Conflict of Interest

- i want to have profound knowledge in my major study - Electrical Engineering (to be specific, in communications area)

- i also want to equip myself w/ necessary skills of being great Entrepreneur

yet, these desires conflict one another..to be excellent engineer, i need to spend a lot of time, doing research, being that it's personal or collaborative..i must be ready to lock myself in a lab, doing relevant experiments so to have better understanding of one particular topic..or even worse, i need to do lots of thought experiments, which require me to have my own time alone (if u have ever done thought experiment, u will notice how weird u are to do it in public, with ur hands waving around, ur eyes staring at one person, tho sometimes u don't even notice the person's existence, and etc)

but, in different note, i also want to be good in business..these skills are not acquired solely through personal reading or research..i need to go out, meeting with people, and to start having discussion with them..i need to be extrovert so to understand as much as possible about people's behaviors..well, we're selling products to people, aren't we? so, we need to understand their current demands, and lifestyles..and this also requires a lot of time..at least, to really have a good conversation, we need around 2 or 3 hours..that doesn't include the travel time required to meet at one particular place..

so, my initial plan is to become a great engineer first, and only then i spend my time aggressively in business..well, i know it's an immature plan..the business rule is simple - the earlier you involve in business, the richer you might be..yet, i've spoken with a friend, whose i admire for his entrepreneurial attitudes and skills (u need both to excel)..he advised me to do these two things at one time..well, he advised me based on his experiences - he's now making rm30k/month, at such early age..but, don't get excited yet..the bad side of being this guy, he's super duper busy..as far as i'm concerned, he's still single! wow, that's the price you have to pay, right? but, as of now, i'm not very sure of which choices is better..i need to talk with a lot of people, especially my families, since they are the only reason i work so hard..i want them to be proud of me, and i want to prove them that they have been good parents by showing them how successful i am..and the consideration factors are going on - my social life, health (am i fit enough to run two major things at one time),what is my motivation, and etc..

but, insha Allah, i'm pretty sure, as far as i'm very interested to find the answer for this problematic dilemma, i would eventually find the answer..i always trust in God, and because of Him, i have no fear to chase my dream..i know, all of us are created/born with certain special characteristics, which are yet to be discovered..

friendship

"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out."

"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend.     - Albert Camus

"Surround yourself only with people who are going to lift you higher."

"It is by chance we met . . .By choice we became friends."

“Friends are those rare people who ask how you are and then wait to hear the answer”

**************************************

sometimes, we might think (s)he is our friend, but reality shows the otherwise..

sometimes, some people might seem kind outside, but they're very rotten inside..

sometimes, they speak good words in our presence, but badmouthing us the moment we turn away..

thus, it's very hard to find true friends, of whom we can trust and share our problems with..

thus, it's very important for us to seek refugee from Allah from all evil friends

..and indeed, we should ask Allah to surround us with friends, who could guide us closer to Him..Amen!! 

Leveraging

leveraging is to do more with less..it's like you put 20% effort for 80% results..in a nutshell, you put little effort for greater results..interesting, ain't it? that's why, as the present situation is concerned, the riches are getting richer, while the poor are pushed down to live under poverty line..why? because the riches know how to identify opportunities and thus make use of them for their own benefits..the poor, otherwise, are working very hard day and night, but only to find themselves struggling to feed their entire families..

leveraging could be interpreted in many ways; for business-minded persons, this is a vital skill required to expand their business..the socialists, meanwhile, see this as a means of manipulating others for oneself's interest..so, it could be both positive and negative, depending from which perspective we might look it..

yet, we have to face the current reality: in the US itself, the country's wealth distribution is well described by 10/90, which means 10% of US citizens conquer 90% of nation's wealth..the rest 10% of the fortunes is barely shared among the other 90% Americans..and i believe, the same thing applies to the other countries as well, in which the gap between the riches and the poor is getting wider..the consequence of this situation is very atrocious..plus, nowadays, the world is governed by this one simple rule (called, the Golden Rule), "Whoever has the gold, they have the power!" hence, most of the national policies are created in favor to this elite group..for example, President Obama  has been urged to continue the tax cut policy, implemented during the Bush tenure..and this tax cut wouldn't help the poor/middle class so much..the riches are the one who are actually benefited from this policy! 

thus, the middle class or even the poor should realize this..they can no longer depend on the government to fix this problem..and as far as i'm concerned, the only solution to get out of this problem is by being rich..but how? first and the foremost, we need to change our mentality: from entitlement mentality to become independent..and secondly, we need to make sure, we've adequate financial education, of which we know a lot more than merely do savings..believe me, there is a time, in which our savings would be valueless..and i assume, that time would come very soon (considering the US current debt)..but, don't be scared.. successful persons will always see problems as opportunities for them to grow up..learn from others' mistakes, and try not to repeat them..FOCUS!

   F   = focus

O  = one

    C  = course

U  = until

          S   = successful

my holidays so far

it has been more than a week since my last paper! with many students are now traveling to other parts of US, i still find myself locking up in my room..well, i might be going to LA this break, but only after the new year..so, for the time to come, i'm not going anywhere..

but, for the past few days, life has treated me very well..i have enjoyed so far the company of my friends..on Friday, i had a day visit to Maybank office in Manhattan..my friend and i had a great talk with the Maybank GM..yeah, we spent about 3 hours with him, talking about the Maybank key businesses, as well as the effects of 2008 Great Recession to both Maybank and our country..yet, the lesson learned from this talk is much greater than merely knowing how interesting and profitable the financial market is..the GM told us that everything is possible..plus, since we are still young, we have a lots of new things to explore in future...we should be more optimistic in building our career path..for the fact, he was starting as MARDI officer, before being what he is today..and after all, i got my tandoori chicken for lunch, and to make it better, the lunch is on him..hehe

With Mr. Fauzi at Maybank Office in NYC

Then, the next day i spent my whole evening at my friend's house for Xmas lunch..yes, it was a family lunch, and i felt so welcomed to join them for the lunch..i was so fulled, eating variety of foods, specially cooked by his mom..the foods tasted genuinely great! also, we watched the Ong Bak movie together..the best part of this family is that the father is Italian, while the mother is from Philippine..and together, they raised 5 american kids..anyway, i got to taste to variety of cheese during the lunch! 

Some of Alex's (wearing green tee) brothers are not in this pic..

