AXIATA CUP - NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

What is Axiata Cup?

Axiata Cup made its debut this year (2012) and aimed to become an exciting annual event in the badminton calender, ultimately putting itself alongside (if not beyond) the other big events in badminton -- All-England, Thomas Cup and Sudirman Cup. It is a regional badminton event created for the Axiata Group, one of Asia's largest telecom company. In its debut, which begun on 23rd March 2012, it features top East Asian teams, which are Malaysia and Indonesia, with each of this country sending two teams to represent their country. These are also the host countries of this event this year, which introduces the 'home/away' format, where games are held in both countries simultaneously. Besides the two countries, other East Asia countries like Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines also sends one team from their country to compete in this competition. And perhaps, the most talked about element of this event is the prize money, where it offers a staggering total prize money of USD 1 million. 

Credits Earned?

Axiata Cup has definitely earned many credits and praises for their debut event this year. The huge prize money of USD 1 million definitely tops the list of those credits. It manages to attract many big names in East Asian badminton arena, including Lee Chong Wei, Taufiq Hidayat, Hafiz Hashim, Simon Santoso, Boonsak Ponsana, Mathias Boe, Sony Dwi Kuncoro. 

At the same time, it is also a breath of fresh air for the badminton players and fans alike as it is the first new event in badminton calender in almost a decade. It also introduces many interesting things in this championship, making it unique from the other big badminton events. Some of the unique elements in this championship are:

• It is the first time that a badminton events are being hosted in two different countries simultaneously - Malaysia and Indonesia.

• It is the first to use the 'home / away' format in badminton - a format borrowed from the football.

• It is the first to use virtual ads on surrounding boards through Axiata's engagement of Brand Magic, which allows them to reduce the amount of distraction on the court for the players. 

• It is the first to allow multiple teams from one country and first to allow foreign players on the teams. 

Room for Improvement?
With 2012 being the 'birth' year of Axiata Cup, it is quite understandable that it has some glaring room to improve. I would put it mainly on its planning and timing.

• Knowing that Olympic means a big deal to the badminton players, why did Axiata Cup decided to debut their presence in this Olympic year of 2012? Olympic is not an annual event, so why not make its debut in 2011 or after the Olympic in 2013?

• Axiata Cup also made its appearance right in between two big badminton events - which is soon after the All-England Championship and so near to the Thomas Cup competitions. These would hamper the chance of the players to be at their top form. This particularly true for World Number 1 Lee Chong Wei. Although he is listed in the names of player in this Axiata Cup, he is only put as reserved due to his shoulder injury he sustained during the All-England match, which saw Chong Wei have had to give a walk over to Lin Dan to win the All-England Championship. 

• It is also learnt that some of the matches began late because the broadcasters in Indonesia are not flexible with their schedules. 

Well, whatever it is, as a badminton fan, I look forward to see how Axiata Cup progresses over the next few years.

PRINCE OF PERAK DIES

AL-FATIHAH.

My deepest condolence to the Royal family as well as the people of Perak for the passing of their prince, YM Dato' Seri Raja Ashman Shah Ibni Sultan Azlan Shah. Raja Ashman is the second son of the sultan of Perak, YTM Sultan Azlan Shah.

The Star reported that Raja Ashman passed away at 1:30am today after having an asthma attack at his home in Bukit Damansara. He was 54. His body was then brought to Istana Iskandariah, Kuala Kangsar to be buried at the Royal Mausoleum. 

Raja Ashman was appointed 'Raja Kechil Sulong' on 16 Mar 2010 and was forth-in-line to the throne of Perak. He leaves behind wife YM Datin Seri Noraini Jane Kamarul Ariffin, 53, son Raja Ahmad Nazim Shah, 18, and daughters Raja Emina Aliyyah, 20, and Raja Bainunisa Safia, 17.

  

Among the Malay Rulers who paid their last respects were members of the Perak, Kedah and Johor royal families. National leaders who also attended the funeral were Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Defense Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz and Rural & Regional Development minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.  

