NUS Extraordinary Conference, Leicester

I'll start off by explaining how I was elected to be one of the NUS Delegates for the Conference.

It was a very short notice. Early afternoon. I texted as many people as I can to come to the Student Council and listen to what the Union Executive has to say about the issue. On the other hand, I've indirectly set up an instant campaign for them to vote me as a Delegate for the Conference.

Here's the vote counts, copied from the Students' Union Council minutes dated 20th November 2007:

NUS Extraordinary Conference

Reported: 5 places for NUS Extraordinary Conference, where the NUS Constitutional changes would be decided upon. It will take place 4^th December 2007, 9am-5pm in Leicester. Each candidate introduced themselves and gave a short speech, questions to candidates followed. The candidates were.

Reported: The results were as follows:

Candidate A: Abdul-Azim Ahmed 30 votes

Candidate B: Alys Mumford 24 votes

Candidate C: Ghaith Nassar 27 votes

Candidate D: Frances House 17 votes

Candidate E: Michaela Neild 22 votes

Candidate F: Sam Knight 21 votes

Candidate G: Sally Wood 24 votes

Candidate H: Mia Hollsing 21 votes

Candidate I: Azad Azman 37 votes

Resolved: Azad Azman, Abdul-Azim Ahmed, Ghaith Nassar, Alys Mumford and Sally Wood are to go to the NUS Extraordinary Conference.

Unfortunately Abdul-Azim couldn't come today because he had to be at his sister's side whom is expecting a baby anytime today.

So there we were, 7 of us: Jonny (SU President), Alys (Women's Officer - elected), Sally Airey (Societies, PG & International Officer), Rowena (Vice President), Sally Wood (LGBT Officer - elected), Ghaith (elected) and me (elected).

I'm quite tired actually, so I cut it super short. I was against the Governance Review, which had been presented in the White Paper given earlier. Unfortunately, the motion went through with ease, and we (together with the people of te same way of thinking) lost terribly!

Tragedy at Piala Putera

Everything seemed to be ok since the night before....

..... until I broke my nose less than 3 minutes in the first game!

Seting Up a Stall; How-to For Activist!

A Masters student in Journalism from Nigeria showed interest in our activity

It was last Thursday that I had my first practical experience as an activist. It's not that bad, to be honest, and quite interesting! Here are some basic tips on how to set up a stall:

1. Do request for a permission from your Student Union. If they allow you to do so without notifying them, that's great!
2. Borrow a convertible table from your friends in some other active society. They might have them in their storage.
3. Choose an appropriate day and time. I reckon that you do it during lunch breaks. You'll get more traffic that way.
4. Have all the literatures and freebies ready the day before. Put them aside.
5. Find a simple tablecloth to cover, or even decorate, your table.
6. Do bring your radio or ipod for background music (entertainment purpose. also quite helpful when you're extremely bored).
7. Arrange your stuff in order. Always prepare a bag and a notebook to keep record on any sales made. Put the freebies on the other side to enable flexibility for people to wander around your stall.
8. Lastly, put up a smile and start promoting your stuff to them!

There were loads of interesting moments while I was distributing flyers on the Palestine issue. One of them was a pair of girls who came to us and snatched the literature rudely and spoke Hebrew between themselves!

Ghaith (President) and I posed before we packed up and go for lectures (aktivis aktivis jugak...study gua jaga!)

Will plan to put up a stall in town some other time before the winter holiday.

Seru kepada ma'ruf & cegah mungkar; Aplikasi konsep dalam kehidupan kita di UK - Penerangan dan Tazkirah

Sahabat-sahabat yang dirahmati, dicintai, dan diredhai Allah,
Assalamualaikum wbt.

Marilah kita bersama-sama mengucapkan rasa syukur kepada Allah SWT, Pencipta kita diatas kurniaNya yang tidak terhingga, serta kasih sayangNya, yang kadang-kadang kita terlupa, bukti kepada kelemahan diri kita yang hanyalah sebagai hambaNya di muka bumi ini.

Saya sekadar nak berkongsi tazkirah buat sahabat-sahabat pada kali ini.

Pertama sekali, saya ucapkan jazakumullahu khairan jazaak, terima kasih yang teramat bagi mereka yang menghadirkan diri ke Student Council malam semalam. Mudah-mudahan sahabat-sahabat sekalian beroleh suatu pengalaman baru dalam menempuhi kehidupan sebagai seorang pelajar di UK.

Isu utama yang dibincangkan sebelum pemilihan dibuat adalah berkenaan dengan 'Governance Review'. Tetapi sebelum saya meneruskan lebih lanjut berkenaan dengan isu tersebut, mungkin lebih molek kalau saya ceritakan dahulu apa itu NUS dan apa hubungkaitnya dengan Students Union universiti kita.

NUS (National Union of Students) adalah suatu organisasi yang menyelaras gerak kerja dan hal ehwal semasa pelajar-pelajar di UK. Para penggerak NUS terdiri daripada 2 kategori; Full-time (biasanya mereka mengambil GAP YEAR) & Part-time (belajar sambil berkhidmat). Setiap tahun, NUS akan mengadakan beberapa siri Student Parliment / NUS National Conference bagi membincangkan perkara-perkara yang dirasakan penting dalam kehidupan pelajar. Mereka yang menghadiri Student Parliment ini adalah perwakilan-perwakilan universiti (NUS Delegate).

Setiap universiti mempunyai kuota untuk menghantar beberapa orang perwakilan ke Student Parliment. Mereka yang dilantik akan membawa pandangan yang dirasakan sesuai mewakili universiti masing-masing. Tetapi ini tak bermakna semua perwakilan perlu mempunyai pandangan yang sama. Mereka mempunyai hak untuk berdiri dengan pandangan tersendiri, walaupun mewakili universiti mereka, kerana mereka dilantik secara demokratik oleh hadirin yang mengundi mereka.

Setiap perwakilan akan pergi diatas kapasiti individu. Walau bagaimanapun, menyedari bahawa setiap individu mempunyai pandangan-pandangan tertentu berdasarkan latar belakang, pengalaman, fahaman dan sebagainya, maka wujudlah badan-badan yang memperjuangkan fahaman-fahaman masing-masing. Antara badan-badan ini ialah:
1. Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrats (mereka yang berjiwa politik mainstream UK)
2. Union of Jewish Studens, UJS (di universiti dikenali sebagai Jewish Society. Pro-Zionis. Pelajar Yahudi yang anti-Zionis akan didiskriminasi dalam badan ni)
3. Federation of Student Islamic Society, FOSIS (di universiti dikenali sebagai Islamic Society. memperjuangkan dan mempertahankan hak pelajar muslim)
4. Lesbian, Gay, Transexual & Bisexual, LGBT (di universiti - LGBT jugak. memperjuangkan hak mereka yang claim sebagai LGBT sejak lahir)
5. Palestinian Solidarity Group (di universiti - sama. memperjuangkan hak asasi manusia masyarakat Palestin)
dan macam-macam lagi.

Setiap badan merasa bertanggungjawab untuk meramaikan penggerak-penggerak badan masing-masing untuk memperjuangkan hak mereka. Lagi ramai lagi bagus, kalau sikit, hak mereka dipertikaikan, lantas pelajar-pelajar seluruh UK yang mempunyai fahaman yang sama tertindas (cth: Isu niqab di London)

Dalam konteks kita sebagai seorang warganegara Malaysia yang mengambil Islam sebagai cara hidup, saya tekad untuk bersama-sama memperjuangkan:
- isu-isu keadilan sejagat (demokrasi, hak belajar masyarakat palestin dll.)
- isu-isu hak pelajar Islam di UK.

Sesetengah masyarakat Muslim di sini (local) ada mengeluh:
"Kita masuk benda-benda ni buat apa, tak mendekatkan diri dengan Allah langsung dlm NUS"
"Bukannya ada kuliah-kuliah rohani yang menyucikan diri pun kalau jadi Delegate"

Pada pendapat saya, dan saya yakin anda juga berpendapat bahawa:
Kita cintakan Allah dan Rasul, dan agama Islam. Dan orang yang hebat adalah orang yang dekat hatinya kepada Allah. Pada saya, orang yang lebih hebat adalah orang yang mampu untuk mempertahankan hak masyarakat keseluruhannya untuk bersama-sama merapatkan diri kepada Allah.

