the Beauty of Solah

salam folks,

1. happy Chap Goh Meh, and happy Thaipusam to all Chinese & Indians :)

2. and most importantly, peace and love to our Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) - let's follow his footsteps, and for sure, we'd end up being a better Muslim. :)

3. for record, i have been talking a lot in my previous posts in regards of being productive individuals; and i believe, those who're interested in self-improvement study would find many other theories related to this particular topic.

4. for Warren Buffet, he suggested us to see ourselves as a business entity - hence, he encourages us to invest a lot of "time & money" for our self-growth. (see his book on "Warren Buffet's Management Secrets: Proven Tools for Personal and Business Success")

5. Stephen Covey, meanwhile, in  his book, "7 Habits of Highly Effective People," prefers characteristic rather than personality building. for him, for oneself to be successful, he must first change his paradigm of life - how he sees things, for example.he also rejects the idea of "quick-fix."

6. for this post, i'd like to share some tips found in the Holy Koran (from Surah Al-Mokminoon). based on my quick reading, i found there're about at least 6 characteristics of successful person mentioned. and they're as follows:

• khusyuk dalam solah
• jauh dari perbuatan & perkataan sia-sia
• bersihkan harta (zakat harta)
• jaga kehormatan (except to his wife & servant)
• jaga amanah & janji
• pelihara sembahyang

(note: i follow the sequence mentioned in the Koran)

7. and it's crystal clear that Solah is one of the key things to become a better person (mentioned first and last); in writing class, we're usually told to "save the best for last," right? so, based on this knowledge, i'd assume that Allah has put solah as a paramount element towards becoming a successful person.

8. and honestly speaking, how does Solah change our lives? we pray five times a day, and 365 days a year.. yet, most of the times, we still don't feel the presence of Allah while praying..if that was the case, how could Solah do any good to us, right?

9. so, the first step to get the "feel" is to understand of all words uttered in the Solah. i believe, most of use know the meaning of Al-Fatihah, right? so, i'd like to share the "rare" one, which is "bacaan duduk antara dua sujud"

"Ketika dalam "duduk di antara dua sujud."

Dalam tidak sedar, setiap hari kita memohon didalam solat kita..tetapi sayangnya, kita hanya memohon tanpa memahami, sekadar tersebut dibibir, tetapi tidak tersentuh dari hati kita selama ini. 

Marilah kita mula menghayati ketika kita duduk di antara dua sujud semasa solat. 

Dengan rendah hati nyatakanlah permohonan ampun kepada Allah.. 

Rabbighfirli.. (Tuhanku, ampuni aku..)

Diamlah sejenak, buka dada dan diri kita untuk menerima ampunan dari Allah seperti membuka diri ketika merasakan hembusan angin sepoi-sepoi atau menerima curahan air hujan ketika kita masih kecil Tetaplah membuka diri kita untuk menerima ampunan Allah.  Ulangi permintaan itu beberapa kali hingga kita merasakan ketenangan. 

Kemudian sampaikanlah permintaan kedua, 

Warhamni.. (Sayangi aku..) 

Diam dan tundukkanlah diri kita untuk menerima kasih-sayang Allah yang tak terhitung besarnya.  Bukalah dada kita seluas-luasnya agar semakin banyak kasih-sayang Allah yang kita terima.  Ulanglah beberapa kali hingga kita merasa cukup. Berturut-turut sampaikanlah permintaan2 berikut dengan cara sebagaimana tersebut di atas, satu persatu. 

Wajburnii..  (Tutuplah aib-aibku..) 

Warfa'nii..   (Angkatlah darjatku..) 

Warzuqnii.. (Berilah aku rezeki..) 

Wahdinii..    (Berilah aku petunjuk..) 

Wa'Aafinii.. (Sihatkan aku..) 

Wa'fuannii..(Maafkan aku..) 

