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This may be a bit early, but I figured what the heck...

If everything goes as scheduled, come June 2008, my second novel with the working title of Transgenesis: Bisikan Rimba (roughly translated as "Transgenesis: Whispering Woods) will be in bookstores nationwide. The sci-fi novel is currently in the final stages of editing and as soon as I get to see the cover, I'll put it up in this blog for all to view.

I hope that when this novel comes out, it will be well-received by the readers. And if it does get a decent enough reception by readers, rest assured that I already have a sequel in mind. [Actually, I plan to make Transgenesis a series chronicling the adventures of the main character - a special girl named "Flora"].

What's the story about? Well, I have given a teaser before. I am not at liberty to divulge the details as yet, but I will when the time is right.

So, stay tuned for further updates on this.

World Book and Copyright Day

While publicity on yesterday's Earth Day may be wide, many of us may not be aware that today has been designated as "World Book and Copyright Day" by UNESCO. Anyone who knows that today is World Book and Copyright Day please raise their hands!

As someone who is involved in publishing (directly and indirectly) since 1996, I think that this day is important in increasing the awareness of society on the importance of books and copyright issues. While many talked about piracy in the computing, music and film industries, many forgot that this same problem exists in the publishing industry. Plagiarism in publishing is a serious matter. By the way, let's remember that books are not just printed material, but may also include electronically-published material.

The only other thing that I'd like to emphasise is that we should make reading as our culture and not merely a hobby - for reading is food for the mind.

Let's enjoy reading!

Do our part

We live in a planet that is fragile. Whether we want to admit it or not, much damage has been done on this world that is our home. And already we can see its impacts - global warming, flash floods, landslides, etc.

We only have this planet to live on. Let us do our part in ensuring that no more damage is done to this blue gem that is Planet Earth. Remember that we borrow this planet from the future generation.

Happy Earth Day 2008 - and let's not just celebrate, but act on it as well. Each of us has a role to play in ensuring a better future for this planet of ours.

Feels like old times

It has been an interesting day today for me at the office. One of the trustees of the organisation I'm attached to came by. He is currently based in Brunei Darussalam as an advisor to the government there. He happened to be my former big boss at my former workplace. What is interesting is that, since Yayasan Ilmuwan started one of our consultancy projects on 1st February, we have started recruiting a number of staff. Three of the project team members recruited are in fact formerly attached to the same organisation which I was with previously.

So, when the old big boss came a-visiting, and the four of us are here, it really felt like a mini reunion. Amazingly, it really feels like old times at the old workplace.

[Health update: I have not had any migraine episode for the past three days, alhamdulillah].

Headthrob

It has almost become a daily ritual now. Every afternoon I would get migraine. It would start with what I would describe as a tremendous pressure building inside my skull, followed by intense pain on one side of the head. The pain may be on the right or left side of the head. But one thing for sure, you could see my throbbing veins popping up the skin on the side where the pain is.

I have been to the doctor twice already. And I have been prescribed a drug meant to ease my migraine. It does work, but I'd rather not take it as it makes my body shiver and causes my legs to cramp. I'm not sure if it's related, but my blood pressure these days has been pretty low.

I'm waiting to see if there is any improvement in the next few days. If the migraine persists, I may have to make an appointment to see my neurologist.

Temporary (health) glitch

I had wanted to update this, and my other blogs, earlier. There were many things that I wanted to update in the past week. Unfortunately, for the third time in six months, I was unwell again. I had a severe case of fever and migraine. In any case, my health is steadily improving. And hopefully, frequent updates will be forthcoming.

Cybercongestion

I have been an Internet user since 1996. I was one of the earliest Jaring dial-up subscribers. Then about two years ago, I switched to TMNet Prepaid dial-up service. At the office meanwhile, we use the Streamyx broadband service.

Recently, when my family moved to our new home, I was at a crossroad of sorts. Should I continue using narrowband dial-up Internet? Or should I now use broadband Internet connection? Or should I try out the new mobile broadband service? Until today, I haven't actually made up my mind.

Partly because my office just provided me with a mobile broadband modem which allows me to (theoretically speaking) be connected anywhere anytime. While this is indeed handy, I find that the connectivity of the mobile Internet device left a lot to be desired. I find that the Internet traffic at certain hours is horrendous. And it is virtually impossible for me to get online at home in the evenings.

I suppose we can draw similarities with highways. While highways can be very fast for road users, during peak hours however, the highways would still be crawling with traffic.

