shahnon.com

Seminar and Semester break

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Sun, 11 May 2008 19:06:00 +0000

Weehoo! After all those sleepless nights, countless cups of coffee, days of bad fever, finally, my exams are over.. Ah, what a great feeling! I shall resume reading my fav books again now. Move over textbooks. :p

Anyways, I'm heading to another seminar tomorrow morning; "Seminar Media dan Pilihanraya Umum 2008", organized by the faculty of Mass Communication and Media Studies, UiTM.

I'll try to post a summary of the Palestine Al-Nakbah seminar soon. In the meantime, check out some pictures here and here.
Later.

Karpal Singh vs Sultan Perak

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Mon, 05 May 2008 19:11:00 +0000

Karpal pertikai sultan - Sifatkan istana campur tangan pentadbiran negeri Perak

KUALA LUMPUR 5 Mei – Pengerusi DAP, Karpal Singh terus mempertikaikan tindakan Sultan Perak menitahkan Menteri Besar menarik balik arahan pertukaran Pengarah Jabatan Agama Islam Perak (JAIP), Datuk Jamry Sury, yang disifatkannya sebagai campur tangan istana dalam pentadbiran negeri.

Sambil mengingatkan Istana Perak supaya memahami kuasa terhad raja-raja, Karpal menekankan bahawa “rakyat kini tidak lagi hidup dalam zaman feudal.’'

‘‘Sultan dan Yang di-Pertuan Agong perlu bertindak atas nasihat pihak eksekutif (kerajaan). Sultan Perak tidak ada hak di bawah undang-undang untuk campur tangan dalam keputusan kerajaan negeri menukar Jamry sebagai Pengarah JAIP,” katanya pada sidang akhbar di Parlimen yang turut dihadiri anaknya, Gobind Singh Deo (DAP-Puchong). [berita penuh]

Kurang ajar punya Kapal. Mana hormat Karpal pada Sultan? Nasib baik ini Malaysia. Kalau Pakistan, dah lama orang macam ni kena tembak.

Pennywise and Anti-Flag's latest album

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Sat, 03 May 2008 17:08:00 +0000

..Pennywise - Reason to Believe

..Anti-Flag - The Bright Lights Of America

Not really the best though. Anti-Flag's For Blood And Empire (2006) and The Terror State (2003) are arguably among the best by Anti-Flag. Sometimes I feel I learn more about American politics and their foreign policy by listening to these bunch of left-inclined-anti war-anti capitalist political punk rock bands. :p

Tun Dr. Mahathir blogs!

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:39:00 +0000

“This site is dedicated to publishing my writings as and when I am able to pen my thoughts and opinion,” he says.

Former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has started his own blog (Chedet.com), using his old pen name, Che Det, when he wrote for the Straits Times newspaper in the 60s. This is definitely an interesting development in Malaysian blogosphere. To me, it didn't really came as a surprise, as I feel it is just a matter of time before Tun starts his own blog. Many people in the past have asked Tun about setting up a blog and now finally the time has come. Next in-waiting, is his yet to be published memoir!

He started his first post by writing on the judicial reform issues by saying that there is no details mentioned on how the recently announced Judicial Appointments Commission will work. Touching on this subject, besides Tun's blog post, A. Kadir Jasin has also written a long thoughtful entry on his blog, entitled, 'Suruhanjaya Saingi Kuasa Raja dan PM'. I'm beginning to have a second thought on Zaid Ibrahim now.

Tun Dr. Mahathir - "The Case for Criminalising War"

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:45:00 +0000

Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammad
[image source: AFP]

Malaysia's ex-PM Mahathir wants Iraq war leaders on war crimes charges

LONDON (AFP) — Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has called for an international tribunal to try Western leaders with war crimes over the war in Iraq, spokesman for the organisers said.