Sebab itu Allah SWT ada berfirman dalam sepotong ayat yang bermaksud "dan hendaklah segolongan dikalangan kamu membawa kepada kebaikan, menyeru/menggalakkan kepada yang baik/ma'ruf dan mencegah/menentang perkara-perkara yang mungkar...(sampai akhir ayat)"

Selain daripada mengambil peluang untuk memaksimakan kehidupan kita sebagai pelajar di UK, marilah kita bersama-sama berdoa semoga kita diberikan taufiq dan hidayah untuk terus bersemangat menyucikan hati, menimba ilmu, mengajak kepada yang baik, mencegah perkara-perkara mungkar, memperjuang hak-hak kita.
Terima kasih dan syabas kerana berjaya membaca sehingga ke ayat ini! Terima kasih juga kerana mengundi, kerana undian anda adalah tanda anda prihatin kepada masalah ummah!

Moga kita meraih keredhaan dan cinta Allah SWT.
wassalam wbt.

Azad

Elected as NUS Delegate

I am now officially an NUS Delegate of Cardiff University for the NUS Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) in Leicester, Tuesday 4th December 2007.

The main issue for the EGM is on the NUS governance review. I won't talk much about this for now, will keep it later, God-willing.

It was my first time competing head-to-head with the other 8 candidates for only 5 vacancies. I have no experience in delivering political speech in public before, and I have no idea what I was actually doing just now!

But I was prepared, and I was well informed of the issue. I attended the 'Fight for Palestine Student Conference' on the 3rd and 4th of November, and joined the FOSIS National Conference the week after. I believe that the contents of these 2 events were sufficient for me.

...and they were!

I would like to thank those who came, those who voted me, and those whom had sent their prayers for me. (To be able to get the most vote in a Student Council is an honour, and I thank God and everyone for this).

I might not be able to do wonders in the EGM, but the least I could do is to represent your views. Feel free to contact me to discuss on the democracy of the NUS. I'll fight for the best interest of the Union, and I believe that it is of the best interest of the NUS to stay democratic. I'll be there to defend this stand.

FOSIS & Palestinian Solidarity work

2 friends from Dublin came last weekend to attend the FOSIS Conference and Workshop in Cardiff. I participated in the discussion as well, but only on Sunday. I will be offering some help to FOSIS, but not as intense as what I did in my first year here.

I took them to an event in which Bro Dawud Wharnsby and Idris Phillip performed. It was a simple, yet amazing performance!I will be distributing flyers on Free Palestine this Thursday, 11am - 12pm, in front of the Student Union. 3 of us from the society will be collecting signatures for a petition to urge responsible organisations to take some action and stop the bloody Israeli occupation in Palestine.

Life As An Activist (?!!)

It's been an exhausting experience so far. I'm terribly occupied almost everyday, with academic lectures in mornings and afternoons, and society meetings at nights. Here's how my weekly schedule looks like...

• Monday - Cardiff Labour Students
• Tuesday - Model United Nations of Cardiff University
• Wednesday - Arabic Language class
• Thursday - Palestinian Solidarity Society
• Friday - Weekly Halaqa for Malaysian Brothers

Weekends are for myself. Thus I might not be able to update this blog as often as before.

International rights group: Let Malaysians rally

Nov 9, 07 12:23pm Adjust font size:

An international human rights group has called on Malaysian police to allow a public rally organised by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) tomorrow. “The grounds for refusing the rally are nonsense,” said Brad Adams, Asia director of New York-based Human Rights Watch. “If Malaysia wants to count itself a democracy, it can begin by upholding constitutional guarantees of free speech and assembly. The way the system works now, only the ruling coalition can get its messages out.” Kuala Lumpur chief police officer Zulhasnan Najib Baharuddin has yesterday warned the public that they risk arrest, fines and jail if they participate in the Bersih rally. Offenders would be facing the possibility of a fine of between RM2,000 and RM10,000 and up to a one-year jail term. Any public gathering of more than five persons without a police permit is considered illegal. It has been reported that the police plan to deploy some 4,000 officers and all buses and cars coming in from outside Kuala Lumpur will be checked. In addition, roadblocks will be in place at key entry points thus sealing off the rally venue, Dataran Merdeka. PM claimed to be a reformer “Organizers of the Bersih rally only want to create a level-playing field for all in the coming elections, yet they are being denied the basic right of expressing their concerns in a peaceful demonstration,” said Adams. He lamented that while Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has claimed to be a reformer, “but when it comes to holding onto power, he and his Umno party make one set of rules for themselves and another for everyone else”. Last year, the police made an unprecedented move by granting several permits, including groups that did not even apply for one, to hold demonstrations in conjunction with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s visit. Among the biggest demonstrations was one organised by Umno Youth and held near Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre where Rice was attending a function. Bersih - a coalition of 70 non-governmental organisations and opposition political parties - has asked the government to implement a series of reforms to address widespread election irregularities. On Wednesday, the police rejected Bersih’s application for a permit to assemble in Dataran Merdeka in downtown Kuala Lumpur to march to the national palace about two kilometres away to deliver a memorandum to the king. The grounds given for the denial include that Bersih was not a registered body, that City Hall had not approved use of the square, that there was to be another function at the venue, that the march would inconvenience drivers, and that the march could affect public order. Letter of appeal The organisers, in a letter of appeal sent to the police yesterday, have disputed each of these points. It said although Bersih was not a registered organisation, the participating groups were registered. The organisers have also argued that Dataran Merdeka would be cleared in time for the subsequent event, and said that they chose the long Deepavali holiday to inconvenience as few drivers as possible. To address public safety concerns, Bersih has asked participants to refrain from carrying anything that could compromise the organisers’ peaceful intent and have assured the police that 600 volunteers would be on hand to ensure a non-violent and safe event. “The government should not be afraid to allow Malaysians to raise very basic issues about the fundamental right to vote...,” said Adams. “What is a democracy without public rallies by all involved, including civil society and opposition parties?” Elections in Malaysia have been characterised by vote buying, the use of government resources by the ruling parties, and wholesale gerrymandering by an allegedly bias Election Commission. Bersih has, among others, asked that indelible ink be used to prevent voters from casting more than one vote, removal of alleged phantom voters from the electoral rolls, elimination of the widespread use of postal ballots, and access to state-controlled media by all political parties. To date, the Election Commission has only agreed to using indelible ink.

Downing Street

I was in the Cardiff Student Labour weekly group discussion a few hours back. We discussed mainly on our t-shirts & hoodies & upcoming events. Those which caught my attention were:

• Welsh Labour Student Assembly, Cardiff
  
• Visit to no.10 Downing Street (!!)

Excited and looking forward to attend those events!

Facebook; A Way Forward

It took ages to persuade me to open up a internet-based community portal. I had no Friendster, MySpace and what not. I couldn't be bothered and I don't buy "...I could meet my mates in primary school!" sort of argument.

But wait!!

After spending more than 2 years in Cardiff, with going back to Malaysia once in between, I came to realise that these websites are indeed useful for various reasons.

• Statesmen use these to convey their vision and ideas.
• Politicians use these to capture a new market of voters.
• Missionaries use these to understand the behaviour of their target community.
• Businessmen use these to enhance their promotion.
• Leaders of organisations use these to form coalition forces with their counterpart elsewhere.
• Young men use these to keep them up-to-date with the latest news and events.

... and many more!

And because of these reasons that I've chose to sign up. Click here to sneak at my Facebook account.

A good way to start a new day

Having to wake up as early as 5.00am is not too bad at all. With a little bit of self-cleaning and prostrating to God, I prepare myself for work. A good mid-pace walk from my house to the Probation Centre in town would take about 8 minutes. I just love to have several deep breathe of the pure, morning fresh air as I walk to the office.

