Malaysia Boleh!

The result of AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 for the first leg at Bukit Jalil Stadium has a positive effect on everyone it seems. Being at the stadium itself to watch the game is beyond description. Watching a football game at the stadium, compared to watching at the comfort of your own house it totally different in terms of the atmosphere. You have to be there to know how it feels.











And a video that I took using Pentax K-5 with Pentax Fisheye 10-17mm.



Malaysia Boleh!

People's First.

I was caught in a traffic jam the other day. I would not have mind if it is because of accidents, as we are already used to that. The thing that pissed me off was because it was in the middle of the highway and the cars were stopped by some policeman because we were supposed to give way to some VIP in black cars which were being escorted by policemen with at least one patrol car and five motorcycles. It got me thinking while waiting that whole 30 seconds for the VIP cars to pass by.

Why would we need a whole entourage for some VIP cars?

If it is because of protection,you don't need to have the whole IPD to escort some VIPs. This is Malaysia, have you heard about VIPs being hijacked while in a moving car? Maybe it can happen in other countries, but not here. We don't need that.

Why can't the VIPs just drive like normal people? They have to rush to some place else so they need the policemen to escort them so that they would have a smooth journey? Personally, the only situation where we would need police escorts is during life threatening situation like delivering a baby or bringing an injured person to the hospital.

People say that they cannot connect with people in power as they cannot see the similarities between them. While people in power enjoy the privileges, the normal people still have to shove around just to get into a crammed train, have to skip dinner just because they don't have money to buy food while other people eat lavishly. Putting people as the main priority is helping the people to live comfortably without burdening them. Making people's priority first is not merely snapping pictures with some baby or taking a train ride once in a while and publicise it to the whole world. It is making decisions with helping the people in mind.

How To Know That Your Boyfriend Is A Douche

Getting a prince charming, someone who is 'tall, dark and handsome' is on top of every woman's list. But let's face it, we are not living in some kind of fairy tale. Some women might make mistakes in having some douche as their boyfriend. So how do you know if your boyfriend is a douche?

1. Constantly calling you on the phone.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Except, in this case, constantly calling you, texting you, asking your whereabouts is rather annoying. You should not get bogged down from living your life just because you have to text him every 23 seconds and inform him of your whereabouts. Some concern is ok, but too much isn't. So get a life.

2. Making you feel guilty.
Sure, everybody has baggages, things that they hope would be ignored. The problem is when your boyfriend keep on mentioning it just to make you feel guilty so that you keep on nodding your head whenever he gets angry at you. If your boyfriend really loves you, why should he be mentioning about the past? He is with the current you. If he keeps on mentioning about the past, ask him to meet Dr. Emmett Brown, last I heard, DeLorean is still with him.

3. Using exes as an excuse.
This is somewhat related to number two, someone who is still stuck in the past. A guy who narrates a sappy story of him and his ex is just pathetic. The trick is to cry out loud that his ex did bad things when they were together, so he is being overprotective now because he is paranoid and not wanting the same thing to happen again. Remember, this is an old trick that guys use, don't ever fall for it and thinking that it is ok to put up with a guy who treats you as if you are his ex.


4. Has no respect for your family.
Sure, being in a relationship makes you feel like there are only you and your boyfriend in this world. But remember, the world does not revolve around you two. There are other people too, such as your family. Your boyfriend should know how to have a good manner when he is around your family. If he behaves like a total ass with your family, expect the same when he's with you in another 10 years.



5. Hitting you on the pretext of correcting you.
Let's face it, we are no saint. Once in a while, we make mistakes. But if making that mistakes entitle you to be hit by your boyfriend, then you better get out from the relationship. He will say that he wants you to learn not to make the same mistakes but if it leads to bruises and broken bones, that is not teaching, that is abusing. You better get ready with the pepper spray.

No matter what the reason, guys who act like a total douche should be dumped. Women who are still stuck with this type of men are either very loyal or too dumb to see. Though I hate to admit it, I think it is because of the latter. Love makes you blind, eh?

Keeping It Fresh

Who would have thought that a documentary related to social networking would make a big hit? At least I didn't, not until I watch Catfish. Some people would not really classify it as a documentary, claiming that it is all staged. Well, we are actors and the world is the stage (trying to be philosophical but apparently failed doing so =_= ). While I try not to spoil too much about it, I feel obliged that I must write something. Catfish capitalizes on the craze of social networking and unsurprisingly, they succeeded on doing that. This movie features Facebook, Youtube, Google Map, and gadgets such as Iphone and GPS devices. People can actually relate to that as there are alot of us who are using those tools and devices. This made the movie somewhat viral and highly anticipated by geeks all over the world. For me, the movie is like eating a donut coated with chocolate but filled with bitter vinegar. I know, bad example, who would do that right? But that is how I felt after watching the movie. The relationship started all sweet, just like what we would see in romantic movies. But once truth came creeping out from the closet, they started looking for answers. The woman in the movie had a problem and she felt that she could not do something that she had always wanted all this while and with the main character in the movie, Nev Schulman, she felt that she could do all that. Up to that point, I could really felt the depress and sorrow faced by her. As this is not exactly a review about the movie, maybe I should not divulge too much information about it, for now.

