All Price Must Rise

What if I told you,
That the furore over rice
And the increase in its price
Could not have been denied--?

What if I told you,
That the rising price of oil
Will similarly recoil
Even on Malaysian soil---?

What if I told you,
That prices will never go down:
Whether in village or town
Because it benefits some--!

Because I have to tell you,
The price of steel and cement
And all your other laments
Are all irrelevant--

And because I have to tell you,
That due to your demand,
The farmers and miners chant,
"We cannot fulfill your wants!"

And so I have to tell you,
That scarcity makes things dear,
And if it is the rise you fear,
Then follow me and change gear--!

Change the pace of life:
To favour simplicity;
And favour the price of paltry
And thou shalt never be sorry--!

Rest If You Must, But Don't You Quit

I found this inspirational video, based on a popular poem.
It is very inspiring. I have a copy of the poem hung on my wall.

Who Is Siti Fatimah Tan Abdullah?

Answer: She is an ethnic Chinese from Penang who converted to Islam in 1999 to marry an Iranian. The majority of ethnic Chinese in Malaysia are non-Muslims, although the number of converts are increasing. Siti Fatimah Tan Abdullah was originally born Tan Ean Huang, but converted on 25th July 1998 to marry an Iranian named Ferdoun Ashanian.

"It is clear that the plantiff does not practise Islamic teachings since the beginning and the court rules that the plantiff is no longer a Muslim according to Section 61(3)b(x) of the Penang Syariah Court Procedure Enactment 2004."
--Perlis Syariah Chief Judge Othman Ibrahim

The significance is that she is the first living non-Muslim to be allowed by the Syariah Court to revert to her former religion. Her affidavit stated that at no point of time did she practise the religion of Islam. Bernama hailed it as "the first in Malaysia involving a living plaintiff and under syariah court's jurisdiction".

Datin Seri Wan Azizah was reported, saying: "It is her right to return to her original religion." Whereas the learned judge had opined that apostasy can occur in three instances, i.e. action, speech and faith that go against Islamic teachings. He gave the example of worshipping something besides Allah, denying Allah's existence and allowing things forbidden.

Further Reading:

• Bernama, "Syariah Court Declares Siti Fatimah No Longer Muslim" -- 8th May 2008, 5.35pm


• The Star, Zahid: Accept Syariah Court's decision on convert -- 8th May 2008, 7.48pm

Our Brave Travel Guides @ Bali, Indonesia

Some time ago, I travelled to Bali, Indonesia, with my lovely girlfriend and my family. We had some idea of where we wanted to go, after purchasing the Lonely Planet guide. But, getting around would be a problem if we weren't careful. There was every chance of getting ripped off by some unscrupulous taxi driver.

We were fortunate because my mother had gone to Bali before with some friends. She knew the localities with the sights and sounds that we wanted to go to. So, we walked around and asked around if there were any reliable travel guides with their own transportation to bring us around. At the local convenience store, we walked in to buy some canned drinks and also a SIM card, to call back folks at home.

That's when we met Dewa. He looked like a surfing dude, with his lean frame and dyed hair. I would say that he would be about 32 years old, and has a "cool guy" attitude. He was introduced by the one of the staff at the convenience store. The member of staff just walked outside and brought in Dewa, who was quite surprised to be getting business at that hour of the night (it was eight o'clock in the evening). We asked him how much for a van, and his price was quite reasonable (after some haggling, of course).

The next morning, he arrived at our hotel a little late. He said that he had been there since the early morning, about 7.00am, but did not know who we were. We were in a forgiving mood and were quite OK about it, having had our complimentary breakfast. That day, he brought us to Ubud, Sanur, Ulu Watu, Sindhu beach, and other places which I have forgotten the name of. When evening fell, we had a special request, that he take us to Jimbaram to have a look at the famous beach with the beautiful view. He rushed and tried to take us there before nightfall, but we guessed that he would not make it as we had travelled everywhere. So we told him, there was no need to rush. We had a leisurely dinner, for a princely sum, and tucked in heartily into the large lobster that we had ordered. But from that experience, I can say that it'd be better for you (if you should go to Bali) to order two smaller lobsters, rather than one big lobster. Chances are, the smaller lobsters would be fresher and the meat more tender. (On the other hand, a huge lobster looks impressive!)

The next day, Dewa did not come by but sent his cousin instead. His cousin, Agung, is about 22 or 23 years of age. He was less chatty than his cousin, but nevertheless seemed a good sport too. We went to a local wet market at Sukawati where the locals hunt for bargains. He patiently sat around with my father at the local drink stall while the rest of us walked around observing the local handicrafts galore: bags, paintings, hats, carvings, batik, etc. After that we moved on to other locations around town. In the afternoon, we decided that we wanted to visit Ulu Watu, with its famous Kecak dance, which we had missed the day before. It was great because the Kecak dance is a reenactment of a legend, from the Ramayana. At its core, shorn of all fancy names and fancy outfits, is the story of a man who goes in search of his wife, who was taken away from him.

One of the things that you must watch out for when you go to Ulu Watu is monkeys! There are many monkeys inhabiting the "pura" (temple), happily fed and left alone for prosperity, posterity, or other benefits, real or imagined. When I was posing for a photo, one monkey made up his mind that I look better without glasses! So, he took my glasses and ran away. I chased after it and wanted to pummel it. But the pura being a holy place, I refrained from any damaging actions. At the pura, there are men who "specialize" in getting things back from the monkeys. One such man plied the monkey with fruits and made it give back my pair of spectacles. Filled with gratitude, I gave him something equal to RM5 (in Indonesian currency). He did not want to accept it, saying that it was not commensurate with his good deed and the value of the spectacles. (He said it in Indonesian, and slightly scornfully -- in case you're wondering) Immediately, I gave him something about RM15 in Indonesian money. He accepted it without any further comment. I was left vaguely wondering if I had given him too much.

I could write more, but I think I have digressed quite a bit. Now, the main thing is, if you plan to go to Bali @ Indonesia, then try to contact the following two (2) excellent gentlemen. They should be able to provide you with some excellent service. Here are their numbers:

• Dewa ... +6281337842817
  (or just 081337842817 if you're in Indonesia)


• Agung ... +623618544402

Notes From A Seminar

Some notes I made some time back on my mobile phone. The speaker was Adam Khoo and the venue was UTAR.

Beliefs. Same neurology. Skills-strategies. Action. Synapses-thought patterns-intelligence. Challenge mind. Left-Right =genius. VAK. Beliefs-Goals. 1952 Yale Uni 3%. Proactive. Time mgmt. Speed reading. Info gathering. Make notes. Whole brain notes.

Mind map. Process map. Flowchart. Timeline. Pareto diagram.
Link system. Similar sound. Link main points. Vocab method. Numbers- dates, formula, chem. Super memory. Thinking skills+application. Revision. 1d-1w-1m-3m-exam. Alpha-beta-baroque