Ketenangan Jiwa

Semua orang di bumi ini mencari ketenangan jiwa. Macam-macam cara yang kita buat dan kita cuba untuk cari.... ketenangan jiwa.

Ada yang kumpul duit banyak-banyak. Ada yang daki gunung tinggi-tinggi. Ada yang hisap rokok sampai tak mampu lagi untuk berhenti. Ada yang pergi bercuti jauh-jauh sampai ke luar negara menghabiskan duit beribu-ribu. Ada yang makan banyak-banyak. Ada yang shopping banyak-banyak. Ada yang keluar dengan kawan-kawan untuk 'have fun'. Dan ada juga yang mencari ketenangan hati di saat ada masalah hidup sampai terjerumus ke lembah maksiat - na'uzubillahi min zaalik.

Kawan-kawan, sekiranya kita benar-benar tahu, semua itu sebenarnya adalah cara-cara yang teramat 'mahal' untuk mendapatkan ketenangan jiwa. Sesungguhnya hanya ada SATU SAHAJA cara yang paling berkesan untuk dapatkan ketenangan jiwa, iaitu - - - - - Zikrullah.. Ingat akan Allah.

Dalam Surah Al-Ra'd: 28; Allah berfirman:

"... Ingatlah, hanya dengan mengingati Allah hati akan menjadi tenang".

Sesungguhnya ini adalah kata-kata dari Allah yang Maha Agung, Maha Mengetahui - Pencipta sekalian makhluk dan alam. Maka, adakah kita masih mahu mencari cara yang lain untuk mencari ketenangan jiwa?

Renung-renungkan lah...

Trials & Tribulations

Life is always full of trials & tribulations. Even in good times we're actually being tested. There's no doubt that we'll be tested again and again. And at times when the test seems so harsh, we'll wonder, "Why me?"

But you know, someone dear to me once said:

"..one should know that whatever test that Allah has laid down for us, He knows that the test will ALWAYS be of a size that we can cope/deal with.."

For those who are currently being tested, hang in there. In time, you will be fine. Remember - time heals.

And right now I'm wondering - If this is the case, then probably that's why suicide is not accepted in Islam. And that's why if we fail the (some of the) test(s), then punishment awaits in the hereafter.

The Blizzard Savior

The Blizzard Savior, originally uploaded by izzatnizam.

I can't remember how long it has been since I wrote my last blog, but sure it is quite some time ago.

So, this is going to be my next entry, and this time I'm writing in Bahasa Malaysia (campur sikit-sikit la english).


Photo Description / Penerangan Foto:

Ok. Sebelum teruskan baca sila tenung gambar di atas lama-lama ye.

Dua hari lepas bila bangun pagi je tiba-tiba aku tengok kat luar tingkap bilik aku rupanya tengah snow. Lebat pulak tu. Aku memang dah lama tak tengok weather forecast kat weather.com. TV pun dah lama tak tengok. Haih, hidup aku ni asyik busy je dengan homework la, kerja la. Makin tua ni memang dah takde masa nak tengok TV. So, basically memang tak jangka la nak snow lebat macam ni.

Aku pun pergi je la klas kan, macam biasa. On the way tu, aku tengok kereta-kereta kat parking lot tu semua dah habis kena tutup dengan snow. Haha, aku fikir dalam hati kesian la tuan punya kereta kena scrape snow sblum dapat drive. Anyway pagi ni nasib aku kira baik la sebab Den (housemate sejati aku untuk empat tahun) pun nak pegi klas time tu so aku pun tumpang je kereta dia. At least tak berkumpul la snow atas kepala aku ni.

On the way balik from klas tu, Den call aku cakap skolah tutup harini. Aku macam, "Aik? Haritu blizzard lagi dahsyat tak tutup pun skolah, ini sikit je pun tutup?" So bila dah sampai bilik aku on la TV yang dah berhabuk kat hujung katil aku tu. Aku tengok NBC kat Channel 9. Diorang pun tengah report pasal weather time tu. Kereta banyak sangkut, and then banyak accidents jugak. Aku fikir, Alhamdulillah aku dan kawan-kawan selamat pegi and balik skolah.

So, since petang tu skolah tutup aku pun tido jela kat bilik - takde klas, takde meeting, takde kerja. Aku nak sangat keluar rumah amik gambar tapi snow lebat sangat. Camera aku ni takde weather sealing pun so aku tanak la dia rosak pulak tak pasal-pasal je kan. Angin pun kuat, buat sejuk badan je. So bila dah petang skit, aku dah takleh resist temptation nak keluar jugak amik gambar, so aku capai jaket aku and terus keluar rumah.