Setelah selesai, diamlah sejenak lalu sampaikan rasa syukur kita. Betapa besarnya nilai sebuah doa ini..sebuah doa yang kita hanya lewatkan begitu sahaja.. Dalam tidak kita sedar selama ini kita seperti sedang berpura-pura memohon sesuatu. Sebaik-baik manusia ialah orang yang dapat memberi manfaat kepada orang lain (Hadis riwayat Al-Qudhi). "

  source:http://halaqah.net/v10/index.php?topic=12766.0

10. masha-Allah, if we could understand the whole meaning, Solah would be as if we're talking to Allah..and it will no longer be a boring ritual..let's spread the beauty of Islam, folks! :)

Play to WIN!

salam folks,

1. finally, i'm now connected to internet, after barely a week living "offline!" nowadays, being able to go online isn't a privilege but a must! only God knows, how many opportunities i had missed for this whole week

2. anyway, for this entry, i'd like to share some tips i've learnt from my good buddy this week. to make things easier/simpler/more readable, let me put them in bullet form. so, the lessons (which i believe are important, and hence worth to be shared) are as follows:

• LESSON#1: when it comes to investing, everybody must have a right mindset, which is "INVEST TO WIN"
• i used to think that investing is sorta hedging my money from inflation. this means, my investing strategy is to find any unit trust, that can promise me higher ROI (return of investment) as compared to inflation rate
• e.g. let's assume that inflation rate increases 3% annually. so, by rights, any unit trust that offers  >3% annual ROI is sufficient.
• plus, since i didn't invest to win, i was more risk-averse. i prefer to dump my money on any unit trust that can pay consistently high annual dividend. this is a def a mistake..but why? normally, if you never tried to break from your safe zone, u'd end up nothing! 

• LESSON#2: nowadays, there's no such "FREE LUNCH"
• if you're a business major, u, for sure, know about this -"i'll give you something for something!"
• seeking advice from your parents/immediate family in regards to investing is a mistake - parents normally try to protect you from any harms..so, u'd end up in the same loop - "safe loop"
• yeah, nowadays, u can easily find many "winning" tips in internet, which most of them looks real. the first thing you should ask is whether the person is rich or not..if not, then, (s)he is just bullshitting you! if the tips are damn good, why (s)he doesn't apply them in the first place and become rich, right? make sense?

• LESSON#3: there's no such "SMOOTH RIDING" in today's life
• as an engineer, i personally prefer graph, table, or any sorts of data..in other words, no data, no talk! as much as this philosophy is great in term of work, it's not necessary right when it comes to investment. why? simple - men are crazy..no matter how many data you have, or how good the pattern is, men's behavior is simply unpredictable, especially the investors..they like speculation..and the worst, they make decision based on it..
• so, the right way to find your best equity is to go for fundamental analysis - you should understand their business models, their management teams, their financial track record for past few years, industry there're involved in, and etc..in other words, you should know everything about them..but, this is, of course, a tedious work..nobody likes it..
• then, when you decide your best equity, have faith on them..don't expect them to perform all the times..in any business cycle, there're ups and downs..so, don't expect to have a smooth riding in this world since there's none!

• LESSON#4: let's do it!
• the first step is always the hardest..so, create your inner circle..normally, working in a group is much easier than to be "one-man" show.
• for fresh grads, this is the best time to start...why? because you don't have responsibility yet! when u have a wife or kids, things would be a bit more difficult to begin! so, let's START now!

Re-prioritize

salam folks,

1. in my previous post, i've shared some tips on developing productive rituals (i hope it works for all of you)

2. but, building those rituals alone is not enough

3. with way many distractions surround us, (e.g. facebook, emails, etc.) we really need a sorta mechanism to keep us focus!

4. so for this entry, i'd like to share some tips to re-prioritize our lives.

5. according to following article, http://blogs.hbr.org/schwartz/2012/01/no-is-the-new-yes-four-practic.html, there're four important steps to have more "intentional" life:

• Schedule in our calendar things that are important, but not really urgent:
• normally, we'd overlook on things that aren't urgent. as a  results, we end up completing those tasks at the very last minute. so, putting those in our calendar would make us more aware!
• Set aside sufficient time to 'reflect' and to 'plan'
• this's normally the most difficult/daunting thing to do. as time is precious, some may argue that reflecting on the past is unnecessary, or to the extend is wasteful. but, it's actually very important for us to re-asses all things that we've done all day long - e.g. what we've been accomplished, what haven't, and why we couldn't finish this and that, etc.
• then, after understanding all problems that hinder us from accomplishing some things, we really need to move onto "tomorrow's plan."  this is very crucial so to ensure that we're not piling our problems day by day. 
• Do VIT (very important thing) first in the morning - 
• typically, we're more productive, and less distracted in the morning. as suggested by the author of this article, we should turn off emails, internet (for those who don't need internet to work), and our cell phone (it's like isolating yourself)
• Take some breaks
• one in the morning, and one in the noon
• for Muslims, we're encouraged to perform solat sunat Dhuha! why? it's time for us to relax, and re-energize our soul! ;)

6. let's re-prioritize, folks! ;)

Developing Productive Rituals

salam folks,

1. happy CNY to all of you - may all of us have a wonderful & prosperous year ahead; fortunately, this year  i didn't see (or hear) any new "fatwa" on fb that prohibits the Muslims from wishing their Chinese counterparts a happy new year! 