I also enjoy the morning chat with Kak Faizah, Ash and Sylvia, the supervisor of the office. I opt to take the stairs up to the 4th floor instead of the lift. A healthy way of living, in'it? While working with the mops and the bins, I always practice delivering speeches by myself, and I've been caught doing so many times before! One of the things that made me stick to this job instead of quitting is to be able to force myself to do some exercise. I could do some push-ups while waiting for the tap water to fill in the bucket with detergent before proceeding to mop the kitchen and entrance floors.

Work ends at half seven, and the walk back home was filled with some planning on my to-do list for the day.

As the house door opens, my housemates have already got up from their bed. We exchange morning greetings. There are not many options for breakfast, and I wouldn't mind. A good toast and a large cup of tea would keep my stomach full until lunchtime. I also enjoy making my own lunchpack while listening to the news.

A good breakfast with a good cup of tea in front of a good TV watching BBC Breakfast. Now that's what I call LIFE!

A quick morning shower is vital. There're 6 of us here, and spending less than 7 minutes each is favourable, especially on Tuesday when everyone's class starts at 9!

And that's how my typical day starts. Everyday is a wonderful day, in'it?

Malaya: 10 Years Before Independence

Click To Play

I must say that this is a brilliant, must-see documentary for those who love our nation.

The British people believe in themselves. Why not us?

2 recent events that struck me in writing this post are as follows.

Cardiff University Labour Students Weekly Meeting
It was my first time coming to this meeting, since I missed the 1st two due to the residential fieldtrip I went earlier. The 1st half an hour was pretty much annoying. The Chair came and distributed some newspapers, and people chatting about their lives with each other.

It was in the 2nd half of the meeting when the discussion came about. A few issues were discussed, primarily on taxes, 'war against terror', education and ID cards. Of all our debates and arguments, the 'Statement For The Day' that really caught my attention was " it is our duty and responsibility to make things right. We practice democracy, they're not. We're in peace, they're not. So it was a good idea, initially, to go to Iraq and sort 'em out!" How's that for an argument? Not too bad, I guess.

Today's Hottest News: Britain's Move To Reject Referendum
Gordon Brown is going to address Britain's European Union partners that his country will not agree on the proposed treaty that goes for a standardized social & labour laws, common law, police & judicial processes, foreign and defence policies, tax and social security systems. While propagating a free-trade market, Britain's denial in agreeing with the treaty is claimed to be caused by their sensitivity towards the country's "red-line" and sovereignity.

Now, I'm not interested in arguing on the details of both events.

It is now becoming clearer to me that one could not standardize everything. This applies to idealism, religious practices as well as the rule of law. Humans are collectively brought up in their own unique environment, and this develops their nature of behaviour, belief, cultural practices and perceptions. These respective groups of people have shared interests within their own community boundary.

It's because of these differences that some groups feel superior and the rest might face a problem of inferiority complex, justified by the progress showed by them in their own rat race. The former gets stronger and feels superior while the latter feels a little bit 'behind par'. Possible outcome? The inferior ones might prostitute their initial value/system for the superiors'. This further enhances positive feedback mechanism to the whole system.

But wait! There are certain occasions that the 'big guys' would not want to follow others' agreed-upon ideas. Let's have the British government as our case study.

Earlier between the 15th and 19th century, they went all over the world to 'sort things out' and claimed that it's the 'white man's burden' and responsibility to bring a modernised way of living for everyone. They've sent their troops to Iraq a few years back, claiming that the oil-rich country possessed WMD. The UN said no, but they proceeded anyway. Despite the warnings, protests, roundtable discussions, referendum and demonstrations exhibited by the global community, they just proceed with their own agenda.

My point here is that: it's the British solid, bold attitude that had shaped what they are today! They believe and proud of themselves.

So are/can/must we! Believe in ourselves, mate!
It's a world of grey areas, mate, and there are loads of it!

I'll be going to the Palestinian Solidarity Society meeting in a shortwhile. In case if you're interested to come, if it's not too late to mention, we'll be at the Rona Griffith room, 4th Floor in the Students Union.

Eid Mubaarak

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Eid Mubaarak

Happy Eid Celebration

(kudos to Rafie for producing this wonderful piece of art for me)

... to all Muslims, wherever you are!

It is only today that I managed to get hold of my computer after 5 days of fieldtrip at Land's End & 2 full days of celebrating Eid. Works piled up and my email inbox fattened enormously! It was a challenging fieldtrip for me since there was no O2 coverage at the sites I went for my residential outing! Apparently my family had a wonderful Eid celebration back home in Malaysia, which I could tell from my brother's blog post here.

Anyway, it was a great experience. I learnt more about the local community, socialising with the British, appreciating our differences, and at the same time, share my fasting experiences with them. It was an amazing memorabilia that I realized that a Muslim should not separate themselves in their own coccoon. I am a Malaysian by nationality, a Muslim by religion and a citizen of planet Earth. My point here is that Muslims should not act or feel excluded or excluding themselves from the global community, hence creating a community identified as the Muslim ethnic minority.

Some people might have confused between religious wisdoms and ethnic cultural practices. One who holds the principles of religious wisdoms will share tonnes of positive values of the global community. One who only restricted themselves to their ethnic cultural practices MIGHT get confused if they jump into a community of a new pool of people.

As a response to Mr/Ms Anonymous (I think it's a SHE. I might be wrong) who commented in my previous post, I thank you for giving a thoughtful comment.I have read a number of Hassan al-Banna's, Syed Qutb's & al-Maududi's writings, and agreed on some of your points. Yet, I have also read other books written by Thomas L Friedman, Dave Pelzer, Tariq Ramadan and a few others. We have to bear in mind that Islam is a religion that contains highly-valued codes of behaviour, conduct and practices. A white British Catholic lady who keeps her promises at all times and takes good care of her children should be praised for having, potraying & practicing positive attitude, which is Islamic. What is not 'SYAR'IE' with that?

Avram; give him a chance to head Chelsea!

There had been loads of news circulating in tabloids, internet & TV programmes on the downfall of the Chelsea empire. The 'Special One' has left Stamford Bridge, and rumors of disputes between the owner & administrators mushroomed at a tremendous rate. Everyone seemed to be talking about Chelsea!

Those whom only give their support to Chelsea within the period of Mourinho's service should be pitied. Poor them.

Chelsea has been playing great football so far. They might not put a fancy and creative play on the field as what Arsenal does, but they've been showed a lot of powerful, enthralling performances. With Lampard's amazing strikes, Drogba's strong built, Joe Cole's agility, Makelele's confidence, Essien's calm composure, I believe that Chelsea have proven to be one of the most exciting team to watch over in the English Premier League!

Recently, there was a problem. Mourinho left. Avram Grant (who's he?!) took over. 1st Game:
Man Utd 2 - 0 Chelsea
Despite the 4-0 win in the Carling Cup action against Hull, Chelsea was hold back 0-0 to Fulham.

Oh yes, there was also this fact that since the manager is a Jew/Israeli, "i'm not going to support Chelsea anymore".

Now, here are my arguments:

• The name in front of the shirt is more important the one at the back. Club's first, individual later. People come people go, mate, but the club will always be there.
• For goodness sake, give Grant a chance! He's just about to practice his authority in the club.
• The club has a great history, great supporters, great players and fantastic play of football.
  
• To condemn the act of the Israeli government in causing a series of massacre in Palestine is an issue. But to relate Grant to the issue mentioned is unfair. It's not like Arsenal in promoting 'Think Israel' in one of their adverts!

To those of you whom have no idea on the things I've discussed here, do go to ESPN Soccernet and spend some time understanding Chelsea's current situation. You'll be amazed on the things you might learn from them, such as:

• Managing crises.
• Scouting the right people to be installed at the right position.
• Handling the press.
• Dealing with possible interests from outsiders/agents/managers/coaches etc.
• Struggling to maintain the team's morale & composure in difficult times, and win games at the same time!

and many more! For the love of the game!

5 top reasons why you should collect books!