Working with people from different background is really eye-opening once we had a talk with them and listen to whatever that they want to tell us. It is not exactly a heart to heart session but we can learn something from other people by doing that. I have a friend who is in her 30s. She used to be married but she is already divorced and now a single mother. I did not know that she is already divorced until she told me about it herself. I mean, who am I to poke into other people's private life. I was afraid to talk about her divorce as I did not want to upset her. But she was fine about it and told me things that really taught me something about getting married. During her marriage, she felt like she is not herself anymore. She did not do things that she used to enjoy, small things like reading books and spending time to herself. She became a dull, boring woman. While change is inevitable in a marriage, she felt that she is being forced to change into something that she is not. Now divorced, she said that she can now do things that she could not before this. She is back to her old self. Happy and not bitter.

So from these two women, though they live distance apart, they are much like each other, want to be free and not being changed into something that they are not. While change into something better is never a bad thing, there are alot of things to consider in asking someone to be exactly picture perfect like what we have in mind, as if we have some sort of mould that they must come out from. The role of a man is not to dictate what a woman should be but to make the relationship fresh, just like a catfish.

Cerita Piala Dunia

Early last year, I started blogging again after years of hiatus. I continued writing after reading some blogs that in my opinion are really good in terms of their delivery and choice of words. Being an admirer of good writings, I was hooked on Lucius Maximus' Trankuiliti Tronoh. As I was thinking of a new name for my blog, I chose shrineofserenity (SS) as in resemblance of his tronohtranquility (TT) which I found was catchy enough for me. So when his writings about football and 2010 World Cup on Sokernet are being published, I did not hesitate in buying his book, Cerita Piala Dunia, just to dig into the book. For those who are used to reading his piece either on Trankuiliti Tronoh or Sokernet, they would realise that he would always stay true to his style, being cynical and at the same time preachy yet entertaining. Once I finished reading Cerita Piala Dunia, there are few things that I would like to point out:

1. This book is not exactly a review of the World Cup. If you want a book on statistics about how many goals were scored and whatnot, this is not it. This is a book for football fans who care much more than mere statistics. This is a book that relates football to politics, history and passion. For every game that he wrote about, he would only state the result in mere two or three lines. The rest would be on football and facts that we may never know. I personally like pieces on how he compared how Malaysian football can be improved by implementing steps that have been taken by other successful countries like the declaration done by Japan and the football academy initiated by Germany. Sure, you can say that we can easily google the facts. But for those who are really into writing would know that while looking for information would be easy, organizing them into a fine piece of work is not. And that is what Lucius Maximus has done with his writings.

2. Comparing his writings on Sokernet, the writings in the book are a bit mellowed. This is actually understandable as the book is actually intended for the masses. We do not want any officers confiscating the books right? I can actually see that the books will be snapped up and they will have to do a second printing, hopefully, even with the toned down style.

Reading this book, I can sense that we Malaysians are really passionate about football and would like to see improvements done for a better future. While we, the civillians, would like to see much change is done to our state of football, some people just would not want to let go of their power yet still thinking that change can be done. Well, keep on dreaming while the true, passionate football fans continue writing books like this and actually working on the revolutions of football.

Reliability.

The good thing about emails is that we can expect to get a prompt reply rather than waiting few days using snail mail. I make it a point to send emails to relevant authorities such as Majlis Perbandaran Seremban, PosMalaysia and even to my MP and ADUN to make suggestions and complaints about certain things. While some did reply and took action, some were not really enthusiastic about the emails that they got and some were not even bothered to reply. So one day I decided to email the MP of Rasah and tell him what I feel about the representatives around my neighborhood, including him. I told him while I know what he has been up to, I could not say the same about the ADUN of Rahang. It's a good thing that he took the time to reply and explain about the whole situation. I dont know about your MP, but my MP took the time to reply my email and at least that shows that he is concerned about any comments that he received, unlike Majlis Perbandaran Seremban who up until now have not replied my email. Go figure.

Merapu.Not Merapi.

What I did during my free time.

Remember,remember.

She: You used to crack jokes when you're with me.

He: Yeah, and you used to love me.

Boleh lah.

Just like my international students,these are among the first few words that they can speak once they are here in Malaysia. "Boleh lah","boleh kurang?" for them to bargain something at the shopping complex, and "cukup, cukup" I assume they use it when they order foods, maybe?

Maybe now if I wear a blue contact lens, colour my hair blonde and upload a video teaching Malay language, I would get alot of hits on Youtube. Having a tanned skin is not a problem, right?

Facility, Mentality, Affordability

I read a news a couple of days ago about a man and his family living under a bridge. He was detained as he was a suspect for stealing construction equipment. When he was asked what his address was, he wrote there, under a bridge. He could not afford to pay the rent of his previous house, so he was kicked out from the house.