2. plus, i've confirmed with some of my Chinese colleagues that CNY has nothing to do with religious ritual - indeed, it's more like a Chinese tradition. and as far as i'm concerned, Islam has never stopped us from celebrating other's tradition..so, i rest my case here! ;)

3. anyway, recently, i've watched a very good talk on "developing productive rituals" posted in HBR Blog Network! the gist of the talk are listed as follows:

How to develop productive rituals:

• Keep specific bedtime (this is to guarantee your body having enough rest)
• Prioritize one key task each day (i usually list down things i wanna accomplish for that particular day before i start doing my work)
• List new ideas (i used to keep all crazy ideas at the back of my head. at the end, i keep forgetting them.so, documenting your new ideas could be the best solution)
• Question when triggered! (a popular Descartes' statement, "Dubito, Ergo Cogito, Ergo Sum"  - I doubt, therefore i think, therefore i am..for me, to question thing is a way to innovation)

4. Anyway, you can watch the full video at the following link http://blogs.hbr.org/video/2012/01/develop-productivity-rituals.html

2012

salam folks,

1. i wish it's not too late for me to wish all of you a happy new year - 2012, according to Chinese Lunar Calendar, is a year of "water dragon."  ;)

2. as for me, a new year is nothing rather than myself getting a year older! unlike previous years, for 2012,  i hadn't set any new year's resolution.

3. but, as some of you may realize, i have changed the title of this blog; from "against all odd" to simply "making things happen!"

4. fyi, this change is not merely a name change so that it would sound more mature or catchy - it's indeed a change in my paradigm of life.

5. if in my previous posts, my focus was merely on the question of "WHY," i hope in my future articles, i'd be able to go a bit deeper by tackling the "HOW" kinda question

6. it has come to my realization that, theory itself is valueless if there's no feasible solution.

7. as my mentor telling me, learning new things is indeed very good. but, the more important part is  how could you translate all your knowledge into actions. and i believe, it's the most trickiest and daunting part ever! ;)

8. and guys, if i had to make a wish for 2012, it'd be simply for me to MAKE THINGS (i like) HAPPEN!

TQ

Poning

eden poning kaplo! too many unpredictable things happened recently. so, nah, dgrlah lagu feberet eden;

p/s: enjoy the song, folks! ;p

Mahasiswa - Pendokong Politik Baru

1.Insiden menurunkan bendera oleh segolongan mahasiswa (saya percaya mereka tidak mewakili keseluruhan mahasiswa) semalam amat menyedihkan.

2. Bagi penulis, ini merupakan tindakan kurang bijak.. Dalam politik, tindakan mereka seakan-akan memberi bola tanggung kepada golongan2 yang menentang pembaharuan. Jangan salahkan rakyat terbanyak sekiranya rakyat melabel mahasiswa sebagai tidak matang! 

3. Ingin penulis tegaskan, penulis sentiasa menyokong segala usaha dalam "memperkasakan golongan muda!" or empowering the young. Justeru, desakan untuk memansuhkan/meminda beberapa klausa dalam AUKU sepatutnya disokong.

4. Tetapi, penulis sedih dengan tindakan yang kurang matang sekumpulan kecil mahasiswa ini. Sepatutnya, merekalah yang menjuarai politik baru, yang berteraskan ilmu and hujah! dan bukannya, terikut-ikut dengan politik emosi! Kalau kita mahu bermain politik emosi, kita tidak perlu golongan "cendiakawan" ini. Kita sudah banyak politikus-politikus yang hanya hebat berhujah menggunakan emosi, dan bukannya ilmu!