In a speech at Imperial College, London, Mahathir called for a tribunal to try US President George W. Bush plus former prime ministers Tony Blair of Britain and John Howard of Australia for their part in the conflict, said a spokesman for the Muslim group the Ramadhan Foundation, which set up the event. [full report]

Many thanks to Ammar Waraich, Chairman of the Political Philosophy Society, Imperial College Union, who posted the mp3 recording of the event on Facebook. I'm not sure if the video recording of the event is available on the net, but click the link below to download the mp3 version (61.02 minutes.24.9MB). http://cid-ecebc6764b14292b.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Public/Mahathir.mp3
But it won't be for long. Should you fail to download from the link above, head over here or go straight to http://shahnon.com/mahathir.mp3. I've saved a copy for myself on the server. If there is a 'Security Warning' while downloading, do not worry, it is safe. :)

Facebook is definitely the top social networking site in promoting events like public lectures, political events, social gatherings and such. Two upcoming events promoted in Facebook, which I've noted down in my mobile diary are;

i) Farish A. Noor's www.othermalaysia.org Lecture Series II at The Annexe, Central Market, KL on 3rd May (Saturday), 3.00 pm and

ii) The "Palestine: 60 Years of Struggle; Al Nakbah Remembered" forum, organised by the International Movement for a Just World and Peace Malaysia at 10.30 am, Sin Chew Hall, Sin Chew Daily, Petaling Jaya.
(but sadly, I'll probably miss this one cos I'm having exam on this day! %$#@*)

Anyways, talking of Facebook, I think the recently most successful event being promoted on Facebook would be the "KL Freeze in Unison" which was held at The Pavillion, KL, few weeks ago. The event was very successful in getting a large number of people to attend within just a short period of time! It was picked up by The Star and was mentioned in Fly.fm radio too. If you don't have an idea what is this all about, read it all here;
The Star: One posting on Facebook drew 1,000 to take part in KL Freeze

Click here and here to view the 'Freeze' video in London and New York. Cool eh? It doesn't really have any purpose though, but it was enough to cause an alarm for the security personnels. :p

Last but not least, this blog will be on an indefinite hiatus, probably until the end of my exam week, next Saturday.

Happy Labour Day to all!

mp3 search tips

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 04:52:00 +0000

Politics schmolitics aside, here's a simple tip on how to get a better search result for mp3s on the net. Go to Google, and type the following in the search box. Include the artist name and song title as shown below;
?intitle:index.of? mp3 “artist” song title

example, ?intitle:index.of? mp3 “Nidji” Biarlah or

?intitle:index.of? mp3 “Madonna” Four minutes

You can also find lots of other Google search tips and tricks on the net, I'm just sharing one of the popular ones here. :)

Happy weekend folks!

Pak Lah and Malaysia

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 10:54:00 +0000

While switching on the TV awhile ago, I was shocked to find out that famous blogger, Raja Petra will appear live on RTM1 tomorrow night, Sunday 27th April. I just feel that he should just stick to his Malaysia-Today blog. To me it is just a waste of air time to watch him on tv.

Frankly speaking, if we look at the trend of what is happening now, Pak Lah's so-called reform agenda is actually paving the way for the opposition to win the next general election. The trend is already there. Sadly, this is a government with no clear sense of direction. More than a month have passed on since the disastrous election result for Barisan Nasional and yet I still don't know where Pak Lah is heading. It's as if business as usual for him. It has now come to the point that even when Pak Lah does something good, the people just don't have faith anymore in him. I hope that he won't be re-elected at this year's UMNO party election.

Pak Lah's so-called reform agenda reminds me to an article by Isham Rais in his 'Dari Jelebu' column in Malaysia-Today, 'Dolah dan Gorby – Perestroika dan Glasnot'.

..Seperti Gorby, Abdullah Badawi merasakan telah sampai masanya ruang demokrasi dibuka dan satu penstrukturan baru wajib dilakukan. Abdullah sedang melihat jalan buntu di hadapan Putrajaya. Apa yang sedang kita lihat hari ini adalah hasil empat tahun dasar perestroika dan glasnot Abdullah Badawi..

Hishamuddin Rais has made a good comparison of Pak Lah's so-called democratisation, openness and reform agenda with former Russian USSR President, Mikhail Gorbachev. As an overview to this issue, in the 1980s, Gorbachev has launched a series of reform in terms of governance, social freedom, media and economy (Glosnost and Perestroika). Some of the effects of this reform were that, the Communist government relaxed its censorship on the media and soon after, the media took the opportunity to expose social and economic problems by the Soviet government. Gorbachev's economic reform by introducing an 'open market' system too has not really gone down well with the public. It was dogged down with many problems. This has caused the public to lose faith in the Soviet government.

