Life: Perception of Jengka...

Assalamu'alaikum!

While I was going through Flickr to find photos of other Ford Lasers, I stumbled upon this.

Picture by banupriyatno, Flickr.

Then I realized, when I tell my friends that I live in Jengka, this is the image they get in their heads.

No Choice..

Assalamu'alaikum!

Here we go, next Monday Lecture 6 will start. I'll be in charge of event management. That means I'll be busy throughout the course. In addition to that, I was also asked to present a module. It's not something that I'd agree to so easily, but it seems that I don't have much of a choice. On top of that, I only found out it this week, so I don't know if I have time to prepare. It's making me nervous.

I designed this program book cover.. It was really fun..

Food Photography...

Assalamu'alaikum! May you be at peace? Peace ya'll!

Alhamdulillah, for the clean water here.

I'm supposed to be looking for 12 articles for my Sociolinguistic class today, which I am currently doing by the way.

I just thought of something interesting. I have a DSLR, and a great wife who cooks some of the best dishes around. Put those two together, I can be a food photographer. It's not a crazy idea right?

Here's an example of how I take picture of food.

Spaghetti and beef pasta sauce with mozzarella.. 

If this doesn't make you drool, then there must be something wrong with my picture. I've been taking many photos of food lately, I think it's about time I actually learned a few tricks.

Dissing My Crowd...

Another random post from me. Have you ever have that feeling that your past has come to haunt you? Well, I'm have a similar feeling, but it more of a 'your procrastination has come to bite you in the arse!'. I've put KIK aside to focus on LecturE 5, (not so much as going berjimba-jimba with friends though). I assumed that we could easily cancel our participation in KIK, or rather, render in irrelevant as it's going to overlap with LecturE 5 which is APB's main focus of this semester. But I guess now the ghost of KIK's past has come to bite me in my tuchus. And quite a big bite it's taking. Now I'm in a lot of trouble...

Random...

Salam and Hello Giant Midgets!

It's been a while since my last post. I promised to review several movies but sadly, I haven't really gotten the chance to watch any of them, let alone review them.

I been very busy with a lot of work, at work. Not to mention all the problems some of my students have been giving me. I don't understand students nowadays.

During my time, students wouldn't dare miss a test or a quiz. I, myself, would sometimes not sleep until the test is over. I can't believe that 'university' students would have the nerve to miss a test because they oversleep. That's just irresponsible. I dunno what I'm trying to say here.

I know that some of my readers are my students. I just wanna say that I don't want to fail anyone. I've been very lenient this semester, and gave you a lot of chances. There shouldn't be a reason for you to fail. Unless you did terribly in your tests. But most of you did great.

I hope you'll all remember that final speech I gave about being a 'university' student and being responsible for your own actions. You have no one to blame but yourself. I blame myself if you aren't satisfied with the knowledge that I have transferred on to you...

Ok, anyway, I'll end this entry here and start another post.. Midgets!

Creative and Innovative??

This is the result of quick thinking and limited resources. If the cable doesn't work the way it's suppose to, make useful in another way.

Movie Fever...

Lately I've gotten hands on several new movies that's just come out on DVD and Bluray. Because of that, I kinda feel like writing a review for each one. I don't know what's come over me, I'm not that good at reviewing movies. But what the hey, I'll give a whirl.

Here is a list of Movies that I've just gotten and will be watching.

127 Hours

The Tourist

Burlesque

Unstoppable

Tron Legacy

Waiting for Superman

A Third Chance in Paying For Summonses...

According to The Star Online today, traffic offenders such as myself who haven't yet paid their summonses would be given until the 10th of March to do so with a 50% discount.

Image retrieved from http://www.legaljuice.com

Alhamdulillaaah! Now I just need to get the money to pay, then I'll be alright.

I might probably commit another traffic offense as soon as I've settled all the payments. I think speed is very subjective... Whose to say that 120km/h is the safest speed to drive on the highways? Some people think that 90km/h is already fast while others think that 140km/h is still slow and manageable. I think that the ministry needs to also consider the capabilities of the driver as well as the cars. Germany has no speed limits, yet their rate of road accidents is much lower than ours. I don't think that driving between 120km/h and 150km/h is an offense.

Blogs Can Store Files...

I've been using this blog to store many images. It's better than Flickr. It's easier because posting a blog on Blogger is so easy. There's no limit to the size and the amount of uploads per month here.

Facebook Faceblocked...

