Islamic Cars? (2)

I had previously blogged on Islamic cars; as was proposed by Tehran. I was at that time being a proponent of that idea.

And I still am, despite a contrasting idea by the Director General of IKIM about the proposal. He questioned the main intent of the proposal.



It is nice to have differing views on a particular matter. Its just get your brain going.

For me , he did put up a very strong point. Maybe just not persuasive enough to sway me. Thats all.

MALAYSIA : Truth and Justice

We always said that "outsiders" do not know the reality in running our own country. We and we alone know the way. It might not be the right way, but it is our way. No questions should be asked.

But I believe that the act of listening never hurts anybody. I could not help but to agree in some way or the other with Mr Backman on this.

Read:
Truth and Justice are no longer Malaysian Way

Exam Schedule

31 Oct 2007 - AFIS 501 -Accounting Theory and Application Aegrotat Approved
5 Nov 2007 - AFIS 514 - Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management
9 Nov 2007 - AFIS 506 - Auditing
15 Nov 2007 - AFIS 503 - Management of Information Systems and Technology

Islamic Cars?

Now this is interesting. I wonder how the outcome would look like.

The idea was put forward from Tehran. It is said that the car would have all the essential Islamic features such as kiblat reading, compartment to put Quran, scarves et cetera.

This proposal of Islamic car will involve Iran, Turkey and Malaysia.

For me this is one great idea. Not so much of the features of the car but because of the idea that Islamic countries could join together economically generate something useful, and "refreshing".

The features are already existence in abundance. Kiblat reading? Sat-nav has been here long. Maybe they just have to tinker the software a bit to make it more "kiblat" friendly. Create a little more compartments here and there. Cut here paste there.

More importantly, this could be a great start for something of a great significance. Start with a car, then maybe develop our own engine, transmission that not many others have. Use resources from other Islamic countries. Who knows what might happen next.

I for once applauded this idea and hopefully the efforts that will follow. I will certainly wait for the outcome.

Read: Malaysia, Iran And Turkey Plan To Produce 'Islamic' Cars

May Allah Bless You, Always

You really are and will always be, ma.

Happy 25th birthday...


for the second time =)

How Well Do We Know Our History?

This is a flip side of the history of Malaysia that we know.

I just thought that every "anak merdeka" should know the "real" history of our Independence. And by real I mean from a different point of view, from both sides of the story.

Not just the one we had learnt at school. Not just the story that the winners wanted us to know.

Do we really know what happened 10 years before Merdeka?

These are real stories from real people; who had gone through it all - sharing their experiences, for us the younger generation. The so called "anak merdeka"

Watch and ponder.

part 1


part 2


part 3


part 4

These videos are produced by Fahmi Reza. An "anak merdeka" too. All credit to him.

Are you curious enough?

This one has definitely diverted my attention from studies.
Oh, what hasn't?

Give it a try and see if you could beat my time ;)

Just click on the pic will ya.

Malaysian Law and Order: Shattered?

Maybe Nik Nazmi is with the opposition but it is not in any way discredited his opinion about the current condition of Malaysia.

In his article Breakdown of Law and Order, he said,

"...A little girl was sexually molested and murdered, and the police is planning to take action against the parents for negligence..."

obviously referring to the Nurin's case. It was true. I was shocked to read the article on the front page of Utusan a few days back. Come on. The parents have just lost their daughter to a murder and the Chief Police and the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development were talking about possibility of putting the unfortunate parents in jail.

Its just doesn't make sense at all.

The Hacker Diaries: Confessions of Teenage Hackers

After more than 2 months of waiting, I finally got my hands on the book a couple of days back.

This was the book that splurged my interest in hackers world that eventually inspired me to do a mini research on the topic during my matriculation days. Unfortunately, this particular interest was killed off after my draft has been rejected and I had to endure a painful start over.

You can read the excerpt at Google Book search here.

Brand New Samsung Z400v for Sale - Going cheap

3G Vodafone exclusive. Recommended retail price NZD 449.00

My price? Highly negotiable. Seriously, make me an offer and I'll try to consider it.

Merdeka Day Celebration [UPDATED]

**updates in red**

[This post will stay here until the event is over. New posts below]

On behalf of Canterbury Malaysian Society and Kelab Melayu Inc, I would like to invite you to the 50th Merdeka Day Celeberation Dinner. Details as follow:

Date & Time : Saturday, 1st September 2007 at 6.00pm
Venue : Caledonian Hall
Dress Code : Traditional.
Entry Ticket : $30.00

But please do not let the ticket price fools you. Here is what you get for your money's worth.