Kat luar, kebetulan tengah ada pakcik ni kat atas snow plow tengah kerja keras bersihkan jalan. Aku cari tempat yang ada cover sikit dekat ngan rumah aku and then aku snap gambar ni, dan beberapa gambar lain. Tak lama pun aku tahan kat luar tu. Sejuk!

Kat Colorado ni cuaca dia extreme. Harini snow banyak banyak, esok tu boleh terus panas (10 celcius = panas). Apa-apa pun, aku bersyukur la, sebab dah lama tak snow kat sini. Aku fikir, sungai sungai pun banyak dah nak kering kot. Dah la US ni supply air makin sikit, so, kalau nak tengok kebaikan blizzard ni, kira bagus la sebab dapat la manusia kat sini cukup air untuk hidup aman damai.

Dah. Tu je sebenarnya cerita dia. Aku ingat nak tulis sikit je pasal gambar ni tengok tengok panjang pulak. Hehe.

So, harap korang entertained la baca cerita aku yang tak semena-mena ni. Thanks sebab sudi spend time nak baca post ni.

Apape pun, bak kata Saiful Nang, "enjoice!"

Italy, London, Lille & Cardiff

I don't usually do this, but this time I'll make an exception.

This post is dedicated to the people I met during my recent trip to Italy, London, Cardiff, and Lille.

For the past three weeks, I traveled to Europe from America to go places and to visit my friends and my aunt. I have to say, it's been the most thrilling and exciting moments in my life.

I'd like to thank:

1) Haneef Nasir - For your DSLR & the beautiful photos, for the accomodation during my short Cardiff trip, and for being a great company in Pisa, Florence, Rome and Cardiff.

2) Maureen & Valentina Nerdi - For being very helpful during our visit to Florence, Italy. To Maureen, I'll never forget the mini-countryside-tour and the background information you gave us about Florence's attractions. And Valentina, so far you're the best San Casciano tourguide that I've met.

3) Hadi Abdillah (and Yameen) & Jefriman Johari - For the best hospitality in London from the very first day I arrived until the very last minute I was in London. Seriously, London would be nothing to me without you guys around.

4) Saiful Adli, Hakim Roslan, and Syahir Kasim - Saiful for convincing me to go to Europe in the first place, for planning our Lille trip, for the jokes, Hakim for being such a great French tourguide, and Syahir for the camera in Lille.

5) My Aunty Latifah Khamis - I'm just glad I finally had the chance to go to London and visit you after so many years.

To Salad, Jufri, Acap, Sapir, Jay, Ija, Lisz, Fido, Sarip, Kenny, Lutfi, Aini, Adik (the fortune-teller), Yaa, Belle, Buna & Aida (sori tak sempat singgah Soton), Nabilah, Rapik, Shifa, Bebeh, Amat, Rafi, Nik, Imran, and again, to all the people listed above, it was a pleasure to have all of you guys be part of my trip. I had a really fun time spent with all of you.

And I'm already missing all the good times we've had.

Appreciation Comes When It's Not There Anymore

Too often we forget to appreciate something when it lies abundantly upon us. When this suddenly disappears, become scarce, and not easily available for us to grab, then only we'd feel the real, true value of it.

You can just name it - Parents, good health, eyesight, God's blessings, good neighbors, our significant other, a peaceful nation, access to electricity and water, life, money, or freedom. Once these are taken away, then only we know how valuable they actually are to us.

Appreciation seems like it's quite a simple thing - but it's not. For some reason, it comes easier only when we don't have that special something anymore.

Anyways, Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Eid Mubarak, and take care everyone. I apologize for any of my mistakes all this while. You guys have a good one alright. Cheers ;)

Are We Islam Enough?

One night about two months ago, me and my other two friends spent four hours talking about life questions, world issues and such. It was really intriguing we got carried away and ended up spending four hours just exchanging ideas. I didn't feel much regret spending that much time, though, because we seldom talk about some serious life questions.

During the discussion, I had one of my biggest realizations ever - the question of "Am I Islam Enough?"

Honestly, I am one of many who believe that as long as we acknowledge that Allah is our God, then that'll pretty much prove that we are Islam enough. But my friend told me that when it comes to believing in God, there are two levels. "Rob", and "Illah".

Rob, could be described as the believe that there is God, while Illah, is a higher level that makes us believe and TOTALLY submit ourselves towards Him. Illah drives our life to only live for Him, and Illah makes us be His servant and let Him be our only reason to live.

