Solvent of Mind

Privy Much?

2010-08-26T02:09:00.008+08:00

We live in an ever changing world. Physically, the earth changes, but ever so slowly, and it takes thousands of years to make a change significant enough for us to see. Politically, however, this world seems to take no rest in making changes.

The idea of a nation-state is a fairly new idea. Two hundred years ago, if you ask someone what country he/she belongs to, the question itself may be hard to be comprehended by the person. Those were the days that states and empires dominate, the border of those dominions depends on the consensus of uniting tribes or taken from other tribes by force.

Such is the idea of a community, of a group of people which shares a common ancestry or ruled by a common power. Then the idea of nation-state emerged. It is a formation of a government consented by the people to rule over a nation composed of the aforementioned people. Nationality is given to all people inside the nation who qualified as citizens, regardless of race and religion.

The coming of new millennium brings forth a new idea; globalization. Forged by a common need of knowledge sharing and media freedom, this new idea is also accelerated by the dawn of Internet age. Then the idea is nearly realized. Virtually, there is no border anymore between countries. People halfway across the globe can interact as they are in the same room. The possibilities seem limitless, and much can be hoped to be achieved in this new era.

However, this is not without problem. Much has been discussed on the subject of infusion of immoral foreign cultures, strange misleading new ideas which can be accessed by anyone from anywhere. These are among the curses of globalization. To discuss on such topics is lengthy and tiresome, and to cap it off, many of such articles on the subjects are redundant.

This article however, is touching on a small but often overlooked side effect of globalization; privacy. Humans are social creatures, but there are boundaries which define us as a unique individual rather than a blurry mass of people. With globalization, privacy seems to be nothing but a small line or clause in an agreement.

Take pictures for example. When we were children, photos are physical, printed papers which we keep to preserve a memory. We keep them in an album and when we leaf through the pages, we reminisce about those times. We seldom show them to people, save for close friends or visiting relatives. Those memories are kept close to us and with it, our privacy.

Nowadays it’s a different world altogether. Anyone can take our picture, and post it online. The freedom is way overrated. Printing picture of someone and keeping it in an album is one thing, but do we have the right to publish it so that the whole world can see? People who are alien to us can obtain information and pictures of us enough to make a profile. This information, in the wrong hand can harm the people involved.

Freedom, while a good thing, must be exercised carefully. The idea that sharing binds people together is a great one, but we cannot rule out that there are people out there who can harm us, using the very same tool that brings us together.

It may be hard to see how damaging it is right now, but in a long term it will cause irreversible harm to our society. Awareness is slowly but surely increasing, people are demanding more privacy and security from social sites and e-mail providers. These efforts, while worthy of compliment, barely cover the real need of privacy. As more children are becoming IT literate each year, the most pressing concern right now is how are we going to protect them from this world?

A little respect for privacy now and then is always a welcomed gesture. In this ever changing world, it is nice to know that there is a little room for being an individual. The next time you take someone’s picture, keep in mind that by asking him/her whether you can post it online is a commendable gesture of respecting his/her privacy on your part.

The Man Who Thinks He Can

2009-10-31T19:32:00.004+08:00

If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win, but think you can't,
It's almost a cinch you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost,
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will;
It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you're outclassed, you are;
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life's battle don't always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.
Walter D. Wintle

The test of first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.
F. Scott Fitzgerald

Friends help you move. Real friends help you move dead bodies.
Anonymous

There is no easy method of learning difficult things. The method is to close the door, give out that you are not at home, and work.
Albert Einstein

Anxiously. Hopefully. Waiting

2009-10-10T07:26:00.003+08:00

All that needs to be said has been said. The die has been cast. I cannot go back from here. This will go the way I want or not the way I want. Either way, there is no going back for me.

So, for the last time that I will do this in my life, please God, grant your humble servant this wish that is so little in the eye of the Almighty, but meant the universe for me.

This time. Pretty please?

Shades of Green

2009-10-02T16:54:00.001+08:00

There is a very popular saying that goes, “The grass is always greener on the other side”. This is very true, provided that the observer can see colours properly. Literally, green is green, so why the fuss? Thinking logically, the owner of the grass that is greenest of them all should have black grass, because by greener we mean darker shade of green. That is, however, if we think logically. But what does it mean by greener?

Figuratively, this time. We do not see other people’s grass with envy, unless you are planning to enter a lawn competition. We see people with envy, anything to every single thing. Some people do better than us; at least that’s what we think. But how do we evaluate better? In the same line of work, yes, it is fair to say something is better than another. But more often than not we are comparing unfairly.

I mentioned before that we do have our own places in this world. However, we are also endowed with want. Want and greed. Definitely not a good combination. We do see people that have better lives than us, have greater chances and opportunities than us, or simply luckier than us. If those things happen just because you refuse to work for it, then you have yourself to blame. But you cannot work for luck and chances, so you just simply...shit out of luck.

I’ve been there and I’ve seen people who have better opportunities than I am. I always think that if I were them, I’d do so many things I’ve dreamed about. But I’m not, and no matter how much I work for something, sometimes they just go down the drain because...I’m shit out of luck. This makes me feel that I’ve fallen into an endless hole and unable to climb out of it, no matter how hard I tried. At some point, yes, it depresses me, but it keeps me thinking.

What if I’m given all I want? Would I still be the person that I am? If every people have want and greed, so I must have something that they want. By stopping the chain of envy at myself, only then I can be happy with my own self. That thought keeps me going for days to come, but I do wonder, will someday I hit a wall so hard and so high that I finally give up?