I think much still needs to be done with the country's infostructure. With the growing number of Internet users in Malaysia, the facilities must be improved in accordance to this trend. Otherwise people will be left with an awful taste in their mouths when it comes to Internet connection. We have heard people complaining about the traffic jams in the country, let's not wait till people start complaining about cybertraffic jams.

Managing geniuses

Aside from the local political issues, Malaysians seem to follow with great interest the story of Sufiah Yusof. Her success story was first told way back in 1998 - both here in Malaysia and the UK. But when her latest story was published on Sunday, many people were shocked. The shock was felt not only in Malaysia but also in the UK. Some of the common responses could be read here. Even her ex-husband who is now working in Saudi Arabia was shocked when the news reached him.

Sufiah - then and now

If this story is indeed true, then most definitely it's a sad fate that had befallen the one-time math prodigy. Whether we want to admit or not, a successful person is not necessarily the most intelligent or brilliant person. One may possess a high intellectual prowess, but intellectuality is only one dimension that makes up a person's complete self. The physical, psychological, mental, emotional and spiritual dimensions should never be ignored. If any one of these dimensions are ignored, we would end up being an unstable or insecure person. One wonders what could have driven Sufiah to prostitution taking up the pseudonym Shilpa Lee?

Sometimes I worry when I read about young children with great academic abilities. Throughout the years, we have seen many of these child prodigies. When stories about their uniqueness come out, all are in awe - which is very much expected. Everyone applauds them. They are idolised by society. No doubt, all this is well and good.

But I have these questions to ask: Do we monitor their progress? More importantly, are the children's success being managed correctly? And the one million dollar question is, where are they now?

Oft-times I wondered whatever happened to the prodigies of yesteryears. I have heard many stories about the fate that has befallen them, with Sufiah's fate being the latest. I have always said to many people that, while it is good to score a string of A's in your SPM or A-Level or whatever, at the end of the day, these A's are just your ticket into universities. What is more important is your success at the university level. I have seen many who didn't do so well (read: didn't get a string of A's at the school level), but came out from university with flying colours. It would be a shame if the student who scored at the school level couldn't do as well at the tertiary level.

Success is not measured by how many A's you get on paper because the fact of the matter is that one needs not be a genius at the school level to be a true genius in life.

Sadly, I believe that we should shoulder part of the blame for our inability, or rather, failure to manage success stories such as our child prodigies.

KLIBF 2008

This is a note to all readers and book lovers out there. The annual Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (KLIBF) will be held at PWTC from the 4th to 13th of April. So to those who are interested, please spare some time to attend KLIBF 2008. It's worth your time.

Blog readability

I came to know about a blog's reading level from this entry at Temasik's World. By clicking at this link, blog owners can rate the readability of their blogs. And the result?



Apparently, my blog is at the postgraduate level. Notice the test tube, atomic stucture and rocket.

Afterthought: I tried this tool for my other two blogs which use mainly Malay language, and the outcome is that those blogs are at the genius level. My guess is that if the language used in the blogs couldn't be understood by the tool, it'd regard those blogs as having a high level of intelligence. To quote Homer (Simpson, not the philosopher): D'oh!

Treat the tool as something fun, and it shouldn't be taken seriously.

Mary and her lamb in the biotech era

Some have asked what course do I teach at Universiti Malaya. It's "Science and Religion" - a course I share with my PhD supervisor. Most people I know regard this course as "heavy" and "very philosophical." I don't deny that "Science and Religion" can be heavy, but I find it fascinating as well, especially when we look at everyday case studies. Whether we realise it or not, the interaction between science and religion is an everyday occurrence.

I have been involved with this interaction since my tenure at IKIM. In 2005, while presenting a paper on biotechnology and Islam at a conference held at the Environmental Institute of Malaysia (EiMAS), I came across an interesting nursery rhyme, which is an updated version of "Mary Had a Little Lamb." I thought that it'd be good to share this with you.

MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB – biotech version
Author unknown

Mary had a little lamb

Its fleece was slightly gray

It didn’t have a father

Just some borrowed DNA

It sort of had a mother

Though the ovum was on loan

It was not so much a lambkin

As a little lamby clone

And soon it had a fellow clone

And soon it had some more

It made the children laugh and sing

The teachers found it droll

There were too many lamby clones

For Mary to control

No other could control the sheep

Since their programs didn’t vary

So the scientists resolved it all

By simply cloning Mary

But now they feel quite sheepish

Those scientists unwary

One problem solved, but what to do

With Mary, Mary, Mary?

Brand new day

I know how most people hate Mondays. But today, it feels like a brand new day for me. My family has moved into our new apartment which is a lot more comfortable than our rented house. Having said that, I left the old house with a rather heavy heart. Of all the places that I have stayed in all my life, that rented house was the longest that I stayed in. All in all, I stayed there for a little over eight years.