Surely Illah sounds like a really high level, doesn't it? But as hard as we should work to achieve that level, we should also realize that being only at the Rob level does not guarantee us that we die in Islam.

But why? One might ask. If I believe in Allah, that should mean I'm a Muslim, right?

Not necessarily.

Whenever we refer to the word "Allah", it always depends on what is the context that we're referring Him to. If what we see in Allah is just as our God who is up there and the one who created this universe, then this is described as being at the "Rob" level. If we're only at this level, we should worry a lot.

Again, why? What's so wrong about being at the "Rob" level?

Well, it's simply because almost everybody believes in God. Even some of the atheists I've talked to believe that there should be some kind of higher power up there but they just don't know which religion is the correct one.

The Jews, Christians, for example - they all believe in the same God that we always refer to as "Allah". And worse, even the evil satans acknowledge the existence of Allah! So, if our belief in God is only at this level, we should worry because we might be risking ourselves to be placed at the same level as the satans!

But Illah, as pure as it is, means total submission. And total submission means that everything we do on this earth is because of Him, adhering to His words and avoiding what He dislikes. That's why He likes it better for us Muslims to call Him Allah instead of just God. (Note: You could still call Him Allah but mean just the God at the Rob level). Being at this level makes our prayers being the reason we stop committing sins. Being at this level makes us feel peace. Being at this level gives us security.

Now, ask ourselves, my fellow Muslim friends - are we only acknowledging Allah the same way satan does, or are we moving towards having Illah inside our hearts?

May Allah bless all of us in this world and in the hereafter.

Finally, Proton

Last Monday, on the very front page of the "Ekonomi" section in Berita Harian, an article writes "Proton mampu berdikari". This article explains how Proton is now moving forward due to its success in their customer feedback on the latest Proton Saga and Persona.

Proton's CEO, Syed Zainal Syed Mohamad Tahir said,

"Semua usaha dilaksanakan sudah berhasil. Tanggungjawab Proton besar dan apa yang penting ialah mengeluarkan model disukai pembeli"

And the article further writes,

"Namun, katanya kunci kejayaan pembaharuan itu yang menekankan aspek mutu ialah Proton tidak boleh lagi mengeluarkan model 'syok sendiri'"

"Kami perlu mengeluarkan model disukai dan ia terbukti berjaya apabila Persona dan Saga baru mendapat sambutan."

Dumbfounded at first, then I thought "Oh, Yay..... Errr, Congratulations... Proton...."

After a looong 23 years in the business, FINALLY Proton got the secret formula of how to actually make cars: produce models that customers like. I could imagine the CEO in his office shouting with pride "Oh My God!!! Guys, Check this OUT!!! I got the secret formula!!!! We need, to make cars, that our customers love!!!! Wooot!!"

Lame...

Right now, let's cross our fingers and hope it won't take Proton another 23 years to finally learn that cars have four wheels.

Fuel Price Hike: Is Petronas Guilty?

A few days ago, Malaysia Today posted an article titled "Petronas Could Go Bust By 2018". The article is originally written by Wong Sai Wan of The Star newspaper.

For those of you who don't have the time to read the whole article, it mainly suggested that Petronas will go bust within 10 years if all of its profits are handed to the Government to continue subsidizing fuel. Petronas CEO, Tan Sri Hassan Merican later talked about how production costs have increased in oil exploration and such.

People, of course, are hot happy with these kinds of statements since they seem to justify on the recent fuel subsidy restructuring (read: fuel price hike). But, Petronas will go bust by 2018 ONLY IF ALL of its funds are channeled to the government. So far, the government has NEVER taken ALL of Petronas' profits since 1974, the year Petronas was formed.

However, people got mad because they thought CEO Hassan Merican was making a statement that supported the fuel price hike. And so they wrote nasty comments.

From the comments just below the article, I was just amazed at how ignorant Malaysians truly are. I, too, do not know everything about the oil industry, but when people do not actually understand the situation and at the same time trying to sound smart, they start writing comments that ask people to boycott Petronas and write really stupid questions like "Then why does Petronas spend so much in oversea research for oil resources in corporation with foreign companies?". One fella also questioned "what really Petonas really benifit rakyat???" (See, this fella even had two typos in one sentence) Sheeeesh, I thought I was dreaming when I saw this.

But, you know what, I guess I can't blame people for not knowing how the industry works, but at least I think they should not try to write anything if they don't know facts. Since I am taking Petroleum Engineering as my major and at the same time being a Petronas scholar, I admit such remarks about Petronas only made me feel angry.