There are challenges in life that cannot be met by willpower only. What if we do a thing so nicely and perfectly in order and still cannot get what we expect? Especially when it involves your feeling, unpredictable and unstable as it is, we cannot just bury it when it really wants something. Then we can either wallow in sadness or try to move on. Wallow in sadness, and you chip yourself off bit by bit until you become an empty shell. Try to move on at your own discretion, as there is always a possibility that you get hurt again and again.

There is always a next day for everyone, or a next week, or a next year. And every day brings new opportunities for us to grab. Who knows, one of these days, you get to have what you always wanted, and from that point on, never let it go. Hardship taught us how valuable a thing is, or person is. The day when you wake up and find out that no one else has greener grass than yours, is the happiest day in your life that you will ever have.

Espionage, Pt. 1

2009-08-16T23:47:00.003+08:00

Some person I know might find this spy...uh...anatomically despicable. But hey, he’s a famous one.

Espionage is an act of information gathering, usually of sensitive kind. This act is done inconspicuously in order not to alert the side in which the information is gathered from. From the earliest recorded history of warfare, there has been an extensive use of espionage in order to know the enemy or to confuse the enemy. However, since the dawn of Industrial Revolution, espionage has also been used in business and industry, coining the term ‘Industrial espionage’.

The knowledge of espionage may be regarded as the thing that only militaries and intelligence agencies do need, but in contrary, the meaning of espionage itself spells out a common need of information, which is also needed in social setting. This is the most prominent when you want to find out about someone without having to get close to the person, which could lead to you accidentally revealing your true intention of knowing the person, whatever it is.

Consider yourself in a situation in which you want to know everything about person A without having a direct contact with the subject. You could choose to talk to person B, which happens to be A’s best friend, but this could lead to B telling A that you’ve been asking questions about A. Therefore, espionage involves many skills and resources in order to build a perfect profile of A. In this post, I will mention 5 most basic elements of espionage.

1.Patience
This happens to be the most important element of espionage. Any kind of information gathering must be done continuously and vigorously, meeting every schedule. The subject you’re spying on may or may not reveal the information you want at the specific time or place you expect him/her to. You may use your best technique to make the subject blurts out the information, but it may not work. Hence, patience must be applied liberally throughout your espionage process.

2.Observe
Many things happen every day around you, whether you notice it or not. We are gifted with 180° of sight, so use it wisely. Every movements and reactions of your subject must be noted. How he reacts when the person is nervous, angry, agitated, lying? These are crucial as the subject may suddenly reveal the information you want, but it may turn out to be a lie. To gain high observing skill, start with noticing things all around you and count how many things you can notice in a glance.

3.Hear
Even though sight is our primary sense; given that you’re not blind, you must also take notice of what you hear. People talk, and the talk occurs because something is thrown to their attention, so something must happen for the talk to happen. Try to sit down somewhere and listen. How many conversations could you pick up? How many of them contain stuffs about your subject? However, the primary rule still applies here. Never trust what you saw and heard unless you have them evaluated and verified. So the next element is critical.

4.Attention to details
Details are what espionage is all about. You must be able to know about the person you’re spying on intimately, without having you intimately involved with the subject. Normal people react with every situation; therefore it could be used to determine what kind of person your subject is, which in turn, helps you to profile him/her. The subject may wear a certain kind of shirt on Wednesday, or just when he/she is upset. Then find out what upset him/her. Pet died? Mom is hospitalized? Or just plain emotional? Did the person vulnerable at a certain time? If so, how can you exploit it? This ultimately will help you in your quest to gain the information you want.

5.Obscurity
In order to keep your subject and the people around that may jeopardize your intention to gain the information, you must keep them in the dark about what you are doing. Therefore, try to keep a distant between you and the person of interest and don’t divulge much information about yourself that can be turned against you. Make every information of yours valuable. Use it to gain another information. Being obscure means that espionage can be a long and arduous task to be done in order to keep suspicions off you, but the information you obtain might be valuable to you, whatever it is.

Whatever measure you use to gain information about someone, legal or illegal, there is one rule of thumb that you must never betray. NEVER spy on your loved ones, or someone you want to love. Know your loved ones in the natural way, which is by asking. Espionage breeds distrust, which is unhealthy in a relationship. Therefore, handle this knowledge with care.

Our Place

2009-08-11T23:11:00.004+08:00

It’s been a while since I wrote anything here. I’ve been burdened with many tasks, paperwork, words to be written. It’s not that I’ve nothing to say, but if I put each one of my idea into writing, that would be a sky-high pile of rubbish. I’ve got ideas buzzing in my head every time I see something, whether it interests me or not, so in my head, I criticizes each and every one that pops out to the point that most of my ideas are repressed unless it emerges unscathed throughout the critical processes.

That concludes the going-on with me. Now to the point of why I’m writing again tonight.

Each and every one of us is part of a larger system. There is a role for each one of us to play. We choose to be someone, to be an actor/actress in this large show. In order to be a good performer, we must know what we can do best; therefore we came up with the saying, “Play with your strength”.

Hence we come to the process of character building, in which we discover ourselves. In other words, we find out in what way we are hard-wired to do. Some people possess good looks, others are physically fit and the list is endless of what we are capable of doing best. There are also people who blurred the line between his/her best abilities, such as people who have extremely high logic and reflex are natural-born racers. But the point remains the same, find what you do best and exploit it to the max.

Those I mentioned are relatively easy and theoretically possible for everyone who we consider as normal, to achieve. But how about those abnormal people or at least, what WE perceive as such?

We live in a system of conformity we created in which most of us consider as peaceful, non-invasive and non-disturbing. We perceive right as the other side of left as we know it. We can continue the Fibonacci sequence as long as we wanted because with the system, we know what comes next. This system of logic, no matter how much we can say the limit is endless, becomes an annoying paradox in which the system itself becomes the ultimate limiter of ourselves.