Gorbachev's original goal to reform the Soviet Union has finally proved to be a failure when later in 1991 the Soviet Union was dissolved. If we look back at the Soviet's history in the 1980s, the collapse of the Soviet Union has actually began in 1985, the moment Gorbachev introduced the Glosnost and Perestroika policy.

So basically, my view is that if UMNO does not listen to the calls for Pak Lah to resign or clearly spell out the transition plan immediately, I believe this is what is going to happen in the next 4 or 5 years (or maybe by end of this year if what Anwar's claim is true). A clear reform is needed not only by UMNO but the BN as a whole. History has shown that many dominant political parties who ruled for decades had lost. A few examples would be the Kuomintang in Taiwan, Indian Congress Party and the latest being the Colorado Party in Paraguay which lost the election to the Patriotic Alliance for Change coalition after ruling Paraguay for 61 years.

Isham Rais concluded his article by saying;

Saya yakin rakyat akan mempertahankan glasnot dan perestroika untuk memunculkan Vladimir Putin dengan parti barunya. Pilihan rakyat ini akan membuka era pencerahan di Malaysia.

While he seems to acknowledge and suggest that Pak Lah's openness policy (which I see it as Pak Lah's weaknesses) will subseqently benefit the opposition parties, I just hope that the 8 March election results is not the end of a new beginning.

Related article
'The Age of the Sledgehammer' by Karim Raslan
Umno leaders should learn from Asia's other once dominant parties who lost office but were able to reinvent themselves and regain power..

Belasungkawa - Rustam Sani (1944 - 2008)

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 07:38:00 +0000

At the time of this writing many must have read about the passing of Rustam A. Sani, a great intellectual scholar. I had the chance to read his thoughts once through his book 'Ke Mana Nasionalisme Melayu (2004)' in which he explains academically about the failure of the Malay (or UMNO) nationalisme.

In the meanwhile, Johan Jaafar has written a good piece of article in his weekly Saturday column in the NST (See excerpts below). Allahyarham Rustam A. Sani is also supposed to launch his new book 'Failed Nation?: Concerns of a Malaysian Nationalist' and 'Social Roots of the Malay Left' today, but as fate has it, god has other plan for him. Al-fatihah.

JOHAN JAAFFAR: Rustam A. Sani, a scholar and an intellectual
By Johan Jaaffar
2008/04/26
HE lived in the shadow of his famous father, Ahmad Sani Kecil, better known as Ahmad Boestamam. To the literary community he was Ruhi Hayat -- poet, novelist, essayist. He was a journalist with Utusan Melayu and later Warta Malaya but more importantly he was a nationalist and freedom fighter. He was imprisoned many times for his beliefs.

Rustam Abdullah Sani, who used the name Rustam A. Sani, was brought up in a household where perjuangan (struggle) meant everything. He, his sister and their mother endured difficult times.

Rustam, born in August 1944, knew what his father stood for. In fact, his views were moulded by his father's struggles. Understandably, he was attracted to politics.

His leftist leaning was no secret. He was involved with his father's party, Parti Rakyat Malaya. But whatever principles he stood for, he was a fair man with a penchant for objectivity.

He had reasons to use his writings to pursue his political objectives, but Rustam knew the limits. He was an intellectual first, a politician last.. [full article]

Related article
TheStar: Farewell to a true Malaysian - by Jomo K.S.

Hishamuddin Rais's latest book!

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:43:00 +0000

[image source: Malaysia-Today]

According to Malaysia-Today, filmmaker/writer/activist Hishamuddin Rais will be launching his new book, entitled 'Keganasan, Penipuan & Internet: Hegemoni Media Daulah Pecah'. The book will be launched by the author himself, on 1st of May at the Annexe Central Market, KL.

