As usual, by end of the year I will post the list of books read throughout the year. Textbooks and academic journals were excluded. I'll probably share the huge list of journals in another blog. Anyway, here it is. Local/Asian interest: 1. Strategic Communications (PsyOps, Information Operations and Public Diplomacy): The Relationship Between Governmental 'Information' in the Post 9/11 World - Mohd Rajb Ghani & Philip Taylor 2. Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Hancur Berantakan Dihantam Gelombang Tsunami - Razali Abdullah 3. Dr. Mahathir's Selected Letters to World Leaders : Introduction and Selected Commentaries by Abdullah Ahmad 4. Social Roots of the Malay Left - Rustam A. Sani 5. Achieving True Globalisation - Mahathir Mohamad (Interview by Dr. Kohei Hashimoto) 6. Mencari Jalan Pulang: Daripada Sosialisme Kepada Islam - Kassim Ahmad 7. Hegemony: Justice; Peace - Dr Chandra Muzaffar 8. Lagi Cerpen-Cerpen Underground - Saharil Hasrin Sanin & Faisal Tehrani 9. Jejak-Je...

[source: peoplesgeography.com ] Malaysia Condemns Israel's Air Strikes In Gaza KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 28 (Bernama) -- Malaysia strongly condemns the series of Israeli air strikes against the Palestinian neighbourhood of Khan Younis in Southern Gaza yesterday (Dec 27), which left at least 225 Palestinias dead and more than 400 wounded. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement here today said Malaysia stands firm that there is no excuse for the disproportionate, indiscriminate and excessive use of force in Gaza and totally rejects the collective punishment imposed by Israel on the Palestinian people. "The Israeli attack on Gaza completely disregards international law and is in violation of the United Nations Charter. "Malaysia considers this act as a war crime and crime against humanity," the statement said. It came as no surprise to hear the silence and not even a single condemnation from the world powers or even the UN, but it baffles me to see the deep silence and...

Support Wikipedia! I've just donated 1 US Dollar (or RM3.58) to the Wikimedia Foundation . I know it's a small amount, but imagine if hundreds or thousands of people donating one dollar each. Hehe. Anyways, this is just a simple show of support and gratitude from me to Wikipedia, which I feel is probably one of the best invention since Internet was born. Al-Fatihah to the Almarhum Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Jaafar ibni Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman who passed away on December 27, 2008.

"this is a farewell kiss, you dog!" Muntadar Al-Zaidi, Cairo-based al-Baghdadiya TV correspondent. [ BBC News ] This is certainly the video of the day. How I wish the shoes would hit right on Bush's forehead, but seems that he has pretty good reflexes. heheh. More news -- BBC: Shoes thrown at Bush on Iraq trip

The Star, 9th December 2008 Quoting Wong Chun Wai in his column above; ..What Clinton revealed about Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was more interesting. He listed down the names of leaders he admired during his term as US president. They included South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, Palestine’s Yasser Arafat and China’s Jiang Zemin. “And certainly, Dr Mahathir. He did the right thing (in pegging the ringgit) during the 1997 financial crisis. His model worked, not necessarily elsewhere, but certainly he did the right thing.” Clinton said he used to discuss about Dr Mahathir at the White House with his advisers and sometimes told them that they were not practical (when they touched on politics and economics) “because you guys have never run for office.” - The Star

PETALING JAYA: The retail price of petrol and diesel will go down another 10sen effective Wednesday. The new price of RON97 petrol would be RM1.90 per litre down from RM2.00, while RON92 petrol and diesel would be down to RM1.80 from RM1.90 per litre, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in a statement released at about 5pm on Tuesday. - The Star I know some people will still stay, ah it means nothing because the price of goods are still the same even though the government has reduced the petrol price 5 times. But try to look at the bright side of it. It is not that often you will hear something positive by the government. So, let's try to be more appreciative. But on the other hand, it is not enough for Pak Lah to just say things like, "Dulu kalau harga minyak naik, pandai-pandai pula naikkan (harga barangan), tapi bila turun, tak pula turun-turun harganya.." ( Utusan ), without any strong action. The government should work harder in ensuring the prices ...