A few days ago I watched a Malay drama on Astro Oasis. It was totally unintentional as I was just browsing through the channels. The title of the drama was “ Rahmat…..Ana Nak Susu” which was about a rich man who was robbed and he had to be a beggar for a whole day before he could go back. He encountered so many people, people who had no money to buy food, people who had to be a prostitute just to buy some food for her daughter, people who had to sell things at the roadside as they cannot afford the plush shops in shopping malls. Only when he experienced all these, he realized that he should be more compassionate about people on the street rather than just concentrating on his business.

I have a friend who volunteers for an NGO, Belamiskin(Pertubuhan Membela Miskin Tegar Malaysia), where they give foods and donations to people who are in need. He sometimes volunteers to teach there where they provide free tuition to school kids. We sometimes discussed about this and he told me how he felt pity for the people who came to the place. Most of them were from nearby area and could not afford to buy food for their family so they had to rely on NGO like this in order for them to survive. They did not have enough food or money but when they got to eat the food there, the smile on their face really lit up the day, he said. Maybe you would want to join their Facebook group.

Today I read a news how money were spent unnecessarily based on the Auditor General Report 2010. While some school kids could not get a decent meal, some buildings were built without following the specifications which led to a ballooning cost. It is good that we have a lot of development such as more constructions. But the problem is when we concentrate more on developments of concretes and stones rather than the developments of human beings. The poor get poorer while the rich get even richer. I mean, why would people be bothered about ethics and what happens around them when they cannot even fill their stomach with some decent food or having a decent shelter from the sun and the rain? So in the end, what we have are first world facilities but people with third world mentalities.

Beliefs

Some people say that I'm a rebel,which is not entirely true. I just like to provoke. Provoking here does not mean I like to make people annoyed and such. But I like to provoke people's thinking. This is what I have been doing to people who are almost the same age as me, or the Gen Ys, this past week. People have been saying that the Gen Ys do not care about anything other than themselves which is not true. Some really do care, it is just that they are not given the proper channel to speak out or to give their opinions which made them to be perceived as those who like to be confined in their own world. What we need is the ability to discuss and debate things in a mature, civil manner. We should know how to agree to disagree. There is nothing wrong in disagreeing and questioning something. If questioning something is deemed as being insolent, then let it be. Nobody is perfect so there must always be some sort of questioning as to clarify things and not to accept something entirely as it is. This can surely force people to get their brains to do more exercise rather than just letting it rot. I salute my friends who have been able to stand on their ground and can actually give facts in discussing rather than saying something out of emotions. But for those who think that we cannot discuss something just because it is deemed as sensitive, maybe you can do some soul searching and try to find the maturity in thinking and discussing as getting older is a must, getting wiser is optional.

Proton oh Proton

Malaysians are always fascinated by cars. Though it is widely known that a car is an asset that depreciates, many people are willing to pay huge sum just to be seen in it. So when the new Proton Inspira was launched, there was a huge buzz about it which divided people either those who do not have the money but want a car that has that expensive look and those who already bought the Mitsubishi Lancer and are pissed off as the Proton Inspira is a total rip off from the Lancer. Yes, rip off. Say whatever you want, rebadged, rebranded or anything, it is still a rip off.

Spot the difference?

Why would Proton even have an R&D division when the cars that have been produced by them are mostly rip offs from other cars? Might as well we cease to produce anymore automotive engineers, concentrate on those who know how to get car designs from other companies instead.

After the recall of Proton cars, Proton Satria Neo and Gen2 that were manufactured from 2004 to 2008, it is no wonder that they are not designing their own cars for the time being. It just shows the flaws of our so-called national car company. Sure, other car companies recall their cars too, but the other cars that were recalled in 2010 were not manufactured in 2004. Why did Proton take so long to identify the problem?

Tired of below par cars that have been churned out by Proton? Thinking of buying imported cars? You can surely do that, if you have the money. With the high tax that is imposed on imported cars, it is very difficult for common people to buy imported cars. All in the name of protecting national interest. How about the interest of the people who do not have a lot of money then? Is this what we call People’s First?

Waiting for the AFTA to be fully implemented so that the prices of cars will go down? Not when we have a minister who blurted out that the prices of cars are controlled by the car companies. Well, of course, as the car companies have to put a high price tag on their cars when some cars are even taxed up to 200% and 300%. I guess it is better to get the Malaysians to pay a premium for their own national cars while some people in Saudi Arabia can get cheaper Proton cars right?

Oh well, I don’t get paid that much and cannot afford a Mitsubishi. So I guess a Proton it is for me.

My 100th post.

Writing, for me, is not something new. I have been writing since eons ago.Ok, so that might be an exaggeration, but you get the idea right? So why do I have this blog? I actually already some few blogs, such as my friendster blog, which I have been writing in since 2005. But suddenly I grew tired of it since not many of my friends even know how to blog at that time. So I left it untouched in 2006. Then, out of nowhere, in 2009, my friend Ijan told me that he has a blog that he had just started at that time. We were trainee teachers at that time and suddenly it struck to me that maybe I should have a new blog and started writing again. I started by writing about my experience being a trainee teacher at that time and as they say, the rest is history.