2010 Recap: Malaysians Politics

Malaysian politics has never been lulled from gossips, accusations, vilifications, and etc..yet, there were really few topics that have been the highlights of 2010:

1) Racial Politics

whether we realize it or not. this was the center topic of Malaysian politics..each parties had made used this issue for their own personal interest..nothing much progress had been made so far..minorities are still fighting to claim their basic rights, while the major race is still being in defensive mode! no races has actually considered of others' well-being..everybody is so obsessed to fight for their rights, and very few do care about their responsibilities..

my comment: until one race can compromise their rights for the sake of others, we can't really solve this issue..tho, somehow we need to tell the younger generations that the time, when one deserves better treatment from others, is over..yet, i'm very positive that this tolerance can eventually be built, but not through political process..either sides has their own hidden agenda..the reform should be started from the ground, and must be initiated by people, like you and me (ordinary citizens)

2) Personal Integrity (Morality)

yeah, this is a prolonged issue..since some politicians are not competent, they try to find others' faults to make him/herself looking better..so, there were many stories that linking one politician to this and that scandals..but, surprisingly, many have found this issue so interesting..for example, when i wrote about more academic issues, i got very low hit! yet, as i wrote about Anwar's case, all of sudden, i got much much better traffics..yeah, it really surprised me, but i might take it from positive side: possibly my writing is not so interesting to attract readers..

my comment: stop talking about one's faults..this is an important philosophy that's worth to ponder, " orang yang mengkritik itu tidak semestinya lebih baik dari orang yang dikritik!" the youngsters should change this political landscape..we need to create a more beneficial discussion, which is centered on national policy, rather than one's bed stories..

3) The Attitude of "Check & Destroy"

when the ruling party has lost its 2/3 majority in House of Representatives, many believed that it was a good beginning to have more substantial discussion on national policies, that would eventually benefit the people at large..but, what i have seen so far is the otherwise..the oppositions have gone too far, at sometime beyond reasonable point, in which they are no longer doing the "check & balance" kinda action, but rather "check and destroy!" the latest incident of bringing placards into the Parliament was a shame! 

my comment: i still believe in 2 party system..i like to see each sides competing to get people's support since at the end, it's the people who will be benefited..but, as present situation is concerned, i don't think it's gonna happen..since the oppositions' attitudes is to "check & destroy," it's gonna be very bad to the country..the standard must be brought back to "check & balance!" 

...and the list goes one from APCO to Kandang Khinzir! sometimes, i feel so sick! well, regardless of how we want to deny it, our political landscape has never changed a lot! yet, the political stability is very imperative to attract more foreign investments! we need to emulate Singapore, in this sense, in which they have more stable political environment..stop bullshitting one another, and start focusing to achieve our national mission, which is Wawasan 2020! yes, WE CAN! ;)

(Pro) vs (Re) active

what's the major difference btw becoming proactive and reactive? which one is better?

proactive, by definition, is self-initiated behavior. meanwhile, reactive is a state of being responsive! in wireless communications, there are two types of error-correction mechanisms; FEC (forward-error-correction) and ARQ (automatic-repeat-request)..although both methods are used for error correction, FEC seems to be more efficient since it can correct the error immediately..yet, ARQ can only detect an error, and request for a new packet to be sent again! oh yeah, in wireless, FEC is known as proactive error detection approach, while ARQ is the reactive method!

but, looking to our society (the Malays) for example, most of us are better described as reactive group..we just respond to situation as we don't want to take charge! for example, how many of us (the college students) do see our professors so to involve in their researches? how many of us, by our own initiative, do seriously looking for job? seriously here means we do attend career workshop, do talk with career officers, attend career fair not only the one organised by our school, do attend corporate dinner, and etc! and still, we can see many of us whining of not being offered a job yet! then, we blame the economy, and etc..well, if the economy is really really bad, how could some people got hired? don't we think that something might not be right in us?

plus, for example, when we don't really understand certain topic, many of us could easily give such lame excuses..oh, that's fine! i wasn't taught that topic in class..see, how easy the excuse is! if it was not taught in class, is it wrong for us to see an appropriate professor to get further explanation??? oh i forgot, we don't have enough time to meet the professor...we're such busy creatures! 

guys, if we really want to progress, we need to become a proactive society! we need to be independent! don't rely too much on others! are we scared? we got ALLAH, the Almighty one! so, keep believing! 

p/s: this is just the author's opinion..indeed, some of them are the reflections of  the author's attitudes itself! no hard feeling! ;)

KULN

i was so happy to see that we've now active involvement from KULN members..before this, most of activities were centered to Stevens students..yet, now we can see some great involvement from RIT students as well! i'm very pleased to know this progress! and as i have been mentioning for many times, the purpose of this KULN is to unite Malaysian students in NY-NJ area as well as getting them to engage in more educational issues..and of course, when hundreds of great minds are together, nothing seems impossible! and i was informed that, now, we really have a real committee in Suny Buffalo! i guess, this is another step forward! it's okay to do it slowly as long as it's consistent! here is the newest article from the club's official blog! please feel free to read that! http://umnonynj.blogspot.com/2010/12/kedai-kopi-rit-2010.html

and as the members are getting bigger and bigger, we really need full cooperation from all! again, i'm so happy that our super duper seniors, such as Nabil (now working for Petronas), Syafiq (Ministry of Finance), and Qayyum (JKR) are really concerned bout the well-being of this club! and i pray to Allah so that this club will continuously produce great and all-rounded members! great job, guys! ;)

BODOH!

hey, since when being homosexual is permitted in Islam? see this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqtj76S0okY

the guy in the video has publicly confessed that he's gay..to make it worse, he also defended himself of being gay..for me, he is nothing, but STUPID!!!

the excuse used by him is totally LAME and PATHETIC! he believed that he was born to be GAY! so then, should we consider being a murderer is also part of fitrah? come on la dude! if u were gay, do u have to tell the world? oh, i forgot, we're living in a modern world, in which everybody is free to speak his mind! okay then.. i will speak my mind too!

he said that people don't really understand him and his friends..oh yeah, tell me then what is rationale of being in love with a person of same sex as you are? doesn't make sense at all! as far as i know, only animal can have bisexual tendencies! so, i suppose u r animal..aren't u? 

he said again that being gay is something that has to do with feeling! and, hence it's uncontrollable! so, my question is, do u have mind? or maybe, u r too stupid, in which u can't even distinguish between boy and girl...dude, we are granted with akal so that we can use it to control our feeling! got it???

well, actually i am also being so sympathetic to these people...i always pray to God so that these people will be guided..but, when a person can simply confess of being gay in public, and then try to defend it, i can no longer tolerate! if the person isn't a Muslim, then it would be fine! but, this guy is Muslim! thus, for me, it is an insult to my religion! i don't mind to be labeled narrow-minded or else! we need to call a spade a spade!

