess Beatrice's hat (I personally think it looked hideous on her and it would be more appropriate for Lady Gaga *wink*). Anyhow, enough with the digressions. What caught my attention the most was the sermon given by the Bishop of London. It was so inspiring and I can't stop myself from listening to every single word uttered by that old chap.

The sermon:

“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” So said St Catherine of Siena whose festival day it is today. Marriage is intended to be a way in which man and woman help each other to become what God meant each one to be, their deepest and truest selves.

Many are full of fear for the future of the prospects of our world but the message of the celebrations in this country and far beyond its shores is the right one – this is a joyful day! It is good that people in every continent are able to share in these celebrations because this is, as every wedding day should be, a day of hope.

In a sense every wedding is a royal wedding with the bride and the groom as king and queen of creation, making a new life together so that life can flow through them into the future.

William and Catherine, you have chosen to be married in the sight of a generous God who so loved the world that he gave himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

And in the Spirit of this generous God, husband and wife are to give themselves to each another.

A spiritual life grows as love finds its centre beyond ourselves. Faithful and committed relationships offer a door into the mystery of spiritual life in which we discover this; the more we give of self, the richer we become in soul; the more we go beyond ourselves in love, the more we become our true selves and our spiritual beauty is more fully revealed. In marriage we are seeking to bring one another into fuller life.

It is of course very hard to wean ourselves away from self-centredness. And people can dream of doing such a thing but the hope should be fulfilled it is necessary a solemn decision that, whatever the difficulties, we are committed to the way of generous love.

You have both made your decision today – “I will” – and by making this new relationship, you have aligned yourselves with what we believe is the way in which life is spiritually evolving, and which will lead to a creative future for the human race.

We stand looking forward to a century which is full of promise and full of peril. Human beings are confronting the question of how to use wisely a power that has been given to us through the discoveries of the last century. We shall not be converted to the promise of the future by more knowledge, but rather by an increase of loving wisdom and reverence, for life, for the earth and for one another.

Marriage should transform, as husband and wife make one another their work of art. It is possible to transform as long as we do not harbour ambitions to reform our partner. There must be no coercion if the Spirit is to flow; each must give the other space and freedom. Chaucer, the London poet, sums it up in a pithy phrase:

“Whan maistrie [mastery] comth, the God of Love anon,

Beteth his wynges, and farewell, he is gon.”

As the reality of God has faded from so many lives in the West, there has been a corresponding inflation of expectations that personal relations alone will supply meaning and happiness in life. This is to load our partner with too great a burden. We are all incomplete: we all need the love which is secure, rather than oppressive, we need mutual forgiveness, to thrive.

As we move towards our partner in love, following the example of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is quickened within us and can increasingly fill our lives with light. This leads to a family life which offers the best conditions in which the next generation can practise and exchange those gifts which can overcome fear and division and incubate the coming world of the Spirit, whose fruits are love and joy and peace.

I pray that all of us present and the many millions watching this ceremony and sharing in your joy today, will do everything in our power to support and uphold you in your new life. And I pray that God will bless you in the way of life that you have chosen, that way which is expressed in the prayer that you have composed together in preparation for this day:

God our Father, we thank you for our families; for the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage.

In the busyness of each day keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love and energy.

Strengthened by our union help us to serve and comfort those who suffer. We ask this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen.

The transcript is taken from: http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/blog/2011/April/29/The-Bishop-of-London-s-Sermon

English across Malaysian culture???

2011-04-17T23:12:00.000+08:00

"Sabar Peminat"

2011-04-17T21:08:00.001+08:00

The Legend of Gintak Gabui

When it comes to legendary Sabahans, whose very name has entered the local vocabulary, it must be Gintak Gabui.

In 1990, perhaps even earlier, Gintak, then 70, was found guilty of raping a 15-year old girl.

That gained him instant infamy. Everybody talked about him, and his name came to mean the act of raping / worse, usually said with a snigger, often followed by maniacal laughter.

When he was on trial, many people reportedly congregrated in courtrooms to catch a glimpe of the infamous man, to which he once allegedly said the immortal words:

"Sabar peminat" (Please, my fans, be patient)

The only person whose time in the limelight is remotely comparable to him is Tausang @ Tingal Sagunting, a rubber tapper, who was on trial in 2007 for allegedly raping an 18-year old girl in August 2004, at a rubber plantation in Kampung Laputong, Tamparuli (hence, “the mattress” was not exhibited in court I suppose). As a result she got pregnant and gave birth to a boy. He was then 77. The late Tausang caused a stir when he refused lawyers and instead conducted his own defence, in Dusun language no less.

When the trial got underway he was about 80 years old, probably the oldest ever person in Malaysia ever to be charged with rape.

He uttered two immortal sentences, reported in the newspapers:

"Saya tidak akun rogol, sebab saya suka sama suka, sama dia, saya tidak dapat kacau sama dia, kalau bukan kerana sinta." (Meaning: I do not admit raping her, because the act was consensual. I would not be able to “disturb” her if we didn’t love each other.)

"Nokuro tu au dau pinoruput tontok do korogol, soira pod minontian om man nogi dau poruputo?" (Meaning: Why didn’t the woman make a police report when she was raped? Why did she make the report only when she found out she was pregnant?)

He was eventually found not guilty, and died about a month after that in his sleep.

Even now, there are more google search results on “gintak gabui” as compared to “tausang sagunting.”

Source: http://bengodomon.com/2010/06/25/the-legend-of-gintak-gabui/

**The word "Gintak" has been coined by the locals and being used widely to denote the act of raping/sexual act. Wow! That's the legend of Gintak Gabui. He'll be remembered by all... *wink*

Curtain call

2011-04-07T13:14:00.001+08:00

Last night's event was a huge success and there was a fantastic turnout! Thank you to everyone who filled the seats at Panggung Seni UKM last night for the dramatization of "Rumpelstiltskin" and "The Fruitcake Special". Your full supports are very much appreciated. *takes a bow*

The last night's event also commemorates the final project of my colleagues and I as a group. It's the finale! Although there were lots of frictions inflicted during the preparations, everything went just fine towards the most anticipated night.

Kudos to all the production crews particularly my group. Everybody being so professional on the stage despite being mere amateur performers. Mistakes were covered up professionally and the dramatization finally went well till the end. One of the audience tweeted me after the show that the show was fantastic and there's not even a single moment of boredom throughout the show! What a great compliment don't you think?

Anyway, everything was over and it's time to shift the focus to another important stuff - the final exam. The first paper will be on this coming Monday and the final one will be on the 20th. Yes. We only have two papers to sit for this semester and after that we're off to respective hometowns.

That's it for now. I just want to stay in the room today. Time to get myself a good rest.

P.O.P (Prince of Pop)

2011-04-03T17:35:00.000+08:00

Introducing...P.O.P (Prince of Pop)!!

Formerly known as Da Prinz and P.R.Inc., they are now known as P.O.P (stands for Prince of Pop). The group has been in the music industry for quite some time now and they are mostly known by the Sabahan music lovers as all the group members hail from the Land Below the Wind and they have done many shows there. They even released their first single album entitled "Ada Hiivai Dandi Toh" - a Kadazan phrase which basically means "Don't forget our promises". The group members consist of Allen, Aegy, Melvin and the new member, Benny.

Allen a.k.a 'Aye'

Aegy

Vin

Benny

They are taking another leap by putting their best foot forward to be recognized in the mainstream industry with the help of Cat Farish (The Fabolous Cat) under the record label of Cat Presents Productions Sdn. Bhd. A single entitled "Buku Baru" has been released just recently. You can listen to it here.

By having a glimpse at their image, one can easily associate the group with K-Pop (Korean Pop) - especially the outfits! Stylo! Despite of their K-Pop-ish image, P.O.P actually are more into R&B and Soul genre of music. In terms of their appearance it is definitely K-Pop, however their music reminds me of Boyz II Men. Criticism is something that can't be avoided. People would judge their image and even their music. In my opinion, they've done nothing wrong by infusing some foreign elements to their music. After all, music is universal and music influence is something common happening all over the world. Take Hip Hop for example, you can listen to so many music injected with the element of Hip Hop - locally and internationally.

Yours truly would like to wish all the best to P.O.P and hope you guys will come out with more great music! Dari kamu seja baitu! =) Make Sabah proud too!

Visit P.O.P facebook page here.

Image source: P.O.P facebook page.

p/s: Just helping friend promoting their music...that's all! *wink*

Corrective Rape

2011-04-02T01:22:00.000+08:00

This is actually an e-mail forwarded to me. So, I'm just spreading the words.

Dear friends,

Thembi (name changed) was pulled from a taxi near her home, beaten and raped by a man who crowed that he was ‘curing’ her of her lesbianism.

Thembi is not alone -- this vicious crime is recurrent in South Africa, where lesbians live in terror of attack. But no one has ever been convicted of 'corrective rape'. Amazingly, from a tiny Cape Town safehouse a few brave activists are risking their lives to ensure that this heinous practice is stopped and their massive campaign has forced the government into talks.

If we shine a light on this horror from all corners of the world -- and enough of us join in we can escalate the pressure, and help make sure these talks lead to concrete and urgent action. Let’s call on President Zuma and the Minister of Justice to publicly condemn ‘corrective rape’, criminalise hate crimes, and ensure immediate enforcement, public education and protection for survivors. Sign the petition now and share it with everyone -- when we reach one million signers we’ll deliver it to the South African government with unmissable and hard hitting actions:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_corrective_rape_6

South Africa, often called the Rainbow Nation, is revered globally for its post-apartheid efforts to protect against discrimination. It was the first country to constitutionally protect citizens from discrimination based on sexuality. But local organisations record multiple 'corrective rapes' every week, and impunity reigns.

'Corrective rape' is based on the outrageous and utterly false notion that a lesbian woman can be raped to 'make her straight', but this heinous act is not even classified as a hate crime in South Africa. The victims are often black, poor, lesbian women, and profoundly marginalised. But even the 2008 gang rape and murder of Eudy Simelane, the national hero and former star of the South Africa women's national football team, did not turn the tide. Despite this high profile case, Minister Radebe insists that motive is irrelevant in crimes like 'corrective rape.'

South Africa is the rape capital of the world. A South African girl born today is more likely to be raped than she is to learn to read. Astoundingly, one quarter of South African girls are raped before turning 16. This has many roots: masculine entitlement (62 per cent of boys over 11 believe that forcing someone to have sex is not an act of violence), poverty, crammed settlements, unemployed and disenfranchised men, community acceptance -- and, for the few cases that are courageously reported to authorities, a dismal police response and lax sentencing.

This is a human catastrophe. But courageous South Africans and partners at Change.org have opened a window of hope to get action on targeted sexual violence and hate crimes. They have got the government's attention, now if the whole world weighs in, together we could get justice for the victims and concrete and urgent action to end 'corrective rape':

This is ultimately a battle with poverty, patriarchy, and homophobia. Ending the tide of rape will require bold leadership and concerted action to spearhead transformative change in South Africa and across the continent. President Zuma is a a Zulu traditionalist, who has himself stood trial for rape. But he condemned the arrest of a gay couple in Malawi last year, and, after massive national and international civic pressure, South Africa finally approved a UN resolution opposing extra-judicial killing in relation to sexual orientation.

If enough of us join this global call for action, we could push Zuma to speak out, drive much-needed government action, and help a national conversation that could fundamentally shift public attitudes toward rape and homophobia in South Africa. Sign on now and spread the word:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_corrective_rape_6

A case like Thembi's makes it easy to lose hope. But when citizens come together with one voice, we can succeed in shifting fundamentally unjust, but deeply ingrained practices and norms. Last year, in Uganda, we succeeded in building such a massive wave of public pressure that the government was forced to shelve legislation that would have sentenced gay Ugandans to death. And it was global pressure in support of bold national activists that pushed South African leaders to address the AIDS crisis that was engulfing their country. Let’s join together now and speak out for a world where each and every human being can live without fear of abuse.

With hope and determination,

Alice, Ricken, Maria Paz, David and the rest of the Avaaz team

P/S: Yours truly has no say about one's personal preference - "alternative lifestyle". After all, one has no right to judge other people's way of life. Being raised and inculcated with values from a conservative Catholic family, I have never been taught about discriminating people with "alternative lifestyle" because at the end of the day, it is a matter between that particular person with God. In this post, I would like to highlight the petition that I've signed to ramp up pressure for concrete action to curb 'corrective rape'. Just to remind you again, 'corrective rape' refers to a criminal action whereby men rape lesbian women, purportedly as a means of 'curing' the woman of her sexual orientation. Mere disgusting and absurd idea don't you think? I hope and pray for all mankind in the world, that there will be a swift shift in public attitudes towards rape and homophobia, not just in South Africa, but all around the world.

**Steve George has signed the petition to South African president Zuma and Minister Radebe to publicly condemn ‘corrective rape’, criminalise hate crimes and ensure immediate enforcement, public education and protection to the victims of this terrible crime. Pledge your support through Avaaz.org

It's a wrap!

2011-03-31T02:44:00.000+08:00

The event was over. FYI, it was the final function for my coursemates and I as undergraduate students. Here are some of the pictures taken on that night.

[Pictures courtesy of Shafiq]

Together with C4's official photographer... ^^

Group picture with program coordinator Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nooreiny Maarof.

Partner in crime that night - Ain. ;-)

Roomie - Valentine Ambun

C4's dancer owning the stage...and the crowd as well! Proud of you people!

Again with Shafiq da' photographer!

Nik: C4's self-proclaimed Maharaja! Lolz!

With Zainal a.k.a Jenal...

With Menn da' choreographer...

Glad everything went well that night. I was trembling but eventually managed to gain composure and continue my job that night. Ain't easy but it's definitely a wonderful experience. For lighting purpose, I had to be made-up. Gosh! I felt like I had a facelift procedure or botox injected into my skin. Lol! Kinda difficult to smile (and I had to smile throughout the whole event)...

I didn't get to enjoy the tantalizing food *sigh*. Anyhow, I've expected that thing to happen as I experienced that before. That's the thing about being an emcee I guess. Well, never mind. The thought and experience that matter the most.

It's a wrap! I finally have time to rest. I mean like seriously. I need enough time to recuperate from the exhaustion. I've been through a series of sleepless night. That clearly explained the eye-bags! Urgh!

Aight. Till my next entry. Bye!

Gonna be just fine...I will

2011-03-27T20:40:00.000+08:00

I received two phone calls today - from both mom and dad. This never happened before; I mean, the two of them called me on the same day at alternate times. Nevertheless, at moment like this I really appreciate those phone calls. It's as good as receiving hugs from both mom and dad. Though separated by the South China Sea, they somehow able to sense something's not right with their son lately.

Mom: Ko ok kaini? (Are you ok?)

Dad: Napa mcm lain ja ko ni ari ni? (You seemed different today)

Thanks mom and dad for the concern but I'm just gonna be fine. No worries.

Stress-o-meter level is rising...

2011-03-27T00:48:00.000+08:00

How should I start this? Let's see...

At the moment, my coursemates and I are busy with our upcoming dramatization and a dinner function for the final year students. Rehearsals/practices are getting more frequent as the D-days are getting closer. It's really stressful and tiring but we've got to go through everything eventually. So, there's no point of complaining.

Few weeks ago, a friend of mine approached and asked me whether I wanted to take the emcee job for the coming event (i.e. Malam Ambang Graduan). I was quite reluctant initially but decided to volunteer myself as the committee desperately needed persons for the slot. I took the offer as I would be working with my own coursemate. So, the chemistry is there. No sense of awkwardness.

There's nothing glamorous about being an emcee. That's my personal thought. As a matter of fact, it is quite a stressful job as it is part of the emcee's responsibility to ensure the smoothness of the event and even to make it lively - not mundane. Stressful eh? Anyhow, this time around I'll be emcee-ing in Bahasa Melayu in a major event. Wait a sec. This is going to be my first ever major event. An event with lots of VVIPs. *Stress level rises*

The first rehearsal went not really well. I've been stopped so many times and mostly because of my stress and intonation! Little did I know my stress and intonation in Bahasa Melayu sucks! I was told I can't even read out the 'pantun' well. I was like...what the heck? That bad? I've got to work on this as the event is just around the corner. Next week to be exact. Oh-my! There'll be more rehearsals after this. So, I've got to polish up as much as possible within the little time frame.

All of the above have messed up my sleeping pattern. I mean like seriously. Recently, I've started the habit of taking nap at odd hours. It's like the whole system is messing up. I frequently feel tired and sleepy. It's not that I don't have enough sleep but I somehow feel the urge to nap/sleep and body feels weak.