Raja Ashman was known to his people as a pious, low profile price. He held a degree in Economics from the University of Nottingham and a Masters of Law from Cambridge University. He also held an Ijazah or Permission of Investure in the Naqshbanduya Haqqaniya Order of Sufism from Shaykh As-Sayyid Muhammad Nazim Adil Al-Haqqani, the Grand Mufti of Cyprus and Imam of the Naqshbandiya Haqqani Order of Sufism.

"SCHOOL FOR GIFTED CHILDREN" IN MALAYSIA... X-MEN MENSION?

I am pleased to read the news about Malaysia having our very own 'School for Gifted Children' under the Permata Negara Programme. It gives the opportunity for these 'special' children to feel belong and development their skills and ability to the highest degree possible. Maybe one day we can hope that Malaysia will be able to produce intellectuals with ground-breaking and revolutionary inventions. This is a plausible effort indeed. But somehow, this actually reminds me of a similar facility in the fiction arena - The X-Men Mention.

Read this news about the Permata Negara Programme, then the history of X-men Mension below:

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Permata Negara lays groundwork for gifted children: PM

Tuesday March 27, 2012
BERNAMA

BANGI: The Permata Negara programme sets the groundwork for a special education for gifted children endowed with high intelligence quotient (IQ), said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. He said if the potentials of gifted children were not optimised in the best interest of the country, they would be denied an education system that could enrich their high-order thinking that supersedes the normal level of intelligence. If a suitable education system is not provided for them, the children would get bored with lessons easily or they might be sent to study or work abroad by their parents, he said. "This will be detrimental to the country as we will be losing our talents, and the so-called brain drain is happening," he said when opening the PERMATApintar Negara Centre Complex at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia here. Najib said through the Permata Pintar programme, the children's ability could be moulded and enhanced to enable them to achieve extraordinary success. Mooted by his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Permata Negara is made up of five programmes, namely Permata Negara, Permata Seni, Permata Insan, Perkasa Remaja and Sekolah Permata Pintar UKM. Rosmah is the patron of the Permata Negara programme. Najib said he learned that a nine-year-old pupil under the tutelage of Permata Negara was currently studying at the pre-university level, and the child would likely be admitted by a leading university abroad within the next few years. "Who knows there might be Steve Jobs among them in Malaysia," said Najib.

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X-Men Mension - The Origin

After graduating Oxford University, being drafted in the KoreanWar, and battling the Shadow King in Cairo, Egypt, Xavier decided to devote his life to protecting humanity from evil mutants and safeguarding innocent mutants from human oppression, believing that both could peacefully coexist. Xavier worked with fellow mutation expert, Dr. Karl Lycos, as well as Dr. Moira MacTaggerd, and they began discussing the idea of founding a school for gifted youngsters. Professor Xavier's first student was the 11-year-old Jean Grey who had been traumatized when she telepathically experienced the emotions of a dying friend. Professor Xavier later met with Fred Duncan, an FBI agent investigating the growing number of mutants. Professor Xavier told Duncan of his plan to locate young mutants and enroll them in his "School for Gifted Youngsters", using his ancestral mansion home as a base to train them to use their powers, as well as provide them conventional educations, for humanity's benefit. The base included an off-limits west wing with subterranean medical labs, a training facility called the "Danger Room" an aircraft hanger with a Stratojet and helicopter, and Professor Xavier's mutant detection device, code named "Cerebro". Cerebro's main function was to locate mutant signatures, but was also integrated in the mansion, as the school's A. I. Professor Xavier later moved Scott Summers into the mansion and, over the following months, assembled his original team of X-Men: Scott, who took the name Cyclops, Iceman, Angel, Beast and Jean, who took the name Marvel Girl, and opened his school as the headmaster.

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So, did you manage to spot the similarities?

BOWLING DAY!!

Wednesday is Sport's Day for me and my team. Usually we play badminton in Sunsuria Badminton Court in Kota Damansara. But in view of the up coming futsal tournament this Saturday, we wanted to play something less-prone to injury. So, we have decided to play bowling. We went to 'U Bowl Bowling Gallery' in One Utama Shopping Mall.

