Support Earth Hour 2011

I'm in the dark... blogging. Peace out!

Date a girl who reads...

Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag.She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilightseries.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes.

- Rosemary Urquico

Peace out!

Freedom for Libya

If you’re not ready to die for it, put the word ‘freedom’ out of your vocabulary. - Malcolm X

The Libyan people are going strong against the government!
Almost 100 people have died for freedom in the past 3 days! These people died to see a change! They died to give the rest of us hope! And even though they are no longer a part of this world…we need to keep them in our hearts. The Libyan people need to keep fighting for their freedom! Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you’re a man, you take it.

Please reblog and tweet about Libya to raise awareness. Please, I am begging you! Help my people! One tweet and one blog post will not affect your life, but it will affect theirs! The people need help: the media can’t get in, the phones are all monitored, the hospitals are overcrowded and are in desperate need of blood, people are hurt and dying, the army is ruthless, and Gaddafi is still there…but the people are not giving up hope! That means, neither can we! Hope for all!

Vive la Libye!

Peace out!

You all ROCK!!

Despite my constant absence from the blogging world, there are those still interested to listen to what I have to say.

For that I thank you.

Stop and Hear the Music

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one applauded.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, an American Grammy award winning vioinist and one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.

The questions raised:

• In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?
• Do we stop to appreciate it?
• Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…

How many other things are we missing?

(Source: Washington Post)

Peace out!

Facebook is NOT Shutting Down on March 15

The news that Facebook will shut down on March 15 because Mark Zuckerberg finds running the company “too stressful” is false.

It’s a rumor based on a fictitious, satirical story published on WeeklyWorldNews.com, a tabloid-style website best known for such past scoops as “Alien Spaceships to Attack Earth in 2011” and “Megan Fox Is a Man.”

Facebook has become a titan on the internet. While not the money generating giant that Google has become, it does touch more peoples lives than any other single website. Thus personal production within the workspace has been affected by Facebook and the apps that are attached to it.

Facebook was recently crowned the most visited website in 2010, and was valued at $50-billion by Goldman Sachs. Do you really think it’s shutting down? Oh come on.

Seriously, STOP panicking.

Peace out!

Resolution shhmolushen...

screw resolutions.

Peace out!

WELCOME 2011!!

May 2011 be a glorious year for everyone.

Peace out!

Berry, Berries everywhere!

So ever since friends has noticed that my (crappy) phone was coming to the end of its life cycle, they've constantly urged me to start getting smart. In other words, get a smartphone. And so on the last day of 2010, not only did I bid goodbye to another year, I also bade farewell to my CSL which has begrudgingly stayed alive in order to see me off to another phase of handheld technology. And then it gratefully died.

So now, for me its... berries, berries, I take my BLACKBERRY EVERYWHERE :)

This latest gadget that has successfully made me feel OLD and very STUPID beyond all measure. This smartphone is definitely smarter than I am. After 24 hours of fidgeting with it I still have no clue on how to fully utilise at least one of its functions. But whatever, at least now I don't feel/ look so inferior compared to my students who are mostly using Iphones and phones that can probably shoot lasers and turn into jet packs. Yes, I am shallow like that.

So since I have now jumped unto the Blackberry bandwagon, any friends and bloggers who'd love to harass chat with me just email me for my BB pin. Lets chat FOC the night away :D

Now back to figuring out how this BB works. *fidgetfidgetfidget*

Peace out!

Crazy Cat Lady strikes!

I envision my future grandfurkids will look a lot like these cuties though (hopefully) with longer fur. Bib!! Hurry up and give birth!!

Peace out!

I am OBSESSED!

Continuing on from my previous post, Multitasking has long since deserted me and thus segmenting my brain to juggle multiple priorities at the same time is now becoming a chore. Since Tumblr can only take up so much of my time (although other Tumbloggers may beg to differ), the majority of my time is now occupied to cater to the whims and needs of one feline fatty, Bib the cat.

The latest addition to my family of one (geez, how much of a loser can I be?) is now expecting to further expand the family circle. Bib is officially and heavily knocked up. Other than being a painful reminder that a cat is getting more 'lovin-action' than I am, she is also the reason to why my social life has dwindled from barely there to near non-existent. I can only thank my best mates for literally saving me from growing roots in front of the laptop.

But life with Bib has its perks. It's good to have a warm reception every time you get home from work be it from a furry, four-legged, overweight creature. The only downside is that my crazy cat lady tendencies are flaring up. I am barely holding myself back from literally squeezing the kittens out of Bib like toothpaste.

But I wont.

Seriously. I wont.

Peace out!

p.s. Bib is due mid January. Am considering of putting up a video of her giving birth. Yes, I'm gross that way.

Blog Revisited

4 months. My best record yet for leaving this blog unattended. Not that I had nothing to say. Nor has my thoughts been in the least bit coherent.

My only excuse is that the internet, as distracting and as addictive as it has always been, has offered new outlets of expression that really fits well with my busy (yeah right) lifestyle and lazy personality. I discovered Tumblr. Blogging made easy. Follow a whole bunch of people and *click*, you just reblogged a whole bunch of entries.

So if you're curious on what stuffs I reblog, check out my super simple Tumblr:

Rambling Reflections

Expect nothing. Pure thoughts put down on paper cyberspace. Plus, I need a Tumblr geek to help me figure out the inner workings of the site. I may be too dumb for Tumblr.

Follow if you like. I'm one follower shy of a full 30. Damn, I'm popular *kills self*.

Peace out!

We wish you a Merry Christmas, We wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a happy... that'll come later

Peace out!

Feline Fetish

I desperately want a cat. Big and fat would be good. And lazy. But loves to play. Like this guy...

Off to find a fat cat. Adios!