I have been picking up a habit of buying second-hand books lately. Great books can sometimes be found at the price range of 25 - 50 pence each! Hence that answers the pile of books in my room. I'm giving you my 5 top reasons why you should be collecting books as well.

1. Those who create a library create a life -a friend-
2. Collecting books encourages you to read more.
3. A great way of decorating your room.
4. Attracts more friends who share the same interest.
5. You'll eventually feel your IQ is increased significantly everytime you have a good 10-seconds look at your collection!

So far, I've spent about 3 pounds per visit to a carboot sale to buy books. Will get more of 'em later.

There are a few things which I'd like to share with you for now.

1. I came across a good online photo editor, tried it, and found it to be an exciting toy to play with. Picnik.com. Try it here!
2. 'Projek Kalsom 13' video has been uploaded by Ang & Markus. Click here to watch it on YouTube, or here to browse through its website.
3. There has been a major crisis between the leaders and protestors of Burma. Loads of civilians have been oppressed by the military dictatorship for years. Please kindly sign the petition to 'Stand with the Burmese Protestors' here. Every support counts.
   
4. I'll be out for 5 days to Dorset & Devon for a residential fieldtrip. Will be back on Friday night.

That's all for now. God bless

2008: International Year of Planet Earth (IYPE)

The year 2008 has been proclaimed as the IYPE by the United Nation's General Assembly. Despite having a list of virtuous programmes to run throughout the year, there're merely a small number of people who know this. Publicity is lacking. All nations should take the initiative in promoting IYPE, primarily to enhance the understanding of the importance of earth systems.

Click here to read more on the IYPE Student Contest organised by National IYPE Committee.
Winners will receive an invitation to attend the four-day (11-14 Feb 2008) Global Launch Event of the IYPE in Paris. Fully sponsored.

Good enough to motivate me to participate!

Cardiff University Students' Union organised the Freshers Fair 2008 today.
I'm now a member of 4 exciting societies this year!

Quotes on LEADERSHIP to ponder upon

*(from left) Lopes, Hadi & me during the UKEC Council meeting last year in October

I came across this list of a great leader's criteria that I wish to share with everyone here:

1. The LEADER must have a dream larger than those he/she leads.
2. The LEADER must have an attitude superior than those he/she leads.
3. The LEADER is responsible and admits when he/she made a mistake.
4. The LEADER is a decision maker.
5. The LEADER puts those he/she leads first.
6. The LEADER sets the example by being in front of the pack.
7. The LEADER displays a commitment to integrity and character.
8. The LEADER strives in excellence in all things.
9. The LEADER displays a commitment in personal growth.
10. The LEADER has the highest level of persistence and determination.

Here's a quote which I got that exemplifies the courage behind an inspirational leader:

"I will persist until I succeed. I was not delivered unto this world in defeat, nor does failure course in my veins. I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my shepherd. I am a lion and I refuse to talk, to walk, or to sleep with the sheep. I will hear not those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious. Let them join the sheep. The slaughterhouse of failure is NOT in my destiny!"

Learn to lead, for you will then succeed!

Which society to join, and which not?

The Societies Fair will be held at the Student Union's Great Hall, commencing at 10.00am. This is one of the annual attractions of the Student Union where clubs & societies compete with each other in recruiting new members. The societies' previous activities will be on display as well as the plans throughout the year.

* Picture taken during Perantau Cup, Manchester

I will list a few criteria which you might want to ponder on while giving yourself some time to choose the society you'd like to join

1. If you are a newcomer to the university, you might want to join a society that is closely attached to your identity; Islamic Society, Jewish Society, Malaysian Society, Japanese Society and so on. These societies have the potential of attracting members of the same background as you, hence making it easy for you to mingle with your close-knit community.

2. If you have been joining one or two societies before, I'd recommend you to stick on the same society, but do take the opportunity to rise in the ranks. This is a chance for you to learn & develop your leadership skills. Get new experience in organising & explaining your plans for new members. New members normally would respect you because of your experience. Don't worry too much on your capability in becoming a great leader because everyone makes mistakes! Learn, coz the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement!

3. You might feel that you've had enough with the society you've joined for 2 years in a row, so now's the time to take up a new challenge. Try out other societies which could provide you a platform to explore your inner talents to a greater stage.

a. Political-based society (Labor, Conservative, LibDems) if you'd like to learn more on British politics
b. Charity-based society (SVC, BACCUP etc) if you want to know how to run a charity, non-profit organisation in the future
c. Missionary-type society (Islamic, FOSIS, Jew etc) are for those who'd like to do some missionary work.

Don't worry of not getting a high position. It's the exposure that counts! Focus on your attitude, coz where focus goes, energy flows. Positive attitude creates greater aptitude, which directly brings you to a higher altitude!

Political Move

What's that?

My definition of the phrase is simple: doing things while others don't exactly know your underlying intentions.

I learnt a lot of this when I was in Malaysia, and successfully applied in a few occasions. Here are some cases you'd probably interested to study:

1. Walking in a group with a married couple.
Suppose you're having a vacation somewhere exotic with a group of friends. It so happen that there's 1 married couple amongst the herd. You guys were walking upstream by the river. Knowing that the married couple need to spend a little time together, you'd probably have to do something.
Political move: Get in front of the herd unnoticeably. Keep talking until you feel that it's the right time to stop the group. Tell them you're shoelaces are untied. Take your time. At the same time, engage in a conversation on the current scenery. Continue walking after stopping for a while.
Intention: Let the married couple walk further in front a little bit. They might want to chat on something in private. Your friends might not notice this, but the married couple will surely appreciate your effort!

2. Taking ablution (read: wudhu') while the kids are praying
Suppose you and a few friends came to prayer room with kids whom you're confident enough they've not reach puberty. They are praying in congregation. You might not want to join the congregational prayer (read: jama'ah), yet you do not want to potray that you're a lazy guy hanging around outside the prayer room.
Political move: Invite your friends to repeat your ablution. Say to them that it's absolutely fine to take ablution more than once. Do it slowly. Normally kids pray at an amazing speed. Proceed to the prayer room when they've given their salam.
Intention: This is much related to the sciences (read: fiqh) of praying, on which I might not want to explain further. Please Google the relevan sites.

3. Becoming the Imam of a prayer in a congested prayer room
This normally occur in public buildings such as offices, train stations, airports etc. Suppose you enter a common prayer room of a public place and the room is already congested with people praying and leaving. The new ones came and prayed alone at any free spots. Yet, there're plenty of people waiting in line to pray.
Political move: Take your ablution as quick as possible. Go into the room and find someone who'd willing to pray together. Proceed to the front of the room. Be the Imam. Recite the takbir and surah aloud (which doesn't distract others whom are praying by themselves).
Intention: Besides striving to attain greater reward (read: Ajr), we have to consider those whom are waiting. People will notice that you're praying in jama'ah. Those whom had done will leave the front lines, and the new ones will join. Eventually, you've created spaces for the rest to pray comfortably!

Morale of these stories: THINK before you ACT/SAY

Taking screenshots, anyone?

I just learnt this cool technique on taking a screenshot of the website you're watching! It's quite simple, really, and it could be used in so many ways. Your imagination is its limitation. Here's how:

A. Taking a screenshot of a website

1. Go to any website that you like
2. Press the 'Prt Scr' button on your keyboard (it's located right next to your F12 key)
3. Open up 'Paint'
4. Go to 'Edit', and click on 'Paste'
5. Save it to any folder that you prefer
6. Upload it to your blog!

B. Taking a screenshot of the window you're looking at.

1. Select a window from a website that you're browsing
2. Press these 2 keys together: 'Alt' + 'Prt Scr'
3. Follow step 3 in A onwards!

Pretty cool, huh? Here're some samples that I took.... Give it a try, and let me know if you like it.

my own blog

one of my best friends' blog

my other best friend's blog

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) ?! Yeah right!

I'm putting up a chat dialogue between me and a dear friend minutes ago. Enjoy!