Here are some pictures I took.

The players are............

Syed (SYD)

Mahen (SPY)

Sri (SRI)

Azmil (AZM)

The Games

Game 1 : Syed and Mahen started off strong, earning themselves 111pts and 109 pts respectively. Myself and Sri is still trying to figure out our 'angle'.....

Game 2 : Syed took the lead again by finishing the 2nd game with 112 pts, while I trailed behind him and finishes at 2nd place with 102pts. Mahen somehow lost his touch in this game and Sri is still finding his 'angle' :)

Game 3 : Syed stemped his bowling superiority by once again securing 1st place in this 3rd game and finishes with 125pts. My steam enjine also 'panas' already and finishes my game with 119pts. Mehan also picked up in this game and finishes with 111pts, while Sri achieve his personal best with 73pts.

Game 4 : A new champion! I took the lead in this 4th game and finishes my game with 127pts, beating Syed's previous high score of 125pts. Syed and Mahen slowed down in this game and finishes their games with 104pts and 91pts respectively. Sri achived a new personal best in this game by finishing his game with 83pts.

Game 5 : Syed is back!! Once again, Syed claimed the 1st place in this game. He even created a new high score of 133pts, beating the earlier high score of 127pts. I managed to secure the 2nd place with 118pts.

Game 6 : By the time we played the 6th game, everyone is in pain already - our hands feels like 'popeye's hand'. I pushes on to secure the 1st place in this game with 120pts, while the rest seems to have put a break on their games.

Game 7 :  We call this 7th game as the 'hentam' game. Everyone can't really lift the ball anymore. So, we just 'hentem' throwing the ball and trying out some curving skills. We played half way in this game and decided to call it a day.

   The end.........

NURUL NADIRAH - YOU ARE IN A BETTER PLACE NOW!

Almost three weeks ago, on the 1st of March 2012, the nation was shocked to the news of the disappearance of this beautiful little girl, Nurul Nadirah. She was just 5 years old. The family realized Nadirah was missing when she did not return home after going to a grocery shop near her flat. They searched everywhere for her, but could not find her anywhere. Police later found slippers and a plastic bag containing eggs and instant noodles about 500 meters from her flat, believed to be hers. Amidst the sympathy they received, the parents also received blows of criticism from the society. How could the parents have asked a five-year-old girl to go out on her own to buy groceries? Some have even demanded for a capital punishment on the parents for this unbelievable negligence.

A week later, the nation was shocked again to the news that the charred remains of a human body found in an oil palm plantation, were confirm to be of Nurul Nadirah. Sad and angered, the society once again lambasted the parents with more criticism for what has happened to their daughter. 

Today, the news below gave us a bit of relief, when a man was charged for murdering this little angel. 

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By MOHD FARHAAN SHAH 

The Star

JOHOR BARU: An unemployed man has been charged with the murder of five-year-old Nurul Nadirah Abdullah (pic) at an oil palm plantation. Muidin Mydin, 24, nodded his head after the murder charge was read to him at a magistrate’s court here yesterday. The charge said the crime was committed on March 1 at the plantation where Muidin previously worked as a laborer. He faces the mandatory death sentence upon conviction under Section 302 of the Penal Code. No plea was recorded. Magistrate Mohd Isa Mohamed set May 4 for next mention pending post-mortem results.

In the same court, another suspect previously arrested in relation to the Nurul Nadirah case pleaded guilty to a charge of taking drugs. Razmin Mosum, 34, had been charged with inserting methamphetamines into his body at the narcotics department of the Seri Alam district police headquarters at around 8.40pm on March 2. He was charged under Section 15(1)(A) of the Dangerous Drug Act 1952, which carries a jail term of up to two years and a fine of not more than RM5,000 upon conviction. Mohd Isa sentenced him to one month in jail from the date of the arrest. Razmin was also ordered to be placed under police supervision for two years. Nurul Nadirah’s mother Roselyn Alan, 25, and her relatives were present in court but remained calm throughout the proceedings. It was previously reported that Nurul Nadirah went missing on March 1. Her charred remains were discovered at the oil palm plantation about a week later.

