The 3rd beckons of KINABALU

In less than a week, I'll be climbing Mount Kinabalu again. YES, again for the 3rd time ! When colleagues and close friends got to know about it, they were sort of “shocked and surprised”.

Some responded directly and others just gave me that kinda look which says : “You tak boring ker pergi ke tempat yang sama ? Asyik Kinabalu jerw … tak der kerw tempat lain ?”

What more when they knew that this will be my third time scaling Mount Kinabalu. To them, it’s just a waste of time and money (as if I'm using their money !) to go to the same place over and over again. To them, they would rather stay at home and watch TV in the comfort of their homes instead. But frankly my dear, I don’t think I owe them any justification or explanation, right ? Whatever it is, me being me, here are some of my reasons …

Firstly, to be able to climb and conquer Mount Kinabalu is like having to sit for and pass my "final examination". My analogy is simple. Imagine you sign up for a particular subject. What’s the use of attending lectures if at the end of the semester you refuse to take any form of assessment or evaluation to see whether you understand the lecture materials or not. Students took their quizzes, tests, mid term exams and finally the final exam so that they can appraise and measure their standard or level of understanding of the subject matter.

Same goes with my mountain trekking and climbing expeditions. My team and I have "signed up" for this "subject" seriously since 4-5 years ago, and some even much longer than that. We have all been “working hard” - training at small hills like Bukit Tabur, and mid-sized mountains like Gunung Nuang, Datok, Irau, Berembun and Brinchang.

These "intro & intermediate level" trekking and climbing activities liken a student sitting for their quizzes and tests, which can be quite challenging at times but normally not very difficult to "pass". In fact, if they're fit & well prepared, they can even "score with flying colors".

And now that all team members overall have already passed and performed reasonably well in those “quizzes and tests”, so I guess it’s just a natural process that we now go for the next most challenging task, i.e. to take the “final examination” at Mount Kinabalu !! At 4095 m ASL, it’s considered as being the tallest mountain in South-East Asia.

But why the “final exams” at Mt Kinabalu for 3 consecutive times ? Why not go climb some other mountains which are in the same category ? Well it’s not that I don’t want to try other “tallest mountains” like Krakatoa, Kilimanjaro or even probably Everest to “test power”, but I guess it all boils down to money matters.

Besides Mt Kinabalu, all the other "tall" mountains above 4000m ASL are outside Malaysia, therefore one needs to have a lot of money, and time too, to be able to climb and conquer such mountains. Training, equipments, food, flights /transportation, accommodations, porter services, passports and visa alone can easily costs you RM3000 - that's the very least.

Mind you that our team are “budget-trekkers” – so we always go for the very basics, nothing luxury ! Therefore Mt Kinabalu for the climax of our “final test of power" is considered very "suitable and affordable” for us. FYI, the whole package of this 1 week Kinabalu expedition cost us slightly below RM 1K. Unless, somebody out there is willing to sponsor us go to Mt Kilimanjaro the next time ? Why not huh ?

Secondly, in return for all the “hard work” of slogging up those mountains, we gonna get fresh air, fresh water (from the natural waterfalls and rivers), beautiful views of the flora and fauna, a sense of camaraderie among trekkers and best of all a great sense of achievement money can't buy.

It is also a good way to be close to nature and appreciate God’s creation. Mountain climbing is an ideal sport for those who simply want to get away from it all and enjoy the cool mountain air while exploring the breathtaking forest trails.

It is a different thing when you're out with friends (especially office mates), surrounded with flora and fauna and fresh water running from a stream, as it is also able to create a special kind of bond among us - a comradeship.

The friends you make during this outdoor activities will be on a very different level from the ones which are acquainted on a normal basis. During these activities, the need to watch out for a partner creates a very special bond between the two of you in the sense that there is awareness for another person's safety and welfare. It consolidates the spirit of esprit-de-corp and togetherness among group members.

Negotiating jungle terrains not only improves physical stamina but also serves to build character as well by making one a more independent and self-searching individual. This comes about when one has to find the solutions to obstacles or endure the exhaustive pace of a long challenging trek.

After having conquered the summit, one will of course feel recharged for strength and force, thus motivating you to face the day-to-day challenges at work and in life. What more when all successful climbers were awarded with a Certificate of Achievements by the Kinabalu Park authority. That alone is enough to motivate you to perform better and better every time.

Last but not least, all of us need to set a target or goal in our life. I've set mine to annually conquer Mt Kinabalu, or any tall mountains in the range of 4000-5000 m ASL. To achieve that goal, one definitely have to work hard and follow a proper training regime to be fit at all times.

Even if for whatever reason, I'm not able to achieve that final goal, but at least with those exercise and training regime I've gone through, I know at the end of the day I'll still be rewarded with a healthy and fit body.

And only with good health, that I can devote and perform my ibadah to Allah SWT in the best complete manner (lebih sempurna), as to get His blessings. And that, my friend, is actually my ultimate goal !

The Leech Therapy - what has it got to do with trekking ?

Have you ever wondered why our kampung folks are a very healthy lot, compared to those living in the urban areas ?

Of course, they work hard, ploughing padi fields everyday, but do you know that they were also exposed to leech bites that lived in their farms ? Their body systems are free of toxin and that's one of the reason why they live longer.

I know some of us may probably be worried about side effects. Well, you can be rest assured that there are none. Just look at it as a "natural medicinal treatment" that are now becoming very popular as anti-coagulants, detoxifying agents and anaesthetic healers. Apart from beauty treatment, leech therapy is also known to be good for gout, migraine and joint aches.

Of course you can't see the difference or the effect immediately. Like every other treatment, it takes time. You must constantly do the treatment to see the effect.

Any pain ? Well, from own personal experience, what you'll feel is just the initial minor sting, quite similar to an ant bite actually. After that you'll feel almost nothing, especially when you are not aware that they are there sticking on your legs etc. Once the sucking job is done, you'll feel a bit itchy at the places where the leeches are.

The above photos were taken when I went trekking to Gunung Jerai (1217 m ASL) in Kedah somewhere in August 2005. Gunung Jerai is well known for its leech-infested jungle, especially along the trails to the summit. In fact, none of our 30 odd trekking members were spared - all were bitten in one way or another !

I realized that I was actually stung at 20 different locations throughout my body from the leg up to the mid abdomen area only when I took a shower at home later that day. Some of them even managed to climb up to my lower chest area. Nasib baik, those "blood thirsty monsters" did not attack or suck my "vital organs" ... phewwh :)

I did'nt get "angry" for what they did to me, as i know they were just doing their things - that is, to suck out those nasty "bad blood" and toxins from my body. In fact I thank them for giving me those "free" health treatment - the natural way !

For information, these leeches will only hook on if they find the "ideal area" - which is often the strategic locations where our "dirty blood" and toxins are stored. Don't be surprised that during each feeding (or rather sucking !), they can suck 5-15 ml of blood easily - that is several times its own body weight.

Leech therapy has a long history. Records indicate that Egyptians used leech therapy 3,500 years ago. They were very popular during the Middle Ages. In the 1800's American physician used the method to treat a variety of diseases.