Regarding the fuel price hike, people might want to know that Petronas doesn't earn a single cent on the recent subsidy restructuring. In fact, due to the higher prices, local oil sales might even drop and thus reducing Petronas' revenue. So, NO, the price hike has nothing to do with Petronas. In this case, the ONLY party that saves money (RM13.7 billion in total) is our government because now the government no longer has to pay the subsidies to Petronas whenever we go to the gas stations to top off our tanks.

Petronas is just Malaysia's national oil company and it didn't play any role in the fuel price increase, so please stop blaming the company for the current inflation that's storming the country.

Drilling for oil nowadays DO cost much much higher than before (especially offshore) because all the conventional "easy" oils have been discovered and what's left for us to play with is just the small pockets of reservoirs deep deep down below. Bringing the oil to surface is not as simple as "poking" a hole on the ground today and selling the oil the day after that. Some could even take years (I personally believe this is the reason why oil price kept increasing lately due to the time lag the supply needs in adjusting itself to the currently high market demand). Thus, it's clear that whatever Tan Sri Hassan Merican said does hold truth. He at least knew what he's talking about.

So, people, let's not boycott Petronas since that's such a baseless idea it would only bring adverse effects to the country. The one to be blamed is not Petronas but whomsoever that mismanaged the funds channeled by Petronas. You see, when the money is not well managed (due to corruption, etc etc), the country runs out of it and so, now to save more money, the subsidy is being taken away. Well, to know more, do your own research using Google. I prefer not to talk further details about this or I'd just risk my scholarship being taken away or my whole blog being scraped.

Alright. Til my next post, take care, everyone.

I Support Kempen "Mari Ubah Gaya Hidup"

A funny three-month old video now becomes relevant again after the recent fuel price hike. Watch below:

Malaysian Fuel Up 40% Overnight

Although I'm ten thousand miles away from home, I could still hear about what just happened yesterday - a 78 cents per liter fuel price hike - 40% increase from its original price.

Me and my friends talked about this issue, and we had mixed ideas. One of my friends said he just loves the idea of subsidies being scraped away - as in, let's live with the market price and let's stop pampering fellow Malaysians with subsidies. Another agreed on this price hike because he said the government can no longer pay the higher subsidies as oil prices worldwide keep increasing lately. Plus, he said any price increase would definitely start causing people to adapt to a new lifestyle - carpooling, start using public transportation, or even start using old roads instead of highways to keep our expenses low.

My personal opinion? I don't know, but to me, any price increase is not good. It'll take months for me to find any good reason why fuel price increase is favorable. Even Americans are whining now because they're now paying close to $4.00 per gallon (around RM3.25 per liter - some people actually compared this and said "hey, bersyukur la, minyak kat US $3.25 seliter, kat Malaysia baru $2.70 seliter" - URGHH!!!)

At the same time, I'm actually quite confused, as to how the subsidy system really works. There should be a connection between Malaysia being the net exporter, the price of oil increasing and the fact that our government owns Petronas, which is now enjoying higher profits due to the price increase. If Petronas earns more, that means the government now earns more since Petronas is government owned (Plus Petronas pays taxes to the Feds). When the government has more money, doesn't that mean it is now even easier to subsidize gasoline than before - even with worldwide price increase?

I admit I'm not good at how the system really works, but until today nobody from the upper levels had come up with figures to clearly show or explain to us why Malaysian gasoline price should increase by 40% overnight. If increasing world price of oil has really hurt the government's budget due to the subsidies, I'd definitely support any option that'd be best for the situation, but when nobody explains what the hell is really going on at the backstage, how would I know if we Malaysians have been cheated or is this really for the good of the country? If any of you out there actually read this post and knows how the subsidy system really works, please kindly explain it to me on the comment section. I really need to know about it.

You know, it is true, we could all start carpooling now, but reality is - things are always easier said than done. If 50% of our drivers now decide to carpool, I'd award Malaysians as the most adaptable human beings on this planet.

No, it won't be 50%. Even 20% is good enough. Will people start using old curvy roads rather than highways? 20% less traffic on the highways - I'd call that a miracle. And how many people are willing to switch from using their 2.0 liter Honda to a 1.6 liter Waja?

Still talking about adapting? Maybe we need to start including some element of reality in there as well.

Right now, all I know is this - regardless, whether this price hike is the right decision or not, a 40% increase in the price of gasoline at gas stations will absolutely lead to higher inflation. And since most likely Malaysians' earnings won't go up as much as even 20% by next year, I doubt more among us would actually be happy that we're now paying RM2.70 per liter to fuel up our cars. The consequences will be worse.

