*nama haiwan yang slalu dicarutkan :)

-The Chukai Insider

Currently living in a 3-room basement apartment at Nichol Avenue. Kinda ancient and lame but yeah, I am kinda oldie, at peace with it anyway. With my room dengan takde lampu syillingnyee, alahaai......katil and tilam baru je sampai, tak sampai hati pulak nk toss my borrowed sleeping bag away. Haha...Cut it !

Juicy details about this place would fly out soon. Hopefully. -_-''

Anyway, was on my way out for berbuka puasa with the Bayard Girls, then came out this ah-how-obvious-could-it-be typical american with his kononnya-ganas voice saying

"hey you, next time dont park here, this is my spot !"

to taufik, who was trying to gostan the car, and we was like

"YOUR SPOT ??" *dalam hati jela

the parking space is at the back of the house, really is a huge space and tenants are free to park just anywhere, boleh pulak kau nk main cop cop tempat parking. oink oink la u nie, tahu ?

tunggu la kau.....siap doorbell kau aku kerjakan nnt.

Till then folks. Selamat Berbuka. Soh beng duk gelenya ngat bulang pose nieh.

*oh rindunya hati ai kt rambut mummy ai yg mcm artis tu

MyConstitution

Do you know your rights as Malaysian citizen? How well do 

you know The Constitution? It covers almost every aspect of 

Malaysian life, from the simple right to freedom of 

movement to the right to elected government.

MyConstitution is a first-of-its-kind national campaign to 

educate the Malaysian public and create greater awareness 

about the Constitution.

Check it out for yourself!

-The Chukai Insider

MTV launched a music portal exclusively for Malaysia!

Watch over 30,000 music videos: International, Mandarin, Malay and Korean artists...Create your own playlists and share it with friends! Win a HP Mini and X-Mini speakers weekly by taking part in the contest, too. MTV rocks Malaysia... check it out!

-The Chukai Insider

Common Malayan characteristic — Tunku Abdul Rahman

AUG 30, 1957 — I am very glad that an Historical Exhibition has been included in our Merdeka programme and, as you have said, I am keenly interested in the work which the Malayan Historical Society is doing in introducing to the Malayan public glimpses of the past which many of them had no chance of learning when they were at school.

Malaya has a very long history, but unfortunately very few records and monuments have been preserved with the result that they have not sufficiently aroused the interest and curiosity of the present generation. The Tableaux of historic events in the various divisions as well as the collections of uniforms, photographs and weapons are most valuable, and I hope some of them at least could be sent to other parts of the Federation for exhibition.

Malaya has been the centre of attraction to many visiting races in the last fifteen hundred years. This has resulted in the plurality of community in this country. I am glad indeed that the organisers of this exhibition have laid emphasis on the friendly association which has prevailed between our main communities for so many centuries.

I refer to the tableaux of the visit of Admiral Cheng Ho to Malacca in 1406, to the early meeting of the Malay Chief and the Capitan China and Captain Francis Light at Penang, and the concept fellows-at-arms of all Malayans in the security forces.

I have time and again mentioned that in the course of the long association of the various races with this country they have all cultivated a common Malayan characteristic and outlook. All it needs in order to create unity among the Malayan people is to develop this common trait. Everything that can be done will be done towards this end.

This kris of Malaya is known throughout the world but few people know its significance. To a Malay it is said that a house without a kris is like a house without a soul. In this exhibition you see all kinds of weapons. They represent the spirit of the Malay people of old but after foreign domination this spirit has vanished; I only hope it will be revived with independence.

With independence let all people who consider Malaya their home cultivate the spirit of goodwill, peace and happiness towards one another. Let all the krises and weapons displayed here be articles of adornment for we stand for peace and goodwill and we will work towards that end.

The amount of planning and research put into this exhibition must have taken a lot of time and the effort put into the task must indeed be enormous. Therefore I would like to congratulate the organisers for the very hard work they have put into this exhibition and I hope that all who have come here to attend the Merdeka Celebrations will take full advantage to visit this Exhibition.

I now have much pleasure in declaring it open. — National Archives

* Speech by the then Chief Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, at the opening of the Merdeka Historical Exhibition on August 30, 1957.

Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka!!! — Gayatri Unsworth

AUG 30 — We celebrate Merdeka tomorrow. And what do we have to show for it? Racist educators, intolerant politicians, bigoted pressure groups, xenophobic newspapers, crimes of vandalism against places of worship and  other weird and not-so-wonderful things that can only happen in this nation. What a meaningful way to usher in Malaysia’s 53rd birthday!

If only our Bapa Malaysia, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, were alive to see the state of things today. To witness how the fruits of his labour have been utilised, and to observe how the unified Malaysia he dreamt of, still remain for the most part, a dream. To watch how we’ve spent the better part of the last half-century diligently dismantling piece by piece, the Malaysian unification he strived to hard to establish. To view the rapid extinction of the tolerant, empowered Malaysian, only to be replaced by one so blinded by prejudice that he is incapable of rational discourse towards his fellow countrymen. To hear words such as ‘pendatang’ and ‘penumpang’, to see protestors stamping on cow heads, to taste tear-gas and to smell the acrid odour of corruption, discrimination, oppression, and deception permeating Malaysian air.

I cannot help but wonder, what would the great man himself think? Have we truly done justice to Tunku’s inspirational and rousing declaration of “Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka”?

The British colonialists may be long gone but in their place appears to have sprouted various factions that have adopted the same divide and conquer strategy synonymous with the former. Groups that play on the insecurities of various Malaysian ethnicities for political mileage and popularity, without much consideration for the turmoil and carnage they willingly invite in doing so.

My beloved country appears to have been hijacked by certain quarters determined to see it crumble under the pressure of division and discord; the sensible, level-headed say of the average Malaysian repeatedly silenced by the violent rumble of dissonance. Yet, the voice of reason must prevail or we risk sacrificing everything we have achieved to a bunch of foolish thugs who dominate by flexing their insular, parochial muscles.  If we truly love this blessed, extraordinary nation of ours, we must save it from being seized by brutes who shamelessly capitalise on primal instincts and insecurities.

Our forefathers, from a diverse range of race and religion, worked together as one tirelessly for us to enjoy the level of peace and harmony we have today. Yet, I fear that this concord which so many of us take for granted, is slowly being battered and eroded right in front of our very eyes.

We have allowed for far too long, those with detrimental, destructive agendas, to dictate how we live our lives; to instruct us how to detest and mistrust our fellow Malaysians by virtue of differing physical attributes, cultures and religious beliefs; to try and inculcate in us unfounded stereotypes and misconceptions; to attempt to instil in us a superiority complex that has neither place nor reason in tolerant, multi-cultural, democratic society.

We must stand up now and say No loud and clear, for nobody has the right to decide for you or me, the type of Malaysian we ought to be.

If we truly love this country, then we cannot allow for it to be reduced to a nation characterised by racist rhetoric and extremist diatribe. We cannot idly sit by and watch everything which our founding fathers struggled so hard to construct, washed away by caustic words and corrosive actions. We must disregard and delegitimise such abysmal deeds by uniting as a community, as a country, as a people. We must match unreasonable, excessive tirades, with eloquence, patience and composure, accepting that we know better. We are obliged to contest displays of unfounded ire with our own standards of rational conduct.

I love Malaysia for I am a daughter of this soil. This is my one and only home. My ancestors may have come from a different place but this is the country I proudly call my native land. I live in Malaysia because there is nowhere else I’d rather be despite having the opportunity to do so. Because I was born here and because till this day, when I hear the Negaraku my heart swells with pride and patriotism. And mostly because no matter what anyone may say, do, or think, I know that nothing can change the fact that I am Malaysian.

And so I call upon my fellow Malaysians to once and for all join hands and strive towards a truly genuine and united 1 Malaysia. Let us sincerely declare and demonstrate that we are wholly united and committed towards jointly making this nation of ours the best that it can be.

In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools” and in memory of the great Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, who nurtured Malaysia into existence, let us once again remember and relive the true spirit of “Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka.”

Happy 53rd Independence Day to all. 

* Gayatri Unsworth is a 29-year-old writer, corporate trainer and academic who thinks it’s about time she voiced her opinions eloquently rather than just rant about them in her Facebook status column. She can be reached at gayatri.unsworth@gmail.com

Satu Sekolah: Pemangkin Perpaduan Nasional - Amin Iskandar (Read this!)