In the 1980's medicinal leech therapy got a boost by plastic surgeons who used the leeches to relieve venous congestion, especially in transplant surgery.

So the next time you go trekking, especially in a leech-infested jungle, don't panic or shy away. Let them do their things, and you do yours. Thank you to Allah for creating such "beautiful creatures".

The TEACHING PROFESSION - Am I cut for it ?

Some called them a teacher, others called them an instructor, a lecturer, a facilitator, a tutor, a trainer, and an educator. They may come in various hats, but one thing for sure, they all TEACH others to be a better person !

Webster’s II New Riverside Dictionary defines "to teach" as follows :
i) to communicate knowledge or skill (to)
ii) to provide instruction in
iii) to give insight by example or experience.

Synonyms to the word “teach” are instruct, train and tutor. Whereas “teaching” is defined as :
i) the act, practice, or occupation of teachers
ii) something taught, especially a precept or doctrine.

In Islam, "teaching" is a noble profession. In fact one of the four important characteristics of our prophet Muhammad S.A.W. is TABLIGH, which literally means “to deliver” (menyampaikan) – that is the sharing & dissemination of information, in the spirit of giving advice or reminder (memberi peringatan).

One may ask : What does it takes to be a good teacher ? From my 20 odd years in the education sector, I found that those who wish to choose a career in teaching must have the following :

ATTRACTIVE – pleasant personality, smile more, well dressed, remember you’re a role model to your students

WILLINGNESS TO LEARN – be a learner. Always attend seminars, workshops, reading, listening and watching to positive CDs and tapes, engage in group discussions, get latest info from the internet

SELF CONFIDENT – build self-confidence, be the best of yourself, demand 100% from yourself

SELF DISCIPLINED – develop a reputation as a person who is personally self-disciplined, this will win you respect

CREATIVE THINKING - a creative problem solver

Somewhat REBELLIOUS - not a crowd-follower !

Ability to MOTIVATE & LEAD others

HUNGRY TO SUCCEED – always looking for someone better and more successful than you, try to emulate them as role model

EXTROVERT – not selfish, a people-person who really care for their students right from their heart - ask more than telling, not harsh, reminding them that you’re there to help them, never be defensive, encourage them to share their challenges with you, build on their strengths, find out what their goals are and help them keep those goals in focus, help them deal with failures, give them personal attention – like sending personal notes (sms /email) to them, cut out relevant and helpful articles and make copies for them.

BALANCED in his / her personal life – show respect, interest in outdoor activities or other extra-curricular areas. Willing to do whatever it takes – in order to learn and teach the students more effective skills

OPTIMISTIC – give them incentives for top performance, praise them individually in public more, encourage more, teach them to deal with objection or failure

Other criteria are : ambitious, think big, energetic, entrepreneurial, commitment towards profession, articulate, good interpersonal skills

Remember that you cannot talk and listen at the same time – therefore, good communication skill is crucial. Whether we like it or not, our oral communication habits create impressions on others. The following are a few pointers :

The voice reflects the level of excitement and enthusiasm of the speaker. As much as 80% of the message can come from the tone and quality of the voice.

Avoid monotone. Change your tone from time to time by lifting the tone of your voice.

Able to interject with some appropriate humor will also help.

Pace yourself - avoid speaking too quickly or too slowly, as these habits can easily annoy the listener and finally will either tune out or go to sleep.

Avoid non-words, nasal whining, mumbling, swearing, curse words, or speaking too loudly. Words like “um”, “ah”, “er”, “right”, “okay”, “man”, “shit”, et cetera are irritating to listeners.

And finally, watch your body language – stand tall and be yourself.

BERFIKIR secara HOLISTIK

Setiap pancaindera yang dianugerahkan Allah kepada kita mempunyai peranan dan kaitan rapat antara satu sama lain. Ianya saling memerlukan dan bergantungan antara satu sama lain. Tanpa salah satu darinya, kita akan jadi pincang.

Apa yang dilihat, didengar, dirasa, dihidu dan disentuh sudah pastinya mempunyai kaitan. Bak kata pepatah “cubit paha kanan, paha kiri terasa”.

Begitu juga dengan cara kita berfikir. Ia seharusnya di buat secara holistik, yakni berfikir secara menyeluruh. Berfikir secara menyeluruh tidak menyempitkan seseorang.

Malah ia membawa kita untuk meneliti, mengkaji, menilai dan membuat kesimpulan terhadap sesuatu perkara berasaskan data dan fakta yang lebih luas dan menyeluruh.

Ia mampu membimbing kita berfikir dengan waras dan betul, mencari pendekatan yang lebih tepat dan menghasilkan natijah yang lebih adil dan sempurna.

Remaja Islam amat dituntut berfikir secara holistik. Ini adalah kerana jiwa dan emosi remaja amat mudah terpengaruh dengan faktor hiburan, kesukaan, dan berfoya-foya.

Tanpa berfikir holistik tentang akibat, para remaja mudah terjebak dengan perangkap kebebebasan, hiburan dan keseronokan duniawi yang boleh menyebabkan mereka hilang peribadi dan integriti diri, rugi dan menyesal di kemudian hari.

Berfikir holistik bagi remaja tidak semestinya menolak bulat-bulat keperluan untuk berhibur, berseronok dan berkebebasan. Sebelum melakukan sesuatu, kita fikirkanlah tentang akar sebab (root-causes), baik-buruk dan akibat yang bakal berlaku sekiranya sesuatu itu dilakukan.

Sebelum belajar merokok umpamanya, fikirkanlah dahulu tentang akibat jangka panjang amalan tersebut, terutama tabiat ketagihan yang terlalu payah untuk dikikis kemudiannya. Menyesal dahulu pendapatan, menyesal kemudian tidak berguna.

Pendekatan ini melatih kita mencari opsyen terbaik bagi mengatasi sesuatu isu. Ia menjadikan kita berpandangan jauh, tidak gopoh dalam membuat penilaian dan keputusan, tidak berfikir secara serpihan tetapi melihat sesuatu secara totaliti atau menyeluruh.

Biasakanlah dengan pemikiran secara holistik kerana ia mampu memberi kesan baik dan positif terutamanya apabila berdepan dengan tanggungjawab dan cabaran yang pelbagai.

InsyaAllah kita akan mampu mengendalikannya dengan lebih berhemah, saksama, strategik dan bijaksana.

JUMPO KAWAN LAMO

ehh macam konal kito ponah jumpo
kau buek apo tinggal doket mano
den kojo polis dah lapan tahun
pangkat belum naik ingin nak balik kampung

reff:
buek apo balik kampung sawah dah takdo
gotah turun hargo ramai orang tak kojo
takkan nak melopong melangut kodai ah chong
lobih baik kau sabar tonggu anak bosa

dengar kau penyanyi torkonal seluruh negeri
tontu kau banyak duit tapi kau jalan kaki
cerito pun takdo guno kite ni jadi mangso
kejo bagai nak gilo orang lain yang jadi kayo

ulang reff:

moh kito makan perut dah berbunyi
bior den belanjo kito lamo tak jumpo
satu perkara lain bilo kau balik cuti
harap kau tak kan lupo kirim salam orang tuo

(The original song was written by The Blues Gang, but is "best" sung by my trekker friend ATOI, who is currently attached to our Printing Unit - mmg best gilerr) ... ?