Keane - Perfect Symmetry (2008) Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul (2008) Image source: Guardian.co.uk

[image source: BBC ] For critics of the new Fatwa Council's ruling on yoga, I wish to offer my view and defend the rational behind the decision. A quick glance at some of the local news headlines, I think it's The Star which gave the most accurate reporting to it. TheStar: Fatwa Council says yoga with worshipping, chanting is prohibited See headline above. It only mentioned yoga 'worshipping' and 'chanting' that is prohibited. Personally, I don't see it as a blanket ban on Yoga. Read what the Fatwa Council Chairman, Datuk Dr Abdul Shukor Husin said. "..the council has declared that practising yoga when it comes all together with the three elements ( physical movements, worshipping and chanting ) as haram." Note that it is considered as haram only if all three elements is being practised. In other words, it is alright if people just practise the physical activity of yoga without the spiritual aspects. Singapore's Straits Times also carried th...

Malay Archipelago The posting below was supposed to be a short reply to the comments in an article in The Malaysian Insider , but it somehow turn out to be few paragraphs long. So, I just thought of posting it here too, since I don't really have much to write these days. ..This land was previously known as Tanah Melayu. The previous rulers were all Raja-raja Melayu. Across the whole land and sea from Patani up in the north, to Aceh in the west, to Java and right up to Southern Philippines to Maluku in the east, are known as the Gugusan Kepulauan Melayu or the Malay archipelago. My point here is, if a native Malay (Minang, Siak ,Aceh, Banjar, Bugis, Patani, Brunei Malays etc etc) migrates to Tanah Melayu, they were just migrating from one to another negeri/tanah jajahan Raja-Raja Melayu. In the old days, the concept of nation-state, state sovereignty, immigration and so on so forth were almost none existence. Therefore the Malays in the Malay archipelago were free to move about eve...

..Dialogue session with Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at the Putrajaya Leadership Foundation. Seated from left were former UMNO Secretaries General, Tan Sri Sanusi Junid and Tan Sri Sabaruddin Chik A quick check shows that TheStar , NST and MalaysianInsider have already carried out the news. NST: Dr Mahathir to submit reports on money politics to disciplinary committee TheStar: Dr M to name UMNO members involved in money politics TheMalaysianInsider: Dr M predicts rampant bribery will bring down Umno at next polls On top of money politics in UMNO which made the headlines, Tun actually talked for about an hour discussing other issues too, e.g. the recent media debate on 'social contract', Malay language and Malay special rights, on Pak Lah's leadership and the March 2009 transition, Pak Lah's judiciary and ACA reform, on the many faces of Anwar Ibrahim, BN's worst performance ever in the 12th general election, on American President-elect Barack Hussein Obama and so on so ...

I don't have anything good to write at the moment, so for the sake of updating this blog, here are some of the latest music album downloaded over the weekend. ..Senses Fail - Life Is Not A Waiting Room ..Funeral For A Friend - Memory And Humanity ..Plain White T's - Big Bad World ..Punchline - Just Say Yes

"Change has come to America" - President Barack Obama. Congratulations to the newly elected American President Barack Hussein Obama. So long and goodbye, George Bush. While Bush will go down in history as the worst American President, Obama will be remembered as the first Black (he's actually half-White too) to enter White House. Coming home to Malaysia, if there is one thing that our local politicians could learn from the US Presidential election is that we should immediately close rank and work together for our country after the election is over. I commend John McCain's congratulatory message to Obama, when he said " we must work together to get this country moving again ". But here in Malaysia, what happened was totally the extreme opposite. Right after the 8 March general election, our famous opposition leader was already began planning to topple the elected BN government through undemocratic means - defections from ruling party MPs. Something which is ...

I'd like to share an excerpt from an essay on Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the Time magazine's Essay section in its November 3rd issue by Mark L. Clifford , Executive Director of the Asia Business Council . I think this is a nice piece of a fairly-well balance article. Reason why I say this is because, it is relatively hard to find any positive review by Western media or journalists on Mahathir, especially after the Anwar Ibrahim saga and his infamous "Jews rule the world by proxy" ( CNN ) remark made at the opening of the 2003 OIC Summit in Putrajaya, 5 years ago. Generally, the writer was trying to draw a parallel between the current global financial crisis with the economic crisis that hit several countries in Asia 10 years ago and on what can be learnt and what action should be considered for that matter. Also mentioned was the "unorthodox" measures by former premier, Mahathir Mohamad. "Another lesson: don't be afraid to experiment. Unorthodox mea...