Facebook like mobile phones have become a necessity. Almost everything nowadays happens on Facebook. People are easier to reach through Facebook. Facebook keeps us up-to-date a person's mental condition so that we know when they are depressed and are about to commit suicide and not taunt them. So it totally irritates me when my workplace (needn't be named) blocks Facebook.

I can understand blocking this page on weekdays and during working hours, but for Pete's sake, it's the freaking weekend. People are allowed to be non-productive on their day of.

Settle Summonses!

I’ve just remembered that next Monday is the deadline for everyone to settle their traffic summonses. Unfortunately, I haven’t settled any of mine yet. Should I be freaking out? I really hope I’ll have the time to settle my summonses soon. If I’m not mistaken, people who live around the Maran area has to go to the Mentakap Police station to do so. That's really discouraging.

Am I on The Right Track?...

Retrieve from Flickr by jimmy adams

Will my ability to communicate in English only be limited inside the classroom? I hope not. I want to go out. I want to talk to native speakers.

I like teaching. When I teach, I get to be full on American with my students. I like teaching because I get an audience to listen to me talk about things that matter. I like teaching students about new ways to generate ideas and be creative and critical.

But somehow, I don't feel like it's enough. It's like a soldier, after being trained with all the skills in combat, the soldier doesn't get to go out on the battle field. Instead, he was assigned to train other soldiers.

But if not teaching, then what?

Love For Muhammad SAW...

The Prophet Muhammad SAW was, and will always be the greatest man who have ever lived. He was sent to the human race to ensure that his ummah, his people, the people of the end of days would all be freed from the terrifying pits of hell.

Everything that the Prophet SAW did and said was a lesson. He was perfect in every way. Nothing that he did was for nothing. His companions would all watch the Prophet very closely to make sure that they don't miss a single aspect of the way of living. The Prophet's way of life is the only way that is acceptable to Allah SWT.

Sadly today, the details of the Prophet's life are not taught to our generation today. Young Muslim children aren't taught to love the Prophet SAW in a deeper level. Some don't even know who the Prophet is. In fact, when there are those who do have a strong love for the Prophet, by follow his way of life, they are considered as extremists.

The Prophet's SAW way of life is THE only way of life. Is it not sensible to idolize the greatest man in history that is most loved by Allah? Than why are you so obsessed with all the celebrities out there? Are they greater than Muhammad SAW?

Remember my brother's and sisters, the Prophet has left us with the guidelines and the map to Jannah, the only way to stay safe. Follow it fanatically. Do not see life the way a non-Muslim does. See it in the way the Prophet has shown us.

Salam Maulidur Rasul

Suicide is Never a Joke...

In today's The Star newspaper, two cases of suicide made the headlines. One was a 17 year old girl and there other was a mother and her infant. The tragic thing is these women have both mentioned about committing suicide before but no one took it seriously. Some of the 17 year old girl's friends even dared her to do it. Retarded if not stupid. They must've either thought that they were so good in reverse psychology or they that their friend was just kidding. But, in certain context, when someone says they want to commit suicide, it can be a joke.

"I'd rather slit my throat than wear that ugly dress."

That can reasonably be a joke. But I guess some people are just not aware of the the state of the person saying they want to commit suicide.

I think it's safe to say that if the person threatening to kill themselves have just gone through some emotional stress, they will do it. Don't dare them. Find them, inform their families to keep a close watch on them. Talk to them.

Emotional stress should never be underestimated. It can lead to many terrible things. Emotion can be overcome by rationality, but it also works both ways.

Gloomy Mornings...

Nothing to do with entry, I'm just looking so forward to this movie....

Have you ever woken up in the morning feeling like a pile of cold dung? I feel that way a lot nowadays. Mostly because I wake up late. Some call it, 'waking up on the wrong side of the bed'. I call it, 'waking up with your head in someone's asssss some of might know, waking up in the right mood sets the colour of the sky throughout the whole day.

The Forever Unfinished Project...

The bottom half of the Org. chart - This is just a concept or an idea..

En. Mad seems to like it. But I can't proceed. I haven't gotten all the pictures yet. And some of the ones that I've received are very low in quality. There's not much room to work with when the pictures are small. What d'you guys think?

Replace the Laser?...

Everyone knows I love my car and am satisfied with it at the moment. However, that doesn't stop me from dreaming about using a new car, or rather a different car. It's everyone's dream to own a premium or executive car. Almost everyone. I would like to own an Audi one day myself. At the moment, if I were to replace my current car, it wouldn't be with a car that is anywhere near that (executive) class. I would buy a car of my favorite brand. Something that represents me. Honestly, I don't think an Audi would represent me at all. Not only that, even if I were on a tight budget, I wouldn't go for a Proton or a Perodua. That's right, for those who know me well, I'd buy another Ford. The question is, which Ford?