Even though I never believe in his socialist ideals, I've always been a big fan of his writings, be it in Bahasa Melayu or English and been following them consistently since the days of his 'DotMai' column in Malaysiakini during the height of 'Reformasi' and now on Off The Edge magazine and his 'Dari Jelebu' column in MT. I actually have been waiting for years for him to publish a book and am glad that finally the waiting has now ended. I don't really have to agree with all his thoughts and ideas to admire and enjoy his writings and to me, Hishamuddin Rais, is one of the few Malaysian writers whom I would categorize as - 'one of a kind'. Personally, I think writers like, Dr. Farish Noor, Kam Raslan, Faisal Tehrani, Allahyarham Usman Awang and of course, Tun Dr. Mahathir, to just name a few - fits into this so-called 'one of a kind' category nicely. Each is unique in their own sense, which you can't compare them with the others. Well, this is entirely my own opinion. :)

Anyways, another interesting point to note is that, the book will be available in all major bookstores; MPH, Kinokuniya, Borders and etc (if what I read is true). Good stuff.

p/s: A quick glance at the book cover will probably trigger many people to at least flip through the pages. A marketing strategy perhaps?

BBC Hard Talk with Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:11:00 +0000

In case anybody missed out Tun Dr. Mahathir's interview with BBC Hard Talk on tv, click here to watch it online (23.10mins).
(RealPlayer is needed to view the video)

I like some of the points brought up by Tun Dr. Mahathir and here are some excerpts of the interview with BBC Hard Talk anchorman, Stephen Sackur.

Tun Dr. Mahathir on democracy;

If you look at the history of the west, they come up with all kinds of ideology, they used it for some time and then found it defective and they dropped it and start on another. One day they will going to forget about democracy because in some countries democracy actually ended up in anarcy and there were practically no government.

It's (democracy) not a system that can fit everybody. You must have a certain understanding of the limitations of democracy in order to make it work.

The great civilisaton of the past do not have democracy and yet they became great.

It's not necessary that the system will work for everybody. But if you have a bad leader , even the democracy system would fail. You must remember that in this democracy country which dropped atom bomb.. killing two hundred thousand people.

Tun Dr. Mahathir on Malaysia

The fact is that we have a multiracial country and if we are not careful, there will be racial flare up and if you look at most of the countries with a multiracial population, they are never peaceful. Even Northern Ireland, it took you such a long time to solve the war in Northen Ireland.

Tun Dr. Mahathir on his "..Jews rule the world by proxy" remark at the Tenth OIC Conference in Putrajaya, 2003.

I'm stating fact..again and again, this is what has happened... Well, this idea of anti semitism is created by the Jewish themselves. we cannot say anything. In fact journalists have been arrested for saying something against the holocaust and.. where is the freedom of press?
No, I am not anti semitic. The fact is that the United States obeys what Israel wants it to do.. I don't want Islamic terrorism anymore than I don't want Jewish attack in Israel or American bomb in Baghdad.

Also check out some other quotes by Tun Dr. Mahathir that I keep in this blog.
Tun Dr. Mahathir on Leadership
Tun Dr. Mahathir on Srebrenica
Tun Dr. Mahathir on 'trusting your memory'
Tun Dr. Mahathir on the US 2004 Presidential Election

The Used and NUFAN

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 01:53:00 +0000

..No Use For A Name - The Feel Good Record Of The Year (Fat Wreck Chords)

..The Used - Shallow Believer (Reprise Records)

Introducing two latest albums from The Used and No Use For A Name and The Used!

Reviews
Punknews.org
Absolutepunk.net

KL International Book Fair 2008 - "Book Empowers"

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:44:00 +0000

This is an annual event not to be missed. Thankfully last Saturday, my afternoon class was cancelled and so I took the opportunity to go to the book fair in KL. I happily bought home three books (Ibn Khaldun: His Life and Works by Mohammad Abdullah Enan (first published by Muhammad Ashraf in 1941), In the Time of Mishmish by Alijah Gordon and How to Write a Thesis by Azirah Hashim (I need this too :p) and a 2001 issue of National Geographic mag for RM5.

Quick, tomorrow is the last day for final bargain! From 10am - 9pm, at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), KL. See their website for more details!

Here are some of the scenes at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC).

..the hall entrance

..view of the Klang river. here's a nicer version of the Klang river and the KL background. Shot by Philip Lim

..the crowd of mostly young girls thronged the MPH Publishing booth to have a closer look at the Angkasawan Negara, Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor. Launching his new book I guess.