I just can't wait to get this thing over. I need to be 'normal' again! I kinda miss those carefree times earlier this semester in which I've got the chance to hang out with friends at any place. It's like I've been sort of like 'abandoning' or should I say 'neglecting' my other friends for not being able to spend time with them. I even feel sorry to the girlfriend as I'm too busy with all sort of things till the extent that I've no time to even give her a call or even send text messages. Sorry babe. I'm really sorry. I love you.

Leaves. Branches. Roots.

2011-03-25T03:30:00.000+08:00

I know. It's been a while since I posted my last entry in this not-so-famous blog of mine. I don't know how many times I have repeated this: I just don't have anything interesting to be shared lately apart from being busy with my life as final year student. Well, not that busy actually. It's just that I'm currently busy with the upcoming major dramatization (requirement of a course) and of course, assignments.

Things are getting pretty intense these few days. I'm talking about the group's major production. The big day is approaching and everything needs to be put in the right place as soon as possible to ensure the smoothness of the performance. In the process of doing so, few "frictions" inflicted - drama within the drama itself. Arguments here and there, dissatisfaction arises, people smirk, some even bombard others with sarcastic remarks and the list goes on. I won't describe all the details here as it is not my utmost intention to make a big hoo-ha about the whole thing and let everybody in the cyberspace knows about it. I would say, let bygones be bygones. The focus should be on the actual drama itself and I personally think this whole drama within the drama would eventually become a source of laughter as it dredges up the memories years later.

It's already the 25th day of the month of March and that means, I only have approximately one more month here in this campus as undergrad student. I'll be leaving this place soon and going back to my hometown for good. As cliche as it sounds, time really flies and it's been 6 years I've been spending most of my time away from home for my studies. Yes, 6 years. Thanks to the extra 2 years of foundation program otherwise, I would have graduated by now. Most of my friends (of the same batch) have already started working and even settled down. Whenever I come back to my hometown and meeting up with friends, the common of topic of discussion would be about the lifestyle as working adult. Since I haven't started working yet, I usually become the one who just listen. I have nothing to share. My time will arrive soon and listening to their rants and ramblings about the daily lives makes me wanting to make full use of my time as student. It's going to be a whole different situation once I started working. So, the bottom line is: I ought to cherish every moment of my campus life.

All in all, it's been 6 years and I can confidently say I've gone through many kind of experiences. I stumbled and fell but I got up right away as life has to move on. I shared laughter and some tears along the way but that what make me a person. I've made mistakes and I learned from it. Some people might feel comfortable to be with me and some don't. That's the truth. I can't afford to please each and every one in this world. The best thing I can do is try to be nice (with sincerity) with everyone and not become a two-faced person.

Some people are meant to be part of our life for lifetime and some for only for certain period of time - friends come and go. Metaphorically, I would describe everyone that comes into my life as a tree.

Some are like the leaves. When the wind blows, they will be scattered everywhere. As time goes by, they will wither and eventually die - gone. That's fine because most people are like that in such a way that they're not permanently there to do anything but to take from the tree and provide shade every now and then. That's all they can afford to do. We can't afford to be mad to such kind of people as we have no right to judge them. That's just them.

Some even like a branch of a tree. We ought to be careful with those branches as well because we might not know when they will fool us. Such people will make us think they're good friend and strong up to the extent that we put our trust on them but eventually they'll break and leave us high and dry.

Nevertheless, we are not that doomed. We're blessed with some people who are like the roots down at the bottom and provide support. These are the people that are not going anywhere. Just like the roots, they are not worried about being seen, nobody has to know that they know you, they don't have to know what they're doing for you but if those roots weren't there, a tree couldn't live. A tree can have lots of branches but it only takes few roots down at the bottom to make sure that tree gets everything it needs.

When I think about this kind of analogy, it struck deep within me. As I mentioned earlier, there are people who come in and out of our life and some pain inflicted along the way. There are more people we are going to meet; some will only turn out to be leaves and branches but we all have to cherish the ones who are like the roots. These are the people who know us through and through; it could be anyone.

Thanks for reading today's random rant and rambling of mine *wink*

A short weekend getaway

2011-03-07T23:13:00.001+08:00

Here I am again. Still recuperating from extreme fatigue of the 6-hour journey from Penang. Wait a sec. I shall include the other 6 hours travel from Bangi to Penang. That makes it 12 hours! Ni kali la!

Some of you might be wondering. What is this journey I speak of? Well, I'm talking about my journey to USM Penang to attend the annual event called Malam Citra Bayu. It was an event organised by Perkumpulan Siswa Siswi Sabah (PERSIS) of USM. In UKM, we called it Persatuan Mahasiswa Sabah (PERMIS). The main highlight of the event was the inter-varsity dance competition in which it showcased the variety of dances of the Sabahans.

I was not part of the dancing team even though I was asked to join the male dancers for several times *wink*. I was there to support them. Yes. As a supporter.

The journey to USM commenced on the 5th March around 12 midnight. We use the UKM bus and I was told that this time around we were lucky enough to get a bus from the university. Unlike the previous years, the team had to arrange their own transportation i.e. rent a bus from outside the campus. Sad but true. Anyway, since the journey was during midnight, there was nothing much to be seen throughout the journey. Most of the time, I slept, Facebook-ing and Tweeting through my iPhone. The bus stopped for half an hour at Tapah R&R and I went down and grab myself a cup of teh tarik. Then, the journey continued again.

We finally arrived at USM around 6.30 in the morning. We could've arrived earlier but the bus driver took the wrong turn. The first thing the whole team did upon arrival was checking-in to the room. We stayed at a residential college called Desasiswa Tekun. I kinda like the concept of the residential college in USM. It looked like an apartment fully equipped with elevators. The room was also much more spacious than the ones in UKM *envy mode*.

I was extremely sleepy because I can't sleep well in the bus. I wasn't able to stretch my legs and the seat can't be reclined to my preferred position! As soon as I entered the room the first thing I did was to charge my phone's battery then I landed myself on the bed. At around 7-something, Carl went to the room and asked for a favour. I was still on sluggish mode at that time and I agreed upon the request. I forced myself to wake up at 8.30 because I was told that the team had to be at the hall for rehearsal. That was the time when I realized about the requested favour. I was asked to help the team with the technical part (i.e. lighting & sound)! Being a complete noob in that particular area, I was lucky enough to be able to collaborate with Chester.

The full rehearsal started around 11 in the morning and mind you, we just arrived approximately 4 hours ago. I was still sleepy but I had no choice than to force myself to focus on the technical aspect. Once the rehearsal session ended, the whole team went for lunch. It was not far. Just outside the campus. We opted for Nasi Kandar since we're in Penang! Then we rushed back to the room to get our stuff.

I won't describe the whole event in detail but one thing for sure, kudos should be given to the organising team as the program was truly a success! The hall was packed with people! Majority of the audience was Sabahan. Some were Sarawakians and people from the Peninsular. I saw few foreign students as well! I was amazed by how they managed to publicized the event. I wonder if UKM could some time in the future organise this kind of event...

Once the event ended and winners were announced, we hopped into the bus and left for UKM. Another 6-hour journey *sigh*. During the journey, everyone in the bus was complaining about the air-cond. Sometime in the middle of the journey, the bus' air-cond started to malfunction and loud noise was heard from the rear side of the bus. After a while, we continued the journey back to campus. This time around the loud noise was completely gone but the air-cond was still not functioning well. I was sweating like a pig! At last, at about 7.30 in the morning, we arrived at UKM. Once I arrived at the hostel, I rushed to shower room and scrub myself. Luckily, I had no class earlier today so I slept till noon.

Nevertheless, I had so much fun in Penang with the whole team! I felt like home for a while.

Oh! Here's the overall result of MCB 2011:

Best costume: UM

Consolations: UUM, UiTM, UPSI, UKM

3rd place: USM

2nd place: UM

1st place: UPM

Team UKM

*photo grabbed from FB ^_^ *

p/s: To the dancers, although UKM didn't place this year, you guys had amazingly performed well on that night. Obviously, the audience was extremely ecstatic with the choreograph. You guys owned the stage and the audience as well!!

Wazzup with MEDiK?

2011-03-05T00:39:00.000+08:00

Just so you know, MEDiK has nothing to do with medical field and whatnot. It is an acronym for Malam Eksekutif Dinner Kajai. Wow! Mouthful don't you think? MEDiK is a dinner function organised by my residential college (Kolej Rahim Kajai).

Anyway, the function was held last night at DECTAR (Dewan Canselori Tun Abdul Razak UKM) and I decided to attend it together with my other 6 coursemates. Initially, I was not keen to attend the dinner due to the experience my friends and I had in the previous year. Last year, the food was insufficient for all of us seated at the table and to make it even worse, the drink was only served once! Yes. Throughout the dinner we had only a glass of cordial drink! That clearly explained my initial reluctance to attend the function. Such a spoiler eh?

However, I changed my mind. I attended the function anyway. All final students were seated at the front rows - behind the high table. Oh! I forgot to tell you. This year's theme was "Masquerade versus Rock Star Night". Since the word 'versus' was there, I guessed everyone had the chance to pick which theme to follow. It's either Masquerade or Rock Star. I opted for Rock Star because I was not really into Masquerade thingy. Besides, I didn't have the chance to look for a friggin' mask! So, Rock Star was chosen. When I opened my wardrobe, I realized one thing. I didn't have anything to wear to suit the theme. Dang! My last resort was to "recycle" my attire from the previous function I attended.

Anyway, I attended the dinner and this time around the food was more than sufficient for all of us. We ate till our hearts content and we also had our drinks refilled for few times! =) Honestly, I didn't really pay much attention to the performance on the stage throughout the function. As far as I can recall, I only remembered the ballroom dance performances (they performed 3 times on that night! I was like...whatthe?), the beatbox showcase, performance by the Glee wannabies, and also performance by the guest artist (a band whom they called themselves PESAWAT). I went back to my room with protruding tummy! *burp*

The "recycled" attire...

Table mates! So boyband-ish...don't you think? LMAO!

Enough drink to quench the thirst this time around! Yeaa....

The tix and door gift!

String of words from yours truly...

2011-02-27T23:06:00.000+08:00

Dedicated to all friends in CSSUKM...

Guten tag! Shalom! Kopivosian!

I can't tell you how difficult it is to describe how sad I am to be leaving. When I got here (UKM) years ago, I would never have realised how connected I would be to such a warm community of people - CSSUKM. Many times I have been humbled by the kindness of your hearts. Tomorrow I will wake up in my new life, full of yet-to-be realised opportunities, and empty of your company...I will be in a strange limbo. You've helped me through some difficult times, and shared the joyous times in yours. Some people judge their lives on what they do, others on who they are. I want my life judged on the friends I keep, and how enriched I am from just knowing you. To quote Shakespeare, who is a better word-smith than I am:

"And whether we shall meet again I know not.

Therefore our everlasting farewell take:

For ever, and for ever, farewell, friends!

If we do meet again, why, we shall smile;

If not, why, then this parting was well made."

To see you in the gathering is a picture I will treasure for a very long time. So, until the next time we gather, my very dear friends, farewell for now.

God bless...Adieu

A shot during the CSSUKM Annual Dinner last night... ^_^

Have a blessed Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T16:18:00.003+08:00

First and foremost, yours truly would like to wish Blessed Valentine's Day to all (to those who wish to celebrate it).

Recently, an issue pertaining to the celebration of Valentine's day in Malaysia being raised by a religious person in her show in local TV station. It has stirred some dissatisfaction among the Christian community due to her statement in which she mentions "Maksiat, disko, couple-couple, bersunyi-sunyian, inilah tradisi bagi masyarakat yang beragama Kristian" (“immoral activities, discoing, couples meeting in private, were traditions of the Christian community”)

It is true that Valentine's Day is a celebration to commemorate Saint Valentine - an early Christian martyrs. However, simply relating Valentine's Day with vice activities is definitely a big no-no! As a Christian (Catholic), I am very much saddened by the statement. I mean like hello? Vice activities = Christian's traditions? TRADITIONS!

Shall we not make a big hoo-haa about this issue? If one doesn't want to celebrate Valentine's day then be it. It's one's personal preference and other individuals shouldn't have any say about that.

Personally, Valentine's day is a day in which people get to be reminded on how important love is in our live. As cliche as it might sounds, everyday is Valentine's day but this particular day (14th February) sets as a reminder for all of us that we should spread love amongst each other and not incite hatred. Bear in mind, the thought that matters. So, it is our duty to spread the true (pure) message of the Valentine's day (i.e. love one another).

Bottom line is...it is inappropriate to relate Valentine's day with vice activities and thus at the same time relate it with Christian traditions. Christianity never promotes adultery and I am very much sure other religions also do the same. To those small groups of community that condemn Valentine's day simply because it is directly related to vice activities - God bless you. Spread love instead of hatred.

Again, have a blessed Valentine's day to those who wish to celebrate it.

Recent happenings...

2011-02-14T15:03:00.000+08:00

My apology. It's been a while I didn't update this infamous blog of mine. I put the blame on the internet connection. Be it at home or even in campus itself. I can't seem to go through the line therefore leaving this blog not updated.

Recent happenings in a nutshell:

Home

I went back home during the recent CNY break. I spent 10 days at home and the reason why I chose to go back was simply because I want to send back all the unused stuff in my room back in campus. It's going to be my last semester in UKM and I should start planning on how to transfer the remaining stuff to KK. I guess I'm going to donate some of it to the juniors. *wink*

Shopping

For a couple continuous days, my classmates and I went for costume hunting (for our drama assignment) as well as looking for the engagement gifts. Don't get me wrong. Not for my engagement. It's for a good friend of mine. She's going to get engaged soon. So, my friends and I decided to help her with the preparation. One thing for sure, it ain't easy to prepare for the engagement gift. It can be extremely complicated and confusions do get inflicted along the way. We spent like approximately 7 freaking hours at Nilai looking for all the stuff and we went shop-by-shop to get better deal.

I'm going to blog about the rest of the happenings as soon as the internet connection gets back to normal again. Fingers crossed for better internet connection!

Kill me first!

2011-01-19T01:06:00.001+08:00

Don't get me wrong with the title of this post. It is actually a title of a video posted on YouTube and it has something to do with land encroachment in order to give way for the 'other party' to build a dam at the people of Kg. Tambatuon's peaceful land. Their HOME. It was beautifully narrated by the Inan (the Dusun form of endearment for grandmother). The language itself mesmerized me. Being part of the Dusun clan, I hereby honestly say that I'm not good at the language which supposedly to be my mother tongue but at the same time, I'm very much proud with the language. It's very unique in its own way.

Alright. I think I've digressed to much. The point here is, my attention was caught by the message of the video. Towards the end of the video, the Inan made a strong statement that instantly sent me a chill. It was indeed a strong statement and I was (or still am) astonished by it. You've got to watch the video if you want to know what am I talking about.

twenty four

2011-01-14T10:40:00.000+08:00

It's my birthday. I'm officially 24 now.

Unlike the times when I was still in school, there's no so-called 'countdown' for my birthday this year. Didn't bother much about it.

Gone are the days when I had to lock myself in the room and made a deal with the room-mate for not going to open the door when the clock struck 12. I can still recall those days back in maktab when spilling a bucket of water, throwing rotten eggs, and many other mischievous pranks towards the lucky person of the day were the in-thing/trend on any birthdays.

As soon as the clock struck 12, my Facebook wall started to be flooded with birthday wishes. Same thing happened to my twitter account.

Anyway...I am sure that this year is going to be another fantastic year just like the previous ones. Cheers!!

My mother groaned, my father wept,
into the dangerous world I leapt;
helpless, naked, piping loud,
like a fiend hid in a cloud.
- William Blake

Random recent pixxies...

2011-01-12T00:39:00.002+08:00

At the moment I don't have anything interesting to share but I've decided to upload some pictures taken recently.

The best Christmas present ever...!! Loving it.

Mom and Dad together with my lil' cuz, Bel.

Oyo on his way back to Tambunan. ^_^

Cuteness!! My three adorable cuzzies.

The Saim clan...

Christmas Eve's Mass...

Group photo in front of the altar...

The awesome Christmas carol at 1Borneo hypermall...

Watched the final match between Malaysia and Indonesia with 'em at mamak restaurant near UKM.

The Borneo clan having steamboat. NY's eve gathering.

Short trip to PD...and I still think KK has one of the most beautiful ~~bitches~~ beaches in Malaysia. ;-p

Another awesome date: 11.1.11

2011-01-11T03:11:00.001+08:00

Wow! Can you guys believe it? We're already on the 11th day of the year 2011. Time really flies so fast without us realizing it.