Pada tanggal 31 Ogos 1957, Malaya ataupun sekarang ini dikenali sebagai Semenanjung Malaysia bebas dari cengkaman penjajahan British.

Sewaktu memproklamasikan kemerdekaan Malaya, perdana menteri pertama, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj berkata,

“Malaya akan selama-lamanya menjadi sebuah negara merdeka dan berdaulat yang diasaskan dengan prinsip kebebasan dan keadilan serta menjaga kebajikan dan kebahagiaan rakyatnya dan mengekalkan keharmonian di kalangan semua rakyat.”

(“Malaya shall be forever a sovereign democratic and independent State founded upon the principles of liberty and justice and ever seeking the welfare and happiness of its people and the maintenance of a just peace among all nations.”)

Tanggal 31 Ogos tahun ini, genaplah 53 tahun deklarasi tersebut diungkapkan. Akan tetapi, Malaysia — ditubuhkan selepas Singapura, Sabah dan Sarawak menyertai Malaya pada 16 September 1963, sudah jauh tersasar dari apa yang diungkapkan oleh Bapa Kemerdekaan satu ketika dahulu.

Saya tidak mahu menyentuh isu-isu kebebasan dan keadilan dalam tulisan kali ini kerana isu-isu tersebut telah banyak diungkapkan dalam penulisan-penulisan sebelum ini.

Hubungan diantara etnik di Malaysia

Yang membimbangkan saya dewasa ini adalah masa depan hubungan diantara masyarakat pelbagai kaum di Malaysia. Ini adalah permasalahan yang terus-menerus diperdebatkan kerana ianya tidak pernah dapat diselesaikan.

Diantara faktor yang menyebabkan masalah ini tidak dapat diselesaikan adalah kerana ramai yang mengambil jalan mudah apabila berbicara mengenai polarisasi antara kaum di Malaysia.

Menyalahkan Umno seratus-peratus kerana wujudnya masalah hubungan antara kaum adalah hujah yang dangkal dan sama tarafnya dengan propaganda parti tersebut (baca: Umno) kepada orang-orang Melayu yang mengatakan — kaum Cina berniat untuk menjadikan Malaysia seperti Singapura.

Umno tidak akan dapat bertahan pada hari ini jika tidak disokong oleh MCA, MIC dan parti-parti komponen BN yang lain. Parti-parti etnik ini semua memainkan peranan untuk mendapatkan sokongan daripada etnik masing-masing.

Saya timbulkan persoalan ini kerana melihat kecenderungan penentang-penentang Umno yang menggunakan hujah-hujah yang rendah taraf ilmiahnya.

Penulisan daripada golongan-golongan ini didorong oleh kebencian mereka kepada Umno sehingga merasakan semua orang-orang Melayu itu adalah ahli Umno.

Hujah-hujah yang digunakan oleh golongan ini sebenarnya tidak mempunyai banyak beza dengan hujah-hujah yang sering digunakan oleh Perkasa.

Jika Perkasa mengatakan semua masalah di negara ini disebabkan oleh kaum Cina, penulis-penulis “dangkal” ini pula akan menyalahkan kaum Melayu dalam semua perkara.

Fenomena ini boleh diibaratkan seperti melawan kebodohan dengan kebodohan. Akhirnya yang rugi adalah rakyat kerana pergi kemana-mana pun, mereka akan bertemu dengan kebodohan.

Jika anda tidak percaya dengan apa yang saya katakan, cuba luangkan sedikit masa untuk melayari laman-laman web independen atau pro PR, anda akan pasti bertemu dengan tulisan-tulisan yang sama taraf dengan “Perkasa” yang mereka benci dan hina.

Satu sekolah untuk semua

Pemikiran ala “Perkasa” sebenarnya telah lama tertanam dalam pemikiran rakyat Malaysia pelbagai kaum. Ini menyebabkan Malaysia telah lama mempunyai pemikiran “Perkasa” dikalangan orang-orang Melayu, Cina, India dan lain-lain.

Semua ini timbul oleh kerana masyarakat Malaysia pelbagai kaum masih belum mengenali diantara satu sama lain. Didalam buku bertajuk Ethnic Relation in Malaysia: Harmony and Conflict oleh Dr. Syed Husin Ali, beliau mencadangkan agar sistem pendidikan negara harus dirombak semula supaya ianya menjadi faktor penyatu kepada rakyat Malaysia.

