Somewhere Only You Know

Moving...

2009-03-19T23:03:00.005+08:00

After all the tensions and frustrations I went through with Blogger, I have decided to move to the Mejournals domain. Mejournals is using a local Malaysian server which makes blogging blazing fast.

Getting to the point, my new blog url is...

kai.mejournals.com

Though Blogger might be troubling at times, I still found myself enjoying every bit of my blogging experience right here. If any of Blogger's personnel is reading this, I sincerely advise you guys to give it more functions and yet retain that user-friendliness you have.

I have found joy right here like no other and I will spend my last moments here thanking you guys.

Signing out,

Kai.

Lingual Problems?

2009-03-16T23:09:00.007+08:00

Has something really gone wrong with English for science and maths? So far as I've experienced, the new application of English is good for the nation's success in the future.

Due to some little demonstrations of unhappy people around towns and kampungs, our education minister has decided to do a report on whether the use of English is good or bad. Oh, it is just a minority of students and teachers, out of the entire learning population of the country. For me, (actually not just me, for us) it is all pros and no cons at all.

You won't lose your identiti bangsa if you learn science and math in English, right?

I mean, come on. The application of English was a smart move by the government because at that time they knew it was important for the future of our nation's thrive at science and mathematics. Look at the international stuff - it really drives people crazy when you mix up the use of science and maths between English and Bahasa Malaysia.

Oxygen - Oksigen (or was it oksijen?)

Probability - Kebarangkalian (ke-whatwhatwhat...?)

Linear programming - Pengaturcaraan linear (oh what the hell...)

Clearly, it is actually bad for us to learn it in BM. In international levels, now that's what matters in this era of globalisation, we don't want people spelling oksigen. Oh my... that would make quite a laugh.

We want people like this:

Nano Supremacy

2009-02-22T22:41:00.010+08:00

I have to say, and insist, that the latest Apple iPod Nano is a true beauty.

Beauty in the inside, as well as outside.

Believe me, when I got my hands on it, it seems to "click" with me very well. The nano is ultra-slim, and I wanna stress on this. ULTRA SLIM! When I grasp it, it feels so soft, tender, light and feathery.

Yet, it packs a punch within the solid casing. It not only has the ability to play music, but also movies, podcasts, photos... as well as rolling album arts, play accelerometer-programmed games, utilise the highly successful genius option, on-the-go playlist... and the list goes on.

If you think that the new Nano is another mundane, MP3 player... well, you are wrong.

It is an innovation that Apple has mastered in. Mixing chic art with technology. It truly wins the hearts and minds of modern people.

Hehe... I am one of them!

Just Trying to Blurt Out Somewhat...

2009-02-14T21:26:00.004+08:00

Been a long time since I last blogged. A lack of inspiration, maybe? But to all faithful readers (I know who you are), my apologies.

Since I admit I have run dry of resources to blog about ever since 2009 began, I will have to sum up some interesting stuff that occured/might occur around us.

One of the "might occurs" is our DPM's rise to power. Can Najib be a better leader than our current one? Will he lead us to a bright future. Many speculate doubts about him, linking him with the case of the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya. Look, I'm trying to be positive here... I and want to believe that Najib will do his job well.

-Don't let us down, bloke.

And well, one of the "occured" was a terrible incident at Perak. A political mayhem. What a mess. This truly shows that some MPs or ADUNs are not faithful to one party, but are altered egos. It reflects the true nature of politics: dirty and cheating

Sigh... democracy around the world is dying. If the Perak people chose the Pakatan, due to some irresponsible defectors, the people's choice is altered. This isn't democracy.

I hope our future is bright... for the good of all Malaysians.

US: The Barbarians of History

2009-01-20T20:10:00.008+08:00

All along, the media have persuaded us to believe that the Americans are always the protagonists of all wars. Yes, all wars. Almost every single modern warfare includes American intervention/decision-making and/or indirect support.

Back in time...

Ever since World War II, that pivotal attack on Pearl Harbour by the Imperial Japanese, sparked the bloodthirsty violence of the Americans. Well, they are the most resourceful nation on Earth, and have the most systematic military prowess, accompanied by cutting-edge weapon technology to put into trial. The Japanese were a bit foolish to provoke a beast like the US, bombing the shit outta Pearl Harbour, therefore unleashing the hidden powers within the beast.

Of course, without the help of the Americans, the Europeans would fall swiftly to Nazi Germany. But after defeating Germany, they literally single-handedly levelled Berlin to rubble and debris, killing a huge amount of people. In Japan, the Americans also "bullied" the Japanese by capturing the islands surrounding mainland Japan. Then they began the slaughter. Almost 67 cities were bombarded with heavy weaponry as well as airstrikes, killing another huge amount of people.