E-Banking : Access TABUNG HAJI thru BANK ISLAM

I recently stumbled into an interesting news in a local newspaper which highlights about how Tabung Haji (TH) customers can now access their TH account from over 500 locations nationwide.

With this partnership, in addition to the 123 TH branches, Bank Islam now offers their clients an extended network of 296 ATMs and 105 CDMs (Cash Deposit Machines) so that their customers can perform banking transactions from even more places – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Without any hesitation, on Monday (I took a day off) I went to Bank Islam Bandar Baru Bangi branch to register for the service. Armed with my TH account book in hand, the application/registration process took just less than 10 minutes. Very efficient !

My Bank Islam smart card can now access and do standard banking transactions not only with Bank Islam but also with my TH account. Wow that's really a smart & convenient way to do banking - a one-stop-center kinda thing ! Talking about company partnership and alliance ...

Thanks to TH who has worked together hand-in-hand with Bank Islam to provide a better service to their customers. I dunno who coined the idea first (TH or Bank Islam), but it's definitely one of the best banking feature I've seen from TH-BankIslam so far.

As a loyal customer to both Tabung Haji and Bank Islam for 20 odd years now, what can I say except Syabas and Syukran – Jazakallahu khairan kathira. You guys really have made my life much easier now. Keep up the good work !

To know more, visit www.bankislam.com.my

The BEAUTY of MATH

1 x 8 + 1 = 9

12 x 8 + 2 = 98

123 x 8 + 3 = 987

1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876

12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765

123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654

1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543

12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432

123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11

12 x 9 + 3 = 111

123 x 9 + 4 = 1111

1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111

12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111

123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111

1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111

12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111

123456789 x 9 +10 = 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88

98 x 9 + 6 = 888

987 x 9 + 5 = 8888

9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888

98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888

987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888

9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888

98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888
987654321 x 9 - 1 = 8888888888
9876543210 x 9 - 2 = 88888888888

Brilliant, isn't it ?

And look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1

11 x 11 = 121

111 x 111 = 12321

1111 x 1111 = 1234321

11111 x 11111 = 123454321

111111 x 111111 = 12345654321

1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321

11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321

111111111 x 111111111 = 123456789 87654321

Now, take a look at this number ... 101%

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint: What actually equals 100%?

What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been in situations where someone wants you to GIVE OVER 100% .

How about ACHIEVING 101%? What equals 100% in life? Here's a little mathematical formula that might help answer these questions:

If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z is represented as 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Upon substitution,

H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K = 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E = 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E = 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:

L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D = 12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

Now it's up to you if you wanna share this with your friends & loved ones just the way I did.

The Challenge of Teaching

I guess one of the most frustrating experience being a lecturer is teaching unwilling and uninterested students. They attend classes, but their minds are elsewhere.

They come to college with no clear goal or objective. They are also not ready to pursue knowledge, what more to acquire technical or life skills.

Education to them is a past-time. They kill time by being idle and unproductive. They spend time chit-chatting and doing things that can better be done at home or elsewhere.

The worst thing is their stubbornness, they refuse help and counseling. They can be aggressive and can even turn violent if provoked. They have ears that do not listen, and heads that work only one way – their way !

They want freedom and do not want to be tied down by the college time-table and rules and regulations. When it comes to homework and exams, they produce inferior second and third class work.

They seem to be not interested in studies. The more such students there are, the less pleasurable a lecturer’s life is, and the more stressful too !

We always hope such students will one day change. Being young and innocent, we tend to forgive them. But they must also realize that if this attitude prolongs, their future is at stake...

Gerak Rangsang MINJAROES

MIN-MIN CHA-CHA
JA-JA CHA-CHA
ROES-ROES CHA-CHA

MIN CHA
JA CHA
ROES CHA

MIN-JA-ROES
CHA-CHA-CHA

OPPOSITION or PARTNERS

One point worth mentioning is the use (or rather misuse ?) of the word “Opposition” each time people refer to certain political parties. This put a person of differing ideals as an Opposition, which forces a confrontational kind of stance – ie you are either “for” or “against”.

In fact the BN is such a fanatic practitioner of this practice that it has yet to recover from the fact that they now sit on the “opposition” bench in five states … padan muka :(

Same goes with the term “opposition blogs”. Who and what are they actually ? Well to start with, there are only a handful of this so-called “opposition blogs”, notably the blogs written by Lim Kit Siang, Tony Pua, Jeff Ooi, Chegu Bard and a few others.

What about the others ? They aren’t actually Opposition blogs. They are just blogs of the people of Malaysia – comprising of concerned individuals giving their opinions on the issues that affect them ... just like this one you are reading now !

They have their own ideas of what’s important and what’s true (at least to them). Some are insightful, others are biased ; some question everything and everyone, others are balanced and objectives.

If anyone wants to engage with them, I would suggest to start by reading their blogs and the comments posted by their readers. This will give us a good idea of what the concerns of the rakyat are, what they think of those statements issued by government and issues that the government need to address.

In short, just because one disagrees with or criticizes the goverment does not necessarily make them “opposition”. Labeling them so, will just give the impression that we’re not really listening to their cries.

To me, labeling others who “disagree” with you as opposition is an unhealthy practice, as in this era of partnership and alliance, people don’t “fight” with their competitors anymore. But rather they should always be looking at means and ways of how to settle things with a win-win situation through partnership kind of cooperation.

Malaysians are not stupid or immature lot. In fact, they’ve never been stupid. They’ve always criticized - right from the olden days. But in those days, they "criticize" at coffee shops, barber shops and at mamak stalls. Today they do it on the internet - through blogs, forums, emails and the likes.

These new generation prefer progress to development, they want to enrich rather than just gather wealth, they want to improve their quality of life, not just adopt the latest lifestyle, they want to be heard, and not just be spoken to. I don't think there's anything wrong if someone begs to be different from the “mainstream” ?

My wish (wishful thinking ?) is that we should stop calling each other who are “on a different boat” as “opposition”, but instead should complement each other. All of us, especially those elected assemblymen and parliamentarians should be focusing on how to put the rakyat to live in harmony, prosperity and security – regardless of religion, race and political ideals. Malaysia Boleh !

COUNTRY, PARTY OR SELF ?

As a Malaysian, what more a Kelantanese Malaysian, I am truly fed up and “loya” with all the back-stabbing and bickering among UMNO members, especially when these news were on the front pages and main highlights of our local newspapers, televisions and other media.

Nowadays I even skip national news in most newspaper, as they all highlighted about fighting for power in the party. It likens the washing of dirty clothes in public. It’s sooo boring (and embarrasing too) ! Dont you think so ?

