Businessman running tech company

(It's OK to delay Vista. That's a business strategy.)

Farewell

Pls keep in touch. Thanks for all the guides you've provided me with while we're at _O_. Such a short period but enough to teach me a thing or two of the essentials.

Go on and fly high, my friend. You're going to do great I'm sure. My prayers are always with you.

- for MKIW.

April event

It's Dad, Mom, and Alya's birthdays! I was in a faraway land for a week so I couldn't prepare much. If it was any consolation, I brought home a bag full of Keropok, satisfying the cravings for Eastern delight. Mum snapped a few and went, "Still alive! Hmm..."

To dad: retirement is around the corner but his spirit to teach isn't! Dad is the greatest leader in modern days, affecting everyone around him. I could not imagine how our lives would've turned out without dad. You're a real hero.

To mom: every little thing she does places some sort of magic to brighten up our lives. You're an angel on earth!

To Alya: all the best in SPM! It's time to shine and live your potentials. I have a good feeling that you'll excel in life.

Coming Home

Fire and Gas. Then Audit. Iman was also on the way back so we hitched the same ride to airport.

Somehow, the best part of the job is actually the trip back home. "I ain't there yet, but I could feel it already."

Blabber

As you begin a career, notice how time becomes even scarcer. Sometimes, employer asks of you personal contribution of time. It is expected. The reason why "real-world" is quite different than the one we face in college is mainly due to how uncertain things can be. Not only don't we know how things are going to turn out, sometimes it's pretty difficult to identify the steps to begin with. Many of the factors are beyond our control. To survive, we have to make many decisions based on limited information and also other constraints (things are not going as planned, last minute setbacks, unforeseen circumstances (weather, traffic jam, etc.), incompetency/lack of knowledge-experience)

Career is without a doubt, a loop to make us exchange time for money. That's what most people would do anyway. Since we don't have much capital to begin with, (capitalism is accelerating on this building block), almost everyone starts with sacrificing their time. Skill level only differentiates the income level but it doesn't take away the fact that time is still dominantly allocated to work. So, the only compensation any person can get is the love and belief for great work or personal contribution to others.

Excuse my blabbering.

I have a feeling the blueprint/prototype for back design is being re-used. OK, maybe change the lights a little.

Invention

Near-miss stories. Excerpt:

Windscreen wipe-out. In 1967, Robert Kearns invented the intermittent car windscreen wiper. He took the idea to Ford but after several years of talks, the company began offering the wipers without paying Kearns, who sued. The legal battles dragged on for more than 20 years. Although Kearns eventually won $10.7 million (Pounds 6 million) from Ford, he lost his case against General Motors.

The forgotten genius. Nikola Tesla, a Serbian immigrant to America, invented the modern electric power system, the fluorescent bulb, neon lights, the speedometer and the basics behind radio, radar and the microwave oven. Others made millions from his inventions but he was paid a flat $216,000 fee.

If I'm not mistaken, Alexander Graham Bell had also lost the phone patent case.

More evidence that being a genius is not everything, very much like, being successful and rich is not everything.

More here

House-mania

Can't wait to grab hold of the entire episodes of House on DVD(s). =) Thank you very much.

External forces

Had it not been for the easily-published nature of this site, I would've stopped everything entirely.

Nasi Dagang

It's been a while since the last time I had Nasi Dagang. It's one of my favorite dishes, especially the Terengganu style. Dad said that the skills to cook in such quality has diminished over time. In the older days, even the type of firewood to steam the rice (with a portion of sticky ones) is carefully selected, say, woods of Rambutan or rubber trees. Fish has got to be Tuna. Recalling my uncle and aunt's attempt to popularize it in KL a while back, nobody bought it until they switched the course to chicken curry! KL folks are just too modern for the original taste. Here's a site that has some info. And it's not "Trader's rice" in English. It's Traveler's instead (or Musafir).

In any case, I wish my future wife is an expert of Nasi Dagang.. =)

The Drive

There was a blood donation drive at the office today. I came early and donated some. It feels good. Red is not the color of blood. It's dark maroon. As soon as the nurse placed my own blood package underneath my hand, it felt warm, evident that blood does carry heat across human body.

It's much darker than that.

Err

I was too disappointed to even start thinking about writing. Wait. I've already started. Nah, forget it.

"To" make a difference

In a crash tragedy that happened roughly 20 years ago, a DHL carrier struck a hill near a well-known place in Klang valley. Here's what happened:

A) Being a flyer from Singapore, the pilot was not familiar and well-informed of local landing structure and airways, thus, landing would very much depend on air traffic control from the ground. Our air traffic control personnel, who was allegedly less fluent in English, instructed the pilot to "descend 5000 feet" instead of "descend to 5000 feet".

B) Imagine an airplane flying at 6000 feet above sea level. If that plane descends to just about a thousand feet above sea level, it would probably slam the ground if there was a hill underneath!!

Think about it. The only difference between a tragic crash (dead pilot, loss of a million or two) and a safe landing is just a two-letter word: TO.

