this is asterix.

I would like to congratulate our PM, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi – not because of the recent Sarawak election – for showing a commendable effort in helping the Palestinians. Pak Lah yesterday announced in Egypt that Malaysian government would provide $16 million to the Palestinian government that is under a heavy financial crisis. He also expressed his hopes that other countries in the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) will follow Malaysia’s footsteps in helping the Palestinians. Malaysia is currently the chairman of both organizations. Although I think $16 million is not that much, I hope it will ease the burden of the Palestinian government a little bit. I feel disgusted with world leaders who don’t seem to care to help the Palestinians even a bit. I feel even more disgusted with the Arab countries who don’t want to lift even a finger to help the Palestinians. Even if some world leaders despise the Hamas-led government, they shouldn’t pu...

Rahmah Jaffar 18 October 1946 – 20 May 1999 "And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour. And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small." - Al-Isra' verses 23-24. Seven years had passed and there was never a moment that I didn't think of you. Thank you for everything mom. I love you and I miss you.

Earlier this week, New York City announced to make Central Park a big WiFi zone. And yesterday, BT announced to do the same with the UK major cities. That is unbelievably so cool! I must have sound like an 8-year-old kid who was told that I’m going to get a PS3 very soon. Haha. I mean, can you imagine having sandwich in Hyde Park and reading some blogs at the same time? That is awesome. Of course, you can do that already with 3G technology but 3G is still very much an expensive technology to many and Hotspots will make it a little bit more affordable to the masses. I’m still waiting for the day I can surf at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa or Taman Tasik Perdana without having to buy those expensive Maxis 3G cards. Sigh. But hey, knowing the Malaysians, I am pretty sure that the whole KL will be a Hotspots zone in 2-3 years time. This means, I will be able to enjoy my sandwich at KLCC Park during lunchtime while posting an entry onto my blog. However, such thing may never happen because KL is j...

“Pernahkah kau bermimpi seketika berada di tempatku, Membayangkan pahit manis berlaku, Tak siapa yang tahu.” “Mungkin nanti kau jua merasakan, Berdepan dengan kata menyesatkan Takkan tugumu kebal, tiada pertimbangan.” I am not going to write about politics, especially Malaysian politics until after exam since writing about politics require a bit more concentration. And the only reason why I keep on blogging during exam is to have an outlet to release my tension. Haha. Anyway, I really like this song. I just love the melody and I love the lyrics. I wish this song were created years ago, where it would fit my life at that time. “Keheningan malam membangunkan, Kepayahan jiwa meluahkan, Andai kau jujur memahami, tiada ku menjauhi.” “Semakin aku hidup dalam cinta, Tiada kuasa mampu menghalangnya, Hentikan kata-kata bertulangkan dusta.” What’s the connection between the song and me? You don’t actually think that I’m going to answer that question, do you? Haha. Read the last line of the verse...

Can anyone give me the connection between Student Union and Chinese Society? I’m pretty sure no one can, unless you were with me today here in Wye College. Today is the Student Union Election Day. A day where almost everyone turned up to vote for their favourite candidates. How was the election? Well, this is where I will tell you the connection between the Student Union and Chinese Society. If you were here with me during the hustings, you would recognize the common theme of the manifestos of the candidates. Almost all candidates promised one thing, “to ensure that the Chinese Society will get the appropriate funding.” Why do they stress on the Chinese Society? Well, the vice president of the Chinese Society has a very good answer for that, “Chinese community is the biggest community here.” Hence, you will only win if you have the support of the Chinese. In fact, some candidates actually stamped on their poster with sayings like, “this candidate is supported by the Chinese Society.” H...

Today, half of the world population are celebrating Mother’s Day. As any special day, we will send cards to our mothers. Some will even have a little celebration such as a dinner at fancy restaurant. And the most important thing is not the big Mother’s Day card and fancy dinner but the three words from you to your mother – I love you. So, pick-up that phone and tell her that you love her. Trust me, that means a LOT to her compared to the big card and fancy dinner. To all mothers – Happy Mother’s Day. Ciao. P.S. I would also like to wish Kak Leen and Kak Salbiah Happy Mother’s Day.

Everyone seems to be talking about exams nowadays. Well, you can’t blame them since exam is just around the corner. Currently I am revising for Principles of Marketing and Management with a bee hovering in front of me (well, actually, I am typing this entry). Not a very conducive environment indeed, I must say. For some strange reasons I seem to attract five bees into my room this week alone. It is amazing to see how these bees can take just 2 seconds to come into my room and the whole day to get out. Why is it so difficult for them to find the window to fly out of my room remains a mystery to me. Here I am staring at the bee and keep telling it to go to the right, where the window is. Sometimes, I even wonder whether it is the same bee everyday or not. Speaking of which, (not totally related but bees do remind me of airplanes) AirAsia is going to sign a new sponsorship $5.6million deal with Manchester United (as in the football club). To be honest, I don’t really see the connection be...

