Bosan

Dah lama tak update blog. Busy + lack of ideas.



Currently, this blog only serves the purpose of being a one-stop page where I can see updates in my usual reads.

How NOT to board an aid flotilla

Aid Flotilla FTW!

Pic taken from Center for a New American Security

2010

Happy new year!

As per common practice, resolutions and wishlists are made for the new year. I am not normally the type of person who would draft resolutions to be achieved but I'll jump on the bandwagon for this one time.

2010 Resolutions:

• Reduce procrastination and increase productivity

• Try to show up at the mosque a bit more often

• Learn a new language or brush up on Arabic

2010 Wishlist:

• Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm F3.5-5.6G IF-ED VR II

Priced at a whopping RM2700+, this versatile lens will make me think, reconsider, think and reconsider again before I eventually decide to part with the money. However, the lens perform remarkably well for zoom and wide angle shots making it very appealing for the non-professional photographers who do not feel like getting a superzoom in the mould of the 70-300mm.
Probability of procurement: 75%

• Nikon SB-900 Speedlight

Successor to the SB-800, this neat addition will set me back by RM1600+. It will however complement well with the 18-200 lens above.
Probability of procurement: 60%

• VForce Grill Mask

Fogging during a paintball game is pretty damn annoying. One solution would be the VForce Grill, one of the more awesome looking paintball masks in the market. Plus, cases of fogging for this mask is very rare. This will set me back by RM300+.
Probability of procurement: 95%

• PS3 Slim

Wanted to get a PS3 ever since playing COD: Modern Warfare 2 at a friend's place. The graphics were life-like and the gameplay mesmerizing. However, I am rarely at home nowadays and with a PS3 priced at RM1200+, a PS3 acquisition seems kinda low in my priority list. Probability of procurement: 10%

What would you do if...

It's been a long time since I penned a piece here. Thought of resuming after Raya but I am considering this one bizarre incident as a sign that I must blog today. Thus, I will begin with this long hypothetical question.

Location: Public Restroom, Lift Lobby 1, Level 3, TPM

Sekadar Gambar hiasan

What would you do if you were standing at an elevated position in your toilet cubicle and then you peeked into the adjacent cubicle only to find the person next door is aware and staring back at you?

According to the social norm for the community of public toilet creeps and weirdos, the answer is apparently:

• Immediately apologise upon being noticed
• Flush in a rush (hey, it rhymes)
• Leave cubicle in hurry

People nowadays are so unpredictable (or a more suitable word would be weird/creepy).

Haha, in case some of you are thinking 'Sejak bila Amir jadi peeping tom nih?', 'Tau r Amir tu keji tapi dia pervert ker?'...I will clarify further.

On Friday (11/9/2009) at 4.50pm, as I was leaving work, I stopped by the restroom. I went inside one of the cubicles. The time was still early so I took my time. I checked out the toilet paper rolls, looked at the ceiling idly, checked out the cubicle partition down and up...and THAT was when I noticed something out of place. I saw a patch of hair on a head rising out from the next cubicle. Then a pair of eyes followed. He made eye contact with me and his eyes widened in shock. I casually said 'Woi'.
Without delay, he apologized saying 'Sorry'. Then, I heard the sound of flushing and someone scurrying out of the cubicle in a hurry. I found the episode rather amusing.
Heh, I can still afford to find this funny(in a weird sense) because when he peeked over, I was fully dressed and not in a compromising situation. My honor/water face/dignity remains intact. I can still laugh about it.

Plot holes that still baffle me:

• Shouldn't he be peeping in the female toilet? I won't speculate further on this because the potential answer may haunt me in my sleep.

• Shouldn't one flush prior to the process of peeping? In this way, at least the odour will be more tolerable if you wanna peep for a long time.

Weirdo rating:
7/10

Michael Owen is a Red Devil

It's official. Michael Owen has signed for Manchester United. SAF has long been an admirer of Owen. He wanted to sign him in 2005 but was unwilling to pay the GBP 16.5mil demanded by Real Madrid. SAF gets him for free now.
Is this good news for MU fans around the world?

