Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Chinese Dramas

ARE SICK.

(my sister pointed me to this. I will never look at her the same way again)

Friday, December 07, 2007

Love Thy Rabbits

Burn them Crosses

Tuan Syed Hood bin Syed Edros [Parit Sulong]: [Some unrelated stuff first] Yang Di-Pertua, I would like to touch on a matter regarding the Ministry of Education, which are Christian missionary schools like Convent, La Salle, Methodist, and so forth. I was made to understand that the Board of Directors at these schools are partially administered by churches in foreign countries, for example in the Vatican City. I was also made to understand that the application to build a ’surau’ in some of these schools had to go through the approval of these Board of Directors whereby they are partially administered by the church. Therefore, it shames me that the school administrations are still controlled by the church. I was also made to understand that many Muslim parents send their kids to these schools, and that they have complained that sometimes, the school is started with church songs. I do not know if this is true, but what I discovered from these parents are the display of religious symbols. I feel disappointed that in an Islamic country, Malaysia, if I go to a convent school, the statue of St. Mary is displayed in the front of the school.

Datuk Haji Mohamad bin Haji Aziz [Sri Gading]: [Stands up]

Tuan Syed Hood bin Syed Edros [Parit Sulong]: Please proceed, Yang Berhormat for Sri Gading.

Timbalan Yang di-Pertua [Datuk Dr. Yusof bin Yacob]: Yes, Yang Berhormat for Sri Gading.

Datuk Haji Mohamad bin Haji Aziz [Sri Gading]: I am not shocked at all, Yang Berhormat for Parit Sulong. It’s not just a simple question. The question is, why has this happened? One. During the last Hari Raya, I was told by a father, when Aidilfitri was celebrated, these types of schools were not closed. Thank you.

Tuan Syed Hood bin Syed Edros [Parit Sulong]: Not only statues, but fellow Yang Berhormat, go and see for yourselves, Christian crosses are displayed in front of schools. I do not understand the Ministry of Education, did the officers not see that, or is it our policy to allow such a thing? Nevertheless, I, as a responsible person to my religion, race, and country, I state my views that these statues need to be demolished, these crosses need to be destroyed and church influences in these schools need to be stopped. Also, the funds that are collected at these schools. Do we have a report? If possible, the ministry should reveal the funds for these schools. I was made to understand that these schools are also sponsored by the church.



This
has, of course, been cleared up by our Prime Minister. Apparently, NO statues or crosses or what-nots will be abolished. But worth sharing, nontheless. I guess a temporary lapse of memory from the UMNO General Meeting when Pak Lah addressed on religious sensitivities.

Monday, December 03, 2007

Frank Herbert's Dune

This book was my first adult science fiction I laid my hands on. I was eleven at that time- and the only reason I bought it was because it bore resemblance to a computer game I had played years before.

The first time I read it, it was a nightmare. Dune was a confusing, bewildering goulash of high-class words and concepts that were beyond my mind. Remember- I was only eleven, and had only finished reading the entire series of Hardy Boys and Enid Blyton. I read it three times through before everything clicked- and damned be it was superb. Heck it won the first scifi award.

Nobody can size down Dune in a single blog post. I’ve tried.

A small excerp as a teaser.


A predatory look filled the old woman's features. She lifted her hand away from the box and poised her hand close to the side of Paul's neck. He saw a glint of metal there and started to turn to it.

"Stop!" she snapped. He swung his attention back to her face.

"I hold at your neck the gom jabbar," she said. "Its a needle with a poison at its tip. Ah ah! Dont pull away or you'll feel that poison."

Paul tried to swallow in a dry throat. He could not take his attention away from the seamed old face, the glistening eyes, the pale gums around silvery metal teeth that flashed as she spoke.

"A dukes son must know about poisons, eh?" she said. "Its the way of our times. Musky, to be poisoned in your drink. Aumas, to be poisoned in your food. The quick ones and the slow ones, and the ones in between. Here is a new one for you: The gom jabbar. It kills only animals!"

Pride overcame Paul's fear. "You dare suggest a duke's son is an animal?" he demanded.

"Lets say, I suggest you may be human."


The main main main plot (for there are many main plots) revolves around the Spice, melange, a greatest substance in the history of humankind. It is a geriatric substance that changes the whole DNA make up of a persons body. It amplifies every higher senses, heightens the body’s immunogenic system, extend the human life span by hundreds of years, gives access to racial memories and enables space travel.

It enables interstellar travel by allowing Navigators to ‘see’ into the space-time continuum, and predict possible outcomes. The ship will not wallop into a star or asskick into a nebula.

Aha! But Spice can only be found on the Dessert planet Arrakis.

So he who controls Arrakis, controls the Spice, controls the future, controls humanity, controls the universe. And that’s what the whole plot is mainly about. Spice. And remember, this book was published circa 1965, so this concept was regarded as very new, and very amazing at that time. It astounded people, and it astounded me.

It wipes out most science fiction books out there on a stellar scale. Go get it in your local bookstores today! This is VERY WELL an advertisement.


Ps- I have read it fifteen times now since eleven. Not including the rest in the chronicles. Yes. Im a fanatic. And im reading it again, after SPM. Let the Spice flow!

Sensory Disarray



Pardon this rather... content-less post but I honestly don't know what else to write.

Watch the video and you'll understand why.

Sunday, December 02, 2007

Meow?

If you have cats/dogs, you probably wonder every now and then what your pets are saying to each other. A little twitch here, a flick of the tail there..