This is when things get interesting. People we consider as abnormal, offer solutions which are unthinkable using our logic. Dyslexic people see things differently from us. Right is perceived as left. This gives us a new perspective of life, because these people are not bound with our logic. Even our logic is based on ‘current logic’. Before the invention of radio or television, the possibility of sending two-dimensional data is not comprehensible by human’s mind at that time. Now we know that it is possible. But with our current logic, sending three-dimensional data is impossible, because it requires a deliberate bending of space-time continuum, but 100 years from now, would this logic still stand?

Leonardo da Vinci, one of the greatest thinkers of all time, is dyslexic. This dyslexia of his was retained to his later life as an adult, which enabled him to think differently from other people, seeing reality as malleable and can be shaped as much as he wanted to. Therefore he came up with ideas that are unacceptable to the current logic at his time, but we know now that he was a genius. This dyslexia of his is reflected in his backward handwriting, displaying a great degree of dyslexia.

This disability, as almost all people would call it, is a great asset to the person having the condition, but only the person affected would understand it. It would be a waste of talent if every abnormal person is persecuted as insane or gone haywire. True, there are really insane people. But do we put the same label to everyone who is not like us? It would be great if each parents can nurture their children in a way that they can develop fully to their potential, without being perceived as ‘special’ or ‘spastic’ in their early age.

Difference is a way to say that you follow a different path than me, but ultimately we’ll end up playing our own role in this whole wide world, in a place truly belongs to us. Have you found your path today?

Hands

2009-06-18T15:12:00.003+08:00

When I was performing du’a after Zuhr prayer this afternoon, a thought ran across my mind.

“50 years from now on, if these hands are still alive, what will have they done by then? Will they cause more benefits than destructions on Earth or the other way around?”

I stopped my du’a momentarily and stare my palms. These two contraptions God gave to us all are the most causative than any part of our body. Yes, the brain thinks and the hands do, but brain all by itself is a useless bunch of firing neurons.

If we compare our hands with any part of our body anatomically, there is no other organ or limb that has a perfect balance of control and strength as our hands. Our eyeball muscles are extremely precise but very weak. Our heart muscles are very strong yet uncontrollable. With these two hands, we can use them from lifting heavy rocks to performing brain surgeries without compromising the quality of the jobs we have done.

But for Muslims, these two hands are also a symbol of our greatest weapon. Du’a IS the greatest weapon of a Muslim. I wondered for a long time of how this is possible. Is du’a enough to feed our families? Is it enough to win a war? Is it enough for us to enter the Paradise?

I pondered upon this question for a long time. Then the answer struck me. It is the greatest weapon because we know for sure that we are asking from the True God. Therefore for those unbelievers, either they are praying or not, it doesn’t matter because they ask the wrong guy.

Imagine if you’re applying for a post in a company. Praying to other beings is like asking the cleaners to give you a job as a manager. Instead, when you pray to Allah, it’s like you asking from a CEO to give you the job, which he can, but will he?

Here comes the works, the efforts that you must mount up, in order to gain what you want. Our weapon will be the greatest when we know how to use it. Then why are we still lagging way behind the unbelievers? It’s not because we don’t know how or who we must ask, but rather, what we lack is efforts.

We are always content on everything. Complacency is rampant throughout Muslim society. Thomas A. Edison, the inventor of light bulb, once said,

‘I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.’

This he said after he managed to find the correct material for light bulb filament, which he failed to do before, 10 000 times over. Why can’t we do better things than he already did? Supposedly we are Muslims, the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad, the best of all Ummahs, yet we can’t prove it?

Shame on us. Really.

This is also what he said.

“Restlessness is discontent and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure.”

So true. We, as an Ummah, is a living example of what he said. We ARE a failure. We have to admit that in order to move forward. Where do you think our social status lies as Malay Muslims? What have we achieved in all these years? In case you haven’t noticed, we are WAY behind.

So today, when you are performing du’a, make a firm belief in your heart that you will make the world better in one way or another, with your two hands. Because you can, only and if only you want to do it. If you really are committed to it, one day, 50 years from now, when you look at your hands during du’a, you know that they have served their purpose well.

Gone With the Wind

2009-06-01T01:34:00.003+08:00

I've been here for some times, and just being here is a long and arduous task that I must endure.

How I long to be free, and walk upon this earth, and feast upon its beauty… But it is not feasible, at least for now.

How I envy those who are given the opportunity to be free, to be released of all kinds of duty and responsibility, save for a few.

For now, I must remain here, where I belong, doing what I’m supposed to do.

Eventhough my soul is yearning, trying to claw up to its dream, but it’s not the time yet.

There’s always the next time.

…and the next, and the next…

Finality vs. Anticlimax

2009-05-20T16:07:00.004+08:00

This is one of the most difficult books I’ve ever read.

876 websites, 14 reference books, 5 archeological journals, 538 pictures and paintings, 345 articles and miscellaneous sources, 1 Al-Quran, and days of isolating myself in my room later, I finally understand what this book is trying to convey.

This book is mainly about Priory of Sion, Templar Knights and what secrets they are guarding. Eventhough some of the theories seems too far-fetched, the rest are undeniably true, especially about how these secrets societies know the true nature of Jesus Himself, of which he is not the God’s son.

Apparently the Catholic Church fears their downfall would be imminent if these secrets are let out, and there are attempts throughout the centuries to retain the secrets. Some are in form of bloody mass-murders and some are under-the-table deals between those two parties. The book is so complicated that if I try to meticulously explain even 1 page of it in this blog, I will be sued by Bloggers.com for flooding their bandwidth.