What I'm trying to point out here, isn't that the US are totally antagonists, but they commited very sinful war crimes. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were a result of American decision. It was an executive order from US president Harry Truman. The first ever atomic bomb was the largest war crime ever commited, killing innocent civilians by the hundreds of thousands.

In Vietnam, they did exactly the same. It was a result of the cold war between communism and the free world. Vietnam was a "laboratory" for Russia and USA to test their new weaponry, and the Vietnamese were just pawns in a large chess game. This time however, the US did a "hands-on" job on the war.

When I went to Vietnam and witnessed the horrific incidents of the war, I could only imagine how ruthless the Americans were. The use of biochemical weapons, although disobeying the regulations set by the UN, was implied. It was an abuse of power, and the war crimes go on without any punishment. They were, more or less, exonerated from any conviction for huge guilts. The UN keeps one eye closed for the meantime.

Vietnam resulted in a massive number of Vietnamese as well as American casualties. This time, the Americans lost the war!!! Although having massacred countless people, the Americans retreated and gave up fighting communism. Ho Chi Minh then went on to capture Saigon and announced communist victory over both South Vietnam and the US. But before the Vietnam war, there was also a Korean War, a war against communism and the US also lost to the North Koreans. That war also included a massive massacre of Koreans. Due to the lack of info on this subject, I shall leave it out.

The most recent failure was against terrorism and dictatorship in Iraq. Yes, it was easy to wipe Saddam Hussein off the face of the Earth, but it was absolutely difficult to wipe out the extremist insurgents. It was another failure for the badass Americans, whose deaths number to the thousands, and innocent deaths of Iraqis also mounting to the thousands.

Now, they're better, more conservative. By not interventing between the Battle of Gaza, they seem less violent a race. But by indirectly supporting Israel, they're fueling the war on and on. When will it ever end?

Modern, global wars that directly involve USA:

1. Spanish-American War

2. World War I

3. World War II

4. Cold War

5. Korean War

6. Vietnam War

7. Gulf War

8. Iraq War

Not persuaded by my thoughts? Think again.

Classic CS or the New Source?

2009-01-10T15:06:00.005+08:00

The term CS has more commonly used for Counter-Strike rather than dictionary's civil service. Yes, Counter-Strike is one of the most popular and influential games ever produced. The game is included in all gaming competitions, and boasts a lot of fans.

If you're an energized person who wishes nothing more than fast-paced, heart-racing gameplay, CS is the game for you. Instead of just fraggin' bots, CS has turned to the online world for more intense gameplay. Indeed, it has become, again, one of the most popular multiplayer games to date.

The more popular versions of CS is the classic CS 1.6, CS: Condition Zero and CS: Source. All three of them derive from the Half-Life source engine, with Source utilising Half-Life 2 engine. Since Condition Zero is only an expansion pack for the original CS, I will leave that out. The main point of debate is between 1.6 and Source.

CS: Source boasts fantastic graphics but with humble system requirements. CS 1.6 is the classic game where it all came from. But which game, suits the multiplayer gameplay more?

Since I have played both games before, I came out with a conclusion. Apparently, CS:S gives you a comfortable environment, a soothing atmosphere for gaming. But of the gameplay, it seems less than perfect. I personally think (it may not be true but hey, it's an opinion) that the gunshooting scenes are a bit flawed. The guy who nails the first shot on the other guy will certainly win the duel, well unless you can hide behind walls or whatever. But if it's a fight to the death... it will be "first come, first served".

CS 1.6 gives less oomph in the environment but gives more attention to the gunshooting gameplay sequence. The battles in 1.6 are more than intense than that of the new Source. Even the bots are smarter than Source. I have not detected than bugs or flaws in CS 1.6's gameplay and it seems to be the best FPS game I've ever played.

However, both games remain extremely popular to this day. Some of the gamers prefer 1.6, some may like Source. But for all of them, they all know Counter-Strike.

For me however, CS 1.6 OWNS.

The Tunnels of Cu Chi

2008-12-28T14:28:00.007+08:00

We don't see any Vietcong, but the Vietcong forces are everywhere! - a troubled American soldier

The Vietnam War was one of the bloodiest battles in recent times. When I went there to see what was left behind of the war, I was absolutely blown away. The Vietcong's patriotism was more than anybody would have imagined, succesfully fighting off the mighty American forces, albeit fighting without modern weaponry.

- Me, lurking around the tunnels

Most of all, the symbol of guerilla warfare introduced by the Vietcong was the Cu Chi tunnels.

