Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Perseverance

Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.

~ Thomas Carlyle

Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

Thomas Edison

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Tak Peduli...

Kata Ritz : Doakan yang baik-baik je. And be positive. Kalau diri sendiri tak positive macamana benda lain nak jadi? Jangan fikir bukan-bukan.

Kata Elle : Buat derk jer. InsyaAllah okay tu..

And, says Spectacularwave : Hai, gasaklah kat situ. If it's too much trouble then never mind..

Baik aku tengok gambar dia ni, ada gak faedahnya...



Yalah, orang lain pun handsome juga... okay je... Kan? Hmm gambar semua ni, quoted from http://kimiraikkonenforever.com/. Nak tengok lagi gi lah sana.... ni gambar masa first GP of season 2008 kat Australia.

Gambar kat Spain? Nantilah esok lusa ke.. banyak giler benda nak post tapi tak cukup masa.. sob.. sob...

Sunday, April 27, 2008

The Dance Of The Prancing Horse

Formula One Spanish Grand Prix 2008 at Circuit De Catalunya results :

1. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2. Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
3. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes)


I do feel sorry for Fernando Alonso for not being able to complete his home race due to some technical problems. He would finish third if he managed to complete the race.

As for Kimi and Felipe, they won in style today. Yippppeeee!

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Pole Position For Kimi!


This weekend the race would take place at Circuit De Catalunya, Spain. The results of today's Qualifying Sesssion :

1. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2. Fernando Alonso (Renault)
3. Felipe Massa (Ferrari)

Oh, what's bothering you..?

Kimi and Fernando

that's better..

My Favourite Team...
The photos are from Yahoo Sports. Best Wishes to the Red Hot Ferrari!

Friday, April 25, 2008

Newfound Inspiration

I spoke to two of my closest friends, Ritz and Elle just now. You could say that they are my most trusted associates. And possibly the coolest. And now I have newfound strength and inspiration. And do it I will.

Wall Art




Sepetang di Eliza @ Nusa Bestari. Saja je menyibuk ikut parents gi beli bedroom furnitures untuk bakal pengantin. Lama dah ni, a few weeks back. I memang minat gak interior decoration ni. Saja je suruh Lin snap gambar-gambar wall art tu dengan lampu tu. Actually lampu tu I sendiri snap. Susah gak nak cari angle yang baik sebab lampu tu terang sangat. Cantik la wall art dia, bright colors. Yang gambar last tu cam patio furniture je. Berkenan la, simple and elegant je.

It's Congkak Time...


This is the story of last Friday. Hari kedua cerita ni ditayangkan, kita tiga orang (Lin, Faiz and myself) pergi City Square nak tengok. Mula pukul 10 malam..



Untuk citer seram kat Malaysia, Congkak boleh dilabelkan sebagai filem yang menakutkan. Memang menyeramkan, memang mendebarkan dan memang buat kita rasa terkejut. Penggunaan special sound effect memang betul-betul mengesankan. Macam nak tercabut tangkai jantung. Memanglah bukan untuk ditonton oleh mereka yang mengidap lemah jantung.

Jalan ceritanya menarik, dan elemen-elemen seram yang cuba ditimbulkan memang sangat baik dan berkesan. Kali pertama hantunya muncul setelah mereka menginap di rumah itu, saya sedikit terjerit kerana ia SUNGGUH memeranjatkan. It's real.

Sedikit kelemahan dalam filem ini ialah penamat ceritanya tidak begitu kukuh. Mungkin satu idea yang baik jika di akhir cerita, sejarah dan perkaitan hantu dengan permainan congkak itu diperihalkan sekali lagi secara lisan supaya lebih jelas. Sebabnya, filem ini mengandungi pelbagai adegan seram dan mendebarkan, jadi berkemungkinan penonton akan terlupakan kaitan hantu itu dengan papan congkak.


Seperkara lagi, dalam memulihkan orang yang terkena gangguan syaitan, saya perhatikan banyak penggunaan Surah Insyirah. Ini juga sesuatu yang baru saya lihat kerana lazimnya ketika mengubati seseorang yang terkena gangguan Iblis dan Syaitan, surah yang selalu dibacakan ialah Surah Yaasin dan Ayatul Qursi. Mungkin juga penggunaan Surah Insyirah bermaksud memohon kepada Allah agar dianugerahkan kelapangan dari gangguan syaitan.