Sekolah-sekolah yang eksklusif kepada sesuatu kaum sahaja tidak seharusnya digalakkan oleh kerajaan kerana ianya hanya akan menyebabkan rakyat pelbagai kaum di Malaysia terpisah-pisah.

Saya amat bersetuju dengan cadangan daripada Dr. Syed Husin Ali ini. Sistem satu sekolah boleh memberikan harapan kepada kita untuk menyelesaikan polarisasi diantara kaum di Malaysia.

Anak-anak di Malaysia telah dipisah-pisahkan mengikut kaum semenjak dari bangku sekolah. Jadi tidak hairanlah mengapa kecurigaan timbul diantara satu sama lain.

Kita tidak boleh mengharapkan anak-anak kita terus mengenali rakan-rakan mereka dari latarbelakang kaum dan agama yang berbeza apabila mereka berada di peringkat pengajian tinggi atau di tempat kerja.

Jika semua pihak tanpa mengira perbezaan ideologi politik benar-benar mahu menjayakan agenda perpaduan nasional, kesombongan dan keegoan haruslah ditolak ketepi.

Agenda menubuhkan satu sekolah untuk semua rakyat adalah idea yang realistic untuk merapatkan hubungan diantara kaum di Malaysia.

Janganlah hanya kerana politik, idea yang dicadangkan oleh parti A ditolak mentah-mentah oleh parti B semata-mata kerana idea itu datang dari parti A. Ini politik yang tidak matang dan tidak membantu perkembangan negara untuk menjadi lebih baik.

Sekolah kebangsaan yang dirombak semula sistem dan sukatan pelajarannya agar mencapai tahap sekolah-sekolah jenis kebangsaan yang lebih baik. Dengan ini ia akan menarik minat ibubapa untuk menghantar anak-anak mereka ke sekolah kebangsaan.

Menubuhkan satu sekolah untuk rakyat Malaysia berbilang kaum tidak bermaksud menghapuskan kebudayaan dan bahasa etnik-etnik lain.

Bahasa-bahasa seperti Mandarin, Tamil, Iban, Kadazan dan banyak lagi boleh dimasukkan sekali dalam sukatan matapelajaran disekolah kebangsaan. Dengan ini, rakyat Malaysia akan menjadi berkualiti oleh kerana menguasai pelbagai bahasa.

Jika ada ibubapa yang masih takut sekolah kebangsaan akan menyebabkan kepupusan adat dan budaya mereka, sekolah-sekolah jenis kebangsaan boleh diteruskan. Akan tetapi, ianya perlu diadakan pada waktu pagi atau petang sebelum atau selepas waktu persekolahan sepertimana yang dilakukan oleh sekolah agama rakyat.

Sekolah kebangsaan adalah tempat untuk anak-anak berkenalan diantara satu sama lain dan belajar untuk memahami budaya dan sensitiviti teman-teman mereka dari latarbelakang yang berbeza.

Ini akan membantu merealisasikan impian bagi mewujudkan rakyat Malaysia yang bersatu-padu tanpa mengira latarbelakang kaum dan agama. Persoalannya, apakah kita berjiwa besar untuk melakukannya? Apa lagi alas an untuk menentang sistem satu sekolah? Chauvinis?

*Credit to Amin Iskandar for writing this brilliant article. 

Hudud Law in Malaysia - Ainul (Original Title: bleep)

i think that hudud law should be implemented in Malaysia.

and understandably,non muslims wouldn't agree with it. it sounds too harsh to chop people's hands off for stealing, i get it. it's been talked about since ever. Islamic law is too harsh for human beings and all that crap. 

but as a muslim,naturally I agree with it cause that's what's written in the Quran. 

Any muslim leader who doesn't support it clearly doesn't have the true meaning of being a Muslim driven through his thick head yet. or he could just simply open the Quran sometimes. 

or look into a mirror. 

but like i said, i get it that non muslims in Malaysia disagree. heck, i wouldn't agree if i were them. it wouldn't be fair to them. but i did feel really pissed when i read about what the DAP/PKR (i dunno,which party are they in anyway?) said about how they would really really really hate it if hudud law is implemented here. it makes Islam sound unfair. which it isn't. and i get why the PAS leaders want this law carried out so badly. cause they know this:

Sahih International

And they will say, "Our Lord, indeed we obeyed our masters and our dignitaries, and they led us astray from the [right] way.

