Thursday, December 29, 2005

Beyond is Greece

I'm taking this short opportunity to update my blog from a faraway land from Malaysia for the time being as I am now in Kusadasi in the town of Aydin, a city near Ephesus (in here they called it Efes) and by the sea of Aegen that separates Turkey and Greece (a short, quick research on Ephesus will be a valuable information). It is windy but not as bad as the past few days when I was in Bolu, Ankara, and Cappadocia when the temperature was - 5 degrees Celcius, and I am now having the difficulties to type the keyboard in a mini restaurant that provides an Internet service as I just discovered that there are certain words (obviously I can't point out which letters by using this Turkish keyboard, wait until I go back to Malaysia) do not exist in the normal English alphabetical letters. So far, my journey in Turkey has reached about 1300 km since my short 10 minutes stay in Istanbul on my first day and we will spend more time again in Istanbul (there is 1 more main city as we are heading towards north west from west of Turkey tomorrow) during our last few days later. I have been writing down notes on my valuable experience touring few major cities in Turkey and I will write in the blog soon.

It is 9.30 pm now, and I have to go back to my hotel now which takes about 2 minutes walk from this Turk restaurant that attracts most Deuscthland tourists based on my observation at the moment. And it is dark outside in this foreign country with its nufus or population is 97% are Muslims.

A new word that I learned : Gule Gule = Goodbye

ps: and my beloved brother is waiting for me right now..Hehe..Pity him.

Saturday, December 24, 2005

Saturday
I am going to KLCC today to buy a winter jacket or coat perhaps, while my parents have gone back to Malacca to pay a visit to my uncle's house as we cannot make it for his recital ceremony tomorrow upon his leaving to Mecca for Hajj. Oh yes, I have to collect my mother's laundry on my way to KLCC today, I must not forget that.

I hope it is going to be another good Saturday =)

Thursday, December 22, 2005

FREUD
To those who appreciate the reading on philosophy, I would like to recommend a book entitled 'Sophie's World' by Jostein Gaarder. Check it out.

Oh yes, I have a question and answer relating to philosophy. I experienced a lull moment, interpreting this:

Question: HOW MANY FREUDIAN ANALYSTS DOES IT TAKE TO CHANGE A LIGHT BULB?

Answer: TWO, ONE TO CHANGE THE LIGHT BULB, AND ONE TO HOLD THE VAGINA. I MEAN, LADDER.

=P
Baroque?
My interest in music is justified by how meaningful a song is, which I believe a meaningful song portrays the true artistic of a music connoisseur, as I found in the song Foolish Games by Jewel. Interpret it yourself:

Excerpts: These foolish games are tearing me apart,And your thoughtless words are breaking my heart.You're breaking my heart.You're always brilliant in the morning,Smoking your cigarettes and talking over coffee.Your philosophies on art, Baroque moved you.You loved Mozart and you'd speak of your loved onesAs I clumsily strummed my guitar.You'd teach me of honest things,Things that were daring, things that were clean.Things that knew what an honest dollar did mean.I hid my soiled hands behind my back.Somewhere along the line, I must've gone Off track with you.

Mmmm, a research on Baroque might be interesting. I have to start googling. Hehe

Minutes after researching, I found this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque

=)
Je vais a l'istanbul le dimanche
I felt so tired the whole day. I had my French class with Madame Wenny Kermovant in Bangsar at 1pm and we learned about chez le boucher, le boucher, un roti de veau, la boulangerie, la charcuterie, l'epicerie, et le bureau de tabac! Hmmm. During the lesson, we had few interlude chats and she told me about her 'obstacles' in buying the cinema tickets for King Kong, in which she had to queue for about 30 minutes last week but it was a disappointment as she had been told by the ticketing person that the ticket could only be bought in advance a day before the show. Next, she went to the GSC Mid Valley yesterday at 9 am and there was already a long queue, waited for another 30 minutes and finally got the tickets for 3 (she, her son, and her son's friend).

She also told me about her desire to go back to France in the next summer and spend about 2 weeks there, somewhere in the north of France but definitely not more than fortnight. Why? She would be dying in boredom to stay more than fortnight, as she said. Oh yes, I learned a new pronounciation today: PARIS ( pronounce as PA RI) Hmmm.

Then, we talked about the bitterness of winter in Europe, how cold is cold during the winter as one has to wear thick clothes to warm the body plus gloves, caps, scarves, and other weird gear that do not exist in Malaysia's diary of clothing. We discussed about the pros and cons in using heater and the old-style chimney, which in my point of view I prefer the latter because not only it is a more effective way to heat up the house but it also can be part of the decoration in the house, which gives an attractive view resembling luxurious, old English aristocrat's mood in the living room. All of a sudden, I recalled a poem that I used to study before 'The Chimney's Sweeper' by William Blake which portrays how the English people in the old days (the Dark Age as I defined it) make used of the homeless children to clean up their chimneys without any payment be made and as a result, there was a special act and legislation proposed by some 'enlightening' English people in fighting against the discrimination on the children (William Blake was one of them, I think so). Then, Wenny gave me a nod, yes she agreed that to clean up the chimney is a total mess, lots of dust and it takes a long time resulting her refusal to do the work if she had to.