So here are some of my moments in writing this blog.

The most searched entry - About Juliana Evans in my dream. I blogged about it and alot of people who came into this blog were actually googling about her. Just imagine the traffic that I can get if this is a gossip website.Haha.

The entry that can always make me laugh, even now - It just shows how important it is to learn to spell something correctly.

The entry that was published in NST - I didn't write it with an intention to send it to the paper. Just trying it out of luck. Never thought that it would be published.

The most heartfelt entry, I guess - Apart from writing about current issues, I also wrote alot about the late Yasmin Ahmad. This might be a sad entry as this was the last entry about her.

Obe who? - It was an entry about Papadom movie review. Afdlin asked some of his fans in his facebook to post links of reviews to his wall. Obefiend posted my link on Afdlin's wall though I had no idea who he was at that time. So I guess I should be proud a popular blogger took his time to read my blog eh?

I might have slowed down in writing due to the nature of my work. But that doesn't mean I'm abandoning it altogether. I will still write and hopefully to the 1000th meaningful post.

Independency

People say that a language defines a society. Well, maybe that is true. Just look how French is used as a romantic language that we quickly associate the French people as people who are romantic. Or how we associate English as a language that is bound to help people in trading around the world. For those who have been reading my blog long enough, you would realise that I rarely write in Malay. It is not that I am not proud of my language, I am proud. It is just that I feel by writing in English, my writings can reach more audience around the world (though I know most of my readers are Malaysians). While I often write in English, it hurts me the most when people seem to be ignorant of the words that are available in Malay. For example, they think that when they introduce words that originate from English into Malay, their sentences or words would be more ‘globalized’, that they would be seen to be more complicated than other people when it is very obvious that there are other Malay words that are more suitable. For example, the word ‘apresiasi’, which comes from the word ‘appreciation’. There is already the word ‘penghargaan’, why can’t they just use that word?

Another example is the word ‘solusi’ which comes from the word ‘solution’, when it is already obvious that we already have the word ‘penyelesaian’ in Malay.

The latest word that cringe me the most is when it is used for this year’s Independence Day’s theme. This year’s theme is ‘ 1Malaysia Menjana Transformasi’. I just want to know who is the brilliant chap who coined this year’s theme. Was he inspired by the Transformers the movie? Why can’t they use the word ‘perubahan’ instead? I don’t mind if they want to use English, but make sure that the whole theme is in English such as 1Malaysia Generating Transformation rather than using some parts and pieces in English and then mix it up with Malay.

If a language defines a society, so what does this define us? A bunch of confused Malaysians? I hope not. I guess some part of us Malaysians is never really independent yet. Happy 53^rdIndependence Day folks.

p/s: I’ve just realized that this is my 99^th post. Maybe you guys can comment on which of my posts that you either like, dislike or can vividly remember ever since you start reading my blog. That would surely give me some ideas on what to write for my 100^th post. Thanks!

It Is Almost Ramadhan.

“God loves him more, right?” , one of his daughters asked my dad. My dad just agreed with what she said. Me? I just stood there, speechless.

I received a bad news last week that my uncle has passed away due to some health problems. As their house is just nearby here, I followed my parents to pay a visit. As we came into the house, his wife cried, relating what had happened on that fateful day. He was his usual self, without showing any symptoms. They were eating at a rest and relax stall when he had difficulty in breathing and collapsed.

Few days before that, he bought cooking stuffs as it is almost Ramadhan and they are selling cookies as their side income. When I came to their house, I could see the cooking utensils and all the materials were still stacked neatly at the kitchen. Seeing all that would wrench anyone’s heart.

Considering that it is almost Ramadhan and Aidilfitri, I dread to think what their celebration for this year would be like. It would not be the same anymore. Many of his children are still studying, the youngest is 3 years old. The youngest would just answer that his dad is at the hospital when people ask her where her dad is, oblivious to the fact that he is not there anymore.

People always say that you would only learn to appreciate things that you have lost. So I am glad that I still have my family to fast together and hopefully, to celebrate Aidilfitri together. So take care of yourself and happy fasting, love your loved ones.

Perception and Impression

I was talking to my students as they were doing the exercise that I gave them in class. As I was walking, looking at their work, I struck up a conversation with one of the students. He is from Afghanistan. We talked about his country as he related his experience being here in Malaysian and being in his own country. We also discussed about one of my favourite movie, which is about Afghanistan, The Kite Runner.



He told me many people were surprised when he said he is from Afghanistan. I asked him, why? He answered, " They thought those who are from Afghanistan would wear the turban, has long beard, which I am not." Well, I said, aren't most of them like that? Then he told me something that I never knew.

" Most of those people are not even from Afghanistan. They are outsiders, came into Afghanistan and ruled the country."