Watch these two:


Someone decided to edit this video and added a proper conversation. Here's his hilarious take on it:


This one definitely takes the cake. 0:12 to 0:14 is so adorable!

Saturday, December 01, 2007

We developed a language along the way

"OMG."

I thought my ears were playing tricks on me when I heard an acquintance of mine utter those three letters one day. I thought that maybe I had been stressing too much and was beginning to hallucinate (no, seriously, the hallucinating thing has never happened to me before). And then she repeated the three magic letters again.

It got me thinking. Since when do we utter OMG in place of the phrase "oh my God" or "oh my gosh" depending on your preference. I am one who is guilty of using it in my chats and SMSes, but when someone says it out loud, it just sounds.. wrong.

I've heard of people saying LOL out loud when they want to laugh. I mean, for real? Why would anyone do that? Are the abbreviations getting too much? According to some, yes. It has created an altogether different language that youngsters use to communicate, especially online, when they try to secure whatever privacy they have away from their parents. The vocab has expanded so greatly that you and I can just come up with anything we want right now and with some networking, we'd get it out there in no time.

But will we ever get enough of these LOLs (or LAWLs, if you like it that way) and ROTFLMAOs? How much is too much?

Will we all begin to say LOL instead of laugh for real in the near future?

Till then, oh am gee.

Friday, November 30, 2007

The Brands Conspiracy

About two weeks before SPM, there was a little rigmarole in my class on the types of "additional health benefit" supplements we would be taking on the exam mornings. The idea was that, we needed stamina and energy to continuously vomit out vast amounts of information in a limited time span- and unless we SPMers suddenly discovered new found powers to break the space-time continuum and bend time to our advantage, stamina was not coming the cheap way.


There were talks of Power Bars, Liquid Carbohydrates, Nutrilite Double X, Ginseng Extract, Birds Nest Soup, my mummy's secret recipe cordycep soup, and even drinking glucose (not advisable). But the most popular of them all, was Brands Chicken Essence.


Yes, you've heard about it. Heck, 99% of you out there have tasted it at least once in your life. However, I was never a stickler for these types of fuss- I never did Brands Chicken Essence for UPSR or PMR. It was eggs in the morning, and period. I imagine I was quite proud for the fact that "I do not need any commercialized antics to keep me awake during exam."


Then, I became a little worried. About everyone in my class had agreed on Brands. Brands suddenly became their number one idol. Hold on, let me rephrase that. It was like a religion and they hailed that tiny bottle of black fluids as the water of life.





I did a little internet research, then, on what exactly Brands was about. Friends kept on commenting about how AWAKE and ALIVE and ENERGETIC they felt after drinking the potion. It wasn't that I did not believe them, I did. But after watching too much of House and his psychological dependence of Vicodin I was, lets say, a bit of a skeptic.


Total number of students sitting for public exam:
SPM: 439,255
PMR: 400,000 (not exact)
UPSR: 400,000 (not exact)


Being generous, I imagine 25% of this number took Brands. So its 309813 students. A case of Brands costs RM30. So Brands makes an estimate of RM9,214,412 (thats nine million) a year, on exam students only. And were not even talking about those who drink it on a regular basis for... health reasons.

Then I combed the internet for health benefits. I got absolutely nothing other that the fact that its made of chicken. So what does chicken have to do with my metabolism and stamina? Maybe Proton should come up with the concept of the Brands Chicken Essence Car. No, now i'm just talking nonsense.


So peer pressure kicked in, even without evidence to support much. I decided to add a little bit to that statistic of students donating to Brands annual profit. But I didn't know how I was going to ask my mum... like I said, I never did potions.


I trotted off to my mum and asked her "Erh.. mum.. for SPM can I drink Brands in the morning or not?"

My mum stared at me, and said "Where are your eyes? I bought two cases three weeks ago already and its been sitting on the dining room table ever since. You think I dont care about you, issit?"

Swt.

So does anyone here take Brands for examinations?

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Protons Islamic Car Concept

An interesting bit of news made the middlelines (as opposed to headlines?) in todays The Star.

After embarrassing encounters with Germans Volkswagen recently, and a jaw dropping 30.4% drop in sales from 2006, it seems that Proton has come up with what they call a "solution" to their problems. One would say they have found their golden egg.

Try not laughing.

The Islamic Car
"Malaysia, together with Iran and Turkey, plans to produce this car concept for the global market. It is expected to have features such as a compass Kiblat, and special compartments for keeping the Quran and scarves. Proton might have found a new niche here."


Absolutely ridiculous. Most European automobiles already have GPS that can determine the Kiblat with a press of a finger- and Proton plans to delve back into the middle ages with a compass. Plus, every other car in the *cough* global market *cough* HAS compartments. I wonder how these special compartments are going to be.

How do you solat in a car, anyway?

Who knows. It might just work. A marketing gimmick that might just absolutely work.

"How does having a compass Kiblat reading and compartments for the Quran make the proposed so-called Islamic car fundamentally distinct from all other cars?"

Nothing. They better come up with something better. Innovate, damn it.

Yes. Proton is indeed a Hen that has laid it golden egg.

We call those kinds of hens... chicken.

My Early Muir Owl

My Early Muir Owl is an anagram of Will You Marry Me.

Love At First Sight Does Exist

Not so long ago one dude in New York had a James Blunt moment: he saw the girl of his dreams on a subway train. The funny thing about all of this, is, of course, that most people don't believe in Love At First Sight. I'm wondering if this guy did, because what he did next was surprising.