There are greater issues that need to be addressed. They should focus on running the country instead of wasting time “fighting” for power. Many of them just couldn’t wait for Pak Lah to step down. It just shows how power crazy this bunch of people are !

On a personal note, if the prime minister is to step down, then I feel that all the UMNO representatives before the 12th General Election should also follow suit because they should all share the blame and responsibility.

The failure is a team failure that has come about from sheer arrogance, self interest topped up with total ignorance of the people’s voices.

Sometimes I wonder why all this sudden obsession with the succession plan? PAS didn’t have any such problems governing Kelantan even though it won by only one seat in 2004 …

People want less politicking and instead more concern for the nation and people. It seems like these politicians have not learnt their lesson. May be they have forgotten that the people are watching them …

The rakyat voted for a government that delivers – be it BN or PR (Pakatan Rakyat). Keep it clean, keep it simple, and deliver what the rakyat wants – not what the party members want ! This is the government of Malaysia and for those leaders or people who believe that kerajaan is only BN, please stop at la la land and put your feet on the ground and work at it.

The ruling party doesn’t tell people what they should want. It is the people who should tell the ruling party what they want. So politicians serve the people, and not the other way around. “Pemimpin itu adalah khadam kepada mereka yang dipimpin”. They must therefore serve honestly and faithfully.

All in all, I would say that the most powerful voice of all belonged to ordinary Malaysians. They were united in what they wanted – a functioning government, minus the politics. To those politicians, I have one request : Get your priorities right and put nation first. Stop pointing fingers at each other and get on with the job !

POPULAR COMPUTER NAMES & JARGONS

Here's a list of various names that you have known but possibly haven't understood what's the meaning:

Adobe - came from name of the river Adobe Creek that ran behind thehouse of founder John Warnock.
Apache - It got its name because its founders got started by applying patches to code written for NCSA's http daemon. The result was 'A PAtCHy' server -- thus, the name Apache.
Apple Computers - favorite fruit of founder Steve Jobs. He was three months late in filing a name for the business, and he threatened to call his company Apple Computers if the other colleagues didn't suggest a better name by 5 o'clock.
CISCO - its not an acronym but the short for San Francisco.
Google - the name started as a jokey boast about the amount of information the search-engine would be able to search. It was originally named 'Googol', a word for the number represented by 1 followed by 100 zeros. After founders, Stanford grad students Sergey Brin and Larry Page presented their project to an angel investor, they received a cheque made out to 'Google'
Hotmail - Founder Jack Smith got the idea of accessing e-mail via the web from a computer anywhere in the world. When Sabeer Bhatia came up with the business plan for the mail service, he tried all kinds of names ending in 'mail' and finally settled for hotmail as it included the letters "html" - the programming language used to write web pages. It was initially referred to as HoTMaiL with selective upper casing.
HP - Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard tossed a coin to decide whether the company they founded would be called Hewlett-Packard or Packard-Hewlett.
Intel - Bob Noyce and Gordon Moore wanted to name their new company 'Moore Noyce' but that was already trademarked by a hotel chain, so they had to settle for an acronym of INTegrated ELectronics.

Lotus (Notes) - Mitch Kapor got the name for his company from 'The Lotus Position' or 'Padmasana'. Kapor used to be a teacher of Transcendental Meditation (by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi).

Microsoft - coined by Bill Gates to represent the company that was devoted to MICROcomputer SOFTware. Originally christened Micro-Soft, the '-' was removed later on.

Motorola - Founder Paul Galvin came up with this name when his company started manufacturing radios for cars. The popular radio company at the time was called Victrola.

ORACLE - Larry Ellison and Bob Oats were working on a consulting project for the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency). The code name for the project was called Oracle (acronym for: One Real Asshole Called Larry Ellison)

Red Hat - Company founder Marc Ewing was given the Cornell lacrosse teamcap (with red and white stripes) while at college by his grandfather. He lost it and had to search for it desperately. The manual of the beta version of Red Hat Linux had an appeal to readers to return his Red Hat if found by anyone !

SAP - "Systems, Applications, Products in Data Processing", formed by 4 ex-IBM employees who used to work in the "Systems/Applications/Projects"

SUN - founded by 4 Stanford University buddies, SUN is the acronym for Stanford University Network.

Xerox - The inventor, Chestor Carlson, named his product trying to say 'dry' (as it was dry copying, markedly different from the then prevailing wet copying). The Greek root 'xer' means dry.

Yahoo! - the word was invented by Jonathan Swift and used in his book 'Gulliver's Travels'. It represents a person who is repulsive in appearance and action and is barely human. Yahoo! founders Jerry Yang and David Filo selected the name because they considered themselves yahoos"

KE PUNCAK AWAN

Kolej Poly-Tech MARA
Lambang Keunggulan Anak Bangsa
Proaktif, Progresif, Perkasa
Profesional dan Berkarisma

Kolej Poly-Tech MARA
Lambang Keunggulan Anak Bangsa
Menjunjung Amanat Negara
Terbilang di Puncak Dunia

Bersemangat Meredah Rintangan
Gagah Menuju ke Puncak Awan
Tekad di Hati Penuh Keazaman
Bersatu ... Capai Segala Wawasan

(Lyrics by Zabri Adil)

KALAU SUATU HARI NANTI

Kalau suatu hari nanti
Aku tiba-tiba membisu
Adalah kerana aku merasakan
Kata-kata sudah tidak bererti lagi
Dan mimpi pun sudah mati

Kalau suatu hari nanti
Kita terpaksa berpisah
Itu lah kemalangan
Sebuah takdir
Yang tidak pernah
Aku pintakan

Tapi kalau sebelum suatu hari itu tiba
Kita telah terlebih dahulu berpalingan
Hanya akan ku salahkan diri
Yang selalu menginginkan
Lebih dari yang diberi

Dan jika engkau mungkin merasa
Itu satu kekejaman
Tanyalah hati
Yang sering payah
Dan tidak mahu mengerti

Air Cond oh Air Cond ...

Yesterday I had a surprise of my life. I guess my face looked just like the monkey in the picture on the right. Terkejut beruk !

Do you know that car owners not only have to service their engines regularly, but also its car airconditioning system as well ? To be frank, I didn't know. Due to my own ignorance, now I'm poorer by RM1,600 :(

According to the mechanic (Sato AirCond Service Center) I went to at BBB8, any car aircond system has to be serviced regularly at least every 9 mths, or at most once a year. And each servicing will cost you around RM350 approx. Of course, I do send my car for aircond gas top-ups, only when time requires (like the air is not cold enough), but not on the regular annual kinda servicing.

The RM1,600 includes a complete replacement of APW aircond set (cooling coil, valve, filter, oil, gas) & workmanship. At first, of course I was really upset with myself for not knowing and therefore failed to send my car for the annual aircond servicing.

But after doing some simple maths, I thought may be it's not that bad. You see, I've been driving my Terrano for almost 7 years now. No major problems arised, especially with its engine. May be because I've been sending her for regular engine service & maintenance at every 4 mths interval (approx 5000 km) - without fail !