I was shocked. Then he continued, " If they know I am here and learning, I would be in big trouble. They would not want us to learn or to improve ourselves because they are afraid that we would be clever and try to get the country back from them." Then I remembered a story about a girl who was tortured just because she wanted to run away from people who abused her. She was featured in the front page of TIME Magazine.


You can read more about her here.

In my other class, I was giving them exercises and in one of the session, I asked them to give me an example of a developed country. I half-expected for most of them to say, US or England or whatever Europe country that you can think of when suddenly one of the student,an Algerian, without blinking an eye, said,

"Malaysia."

I was a bit embarrassed when he said that when I don't even consider my country as a developed country.

How we see other people and how we perceive them is important as sometimes we are being given the wrong information all this while. Some people have a hard time with their country but even with all the obstacles, they still return to their motherland as they cherish whatever is there even though it wont be the most ideal place. So love your country and whatever you have but at the same time try to improve and do not just content with whatever you have now. I love you Malaysia.

a bit patriotic here,it is the month of Independence, right?

To The Core

Everytime there is a problem with Muslims being opressed, there would be calls for us to boycott whatever that is produced by the Jewish companies or the Americans. Be it milk, toothpaste to electronic items. Sure, we can boycott, then they have less buyers, then their profits would crumble.


Then what?

It is actually about the economic problem and how it is problematic when we associate it with religion without actually knowing how to.

How many of you have been to the markets and people would try to sell you halal toothpaste, with a big halal wording on the toothpaste, giving it the Arabic look, with a hope that you would buy it? Or maybe when they try to sell you an eye-healing device, give it some Arabic wordings, then sell it to the masses. This is what we call, ladies and gentlemen, selling the religion itself. These people are actually selling something by associating it to the religion as they hope gullible buyer would succumb into the tactic as they are supporting something that actually promotes the religion.

As many of you would know, there are many brands that are actually associated with Jewish companies that whenever there is a boycott, these brands are the one targeted first. But let's wait for a while. How did the brands promote themselves? Did they put some Yiddish words on the cover, promoting for the Jewish people to buy it? No, they did not. They promoted it just like what other brands that are not associated with the Jewish companies did in promoting their stuffs. It is on a level playing field. Whereas here in Malaysia, we even put a halal logo on a toothpaste, which is in a way, trying to secure the market in the Muslim segment. I think that is like a cheap shot in a boxing match. If you want to promote your stuffs and they have a good quality, no matter whether you put a halal logo on it or not, they would still sell. So in a way, we are compromising ourselves economically. By playing on a level field, we will motivate and push ourselves to do better instead of just relying on a sure, tapped market.

A Muslim who is a businessman bought a very well known franchise which actually originated from the USA. He is on hold of the franchise business here in Malaysia. Suffice to say, he is like the owner of the franchise here. So one day, he was asked by an audience during a talk, why did he buy a company, which originated from the USA, which all of us know, are allied to the Israel? He just smiled, and answered,

" The problem here is not where the business comes from. Why do you keep on thinking where it came from? The problem here is we must think on how to conquer the business that is started there. This is just a start. Maybe one day, I will own the biggest shares for the worldwide franchise."

I have to rephrase the sentences, but you got the main point there, right? So what he is trying to say here, we should not really think where the business comes from, how long would the boycott lasts and everything. That is not the main concern here. What we should really think of is how we can improve ourselves and be better instead of just boycotting without any real solution to it.

Oh, and maybe not to sell our religion by using the mambo jumbo crap trick.

Gone But Not Forgotten

What we've got here is (a) failure to communicate - Cool Hand Luke

In one of my class, I asked my students about the Berlin Wall. Majority of them never even heard about it, which stopped me from asking further whether they even know about the East Germany and West Germany that are divided by the wall. History has never been a favourite subject for students as it is not being given the importance and recognition that it should get. I was reading an entry by saifulislam.com. He talked about how Prof. Khoo Kay Kim commented that Geography and History are not being given the preference in the education system. This leads to students studying Science and Maths subjects more so that they can score as many As that they can thus getting to study engineering or medicine. Undoubtedly, the profession that is being craved by the students, such as medicine, is a very noble and important profession. But at the same time, there is no balance between the left brain subjects and the right brain subjects. This leads to what saifulislam said, producing workers, but not thinkers. Arts and history actually help students to look at the aesthetic of life rather than what should be gained in life. Creative minds are being suppressed, I guess.

And now I know why.

I was taken aback when Deputy Finance Minister Awang Adek, said that the Pudu Prison has no significant importance in view of the impending construction of new commercial buildings on the site of the demolished Pudu Prison. Something as historic as the Pudu Prison has no significant importance? Wow, that is surely one way to teach our kids about history then. I went to the start of the demolition of the walls yesterday. There were many people who came and watched as the bulldozer demolished one part of the wall. That shows that there are many others who are still interested in watching the historic building being demolished, as a remembrance for the future. While development is a must and something must be sacrificed to make way for development, there should be something that is left from the historic Pudu Prison for the future generation to look at. At least one part of the wall should be preserved, just like one part of the A Famosa that is still standing as a tourist attraction and serves as a reminder of the past. Just because the land of the Pudu Prison is located at a prime place, commercialisation should not take place at the expense of education and history. There should be a strike of balance between them. But the world is never fair, thus the capitalists have their way and disregarding the opinion of the masses.