Wake up, fellow Malaysians. I'm calling all of us find out if taking back the subsidy is really necessary for the betterment of the country. The government now better has some good figures to show us that this decision will benefit our life quality more than the price difference that we now have to pay at gas stations. As one of Malaysian citizens, I demand a thorough explanation on this decision.

Busy Busy Busy

Alright, I know "I'm-busy" is just an excuse, but...

... seriously, I had too many things to do in such a short time I couldn't update my blog at all for the past few weeks. If any of you visited my blog and see nothing new posted (and got irritated), I apologize.

Starting from early-May, I had five final papers to go thru. Two days after I'm done with finals, I had to go to a 12-day geology field session in Massadona, a place northwest of Colorado that takes 6-hour of driving to reach. The next morning after we're done with field session, I had to take a flight to St. Louis, Missouri and drive down to Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois for Midwest Games 2008. It's a three-day event and today I just got back which means my busy schedule just ended. Everything went well so I should say alhamdulillah...

Alright. Now it's summer time so I'm going to relax for three months and forget about school. Hopefully I'd be able to write some posts on this holiday and hopefully some of you would still feel like coming here to check if this blog is updated at all..

Later...

Respect Yourself First

I work part-time on campus. I'm one of the three lab assistants helping Al, the lab coordinator for the Petroleum Engineering Department here at school.

One of the most interesting part in doing this part-time job with Al is that he'll at times give us advices one might usually regard as "wisdom". And sure, I personally think Al is a wise man.

This morning, first thing after Chrissy (one of the three lab assistants) and I reported ourselves to work, we updated him about some work stuff. Later we deviated into other topics and one of them was concerning women and respect.

Al talked quite a lot on it. He said some men are just not respecting women, thinking that men are superior to women, etc. etc. He obviously was against that, and I couldn't agree more with him. We believe women should be equally respected in any circumstances.

"But...", Al continued, "...women should know how to respect themselves first before they want or demand men to respect them"

He later suggested that if physical beauty is the only thing that a woman put forward to let themselves be regarded as, while neglecting the fact that she also has other non-physical qualities and achievements, then most likely this woman will be treated as such. Most likely men will treat them like objects - beautiful objects, of course, but nothing more than that. And when this happens, it's the woman's fault and she doesn't have much room to ask for men to give them the respect they actually deserve.

And I thought...

In other words, women should not only "sell" their physical attractiveness, because if they do, that'll be the only thing men will appreciate about them. If women also "sell" their other humanly self-qualities, they'll be much more appreciated as an equally respected human being.

But you know, men are not noble, either. Some men, even with women who respect themselves in the first place, will still think that women are mere objects who are inferior to them. In this case, then it's the man's fault for not respecting the woman. And if you meet one of these men, you'll immediately see the word "J.E.R.K" hugely printed right up on their forehead.

And I believe the whole respecting-yourself-first idea should also go to men. Notice how some men let beautiful women manipulate themselves and treating them unfairly but will still like the woman and humbly say sorry every single time he has the chance to. And notice every time the man stands up for himself, then woman will later give him more of the respect that man deserves. Dating expert, David Deangelo, for example, describes this as something like "Not letting women treat you with second-class behavior".

And I guess this "law" is quite universal that it is actually true in a lot of other circumstances. It's logical, and it makes a lot of sense, too. See - if we do not respect ourselves, how can we ever expect other people to give it to us in return, right?

What Zionists' Don't Want The World To Know

Take three minutes to watch this video. Americans are not exposed to these kinds of news. I'd like to take back some of my earlier comments saying that their media is free. Surely, if something has an ownership, it'll best represent the interests of its owner, right? And the "free" American media is just the same as any other controlled media we see around the world, especially when it comes to US foreign policies. I'd strongly suggest Americans who'd like to know what it's actually like out there to search somewhere else other than what you're fed on that huge TV you have. The internet might be the most independent media of all.

Now, let us together pray so that the Palestinians will be more protected from the filthy Zionists. And so that Allah will damn those Zionists who have no heart to the point that going into someone else's home and breaking walls do not seem to be something to feel guilty of anymore.

Humbled

An open letter to whom it may concern

It's so hard
That it hurts inside it kills me slowly
Whenever this feeling comes
It just makes me feel humbled all over again

I am angry
I am mad
Not towards you but towards myself
But nothing could be done
Thus my only choice is to feel humbled

I may not be the ideal one
And I may not be the best
But no matter what happens
I know I will try my best
To be responsible, to be respectful
To have your trust, and to be sincere in this

I apologize
If you were hurt
I know it's hard to forgive

I do not know if you will ever forgive me
Or even to spare me a chance to prove myself
But what I do know - is that

My apology sincerely comes from the bottom of my humbled heart

I'm sorry...