Sahih International

Our Lord, give them double the punishment and curse them with a great curse."

(Surah al-Ahzab, ayat 67,68)

i don't know about the law in Malaysia all that much. i don't know,is hudud EVER implemented anywhere here at all? but i think it should be to muslims at least. we deserve it. 

see, in Islam, the hudud and qisas laws are necessary so that the muslims punished won't have to go through harsher punishments from Allah for those sins in the afterlife. so it's actually a safety net for us. to deny muslims these rights is a crime to humanity.

laugh if you will,that's what we believe in. or what Muslims should believe in at least. that's why i have my doubts on Muslim leaders who don't agree with hudud and qisas.

-http://verticalcarousel.blogspot.com/

Hospital Kemaman

I did my summer internship at this hospital last month.

I did ponteng a few times but I had a good enough excuse which i shall not disclose here.

It's not half bad actually.

I hung out mostly in ward number 3 with a really sarcastic doctor whose name I shall not disclose here. An orang luar i'd imagine so he doesn't speak 'terengganu' and he has no idea what Tioxide and Lot 144 is (tsk tsk).But you can tell he's a really respected doctor. And unlike the other doctors he actually acknowledged my existence and bullied me around. Which is good at times. 

He even asked me how many lungs the human body has. It was all good natured ribbing.

I did learn quite a lot. 

The hospital is really calm cause most special cases don't get admitted there, it's always been that way. Not enough equipment I guess,cause I believe the expertise is there.

Anyways,I now know how to differentiate a vein from an artery using an ultrasound machine.

I know where you're supposed to put the little knob things on the patient when doing an ECG.

I know how to wash your hands properly using the 7 steps and I know that when you're opening stitches, you have to cut the 'thread' from the sides so it wouldn't hurt the patient much when you pull it out. Not that I got to do any of that. It's all the government policy. I get it. I wouldn't want first year medical students to touch me if I was the patient either. 

And I learned about the administrative structure of the hospital, basic stuff like that. 

The hospital is only now just starting to accept housemen so the staff are all really excited about it. 

They're all really nice to the housemen,none of all the nightmarish 'bekeng' nurses and matron stories. and the doctor recommended me to do my housemanship at Hosiptal Kemaman cause he said teaching hospitals are usually overcrowded so they don't allow housemen to do anything. Like,in a team, there's usually two specialists,two medical officers,two residents and a few house officers. So of course, the residents and medical officers will only let the housemen observe most of the cases. But in Hospital Kemaman, there's one specialist,one MO and two housemen in a team. So you can imagine the difference. 

Hospital Kemaman is supposed to get a new building soon I was told. A bigger one with more sub-specialties and departments. Right now, there's only one ward for male patients. that means all the cases for males are in that ward. No different ward for orthopedics or infectious diseases. But it's all good. 

At least I got to see all the cases in one ward.

It was a good experience. But I just wish I didn't have to go through it again all by myself next year.

-The Chukai Insider

Don't Be Sad

Don't be sad :

1. Contemplate and be thankful
2. The past is gone forever
3. Today is all that you have
4. Repel boredom with work
5. Your recompense is with Allah
6. Verily, with hardship, there is relief
7. Accept life as it is
8. Everything occurs according to pre-ordainment
9. Wait patiently for a happy outcome
10. Whether you have a little or a lot, learn to be thankful

::Extracted from Don't Be Sad (La Tahzan)- 'Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni

-The Chukai Insider

The Chukai Insider Guest Bloggers

Yesterday, when I was feeling so down (again), a very stupid idea came to my mind; inviting my friends to write on my blog. I distracted myself from the sadness and began emailing them on Facebook. To my surprise, Liyana Lee replied to me straight away and agreed to become my guest blogger. One after another, all of my friends agreed to do it. Well, I need to tell you guys that it was a very crazy idea because I though about it without thinking and it was to make me run away from my sadness. I was surprised that all of you agreed. Since you all have agreed, keep your promises ( hahahaha!). If I get profits from my blog, I will pay you guys ok? 