We Need to TAKE A BREAK sometimes

kebelakangan ini, saya berkesempatan menjenguk ke blog2 sahabat yang sudah pergi..mereka semuanya sudah kembali kepada Maha Pencipta..hanya tulisan ditinggalkan sebagai kenangan dan peringatan buat kita yang masih hidup..

setiap kali membaca tulisan arwah2, saya begitu tersentuh..mungkin kerana kesibukan saya mengejar dan merancang masa depan, saya hampir terlupa bahawa kematian itu semakin hampir..eloklah sekiranya kita mengambil sedikit masa merenung dan mengingatkan diri bahawa saat kita berjumpa dengan Maha Pencipta semakin hampir..sudah cukupkah bekalan untuk kita bertemu dengan-NYA?? insha Allah, sama2 kita bermuhasabah! ;)

Future Generation!

sometimes, i'm wondering why should i care much about the well-being of this country? i don't think i'll be staying in malaysia for my whole life! plus, there is no guarantee i'll be alive for the next 10 years or even tomorrow is still not sure for me..therefore, this struggle is for whom? hence, while googling around, i found this pic! and now, i'm very clear! i'm fighting not  for myself, but for my kids, my grandchildren, and etc..i want my grandkids to know that their grandpa was doing something for them! insha Allah, together we'll make our country better! 

Living Up a Dream!

it has been awhile since i wrote something positive on this blog..recently, i have spent much time criticizing others..well, sometimes, i've to speak up my mind! hehe..anyway, let's begin this entry with positive energy:

"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past."      -Thomas Jefferson

well, for those who have no idea who Jefferson is, he was actually the third President of US..he was known for his effort to promote republicanism in the States..indeed, he was one of the greatest founders of this great nation! nuf said!

anyway, since i was a young boy, my dreams kept changing. at one point, i wanted to become a policeman! maybe, their uniform did attract me..and sometimes, i really wanted to be a doctor..well, only after i took my biology classes in high school, i was pretty sure that i was born not to work in hospital! and, the list goes on! yet, i realized that i never dream to become a billionaire back then! maybe, at that time, money was not important to me! of course, why should i worry about money if you were pretty sure that u could get it from your mom and dad (also, my grandpa)..hehe

yet, as i was growing, my aim is a bit different..i was no longer dreaming to be only a great engineer, but, i really want to become rich ! i want to make lots of money! yes, i know everybody does realize that only when mom and dad are no longer giving us free-money, right? ..plus, being a man, it's much worse! i swear to God! ;)

so, i started reading the biography of some successful people..i really want to know how could they end up being such rockstars! well, most of them have some similarities..they were college drop-out, or even some of them didn't go to college! if they could become what they are now, without having hard times in college, so why should i waste my time here? working hard for four years in college only to become ordinary person! oh, that's not worth any penny of the money paid by my sponsor! but, only as you go deep and learn about these people's past, you would realize that they had struggled much harder than what i have been doing in college! indeed, they had gone such long processes that i guess ordinary people, like you and me, would definitely give up at the middle of the journey! but, i have learned one thing from these people! to be successful, you have to go through some hard times, and daunting processes..there is no easy success in this life! i remember this one saying, "to become a bear, you have to be a cub first!" 

but, don't get upset! if these people can succeed, so could we! don't be afraid to dream BIG! again, here is one of my favorite quotes, from one of the richest men in the States, 

"If you're going to be thinking, you may as well think big."         Donald Trump

well, i'm actually in a process of writing my personal statement for my grad school application..i know it's kinda too late..haha..i wish all of you guys the best! anyway, i'd be very happy to hear about your dream as well! i have told mine! ;)

WikiLeaks: Anwar was caught in political sex trap!

"The document states the Singaporeans told ONA they made this assessment on the basis of 'technical intelligence', which is likely to relate to intercepted communications."  

you can read the full news by clicking to this link: http://www.smh.com.au/world/caught-in-political-sex-trap-20101211-18tee.html

my comment:

well, i don't care much about anwar's case! if he were actually committing the act, it's between him and God! indeed, i don't see any shred of evidence given in the reports..everybody can come up, and claim that they have proofs! but, to say that saiful was paid is also ridiculous..what if, we, who were not in the place when the incident was reportedly happening, just shut our mouth up! let the court decides..don't act like we are granted with such "enlightening"  from God so we know who is guilty and who isn't! 

yet, as i said before, i have no interest with this guy, named anwar..Malaysia can do better without him, instead! the justice, indeed, can be done without him...anyway, what concern me much about the leak is that, if it was true, how safe our secret information is? if the singapore intelligence can easily intercept our communications, what our security officials are doing? and, i'm afraid that our military secrets can also be compromised! hey folks,  our security is much more important that anwar and saiful's case! as my friend always say, "the future of our country is not depending on these two figures!" so, let's focus on more important issue than this sodomy case! ;) 

Competitive Advantage

competitive advantage! ever heard about that? i assume everybody knows that..if you don't, please KILL yourself right now since you aren't qualified to live in today's world!

so, wadup with this topic? why should we care much about it? "i'm not a businessman," some might say.. "hey, i'm not interested in business?" few might reply..well, since business isn't really so enthralling as compared to other topics, such as Hollywood Celebrities, Fashion Show, so i am not planning to talk from business perspective..rather, i'll discuss it in a way that could affect everybody, especially the Malays.

being as a Malay, i was and am granted with so many privileges..i was accepted to national boarding schools, tho my results was not really astounding, i guess..well, who would study for UPSR, right? only nerds do! then, i was once again being granted with local scholarship to pursue my studies in one local university..again, i was still ambiguous either i was accepted due to merit or racial card? i guess, the latter is more likely to be the reason..then, once again, because of being Malay, i was conferred with overseas scholarship to pursue my tertiary studies..and here i am..blogging about all the privileges that i have enjoyed since i was born! 