And they still dare to say that the youths do not appreciate history when the reason that it happens is because of the people in power prefer money over history. How many historic buildings must be demolished? How many Pudu Prison? How many Bok House until we realise that history plays a part in our life. This might sound like disappointment talking, but it is actually a hope, that one day, there will be people who realise that the development of people is more important than the development of commercialization which only benefits the few.

The Man I Ought To Be.

I know it is a bit late, but I had a lot to talk about as I was starting to write about my dad. I had to omit a lot of things due to time constraints. But, here goes.

My dad is the type who rarely talks about his work. When I was still in school, whenever people asked me about his job, he just told me to answer, "Ala,pegawai kerajaan je.(Just a government servant.)" Now that I'm in a working environment, I just got to know that his job is one of the highly regarded job that people would compete to get. He never told me how hard it is to get oneself into his profession, which I would say can be rewarding at times. He never bragged about his job, being humble is his choice, I guess. But now that I passed the exam to get myself into his profession, I can see that he is actually proud of me, which I gladly did.

He actually wanted me to become an engineer. I vividly remember the times where he would proudly claim," You're going to be an engineer one day " which I'm not right now. We had our arguments about the choices that I made of what I wanted to do, but I stood with my decision which though he reluctantly accepted at that time, I can see now that with the offers that I'm getting, I hope that I made him proud. We rarely had our bonding time with each other, but I know that he likes something that is related to current issues. So I trained myself to read a lot of newspapers and get myself updated with current issues so that we would have things to talk about. It worked, actually. We always have something to talk about. At the same time, it helped me in a way that I can talk about anything with anyone. I always have a topic to talk to. That actually builds up my rapport which is quite useful when you have to deal with a lot of people.

Not only that, he is actually one of my readers whenever I write something in my blog. At one time, he called me just to say that I made a grammar mistake in one of my postings. After pointing it out, he would proudly claim that his English is better than an English teacher (read: me). Oh, whatever.Haha. It is one thing to read my blog, but it is another when he promotes my blog to his friends. He even promoted my blog to one of his friends who is a chief editor of a news agency. Because of that, I was called for an interview and was offered a job as a journalist. Though I had to reject the job offer, I still owe it to him for promoting my blog, which I myself wont be doing as much as he did.

"It's ok, just make sure that you wont do the same mistake after this," my dad said to me.

You see, I was into trouble for a lot of time. So everytime I was in a deep shit, I would get the dont-do-it-again lecture from my dad which he would end with that sentence. Whenever I did something bad, the first thing that I would think about is him. I was very afraid of what he would say or do if he found out about what I did. I can still remember till now when I was a kid and I didnt want to take a bath, he chased me around the house just to get me to take my bath. He was quite strict when I was small but now that I'm grown up, he only told me to learn from my mistakes and not to repeat it again. In a way, I learned that whatever bad things that people did, try to forgive them and try to encourage them to learn from their mistakes rather than punishing them and condemning them for the rest of their life. It took me some time to realise what he tried to teach me so now when I can see that, I tried to be someone who is more forgiving towards others and to give others another chance to learn from their mistakes. It's not easy but it surely gives you self satisfaction which you can't get from all the riches in this world. That is my dad. My abah. He taught me that. So thank you abah, and happy father's day.

How to Double Your Money

It makes me cringe everytime I see a picture of people showing their bank accounts,showing off how much they are getting each week by participating in a scheme where they invest a small amount of money and getting a huge return in a short period of time. My take? There is no easy money in this world. If it seems to be that way, then there must be something fishy about it. One of the most notoriously known is 'Login FB dapat RM100' which is utter bullshit. For those who really understand how it works,it is just a scheme where the money just rotate and in order for it to keep on rotating, you have to get downlines. Yes,once you are caught in the web, it would be very difficult for you to get out.

The thing with many of those who are duped, they are too gullible in believing that they can get money without sweating it out. They just have to be shown with an amount of money and can easily be induced with it.

Or they can be shown a picture of someone with a big house or a big car and keep on dreaming that someday they can be the one in the picture when actually, the guy in the picture only borrowed the car and the house for a while.

Ye,saya menang motor.