Anyway, after some thoughts, I’m convinced that these people who hold the true nature of Jesus in secret might still hold true to His teachings, therefore it may be possible that Ahlul-Kitab are still present among us. Truly the Quran is the Book of Ages, and its contents will never wither with time.

Now that I have finished the book, excruciating boredom will set in. It’s quite an anticlimax for the exhilaration that I finally finish the book. My heartfelt thanks to the person who gave me this book as a gift, many months ago.

Now, who want to give me another book?

Redundancy of a Necrosis

2009-05-07T15:45:00.004+08:00

There were some mix-ups at work today, so I have to wait for my colleague to come before I can continue my work. It is such a bothersome delay. So I took a walk outside and sat on a bench.

I saw two female support workers chatting 15 feet from me. Because of the calming silence, I could easily overhear them.

Worker A said, “Sekolah yang anak aku minta hari tu dah hantar surat terima. Suka betul anak aku tu. Minta-minta lah dia dapat pelajaran yang lebih elok. Dapat tolong adik-adik dia nanti.”

Worker B asked, “Macam mana dengan abangnya yang sulung tu?”

Worker A replied, “Macam tu jugalah. Puas dah aku nasihatkan. Siang malam dengan motor, kawan-kawan dadah dia tu. Memang macam arwah ayah dia. Aku risau anak-anak aku yang lain pun ikut.”

A concerned single mother of a broken family in a rotten society. I hope God helps her to keep going through, day by day, because a life that you and I consider hell-like is hers and only one.

To have strength like hers is magnificent, because even if every lines and wrinkles in her seasoned face shows grieve and weariness, her eyes are still lit by determination, never conceding defeat to the challenges of life.

And here I am, leading a relatively easier life. What I’ve done for my people? Many of them are living more or less the same hellish lives. No one deserves that, especially this long-suffering mother.

I took a last glance of her, stood up, and walked away. I prayed that one day her life will change. Her hell will exist no more. And I my determination to release my people from such hell begin here.

Yeah, I should finish that cell diffusion analysis.

Happy Hol Day to Pahangites. Enjoy while it lasts.

The Walking Ichthys

2009-05-04T02:56:00.000+08:00

I’ve been meaning to write this post a few months back, before my final exam, but I kept putting it off for many different reasons. Maybe I just kept doubting whether I should put the idea into writing or not.

Ichthys is the Greek word for fish. So it would be strange when people talk about walking fish because you never see one. What stands between a person and a nonsensical statement is only his/her empirical capability, to judge and reason between right and wrong depending on what he/she can sense.

The walking Ichthys is the mark of evolution theory, which profoundly opposes the creationism taught by divine religion, among them the Christianity which is symbolized by the Ichthys in its early days. These two opposing ideas provoke the thoughts of many; which one is correct and which one is wrong?

According to the basic of reason, things that are sensed and can be logically proven are the truth. However, even this method can be challenged. Firstly, if you see something that totally out of reality, such as a witch flying on a broomstick, would you believe what you see? Even if the event is true, you would doubt you eyes, or your judgment.

Secondly, the limit of what we call reality is only up to the 3 dimension world we live in, because that’s the limit of what we could sense. Scientists say that all matter is made up from energy, and that’s why matter can move only up to the speed of 0.9c, not more. Light is pure energy, yet it can move only at 1c. And then why God says that Angels, which are made from light, can move faster than that?

Now we traverse into the realm of metaphysics. Things that are deemed to be true but cannot be proven scientifically are considered metaphysical in nature. Therefore, our reason contradicts itself. How something that is reasonably untrue can be believed as true? Then what is the purpose of reason?

There are other sides of this universe that we cannot peek through; therefore our reason isn’t complete because we cannot sense those hidden sides properly. If this universe is limitless, imagine what can human do. We may be able to reverse time. Or do intergalaxy travel. Or simply enjoying our parallel universe.

It is after a long walk through field of knowledge that man can finally say that he is ignorant of everything. The theory of evolution might be right for animal species but it still can’t find the missing link between human and ape. The creationism is believed by many people, but you’ll be hard pressed to prove it logically, of how Adam and Eve came down from heaven.

The Ichthys may be walking or not, once. For all we know, reasons are created for us here on earth, on this timeline and in this dimension, for us to live day by day with it.

Failed. Miserably.

2009-02-07T03:13:00.005+08:00

That slab is impertinent. Whatever next to it, mattered, once.

We visualize perfection, but we believe in imperfection. We rationalize our failures with our imperfection. We rationalize the fear of failure with the desire to strive for success.

Therefore, when we actually fail, that feeling of beaten originated from all the efforts that yield nothing. We then go back to square one, imperfection.

So many efforts that are gone to drain, and we keep lamenting for their loss, for we gain nothing from it. Yet, those might be guidelines for others, to tread not the path we have gone before.

For most people, the guide is beneficial as prevention. But there exist some few lucky persons who benefit from our losses, so as to create a balance in nature.

Therefore, there is no road gone untraveled, there is no possibility gone unexplored. In itself, it’s perfection, from a summation of imperfection. Strange how this thing works.

If you are traversing the darkest alley, or falling into the darkest abyss in your darkest days, remember how the Vortigaunts put it.

"This is more than anyone can bear, but we will persevere."

These are the days when I can remember her more clearly than ever. Ah, my darkest hours. Glad they are gone, but I will travel down that road again. Luckier this time, hopefully.

Because I can, and still, remember her.

To Be or Not To Be

2009-01-14T22:30:00.005+08:00

I love Shakespeare’s works. I bet if he’s living in our age, his work would be totally unparalleled, much like Microsoft’s dominance in the computing world.