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Although relieved, the society is yet to forgive the parents of Nurul Nadirah for their negligence. More and more criticism is thrown at them. Calls can be heard for the parents to be punished. Well, I will leave that to the authority and the policy makers. 

As for me, I was talking to a friend earlier today and we agreed that as a member of the society, should we find any children below the age of 10 years old walking alone or walking in a group but without any adults accompanying them, we should immediately stop the children and call the police. The police should then take the children back home with a warning to the parents.

SPM - TEEN DIES AFTER GETTING RESULTS

The result for SPM 2011 was just released a few days ago. And amidst the joy of top scorers and the the community as a whole for achieving ‘the best result in 5 years’, tragedy occurs. I read with sadness this newspaper report below:

Teen dies after getting SPM results

By R.S.N. MURALI (murali@thestar.com.my)

Friday March 23, 2012

“A teenager collapsed and died after he received his SPM examination results here. P Eshwaran, 46, from Durian Tunggal, said his son E. Prem Kumar, 18, was rushed to a clinic by passers-by at about 3pm yesterday after he collapsed in front of a row of shop-houses. He claimed that Prem Kumar was believed to have consumed pesticide shortly after taking his result slip at 1pm on Wednesday. Eshwaran said he was informed of the incident when his son was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Malacca Hospital. However, Prem Kumar died due to internal organ damage at about 6pm yesterday. “I believe he might have not been happy with his results. He did not return home after going out to get his results,” he said. Eshwaran said his son met his uncle and told him that he had failed several subjects, although he did quite well in the trial examinations.”

Let’s put aside any foul play theories and take the report as it is reported. Until the autopsy proves otherwise, we shall for now take it that the teenager has ended his own life.

It is really a tragedy for the teenager to have decided that his future is not worth living when he did not do well in his SPM. We have heard inspirational stories about how some school drop-outs ended up to be someone successful in the future. Not that we are encouraging anyone to drop-out, but to remind everyone that the future is yet to be discovered. We’ll never know what lies ahead. So, it makes us wonder, what made this teenager thinks that his life is not worth living after a bad showing in SPM? Here are some of the comments that I picked up from around the internet.

dee88 says:

“Teachers only good on making us score on our exam, but they are bad at teaches us how to appreciate live.. same goes to some parents. And there's also student who take SPM as a matter of live. In their mind, fail to get good result = fail for the entire life. To prevent this kind of things happen again in the future, students should be teach how to handle failure. We maybe can consider to make counselling one of the curriculum class”

gorshan says:

Sometimes my son will nervously approach me and admit he has no confidence in a paper or two. I put my arm around him and tells him it’s okay sometimes you do well sometimes you don’t.Important thing is you did your best and to take the failure as an impetus to strive better next time, next attempt at any papers. With no parental pressure on him he is more relaxed now and does well in his exam. Give your kids loving support, prop up their self confidence but do not pressurized them and they will do alright in the long run.

Eugene91 says:

“SPM is not the end lah.. It must be pressure from teachers/etc.... I know people who scored credits only in SPM but in University they get Distinctions and High Distinctions.”

The teenager’s death is indeed a tragedy. And I would like to remind myself and to all the readers; let’s not be too quick to judge and to blame. The suggestion to have ‘Counseling’ as one of the curriculum in school is a good suggestion and same goes to the parental advise by Gorshan. But I don't think it is fair to blame the teachers or the parents for not doing enough? There were 468,808 students who took SPM last year, but this one teenager did not handle the results well. Could the teachers have done anything for this teenager? Perhaps. But that does not mean that they have neglected their responsibility. And as teachers, they must also be seen fair to all their students. If they give extra attention to this one teenager, then all the other students should also deserve that extra attention. Should the society also be blamed for not doing more - well, why not? It is the society that puts the pressure onto the parents and the teachers in the first place. It is a competitive (and sometimes ruthless) world that we live in right now.