Ramadhan Kareem

Happy Fasting :)

Flylashes??!! Eeewwwww...

High-end brands now produces contact lenses. Japanese anime has spurred on the anime lenses that even the likes of Lady Gaga are also wearing them. Madonna revolutionized fake eyelashes with diamantes and feathers replacing the typical lashline and lashes. The Asians brought on the eyebrow tattooing craze. You'd think that there was there was no way for eye-related products to be any more bizarre. And then you get these.

We’re all for eyelash enhancement. Fake lashes, lash extensions, lash tinting — why not if it's in the name of beauty? But this is not only creepy — it’s gross and flat out disturbing. Invented by a young British artist, Jessica Harrison, she truly stepped out of the (normal) box and designed her very own set of fake lashes made entirely out of fly’s legs.

Grossed out yet? Just check out the video then.

Flylashes from Jessica Harrison on Vimeo.

Originally from this website: Styleite

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Talk about a university that truly rolls with the times. If you can't stop teens from having sex then make them have safe sex. A complete 180 from what my previous university believed in. I think I'll really like it here :P

IIUM Theater Week

I should've done this earlier but I forgot. But since I love my students that much... COME ONE, COME ALL TO IIUM's THEATER WEEK.

You guys better greet me at the door with a kompang, and smoke machine now.

5 Things You Never Knew Your Cell Phone Could Do

Just thought I'd share this :)

FIRST

Emergency

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find Yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an Emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to Establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly, this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

SECOND

Have you locked your keys in the car?

Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys In the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot From your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other ’ remote ’ for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).

Editor’s Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!

THIRD

Hidden Battery Power

Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370#. Your cell phone will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell phone next time.

FOURTH

How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?

To check your Mobile phone’s serial number, key in the following Digits on your phone: *#06#. A 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. If your phone gets stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won’t get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can’t use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

And Finally……

FIFTH

Free Directory Service for Cells

Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don’t have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800)FREE411 or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now.

Dilemma Orang Melayu

One Malaysia is a myth?

Kenapa agaknya orang Melayu selalu dikaitkan dengan kerja kerajaan? Orang Cina pula mesti jadi businessman and orang India jadi peguam atau doktor. Adakah itu satu kemestian jikalau kita dilahirkan sebagai seorang Malaysian?

Tak lama dulu aku diterima bekerja di sebuah syarikat swasta. Syarikat itu milik seorang warganegara Australia yang dah menjadi penduduk tetap Malaysia. Walaupun aku 'excited' dapat masuk syarikat tu tapi tak sangka la pulak ramai yang memberi respon negatif dan memberi amaran agar berjaga-jaga. Kata mereka sektor swasta ni susah lebih-lebih lagi jika boss bukan orang Melayu. Ramai berpendapat kalau nak kerja senang, mesti cari syarikat yang majoriti pekerjanya sama kaum dengan kamu. Pada pendapat aku, pemikiran begini macam ada unsur-unsur perkauman je. Setiap bangsa seolah-olah dikategorikan dengan perangai tertentu maka kaum berlainan tak boleh 'ngam'. Tak boleh bekerjasama.

Yang paling mengecewakan apabila majoriti yang berpendapat begini adalah orang Melayu. Ramai yang sanggup menolak peluang pekerjaan yang lebih elok semata-mata ingin mengelak daripada bekerja dengan orang berlainan kaum. Jika ditanya kenapa meraka berbuat demikian, semua memberi alasan mendengar terlalu banyak 'horror story' mengenai bekerja dengan mereka yang berlainan kaum. Inilah orang Melayu kita, baru dengar 'horror story' je dah give up terus. Jikalau korang give-up lepas korang cuba bekerja kat situ, itu lain cerita. Ini cuba pun tidak, tapi dah give up awal-awal. Isk... isk... isk...

Tapi takleh nak salahkan orang Melayu je. Kaum lain pun selalu juga bertanggapan negatif kat orang Melayu. Ramai boss-boss bukan Melayu yang tak suka mengambil pekerja Melayu. Pada pandangan diorang pekerja Melayu adalah pemalas dan tak boleh diharap. Sesetangah syarikat swasta hanya mengambil pekerja Melayu kerana perlu memenuhkan kuota pekerja bumiputera. Jika diberi peluang mereka langsung tak nak mengambil pekerja Melayu. My supervisor secara terang-terangan mengaku yang dia berfikir 2-3 kali bila kena interview orang Melayu. Bukan kerana dia tak suka orang Melayu tapi disebabkan reputasi orang Melayu yang konon-kononnya pemalas dan tak suka cabaran dalam pekerjaan. Nasib baik juga aku berjaya meyakinkan dia yang aku bukan orang sebegitu, jadi aku pun dapat la kerja tu. Tapi bayangkanlah situasi interview di mana kedua-dua pihak, majikan dan pekerja, masing-masing ada tanggapan negatif terhadap pihak yang satu lagi tu. Macam mana nak bekerjasama kalau dari awal lagi dah takde kepercayaan langsung.

Sampai bila la rakyat Malaysia nak hidup dalam stereotaip negatif ni. Kalau pekerjaan setiap individu dah ditentukan buat apa ajar anak-anak Malaysia untuk ada cita-cita. Baik cakap je terus "Aiman, nanti bila dah besar nanti takleh kerja selain daripada kerja kerajaan tau. Kena kerja situ sebab orang Melayu semua kerja situ." Rasanya dia akan jawab "Aiman tak kisah" tak?

Konklusinya setiap orang ada kehebatan tersendiri. Jadi tak kiralah bangsa apa pun orang tu, peluang mestilah diberi tanpa sebarang prejudis. Walaupun aku seorang berbangsa Melayu, namun aku bukan hak milik kerajaan.