Today's date seems to be interesting. Don't you think so? I'm more interested with the number '11' so I googled it out and guess what. I found few fun as well as spooky facts about the number. Here there are:

Fun facts:

In numerology, number eleven is considered as a " master number. The reason is this number carries as a vibrational frequency of balance. Number Eleven signifies invention, refinement, fulfillment, vision and congruency in a person. In astrology, the number eleven is considered as a magical number that strikes a balance of emotion, thoughts and spirits.

Total solar eclipse was observed throughout Europe on 11 August 1999 at 11:11 am.

The winter solstice of the last day of the Mayan calendar is at 11:11 am on 21 December 2012.

Aquarius is the eleventh sun sign of the zodiac system.

21December 2012 = 21/12/2012 = 2+1+1+2+2+0+1+2 = 11

The sunspot cycle or the solar cycle lasts for 11 years. The next solar cycle starts in 2012.

September 11 is the 254 day of a year: 2+5+4 = 11

Spooky facts:

The first plane crashing against the Twin Towers was flight no 11.

Flight 11 was carrying 92 passengers. 9 + 2 = 11

Flight 77 which also hit Twin Towers, was carrying 65 passengers. Add this 6+5 = 11

The day September 11 is day number 254 of the calendar year. Again 2 + 5 + 4 + = 11. Leaving 111 days left in the year.

The tragedy of 3/11/2004 in Madrid also adds up to 3 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 4 = 11.

The tragedy of Madrid happened 911 days after the Twin Towers. 9+1+1= 11

Randomness...

2011-01-08T02:06:00.000+08:00

Photographed by Bronny.

Location: Stadium UKM

Time: New Year's eve

1.1.11

2011-01-02T00:23:00.000+08:00

First of all I would like to wish everyone a blessed and happy new year 2011. I guess most of you received lots of text messages and even phone calls last night. I can't afford to reply all the text messages that came in last night. Thus, I decided to post a status update in my Facebook account and wished everyone beforehand. Not to forget, I also put up message(s) through my twitter account. Easy eh?

FYI, this is the second time I sort of celebrated the coming of the new year away from home. I felt kinda sad but I've got no other choice since the semester has already started. Nevertheless, I did have fun with fellow friends here in campus. We planned an impromptu dinner together at the nearest steamboat restaurant. The place is called 'Steamboat Antarabangsa' and it is situated in Bandar Baru Bangi. Only few minutes drive away from UKM.

Then, after dinner, with our protruding stomach, we went back to campus and planned another so-called gathering at UKM stadium while waiting for the clock to strike 12. Little did I know, they already prepared all the junk food, soft drinks and guess what...rice wine as well! Well prepared eh?

We had lots of fun conversations, teasing each other, cam-whoring and I even jogged for ONE lap at the stadium! Lol! What a way to end the year. At the moment, I don't have the pictures with me because I have yet to get my copies from the camera owners. Gonna upload some of the pictures soon. Just you wait.

So, to cut the story short, when the clock struck 12. We all did the usual thing: wishing everybody happy new year. That was also the time when everybody was busy with their phones: texting and calling. The first person that I called that night was none other than my dad. It's his birthday! Too bad I wasn't able to be at home and celebrate the double celebrations. I can still recall the times when I had the chance to celebrate it at home. We always had BBQ session and it was always accompanied by karaoke-ing. Gosh! That was fun!

**********

For this year, I decided not to have any specific new year's resolutions. I just want to go through this brand new year with lots of fun regardless of the winding paths awaiting for me ahead. That's life isn't? We can't really predict what's gonna happen in the future and that makes life interesting.

I have to admit that the year 2010 was indeed an interesting year with lots of ups and downs. I went through so many things throughout the year. Nevertheless, I'm grateful because it actually taught me to become a better person. I'm not saying I've become a truly better person now but all I'm saying is that I'm trying my best as I'm just a normal human being who tend to make mistakes. I know it sounds cliche but it's true...

To my family: Thank you for ALWAYS there for me. Words cannot express how much I appreciate and grateful to have all of you in my life. May God's blessings be with you all always. Amen.

To my friends: Thanks for coming to my life and coloured my life. Without all of you, my life would be dull and mundane.

To my hater(s) *if any*: I also would like to thank you because you actually taught me how to stay positive in life. All I can say is, I can't afford to please everyone in this world and if I've made mistakes, I humbly asked for forgiveness. God bless you.

>>>Cheers everyone! Happy New Year 2011<<<

Better late than never...

2010-12-27T21:58:00.000+08:00

It's already 27th December 2010 and that means 2010 is going for curtain fall in just few more days. Time really flies! And yes...I hope it is never too late for me to wish all of you a happy and blessed Christmas!

Unlike the previous year, this year I had the chance to go back to my kampung in Tambunan. Initially, my parents didn't plan to go back as they thought that they will not get few days off and at the same time I had booked my ticket back to UKM on the 27th (which is today!). I think I'm good at persuading people as they finally gave up and decided to go back to kampung even for only two days.

So, on the 24th we left for Tambunan. Little did I know that my aunt and uncle arrived earlier than us. They came all the way from Kimanis. Wow! As soon as I stepped down from my dad's Hilux, I was greeted by tight hugs from both my aunt and uncle. They kissed my cheek! I was like...'you guys really miss me a lot huh?' *wink* Grandma was also there and she gave me a hug as well. I felt appreciated and most importantly...I felt being loved! What a wonderful feeling on the eve of Christmas.

Later that day, I went to attend the Christmas eve's mass at the church in the kampung. Thanks to Georgie for fetching me from home that day. We came a little bit late than the rest of the congregation. We stepped in and looked for place to sit but there were no more empty slot. A lady approached us and invited to sit at the 'hot spot'. The both of us were asked to sit together with the choir team. Front seat! I was blushed in embarrassment as people were staring at the both of us (especially me because I was more outstanding than Georgie! Hahahha...Kidding)! Nevertheless, we went through the night and pretended like nothing had happened.

On Christmas day, I went to church together with my family. Yes. At the same church. Unlike the previous day, I sat together with the rest of the family. Our own preference of seating and had nothing to worry about people giving 'deadly' stare. ^_^

After the mass, we went to my aunt's place as we planned a family gathering cum open-house on that day. The gathering was awesome! Free flow of food and beverages! I was slightly disappointed as I can't really enjoy the fun as I was having a bad sore throat. I went to see the doc and was told that my larynx was swollen. As a result, my voice became extremely husky and I can't join my cousins karaoke-ing! Dang! What a miss! I ended sitting there, eating, drinking and watching them sing till their heart content. *sigh* Later that day, my sore throat became even worse. By 9pm, I've completely lost my voice! Yup. Thanks to those who forced me to become the emcee. I made myself several glass of warm honey lemon drinks that night.

Music Across Borders

2010-12-08T01:24:00.000+08:00

At last! I have something worth to blog about. *wink*

As a kick start, let me ask you one question. What comes to your mind if you heard the word 'choir'?

As for me, whenever I heard the word 'choir', the first thing that comes to my mind is the image of a group of people singing in unison and harmony (i.e. division of voice).

What I want to share with you today has something to do with choir.

Just so you know, I wouldn't be able to watch the extraordinary performance at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Chancellor Hall on the 5th December if a friend (whom regarded himself as Mr. Whimsical and I don't know why...) didn't offer me a free ticket to that show. Mr. Whimsical if you are reading this, thank you kio! Wait a sec. Did they even bother to check the ticket when we entered the hall? Hmm. Whatever.

Alright. Back to the topic. The choir was unlike any other choir performance that I've ever seen before. The group that performed that night named themselves as Carmina Slovenica Choir. Go Google it if you want to know more about them.

" The vocal ensemble Carmina Slovenica with its artistic director Karmina Šilec is noted for its innovative programming which explores works from the forefronts of the contemporary music scene. With »Choregie – vocal theatre or theatre of voices« Carmina Slovenica is introducing a concept which incorporates contemporary music, drama, movement and other stage elements.[Source: http://www.zbor-carmina-slovenica.si/index.php?id=149&L=1] "

I was astonished by their performance. Simply mesmerizing eventhough I didn't manage to comprehend the whole performance due to language barrier. For your information throughout the whole show (well, most of it) they sang in foreign language (not English of course). Only at the end of the performance they sang in English. It was probably two or three songs. I couldn't really recall. Nevertheless, the performance was awesome! It was theatrical. Not to forget, their costume and the lighting contributed to the 'wow' factor of the show. I was totally amazed. I actually have few recordings of the show with me but the file size was too big (in GB mind you) but no worries because the group has numerous videos uploaded in YouTube. So, you can go and have a look. You might be amazed by their wonderful and artistic performance.

Take a look at these videos of their performance.

Randomness on 24112010

2010-11-24T16:00:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since my last entry. Just so you know I'm currently at my hometown spending my semester break. This is my last semester break as I only have one more remaining semester before I graduate next year. So far, I have yet to experience uber-exciting or interesting things during this holiday but I definitely enjoying my carefree life at the comfort of the home.

Recent happenings:

1) A good friend of mine (Greg) came to visit KK for the first time. I became his so-called 'tourist guide'. I spent my 1st week of holiday touring KK with him. [Greg, if you're reading this, do come again next time. Partay!!]

2) This is lame. I'm now mum's official chauffeur. Gotta wake up early to drive her to work and pick her up later in the evening. Pfft...

3) Something went wrong with my Blackberry. Damn.

4) I had several 'yam-cha' sessions with friends. It's good to see them and had so many things to catch up with.

^^Till my next update. Adios!!^^

I'm coming home ^_^ v

2010-11-12T09:53:00.000+08:00

Finally, it's the curtain fall for this semester and that means I still have 1 more remaining semester as an undergraduate student here in UKM.

Yesterday, I sat for my final paper and I can say it's less depressing than the previous paper ^_^. Little did I know the paper was a two-hour paper with 10 questions and I had to answer all! I wasn't aware of the format till the exam day itself. Ignorance...ignorance. Anyway, I did answer all the questions and left the exam hall 30 minutes before the exam ended. Talking about confidence? ;-)

After the exam, my friends and I decided to go to the faculty to see our supervisor as we're about to hand-in our completed thesis. All that I can think of at that moment was to hand-in my thesis and walked away from the office gleefully. I bet my other friends thought the same way too. Well...it didn't go that way. Unexpectedly, we were told to present our project findings in front of her. It's something like what people called VIVA or whatever you called it. Thing is, we were required to present it front of her at that particular moment without having any preparation at all. I was actually frustrated because she should have informed us earlier that we're going to have a presentation.

So, I was the first one to present my findings and as usual, I tried my best to deliver my presentation despite of having no early preparation. It was an impromptu presentation. During the presentation I was bombarded with questions from my supervisor and that's normal and my job was to convince her with my justifications. There's this one particular thing in my presentation that caught her attention. It's something to do with the term that I used in my research. She claimed it was an inaccurate term. Suddenly the 'question' popped out: "Did you send me your draft?". I was like 'what the?'. FYI, I sent my drafts (yes. plural.) so many times through e-mail and she didn't even bother to respond to it. I was really frustrated.

Anyway, I've done with that. I just keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best. That's all I can do now...

Most importantly, I'm coming home today! All packed and I'm ready to leave for KK...

Adieu. Till my next update. ^_^ v

It's all coming back to me now...

2010-10-21T02:00:00.001+08:00

Exam's just around the corner and I ain't gonna talk about it here. I'm just too stressful with everything. It seems like everything comes in a package - a very stressful package! Or maybe it's just me?

Good thing is...I managed to 'escape' for a while last night to watch the uber-exciting Paramore's concert live in KL! Such an awesome way of unwinding myself and too bad it lasted for only several hours. Nevertheless I sang my lung out! Jumped! Screamed! You name it. Regardless of being surrounded by the huge smelly and sweaty crowd I was having a blast!

The next morning I went to class without having the ability to utter a single word from my mouth. I lost my voice! People asked me about the concert but unfortunately I can only give them the sorry-I-lost-my-voice gesture. I was temporarily mute till lunch time.

Ok. Back to the topic. I had a marvelous time at the concert. Yes I did but now I'm back to my somber-self, the melancholy side of me. People always see the fun and quirky sides of me and that's all because I try as much as possible not to let other people see me with miserable look.

I guess sometimes I just can't control the situation. Just like the weather. It was nice and windy in the morning and suddenly became stormy later in the afternoon. I felt so terrible today and all I wanted to do was just sleep and hoped everything would vanish in just split second.

Nope. It didn't happen that way. I pulled out the courage within me and went to the library alone with the hope of completing the remaining assignments. I sat at the usual place and started to do my thing then suddenly the feeling came by. The kind of feeling that I myself couldn't explain. Somehow, I was stuck there and stared at the computer screen without moving my limbs. Not doing anything. I was somehow lost. I lost my mood.

I feel like crying but the tears just won't come out. People once told me, it's better to let the tears to roll down on the cheek rather than crying in the heart. I have to agree with that but with the situation I am at right now, I just can't do anything. I'm crying inside.

I have a feeling that I'm going to be like this for the rest of the remaining weeks in this campus for this semester. However, the other side of me is hoping that everything will be just fine.

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

Alright people. I'm going to bed now and I know I will be having difficult time to sleep but I will fall asleep eventually...I really hope for a 'miracle' to happen tomorrow. Crossing my fingers.

Hives a.k.a Urticaria

2010-10-17T13:06:00.000+08:00

SOURCE: http://www.medicinenet.com/hives/article.htm

Hives (medically known as urticaria) are red, itchy, raised areas of skin that appear in varying shapes and sizes. They range in size from a few millimeters to several inches in diameter. Hives can be round, or they can form rings or large patches. Wheals (welts), red lesions with a red "flare" at the borders, are another manifestation of hives. Hives can occur anywhere on the body, such as the trunk, arms, and legs.

It is estimated that 5% of all people will develop urticaria at some point in their lives. Hives are more common in women than in men. Of those with chronic hives (those lasting six weeks or more), some 80% are idiopathic, the medical term which means that no cause, allergic or otherwise, can be found.

One hallmark of hives is their tendency to change size rapidly and to move around, disappearing in one place and reappearing in other places, often in a matter of hours. Individual hives usually last two to 24 hours. An outbreak that looks impressive, even alarming, first thing in the morning can be completely gone by noon, only to be back in full force later in the day. Very few, if any other skin diseases occur and then resolve so rapidly. Therefore, even if you have no evidence of hives to show the doctor when you get to the office for examination, he or she can often establish the diagnosis based upon the history of your symptoms. Because hives fluctuate so much and so fast, it is helpful to bring along a photograph of what the outbreak looked like at its worst.

Swelling deeper in the skin that may accompany hives is called angioedema. This may be seen on the hands and feet as well as on mucous membranes (with swelling of the lips or eyes that can be as dramatic as it is brief.)

What causes hives?

Hives are produced by histamine and other compounds released from cells called mast cells, which are a normal part of skin. Histamine causes fluid to leak from the local blood vessels, leading to swelling in the skin.

Hives are very common. Although they can be annoying, they usually resolve on their own over a period of weeks, and are rarely medically serious. Some hives are caused by allergies to such things as foods, medications, and insect stings, but the large majority of cases are not allergic, and no specific cause for them is ever found. Although patients may find it frustrating not to know what has caused their hives, maneuvers like changing diet, soap, detergent, and makeup are hardly ever helpful in preventing hives and for the most part are not necessary.

Having hives may cause stress, but stress by itself does not cause hives.

In rare cases (some hereditary, others caused by bee stings or drug allergy), urticaria and angioedema are accompanied by shock and difficulty breathing. This is called anaphylaxis. Ordinary hives may be widespread and disturbing to look at, but the vast majority of cases of hives do not lead to life-threatening complications.

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

The reason why I posted the above information is because I suffered from Urticaria as soon as I got back from conducting a program in a secondary school here in Selangor. I had extremely difficult time to sleep because of the itchiness. I wasn't able to stop myself from scratching my body as the itchiness was unbearable.

On the next day (which was yesterday) I went to a specialist hospital in Kajang and consulted the medical officer there. Initially, I didn't know the itchiness was an allergy reaction. It's been 23 years of existence and little did I know I had an allergy. The doc also told me that I have sensitive skin.

The doc told me that the itchiness was caused by the environment factors such as degrading water quality as well as air pollution.

For treatment, the doc gave me a jab on the left cheek of my butt! Yup. On my butt! Apart from that the doc also prescribed me with two types of drugs: Prednisolone (5mg) and Cetirizine 2HCL (10mg).

I'm recovering now. The itchiness has lessen and I can sleep well now without having to scratch all over my body.

Such a pain in the ass...