5. Penulis tidak mahu berhujah panjang. Penulis lampirkan gambar2 dibawah sebagai renungan bersama;

Guan Eng main "ting-ting"

Pemuda BN bakar gambar CM of Penang

p/s: apa bezanya tindakan mahasiswa semalam dengan tindakan kebudakan-budakan individu-individu diatas?

life is a struggle

whether you like it or not,

life is nothing but a struggle,

a struggle for the better,

a struggle for one's survival,

a struggle so the truth prevails over the false.

whether you realize it or not,

it's a struggle that keeps us alive,

it's a struggle that motivates us to "give" more,

it's a struggle that makes us celebrating every little things in our lives.

struggle is like any other journey,

only that,

it drains our energy,

it requires our commitment,

and, 

it tests our patience

it's a struggle,

that defines who we are,

in the eyes of the people,

and most importantly,

in the eyes of God, the Almighty! 

so folks,

do champion any cause,

that you think it's good for the people,

do choose any ways you prefer,

as long as,

it doesn't cross the boundaries,

as long as,

it makes you closer to God, the Merciful!

"salam perjuangan!"

do spare us (them) sometimes! ;)

salam folks, and may Allah's blessing is upon you! ;)

1. i knew i've been critical on "golongan berpakaian agama" recently; but, folks, let me clarify my stand here so that there'd be no confusion later on: i've no problems with these golongan agama! in fact, i've no rights to stop them from practicing what they believe - yet, my concern is they (with their traditions) could taint the image of Islam, and thus making Islam harder to be practiced for laymen like me! it's not that i'm trying to make Islam easier than what it actually is, but let's get back to the actual teaching of Islams! do i have any proofs to claim that Islam, by rights, is easy?

2. for today's discussion, i won't come up with proofs from the Koran & Sunnah to back-up my arguments. but, let us put our logical hat up! if Islam was too complicated to be understood, don't you think people like Bilal bin Rabah, and other servants could easily believe in Islam? they don't have any degree in Islamic studies, or whatsoever, but how could they understand Islam easily? if it's very hard to explain faith (i.e. very fundamental in Islam), don't you think Bilal bin Rabah could be among the early followers of Islam? 

3. okay enough for that discussion! i'd like to bring another important aspect in Islam, which most of us rarely discuss, that is repentance..based on my experience, many Muslim speakers didn't stress much on Allah's mercy - instead, they'd focus more on the punishment side (e.g. what punishments awaiting you if you disobeyed this and that, etc)

4. so, Islam may be understood as a very rigid religion that has no (or less) mercy on its followers. is that true? absolutely, and totally NO!

5. a great Muslim scholar, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, in his book, "The Invocation of God," describes the followings (i quote);

"The gnostic then journeys towards God on these two wings (i.e awareness of his own faults, and recognition of his Lord's grace).He cannot journey without them, and if he denied one, he would be like a bird that lost a wing"

6. how could a bird fly without a wing, right? definitely, it can't! 

7. according to Ibn Qayyim again, the concept of repentance is what one of the early believers (i.e. salaf) meant when he said, "A person may commit a sin by which he goes to heaven, and a good deed by which he goes to hell. 'How?' someone asked. He replied, 'Having committed the sin, he is ever watchful in fear, regretful, timorous, lamenting, shamed before his Lord, his head in his hands and his hearts rent."

8. but folks, don't get me wrong - it's not i'm encouraging you to make sins ;( 

9. it's that, whether we like it or not, we're humane by nature, which are subject to wrongdoings! 

10. but, let's not forget the Lord's Grace - and don't forget to seek refuge from Allah from Shaitans (i.e. refer Surah Al-Mukminun, verse 97-98)

11. and if u see someone is doing sins, don't insult him/her - in fact, remind him decently, and show him the Lord's grace! and of course, don't be judgmental! ;)

this is for you, babe! ;)

i hope u're gonna have a very broad smile when u see this vid! i heart u! ;)

Islam Tulen!

1. Sejak kecil, saya sering diingatkan bahawa saya begitu bertuah dilahirkan menjadi seorang Muslim. (indeed, this is the best ni'mat from Allah to me)

2. Seingat saya (menerusi pembacaan, and perbincangan bersama rakan-rakan) masyarakat Islam pernah membina sebuah tamadun yang hebat dan disegani - Malah, Islam lah yang berjaya menaikkan martabat bangsa Arab pada zaman kegemilangan Islam.