..Fahmi Reza and Pak Mamat 'Cino' (I forgot his real name) at the 'Revolusi 48' film screening at The Annexe, Central Market. Apologize to fellow blog readers for the long hiatus (syok sendiri kejap). Anyway, last Friday night I had the chance to watch Fahmi Reza's ' Revolusi 48 ' film screened at The Annexe Gallery. Four Malayan revolutionary fighters were the VIPs (I can only remember Pak Mamat). The film was actually the first draft and according to director Fahmi Reza, the full film will be released somewhere in November. I feel it is a good film and I enjoy watching it. Reason being is because I think we are still lacking in producing films on historical events. I like the film, but not the philosophy and ideas. Revolusi 48 is not only an anti-British revolution, but it was in fact a pro Communist revolution, albeit a failed one. And this was obliquely referenced in 'Revolusi 48'. The Malayan revolution in 1948 was also an attempt to turn Malaya...

Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad Tun Dr Mahathir Has Locus Standi To Make Any Statement On Umno, Says Rais KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 (Bernama) -- Jelebu Umno division chief Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim Monday lashed out at those who criticise former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for making statements regarding Umno. "There are many who are blasting Tun Dr Mahathir for making statements about Umno. This should not be an issue," said Rais, who is Foreign Minister. " He has the locus standi (standing) to make any statement on Umno. He led the party for 23 years. "If they want to say something to him, look at him straight in the eye and tell him. Dr Mahathir has every right to say what he wants about Umno," he told reporters when met at the Foreign Ministry's friends of Malaysia cultural exchange programme here. Very well said, Datuk Seri.. ---------------------------- On another different issue, I recommend all to read Tun 's latest blog entry, ' The Financial...

It is not that often that I read the 'Letters to Editor' section in The Star. But this one by Hassan Talib is worth reading. Sadly, there are only a few political leaders (or maybe none at all?) in this country that can match the leadership attributes mentioned in the letter. Country in dire need of exceptional leaders GOOD governance comes from a leader who knows how to govern and lead. Therefore, the posts of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister are not meant for any Tom, Dick and Harry just because he is popular with the grassroots. In fact, the business of governing is too serious to be left in the hands of irresponsible and incompetent politicians. I would like to see the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister have the following attributes: > Statemanship; a fearless leader who can lead, with vision and integrity; > Highly educated with strong economic and finance background; a people’s man who can respond to people’s problems; and > One who does not pla...

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 13 ( Xinhua ) -- The United States is adopting similar measures as Malaysia did in 1997 to cope with the financial storm hitting Asia, a Malaysian senior official said here on Monday. In 1997, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the United States criticized Malaysia for not practicing liberal capitalism, said Malaysia 's Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yakcop, adding that now the Unites States was assisting its banks and adopting similar measures as Malaysia did in 1997. Nor Mohamed was quoted by local newspaper The Star as saying that the frequency of financial global crises was caused by weaknesses in the system of liberal capitalism, led by the United States. Such a system has minimal supervision and the government role in the economic sector was reduced, where privatization was implemented on a large-scale, including selling national assets to outsiders, he said. The world needs to find a new alternative to create a fair and b...

The Star - No Vote Against PM KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat will not be tabling a vote of no-confidence against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at the moment. Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Pakatan Rakyat Members of Parliament (MPs) instead wanted to focus their attention on the Budget, which he claimed was now outdated in view of the current global economic turmoil. Malaysiakini - PKR: Tiada usul tidak percaya pada PM Ketua Pembangkang tidak berminat meneruskan rancangannya menukar kerajaan persekutuan melalui usul undi tidak percaya terhadap Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi di Dewan Rakyat yang sedang bersidang. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim berkata beliau sekarang menumpukan fokus pada isu-isu ekonomi, termasuk Bajet 2009. "Buat masa ini fokus kita ialah terhadap bajet," katanya. After the failure of September 16 fed government takeover plan, Anwar put the blame on Pak Lah for not allowing an emergency parliament sesson for the no...