Azad: takde kelas ke harini?
Encik Ano: ade
Encik Ano: in 6 minutes
Encik Ano: minggu ni banyak kelas
Azad: ic, selamat!
Azad: eh chop....Puan Ano pon lecturer gak ke?
affendi dydd: yo
Azad: oo
Encik Ano: my family semua lecturers dan teachers
Azad: memang minat?
Encik Ano: yo
Azad: ic
Encik Ano: dan esp sbb ia kerja yg muah
Encik Ano: mudah
Encik Ano: dapat cuti
Encik Ano: keskes
Azad: there are a few ppl in my family teachers gak....tapi a mix of teachers, army n doctors
Azad: haaa....tu yg best tu
Encik Ano: salary not high but you could claim this and that
Encik Ano: and frequently ade seminars atau kursus kena pergi
Azad: like how often?
Encik Ano: where it happens at a far away islands and exotic places
Encik Ano: like one eveyr two months
Encik Ano: semua ongkos ditanggung
Azad: for a university or for 1 lecturer?
Encik Ano: boleh claim up to rm5000
Encik Ano: per lecturer
Azad: whoa
Encik Ano: eh 500rm
Encik Ano: per trip
Azad: interesting
Encik Ano: so jgn terkejut if suddenly i am at redang, or langkawi having a good time
Azad: hehe
Azad: im more interested in becoming rich
Encik Ano: thsi is one o fthe way
Azad: going to the corporate world, inshaAllah
Encik Ano: sini boleh jadi korporat gak
Encik Ano: e.g. boleh jual ******* secara sambila di kawasan kampus
Azad: tapi recently met a few occasions which was very unexpected n depressing
Encik Ano: profit like rm**** per month
Encik Ano: such as?
Azad: i just came to know
Azad: that charity organisations were 'used' by corporates to ease their dealings
Azad: i wouldnt mind them wanting to exempt their tax through donations or other CSR
Azad: tapi, something like
Azad: say
Azad: my company has a lot of legal problem
Azad: n i'll be busted in months to go if i dont seek some professional legal advice n making connections with certain people
Azad: so
Azad: i'll go for a charity org, invite my friends whom match the criteria mention above
Azad: n proceed with my dealings
Azad: that made my connection with my friends valid
Azad: under the banner of 'helping each others out in charity'
Encik Ano: haha
Encik Ano: open secret sbnrnya
Encik Ano: but a good blog entry if you may want tow rite on it
Azad: i never tot about dis
Encik Ano: i gtg
Azad: ok
Encik Ano: dah two mins late
Encik Ano: chat up later

Retaining the original dialogue is better than writing a whole new article on the topic, i guess.

Still want to be a corporate?
Oh yes, you bet!

Reviewing MSLS

An article written by a good friend on 'Projek Kalsom 13 Perlis' was published in The Star a few days back. Click here to read it.

I think I must've written somewhere on MSLS in my previous post. To those who did not have a chance to be part of the event, I'd say the programme was a good one for idealists (university students alike), generally speaking. Not to mention that there're always room for improvement.

I'm just going to copy-&-paste (thanks to Izwan Ismail for the content) the resolution made by the participants of MSLS 2007.

Here goes....

----------------

Theme: Remembering 50 Years Independence
Malaysian Students Leadership Development Initiative

The MSLS Declaration
5th August 2007
Hotel Nikko, Kuala Lumpur

Kumpulan Tunku Abdul Rahman

This group concentrated on discussing issues related to Democracy and Transparency in Malaysia, in line with the fact that Tunku Abdul Rahman as the founding father of the nation had to deal with these issues.

The group believes in democracy in line with the principles of Separation of Powers and the Rule of Law, therefore believing:

1. In an independent and impartial Judiciary; where the appointment process of the Chief Justice of Malaysia includes a time frame for valid objections to surface.
2. In a free press; where, inter alia, the decision of the Minister in matters pertaining to the issuance and renewal of media licenses are subject to judicial review.
3. that Parliament’s first duty is to the people; where a Parliamentarian votes according to his or her conscience, taking into account the sentiments of his or her constituents.
4. In the freedom of speech; where inter alia, preventive detention laws are not used arbitrarily for political ends.
5. In absolute free and fair elections; thus we commend the Elections Commission in its move to increase transparency and public confidence in the electoral process, especially in the usage of indelible ink.

Kumpulan Tun Abdul Razak

This group concentrated on discussing issues related to Education in Malaysia, in line with the fact that Tun Abdul Razak came up with the Penyata Razak which was a foundation to the Education system in Malaysia.

The group believes in the 5 Guiding Principles:

A. EMPOWERMENT
-Lifelong learning @ learning culture.
-Educators, parents and students.
-Recognizing that every individual is different.

B. DEPOLITICISATION OF EDUCATION
-Subjects at primary and secondary level.
-Administration
-Promotion: Scrap PTK!

C. FUNDING AND TREATMENT
-Equality for all institutions.
-Urban/rural divide.
-Public/private.

D. AUTONOMY
-Community involvement (Parents & teachers).
-Academic freedom for ALL!
-Interdisciplinary studies.
-Different means to the same standard.

E. SYLLABUS AND RESEARCH
-Thinking rather than memorization.
-Researching culture!
-Long term benefits instead of immediate returns..

Kumpulan Tun Hussein Onn

This group concentrated on discussing issues related to Unity in Diversity in Malaysia, in line with the fact that Tun Hussein Onn was well known as Bapa Perpaduan Malaysia.

The group:

1. recognizes that national economic policies, it’s implementations and continuity should focus on the eradication of poverty instead of awarding unneeded privileges to any racial communities
2. recognizes that there should be national schools which truly cater for the need of different racial communities ;
- In particular the teaching of cultural history in schools
3. rejects any form of ethno-religious politics that creates discontent between racial communities;
- In particular on the part of the politicians and the media
4. recognizes that the Malaysian identity should be based upon embracing diversity
5. recognizes the need to encourage meritocracy, transparency, accountability and general equality to reduce disparity amongst racial communities;
- In particular the implementation of the duty to give reasons for public decisions

Kumpulan Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed

This group concentrated on discussing issues related to the Corporate sector in Malaysia, in line with the fact that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed was well known as Bapa Pemodenan Malaysia.

The group separates the issue into:

A. PROBLEMS:
1. Corruption
2. Corporate social responsibility
3. Hardcore poor
4. Benchmarking of competition

B. RESOLUTIONS:
1. 3 legged-model
• self discipline
• market discipline
• regulatory discipline
2. Lower taxes for those who practise corporate social responsibility
3. To support the GLC model and we support that the Government provides essential services under the Government.
4. Implementation of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) must improve.
5. Encourage research & development through fiscal benefits and attracting better human resources as well as increasing marketing standards.

Kumpulan Dr Ismail

This group concentrated on discussing issues related to the National Economic Policy.

The group:

1. Acknowledges the successes of the NEP in enlarging the middle class and reducing racial tensions.
2. Emphasizes the need to implement the original tenet of the NEP ;
- ie Poverty eradication regardless of race as well as increasing efforts to reduce income inequality
3. Agrees that to be against any attempt to exploit the NEP to enrich the few or to gain political capital, it proposes an independent watch dog to police these concerns
4. Believes there should be efforts to gauge public opinion of the NEP
5. Suggests promoting awareness as well as rational and tolerant discussion of the NEP and it’s effects on all stakeholders
6. Believes any prospective reform/non-reform should be based on points 4 and 5

Kumpulan Ghafar Baba

This group concentrated on discussing issues related to the Media control in Malaysia.

The group discussed on:

1. Exposure: Usage of media to promote
2. Quality of content
3. Disallow political parties to have ownership – “Direct/indirect”
4. Reorganization to ensure more transparency to maintain a balanced/tolerating exposure to public
5. Regulatory body consisting of government, media and public; for better sense of censorship

Kumpulan V Sambanthan

This group concentrated on discussing issues related to the Environment issues in Malaysia.