His ingenuity in literature world is totally amazing, so much so that many of his plays are still studied in our time, to reveal what are his thoughts when he created those beautiful plays.

To my brothers and sisters in Palestine, and to all Muslims in the world, I present you, To Be or Not To Be by William Shakespeare.

To be or not to be, that is the question;
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing, end them. To die, to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to — 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub,
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life,
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th'oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th'unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.

Remember always, the choice is ours. To be or not to be.

To fight or not to fight.

To live for nothing or die for something.

DO something. BE someone.

Posters and Blog Posts versus AGM-114P Hellfire II

2009-01-10T20:48:00.001+08:00

Are you concerned? I know I am.

Mr. Lucius Maximus, in this post, apparently is trying to put a logic in this situation. HIS logic. Let’s not hasten with the pitchforks and torches, people. Remember, difference MUST be understood first.

In the post, he mentioned a hypothetical scenario where Johor Bahru is constantly pounded by rockets every night. Let’s create another hypothetical scenario similar to that one. What if, by the resolution of UN, the district of Tronoh in Perak (hometown of Mr. Maximus), is given to Singapore unconditionally?

I’d say, the situation will give rise to three groups of Malaysian people.

One, people with a lot of balls but without brain. This group of people is so supercharged with the spirit of freedom, so much so that if you give kitchen knives to each of them, they will try to use them to wreck an M1 Abrams. Good for frontline infantry, bad choice for a tactician.

Two, people with a healthy amount of balls and brains. This group of people is the best freedom fighters, the best military tacticians and the best in everything. They will try to minimize casualties and maximize the effects of each attack. They are the most feared in these groups of people.

Three, people with either lots of brains or none at all, but definitely have no balls. This group of people is every tyrant’s wet dream, as they will show no resistance at all. They’ll even try to make peace by slipping their necks into the Singaporeans’ rein. Some of them might write a book of ’50 Reasons of Why We Should Not Fire Rockets into The-Now-Occupied-Tronoh’.

Now, unless Mr. Maximus is aiming only for the increase in blog traffic, I’ll make an assumption that he is one of the people that belong in the third group. Brains with no ball-er, in short. Stop me if I’m wrong.

Bloody idiotic, Mr. Maximus, but fun, nevertheless. The only problem is idiocy infects others. What we say and what we do, may or may not be followed by others, therefore we’re held accountable on our actions. It’s not fair if you just take credit but not blame on your actions.

It’s easy to put blame on America, on Arabic League, on UN, on OIC and on everything else except ourselves. It doesn’t matter what they do or don’t, but what really matters is what WE do.

I will make another assumption that most of my esteemed readers are of the people in the second group. If you are a Muslim, so you ARE concerned about this matter. So you shout, protest, put up posters, write blog posts to state your anger and frustration towards Israel. But, to what point?

Until your last dying breath? That’s horribly ineffective. You’d say that you also boycott stuff that support or have connection with Israel. Shell, Carrefour, McDonald’s, the list goes on forever. Firstly, those companies have penetrated deeply into economic world with extensive capitals and years of research. You honestly believe other products can compete in marketing strategies, let alone the research? L’Oreal versus Safi? I don’t think so.

Secondly, if we all decided to boycott Carrefour or other companies, what would you think they will do? I’ll tell you what they’ll do. They’ll LAY OFF workers, especially in this harsh economic condition. And in case if you haven’t noticed, those workers are our people, who have to take those low-paying jobs to survive. What will we do with the abundance of laid-off cashiers?

Nevertheless, posters and boycott is the ONLY things we CAN do at this stage. But you’re not forever young. And Israel is becoming stronger each day.

Let’s crack the shell, shall we? To the young ‘Mahasiswa’ and ‘Mahasiswi’, instead of wearing headbands written ‘Brigade Al-Qassam’ well into your fourties, pick a more specialized way of fighting the warlike Jewish of your own choice. Here I will suggest three paths.

If you feel that fire should be fought with fire, learn extensively about military. If you are so angry and feel like fighting, why stop at wielding a thin, elongated piece of steel? Learn about warfare, military tactics and equipments. How many of you know about Explosive Reactive Armor, SABOT rounds, TOW missiles and 120mm smoothbore gun? If you don’t, how would you fight them? (Note: kitchen knives are not a good idea.)

If you are more inclined in taking the money from the Jewish hands, develop your knowledge in economy. Learn about marketing, product research, stock exchange and everything related to build your own companies, strong and capable enough to pry open the hands of Jews from global economy. Economy is the way that gives the Jewish influence on the leaders of the world to gain the Palestinian land in 1920.

If you like to give strong words, to build ties and to intimidate, choose the way of diplomacy. Learn everything about diplomatic relations, international agreements, geo-political aspect of the modern world, politics and so many others. You could be a strong Islamic leader, and that is the last thing that any Jewish want.

Any of the ways stated would be useless if each of them stands only by itself. All three of them are equally important. That’s why we need our own people in those fields, to be brought together, to combine the ideas and to strive together. If we have a strong military but a weak economy, we’ll suffer from lack of supplies. If we have a strong economy but a weak military, we’ll be invaded. If you have a strong military, a strong economy but a weak leader, you ARE Malaysia.

My dear readers, what would YOU do next? Write it on your comments.

Mr. Lucius Maximus, what did you do?

What if Orpheus never looked back?

2009-01-04T21:22:00.002+08:00

Ever heard the story of Orpheus and Eurydice? Read this.

I’ve read this story when I was 12. I remember at that time, I asked my dad, “Why Orpheus looked back?”

My dad answered, with a smile, “Wouldn’t you?”

