I predict AKIM and UBF will join forces.

As the title says, I think it won't be too long when Zaid Ibrahim dan Jeffry Kitingan will join forces. Will they be the 3rd bloc? Only time will tell.

I have a new dedicated blog for my photos and my thoughts on photography

Hi All,

Long time no see. Anyway, I have setup a blog in wordpress specifically for my photographs. So for those interested, here's the url

http://amrylmalekphotography.wordpress.com/

Please come drop by and leave your comments and thoughts. Unfortunately I'll be spending less time on this blog, but I'll make it a point to drop in sometime and despatch my words of wisdom.

Thanks all.

I am Disgusted!

If you watched the news this evening, you would have seen a very disturbing image of a burnt infant body. The news is here in NST reported by Bernama.

Words fails me to describe the abhorrent act of burning a newborn baby! Questions keeps shadowing my thoughts in trying to understand the reason why such cruelty in human nature exist?

What are the mental state of the person while torching the infant? How did he/she become that way? Did he/she feels anger with the baby? Did he/she feels a shame? Is the baby a symbol of social stigma? How did it become that way? Did our education system fails us at the very least in creating a caring person? Did our society fails to create an environment of support? Did he/she have a mental imbalance? Was it hormone? Was it pyschosis?

Can we make sense of all these? Should we?

Events like this and many more makes me lose hope with the future of our humanity. Again, there is no word for me to express this feeling.

Got Myself A New Disease!

Hi folks, I'm infected with a virus! This virus is very dangerous but not lethal, though don't worry it's difficult to infect others with it. But once you got it, it'll be pretty difficult to control, though unfortunately as of now there's no real cure. Me and the wife suspected something amiss a couple of years back. We didn't exactly understand the symptoms then, but in retrospect it is all clear now.

I was infected by my wife. It turns out she is a carrier of the virus. Though she is only showing minor symptoms of the disease. Hopefully she'll not get worse. I went out last weekend and bought her a temporary vaccine, it was expensive, around RM1500. It'll last 2-3 years before the effect wears off. Hopefully by then, other more cheaper but effective vaccines will be available.

My wife in turns got the virus from her friend in her old office in KLCC. The friend have it much worse, I think she spend near to RM20k in the last 4 years just to hold off the effect of the virus.

While I myself have seen a slightly better effect than her friend but a bit worse than my wife. At the same time I bought for my wife the vaccine, I also bought mine at around RM1600. It seems that different people have different effect and require different combination of vaccines. But I can already feel that the vaccines that I bought isn't quite enough. A stronger dose might be neccesary.

Don't worry dear friends, as far as I can tell, my wife and I have yet to infect other with the virus except for my cousin. I infected him with the virus last year. I pray for the best for him. Anyway, it seems that only certain type of people can get infected with the virus, while others are totally immune to it. It might have to do with our genetics and our lifestyle.

I have to stop writing now, I'll detailed out the virus and the symptoms in later post. But for the time being, I share with you the initial effect of the virus. It will sometime undermine your ability to think clearly.

The Futility of New Years Resolutions

Forget about it. It'll never work. Don't waste time thinking about it. Better spent on something more worthwhile. The more time you spend thinking about it the worse life will be for you. Why even bother trying? It'll come when it comes if it comes. So why bother trying.

You wont change your life, you wont make a difference, you are negligible in the whole scheme of things. In the end all your hopes, wishes, dreams are a mere temporary relief to the drudgery that is life.

If you believe that one man can make a difference. You are dead wrong! One man cannot make a difference. Show me a time when a single person can make a difference, and I'll show you a prophet. You're not one. You'll never will be.

But don't be sad. Be mean. That's the only way to be relatively happy. By making more people around you more sad than you. THe more you make people sad, the happier you'll be. THe sadder, the happier. It's all relativity.

Trust me on this. I read Hawkings, the dude on the chair. Being on the chair makes him right. You can't contradict to a person on a chair.

A Nuclear Malaysia and Missing Jet Engines

I had the fortune to be in a lecture given by the late Pian Sukro, the ex-CEO of TNB and Chairman of Energy Commission in 2005. He was one of the pioneers of Malaysia Institute of Nuclear Technology (MINT).

I remember distinctively what he said about Malaysia having a nuclear power plant. His view was that it would be impossible for Malaysia to have a nuclear power plant since it entails an attentiveness to details beyond what Malaysian are capable off. We are lackadaisical when it comes to maintenance and such attitude will be the "Chernobyl" of Malaysia.