Mmm, I have to do my revision soon. My flight to Istanbul is in 3 days time, and sooner or later I have to fill my luggage with thick clothes lest the cold in Turkey at this point of time, worsened by the Bosphorus' breeze. Oh gosh.

Bonne nuit. A plustard.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

FOOTBALL
My passion in football continues as the next World Cup is scheduled to be held in Germany with first match between the host nation and Costa Rica. The ballot has been drawn and the matches have been scheduled as Heidi Klum became the host during the prestigious ceremony witnessed by distinguished football players, coaches, press, and others alike. The dream for yet again the crown of English Premier League 2005/06 is on the right direction with the hard work shown by the Blues' players in the last match against Arsenic Arsenal (as I called it hehe) which claimed an undeniable victory of 2 nil. The ego shown by Arsene Wenger as he straightaway walked into the tunnel without shaking the hands of our great Jose Mourinho after the show was a reflection of his refusal to admit Chelsea's great football displays at the moment. Football is not just a game, for some players like Ronaldinho and Pele it is a medium to satisfy themselves and to express their hopes for their beloved country, Brazil amidst the economic and political turmoil that have shrouded the country over the years. Even for some other people, football brings unity in a country like Togo and Angola despite the big problem of income distribution in which the poor is the poorest and the rich is the richest. Yes, in every game a win is the objective but one must not forget that it is not the ultimate objective. A lose with a good style of game, spirit, and unity among different nationalities of players is the perfect definition of win in my diary of football.

As Richard Clayderman's masterpiece entertains me tonight, I would like all of us to ponder on the quote by Pele, "Enthusiasm is everything. It must be taut and vibrating like a guitar string".

Congratulations to Frank Lampard, Ronaldinho, and Samuel E'too as they were the finalists for the FIFA's World Player Gala 2005 with 'The Gaucho' became the winner followed by 'The Lamp' and 'The Panther'.
Hybrid
In conjunction with the 11th Asean Summit that was held in Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from 12 to 14th December 2005, a business exhibition called the 'East Asia Business Exhibition 2005' took place from 10 to 14th December 2005 at the same venue. With the aim to boost business integration between Malaysia and her respective Asia countries like China, Japan, New Zealand, and others alike, the slogan 'Forging East Asian Business Synergies' is none other the best verbal message to deliver the similar intention. It was also a platform in venturing new knowledge on new business that takes place in the respective countries, such as my new knowledge on hybrid technology created by Toyota in its automobile industry. Hybrid technology basically applies the use of gasoline plus electric in the car, which ensures the smooth transmission when the car starts, accelerates, and decelerates. From the showcase of Toyota from Japan, I learned that a "strong hybrid" system like Hybrid Synergy Drive can use its gasoline engine and electric motor in any combination and even run on just its stored electricity. Toyota Motor Corporation has also created other kinds of hybrids to help lighten the environmental load every way they can.

In addition, I also learned that Beryl's and Lewre are our homegrown brands!

I went back at around 2 pm, exhausted as the day passed by but the satisfaction in gaining new knowledge about the vast kinds of our homegrown industries and the useful sources for my Malaysian Society and Economy's project paper outweighed the tiredness of all.

Saturday, December 17, 2005

Semester 1
The last few hectic days in completing my project papers explained my short hiatus in this blog. Nevertheless, sem 1 missions have been accomplished. I can continue to write articles again.Hooray!!!

Saturday, December 10, 2005

HSBC
Emir, Husni, and I entered a young entrepreneurship award 2005/06 organised by HSBC which involves participants from Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Philippines and on 7th December 2005, we qualified for Round 2 in which if we manage to impress the organiser on our business plan and idea and its sustainability in the market, we will proceed to Round 3 that will be held in Hong Kong. As representatives from University of Nottingham M'sia Campus we would be more than happy to welcome any ideas or suggestions regarding this regional competition. In Malaysia, there are only 23 teams (compared to 40 or more teams from Hong Kong) managed to go through Round 1 and being Malaysians we will continue to market our proposal with hope it brings the benefits to the society in the future. For more details, log on to www.asiayea.com. As Semester 1 comes to an end, we pray for our success on and off the education field. Amen.