hence, many of my non-Malay friends complained about this..yes, i do understand about their feelings..if i was in their shoes, i'd feel the same! yet, what really make me sad is the fact that many of my Malay friends (including me) don't really appreciate this advantage..in business, people manipulate this advantage so to grow their companies..but, the opposite thing happen to my people..some just take all these privileges for granted..well, when other races are questioning about the validity of granting all these privileges to us, thousands stand up to defend this policy! whether they realize or not, these are not their rights, but only privileges..thus, they cannot be there forever! 

therefore, i think it's time for us to really make use of this advantage..we should use it to grow up, and move forward..the sooner we could be independent. the sooner we could solve racial issue in our country! well, i acknowledge that this is not easy to accomplish! but, somehow, for a thing to be accomplished, there should be a beginning! so people, let's BEGIN this journey together! 

personality

how should you represent yourself?

a) good manner, which conforms to society norms
b) down-to-earth, of which one speaks only necessary..
c) outspoken; call a spade, a spade! 
d) cool (oh, this want is very ambiguous)..but, i'd relate to a person with great anger-controlled management.
e) etc..

why personality is so important?

a) to impress others, in general
b) to win someone's heart
c) just for fun
d) to get good job

for all the reasons, i don't care much on how people should see me! well, image isn't really important after all..as long as you do what is told to u by God, that should be fine! don't ever cross a border..being extreme is really discouraged in any religions..moderate will always work best in any situations! but, don't get confused between building image vs developing characters..the latter is far more important!  ;)

TOM & JERRY

i don't understand why should people disputing over small matter! well, maybe it's better to engage in a discussion, regardless of how lame it was, so that they can appear smart! maybe, i guess! i don't know the answer!

***********************************************************************

for example, lately, people are entertained once  again with the dispute of two parties (one is TOM, and another one i call as JERRY)..why? because, one is considerably BIG, and the other, tho it was claimed to be BIG, but actually very small (see latest election for example: only a few turned up!)..

so, TOM's aim is to eat JERRY, as typical cat should do over mouse! but, JERRY is so smart that he knows how to escape from this TOM! so, this JERRY created an issue, so that TOM forgot the fact that he should have eaten this JERRY!
 

the issue is rather small, of which JERRY suggests a new landlord so to replace the current one! so, as expected, TOM, who is used to live with this landlord , objected the suggestion..TOM doesn't want to replace the current landlord with a new one since he is being treated very well by the current; every TOM's wills are granted, with no excuses! of course, TOM loves the landlord..maybe, that's the reason, why TOM is being such a lazy cat,i guess! 

although JERRY wants to replace the current landlord , he  also doesn't want to displease her (the current landlord is woman)..otherwise, JERRY will have no place to stay, and of course, JERRY doesn't want to give up living in his BIG house! so, JERRY makes a deal! while he replacing the landlord with a new one, he will keep the old LANDLORD rules out the house! the new one will be used to deceive TOM, whose life is being too dependent with the old one! but, this deal should be kept secret between JERRY, the old landlord, and the new one! 

in other words, no changes has been actually done! JERRY is good in spinning things. TOM, meanwhile, is so STUPID to feel the present situation, and thus he can be easily manipulated, and deceived! yet, the saddest and the lamest creature is neither TOM, JERRY or these two LANDLORD, but the person who watches this drama! poor him (her)!

*lesson: focus on the real issues! we have many challenges to overcome! others are running forward, yet we are still crawling because we are too fascinated watching STUPID MOVIE like this! focus, folks!   ;)

Why EE is so COOL (joke)

out of 4 traditional engineering fields, why EE is the coolest? let me tell you why?

1) CE : people rarely know their existence! spend too much time in lab! so, to make other knowing that they do exist, they try to claim that certain stuffs are disastrous..e.g. MSG is bad, and bla bla bla..so, ordinary people will believe, and would thank these CEs for saving their lives..

2) ME : these guys, i don't what they are doing actually..what do actually they try to improve? calculating stress, pressure, and so what? everything is well written in text book, dudes! 

3) Civ. E : when people start choosing air transportation, rather than ground, these guys will have troubles to find job! other than building bridge, or highways, what else should they do!

but.............

EE : these guys are so humble..we modulate signal so that two people can communicate at far distance, we generate power so that every body can watch their favorite tv shows, we build a very small brain (in micro size) so to control machines, and etc..but, we don't claim anything..instead, we remain humble! 

***********************************************************************

disclaimer: this is only a joke! don't take it seriously. the author will not be responsible for any mental distress or emotional displeasure! ;)

Zuhud

"Bukanlah zuhud itu engkau meninggalkan dunia dan menyerahkannya kepada orang kafir untuk menikmatinya. Tapi zuhud yang sebenarnya ialah engkau memiliki seluruh isi dunia hinggakan nilai dunia ini seumpama tanah sahaja dan kau nafqahnya pada jalan Allah"

- taken from my friend's status: very true tho! ;)

Our Responsibility

one way to destroy Islam is simply by making it a RELIGION, instead of a WAY OF LIFE..proof? secularism, of which people try to distinguish between church (read: religion) from state affair..

yes, i have always been told that, orang yang kaya itu susah hendak masuk syurga! (correct me, if i was wrong)..so, thousands of Muslims simply use this excuse so to live in a modest way: working as an ordinary man, and thus living as others do..for them, why should we work hard since the world will be lasting..haha..it seems true tho! why should we put extra efforts so to improve our lives, of which all of us, regardless you are billionaire or not, will be dead sooner or later..so, why bother much???? if you think this way, you are not really a good Muslim!

and how many of us, when being asked about Islam, the first thing that comes up in our mind is Solah, Zakat, and etc??? how many of us would be really interested to know about Islamic-based economics or politics? how many of us would apply their Islamic knowledge into their studies (which means no "tiru" during exam, and etc)? how many of us would ever consider to learn on how to mingle around with people in a very Islamic ways?? and to be frank, i have been taking Islam for granted..yes, i do know Islam, but only in a very surface level..i was used to think that Islam is nothing, but performing solah, fasting, and etc..oh God, please forgive me!  i was part of this fitnah, of making Islam merely a religion! 

p/s: terkesan dengan kata2 seorang teman bahawa Muslims itu menepati waktu/janji

L E T ' S  C H A N G E  F O R  B E T T E R

Daughtry - Life After You

Spiritual Strength

sometimes, i'm just wondering how could great fighters stand all hardships and difficulties tested upon them throughout their struggle? how could they still trust people around them, of which foes and friends look the same? what does really make them consistent on their fighting causes? how could they give up all their personal enjoyment and space for the sake of others? 