Ron Paul Is America's Only Hope

Photo credit: AP / Charlie Neibergall.

Living in the US has given me the tempias of the upcoming Presidential Election - taking place end of 2008. I have not read much of the candidates, but amidst my ignorance, I used to prefer Barack Obama.

But I've given up on Obama. Now it's Ron Paul time.

One might ask: Why the hell should you care about whoever becomes the US President? It's not like you're gonna be able to vote. Dude, you're a Malaysian for God's sake!

My answer: Well, because the US' Foreign Policies are vital to the rest of the world, thus knowing who gets to be the President will also guide us as to what should we anticipate in the near future , for example - more wars or no wars anymore? I am a human being living on this earth and somehow I do care what happens to the people in Iraq, Iran, Vietnam, and any other countries. I'd like to know if world peace will be restored or eroded more and more.

Now, I'd like to clarify that the reason I like Ron Paul is not because he is a Republican. Actually, in many ways, Ron Paul's ideas actually do not sound too Republican. I like Ron Paul particularly because of his ideas to restore the American constitution back in place just like what their founding fathers wanted back then. Many in America believe that for various reasons, the systems that they have today are slowly taking away Americans' sovereignty. Ron Paul is the only candidate who doesn't support the War against Iraq, and at the same time he seems to be the only one who is against the Patriot Act - an act similar to the famous Malaysian Internal Security Act (ISA). These outdated and colonial-like acts give governments unlimited power to jail anyone that they wish without trial in court and even without our rights to appoint a lawyer to defend ourselves. And in my opinion, these kinds of laws should not exist anymore in this world for any reason. If one is said to be guilty, he/she should have the right to at least defend him/herself before getting charged and jailed.

Also, learning (or I might also call it grilled) by a two hour movie Zeitgeist, I am now all clear that just as much as what should be done to Malaysia, so much should also be done in America. And to me, as we speak, the only man who seems to realize on what the main problems Americans are facing is Ron Paul.

So, what are the main problems that Americans are facing?

To answer this, first, let me talk about the movie Zeitgeist. The movie is somewhat an independent movie which costed me two hours of my afternoon sleep. But I'm glad I "paid" the two hour to gain some useful realizations as to what is really happening in American economy.

The movie has three parts, where the first part scrutinizes the existence of Jesus Christ (or probably even God) which I certainly do not agree with simply because I'm a Muslim and we firmly believe in the existence of Jesus (who is regarded as one of our Prophets before Muhammad).

But the other two parts, however, are mind-blogging. Too many facts (even some not properly cited) have been presented and they support one another you just can't deny that something wrong has been going really wrong with this world even from the beginning of the 20th century.

The two parts talk about the 9/11 attack (plus some previous world wars) and the Federal Reserve System (which is something like Malaysia's Bank Negara but privately-controlled). Net result - too disturbing to churn.

There is simply too much to be said about the movie that I would recommend all of you to spend some time watching it. And I especially recommend watching the last two parts. You can skip that first one.

And so, why Ron Paul? This time, my answer is: "Easy. Watch Zeitgeist on Google Video, search Ron Paul on Youtube, and you'll see what I'm trying to say"

Peace and out.

Freedom Of Speech - Dutch Style

Have you seen the latest Dutch hit, "Fitna"? If you haven't, you should. Go to YouTube and you'll find it there.

It is amusing to know that some people are producing videos or cartoons that they know are sensitive to Muslims, and later say

"Hey, this is freedom of speech! I can write and do whatever I want because we the civilized countries know better than you developing countries do! This is freedom of speech. You know nothing about it. So don't get offended, because if you do then I'm gonna call you terrorists!"

Pathetic.

That's the only description I could say to the people who can't distinguish between what is proper and what is not. These "civilized" people can't even tell if they're only using freedom of speech without taking somebody else's dignity or not.

Let's take this conversation as an example on how confused these people are:

Friend: Geert, I have two hands. Can I say that I should have freedom for my two hands to do whatever that I want? I mean, I should be able to pick up anything and use my hands to hold anything that I want, right?

Geert Wilders: Oh, yes! Why not? We humans have freedom in doing anything that we want!

And so Friend walked towards Geert Wilder's wife who's standing next to him and landed his hand on her ****** (you choose, whichever part that is sensitive).

Flabbergasted, Geert Wilders punched Friend on the face as hard as he could. He could not believe Friend had such an intention. With his nose bleeding, Friend said

Friend: What the hell, Geert?! You just told me that I could use my hands for anything. You said my two hands have freedom!

