Jury duty

As promised in my earlier post, I will blog down some thoughts on the Debat Perdana Integriti 2006, of which I was assigned the task of adjudicator. News, results and analysis of this debating competition can be obtained here.

Initially I was supposed to be jury for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th rounds of the competition. At the end of the competition, aside from these rounds, I was also jury for the 5th round, semi-final and 3rd/4th placing. A bit tiring, but satisfying.

It was good to see the university students in action. The debates were mostly lively and some were even entertaining. I hope that this kind of quality could be improved in the future in other debating competitions.

This is my third tour of duty as jury. Previously, I was jury at the Debat Kefahaman Islam 2003 and Debat Kefahaman Islam 2004. This time around, things were different as the format used for the Debat Perdana Integriti 2006 is that of parliament-style. The first few rounds were quite easy to adjudicate, but as the competition progressed, competition was stiffer.

I think I was one of the few juries who spoke a lot. Juries were allowed to comment (a la Akademi Fantasia), and boy, did I have a lot to say.

That's what happened when you have an ex-debater as a jury in a debating competition.

New kid on the blog

Just finished my duty as adjudicator for IIM's debate. That's why I've been quiet these past few days as I was tied down to this task from Monday till today. I will blog about this in my next entry, tomorrow, insya-Allah.

Anyway, in the midst of it all with the jury duty at IIM, I managed to introduce my sister to the blogging world. So, she now has a blog. Please visit Liyana's Space. She may not be able to update frequently, but rest assured, she will do so when she has the chance.

Chance encounter

I spent part of my day at IIM recording a couple of episodes of "Say It, Malaysia" to be aired at 6.30 a.m. beginning July over at RTM2. The producer is Habsah Hassan, renowned film producer, script-writer and lyricist.

I had the opportunity to meet her today and even had lunch with her. She was warm and very friendly. We chatted about a lot of things, mainly about her endeavours and interests. At the moment, she said she's not making any movies for the time being because she is "recuperating" from the lost incurred from her last movie, "Qaisy and Laila." She gave me complimentary VCDs of the movie along with 2 other movies, "Soal Hati" and "Soalnya Siapa?" She was producer and script-writer of these movies.

I also asked her why she hasn't written any lyrics these days. She said that she still does, though not as productive as before. I really miss her lyrics that used to be ubiquitous in the 1980s and 1990s. I think during those days, any songs with lyrics by Habsah Hassan would certainly be sentimental hits.

I hope she'll continue making movies and writing lyrics for songs.

Workaholism

I can't believe how hectic this week has been so far. Even my wife is going through a hectic week at her school to the extent that she exclaimed that this week is the busiest of the year so far.

Monday for me began with a 5-hour drive from Kulim to KL. We arrived around 3.30 p.m. and it was raining. I barely got any rest when we went out about 2 hours later to see our insurance and investment agent in Ampang. I had to renew my car's road tax and insurance. I don't have much time, so I asked my agent to do it for me. We also talked about a few other things mainly involving some trust fund investment. Got back around Maghrib, and I couldn't really sleep early that night. Instead, I find myself sitting in front of my laptop doing some work till around 1 a.m.

Tuesday wasn't any better. I had an early start. At 6.30 a.m., I sent my wife to her school before proceeding to IKIM to appear on Radio IKIM. I was there until around 11 a.m., seeing a few people discussing some projects they are helping me out with. From there, I rushed to Petronas' headquarters at KLCC to pick up 2 books I need for a research project. From there, I rushed to my wife's school to pick her up, and we went to the bank for some business that needed to be taken care of. Then I sent her home before returning to the office. There was a stack of papers on my desk that needed my attention. Also there were a number of people I needed to call. [This is where an assistant would come in handy - boss, you're reading this? Hehehe]. I got home at about 6.30 p.m. and after Maghrib, I left for Ampang again to meet up with my insurance agent to pick up my new road tax sticker. I reached home about 9.30 p.m. and after Isyak, immediately sat in front of my laptop again to finish off some articles I'm writing (or trying to write). I think I slept around 1 a.m.

Wednesday started of with a lot of phone calls. This was followed with a string of discussions on various matters pertaining to work with my boss. I missed my lunch (duh!). Basically, this day I was busy preparing some things needed to publish a series of books for my workplace. I also managed to steal some time to prepare for Thursday's recording for a new television programme produced by Habsah Hassan called "Say It, Malaysia." I'll be doing 2 episodes, and they'll be aired on RTM2. Also, I managed to squeeze in editing the first proof for the book Biodiversity, Biotechnology and Biosafety: An Islamic Perspective. The night is typical in that I sat in front of my trusted laptop to do some writing, and needless to say blogging. I also managed to update my presentation on organ donation that I'll be giving in Kuching early next month. I also received an invitation to write 3 articles for VISI which is IKIM's monthly magazine, and an invitation from the Integrity Institute of Malaysia (IIM) to be one of the juries for their debating competition for university students next week.