..i think, without spiritual strength, no one could ever be a great fighter! but, how could we accumulate this spiritual strength...yes, it could come from many sources: friends, family, spouses, kids, and etc..but, if you seek for the most powerful, and long-lasting strength, you should ask from God! "from Him we come, and to Him we shall return!"   

B  E L I E V E

J E T S!

Good luck JETS! and of course, all hail to mark sanchez (the one with red circle)..my first experience watching NFL live in stadium, and i did enjoy it..

Living in Complacence

i've probably read "Malay Dilemma," written by Mahathir, about few years ago..but, i was, and am still largely influenced by his writings..thus, my only concern is on how to take the Malays out of their inherited plights..

tho we've been telling for many times that we are weak, and thus incapable of doing good things, as a Malay, we should denounce that notion..we should firmly stand to reject the idea of we, the Malays, cannot survive w/o the helps of government..thus, we should ask ourselves, what does really make us inferior as compared to other races? Jews, for example! logically, after the Holocaust, no one could ever imagine that they could once more rise up to the level they are today...Japanese also could be a great example for us to imitate..but, the typical sentiment in Malaysia, largely among the Malays, is that Jews are bad! why we always have to look from dark sides first? i don't understand! sepatutnya, we should learn from them!

but, before we could further discuss, we should ask ourselves one basic question: "what actually hampers us to progress?" if for me, the answer is simple..we are too content living in our complacent zone! in fact, in Malaysia, we are so blessed with too much, i think, privileges, of which sometimes i do think they are unnecessary..well, for example, simply by being a Malay, you will be granted a place in civil sector, regardless of how bad ur university grade is..and then, we complaint that our public sector is inefficient..ya lah, we already fail since the recruiting phase lagi! how could you expect it to become better as time passes by?

again, the overseas scholarship should be reviewed in very scrutinized ways..of course, the gov doesn't want to waste billions of dollars just to produce ordinary students..the expectation then should be higher..if i were the head of the government, i won't make it mandatory for the overseas bounded students to work in public sector..indeed, i would help them to build their own enterprises..thus, this might help reducing numbers of employment in malaysia..well, since i was nobody, this idea remains here, i guess! ;)

some might feel annoyed with this article..i might be labeled with many negative words! but folks, we should call a spade a spade! and as Joseph E. Stiglitz mentioned in his book, "Freefall," the great 2008 recession has begun years earlier when the Bush administration denied the possibility of bad economy in US...consequently, we have seen millions of people, not only in US, were out of jobs during the recession! hence, i wish we won't do the same mistake as Bush and his gangs did..janganlah, bila masalah umat melayu ini semakin sulit, barulah kita mula berbicara/bermuhasabah..at that time, i could say it's too late..when the damage is done, nothing could make it better! 

*Joseph E. Stiglitz is the winner of Nobel Prize in Economics!

Utusan Malaysia Online - Rencana

Utusan Malaysia Online - Rencana

Ramli Sarip & Raihan - Kau Yang Satu (ABP)

MN 10'

Malaysia Night (MN) 10' was over..and i suppose, i'm leaving this school with the greatest MN so far in history..for me, it's not about showing great performances to audience, but the messages laid behind it..and, a friend of mine, who showed up last night, was surprised with the way the night was planned..and for this, i should give credit to all 4 co-PDs and their support teams..good job, guys!

but, i guess, this was a bit new for Malaysian students in Stevens to have a big Malaysians community over here..and of course, as a large community is concerned, there should be a lots of dissent between one group with another..thus, i've seen MN as a big opportunity to keep all together, working as a big group..i really wish that the community can emerge as one strong team, with people, regardless of their beliefs or upbringings will remain unite..unity doesn't mean that we have to agree w/ one opinion, and hence to suppress our own from being heard..it's the tolerance, and consideration that do matter..

yet, typically, the after-MN-effect is what really concerning me the most..looking backwards, the record showed that people were getting closer to each others after MN..and, i wish this could once again occur for this time..again, as i mentioned above, the success of MN is not merely measured on how good performances we could deliver to the audience, yet there are the LESSONS that we learned..and, to all Malaysians community here, i wish all the best..since seniors are leaving soon (in less than 5 months), we really want to see Malaysians over here to be very successful and respected..and, as a matter of fact, MN would be my last active involvement, as i suppose all seniors would do, since i should more concentrate in my Senior Project, of which doesn't look good so far..argh, time runs so fast! ;)

fool vs genius & marketer vs engineer

a fool is someone who never learns from his mistake

a genius is someone who learns from others' mistake

engineer is pessimistic (they are trained that way)

marketing people is optimistic in nature..

engineers see the above picture as half empty glass..

marketing persons, instead, see the picture as half full glass..

so, if you marry with engineers, u should prepare urself living with pessimistic guy; u need to provide them with hard proofs if u try to convince them..i can guarantee you, it's very hard to do so! hahaha

Time

as a saying goes, "time is golden!"

i think the saying comes from the following reason:

in marketing: time is money

in economics: money is backed by gold

since philosopher is very good in combining ideas from various areas, then, i assume, they come up with the above saying: "TIME IS GOLDEN!" 

harharhar ;)

Simplicity is GENIUS!

i finally understand why simplicity is considered to be GENIUS! because, the simpler ur life is, the more time u can save..hence, u can learn a lot more than the others..making complicated things into simpler form is GENIUS! but, this surely doesn't apply for being simple-minded persons..

my saying: complicated in thoughts, but simple in action is truly genius!

Eid Mubarak!