3. Tetapi haruslah diingatkan, zaman kegemilangan Islam itu kini hanyalah tersimpan rapi dalam lipatan sejarah - Jika dilihat pada situasi semasa, kebanyakkan bangsa yang menjadikan Islam sebagai agama rasmi mereka jauh ketinggalan dalam banyak perkara - negara-negara Arab, contohnya, masih merelakan hasil petroleum mereka dicuri mentah-mentah orang orang Barat; orang Melayu contohnya masih mengungguli carta "masalah sosial" di negara kita.

4. Berdasarkan realiti semasa, tidak hairanlah jika ramai yang bersikap begitu skeptical mengenai Islam - mana mungkin, secara logiknya, agama yang begitu Agung ini menjadikan umatnya terbelakang dalam banyak perkara

5. Islam yang cuba digambarkan dalam masyarakat kita umpamanya lebih berbentuk restricted - golongan yang berpakaian agama ini lebih cenderung untuk mengharamkan sesuatu berbanding berbincang mencari jalan keluar dalam permasalahan umat manusia

6. Tidak hairanlah jika pembelajaran ilmu Islam dalam masyarakat kita (dari dulu hingga kini) hanyalah bersifat hafalan fakta-fakta - soalan-soalan kritikal yang begitu penting dalam memahami sesuatu ilmu lansung tidak digalakkan

7. Persoalan pokok seperti, "mengapa kita harus bersembahyang?" begitu jarang sekali kedengaran. Akibatnya, ramailah yang hanya melalukan sembahyang dalam bentuk fizikal, walhal tujuan asal (roh) sembahyang itu tidak difahami dengan jelas

8. Paling menyedihkan, stereotaip golongan agama adalah mereka yang sentiasa berkupiah, jalan mereka sentiasa tunduk ke bawah, bila bercakap lansung tiada kedengaran suara, tidak update mengenai isu-isu semasa, and etc.

9. Dalam erti kata yang lain, golongan agama ini bolehlah dikategorikan sebagai golongan termundur dalam hierarki kemasyarakatan - walhal, sepatutnya, golongan yang diberi kefahaman agama itulah golongan yang bertuah dan sepatutnya menjadi tunjang dalam memajukan masyarakat sepertimana firman Allah;

"Barangsiapa yang Allah berkehendak padanya kebaikan, nescaya diberikan kepadanya kefahaman dalam agama"                                                                                                  (surah Al-Fath, ayat 8)

10. Maka jika difahami ayat diatas, sudah tentu kedudukan golongan agama ini tinggi disisi masyarakat - realiti sekarang berlaku sebaliknya.

11. Oleh itu, jika kita mahu kembali membina Tamadun Islam yang hebat, kita perlulah kembali kepada ajaran Islam yang sebenar. Islam itu adalah agama yang Agung - jauh sekali menjadikan masyarakat mundur ke belakang.

12. Belajarlah ilmu Islam dari Al-Quran dan Sunnah - ingatlah "ustaz" bukanlah Rasul yang maksum dari melakukan maksiat! 

some updates

salam folks,

1. it has been awhile since my last post - nonetheless, lately, there have been many things happening in my life

2. firstly, my 2nd eldest sis is now married, while my eldest sis is about to deliver her first baby (thus, my first nephew) within this week; i pray to Allah so that she and her-yet-to-be-born baby are in good conditions! ;)

3. my beloved aunt had just returned from Mecca, and i've noticed she's changed a lot since (for the better, for sure)..i pray to Allah so that her Hajj will be accepted

4. last week, UMNO just had her last general assembly before the 13th election; i'm pretty sure this assembly was held specifically to prepare the party members for the election; i hope UMNO, under Najib's administration, would reject all dirty politics in her campaign - to all young party members, you should remind your senior party members that we can no longer stick to old strategies to win people's vote - the political landscape has changed dramatically since 2008

5. Alhamdulillah, yesterday i managed to attend a kuliah at the nearby mosque - the message conveyed by the speaker was simple, but very clear..it reminded me again about our purpose of life; 

6. i've been talked to one of my senior colleagues - again, this conversation have reminded me that i'm not a kid anymore; hence, i should become more responsible not only to myself but people around me..i should, then, utilize my life to the fullest so that i won't be regret when i'm dead! ;)

7. yeah, that's it for now..i wish you guys all the best; remember, whatever path you may have chosen, it's the best for you; whatever problems you may encounter in your life journey, they are actually opportunities for you to grow! folks, go check Surah At-Talaq, verse #3 - it's very meaningful! ;)

Uncertainty vs Opportunity

1. 20-30 years ago, if you had your college degree, you don't have to worry about your future - every good things is guaranteed  for you from job, girls, and etc.