The vast network of underground tunnels was a sight to behold, though you couldn't actually see the entire structure. You can imagine, like an entire city hidden beneath the surface, the Vietcong communist forces lurk around a huge American base above, ready to strike at anytime, anywhere.

-Booby traps within the tunnels

The network of claustrophobic tunnel complex span at least 25 kilometers long. They're filled with homes, hospitals, kitchens, armouries, shooting bunkers, command centres, meeting rooms, as well as deadly booby traps. When I went there, I was officially speechless.

- The original hole for the Vietcong forces to *disappear*, my dad having trouble getting out of it.

Sadly for the Vietcong, the Americans managed to pump deadly toxic gases into the tunnels to eliminate the threat they failed to overcome. And in the end, in the tunnels alone, more than 10,000 Vietcong patriots died.

A Warning: the long trail that the guide would offer you to go is not for the claustrophobic.

Serpent Encounter

2008-12-25T11:34:00.004+08:00

There I was, about a week ago, in Ho Chi Minh City, Southern Vietnam.

Vietnam, being a superb tourist destination spot, obviously thrilled me very much. The trip was unexpectedly fun. A country whose status is lower than the country you live in always try their very best to satisfy you. That was a fact when visiting India, Cambodia, and now Vietnam. It makes you enjoy. They provide top-class food, excellent service and a whole lot of privacy.

Going to a third world country makes you feel patriotic.

But the experience was not the main topic. I had experienced it already in several third world nations. It was the first time I held a snake that was interesting...

There I was, in the Mekong River Delta, on an island called Coconut Island. Our guide led us to a small little hut in the middle of a thick rainforest. There was the snake - a huge, beautifully patterned python, at least 2 meters long. Our guide picked it up with his bare hands, and asked who will like to, try it out.

My mom ran berserkedly away, covering her eyes. My dad tried to avoid seeing the gruesome snake. Only I didn't run, I stepped up to let the snake drape on my back. It was damn heavy! And so, the snake seemed to stare at me, tongue sltihering out often. Another tourist, it might have thought.

So i touched its slender body. The body felt cold, as it was a cold blooded animal. I could feel the insides of the huge python gurgling and writhing, trying to slip away. And then it was over. Our guide placed the snake back into the cage.

So I had to say bye to the beautiful snake. The experience was worth it. Words cannot describe it. You have it to try it out yourself.

A Wait Too Long

2008-12-23T12:11:00.007+08:00

The long awaited sequel to the famous predecessor seemed to disappoint us in the LONG WAIT. Although Starcraft 2 decides to launch a trilogy of the game, it does not lack in depth of gameplay.

The Blizzard team has spent a long time developing the game, possibly spending more than half of the time balancing each faction's strengths as well as exploiting its weaknesses. The success of the first Starcraft was because of each faction's vast difference in combat tactics and yet still very well balanced gameplay.

So, the first ever battle report of the game has been released. This is only the alpha version of the game, not even beta. Don't expect the players to throw every tactic at each other.

It was a battle between 2 game designers - Terran vs Protoss.

And, the battle was so intense and fiery. The Korean Terran player was extremely versatile and deserved the win. The protoss player also did well in harassing the enemy. The game will soon topple the likes of Command and Conquer or other RTS games. C&C, with its latest release of Red Alert 3, will received a smack in the ass when SC2 is released. It will be a big hit, mark my words.

Oh, and... Zerg hasn't even been fully released yet. Damn.

A Quiet X'mas

2008-12-15T14:42:00.003+08:00

I could remember the past years of school holidays. The air was filled with christmas mood. Every single mall we went to, christmas songs were chiming away with joy, people sang along. Even some malls invited Santa Claus costume men to help light up the wonderful festival.

This year's pre-christmas was, unsurprisingly, quiet.

The global financial crisis has taken its toll. Usually during christmas, people at malls would spend freely, buying christmas presents for their loved ones. Now that the world's economy was bad, the festive mood isn't there anymore. The magic has evaporated.

Even the non-stop christmas songs played in shopping malls fail to cheer up the people. The people, right now, try to save as much as possible, bracing for worse economic meltdowns. It is bad. Really bad.

Not only christmas was quiet, even Deepavali was not much celebrated of. Deepavali unfortunately fell on the period of time when the stock market tumbled. But still, Malaysia is fortunate enough to resist the terrible financial crisis which hit USA, Germany and Japan hard.

It is indeed, very difficult to build the festive mood we once had before.

Oh come on, this happens. I hope the crisis will not dampen the New Year mood, as well as Chinese New Year.

Ermm... merry christmas.

Pirates...