It’s a myth alright, but as any folk tales in this world, it poses a great question on the philosophy of humanity itself and the nature of mankind.

From the view of philosophy of humanity:

Do you need to look back, or do you want to look back? Do you need or want to satiate your curiosity?

Assuming that Hades was true to his word, that he gave back Eurydice to her beloved husband and it was indeed her that followed Orpheus out of the Underworld, so it was indeed foolish of Orpheus for wanting to look back. To satiate his want of curiosity, he lost his need of his wife.

But we can never be certain of Hades, which apparently had a twisted mind. Maybe he wasn’t true to his word, and instead of Eurydice, he sent deadly serpents or something lethal to kill Orpheus once he reached the mortal world. In this case, Orpheus’ need to satiate his curiosity is vital for his survival.

Truly, the situation that Orpheus is in, is of the Schrödinger's cat.

This is also the portrayal of true nature of human. Distrust breeds easily in our minds, and from distrust comes the desire to destroy others. We do not always dissolve our differences with understanding others, but rather, we persecute the minority just because they are different.

Differences are not always bad. One of these two things causes difference. One, people who are truly on the wrong side and need guidance from others. Two, people who happen to have an even more excellent idea than the one currently believed by the majority.

Both of these situations need understanding, to be identified, to be worked out and to be implemented if beneficial. The last thing that differences need is persecution, because differences themselves are persecution of normal ideas. Remember, majority is not always right.

Ok, enough with the jargon. Here are some real-life examples of persecution of differences.

Minority: Improve manufacturing and high-tech industry in Malaysia.
Majority: Continue exporting raw materials.
Result: Extensive logging and destruction of nature.

Minority: Produce educational, meaningful and high quality movies.
Majority: Produce love-themed, slapstick humor, cheap imitation movies.
Result: Flood of rubbish in Malaysian film production.

Minority: Give extensive general knowledge and manners education in lower education.
Majority: Give extensive academia education to all level of education.
Result: Flood of idiotic, manner-less, close-minded students.

Minority: Go green. Give incentive in green products and research.
Majority: High tax, no matter it is green or not.
Result: Honda Hybrid in Malaysia: RM 130 000.

Who cares if Orpheus actually never looked back? It is us, who have to look back, and think.

Pigs are the fourth most intelligent animals, ahead of dogs and certain politicians

2008-11-29T12:25:00.002+08:00

Politics is a field that I’d rather watch than play in it, because I’d rather be a devout follower to a competent leader. If my leader is proved to be an incompetent one (read: idiot), I’d be among the rebels that stand up against him/her. Why? Because an idiotic leader will lead an idiotic administration, which will give out idiotic orders which in turn will spread idiocy to the entire nation.

Why would I care? Why would you? You might be an individualist, a minimalist, a nationalist, or a communist. You have different views on society. You have your own dreams of perfect society, but all of you need leaders to take you there. I always think that a bad, corrupt leader is a leader that doesn’t realize he/she is a leader.

Lately, I see that the trend of idiocy in the administration in this country is growing rapidly. Before the recent general election, I suspect that our parliament sessions are joined by ‘certain politicians’, but after the election, my suspicion is confirmed. In fact, our parliament might have a severe infestation of this species.

This strange new species apparently has an intelligence level which is lower than pigs’. This level of intelligence has been demonstrated many times, including the infamous ‘bocor’ statement. Just a few nights ago, I watched the news. It’s just a simple land acquisition by the State Government of Selangor for a TNB project, but this species turns the debate into a shouting riot. I think, our Constitution should be altered, so that this lower-than-pig species cannot be Members of Parliament.

Who voted for these circus freaks anyway? I think who did, must have abandoned their cognitive function when doing so. We can’t get rid of idiotic people, because we’re all idiots, only on different subjects. But why should you vote for people who are not only idiotic in leadership, but also refuse to learn?

2012. Vote for change. Remember, THINK before voting. Don’t let idiocy haunts our nation.

The Chaotic Theory

2008-11-27T12:30:00.002+08:00

Once, I don’t remember where or when, I’ve heard of this wise phrase.

‘You would think that your life partner is the chosen one from billions of women on this planet, but rather, it’s the chosen one from YOUR social circle.’

It is customary among Malays, notably the women to use the excuse of ‘jodoh’ to reject someone. It becomes especially annoying when a girl you just starting to get close to, uttered these words:

“Sorry-lah, kita ni tak ada jodoh-lah. Saya doakan awak dapat gadis yang lebih baik dari saya.”

Ugh…I hate those words, and its equivalents.

If you dislike someone, or not ready for a relationship, just say so. Don’t pin your excuses on God. Can you really know that the one you’re rejecting is not your ‘jodoh’? Can you be sure that you won’t marry him/her forever?

I don’t know how this ‘jodoh’ system works, and so far, the people I’ve asked also have no idea. The general definition, I daresay, is what most people know and believe. ‘Jodoh’ is your chosen life partner that has been written in Luh Mahfuz since the creation of our soul. But then, why divorce occurs? The simplicity ends there.

This created a whole new possibility in perceiving the ‘jodoh’ concept. Some said that divorce is a signal that a person’s ‘jodoh’ with his/her partner ends there. Then what if the person remarries his/her old partner? The ‘jodoh’ kind of reconnected? And what if the person married a whole dozen of other people before remarrying with his/her first partner? Will it interferes with other people’s ‘jodoh’? What about polygamy? So some people do have multiple ‘jodoh’s? Where do I sign up?

Kidding.