2. now, the landscape has changed - college degree is nothing but merely a ticket to get you into job interviews. with thousands of fresh grads every year, in addition to the extension of retirement age for government servants, it seems impossible for public and private sectors to cater to these huge human supplies.

4. plus, with the uncertainties in global economy, we can't afford not to be worried about our job security - e.g. Lehman Brother, used to be the 4th largest financial institution in USA, collapsed in 2008, RIM announced in July this year to cut-off 2% of its workforce (about 2000 employees), and etc..

5. if you asked me what our future would be, my answer would be as simple as this; "BLEAK!" 

6. i'm not being pessimistic (in fact, i hate to be one),but i can't, all the time, be in a state of denial - keep telling myself that everything would be fine, or the government would take care of my future, and etc..

7. in fact, i've always been told to get my umbrella ready before it's raining - yet, i don't really know what kinda umbrella that i need to get through this coming stormy rain. in fact, i have to make sure that the umbrella that i'm gonna pick would be the sturdiest, and thus would be able to protect me till i die.

8. but, thinking from another perspective, life is nothing but a test! ain't it? your ultimate goal is to get into Jannah (with God's blessing). so, seeing this uncertain future as is a test, there must be a way to get ourselves out from it..don't ask me what is the way, since i, myself, am still searching for it!

9. but, i can simply tell you how to find that way - it's as easy as you decide which foods taste the best for you; you can't decide based on others' recommendation, right?? instead, you have to try it by yourself. it's the same as searching that way  (yet, this one is more tiring and daunting) - you got to allow yourself to be on the wrong track so that you can find the right one..as the late Steve Jobs once said, "keep looking, don't settle!"

10. i still remember how a friend of mine, used to work in Wall St., was very optimistic about the future of real estate business in the State, while majority of other business players were being skeptical.. he used all his assets (knowledge, networking, experience) to convince some angel investors to dumb their money to buy all these properties..as far as i was concerned, at the time he told me, he managed to get half million dollars..

11. i bet once the housing price is picking up again, he can easily retire, and settle down at his own private island, while waiting for easy money to flow into his pockets every month..and. i'm not talking about thousands of dollars of income per month, but more and more than that! and, i'm positive that the time would be coming soon! 

12. i believe the only reason that allow him to be a millionaire (i hope so) is for being positive, while understanding the problems he's facing of! 

13. so, taking from my closed friend advice as we talked about this few weeks ago, we should take advantage of another, yet to come, disaster - from European failed economy! so, at the time being, let's prepare our bullets, so that when the time came, we would prevail! 

14. and last but not least, always BELIEVE in GOD! He asked us to worship HIM for a reason! bear that in mind ;)

biggest mistake

i've realized that my biggest mistake so far is for being impatient - i don't like waiting, and thus, i can't wait to see results of all my efforts. my impatience, tho has led me to some successful events all this while, is the only reason that keep pushing me back! in fact, all the successes that i've enjoyed so far were merely at average level - nothing was really outstanding..

now, i'm so determined to change my attitude towards life..indeed, i should start treating life like a marathon race, not a sprint! better planning would eventually end up with tremendous success! i'm now looking for a very BIG success, and won't be settled for the average one! ;)

No Simple Solution

many think that by changing the present government, all their problems would be easily solved! don't we learn anything from US? are they doing any better now? also, take Egyptians for example - are they doing any better after the so-called "Revolution?" well, while it's okay to topple any oppressive regime or even to change a corrupted system, but we've to understand that the problems we're facing now are way much complicated! for example, don't u think we can make our country free of corruption once a new (i hope better) government take in charge? would the policemen at ground, for example, stop collecting illegal money from foreigners? would they?

if u're using your rational (not emotion), you pretty sure know the answer - the problems are actually rooted from our very own society (regardless of your political ideology)! so, for me, the believe saying that by having a new gov would simply solve our problems is totally nonsense! and i don't understand why there are still many who believe this! folks, please use your brain la! ;) 

p/s: if you can't do anything to improve your own local society, stop criticizing others! 