He created a website. It consisted of a single illustration, and he asked people if they had seen this girl. The website spread through word of mouth.


One day a girl saw his description, matched it with that of her friend, and hooked the two of them up.

I wonder what's become of two of them. Here's to wishing them the best. Because, just sometimes, happy endings do happen.

Maybe Mr T IS Handy With Computers

Monday, November 26, 2007

Review of SPM

As the first batch (ie guinea pig batch) taking Science and Maths in English, I have decided that it is almost obligatory that I write a sort of review on this years Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia. Lets backtrack in time- 2003 was the year where our former Dictatorial Figurehead Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad introduced a new policy whereby English became the mainstream language in science stream studies.

Claps and standing ovations resounded among those who
1. Use English as their medium of speech
2. Think in English
3. Were fairly proficient in the language.

I cant find any statistics for English proficiency in Malaysia, but Id venture a good extimate- less than half are below average. Hard core Chinese population, half the bumis and basically every Malay in Semenanjung. (Anyway, If we could score in Malay back then, I dont see why they cant score in English now)

So, have the standards increased, so that results drop to an all new low and our ever powerful Hishamuddin will have yet another excuse to return the syllabus back to the previous Bahasa Kebangsaan? The language of our country. The language of our heritage.

Or have the standards decreased, in hope for the coming elections hope that results would double up the score ladder.

Standard:Decreased like falling down a 69 storey building


Things were fairly normal for the core subjects: you have the normal not-being-able-to-finish-in-bloody-time for Moral Education, writing-like-the-speed-of-light-t- get-that-4pages-limit Malay Essay, dozing during English Paper, and not even caring for Maths.

Its the Science subjects that were incredibly stupid.

Objective papers were incredible no brainers. Half the class was dozing by the 10th minute, the other half checking through again. For my biology paper I went through the darn thing five or six times.

For Chemistry, Biology, Physics... there are actually questions where you UNDERLINE the correct answer. IN SUBJECTIVE!

NaOH / KCL + HCL - NaCL + H2O

A leaf floats in water because of surface tension of water / higher density.

A skin is part of the integumentary system / reproductive system.

What are we. Kindergarten students?

Anyone who has taken Biology in SPM will attest to the fact that it is one of the hardest to score. The amount of information, its Sejarah all over again in English- only with hormones. Well guys- the format changed, without any prior notice.

Paper 2 Biology
Section A- 6 Questions
Section B- 4 Questions (choose ANY two)


They actually scrapped off a whole section! (Section C)

Plus, they made the questions so general there was even time to do extras. In my mock exams you did the paper, chun, finish on time cant even check again. For SPM science subjects you do a couple of extras and you even have time to check through the paper... twice.

SPM was a sucker. Looks like Government lowered the standard tremendously.

PS- I dont get why they lowered the standard. Just make it as tough as it can get, and then lower down the differentiation gradient for a pass or an A1 score. Either way, English wins. =D

Monday, November 19, 2007

When UGS-ers get ahold of Guns

One day, after stuffing full with dim sum and everything else that can be ordered in Joyous Shanghai, the UGS'ers who attended decided to go for a jog to jog all the calories off.

But not everybody agreed. So we decided to go for a walk.


But there was nowhere to walk. So Jylene suggested we SLEEP it off.


But no bed was big enough. So she suggested we go to the beach and PLAY it off.

But the beach was too far. So we decided to just go home.


But that would mean all eat no exercise which would make us fat. So in the
blardy end, we DROVE (We meaning those UGS-ers who hold valid Drivers license and have their car under insurance) to Hock Lee Center to SHOP all the excess calories off.

After us girls (Jyl, Nic, Vivian and myself) scoured all the boutiques on the lower floor, we ended up in the arcade. It was there when the innocent members of UGS were exposed to the dangers of guns.


*From here out on, everything is FICTIONAL*


(Fictional means NOT real. Fictional does NOT mean NON-fictional)




Josh careless mentioned to Cedric who was suffering from eattoomuchiritis when they were playing some bang-bang games Time Crisis 3 that he was picking up his Macbookpro later on .



Eattoomuchiritis is a chronic disease that makes the patient extremely prone to mood swings and suicidal because they think they're fat. All of this mostly in a space of 20 minutes or less. People suffering from eattoomuchiritis should never be put in vicinity of a gun or any other weapon that can be used to harm anybody else.

Cedric holds Josh at Gunpoint. He REALLY wants that Apple product that'd go PERFECTLY with his Nano.

Josh does not relent. Why on earth would he give his precious baby to Cedric?!

Ahah! The pro's of being ambushed in an Arcade would be the abundant supply of artilleries!

Cedric suddenly realises, he cannot win. Josh has his own personal record of completing time crisis 3 within two tokens. He can play it single-handedly. How can Ced be more than 300 figures on screen?!


But...problem is, Ced has never even THOUGHT of suicide until now when Sam makes him think of it in pink fonts . Where to shoot?! How to shoot?! Pull the trigger once or twice?!

Then, suddenly a light shines down from up above. Clarity floods Cedric, he is liberated, enlightened, empowered, having a friggin REVELATION. Steve Jobs A voice whispers into Cedric's ear and tells him.

"Cedric, pull the trigger 321 times if you will, but the only way somebody will die today, is if you aim at the black screen."