Geert Wilders: Are you stupid or what?! This is my wife. I treasure her the most and of course someone touching my wife is something that is offensive to me. I won't ever allow you to do that, and I don't care how much freedom your two hands have, you still can't go touching some private parts which are sensitive to some!! Limit that freedom you have, will you?!

And seeing that scene from far, a Muslim guy shook his head seeing how stupid Geert Wilders is. He talks about freedom of speech, but he doesn't know how to limit his. He doesn't know what offends others and yet he gets offended when others touch his wife's private part because to him, "it is offensive". UUuuu. Now he's talking about what's offensive and what's not.

Besides some European countries, freedom of speech is also common in America. People make fun of others on the Comedy Central TV channel, but yet they still know what should be the limits. And knowing that some jokes could be offensive, most stand up comedians prefer to use self-depreciating jokes, where they would humiliate themselves, their own race, their religion, or their own family members. Even in America people know how to use freedom of speech while behaving themselves.

But Geert Wilders? To him, freedom of speech is smearing other people's religion. He seems to know freedom of speech better than anyone else in the whole world.

I guess this is freedom of speech - Dutch style.

Shame on you, Geert.

Excellence Speaks for Itself

Excellence comes from various ways. Being a respectable leader, an intelligent student, a man who's good with women, an active philanthropist, a caring parent, a successful businessperson - all categorized under what I call excellence.

Now. Excellence is not a living thing, but would all of you believe me if I say that excellence speaks for itself?

Just by looking at the way successful individuals deal with situations, we know that they are indeed good at what they're doing. Somehow, the skill radiates some kind of message that's saying "Hey, I'm good at doing this job". For instance, listening to some prominent leaders' speeches tells us instantly that he/she has some credibility in what he/she is doing.

While excellence is achieved by many, not everyone who has it know that excellence actually speaks for itself. Or they probably know it, but they think it's not enough to just let excellence does its job. Thus they also tend to "speak" for the excellence that they have achieved.

I have once heard some people saying

"When you've done a good job, let success speak for itself - don't interrupt"...

Until today I believe that there's so much truth in these words. There is absolutely no need for all of us to "interrupt" when our excellence can project its own image to others without our help.

I for one think that if we ever try to speak for our own excellence, it only shows that we're only irritating others into thinking that we're actually not that excellent after all. In a layman's term, this is what we call "bragging". Yes, if we need that much attention from others to show them how much we've got, we now fall far far below the level of excellence, plus we will lose respect from others at the same time.

Why is this so? If there's more effort put into trying to send the same message, logic tells us that the effect should be greater, am I right?

Errr, No...

Unfortunately, this time it doesn't work that way. This time even Mr. Logic is wrong. But why?

My opinion is this: It is because the act of praising our own self is not even part of excellence. Rather, it is a sign of our insecurity - due to the fact that we need to "project it", or else, we'd think that there's no way others can see the excellence if we live it alone to speak by itself.

But you know, the worst part of all is this - while some of us think that by telling others would alleviate our status, it'll actually just do the opposite. It instantaneously kill our reputation.

And it's sad when some of us just never learn.

Malaysia: Race & Racism

Lately, there's a lot of Malaysians screaming about wanting a Malaysian Malaysia, where everyone is treated equally regardless of their race. "Bangsa Malaysia" is said to be the new race to replace what we've been calling Chinese, Indians, and Malays.

Well, I am definitely happy to know that race will slowly play less of a role in determining government allocation of funds. Like any other developed country, I support fully the need to help the poor regardless of their race. This is in fact a much healthy scene for Malaysian's political, business and social landscape for it will help to further reduce the income gap between the rich and the poor.

So, Bangsa Malaysia seems to be a good idea. But is it easy to just disregard race?

From my observation, it's not easy.

Just look at the popular independent news site, malaysia-today.net. Even the many people who are championing about having "Bangsa Malaysia" as our new label to all Malaysians are still using terms like Malays, Chinese and Indians in their blogs and comments. But does this mean that these people are racists? No, not necessarily.

See, there's a huge difference between race and racism. Having race that differentiates us in culture, religion, and ways of life is totally fine. There's nothing wrong to acknowledge that someone is from another race. Anyways, if race really doesn't matter to us, why are we still calling people from Asia as Asian and Westeners as Whites/Europeans? And if race really doesn't matter, I'm sure today we are calling ourselves as "earthans", or anything close to it. So, this is race, and acknowledging that we're of different races should not be a problem.

But racism?