The group believes:

1. That Humanity and the environment interact through technology and it is our responsibilty to use efficient technology to ensure sustainable development.
- Technology here is defined as the means to all human ends. This is not restricted to scientific/electronic devices, but also organizations, corporations, legislations and economic structure
2. To improve technology by importing existing technology, inventing new technology, and implementing new technologies effectively.
3. To improve ourselves via education and empowerment
4. In creating awareness, using the following avenues :
- Education, incorporating environmental awareness since young
- School campaigns involving students and public
- Mass media, through the innovative of reality tv and media campaigns
5. In highly recommending the government in encouraging careers in environmental management through a systematic performance oriented system of incentives.
6. In condemning any lax enforcement of environmental governance and hope that the government will attract the right people in the sector who are passionate and responsible.
7. In imploring all Malaysians through their sense of morality to be vigilant against pollution and champion environmental injustices.
8. To appeal to all Malaysians whether students, regular citizens, corporate leaders or political leaders to encourage the fellow humans in all arena whether work, home or academia to adhere to these standards and further spread the words for a better Malaysia and the world

Kumpulan Cheng Lock

This group concentrated on discussing issues related to the Foreign Policy in Malaysia.

The group believes:

1. To be firm in foreign policies by having more assertive leaders who execute the nation stand, preserving neutrality and the integrity of the federal constitution
2. To participate pro actively in various international organizations and alliances as well as to sign and ratify international accords which produce win-win synergy.
3. Boosting Malaysia’s economic growth through exchange foreign expertise while collaborating in the field of science and technology
4. Establishment of Malaysia as an education hub through mutual exchange of culture and knowledge whilst strengthening foreign ties
5. To address environmental issues more openly and to undertake pro active approach in the exchange of research findings dedicated to environmental conservations

Kumpulan Siew Sin

This group concentrated on discussing issues related to the Malaysian Economy.

The group believes:

1. in revamping the education system to produce a dynamic workforce which can adapt easily to face the demands of an ever-changing world economy
2. in diversifying the economy by intensifying R&D through sharing expertise bilaterally, regionally and internationally to kick start/improve identified areas of growth
3. in setting up proper conditional protectionism guidelines to ensure that infant industries thrive and are able to eventually compete globally
4. that economic development must benefit everyone.
5. to eradicate corruption and promote good governance
6. in ensuring sustainable development in order
7. in improving and promoting financial and economic literacy (ie reaching out to the ordinary citizen)

Kumpulan Temenggung Jugah

This group concentrated on discussing issues related to the Human Rights issues in Malaysia.

The group calls upon:

- the Government to stop misusing Acts of Parliament passed for the specific purpose of combating communism/terrorism against citizens who are exercising their lawful rights of freedom of opinion, speech, and expression;
- Malaysia to sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and ratify it with an Act of Parliament, hence empowering the Courts; and
- the provision for judicial review against all arbitrary decisions by the Government violating human rights.

The group proposes:

- for the incorporation of human rights and civil liberties in the national education curriculum; and
- for the mass media to take up the watchdog role against violations of human rights and to educate the public about these rights.

Goodbye Malaysia

It's been more than 3 months now since I arrived here in Malaysia. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank a few people whom had made my summer holiday this year a memorable one.

Family

• Mama & Papa - there have been some disagreements here and there, but you've taught me loads of stuff. It's great to argue & debate with you Papa (lawyer VS geologist?!), and I thank you for that. Your son is a grown man now.
• Abang (1/7) - haha.... you're the coolest guy la bro. All the best with your exams, make sure you get through it well.
• Na (3/7) - cek Na, cek Na..... hang jangan dok pikir nak jadi diva no! nak kawen dengan Ustat kayo ada ladang, lombu, kambing? bley bley....hehe.... Take care.
• Man (4/7) & Aishah (5/7) - you guys listen to whatever Mama has to say. Be good, be hardworking.
• Arif (6/7) & Ridhuan (7/7) - The best pair that puts my face to smile everyday! I'll see you in 1 year's time!
• and all my relatives!
  

Friends (whom have gone back for good)

• Zaki (x-Bristol) - lifelong guru, you're top of the list! You've taught me so much, and thanks for your advice & time spent with me.
• Suhaib (x-Cardiff) - haha..... a person whom I'd like to call whenever I'm bored, which have dried out my phone credit almost instantly! Bro, thanks for your help the other day. I'll pray for the best in your future, inshaAllah.
• Amar Salehuddin (x-Bristol) - "do you think MAS had made losses last year?" "do you think everyone had a pay cut during MAS' losses?" "do you think there's no one making profit on top of MAS' lossess?" hehe..... a guy of weird yet great dexterity.
• Sidi Affendi (x-Cardiff) - Congratulations on your wedding, mate! It's so good to see you since you left the UK. Keep me posted on any of your journeys!
• and many more!
  

Friends (whom are still studying in the UK)

• Gemoi (Ireland) - hehe....x-roommate KMB! we'll head for other restaurant next year la ye. Couldn't take Japanese buffet anymore. I'll see you around mate!
  
• Ang (Edinburgh) - THE MAN. enough said.. hehe.
• Wansah, Anep, Aufa, Faruq, Naseq, Shaq (Cardiff) - Friends during hard & good times!
• Hafidz (London) - truly appreciate your effort in bringing me around Melaka!
• Sue (Cardiff) - thanks for helping me out while I'm a bit stuck in Perlis, as well as the pharmacy-thing consultation the other day.
• KALSOM 13 people - I am not perfect, I'm just being me. huhu. Thanks for the wonderful experience with the kids.
• and the rest!

There are simply loads of people to thank, and I don't think I'm going to put down everyone's name here. I thank everyone, may God bless your life.

I'll be flying off back to the UK tonight.

Emirates Airline (EK 0343)
KLIA : ETD 0055, 15th September 2007
Dubai : ETA 0350, 15th September 2007

Emirates Airline (EK0015)
Dubai : ETD 0805, 15th September 2007
London Gatwick : ETA 1230, 15th September 2007

Please pray for my safe journey.

Ramadhan is here!

"I'm on leave for a month."

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone who frequents this blog a joyous & blessed fasting month! The Arabs taught me phrases like 'Ramadhan el-Mubaarak!' (which means 'Blessed Ramadhan to you') and 'kullu ammin wa antum bikhair' (which i'm not sure exactly what it means! need some help here plz!).

Ladies & gents, roll up your sleeves coz we're gearing up our worship to God!

A point of view on the 97% increase in COLA

A dear friend and I had a very long conversation regarding the increment of overseas scholarship allowances up to 97%.

I would like to state here that I, as well as many other Malaysian students studying in the UK, welcome any increment to our monthly allowances.

However, could I ask anyone from the authority to answer the query as to how the cost of living allowances (COLA) research had been made which causes for the increment to be so high (97%!!)?

It is generally known that certain cities in the UK have a high standard and cost of living, London for instance. Albeit living in such place, I've seen photos of some of them going to exotic places elsewhere in the world, which implies that they have a good sum of money in their banks. At the same time, there are other cities which have quite a considerable atmosphere for students to live economically, yet some of them exhibit a modest and decent living.

Due to these differences, the monthly allowances given should not be a generalised and a flat-rate scheme for everyone throughout the UK. Students' needs for further increment on their monthly allowances should be treated case-by-case basis.

If the appointed body has made their research well, all we need now is good implementation on the system.

On one note, students should use the allowances given to enhance their experience abroad through engaging in discussions and interactions with the international community. Be wise.

Increase in scholarship monthly allowance?

I was in Johor Bahru for 4 days since last Tuesday, and when I arrived home people were talking about the Malaysian Budget 2008. I have not read the whole thing yet, but there's one point noted out that stood out!

59. The Government at present sponsors a total of 17,000 students in universities overseas. The Government has already increased the cost of living allowance (COLA ) for students studying in Australia, New Zealand, Egypt and South Korea in 2006. Effective September 2007, the Government will increase the COLA for students in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada by up to 97%, almost double the current rate.

PETRONAS, what say you?

What a night!

*I'm not sure if this picture has anything to do with this post

Everyone in my family, except for Abang, went to Genting Highlands for our Merdeka family outing. From Wednesday til Friday. All I could say is.....