Cedric gets the message, loud and clear.


Cedric has learned how to use his gun.

(This post was a joke Cedric! I swear I mean nothing by it! NOTHING!!!)

=)

Sam says, THE END.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

4 Blogging Styles I Really Like

1. Quaintly

Pinkpau/Su Ann's forte are her rants. Her thoughts unfold like paper butterflies on a digital canvas, and her prose is perfectly constructed, the kind you find in Booker shortlisters. Her words exude beauty: hair on the shower floor, braindust spiraling in the air. And her posts on Martian, her boyfriend, are a marvelous substitution for Chick Lit.

2. Dooce

Dooce is one of the few personal bloggers who make big money in the blogosphere. She's very good at taking tiny snippets of her life: random occurrences, minor incidences with her daughter, and she imbues them with life, wit, and good writing. These little snippets are like rays slicing into her life, allowing you an all-too-brief-a-look through her eyes.

3. Kamigoroshi

Edrei writes with absolute honesty. His posts are reflective, thoughtful ... though occasionally he writes things that make you smile. Some people think he's a girl, from the way his blog reads - but what he does well is that he takes the time to tell you not just what happened, but why it is important: to you, and to him.

4. Jonas Gumis


No kidding. Jonas has a good sense of storytelling - he times and paces his narrative, so even boring old events like St Jo's sports day come alive in his hands. I like it that he's naturally funny, and he can put on a lighthearted spin on serious topics. A downside to this is that my plug will probably boost his ego to stratospheric heights ... but at least he'll give us a laugh in the process, won't he?

Notice that I've left out Smashpop and Kenny Sia. I find they write too little, and their pictures do their talking for them. It's not a bad style of blogging, really, but it's just not my kind of thing.

Which probably explains why all of the above blogs are well written, well thought out affairs. What kinds of blogs are your favourites?

Democracy

People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.
Really ahh? That one Mr V in V for Vendetta say one ... is just a movie right? No real in the real world? How can! Garmen so scary and big wan. Got sodomy trail if you try anything. Shouldnt they be strong strong so can keep order wan?

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the United States, wrote the above words in a letter to William S. Smith in 1787. It became the basis of the 2nd amendment: that all Americans would have the right to arms; the right to guns.
The founding fathers apparently believed in a strong control to the government. The first control is that of what Thomas Carlyle calls the Fourth Estate. Jeffrey Archer makes the following observation in his novel of the same name:

"In May 1789, Louis XVI summoned to Versailles a full meeting of the 'Estate General'. The First Estate consisted of three hundred clergy. The Second Estate, three hundred nobles. The Third Estate, six hundred commoners. Some years later, after the French Revolution, Edmund Burke, looking up at the Press Gallery of the House of Commons, said, 'Yonder sits the Fourth Estate, and they are more important than them all.'"
But what Jefferson believed was this: a well armed populace which is not afraid to turn on its government is the ultimate check and balance.

God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. ... And what country can preserve its liberties, if it's rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

It is its natural manure.

It is a scary thought, especially for us Malaysians, who practice a watered down form of democracy.

Lest we forget: democracy does not mean just elections. It means a government of the people, by the people, for the people, with a multitude of checks and balances in place to ensure the fair use of power, and justice, and peace.



We have a long way to go.

Note: I do not support the 2nd amendment, and I disagree with many elements of the American democracy. However, the purpose of this post is to show that there is more to the concept of democracy than elections, and the entire idea of "We are a democratic country, we are not like Myanmar or Pakistan because we hold erections once every 4 years" is ridiculous.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Less Updates.......

This blog is getting less update. Last time, we can see an update at least once in two days. Now, we can expect only one post in a week. I think this syndrome started few months ago.

Anyway, Tay just updated the blog today. A very unusual move by him. He seldom update his blog, what to say UGS blog... haha..

Where are the frequent contributers/updaters?? Sam and Wandkey?? For Sam, maybe she blog less because of PMR but the PMR has ended but still no post from her... Wandkey? Busy with university things, i suppose....

And the others? Only got comments from them but no post.... sighs....

Perhaps should just shut down this blog??? hahahha.... i'm just joking.....

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Cuppy Cake Song



This song was uploaded to the Internet in 1996 and became an Internet phenomenon. From youtube:

No lip-syncing here folks, This is the REAL DEAL!: The original 1994 video of "The Cuppycake Song" (words and music by Judianna Castle) being recorded by the original artist (our daughter, Amy at age 3) in our home studio.

Although there were many takes of the song during the session, this was the one that made it onto our BALLOONS children's CD(www.cdbaby.com/buddycastle)and the one which has generated so much interest on the internet.

Since uploading "The Cuppycake Song" to the web in 1996, it has truly taken on a life of it's own. On You Tube alone, there are currently at least 1,000 videos using this song! In the last ten years we have received thousands of unsolicited comments from people of all ages across the US and many countries around the world who have been touched by this simple song and the tiny voice that sings it.

Now at last, you can see the face that goes with the voice. This should finally put to rest the false rumor that the song was sung by Strawberry Shortcake.
To read some of the many listener comments and to see additional photos of Amy, please visit us at www.cuppycake.com
Cute.

Saturday, November 03, 2007

I'm Never Going To Complain About Kenny's Driving Again

This is a woman driver. She is driving at a very slow speed. She makes Kenny look like Michael Schumacher.