Selain penggunaan sistem bunyi yang berkesan dan jalan cerita yang menarik, saya suka betul lihat hiasan dalaman rumah yang mereka tinggal tu. Betul-betul cantik rumah tu. Dan yang paling saya suka, cerita ni menggunakan bacaan Ayat-Ayat Al-Quran untuk menangani gangguan iblis dan syaitan, dan bukan dengan cara lain.

Untuk cerita ini, daripada skala 5 bintang, saya berikan 4 bintang. Keseluruhannya ia sangat menarik dan memang menyeramkan. Membuatkan saya terbayang-bayang hingga kini. Cuma rasanya penamat cerita boleh diperkukuhkan lagi. Apapun, tahniah.

Meminjam ayat adik saya, Lin : "Memang puas hati tengok cerita ni. Kalau citer hantu lain, hantunya setakat nampak kelibat atau main cuit-cuit aje. Citer Congkak ni dia menjelma betul-betul depan mata, tak sempat lari punya."


Okay, tak mahu cerita banyak-banyak, nanti kacau pula kalau ada yang nak pergi tengok. :)

Note : Poster quoted from Evil Dread site.

Don't Care

I guess it's been ages since I last drank this. It could easily be six months. So on wednesday I took the liberty of finishing the whole can. Yipppppeeeee!

Currently Bugging


The invitation cards (I like to call them "the invites") were ready. And you bet, they are currently bugging me now. Yes, them. The invites for my sister's wedding.


And the crux of the bugging would be the little box in the above photo. Even though I have keyed in all the addresses a long time ago using mailmerge and all (for them labels), but, I just knew that it ain't gonna fit in that "blessed little box" above. SO MUCH SO FOR BEING PREPARED!

So I have to redo it again using Autoshape this time (thanks to that tiny little box again, for not being really rectangular in shape).

In case you are wondering, wedding invites are part of my responsibilities. Along with being on the Audit Committee For Wedding Favors (HIGH LEVEL OF SECURITY). Just so you know, I initiated the very idea to set up the committee.

Oh, forgive the quality of the photo, though.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

What A Question

"Do you like me?"

And I said, "No."

"No! You don't like me."
Padan dengan muka. Tanya lagi soalan bijak. Intelligent question deserves intelligent answer. PADAN MUKA. Kenapa mengada sangat, tak taulah. Padan dengan muka. Padan muka!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Entry Buat Cik Mimi @ Glasgow

6, 26
7, 27


Ini suatu kebetulan yang menakjubkan, sebenarnya. Makna angka-angka ni? Rasanya, hanya Cik Mimi yang dapat menafsir significancenya. Nombor 6 dan 26 belum tentu dapat memahaminya. Kan, Mimi?

By the way, Mimi, I have checked the calendar for this year. Isn't it amazing that for 2008, the above numbers would fall into these days:


Sunday, Saturday
Tuesday, Monday

Elok la tu.. sebelah menyebelah lagi.. hehehehe... ;)

Friday, April 18, 2008

Pergilah..

Recently I told someone to his face, that if he thought I still have interest in him like I did 12 years back, then he should go and basuh his face with air longkang. Mean? Not really, that's just being direct. That's not even mean. PADAN MUKA!

A Big Girl Now...



She's a big girl now, the Jedi Youngling. These was taken on April 5th, only a week away to her 2nd Birthday. She could easily pass for a 4-year-old. Very tall, slender, confident, active, intelligent and verrryyy talkative. Has a really extensive vocabs now, and it's really difficult to understand when she combines both english and malay in one sentence.

oh, and yesterday, while waiting for my Dad at RJCC, I taught her some Saturday Night Fever steps. And hey, she's a fast learner!