Now that I have moved, I look forward to the days ahead.

A brand new day indeed.

Looking east

Konnichiwa!

It has been nearly two weeks since I haven't been well. I have not fully recovered although I have to say things are somewhat improving. I don't have any fever anymore but the cold bug is still persistent. This bugging cold however is not slowing me down. I didn't take any day off from work as I find resting at home makes me rather restless.

Fortunately, there's plenty of action going on at this point in time - and I'm not talking about the coming election process.

One of the latest development is that I have begun learning a new language. As it is, I am bilingual with fairly good command of Bahasa Malaysia and English. I also have very basic knowledge in Arabic. I can understand standard Arabic when it is spoken, but that's about it. Now, I have started learning Japanese. Pretty interesting language this. It takes a while to get the hang of this language, but given time and hard work, I think I'll manage, insya-Allah.

So don't be surprised when you see Japanese words or phrases in my blog entries.

Bugged again

I actually couldn't believe it when I did a quick search on this blog. Apparently, in February last year, I was down with the usual cocktail of fever, cough and cold. Guess what? It's February and I am having fever, cough and cold since Saturday afternoon.

While the weather may be unpredictable these days, if this trend stays next year, then maybe I can say that February is the "cold" season.

Fabulous February

What a month February is turning out to be.

The consultancy project that we're working on is now running at third gear. This Thursday, we'll be interviewing candidates to fill up 22 vacancies available. In the meantime, I have been tasked with identifying and locating a suitable office space, and if everything goes as planned, we'll be moving to Setiawangsa Business Suites some time in March.

I have also started collected the needed data and information for Fikri's memoir, Echoes of My Heart. Fikri's mother, Puan Fatimah, is also helping out especially with arranging for interviews with family members and friends as well as collecting pictures and newspaper cuttings of Fikri. We have also discussed some technical aspects for the publication of the memoir.

Renovation (albeit minor) for the apartment that my wife bought is ongoing. The contractor informed me that everything will be done next Monday. Hopefully we can move in by the end of this month. When we move into the apartment and when Yayasan Ilmuwan moves into Setiawangsa Business Suites, this would mean that it will only take me about three minutes to walk from my apartment to my office! I have never thought that this would be possible for someone working in Kuala Lumpur, but alas, when this day comes, it will be like a dream come true.

I am so looking forward to tomorrow afternoon when I start my lecture at Universiti Malaya. I am scheduled to give two one-hour lectures weekly for five weeks. The lectures are on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. After my lectures, I guess I'll be spending my time at the university's library - one of my favourite spots in the university. At least I can use the time to search for references needed for my PhD research.

Yesterday, I attended a meeting with the buyers of the housing project in Hulu Langat. I bought a plot of land there and the house was already near completion. Unfortunately, the developer was issued a stop-work order by the municipal council. Essentially, the meeting was organised to plan ahead on what needs to be done to alleviate the problem. It was a fruitful meeting, and hopefully, we can have the keys to the house by the year's end. It has been a long enough wait as it is already.

The month of February has certainly be packed so far, but what's more important is that it has been productive. Let's hope that this positive momentum stays that way.

X marks the vote

And so the date for the country's general election has been fixed on 8th March. That's just over three weeks away. With the dissolution of the Parliament and the state assemblies yesterday, election fever officially starts.

There are indeed many who dream of becoming Parliamentarians and State Assemblymen. Those who are incumbents would most probably want to carry on "serving." And there are many more who want to contest as first time candidates. Those who lost in the last elections would probably want to make a come back. And those who were not fielded the last time around may harbour hopes of being chosen this time.

Personally, I want to see those who are nominated and consequently elected - no matter which party they represent - are those who are mature, responsible and accountable - and more importantly, are true "wakil rakyat."

I am tired of our Yang Berhormat who talk rubbish, do no research before speaking and worse still, rude, when they are debating in the Parliament - turning the august house into a circus or a joke. I am equally sick of our Yang Berhormat who are merely talkshops - where they talk and talk and talk, without being able to implement what was said.

But then again, who am I to argue?

Oh, yeah. I forgot.

I am a voter who puts down the X.

And my vote counts.

My CNY adventure

Yesterday was essentially the last day of the long Chinese New Year weekend. As per usual, when there is a long festive holiday, the highway would be congested. This time around, I spent the long holiday in Kuala Lumpur with my family. My parents and sister meanwhile went back to Kulim on the first day of Chinese New Year, and returned home yesterday.