Food - Catered by Malaysian Food Catering (Mr. Ishak)
Menu:

Served in a Malaysian Hawker Stall Style buffet style with the food server will be in a Malaysian Traditional Outfit.
- Roti Canai Buffet [home made roti canai, kuah dal and sambal ikan bilis]
- Mee Rebus Buffet [well, mee rebus and all the usual stuff that comes with it, curry, veges etc]
- Nasi Lemak Buffet [Nasi lemak, rendang, boiled eggs and slices of cucumber]
- Satay Buffet [need introduction with this? + coconut sauce]
- Dessert Buffet [as of now, I am not quite sure what the dessert will be, but rest assured that its not something that you can eat everyday]
- Drinks [Sirap bandung, tea and coffee]

Lucky Draws:

Lots of them. In fact its so many that I could not remember them all. There will be potentially more than 60 lucky draws to be won. Chances are that you might not be returning home empty handed with less than 300 guests only.

- Probable prize tickets from Malaysian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand and Jet Star.
- A brand new mountain bike
- 20 KFC voucher worth $25 each
- Free stay @ Riccarton Motel (might be quite useful if you are having family/relative visiting)
- Food vouchers @ Sampan Restaurant, Chinatown, Pagoda Steamboat etc.
- More to come. The committees are working hard on getting new sponsors everyday.

Enough said. Please do spread the words around and give a thought about it. I am sure it will be worth it.

20legend

I guess this has past its expiry date as a news but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is one true Man United legend and deserves a praise.

His retirement was a bit shocking but not entirely unexpected.

As been said, he surely has carved his name in the great history of football.

No doubting it.

Related videos:

1. Champions League Final 1999
2. Vs Newcastle United - Red card tackle that saves the day

Islam Awareness Week - Unity in Diversity [Updated]

Wherever you'll be next week (in New Zealand), it is most likely that you could catch an event that will be held in conjunction with Islam Awareness Week in a town near you.

Below is the list of events in Christchurch

Day & Date	Time	Topic	Speaker	Venue
Monday 13/8	All lectures will be	Media and Muslims	Dr. Zakir Naik recorded lecture	All lectures will be held at:
Tuesday 14/8	from 6:30 p.m.	The purpose of life	Omar El-Hadad	Lecture Theatre A3
Wednesday 15/8	To 7:30 p.m.	Unity in Diversity, Islamic point of view	Sheikh Mohammad Amir from the Muslim Scholars Board
Thursday 16/8		A short history of Muslims in NZ for the last 100 years	Martin Drury
Friday 17/8		Interfaith Dialogue	Speakers from Islam, Christianity and Buddhism	Ilam New Common Room
Saturday 18/8	11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.	Mosque open day		Mosque 101 Deans Ave

WND Wind Duo 2000

With the price of mobile phones becoming relatively affordable, it is not uncommon to see people with two phones, usually one for business and the other for personal use. Hey, even my younger sister back in Malaysia has two sets of mobiles!

In line with the trend, prices of GSM sim card has also gone down tremendously. I still remember a few years back when the price of a prepaid starter pack would have cost as much as $200. Now you could get one for less than $10. Thats the effect of competition for you. But in New Zealand, I am not sure if this is the case as Vodafone NZ is still the single provider of GSM.

Well, back to the phone. For those who have more than one mobile phone, ever wished that you'd be carrying one phone but with the functionality of two?

Wish no more. WND Wind Duo has come to the rescue. A phone with dual fronts; each side function perfectly as a phone - screen, keypad, sim card. It is like having two phones glued to each other at the back.





Now thats what I call revolutionary. With a thickness of 17mm it sure beats putting one phone on top of another.

But then there's one thing that bugs me. Come to think of it, when you are in a middle of a phone conversation, can other people connect to you to the 'other' phone? If so, it could be very funny but intriguing at the same time. But I suppose thats just a minor issue.

Wind Duo 2000. Certainly a nice move by WND.

Thumbs up!

Me, Myself and Mobile v1.5

This entry is supposed to be the sequence to my longest entry ever (at least that's what she said).

It was more like a short story to me. The short story of my rather short life.

Please. Do read it here.

But I won't be doing a full sequence yet. Hence v1.5


Excerpt:

Nokia 3210 ---> Siemens c45 ---> Nokia 3310 ---> Nokia 2100 ---> Nokia 8250 ---> Nokia 3100 ---> (back to..) Nokia 3310 ---> ???

That was from November 2001 until January 2005 (roughly).





February 2005 to January 2006
Sony Ericsson T630i

The second in line for dual face design made popular by SE. A true successor to the ever popular T610. It was a real deal to the mobile world when it was released about a year before. The main reason why I fall in love with Sony Ericsson. Ever heard people saying "Once an SE fan, always a fan"?