2008-12-09T13:19:00.007+08:00

Seriously, in reality, there are plenty of pirates. Not the fictional wacky versions of Pirates of the Carribean or the cheesy Captain Hook. These are real-life pirates.

Currently there are two types of them:

1. Somali pirates who seize ships to demand a ransom

2. Malaysian pirates who illegally reproduce media without copyrights

The Somali pirates are dangerous pirates, like the ones we see on television. However, they have gone modern. Instead of swords and old-fashioned guns, they now have modern weapons like AK-47 and rocket-propelled grenades.

And, the Somali government cannot do anything about them. What's most likely happening, is the fact that the pirates are so rich after obtaining profit by capturing passing ships. They could bribe the government forces so much so they won't seize them, instead, provide them with arms.

In the news, we hear plenty of reports of trading vessels held in captivity by these pirates. Still, not much action is taken by the Somali government. However, other nations like the USA and France prepare to retake the vessels they once owned. It is as if the pirates are like the Mafia in Italy, controlling the entire country's economy.

And back in Malaysia, I was strolling in a mall in OUG. A mall named Citrus Park. Once I entered the ground floor, I saw a vendor clearly renting a shop, displaying hundreds of DVDs. With that, dozens of people surrounding the shop. Apparently, right here in Malaysia, the people love the pirates.

And I went on and I saw a kiosk, selling a lot of PC games. It was there I bought Red Alert 3. After purchasing my stuff, I was smiling and telling myself, I'll be coming back here. Clearly, I love these pirates too!

So, a message to Polis Diraja Malaysia: Stop busting these pirates. They are the heart and soul of media in this country.

Blizzard's Eye for Success

2008-11-30T21:21:00.003+08:00

Warcraft. Starcraft. Diablo.

These terms are not game names. They are worlds. Three distinctively different and captivating worlds of the gaming universe. These three worlds created by Blizzard have been so popular, it has made Blizzard possibly the best gaming company in history.

The three games essentially started off in the 90's, and started a huge gamer popularity. Warcraft and Starcraft kicked off as one of a kind real-time strategy games. Whereas Diablo took the path of a role-playing game. All three became huge successes, destined to bring more.

Warcraft 2 improvised the gameplay of the original Warcraft, as Diablo II did the same. It was with Warcraft 3 in which Blizzard truly shines. The first 3D game for Blizzard struck the gaming world with a bang. Filled with fascinating gameplay and graphics, it was Blizzard token for success.

Not only did Blizzard shine in Warcraft 3, but also in the entire Warcraft series. When Icefrog introduced a role-playing multiplayer mod for Warcraft 3, the series took another huge leap forward in success. The popular mod, named Defense of the Ancients, more commonly known as DotA, sparked Blizzard to innovate their game. Unlike their RTS rivals Command and Conquer, who only focuses on RTS games, Blizzard innovates.

Henceforth, not long after the introduction of DotA, a new MMORPG was released. World of Warcraft. WOW became the most played game in the world, with over 10 million subscribers worldwide. The recent launch of Wrath of the Lich King, the third expansion to WOW, cracked the game sales record previously set by its predecessor, the Burning Crusade.

Blizzard knows people would pay for an MMORPG. Thus, their innovation leads to a great success in business. Compared with other gaming companies, Blizzard always wins.

And now, Blizzard looks to inflict more pain into other gaming companies. Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 is ready to be released pretty soon. These games might just add to Blizzard's smile just as the success of the Warcraft series did.

Blizzard is now, I must say, a religion. People worship them.

Fancy Mice: Worth It?

2008-11-26T11:45:00.004+08:00

The gaming age.

In this techonology-booming world, games emerge as sporting events. Video games, I mean. Gamers now hold their heads high, paticipating in tournaments all across the globe. They love it.

Enterprising folks, like Razer, came out with special mice desgined for PC gamers. Gaming mice. Of course, other than perfectly accurate and terrific looks, they're bloody expensive.

Why, Razer? You're earning too much profit.

One question for you all: is it worth paying hundreds of Ringgit purchasing fancy gaming mice? Seriously, no. You could pay so much less cash, get a mediocre mouse, and still able to get your opponent pwned in the game.

You really don't need thousands of dpi just to get a headshot on your opponent. You don't need the sparkling LED lights on your keyboard to show off to your friends. All the profit that Razer earns, comes from peer pressure.

I bet, plenty of people realise what I am saying here is true. Yet, they still get the Razer mice, just for the brand. For example, why do people get a Nike shoe instead of a cheap brand shoe, knowing that you pay so much for a shoe that functions the same?

Doesn't matter if it's an FPS game, RPG, RTS, sports or whatever. Your skill is the key to victory, not your keyboard or your mouse.

