Vamos Rafael Nadal....Still the champ, Roger Federer

On Sunday evening, 11 June 2006,in the Roland Garros French Open final match, Rafael Nadal continued his winning streaks over Roger Federer by 6-1. That shows Roger Federer is not invincible. He DOES have his own NEMESIS. Head-to-head record of Rafa vs Fed since their first match (source: The Guardian with some edition):

March 2004 Miami (hard court)

Last 32, Nadal won 6-3 6-3

April 2005 Miami (hard)

Final, Federer 2-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-1

June 2005 French Open (clay)

Semi-final, Nadal 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3

March 2006 Dubai (hard)

Final, Nadal 2-6, 6-4, 6-4

April 2006 Monte Carlo (clay)

Final, Nadal 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6

14 May 2006 Rome, ATP (clay)

Final, Nadal 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6

11 June 2006 French Open (clay)

Final, Nadal 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6

Somehow, i feel sorry for Roger Federer to see him lose. However, it didn't spoil my mood that much to see him losing to Rafael Nadal or to Marat Safin (Australian Open 2005) only because first, that two opponents of his are also in the list of my favourite tennis players and secondly, it was nothing but a very entertaining, high-octane, fast-paced, tough game ever as far as tennis is concerned. OK, as far as I did feel it personally.

Roger Federer after winning the Australian Open, 29 January 2006(photo source: The Times)
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, French Open, 11 June 2006
(photo source: BBC sport )

Thanks to Goran Ivanisevic, who won his first ever Wimbledon in 2001 and retired from the game the same year, tennis has become a must-see sport for me. Of course, i did watch those previous games by John McEnroe (his funny tantrums on the court were a legend!), Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi (still think that he's one of the most brilliant tennis players), Michael Chang (that body-flying jump), Pat Rafter, those whom i remembered the most and associated with tennis. But, i must admit that i didn't find tennis that exciting, nor did i understand the whole game much. I just started to really get the grasp of the play in 1998 when my ex-housemate (and also our family friend) Salmy taught me on how this game is played, how to understand the scores and so on. It is not much different from Badminton, but it seemed to take hours and hours to watch the match.

Wimbledon gonna start at the end of this month (26 June to 9 July 2006), about the same time World Cup 2006 ends. Good thing I've got Sports Channel on Astro (malaysian digital tv). I'll talk about WC2006 on a different entry. Right now, I am still relieved from Nadal-Federer French Open final match last night.

06-06-06: Paradox or The Omen?

That triple 6 numbers...what is it all about (say this in "alfie" way). For a starter, those who read the Christian Bible or study it will come across such verse prophesicing on the number 666 as the coming of the Devil, the number and mark of The Beast....and anything associated with EVIL (source: Book of Revelation, 13:17,18)

666 also can be interpreted as www, whereby "vav" is the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabets, pronounced as "waw". "www" also means world wide web. That prompted people to relate www to 666 equals to DEVIL again.

(other examples of numbers that symbolises bad omen: Four is the unlucky number for the chinese. Four means death in chinese language. 13 is synonymous to bad luck for the westerners (espeically christians) as in Friday the 13th.)

Today, Hollywood has relased the remake of the horror classic movie: The Omen. The original movie was released on 06-06-1976, exactly 30 years ago. And today is 06-06-06. They (the producers, hollywood) probably wanted to reenact this movie to signify the date such that it might bring more impact on the audience (hence more cash flow). We gonna see another "Damien Thorn" doing his devillish, menacing glare and smile. This whole Damien Thorn reborn thing and trying to relate his birth with the American catastrophes like the September 11th...i dunno...kinda tired of this whole barrage of Armageddon, holier-than-thou things that seemed to have its starting points in the USA. However , ironically, that movie Armageddon (1998) showed a bombing scene of the World Trade Centre. Three years later, such mishap became a reality. Was that really some kind of an omen or trying to instil some ideas into some people's (deranged ones) head?

On another note, I did enjoy watching the original The Omen movie. Its sequels aren't bad either (the 3rd one sucks a bit though, as if Damien hasnt matured enuf). They made u wanna watch the 1st one again and again just to make sure u understand how it all began. I can never forget that big black crow which portrayed the devil's "minion" to carry the death penalty of whomsoever that annoys/harms Damien besides serving as the apocalyptic sign to death itself. Damien also used big rottweiler dogs as another potentially gruesome animals to carry his evil job.

Lets pray to God to protect us from any form of evil and catastrophes, aameeeen....

Happy 22nd birthday, TV3

22 years ago, my family bought our 1st ever colour TV, of Philips brand, 21 inches size. It was just after my 3rd brother, who is also the youngest of my brothers and the seventh in the family was born (April 21, 1984). Malaysia only had two TV channels, i.e. RTM-1 and RTM-2 at that time (were also known as rangkaian satu (TV1) and rangkaian dua (TV2)) and they are still broadcasted from their flagship building, Angkasapuri, KL until today. Me and my family used to watch those TV programs in black and white since our old and also 1st ever TV set bought by my dad is a black and white television, 21 inches, brand NEC. It has wooden-body, plastic tuning control nobs, big analog channel tuning nob, and two sliding doors from the left and right side of the TV to shut the TV box. Its first 4 yrs (probably more) was in Pekan, Pahang and it migrated with us inside the removal lorry to Bandar Baru Bangi in mid-1980.

That Philips colour TV made its debut just few weeks before TV3 made its first TV debut on the 1st of June 1984. It had that rejoiced, lively and rejuvenated presentation, something that TV1 and TV2 seemed lacking behind. The first highlight of TV3 broadcast was that Los Angeles Olympic Game, summer 1984. I think that was also that 1st thing I could almost remember much of TV3 back in 1984. There was this guy, Sherkawi Jirim who did the sports commentator, and some younger fella, i think it was Zainal Abidin Rawop or something like that. TV3 that time seemed to favour younger, fresher TV personalities in almost all of their main TV programs. And that appealed to many viewers across the Klang Valley at that time. Additional note: TV3 was only broadcasted within Klang Valley since its TV debut and it proceeded step-by-step broadcasting across the peninsula malaysia before it reached nationwide which include Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo Island.

Early TV3 personalities include Wan Zaleha Radzi, Furzanne, Abdul Razak, Kamaruddin, Mahadhir Lokman, Christine Ling where most of them did both english and bahasa malaysia newsreading. TV3 offered so many entertaining and very recent TV programs from the afternoon cartoon slots to the prime time slots. It was that very time of the year that RTM started to compete for its viewers having lost many of them to TV3.

In 1986, TV3 created one of the longest ever running program on television, Muzik muzik, which featured musical countdown of top hits song in malaysia. Every month they will elect the most popular song and singers and after 12 months, all these singers be it solo or in bands will compete for the top song of the year in a competition-cum-entertainment program called Juara Lagu (loosely translated as "The Best of the Songs of the year") which is now known as Anugerah Juara lagu (The Best of the Songs of the year award).

Nowadays, i do not spend much time watching TV...prefer browsing through the digital Astro channels if I am to spend my quality time in front of the telly (i dont really like to call it IDIOT BOX. That term is probably suitable for many of the American viewers and those who doesnt have much life out there, extreme couch potatoes, pathetic loners (i reckon they have switched to internet surfing unless they can't afford paying the internet bills).

To be honest with you, I don't think I can survive that long without a telly in my place. Not that i would "deteriorate" without it, but I'd like to have it so as to complete the house furnishing or something like that. Rather than just tuning in to the radio, i would definitely prefer putting MTV-stuff like that on the telly while i am reading or doing my internet surfing, cooking and whatever else thats exclude going to the toilet or during my praying time (although sometimes i turn the TV volume high enuf while I am doing my business in the bathroom just so that I can still catch any important announcement (news stuff), cool songs, or whatever stuff esp during those Big Brother years in the UK...).

Pyelonephritis, Cystitis and all that PCOS bits and pieces

Information extracted from http://www.answers.com


Pyelonephritis: An ascending urinary tract infection that has reached the pyelum (pelvis) of the kidney (nephros in Greek). If the infection is severe, the term "urosepsis" is used interchangeably. It requires antibiotics as therapy. It is a form of nephritis.

Pathology

Acute pyelonephritis is an exudative purulent localized inflammation of kidney and renal pelvis. The renal parenchyma presents in the interstitium abscesses (suppurative necrosis), consisting in purulent exudate (pus): neutrophils, fibrin, cell debris and central germ colonies (hematoxylinophils). Tubules are damaged by exudate and may contain neutrophil casts. In the early stages, glomeruli and vessels are normal. Photo at: Atlas of Pathology

Chronic pyelonephritis is often caused by Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis.