Racism is no way close to just acknowledging race. Racism is when one race feels that they are superior than another. Racism is when one race thinks that the others should bow down to them. Racism is only for sick-minded people like the KKK's. So, racism is a No-No - definitely.

In Malaysia's case, I think there is no need for us to try to come up with one race name like "Bangsa Malaysia" or "Bangsa Melachindian" (well, I don't know if that name even sounds good) to replace our already established Malay, Chinese and Indian.

Yes, there's no need to do so. Why?

Because it's just not realistic and it is impractical to do so. Just look at America. After so many years, they're still calling themselves African-American and (Caucasian)-American. But this in no way makes them racist. Like I said earlier, one becomes a racist only when he/she thinks that his/her race is superior than another.

In Malaysia, we should not allow racism to plague the country. No one race is superior in Malaysia. Even when the Chinese are good at doing business, they can never claim that they're a superior race compared to the Malays or Indians. If the Indians are better in being dermatologists, so be it. Just because the Chinese and Indians come later, doesn't make the Malays any better than the other races. We're all equal. Everyone in the country should treat others equally fair and just.

If there should be any discrimination made, that will only be the rich, and the already-established companies (by taxing them more). Poor ones, and smaller start-up companies, regardless of the race of the individuals involved, should be helped.

Seeing ourselves united as purely Malaysians is definitely the best way to go. But as far as eliminating race labels is concerned, I think it is not practical. My 2 cents is this - we won't be able to just throw away the Indian, Chinese and Malay labels because it is evident that we have been created with different features.

And that, too, is why God has created us with different races - for us to get to know, trade, work, and tolerate one another. If we're all created with the same features and attitudes, how boring do you think this world would be?

I Need Some Personal Check & Balance

Check & balance is a must. For Muslims, one of our check and balances should be Allah, where we know that He is watching us all the time. Even when no one is around, He is around to ensure we don't dare do evil. For a student like me, I also think I need a few personal check and balance factors to keep me rolling on the right track in terms of studies and my part-time job.

Being a human full of imperfection, I find myself sometimes lazy and procrastinating. Some recent events really taught me on why personal check and balance is a must. One day I overslept where it almost costed me my part-time job as a lab assistant in our Petroleum Engineering department.

With my strict (but fatherly) boss being my personal check and balance factor in my daily life as a student here, I'm glad now I care and appreciate more about the job that I have. Should I lose this job, I'd lose so much of my side income it might even affect my studies.

To make this story a lesson, I should say that all of us should recognize and ask - what has been our personal check and balance all these while? Such check and balances would keep us away from being complacent, lazy and inefficient. They push us to the limits where we would work our hardest to appreciate whatever that we have now. And pushing ourselves to the limit is a must for personal growth. Otherwise, 5 years from now, we will still be at the same level as today.

Cheers.

Government VS Political Party

Dear Malaysians,

I do not know if this is too basic of a knowledge that I'd sound stupid trying to explain it. But from what I have observed, it seems like a lot of us (to my surprise, even the hosts on national TV) do not really know how to differentiate between a government and a political party.

First things first. BARISAN NASIONAL (BN) IS NOT EQUAL TO THE GOVERNMENT.

BN is a coalition of parties. Inside BN, there's UMNO, MCA, MIC, Gerakan, and another 10 parties.

Other than BN, we have Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), and Democratic Action Party (DAP). These are of course just the famous few of many more parties that we have in Malaysia. And these parties have different ways to look at and deal with national issues.

Government, on the other hand, is a group of people/ministers formed by either a single party, or a coalition of parties. A government handles national matters and spends taxes paid by citizens and corporations to execute national plans. During election process, the citizens will look at all of the parties' offers on how to deal with national issues, and choose the party that we think have the best offer to form the government.

Therefore, a government can be formed by any party contesting in an election. It doesn't matter, BN, PKR, DAP, PAS, all of these parties can form a government individually or mixed. Our problem is, after having BN being our government for the past 50 years (and for the next 4-5 years), a lot of people seem to have been confused when to use the term government, where most of us call BN as the government. If in the next election PKR, DAP and PAS wins simple majority in the Parliament, then please, once and for all we need to stop calling the BN coalition-of-parties as the government.

So, in the recent election, it was not the government who lost the four states... BN lost the four states to the hands of PKR, DAP and PAS. And if we love BN, we should say we sokong BN instead of we sokong kerajaan.

I just hope this clears up if not many, some of the people's confusion. To be honest, I am somewhat disturbed when people are even using the term government when they are actually referring to the BN coalition (this was on national TV, during election).

To those who just learned this difference, please do educate your friends as well. Thanks.