Simple Poll

A) Bearded?
B) Moustached?
C) Goateed?
D) Clean-shaved?
E) 5 o'clock shadow?
F) Somewhere in between..?
G) None of the above --
(anything goes/doesn't matter/don't have preference/undecided)

Welcoming anonymous input as well.

What comes around goes around

Boot camp: Commentary

The reason why Steve Jobs is such a mogul in computer technology is, in my humble opinion, because of his principle.

What is it?
He responds to what users want, evident in the spurious improvements of Mac OS X and new features introduced to both software and hardware everytime Major Keynote comes. He's the only CEO I know (suggest to me if you know of others) who would say, "We've got a lot of request from the users. This is a popular request from OS X users. So we're giving it to you." In order to get what he wants, he gives others what they want. Proper.

What enables it?
Total control over the platform. Apple is in control over what it develops and successfully migrated from excess baggage in Mac OS 9 without losing much. Microsoft is hurting itself in a long run because Windows carries the excess baggage of previous versions in order to retain backward compatibility, which seems to be the key to retain the current market slice. Microsoft is holding on to what customers are giving to them (i.e. market share) first before thinking of what they can offer to them. "You give me what I want first, before I give you what you want." Improper.

What does user want, in the entire grand scheme of things?
"A stable and simple computer. Windows is bloated with instability, virus, and spywares. But I can't switch to other alternatives, because some of my files/programs are Windows-only. I cannot ditch my favorite Windows-only games either."

Therefore, what Jobs is offering to many of the frustrated Windows-bloated PC users out there is to try out new "Windows-friendlier" Intel Macs: "Here's the deal. You've got a new hardware. The software is very Windows friendly. And it's also Mac OS X based, so you can try that one out while you're at it."

Mac OS X simply works.

Back to Square 1

I'm not sure where that is, but that's where I am now. I sprained my left foot again after an hour of futsal. Back to swollen state. I thought 2 weeks rest was enough.

Face down

After Katrina hits...

A wonderful opportunity

As unbelievable as it may be, I have been actually nominated to be part of a Quality audit. This is an excellent opportunity to know more! It's only for about three days but I'm excited about it. It's not easy being in the position of checking other's job and/or compliance, but at least I can once again relive the sweeper's era!

Malaysia can or cannot?

What can we do?

As far as our nation is concerned, we are living well because of our resources. We're rich in 'good' petroleum, quality timber, excellent rubber, magnificent palm oil, and so on and so forth. And plus, we don't have very much natural disasters.

That's why Malaysia has one of the most 'laid-back' communities on this planet earth. We spent almost quarter a million for a single lamp post in Putrajaya (correct me on this.) Our construction folks dig holes on the road just for the other teams to fill it up again. Traffic lights will eventually hold off traffic instead of organizing it. Water supply quality deteriorates, as in, it is OK to provide good water only 80% of the time. Restricted sewerage flow causes flash floods in major cities (i.e. recent S.Alam and Klang inundation). We fill up our children schoolbags with books that they don't use. Despite the rise of Sekolah Bestari (Smart School) and all the IT introduction into education, we still fill them bags with the same amount of books (well, shouldn't we be decreasing it at least?)

Then, we spent almost another quarter million to reward an athlete instead of provide incentives for other sportsmen to become professionals. If people can't make a living as professional athletes (unlike in outside of third world countries), how would people economically decide to be part of it? Why do you still pay a premium of twenty ringgit or something when not a single minute is recorded on your land-line phone? Why are our graduates unemployed? Why is the crime rate climbing up? Why do spend 500 ringgit a month for entertainment gameshows SMS votes?

Back to the original scope -- how smart are we, by only exporting these resources? Why shouldn't we start processing and producing finished goods out of these resources? Maybe we do some electronics, gloves and certain tires. But we ceased our rubber research and sold off our quality woods by the sticks. And then we buy back all the finished products from overseas like polished furniture, parts (washers, seals, etc.), some garments, you name it. As long as we become more of a producer than just exporter (I'm not saying exporting is bad for economy) and reduce importing 'technological products' from overseas, we'll be better off in a long run.

Perhaps we should.. (lost my train of thought. Will continue later if I have time & the opportunity to do so...)

You Cane Do it

Learn how Brazil does it. They're not only good at football (US: soccer) you know.

Hub

Z.A.N. is back ONLINE. Wireless wonder.

Plug out

For once, I'm going to share a slice of my inner complexity, a piece of layer-1 that rarely goes out. Since I'm going to have to pull the plug in a few months time anyway (if I don't, the Server will), let's just savor this mixed situation. Not that I expect anyone to be reading this, but if that's the case, bear in mind that all this 'bebel' (borrow Intan's term) is going to end pretty soon. Unless the server time extends or "think-type" technology becomes available to me, I will most probably let go of this run. We'll see.

[I'm just gonna lump it all... no continuity... ]

First of all, it's about my communication. Nope. It's not about utterance. It's about connectivity. I have a problem getting in tune sometimes. What can I do? What can I offer? What haven't I done? Why do some people refuse to talk to me? Or am I the one refusing? Why is it quite difficult to fit in?