Signs and symptoms

It presents with high spiking fever, backache, vomiting dysuria (painful voiding), rigors and often also with confusion. There may be renal angle tenderness on physical examination.


Diagnosis

Nitrite and leukocytes on a urine dipstick are often detected, which may be an indication for empirical treatment. Formal diagnosis is with culture of the urine and bloods.

In patients with recurrent ascending urinary tract infections, it may be necessary to exclude an anatomical abnormality, such as vesicoureteric reflux (urine from the bladder flowing back into the ureter).


Treatment

Treatment is with antibiotics, which are often administered intravenously to improve the effect. Trimethoprim (or co-trimoxazole) or nitrofurantoin are often used first-line, although in full-blown pyelonephritis amoxicillin (with or without clavulanic acid), gentamycin (with or without ampicillin), fluoroquinolones (eg. ciprofloxacin) or a third generation cephalosporins are often favoured.


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Cystitis: Inflammation of the urinary bladder and ureters.

The disease occurs primarily in young women and frequently results from bacterial invasion of the urethra from the adjacent rectum, most commonly with normally occurring intestinal bacteria such as E. coli. It is also common in menopausal women; in them, the bacteria is transmitted from a vagina left more susceptible to bacterial overgrowth by changes in estrogen levels. In men cystitis rarely occurs without some other urinary tract disorder, such as kidney stones or, especially in older men, an enlarged prostate gland. Other predisposing factors are pregnancy, diabetes, and various systemic disorders.

Usual symptoms are frequent urination with burning pain, blood in the urine, and pain in the pubic area; chills and fever, back pain, and nausea may indicate kidney involvement. Treatment is with antibiotics and can also include the relief of any obstructions

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Polycystic ovary syndrome,PCOS:

Polycystic ovarian disease (PCO), also known by the name Stein-Leventhal syndrome, is a hormonal problem that causes women to have a variety of symptoms including:

-Irregular or no periods
-Acne
-Obesity, and
-Excess hair growth.

Any of the above symptoms and signs may be absent with the exception of irregular or no periods. All women with PCO will have irregular or no menses. Women who have PCO do not regularly ovulate; that is, they do not release an egg every month. This is why they do not have regular periods. No one is quite sure what causes PCO. However, the ovaries of women with PCO frequently contain a number of small cysts, hence the name poly (many) cystic ovarian disease. A similar number of cysts may occur in women without PCO. Therefore, the cysts themselves do not seem to be the cause of the problem. A malfunction of the body's blood sugar control system (insulin system) is frequent in women with PCO. The result is an inadequate response to insulin (insulin resistance) that can lead to abnormally elevated blood sugar (glucose) levels. The insuliin disturbance is thought to also be the trigger for the development of symptoms such as acne and excess hair growth that is seen with PCO.

How is PCO diagnosed?

The diagnosis of PCO is generally made on the basis of clinical signs and symptoms as discussed above. The doctor will want to exclude other illnesses that have similar features, such as low thyroid hormone blood levels (hypothyroidism) or elevated levels of a milk-producing hormone (prolactin). Also, tumors of the ovary or adrenal glands can produce elevated male hormone (androgen) blood levels that cause acne or excess hair growth, mimicking symptoms of PCO.

Other laboratory tests can be helpful in making the diagnosis of PCO. Serum levels of male hormones (DHEA and testosterone) may be elevated. However, levels of testosterone that are highly elevated are not unusual with PCO and call for additional evaluation. Additionally, levels of a hormone released by the brain (LH) is elevated.

Cysts are fluid-filled sacs. The cysts in the ovaries can be identified with imaging technology. (However, as noted above, women without PCO can have many cysts as well.) Ultrasound, which passes sound waves through the body to create a picture of the kidneys, is used most often. Ultrasound imaging employs no injected dyes or radiation and is safe for all patients including pregnant women. It can also detect cysts in the kidneys of a fetus. Because women without PCO can have ovarian cysts, and because ovarian cysts are not part of the definition of PCO, ultrasound is not routinely ordered to diagnose PCO. The diagnosis is a clinical on based on the patient's history, physical examination, and laboratory testing.


Risks

Women with PCOS are at risk for the following:

1. Endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer (cancer of the uterine lining) are possible, due to overaccumulation of uterine lining, and also lack of progesterone resulting in prolonged stimulation of uterine cells by estrogen

2. Insulin resistance/Type II diabetes, generally thought to be caused by hyperinsulinemia

3. High blood pressure

4. Dyslipidemia (disorders of lipid metabolism - cholesterol and triglycerides)

5.Cardiovascular disease


Some data suggest that women with PCOS have a higher risk of miscarriage. Also, many women with PCOS have a difficult time conceiving because of their irregular cycles and lack of ovulation. However, it is possible for these women to have normal pregnancies with the aid of medication and diet.


Diagnosis

It is vital to note that not all women with PCOS have polycystic ovaries, nor do all women with ovarian cysts have PCOS; although a pelvic ultrasound is a major diagnostic tool, it is not the only one. Diagnosis can be difficult, particularly because of the wide range of symptoms and the variability in presentation (which is why this disorder is characterized as a syndrome rather than a disease). There is a lot of controversy about the appropriate testing:

-gynecologic ultrasonography

- testosterone: free more sensitive than total

- Fasting biochemical screen and lipid profile

- 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (GTT) in patients with risk
factors (obesity, family history, history of gestational diabetes) and may indicate impaired glucose tolerance in 15-30% of obese women with PCOS. Frank diabetes can be seen in 6-8% of women with this condition.


For exclusion purpose:


-Prolactin
-TSH
-17-hydroxyprogesterone



The role of other tests is more controversial, including:



-fasting insulin level or GTT with insulin levels (also called IGTT): Elevated insulin levels have been helpful to predict response to medication and may indicate women who will need higher dosages of metformin or the use of a second medication to significantly lower insulin levels. Elevated blood sugar and insulin values do not predict who responds to an insulin-lowering medication, low-glycemic diet, and exercise. Many women with normal levels may benefit from combination therapy. A hypoglycemic response in which the two-hour insulin level is higher and the blood sugar lower than fasting is consistent with insulin resistance.

-LH:FSH ratio

-DHEAS

-SHBG

-Androstenedione

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Differential diagnosis

Other causes of irregular or absent menstruation and hirsutism, such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia, Cushing's syndrome, hyperprolactinemia, and other pituitary or adrenal disorders, should be investigated.


Pathogenesis

PCOS develops when the ovaries are stimulated to produce excessive amounts of male hormones (androgens), particularly testosterone, either through the release of excessive luteinizing hormone (LH) by the pituitary gland or through high levels of insulin in the blood (hyperinsulinaemia) in women whose ovaries are sensitive to this stimulus.

This syndrome acquired its most widely used name because a common symptom is multiple (poly) ovarian cysts. These form where egg follicles matured but were never released from the ovary because of abnormal hormone levels. These generally take on a 'string of pearls' appearance. The condition was first described in 1935 by Dr. Stein and Dr. Leventhal, hence its original name of Stein-Leventhal syndrome.

Although the cause of PCOS is not known, research to date suggests that obesity is a prime indicator. It may have a genetic predisposition, and further research into this possibility is taking place. No specific gene has been identified, and it is thought that many genes could contribute to the development of PCOS.

A majority of patients with PCOS - some investigators say all - have insulin resistance. Their elevated insulin levels contribute to or cause the abnormalities seen in the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis that lead to PCOS. Specifically, hyperinsulinemia increases GnRH pulse frequency, LH over FSH dominance, increased ovarian androgen production, decreased follicular maturation, and decreased SHBG binding; all these steps lead to the development of PCOS. Insulin resistance is a common finding in obese people.


Treatment

Medical treatment of PCOS used to be directed mainly at the symptoms (ovarian and adrenal suppression and anti-androgen therapy) and at restoring ovulation. Some medications used for these purposes are

1. Oral contraceptives (ovarian suppression): Because these cause regular menstruation, they reduce the risk of endometrial carcinoma

2. Spironolactone or finasteride (anti-androgen therapy): These reduce the excessive hair growth by blocking the effects of male hormones

3. Clomiphene citrate, human chorionic gonadotropin, or dexamethasone: Induce ovulation


Recent research suggests that the insulin resistance and overrelease of insulin may be at the root of PCOS. Many women find insulin-lowering medications such as metformin hydrochloride (Glucophage®), pioglitazone hydrochloride (Actos®), and rosiglitazone maleate (Avandia®) helpful, and ovulation may resume when they use these agents. Many women report that metformin use is associated with upset stomach, diarrhea, and weight-loss. Both symptoms and weight loss appear to be less with the extended release versions. Most published studies use either generic metformin or the regular, non-extended release version. Starting with a lower dosage and gradually increasing the dosage over 2-3 weeks and taking the medication toward the end of a meal may reduce side effects. The use of basal body temperature or BBT charts is an effective way to follow progress. It may take up to six months to see results, but when combined with exercise and a low-glycemic diet up to 85% will improve menstrual cycle regularity and ovulation.