Now, let's say if I were to service my car airconditioning system every year (as suggested by the mechanic), that will cost me roughly RM350 x 6 yrs (assuming the 1st yr the aircond system is still excellent as it's brand new), that'll easily boils down to RM2,100. Not to mention the cost of the annual "pilgrimage" to the Service Center ...

Isn't that gonna cost me much much more ? And with "only" RM1,600 I get to get a brand new complete set of the aircond system ! Hmmm ... may be this what people call "blessings in disguise" ?

ICT and POLITICS

In today’s era of ICT, it would be difficult to stop or prevent the rakyat from speaking up their mind. Now they have easy access to alternative media like the Internet (blogs, emails etc) and mobile phones (SMS, MMS etc).

The rakyat is now not obliged or restricted to listening or reading only from the conventional media like the television, radio and newspaper, what more when those channels were "controlled" by the Government. They now have more options.

The impact of Malaysians getting access to the alternative media can’t be ignored. It’s a fact that more Malaysians now owned mobile phones.

According to a recent report released by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), there are now 23.3 million mobile phone subscribers. That's roughly 86% of the Malaysian population !

Similarly, The Star (03/04/08) quoted a report by Utusan Malaysia that Malaysia now has about 500,000 active bloggers, ranking the country among the highest in the world after Indonesia and the European Union.

A research done by University Malaya media department lecturer, Dr Abu Hassan Hasbullah showed the power of blogs in influencing the thinking of the people, especially about politics. It showed that 70% of the recent election results were actually influenced by information the public read in the blogs.

And lately, we are starting to see some changes in the way our country is run. More and more politicians, especially those from the ruling party are now creating and posting their blogs in an effort to get close to the raykat. This provides a "relevant" channel of communications for the rakyat to speak up to their leaders.

In today's society, communications through the Internet like e-mails, blogs and community forums have become the in-thing. And it's good that the government has realized this, coz' if they don't, one day they'll soon be perished - or at least become obsolete & irrelevant ! The system will flush them out naturally. The same fate may applies to company & organization leaders as well ...

WHY READ THE QURAN when you can't even understand a word ?

Have you ever been asked : Why do we read Quran, even if we can't understand a single Arabic word?

Well, this is a beautiful story of an old American Muslim lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his Qur'an. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could.

One day the grandson asked, "Grandpa! I try to read the Qur'an just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Qur'an do?"

The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water."

The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, "You'll have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again.

This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead.

The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You're just not trying hard enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.

At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house.

The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, "See Grandpa, it's useless!" "So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket."

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out.

"Son, that's what happens when you read the Qur'an. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of Allah in our lives."

RESTAURANT MATH : calculating one's age

Do you know how to calculate one's age by just taking him/her out to dinner ? You don't have to ask their age directly; because they would probably not tell the truth anyway. But you can get the truth out by simply using this RESTAURANT MATH trick. Here it goes :

It takes less than a minute. Work this out as you read through line by line.
DON'T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST!

Be sure you don't read the bottom until you've worked it out!

This is not one of those waste of time things, it's fun. Really !!

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to go out to eat (more than once but less than 10)

2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)

3. Add 5

4. Multiply it by 50

5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1758 to the result. If you haven't, add 1757.

6. Now subtract the result with the four digit year that you were born.

You should have a three digit number, right ?

The first digit of this was your original number (i.e., How many times
you want to go out to restaurants in a week.)

The next two numbers are ... jeng-jeng-jeng


YOUR AGE ! ------ (Oh YES, it is!)


But please take note that THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2008) THIS METHOD WILL EVER WORK, SO SPREAD IT AROUND WHILE IT LASTS.

Hehehh... I told you it was fun, isn't it ?

PERUT-DAHI-MULUT

PERUT - DAHI - MULUT : LUTUT - LUTUT
LUTUT - DAHI - MULUT : PERUT - PERUT
PERUT - DAHI - MULUT : MULUT - DAHI - LUTUT : PERUT - PERUT

KISAH SEBIJI TEMBIKAI

Ada sebiji tembikai besar
Dibelah ditengah-tengahnya
Ditolak ke kanan, tarik balik
Ditolak ke kiri, tarik balik
Ditolak ke depan, tarik balik
Ditolak ke atas, tarik balik
Ditolak ke bawah, tarik balik
Itu lah kisah sebiji tembikai

Note : Do this exercise while standing with legs apart, bend knees ala Tai-Chi stance (kekuda).

SAYA ADA RUMAH

SAYA ada RUMAH
RUMAH SAYA besar
Kalau bukan besar
Bukan RUMAH SAYA

Note : Repeat the same verse, each time replacing SAYA and RUMAH with "ERM" respectively.

GOSOK-GENTEL-PICIT

Saya GOSOK awak punya
Awak GOSOK saya punya
Saya GOSOK, awak GOSOK
Kita GOSOK sama-sama

Saya GENTEL awak punya
Awak GENTEL saya punya
Saya GENTEL, awak GENTEL
Kita GENTEL sama-sama

Saya PICIT awak punya
Awak PICIT saya punya
Saya PICIT, awak PICIT
Kita PICIT sama-sama

The LITTLE things that save us ...

Got this from a friend :-
After Sept. 11th, one company invited the remaining members of other companies who had been decimated by the attack on the Twin Towers to share their available office space.

At a morning meeting, the head of security told stories of why these people were alive … and all the stories were just: The 'L I T T L E' things.

As you might know, the head of the company survived that day because his son started kindergarten. Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts.

One woman was late because her alarm clock didn't go on in time. One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike because of an accident. One of them missed his bus. One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change.

One's car wouldn't start. One went back to answer the telephone. One had a child that dawdled and didn't get ready as soon as he should have. One couldn't get a taxi.

The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid. That is why he is alive today.

Now when I am stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, have to turn back to answer a ringing telephone … all the little things that annoy me... I'd say to myself, this is exactly where Allah wants me to be at this very moment...

So the next time your morning seems to be going wrong, like the children are slow getting dressed, or you can't seem to find the car keys, or you hit every traffic light, don't get mad or frustrated … as Allah is watching over you.

May Allah continue to bless you with all those “annoying” little things and may you remember their possible purpose too ! Please remember that everything that happens, happened for a reason.

PASTIKAN ia nya HALAL - SMS jerw !

Sebagai Muslimin & Muslimat yang sejati, sudah tentu kita akan sentiasa menjaga amalan ibadah serta cara hidup harian seperti makan minum, pemakaian dan batasan pergaulan supaya tidak bercanggah dengan hukum syariat.

Hal-hal berkaitan halal-haram sesuatu makanan atau minuman itu sudah pasti menjadi perkara utama kita. Dan alhamdulillah, teknologi juga kini telah banyak memudahkan kita menjalani liku-liku hidup yang penuh dengan pancaroba ini. Salah satu nya ialah teknologi SMS HALAL JAKIM. Sistem ini dibangunkan sebagai perkhidmatan rujukan maklumat halal khususnya bagi Muslimin & Muslimat.