February 2006 to July 2006
Nokia N-Gage QD

Successor to the revolution of mobile gaming, N-Gage. Not that I am a hard core gamer, never was but it was the only phone that caught my attention when i decided to trade-in my T630 after my brother's cat has done something terribly wrong to it. But I did spent a few good hours a week playing games. The inbuilt MP3 player with loudspeaker was pretty handy too.



August 2006 to present
Sony Ericsson K750i

Just when I decided that I have had enough of games and really need to focus on my study (ehem!), a real deal came for a phone that I have longed for. This is a truly remarkable phone. A phone that holds and feels like a camera. Auto focus lens. Dual LED flashlights that double up as your torch (they are bright, trust me). This phone was a trend setter, just like other previous SE phones (sorry if I sound a bit bias here, hehe).



June 2007 to present
Nokia 1101

Bought it for about NZ$35 to use it as a second phone. Does great on what a mobile phone should do, calling and texting. Truly basic, nothing fancy here. But wait, it has a torchlight too. Although it took me quite a while to figure out the shortcut button to it.



Future to distant future
Sony Ericsson P1i

It has not been commercially released yet but its rave reviews are everywhere. PDA, phone, camera, 3G, wifi. Almost all features you could ever dreamed of is in the package. I am being hopeful here.













P.S: this is my 10th entry for the year and this blog has reached the age of 39 months as of today. Can't wait to reach 40. Life starts at 40 right?

I'm Back (from Malaysia) and Aspire 5920G review

I have just finished what according to Pijoi as "last test as Canterbury student". Still got final exams though. It went okay. But as always, I wish i had more time to complete all the questions. Sigh!


Few stories worthy of notifying.

Basically my main purpose of going back to home last month was because I got to attend my only elder brother's wedding and I was suppose to be his best man. But in the end I didn't. Or couldn't.

I had an "Extreme Sudden Change of Temperature Attack" (well, if such term ever exists). It was like having an asthma attack plus extreme cold that came to you in a sudden. I couldn't feel my legs, open my eyes or breathe easily for that matter.

Suddenly cold breeze became my enemy. Shivering and I'd have that attack again.

A couple of injections at a nearby clinic resulted in the following:

1. My brother arrived late for his akad nikah.
2. I lost my title as best man.
3. I had to wear jacket when everyone else was practically looking for a fan/aircon. (Well, at least I could feel my legs though.)

Shopping. The temptation was very high. Very very high.

Imagine this.

You have just got your allowance that you have been waiting for 6 months in NZ dollar. You have been saving your money wisely. You return home with large portion of that still intact. NZ dollar getting stronger (i.e. more MY ringgit per 1 NZD). Its the period of Malaysia Mega Sale.

Huh. "Nobody said it was easy..."

But thanks to my budget controller and the plan I have for my future I could restrain myself from the temptation.

Yeah right!

Only a couple of shirts and to my defense, it was a last minute shopping.

Also, I bought this...



...for a friend.

Its an Acer Aspire 5920g with Santa Rosa, the latest range of processor from Centrino 2 Duo family. 2Ghz. With 160Gb of hard disk, 2Gb of DDR3 RAM, stereo surround speaker with a sub woofer. What more could you ask for in a laptop?

Wait there's more.

It has Nvidia 8600Gt with up to 1GB of turbo cache memory installed. Whoaa! This is one of a few laptop in the market which is DirectX 10 capable. Which means that when you play game, instead of getting a character that look like the right picture, you get the details of the left ones.

Impressive but a little bit scary. But this will surely make gaming more enjoyable. As for the laptop, I bought it for MYR 4600. I would consider this a bargain as other brands with the same specs will easily reach 6000 mark. With its stunning look (Did i tell you that it was designed by BMW?) this laptop will easily become the best selling laptop as far as gamers are being concerned.

Now only if I had the budget to get one for myself. [Stress the word budget, I have the money but none was allocated under new laptop in my budget :-( ]

When Your Eyes are Wide Open

When you cannot close your eyes and its 3am in the morning, then you
know that the cup of coffee you had before has taken its toll on you.
You took your eyes away from your laptop screen, with a hope that you
could close your eyes and be in wonderland, but instead you find your
eyes staring at a different screen, your mobile phone - blogging via
email.

Now you know that you are indeed in deep trouble.

Lets count the stars. It might just help.

Menghitung Hari II

It has been about 15 months now since I last saw my mum, my dad and all others.

I still have about 3 days to be able to do that again.
Excited.

My bro is gonna get married.
Nervous.

He asked me to be his best man.
That's why.