Buildings in JB City

Now, these was taken a few weeks ago, on April 6. My sisters' birthday. Yes, sisters. I have two sisters, both were born on April 6, different year. Not twins, though. I took these when I was on an errand with my sister, my brother and my niece.

just parked the car.. well the buildings are not clear from here. wait for a while.. am going out..


the Sultan Ibrahim Building where most of the state government offices are situated at... in the not so distant future they will all move to Nusajaya (JSNAC).

and this is the building for the Johor Military Force (JMF) or Askar Timbalan Setia Negeri ~ the private royal military force of the Johor Royal Family.

a view of the Jalan Abdullah Ibrahim on one Sunday Afternoon...

this is the entrance to the Johor Corporation Tower, which is adjacent to the Kotaraya Building..

now, it's clear. much better. presenting The Puteri Pacific Hotel (left) and the Ansar Tower (right).


and this.. is the well-known Persada Johor. I mean this building, which looks like the shape of a hat. The unique roof is actually shaped after the State Ruler's Official Hat. You can read all about it in the Persada website.

the taller building would be the Landmark Tower and the slightly shorter one is the Tropical Inn Hotel.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Wrath

Umpama menepuk air di dulang, terpercik ke muka sendiri.
Laksana ketam menyuruh anaknya berjalan dengan betul.
Mengata dulang, paku yang serpih.
Kuman di seberang lautan, nampak dilihat.
Tidak tahu menari, lantai dikatakan jongkang-jongket.
What A Shame.



Monday, April 14, 2008

Not Just One Sunbear...

Let's journey back to my post quite recently, about that poor little sunbear in Miri.....

Then, read this, which I quoted from The Star Online, Saturday April 12, 2008

Proof missing at Miri farm
By STEPHEN THEN


Huge spread: An aerial view taken recently of the 162ha farm that is surrounded by forests and a hill in Miri where an endangered sun bear died.

MIRI: The private farm in Miri, where a sun bear died after prolonged incarceration in a small cage, appears to have destroyed all evidence that it had illegally kept endangered animals.

It is also learnt that the huge farm at Jalan Bakam along the Miri-Bintulu Second Coastal Highway had more than one sun bear, and many monkeys, gibbons and wild goats.

But when enforcement officers from the Sarawak Asset Protection Unit (Sapu) went to the farm yesterday, they found they were six months too late in acting on the many complaints filed by expatriates against cruelty to the sun bear.

Huge spread: An aerial view taken recently of the 162ha farm that is surrounded by forests and a hill in Miri where an endangered sun bear died.

These complaints, filed since August, had been forwarded in oral and written form to the Miri Wildlife Department, Sarawak Forestry and the Miri City Council.

The officers saw some torn-down shacks that could have housed some of these animals but no trace of the bears were found in the 162ha farm that encompassed forests and a hill.

Sapu enforcement chief for Miri Division, Rudolf Gerang, admitted that yesterday’s operation drew a complete blank.

“The place is huge. We had a look around but cannot find any animal. The workers said they do not know anything. We are now trying to find out who is directly in charge of this place,” he said.

Sapu is a unit under the direct supervision of Sarawak Forestry. So is the Wildlife Department.
He had no satisfactory answer as to why the sun bear had not been rescued, except to say that investigations have been re-opened.

While these enforcement officers scratch their heads, The Star received new e-mails yesterday from visitors to the farm who said they saw at least two caged sun bears and that both were now gone.

Another visitor said he was disturbed to find endangered creatures kept in tiny cages in a farm with so much forest and land.

“It was sheer cruelty,” he said.

Readers have also expressed disgust and vowed to never visit the farm again.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Hope


"Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it." ~ Bill Cosby

"Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept working." ~ unknown

"To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing." ~ unknown

Note : The photo is taken from WP Clip Art site.

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Diaorang menang!!

Sunday haritu kan dia race kat Bahrain...

Yelah, diaorang menang lagi. Merah menyala podium kat Bahrain hari Ahad haritu. Felipe was first, Kimi second and Robert Kubica third. I am most thankful sebab kiranya doa I nak tengok mereka 1-2 finish dah dikabulkan :)

Interestingly, masa lepas diaorang dapat trophy masing-masing, the commentator siap kata "and Kimi Raikkonen really made sure that this time the champagne does not go into his eyes". Something like that la..nampak sangat si Kimi ni garang. Yalah, masa kat Sepang kan pedih mata dia sebab tersembur champagne. Siap bagi remark dalam post-race interview. "the champagne really should be in the mouth, not the eyes". Kesian dia.