Dengan adanya sistem ini, pengguna telefon bimbit boleh membuat semakan terus kepada JAKIM berkenaan makanan, premis makanan yang mendapat sijil halal JAKIM. Bagaimana menghantar SMS Halal JAKIM? Anda boleh menyemak status halal bila-bila masa dan di mana-mana sahaja.

Untuk menyemak, sila taip : HALAL [nombor barcode produk]

Contoh : HALAL 9551234567891 dan hantar ke 32728 atau DAPAT

Dalam tempoh yang singkat, anda akan menerima jawapan daripada JAKIM mengenai status semakan anda. Sekiranya maklumat tersebut masih sah, jawapan yang akan diterima ialah Sijil Sah

Sekiranya maklumat tersebut sudah tamat tempoh, jawapan yang akan diterima ialah Sijil Tamat Tempoh

Sekiranya maklumat tersebut tiada di JAKIM, jawapan yang akan diterima ialah Tiada Dalam Senarai

Perlu diingatkan bahawa, "Tiada Dalam Senarai" tidak semestinya bermaksud produk itu haram. Ia mungkin masih berada "dalam proses" permohonan mendapat sijil halal, ataupun mungkin pihak pembekal produk itu tidak berminat untuk memohon status halal.

Walaubagaimanapun, sebagai pengguna kita mesti lah sentiasa berhati-hati. Ingatlah bahawa setiap makanan & minuman yang kita ambil itu akan menjadi darah daging kita ... dan ahli keluarga kita ! Wallahu a'lam.

Untuk maklumat lanjut, sila layari lamanweb JAKIM di : http://www.halaljakim.gov.my

TIPS Mendidik Anak Cemerlang

Berikut adalah tips oleh Robert D. Ramsey yang boleh kita jadikan panduan dalam menjadikan anak2 kita antara yang outstanding berbanding rakan sebayanya. Bagi yang belum ada anak, atau dalam proses untuk mengadakan anak, masih jugak boleh baca ... ;) Selamat mencuba !

1. Mulakanlah hidup anak anda dengan nama panggilan yang baik – bila anak kita dipanggil dengan nama yang tak baik, atau nama dah baik tapi bagi pulak gelaran yang tak baik, itu akan menyebabkan anak jadi malu dan rendah diri. Dalam Islam pun sangat digalakkan kita beri nama yang elok untuk anak2.

2. Berikan anak anda pelukan setiap hari – ada kajian yang menunjukkan anak yang dipeluk setiap hari akan mempunyai kekuatan IQ yg lebih kuat daripada anak yang jarang dipeluk. Bila kita peluk anak kita setiap hari, dia akan tahu serta dapat merasa yang kita sayangkan dia. Dia tahu kita akan jadi penyokong dia yang paling kuat. Dia akan sedar bahawa kita sentiasa ada jika dia kurang berjaya. Emosi dia akan terbela.

3. Pandanglah anak anda dengan pandangan kasih sayang - pandangan ini akan membuatkan anak anda lebih yakin diri apabila berhadapan dengan persekitaran. Memang la ada masa kita perlu marah tapi janganlah buat muka marah sampai kawan tu takut nak dekat dgn kita langsung. Kesian kat budak tuh. Namanya pun budak …

4. Berikan peneguhan setiap kali anak anda berbuat kebaikan - Berilah pujian, pelukkan, ciuman, hadiah ataupun sekurang-kurangnya senyuman untuk setiap kebaikan yang dilakukannya. Bila tiap kali kita appreciate dia, dia akan rasa nak buat lagi dan nak buat lebih baik lagi. Ini la namanya motivasi…

5. Jangan harapkan anak anda yang belum matang itu melakukan sesuatu perbuatan baik secara berterusan - mereka hanya kanak-kanak yang sedang berkembang. Perkembangan mereka buatkan mereka ingin mengalami setiap perkara termasuklah berbuat silap. Sebenarnya mereka akan belajar lebih banyak lagi dari kesilapan yang mereka lakukan.

6. Bila berhadapan dengan masalah kerja dan keluarga, pilihlah keluarga – Bila ada masalah eloklah kita selesaikan masalah keluarga yang terdahulu. Kerana, seseorang tu akan lebih tenang kalau takde masalah keluarga. Anak2 perlu diberi keutamaan kerana mereka sedang membesar dan proses ini akan terus berlalu dan tak akan kembali jadi janganlah cemarkan keperibadian mereka dengan sikap mementingkan diri kita.

7. Dalam usaha mendidik anak-anak, janganlah mengeluh - Keluhan akan membuatkan anak-anak merasakan diri mereka sebagai beban. Ini akan menyebabkan mereka menjauhi kita. Kalau kita tak mau sunyi di hari tua, janganlah sunyikan mereka pada usia muda mereka.

8. Dengarlah cerita anak anda - kerana cerita itu mungkin tak akan dapat anda dengari lagi pada masa2 akan datang. Tunggu giliran anda untuk bercakap. Ini akan mengajar anak anda tentang giliran untuk bercakap.

9. Tenangkan anak anda setiap kali mereka memerlukannya – ada masa2nya mereka akan gundah gulana. Ada masa mungkin diorg berselisih dgn kawan. Ada masa mungkin dia dah tercederakan jiran. Jadi, kita bantulah sedaya kita supaya mereka tidak rasa sendirian dalam menyelesaikan masalah yang bagi kita kecik tapi tu mungkin masalah mega bg diorg.

10. Tunjukkan kepada anak anda bagaimana cara untuk menenangkan diri - mereka akan menirunya. Jgn kita sendiri kelam kabut bila ada yang menimpa. Jgn kita tunjuk yang kita gelabah. Be cool!! Setiap masalah yang telah Tuhan takdirkan pada kita ada penyelesaiannya. Jadi, jangan cepat gabra.

11. Buatkan sedikit persediaan untuk anak-anak menyambut harijadinya - sediakanlah hadiah harijadi yang unik walaupun harganya murah. Keunikan akan membuatkan anak anda belajar menghargai. Anak2 yg dtg daripada persekitaran yang menghargai akan belajar menghargai orang lain.

12. Ajar & didik lah mereka, walaupun berulang kali – ada sesetengah budak kena banyak kali ajar dan tegur, baru dia faham. Elakkan daripada memarahi mereka, sebab kalau marah nanti terbantut pulak proses pembelajaran dia.

13. Luangkan masa bersama anak anda di luar rumah - peganglah tangan anak-anak apabila anda berjalan dengan mereka . Mereka tentu akan merasa kepentingan kehadiran mereka dalam kehidupan anda suami isteri.

14. Dengarlah mimpi ngeri anak-anak - mimpi ngeri mereka adalah begitu real dalam dunia mereka, maka kita jadilah pendengar setia mereka.

15. Hargailah permainan kesayangan anak anda - mereka juga dalam masa yang sama akan menghargai barang-barang kesayangan anda. Elakkan daripada membuang barang kesayangan mereka walaupun sudah rosak. Mintalah kebenaran mereka sebelum berbuat demikian.

16. Janganlah membiarkan anak-anak anda tidur tanpa ciuman selamat malam – biasakan ajar dia salam kita sebelum lena. Cium dahi diorg esp mak nya..mcm cerita omputeh kan selalu dia gi bilik tidur anak n selimutkan diorg.