What's important is not the gaming gear. It's your skill.

Play hard.

The Impossible Cube

2008-11-24T12:40:00.006+08:00

Look at this colourful cube. So simple it is built, yet so difficult to comprehend.

Extremely difficult, it is.

Without a mathematician to propose a series of solutions and/or formulae, it is practically impossible for one to completely solve the puzzle. Of course, currently plenty of people have the ability to solve the seemingly-impossible puzzle, thanks to the various solutions facilitated by advanced mathematicians.

It has troubled people ever since. It is the very symbol of IQ itself. People who could solve the cube are often regarded as smart. But what intelligence is there when you could just refer to the solutions given? The mathematicians who worked out the solution is the symbol of IQ.

However, it is said to be the world's best-selling toy, with sales approximately up to 300,000,000 worldwide in 2005 itself.

Seriously, no one but advanced mathematicians know how hard it is to solve a Rubik's Cube.

Looks can be deceiving. Simple structure, and countless possibilities.

Mahathir: Whose side is he on?

2008-11-18T19:28:00.004+08:00

Tun Dr Mahathir... our former premier, a great doctor and an aspirational prime minister. Yet, after his retirement, he confuses us with his staggering remarks on politics.

Zooming back in time, he sentenced his deputy Anwar Ibrahim to jail, condemning him for corruption and sodomy. Till now, he holds a strong grudge toward Anwar, more or less... afraid of Anwar's rise to power.

Couple of years ago, he blamed current prime minister Abdullah Badawi for not being a good PM. Abdullah calls them "venomous darts hurled at him". And yet, till now, Mahathir stills holds a similar grudge toward him. Moreover, he blasted Samyvellu, our former works minister, for being racist. Look who's the racist here?

Mahathir dislikes the opposition leader, and holds a prejudice on the government leader.

Recently Mahathir left UMNO. That staggering move shocked us all. Mahathir leaves the party he has sworn to support. After this, which party will he join... PAS? In this case, if he does not side the BN, nor does he side the opposition, whose side is he on?

For his persepctives on Malaysian politics, visit www.chedet.com

Change It Is!

2008-11-11T12:08:00.006+08:00

Indeed, with the victory of Barack Obama, change has come not only to America, but to the world. Across the globe, millions of people celebrate the change of government and race of the most influential and powerful man in the world.

Actually, why do people crave for change so much?

It's simply beacuse of the negative effects of the current government which causes the uproar of the people. In the US, the worst financial crisis in decades hit them hard. People get fed up of the Republican rule and opted for a change in economic policies provided by Democrat Barack Obama.

In Malaysia, change too, is needed. The March 8 general elections showed the people's true feelings of the current BN government. However, the BN still won by a slim margin.

It is, still, the day Malaysians finally woke up. They did not fear the consequences of racial tensions as what happened in May 13, 1969.

Racial tensions never happened at all. Races were united under PKR, which emphasizes on multi-racial success, in contrast to the BN's component parties. Anwar Ibrahim's bid to takeover the government is alive once again as PKR gains momentum alongside opposition parties DAP and PAS, assisted by the BN's decreasing popularity.

Is there a similarity between them?

Let there be change!

Creation or Evolution?

2008-10-27T14:35:00.006+08:00

A common controversial question. We, humans, were created or evolved? Well, all religions believe in creation, but scientific explanations proves otherwise. Scientists believe we were evolved, as all living organisms do. In this case, both theories of creation and evolution cannot be totally proved correct.

Most people, who are faithful in God, believes God created us. Out of nothing. There is, however, no living proof of this, thus, inacceptable worldwide. All you need is to believe it.

Somehow more acceptable, yet controversial theory is evolution. The theory suggests all living things are related. From a single cell, to a microscopic organism, to a fish, to a reptile, to mammals, to apes and finally to humans.

The arguable fact of creation or evolution is currently a sensitive issue. Hence, evolution is never mentioned in science or history books, to avoid causing an uproar of fundamentalists.

Were we created or evolved?

Apparently, we might never find out...

Game Review: Assassin's Creed

2008-10-25T15:33:00.010+08:00

"Nothing is true, but everything is permitted," - Altair

The setting dating back to the 12th century, during the 3rd crusade. Jerusalem was under Salahadin's control, and King Richard had a victory in Acre. Both the Saracens and Crusaders are at loggerheads, poised to bring a war to the Holy Land once again.

It is up to neutral people like assassins to bring peace to the Holy Land. Based in Masyaf, Syria, the assassins like Altair hunt down various leaders of all kinds to end all conflicts. The evil leaders are bloodthirsty plague bringers and warmakers, who advise and help to plot conflicts between the forces of the Crusades.