Sometimes I wonder how I manage myself with the various commitments that I have. From the look of things, I foresee next week will be equally hectic, not that I'm complaining. A friend called me a workaholic. I don't know about that, but I do get restless when there's nothing to do.

Life is like a box of choc'lates

Forrest Gump was one of the movies that I really enjoyed watching. There was a line oft-quoted from this movie.

Life is like a box of choc'lates. Ya never know what'cha gonna get.

I've no intentions of writing a long entry nor be too philosophical. But think about it for a second, and you'll realise that life is often so full of surprises, some pleasant, others predictable, the rest could well just be horrible. Nonetheless, regardless whether you like what you face in life, face it you have to. You cannot run away from it, nor can you ignore it. Sooner or later, you'll have to face whatever life brings to you.

But fret not. Whatever that life dishes you, it makes you a better, stronger and wiser person.

Just like a box of chocolates. Some of the chocolates may be sweet, some may be bitter, some may be too milky, others may be just bland. But no one can resist chocolates.

And most definitely, no one can resist what Allah S.W.T. has fated for us.

Radio ga ga

No... not the Queen song.

This is a promotional info that this coming Tuesday 20 June 2006 at 10.30 a.m., Izza and I will be on air in the programme IKIM.com aired on IKIM.fm talking about "E-Novel."

Frequencies for the radio station:

Kuala Lumpur / Lembah Klang: 91.5
Perak / Negeri Sembilan: 102.7
Kedah / Pulau Pinang / Perlis: 89.0
Melaka: 89.5
Johor: 106.2
Kelantan: 89.8
Pahang: 89.6
Terengganu: 100.2
Sarawak: 93.6
Sabah: 93.9

So, remember Tuesday at 10.30 a.m.

Arachnic development

Today's blog entry is a little departure from the norm, as I'll touch on something comics-related.

Spider-Man is one of the earliest costumed super-heroes that I was introduced to back in my childhood days. I found this character intriguing as he wears a mask that covers his whole face. He cracks joke in the face of danger. And he has some of the coolest and interesting rogue gallery a super-hero could have. Hence, it's no surprise that when the Spider-Man movies came out, I made it a point to watch them.

If anyone remembers Spider-Man 2, while rescuing the passengers of a runaway train, Spidey took off his mask. A lot of people got to see him unmasked. Spider-Man and his mask are synonymous. No matter how much the costume changes, his mask is still his trademark. Taking off his mask is considered taboo.

Now, in the comics, this taboo has been broken. You can read the full review here. Now it seems everyone in the world knows that Spider-Man is Peter Parker.

Will this augur well for Spider-Man? Will his enemies take advantage of this development? What will J. Jonah Jameson say about this?

Stay tuned, true believers.

Nostalgic interlude

I went to Suria KLCC around noon today to pick up something for my lovely missus at one of the jewellery outlets there. I parked my car at Ampang Park because I have some errands to run nearby before taking the LRT to KLCC. As those who are familiar with the KLCC station would know, to get to Suria KLCC you'd have to walk through a tunnel of sorts that runs under Jalan Ampang.

Truth be told, I have not taken the LRT to KLCC in ages. Usually, I'd just drive and park at the KLCC parking. Anyway, as I walked through the tunnel towards Suria KLCC from the LRT station, I couldn't help but notice a man who looks like a hybrid of an 80s rocker (imagine Amy Search with long hair and tight jeans) and a hippie (imagine John Lennon after he left the Beatles). This man, I presume, is a street entertainer of sorts, singing and playing his guitar in return for some cash from passers-by.

Actually, what caught my attention was not his appearance. I'm almost numbed to the appearances of people in KL anyway. What really caught my attention was his songs. As I passed by, he was singing "Stand by Me." Suddenly I felt as if I wasn't in KL, rather I felt as if I was in London, walking in the London Underground stations.

After I finished my errand at Suria KLCC, I walked back using the same route to get back to the LRT station, and again the guy was still there. This time, belting out Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," which sounded very much like the Guns n Roses' version. Again, his singing took me back to London.