Eid Mubarak, guys! i hope this won't be my last time celebrating Eid in the States..the celebration here is so-so, with no families around, no lemang or ayam masak lemak, and etc..still, i enjoy the celebration here much better than i did back in Malaysia..maybe, in here, i learned that Eid should be celebrated by understanding its wisdom, rather than merely eating good foods..hence, in conjunction with this year Eidul Adha, let's change ourselves for the better..change can be done in minuscule scale; from being lazy to less lazy, from being happy-go-lucky to less happy-go-lucky..change cannot be done in a day, a year or sometimes a decade..it's a continuous process..and for some people, the process might take their whole life to complete..to drive the change, start by listing down our bad deeds, and then our plans to counter them.. ;)

honored!

last week, i have been conferred a membership for two Greek societies; as a member of Eta Kappa Nu (HKN), as well as Tau Beta Pi..the former is a honor society of Electrical & Computer Engineers..the latter, meanwhile, is the second largest engineering honor society in the States..

well, i see this as my opportunity to further develop my character, and attitude..as a saying goes, "you have to be at the right place to do the right things!" and, if God willing, i hope, i could learn something from these societies..as of now, i'm so impressed with the way they work, and attitudes; 

Nickelback - If Everyone Cared (video)

Pura-Pura Bodoh?

bodoh sombong? i'm sure everybody knows its definition..hence, i'm not interested to discuss on it..but, what about pretending to be stupid?? this is totally a reverse version of bodoh sombong, right? but, the latter is much worse..why? because these people don't want to take responsibility..typically, this group is related with all these negative attitudes, shown as follows;

"x apalah, saya tak tau nk buat nie!" 

"oh, si Y lagi bagus dlm hal nie dari saya.biarlah dia buat!"

actually, these people aren't stupid..but, they are pretending to be one..to them, YOU ARE SUCH LOSERS! 

of 5bil Menara Warisan & billions of dollars for overseas scholarship

apabila kerajaan mengumumkan cadangan pembinaaan menara 100 tingkat dalam bajet 2011, ramai yg mula menzahirkan rasa tidak puas hati..benarlah kiamat semakin dekat berdasarkan sebuah hadith Nabi dimana tanda-tanda dekatnya hari Kiamat apabila barefooted, naked, destitute herdsman competing in constructing lofty buildings!"

namun, ramai yang tersalah anggap bahawa projek ini akan dibiayai sepenuhnya oleh kerajaan..jika diteliti, in principal, PNB lah yang akan menanggung sepenuhnya kos projek ini..jadi isu bahawa pembaziran duit rakyat oleh kerajaan adalah irrelevant sama sekali..yet, based on history, we urge the government to give its utmost commitment that for whatever losses that this project might induce in the future, the gov will not interfere..in other words, the people's money won't be affected either the project fail or succeed..we don't want the PERWAJA case to be repeated twice..

anyway, selepas saja pengumuman oleh kerajaan, maka lahirlah protest2 di internet (fb page to oppose this project)..alasannya mudah sahaja; 5 billion ini mampu mendirikan berpuluh sekolah di mana ia mampu melahirkan lebih ramai insan cemerlang..nampak reasonable..tp, PNB bukanlah bertanggungjawab untuk menyediakan public goods, but to increase their investment profit..

moreover, ramai yang membantah projek ini adalah anak-anak muda, di mana ramai di antaranya adalah pelajar2..wow, this is a good sign that our youngsters are more concerned of the way our country is managed; excellent! tapi, pernahkan mereka bertanya, sejauh manakah berjayanya pelaburan oleh kerajaan dalam membiayai pelajaran mereka..apakah sumbangan mereka terhadap masyarakat selepas mereka tamat pengajian? berapa ramai yang benar2 aktif dalam usaha memperkasakan masyarakat? berapa ramai yang mana belajar hanya untuk personal survival??pernahkah mereka terfikir, mungkin di hari pembalasan nanti, mereka akan disoal oleh seluruh warganegara mengenai wang yang diperuntukkan kepada mereka? apa mereka akan jawab jika separuh wang diperuntukkan digunakan hanya untuk personal purposes..well, as i'm mentioning this, i also remind myself that i am entitled with a huge responsibility once i accepted this scholarship..saya terkesan dengan kata2 seorang teman bahawa; "mengkritik itu mudah..namun pelaksanaannya amatlah susah!" 

beauty?

beauty lies in the eyes of beholder? many would agree, but i'm gonna take different view here..

whoever does say that beauty is abstract, you guys should reconsider your view..why? because, we could actually measure one's beauty simply thru mathematical ratio called as golden ratio..to know details, click on the following link: http://www.cojoweb.com/phi.html

well, since mathematics never lie, so thus physical beauty..in other words, phy beauty can be standardized..

hence, we should correct the statement, by saying like this:

"inner beauty lies in the eyes of beholder!" only then, i would agree.. ;)

Tun Mahathir's Biography

i just finished watching the documentary of Mahathir's biography on History channel..and as a matter of fact, i'm so proud to have a great, and visionary leader, like him, in Malaysians history..for me, regardless of how disastrous policies he might have adopted throughout his premiership, that was part of being a leader: to make mistakes..yet, he's not a populist, as some current leaders are..he charted policies for the best of people's interest..and as far as i'm concerned, most of his visions were not warmly accepted by many Malaysians at the very beginning..but, as the time passed by, people started recognizing their benefits

but, i could surely say that i'm one of Mahathir's product, whom values educations and progressive more than my ancestors did..

for Tun, i pray for your well-being, and may Allah rewards you for all good deeds, and i, myself, have already forgiven you for all your mistakes.i will continue your struggle to change the Malays, so to be more progressive..but, in my own way! ;)

" I have failed to change the Malays throughout my 22 years of premiership"  - Tun Mahathir

English Pronunciation is just INSANE!

yesterday, while doing a volunteering work, i met with one old guy..he was also there so to prepare foods for homeless..so, as we were peeling potatoes, he suddenly asked me to pronounce this one word : GOTHI

well, as a non-native English speaker, i pronounced it in a way that the nons are supposed to speak..so, i pronounced GO as go, and THI as tea..and, then, he laughed at me..well, not an evil laugh, as far as i was concerned..and then, he told me that English pronunciation simple doesn't make sense..anyway, he told me the right way of pronouncing that word was as follows:

G as is enouGh

O as is wOmen

THI as is naTIon

and simply by combining the phonetic of each alphabets/words, the word sounds WAAAAAAAAYYYYY different then its spelling..oh, gosh! i never thought that English can be this difficult..anyway, there was a women, whom I called as Elizabeth (Austin girl..no wonder she likes to wear cowboy hat together with her)..she was fluent in many languages, such as Spanish, French, Italian, German, and of course English..and she reaffirmed the fact that among all the languages she has mastered so far, English is the  hardest one!  ;)

Morning Jog & Developed Nation!

aper kaitan morning jog & developed nation?? 

my morning jog:

pg td terdetik nk jog..check weather dkt luar, it was a bit daunting for me, with low temp  around 10C and it was slightly raining...tp. i decided to keep the plan on since my mind was very determined..well, quoting from one aunty i met here, " everything begins in your mind!" 

so, with harsh weather outside, i didn't expect to see many joggers outside..but, surprisingly, my expectation was way far to be true..indeed, i saw many of them were senior citizens, of which most of them were 20-25 years older than me..an of course, 1/3 of them were female..