2010-09-27T00:58:00.000+08:00

I don't like the situation that I'm currently in now. There are so many tasks to be completed and deadlines are approaching. Yep. Talking about student's life - the struggle of a final year student. Stressful indeed. I'm pretty much sure that later in my life when I read this post again I would be laughing because there's going to be a lot more stress moments in the future especially in the working environment.

Thing is, I don't like stress. Period. Regardless of the stress types. I simply hate it. At this moment, I would rather sit down and study for the coming exam. I know studying for the exam could be stressful but not as much as completing all the assignments plus few major projects.

I have a number of tasks that need my attention: discourse analysis, life science project, literature folio and not forgetting my prerequisite "ticket" for graduation - final year project.

Let me break this down.

For discourse analysis, I'm collaborating with my other two colleagues and we're required to analyze a radio interview transcription according to a discourse analysis model. It's not just a mere assignment but it also serves as a mini project. Meaning, we have to come out with a comprehensive and analytical report. Definitely not an easy task to do as everything must be analyzed in details.

Next one is the life science project. I guess this is the second major project for me for this semester after my final year project. This one requires my group members and I to work on a combined project. What I mean is, this major project actually consists of three projects all together. Two projects are related to the theme of sustaining the environment while the other one is dealing with the preserving of local heritage/culture. Our group will be leaving for Terengganu for the implementation of this project. Sounds fun but it comes with an amount of workloads! *sigh*

In addition to that, I've another assignment and I think this is the last one for the literature course for this semester. It's a group work and the task is about producing a folio that is related to the teaching of literature in school. Boring stuff but I've no choice but to complete it...

To 'cherryize' everything, I have the most stressful project for the whole entire course. That is none other than my final year project. Some of you might call it thesis but bottom line is, this one is prerequisite for me to graduate. This project serves as a ticket for me to go on the stage and hold the scroll. Failure to complete my FYP would definitely jeopardize my entire 4 years of bachelors degree studies and not to forget my prior 2 years of foundation course. Yes. Six years of studying for my bachelors degree! This project is really a pain in the ass but I've to go through it anyway.

“In times of great stress or adversity, it's always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive. ”

(Lee Iacocca)

Quote of the day...

2010-09-26T16:20:00.000+08:00

"I am no one special, just a common man with common thoughts. I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me, and my name will soon be forgotten. But in one respect, I've succeeded as gloriously as anyone who ever lived. I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and for me, that has always been enough"

(The Notebook)

Evolution...

2010-09-21T09:47:00.000+08:00

We are so blessed today with the advancement of the technology and it covers almost everything. Technology and computer/internet come hand in hand. Agree? Aight. Ain't gonna elaborate more on that.

What I want to share with you today is how technology (i.e. the Internet) has helped me with my music collection. Almost everything can be assessed through the Internet and the best part is, with few clicks of button or links I get to download my favourite music. Easy right? I bet you do the same too!

Gone are the days when I had to tune in to the radio and wait for my favourite songs to be played by the DJ. I used to have a small radio (i.e. cassette player cum recorder) and I had few blank/empty cassettes with me at that time. I would put the cassette in the radio and pressed the play, record and pause button at the same time. I pressed the pause button because I wanted to wait for the songs of my choice to be played on the radio before I start recording it.

Usually the DJ would give a hint of what song will be played next and I would get myself ready to release the pause button as soon as the song being played. I had to set the correct sound volume because it would eventually affect the playback. It was all about trial and error.

Last time, I had a big box to keep all the cassettes - my music collection at that time! Everything was labeled neatly. I didn't know what had happened to all those collections after my family moved into new house. Somehow all the tapes were "vanished"! *sigh*

That was also the time when almost every house equipped with CD player that comes together with the Hi-Fi set. Mind you, only CD player not VCD/DVD player.

Now, there's no need to do all the hassle of buying blank tapes and recording. Everything can be downloaded and burnt into CD/DVD. Better still, everything can be copied into a flash drive/hard disk and can be assessed anywhere and anytime.

Cassette tape nostalgia. Those were the times when I used this kind of tape.

Social-gathering

2010-09-20T14:54:00.001+08:00

Today's Monday and officially all lectures (in UKM) start on this particular day after a long Hari Raya (Eid) break. This morning I literally dragged myself up from the bed to get myself ready for that one-hour lecture. Talking about Monday blues eh? *Smile*

As you might already know, I didn't go back to my hometown during the recent break and I decided to stay in the campus accompanied by other fellow friends who were also not going back. My residential college (my block to be exact) was literally like an abandoned building. I was the only one there. Actually, another friend of mine in the college also stayed back but he was seldom to be seen in the college because he was working part-time at a fast-food restaurant.

To avoid boredom, I stayed at my friend's room for that whole week! Mind you, he was also alone as his room-mate went back for the break. Max's room was more like a hotel room for me during the break. My other friends also came to the room and we did organize a small-scale "social-gathering". It was fun to spend time with them rather than confining myself between the for walls of my own room. We had impromptu plan. Since all cafeteria were closed during the break we had no other choice than to go out to eat or worse comes to worse, just cook!

Cooking and eating together with friends were more enjoyable as oppose to just go out and have meal with friends at restaurants. Agree? That was when the idea of having BBQ plus steamboat came in. Bought the necessary stuff and ta-da!! Everything was ready on the table. The preparation process was fun and often filled with laughter as everybody seemed to mock each others' cooking skill!

The fun part was the eating part! Despite of lacking some cooking skills, we managed to prepare satisfactory meals. BBQ-ed chicken wings, sausages and fish were all "vanished" within few minutes! Not to forget the steamboat. Everybody went back to their respective colleges with protruding tummy!

The "social-gathering" didn't just stop there. Accompanied by some of the leftovers, the guys decided to extend the 'happy-hours' in the room. Turned on the lappy. Browsed the YouTube site and searched for karaoke songs! Thanks to the uber-fast internet connection. We transformed the room into a karaoke room!

And of course, a "social-gathering" wouldn't be complete without booze! *Grin* We've got ourselves "sufficient amount" of booze just enough to make everybody "happy"...Lol

Well, that's basically how I spent my Eid break in the campus and I'm looking forward for the next "social'gathering". *Smile*

Amidst the silence...

2010-09-13T03:04:00.000+08:00

At this point, I can only hear the sound of the spinning fan on the ceiling, the tapping of the keyboard, and soft music playing in my computer. I'm pretty much sure that I'm alone in this place: Block K16A, Room 311. The rest of the tenants are still enjoying the holidays at their respective hometowns. This time around, I decided not to go back. Wait a sec. I didn't get the chance to go back because the flight tickets were far way too expensive. Blamed myself for not booking the ticket earlier. I wouldn't want to fork RM700+ from my account just for a one-way trip from KL to KK. Nope!

So, here I am confined between these four walls and enjoying the privilege of the 'temporary' high-speed Internet connection. I'm enjoying myself watching online streaming without having to wait for the long buffering time. Everything is fast and smooth. How I wish the Internet connection will permanently have such speed during the entire semester...*sigh*

I should be completing my assignments now but I'm too lazy at this moment. Oh! I'm so good in procrastinating my work!

*Yawning* Ok. Enough for now. I'm going to count the sheep...

ZZZzzzz....

Do you know?

2010-09-02T22:28:00.000+08:00

I came across this piece of writing or rather a note posted by one of my favourite local writers - Mdm. Tina Kisil. She's a local Sabahan and has written a wonderful book entitled "Footprints in the paddy fields". I love reading the book as it was written in such a way that actually triggered my childhood memories. Not totally the same as hers but at least some of it.

Just to prove that I bought the book and read it! *wink*

However, this post is not about the book but I just want to share with you an interesting fact or rather a note written by her (Tina Kisil) in her Facebook page.

DO YOU KNOW that the Sabah state anthem was aired over Radio Sabah for the very first time on 19 July 1963? It was performed by the North Borneo Police Force and broadcast 43 days before Sabah was granted self-rule by the British government. The government (still British then) held a competition which attracted 35 entries. The winning entry was composed by Mr. Henri Boniface Hermann (1888 – 1964). He was a Pole (native of Poland… nothing to do with pole dancing ah!) and grew up in Poland before he became a citizen of Singapore.

The following is the anthem and the official translation:

Sabah tanahairku

Negeri kita yang tercinta

Pemuda pemudi

Semua marilah

Bangunlah bersatu semua

Marilah bersama serta maju jaya

Merdeka sepanjang masa

Bersatu segala bangsa sentosa

Sabah negeri merdeka.

Sabah, my homeland

Our beloved state

Men and women, come

Arise all together

Come together to be successful

Always staying Independent

Unite all, nation prospers

Sabah, the independent state.

It’s a pity that many youngsters (and even learned oldsters!!) are confused about the date of Sabah’s independence. Apparently, they have been led to believe that Sabah gained independence on 31 August 1957. Wrong, people!

I got the following info from the North Borneo Herald, a blog I came across, and want to share it with you. Of course I’ve known the details all along because I was already in Primary Six when the British granted self-rule to Sabah on 31 August 1963.

History of Sabah: A quick history lesson for you!

Original name: State of North Borneo (founded in 1881)

9th July 1963: Name changed to Sabah

31st August 1963: Sabah becomes independent

16th September 1963: Sabah together with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore merge to form a new country called the Federation of Malaysia

Kudat: Capital of Sabah 1881-1883

Sandakan: Capital of Sabah 1883-1946

The Twenty Points: Conditions set out by Sabah for the formation of Malaysia (available on Wikipedia)

Malaysia Agreement 1963: The document that became the basis for the formation of Malaysia (available from the Government Printing Office in Jalan Tuaran, KK)

30th September 1968: The name of Sabah's capital Jesselton changed to Kota Kinabalu

Henri Boniface Hermann (1888-1964): Man who composed Sabah state anthem

Datuk Donald Stephens: The first Chief Minister of Sabah

Tun Datu Mustapha Datu Harun: The first Yang Di-Pertua Negara of Sabah (not yang dipertua negeri)

1967: Sabah held its first state elections

The North Borneo Armed Constabulary: The name of the Sabah State Police before Malaysia was formed

North Borneo Herald: First newspaper in Sabah since 1883

North Borneo News: Newspaper under the British government 1946-1949

Sabah Times: The first newspaper published by a local Donald Stephens in 1949

I hope I have been able to help clear some confusion, especially regarding the day Sabah gained independence as well as the day Malaysia was born. Every time you sing our state anthem, please say a silent prayer and ask the Almighty to bless our homeland so we will continue to live in harmony in spite of our ethnic, religious and cultural diversities.

Thank you madam for such a wonderful info!

Blood ties...

2010-09-02T11:34:00.000+08:00

I went online after the 'panic-attack' incident (refer to previous post). I logged on to my Facebook account and I noticed I had one message in my inbox. I opened and read it. It was actually a forwarded message sent by my former school-mate.

The message...

MENCARI ABANG KANDUNG
Wita @ Jennifer Bt Doluman mencari Abang Kandung saya :

Nama : Rusbin Bin Daluman
Asal : Kg Gumandang Kudat

Abang kandung saya telah dipenjarakan pada tahun 1993 tetapi menurut auntie saya, dia telah dibebaskan awal.

Selepas bebas, dia tidak balik ke rumah sehingga sekarang kerana malu.
Saya teramat rindukan abg saya.. kami terpisah ketika saya masih kecil..
Saya mencari beliau kerana untuk memaklumkan bahawa Ayah kami telah meninggal dunia dan sekarang tinggal emak

PONULINGAN BT LILON masih hidup tetapi sering sakit kerana tua.

Sesiapa yg mengenali atau mempunyai maklumat mengenai Rusbin Daluman bolehlah menghantar maklumat ke email

dj@sabahan.fm

Today's ramblings...

2010-09-02T11:26:00.000+08:00

As a start, I just want to tell you that I had a terrible panic attack few moments ago. My laptop was not able to get started. I was panicking because I was thinking about my final year project's file in the hard disk. What would happen if I lost all the files? I would have to start all over again and that really sucks to the core isn't? Something miracle happened. I truly believe it was a miracle. Want to know why? As I was worrying about my laptop, Julian (a good friend of mine) came into my room and checked my laptop. He rebooted it for two consecutive times. Mind you, I did the same thing before he came in as well and nothing's changed. However, after Julian's second attempt, my laptop started normally. It was a relieved. Thank God! Thanks to Julian as well for his 'magical touch'.

Here and there...(Part 2)

2010-08-28T12:42:00.000+08:00

So, this is the 2nd part...*drum rolls*

There was nothing special being planned yesterday (27th) apart from going out for lunch with some friends. I was actually asked to join by the girlfriend the night before through SMS. Like I said, I had no plan or whatsoever on Friday so I replied 'Yes' to her. She told me that we're going to leave at 11 in the morning and I agreed.

Friday morning was a bit gloomy. I was pretty much sure it was going to rain later that day. I got myself ready and off I went to the bus stand. After few minutes waiting, a bus came and I hopped on the bus. I managed to get a seat in front. As the bus stop at the next stop there were lots of people getting into the bus. Friday was declared as a public holiday - Nuzul Al-Quran. So, those who lived within the vicinity went back to their respective home. How I wish I could go home just like them...

The bus was terribly crowded and everybody was sardined! It was such a relief upon arriving at the train station. We hopped off the bus and walked to the Chinese eatery located just nearby the KTM station. Upon arrival, we took a long table under hanging fan on the ceiling, It was gloomy but the heat was almost unbearable. Talking about Malaysian weather eh? Anyway, everybody took their food and enjoyed it to their heart's content.

After lunch we walked back to the bus stand to wait for the next bus back to campus. We waited for almost an hour and no bus came in. Damn. All of us forgot that it was Friday and it was the time for the Muslims to perform their Friday prayer. That clearly explained why there was no bus on that particular time. So, all of us walked to the golf driving range nearby and I was actually puzzled on why the place was chosen at the first place. Some even suggested to have few strokes there but I was not keen to join. I left them there and walked back to my residential college. I was lucky because the college was not too far.

I arrived at my room sweaty. Told you about the heat. I took a short rest and went online. Suddenly, my BlackBerry beeped. One message received. I opened it and read. Another friend of mine asked me to accompany him to KL. I was not sure how but one thing for sure I agreed and went to take my shower. It was approximately around 2.30 p.m. that I left for KL with my good friend, Greg.

We went to Bukit Bintang or what people called the "Golden Triangle". Our first destination was Lot 10 shopping mall. There was nothing much the both of us can do there so we decided to go to Pavilion. The two mall contrasted each other. More people were going to Pavilion as opposed to Lot 10. Pavilion offers more variety I guess.

We entered the mall and patronised Padini Concept Store. There were having sale! So, we went to check out several of the items and took it to the fitting room. Greg tried four or five shirts at the same time whereas I only tried to put on the cardigan.

I tried it and guess what. Bought it! Woohoo!!

Greg also didn't want to lose. He's the devil actually. I wasn't planning to buy anything but this dude was really the devil....a few intimidations along the way and ta-da! The cardigan was already on the counter waiting for the ~~credit~~ debit card to swiped by the cute cashier *wink*.

After shopping we went down to Carl's Jr to grab something to munch. It was a perfect place for people who were not on diet. If you do, then screw your diet! "Screw your diet" was exactly the tagline we saw outside the restaurant. Lol...

I ordered Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger (medium-sized). It was medium but I can confidently say it's super huge! I was struggling to finish the whole burger and left my fries untouched. By the way, speaking of the fries, Carl's Jr's fries were special because it was totally different from the fries of other famous fast food eateries. The size was huge and thick. You can tell the potatoes were freshly peeled and sliced into long pieces. Some of the potato skins were still visible on the fries! Nice! Another thing that I liked about Carl's Jr. is that you can always refill your drinks regardless of the flavours from the drinks dispenser located next to the counter.

I'm loving this place. Seriously.

Remember the Ad? Brilliant!

The burger that I ordered looked something like this. I love the bacon slices.

Everybody was giving us a fiery stare at the restaurant. I just noticed that everybody was waiting for the time for breaking the fast. So, we were there gobbling our burgers amidst all the stares. Sorry peeps! We left the place while everybody else were about to enjoy the meal. Lol...

Both of us were extremely full and we decided to visit Dorothy Perkins to check out the ladies handbags. Nope! Again, don't get us wrong. Greg wanted to check out the handbags upon the girlfriend's request. I was just accompanying him. While I was there, I thought I could get one of those handbags for my mum but I wasn't sure my mom's taste. We went out empty-handed (apart from the shopping bags from Padini) as Greg couldn't find the exact handbags his girlfriend wanted.

The both of us went outside Pavilion where all the fancy restaurants/bistros/bars were located. Our attention was caught upon this particular place. It's called Weissbrau German Bistro & Bar. It's a non-halal place by the way, as they serve alcoholic beverages and pork.