But what seems to be ironic is that we lost 2 jet engines (the size of a car at that!) while going for maintenance. It would seem that not only do we lack attentiveness to details we also lack to wisdom to be extra vigilant in matter of security.

IF and when we have a nuclear power plant, don't be surprised that we might lose the nuclear reactor due to oversight of the janitors.

A Bit About Statistics: Probability

Under the study of probability, which is a subset of the study of statistics, an event is formally known as the subset of the sample space. Where as the sample space is an exhaustive list of all the possible outcomes of an experiment. Probability is useful to predict the possibility of future event happens based on past events.

Take for example the Malaysian football team matches (which would be the experiment), therefore a sample space of Malaysian football team matches, which is usually denoted by the letter S, is S ={Win, Lose, Draw}. When the Malaysian football team winning a match is known as an event.

A repetitive match would produce a set of data that can be possible to be use to analyse the probability of the event happening again. If taking the Malaysian football team matches for the past 5 years as the experiment. We just have to count how many times that the Malaysian team win, lose and draw. Take for instance, IF, the Malaysian football team played in 50 matches in the past 5 years, out of that they won 4 matches, lose 40 matches and draw 6 matches. Then the probability calculations are Win 4/50 (0.08 or 8%), Lose 40/50 (0.8 or 80%) and Draw 6/50 (0.12 0r 12%). Therefore the chance for a next win in a match for Malaysian football team would be 0.08 or 8%.

Next lesson would be time series analysis

Ranking the Taxi Driver

I think we should have a company that give audits, rank and certifies taxi drivers. So if the driver is really good, helpful, comply with rules and regulations, knowledgeable and courteous, he might be given 5 star. He can also present his star on his cab.

We can also certify the drivers for certain skills that he have. Let say the driver have training in first aid and self defence, he might than be certified as competent in emergency situation. We can also certify his knowledge. If the driver is fluent in 3 other languages such as Japanese, Arabic and Spanish, then he can be certified and show that certification on his cab.

With all that certifications, the driver should be given added incentive as a reward for such extra effort. Each star and certification might give you the right to apply for service charge or a different rate.

Goodbye Ramadhan and Salam Idul-Fitri

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيۡڪُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِڪُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ

Surah Al Baqarah, 183

Translation:

O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting)[] is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqûn. Al-Quran- 2,183

The above is the ayat that prescribe to Muslim the obligation of fasting. It consist of 3 portion or parts.

One is "O you who believe!", it is a call to the Mukmin amongst us, because only a Believer will put it upon himself to fast. There is a distinction between a Muslim and a Mukmin. A muslim (those who are Islam) is a person that follows the five pillars of Islam, that is the professing the syahadah, performing the solah, paying the zakat (alms giving), saum (fasting) in Ramadhan and perfroming the hajj.

Whereas, a Mukmin (those who Believe) is a person that commits to the six article of Faith (Iman), that are, believe in the One God that is Allah, His Angels (Malaikat), His Prophets (Rasul), His Scriptures (Kitab), the Day of Judgement (Akhirat) and also Divine Destiny whether the good or the bad.

A mukmin will always be a muslim, whereas a muslim might not be a mukmin. This is can be clearly inferred from the surah Al Hujraat, verse 14:

The bedouins say: "We believe." Say: "You believe not but you only say, 'We have surrendered (in Islâm),' for Faith has not yet entered your hearts. But if you obey Allâh and His Messenger (SAW), He will not decrease anything in reward for your deeds. Verily, Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

The second portion is "Observing As Saum is presribed for you", it is thought by some ulama' that the word كُتِبَ (Kutiba - literally means written on) have greater weight than just merely wajib, which means obligatory. And that the words kutiba and saum are repeated twice, puts a greater emphasis on the obligation. And later verses in Surah Al Baqarah, verse 184 to 187 describes some of the do's and don'ts of As -Saum.