..as a matter of fact, i jogged around a park, which is facing the NYC skylines..and of course, this was so awesome..thus, while keeping my feet running, my mind was wondering around..in fact, i was wondering, why does make this nation great?? the skyscrapers?? the people??

developed nation:

there was a debate so to argue either Malacca is now a developed state or not? to know more, check the following, and you can determine by yourself:

if you ask me, i would disagree with many elements considered by OECD so to evaluate one country's progress.. but, among all, i do agree with this one key indicator: high life expectancy..and for me, there is one way for us to achieve this standard, which is by having healthy lifestyle..

hence;

i guess, now there would be clear enough for us to see the relationship between morning jog (read as healthy lifestyle), to developed nation (read as high life expectancy)

yet,

i'm a bit disappointed when the government doesn't emphasize it on the latest 2011 budget..i think they might be so obsessed to develop first world infrastructure (which is also important so to attract investors), while ignoring the fact that the people development is much more important..here are some my suggestions that might help our people having healthy lifestyle:

1) the recreational park must be equipped with good fitness equipments..or at least, it must have regular maintenance.. (we need some money here from the gov)

2) organic foods should be subsidized, while, at the same time, tax for fast food restaurants must be increased..

3) cigarette price should be increased

4) to allocate the gov. agencies with sufficient funds so for them to carry out outdoor activities (i know, right now, we have like aerobics every week..and i think, this is a good start)

5) should be more inter-agency sport tournaments..

6) the school canteen should be regularly supervised and monitored by health department so to control the food quality

7) service-work is mandatory to all employees..

 8) and the list goes on...

p/s: all the ideas are free to be criticized..but, only the constructive criticism will be responded! ;)

???

is it true that "orang tamak selalu rugi?"  - i don't think so! haha

Halloween 2010: Math Teacher has trouble playing a video in class

why i love Stevens: reason #1

Reason #1: bcos we have a cool statue..

ain't it obvious?

the only reason for badmouthing people is to make ourselves feeling better..ain't it obvious? but, it's important for us to make a clear line between badmouthing and criticizing..for me, a good, and thus constructive criticism should have the following aspects:

• it must be based on facts, and not individual opinions (consensual opinions might be accepted)
• the pundits must provide alternatives, regardless better or worse, for every problems they mentioned
• the pundits must be humble (tawadu') in their critics..they must acknowledge that their suggestion is neither perfect nor free from any unforeseen mistakes..

i would typically and seriously consider criticisms iff they have the mentioned characteristics..otherwise, i'll "bakulsampahkan" the criticisms..and of course, i don't mind as well for people to ignore my critics if i fail to satisfy the respective conditions..

Letaklah Sesuatu Pada Tempatnya:

..maybe, because of the demand of present world, everybody is trying to be well rounded..a doctor, for example, might not be satisfied just by acquiring medical knowledge..engineers try to outsmart the real economists when they talk about economy..academicians (this is the worst case) on the other hand prefer to prove their intellectual in all possible areas (politics, economy, education, etc)..but, the question remains the same: is it possible for one to be good in everything especially in just one time? 

before, we go further, let's define the real meaning of being all-rounded person..i was told by many that, to be well-rounded is very easy: you should have very strong knowledge in your particular niche, and merely general understanding of other areas..if this is what we mean by being WELL-rounded, then, i should suggest to substitute/replace the word WELL with other word which has similar meaning to "cincai" in Malay..so, in a nutshell, there is no such well-rounded person existed in this world..

okay, let's assume that we accept the definition mentioned above..also, we acknowledge the fact that it is implausible for one to be very good in all areas in once..only then (if you agree with me), we could further discuss our main topic: "to put something in its actual place" (this is the basic concept of fairness in Islam)..

but, looking to current situation, of which everyone is trying to outsmart others, i have come up with this one simple question?

"should we consider the opinions of one person, tho (s)he is not the expert of that particular area?"

so, to make this discussion even simpler, let's consider these few examples:

1) when the academicians try to outsmart the politician while talking the problems of the people:

more often than never, academicians will try to picture themselves as the smartest creation in this world (i'm not referring to all..i believe that many are still tawaduk with the knowledge they have)..but, i just feel awkward when academicians are trying to elaborate the problems of the people as is they know better than the politicians..but, don't get me wrong..i'm not saying that politicians are smart..indeed, most of them are just bangang...yet, this kebangangan doesn't invalidate my arguments that academicians have no right, and hence aren't fit, to talk about the problems of the people..but why? let me ask you, how many academicians are really going to the ground and communicating with people?? out of their 24 hrs, how many hours that they spend out of their study table?? you cannot simply back up your argument by inserting some theories from  your prior readings..that just doesn't make sense to me..so, the best person (tho still got many things to improve) to talk about people's concerns is nothing but the politicians..

2) when politician try to make education-related-policy:

this is really making me uneasy..why should we let these politicians to decide the fate of our education..they don't fit the job at all..the power should be passed to the experts, which is academician..that's why, i believe that educational agenda shouldn't be politicized..it's the most important aspect that defines the success of a country..give back the power to academician..let them decide what's the best method to educate our kids..hence, the minister of education should be selected among the academician, and not by appointing any dumb politicians..