Classic.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

I feel like doing a redesign

Yeah, so I'm going to follow Andrew Ho and post up a very short post. But I'm tired of the BUGS design. And so here I am, at 1 in the morning, asking for your opinion. What do you want to see in BUGS 2.0?

Note: I have 3 other blogs to redesign first, so I cannot give a deadline. But rest assured it will be done. I'm itching.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Few Things That Make People Do Supid Things

When you are angry, when you are horny, when people write one sentence blog and make you read. What more?

Friday, October 26, 2007

Malaysia's Internal Affair/Crisis!

As i have said in my blog, i want to comment on the issues that are concerning our beloved bolehland, Malaysia. First, i wanna talk about our first angkasawan/astronaut/cosmonaut/spaceflight participant, then the lingam video tape or lingam-gate scandal, the independent of the judiciary, the parliament and the general elections.

First, let us talk about the first Malaysian in space. Dr. Sheikh Muzzaphar Shukor, is our country's first man to go to space. He is also the first South-East Asian to go to space. Well, how proud are you, as a malaysian? The Russian called him a cosmonaut, the NASA called him a space flight participant and the Malaysian government insisted that he is indeed a angkasawan. Astronaut is the same meaning as Cosmonaut. Cosmonaut term is used by the Russians. The angkawan term is also the same with astronaut and cosmonaut.

Perhaps he will be conferred a Datuk-ship. This is Malaysia's style. There are many controversies surrounding the angkasawan project.

It all started in year 2003, when the Malaysian government agreed to buy 18 units of Sukhoi Su-30MKM. As part of the deal, the Russian government agreed to send a malaysian into the space in 2007. The cost is estimated to be US$900 million! Each unit cost about US$33-45million according to wikipedia. I think it is better to purchase F-16 fighting falcon as it is much cheaper than Su-30MKM. But US$900 million is too much. The money can be used for other projects, such as repairing the lousy roads across the country! There are many potholes in the country, and yet we spent millions to send a man into the space! What is this all for? The money can be used for other development projects as well! Look, the government spent more than the revenue generated for 11 consecutive years(budget deficit).

The exact figure for sending the man to space was never revealed. However, it is indeed very costly and they are planning to send 2nd man to space again.

Next, let's talk about the videotape scandal. This is not a pornographic videotape. This is not an anime's videotape. This is the arrangement in appointing judges. The Federal Constitution made it clear that it is only the DYMM YDP-Agong as the only one who can appoint judges(with the recommendations by the Chief Justice) and Chief Judge of Malaya, Sabah & Sarawak and Chief Justice of Malaysia acting on the advice of the PM and Conference of Rulers. Unfortunately, this is not the case. It is a prominet lawyer who recommend who to appoint as CJM(Chief Judge of Malaya). Well, i'm not a law student, so correct me if i am wrong in some facts. The video is quite funny. Watch at youtube for it! Do you know the Watergate Scandal that forced US. Pres. Nixon to resign from office? Let's see if this lingamgate scandal can force the CJ to resign.

After Anwar Ibrahim released the videotape, the government immediately form a 3-man Independent Panel to check the authenticity of the videotape. The Malaysian Bar Council organised a 'Walk from Justice' from the Palace of Justice to the PM's Department. There are thousands of lawyers and supporters took part in the march. They all wore black and white attire. The Bar Council demanded a formation of a Royal Commission of Inquiry, as it has more power to investigate the scandal. And it is true that the Independent Panel failed miserably to deliver. The Bar Council's Pres Ambiga Srenevesan infamous quote:

"Lawyers don't walk everyday. Not even every month. Not even every year. But when they walk, then something must be very wrong."

I really admire the United States's Congress. They are very powerful. They can reject Pres. Bush's application for War funding. The Republicans and Democrats are free to vote in any motion. They have the senate committee. The Senate Committee can conduct any inquiry or investigation, such as the blackwater shooting in Iraq, the 1998 former Pres. Clinton's sex scandal that nearly kicks him out from office, the then 13yrs old girl who was sexually abused and many more.
If our Parliament can act professionally like this and have this power, it is really great!

Next, let's talk about the fairness or Independent-ness of the Judiciary. I don't believe it they are 100% independent. Lina Joy's attempt to leave her former religion has failed in the highest court, the Federal Court. She was denied her freedom of religion, as guaranteed in the Federal Constitution, on Article 11. 'Every person has the right to profess and practice his religion.'

But lately, there are a number of lawsuits against the government are success. First, a former ISA's detainee was awarded RM2.5mil in the suit against the police and government. Then, the news just came in, Irene Fernandes was awarded Rm200k in her suit against an UMNO-owned daily. These judges who attend those cases are indeed independent and fair. One more lawsuit was filed 2 days ago. I believe there will be more and more suits will be filed in the future!

Next, let's talk about the General Elections. Many believe that it will be held after the General Assembly of UMNO. Oh yea, let's hope the delegates won't make any racist comments or statements during the assembly! Let's hope the keris will not be waved against other races.
Next year, i believe the fuel price will increase, at least by 10-20sen per litre. Toll rates will go up as well. Thus, the transportation costs will increase. Then, the price of goods will increase! This is called 'cost push inflation' in Economics. By then, perhaps a normal bowl of Kolo Mee will cost Rm3++!

The inflation rate is rising, and on April, Anwar will be eligible to contest. With the inflation, the people will get angry and the votes will swing to the opposition. So it does make sense that the GE will be called before the toll and fuel price hike. They will not be that stupid to repeat the mistake in the 2006 Sarawak State Election. It is like smacking your head with a hammer.