I have to personally say, this is a phenomenal game which will be carved in my memory for a long time to come. The most enjoyable thing about this game is its uniqueness. No other game offers what it does. Climb buildings, engage in swordfights, run a rooftop escape, assassinate targets. There are many small little icings that engineer this game to near perfection.

One drawback is, the ending is confusing and disappointing. Nonetheless, a game you must try out, if you have a powerful rig. I recommend a multi-core processor, a GPU able to support DirectX 10, and at least 2GB RAM; to run the game at lowest graphics quality smoothly.

Oh, and one more positive element - the music is wonderful, composed by Jesper Kyd.

I give a big 9.7 out of 10.

Ecstasy

2008-10-17T19:50:00.004+08:00

Three years of struggle has finally ended. Lower Secondary is over, we're on to Higher Secondary. The end of PMR signified a full-stop to the former.

And the ecstasy came along.

I completed the Geography paper this morning within less than half the given time. Then I stared at the clock. 8.40am.

Well, the time given was from 8.15 to 9.30am. And I wondered why did they give so much time. Instead if idling around, I simply flipped through my question paper. The simple questions stared back at me, seemingly easing a smile at me, telling me that the war was over.

I smiled back. 8.45am.

Nothing to do, I flipped the question paper over to the front cover. The logo of Lembaga Peperiksaan Malaysia glared with honour. I smiled yet again. Then I looked at the most eye- catching words listed there.

JANGAN BUKA KERTAS SOALAN INI SEHINGGA DIBERITAHU

Smiling, i choked a laugh at this command. Since we were given so much time to do the paper, why give such a strict rule? Even though you opened the booklet, the invigilators cannot do anything to prosecute you. A fool playing by the rules.

8.55am.

Placed my head on the table, being very sleepy. Dozed off in semi-concious mode. Woke up and lost track of time. Possibly 9.15. Everyone was in relax mode.

In the final dying moments, a couple of my friends gazed at the clock. Second by second they count in unison, one heart, one soul. And in minutes it was over.

Screams echoed around the school. The feel of euphoria was everywhere.

The feel of ecstasy.

The Truth

2008-09-12T16:30:00.008+08:00

Ever since mankind existed on Earth, questions began popping out of every single human. How did we come here? How was Earth formed? How was the unvierse formed? How? How? How? Now advanced physics knowledge can end that conspiracy and mysteries.

They're trying to prove the Big Bang. More or less, recreate it.

The brightest brains and minds of the world are gathered at CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire) in Geneva, Switzerland to solve the mystery. First they needed to create a bang, a cataclysmic explosion known as the Big Bang, proposed by Edwin Hubble. How?

A circular tube, buried hundred meters underground, is the key to it. The ring is 27 km in circumference and 8km in diameter. The large ring stretches into France and back into CERN which is the largest physics lab in the world.

What they're gonna do, is to vacuum the tube. It'll soon become ice cold. Then physicists will fire a particle in the tube. Once this is done, electromagnets surrounding the tube will switch on and off, thus moving the particle. Another one will be fired in the opposite direction. It will take some time for the particle to be fully charged to the speed of light, up to 288,000 km per second, which is circulating the ring 11,000 times per second.

By the time it moves at lightspeed, the particle gathers a lot of energy. So does the other one. With sufficient energy the physicists will collide the two particles at lightspeed. It will be an epic blast. The theory E=mc² is applicable here. Here's an explanation how...

"If a force is applied to an object in the direction of motion, the object gains momentum. It also gains energy because the force is doing work. But an object cannot be accelerated to the speed of light, regardless of how much energy it absorbs. Its momentum and energy continue to increase, but its speed approaches a constant value--- the speed of light. This means that in relativity the momentum of an object cannot be a constant times the velocity, nor is the kinetic energy given by ½mv²."

- wikipedia

But there are worries of course. Certain physicists disagree with this crazy experiment, insisting that it is too risky. They proposed that the experiment might result in the creation of black holes within the ground, hence causing the Earth to implode.

Whatever it is, we are hungry for the truth.

Sept 16 - The True Merdeka?

2008-09-05T21:30:00.004+08:00

"Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!" - Tunku Abdul Rahman, 31/8/57 and 16/9/63.

Malaya, not Malaysia, got its independence from the imperial British on the prosperous day of 31st August 1957. But now we are Malaysia, together with Sabah and Sarawak, and our country's independence day is September 16th 1963.