Low-carbohydrate diets and sustained regular exercise are also beneficial. Also, initial research suggests that the risk of miscarriage is significantly reduced when Metformin is taken throughout pregnancy (9% as opposed to as much as 45%); however, further research is needed in this area.

For patients who do not respond to these and related medications or procedures, the polycystic ovaries can be treated with surgical procedures such as

1. laparoscopy electrocauterization or laser cauterization

2. ovarian wedge resection (rarely done now because it is more invasive and has a 30% risk of adhesions, sometimes very severe, which can impair fertility)

3. ovarian drilling

Postponed Graduation ceremony

Today I felt so sad that I won't be attending my Graduation ceremony at the Royal Albert hall. I had to postpone it to next year due to some unavoidable circumstances....

And today also marked the last day our department clerk tenure with us. She was instructed to be transferred to the main university administration building with a new post as the employment clerk officer....So it seemed like she got promoted to a better position, but it was really hard on both the department staff and her to accept this transfer. Apparently, this is part of the (weird maybe) university admin policy to deploy their non-academic staff once in every 10 years into some sort of a rotation. It was supposed to give them opportunities to work in a different environment as well as job protocol. However, as educative and beneficial as it appears to be, this transfer process was done without giving any choice whatsoever. They just send you this letter saying that from this date so and so, you will be effectively transferred to another division/job at another office/building so and so and your replacement have been pre-arranged prior to the transitional process which is less than TWO month. In other words, they did not provide any memo in advance asking whether you agree or not to partake in the new job arrangement process.

They should've asked her, my clerk that is, whether she would want it or not...They should not allow this "veto" type of policy to be imposed...this is a little bit too dictatorial! Our head of the dept has tried his best to use his influence on trying to persuade the higher admin board to rule her out for the time being, not especially this year since we gonna be the host for our coming faculty annual dinner in August as well as our chemical engineering colloquium later this year. She has done her job so well that we have been depending on her to materialize those procurement jobs appropriately besides managing her duty in our general office.

This incident reminds me of what had occurred at my old department in my previous college. At one time, those secretaries and clerks were reshuffled around our dept to work for different people at different offices given only 7 working days notice! Many were very upset with this new "harsh" system that seemed to force people off their own will to do whatever "shit" job deemed appropriate by those people at the "higher" place. That was so imperialist of them to exercise such a totalitarian, a bit draconian system. Imagine someone who has been working for 3 lecturers for the past 15 years and suddenly she has to slave for another lecturer who also force her to work for her team-mates, who in turn, are delegating different jobs to her and at the same time expecting her to present the desired format once she commence the job? I bet they presumed that she has been doing her job day in day out for so long already, hence she should not have any problem tackling any new assignment, etc etc.... One of these poor ladies has retired before her supposedly (by union law) retirement time. She was treated rather poorly by her new ladyboss who apparently was a former undergraduate student in the same dept. By the end of last year, this ladyboss tendered her resign letter to pursue with other things away from the college. She probably had a bright future ahead of her...She couldve been promoted to a much higher position had she not practised the superpower attitude to that poor old secretary. Was it karma or perhaps some other reasons beyond our human knowledge that did it.

That "relentless" order was extended to the other "lower rank" lecturers as well. Apparently, those "top" fellas seemed to be well off in their comfort zone...not shaken, not stirred...possibly fortifying their throne being a "full" professor and all...or perhaps too old to be bothered because they have already cemented their ultra-influence in my old department...who knows....Don't you think it's rather funny? Memo could be some kinda "writing on the wall" to those who mattered a little relative to those who are at the higher level.

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July 2005 story

I have delayed writing about my July 2005 stories which I wanted to do so back in August 2005 due to the chockablock schedules trying to finish the last part of correcting my thesis before submitting it at the end of that month for the viva.

So now, during lunch hour at my office, I shall began writing it, to commemorate this month's many big memories, one of the highlights of my life in 2005.

2nd July 2005, it was the World Live Aid Concert, organized by Bob Geldoff. Repeating their success in 1985, this synchronized mega concert was held in big cities across the G8 countries and one of the venues was at Hyde Park, London. I wanted to go to this concert initially but i didn't do it because i was not in a celebrating mood. All my concentration was mainly to do with my thesis writing up and i didnt even have the desire to celebrate my birthday which was on the next day, 3rd July. Earlier on, my french friends planned on having a dinner together in london but on the 1st July evening, my boyfriend called me saying that he wanted to spend that saturday with me so we could celebrate my bday together. And we agreed on inviting Azizah to go have a dinner somewhere. And so, on the 2nd July, i put down my work in the afternoon, started to prepare myself and my mood of course for the special evening. But since i had to do some food shopping and stuff, me, Azizah and her friend who is studying at Surrey, Ziela decided to go out together to hammersmith for that purpose prior to the celebration.

I wasn't aware of Arif (boyfriend) and azizah's plan of putting up a surprise party for me at her place. When Arif reached my place, I was ready to go out. He was in his cheerful mood, wearing bright red t-shirt and a big smile. We spent a few moments together at my place dancing to the music. It was funny because we are not so used to hold each in that manner and so we stopped a few minutes after that. Then we left and headed to azizah's place. Much to my surprise, Azizah and Ziela have been preparing food for the evening and there u go, my 2nd actually surprise bday party after the 1st one I had during my A-level college year in 1995. I was touched by their sincere efforts. Arif went out to the nearest indian takeaway and bought more food for the party. We then had our dinner while watching the Live Aid (live 8) concert on the telly (tv).

6th July 2005, London won the Olympic 2012 bid. There was a huge crowd at Trafalgar Sq where many people including big athletes like Dame Katie Holmes waited patiently for the result. London lost to Paris for the 1976 bid and they faced each other again for 2012 bid. This time London was chosen. I watched the event on the telly in the comfort of my room. FYI, i have been spending more time in my flat (and my room esp) and would only go out to college to meet my supervisor, or doing food shopping or other miscellaneous activities like going to the park to fresh up my mind, that sort of thing during the writing up period.

7th July 2005, the joy felt across london the day before was blanketed with fear, anxiety, shock and grievance as there were bombing attacks occurred in the heart of london. One bus at Tavistock Square and three tubes (passing edgware road, kings cross, and another one between liverpool st and moorgate) exploded resulting in carnage and casualties. The chronology of the bombing event as reported in Wikipedia:

08:50 — Three bombs on the London Underground exploded within fifty seconds of each other :
The first bomb exploded on an eastbound Circle Line sub-surface Underground train, number 204, travelling between Liverpool Street and Aldgate. The train had left King's Cross St. Pancras about eight minutes earlier. At the time of the explosion, the third carriage of the train was approximately 100 yards (90 m) down the tunnel from Liverpool Street. The parallel track of the Hammersmith and City Line from Liverpool Street to Aldgate East was also damaged.

The second bomb exploded on the second carriage of a westbound Circle Line sub-surface Underground train, number 216. The train had just left platform 4 at Edgware Road and was heading for Paddington. The train had left King's Cross St. Pancras about eight minutes earlier. There were several other trains nearby at the time of the explosion. An eastbound Circle Line train (arriving at platform 3 at Edgware Road from Paddington) was passing next to the train and was damaged, along with a wall that later collapsed. There were two other trains at Edgware Road: an unidentified train on platform 2, and an eastbound Hammersmith and City Line train that had just arrived at platform 1.

The third bomb exploded on a southbound Piccadilly Line deep-level Underground train, number 311, travelling between King's Cross St. Pancras and Russell Square. The bomb exploded about one minute after the train left King's Cross, by which time it had travelled about 500 yards (450 m). The explosion took place at the rear of the first carriage of the train, causing severe damage to the rear of that carriage, as well as the front of the second one. The surrounding tunnel also sustained damage.

09:47 — An explosion occurred in Tavistock Square on a No. 30 double-decker bus operated by Stagecoach London travelling its route from Marble Arch to Hackney Wick.