I have a friend and he is now doing a business of selling things. He already has a stable job and he is doing this part time business as his side income. He told me that this part time job is just that, a part time job. He is not doing it very aggressively as it is not his main source of income. If there is a customer, he would try to sell his things. But if there is none, he would just do his main job without concentrating too much on his part time job. Of course, he did put up some advertisement about his business, but if there is no buyer, he wont be too sad about it. I asked him, why? He told me he has this habit that he felt somehow helped him in one way or another. Everytime he went to the mosque for the Friday prayer, he would try to donate at least RM1 or RM2 to the mosque. It is not a huge amount, but it sure is a good thing to do, he said. He told me that each time he did that, in one or two days, there would be more customers looking for him. He said that maybe it is a gift from God, that for the small amount that he gave to the mosque, God would give something better to him. But he warned me, that we should not be thinking of getting a reward when donating, we must be sincere and not to be thinking too much if there is no return from the small donation that we made. God, he said, already has plans for us. If God wants us to get some money from our dealings, we would. But if it is not meant to be, then it is not meant to be and we just have to work harder.

Money is a sensitive topic to be talked about. People just seem so eager to amass as much as they can without actually knowing the source of the money first. The money from gambling, for example, which would be used for us to buy food for our family, would have a long term effect which we wont be able to see until it is too late. This is one of the problems with Malaysians, some of us just cant get enough of money that they would resort to whatever method that is possible as long as the money reaches them. It is like organic food and non-organic food. You might get bigger and juicier orange which is chemically laden, but you would get a better quality orange from the organic orange. That is how it is with money. The bottom line is, there is no free lunch. Not even free orange.

Your Shoes Are Too Big For Me.

It is a bit ironic that Mother's Day falls on the same month with Labour Day. A traditional and conservative family would regard being a mother is actually a job per say. So I guess it is not very ironic to some then. Being a mother is a lot of work. Loads of chores have to be done while juggling with the kids and at the same time, preparing things for the husband. For a family where the burden of chores are all on the shoulder of the mother, it certainly won't win the most coveted job of the year.

The place where I'm working right now requires me to deal with nurses, a lot. For those who don't know, my mom used to work as a nurse and she is already retired now. I got my chances to talk with the nurses and asked a little bit about their job, their life experience and everything. I learned a lot from them. But one thing that all of them agreed on is that being a nurse is not a very easy job. It made me think, how did my mom managed to raise her children and at the same time juggling with her demanding job, taking care of the children when we are sick, just like how she took care of the patients when they needed her the most. How was she able to prepare our breakfast before she went to work early in the morning? I am not even married yet, but I already feel the burden of working. I have no idea how hard it could be if I were to be like her.

People say that we won't know someone until we put ourselves into that someone's shoe. But I guess to put myself into my mom's shoe is just impossible as her shoes are too big for me to fill. Happy Mother's Day, ibu.

I Want.

A few days before my birthday, people keep on asking what I wanted for my birthday. I never really know what I wanted, so I made a list and had a few things things in mind.

I already have a personal computer but I have always wanted a netbook. Maybe a Dell netbook as I have always preferred Dell when it comes to laptops.

I was thinking that maybe I can use it for my photo outings and can easily transfer my pictures into the netbook as a backup.

Or...maybe I would want to have a new DSLR body, the Pentax K-7.

Just imagine the possibilities of what I can do with a new body :D

Oh man....I'm such a gadget freak, aren't I ? But to prove to you that I'm not, I have another thing that I would like to have.

I would like Lisa Surihani to sing to me. Though looking at her acting skills, I dont think I should hope for much if I were to get her to sing for me.

So when I had a look at my list,trying to get the best thing as a present for my birthday, I realized that I dont need these things.

I only need my dearest to be with me.

Needs are more important than wants.

Now I Won't Get Lost Anymore.

I have never been good in finding places which I am not familiar with. I once took 2 hours from Shah Alam to Ampang just because I got lost and I could not find my way =_=

I am the type who would have to be around that place for a few times before I could remember the roads. So I was so determined that I would get a GPS for my newly-acquired Nokia 5800 ( well that explains the laziness of me remembering new roads =_= ) so that I wont get lost after this. I have been using my Garmin for mobile on my phone for a few weeks now and I must say that it did a good job. Before I give out my opinions, here are the instructions on how to install Garmin on your Symbian phones. These instructions were taken from the blog of Noktahhitam. All the credit goes to the blog owner of Noktahhitam. Im just sharing here. You can visit the blog here.

Before you do anything, Download the file (80 mb ++) and read all the instructions before hand. It’ll help you to visualize the process.

Download file contains

• GarminMobileXTforSymbianS603rdEdition_50040.exe
• GarminMobileXTFreeBasemap_4xxxx.exe
• GarminMobileXTSupportFiles_4xxxx.exe
• gmapsupp.img (Malaysian Map, with DUKE highway)
• garmin_kgen.exe
• 5800_manual.pdf
• GarminMobile20_GarminMobileXTOwnersManual.pdf

You can skip step 1 if you want. But if you want to do it, just make sure that you do a full back up of your phone.