Presenting The Chukai Insider new guest bloggers:

1.Chen Kim Soong

2.Che Engku Amin

3.Liyana Lee

4.Ainul

5.Zahidah

6.Imm Munabir

-The Chukai Insider

Obsession With Ranking- Episode 2

This is the second article in the Obsession With Ranking in which I want to give my opinions to make our country as the best in the world. There may be some scepticism and questions regarding my ability as a 20 years old to give ideas on matters like this. Well, I'm part of Malaysia, hence I'm entitled to give opinions and ideas about the place that I will be living in for the rest of my life. I know one of my friends would ask why blog is so serious (yeah, you are the one Lee!) but this is the kind of things that I know how to write. I am funny (as somebody said before) but it is not something I know how to write. So here I am writing about serious stuffs again.

The notion that our education systems are stuck and prohibit the growth of creativity cannot be further from the truth. Now,  I have some ideas (based on research and original thoughts) to give to Ministry of Education. I was a student in a national daily school before, hence I think it is very thoughtful if the Ministry takes opinions and give details analysis from the products of the systems.

1. Create a town in each school- this may sound absurd but it does work when you want students to get involve in something. The town in each school will be run by students themselves. They will have their own polls to elect junior ministers in schools, journalists to report in their school flyers, news anchor in school broadcasting stations, social workers to do charity and businessmen to get money to run the whole thing. Isn't that interesting? Compared to the dull activities in extra-curricular activities, running their own town would be much more interesting. The schools administers would not have to keep nagging in assemblies for them to come to the activities (they always do) because all students are involved and they will feel being a part of an institution. Running a town as it goes on would require many students with different abilities. Isn't it more effective if the students really want to be part of it rather than forcing them to do the never ending kawad kaki. In the process, the students will develop leadership qualities, creative thinking and generate extra incomes to the schools.
2. Flourish innovation competition at schools- we probably have heard many competitions that promote creativity and ideas; Intel, Minds etc. but many of the students do not have full access to do them. Therefore, schools therefore should give space to students to participate by encouraging them with full support. I recalled my experience in Si2 when my teacher, Mr Sapli stayed in the bengkel even on holidays to see how we do our project. It paid off, we won at national level!
3. Widen the emphasise on science and mathematics to literature, humanities subjects, languages, sports, music and arts- Without this, we will stuck forever in the creativity trap. Our system's goal is like to make ALL students to become university professors and doctors. The emphasise on academic is good, but we need some space from all of that. Not all of the students want that, even the brightest. We were not exposed on what economics is like, how arts influenced history and how literature change our minds. We were put with the notion that science students are always the brightest, without knowing our interests in life. Then, all bright students do sciences subjects to prove they are smart and no other choice in schools because they have to be with the less academically-able students if they want to do Economics.
4. More project-based work rather than textbooks-based homework- This is another thing that must be done right now to our systems. SPM must be there to stay, but reduce the number of subjects and contents to have more real-world applications. Project-based works are the solutions to get students participate in lessons and proven to be more effective. For example, in Sejarah, why didn't we reduce the contents or have the options for students to choose which topics they want to learn (Sejarah Bijih Timah or Sejarah Negeri). Of course the syllabus must have core topics, but give freedom to students to develop their interests. Why do we need to know all the facts for SPM only and after that, forgetting who Ibn Sina was. Thus, the solution is to get students participate in lessons by doing projects. We should move from 'Apakah sumbangan tamadun Islam kepada dunia?' to 'Sumbangan Tamadun Islam Kepada Dunia: Satu Kajian'. From there, the students will develop research skills, communicative writing and experiences they will never forget. By doing research, they will never forget things they have researched for. Then, problem arises when we want to teach more. Remember, sometimes less is more. The more you teach, the more we think we have to remember and end up remember nothing. By doing this, they will develop interests (which is the most important ) and retain the facts that they did research about until they die. 

Ministry of Education must remember that there is no alternatives to these. It is make or break situation, otherwise we will sink further into the trap. Our education system does not need evolution, but a total revolution.-The Chukai Insider

99 Muslim Superheroes!- There's One From Malaysia Too!

 

If you know a non-violent way to destroy jihad and sharia, please explain it to us. Islam is dominated by violent males. They believe that Muslim immigrants will conquer the West in a few decades. They need sharia as a tool to enslave kafirs and women. We do not have any arguments to persuade them that sharia and conquest of the West are bad ideas. This means that we cannot prevent world war between Islam and the West. When Western kafirs realize that Muslim immigrants are their enemies, all Muslims will be deported, but global jihad will continue. In my opinion, the only way to stop global jihad is to eradicate Islam from the face of the earth. It is easier to eradicate Islam than to reform it.