..three books and a magazine

Related blog entry -
KL International Book Fair 2007
shahnon mobile blog

On another note, MPH is offering discounts on selected books in commemorating with the World Book Day starting from April 15 to May 5. Visit www.mphonline.com for more information. [source from The Star]

Download Youtube Videos

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:39:00 +0000

This is one cool website! For those not in the know and been thinking how to download Youtube videos, head over here. Just grab the Youtube URL and copy paste into the URL field and you're done! :)
Video of the day is - Nazi Propaganda (It's a school project uploaded by spawn868)

p/s: I'm not a Nazi or a big fan of Hitler. The video is just part of my research material.

Whither Sufiah Yusuf?

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:19:00 +0000

Child maths prodigy 'working as a prostitute'
By Megan Levy

A child prodigy who was one of the youngest students to be admitted to Oxford University is now working as a prostitute in Manchester, it has been claimed.

Sufiah Yusof at the age of 15
Sufiah Yusof was just 13 years old when she was admitted to the prestigious university to study mathematics.

But 10 years on, Miss Yusof now earns £130 an hour working as a prostitute from her flat in Salford, Manchester, according to the News of the World.

The newspaper claims it sent an undercover reporter to the 23-year-old's home, where Miss Yusof, who allegedly works under the name Shilpa Lee, described the services she reportedly offered. [read more]

News was first picked up from newsoftheworld.co.uk. From the comments made by her mother in Daily Mail UK, I'm quite surprised, cos it's as if Sufiah is no longer her daughter;

Yesterday, her mother, Halimahton, 51, a scientist, said she had no idea her daughter was working as a prostitute.

Speaking from her home in Coventry, Mrs Yusof said: "I didn't know anything about that. I am not in touch with Sufiah any more. I have got no comment."

Also on today's mainstream papers.
Utusan: Tragedi Hidup Sufiah
TheStar: Math prodigy now a £130 hooker claim

Sigh. I pity her actually. I wouldn't want to comment much here. I just hope she knows what future lies ahead for her..

Khir Toyo blogs!

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 02:29:00 +0000

Ex- Menteri Besar of Selangor, Dato Seri Dr. Khir Toyo has started his own blog! drkhir.blogspot.com
Hope it's the real Khir Toyo and not somebody else hired to write the blog entries.

On latest news, former Gerakan president, Dr. Lim Kheng Yaik and ex-Perlis MB, Shahidan Kassim has also shown interest to start blogging. Interesting development. heheh. let's wait and see.

Manic April

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 08:12:00 +0000

April is another 7 days to go, but I can already feel the coming of May. Busy weeks up ahead. Loads of assignments, term papers, presentations and final exams in April. I'll post some reminders here to keep myself on my toes.

Week 11 (next Friday): Media Psychology - Case Study
Week 12: FBI article critique (propaganda/psyops)
Week 12: Media Psychology term paper
Week 13: FBI semester essay
Week 14: War Campaign paper (group)
Week 15: War position paper

Windows Vista SP1

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:11:00 +0000

Ah, finally a Vista update. Although I've been using Vista since buying my Dell laptop last August, I'm not really keen on using it on my laptop. Been postponing (procrastinating) to "upgrade" to XP for quite some time now. This is one of the reason why I hate Vista.

Want Vista SP1? Here’s what to expect
When Microsoft released Windows Vista Service Pack 1 to manufacturing on February 4, they promised to make it available for the general public in mid-March. Today they delivered on that promise, making SP1 available to Windows Vista users through Windows Update and as a standalone installer package from the Microsoft Download Center. [full report]

Hmm, I still don't see what are the differences between the old and the SP1 Vista. Anybody? :)

Pak Lah oh Pak Lah?

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:55:00 +0000

Malaysiakini: Anwar says he's moving toward forming new government
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim today said he was moving towards forming a new government after landmark elections, with the help of defectors from the ruling coalition.

I just don't understand how Pak Lah can be so in denial about the election results. Barisan Nasional lost 5 states (According to sources, all these five states contributes to about 60% of the national GDP) And yet he can claimed that BN still have the support and 'close to winning two thirds majority in parliament'. Doesn't he know that this is the first time that there were a significant swing of votes not only from the Chinese and Indians but the Malays as well, which had never happened before. In 1999, when the Malay votes were split between BN and the opposition, the non-Malays stood behind BN. In the 1969 general election, even though the non Malays voted against the then Alliance party, the Malay vote is still strong and they only lost two states, Penang and Kelantan. Unless if there is nothing serious being done, the prospect of BN future under Pak Lah is, sadly going down.