17. Terimalah hakikat yang kadangkala kita bukanlah ibubapa yang sempurna - ini akan mengurangkan stress menjadi ibu bapa. Ada masa anak kata baba ni garangla.. tu sebenarnya dia menegur. So, ubahlah. Jgn jadi too perfectionist pada anak2. Nanti mereka merasa rendah diri.

18. Jangan selalu membawa bebanan kerja pejabat ke rumah - anak-anak akan belajar bahawa kerja pejabat selalunya lebih penting daripada keluarga. Dan mereka juga akan terasa kurang kasih sayang bila kita mengadap benda lain. Kalau anak2 dah sekolah, biasakan tolong mereka siapkan kerja rumah, atau kita sendiri bg latihan dan perati setiap hari peralihan dia belajar dari satu topik ke topik. Bantu dia belajar lebih dari yg cikgu dia ajar.

19. Anak menangis untuk melegakan keresahan mereka - tetapi kadangkala cuma untuk "sound effect"nya sahaja, bukan ada apa2 pun. Bagaimanapun dengarilah mereka, dua puluh tahun dari sekarang anda pula yang akan menangis apabila rumah mula terasa sunyi. Anak-anak anda mula sibuk mendengar tangisan anak mereka sendiri. Hoo... seram, tapi ada betulnya. Buatlah sesuatu supaya mereka tak menjauh diri dari kita. Semoga kita tidak sunyi dihari tua nanti.

20. Anak-anak juga mempunyai perasaan seperti anda - hargailah perasaan mereka supaya mereka juga menghargai dan memahami perasaan kita.

Sama2 la kita berdoa agar anak2 menjadi penyejuk mata dalam kehidupan kita dan sebagai penenang hati di dunia dan akhirat kelak. InsyaAllah.

"Wahai Tuhan ku, aku tak layak ke Syurga Mu ...namun tak pula aku sanggup ke Neraka Mu.... kami lah hamba yang mengharap belas dari Mu ... "

"Ya Allah jadikan lah kami hamba2 Mu yang bertaqwa... ampunkan dosa2 kami, kedua ibubapa kami, serta dosa semua umat2 Islam yang masih hidup mahupun yang telah mati"

Training Opportunity at Cyber Security Malaysia (MOSTI)

This email I received thru a friend (Sdr Mohaimin). Pls read thru.

Dear All

*Introduction:*
Recently, the Government of Malaysia has requested both public and private sectors to assist either in employing or providing training to unemployed graduates. This will allow the unemployed graduates to contribute positively to Malaysia’s growth.

All agencies within MOSTI have been instructed to contribute and participate actively to alleviate the seriousness of the situation that the unemployed graduates, and also Malaysia, are facing.

As part of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and an agency of the Government of Malaysia, it is our duty and responsibility to assist in any way possible, especially during these trying times faced by both Malaysians and Malaysia. Thus, as members of CyberSecurity Malaysia, we are urged to give a helping hand to assist our unfortunate unemployed graduates, and make this program a success.

*Objective:*
The objective of this program is to provide successful trainees with a foundation of new knowledge, skills and experience in the field of cyber/ internet security, thus enabling them to have an advantage in seeking employment elsewhere.

*Criteria:*
* Open to all unemployed graduates between the ages of 21 – 27 years old
* A Malaysian citizen
* Not gainfully employed at least past 6 months
* No restrictions to academic background

*Program:*
1 year conversion program consisting of:
2 months academic learning modules (conducted at CyberSecurity Malaysia) On job training (“OJT”) to two departments of five months each
* Only ten (10) trainees per year

***Other Benefits for trainees:*
* Receives allowances of RM1,000 per month
* Medical claims only up to RM1,000 for the year or part thereof, pro-rated if they leave early.
* Traveling and other claims, if required, on needs basis and actual expenses
* Trainee is responsible for own room, board and transportation.

In making this program a success, we are seeking your assistance to publicize this program to your family members, relatives, friends and acquaintances.

Kindly forward any application to rohaizad@cybersecurity.org.my__<mailto:career@cybersecurity.org.my> before 4 April 2008. Only application via email will be processed. Application must be accompanied with a covering letter indicating their interest, short resume / CV of the application, academic transcripts and a passport size photo attached to the covering letter.

If any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me or Mr Rohaizad for clarification.

Thank you.
Hamidun Katemin
Human Resource Department

NEED MORE DATA STORAGE ? Wait No More ...

The scramble for more data storage (with more versatility) is never ending. Just about everything in our lives today are being stored digitally : music, photos, videos, documents, arts & crafts etc. And the market responded with various types of data storage designed to meet everyone’s needs.

The Star (InTech) on 3rd April 2008 reported that Western Digital has recently produced a one terabyte (TB) hard drives. Once considered as the stuff of dreams as it requires a massive budget, now one terabyte drives have come down a lot in price to just US$200 (which boils down to roughly RM660.00 !). Thanks to competition among manufacturers.

Western Digital also claims that its new “green” terabyte hard drive spins at a variable rate of between 5,400 to 7,200 revolutions per minute (RPM). Wow that’s really fast guys ! But let us not forget that a slower spin rate allows the drive to use less electricity and run quieter than the faster drives.

Probably the following equations may help some of us get some idea how large this 1 TB of storage space really is …

8 Bit = 1 Byte
(Note: A byte is a basic storage unit in computer memory. A byte of 8 bits which are grouped together as a unit can provide enough different combinations of 0s and 1s to represent 256 individual characters)

1 Kilobyte (KB or K) = 1000 Bytes (actually 1,024 bytes to be exact)
1 Megabyte (MB) = 1,000 KB = 1,000,000 Bytes (1 million bytes)
1 Gigabyte (GB) = 1,000 MB = 1,000,000,000 Bytes (1 billion bytes)
1 Terabyte (TB) = 1,000 GB = 1,000,000,000,000 Bytes (1 trillion bytes)

Hey Yatie, bila KOMASA nak jual 1 TB nih ? :)

The 12th General Election : Lessons Learned

The 12th General Election is over, and the electorate has spoken. The Pakatan Rakyat (a coalition of PKR-DAP-PAS, a.k.a. “Opposition”) has now took control of the state governments in Perak, Penang, Kedah and Selangor; with Kelantan getting stronger and stronger under PAS. Takbir !

Even though some are still in a state of denial, others say that the election outcome has been an eye-opener or a wake-up call for all. To me, I considered it a blessing in disguise as now there’ll be a better (and stronger ?) check and balance in the government administration.

Political analysts and activists blamed the dismal performance on Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders losing touch with the grassroots as well as “arrogance of power” in BN. The people are dissatisfied with perceived arrogance of power within BN, especially over certain UMNO leaders whom through their words or actions have resulted in resentment.

Now the people could see and compare what the Pakatan states and Barisan states could provide, especially in the five states the Pakatan Rakyat rules.