This guy's singing is something. Personally, I felt that he is far better than those "instant noodles" singers that came out of those reality programmes on television.

Anyway, the trip down memory lane was indeed nostalgic. It has been a decade since I left the UK. This only further drives home the point that time does indeed fly.

You've got mail

I get an average of 15-20 e-mails daily in my personal account. Some are genuine correspondence. Several are from mailing groups that I join. The rest are spam and junk mails.

Some of the junk mails I receive are forwarded jokes. Of these, there are some good ones. Others are simply a waste of time.

Today I received one such e-mail. Normally I'd just delete the mail straight away, but I found myself giggling that I decided to share it here. Do note however that this is not the first time I received this same e-mail.

Populasi penduduk Malaysia sekarang adalah 23 juta orang. 1.7 juta darinya sudah bersara. Jadi tinggal 21.3 juta orang. 1.3 juta pula adalah golongan kanak-kanak bawah 6 tahun. Jadi tinggal 20 juta orang. Dari 20 juta ini, 7 juta masih belajar (tadika, sekolah, kolej, universiti dll). Jadi tinggal 13 juta orang yang boleh buat kerja. Dari 13 juta ini, 5 juta orang adalah pekerja kerajaan yang pergi kerja tapi tak buat kerja. Jadi tinggal 8 juta orang yang boleh buat kerja.

Tolak 3 juta orang yang duduk dalam hutan (tentera darat) pasal diorang nie nak kerja macam mana...tinggal dalam hutan. Dah tinggal 5 juta orang yang boleh buat kerja....Dari jumlah itu, tolak 2.7 juta orang yang menganggur dan tak der kerja surirumah, pekerja yang kena VSS, orang tua, fresh university student, kena buang kerja dll). Tinggallah 2.3 juta orang yang boleh buat kerja.

Dari jumlah ini, sebanyak 1,215,512 orang dilaporkan sakit dan kini berada di dalam hospital di seluruh Malaysia (tak kiralah hospital swasta ke atau hospital kerajaan dan ini termasuklah hospital gila). Dah tinggal 1,084,488 orang yang boleh buat kerja....Sekarang ini mengikut bancian terkini, terdapat 1,084,486 orang di dalam penjara dan Pusat Serenti di seluruh negara. Jadi dah tinggal 2 orang yang boleh buat kerja...

Dan 2 orang itu adalah engkau dan aku...Dari dua orang ini...kau SEKARANG INI masih duduk depan komputer, main internet, main games, membaca email, gelak-gelak, kutuk-mengutuk dan tak buat kerja langsung... Jadi sedarlah sikit....DAHHHH...!!! PI BUAT KERJA!!!

Jangan mare..............

Hmmm... after reading the above, you are still here reading this?

Friends

True friends are hard to come by,
Acquaintances you may have many,
But of these, not all can be considered friends,
And of all these friends,
Only a handful are true ones.

True friends are those who stick by you,
During thick and thin,
They are with you,
Whether you are happy,
Or when you are in trouble or sad.

You'll realise,
That you have times when you are doing well,
But when times are hard,
This is when you can tell,
Who are just acquaintances,
Who are your true friends in life.

SMS 12 June 2006

Simple gesture of kindness

I just got back from having breakfast, and felt that I need to blog down what I saw.

There are two rival mamak restaurants near my office, one behind another. I usually would have my breakfast or lunch at one of these. One of the regulars at the mamak restaurant that I frequent is a middle-aged visually-impaired lady. She would usually have breakfast there.

This morning, she didn't use the normal route that she takes every morning. This morning she had to walk pass the rival mamak restaurant to get to the mamak restaurant that she frequents. Recently the local authority had put up some fencing in between the restaurants to deter motorcyclists from passing through (since it is supposed to be a pedestrian pathway). So, imagine how difficult it is for a visually-impaired person to navigate through the fencing.

And what I saw really touched me.

One of the workers at the rival mamak restaurant helped the lady by holding her arm so that she could pass through the fencing. Once through to the other side, another worker working with the other mamak restaurant was already waiting to guide her to her usual seat at the restaurant.

It didn't matter that the lady didn't have breakfast at the rival restaurant. What mattered was that the lady could get through safely to the other restaurant for breakfast. While the two restaurants may be rivals, they put aside their rivalry for a greater good.

How I wish all of us in this country could emulate this simple gesture of kindness.

In the company of friends

It's just after midnight and I just got back from Nazrul's wedding. Nice ceremony - sweet and simple, not too elaborate, yet very memorable. The power point presentation depicting how the newlyweds met really stole the evening, I must say.