Looking at menu, we told ourselves, "We should've taken our dinner here instead". Everything in the menu looked so tantalizing. *Drooling*

Since the both of us were still full we decided to just having a drink. It's been a while since the both of us sit down together, have a drink or two, and share buddy talks.

I am a happy man! Lol...

When I was in Germany...Hohohohoho!

And the both of us went back with contented heart....

Here and there...(Part 1)

2010-08-28T02:10:00.004+08:00

Hello there!

Sorry for this late update. Nothing interesting lately. It's just that I'm currently preoccupied with lots of projects and that include my FYP (final year project). Stressful!

Actually, there's one incident happened in campus. It's a suicide case according to some people. I'm confused because there are many 'versions' of the story and I didn't know which was true. So, I decided to not give it a damn. God bless the soul of the deceased.

Enough with the horrifying story. If you want to know more about it, just google it. Let's move on to the interesting part. Here we go...

Last Thursday (26th August), I went out with my coursemate cum roomie to KL. It was a long and tiring journey using the KTM train. The plan was to accompany him to shop for his family back in Sibu. At the same time, I was planning to buy a pair of jeans and shoes. So, we decided to go out after the meeting session with our project's supervisor at the faculty. It was quite a stressful day. We made the consensus to go out to unwind ourselves as well as to get the so-called therapy - shopping!

We arrived at Bank Negara KTM station after several stops at various stations. The sky was dark and few crystal drops of rain started to fall down. Luckily, there was no heavy downpour. Both of us walked into Sogo to find place to fill our 'tank'. We went to the top level where the food court was located. There were only few people there as it's fasting month. While I was deciding on the food, I saw a lady rubbing her daughter's back. The little girl was vomiting. Poor girl. I started to lose my appetite the moment I saw the gooey thing but I ordered the food anyway.

After having our meal, we went to Jalan TAR as my roomie wanted to buy few stuff for his family. It was not really packed with people as it was working day plus it was going to rain. We walked into several outlets and finally he managed to get what he wanted. It was quick as he already made prior survey on those items. Then, we returned to Sogo again to accompany him to shop.

Our next stop was Sushi King. The one located next to Low Yatt Plaza. We stopped there for while to indulge ourselves with some sushis. Interestingly, most of the staff in that particular outlet were of Sabah origin. The accent was too distinctive. I was actually surprise upon noticing that. I felt like I was having sushi in an outlet somewhere in KK. Seriously. I felt like I was back home for a moment. Bangga Kita!! (a tagline I learnt during a function organised by the Momogun Society at Wisma PKPS recently) Lol....

Next, we walked into Sungei Wang Plaza. It was crowded as it was already the time for breaking the fast. Everybody was busy looking for a place to break their fast. Luckily, we stopped for a while at Sushi King prior entering Sg. Wang. Otherwise, we would be having problem finding place to eat. So, I found my pair of jeans there. My room mate got one pair for himself too. Later after that, we went to several shoes shops to find shoes for myself. There were ample choices and I couldn't make up my mind. I found one nice pair of shoes but unfortunately, the size for my feet was unavailable. Damn.

I gave up finding shoes at Sg. Wang and we moved to Times Square. I entered this one particular shop (I forgot the name of it) and my attention was caught to this particular shoes. It is simple, nice and comfy. Tried it and felt satisfied. I took it to the counter and paid for it. It cost me RM69.90 but I liked it so much and wouldn't mind paying for it. Ka-ching! There goes the money. Seriously, I spent a lot recently *sigh*.

Remember the jeans that I bought at Sg. Wang? The size of the waist was fine but unfortunately a little alteration needed to be done at the bottom to cater the need of a vertically-challenged person like me! Don't get me wrong. I'm not a midget. Lol...So, both of us sent our jeans to this one tiny alteration shop located at the far-end corner of the 3rd level (if I'm not mistaken). The tailor told us that it will take approximately 30 minutes for her to finish altering both jeans. Therefore, we decided to go for window shopping to kill the time.

While walking, we stumbled upon this one humble-looking spa cum massage parlour in the mall. We tried the fish spa. It was my first time, mind you. As I sat on the wooden seats and dangled both of my legs into the tank, a large school of silver-ish, anchovies-looking fish swarmed my legs. For a moment, the small room was filled with laughter from the both of us. It was ticklish and we tried so hard to calm ourselves! Within seconds, the feast began. I even lifted my legs out of the water several times and my room mate was doing the same amidst squeals of laughter and controlled giggles!

The fish were more attracted to my legs and my room mate said that his legs' skin was more healthy than those of mine (whatever...hahaha) and that's the reason why most of the fish were 'feasting' on my legs. Might be true eh?

We were told that the fish only eat dead skin and therefore will only leave the healthy skin alone. The toothless (I think) fish will only nibble the away the scaly skin leaving the skin smooth and glowing! Guess what? We didn't have to fork out our money as it only cost us a mere RM5 (for 30 minutes)! Very cheap indeed. After 'feeding' the fish with our dead skin, we spent another extra 10 minutes for a head-and-shoulder massage. It was so refreshing. I actually wanted to extend the time but unfortunately it was already late and we needed to catch up with the train. Next time perhaps.

We went back to the alteration shop to take our jeans. The alteration cost me RM7/pair. The price was still reasonable. Not too expensive for an alteration. Back in KK, I would send my jeans/trousers for alteration at the tailors along the shops at the Filipino market. They will sit behind their sewing machine outside the souvenir shops waiting for people to send their clothes to be altered. I'm not sure about the exact price for the alteration but usually I only have to pay RM5 to RM7. More or less the same like the one in Times Square (KL).

After we got our jeans altered, we walked back to the KTM station to catch the next train to UKM. Along the way, we couldn't stop from talking about how beautiful, healthy, clean and smooth our legs are! Lol...

That was pretty much how I spent the day with my room mate in KL on the 26th August.

This is embarrassing...

2010-08-19T20:42:00.000+08:00

This morning, I attended a mass lecture for a subject called Life Science. Basically, it's just one of the prerequisite subjects that I should take for my course.

We shall go to the 'embarrassing' part...

The lecturer was giving her lecture in front and she's the type of lecturer that prefers interactive class. She would read the notes on the slides, provides some explanation and points to random student and ask for his/her opinion on the particular topic. Today, I was one of the random students being picked by her. Not once but twice!

So, what is so embarrassing about today's lecture?

As I said earlier, I was chosen by the lecturer to give my personal opinion on a topic. It was something about the economic disparity between the urban and rural areas (if I'm not mistaken). The lecture was conducted in Bahasa and the question that was posed to me was also in Bahasa. So, presumably, I suppose to respond to the question in Bahasa.

So, I stood up in front of the other students. I was pretty much sure that there were more than 100 students in that lecture hall. I think it's more than that. Anyhow, I stood up and started to give my respond to her question in Bahasa which I somehow find extremely difficult as I could not express it by using proper Bahasa. I'm not saying that being enrolled in the TESL program has made me lost my ability to speak in Bahasa. No! This is actually a problem I've been facing since my schooling years. I've no problem communicating in Bahasa but the type of Bahasa that I'm using is only applicable for informal situation. I also use the other variety of Bahasa - the Sabahan dialect.

I had a very difficult time in using formal BM and I ended up getting laughed by my friends. I think the rest of the students in the hall were also had a hard time to comprehend my response. Blame me for my terrible usage of formal BM. So, along the way, I decided to explain by using both Bahasa and English.

After the lecture I could not stop myself from feeling too embarrassed by the experience. Really need to polish up my Bahasa. Seriously.

Almost unbearable...

2010-08-09T22:17:00.000+08:00

I was at the open area for a mere couple of hours for the convocation and never even crossed my mind that I would get myself a heat-stroke. A mild one.

Heat stroke is a form of hyperthermia, an abnormally elevated body temperature with accompanying physical and neurological symptoms. Heat stroke is a true medical emergency that can be fatal if not properly and promptly treated. (Taken from: medicinenet.com)

I felt something was amiss when I was outside in an open area waiting for our graduate friends to come out from the hall. I decided to ignore the feeling as I thought it was normal. I was wearing my contact lense but somehow my vision was kinda blurry. "It must be the bright sun ray", I told myself. So, I put on my shade and stayed there till they came out.

After spending time congratulating, photoshooting and tossing them up in the air, I together with some of my friends walked to Pusanika to attend a meeting. The walk to the meeting place was somehow unbearable to me but I walked anyway. I felt a little bit difficult to breathe (mind you, I'm not asthmatic). Again, I thought it's normal because of the long walk from the hall.

I sat for the meeting and it was a short meeting. Less than an hour to be exact. In the middle of the meeting, I felt very uneasy due to the fact that my body temperature was increasing. I could feel the heat even through my eyes. You know, just like the fever. Then the nausea, dizziness and fatigue came kicking in. What a combination! I felt so damn terrible.

I walked back to my hostel after the meeting. Yes. I walked. It was like walking on a never-ending road. Everything seems so slow and so far away. I'm not exaggerating. I felt that literally. Accompanied by my two good friends, I walked back in a very slow pace. Just when I thought I couldn't continue the walk, I finally reached my hostel.

I took a tablet of Paracetamol and drank lots and I mean lots of water! I felt my stomach protruding because of the huge amount of water I drank.

Now, I feel slightly better. I'm still feeling feverish now but I hope it'll be over soon.

Moral of the story: Drink lots of water, bring umbrella/cap and don't forget the shades as well *wink*...

Since I found you...

2010-08-05T01:32:00.000+08:00

To whom it may concern...

SINCE I FOUND YOU

(by Christian Bautista)

I think of you in everything that i do

To be with you what ever it takes i'll do

Cause you my love you all my heart desires

You've lighten up my life forever i'm alive

Since i found you my world seems so brand new

You've show me the love i never knew

Your presence is what my whole life through

Since i found you my life begin so new

Now who needs a dream when there is you

For all of my dreams came true

Since i found you

Your love shines bright

Through all the corners of my heart

Maybe you are my dearest heart

I give you all i have my heart my soul my life

My destiny is you

Forever true... i'm so in love with you

Since i found you my world seems so brand new

You've show me the love i never knew

Your presence is what my whole life through

Since i found you my life begin so new

Now who needs a dream when there is you

For all of my dreams came true

Since i found you

My heart forever true...

In love with you..

When I say...

2010-08-02T18:25:00.000+08:00

I'm not really a literature person but when it comes to poetry, I really admire the poems written by Maya Angelou. Simply mesmerizing. This particular poem that I want to share with is one of my favourites. It's called "I am a Christian".

After reading it once, I said to myself, "This is so true. What more can I say?". I was amazed by the poem, the choice of words and most importantly, the message that Maya herself wanted to convey. A marvelous piece of writing I would say.

When I say… “I am a Christian”
I’m not shouting “I’m clean livin’.”
I’m whispering “I was lost,
Now I’m found and forgiven.”

When I say… “I am a Christian”
I don’t speak of this with pride.
I’m confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say… “I am a Christian”
I’m not trying to be strong.
I’m professing that I’m weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say… “I am a Christian”
I’m not bragging of success.
I’m admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my
mess.

When I say… “I am a Christian”
I’m not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say… “I am a Christian”
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say… “I am a Christian”
I’m not holier than thou,
I’m just a simple sinner
Who received God’s good grace, somehow.

Happy Friendship Day...

2010-08-01T17:50:00.001+08:00

I didn't know that today is Friendship Day until few friends of mine text-ed me. As far as I can recall, the last time I had the chance to so-called celebrate this day was during my schooling years. Those were the times when everybody in the school prepared tiny "greeting cards" to be distributed to their (closest) friends. Mind you, the cards were all damn gorgeous especially those prepared by the girls. Some even got the cards laminated! Very the semangat.

Here are some facts about Friendship Day that I found online.

When is Friendship Day?

Celebrate Friendship Day 2010 on August 1, Sunday

Human beings are social creatures and have always valued the importance of friends in their lives. To celebrate this noble feeling it was deemed fit to have a day dedicated to friends and friendship. Accordingly, first Sunday of August was declared as a holiday in US in honor of friends by a Proclamation made by US Congress in 1935. Since then, World Friendship Day is being celebrated every year on the first Sunday in the month of August.

So, peeps. I would like to wish all of you Happy Friendship Day! God bless...

This beautiful idea of celebrating Friendship Day was joyfully accepted by several other countries across the world. And today, many countries including India, celebrate the first Sunday of August as Friendship Day every year. Celebrating Friendship Day in a traditional manner, people meet their friends and exchange cards and flowers to honor their friends. Lot many social and cultural organization too celebrate the occasion and mark Friendship Day by hosting programs and get together.

It may be noted that some associations celebrate Friendship Day in an entirely different time of the year and with different customs. For instance,

National Friendship Day is on the first Sunday in August.

Women's Friendship Day is on the third Sunday in August.

International Friendship month is February.

Old Friends, New Friends Week is the third week of May.

However, what is remarkably same is the idea behind the celebration of the day. Everywhere, people express love for their friends and cherish their presence in life.

Source: http://www.friendshipday.org/when-is-friendship-day.html

So, peeps. Happy Friendship Day and God bless!

Pic credit: Google image.

simply because I care...

2010-07-30T11:46:00.000+08:00

Stop Kaiduan Dam

Target:

Chief Minister of Sabah

Points of concern

2010-07-29T00:30:00.000+08:00

Comments on Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) for
the 300MW Coal-Fired Power Plant in Sinakut, Lahad Datu, Sabah.

Key points for public comments:

1. One of the objectives for the DEIA is to improve on the environmental design of the project. However, the public or technical people are unable to assess the environmental design as it is not outlined/described and it is therefore difficult to know the efficiency of the plant. For instance, the DEIA does not specify the type of plant parts used. To assess the plant, we need to know types of parts used for the coal plant as the type used will determine efficiency of the plant in the waste generated.

2. The potential mitigation measures mentioned in the DEIA are shallow and general. One of the objectives of the DEIA is to facilitate informed decision making. However, the DEIA report does not allow for this as there is a lack of basic design details, poor data on the marine environment, and assumptions of sufficiency based on no data are unacceptable at this level of review and assessment.

3. Compensatory mitigation for impact on marine environment, loss of income, health impact, greenhouse gases and others are completely overlooked.

4. Earthquake risk: It is inaccurate to say that the site is safe from earthquake tremors. The whole Dent peninsula is within the 40-100 kilometre range of earthquake tremors generated onshore and offshore. In April 2008, an earthquake at the Celebes Sea caused tremors in the Tungku area, near the proposed site. This resulted in cracks on several buildings including SMK Tungku and Hospital Tungku. A New Sunday Times article on 20th May 2007 quoted Sabah Mineral and Geoscience Department director Alexander Yan as saying Sabah has experienced 78 quakes in the last century.

5. Sampling done for the DEIA do not cover a wide enough range of sites to give a full understanding of the site and its surroundings. In short, sampling site chosen are not good enough to represent the area. In assessing the marine area, only two days were taken for sampling and why certain sites were chosen were not indicated. A habitat map showing sand, mud/silt, seagrass, rocks, corals and areas of high benthic diversity should have been done. Comparisons are made with far away locations and coral ecosystems instead of similar habitats. This is misleading.

6. There is no mention that Darvel Bay is home to resident and migratory marine animals like turtles, whale sharks, dolphins, dugongs and others.

7. Fish species used in the report as indicators are not representative of species found at the site. The species list should have been modified to cover locally common, unique or commercially important species.

8. There will be a large impact on larvae fish according to the study, but that there will be no impact on adult fish. It is misleading for the DEIA to state that there is no impact on adult fish as larvae wont have a chance to grow. Marine zones like seagrass, mudflats and mangroves are spawning areas for fish and crustaceans. Impact on fish larvae will effect fish populations over a wider area.

9. In its list of mammal species, the report stated two mammals that are not present in Sabah. The two are wild pig (Sus scrofa) and Dusky langur (Semnopithecus obscurus). In its list of bird species, the White rumped shama is not present in Sabah.

10. There is a lack of assessment and interpretation of results on phytoplankton. The report calculates Boyd’s Biodiversity index for phytoplankton and shows it to have a value approaching that of pristine waters, but this is not indicated.

11. The socio-economic study is doubtful. It states that the community in Kampung Sinakut are squatters, which cannot be the case for a traditional village with a village headman. The DEIA also states that “Orang Sungai” are of Indonesian descent. This clearly shows ignorance on the part of those doing the study.

12. A baseline study shows that acid rain is already present at the site with a pH of 4.66. There is a need to further study why acid rain is happening in the area. It is also wrong to compare agriculture and forested Dent peninsula with Petaling Jaya which is industrialised and urbanized.