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy"

Monday, December 05, 2005

Kyoto Protocol
I've read an article in News Straits Times today on Copenhagen Consensus 2004, in which the plan to combat HIV/AIDS be at the top of the world's priority list (as recommended from the Copenhagen Consensus 2004 expert panel of world-leading economists.) They forecasted about 28 million cases could be prevented by 2010 with the estimated cost of $27 billion with benefits almost forty times as high, a very favourable indication of a plan indicated by the cost-benefit analysis. Besides, the experts have used their knowledge and insight in a very positive and constructive way to prioritize a list of solutions to the world's great challenges. However, the debate on important global warming vis-a-vis Kyoto Protocol (a policy in dealing with climate change by reducing emissions of carbon which expires in 2012) will continue as ten thousand representatives from 189 countries will meet in Montreal in the week of December this year at COP11, which is the 11th meeting of the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties.

Regardless how complicated it is to achieve an agreement from different understandings from different countries on global warming issues under Kyoto Protocol, the end result lies upon the basic awareness of the importance to love the world and its environment, as this is the only soil, the only place for us to live until our last breath. Come on world leaders, politicians, and citizens of all countries, portray to the world the simple sensibility of COMMON SENSE.

The Bushes and some senseless Americans, do open your eyes and your mind! Your opposition against the protocol fails to enlighten any relevant reasons for the benefit of the world.
Emilia
Time: 2.39 am, Monday

I’m in my room in the university, it’s raining cats and dogs and I could hardly sleep as I find this is a peaceful moment for meditation, with the song of Emilia by KRU adds to the ambience. I was standing by the window few seconds ago, my eyes were searching wildly for the most perfect spot in the starless sky, but to no avail as the dark clouds covered the shy, yellow moon. My room now is silhouetted only by the orange light from the table lamp which I brought from home, while the sound of the spinning fan indicates how solitary and quiet my room is tonight. Out of the blue, I could see the flashing light of a thunder followed by yet another screaming from the sky above. From my room, I could see a stretching road across, the newly tar covered en route to Broga with the unlit streetlight along it. It has been nearly a month since I studied here but I’m still wondering when will the street lights lit the darkness along the road, only being lit by the cars passing by in a ratio of 1 in 15 minutes, based on my zero intention observation when I draw the curtains at the window every single day. My train of thoughts is telling me right now; this is a problem of a public good; in this real case application it is the street lights. Now I know how the characteristics of a public good which are non excludability and non rivalry in consumption leads to the ongoing problem of free rider and as a result, the dilemma of waiting for someone who is aware of the responsibility to allocate the electricity for the street lights for the benefit of the society. Who is responsible? The developer of this area, the state government of Selangor, or the administration of University of Nottingham M’sia Campus? In life, people used to say it is best to ‘give and take’ but at times in life there are things that need to be ‘given’ even though there is nothing to be ‘taken’ for our own benefit, but for the benefit of the society. Besides, the theory of profit maximisation when marginal cost of producing something equals to marginal revenue from producing it only relevant to certain industries but definitely it is irrelevant in this case. What is the most important thing is our contribution to the society, in terms of the safety of the motorists who use this unlit road as their sole canal to the city as well as to prevent crime from happening on this road by those who close their mind and eyes in order to distinguish simple choices; what is good and what is bad.

Let us be a starter, don’t wait for the sun to rise nor for the day to come.

As my bed beckons me, I bid goodnight with the hope for some ray of lights to light the darkness as tomorrow night comes.

Friday, December 02, 2005

Bureaucracy
As a university student, it has come to my intention to share this experience with the rest, the dilemma of bureaucracy in an organisation based on my experience that is happening in any place in this temporary world.
Dear friends, below are the irresponsible attitudes of some people who abuse the power that they have for their own self benefit that has been puzzling me since day one in this university:
1. How could this 'someone' who is a member of the tournament's organising committee be a referee during his own team's match? A university student should be sensible enough to understand the definition of 'fairness' in any aspect of life.
2. How could this 'someone' who claims to be the manager of this particular team but his name was not in the team's list and this 'someone' even played for the match and at the same time been the referee for other matches?

However, as the English saying goes 'Life is not a bed of roses'. I learned a lot from this, eventhough it is a small issue but I hope this kind of attitude will not happen again in the future in any tournament or organisation in my beloved country, Malaysia. If this attitude goes on, our sports status will stay the same and to lift it on par with Japan or Korea would just remain an unreachable imagination that will only remain a dream.

Forget about the slogan 'Play fair, enjoy the game, and may football unite us all' and start reminding ourselves of 'Being fair yields a fair game, there goes the unity in sport that we have been dreaming of'

As Frederick Bailes once said ,'Man’s power of choice enables him to think like an angel or a devil, a king or a slave. Whatever he chooses, mind will create and manifest'

Goodluck to the teams who are going to the semis.