Malaysia's only 45 years old, although Malaya's already 51. Ignorance of the East Malaysians is somewhat disgraceful. Together, we are Malaysia. Even Tunku Abdul Rahman yelled MERDEKA seven times after Sabah and Sarawak joined Malaysia, in Stadium Merdeka.

It was a more glorious day than 31st August 1957. The works of our dedicated politicians freeing the states of Sabah, Sarawak; and even Brunei and Singapore. It was only 45 years ago the British left our lands. Malaysian land.

Malaysia's true merdeka day.

At present, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is extremely confident he can create history by Sept 16 2008. He believes he can topple the ruling government, thus marking the 45th anniversary of Malaysia's independence day. What a day it would be.

According to Malaysiakini, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's bid to seize power will fail, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said, while promising to thwart attempts to overthrow his government.

- extracted from malaysiakini.com

A heap of controversy and doubts over this Sept 16 feat. Opposition seems confident, so does the governmental party.

What would the outcome be? Is it worth all the enthusiasm?

A Bitter Solution

2008-09-04T17:40:00.007+08:00

The bitter melon. Not much of a bitter flavour, but full of fragrance and benefits to life.

That's why I love bitter melons so much. So do plenty of Malaysians including Malays, Chinese and Indians. They taste so well when stewed or stir fried, you should try it out!

1 Anti-Malaria
A lab study proves that the bitter compounds within the fruit is made of quinine - a beneficial drug. Quinine's unique trait allows it to treat and prevent malaria. Laboratory studies have confirmed that various species of bitter melon have anti-malarial activity.

2 Anti-HIV
Lab studies also believe that bitter melon is effective to HIV infections, as most compounds isolated from bitter melon that impact HIV have either been proteins or glycoproteins lectins. It is possible oral ingestion of bitter melon could offset negative effects of anti-HIV drugs, if a test tube study can be shown to be applicable to people.

3 Anti-Diabetes
Plenty of folk wisdom suggest and often insist that bitter melons helps prevent or counteract type-II diabetes, although scientific claim is limited. Bitter melons contain bioactive compounds that activate a protein called AMPK, which is well known for regulating fuel metabolism and enabling glucose uptake, processes which are impaired in diabetics.

Hmm... looks as if this "bitter" fruit has plenty of benefits to life. Work on, scientists, prove you can cure diseases with this gift to life!

Stars of Beijing

2008-08-26T16:15:00.016+08:00

The 2008 Olympics were over in a flash. Beijing has broken several world records and cracked olympic records. Thanks to the mighty athletes of the world who pushed themselves to the limits of human power. Here they are...

1. Usain Bolt jamaica running

Three events. Three golds. Three world records.

Usain "Thunder" Bolt has struck Beijing which such force that stuns the entire anxious crowd at the Bird's Nest Stadium. 100m sprint completed in 9.69 seconds, 200m run completed in 19.3 seconds and 4X100m relay completed with his fellow Jamaicans at another world record pace.

What a runner.

2. Michael Phelps usa swimming

Probably the greatest swimmer of all time. Phelps has realised his dream, grabbing a total of 8 gold medals in Beijing.

More like a dolphin than human, Phelps has the perfect body line for aquatics. Totally unbeatable in all events - butterfly, freestyle, relay; he is unstoppable.

3. Yelena Isinbayeva russia polevault

Yelena has already cracked her own world record a couple of times.

She's done it again in Beijing, vaulting over 5.05 meters to extend the women's world record height in pole vault. Higher, higher!

4. Guo Jingjing china diving

Another aquatics sensation. This time from the other side of the world, and in diving.

Grabbed quite a number of golds in Athens and Beijing, both in synchronised and solo effort. Poised to be the greatest diver of all time, and considered the most successful woman athlete in China.

5. Rafael Nadal spain tennis

What a successful season he has had. Two grand slam titles up his sleeves, and dozens more to come.

Tennis wonderkid Nadal has claimed no.1 ranking for the first time and also clinching a gold medal in Beijing. Roger Federer, his main rival, has lost his form which gives way for the young prodigy to step up the ranks to be the best in the world.

6. Lionel Messi argentina football

Lionel Messi had to negotiate with his club to allow him to play for Argentina in the Olympics. The effort paid off.

Messi orchestrated Argentina's gold medal victory, scoring and assisting at the same time. They have played so well thanks to this man - defeating Brazil 3-0 in the semifinal was inspired by Messi.

7. Ma Lin china pingpong

Ma Lin has waited for such a long time to get a gold. With the Chinese dominating table tennis, his chance was slim. His final appointment with world no.1 Wang Hao was a hot encounter. But he deserved to win.

He injected more venom in his shot, injected more experience in his play. Yes, he's the best ping pong player in the world.