I was completely dumbfounded and shocked and worried sick, all mixed into one. I was still in my room that morning when it happened. I was supposed to attend a meeting with my supervisor, one of the most important meetings that was. I got more and more worried....worried for myself, my supervisor, my friends and worried that my family in Malaysia as well as my brother in Dublin, 2 sisters in Brimingham and Bradford and another sister in Irbid, Jordan, were trying to contact me but they couldnt because of the network disruption. I tried to SMS whenever possible....got some calls from my friends, and boyfriend as well. I was such in a really frantic state and dead anxious during those hours. I kept praying to God to protect all these people who mattered to me the most. And i kept praying to God that my supervisor was safe because he normally goes to college using the northbound picadilly line train at that very hour. I needed him at my critical PhD stage! Had he not delayed taking the next train to college, he would be one of the victims near King's Cross Station. London was at a stand-still the whole day. What was actually a big day on Wednesday, 6th july, became one of the worst nightmare the following day. Good thing none of my friends as well as my supervisor were affected. It was summer holiday for the universities and schools across london and the UK and many people (especially students) have left the country, or london itself, for a holiday.

The good news of that eventful day was that my supervisor told me on the phone that he was satisfied with my correction work. Also, my area and my college area were a bit away from the bombing scenes,practically located at a safe distance. I only started to use the bus to college again on the following week. Due to the fact that these bombing were suspected as the (horrible) act of 4 muslim suicide bombers, muslims were on alert everywhere. Nevertheless, that did not make me wanna lose my headscarf just for that reason. As i boarded on the bus 70 to college, i carry a friendly image with a casual smile so that people won't be put off (or annoyed for that matter) by my presence. You just gotta do it esp if you're the only one wearing the headscarf at that moment or else, you'd be scrutinized with suspicious and vicious looks. Fortunately, I succeeded to avoid any unwanted encounter. I even initiated some idle, friendly conversations with the passengers who sat next to me and nearby so that it would ease the tension that was there already across london. As traumatic as it was, I myself took like a week before I could board on a double decker bus. FYI, bus 70 is a single-deck bus.

Things was about to return to normal for me until I went out with 2 of my friends, Azizah and Waheedah to london for some summer sale shopping on the 19th July 2005. I had tried to avoid going to the main oxford street section and did my summer sale shopping elsewhere like between oxford circus and tottenham court road, high street kensington and so on to name a few. Unfortunately for me, i lost my wallet amidst the heavy crowd at United Color of Benetton. This could not be happening to me as I was supposed to go to Bradford on the 21st July to attend my 3rd sister, Nahlah's graduation day there. I wanted to cry on the spot, but i had other better thoughts rather than being one big sissy. I already felt weak on my knees but I must act immediately to resolve more important issues like my bankcards and so on. So I called Natwest to block my Switch/Maestro Card, and some other cards as well and the three of us went to the nearest police station to lodge the report. I lost my old malaysian IC card (the one before mykad), my malaysian driving licence and some other stuff as well as one ten pound note.

On the 21st July, 2005, another bombing scare occurred and this time it happened not so far away from where I lived. Shepherds Bush tube station on Hammersmith and City Line was closed down before any explosion took place. These bombing attempts were also found around midday at Warren Street and Oval stations on London Underground, and on a bus in Bethnal Green. All these has resulted in massive traffic jams (gridlock) esp during after office hour. I was supposed to get on the National Express Coach to Bradford that evening. I got so worried that i might miss the coach at Victoria Coach Station since I had to wait for my important parcel which was supposed to arrive that afternoon. It carried my new bankcard replacement. Once i found out that the parcel force service was forced to be cancelled due to the bombing shenanigans, I proceeded to take bus 7 and then changed at Ladbroke Grove for bus 52 which would bring me to Victoria. I seriously thought that I have missed the 6.30pm coach to Bradford as I arrived 5 mins late. God must be soooooo merciful to me that somehow, there was a major delayance on the road which caused another delay for the coach. They had to change the bus schedule to 7.30pm. And for that reason I finally managed to reach Bradford that night. Alhamdulillah, I still got the opportunity to attend my sister's graduation ceremony the following day (22nd July 2005).

What a month that was.

Do the Brokeback Mountain, mates!

Found something rather amusing from IHT, click here.



three gay blokes doing brokeback mountain...dont mess with them bad-asses....u guys make me laugh! 

Too bad, i missed my london gay parade!!! everytime they put up something down at Hyde Park, i had something else came up, or preoccupied with experiments and simulations (bit of a college boffin was i...?). The closest i got to see their flamboyant party was when i was on the bus down Park Lane en route to Oxford Street. They never ceased to amuse me....and i dont mean in a negative way, but in the fun way.


u wanna twist my nipples? go ahead...make my day 

There was one time i went to the Notting Hill Carnival, August 2002, and I got sore feet after all those walking from Westbourne Park Road amidst a heavy crowd, crossed to Elgin Crescent and all the way to Latimer Road tube stn coz they close all the nearby tube stns due to security reasons. I was staying at South Ealing that time. So I took the tube from latimer rd stn to hammersmith and changed to the picadilly line from hammersmith all the way to south ealing. I took loadsa pictures that day, but i must scan them first. I only got my digicam (fuji finepix E550) last september 2005 from http://www.amazon.co.uk, before i went to Istanbul later in the same month.

FYI, Notting Hill Carnival is an annual festival, celebrated on the bank holiday at the end of august every year. Similar to the mardi gras, u get to see all those fancy floats, OTT (over the top) costumes and loud noises everywhere. Lotsa sexy exotic girls too if i may add, coz i did take couple of photos of these sexy ladies showing off their sexy "batties" and ample boobs in skimpy costumes.

I used to be the hag to my "fag" fren. Those days...yeah...having a fag-hag time together over a cuppa...and I also have a bisexual close male friend (i tell u that later on)....Ooooohhh, what a psychedelic world.....

Positive Quote of the Day

POSITIVE QUOTE OF THE DAY

The ability to concentrate and to use time well is everything-- Lee Iococca

Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems.
-- Rene Descartes (1596-1650), "Discours de la Methode"

Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.
-- Plato (427-347 B.C.)

The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who don't have it
- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake
- Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

Talent does what it can; genius does what it must- Edward George Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873)

If you can count your money, you don't have a billion dollars.
- J. Paul Getty (1892-1976)

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
- Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)

The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.-- Jimi Hendrix

Everyone is a genius at least once a year; a real genius has his original ideas closer together. -- Georg Lichtenberg (1742-1799)

My advice to you is get married: if you find a good wife you'll be happy; if not, you'll become a philosopher.
- Socrates (470-399 B.C.)

It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

If women didn't exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning.
- Aristotle Onassis (1906-1975)

Silence is argument carried out by other means.
- Ernesto"Che"Guevara (1928-1967)

FIFA World Cup 2006 Germany

banner source



World Cup 2006 will begin on the 9th June 2006 where Germans will play against Costa Rican in Munich. Click the mast banner above to go to the official world cup site.

I was in the UK during World cup 1998 France and 2002 Japan-South Korea. French won the cup at their home ground in 1998 while Brazilian claimed their world championship title in Japan.Both teams are still gonna play this year and some of their veterans like Zinedine Zidane (pic below) was reportedly saying that that will be his final world cup appearance after having decided to retire as a football pro by the end of 2007. He and his teammates defeated Brazil in 1998 and became his nation's hero scoring 2 out of 3 winning goals.

photo source


For all the football fans out there, this will be the ultimate football match: surprises, upsets, newcomers, underdogs, old enemies, bad bias referees, potential rivals, tears, joy, and whatever else emotions/football jargons may exists, just be prepared for it and please do not cause any havoc, chaos and so on. Stop this hooliganism if you may. This is not the end of the world. Nevertheless, people will naturally remember the champion. There is no number 2 in this game or any other sport game. However,having said that, people will also remember some of the main highlights such as when the underdog North Korea beat Italy 1-0 back in World Cup 1966 in England as well as Diego Maradona's Hand of God, all of which became part of the world cup history.

In malaysia, this time of the year, people will have to stay up late at night just to catch the live match, as we are 6 hours ahead in the time zone. As for myself, maybe i'll just settle for the weekend live match.

Billionaires' boudoir- burj al arab

I reckon I should replace the word "if" to "one day" because it makes it sound more realistic and implying something positive as in: one day i'll come over and stay at this one of the most luxurious hotels in the world. This 7-star hotel, burj al-arab, is inspirational indeed. It reminds me that you could achieve anything you wanted badly enough if you really work hard towards it with all your might, perseverance, faith, and tawakkal (put the trust) to God. Abraham Lincoln (the 16th President of the US) once quoted: "You can have anything you want - if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose. "

Rude Food!!!

My former technician at the Dept of Chemical Engineering & Chemical Technology, Imperial College London,Darren Palmer has been working his arse off collecting many kind of rude food he managed to find in order to publish it in a book form. Unfortunately, his pure ambition was cut short by another arch-rival who managed to reach the winning line 1st.

Some of my favourite rude food:







But don't fret, I've got here the link to his site, click here.