In any case, this wedding ceremony is rather unique to me for a number of reasons.

The first reason has to do with something I remarked at the wedding. Back when I just got back from Glasgow in 1996 up to around 2001, there were a lot of weddings that involved my friends. Sometimes in a year, there would be up to 5 weddings. These days, weddings are getting fewer and far in between. The number of friends who are still single are getting less. And Nazrul's wedding, as I feel it, is perhaps one of the last few weddings involving my friends from my Glasgow days.

I think in the next few years, the weddings that I'll be attending would mostly be those of relatives - cousins, nephews and nieces. Of course, in the next couple of decades, if I live that long, the weddings that I'll be attending would be those of children of my friends.

Anyway, the second reason why this wedding is unique is that it serves as a reunion of sorts for us "Glasgow Mafia." I have not seen many of my friends in ages, and it was indeed wonderful to be able to catch up, albeit briefly, with my long-time friends.

I went to the wedding with Ibzaini (Ib). We were in the University of Glasgow way back then, and he was also my housemate during my bachelor days in KL. While I see him quite often, since he lives near my home, it was nice to be able to chat with him in the car, catching up with old times and the likes.

Haizal was also there. He has changed a lot. I barely recognised him. The last time I saw him was at a wedding in Bangi in 1999, I think.

Nasrul came all the way from Kuantan for Nazrul's wedding. Again, this is another friend whom I have not seen in years. Nasrul was together with Nazrul at Langside Road (where they stayed in Glasgow).

Ariff, another former housemate of mine in KL, is someone whom I've not bumped into in quite a while. It was interesting to hear his stories --- funny as usual.

Azri, my housemate back in Glasgow, is having a bad cough, apparently something he caught when he was in Sudan about a month back. Last time I spoke to him, he was in a cab from KLIA after arriving from Sudan. I remembered he was coughing badly back then, and he is still coughing badly tonight.

Izwan hasn't changed much since last I met him. The only thing that changes for him is his job. Since coming back from Glasgow, this is his third outfit.

Alfonso also didn't change much. Unfortunately I didn't get to talk much to him tonight, as he seems to be busy taking photos. It was good to see him again after all these years though.

Zuhairie Suffian (Wak) came with his wife and 2 children. Wak was also my housemate during my bachelor days in KL and prior to that was Nazrul's housemate in Glasgow. While we don't see each other that often these days, we're in touch quite regularly. The last time we met was in Putrajaya a few months ago at another friend's wedding.

A sight for sore eyes is Fudin. Fudin was the groom's housemate in Glasgow in 1993. I find it touching that he came all the way from Miri to be at his friend's wedding. To me, this is a sign of true friendship.

Another friend I was eager to see is Azhan. He was my best man when I tied the knot in 2000. I had wanted to meet up with him several times before, but our respective schedules made it almost impossible to meet up.

While Nazrul's wedding is a reunion, it also serves in its own unique way as a farewell to Azhan. He will be leaving for Switzerland towards the end of the month to take up a new position offered to him by his company. For Azhan, I suppose the wedding was a perfect occasion to bid farewell to his friends, in particular Nasrul, Fudin and Nazrul. These four were actually in the same group when they flew to Glasgow.

For me personally, I am happy to be able to catch up with old friends. While I do notice that the topics of conversation have changed from guitars and hi-fis to changing diapers and career plans, one thing still remains the same. The warmth, laughter and sincerity of friendship is still strong.

No matter how long people stay apart, true friends will always come together.

To Nazrul and his wife, I pray that this union will be blessed by Allah S.W.T.

To Azhan and his family, I wish them all the best in their new life overseas.

To everyone else, it was good to be in the company of friends again.

May Allah S.W.T. shower all of us with good health, good fortunes and strength, and may our paths cross again soon, insya-Allah.

The haunting

The unexplained happened...

I was doodling away with the intention of adding a few more links to my blog. Then to my horror, the whole sidebar went crazy, as if hit by an earthquake. Since I am lost with HTML codes, I desperately waited for Ned Akechi to be online at YM. It was weird when his YM seemed to be offline when he is virtually online 24-7.

Fortunately, Sezzy got online soon after. I sent a YM message to her... and she managed to get in touch with Ned. Apparently his YM was having some problems. Sezzy had to act as the messenger between Ned and I. I YMed her and she GTalked Ned my message. Told Ned the problem and asked his favour to find out what was wrong.