Pros:

• Owen is free
• Relatively low wage compared with other MU players
• Impressive track record for club and country
• Great understanding and interplay with Wayne Rooney for England
• Adds more attacking options for SAF after departure of CR7 and Carlos Tevez

Cons:

• Injury-prone
• Inconsistent form
• Lost a bit of his pace over the years

Well, I reckon SAF needs to get another striker. Honourable mentions include Pato, Torres, Huntelaar and Ibrahimovic. Happy hunting!

Pic taken from Soccernet and Daylife

There's something about HINDRAF

Why do politicians like to twist facts and stir up racial sentiments? Many answers exist for that and can be debatable but what can't be denied is that both sides of the political divide are actually guilty of this flaw. None can take the moral high ground. Seeing this report by Hindraf makes me have the urge to do some mythbusting. These people ought to have carefully researched their 'findings' before publishing them for all the world to see. Some of their points are just so messed up that anyone with common sense and some grey matter can see through them as blatant lies. I'll just highlight 7 points in memory of Manchester United's no. 7, Cristiano Ronaldo who will be moving to Real Madrid (only an act of God can stop him now).
Sighs...why, why, why does DS Anwar Ibrahim support them so relentlessly knowing that they distort their stories?

Excerpts from the report:

1. Kampong Medan “Ethnic Cleansing” of Indians (2001) – 5 Indians killed and a hundred over suffered grevious bodily injuries.
Hindraf places the burden of guilt solely on UMNO and PDRM claiming it was a plan to massacre the Indians in the area. This is just ludicrous. The Kampong Medan incident actually started off with something less sinister than what they have been propagating. This is what Malaysiakini's report had to say about it:

"The whole episode supposedly started with an Indian security guard returning from work at 3am on March 4.

He found a tent erected for a wedding in the middle of the narrow road in Kampung Medan. He grew agitated and started kicking the tables and chairs.

This angered the Malay family that was preparing for the wedding, who rushed out and assaulted him. He fled but returned later with a parang and five other cohorts.

A fight broke out and at one point, the security guard fled to a nearby house, belonging to an Indian family, where a funeral wake was being held..

The group of Malays, who assumed he was a member of the household, then set fire to a car and two motorcycles parked nearby.

This marked the beginning of the bloody clashes, which was further aggravated when an Indian boy, using a slingshot, smashed the windscreen of his neighbour's vehicle.

The angry van owner, an Indian, sought compensation from the children's parents. He was joined by his driver, a Malay, but some villagers who saw the commotion thought that a Malay was threatening the Indians. Rumours began to spread and the rest is history."

2. One Hindu Temple is demolished in every week nation wide in Malaysia.

Mosques and temples have also been demolished. Some of these cases are where the structure didn't have the appropriate licence. Harakah has highlighted cases of mosques and suraus being demolisehd in the past. This should not be turned into a racial issue.

3. 90% of the deaths in police and prison custody victims are Indians.

This is not simply not true. Malays make up the majority of people who died in custody.

"Out of the total 1,583 prisoner fatalities, 1,425 were Malaysians, comprising Malays 898, Chinese 271, Indians 224 and Others 32. The balance of 158 deaths were foreigners, comprising Indonesia 62, Philippines 11, Thailand 43, India 7, Bangladesh 2, China 1 and Others 32."

4. Indians today earn as low as RM13.00 (USD 3.50) per day as plantation Workers.

Chinese/Malay plantation workers also earn roughly the same amount per day.

5. Foreign medical college Degrees from Ukraine, Russia, Romania, India and Indonesia with almost all Malaysian Indian private students suddenly were derecognized by the Malaysian government.

This has nothing to do with race. Many non-Indian students were enrolled in these universities and were affected as well.

6. Government PTPTN study loans and scholarships denied to Indians studying medicine, law, engineering etc in overseas.

People, PTPTN does not offer loans for study in overseas.