~ Endless appreciation to MR. DC for permitting me to watch the Bahrain race ~


Keta dia...



Semua ni gambar dia kat Bahrain aritu, and quoted from this site. The credits go to the original photographer.

About Sun Bear

photo quoted from Jennifer Marohasy's site

The sunbear (Helarctos Malayanus) is known as "Beruang Madu"(Honey Bear) in Malay and Indonesian. It is found mostly in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia.

The smallest bear in the family, it stands approximately 1.2 metre (4 ft) in length. Males tend to be 10-45% larger than females ;the former normally weigh between 30 and 60 kg (66-132 lb), the latter between 20 and 40 kg (44-88 lb). It usually weighs less than 65 kg.

It has sickle shaped claws, that are light in weight. Its paws are large,with naked soles, probably to assist in climbing. Its inward-turned feet make the bear's walk pigeon-toed, but it is an excellent climber. It has small, round ears and a stout snout. Its tail is 1.2-2.8 inches long.

Despite its small size, the Sun Bear possesses a very long, slender tongue, ranging from 8 to 10 inches in length. The bear uses it to extract honey from beehives.

Unlike other bears, the Sun Bear's fur is short and sleek. This adaptation is probably due to the lowland climates it inhabits. Dark black or brown-black fur covers its body, except on the chest where there is a pale orange-yellow marking in the shape of a horseshoe. Similar colored fur can be found around the muzzle and the eyes. This distinct marking gives the sun bear its name.

Lifestyle and reproduction

The sun bear does not hibernate,
and, as a result, it can reproduce year-round. It is not uncommon for it to give birth to two cubs at a time weighing approximately 10–12 oz (280–340 g) each. The gestation period is about 96 days, but suckling can continue for about 18 months. The offspring reach sexual maturity after 3-4 years and live up to 28 years in captivity.


Being a primarily nocturnal
creature, the sun bear tends to rest during the day on lower limbs not far above the ground. Because it spends so much time in trees, the sun bear can sometimes cause a good amount of damage to private property. It has been known to destroy coconut palmas and cocoa trees on plantations.

Threats


A Malayan Sun Bear
Adult sun bears have almost no predators
except humans. It is known to be eaten on occasion by tigersand by large reticulated pythons, and perhaps the leopard, the clouded leopard, and maybe even by its larger sympatric relative, the Asiatic black bear.The bear's loose skin on its neck allows it to wriggle its body inside its skin, far enough to turn around and bite it's attacker when grabbed there.


The recent decline in the sun bear population
can be largely attributed to the hunting of "nuisance bears" that destroy crops and poaching driven by the market for their fur and use their bile in Chinese medicine. Sometimes, Sun Bears are captured or bred to be domestic pets--a role for which they are considered desirable due to their relatively inoffensive nature and small size compared to other bears. The IUCN reclassified the sun bear from data deficient to vulnerable status in 2007.


(adapted from Wikipedia)

Poor Little Sunbear..

Quoted from The Star Online,April 8, 2008
Caged sunbear dies
By STEPHEN THEN


MIRI: An endangered sunbear locked up for months inside a small iron cage, and used as a showpiece to attract visitors at a private farm along the Miri-Bintulu Second Coastal Highway, has died from neglect.

The sunbear, a protected species, died after its owner had hidden it inside an isolated forest away from public view following complaints from a group of expatriates who were disgusted with the manner the creature was treated.

A worker of the farm, located at Jalan Bakam, next to the National Service Training Camp, confirmed Tuesday that the sunbear recently died.

"The sunbear was taken to an isolated area and was continuously kept inside the cage. It was placed near a forested section of the farm. It died recently inside the cage," said a worker who spoke on condition that his identity was not disclosed.

Miri Wildlife Department enforcement chief Abang Arabi Abang Imran, when asked to comment Tuesday, also confirmed that he had sent his enforcement officers to the site and found that the sunbear was missing and that the owners could not give any satisfactory explanation on what had happened to the animal.

"We will find out what happened to the sunbear. We have been investigating this case for a long time following complaints lodged by foreigners who had visited the farm," he said.