The question is, what is the date of GE and how many seats the opposition will grab! For sure, the landslide victory for BN in 2004 GE will not be repeated this time. The opposition should be able to win at least 45-50 seats. Perhaps the elections will be held later this year or early next year before they increase the fuel price and toll.

Signing off now...... Izzit ok to post socio-political stuffs in the UGS blog??
*kenny, our posts are equal now?

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Dumbledore Is Gay

On behalf of Cedric who is too horror stricken to even lift a finger to blog. Source: BBC


Harry Potter author JK Rowling has revealed that one of her characters, Hogwarts school headmaster Albus Dumbledore, is gay.

"Dumbledore is gay," she said, adding he was smitten with rival Gellert Grindelwald, who he beat in a battle between good and bad wizards long ago.

"Falling in love can blind us to an extent," she said, and added Dumbledore was "horribly, terribly let down" and his love for Grindelwald was his "great tragedy".


Hello there friends, families, closet perverts. I am quite sure that you understand the horrific events that have brought us here today. Dumbledore. Love of the magical world. Greatest wizard of all time. The embodiment of all things good and true. He who so valiantly gave up his life for Harry Potter and the Wizarding World.

Absolutely Gay.

I dont know about you but this scares me. As Jk Rowling so aptly puts it:

"Oh, my god," Rowling, 42, concluded with a laugh, "the fan fiction".


3rd UGS Badminton Gathering

We've lost count of the gatherings that UGS members have held. Oh dear. I have to admit. We've really come a long way from the First gathering that was held. Eight people attended the first gathering. After that, the average number of members attending gatherings have risen steadily to 13.

The first gathering took so much persuasion. The latest gathering took a few msn msgs, a few smses and a few calls (Okay, so maybe ONE person in particular took more persuasion than the rest lol). UGS has really become a very tight knit community and I'm very very happy and proud of that =D Big cheers to admins Ced, Kenny and Wen Qi. And the ever supportive members! All. Of. Them. Not forgetting those who AREN'T members...but came anyway!



Okay. So on Wednesday, the third Badminton Gathering was held at Stapok again following the success of the first two. Here and here (Ced had Green/Yellow hair in this one haha!). A total of...13 people showed up. And all thirteen of them played!

It was scheduled to start at 12 until 2. I woke up at 11.30 because Nic called my house. Was in a flurry to get ready and ended up in my mums car instead of Nics as originally planned. Reached Stapok one minute before 12 and saw Vivian and Jasper whom my mum thought were together (rotfl) =D

I went down to greet them and got a chance to flip through the Lodge Magazine. The Azam winner was from LODGE! *Jaw drops* And there was a lot of posing in the magazine haha. Andrew Ho arrived soon after followed by Lai and then Nic, Lina and Zareth. After them was Josh, Ced, Tay, Benjamin and Josh Lim.



The gathering begun a little after twelve and once again we were in Court B. Contrary to Joshua's belief, I did NOT ask Jasper and Lai to play with him and Andrew to mensiasoikan him. ;)

The presence of two SBA players didn't affect anything, badminton was played, new friendships were forged, new people attended their first Gathering, Laughter was...laughed, Strings were broken. Badminton Gatherings are definitely getting livelier even without the presence of Taboo!



The gathering ended at around 2.30 which shows that 2 hours is not enough for us. Will have to extend gathering hours next time. One thing still remains the same though. No matter how many gatherings we have (And I think it's safe to say we've passed the 20 mark)....One thing STILL remains the same.

The troubles that arise when it comes to take group photos. Shout. Dash. Run.


Sigh.

Sam enjoys Badminton.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Math genius in action:

Watch this genius!!!



ta

Just sharing =)

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Bread and Dollor Notes.

In the bread shop with family


We walked in briming with confidence, with a trail of fire and glory blazing in our wakes. The silent air reverberated with bristling electric power; the foundations of the bakery shook and trembled even as we entered its domain. The Gods looked down, and they FEARED.

We were a family on a mission- buy bread, and escape before they hunt us down!

We looked around after our prime targets, sausage buns and country bread. The lady in black at the counter watched our every movement obliquely, as though suspicious, as though we were something else other than normal human beings. After quickly picking our selective pieces, we proceeded to the counter.

My father (who declines to be named) took out a few notes and gave it to the lady.


She counted it.


Then she sniffed suspiciously, and looked up.

Horror gripped our hearts, and fear settled down like a heavy cloud. Were we found out? Had it all been for nothing?! The door slammed shut... the lights blacked out... a shrill scream... and then...

Nothing.

Actually, my dad accidentally paid in a US dollar note. ISH.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Rain

Sunday, October 07, 2007

Random Things To Cheer Me Up

iPod beater, you think?

*

Conversations real vs imagined

(from collegehumour):
Imagined
HOT MUSCULAR ISRAELI LOCKSMITH INSTALLING MY DEADBOLT: So you live here alone?
ME: No.
HMILIMD: You live with roommate?
ME: No, boyfriend.
HMILIMD: Oh, that’s too bad. You are hot.
ME: Oh, thank you. ( I cast my eyes down as if he’s embarrassing me)
HMILIMD: I want to stop screwing in this bolt and screw you right here on your sofa.
ME: I’m sorry I’m can’t. I’m spoken for.
HMILIMD: But I must have you NOW.
ME: No, you have to control yourself! Please, put your shirt back on!
HMILIMD: I beg you, if you won’t let me screw you on your sofa right now, then at least let me install this lock for you without wearing a shirt.
ME: Okay, I guess that’s fair.