This was the second time, I think, that I had the chance to visit Tun Dr Mahathir's Hari Raya open house. The first was the SAHOCA Raya gathering few years ago (mom is an alumni of Sultan Abdul Hamid college). The Mines Resort was nice but I think the food wasn't really that great even though it was prepared by Palace of the Golden Horses hotel, mind you. I didn't had the chance to snap Tun's picture as there were just too many people, so I just shooked his hand, wished Selamat Hari Raya and walked towards the dining hall. I really admire Tun's strength sitting there for hours (open house is from 10am - 1pm, 2.30 - 5pm) to shake hands with his visitors and repeating "Selamat Hari Raya, terima kasih.." for over thousands of time. He should've just put a tape recorder next to him, instead. hehe. Some of the VIP and other notable guest that I met there were, Foreign Minister, Dato Rais Yatim and wife, ex-Minister, Aziz Shamsuddin, former NST Group Editor ...

Note: This is a self-advertisement from the blogger cum camera lover, Shahnon. Hey all, I hope you guys can do me a small favour by voting for my photos for the Sony Ericsson World View 2008 photo competition! hehe. Simple. Just click on the web link above, go to View Photos > China & Asia Pacific > Malaysia, and then search for my photos (7 altogether). :D Alternatively, here are the direct links to the photos. Not sure if it'll work, but worth a try. 8254 , 8255 , 8256 , 8260 , 8261 , 8262 , 8265 Here are some of my camera phone photos submitted (note that the competition rules stated that only camera phone photos are allowed). Petronas Towers, KL Sunset at Port Dickson Wedding reflection, Melaka It's not much that I expected to win, but more of the sheer fun of it. Thanks! :P

Travis - Ode to J.Smith (released date: 29 Sept. 2008) Metallica - Death Magnetic (10 Sept. 2008) Mxpx - Secret Weapon (17 July 2007) [image source: Wikipedia.org ] Introducing two new albums released in September 2008; "Ode to J. Smith" by my favorite Scottish rock ban, Travis, and "Death Magnetic" by all time favorite heavy metal band Metallica and another by Washington punk rock outfit, Mxpx, "Secret Weapon", released in July last year. I'm not a fan of heavy metal, but I guess any music lover of any rock genre would or should know Metallica well. And the fact that they're releasing a new album after a lapse of almost five years makes this album something big. Again, thanks to torrent for the free albums. weehoo! :) I'm still in holiday mood and currently working on my term paper and assignments, so Shahnon.com will probably go on hiatus for awhile. Selamat Hari Raya! 2 Syawal 1429H.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri to all Muslims!

Seks: Ahli PKR dakwa diperangkap IPOH 23 Sept. – Seorang ahli Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) yang pernah ditahan Badan Pencegah Rasuah (BPR) bersama Exco Kerajaan Negeri Perak berhubung satu kes rasuah baru-baru ini mengaku membuat hubungan seks dengan seorang wanita China. Katanya, dakwaan BPR bahawa dia dan dua rakannya meminta perempuan China daripada Mohamad Imran adalah tidak benar. “Kita tak minta, tak cari, Mohamad Imran yang hantar. Serupa juga kalau orang bagi sedekah, awak tak terima ke sedekah itu?’ ’ ujarnya. - Utusan Malaysia Dia ni mana datang ni?? Sedihnya baca. Kalau mat-mat rempit cakap macam ni tak hairanlah. Ini kan pulak orang politik. Ahli Majlis Daerah Perak Tengah lagi. Menteri Besar Perak, YAB Nizar Jamaluddin, patut pecat saja pemimpin yang tak ada kredibiliti moral macam ni. Memang patut pun Mufti Perak, Datuk Harussani Zakaria dan Mufti Perlis, Dr. Asri Zainul Abidin buat kenyataan media yang menghentam kenyataan bodoh macam mat rempit daripada pemimpin PKR ter...