Here I will list a few of the more well known;

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Allah the Exalted and Majestic said: `Every act of the son of Adam is for him, except As-Siyam (the fasting) which is (exclusively) for Me, and I will reward him for it.' Fasting is a shield. When anyone of you is observing fast, he should neither indulge in obscene language nor should he raise his voice; and if anyone reviles him or tries to quarrel with him, he should say: `I am fasting.' By Him in Whose Hand the soul of Muhammad is, the breath of one observing Saum is sweeter to Allah than the fragrance of musk. The one who fasts, experiences two joys: he feels pleasure when he breaks the fast. He is joyful by virtue of his fast when he meets his Rubb.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

In a narration by Al-Bukhari, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Allah says: `(The person observing Saum) has abstained from food and drink, and sexual pleasures for My sake; fasting is for Me, and I will bestow its reward. Every good deed has ten times its reward'.''

In a narration by Muslim, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "The reward of every (good) deed of a person is multiplied from ten to seven hundred times. Allah (SWT) says: `The reward of observing Saum is different from the reward of other good deeds; Saum is for Me, and I Alone will give its reward. The person observing Saum abstains from food and drink only for My sake.' The fasting person has two joyous occasions, one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the time of meeting his Rubb. Surely, the breath of one observing Saum is better smelling to Allah than the fragrance of musk.''


But to my mind the most important part of As Saum is the objective of saum which is put in the last portion.


The third portion of the ayat is "that you may become Al-Muttaqûn", the word لَعَلَّكُمۡ is here translated as "may", it can also be translated as "in hope". In hope of what? that you become Al-Muttaqun. The word muttaqun comes from the word taqwa which comes from the word waqayya (to protect). It is to protect oneself from the punishment of Allah. How can one achieve this? It is as simple as following all of His instructions. It is the concept of sami'na wa athoq na (we hear and we obey). It is a concept of being concious of Allah in all our daily dealings.

The thing with taqwa is that there is no standard measurement for taqwa. Though Sayidina Ali bin Abi Talib (RA) says there is four signs of taqwa, that is "fearing Allah, adhering to His commandments, being content with what He provides with and getting ready for the Day of Judgement".


If we used what Sayidina Ali (RA) mentioned as our standard measurement, than which one have we fulfill after going through a month of Ramadhan?

With that, Salam Idul-Fitri

Kita Bodoh!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Unknowns and Potential

We live in 1 moment that exist between 2 opposite moments. The moment that we have left behind, is a moment that we can never recapture, no matter how many "Back to the Future" movies you watched. The moment that might be, which we will not know whether or not we will live to see.

And we live in the current moment. But what define this moment?


Some would say it is the now. Some would say it is the moment where we truly live. Some would say that it is the moment of existence. They might all be correct.

But to me, the current moment is defined by those two moments, the past and the future. The current moment exist as a nexus between the future and the past. The future is full of potential and possibilities while the past is in a sense is constant. Whether or not you believe time move in linear or in a loop, it doesn't matter, what have past cannot be undone.

So we live in a nexus, where we can only move forward as the future moment becomes the current moment and the current moment become the past moment that escapes us.

The future moment is full of unknowns, but most importantly it is full of potential. From small potential to great potential. And such, potential can become great momentum if it can be move and be seized. The most important thing is to manage the unknowns. And how do we do that?

Hello Again!

It's been several month since I updated this blog. Because of time constrains and also access problems, I've been unable to put forth my thoughts in a clear frame of mind. A lot happens between then and now.

Plenty of changes with my life, my environments and the world in general. But the gist of things is that, life continues with or without you.

To my friends that I have not been in contact with, I am sorry. I really wish I have more time to hang out with you guys more.

Though I'm several months too late, let me wish all of you a good year and a good life. Here's a trivia question just for fun, "What's the connection between Kiribati and Mithra the god of the sun?"

A Time to Reflect!

It is time for this nation to stop and reflects on her current condition. We are at a crossroad, the world is at a crossroad. This is an opportunity for us to lead the way rather than to act re-actively.

On matters of unity, let us all concentrate on our shared past and experiences, look into our similarities and build on that. Let us go beyond race, skin colour, religion, language and build upon empathy, brotherhood/sisterhood, love, caring as the basis of our nation.

On matters of education, let us look for the best in our young and future generations, so that they'll lead this nation to greatness. We all are the same, our children are the same, we all share a hope and a destiny in this nation of ours.

On matters of economy, let us throw away the shackles of poverty not only that of capital, but also the poverty of thoughts. New skills and knowledge should be created and shared with everybody. Let new opportunities be created and shared equally with all.

We all share a common bond in this country of ours. We all share a common destiny. We all dream a common happiness.