I'm on a fast track, hence, I grow old very quick too. Chin Sang Fah of S. China Sea said that I'm losing my hair fast. And I'm not as energetic any more. How do I slow down? Or perhaps, is my life actually not fast enough? What I am missing? Would I rather be somewhere else? Why can't I make full use of every moment?

I want to do more good. I want to help more people. I cried thinking about how useless I am sometimes. What is within my control? What can't I be in control? What is the essence of life?

Sometimes, I don't feel comfortable being myself -- which is about the worst thing I could do to my own integrity. Why do I live in the past? Why would I wanna be someone else? Why do I often hate my actions/reactions? Why do I keep regretting over something I can't change?

Maybe I should give it a spin. Talk to people I don't even know. Understand books I've never read. Listen to songs I've never heard of. There's a pleasure in doing even the little things. Combing hair. Deep breath. Closing eyes for a moment. Smiling.

In the end, it's about how you conform to His standards. Not how cold people look at/treat you.

Unbelievable

Come in early. Go back late. Didn't get the break approved. Receive work some more.

Stars

I look at the many stars in a bottle... now only a few are shining.

Sudoku

It took me roughly 3 hours to solve this level 10. Try it.

I was just giving it a try at first. Now I'm beginning to like it.

Unlike any other...

I was attending another Seseri event, a sports day where the cheers outshine even the most fanatic of M'sian football fans. There were all sorts of "Ole-Ole", "Balik Kampung, Tanam Jagung", and "Ale Ale Ale" hurrah propagating to every inch of the B.B. Selayang stadium. It's the closest you get to an overseas sports event setup (mascots and all, minus popcorn and hot dogs).

(There's a crocodile on the loose!)



























And dragons, and skeletons. OK. It's beyond control now.

More pictures here.

A revelation:
I don't think I suit football jersey and sports snickers no more. Sir Chin S.F. of South China Sea said I'm already losing my hair fast, way beyond my age. And now I remember someone told me that I qualify for a 30-year old man (you know who you are.) But I'm trying my best adhering to "youth is a just state of mind... and, you can be 40 but still young at heart, etc."

Saturday Activities

Shorter grass. Deeper thoughts. Chicken Little.

Job ripples

It's been a long week and it certainly hasn't been an easy one. Looking forward to a weekend rest. I'm so tired. (Included in the expectation is bumping over the weekend. How do you compensate valuable time?)

Up and around

What makes the world go round?

-mysteriously confused

Make your own caption time

Hitching a ride up! (tagline borrowed from vowe.net) - actual scene taken at construction site near Midvalley Megamall.

No Show

What a bummer. 2 accidents on the road and you missed the show. Traffic these days are REALLY BAD.

Medical Officer

In addition to Whose Line Is It Anyway, I might add Dr. House to my list of favorite.

We need a few "straight-shooters" in our society.

Melancholia

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts... and I don't (fully) understand why...

"Experience teaches slowly and at the cost of mistakes"
James A. Froude (1818-1894), British historian

Long Day

SK Sports Day - IT Center - OU - TTDI. Booked another Z.A.N. Watched the Brothers Grimm.

Watching the sport events at Jln2 SKBBB from the sideline reminded me of so many things during the early days. I was here participating in 4 by 200m about 12 years ago. Now, I can only watch. Ashbi and friends represented Bendahara (blue house) in a 4 by 100m relay. The pitch was slightly wet.

I passed by a bicycle park shelter nearby the second entrance to the school compound. My head nearly bumped on the inner roof-support beams as I strolled pass the familiar spot, a place where I used to play as a kid. Those support bars, I thought, were not even close to reach then. I was a small boy indeed.

Some memories started to pull together. I don't remember being physically tough in the early days. What I clearly remember is how unpopular someone was without the participation in sports. Those who were active in variety of sport competitions, inside and outside, would almost automatically become famous. Being a nerd a.k.a book-geek myself, I walked pass all the commotion like slicing a butter. It's not that I didn't like sports. I just didn't have much of that in the early years and I was more into mathematics and all.

The best part about being semi-atheltic is to have it both ways. During Alam Shah years, I started developing the physique as required by the activities (among a number of reasons why I feel grateful to join SAS) as in Silat, Kadet Bersatu (the Army school cadet), football, futsal at the basketball court, mid & long distance run, etc. And that went on without sacrificing any part of the academics (another reason to be beholden to the experience there). Even though I wasn't the top-notch superstars like Jasmiza the man with 3 hearts, Syed, Fahmi, Khairi the top ruggers, or Jasin (Firdaus Zainal), Luqman and Fariz the sprinters, I remember being content with whatever I was into. I made the choice. There were black moments here and there but it was beneficial for character building overall.

I don't consider myself as an athlete. But do I believe in staying healthy with some physical activities? You bet.

Attitude

You can buy any world-class facilities, but can you buy a world-class attitude? I doubt it.