The President of Iran`s Letter To President Bush

One of those letters commonly dismissed by Doubya Bush yet managed to cause a stir in one's heart:






In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Mr George Bush,

President of the United States of America

For sometime now I have been thinking, how one can justify the undeniable contradictions that exist in the international arena -- which are being constantly debated, specially in political forums and amongst university students. Many questions remain unanswered. These have prompted me to discuss some of the contradictions and questions, in the hopes that it might bring about an opportunity to redress them. (photo source)

Can one be a follower of Jesus Christ (PBUH), the great Messenger of God, Feel obliged to respect human rights, Present liberalism as a civilization model, Announce one's opposition to the proliferation of nuclear weapons and WMDs, Make "War and Terror" his slogan, And finally, Work towards the establishment of a unified international community - a community which Christ and the virtuous of the Earth will one day govern, But at the same time, Have countries attacked; The lives, reputations and possessions of people destroyed and on the slight chance of the of a criminals in a village city, or convoy for example the entire village, city or convey set ablaze.

Or because of the possibility of the existence of WMDs in one country, it is occupied, around one hundred thousand people killed, its water sources, agriculture and industry destroyed, close to 180,000 foreign troops put on the ground, sanctity of private homes of citizens broken, and the country pushed back perhaps fifty years. At what price? Hundreds of billions of dollars spent from the treasury of one country and certain other countries and tens of thousands of young men and women - as occupation troops - put in harms way, taken away from family and love ones, their hands stained with the blood of others, subjected to so much psychological pressure that everyday some commit suicide ant those returning home suffer depression, become sickly and grapple with all sorts of aliments; while some are killed and their bodies handed of their families.

On the pretext of the existence of WMDs, this great tragedy came to engulf both the peoples of the occupied and the occupying country. Later it was revealed that no WMDs existed to begin with.

Of course Saddam was a murderous dictator. But the war was not waged to topple him, the announced goal of the war was to find and destroy weapons of mass destruction. He was toppled along the way towards another goal, nevertheless the people of the region are happy about it. I point out that throughout the many years of the É war on Iran Saddam was supported by the West.

Mr President,

You might know that I am a teacher. My students ask me how can theses actions be reconciled with the values outlined at the beginning of this letter and duty to the tradition of Jesus Christ (PBUH), the Messenger of peace and forgiveness.

There are prisoners in Guantanamo Bay that have not been tried, have no legal representation, their families cannot see them and are obviously kept in a strange land outside their own country. There is no international monitoring of their conditions and fate. No one knows whether they are prisoners, POWs, accused or criminals.

European investigators have confirmed the existence of secret prisons in Europe too. I could not correlate the abduction of a person, and him or her being kept in secret prisons, with the provisions of any judicial system. For that matter, I fail to understand how such actions correspond to the values outlined in the beginning of this letter, i.e. the teachings of Jesus Christ (PBUH), human rights and liberal values.

Young people, university students and ordinary people have many questions about the phenomenon of Israel. I am sure you are familiar with some of them.

Throughout history many countries have been occupied, but I think the establishment of a new country with a new people, is a new phenomenon that is exclusive to our times.

Students are saying that sixty years ago such a country did no exist. The show old documents and globes and say try as we have, we have not been able to find a country named Israel.

I tell them to study the history of WWI and II. One of my students told me that during WWII, which more than tens of millions of people perished in, news about the war, was quickly disseminated by the warring parties. Each touted their victories and the most recent battlefront defeat of the other party. After the war, they claimed that six million Jews had been killed. Six million people that were surely related to at least two million families.

Again let us assume that these events are true. Does that logically translate into the establishment of the state of Israel in the Middle East or support for such a state? How can this phenomenon be rationalized or explained?

Mr President,

I am sure you know how - and at what cost - Israel was established:

- Many thousands were killed in the process.

- Millions of indigenous people were made refugees.

- Hundred of thousands of hectares of farmland, olive plantations, towns and villages were destroyed.

This tragedy is not exclusive to the time of establishment; unfortunately it has been ongoing for sixty years now.

A regime has been established which does not show mercy even to kids, destroys houses while the occupants are still in them, announces beforehand its list and plans to assassinate Palestinian figures and keeps thousands of Palestinians in prison. Such a phenomenon is unique - or at the very least extremely rare - in recent memory.

Another big question asked by people is why is this regime being supported? Is support for this regime in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ (PBUH) or Moses (PBUH) or liberal values?

Or are we to understand that allowing the original inhabitants of these lands - inside and outside Palestine - whether they are Christian, Muslim or Jew, to determine their fate, runs contrary to principles of democracy, human rights and the teachings of prophets? If not, why is there so much opposition to a referendum?

The newly elected Palestinian administration recently took office. All independent observes have confirmed that this government represents the electorate. Unbelievingly, they have put the elected government under pressure and have advised it to recognize the Israeli regime, abandon the struggle and follow the programs of the previous government.

If the current Palestinian government had run on the above platform, would the Palestinian people have voted for it? Again, can such position taken in opposition to the Palestinian government be reconciled with the values outlined earlier? The people are also saying "why are all UNSC resolutions in condemnation of Israel vetoed?"

Mr President,

As you are well aware, I live amongst the people and am in constant contact with them -- many people from around the Middle East manage to contact me as well. They dot not have faith in these dubious policies either. There is evidence that the people of the region are becoming increasingly angry with such policies.

It is not my intention to pose to many questions, but I need to refer to other points as well.

Why is it that any technological and scientific achievement reached in the Middle East regions is translated into and portrayed as a threat to the Zionist regime? Is not scientific R&D one of the basic rights of nations.

You are familiar with history. Aside from the Middle Ages, in what other point in history has scientific and technical progress been a crime? Can the possibility of scientific achievements being utilized for military purposes be reason enough to oppose science and technology altogether? If such a supposition is true, then all scientific disciplines, including physics, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, engineering, etc. must be opposed.

Lies were told in the Iraqi matter. What was the result? I have no doubt that telling lies is reprehensible in any culture, and you do not like to be lied to.

Mr President,

Don't Latin Americans have the right to ask, why their elected governments are being opposed and coup leaders supported? Or, why must they constantly be threatened and live in fear?

The people of Africa are hardworking, creative and talented. They can play an important and valuable role in providing for the needs of humanity and contribute to its material and spiritual progress. Poverty and hardship in large parts of Africa are preventing this from happening. Don't they have the right to ask why their enormous wealth - including minerals - is being looted, despite the fact that they need it more than others?

Again, do such actions correspond to the teachings of Christ and the tenets of human rights?

The brave and faithful people of Iran too have many questions and grievances, including: the coup d'etat of 1953 and the subsequent toppling of the legal government of the day, opposition to the Islamic revolution, transformation of an Embassy into a headquarters supporting, the activities of those opposing the Islamic Republic (many thousands of pages of documents corroborates this claim), support for Saddam in the war waged against Iran, the shooting down of the Iranian passenger plane, freezing the assets of the Iranian nation, increasing threats, anger and displeasure vis-a-vis the scientific and nuclear progress of the Iranian nation (just when all Iranians are jubilant and collaborating their country's progress), and many other grievances that I will not refer to in this letter.

Mr President,

September Eleven was a horrendous incident. The killing of innocents is deplorable and appalling in any part of the world. Our government immediately declared its disgust with the perpetrators and offered its condolences to the bereaved and expressed its sympathies.

All governments have a duty to protect the lives, property and good standing of their citizens. Reportedly your government employs extensive security, protection and intelligence systems - and even hunts its opponents abroad. September eleven was not a simple operation. Could it be planned and executed without coordination with intelligence and security services - or their extensive infiltration? Of course this is just an educated guess. Why have the various aspects of the attacks been kept secret? Why are we not told who botched their responsibilities? And, why aren't those responsible and the guilty parties identified and put on trial?

All governments have a duty to provide security and peace of mind for their citizens. For some years now, the people of your country and neighbors of world trouble spots do not have peace of mind. After 9.11, instead of healing and tending to the emotional wounds of the survivors and the American people - who had been immensely traumatized by the attacks - some Western media only intensified the climates of fear and insecurity - some constantly talked about the possibility of new terror attacks and kept the people in fear. Is that service to the American people? Is it possible to calculate the damages incurred from fear and panic?

American citizens lived in constant fear of fresh attacks that could come at any moment and in any place. They felt insecure in the streets, in their place of work and at home. Who would be happy with this situation? Why was the media, instead of conveying a feeling of security and providing peace of mind, giving rise to a feeling of insecurity?

Some believe that the hype paved the way - and was the justification - for an attack on Afghanistan. Again I need to refer to the role of media.

In media charters, correct dissemination of information and honest reporting of a story are established tenets. I express my deep regret about the disregard shown by certain Western media for these principles. The main pretext for an attack on Iraq was the existence of WMDs. This was repeated incessantly - for the public to, finally, believe - and the ground set for an attack on Iraq.