Actual
HMILIMD: So you live here alone?
ME: No.
HMILIMD: You live with roommate?
ME: No, boyfriend.
HMILIMD: Me too.

*

They don't make grandmothers like that in Malaysia.

English In Foreign Countries

Got this from an email.

In a Bangkok temple:

"IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN, EVEN A FOREIGNER IF DRESSED AS A MAN."

Cocktail lounge, Norway:

"LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR."

At a Budapest zoo:

"PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUITABLE FOOD, GIVE IT TO THE GUARD ON DUTY."

Doctors office, Rome:

"SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES."

Hotel, Acapulco:

"THE MANAGER HAS PERSONALLY PASSED ALL THE WATER SERVED HERE."

Information booklet about using a hotel air conditioner, Japan:

"COOLES AND HEATES: IF YOU WANT JUST CONDITION OF WARM AIR IN YOUR ROOM, PLEASE CONTROL YOURSELF."

Dry cleaners, Bangkok:

"DROP YOUR TROUSERS HERE FOR THE BEST RESULTS."

In a Nairobi restaurant:

"CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER."

On a poster at Kencom:

"ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO, WE CAN HELP."

In a City restaurant:

OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND WEEKENDS.

One of the Mathare buildings:

"MENTAL HEALTH PREVENTION CENTRE."

A sign seen on an automatic restroom hand dryer:

"DO NOT ACTIVATE WITH WET HANDS."

In a Pumwani maternity ward:

"NO CHILDREN ALLOWED."

In a cemetery:

"PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES."

Tokyo hotel's rules and regulations:

"GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED."

On the menu of a Swiss restaurant:

"OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR."

In a Tokyo bar:

"SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS."

Hotel brochure, Italy:

"THIS HOTEL IS RENOWNED FOR ITS PEACE AND SOLITUDE. IN FACT, CROWDS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD FLOCK HERE TO ENJOY ITS SOLITUDE."

Hotel lobby, Bucharest:

"THE LIFT IS BEING FIXED FOR THE NEXT DAY. DURING THAT TIME WE REGRET THAT YOU WILL BE UNBEARABLE."

Hotel elevator, Paris:

"PLEASE LEAVE YOUR VALUES AT THE FRONT DESK."

Hotel, Yugoslavia:

"THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID."

Hotel, Japan:

"YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID."

In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery:

"YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS, AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY."

Taken from a menu, Poland:

"SALAD A FIRM'S OWN MAKE; LIMPID RED BEET SOUP WITH CHEESY DUMPLINGS IN THE FORM OF A FINGER; ROASTED DUCK LET LOOSE; BEEF RASHERS BEATEN IN THE COUNTRY

PEOPLE'S FASHION."

Supermarket, Hong Kong:

"FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE, WE RECOMMEND COURTEOUS, EFFICIENT SELF-SERVICE."

From the "Soviet Weekly":

"THERE WILL BE A MOSCOW EXHIBITION OF ARTS BY 15,000 SOVIET REPUBLIC PAINTERS AND SCULPTORS. THESE WERE EXECUTED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS."

In an East African newspaper:

"A NEW SWIMMING POOL IS RAPIDLY TAKING SHAPE SINCE THE CONTRACTORS HAVE THROWN IN THE BULK OF THEIR WORKERS."

Hotel, Vienna:

"IN CASE OF FIRE, DO YOUR UTMOST TO ALARM THE HOTEL PORTER."

Two signs from a Majorcan shop entrance:

- - ENGLISH WELL TALKING.

- - HERE SPEECHING AMERICAN.

Friday, October 05, 2007

Meow

PMR is over, F3's will be back in full swing around UGS I expect. (I hope) I demand The other day, I went to my mums school with my camera in hand. Unexpectedly, the cat that lives there wasn't out socializing around the neighborhood with her kittens. She was sitting there. Alone.


So I decided to take pictures of her. She was gorgeous. What can I say? The camera loves her!!! The parallels between her and Puss from Shrek are undeniable. They both do the Cute stare thing with their huge eyes.



After a few pictures, I realized...this is one photogenic cat. *Reviews photos* she's POSING FOR ME! She was staring straight into the lens in most of the pictures!

Okay, so maybe it was because she was fascinated by
me my camera. Or maybe it was warning signals that she sent through her eyes saying *Go away*.

She was yawning kay!

I squatted there for at least 5 minutes and she just sat there. Staring in my general direction. She changed her position once. And then continued to stare.


Cat Trivia!!!
Cats' hearing is much more sensitive than humans and dogs.
Ailurophilia is the "love of cats." Cats have three eyelids
Almost 10 percent of a cats bones are in its tail Cats have thirty teeth. Kittens have baby teeth which are replaced by permanent fangs at around seven months of age. If your cat is near you, and her tail is quivering, this is the greatest expression of love your cat can give you. If her tail starts thrashing, her mood has changed --- Time to distance yourself from her.

Sam likes kittens cats.

Halo 3




Thursday, October 04, 2007

Radiohead Releases New Album. Price? Up 2 U

Jylene recently did a Radiohead review for The Square, and a recent news item caught my eye: they have a new album. They're going sans label, and you can have it two ways: the first is by buying the physical box set, which costs £40.00, no matter where you live in the world. The second is by download, off their website. Cost? Up to you.