"The PTPTN Education Loan Scheme was set up with the aim of providing education loans to students pursuing their studies in local institutions of higher learning (IPT).
This loan will enable students to fully or partially pay their fees and their subsistence for the duration of their study in the IPT. Thus, this scheme provides greater opportunities to students to continue their tertiary education.

The scope of the PTPTN education loan facility is open to students pursuing studies at the diploma, first degree, master, doctorate and professional courses levels in IPTs established under the following acts:

• Universities and Universities Colleges Act 1971

• Institut Teknologi MARA Act 1976

• Private Higher Education Institutions Act 1996

• Education Act 1996 "
  

7. Almost all the above Tamil schools are all in cowshed like pre war structures.

Do you honestly believe this statement???


References

Hindraf Report
Remembering Kampung Medan: one year after (Malaysiakini)
358 "judicial hangings" from 1980 to Sept. 2004 (DAPMalaysia)
PTPTN - Loans

Silat in Malaysia (Pt. 1)

As there are tonnes of football clubs in England (from Man United to Kettering Town), there are also hundreds of Silat styles in Malaysia. Similar to the BPL, the Silat community in Malaysia would also have its own Big Four. These four are the Pertubuhan Seni Silat Gayong Malaysia (PSSGM), Pertubuhan Seni Silat Lincah Malaysia (PSSLM), Pertubuhan Seni Gayung Fatani Malaysia(PSGFM) and Pertubuhan Seni Silat Cekak Malaysia(PSSCM). These four groups commands the lion's share of penetration in teaching at primary, secondary and tertiary institues of education.
In addition to the Big Four, we also have a lot of Evertons and Aston Villas of Silat like Pertubuhan Silat Kegayongan (Acheh) Helang Putih (PSK(A)HP), Istiadat Pewaris Penjurit-Kepetangan Melayu (IPPM), Persatuan Seni Silat Kuntau Tekpi Malaysia (PSSKTM) and Pertubuhan Seni Silat Sendeng Malaysia (PSSSM).

Let's begin with Gayong Malaysia. This is probably the most famous Silat style in Malaysia. Whenever a person unfamiliar with Silat knows I learn Silat, he will ask whether I learn Gayong. Ermm...there are hundreds of Silat styles in Malaysia alone, people.

Well, luckily since the Silat documentary disaster (read as Human Weapon), these people have expanded their vocabularies. Now their question is more like

'You learn Gayong, Harimau, Lok 9 or Lian Padukan?'

Well, at least that's still an improvement.

PSSGM has a long and proud history. It is the first martial arts association to be registered in Malaysia. It was founded by the legendary Dato' Meor Abdul Rahman (pic). The art covers unarmed combat as well as use of traditional Malay weapons.

The syllabus roughly comprises:

1. Tapak Gayong (foundation, teaches fighting stances, basic blocks and parries)
2. Seni Tapak Gayong (advanced form of the foundation)
3. Seni Keris (techniques using small weapons i.e. knife and keris (traditional Malay dagger)
4. Seni Simbat (techniques using long weapons i.e. spear, staff, machete)
5. Seni Yoi (employs trickery and craft, advanced fighting techniques and tips)
6. Seni Cindai (technique using a woman's headscarf, belt, etc.)
7. Seni Belian (spiritual)

Majid Mat Isa demonstrating a Cindai technique

Even though PSSGM is larger and more established, the individual Masters in the sister organization, Pertubuhan Seni Silat Pusaka Gayong Malaysia (PSSPGM) are more famous. PSSPGM has more household names like Majid Mat Isa and Awang Daud as compared to PSSGM.
For more information on the art, go to the Gayong portal.

Awang Daud

Crap...am getting dizzy with all these acronyms.

Picture Credits
Pusaka Gayong
Persatuan Seni Silat Pusaka Gayong Malaysia UM
Promninence world of Penjurit-Kepetangan