The things I can be sure of ‘jodoh’ are, people we are marrying are our ‘jodoh’, at that very moment, but not necessarily permanent. And we can only know that our ‘jodoh’ are correct and permanent after we’re dead and still married to the same person. This is what I’m able to conclude after asking so many people on this topic. Mostly, the answer that I got is, “Kahwin je lah!”

For me, I don’t believe in wasting my life just to get the right partner. There are so many possibilities in the world to be explored, than just wasted on seeking the right copulation mate. And I also believe in working for a relationship, not just pinning excuses on ‘jodoh’ for every little quarrels and misunderstandings.

The same things work for our destined life and death. We can pray for our lives to be prolonged, and also take necessary measures to preserve our lives. So why not do the same for our ‘jodoh’?

To the new man and wife of my class, I hope and pray that your ‘jodoh’ is correct and permanent.

But, alas, you have to be dead to be sure of that.

I, defy... (Part 1)

2008-10-21T19:12:00.003+08:00

Some people in my class are getting married.

I’ve got nothing against it. Some people might despise early marriage, but for me, everyone is entitled to their own choice and thinking. Most people will think marriage as something to be achieved, which belongs to the category of job, house, car, splendid vacation and so on. Some others think marriage as part of the road to success, which make it belongs to the group of studying, socializing, eating, sleeping, pooping and so on. But, again, we cheat, lie, steal, murder and then talk about the sanctity of marriage.

Yeah, right…

But again, no, I’ve got nothing against that. It’s also part of freedom of choice. Everyone has the right to choose what is sacred to them. Some choose their bodies. Some others choose rainforest.

Well, whatever.

What I strongly despise, is the wedding feast. I definitely having no problem with people piling foods in front of me, but when you start eating, you will hear all kind of stuff people all around you are talking about.

“Si Fazura tu buat baju dari langsir rumah dia ke?”
“Ahmad tu mengendap-ngendap kat belakang rumah. Entah anak dara siapa diintainya.”
“Pengantin perempuan tu dah takde dara. Dia dulu…[expletive]…”

I’ve noticed that these are the people are the people who just kissed Fazura on the cheek, patted Ahmad on the back and congratulated the bride.

Extremely hypocritical, isn’t it?

I do not enjoy joining them, neither do I enjoy listening to them. It is an unpleasant experience. It makes me extremely sick, but it would be very impolite of me to throw up. Is this something that we inherit from our parents? We might saw them badmouthing their friends, so does it justify you badmouthing yours?

Monkey see monkey do. So true.

Unfortunately for me, it would be very rude to call them monkeys, but their way of acting and thinking does not convince me otherwise. So, the next time you are at a wedding feast, try observing these monkeys. They are a fun species to watch, but I warned you, it might induce an uncontrollable desire to punch their faces in.

To all wives and husbands to-be, congratulations. If you happen to invite me, please include knives in your set of cutlery to ensure my attendance.
P/S: I will stab them monkeys extra hard if I heard them badmouth you.

YOU are racist

2008-09-02T10:56:00.008+08:00

Or not. If you’re a Muslim Malay, how racist can you be? As racist as those students who think their university is a sole privilege for Malays? Or as racist as certain political parties in Malaysia which race is a prerequisite for membership?

Or, in a bigger sense of community, have you been a racist in an international scale?

I’ve been in more than one occasion in which I’m forced to answer questions asked by teenage Israelis, which more or less sound like this, “Why the Palestinian Muslims hate us so much?” Most of us might feel that it is an easy question, one that we can answer in half-asleep state.

Think again. Keyword: Teenage.

What would you answer? “Face it, you’re doomed. You’re born an Israeli. You either die by fire or live in fear. Run along now, be a refugee.” Like that eh? These teenagers are born in Israel, born as Israelis and most likely raised as Jews. But do we put them on bull’s-eye just because they’re Israelis? Did they ask Allah to be born as Israelis? What about those Israelis who embraced Islam? Do they deserve the same prejudice?

Not so easy to answer now, eh?

Try to put yourself in their situation. Your ancestors are condemned people, killing Prophets sent by Allah over and over again. You are a 16-year old teenager living in Israel in 2008 A.D, and assuming you’re open-minded and knowledgeable enough, you realize that Jew isn’t the right religion and you study Islam extensively in search of true religion. You study to a point that you’re ready to convert to Islam. Is it fair that you’re subjected to prejudice by other Muslims? How would YOU feel?

Acts of terrorism, both of them.

I despise terrorists and their acts. People who approved the British Mandate of Palestine in April 1920 are terrorists. People who kill innocent civilians of Palestine are terrorists. So are people who launched the infamous September 11 attack, and people who constantly bomb the streets of Baghdad, even in the name of Allah.

Learn to distinguish your enemy. For me, the enemies are the Jews who wouldn’t make peace with Muslims and those supporting them. Allah doesn’t marginalize Israelis (Proof, Al-Baqarah: 88, Allah states that a few Israelis still have Faith in Him and He condemns all those defying Him). Our Prophet made peace with Jews of Medina and even asked them to join in building Medina and only wage war with those who wouldn’t submit to the rule of Islam. He also accepted a gift from an Israeli woman who gave Him a broth of sheep’s meat, even though He knew that broth is poisoned. How merciful He is…

The next time you meet an Israeli who confronts you with the question I stated above, either in reality or in virtual world, the most suitable answer you should give him/her is in the Al-Quran. “O Children of Israel! Remember My Favor which I bestowed upon you and that I preferred you to the 'Alamîn (mankind and jinns) (of your time-period, in the past). And fear the Day (of Judgment) when no person shall avail another, nor shall compensation be accepted from him, nor shall intercession be of use to him, nor shall they be helped.” (Al-Baqarah: 122-123).

Welcome Ramadhan, the month of blessing and liberation from hellfire. It’s got that serene feeling attached to it.