13. Climate change as a major impact is not mentioned. The scope of the DEIA should include measures to minimise/mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from the proposed project.

14. Despite repeated newspaper articles that mention clean coal technology will be used, there is no mention of it in the DEIA. This is a cause of grave concern. Also there is no such thing as “clean coal technology” today hence it is extremely misleading to use this term.

Taken from: Green SURF

Expressing my concern

2010-07-29T00:27:00.000+08:00

29th July 2010

To:
The Department of Environment, Malaysia.

Comments on the Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment for the 300 MW coal-fired power plant in Lahad Datu, Sabah.

Having read the DEIA report that was put up at some public places, I have a number of concerns on the overall project. There are glaring technical issues:-
• the existing physical environment has been wrongly represented by the consultants, thereby misleading the public;
• the full adverse impacts from the plant has not been discussed analytically,
• identification of species that do not exist in Sabah have been listed, and
• that potential mitigation measures are shallow and too general.

This does not allow me to assess the real situation. In short, the whole study is faulty and should be dismissed.

I would like to single out some points which I feel are important to Sabah’s tourism industry and our potential as a seafood basket for the nation and region. The following are my comments:

1. There is no mention that Darvel Bay is home to resident and migratory marine
animals like turtles, whale sharks, dolphins, dugongs and others.

2. Fish species used in the report as indicators are not representative of species found at the site. The species list should have been modified to cover locally common, unique or commercially important species.

3. There will be a large impact on larvae fish according to the study, but that there will be no impact on adult fish. It is misleading for the DEIA to state that there is no impact on adult fish as larvae wont have a chance to grow. Marine zones like seagrass, mudflats and mangroves are spawning areas for fish and crustaceans. Impact on fish larvae will effect fish populations over a wider area.

I am unimpressed with the way this study has been carried out, and I will continue to closely monitor the next step that the government takes on this plant.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Name: STEVE GEORGE
IC number: 8XXXXX-4X-5XXX

Today's random thought...

2010-07-20T21:32:00.000+08:00

I'm already in my second week of the new semester and life has been great so far. Thank God for that. I go to lecture as usual. Attend meetings. Meet up with friends. Go for outings. Well, basically I'm living a life as a normal university student. Of course, there are times I get bored with the life in campus but come to think about it, life in UKM is not that bad at all. As a matter of fact, I'm enjoying myself here.

I'm now in my final year of my undergraduate studies and most of my friends are already working and some even currently taking the masters program. Thanks to that two years of foundation program, otherwise I would already graduated by now. *Grin*

Nevertheless, I'm glad that I still have 2 more semesters to go as student. Only God knows when I will be able to become a student again after I started working later.

As for the time being, I'll live my life to the fullest as a student here. I'll try to enjoy my life here in UKM despite the fact that I will be abundantly filled with lots of stress. Yep. Taking about the life of a final year student.

Okay people. Will keep you updated.

The Finale

2010-07-11T22:31:00.000+08:00

In just few hours, the whole world will spectate the crowning of the 2010 FIFA World Cup champion. The Spaniards or the Dutch?

SPAIN

NETHERLANDS

Farewell...

2010-07-08T14:23:00.000+08:00

Officially, I will only be leaving the school where I'm at now tomorrow. The date 9th July will commemorate my final day of practicum in this school. I must say that I've learned so many things both from the teachers and the students as well. I enjoyed teaching my students (form 1E and 2B) even though there were times they got on my nerves! That's normal isn't?

Gone are the days that I have to prepare proper lesson plans together with the teaching aids (well, at least for a while). Most importantly, I will not be having any observations *grin*. Hence, my life as a teacher will end (temporarily) and life as a student will commence very soon *sigh*. Instead of going to class to teach, I will be going to class to learn.

Some of the cohorts might feel sad to leave their respective school but as for me, I don't feel anything. I mean, seriously. I guess I didn't have a strong sense of belonging in this school and I set my very own mind to complete the prerequisite requirements of my teaching practice. I'm not sure whether I'll be missing this school. Maybe. I don't know.

One thing for sure...I'll be leaving this school tomorrow. Good bye SMK Jugra. Hello UKM.

p/s: Gosh. Gotta prepare my so-called farewell speech...

I couldn't ask for more...

2010-06-30T15:27:00.000+08:00

Just so you know, I have less than 2 weeks here in this school for my teaching practice. I just got observed by my lecturer for the second time few moments ago. The first one was yesterday. Yes. I got myself being observed for two consecutive days!

I've received many positive comments from my supervisor and I'm thankful for that. I'm glad that he satisfied with my teaching. I would also like to thank my students of class 1E and 2B for being so "angelic" that it stirred my curiosity *grinned*. Anyway, thank you peeps!

All this while I've been told by my former teachers/lecturers that I should never ever underestimate the students' potential. Yes. That's true. However, I can still see a handful of the teachers here in this school who tend to look down on the students *sigh*.

I was once approached by this particular teacher and she asked me which class I'm going to teach. Once she knew that I'm going to teach this particular class, she told me confidently that the students are "hopeless". I kept myself quite after that. It was like as if she knew I just finished teaching in the class that she came and asked me whether I achieved my objectives. What? Let me break this down. At the first place, was she appointed as my mentor? Nope! Secondly, is she teaching the class? Nope. Next, is she even an English teacher? Nope! Basically, she has nothing to do with class and the subject itself.

The thing is, I manage to prove that the students...wait a sec...MY students are not "hopeless". Take note on that. They are just students that are not interested in any mundane classes. So, the teacher should make an effort to make the class more lively and thus arouse their interest. I'm not doing this to say that I'm an extremely good teacher. Nope. I am just saying that a class should be interesting as possible. I once was a secondary school student and as far as I'm concern, all my English classes were fun. We had video show. We had games. We had so much fun. Enough said.

Bottom line is...we shall never underestimate the students!

We need your favour....

2010-06-24T15:58:00.000+08:00

Hello friends. On behalf of my friends (Dieny & Dominic), I would like to ask for your kind and generous favour to vote for the photo that was submitted for the saga-snap-and-win contest.

The contest is actually organised by PROTON in conjunction with the company's 25th anniversary.

Please click HERE to view the photo that was uploaded and being listed in the top 10.

Please...please...vote for the picture as you (voter) might as well grab the cash prize.

For more information about the contest, please visit the website.

Depressed.

2010-06-24T11:44:00.000+08:00

Hello peeps!

Just so you know, I still have three remaining weeks for my practicum (teaching practice) here in Banting. While most of my friends already being observed by their respective supervisors, I'm still here, clueless and waiting to be observed/evaluated.

Frankly speaking, I can't wait to finish my teaching practice. Don't get me wrong. It's not that I have lost my passion in teaching but it's just so depressing living in a huge house where there are only three people living together? Again, don't get me wrong. I'm thankful to have them as wonderful housemates. Back to being depressed again. Why am I feeling so depressed? Simply because there is no source of entertainment in the house. The only source of entertainment that we have is the thing called laptop.

You might ask, where am I right now with this internet connection? I'm at McD. Thanks to its stable wifi.

Ok peeps. Gotta go. Will try my best to update you from this depressing place...Lol

Gotcha!

2010-06-02T16:36:00.003+08:00

It's already the final week of the exam period of this school where I'm at now. That means, I have another 2 more days for invigilation. Not to forget the pile of essays that are waiting patiently on my table that need to be marked.

Speaking of exam, it is undeniably could evoke myriad feelings for everybody (including me!). I guess exam is school's foremost servant-fiend and everybody's ruthless foe! Agree or not? Well, whatever it is, obviously those who excelled in the exam would be justifiably proud of their achievement whereas those less fortunate may try to find various reasons to deride it. *wink* At its heart, exam is definitely one of the tools utilised to gauge learning, or the lack of it. To put it simpler, exam is established to quantify academic achievement.

Ok. Enough. Ain't gonna bla-bla about exam in this post. What I want to share here is the experience that I had during exam invigilation. I noticed a handful of the students utilised so many tricks to cheat during the exam. I find it funny because it actually reminded me of schooling years in which I cheated during monthly tests (not major examination of course!). Basically, I know (roughly) the students' tricks because I've been in their situation once! *Grin*

Some of the tricks used by students during my invigilation:-

Touching certain parts of the face. Apparently, those parts represent the alphabet for the MCQ questions. Nose for A. Lips for B. Ear for C and cheek for D. Gotcha!
This is the common trick used by students that is using the rubber as medium for exchanging answers. Upper secondary students would use the scientific calculator. Gotcha!
Another ancient trick - cutting the paper into tiny pieces and passing it around. Lame! Gotcha!
I call this the "giraffe" trick. They will stretch their neck to the maximum level and if it is not enough they will also lift their butt a little bit so that they get to see their friend's answer. Gotcha!
This one is infamous but done by students. They will purposely walk to the front/back pretending like he/she would want to ask for permission to go to the loo but apparently the trick done is by taking a glimpse at their friends' paper while walking to the front/back. Gotcha!

So far, that's the only tricks that I managed to "detect". It's somehow funny to see students feeling restless for not being able to copy/cheat during my invigilation and because of that students unanimously called me "cikgu mata helang/cikgu cctv". Lol...

Ok gotta go. Off to exam invigilation. Beware! Hahahaha....

The crown goes to...(drum rolls)

2010-06-01T13:44:00.002+08:00

The result was made official yesterday and I was not able to be there to watch the crowning of the new Unduk Ngadau. *sigh*

However, I received constant updates on the finale from a close friend of mine. I couldn't refrain myself from checking my phone even during my exam invigilation. Hahaha!

So, here's the result...

Winner: Tati (Miss) Crystal Eve Huminodun of Tg. Aru (Center)

1st runner-up: Tati Rochelle Fayrenie of Penampang (Left)

2nd runner-up: Tati Crystal Connie of DBKK (Right)

**3rd runner-up: Tati Ledesma Steven (Tuaran), 4th runner-up: Tati Hannevy Vivie (Tambunan), 5th runner-up: Tati Elforina Jolius (Pitas), 6th runner-up: Tati Debra Fiona (Likas)**

Did you notice her last name? Huminodun? Very significant indeed...

>>The winner<<

>>1st runner-up<<

>>2nd runner-up<<

Pictures taken from Dusun Tatana's Facebook profile.

Kotobian Tadau Tagazo do Kaamatan 2010.

2010-05-31T15:33:00.000+08:00

Kopivosian! Izou ii Steve George mantad Putatan. Maganu zou kosivatan diti do mamason Kotobian Tadau Tagazo do Kaamatan kumaa saviavi tompinai doid nombo nopo.

(Good day! I'm Steve George from the district of Putatan and I would like to take this opportunity to wish Happy Bountiful Harvest Festival to all of you.)

*Status:Yours truly currently at his own desk in the staff room waiting for the time for him to go invigilating the exam again*

It's 31st May and I'm here at this school doing my job as a teacher (doing my teaching practice). I've been receiving innumerable SMS-es from family and friends since last night - wishing me "Happy Kaamatan/Selamat Hari Kaamatan". Although I'm flattered to receive those wonderful greetings but the other side of me is dying to fly back to Sabah!

At this hour, I would've seated in the KDCA hall watching the performances and most importantly setting my eyes to all the contestants of the state-level Unduk Ngadau. At this moment, a close friend of mine is giving me updates on the event; informing me every detail of the event. *wink*

Oh. How I miss those days when I together with my friends had to squeeze ourselves into the hall and wandered all over the place to find suitable place to sit. We always get the seats in top deck as all of the other seats were already taken. Ours (seats) were actually the reserved seat. Not for us but for the orchestra. Apparently, the had to leave after their slot and we waited patiently at the side of the deck. Waiting for them to finish performing. Once they left the seats, we briskly walked to take over the place. *Grin*

The hall will definitely filled with people who came from all over Sabah. They come to support their respective Unduk Ngadaus. Somehow, the crowd will segregate themselves according to the districts.

Speaking of Unduk Ngadau, I went online and found the pictures of the finalists of the state-level Unduk Ngadau competition for the year 2010.

The contestants...

So, who among all these sumandaks will be crowned as Unduk Ngadau for the year 2010? Will get to know the result in just couple of hours. *waiting*

Common sense...

2010-05-26T15:45:00.000+08:00

Usually I will leave the school at around 6.40 p.m.; after the routine assembly. However, yesterday, I had to stay a bit longer at the school because I was instructed to assist the discipline teacher to conduct a spot-check.

Why?

Prior to that, one of the teachers in the school lost his mobile phone or to be exact, the phone was stolen. A student was named as the main suspect and was called to the staff room. As expected, the student refused to admit the offense and I can see tears glistening in his eyes.

Let's just skip the Sherlock Holmes' part of the story. Basically, it's pointless to pinpoint several students to be the suspect. They will deny the accusation anyway. The thing is, why would you leave your valuable thing left unattended on the table in the staff room? Staff room is basically just like other rooms. Nothing special. So, never expect this thing will never happen in room full with teachers. Besides, the room is accessible to both students and even salesperson!

Bottom line is: Don't leave any of your valuable things behind unattended! It's common sense.

Ingrained

2010-05-20T14:38:00.000+08:00

I was sitting at my desk in the staff room while surfing the Internet when Mr. Penyelia Petang approached me and handed me a tiny white slip. A request for relief again for two consecutive days. Without having the opportunity to say 'no' I took the slip and took a short glance at it. No surprise. I had to enter the same class again - Tingkatan Peralihan. Just so you know, that class is meant for students who came from both SRJK(T) and SRJK (C) schools. Meaning, it is prerequisite for them to enroll in the transition class to enable them to so-called get used to the different curriculum in the school.

Well, basically I'm not going to do an explanation about the what tingkatan peralihan is all about. What caught my attention today was the sense of racism that seems to be ingrained in the students particularly the students in tingkatan peralihan.

Everything went well in the beginning until the moment I asked them to form groups for an activity. I was quite shocked because at the very tender age they already have this thing called you-are-not-like-us-so-get-lost! within themselves.

I noticed during the activity there's this one student who preferred to be alone and refused to join the rest.

I approached this particular student and asked him, "Kenapa tak join yg lain?"

Then the student said, "Diorang tak suka saya".

"Kenapa?" I asked again.

"Sebab orang *****(race) itu tak suka orang ****(race) macam saya. Nanti gaduh."

I was stunned for a while. Suddenly another students in the class said, "Sir, masa dah habis." I looked at my watch and realized the period was over. I took my stuff on the table and walked out of the class.

My point here is, racism is not a thing that can be taken for granted. If racism is explicit at the early age of the children, it is often implicit and equally entrenched further - which is already obvious.

Grow up!

2010-05-09T21:32:00.000+08:00

It's been a tough and rough week for me personally. My other two friends might feel the same way as well. But, seriously. How would you react if a person brings nothing but a terrible stress and headache when A (let's just call that person A) is around you? I as well as my other 2 friends had enough stuff to handle in the school - from teaching and dealing with other things in the school. The first thing I desperately wanted to have as soon as I reached home is a good rest after a long tiring day and not dealing with that stupid moron with an attitude. I wouldn't want to endure such an innumerable stress!

I would describe that person as coward, selfish, psychotic, irresponsible, dumb and...annoying!

Grow up, please! Don't be too childish...

Ok. Gotta go. I had enough stress today. My weekend seemed to be wasted. Crap!!

The long and winding road

2010-05-04T17:36:00.000+08:00

At the moment of doing this, I'm sitting at my desk in this stuffy staff room and I've just finished my lesson with the students in class form 2B. That was the only class for me today. Only 2 periods.

I won't be describing my teaching and learning process in this entry as I wanted to share with you my experience prior the commencement of my teaching practice. Here it goes.

Fact #1

On Sunday afternoon, the owner of the rented car (I am renting a car for 3 month as I do not have my own car here) handed over the car key to me. It was a humble Kancil. A tiny and old car. I was glad to have the car because I was able to move into the rented house. Another thing that bothered me was the fact that there were another 3 persons that were going to move their things into the house. Obviously, the tiny car couldn't fit all the things but fortunately Nad, at that time happened to be renting another car - a sedan - because she was driving her parents over to the airport. So, after that she drove back to campus and helped us shifting the things to the house in Banting.

Fact #2

We were on our way to Banting when suddenly I realized the speedometer on the dashboard indicated I was driving at 60 km/h even though I was pretty much sure I was driving faster than that. The feeling of curiosity suddenly came. I knew something was amiss. Then moments later the car jerked and the temperature meter indicated that the car was overheating. I had to stop at the roadside, turned off the ignition, switched on the hazard light and opened the car's bonnet. Clouds of grey-ish smoke billowed from the engine. Felt bad for not checking the water level prior to the journey to Banting. We waited for the engine to cool down a bit and we opened the cap on top of the radiator and filled it up with water. Then, we continued our journey. The car didn't overheat but somehow the temperature meter was still indicating that the engine's temperature was slightly higher than usual.