Early Retirement

3 types of income (which most of us aren't aware):

1. earning income - from our monthly salaries
2. portfolio (active) income - from our investment portfolios (e.g. stock, gold)
3. passive income - normally from real estates investment

we could retire if and only if we manage to keep our 2nd and 3rd incomes stable - it's okay tho to go slowly from the first to the third step..but, the important thing to plan your future..

p/s: learning from my friend Fadzli (PHD candidate in Statistics)

our first step

"regardless of anything we do, our first step is always the hardest one - it's the moment where doubts, uncertainties, and fears come into our hearts, minds, and souls..but, once we manage to overcome all these negativities, the following steps would be much easier!"

Credibility & Losers

Credibility

1. if u're a Harvard graduate, u're entitled a very honor place in ur society..ur words/voices would be heard, regardless how nonsense they're

2. if u're a college dropout, and thus possessing no diploma, people won't listen to u, no matter how smart ur ideas might be

3. but, as Muslim, i mean the practicing one, we believe that all things (e.g. inspiration/ideas) come from Allah, the Almighty.

4. in the Holy Koran, Allah mentions that He has the absolute authority to inspire anyone He pleases

5. thus, discriminating ideas based on one's qualification seem inappropriate and is not in line with the teaching of Islam

6. we should, therefore, analyze an idea solely based on the content/argument provided, and not anything else

Losers

1. Allah mentions many times in the Holy Koran that the unbelievers are the actual losers

2. Allah refers the unbelievers as the one who really don't understand (Christians, etc), and pretending to be one (Jews)

3. so, deductively, we can conclude that those who don't understand/pretending to be one are the actual losers..

4. but, ain't that also happens among the Muslim community? there are still many who really don't want to understand their own religion. in fact, many has taken it for granted..

5, thus, can we also consider them as losers? 

Stress

1. as i'm greatly inspired by watching/reading/talking with great people, they somehow put much pressure on me.. i'm not pretty sure if i can surpass their great achievements or at least be on the same level as they are..

2. but, this won't demotivate me for i believe stress/pressure sometime can be turned into our good asset

3. yes, as many people say, life without problems (read as pressure) would be meaningless

4. but, not knowing on how to handle stress properly would eventually cause casualty/disaster

5. so, here is one great article on managing stress (i've posted this on my fb page) - http://blogs.hbr.org/hmu/2011/06/turning-stress-into-an-asset.html

6. i know, some people prefer to use common sense

7. yet, most likely, our common sense would be nonsense during our bad times

Lie

1. as a saying goes, "honesty is always the best policy." while it is very true, for me, to keep our society moving, we really need certain amount of "lie"

2. just imagine how uncomfortable (or chaotic) our society would be if all the compliments we paid to our superiors, lovers, and etc were exposed as lies? won't it be bad?

3. but, too much lies would only cause destruction to our society. thus, scientists are working hard to improve current lie detectors.

4. according to Daniel Labgleben, whenever someone telling lies, his/her brain activity in several areas would  increase significantly - e.g. frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and limbic system.

5. this unusual increase of brain activity can be detected through brain scan (e.g MRI). this technology is claimed to be more efficient since altering brain pattern is beyond man's capability. in other words, "our brain pattern won't lie"

6. yet, many critics believed that MRI doesn't detect lie, but only the increased of brain activity, which can be due to many reasons.

7. in conclusion, MRI fails because of the following reason:
   7.1 as telling lies would increase our brain activity is true, but to say that the increased of brain activity is  
         solely because of someone telling lies is indeed not true.

8. but, i believe the ideal solution for this problem is to make the impossible "telepathy" possible.

9. brain, in principle, is a transmitter (receiver), in which thoughts are broadcast (received) in electrical signals.

10. so, to intercept one's thought can be easily done by capturing and interpreting the signal.

11. however, the problems with this signal are as follows:
     11.1 the signal is too weak
     11.2 the signal is too gibberish, and thus cannot be separated from background noise
     11.3 our brains cannot "interpret" or decode the information from the signal received

 12. but, these problems aren't insolvable. my simple thought would suggest the followings:
     12.1 we can amplify the signal to make it louder
     12.2 then, we can filter the signal. i bet the signal from our brain activities would be slightly different from  
             the background noise (e.g. frequency)
     12.3 then, the signal should be modulated before being broadcast. then, as we know the modulation type,
             the demodulation task would be much easier

13. and of course, it's easier said than done. and i'm pretty sure that my suggestions are premature..but, in science, no problem is insolvable..thus, i believe, it's just a matter of time before this telepathy is made possible..by that time, telling lies would be the hardest thing to do..