Idiocy. Covered in chocolate.

2008-08-31T02:51:00.000+08:00

A wise man once said;

‘Shit, in cover of chocolate, will go unnoticed in a jar full of peanuts covered in chocolate. It’s not because of the peanuts, it’s the chocolate. Idiocy goes the same way.’

*****

That’s the awesome power of chocolate over human. It eliminates our curiosity, which is the strongest suit of human against nature and differentiate us from any other creatures. How many times your curiosity overwhelms you so much, that you actually pry open the chocolate to see what’s inside before you sink your teeth into them?

What about chocolate-covered idiocy? To put this simply, how many times did you find yourself more content and entertained in watching random and useless acts of idiocy than raising your curiosity in quest for knowledge? In comparison with ancient people, our interest in intellectual enhancement is clearly lacking. Is it because everything is provided, so we feel that humankind doesn’t need further improvements? Or is it because our hedonistic lifestyle finally gets to us?

It’s not that I’m against any kind of entertainment, but do we need to lower our curiosity to the level of non-existent? I’m actually surprised at people who said, “I don’t want to know”. Are those people genetically modified so that they feel no curiosity at all, or are they just plain dumb?

Wake up from your slumber people. Begin small. Try to find out how your clock works, your stove doesn’t backfire and your TV produces pictures with color. Stop relying on idiotic acts for your entertainment and start loving your own brain and its abilities.

‘Curiosity kills the cat’ isn’t meant for cats, but it also doesn’t kill you. Ignorance, on the other hand, can make humankind extinct faster than cats.

We are pharmacists, NOT lawyers!

2008-08-27T16:17:00.000+08:00

Anyway, we nailed that one. To the next paper! Up, up and away!

Splash and…Boom!

2008-08-13T10:15:00.000+08:00

Last night I was in one of my favourite online conference rooms, with some of my ‘thinking-buddies’. Normally, what we would talk about are things we do in common, but some of the events occurred in and during the Olympic Games were the major topics that caught our interests, due to their peculiarity and bizarreness.

What do you think is the most peculiar event of all during this Games? Some (who are alert with the world news) would say that it is the stunt played by Chinese government, using a cuter child to mime during the famous opening of the Games, just because some Politburo heads think that the original singing girl has no ‘TV-appropriate face’. I’d say it’s a crime against human rights, but compared to what I’ll point out later, I just consider it a good laugh.

Before that, let’s travel to the time when warrior wore loincloth, Persia is the greatest empire on earth and the Olympic Games is to honor the Olympian Gods, where the champions are crowned with olive branches. The ancient Greek, whom we considered brutish and unruly in comparison to modern society, had the DECENCY to respect the Olympic Games.

During one of the Games, Athens and Sparta are at war, a usual thing, seeing how unfriendly one Greek city to another. Even so, they laid down their weapons, called a truce, just so that the Games could commence, and the two sides could compete fairly. THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is the true spirit of sportmanship. The Games itself acts as an important mediator of peace, of which some ‘modern’ people fail to see.

Most people (again, I know some people just don’t care) would know that I meant the Georgian government. For those who don’t, the Georgian launched an offensive to retake South Ossetia right on the Olympic Games opening day (claiming it as ‘perfect opportunity’, seeing how other world leaders are focused to the Games), which they claim is rightfully theirs. The region broke off from Georgia in early 1990s during a rebellion uprising and since then the people gain their own autonomy. Even so, by law, they are Russian citizens.

To protect the region, the Russian placed their own peacekeeper forces to protect it from any attempts from Georgia to assimilate the territory into their own, seeing that the region is rich in natural resources (read: oil) and Georgia relentless attempts to join NATO, to show the world how pro-West it is.

For me, I see Georgia as a mouse trying to bite the toe of a giant, After realizing it can’t take down the giant all by itself, it seeks the help from another giant, the USA, with the gesture of ‘you owe me one’, because the Georgian had sent 2 000 troops to Iraq as part of coalition forces, being the pro-West it is.

But the USA just shrugged, saying that both sides should call a truce, and the only reinforcement that the Georgian would ever had is ‘strong words from Washington’. Now the mouse might be trampled by the two giants when they decide to shake hands. Where to turn now Georgians? International sympathy? Someone should sue them for showing lack of sportmanship.

If I’m an Olympian-Gods-fearing, spear-wielding, loincloth-wearing Greek warrior, I’d say, ‘Give ‘em hell’.

A creation-day of another Icarus

2008-08-11T16:59:00.000+08:00

Icarus, as in Greek mythology, is the only man ever successfully flies by flapping wings. With a crude device made of wax and feathers, he attempted to escape from Crete by flying across a sea which later would be named after him (Icarian Sea).

Despite numerous physics flaws that can bring him down, the one that actually did is the fact that wax can be melted by the sun’s heat. It doesn’t actually matter whether the actual flight took place, or whether the physics flaws are just a big hoax of modern science to prevent people from flying by flapping wings, but we can always take examples from the story.

Firstly, if you ever built a device out of wax, never put it in any distance nearer to the sun than the earth, or any other source of heat for its sake. Secondly, learn physics, you might end up better than poor Icarus, and every other knowledge for that matter.

That is the reason why THIS Icarus is created. It’s not going to invent itself a pair of wings for humankind to fly. No, it is not. It’s going for a scope larger than that. It’s going to convey my perception of the world around me and people are free to comment on it, as long as you do it with manners and responsibilities.

Clashes of minds (no, it’s not head butt), is one way to give birth to new knowledge, which the people of ancient Greece could use some to realize that, the story of Icarus, is only an illusion of mankind’s first flight.