Well, whoever it is to blame - it is a bit too late for this teenager. But should we know of any other teenagers (or whoever for that matter) who we suspect to be going through some kind of depression, how could we help? Well, to start with, let's have this hotline handy.

Lifeline Association of Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR
Contact by: Face to Face - Phone
Helpline 1: (603) 92850039
Helpline 2: (603) 92850279
Helpline 3: (603) 92850049

ISLAMIC FORUM: AM I QUALIFIED FOR HEAVEN?

Last Saturday afternoon, my wife and I went to Menara TM in Jalan Pantai Baharu to attend an Islamic Forum. The panelists were Ustaz Don Daniel and Ustazah Nor Hafizah Musa. Both panelists are well-known celebrities having appeared in many Islamic programs on TV before.

The forum is entitled "Am I Qualified for Heaven?". Really catchy title!

I am not going to write about the forum from end to end because I don't think I remember everything, but I'll share some memory snapshots that I have about the forum.

The moderator started the forum by asking the panelists - How big is Heaven?

Ustaz Don said that he knows that the Heaven is huge, but with his limitation, he will not be able to describe with precision of the size of heaven. He reminded us that Allah has said in the Holy Book Al Quran that Heaven is nothing like what we imagine in our heads, not something that can ever be described and nothing like what we have felt or taste before. But we can still try to imagine non-the-less. He then quoted verses of Quran and Hadith that could help us imagine how huge the heaven is.

Firstly he said, the heaven is definitely bigger then earth because it could fit all of human beings and all of Jinn since our very existence. Then, each 'resident' of heaven will have at least 10 thousand servants to serve their needs, which will also fit comfortably in heaven. Then, there are the angels that will be our companion there, and then there are all sorts of castles, trees, fruits and rivers.

In short, it is EXTREMELY HUGE!!

When it was Ustazah Hafizah's turn,  she told us of a description of how big the heaven is. She also started off by saying that she doesn't know how big the heaven is, but she knows of this castle in heaven.

So, let’s just talk about that castle she said...

• The size of this one castle is as big as 70 states.
• Each state has 70 huge houses
• Each house has 70 huge rooms
• Each room has 70 huge beds
• Each bed has 70 stacks
• Each stack will be given 70 meals
• Each meal has 70 types of food

Big castle, huh? Well, that huge castle doesn't even begin to describe how big the heaven is...

Love the Prophet

Is is narrated that one day, a man asked the Prophet with excitement when is Akhirat going to be? The Prophet replied - Only Allah knows that. Then the Prophet asked the man, what have you done to prepare yourself for Akhirat? The man honestly said that he does not have much deed, but he loves the Prophet and is always trying to emulate the prophet's sunnah. He knows that Allah has promised that we will be with the people we love in Akhirat.

So, love the Prophet and emulate his sunnah.

Night Prayers

The judgement day is full with humans and jinn. Imagine that all humans will be brought back to live to face this judgement day. EVERYONE since the beginning of time will be judged, one by one. Imagine if you are at the very end of that line. It is narrated that those who spend a portion of night to offer prayers will be given an 'express ticket' on the judgement day to be judged early.

Parents of Good People

Some of us are worried that we have wasted our time with all sort of sins and don't know how to turn our lives around. Consider being a good parent as a starting point. It is said that if someone can memorize the Quran, his parents will be given a very beautiful crown on their heads. And the crown is so shiny that it is more bright then the sun itself.

When we die, our opportunity to add our deeds will be stopped, except for 3 things:

1. Useful knowledge that is being used - So, every time someone we taught uses the knowledge we share, then our deeds will be added as if we are the one doing the deeds itself. If we are not teaching anyone else, at least teach our children.

2. Beneficial Jariah - Every donation that we have given during our lifetime will be added to our deeds every time that donation give benefits to anyone. If we don't have much to offer to others, at least spend on the well being of our children.