Will the truth not be lost in a contrive and deceptive climate? Again, if the truth is allowed to be lost, how can that be reconciled with the earlier mentioned values?

Is the truth known to the Almighty lost as well?

Mr President,

In countries around the world, citizens provide for the expenses of governments so that their governments in turn are able to serve them.

The question here is "what has the hundreds of billions of dollars, spent every year to pay for the Iraqi campaign, produced for the citizens?"

As your Excellency is aware, in some states of your country, people are living in poverty. Many thousands are homeless and unemployment is a huge problem. Of course these problems exist - to a larger or lesser extent - in other countries as well. With these conditions in mind, can the gargantuan expenses of the campaign - paid from the public treasury - be explained and be consistent with the aforementioned principles?

What has been said, are some of the grievances of the people around the world, in our region and in your country. But my main contention - which I am hoping you will agree to some of it - is:

Those in power have specific time in office, and do not rule indefinitely, but their names will be recorded in history and will be constantly judged in the immediate and distant futures.

The people will scrutinize our presidencies.

Did we manage to bring peace, security and prosperity for the people or insecurity and unemployment?

Did we intend to establish justice, or just supported especial interest groups, and by forcing many people to live in poverty and hardship, made a few people rich and powerful - thus trading the approval of the people and the Almighty with theirs'?

Did we defend the rights of the underprivileged or ignore them?

Did we defend the rights of all people around the world or imposed wars on them, interfered illegally in their affairs, established hellish prisons and incarcerated some of them?

Did we bring the world peace and security or raised the specter of intimidation and threats?

Did we tell the truth to our nation and others around the world or presented an inverted version of it?

Were we on the side of people or the occupiers and oppressors?

Did our administrations set out to promote rational behavior, logic, ethics, peace, fulfilling obligations, justice, service to the people, prosperity, progress and respect for human dignity or the force of guns.

Intimidation, insecurity, disregard for the people, delaying the progress and excellence of other nations, and trample on people's rights?

And finally, they will judge us on whether we remained true to our oath of office - to serve the people, which is our main task, and the traditions of the prophets - or not?

Mr President,

How much longer can the world tolerate this situation?

Where will this trend lead the world to?

How long must the people of the world pay for the incorrect decisions of some rulers?

How much longer will the specter of insecurity - raised from the stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction - hunt the people of the world?

How much longer will the blood of the innocent men, women and children be spilled on the streets, and people's houses destroyed over their heads?

Are you pleased with the current condition of the world?

Do you think present policies can continue?

If billions of dollars spent on security, military campaigns and troop movement were instead spent on investment and assistance for poor countries, promotion of health, combating different diseases, education and improvement of mental and physical fitness, assistance to the victims of natural disasters, creation of employment opportunities and production, development projects and poverty alleviation, establishment of peace, mediation between disputing states and distinguishing the flames of racial, ethnic and other conflicts were would the world be today? Would not your government, and people be justifiably proud? Would not your administration's political and economic standing have been stronger? And I am most sorry to say, would there have been an ever increasing global hatred of the American governments?

Mr President, it is not my intention to distress anyone.

If prophet Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ishmael, Joseph or Jesus Christ (PBUH) were with us today, how would they have judged such behaviour? Will we be given a role to play in the promised world, where justice will become universal and Jesus Christ (PBUH) will be present? Will they even accept us?

My basic question is this: Is there no better way to interact with the rest of the world? Today there are hundreds of millions of Christians, hundreds of millions of Moslems and millions of people who follow the teachings of Moses (PBUH). All divine religions share and respect on word and that is "monotheism" or belief in a single God and no other in the world.

The Holy Koran stresses this common word and calls on an followers of divine religions and says: [3.64] Say: O followers of the Book! Come to an equitable proposition between us and you that we shall not serve any but Allah and (that) we shall not associate aught. With Him and (that) some of us shall not take others for lords besides Allah, but if they turn back, then say: Bear witness that we are Muslims. (The Family of Imran).

Mr President,

According to divine verses, we have all been called upon to worship one God and follow the teachings of divine prophets.

"To worship a God which is above all powers in the world and can do all He pleases." "The Lord which knows that which is hidden and visible, the past and the future, knows what goes on in the Hearts of His servants and records their deeds." "The Lord who is the possessor of the heavens and the earth and all universe is His court" "planning for the universe is done by His hands, and gives His servants the glad tidings of mercy and forgiveness of sins". "He is the companion of the oppressed and the enemy of oppressors". "He is the Compassionate, the Merciful". "He is the recourse of the faithful and guides them towards the light from darkness". "He is witness to the actions of His servants", "He calls on servants to be faithful and do good deeds, and asks them to stay on the path of righteousness and remain steadfast". "Calls on servants to heed His prophets and He is a witness to their deeds." "A bad ending belongs only to those who have chosen the life of this world and disobey Him and oppress His servants". And "A good and eternal paradise belong to those servants who fear His majesty and do not follow their lascivious selves."

We believe a return to the teachings of the divine prophets is the only road leading to salvations. I have been told that Your Excellency follows the teachings of Jesus (PBUH), and believes in the divine promise of the rule of the righteous on Earth.

We also believe that Jesus Christ (PBUH) was one of the great prophets of the Almighty. He has been repeatedly praised in the Koran. Jesus (PBUH) has been quoted in Koran as well; [19,36] And surely Allah is my Lord and your Lord, therefore serves Him; this is the right path, Marium.

Service to and obedience of the Almighty is the credo of all divine messengers.

The God of all people in Europe, Asia, Africa, America, the Pacific and the rest of the world is one. He is the Almighty who wants to guide and give dignity to all His servants. He has given greatness to Humans.

We again read in the Holy Book: "The Almighty God sent His prophets with miracles and clear signs to guide the people and show them divine signs and purity them from sins and pollutions. And He sent the Book and the balance so that the people display justice and avoid the rebellious."

All of the above verses can be seen, one way or the other, in the Good Book as well.

Divine prophets have promised:

The day will come when all humans will congregate before the court of the Almighty, so that their deeds are examined. The good will be directed towards Haven and evildoers will meet divine retribution. I trust both of us believe in such a day, but it will not be easy to calculate the actions of rulers, because we must be answerable to our nations and all others whose lives have been directly or indirectly effected by our actions.

All prophets, speak of peace and tranquility for man - based on monotheism, justice and respect for human dignity.

Do you not think that if all of us come to believe in and abide by these principles, that is, monotheism, worship of God, justice, respect for the dignity of man, belief in the Last Day, we can overcome the present problems of the world - that are the result of disobedience to the Almighty and the teachings of prophets - and improve our performance?

Do you not think that belief in these principles promotes and guarantees peace, friendship and justice?

Do you not think that the aforementioned written or unwritten principles are universally respected?

Will you not accept this invitation? That is, a genuine return to the teachings of prophets, to monotheism and justice, to preserve human dignity and obedience to the Almighty and His prophets?

Mr President,

History tells us that repressive and cruel governments do not survive. God has entrusted The fate of man to them. The Almighty has not left the universe and humanity to their own devices. Many things have happened contrary to the wishes and plans of governments. These tell us that there is a higher power at work and all events are determined by Him.

Can one deny the signs of change in the world today?

Is this situation of the world today comparable to that of ten years ago? Changes happen fast and come at a furious pace.

The people of the world are not happy with the status quo and pay little heed to the promises and comments made by a number of influential world leaders. Many people around the world feel insecure and oppose the spreading of insecurity and war and do not approve of and accept dubious policies.

The people are protesting the increasing gap between the haves and the have-nots and the rich and poor countries.

The people are disgusted with increasing corruption.

The people of many countries are angry about the attacks on their cultural foundations and the disintegration of families. They are equally dismayed with the fading of care and compassion. The people of the world have no faith in international organizations, because their rights are not advocated by these organizations.

Liberalism and Western style democracy have not been able to help realize the ideals of humanity. Today these two concepts have failed. Those with insight can already hear the sounds of the shattering and fall of the ideology and thoughts of the liberal democratic systems.

We increasingly see that people around the world are flocking towards a main focal point - that is the Almighty God. Undoubtedly through faith in God and the teachings of the prophets, the people will conquer their problems. My question for you is: "Do you not want to join them?"

Mr President,

Whether we like it or not, the world is gravitating towards faith in the Almighty and justice and the will of God will prevail over all things.