 “Muslims create repression where they constitute the majority and violent unrest where they constitute the minority. This happens regardless of the ethnic and racial composition of the local population. The only common factor is Islam and the violent supremacist teachings contained in the central texts of this religion. As long as these texts remain unchanged and in force, so will Muslim violence against non-Muslims everywhere… Given that Muslims are currently engaged in open conflicts with most of the global centers of power at the same time, and given that many non-Muslims… have nuclear weapons, the destruction of Mecca in the course of the twenty-first century should be treated as a real possibility. What kind of effect such an event would have on the Islamic psyche is hard to predict. Perhaps it would shatter Islam completely because the Islamic mentality is based on dominance and supremacy.” - Fjordman, source: www.jihadwatch.org/2010/08/this-essay-overlaps-to-some.html

Muslim Superheroes!

Do you believe such things are said by an online blogger in TED.com, a website that shows talks on various topics with the theme of 'Ideas Worth Spreading'. Kudos to TED for bringing lots of talks from prominent speakers around the world. Not just that, the talks are very very good. What makes it more interesting is that is a talk only lasts for 15 to 20 minutes which became the concept of the talks, to make it short and compact with information and out-of-the-box opinions.

Then I came across this one speaker, Naif Al-Mutawa who created an animation about 99 Muslim Superheroes and it is on par with Marvel comics like Batman, Superman and Catwoman.

Merdeka celebration is here, but our neighbour is burning our Jalur Gemilang

The front page of
Utusan Malaysia today

It is a week before our 53rd Merdeka and yet we see burnings of our national pride, Jalur Gemilang in our neighbouring contry. Everyone knows which country I am referring to. No surprise, huh? Indonesians have always been part of our history and it is undeniable that we became significant in their histories as well. I remembered the Ganyang Malaysia that we studied in Sejarah before and how we use our diplomacy with their Foreign Minister at that time, Adam Malik. Tun Abdul Razak who was involved in the meeting probably would never think that after 35 years, most Indonesians still feel deep sense of resentment towards us. 

Many of us also suggest that this largely due to the high patriotism of our fellow Indonesian friends and their hard ways of gaining Independence and how we Malaysians have little love to our country. It is partly true because I know many of us did not know what they have done to our embassy and flag in Indonesia. I think this is because our Government suppress the mainstream media to publish the news to prevent further crisis with Indonesia. 

Indonesia's Government on the other hand does not have such power although they are trying hard to control the situation but their citizens mostly are uncontrollable. Malaysians always use diplomacy and we are not taught at schools to go to streets and protest foreign countries illegally. I remember the last time we use street protest to criticise foreign country was during Peace Malaysia, I guess.  Even that, it was planned months before and was controlled by police. You can see the difference in both countries. We are more relaxed, and they are very much more radical. We do feel the same anger with the burning of the flags  but we channel it through proper means; diplomacy, petitions and controlled protest. Do not feel they are the weaker ways because we use our diplomacy skills to gain Merdeka and manage to bring many foreign investments in our country. Yes, we are not extreme physically, but we have brains. 

So, let's work hands by hands and do proper ways to show our angry towards them. Never do silly things like burning their flags or throwing human faeces at their embassy because if we do, we have not much difference from them. When they burn our flags, pray that we will prosper and that God knows what to do. 

Not just burning Jalur Gemilangs, they also
threw human faeces at Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta.

I take this opportunity to condemns the burning of Jalur Gemilang and any other uncivilised events done by Indonesians. I do not condemn all Indonesians, only those who are involved in those events because being friends with many of them, I know not all of them are the same. 

Obsession With Ranking- Episode 1

This is my first post in this series. I really get obsessed with the ranking by Newsweek and could not get it out of my head. Even watching The Big Bang Theory did not help. My first topic in this series in which I call Obsession With Ranking (OWR) is about Education. 

I love talking about education this few days probably because of personal reason perhaps. I am a very lazy student, so school failed me. An American President (I forgot which one) that he was a smart student, but education ruined him. The Newsweek ranking made me do a lot of research on our education standard compared to the rest of the world. 