3. Prayers from our children - Everytime our children pray for us, it will be heard.

So, if we feel that we are unable to do everything ourselves, then do it for our children and we will find that Allah is  most merciful.

Well, that's all that I can share in this entry. May we find a bit of guidance from this. :)

Wallahualam!

FOOLING AROUND!

Hmm… I am actually contemplating if I should publish this. I am just worried that I might get a taste of my own medicine. But hmmmm.... here goes.

The countdown has begun.. In just another few days time, the most ‘mischievous day’ of the year is going to arrive - APRIL FOOL!!!!! You may decide that you are not going to do any prank this year, but that does not mean that others are not aiming for you. Are you going to be the prankster or the victim? I say, prepare you ammunition – just in case J

Some ideas?? Consider these……….

1.      Switch the handles on the refrigerator to the side that doesn’t open.

2.      Simply conference call two people then don’t say anything, just listen.

3.      Place a ‘house for sale’ ad in the newspaper for someone’s home.

4.      Pre-record a burglary conversation, hide a small radio in the ceiling tiles above someone’s desk and turn it on very softly.

5.      Fill someone’s hair-dryer with baby powder.

6.      Leave cryptic notes warning someone of an impending prank then do nothing all day.

7.      Place a pair of pants and shoes inside the only toilet stall in a rest room to make it appear someone is using it all day.

8.      Pour vegetable oil on the exhaust of someone’s car so it will smoke when started up.

9.      Hide an alarm clock under someone’s desk and set it to go off JUST BEFORE lunch time.

10.  Rearrange somebody’s drawers or file cabinets in a different order.

11.  Tape magnets to the bottom of a cup, put it on the roof of your car and drive around.

12.  Put an ad in the paper for a garage sale at someone’s house beginning at 6 a.m.

13.  Buy some underwear, write a co-worker’s name in them, then leave them on the floor of the office bathroom.

14.  Switch around random keys on a keyboard, then replace that keyboard on someone’s PC.

15.  Bring multiple sets of clothes to work, change every hour, and act like nothing’s different.

CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED!! J Hehe….

Disclaimer : I will not accept any responsibility of any harm or injury or lost of property or you getting a blue black eye from the ideas above!!

TIME HAVE CHANGED or TIME TO CHANGE??

We now have…………….
More conveniences – but less time
More degree – but less sense
More knowledge – but less judgments
More experts – yet more problems
More medicine – yet less wellness
Taller buildings – but shorter tempers
Wider highways – but narrower viewpoint
Bigger houses – but smaller families
Spent more – but have less
Multiplied our possessions – but reduced our values

We have…………….
Learn how to make a living, but not a life
Added years to life, but not life to years
Been to the moon and back, but don’t really know our neighbors
Conquered outer space, but forgotten the inner space
Clean up the air, but pollute our souls
Learn to rush, but not to wait

The days of…………….
Fast foods, but slow digestions
Fancier houses, but broken homes
Bigger men, but smaller characters
Steep profit, but shallow relationship
We write more, but learn less
Plan more, but accomplished less

Life is NOT measured by the number of breath we take; but by the moments we make, that takes our breath away.

POWER OF THE MIND

Changing the way we think - changes the outcome!

Basically, if we continue to think about things the same way we've been thinking - we will continue to get the same outcome that we have been getting. So, start changing the way we think about things…..

When we change the way we think - the QUESTIONS we ask ourself and to others will change.

When the questions we ask ourself and to others changes – the INFORMATION we get will change.

When the information we get changes - the CHOICES we make will change.

When the choices we make changes - the things we DO to fulfil the choice will change.

When the things we do changes - the OUTCOME we get will change.

When the outcome we get changes - our ABILITY to get what we really want will change.

This is the power of the mind!

Knowledge Pre-loaded

I recently heard this news on TV with amazement. The news tells us about a girl in Besut, Terengganu, who recently met with an accident. Surprisingly (and this even surprises herself) - after the accident, she could converse in Manderin and Korean fluently, without having to learn the language. I find this hard to believe and it escapes my logic. How could this even be possible??