Vasalam Ala Man Ataba'al hoda

Mahmood Ahmadi-Najad

President of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Lord Aragorn, son of Arathorn

My LOTR story. From the book and then into a movie, from 2001 to 2003...Went to see it in the cinema three winters in the row, pre-christmas time in london. The 3rd one of the trilogy, i watched it once in london and once in kuala lumpur. 1st time i read the book, it was during summer 2001 and i had a nightmare of the 9 nazguls chasing after me and some other people i dont even know. And when i saw the 1st movie for the 1st time, i was literally jumping over my seat when i saw those ring-wraiths on the silverscreen and they amazingly looked similar to those in my dream.


I never knew Viggo Mortensen would look much much better in dark hair and stubble on his face. From that moment onward, i started to admire his role as Aragorn, and i even had 1 Empire Magazine Wall poster featuring him riding the horse as in the 1st picture.

I guess i do adore viggo as aragorn rather than he as himself. He was ok in Hidalgo, but i think LOTR trilogy really made a star out of him. He was the baddie in G.I. Jane but Demi Moore stole the limelight. He slept with Gwyneth Paltrow in A Perfect Murder but he was still overshadowed by the movies' other significant cast, Michael Douglas.

Many big hollywood stars started just like him, either as a supporting cast or extras. For eg, Matt Damon 1st made his screen debut in Steeling Magnolias, Paul Giamatti as the hotel bellboy in My Best Friend's Wedding, Philip Seymour Hoffman as that chubby,grungy looking guy named Dusty who shouted "loser!" at Cary Elwes in Twister, Cynthia Nixon was a maid in Baby's Day Out before she turned into successful manhattan lawyer with attitude, Miranda Hobbs in Sex and the City.

A tribute to Viggo Mortensen for having successfully turning Aragorn Son of Arathorn into life and made him an unforgettable character in LOTR alongside with the other casts. Kudos to Peter Jackson who applied that Star Wars formula by using less stellar casts to play huge characters only to eternalize their images forever in everyone's mind.

Madonna: hung up

Madonna....I dunno what to say about this lady...one word could sum it all: mesmerized. She's been in the music industry since my primary school years, and she is still around...Should I add her to the same category as Cher? I bet Madonna wouldve had other things in her mind rather than being compared to anyone...but hey, i like Cher too...i think i have a thing on gutsy and feisty people (sure, that finger is pointing right to this author's nose :-) )

1) Hung Up


2) Music


3) Beautiful Stranger

Sir Alan Sugar is fast becoming my tycoon model

Ever since i watched the 1st series of The Apprentice UK version on BBC2, winter-spring 2005, i was completely hooked on Sir Alan Sugar (SAS)'s ways of delivering his lasercutting, acid tongue, almost vicious yet endearingly honest comments to those participants of this reality tv show.
(photo source,click here)
I grew to like him even more when he gave his piece of advice to the 3rd person evicted, Paul, something i can never forget and definitely wise words for my own future reference. I can see him as the boss-and-father figure as well as a guru and wise old friend.

This year, i can only read what is going on, highlights and what not on http://www.bbc.co.uk/apprentice .Such is an unfortunate thing for me since the BBC began imposing some new licencing law on radio and tv online streaming which was said to be permitted in the UK only. Here in malaysia, we only get to see Donald Trump doing his "you're fired" act in its US version, which to my dismay, is not really my cuppa tea.

Earlier on, SAS made some thought-provoking comments regarding business/professional relationship conduct whereby he openly rejected the idea of flirting with the clients be it through behaviour or dress code. This has caused some sort of an uproar in the UK as seen in the articles in The Times ( click article 1 ), The Guardian (article 2 , article 3), Telegraph (article 4), BBC (article 5), Sunday Herald (article 6) among others.

Despite all that, this grumpy fella is still adored by many including myself, though obviously not in a sexual way. His persona is felt and his aura is everlasting.

OK, i do sound like as if i like him too much, but it's more on his charismatic personality. And i would even laugh to hear his ear-heating comments even if it did intimidate me a bit. And i did laugh again with err...admiration as i watched him hit back at Jonathan Ross on the show "Friday night with Jonathan Ross", BBC2.

(photo2)

The most recent interview with SAS as reported in The Sunday Times (article 7), he was showing his softer sides, something that not many people could see unless they are close to him, i presume....but hey, thats professionalism. Sometimes, we do need to be a little bit ruthless and authoritative whenever we deem appropriate for the good cause so long as not to spoil the whole relationship with our co-workers/colleagues as well as our own credibility. It could be something that made us receive more respect than hatred if it is done in a sensible and reasonable way. SAS is another example of the blunt and crude british tv personalities besides the ever-so-popular Simon Cowell,Jeremy Clarkson and Graham Norton (he's irish by the way).

Maybe I should ask local malaysian tv channel TV3 to air this british version of the Apprentice and lets see the public viewers reception on it.

Oh and by the way, another interesting article about SAS from Haaretz, click here.

Wedding story

I just had my 1st ever sister inlaw recently. The nikah and reception on the lady's side took place at beranang, hulu langat. . It was alright, really. So far, i already have 3 brother inlaws; one married my eldest sister and the other two married my 3rd and 4th sisters.


The photo below was taken on my bro's reception side. From the left, it's me, the bride farah, my youngest sister samihah and my 4th sister naglaa.



Honestly speaking, this reception part sucks big time!!! The whole reception process was handled by my 1st bro (the 5th in the family, i am the second), the groom and his fellow Pekida mates. My parents was not given much of authority in this work. The food was damn lousy and on top of that, it rained heavily in the middle of the event. The only few things that cheered me up were the attendance of my fellow lecturer colleagues and close frens as well as the camaraderie and good cooperation displayed by my cousins, their children and my aunt, thats my cousins' mum. AS much as i am not so keen on wedding ceremonies, exceptional only if it's family or close friends, this whole project sham is something most of my family members will never forget for the rest of our life. All the things that this pekida, my bro and my parents have agreed upon earlier on their discussion for the food and the whole settings were not materialised at all! They took charge of everything, manipulated my parents and worst of all, dominated the preparation much to our disgust. It was rather appalling, and all of us, excluding my 1st bro of course, were very devastated by what had happened.

So far, all our previous 3 weddings were considered successful and all were done in a proper banquet hall.

the moment i got my own broadband connection

24th april 2006 and i finally manage to access the internet on the new broadband Jaring connection....the days i have to wait....jumpering process from Telekom Malaysia , TM to Jaring IP provider....hmm...well it was worth it...Since my pc hasnt been connected to the internet for over 2 n a half years, i kept getting update messages from Windows.

The feelings is always different everytime u acquire/attain something on ur own efforts....

windows for Mac users?

Is Apple Mac finally succumbs to the more dominating OS, Windows? Newsflash on IHT ( Operational harmony: Apple opens the door to Windows ) and BBC ( Windows on Macs provokes a stir ) would give different kind of perception and impression on peopple (particularly the more computer savvy), be it welcoming, rejecting, or suspicious.

While such a strategy of introducing a software aptly called "boot camp" on intel running Mac would enable the switching between the Mac and Windows XP OS, its running efficiency is yet to be announced. Apple is reportedly saying that they would implement this virtual "union" by early 2007.

I am very sure right at this very moment, there are plenty of comments on this issue are published in the blogs. I myself would feel that this Mac-Windows comply could facilitate many mac users in terms of upgrading and downloading different versions of softwares from the internet. It may not be a good idea after all for a Mac-fanatic, but in the long run, it could do more good than harm.

london high street business "gossips"

And u dont just make novels like the "shopaholic series" if it isnt about shopping around london.....u need to spend like the whole weekends to find what u really want and it comes in all sizes...!!! i mean shoes and clothes and what not....unless u r 6ft 6" and above....then u need to find ur own tailors...or of course if u r thinking of wearing something traditional like baju kurung or salwar kameez, then tailoring is what u must seek.

The latest news about high street shop is that Dixons is going to be part of Currys soon! Nevertheless, dixons will still remain as an online shop. Click here for the news.

Shopping for me in the uk covers not just the clothing/fashion aspects but also everything....u get to see a transparent competition be it supermarkets like Tesco, Sainsburys and Asda as well as rental car companies and etc.....

Speaking of all that matters in the UK, i must also get engaged to the malaysia biz world...it is definitely another dog-eat-dog world...except for one thing i cud not help but notice the trend: the ever-so-dubious housing developing sectors, road constructions and many more businesses out there who wanted to reap the profits as fast as possible without much care about how EFFICIENT and SAFE it will be to the consumers. Dont u just hate such menacing activities that are happening in your own country???? Money here involves laundering with political influences with their own so called hidden agendas....The good thing is the raw material, basic household grocery product prices are well monitored. U see much worse business scenarios if u go to indonesia (for example!)...