Genting Highlands is an absolute evidence for anyone to witness how Islam Hadhari is practised!

Say whatever you want. Just go and see for yourself! That was my first time experiencing a 'Merdeka Night' outside of my house, and my God, thank you so much, oh dear whoever-you-are, for 'SUCCESSFULLY' educating our young generations!

We then came back to to KL and attended a family function (Majlis Khatam Quran) in Bukit Tunku. I was then rushed to Subang Jaya for another family function (Doa Selamat) in my grandmother's house later that evening. At 10.30pm, I dashed to Subang's KTM station and made my way to Wangsa Maju LRT station, via KL Sentral.

Sunday morning. Sidi Affendi (some of you might wink why I address him so!) picked me & Amar, ex-Bristol now in BNM, up at about 10am. Off to Kuala Kangsar, Perak for Sidi Affendi's wedding reception. Congratulations !! God bless you and Kak Farah. Also, God bless to Pojie & Izyan as well as Mozo & Kak Awe on your weddings. Awfully sorry for not being able to make it to your respective receptions.

Helmi of IC offered a ride back to KL. Made new friends with 2 Firdauses (1 from UTP, another one from IC & now working as a geologist in Petronas!). It was great to have the chance discussing on certain issues with them.

Amar warmly offered me to overnight at his place. Heh, he's also a good friend to talk with (knowing me, you'll know the stuff that i like to talk about). I also managed to finish 2 chapters of Zainab Al-Ghazali's 'The Return of the Pharoah' autobiography on her experience being tortured by the Egyp's Wafdi's government led by Nasir while she was leading the Ladies Muslim Group. A good shower the morning later refreshened me to make my way back home.

6.00pm.

"oi Zad, bangun bangun"
"apa kacau ni Man, abang nak tido jap"
"weih, ni Zaki la"
"haa?!"

*Zaki - a dear friend, ex-Bristol now in Shell, close to my family by I-don't-know-why and might-be-bcoz-of-his-charm. Heh...

Haha...Not informed of his arrival, i was so surprised to have him waking me up just now. He just came back from Kuala Kangsar (we went to the same event on different cars) and asked me to join him to watch the Grand Finale of the Malaysia International Fireworks Competetion. Mama & papa gave the permission for me to fdo so.

I don't want to comment on the event, but I couldn't stand watching how selfish the spectators were. Blocking roads, trippled@quadrupled-parking, long queues...

Where were the police / road law enforcers? Makan gaji buta ke?
What added-value does this event give to Malaysian citizens? (quoting Zaki)

All I enjoyed that night was our long, intensed & thoughtful discussion.

Merdeka Celebration

50 years of independence from imperialists, Malaysia has reached its maturity, at a staggering rate, in enhancing mutual respect among its citizens of diverse religious, ethnicity & cultural backgrounds. It was back in the early 1990s when our great ancestors, the religious scholars, who started fighting for independence against the bloody western invaders.

Then came the names Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmy, Ahmad Boestamam, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Dr Ismail, Tun Razak, Ust Abu Bakar Baqir and the likes, fighting for independence based on their respective ideologies. Needless to say, the emergence of Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM), UMNO and other political parties had shaped for what Malaysia is now, today.

The debacle between each political parties should go on as what we are witnessing today, I say. However, as younger generations of this country, I urge everyone to be objective in decision making. It's ok to critise the government or the opposition parties, as long as you have justified, academic reasons backing up your arguments.

Let's celebrate our differences and engage in intellectual discussion to enhance mutual respect.

Uphold our beliefs. Muslims, be great Muslims, so as to the Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus. Never ever prostitutes our values with some cheap lifestyle. Be proud of ourselves! Don't be apologetics!

Negaraku,
Tanah tumpahnya darahku,
Rakyat hidup,
Bersatu dan maju

Rahmat bahagia,
Tuhan kurniakan,
Raja kita,
Selamat bertakhta,

Rahmat bahagia,
Tuhan kurniakan,
Raja kita,
Selamat bertakhta.

I wish everyone a wonderful MERDEKA. Sorry Markus, can't join you guys in the forum on the 31st, my family will head to Genting Highlands for Merdeka. Aunty Zai, thanks for your advice the other day.

*Click here to read a thought-provoking yet inspiring article written by my dear friend, Aston Paiva.

Organising & Attending Programmes

Summer holiday might mean this for most of you guys:

• relax and enjoy
• spend time with family
• going to exotic places
• (eat, sleep) x 24 hours x 3 months
• whatever-you-name-it

My summer holiday turned out to be something like this

• organising & attending programmes
• intellectual discourse & debates
• creating modules
• supervising my siblings homework (3 younger bros & 2 younger sis)
• delivering talks
• visiting teachers & juniors in school & college
• futsal with friends (once in a while)
• 'maggie goreng & teh-o-laici panas' with friends (also once in a while)

.....which is kinda fun!

Will head up north for a week.

UPS: Is it only meant for 'quick delivery'?

I've read bits about UPS from Friedman's book 'The World Is Flat', and I was enthralled! I browse through its website and read its details thoroughly, and I was even more enthralled!

UPS is not just about getting a few documents delivered from one side of the world to the other at high speed. They do loads of other things we simply couldn't imagine. In the book that I've read, Friedman gave a simple example. It's a story on a customer who has a problem with his Toshiba computer and wanted to get it repaired by Toshiba's computer engineer.

The kid would call Toshiba Customer Service and explained his problem. The guy on the other side of the phone advised him to send the computer to any UPS store nearby so that they could deliver the computer to Toshiba' lab at HQ. UPS received the computer, and processed it's delivery. They sent the computer to Toshiba's HQ and had it repaired. Toshiba's HQ then sent the computer to it's nearest UPS store, and the delivery guy will send it back to the customer.....phew!

UPS realised this problem and felt that they could increase their efficiency by reducing it's proxy. UPS dealt with Toshiba that they'll (UPS) have their own computer engineer working at UPS offices, dealing with Toshiba's customers' computer problems. See how this goes...

The kid called Toshiba's CS, and been told to send it to the nearest UPS store. The computer had been sent. The UPS receptionist brought the computer to the back of the office where there were a few computer engineers repairing computers. They repaired the kid's computer. And the day after, they'll send it back to the kid. How's that?! I think that's kinda cool.

That's what Friedman called 'Insourcing'. And this method had been used by UPS in loads of other companies!

Might want to give UPS a call. For no reason. (really?!)

My 1st $1million.....

It's been quite a while since I last scribbled something to this blog. Time management problem, i guess. No?

I have been reading literatures on economics & business since i was 16. And I know someday I'll become one of those top guns in Forbes magazine. Not interested in becoming an economist, analyst etc. I'm simply interested in making money!

...and I'm 22 now. On my way to make my first $1million before reaching 30. Possible?! God willing, you bet!
Anyway, I'm halfway through reading a book written by Thomas L. Friedman entitled 'The World Is Flat'. He argued that, with regards to the current global economy, the world now has been flatten by several inventions and events. He discussed on the significance of the fall of the Berlin Wall, inventions of Internet, the Web, Netscape, Wikipedia and many others. Also, he beautifully explained the role of India & China in making the world even 'flatter' now.

I'm hoping to finish this book, as well as Friedman's earlier book, 'The Lexus And The Olive Tree', before the Malaysian Student Leaders Summit (MSLS) kicks off in August. I'll see what Tony Fernandes, Johan Raslan & Karim Raslan have to say on the topic 'Corporate Malaysia'.

Congratulations to the newly-wed....

Syahril Izwan & Haly Rozie !!
(Dublin)

Nur Fahmi & Mazlin !!
(Belfast)

Ikhwan & his bride !!
(Cardiff)

Ahmad & Hidayah !!
(Cardiff)

God bless

Going somewhere?

It seems that time could be wasted so easy, if carelessly managed, here in Malaysia when I have all 6 siblings around.

Anyway, might be going to Subang Jaya today meeting up some friends and have a long chat. Might want to have a chat with Fathi Aris. Might also be going to KLCC tomorrow for this programme.