So, it got me thinking. Fact - Scientist have long discovered that humans, even the most genius of us all, have only used a small fraction of our brain potential. Of course, the precentage differs from article to article that I have read. Some says that we only use less then 10% of our brain potential, while some says that we only use 1% of it and there are only some other article that says we use LESS then 1% of our brain potential. In summary - it is a SMALL fraction! So, could it possible that languages are also embeded in that untapped potential of our brain? Could it be as simple as 'switching on' a part of our brain that allows us to converse in any language that we desire? If this is possible (in fact, the girl is a living prove that it is possible), then imagine how the world would be like without having any language barriers between us. It reminded me of some of the sci-fi films that we have today - Star Wars, Babylon 5, Andromeda, Star Trek, etc. In all these films, it potrays that communication between different creatures / species are made possible by computerised translator devices. What if the device is ALREADY been embedded in our gen? Wouldn't that be great!!? :)

Well, I think I'll leave this topic for the experts to do their research.

The Future Is Now

Recently ASTRO have been showing the re-run of "Back to the Future - Part I, II & III". It actually brought me back to my childhood! This film was released in 1985. At that time, I was still in my primary school years. I remember how at that time, every boy in school wants to be Marty McFly. The idea of time travel have always interest me. How I wish I can see what the future holds and how I wish I could go back in time to repair the 'mistakes' that I have made. Hmm.. Come to think about it, at the age of 8 years old, how much of 'mistakes' could I have committed?? Hehe.. But of course, as a child every little problem seems so huge at that time. As we grow older, we will realise that there are bigger issues to deal with than 'whose color pencil set is better'.

Well, that's the overall feelings that I got from watching the re-run of Back to the Future. But the reason I am writing this entry is because of Part II. Where in that installment, Marty travelled to the future to stop his future son from getting involved with Biff Tannen's (the villain) grandson, Griff. When he got to the future, there were flying cars, hoverboards, jackets that auto-adjust to fit our body by a simple press of a button on the jacket, floating fruit platter that serves frush fruits straight from the tree. Very futuristic imagination, but GUESS WHAT.. that future that Marty travelled to is actually 2015!! Wait a sec..that is just another 3 years down the road!! Then it hit me, we are already living 'in the future'. I quickly try to remember how was it 30 years ago. Have we really progressed? Has anything changed? I am yet to see any flying cars and all the other gedget that the film potrayed 'the future' to be, but we have indeed progressed. Life is very much different now. And the changes does not stop at infrasturture alone. Our values have changed, our lifestyle have changed, even the way we raise our kids now are very much different then the way we were raised.

So, now that I have seen 'the future', I find myself asking the same question I asked 30 years ago - "How will the future looks like??". And the journey continues.................

Enter the blogging world

This is going to be just a short entry to get My World started.

Blogging - is such a popular word now. It is considered the 'new media' that has created such a phenomenon, especially in the last dacade. It actually brought back the same atmosphere when printed media first came into existance way back then. Printed media has no doubt stamped their existance and influence in history. Writers in the printed medias (usually more popular by their pen-name) are sometimes regarded as national heros in some countries because of the impact they have made in shaping the history. Well, history for us, but they were writing, they were actually shaping the future. Now, bloggers are taking the lead for information drive in the new millennium.

For myself, I have enjoyed writing since my school years. Not very often and not for publishing, but just to capture that thought I have at that moment. I have a collection of my own thoughts that I wrote / type from time to time. As I look back on some of the 'articles' that I have wrote in the past; some made me smile, some made me miss the 'old days', some are still thought provoking and it actually re-ignite my thinking process on the matter and some I now realised that I have a different perception on. Well, that just goes to prove that our thoughts are influence by our experiences and also the current atmosphere.

A friend recently suggested that I try blogging since writing is something that I enjoy doing anyway. So, here I am creating my own blog and sharing my thoughts on matters that matters to me.

Welcome to My World!! :)