For the next two three months, Anwar's steps will definitely be closely watched.
On another note, former Semangat 46 president, Ku Li is challenging Pak Lah for the UMNO presidency. Though I very much doubt Ku Li can still make an impact, I hope his challenge will at least show to Pak Lah that there are plenty of things that are not well in UMNO.

MP for Gua Musang Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has made public his intent to challenge Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for the presidency. He has offered himself to lead Umno to “heal the party”, which he described to be "in a bad way.”
While acknowledging that his advancing age might be used against him, the 71-year-old former Finance Minister, who held the Gua Musang parliamentary seat since 1969, expressed willingness to take up the challenge if he was given the opportunity. [full report]

Malaysian Cabinet 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:03:00 +0000

So Pak Lah has announced his list of cabinet members which are much smaller in size compared to the 2004 XXL size cabinet. Besides the fact that Rafidah Aziz is out for the first time in approx. 30 years and also for the first time Wanita Umno does not have a real Minister in cabinet (Shahrizat was appointed as the PM's Special Advisor), one of the first thing that I noticed in the list is that - Dafi AF6's father is in the list (??). Umno Bera MP, Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakub is the new Youth and Sports Minister. I think he is perhaps one of the lesser known Youth and Sports Minister in recent years. This ministry used to have big names previously, e.g. Azalina and Hishamuddin.

On another note, few days before the election I was expecting to see Datuk Dr Noraessah Mohamed, former Bank Rakyat Chairman, to be one of the Minister in Pak Lah's cabinet, but sadly she lost to an unknown PKR candidate in Balik Pulau with a small majority.

Looking at the list, one cannot miss the presence of many Sarawak and Sabah MPs being appointed as Minister or Deputies. All thanks to them for ensuring that the Barisan Nasional rules Malaysia.

Another significant change in the lineup is that, for the first time the Parliament Secretary post is scrapped, in order to make way for the Deputies to hold larger responsibilities in parliament.

Click to view list of Malaysian Cabinet 2008

Malaysian Crazy guy on Bike

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:37:00 +0000

I've been following Tzuo Hann's Long Way From Home bike journal on and off for quite a while and recently while checking on his website, I noticed that he has now finally crossed the Malaysian border, Padang Besar! I remember the first time that I bumped onto his journal, he was still somewhere in Istanbul, Turkey. Well, that was many months ago, obviously. As a Malaysian I feel proud for him. Correct me if I am wrong, I think he is the first Malaysian to cycle round the world, yes? But sadly there has been no serious media coverage on him. I wonder.. I hope the government would give some sort of a recognition to his amazing feat. Man, cycling round the world, sacrificing everything that you have isn't really something that anybody can do. Though I know that he has already claimed, "..no family of my own, no job, no girlfriend, no strings. What more can I ask for? The time comes around only once!". :p

I've always fancy the idea of travelling the world (well, who does not) and I really enjoy reading Tzuo Hann's travelogue and his beautiful photographs. To those not in the know, Tzuo Hann Law is a Malaysian graduate from an American university, unemployed with no commitment, and is currently on his way home on a bike from the USA. He has cycled over 28,286 km (17,576 miles) over 293 days from May 28, 2007 to present time. His journey started from New Jersey to Washington, USA to Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, Central Asia, China, Southeast Asia and now back in Malaysia..

His achievement is definitely no easy feat. I would strongly recommend him to publish all the journals and photos into a book. I'm sure he's already have this idea in mind. This is something that should be shared with all young Malaysians.

You can view his journey map here

In case if some of you are wondering why do I suddenly have interest in this crazyguyonabile, it's because I was a former mountain biker enthusiast too, during my school days. So yeah, basically that's about it. But sadly, the surrounding area of the oil palm plantation that we used to go mountain biking were now all gone - it has turned into a huge housing estates. hehe. Anyways, congratulations again to Tzuo Hann for his amazing biking adventure.