The Star on August 11 last year, highlighted this case after being approached by South African expatriate Tweet Gainsborough whose husband was working for an oil and gas giant here in Miri.

Arabi, when asked Tuesday why it took six months for his department to investigate this case, said, "I had instructed my enforcement people to handle the case immediately after I received the complaints. I must open the case file and find out what had transpired and why the bear was not rescued," he said.


Arabi confirmed that the sunbear is a protected species, and that the private farm did not have any permit to keep the animal.

SELAMAT HARI KEPUTERAAN

Selamat Hari Keputeraan Yang Ke-76 kepada Duli Yang Maha Mulia Baginda Al-Mutawakkil Alallah Sultan Iskandar Alhaj Ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail, Sultan dan Yang Dipertuan Bagi Negeri dan Jajahan Takluk Johor Darul Ta'zim.

Semoga Allah Lanjutkan Usia Tuanku Sultan dan Tuanku Sultanah.

Daulat Tuanku.

Monday, April 07, 2008

Diaorang Dua Orang & Fiat Bravo

Ni diaorang dua orang, Mike and Kimi dalam Fiat Bravo ad.. it's in german.. tapi suara diaorang memang suara sendiri... this is one of my fav, as dua-dua pun my HERO hehehe... classy la nampak diaorang time ni... Paling suka dengar Kimi cakap "okay, okay!". CUTE! Tu je lah line yang I faham pun heheh...

yang ni lak, the making of fiat bravo ad tu la... aisey Kimi memang sangat handsome time kena interview. Dia memang jarang-jarang senyum. Sekali senyum berderau darah muda, tuan! Huhuhuhuhu.. memang i bersumpah tak cari lain... *wink*

Friday, April 04, 2008

Dia kat sini sekarang...

Sajalah nak cerita, dia sekarang kat Bahrain for a race this weekend.. dia dengan Felipe lah, team-mate dia.. Siapa lagi.. dia lah. Yang menang kat Sepang haritu tuuu... :)

I doakan dia menang lagi. I doakan dia dan team-mate dia dapat 1-2 in the starting grid, dan 1-2 finish. Semoga berjaya, tau! :D

Thursday, April 03, 2008

JB Uptown @ Larkin Perdana

Malam tadi Lin and myself ada pergi Larkin sekejap, nak cari exam centre for Peperiksaan Geng 14 SPA this Saturday. Kat Larkin is my centre. Si Lin dah confident dia punya dekat Kebun Teh. Our Mom dah kata, this place is so near to Larkin Perdana. Bila dah jumpa, kita beralih pula ke Uptown version JB, the newly launched Uptown Larkin Perdana.....



the concept is very much like that of Damansara Uptown. But, since it's really new, tak banyak lagi kedai-kedai yang ada... kedai-kedai makan memang banyak yang buka di shoplots tu... jadi lepas beli-beli barang, memang cantikk la kalau singgah makan-makan. Lin beli t-shirts.. then abang kedai tu ceritalah sikit tentang uptown ni.. dia kata, the real target is nak penuhkan the whole street dengan kedai-kedai.. but takes time la, to achieve that..


dah sudah tu, ajak Lin gi minum lak kat this one restaurant called Anggun Restoran. We just had our dinner before keluar rumah, so minum je la. Kenyang lagi time tu. Kita duduk sebelah dalam, tak kuasa duduk luar. Nanti ramai pulak minta autograph *wink* Ni view uptown tu dari dalam restaurant...



Interior Anggun Restoran ni boleh tahan la.. suka juga tengok. Lighting dia best juga... layanan dia pun baik, cepat dan polite la staff dia.


Lin order teh ais, and for me it's teh tarik. Sad to say, kita tak suka teh ais dan teh tarik dia. Rasa semacam sikit. Not that it's too sweet. Bukan. Tapi rasa dia lain. Pelik. Our grandma in Skudai punya teh susu pun lagi rasa macam teh tarik daripada kedai ni punya. Tapi bab makanan dia kitaorang memang tak tau, sebab cuma minum teh saja. Kalau nak tau, cubalah makan di sini... tapi air teh dia memang kureng la.