3) when engineer talk about economy, and try to be as the best known person in economy:

4) and, the list goes on..

but, while discussing this topic, i should make myself very clear..i'm not saying that we should not participate in any discussions of topics other than our niche areas..yet, i'm telling that we should know our limits when talking about things that we, ourselves, are not familiar with..don't say things that you don't really know..i think this is the best way to  make any discussions, when involved various people, more objective when we know our roles..don't take others' roles..knowledge is very powerful..but. don't use it as a tool to bring disaster to the people..indeed, the knowledgeable persons are very humble with their wisdoms..remember, Allah is the only one that has the highest knowledge possible..other than Him are very limited! ;)

SPM 2010: Good Luck!

lagi 3 minggu, paper pertama SPM 2010 (bahasa melayu) akan bermula..rasa takut, cuak, dan nervous..the fact that i was no longer high school student..still, i feel so nervous about it..but, why?

last year, saya bersama rakan2 laen ada menganjurkan satu program motivasi bersama student form 4 dari dua buah sekolah di Mersing..the theme of the program was "a good start for a better tomorrow," which mainly centered on achieving excellent results in the 2010 SPM..we applied slightly different approach so to motivate them: merely based on reward-system, in which if u strive hard, and thus get good results, u will be granted with various kind of opportunities..we, at that time, didn't believe, and therefore ridicule the concept of punishment..

we also ruled out some redundant rules during the camp period..for example, we just enforced one basic rule, which is time punctuality..other than that, the students are free from any bounds..they can go to the talk w/ tee tucked out, flip-flop, and the best part is they are treated as friends rather than participants..even to the extent, our very own facilitators merely wore kain sarung while giving talk..the point of doing such things was to demonstrate the needs of concentrating on the content of the event, and not otherwise..why should we bother to ask the students to always tuck their tee in, while we simply know that these students won't do the same thing when they are out in town? why should we ask them to wear formal/school shoes during the camp while they don't feel comfortable with it? these are the arguments that i personally talked to the teachers from both schools when they challenged our camp rules..luckily enough, they submitted to our rationales, and thus gave us as much freedom to conduct the camp in a way that we though might benefit the students..for this understanding, i'm so grateful..

anyway, thru some feedbacks from the students, the program seemed like to be successful..but, for me personally, it was not sufficient..i desired solid numerical data so to evaluate the program..hence, we decided to take 2010 SPM results as our true indicator..and, i pray to God so all these students are granted with determination and perseverance while taking the test..i also pray to God so to make their ways easier than they might expect..to all adik2 Summer Camp SPM 2010, i wish u guys all the best..i, personally, will always pray for ur thrive.."tho SPM is not everything, but it's a key to a better future..study hard, pray hard, and act smart!"

Mutually Exclusive

i just learned from a movie, of which i forgot its title, that men and women are way different from each others..they barely have the common..and the salient different (as being mentioned in that movie) between them is the following:

WOMEN: when they talk about their problems to someone (especially guys), they don't expect the guy to give them solution..what they really care is for the guy to show his empathy towards their misfortunes..for example, when they say that they got troubles with their co-workers, they don't want the guy to guide them to get out from the problem..merely listening to their stories is good enough for them..thus, this explains the reason why women want their partners to listen them, instead of being their problem solvers

MEN: for men, there is one basic rule: "I speak what i really mean!" and thus, when men asks solutions for their troubles, they do really mean it..they don't really care about all those emotional feelings..for them, the quicker they got out from their problems, the happier they would be..they are more excited to see the results, rather than the process..that's why, they prefer to share their problems with their male buddies..also, men, typically, consider being emotionally needy is a sign of weakness..hence, they would rather act cool regardless of how severe their problems are..

i think by knowing this spectacular behavioral differences between men and women would be really helpful to sustain any kind of relationship..the common mistake for most of failed marriage is due to the lack of understanding of this matter..one side is expecting the other to behave the same way that (s)he does..when this happen, it will create a conflict of interest..typically, both would be hurt at the end of the day..

I can guarantee you that, by any means, we couldn't change the nature of both creations..they are created so to be mutually exclusive to each others..i used to think men and women in the following method:

in basic probability theory, two events are mutually exclusive iff:

let's assume A = men, and B = women..and thus, 

P(A n B) = P(A) * P(B)   

going further by considering conditional probability:

P(A/B) = probability for A to happen, given the B event happens.

P(A/B) = P(A n B) / P(B),

so for mutual exclusive case, we can simplify to the following:

P(A/B) = P(A) * P(B) / P(B)  = P(A)

this applies to P(B/A) = P(B)

hence, it proves that each events (men and women) is independent of each others..they could survive w/o the existence of one another..but, to be more successful, they should work on different note..they should forget the fact that they are different, but to complement each others..that's why, it's against the rule of nature (as well as Islam) for humans to get married with their same genders..for homo couples, they might have better understandings towards each other's feelings, yet they are not complete...therefore, sometimes, the reason for us of not being perfect is to let others to fill the gap (this explain the idea of getting married..yes, i mean heterogeneous kinda marriage)..and i like this one particular notion, "the men's responsibility is not to understand their girls, but merely to love them!"

Menyampah!

resah, lemas, sakit mata dan hati, bernanah telinga bila berbincang dengan manusia yang bersikap pessimistic tidak bertempat..semua benda ada saja salahnya..even yang baek pon dicungkil/digali agar kesalahannya nyata dan terang..kenapa tidak dilihat dari sudut positif terlebih dahulu?..mengapa tidak diperbetulkan dengan cara yang  tidak membinasakan??mengapa harus bermusuh? bagi air percuma pon salah??? bg wang ehsan kepada warga emas pon salah??! bila byk gula2 diumumkan dalam sesuatu bajet, dikatakan pula bajet itu bajet raih undi? bila tak diberi, dikatakan tidak menjaga kebajikan rakyat?? inilah manusia..bila kuasa menjadi ILAH (sumber kecintaan), kebencian menjadi kebanggaan..malah, ada yang begitu berbangga mengkafirkan sesama yang laen..ader pula yang dituduh khianat kepada negara bila mana memperjuangkan hak2 bangsa laen.. bila anak muda hilang minat nk ambil tahu pasal negara, dituduh pula anak muda lebih pentingkan hiburan dan tidak matang! wahai manusia2 terlibat, ubahlah perangai kamu dahulu..bersihkan sistem, jadikan Allah sebagai sumber kecintaan hakiki..only then, we would have better living!

Death!

the wisdoms of knowing our death is getting closer:

• we'll appreciate more about our present life so that we won't waste every single second, doing useless things
• we'll tend to make peace w/ others, rather than keeping them as our enemies
• we'll not keep our money to ourselves, since we already know that it won't stay w/ us forever
• we'll be more brave to take up as much challenges as possible as we know we've nothing to lose in this world
• we'll try our very best to spend time w/ those we love
• we'll have no fear doing right things as we know nothing could stop us, except Allah
• we'll remember Allah all the time, since to Him we shall return..