Malaysian General Election II

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:22:00 +0000

Mengikuti perkembangan politik semasa tanah air, semakin geram dibuatnya melihatkan tingkah laku DAP yang terang-terang sudah menunjukkan belangnya walaupun majlis angkat sumpah di negeri Perak belum lagi bermula. PAS dan PKR adalah parti oportunis yang jelas. Kerana kuasa, mereka sanggup diperkudakan DAP di Perak. Kerana ingin menjadi kerajaan mereka sanggup bersekongkol dengan parti yang terang-terang menolak Islam. Tapi PAS tak peduli semua ini. Asalkan dapat kalahkan UMNO dan BN. Asalkan MB Perak orang PAS. Lim Kit Siang dengan angkuh sombong dan berlagaknya telah terang-terangan menghina pimpinan PAS dan Sultan Perak apabila tidak bersetuju dengan lantikan Menteri Besar calon PAS pilihan baginda tuanku. Setelah menerima desakan semua pihak barulah beliau memohon maaf kepada Tuanku Sultan Perak.

Dia ni tak tahu agaknya bahawa di Perak ramai penyokong PAS telah pangkah parti Roket ini? Tapi apa PAS buat? Tak buat apa. Sebab apa? Calon MB Perak orang dia. Tak kisah kerajaan sebenarnya dikuasai DAP. Dapat jadi MB boneka pun tak apalah. PAS dan PKR ni agaknya kalau bekerjasama dengan parti Yahudi pun mereka sanggup agaknya, asalkan UMNO kalah. DAP juga seolah tak faham sensitiviti masyarakat Melayu di Perak apabila pada awalnya menuntut 8 jawatan Exco negeri diberi kepada DAP. Gila! Saya tak mahu membangkitkan isu perkauman di sini, tetapi realitinya majoriti negeri Perak adalah Melayu, maka keseimbangan kaum dalam kerajaan negeri itu seharusnya mencerminkan keadaan sebenar! Di sini kita nampak keangkuhan DAP yang jelas dan nyata! Nasib baik Timbalan Pengerusi PKR, Dr. Syed Hussin Ali, berani bersuara mengugut keluar dari pakatan kerajaan Perak atas isu jawatan Exco ini. (Dalam masa saya menulis ini, isu pembahagian Exco antara DAP-PKR-PAS sudah diselesaikan)

Dalam satu senario lain pula, saya menyokong penuh isi kandungan surat tulisan Mukhriz Mahathir (surat Mukhriz) yang mendesak Pak Lah agar berundur. Dalam pada masa pemimpin parti-parti komponen BN, seperti MCA dan Gerakan masing-masing sudah mengaku bertanggungjawab sepenuhnya di atas kekalahan teruk BN dan mengambil langkah proaktif untuk merintis perubahan dalaman parti, di pihak UMNO pula, apa yang kedengaran hanyalah suara-suara bodek membodek oleh pemimpin-pemimpin di sekeliling Pak Lah. Dalam pada masa pemangku Presiden Parti Gerakan, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon dan Presiden MCA, Ong Ka Ting, sudah menerima tanggungjawab penuh di atas kekalahan teruk parti mereka, tak ada langsung, diulang semula, tak ada langsung kenyataan Pak Lah yang mengatakan dia bertanggungjawab di atas kekalahan teruk Barisan Nasional, di mana Pak Lah adalah Presidennya. Pak Lah pernah kata dulu, katalah yang benar walaupun kenyataan itu pahit. Tapi apa Pak Lah buat sekarang? Pak Lah cuma mahu dengar apa yang dia nak dengar saja - bodek-bodek oleh para pemimpin yang berkepentingan.

Memetik kata-kata pensyarah saya. "BN perlu lakukan perubahan! Selagi Pak Lah ada, keadaan akan tetap sama. Pak Lah perlu letak jawatan dan bertanggungjawab penuh dan Khairy tidak harus diberikan jawatan kabinet!"

Malaysia di zaman Pak Lah membuatkan saya tertanya-tanya banyak kali, ke mana hala tuju Pak Lah nak bawa Malaysia ni? Sayangnya apabila Tun Dr. Mahathir telah menyediakan tapak dan landasan yang jelas buat Pak Lah sambung, tetapi malangnya semuanya hancur..