In short, the BN Government especially UMNO should undergo a drastic change in the way the country is run. They must allow the others to speak up. They must listen to what the rakyat say and if what they said is the truth, they (the Government) should admit or accept it with an open heart.

To add salt to injury, the newly appointed Tourism Minister recently announced in the local newspaper that BN would terminate all MoUs related to tourism in states governed by the Pakatan Rakyat. This sort of knee-jerk like reaction by BN has appalled many readers. Some felt that this is another example of the BN-led government distancing itself from the people, despite pledging to get closer to the grassroots.

It seemed as if they fail to see that the bulk of the Federal funding comes from taxes paid by the citizens - from all political parties ! As such, the Government is responsible for the well being of all states, regardless of whether it is held by the BN or Pakatan Rakyat, especially when it comes to budget allocation as this money belongs to taxpayers, not just those who support the BN.

The ruling government must be fair. The taxes received should be refunded to the people through development projects that would benefit them, regardless of their political inclination.

If the Government wants to regain people’s support, it’s important to avoid making such immature decisions and start focusing on the well being of everyone. It should not look as if it is punishing the Pakatan Rakyat states.

In fact they have a duty to put the rakyat who has voted for them to live in harmony, prosperity and security – regardless of their political inclination !

FITNA : An anti-Islam film ?

Since the film Fitna was released by Dutch Freedom Party chief (lawmaker & politician) Geert Wilders (pic on the left) last week, there has been various reactions by the Muslim community throughout the world. They strongly condemn the irresponsible act of airing online the Fitna film.

The 15 minutes documentary film portrays Islam as a religion advocating extremism and violence. It links images of extremist attacks to verses from the Quran. It repeatedly juxtaposes verses from the Quran with videos of terrorist attacks and extremist imams preaching hatred of non-Muslims. It is not only misleading and erroneous, but also considered as a disregard and disrespect for Islam and the sensitiveness of the Muslim world.

But the question now is : How can Muslims effectively take action against the culprit for releasing such a film that puts Islam in a bad light ? Some even suggested that the Muslim world should unite and boycott products from Holland (The Netherlands).

But is this gonna work ? One may also ask : is it fair to do so ? since the man behind this issue is Geert Wilders and not the entire nation of Netherlands, or this is only Geert's personal view and not that of his government. Bear in mind that there are also many Muslims living in Netherlands ... so is it fair to boycott the whole nation ?

By doing so (the boycott), Dutch's product exports could be hurt and her economy possibly collapse. But for this to happen, the effort has to be a concerted one. And with a 1.3 billion Muslim community throughout the world, may be this is possible.

Businesses such as Shell, Philips and Unilever are easily identifiable as Dutch companies. Other Dutch products include Dove, Lipton, Cif, Sunsilk, Rexona, Lux, Snuggle, Omo, Elida, Vaseline Intensive Care, Klover Vaseline, Axe, FereroRoche, Planta, Lady's Choice, Knorr, Sunlight, Radiant, Rexona, Ponds, Danone and DutchLady.

Mydin stores nationwide have even gone to the entent of placing red labels on products from the Netherlands as a sign of protest. The red labels which were written with the words "Product from the Netherlands" were put on the shelves and posters were pasted around the mall and cashier counters to urge shoppers not to buy the products. As alternatives, consumers can choose other products instead.

As a Muslim I don't hate other religions. It's the people that cause trouble, not the religion. So we should respect all religion, cultures, beliefs and values ... be it Islam or otherwise.

I think the creator of Fitna needs attention from the people all over the world. May be he lacks love from his parents, wife or children. He tries to be famous by means of this cheapest method. But it's a wrong method ! It makes many people angry, especially the Muslims. So I sort of "pity him" actually ...

On the other hand, there are people who feels that the extremists are also to be blamed for giving Islam a negative image. In a way, they have indirectly influenced public opinion into seeing all Muslims as hate-filled extremists. Their "extreme actions" have caused some Westerners to view Islam as a violent religion, a religion of war and intolerance (which is not true at all) !

Muslims, just like others, do not condone violence. The attacks committed by the few extremists in the name of Islam against some Western countries was never against Christianity or any other religion, but a form of retaliatory acts against Western imperialism. The jihadists see it as an act of self-defence. One has to look at the root or source of the problem to understand this issue.

I believe the most pressing issue now is how to break this vicious cycle. ie the provocation by the West and the counteraction by the radical Muslims.

Let's all pray that Allah will open our hearts to the straight path, the path of whom He has favored, not the path of those who earn His anger, nor of those who has gone astray.

As to the question of whether "to boycott or not to boycott", think first whether it is worth the while or not - weigh all the possible repercussions. In fact, I am certain that Wilders is counting on such knee-jerk reaction from Muslims, with maybe some riots or spontaneous murders which may kill innocent bystanders.

The decision and action is in your hands. I feel we need to improve our capacities economically, politically and scientifically, then only a united front can be established over the banning of goods, diplomatic relations, honor and respect.

I remember one hadith meaning roughly like this : "If you see a wrongdoing, try stop it with your hands (physical actions). If you're not able to do that, then try to stop it with your mouth (words). If even that is not possible, then stop it with your heart (ie. not condoning it). That will be the weakest level of iman".

If we are not sure, I guess the very least we can do is to pray for Allah to decide what's the best Judgement for those who have gone astray. Hasbunallahu wani'mal wakiil. Takbir - Jihad fii sabiilillah !

LIVING A HALAL LIFE - not just eating halal food !

HALAL LIVING is not just about eating halal food. It's definitely more than that. But first, let's look at what the meaning of the word "halal" really is. The definition and use of the term varies between Arabic-speaking communities and non-Arabic speaking ones.

In Arabic-speaking countries, the term is used to describe anything permissible under Islamic law, in contrast to haram, that which is forbidden. This includes behavior, speech, dress, conduct, manner and dietary laws.

In most non-Arabic-speaking countries, the term is most commonly used in a much narrower context of just Muslim dietary laws, especially when meat, poultry and alcohol are concerned, though it can be used for the more general meaning as well. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halal)

Halal living is about being fit for life. Halal living is about being in balance – the body, mind and spirit in balance with the divine universe every moment of the day. Only when we see everyone as the same regardless of race or religion can we say we are living in balance, or living a halal life.

Living a halal life is much more important than eating halal food if we are Muslims. Eating halal food while living a non-halal life is hypocrisy at its greatest. Halal living is something we should all be aspiring to – remember that halal living is a concept that encompasses daily living, including speech, dress, manner, behavior and conduct, as well as dietary laws.

We must become halal in all we do, especially in business and politics. We must realize that money politics and corruption are haram and contribute to the imbalance and negative consciousness our nation suffers from. What our nation suffers is what we suffer and vice versa.

Many of us love to plan, yet when it comes to living what we plan about, that is another story. The Holy Books of all faiths guide us in halal living, yet for all we claim to be a spiritual nation with spiritual values, we still accept haram activities so easily.

There is no point in praying as our religion teaches us, and then go about living a non-halal lifestyle. There is no point insisting on halal products and then living a non-halal lifestyle.

Wallahu a'lam ...