Now only if I don't have two midterm tests on the night before departure.
Sigh!

P/s: Anyone for a new mobile phone or any other gadget for that matter? I could buy them for you. Possibly a bit lower than local market price. I would certainly be spending at least half a day at lowyat area.

Related Post
Menghitung Hari

Laptop For Sale

I have this one laptop, quite an old one, but not that old, for sale. And it has been pretty well maintained too.



Compaq Presario 1200

P3 800Mhz
192MB RAM
13 Gb Hdd
Wireless Ethernet Card
Battery should easily last about 2-3 hours.
More spec here
etc.

Asking around $300. Negotiable.

Christchurch, Babies and Postgraduates

Welcome to the new world, Syed Arif


More cute pictures @ Sol's FP.

As far as I can remember there were quite a number of babies born in our Malay Community here in Christchurch.

First there's Abang Reza back in midst of winter 2004.



Then Abang Leman and Kak Farah with baby Khalif in the following summer.



Then there's Abang Afendi and Kak Zunika's little daughter.

Then Abang Rashidi (Lincoln). And then Umar, completing 3 heroes of Kak Dayang and Abang Hamdan.


Abang Khairuddin and Kak Ita not to be forgotten. I think they have a couple of babies here. If not mistaken.

Then there's Abang Zahari and Kak Azidah's baby boy. 3 heroes as well. Relatively recent.

These postgraduates families are really akin to your family here in Christchurch. For me, at least.

Abang Reza helped us a lot when we started flatting out, moving to the old-cozy Picton Ave mansion house. We got quite a few free stuff from him. Still remember him saying "aa, amik aa kerusi ni sedap lagi ni, empuk lagi" while trying to make himself comfy on the chair.

Abang Leman too. He practically gave everything before he left. Sofa set, drier, beds. But Kak Nik was the one who got his "BMW". Hehe.

Abang Fendi always kind enough to lend his red Chariot when needed.

Abang Rashidi with all the smiles and laughs.

Abang Hamdan and Kak Dayang. They helped me a lot. Personal advices. Wisdom and knowledge. Kak Dayang is a great cook. There's always a treat when we made a visit.

Abang Khairuddin. We had our first kenduri at her place. Really felt like home back then.

Abang Zahari and Kak Azidah. Always a great help. Abang Zahari with his favorite word "Haa, Ni.. kalau korang nak..." then followed with his spirited words of advice. And Kak Azidah with her Nasi Dagang during Aidilfitri.

Then there's Kak Ainy. We met her at the airport when we first arrived. She showed us the way around. How to take a bus, City tour, Countdown shopping.

Kak Nik. Berjiwa muda. Can be scary at times too. Always give good advice.

Abang Jali and Kak Ain. He recommended me for a job at the now closed Flambe. I worked for more than 2 years.

And not to forget Abang Suhaimi. He helped us a lot. Especially when it comes to car.

And for Kakok who delivered babies all days and nights here in Christchurch.

Abang Nazri, Uncle Ishak, Auntie Kiah, Kak G, Abang Rashid. We are all a family. Albeit a very big one.

Please do accept my deepest gratitude for everything that you have done and my sincerest apologies for everything that I have done.

Thank you all.

Credit: Sol, Bijan, Aida

Revamp

A few touch ups here and there.

New header on top.


New ads on the side.


Google toolbar. Really useful. Trust me. I am using it. =)


Joost. Future Tv. I am an official beta tester. Ping me if u want to get an invite.

Not

Well...

I was waiting for that special first wish, but it was not forthcoming.

Later, hopefully.

Barcode

Would you believe me if I said that the picture above is a code that contain texts?

Follow the steps below to decipher it. (Warning! A camera phone with wireless application protocol function is very essential)
1. Go to http://reader.kaywa.com on your phone browser
2. Install the software
3. Point your phone camera to the image above.

Many thanks.

p/s: on a side note, glory glory Man U****d. Hehe

Sekuntum Mawar Merah

"Sekuntum mawar merah... sebuah puisi... untuk gadis pilihan," kata Abang HandyBlack, barang tidak berapa lama dahulu.

"Betul tu bang," kata saya, baru-baru ini.

Mawar merah bukan boleh dibuat semberono.

Hendak dipetik berhati-hati, banyak durinya.
Hendak membeli berjaga-jaga, boleh melambung-lambung harganya.
Hendak memberi berwaspada, salah memberi lain tafsirnya.

Bak kata abang kita tadi, "...untuk gadis pilihan,"

Sekadar ingin memberi tahu..
Ini entri yang untuk keseratus kalinya...
Juga untuk gadis pilihan...