Kenyataan Tun Dr. Mahathir adalah sangat tepat apabila beliau mengatakan bahawa kerajaan yang lemah (majoriti BN di parlimen hanya 63%. BN menang pun hanyalah dengan ihsan kerusi-kerusi tetap Sabah Sarawak) adalah tidak sihat untuk masyarakat berbilang kaum seperti Malaysia. Sebab apa? Sebabnya apabila kerajaan lemah, apabila kerajaan sentiasa merasa terancam oleh pihak pembangkang, mereka sentiasa memikirkan cara untuk kekal berkuasa, atau dalam kata lain, tumpuan akan lebih tertumpu kepada hal-hal politiking, hal-hal mengumpul pengaruh maka dengan ini perancangan dan pelaksanaan pembangunan negara tertolak ke tepi dan tak dapat dilaksanakan dengan efisien.

Gosip politik sekarang ialah Anwar kini sedang dalam proses melakukan coup de tat, dengan cubaan memujuk (baca: membeli) wakil-wakil rakyat BN berpindah ke pembangkang di mana mereka hanya memerlukan 35 kerusi untuk membentuk majoriti mudah di parlimen? Sumber: http://beritakmu.net Kesahihah diragui. Wallahua'lam.

Ke mana, Malaysia?

Sunburst KL 2008 - International Music Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:18:00 +0000

..List of Sunburst KL- International Music Festival free ticket winners :p

Weehoo! I won free tickets to the Sunburst KL - International Music Festival!! (Incubus is one of the performing band of the day) Thanks to DiGi! Finally, I won something after trying for the third time to redeem my DiGi Bonus Point (Failed in two previous attempts to redeem a Sony Ericsson mobile phone.hehe). But, I won't be going. Already sold the tickets to my colleague, who wanted to go so badly. Haha.

Related blog entry
Mobile Blog

Malaysian General Election

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:49:00 +0000

Barely two days left to go for the big day. Frankly speaking, to me voting in an election in Malaysia is like choosing between the lesser of two evils. There is no clear and obvious right or wrong side. But I'm no fence sitter. I've already made my decision long time ago. Come this Saturday, I'll cast my vote for the parliament seat of Kelana Jaya and the state seat of Subang Jaya. The Kelana Jaya parliament seat will see a three-cornered fight between Barisan Nasional (BN); Mr. Lee Hwa Beng,former Subang Jaya assemblyman, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR); the famous Lingam photographer, Loh Gwo Burne and independent candidate, Billi Lim.

If you ask me, I'll tell you straight away, who is this Gwo Burne fellow before the Lingam trial? Where? What was he doing? Admittedly, I admire his courage for stepping up to become one of the witness in the Lingam trial. But what has that got to do with him standing up as an opposition candidate? PKR is just capitalising on his popularity of the Lingam saga. Nothing else. I'd rather cross my vote for the independent candidate, Billi Lim than this fellow. Billi Lim might get some sympathy votes from the fence sitters, perhaps. Lee Hwa Beng has a long proven track record here, so I feel this should be an easy win for BN and Lee Hwa Beng.

As an experienced three term assemblyman, he should have it easy this time around. Maybe there would be some swing votes among the disgruntled voters here, but to me I just don't have faith in the PKR candidate for Kelana Jaya. And same goes for the PKR and Anwar Ibrahim! It is not that I'm a big supporter of Pak Lah. No. It's just that I have no love lost for Anwar or Hadi Awang. Period. Anwar? He has already missed the golden opportunity to be Prime Minister. Thank goodness he didn't become one. I'll post some more soon, maybe.

Later.

Assignment and Exam

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:14:00 +0000

Hey fellow bloggers and readers, I've been busy these few days concentrating on my assignment and exam due this weekend. Will try to update soon after. I have a lot of readings to catch up! warghh..

In the meantime, check out my Mobile Blog :)

Later!

Three dead in Aceh quake

noreply@blogger.com (Shahnon) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:33:00 +0000

Three people are dead and 25 injured after a strong 7.5-magnitude quake rocked Indonesia's Aceh province last night.

Indonesia's meteorological agency said the quake struck 42 kilometres northwest of Sinabang, the main town on Simeulue Island, off the west coast of Sumatra.

It was in the same area as the earthquake that caused the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.
The quake briefly sparked a tsunami alert and people headed to the mountains.

News agenc AFP says the quake was felt for about two minutes in Aceh's capital Banda Aceh, causing people to ran outside in panic. [Stuff.co.nz]

Omg, that is a shocking and sad news. I was in Aceh barely four weeks ago..

Related Aceh travel links
Aceh travelogue
Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam travel photos