SOON!

A cold cool breeze,
clearing stagnant air,
bringing change,
bringing hope,
but maybe,
a start of a storm,
or even a bedlam of a hurricane,
destroying long held beliefs,
unshackling shackles,
whatever it is,
an altered vista approaches.

Failed Nation? by Rustam A. Sani

Today I had the pleasure of reading a book entitled "Failed Nation? Concerns of a Malaysian Nationalist" by the late Rustam A. Sani. For those who is not familiar with Rustam A. Sani, he was the son of one of our great freedom fighter, Abdullah Sani@Ahmad Boestaman. More than that, he was a great thinker and academician, a prolific writer, a literary master and most importantly a good soul. He passed away on 23 April 2008.

Anyway, I have been trying to get the book since it was first launch 26 April 2008. It's a collection of his writings that spans roughly 2 decades. In it you can take a peek into the mind of a great sociologist looking at the development of Malaysia as a full fledged nation-state and the creation of "Bangsa Malaysia", not only as a detached observer but also as an active participant of the process.

As you go along the pages, you can almost feel the sadness and sometimes the bitterness that the writer feel when evaluating our progress as a nation. On our confident existence as a nation during the 49th Merdeka Day, he had this to say, "Needless to say, there was certainly no convincing expression of confidence for our future".

In the same article, you can feel the losing hope of the writer on nation building through the last paragraph of the article,"It is high time that the highly articulate, theoretically-informed, social science promoter of the notion of nation-building that I have always wanted to be should also take a retirement just like the rest of me."

But of course not only on his pathos that I am interested in but also the weight of his arguments and his insights on nation-building and nationalism that is highly thought provoking. His statement that,"...Malaysia is just a state without nation - or at least, a state with several competing nations." forces us to look at this country we call Malaysia and re-evaluate our sense of nationhood. Can we look at our fellow Malaysian, without first identifying his race/religion/language/tradition and identify him only as our brother in this nation?

I have yet to finish reading the whole book, but from what I've read it inspires me to share a bit of the content, such a great thinker that was Rustam A. Sani. The only bad thing I can say about the book is that, his articles is too short for me. A more lengthy arguments would only bring greater elucidation to the reader and thus the better.

The Calm Before The Storm

There's this calm before the storm.
An impending chaos that I can feel.
The future is wrought with dangers.
But therein lies redemption.

There's this calm before the storm.





Happy Malaysia Day!

Nothing Much to Talk About..

I wanted to elaborate something on the Bar Council Forum, but I just couldn't put my thoughts properly. But basically, I can surmise it in several points.

1) Bar Council erred in picking up the forum title. Should use less 'sensitive' titles. My suggestion would be, "The legal implication and issues on Non-Muslim when their spouse converted to Islam".

2) The protesters are shallow and narrow minded idiots. But what is worse, they forces their shallowness, narrowness and idiocy upon others.

3) The police should have control the crowds.

This is the best of times...

..this is the worst of times. My friend, we are at a momentous crossroad. Our politics are uncertain, nobody can guess what's going to happen tomorrow, much less two years from now. The wind of change is blowing everywhere, the weather cock is spinning like mad! Will it be better? will it be worst? Trust me, my friend when I say,"I believe it will be worst tomorrow, we have yet to witness the depth of depravity that hides within the heart of men! But once uncloaked, even Baalzebub will look upon us in awe."

Will all this politics matter? No matter what others says, my stand have always been that politics is the backbone of society. A weak, diseased and crooked backbone will ultimately kill society. We need a strong politic, not in the sense of might but strong of its righteousness. We need a healthy politic to ensure that the very basic needs and rights of individuals and society can flourish. We need a straight and true politics so that we can a walk a path of clear conscience. Without good politics, we will only be bad society.

Bloggers on strike!

Well seems like some bloggers just couldn't handle all the blowing up, sodomy, susceptibility to anal sex and what not...what can I say?!....we reap what we sow. We are the people that stand by the side and let shit covers all of us without doing anything about it. For more than 2 and 1/2 decades we move silently by and let others step on us and shat...we reap what we sow.

But as any politicians like to say, "Jangan politikkan isu ini".....

I'm Back!

Well got back from BTN yesterday, all in one peace. Though a few aches here and there. I would say it was an "interesting" experience. I cannot divulge more info than that. Contact me personally for more