I know I had promised to translate the French song in my next entry. But, I must say after reading the translation of the song from Nikman, I still cannot write the proper translation of the song. However, I do get the gist of the song. The song is about the persona’s mother who, to my understanding had passed away. Because he did say something like this, “How can I ever forget the way you look at me or the way you used to hug me...And the voice of yours who used to sing to me with much love and tender.” In the chorus of the song, the persona told us the he still remembers his mother because he said,      “I had a dream that we were on a journey together in our own world of peace and tranquillity. And each time I looked into your eyes, I felt the warmth of your love.” “I know that there were so many times when you cried for me and also, so many nights on prayed to the God for me…As if a gift from the God, the smile on your face never seemed to fade” At the end o...

I found this song in my laptop without even knowing where it came from. I must’ve had downloaded this song at some point in my life right? Anyway, the song is called Douce Mère and sung by Milloud Zenasni. And yes, it is in French. Douce Mère – Gentle Mom Comment jamais oublier ton regard, Et ne plus t’avoir en mémoire, Oublier la chaleur de tes bras, Toi qui a tant veillé sur moi, Ta voix qui chante avec tes mots, Que l’amour a aussi son drapeau, Flotte sur le plus haut des sommets, Il a les couleurs du respect. J’ai fait un songe, Un beau voyage sur une terre, Là ou n’existe nul mensonge, Tout près de toi ô douce mère, Loin de troubles qui rongent, J’ai lu dans tes yeux tant de douceur, Ils m’ont conté comment aimer, Moi j’ai puisé tant de valeurs chez toi, Tu m’as appris à partager, Mes biens et mes joies. Combien de larmes, pour moi, tu as versé ? Combien de nuits, pour moi, tu as prié ? Un simple geste, cadeau du Seigneur, Se manifeste alors le bonheur, Toi qui cachait dans tes my...

It’s 16 days to exam and I am already cracking up especially after THE meeting with Tan Sri Hamad Kama Piah today in London. Although it is perfectly normal for me – or anyone else – to feel like this before a BIG exam, this time however, the pressure is quite different. Why is it different? Well, this will be my first BIG exam after A-Level, which proved to be a disaster for me. OK, don’t dwell on the past. I get it. Ciao.  

Someone asked me whether I love my country quite a while ago. I told him I love my country very much. Then he pointed out that I always wrote bad comments about Malaysia in my blog. Well, to be honest, criticising your country does not in any way mean you don’t love your country. I told him that even after pointing out all the mistakes made by the government and all the imperfections in the country, if I were given a choice of citizenship of any country in the world, I would still choose to be a Malaysian. And that differs me from some people who continued to criticise Malaysia but in the end would rather be British or Singaporean or American rather than be Malaysian. So, before you go around and give labels to me, think about what I’ve just said those other people who would rather not be Malaysians. Ciao. P.S. If anyone is offended by this entry, I offer my apology in advance.

Let’s talk about politics. Many years ago when Dr. Mahathir had just became the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia, he had to face loads of criticism from his predecessor Tunku Abdul Rahman (the first PM). Tunku gave statements to media about how he is so disgusted (OK, disgusted is a very strong word. But you get what I mean) by some of Dr. Mahathir’s actions in the government. He also wrote open letters saying that he doesn’t agree with Dr. Mahathir in many ways. Tunku even went as far as to leave the party and join the oppositions (Semangat 46) at that time. Fast forward to twenty-two years later, we now see that the history is repeating itself but the roles have changed. Just like a song by Whitney Houston titled ‘Same Script, Different Cast’. This time, Dr. Mahathir is criticising his successor Pak Lah with statements to the media and open letters. Although Dr. Mahathir won his battle with Tunku twenty-two years ago, it is interesting to see who will win this time. It is also inter...

On BBC today, a Chinese businessman bought an old Soviet jet from eBay. Wow, they do sell everything on eBay these days. Well, there was once a woman sold her house on eBay with a little message that says ‘wife included’. I wonder what else can be sold on eBay. Today is also the 75th anniversary of the New York Empire State Building. I’m thinking of wishing the building a happy birthday, but then again it is in fact a building. Anyway, when I want a private jet or a wife, I know where to find them. *wink*. Ciao.

Do people change? If you ask me, I would say that people never change. There is no such thing as ‘people change’. Why is that so? It is because people just don’t change. Many people would say that they have changed over the last couple of years. Or they would say that their husbands have changed in behaviour. The truth is, I don’t believe in the term ‘people change’. I mean, do you honestly believe that people actually change? Well, people don’t change, they just change the way they do things and they just change their way of thinking. In other words, if you compare me ten years ago and me now, I am perfectly the same person. The only different things between the two are the way I think and the way I do certain things. I might used to wake up at 7 in the morning ten years ago and now I woke up at 6 in the morning. Have I changed? No. I just change the time I wake up in the morning. If ten years ago I hate Maths so much and now I like them, does that mean I have changed? No. I just chan...