Fact #3

We went back again to UKM to get the remaining items (yes. two cars were not enough to move all the things in just one trip). I also went to fetch my other two friends as they wanted to go to the airport to catch the flight back to KK. Since, it was already dark and everybody was hungry, we stopped by at McD for dinner. To our horror, the sound of boiling water was heard coming from the engine as soon as we turned off the ignition. Crap! Why would that happened at that particular moment when I was extremely busy and I was few hours away from reporting for duty at the school. I didn't want to take a risk for driving the car for a long distance. Therefore, I decided to leave the car at Hentian Kajang and extended the rent for the other car; the one rented by Nad. So, we used that car to drive my friends to the airport and went back to Banting.

Fact #4

I was not sure what was happening to me on that day. Perhaps, it was my unlucky day. My sandal was spoiled. The strap spoiled!

Fact #5

Both Nad and I reached home at around 2 in the morning and we were damn exhausted. I was not able to recall the time but most probably I went to bed (err...mattress on the floor to be exact) at around 3 a.m. and woke up at 6 a.m. I only slept for about 3 hours and got myself ready to report for duty at school.

Fact #6

When I was reporting myself for duty on Monday morning, the principal told me that I was assigned to teach in the afternoon session. So, the first day of practicum I spent the whole day at school from 7.30 a.m till 6.30 p.m!

Coming soon...

2010-05-01T10:07:00.000+08:00

Exam was already over days before and I'm still here in campus preparing myself for the coming 'big-thing' - practicum. My practicum will officially start to commence on this coming Monday (3rd May 2010) and I'm having a mix of feelings about going to the school. A little bit nervous and excited at the same time. Nervous because it's going to be my first time to teach the students and this time around a supervisor and a mentor will be with me throughout the 3 months period serving as guidance for me. Excited because this is the time for me to immerse in a real environment - school environment - in which I will do all the things that a teacher usually does; from preparing lesson plans till attending teachers meetings and not to forget the core business - teaching. I just hope everything will run smoothly without much hindrance from the day I report myself for duty till the end of the practicum.

I have yet...

2010-04-24T10:15:00.000+08:00

This is just a rambling by yours truly on Saturday morning...

I have yet to finish my exam. 1 more paper to go.

I have yet to consult my supervisor for practicum.

I have yet to call the school to clarify few things.

I have yet finish revising the subject for my final paper. *sigh*

I have yet getting any confirmation about the rented car.

I have yet taken my breakfast.

I have yet taken my bath!!

Howdy peeps...?

2010-04-18T10:51:00.000+08:00

Exam is still on and I just sat 2 out of 6 papers for my final exam this semester. This time around, while other fellow students in the campus are currently preoccupied with the final exam, I together with the rest of the cohort are having two important things in our mind; exam and practicum!

Speaking about practicum, I will be doing my practicum (teaching practice) at SMK Jugra, a school in Banting area and I will start on the 3rd May. At this particular moment, there's nothing to be worried about the school. It's just a matter of waiting for the day for me to go to the school.

Initially, I had a difficult time to find a house to be rented at a reasonable rate. FYI, the school is about 50 minutes to 1 hour drive from UKM and come to think about it, I don't think I can drive to and fro everyday with such distance. Lucky enough, Nad and Leen managed to find a house and they invited me to stay with them. It's a double-storey house and not furnished. I repeat. Not furnished. Empty. Zero. Kosong. Anyhow, I don't give much damn to it. No worries, we'll get it sorted sooner or later. Most importantly, my friends and I have a place to stay and the journey to my school takes only 10-15 minutes drive. Woohooo!!

So, last Friday we went to visit the house. The initial plan was to meet the landlord and to discuss about the payment. After looking at the exterior and interior of the house we all decided to clean the house. I mean serious cleaning was to be made!

The living room...

This supposedly a dining room...

The kitchen...

We spent the whole afternoon to clean the house. Tiring but worth it. Oh yes. Thanks to our helper, Ken, for willing to help us with all the cleaning...

Get the party started...

2010-04-07T23:44:00.000+08:00

Despite the fact that the final exam is just few days shy from now, we managed to spare some time for a simple yet 'fantabulous' party. I had to admit that I wasn't able to pay full attention to my revision few hours prior the party!

At around 7.30 pm, I (together with Ken and Fred) left UKM. Reached Hentian Kajang in less than half an hour. However, we got stranded in front of 7 Eleven for a while because suddenly there was a heavy downpour. Moments later, the rain stopped and we walked to Lester's house which is just few steps away from the bus terminal (Hentian Kajang).

That night, everybody had much fun. Laughter here and there. Eating and drinking. Oh by the way, we had steamboat that night...wonderful!

The man behind the partay was Lester. Thanks Lester for inviting us!

While waiting for makan time...

Excited to start steamboat-ing...

Brenda looked so happy with her 'bambangan'!

Makan time!!

My face seemed to be a lil' bit bloated...or was it just me?

We had joy...we had fun...lalalala

pretty not sure what was happening at that time...

The maid cum bartender that night...lol

The host!

The next morning...

I had a wonderful time last night. Thanks Lester for inviting us. The food was damn good. Drinks? Excellent!! Looking forward for upcoming partay!!

Blessed Easter to everyone!

2010-04-03T09:28:00.000+08:00

Waddup!?

2010-04-02T11:47:00.003+08:00

Hello peeps! Apology...apology. I was caught up with so many things lately and I decided to put everything in this post.

So, what was I up to during the month of March?

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

UKM had a regular maintenance for its power supply and for that purpose, the whole campus had a temporary power disruption - from morning till evening.

It was on Sunday and since there was no electricity in the campus for the whole day, we decided to go for an outing at Putrajaya after the Sunday service at HFC, Kajang.

The month of March also filled with so many dinner functions. My residential college also had one at DECTAR and the theme was "Retro Musical" - if I'm not mistaken. I was initially less interested to attend the function but thinking about the sum of money that had been 'automatically' deducted from the account for the function, I was like "Heck, I paid for that whether I like or not".

Do I look retro enough? :)

Btw, Ruffedge was the guest artist of the night.

Later that night, we went to celebrate Connie's so-called sweet 16 (blueekk) XD and that night was definitely a night to remember. Hahaha...

It all started with this group picture.

Then something went slightly different...

Something fishy was happening at the back and the 'distractors' played their part very well.

and Ta-da!

Mission accomplished!

Another dinner that I attended was the CSSUKM annual dinner. It was held in Country Height Resort, Kajang. A wonderful place indeed...

Hosted the event that night

Performed as well...ngeee

Me and my co-host, Cora.

Picture credit: Gnet

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

That's all for now peeps. Btw, today is April 2. So, I hereby would like to wish all of you a blessed Good Friday...Have a Blessed Easter too!

Another passion of mine...

2010-03-18T00:54:00.001+08:00

I might not have a mesmerizing vocal prowess. I might as well not a versatile singer. Having said that, singing is still one of my passions. I sing almost everyday regardless of time *wink*. As far as I can recall, I started to love singing since my kindergarten years. Yup. I started my early education at a missionary kindergarten - St. Francis Kindergarten - and that was the time when I was exposed to music/singing. Of course, during that time, most of songs were praise and worship kind of songs.

Then, after I completed my pre-school education I moved to primary school. I went to Sacred Heart primary school; a missionary school as well. There, I started to join the school's choir team and attended music class in which I learnt music notes. The first musical instruments I played was the recorder! Unfortunately, I was never good at playing it *sigh*. I lost my passion to learn playing the instruments as well as the musical notes. However, my passion for singing never diminish. I even tried out for Bintang Kecil but never made made it to the final...

In secondary school, I was actively involved in choir. The school always send a team to the inter-school choir competition which is an annual event. During that time, I had the chance to become the conductor as well as singer. Competition was tough back then. Each choir team will not reveal their songs even during the rehearsal - this was done by the "favourites", if u catch my drift. As much as I hated it, there was this one particular school that always become the champion - for most of the years. So, everytime we took part in the competition, people (even the teacher) will say, "Perform well and get the second spot because the champion is already obvious." We were like, "WTH?"

Now, in my tertiary level of education, the passion is still intact. However, I'm no longer participate actively in any choir competition or whatsoever. I've now become a so-called karaoke-addict. Karaoke outlet become a must-visit place during any free time for my friends and I. Gone are the days when the only place to go for karaoke was the tiny karaoke booth that can only fit in four people the most -depending on the body size of course! Rented karaoke room is chosen over the tiny booth simply because the latter has better sound system and much more comfortable. As oppose to the tiny booth, 1 song cost RM1 and most of the time the microphones are not in good conditions - not functioning and even greasy (eeuww!). Rented room is much better because the rate is actually affordable (some outlets have special price for student like me!), there are ample of song collections and look much more exclusive than singing in that tiny booth where people can actually see you from the outside.

Oh. Too much rambling already. Just to let you know that I'll be performing for the coming dinner. It's going to be an acoustic performance. After several discussions with my musicians (cewah!) we decided to perform our renditions of I'm Yours (Jason Mraz) and If I Let You Go (Westlife). My stomach is already started to be filled with gazillions of butterflies than I guess eventually transform into dragonflies! I do love singing but I have this thing called "stage fright"...Hopefully everything will be just fine and most importantly I'll be having a great time performing as singing is indeed another passion of mine.

Feelin' lazy...

2010-03-16T09:25:00.000+08:00

Credit to Google Images

Why do I love you...

2010-03-14T12:36:00.000+08:00

Suddenly she's
Leaving
Suddenly the
Promise of love has gone
Suddenly
Breathing seems so hard to do

Carefully you
Planned it
I got to know just
A minute to late, oh girl
now I understand it
All the times we
Made love together
Baby you were thinking of him

Why do I love you
Don't even want to
Why do I love you like I do
Like I always do
You should've told me
Why did you have to be untrue (love you like I do)
Why do I love you like I do

Ain't gonna show no
Weakness
I'm gonna smile
And tell the whole world I'm fine
I'm gonna keep my senses
But deep down
When no one can hear me
Baby I'll be crying for you

Why do I love you
Don't even want to
Why do I love you like I do
Like I always do
You should've told me
Why did you have to be untrue (love you like I do)
Why do I love you like I do

Can't go back
Can't erase
Baby your smiling face oh no
I can think of nothing else but you
Suddenly

Why do I love you
Don't even want to
Why do I love you like I do
Like I always do
You should've told me
Why did you have to be untrue (love you like I do)
Why do I love you like I do

Oh crap!!

2010-03-12T00:13:00.000+08:00

I was at the backseat of my classmate's car together with my other friends and we're heading back to hostel after the lecture ended. That was the time when I received a text message from the operator that I subscribed reminding me to settle the outstanding bill worth RM350! I was effing shocked staring at the huge amount. Never in my life my usage reached that amount. As far as I recall, my maximum usage was only RM50. No more than that.

I went online and double-checked my account and again I was astounded when I discovered my billing statement has a long list of unknown called numbers. I went through each of the numbers and I can only recognized few numbers that I familiar with. The rest are all unknown numbers! Crap!

Then, I called my dad and told him about it. Dad was also shocked. I asked my dad's favour to go and terminate my account immediately as I was not sure the location of the nearest branch of the provider. Dad agreed. At about 6.50 pm my account was finally terminated. Dad gave me a call through my other number and told me that the officer at the provider's branch in KK initially didn't allow the termination to be made unless he has paid the outstanding bill. Dad told me that he had quite an argument over the issue and decided not to pay a single cent to the company. At last, they gave up and my dad managed to terminate my account without having to fork out a huge amount of money from his wallet.

Having my postpaid account being terminated, I made up my mind and decided to go for prepaid...*sigh*

Take a Bow...

2010-03-10T21:53:00.000+08:00

Take a Bow - Leona Lewis

The flowers are faded now along with your letters

They will never see the light of day 'cause i'll never take them out

There's no turning back it's for the better

Baby i deserve more then empty words and promises

I believed every thing you said and i gave you the best i had

So take a bow 'cause you've taken everything else

You played the part like a star you played it so well

Take a bow 'cause the scene is coming to an end

I gave you love all you gave me was pretense so now take a bow

And the future's about to change before you know it

The curtain closes take a look around

There's no one in the crowd i'm throwing away the pain

And you should know that your performance made me stronger now

So take a bow 'cause you've taken everything else

You played the part like a star you played it so well

Take a bow 'cause the scene is coming to an end

I gave you love all you gave me was pretense so now take a bow

Well it must have been slight of hand 'cause i still can't understand

Why i could never see just what a fool believes

But the lies they start to show

Tell me how does it feel to know right now

That i won't be around so baby before where ever you are

Take a bow 'cause you've taken everything else

You played the part like a star you played it so well

Take a bow 'cause the scene is coming to an end

I gave you love all you gave me was pretense so now take a bow

'cause you've taken everything else

You played the part like a star you played it so well

Take a bow 'cause the scene is coming to an end

I gave you love all you gave me was pretense so now take a bow

Take a bow

2010-03-10T21:39:00.000+08:00

Cheated On Me - Gavin DeGraw

I'm love-sick somewhere tonight
I'm love-sick somewhere tonight
I don't need writing on the wall
I've felt it for so long
Am I even on your mind
Or are you now in...

[Chorus]
Someone else's eyes
Someone else's arms
Someone else's obvious moves
I'm a jealous guy
I hear people talk
And it isn't hard to believe
I think you cheated on me

I've been this love-sick before
I've felt just like this before
There was another just like you
I loved her for so long
But I had poison on my mind
And I drove her into...

[Chorus]
Someone else's eyes
Someone else's arms
Someone else's obvious moves
I'm a jealous guy
I hear people talk
And it isn't hard to believe
I think she cheated on me

[Bridge]
I said I've had this sense before
But I left an open door
For this to walk into my life
And maybe I suspect too much
But it's just hard for me to trust
When I'm all wound up inside
I just drive you off and into...

[Chorus]

Someone else's eyes
Someone else's arms
Someone else's obvious moves

I'm a jealous guy
I hear people talk
And it isn't hard to believe
I was never easy to please
And I think you cheated on me

Homeless...

2010-02-25T15:13:00.000+08:00

Actually I've heard about this news so many times before. Therefore, this is not something alien to me but the thing is, why is this thing still happening till this very day? How many of them are facing bleak future in their very own country?

Try to imagine yourself walking at the roadsides or along the shops/malls here in peninsular and you get to see a number of people stranded and living their life just like a beggar. Even worse, they have no choice than to forage for food; be it the leftovers from restaurants or simply from the dustbins! Mind you, there are not beggars but people who are mainly being cheated by bogus employment agents and also those who became jobless. It is even painful to hear that those people are none other than your own people and in this case I'm talking about the Sabahans. As a Sabahan, it comes to my horror that they are scores of Sabahan youths living like beggars within the confine of the concrete jungle of KL as being highlighted by one of the local newspapers. (Click here for news article)

I really hope the government particularly the Sabah government can step forward and tackle this problem as this is indeed a serious problem involving the people of Sabah.

Hot...Hot...Hot...

2010-02-23T17:16:00.000+08:00

At the moment of typing this out, all I desperately wanted to have is an air-condition to be installed in my current sauna-like room. Yes. It is so hot in here and I can even feel the warm heat of my room as soon as I stepped into it. Geez, now I'm longing for the comfort of my air-conditioned room in KK.

Taken from Google Images.

How nice it is if I could indulge myself with a nice cold ice-cream or ABC. Even a glass of ice-cold water also would be good enough!

Taken from Google Images.

This afternoon I tried to take my nap (as usual) but the heat hindered me from doing so. I kept on waking up and I sweat like I just had a very bad nightmare.

I reckon this current dry spell is likely to persist for at least few more week. It's El-Nino peeps! Let's hope for bliss from a downpour SOON.

An update from yours truly...

2010-02-07T00:39:00.001+08:00

Just to let you know that yours truly has never forgotten about his blog *wink*. He's just caught up in so many things in campus - lectures, assignments, projects, meetings etc. Apparently, there are less interesting things happening and that explains why yours truly has temporary left this blog without any updates. Very sorry about that...