This is a follow up to my previous blog entry, Biggest political bullshit Propaganda. Deception. Lies. Misinformation. Anwar Ibrahim. Tian Chua. Teresa Kok. mStar: Anwar: 'Deadline' bukan isu, Pakatan hantar surat kepada Agong Malaysiakini: Pakatan 'tidak tergesa-gesa' tukar k'jaan So Anwar has said that deadline is not important anymore. If Anwar and his PKR strategists suddenly thought that toppling the government is not as easy as it looks, it is also highly impossible that they didn't anticipate this to happen. The fact that they can be so super confident is totally mind boggling, to the extent that September 16 was like all smooth sailing and they were like going to liberate the country from tyranny and corruption by planning an undemocratic katak-revolution, Anwar Ibrahim style. Heheh. And sadly, this was being repeated over and over again through the mainstream, alternative media and blogs. I guess they probably learnt it well from Joseph Goebbels propaga...

image source - qarma musiq I'm not really a big fan of Malique or Too Phat, but I do admire their creativity. Malique 's new compelling poetic song, 'Layu' is definitely one of a kind. This is very much a step away from Too Phat's early hip hop days of featuring lagu rakyat like 'Anak Ayam' and 'Ala Canggung'. It also features Tun Dr. Mahathir's favourite poem, 'Perjuangan Yang Belum Selesai' and the classic Malay song, 'Warisan' (scroll down for lyrics) playing on the background. A song which is sadly unbelievable that a respected academician and Malaysia-Today columnist, Dr. Azly Rahman could call it a 'dangerous propaganda song' and based on 'racist intents' in his article, 'A Malay view of 'Ketuanan Melayu'. Anyways, this blog entry is about Malique's 'Layu', not about 'Warisan'. Here's an excerpt of the album review by 8TV CEO, Ahmad Izham Omar, taken from Malique's Mys...

I've been listening to Lagwagon ever since my uni days and I still rate 'Let's Talk About Feelings' (1998) as one of their best. And I thought 'Resolved' (2005) would be their last album. Good to know that they have released their new album, entitled, 'I Think My Older Brother Used to Listen to Lagwagon'. Here's the album review from punknews.org . "I Think My Older Brother Used to Listen to Lagwagon features seven songs that show how the band keeps on developing their sound. After their pop melodies on Let's Talk About Feelings, Lagwagon changed direction and drove into the dusty road of heavy and dirty punk, with albums like Blaze and Resolve displaying some of the rawest songs the band ever recorded. For the new EP, the trip is going on; even if this time the production (due to Joey Cape himself) sounds clearer, the result is still raw. Not only musically, but also lyrically. The EP starts with "B Side," probably the softest son...

Malaysiakini: Anwar seeks emergency House session Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim today said he has sent a letter to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi asking him to convene an emergency session of Parliament to debate a motion of no confidence. Blog ini tidak berniat hendak bersikap 'in denial' dalam isu 16 September. Sungguhpun 916 Anwar Ibrahim tidak menjadi kenyataan, tapi saya masih cuba untuk menjadi rasional dalam isu ini. Cuma saya berasa sedikit hairan terhadap beberapa perkara. 1. Mengapa baru sekarang ini Anwar nak suruh Perdana Menteri Abdullah Badawi mengadakan sidang parlimen tergempar? Kalau betul Anwar sudah ada senarai nama pelompat dari awal lagi, kenapa beliau tidak merancang sidang parlimen tergempar sebelum 16 September dulu? Supaya pada tarikh keramat 16 September nanti (yang mana sudah terlepas), Anwar boleh jadi PM. Logik? Kalau saya jadi Pak Lah pun, kenapa saya sebagai Perdana Menteri harus menurut segala kata seorang pemimpin pembangkang? Tak masuk ...

NST: Government no longer blocking websites, blogs He told reporters here that the decision was reached at the weekly cabinet meeting yesterday. Shaziman said that following the decision, the order to restrict access to websites or blogs, including the “ Malaysia Today ” news portal, has been withdrawn, effective immediately. Another flip flop decision by our 'half past six' government. I wonder how come they never think first before making such decision?