I came across an article in BBC that shows what educationalists learnt from Finland which has the best school system in the world.  Last year more than 100 foreign delegations and governments visited Helsinki, hoping to learn the secret of their schools' success.

Here are things that they found out:

No child is left behind!

1. The Finnish philosophy with education is that everyone has something to contribute and those who struggle in certain subjects should not be left behind. 

• Situation: Our education systems meanwhile put much emphasise on Maths, Sciences and Languages and study them academically, not practically. It is nothing wrong with the emphasise, but the exam-focused teaching method has left many behind. Our education systems are bias towards those who have higher cognitive abilities.
• Solutions: A tactic used in virtually every lesson is the provision of an additional teacher who helps those who struggle in a particular subject. -BBC. Revolutionise education system to cater the needs of all, not just forcing most of us just to become scientists, doctors and accountants. Most of us want to be a fireman as well, so teach us skills; how to think creatively so that we can think of ways to create new technology or ways to prevent fire.

We are 37th best in the World ( ! / ?)

Jom kibarkan Jalur Gemilang
sempena sambutan Kemerdekaan!

Newsweek magazine (very influential magazine but not so much compared to Time) recently just published a list of the best countries in the world. I don’t know whether it comes as a surprise or not, but Malaysia came in 37^th overall. Personally, not so impressive, but ok la. Finland came in first overall.

The rank is based on 5 criteria; education, health, quality of life, economics dynamism and political environment. We scored well in economics dynamism at 14^th (61.93) compared to the champion, Singapore (83.06). In education, we are ranked 36^th compared to Finland at the first place (102.00). Surprisingly to me, we are very far behind in health (52^nd). Malaysia also is ranked 48^th in quality of life and 54^th in political environment (Dear Malaysian politicians, you made us scored the lowest!). There is no surprise though that the ranking portrays that the political environment in our country that brings us down in the list. I know what the politicians will say about this list; “Well, they don’t cover all aspects in our life, only certain aspects etc etc.”

They do make a big mistake if they keep living in denial like that because all around the world, the ranking measures fundamental aspects to see how a country performs globally. The education and quality of life are very important I would say. They should know, this is what globalisation about and not just mention the phrase ‘kita hidup dalam dunia globalisasi’ during ceramahs and after that, championing race-based politics.

Overall, with the spirit of Merdeka, let’s work hands by hands to bring our country as the best country in the world. We already know that Malaysia is the best, but it is much better if we can prove it empirically. If not, we will always be jaguh kampong and without other countries looking at us as a successful nation. 

Jom, Malaysia Boleh! - The Chukai Insider

The Case of Mosque Near Ground Zero and Use of Word Allah in Church

Muslims are reciting Quran in a mosque in NYC.

If any of you have not read newspapers or other-than-entertainment magazines lately, you probably have not noticed that there is a very furious reaction among majority of Americans (most notably New Yorkers) against the building of a mosque. The proposed site to build the mosque is near Ground Zero, which is the remain site of WTC (the Two Towers). Well, most Americans accused Muslim terrorists who did that, but remember it is not all of them who do. Their main reason was simply that the Americans are still feeling deep sense of hatred and anger about the September 11th. This is a news excerpt from an online news portal:

(Aug. 19) -- Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, using the words "hatred," "anger" and "pain," turned up his rhetoric today against plans for building an Islamic center two blocks from the site of the 9/11 attacks.

 Although he acknowledged the legal and constitutional rights of Muslims to build the mosque near ground zero, he said in an NBC "Today" show interview that the question was not whether the development should go ahead but rather one of "sensitivity and people's feelings."

 The Americans consider the Ground Zero as a sacred place and building a mosque that they consider as a place to spread war against them is not something they want to happen. Have you noticed that this kind of problem comes and goes and forgotten? It is always the same. How many inter-faiths organisation have been organised? Of course it is a continous effort, but the pain that they feel still being projected towards Muslims. 

 You don't have to be prejudiced against Islam to believe, as many Americans do, that the area around Ground Zero is a sacred place. But sadly, in an election season, such sentiments have been stoked into a political issue. As the debate has grown more heated, Park51, as the proposed Muslim cultural center and mosque two blocks from Ground Zero is called, has become a litmus test for everything from private-property rights to religious tolerance. But it is plain that many of Park51's opponents are motivated by deep-seated Islamophobia.