Your truly...

is "abundantly blessed" with assignments and projects. Most of it are still in pending status.

has 1 more week before leaving back home for the CNY break. However, he can't really enjoy much since he'll be bringing along some assignments with him. *sigh*

is doing much blog-walking rather than thinking of updating his very own blog.

has received several outing invitations during this coming CNY break by his friends but unfortunately he's settled his flight itinerary earlier and couldn't join them. *Sorry peeps, you guys could've informed me earlier*

is thinking of bringing his humble Kelisa to here (peninsular) and most likely he'll face certain objection from mum & dad. They'd probably raise the issue of shipping and maintenance costs. Undeniably, it would be convenient for him to have his own transport for practicum later but surely the parents will say, "Urang lain yang teda kerita pun bulih pigi praktikum. Kanapa pula kau tida bulih? Kau ingat murah ka mo hantar tu kerita pigi sana?"... *sigh*

Ka-ching!

2010-01-23T11:40:00.000+08:00

Rumour had it that we were going to get our allowance before the weekend; on Friday (22 Jan) to be exact. Though it was an unsubstantiated rumour, I couldn't help myself from holding much hope that the vast amount of money will be in my account by the weekend.

Why unsubstantiated rumour? There was this incident (not so long time ago) in which everyone was eagerly anticipated for the scholarship to be banked-in. So, as usual, one person started to circulate the rumour that the money will be in our respective accounts on this particular specific date (confidently said). Within minutes/hours, the news had spread throughout the cohorts. With my shopping list in my pocket, I walked with glee with my friends to the ATM to make withdrawal. As you might already guessed it, we were astounded by our own confidence! The money was not yet in. We then went back to college with innumerable disappointment.

I would lie if I say I don't bother about it but at least I would not feel too much disappointed if the above incident repeated by itself. Therefore, this time around, I so-called do not put much hope for it. I chose to just wait and see.

As I said earlier, I received a rumour saying that the money will be in soon. I waited without putting much hope. Yesterday, after class, I went to the ATM machine at Pusanika to check my account balance. Inserted my bank card, keyed-in the pin numbers, selected the "inquiry" option and tadaa! The rumour was not really a rumour at all. *Grinned*

After I withdrew a sufficient amount of money, I went straight to Kajang to meet up few of my friends who were already left earlier than me after the class. My friends and I then spent the whole evening by going to places like McD and Sushi King. We even went karaoke-ing! Later that evening, before we headed back to campus, we went shopping at the mall. I got myself a pair of jeans, t-shirt and a scarf? Hahaha.

Happy Birthday to Me...

2010-01-15T00:01:00.005+08:00

The d-day has finally arrived. In case you don't know, I officially turned a year older today. I was born on this very day (14 Jan) ~~when the dinosaurs were still alive~~ 3 years before the 90's era began (you do the math!). Each year, I received the same "Happy Birthday" wish and as much as I hated it, it also implies something like this; "You're old ~~yet bloody gorgeous~~!". Nevertheless, I try to look it on the bright side and that is; "a year older and a year wiser" *wink*.

As usual, it all started with a so-called countdown and like the previous year, I didn't bother much about it. Gone are the days when I had to lock myself in the room and made a deal with the room-mate for not going to open the door when the clock struck 12. I can still recall those days back in maktab when spilling a bucket of water, throwing rotten eggs, and many other mischievous pranks towards the lucky person of the day were the in-thing/trend on any birthdays. Yes. I'm telling this based on experience. I'd lie if I say I wasn't expecting birthday wishes or cake to appear at that particular moment but unfortunately, last night, I went to bed early due to the physical fatigue that I had from playing badminton earlier that day. At least I didn't feel disappointed when there was absolutely nothing for me that night. What an ease!

Today, I woke up at around 6.50 a.m. and got myself ready for the 8 a.m. class at FPend. As I was styling my hair, suddenly my roomie handed me a box of chocolate with the cliche phrase somewhere along. It seems like chocolate is one of the popular gifts for any special occasion including birthdays. Nevertheless, I thanked him for the present. It doesn't matter if it was not a top-brand chocolate but the thought that matters isn't?

Later on, in the lecture room, they (my course mates) sang me the signature song of the day - the "happy birthday" song. It was sung monotonously perhaps due to the fact that it was still early and everyone was just trying to settle themselves into the class. However, I told myself "This is so much better than nothing. Others might desperately wanting to have their birthday celebrated or at least get the birthday song being sung to him/her".

Returning to the room from attending lectures today, I received a phone call from someone close to me. Instead of giving me the wish, she asked me to meet her outside the college's cafe because she wanted to give me something. In just a split second, I thought of nothing else - birthday present! So, I rushed to see her. I was right. That something was actually what I'd thought before. After a brisk conversation, I headed back to the room because I had to get myself ready to go out to Kajang with fellow coursemates. We went to an eatery in Metro Point Kajang and had my simple yet meaningful birthday celebration. I'm really grateful for that. After that, since we're out in town, we took the opportunity to go and buy things at the supermarket.

After coming back from town, we then bounced (not literally) to our cribs. As soon as I reached my room, all I can think of was the birthday present I received earlier on and I hadn't open it yet. It was wrapped beautifully that I had to unwrap it with care *grin*. I was totally flattered by the present that I received. It was really special. Thank you so much to you-know-who-you-are.

There ain't no birthday cake on my birthday but instead I had myself a plate of nasi goreng ikan masin.

Nicely wrapped isn't?

Here are the things inside that beautifully wrapped box: (1) A picture frame cum photo album, (2) Manchester United merchandise.

The envelope that contained a card. Notice the name written on the envelope? For those who do not know, that is my Christian name - Alfred Steve Oswald George.

The cute and fancy birthday card. Not forgetting the wonderful wishes in it.

Darn! I got this during the recent CSSUKM's gathering. Luckily, this wasn't happen during my real birthday. A bunch of ~~monkeys~~ people planned to celebrate the January babies on that day and it happened to be that I was the only January baby who attended the gathering. So, apa lagi?

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

Found this quotes rather interesting:-

You are only young once, but you can be immature for a lifetime.
- John P. Grier

Men are like wine. Some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age.
- C.E.M. Joad

Sensitive yet worth watching...

2010-01-05T14:43:00.000+08:00

So? What do you think? Just by watching the trailer is definitely not enough. You ought to watch the whole movie - from the beginning till the end - to really grasp the underlying meaning intended to be conveyed by the director. "Gadoh" is indeed a very edgy and raw movie. Meaning, everything is straight to the point and no beating around the bush. Although I don't really like how school being portrayed in the movie, I still think this a good movie to be watched by everyone out there especially Malaysians.

Synopsis
Gadoh tells a story of a group of teenagers who fought each other
along racial lines; a cycle of hatred and violence further escalated
by their environment and school system.

What was to be a quick resolution to improve the school’s bad image,
was taken as an opportunity for one teacher who believed that real
change was possible. She ropes in the help of an old friend and reluctant
maverick theater activist for this arduous task.

Is there hope amidst the cycle of discrimination that surrounds us?
Watch Gadoh for their story, and what it may very well tell us about
ourselves.

All you have to do is be CONFIDENT...

2010-01-05T01:08:00.000+08:00

Source: The Malaysian Insider

CONFIDENT PEOPLE DO NOT GET CONFUSED - MARINA MAHATHIR

JAN 4 — I found by chance this article the other day: “Prophet Muhammad’s Promise to Christians”.
The document is not a modern human rights treaty but even though it was penned in 628 AD it clearly protects the right to property, freedom of religion, freedom of work, and security of the person, says Muqtedar Khan.
Muslims and Christians together constitute over 50 per cent of the world and if they lived in peace, we will be half way to world peace. One small step that we can take towards fostering Muslim-Christian harmony is to tell and retell positive stories and abstain from mutual demonisation.
In this article I propose to remind both Muslims and Christians about a promise that Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) made to Christians. The knowledge of this promise can have enormous impact on Muslim conduct towards Christians. Muslims generally respect the precedent of their Prophet and try to practise it in their lives.
In 628 AD, a delegation from St Catherine’s Monastery came to Prophet Muhammed and requested his protection. He responded by granting them a charter of rights, which I reproduce below in its entirety. St Catherine’s Monastery is located at the foot of Mt Sinai and is the world’s oldest monastery. It possesses a huge collection of Christian manuscripts, second only to the Vatican, and is a world heritage site. It also boasts the oldest collection of Christian icons. It is a treasure house of Christian history that has remained safe for 1,400 years under Muslim protection.
The Promise to St Catherine:
“This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.
“Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by God! I hold out against anything that displeases them.
“No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses.
“Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.
“No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.
“No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).”
The first and the final sentence of the charter are critical. They make the promise eternal and universal. Muhammed asserts that Muslims are with Christians near and far, straight away rejecting any future attempts to limit the promise to St Catherine alone. By ordering Muslims to obey it until the Day of Judgment the charter again undermines any future attempts to revoke the privileges. These rights are inalienable. Muhammed declared Christians, all of them, as his allies and he equated ill treatment of Christians with violating God’s covenant.
A remarkable aspect of the charter is that it imposes no conditions on Christians for enjoying its privileges. It is enough that they are Christians. They are not required to alter their beliefs, they do not have to make any payments and they do not have any obligations. This is a charter of rights without any duties!
The document is not a modern human rights treaty but even thought it was penned in 628 AD it clearly protects the right to property, freedom of religion, freedom of work, and security of the person.
I know most readers must be thinking so what? Well the answer is simple. Those who seek to foster discord among Muslims and Christians focus on issues that divide and emphasise areas of conflict. But when resources such as Muhammad’s promise to Christians are invoked and highlighted it builds bridges. It inspires Muslims to rise above communal intolerance and engenders goodwill in Christians who might be nursing fear of Islam or Muslims.
When I look at Islamic sources, I find in them unprecedented examples of religious tolerance and inclusiveness. They make me want to become a better person. I think the capacity to seek good and do good inheres in all of us. When we subdue this predisposition towards the good, we deny our fundamental humanity. In this holiday season, I hope all of us can find time to look for something positive and worthy of appreciation in the values, cultures and histories of other peoples.
Dr Muqtedar Khan is director of Islamic Studies at the University of Delaware and a fellow of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding.
Now, when that delegation from St Catherine's monastery came to meet with Prophet Mohamad (pbuh), I suppose it's fair to assume that they spoke Arabic to one another. And when they were conversing, surely the word “God” must have come up. As in "May God Be With You" and such like. What word did the Prophet (pbuh) use for “God” I wonder? And what did the St Catherinians use in return? For monotheists like them, was there a “your God” and “my God” type of situation, or did they understand that they were both talking about the same One?
While some idiots are mourning over the “loss” of the word “Allah” and therefore basically telling the world that they are people easily confused by nomenclature, and others are predicting riots over what is basically a “copyright” issue, let me define what I think a confident Muslim should be:
1. A confident Muslim is unfazed by the issue of God's name. God speaks to all of humankind in the Quran and never said that only Muslims could call him by the name Allah.
2. A confident Muslim has 99 names to choose from to describe that One God. My favourites are Ar-Rahman (The All-Compassionate) and Ar-Rahim (The All-Merciful).
3. A confident Muslim never gets confused over which is his/her religion and which is other people's. For instance, a confident Muslim knows exactly what the first chapter of the Quran is. And it's not the Lord's Prayer.
4. A confident Muslim will not walk into a church, hear a liturgy in Malay or Arabic where they use the word “Allah” and then think that he or she is in a mosque. A confident Muslim knows the difference.
5. A confident Muslim is generous, inclusive and doesn't think that his or her brethren is made exclusive through the use of a single language. The confident Muslim is well aware that in the Middle East, all services of ANY religion are in Arabic because that's what they all speak.
6. A confident Muslim knows the basis of his/her faith are the five pillars of Islam and will not be shaken just because other people call God by the same name.
7. A Muslim believes in only One God. Therefore it makes sense that other people should call God by the same name because there is no other God.
ART THOU NOT aware that it is God whose limitless glory all [creatures] that are in the heavens and on earth extol, even the birds as they spread out their wings? Each [of them] knows indeed how to pray unto Him and to glorify Him; and God has full knowledge of all that they do: (Surah Nour, Verse 41) (Asad).
So I would ask those people demonstrating against the court decision, have you no pride? Are you saying you're easily confused?
And before anyone says I have no qualifications to say these things, read what Dr Asri Zainal Abidin (who does have qualifications no matter what JAIS says) has written about this very subject here.
And here's something interesting. In 2007, the Majlis Agama Negeri Perlis, which is a large majlis filled with people very learned in Islamic religious knowledge, discussed the question of the use of “Allah” by non-Muslims. Their unanimous decision? They issued a fatwa to say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with non-Muslims using the word at all. (This was told to me by Asri but I cannot find the fatwa anywhere online because all the religious departments' websites are so useless.)

New Year's resolutions??

2010-01-03T13:38:00.000+08:00

Hi readers! While most of my fellow bloggers uploaded their first post(s) for this brand new year on the 1st, I, on the other hand, started today - 3rd January 2010. I know. I'm a little bit late but I hope it's not too late for me to wish each and everyone of you out there a blessed New Year 2010.

Like the previous years, people kept on asking me about my new year's resolution(s). It actually makes me wonder. Have I accomplished all the goals that I set last year(s)? Have I? Well, to be honest with you, I don't even remember my previous years' resolutions. Pfftt...

So, this year - year 2010 - I decided to list down few things/goals that I need to achieve/do for this year. All are in random order. Here there are:

1. Gain weight: I'm planning to gain body weight this year. My target is 60 kg by the end of 2010. No. I'm not horribly/dangerously thin as you might thought but I just want to have an ideal body weight since my current body weight is under 60kg. Haha!

2. Learn Mandarin: I've officially enrolled myself into a Mandarin class this semester and I hope I will do well.

3. Stay away from issues/controversies: Have a "self-barrier". I will do my best to refrain myself from getting involved in any unwanted issues/controversies.

4. Be a good Christian: I know it's not easy with all the challenges ahead of me but I will do my best to be a good Christian and practice the teaching of Christianity.

Well, basically all I wanted is for this year to be much better than last year in everything that matters to me.

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

The year 2009 is now officially a history. Nevertheless, I endured so many ups and downs throughout the year. I thank God for that. It really made me a person that I am today.

Not forgetting, I humbly seek for forgiveness to whom I have hurt their feelings. I'm sorry from the bottom of heart.

Have a blessed New Year 2010 by yours truly....

Outing...

2010-01-03T10:43:00.000+08:00

Photos by: Step

Location: Kajang & Sunway Pyramid

"Gansau-s" : Step, Pau, Pap, Tata, Keith, Elvent, Me...

The true meaning of Christmas...

2009-12-15T00:53:00.000+08:00

I found this while surfing the net. One thing for sure, after reading it I realized that most of the time I forget about the true meaning of Christmas. Most of us might only think Christmas day as a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and that's it. Only that. Well, you really have to read this:-

True Meaning of Christmas

Just a week before Christmas I had a visitor. This is how it happened. I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out next to the fireplace.

"What are you doing?" I started to ask. The words choked up in my throat and I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone. Gone was the eager, boisterous soul we all know. He then answered me with a simple statement . . .

"TEACH THE CHILDREN!" I was puzzled. What did he mean? He anticipated my question and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree. As I stood bewildered, Santa said, "Teach the children!

Teach them the old meaning of Christmas. The meaning that now-a-days Christmas has forgotten. "Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE and placed it before the mantle. "Teach the children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round, depicting the everlasting hope of mankind, all the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man's thoughts turning toward heaven."

He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR. "Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Savior for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of His promise."

He then reached into his bag and pulled out a CANDLE. "Teach the children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of He who displaces the darkness."

Once again he reached into his bag and removed a WREATH and placed it on the tree. "Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the real nature of love. Real love never ceases. Love is one continuous round of affection."

He then pulled from his bag an ORNAMENT of himself. "Teach the children that I, Santa Claus, symbolize the generosity and good will we feel during the month of December."

He then brought out a HOLLY LEAF. "Teach the children that the holly plant represents immortality. It represents the crown of thorns worn by our Savior. The red holly berries represent the blood shed by Him.

Next he pulled from his bag a GIFT and said, "Teach the children that God so loved the world that he gave his begotten son." Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a CANDY CANE and hung it on the tree. "Teach the children that the candy cane represents the shepherds' crook. The crook on the staff helps to bring back strayed sheep to the flock. The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brother's keeper."

He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL. "Teach the children that it was the angels that heralded in the glorious news of the Savior's birth. The angels sang Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace and good will toward men."

Suddenly I heard a soft twinkling sound, and from his bag he pulled out a BELL. "Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring mankind to the fold. The bell symbolizes guidance and return.

Santa looked back and was pleased. He looked back at me and I saw that the twinkle was back in his eyes. He said, "Remember, teach the children the true meaning of Christmas and do not put me in the center, for I am but a humble servant of the One that is, and I bow down to worship him, our LORD, our GOD."

**Have a blessed Christmas**