Chronology of Anwar Ibrahim's September 16 news headlines from TheStar , Malaysiakini and etc, from April to date. The Star, April 23 2008 - Anwar: Pakatan Rakyat can take over Fed Govt by Sept 16 (The first bullshit headline) The Star, April 24, 2008 - Anwar: We have the numbers, however, we’re in no rush to replace Barisan The Star, Friday April 25, 2008 - Anwar: We want to rule with stability “I do not want a three or four simple majority. We need a comfortable majority because stability (of the government) is paramount,” “They say there is no way the Barisan Dayak or Kadazan MPs will desert us (Barisan). We will see. The surprise will be coming, maybe in August,” he added. (Bullshit lah Dato' Seri. It is now September already) The Star, Thursday July 3, 2008 - Azmin: Anwar will be PM by Sept 16 (How to be PM by Sept 16?? Parlimen tak bersidang. Macam mana nak angkat sumpah. How?) The Star, July 16 2008 - PKR : Anwar arrest made to thwart our plans (Bullshit lah. What ...

General Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Zainal Take stern action, urges Armed Forces Chief “Today, the top brass of the armed forces talked about it. When the armed forces talks like that it means it’s very serious. "Let’s stop talking about sensitive issues. It’s not just about race. When you are talking people down, you are already talking about sensitivities.” - Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz As far as I can remember this is perhaps the first time that I read about our Armed Forces Chief commenting on current political issues, specifically on this stupid Ahmad Ismail racial comment issue. This just goes to show how serious the problem is. So Encik Ahmad, please, stop making a fool out of yourself by keep harping on this issue. To our local media, I hope they will be more responsible in publishing sensitive issues. There is no point highlighting and sensationalizing this piece of news anymore. And I hope Pak Lah will quickly put this matter to rest. Sigh.. inilah dia nila setitik, rosak sebelanga. On ...

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 ( Bernama ) -- National journalism laureate and freedom fighter Tan Sri A. Samad Ismail died Thursday at the Pantai Medical Centre here at 5.58pm because of lung infection. Singapore-born Samad, 84, better known as Pak Samad, was warded at the hospital since Aug 24 after experiencing difficulty in breathing. He leaves behind wife Puan Sri Habibah Hamid and 10 children including bloggers and ex-journalists Nuraina and Maria. His first wife, Hamidah Hassan died on June 2, 1990. His remains were brought the family home at 2, Lorong 16/7C, Petaling Jaya and would be buried after Friday prayers tomorrow, Azmi Ansar, a son-in-law, told Bernama. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (انّا للہ و انّا الیہ راجعون)

The Annexe Gallery, Central Market is currently having an "Art For Grabs" Merdeka exhibition from 30 and 31 August. More than 40 stalls selling paintings, artworks, t-shirts, books; and events like public forum themed 'Seksualiti Merdeka' , music and poetry, film screening about Malaya and etc. As mentioned in previous entry, one of the main reason I came was for the "Operation Malaya" film. But it turned out not to be the kind of war film that I expected though. heheh. I also bought two books, yes books some more; "Muhammad Abduh: Riwayat Hidup dan Pemikiran" and "Lagi Cerpen-Cerpen Underground- Saharil Hasrin & Faisal Tehrani". Here are some of the pictures that I took with my little Sony Ericsson k800i. ..posters of films about Malaya that were made around Merdeka ..Finally I got myself a copy of Amir Muhammad 's 'The Big Durian' after years it was released ..Seksualiti Merdeka wall art ..Handout articles on Sexuality ...

Tunku t-shirt for sale! I'm now awaiting payment from the first buyer :p Here's the link from Ebay , for more details. On another note, in conjunction with our 51st Merdeka Day, The Annexe Gallery, Central Market, will be having a whole lot of activites from exhibition, lectures, film screenings and etc from 29 - 31 August 2008. Free admission. One event that I'm looking forward to is the film "Malaya" (poster above) on Saturday 2.30pm & 6.30pm. Below is the synopsis from the mail I received. Malaya (1949): aka Operation Malaya, during WWII, the CIA sent Spencer Tracy (Priscilla Queen of the Desert) and James Stewart (Hitchcock's favourite actor) to Malaya to steal rubber from under the Japanese's noses... [95mins] Happy Merdeka & Happy Ramadhan!

Don't Misinterpret Permatang Pauh By-election's Result, Says Abdullah JOHOR BAHARU, Aug 27 (Bernama) -- The result of the Permatang Pauh by-election, which was won by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, cannot be interpreted as a trend that can happen in other constituencies, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Wednesday. The prime minister said the Barisan Nasional (BN) which won 140 parliamentary seats in the March 8 general election still commanded strong support from the people. "What happened in Permatang Pauh was not something so big as to change the situation that exists after the last general election. "The Permatang Pauh by-election is one by-election that cannot be interpreted as something that can happen in other constituencies. I believe we can still continue the government," Abdullah Badawi. Here's another denial syndrom of the Permatang Pauh by-election loss. - Anwar's Win In Permatang Pauh Not An 'Upset' ...