OK fuhgedaboudit ( written in NYC mafia talking style)...lets go back to UK biz gossips which are far more healthier even if they are as mindboggling as ever and full of labyrinthical strategies (or stratagems)....u even see television celebrities change TV channel if they get higher pay or working with more than 2 channels whichever suits them.....U get to see prices axed in the supermarkets, flight tickets, and so on....u see crude battle of providing the best services among mobile and landline telephone companies, and many many more....hell, i cud write forever, but let me just say in the nutshell that such a business environment is a non-stop evolution....or so they say, tell me something i dont know....

Speak in the name of thy god and you will be spared

This news is from the BBC (click here. It is about a cock (a rooster to those who loves the double meaning of this very word) who crows "allah" when it was about to be slaughtered and it happened in the Central Asia, in a country called Kyrgyzstan. This is not just some hearsay because it did happen to other part of the world as well. Stories about a cow talking to his muslim master in its master's mother tongue, telling him about some sort of a reminder was quite popular in the 90s.

To me, it is a good way to remind myself that God is ever the All Mighty Creator and He sends His Signs to his Slaves (that's the human, esp his Worshippers) in ways whichever He Desires.

perodua kelisa: the worst car in the world?

This may sound a bit harsh but I think car manufacturers in malaysia must understand the phrase "Quality Control & management" when it comes to making a car/vehicles for the public. It is not that all malaysian made cars are very bad. Some of them are built to just make them mobile n that is it. Ok the price is somewhat within the reasonable spectrum, but that does not give the ultimate excuse of producing a car for those who has not but a very few choices due to limited financial condition.

Dont just take my word on this...u may want to click here for a comment on Perodua Kelisa . I've seen the british program called "Top Gear" on BBC 2 (malaysian can catch this program on BBCworld channel on ASTRO). The main host, Jeremy Clarkson did actually blew up that kelisa car out of sheer frustration. He is so well known for being down right brusque yet brutally honest when giving reviews on cars. He testdrives them 1st and then he'll come up with whatever comments he deems appropriate. When something is bad, he'll just tell it off without much of hesitations. U might want to view more of his comments here on other type of cars.

Dont get me wrong. I am proud to see my own country made cars around, and i might be owning one of them (proton or perodua products). Still, i find it a bit of a letdown whenever they come up with a new product which is below the satisfactory scale. It may defeat the purpose of having a car that u urself wud love to hate but u r unable to abandon it for , again...financial reasons. It is as if u r forced to be married in an "arranged marriage" style, where u the son or daughter has very little say as to whom u r marrying to, and when u r married to that person, it's not so very easy to get out of it without both family's intrusions. But the good part of it is, if u have accepted such condition with open heart and u'd hoped that ur parents arent that silly enough to match u with someone not ur cuppa tea,then u'd end up learning to love ur partner the more u know him/her. And this comparison goes the same to the malaysian made cars....

Concorde hailed as the top 20th century british design

When I was staying in South Ealing, W5 4RD, London back in 2001-2003, I used to see the concorde at a reasonable eye view soaring across the sky from the comfort of my own bedroom...and then in June 2002, during the Queen's jubilee, again the concorde flew across the sky marking the pride of britain in aviation technology. Now, it's no longer in service ever since that doomed crash in France ( near paris, click here for the news back in january 2003.

Nevertheless, it was hailed as the top british design of the 20th century ( click here). Although it now becomes a museum property, Concorde never cease to impress me. Those deep droning sounds, big delta wings...alas, i never had the chance to ride in it. Probably by the time another supersonic aeroplane is created, it'll be made affordable to the public unlike the very costly concorde flight ticket.

Speaking of fast planes, one would only dream of taking one "joyride" in some superfast, mach 5 and over speed jet fighters like stealth bomber. And unfortunately, it is yet a dream come true for me.

And i have chosen: Jaring FLITE

Hmmm....tomorrow, i'm going to MidValley Megamall, near bangsar, KL to collect the Jaring Flite broadband package from Anjung Internet Jaring, IT World. I've already bought the phone line extension to connect the ADSL to our home mains phone hub. If everything goes well, it'll be my 1st ever broadband connection experience in malaysia. I've done dial-ups and LAN before...Good thing i didn't trade off my old network card and its cable which i bought 4 yrs ago when i 1st did my LAN connection from my own pc. Learning about new technologies always seemed fun to me and yet it can be challenging as well....oh well, which part of learning new things could be considered easy, one may wonder. It actually gives me some sort of a drive towards finding more about what i don't know and the courage to ask those who knew more.

I still remember back in autumn-winter 1998 in bradford, uk, during my 1st degree studies. I needed a pc at home so badly but still wasnt that confident enuf to manage one by myself. So i spoke to many people, those of whom i thought were computer savvies....Of all these people, i got my own revelation from my old friend, Fadzil. He was studying in manchester that time. I started with just some idle chat about computing and then he hit me with some questions about what a computer is all about from the hardwares to the softwares. I was all but clueless about what is a motherboard n so on. We talked n talked for nearly 3 hours over the fon and it all made sense to me....Computers aren't that difficult and neither do they are scary tools. They just need u to handle them wisely.

The confidence to get to know about computers which were more than just a tool to write ur stuff on or to browse through the internet just kept going on and on and on....and so, i made my own initiatives to read more about computers from the mags, asked more questions about it and many more....i even taught my housemates that time on how easy it was to download those chatting softwares like mIRC (downloading method from the internet was taught by another fren of mine, mat yie back in april 1998). That was also those times when i thought men/boys were so much better as a teacher than women when it comes to technical knowledge. They were so much patient than women, but this does not mean that i am making a generalised statement.What i meant was, majority of men are better in sharing technical knowledge than women, but when a woman figured about it, she became a natural in conveying the info as well as teaching them. Do I make sense to you? Anyways, I bought my 1st pc from huddersfield in winter 1998, not a very spohisticated one but enuf to cater for the necessary jobs from using Office Excel, Words, Powerpoint to using the internet of course. That old pc of mine is still alive at my dad's office. Even without a USB port, it gave my dad the opportunity to know the basics of what a computer can do.

Once the broadband is installed, i hope to be able to spend more time on HTML stuff and as always, my 1st place to practise is on this blogspot.

Jaring FLITE vs Streamyx TMNet

Hmmmm.....tough choice between which network provider should i instal at home!!! I am beginning to feel desperate to have my home pc connected to the internet at home....To date, that jaring and TMNet are the only providers in Malaysia....limited choice, i must say....At the mo i m trying to find out more about both companies. THe latest findings, jaring offers RM79 for 1.0Mbs broadband with free ADSL modem, free phone line (MY015) connected using Jaring's tarrif on top of the main Telekom (streamyx provider flagship company) as well as free AntiVirus. Streamyx on the other hand, is directly connected to the main phoneline provider and has somewhat bigger dominance in malaysia. For RM88, Streamyx offers equivalent bandwidths (1.0Mbs) yet without a modem. That means i have to either purchase the ADSL modem from them or trying to get my own modem from the authorized dealers. Otherwise, I have to pay RM99 which of course include its modem.

Paying the streamyx bills are somehow much more convenient than jaring as i can just do that at the local post office. But then again, i should also apply the credit cards so i cud sort out my billings online. Trouble in msia is, i must get used to the idea that only Credit cards are allowed on any online transactions. That was so different when i was in the UK where i had more choices to either use my own savings bankcard with marked Maestro (or SOLO to some account holders) or of course, using a credit card when paying online.

At the end of the day, it's the malaysian system that i need to adapt. There is obviously a lot of things i need to know and learn while coping my life here in malaysia, my home country. THere's this malay proverb to describe such thing and it's translated as: "rain of gold in the foreign countries, yet rain of stones in one's own country, the better choice should be where one's belong to, that is one's own country".

When the pot calling the kettle black

What an interesting brotherhood displayed by this South Afrikaans and Israelites. Please click here.

I reckon I do have some kinda affinity towards ironic stuff.

Cartoons which incite anger

Tariq Ramadhan's view on this cartoon conflict:The Guardians

Some of the angry protestors in london (at sloane street where the danish embassy situated) displayed their resentment by threatening the danish (and the londoners)with another bombing episode on the placards. I think this is another common mistake made by those muslims who cannot foresee what kind of implication would that bring to anyone who is seen as muslim in the UK ( as well as around the world). And I also agree to Tariq Ramadhan's point of view on how to handle such a sensitive issue of portraying the holy prophet Muhammad S.A.W in a blasphemous way.

Anger may lead to destruction beyond control, be it orally or physically. No wonder we are told by our prophet to always manage our anger and channel it appropriately so as to become our strength in a positive manner. In the hadith, he (the rasulullah) quoted:

Narrated Abu Huraira

Allah's Apostle said, "The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himselfwhile in anger."


Another view on this issue by Sheikh Yusuf Qaradhawi: islamonline and from Dr.Aslam Abdullah: islamicity