1. Setting up Apparatus, The Nokia 5800

1. -Back up all data using PC Suite (go to Nokia website).
2. -Soft reset by pressing *#7370#. Should take about 2-3 mins and you lose all your data (except on memory card). But don’t worry, you have back up remember?
3. -On your Nokia 5800, go to Application > Location > Positioning > Positioning Methods. Enable “Assisted GPS” and “Integrated GPS” ONLY. This will ensure you don’t get charge using WAP or 3G network for Internet.
4. -Go to Application > Location > GPS Data > Position > Options > Satellite status. This will show the satellite signals you’re receiving. Be sure you are outdoor in an open area. Balcony doesn’t work well, believe me I’ve tried. Once you’ve got AT LEAST 4 satellite signal, go back indoor, you don’t want people to think you’re crazy, waving your phone around.
5. -Now you’re ready for GarminXT.

2. Installing GarminXT on Nokia 5800.

1. -Once you’ve downloaded, unzip the files to someplace accessible preferably on your desktop. If you haven’t, please download it.
2. -Connect your phone via USB and select ‘Mass storage mode’.
3. -From you PC, double click “GarminMobileXTforSymbianS603rdEdition_50040.exe” to install and wait.
4. -Double click “GarminMobileXTFreeBasemap_4xxxx.exe” to install. Wait..
5. -Double click “GarminMobileXTSupportFiles_4xxxx.exe” to install.
6. -Remove USB connection between PC and phone. When prompted ‘Launch GarminXT’ do not click Yes, just Cancel.
7. -From your phone, go to Menu > Settings > Application Manager > Installation files. There should be GarminXT.sis file. Install it.

3. Cracking GarminXT on Nokia 5800.

1. -Tell yourself and say “Yes, I’m a cheapskate”.
2. -Run GarminXT from your phone at Menu > Application > Garmin. It will prompt you with some settings. Choose your preferable.
3. -Select “Use other device” when it prompts you to buy or trial. You will get a screen, “Where To?” and “View map”
4. -In GarminXT, go to Tools > Settings > About. Jot down “Card ID”, you will need it. Exit GarminXT
5. -On your PC, run “garmin_kgen.exe” and enter the “Card ID” from previous steps.
6. -Generate it and you will get a string of codes. Copy the codes to Notepad and save it as “sw.unl”. *Be sure you don’t save it as sw.unl.txt”*
7. -Connect your phone to PC and select “Mass storage mode”.
8. -Copy “sw.unl” to Garmin folder. Usually located at E:/Garmin.
9. -Copy “gmapsupp.img” from downloaded file to Garmin folder. “gmapsupp.img” is the Malaysian map.
10. -Disconnect your phone from PC.

4. Restore your Nokia 5800

1. -Reconnect your phone via PC Suite.
2. -Restore your settings through back up.

5. Setting up GarminXT on Nokia 5800

1. -You don’t need your PC anymore. Shut down and conserve energy.
2. -Run GarminXT on your phone.
3. -Go to Tools > Settings > System > Remote GPS. Change to “Use Attached GPS” by disabling the “Bluetooth GPS”.
4. -Go to Tools > Manage My Data > Map Sets > MapSource. Make sure all maps are enabled.

6. Toying GarminXT on Nokia 5800.

1. -Switch off your fans and lights. Go out.
2. -Run GarminXT, (duh!).
3. -Select “View Map” and wait for a while. The satellite will find you. It took me 5 mins or so. Just have patience and faith.
4. -Now you’ll see where you are.
5. -Go back and select “Where To?”. If you’re at home and wants GarminXT to store you current location as home, then select “Home”
6. “Where To?” is rather confusing. I usually use “Where To?” > Point of interest. There’s lots of shopping malls, hospitals, banks, ATM machines etc. from there, you’d know where to go.
7. -Pat yourself and say “Well done”. The rest is up to you.

These past few weeks that Ive been using the GPS, I can say that the Garmin GPS is better than the Ovi Map that is supplied by Nokia. Alot of features on Ovi Map need me to use my data connection, which is a no-no for a cheapskate like me.Haha.

The route recalculating on the Garmin is very fast too, it took me less than 5 seconds to recalculate another route while Im on the road. Ive tried installing the Garmin on Nokia 5800, Nokia E75 and Nokia N97. It worked just fine on the 5800 and E75 but somehow it couldnt work on N97 as there are buttons that cant be used on N97. So it is not advisable for you to try to install it on the N97.

There are many questions regarding the step 3 and how to crack it such as this :

1. when i start my garmin on 5800 ( pls refer to your point # 3 iii) where it says “Select “Use other device” when it prompts you to buy or trial. You will get a screen, “Where To?” and “View map” – there is no such option. it gives you four options:
a) purchase and go
b) begin free trial
c) enter product key
d) connect to garmin GPS

pls let me know which option to choose here…

From my experience of cracking the software, there is no such thing as 'use other device', that is why people are confused as to which option to choose. Just make sure that you choose the 'connect to garmin GPS' and proceed to instruction number 4 of step 3 which is

In GarminXT, go to Tools > Settings > About. Jot down “Card ID”, you will need it. Exit GarminXT.

Make sure that once you cracked the software, update the map at malfreemaps. From what I am told, it is updated weekly.

There you have it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I am right now! :D