Man of the house?

Mama went off to Malacca with Mak Ngah for 2 days, starting today. That means, for the next 2 days, I'll have to:
-be the 1st to wake up
-prepare breakfast
-iron Arif's school uniform
-send them to school (morning, afternoon & night tution, and take 'em back (each at different times)
-prepare lunch
-house chores

Basically, everything that mama normally do!

Let's see how it'll be!!

Anyway, i've went through my dad's collection of books, and i was amazed!! There're loads of books on the topics of Europe, Civilisation, Sufism, Islam, Malaya & Malaysia etc.

Adik2

Adik aku ni, pagi sekolah kebangsaan, petang sekolah agama. Balik sekolah agama main computer. Malam tusyen, lepas tusyen buat homework. Esok harinya buat benda sama lepas bangun tido.

Budak-budak zaman skarang ni tak main kat padang ke?

Lokasi: Bilik bacaan rumah aku
Masa: 5.45pm

Aku: Arif, asyik main game je, tak main bola dengan kawan2 ke?
Arif: Abg Zad main la. Main bola tak best la.
Aku: Main bola la fit. Baru la kuat sikit. Tengok cam Abg Zad (hoho...)
Arif: Bosan la main bola. Arif skarang ni tengah main MapleStory, online game. Arif tengah main dengan kawan...

Haih...budak2 skarang...

Aku pon gi naik atas, amek bola, pam. Patu ajak main bola. Dia malas jugak. Aku keluar kat halaman rumah, main sendiri.

Aku: Arif, jomla...
Arif: Nantilaa....

Susah2 aku bawak adik kecik aku keluar, Ridhuan (5 tahun), bagi dia bola. Dia tau tau je bawak bola tu pi main dengan kawan2. Walaupun tak reti main bola macam mana.....takpelah, nanti depa belajarlah sket sket. Lepas tu, Arif pun keluar main basikal. Bila nampak adik dia Ridhuan main bola, Arif amek bola bawak balik rumah.

Di pertengahan jalan tu kawan2 Arif tengok je..."Arif, bola baru ke?"

Aku: Arif, main la dengan kawan2, baru best!

Depa pun mula main skali. kat atas jalan tar, kaki ayam....haha...aku dulu pon macam tu gak, skali sepak tonjol, terkoyak kulit tapak kaki aku!

Bila dah tengok depa happy je main bola, aku tersenyum.

Aku pun masuk rumah. Senyum.

*It feels so wonderful seeing my siblings growing up!*

Typed, then deleted!

I typed quite a lenghty paragraph before writing this line, but i deleted it. It's worthless commenting and arguing on what the Malays lack on, instead be proactive and strive on what we believe!

I strongly believe that Islamic teachings and values will be highly sought after in the near future! Trust me, people will die to know about Islam, and will die to learn about Islam, and will die to embrace Islam, and will die to preserve Islam, and will die to educate others on the teachings of Islam!

Rouse up my Malay brothers and sisters, let us learn Islam! We're so fortunate being born to Muslim families. All it takes is just a small effort to know more about Islam.

I don't know if you understand what I meant.

Back Home

Alas! I'm back home.

It's been one week since I landed in KLIA. It really feels good to be back home. My siblings have grown older. Some of them getting wiser (if you know my family, then I'm surely refering to Arif. Oh he's 9 now).

There are several things that I need to sort out this summer.
-creating modules
-organising programmes
-read books
-sponsorship hunting
-attending forums, seminars, intellectual discourses
-attending friends' wedding ceremony

I wore a nice plain white jubah to the local mosque for Friday prayer 2 days back, and sat on the 2 saf to hear what the Khatib has to say in his khutbah. The pakcik-pakcik Melayu were so cute! Some of them dozed off instantly when the Bilal said aloud "Innallaha wa malaaikatahu yusollu na ala an-nabiyy....."!!

Then there was shaking off hands with people next to me after the prayer finished.
Then there was shaking off hands + salawat in one row with the Ma'muums after the Imam stood.

I went to Aidil's wedding ceremony in Kepong yesterday. Went there with Wansah & co.

All-Cardiff!
From left: Myself, Komeng (Grad 2006), Sahak (Grad 2006) Aidil (Architect, Cardiff), Wansah, Suhaib (Engineer, left Cardiff early 2007)

The newly-wed Aidil Azwan & Dr Aidah

May Allah's blessings be upon both of you!

I'm about to finish reading a book entitled 'The Concepts of Leader & Leadership in Islam' by Zafar Bangash, The Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought. I have several other books borrowed from a dear friend in Cardiff before I left the lovely city. At the moment, I'm about to finish Chapter 3 of the infamous book 'Bukan Kerana Pangkat' (Malay translation of 'The Reluctant Politician), a researched-based biography of the late Tun Dr Ismail.

More books to read. I'll be writing some literature reviews this summer, God-willing.

Friends in Malaysia

I'll be flying off to Malaysia in 2 days time. I managed to browse through some of my friends' blogs and observe their discussion from far without putting forth my views. It seems that there're lots of issues being discuss in Malaysia, and those people involved are none other than my friends!

About UMNO
About Muktamar PAS
About Kongres PKR
About Communism
About Liberalism
About Islam
About KsJT
About IKD
About Prophet Muhammad
About Tun Dr Ismail & and a book entitled 'The Reluctant Politician'
.....and many more!!

I guess being 22 in age made my peer groups, as well as myself, eager in engaging in debates & discussion. Discussion on Islam, human rights, values, race, equality, education, social responsibility etc.

Friends,
In the end of the day, what do we want? You and me are going to die, there's no escape to that. So make up your mind. Simple.

Oh yes, one more thing. I urge everyone to read! Read! Read! We know who reads and who don't. Please oh please, don't make yourself stupid in public by bombarding reasons that are not justified.

Anyway, see you soon!

Renunciation of Islam

World

Almost all major news agency worldwide are reporting on one of the highly debated issues in Malaysia. The renunciation of Islam by a Malay-born Azlina Jailani, famously known as Lina Joy, and her attempt in withdrawing the word ISLAM from her ID Card. Here are some links from Forbes, The Australian, AsiaNews.it & Chicago Sun-Times to name a few.

Not to forget, our local (Malaysian) online news reports by The Star, Harakah, Utusan, Berita Harian & NST.

Those news are out-of-date anyway, but my point is that this issue is widely known which made journalists runnning around working round-the-clock unless they get updated news wired to them.

Constitution

Federal Constitution on the status of Malay
Article 160
(2) "Malay" means a person who professes the religion of Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language, conforms to Malay custom and -
(a) was before the Merdeka Day born in the Federation or in Singapore or born of parents one of whom was born in the Federation or in Singapore, or was on that day domiciled in the Federation or in Singapore;
or
(b) is the issue of such a person

Article 11
(1) Every person has the right to profess and practice his religion and, subject to Clause (4), to propagate it.
(2) No person shall be compelled to pay any tax the proceeds of which are specially allocated in whole or in part for the purposes of a religion other than his own.
(3) Every religious group has the right -
(a) to manage its own religious affairs;
(b) to establish and maintain institutions for religious or charitable purposes; and
(c) to acquire and own property and hold and administer it in accordance with law.

(4) State law and in respect of the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Lubuan, federal law may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam.
(5) This Article does not authorize any act contrary to any general law relating to public order, public health or morality.

Article 121
(1A) The courts referred to in Clause (1) shall have no jurisdiction in respect of any matter within the jurisdiction of the Syariah courts.
Result

Lina Joy's appeal didn't go through. Check out the major headlines tomorrow for further details.

Feelings

I believe that this is the era where Malaysians are desperate in having a just legal system, social stability, mutual understanding between faith groups, religious education, inculcating good moral values and corporating a harmonious society between the Muslims, Christians, Buddhists as well as the Malays, Indians and Chinese. (not to forget the 'dan lain-lain' as well).

This is an era of education.

I believe that the best solution for the values mentioned above is to adhere the teachings of Islam.