According to a spokesperson for the band, most are paying the normal price for an album (~£10) and few are going for ~£0.01. Downloads start 10 October. I've placed my pre-order. £0.00.


This is radical. No record label, no big brouhaha in music stores worldwide. You can pay anything you like ... I wonder if they accept used undies?

Let's see how this turns out. Those of you interested, place your pre order here. The site rocks.

Friday, September 28, 2007

Art and Engineering

I know this is a BMW ad, but I've been thinking about the parallels between the two lately. Especially since the arts vs science in Malaysian schools debate has reared its ugly head in my mind once again. I love arts - I write and I read and who says music and wine and food isn't enjoyable? But I'm stuck in science, because it's the proper thing to do.

Then I watched this video, and my breath is knocked out of me. Here is good science, compressed and tested and made beautiful. The wind, given form and tangible movement. Theo Jansen is a genius.



*PS: That machine there is called a strandbeest. A contraption that runs on wind. Wonderful.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

The Silver Lining: Why Life Is Worth Living

Because at times when you really would rather do what’s on the left than the right.

Brock's Microbiology and Sherwood's Human Physiology look nice on my table.


Because when you get frustrated at how things end up.

Laundry isn't meant to be dried like this in a normal world. Then again, I'm grateful I even have clothes to wear.


Got so fed up with cafeteria food some people and I made this with minimal ingredients. Marginally better than normal fare these days.


There’s still always The Silver Lining.


Just an hour or so away after a looong, tiring journey lies CIVILISATION!! This is how I regain my sanity.

Destressing in under 5 minutes

Do you believe in fairy tales?



And what do girls really do behind closed doors?



Gotta love those dummies.

Friday, September 14, 2007

After...

And so I thought it was time to introduce








Foreshadow to my BM karangan

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Sweet sweet apple...



Can you



believe it!?

The MbP is super fine and it's really fun. User friendly and obviously a beauty if i can say so myself. The keypad layout is simple and yet sophisticated. It even lights up under low light conditions! The colour is plain but still attractive, pulling glances from anyone who's caught a glimpse of it. The hardware and software installed on this baby are awesome and the specs, just nice. That's the general idea of the MbP and oh my gawd am i enjoying it. Who wouldn't! At least now with this I can post more often. No more waiting for my turn at the library! Yipee! Lalalala...=)



The Undergroundsquare blog never looked so good.(took the pic from my frinds hp cam)



Perfect.

Sunday, September 09, 2007

I am gonna marry nothing but a blond

I personally believe that U.S Americans are unable to do so because, some people out there in our nation, don't have maps. And I believe that our education such as South Africa and uh, the Iraq and everywhere like such as, I believe that they should our education over here! And the US. Should help the US, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian Countires so we will be able to build up our future for our children.



This is what I think she was thinking, wait.......... let me put it this way


I personally believe that the U.S Teen Pageant were unable to answer the question properly because some people out there in the nation don't have brains. And I believe she is one of them.


Hahahhahahahaha, okay, okay, don't be all defensive and all that, I know she was nervous and it was a blooper, I am just kidding, I am not a pig. Don't BBQ me.

Seriously, I think what was on her mind was:


I personally believe that U.S Americans are unable to do so because, some people out there in our nation, don't have maps. And I believe countries such as South Africa and the Iraq and everywhere like such as, should follow our education over here! And the US. should help South Africa, the Iraq and the Asian Countires. So we will be able to build up our future for our children.


But I still don't have any idea why she said that.


While Interview in BBC The Today Show, she mentioned that she did not listened to the question properly. Perhaps she thought the question was "According to the poll, why 1/5 of the world population do not know where the US is on the map"


Anyway it is still very funny. I love blonds so much..

Calling 911

(Refer to video in the last post to get the references to this one)



I sometimes wonder ... how will her life be affected by it? Poor girl.

Friday, September 07, 2007

Miss Teen South Carolina

Is very, very smart. Sigh.



You know what's the worst thing? She places third.

Monday, September 03, 2007

The Relationship Program

I got this from a forwarded email. One of the few I actually bother opening. Hilarious. It's a problem with a program that maybe we should all learn from when we get the program/entertainment system =)

---

Celebrating 40 Years of Engineering Excellence

UPGRADE FROM BOYFRIEND TO HUSBAND


Dear IT Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a slow down in the overall performance, particularly in the flower, gifts and jewellery applications that had operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.

Romance 9.5

In addition, Husband 1.0 un-installed many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, but installed undesirable programs such as Formula One 5.0, NBA 3.0 and World Cup 2.0.

And now Conversation 8.0 no longer runs and House Cleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. I've tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.

What can I do?

Signed,
Desperate Housewife



Reply:

Dear Desperate Housewife,

First keep in mind:
Boyfriend 5.0 is an entertainment package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system.

Try entering the command C:\ I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME and download
Tears 6.2 to install Guilt 3.0.

If all works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewellery 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.

But remember, overuse can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Late Night Teh Tarik 6.1.

Late Night 6.1 is a very bad program that will create SnoringLoudly.wav files.



Whatever you do, DO NOT install Mother-in-Law 1.0 or reinstall another
Boyfriend program. These are not supported applications and will crash
Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have a limited
memory and cannot learn new applications quickly.

You might consider additional software to improve memory and performance. I personally recommend Hot Tasty Food 3.0 and Tongkat Ali 6.9.

Good Luck,
IT Support