1. Ford Laser Lynx [1994] hatchback.

Retrieved from www.autoweb.com.au

One car I would drive in particular would be, what is know in Malaysia as the Ford Laser Lynx [1994] (manual). This car is a 1.6l which is 0.1 more that my current car. Fuel consumption shouldn't too different. It uses the same engine as my car, which I would expect to be very good on the acceleration. Since it's a newer model, the engine should be more refined and the interior should be less noisy as compared to my Laser. Not to forget, this car is a manual transmission, which to me, is always the best choice in older cars. As you may have noticed, this car is a hatchback. I've never owned a hatchback car, so this would be a new thing. I love the exterior design. It's much more easy on the eyes compared to my Laser which was designed when the only tool available was a ruler. The face of this car is subtle but has a slightly aggressive thing going for it. The interior is nice as well. It's still modern even for today's standards. Lot's of round panels.

2. Ford Laser Lynx 1.8 16valve [1998] sedan.

Retrieved from www.autoweb.com.au

The next car I'd choose to replace my Laser is the sedan version of the car mentioned earlier, the Ford Laser Lynx 1.8 16valve (1998). It's the same car actually, but it has a longer boot, which makes the car longer itself. The engine is 0.2l more than the previous Lynx, which means it's a more powerful car. You can only expect that it's much thirstier too, but I'd sacrifice fuel for performance any day, unless the Ron97 goes up another 10cents, I'd rather die than buy fuel. The front grill is a bit different, much more aggressive. Everything else is the same.

3. Ford Laser [2002] sedan (Found in Singapore).

Retrieved from www.autoweb.com.au

When it comes to secondhand cars, you have to remember; "the newer, the better". Next on my mind is the very rare, Ford Laser [2002] sedan, that can only be found in Singapore and Australia, maybe Philippines and Thailand. I don't know why I included this car. I just think it looks really nice and I like it.

Retrieved from www.autoweb.com.au

In Malaysia, it was only sold as an estate (actually it's called a 'station wagon', 'state' sounds classier), but they are still very rare here nonetheless. I find the sedan version a lot more appealing. The engine is a newer 1.6l, and I've been in a similar model to tell you that this car is very comfy and quiet.

4. Ford Lynx Ghia 1.6 [2004].

Retrieved from www.flickr.com - by mo_rye04 and ace_alejandre

This probably the last car I would want to replace current car. The Ford Lynx Ghia 1.6 is a car that is not so common, yet, not too rare to come across. It's sold in Malaysia, and is only available as secondhand. I don't know if you've noticed, but this Lynx is our version of the Singaporean and Australian Laser. They share the same body. When it got to Malaysia, the Philippines (or was it the Thais) decided to give it a much different look. My dad own a for Lynx RS 2.0l, which is a sporty version of the Lynx.

The reason I'd go for this car is because of the name 'Ghia'. Ghia for Ford is Luxury. This car has better trims compared to the normal Lynx, a two toned interior, leather seats, and looks classy on the outside. Unfortunately for me, this car is on available in auto-transmission.

So these are the cars I would pick if for any reason I need to buy a new car in the very near future.

My Ford...

I hope to be driving this car for the next 10 years....

 

Takes Me Back...

Seksyen 17, Shah Alam : This picture really takes me back to the days when I was doing my B. Ed. TESL.

Living in Shah Alam for 4 years has really left an imprint in my memory. I've been a nomad all my life. I've never stayed anywhere for more that 4 years, until recently though, my family has just entered the fifth year living in Kuantan, Pahang. However, before that, the only places that I've had a soft spot for were Shah Alam and Penns State, Pennsylvania (or some of my friends would vainly call it, Penisvania).

These are the only two place in the world that I'd choose to settle down for the rest of my life. I choose Penns State for the memories that I have there. It's one of those places where you tend to get all teary-eyed when you reminisce about life you once had there. And I choose Shah Alam because to me, its the most practical small city to live in, in all of Malaysia. And I've been around (no I haven't)

blogging using a virtual keyboard...

it's 7.15am at the moment, let's see how fast  i can finish this blog.

some of you might be wondering , 'what kind of midget retard would ever use a virtual keyboard to write  a blog?'.

well, i assure u tht im no rtard. im usg a lptop tht i brrowd frm my fren. th keybrd dnt work no mo.. whch leads to th qstn, y attempt 2 wrte a blog at all? midget...

now its 7.35am... only bcoz a went make coffee...