As expected, Anwar Ibrahim won the Permatang Pauh by-election with an increased majority. Now, let's wait for September 16 to come, to see whether or not the so-called 30 BN MPs are going to jump ship to Pakatan Rakyat. The reason why I don't support Pakatan Rakyat is because of DAP and its fundamental policies. To me, Anwar Ibrahim is just one person. The only one that could bind the two extremes of DAP and PAS together. But, what will happen if Anwar is no longer around?? Pakatan Rakyat is merely a loose coalition which has no clear policy. Only DAP talks about CAT. PAS remains consistent to its cause for Islamic state. I doubt DAP can accept Tuan Guru Hadi Awang as Prime Minister. There is a somewhat symbiotic relationship between Anwar Ibrahim and DAP. Both need each other, whilst PAS is just there to make up the numbers, correct? Just take a look at Selangor. Personally, I do not belief that there is a serious problem with the current political system. After all, it has be...

So the former Transparency International (TI) President, Tunku Abdul Aziz has joined the DAP. Finally DAP has suceeded in getting a high profile Malay individual to join the party, after years of being portrayed as a Chinese party. Well, frankly to me, one Malay joining the party doesn't really makes any difference. The irony of Tunku Aziz is that, a couple of weeks ago he critised Anwar Ibrahim in his weekly column in the NST ( NST: Cut the theatrics, Anwar, and let Malaysians get on with their lives [I couldn't find the archive in NST online) for failing to submit his DNA to the police and so on. Is he now willing to give support to Anwar as future Prime Minister, like what DAP has endorsed in their recent triennial national congress? Too many contradictions lah this fellow. I wonder what is his real motive in joining politics? Cut the theatrics, Anwar, and let Malaysians get on with their lives By Tunku Abdul Aziz IT seems to me that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is suffering fr...

..bride and groom, the TepakBridal photographer and the boatman ..arriving at the Putrajaya Botanical Garden ..cake cutting ..Subang friends This is perhaps one of the most stylish wedding reception that I've attended in 2008. The bride and groom arrived to the reception venue by a Malay traditional boat (From Putra Mosque to the Botanical Garden). Congratulations to both Nursharain and Amri, both whom I have known since primary school days!

Few days ago, mom brought home two ancient looking books from the university; 'Strategy for Action - Tun Razak' , edited by J. Victor Morais (Malaysian Centre for Development Studies, Prime Minister's Dept. 1969) and 'Malay Sayings' by C.C. Brown (1989). It has been years since mom brought home 'unwanted' books from the university, so this time around, I asked where did she got it all from, and she told me that these books are going to be dumped away! Luckily mom found out about these books. I just can't believe it. This is in a public university. Throwing away old books?? It doesn't make sense at all. I wonder how many academic or history books have been discarded by the university. I can understand if they are disposing rubbish like Mangga or URTV, but these are books meant to be kept in the library. It still baffles me to think that people in an academic institution could do such a thing. So, thanks to my mom for saving these books for me. Not...

BEIJING: Lee Chong Wei won the silver medal in the badminton men's singles after losing in the final to China’s Lin Dan 12-21, 8-21. The world No 2 lost in two straight sets, faltering to Lin Dan, who remains the top men’s singles shuttler in the world. In previous clashes between the two, Lin Dan had won nine times while Chong Wei had won five times. The last time a Malaysian shuttler won a medal at the Olympics was in Atlanta in 1996 when Rashid Sidek took the bronze in the men’s singles and Cheah Soon Kit-Yap Kim Hock won the silver for the men’s doubles." - The Star Damn, there goes our chance to win our first ever Olympic gold medal. It was a totally dissapointing one sided match and Lin Dan was just simply the better person that night. But again, a silver medal was nevertheless better than nothing. On another note, did anybody watch Jamaican, Usain Bolt smashes the 100 metres sprint world record? Bloody hell. That was one of the most amazing Olympic run that I've eve...