As expected, the journey from Kedah to Kuala Lumpur was at a very slow pace. My mother even remarked that it would probably be faster to walk. My parents and sister took an express bus from our hometown. The bus left at 12 noon, and only at 3 p.m. did the bus arrive in Ipoh. The journey was terribly slow. As if things were not bad enough, just after 7 p.m., my mother called to inform me that the bus had broken down somewhere just after Slim River. All the passengers waited beside the very busy highway - in pitch black condition as the sun was already down, safe for the bus' own lights - for any other buses with empty seats that could give them a lift to the capital city. Apparently the bus company did not prepare a contingency plan as there was no replacement buses available. [Note to self: Must remind parents not to take that bus company again].

I was gravely concerned with the situation. It is very dangerous to be waiting beside a busy highway in darkness. At 8 p.m., I called my mother and offered to pick them up. Initially she declined the offer, but half an hour later, I called her again and this time she relented. So immediately, I left home and drove all the way up to Slim River, made a u-turn just after the toll at the Slim River exit, and doubled back to where the bus broke down. It took me nearly an hour and a half to reach there from my house. And it took me another an hour and a half to reach home. We arrived at my house at 11.30 p.m. The traffic was indeed heavy. Mind you though, I wasn't breaking any speed limits!

I was relieved that everyone was okay. It is quite an experience to be making such a mad dash at that hour. I don't really like driving at night. My eyesight at night is not so sharp especially with the blinding headlights from opposite traffic. In any case, that was indeed an adventure for me to remember.

Addendum:
To all my Chinese friends and visitors to this humble blog, may I wish all of you a Happy Chinese New Year!

It's February already

Time sure flies when you're having fun. Or rather, when you're busy.

Such is the case with me. January has been a very eventful month that I find it difficult to believe that we're already in February. And before you know it, February too will be over - more so with it being the shortest month and 3 days of the month are public holidays (not counting weekends).

So what are my targets for this month?

Workwise, I need to oversee that the consultancy project with Yayasan Pelajaran MARA begins without any hiccups. That in itself is taking a lot of my time these past couple of weeks. In any case, with the Project Director and two key personnels already reported for duty on the 1st of this month, I expect they will be able to get things into second gear.

Also, my focus also falls on two books that Yayasan Ilmuwan is publishing this year. One is a collection of articles on "Islam Hadhari" while the other is Fikri's memoir entitled Echoes of My Heart. The former is more or less almost done - I just need to get four more articles from three very busy writers (sigh!). As for the latter, I am doing the research this month by interviewing the surgeons, doctors and nurses who were involved with Fikri at Institut Jantung Negara as well as his family members. The memoir project has attracted the attention of a VVIP who is willing to launch the memoir when it's ready. So, I guess I have to put my heart and soul into this very important project.

On a more personal note, if everything goes as planned, my family will move into our own home later this month. The apartment is currently being renovated but I don't expect the renovation works to take too long.

Studywise, I have begun to scribble a note or two for the first two chapters of my PhD's thesis. Since most of my working hours are spent on work, I have to use my evenings and weekends to bury myself in books at the library of Universiti Malaya.

This week is the semester break for most public universities including Universiti Malaya. Next week though, I will start lecturing to Universiti Malaya's Faculty of Science students taking the subject of "Science and Religion." I share this class with my PhD supervisor - I teach five weeks of the subject (sandwiched between my supervisor's turns). Personally, I look forward to this.

I have actually taken quite a long break from creative writing. I guess time hasn't really permitted me to focus so much on this. Nonetheless, I hope to start writing a script for a 90-minute drama set in pre-independent Malaya. And I also hope to get my anthology of science fiction-themes short stories done.

All in all, it looks like the short month of February seems pretty packed for me. At least, this will keep me on my toes. And if time permits, I'll certainly be blogging - so don't forget to come and check from time to time.

Signed and sealed

This actually took place on the 14th of January. I had wanted to blog about this much earlier, but have not been able to - until today.

The organisation I am attached to, Yayasan Ilmuwan, have signed an agreement with Yayasan Pelajaran MARA (YPM) to provide consultancy for the latter. This is part of the reason why I haven't been blogging of late. Much of my time these days are focused towards getting this important project started. Alhamdulillah, things are looking good for the project to commence in February.

Anyway, I just like to share the photos of the signing ceremony.

Above: YPM's CEO, Mohamad Ali Mansor and yours truly signing the documents.

Above: Exchanging the documents

Here's looking at you, kid

My second son is now four months old. Some of my blogger friends have requested that I post his picture. Who am I to disappoint people? Here are two pictures (one with my eldest son). Enjoy!