Then, I remembered... I have Ned's phone number... might as well call him. And called him, I did. But lo and behold, the reception was bad... very bad. And we got cut off, as if something didn't want us to communicate.

So, it's back to square one. I had to rely on Sezzy to be the mediator and messenger. Funny, when I think about it. I'm in KL, YMed Sezzy who's in JB, who then passed the message using GTalk to Ned who is in Tronoh. Physically impossible to do, but thank goodness for the ICT age...

Ned took a look at the HTML codings... couldn't figure out what was wrong initially. But later, he "seemingly" fixed the problem. We refreshed the blog... and everything looks brilliant... for about 3 minutes. After that, the sidebar went crazy again...

So, from KL, I YMed Sezzy who's in JB to find out what was wrong, who then cut and pasted my message using GTalk to Ned who's in Tronoh. Ned who's in Tronoh then replied to Sezzy using GTalk saying that he's baffled, and Sezzy who's in JB cut and pasted Ned's message to me in KL by using YM.

See how tedious things turned out? [Note to self: Must install GoogleTalk]. You get the idea...

Anyhow, we came to the silly conclusion that my blog must be haunted or something, since nothing was wrong with the HTML coding. At this point, we were contemplating of calling the Ghostbusters or the Ghost Whisperer, although Mulder might serve just fine.

*Ahem*

In any case, the ever-illustrious and creative Ned Akechi decided to change the template for my blog. And of course, at this point in time, messages were being typed and cut and pasted and forwarded from KL to JB to Tronoh, and back again from Tronoh to JB to KL. [Imagine if we have to physically drive our car to do this].

The result? This new look for TeropongSkop. Hope you all like it.

A special thanks and appreciation to Ned Akechi and Sezzy who were involved in this rescue mission.

And the lessons learnt?

1. Must install GoogleTalk
2. Must learn at least basic HTML.
3. Next time I want to change something fundamental, get an expert to do it.

Have a nice weekend.

Plug

"Plug" is a word that we often associate with a piece of rubber or plastic used to block a hole or leak. "Plug" also refers to the metal pins at the end of a wire connecting an electrical apparatus to a socket.

In this instance, allow me to use the word "plug" in a more informal manner. In American English in particular, "to plug" would mean to promote. While my intention is not to blow my own horn, may I nonetheless "plug" the recently published books which I edited (one of which with my ex-colleague, Azrina Sobian).

As promised in one previous posting, I'd put up the covers of my new books as soon as I get them. I got the scans this afternoon, courtesy of Rohaizad, and here they are:


The colour of the cover of Genealogy and Preservation of the Progeny: An Islamic Perspective is supposed to be blue, but I don't know why it turns out orange here. Oh, well...

These books are available at MPH outlets nationwide.

Come to think of it, MPH should give me a few more complimentary copies for plugging these books in the blogging community on their behalf. Hmmm...

Movers and shakers

The past few days have been filled with reports of earthquake and landslide.

First, it was the Yogyakarta 6.3 on the Richter scale earthquake last Saturday, where it is reported that the official death toll till yesterday stands at 5,846 people.

Then yesterday, as I was resting at home after the 5-hour drive from Kedah to KL, a landslide hit Kampung Pasir which is just a kilometre or so away from my home. So far, news reports state that two people are found dead while 2 children are still missing.

Before I rant any further, let us first offer our condolences to the victims. For those of us who are Muslims, let us recite the Umm al-Kitab.

Al-Fatihah.

It goes without saying that what happened really is nerve-wrecking. For someone who doesn't go through these ordeals, these earthquaking and landsliding matters are already scary. I can't imagine what it's like for those who have to go through these.

In one of my earlier posts touching on earthquakes, I already stressed on the need for us to really prepare ourselves. Are we ready when an earthquake hits? Are we sure that our rescue protocols are in order? Are we confident that an earthquake will not hit Malaysia?

While it is true that Malaysia lies just outside the Pacific Rim notorious for its volcanic and tectonic activities, we're actually not immune to earthquakes. The earthquake may occur thousands of kilometres away, but we can still be affected by the tremor. Just to highlight this concern, take a look at the risk areas in Southeast Asia should an earthquake hit (right). The blue areas are areas of the highest risk, and you can see that we're living in a high-risk area. The map is scanned from the National Geographic magazine.

As for landslides, I don't know what else to say. I was in the UK when the Highland Towers tragedy struck. I can still remember vividly how it made British headline news. My housemates and I watched in disbelief that something like that could have happened. And apparently, it keeps on happening, again and again and again... in the same area.

Looks like our people just don't learn.