8. Lee Chong Wei malaysia badminton

He should have clinched the gold. Let the Malaysian national anthem be played for the first in the Olympics.

Carrying all the hopes of Malaysia was probably a heavy burden. Chong Wei did a fantastic job this time round. Malaysia's hero fought till the very end, at least he got a silver to share with Malaysia.

Icons of Beijing

2008-08-20T12:48:00.007+08:00

The Olympics are simply marvelous.

The Olympics have brought wild architectural designs to the massive city while opening the eyes of the Chinese to globalisation. They're the new icons of Beijing - the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube.

Bird's Nest and Water Cube... they don't seem much of a stunning feature by the names. Don't judge a book by its cover though.

This is the Bird's Nest, the main stadium. Thousands of fireworks, hundreds of thousands of seats, billions of viewers. This is one of the most eye-catching stadiums across the globe.

Beijing National Stadium hosts the olympics 2008 with a bang. An impressive display of historic and modern highlights brought about the opening ceremony of Beijing 2008, and will be the ground for the athletics sports events to be held.

The Water Cube. Beijing Aquatics Centre.

One glimpse of it, you'd be thinking what kind of alien substance is this? This is the place where Michael Phelps created history by snatching eight gold medals in only one sport - swimming. Obviously you will know that this is where swimming and diving will be held.

Beautiful design. Colourful light effects. Irregularly shaped polygons and tetrahedrons everywhere. Simply captivating.

Never mind the terrible haze.

Something you will look forward to see in the future when Beijing welcomes you.

Movie Review: The Dark Knight

2008-08-04T17:35:00.007+08:00

"Why so serious?" - The Joker

This movie truly kills you off. Is it because of the charisma of the Joker or is it Batman's batpod? This movie broke the records in the US box office for the highest grossing. Though this show doesn't stray far from the blueprints, it is by far the best superhero movie I've ever seen.

Basically you would expect all superhero movies to have this plot formula:

1. Intro of hero, resolves conflict

2. Intro of villain

3. Tensions arise

4. Villain unleashes his wrath

5. Hero encounters villain

6. Hero gets beaten up - miracle happens - villain dies

7. Happy ending

The Dark Knight however has a totally different approach to superhero movie plots. I would not want to mention it due to spoilers. As you might want to know, the movie clearly confuses us with the cloudy line between good and evil. The Dark Knight portrays two characters as good/evil as well as one totally mad-villain the Joker.

As a normal person without superpowers you wouldn't expect the Joker to produce as much damage as he had done to Gotham City. The movie also clearly shows us that how corrupted the police are and there is no one you could trust.

Batman seems to have less screen-time than the Joker which makes the Joker the obvious main character in the story. Batman is merely a silent guardian who stands in the Joker's path of destruction. The show clearly displays Joker's intent on hammering Gotham with havoc and Batman's will to save citizens as well as his reluctancy to kill anyone.

I must say, there's a lot of commitment involved in the making of the show. The producers are committed to making a good show, Heath Ledger gave his life to acquire that Joker personality, and the music by Hans Zimmer is awesome.

A tribute to the late Heath Ledger.

9.5/10

Comic Extravaganza

2008-07-30T15:26:00.005+08:00

Comical superheroes are dominating the box offices among cinemas, as well as shattering the limits of grossing. Marvel and DC Comics' superheroes seem to be pressing on, developing plenty of superhero movies like Spiderman, Batman, X-men and Superman, ready to haunt the movie world by darting straight for the No. 1 film in the US box office.

It is obvious, Marvel and DC are in a huge battle to make use of their classic superhero characters to make money now. It's been proven: Spiderman broke the charts, The Hulk did the same, so was Iron Man. And the latest release was The Dark Knight - broke the record for highest grossing ever.

Marvel's wide variety of comical heroes, ranging from Spiderman to the Hulk, X-Men to Iron Man, seems to give them the edge over DC Comics. DC however appears to be less engrossed in movie-making. What're they up to...?

The reason why these movies are making their mark on the filming industry is simply because of the popularity it has gone through during the classic comic age in the late 80s and the early 90s. The classic fans have gone fanatical now, and so has the new generation after the introduction of these films.

It's been more in-your-face than usual. They're no longer childhood sketches on comic books, no longer cartoons you'd love to see on TV.

They're coming to life.

Miracle for the Blind

2008-07-16T19:29:00.005+08:00

Ever wondered if you were blind? How would it feel? The world has totally no visual effects as well as colour to spark your life. Although eye transplants have already existed in technology, you will definitely not expect what will come next.

A Bionic Eye will be expected to be invented by 2020. Researchers in The University of New South Wales, Sydney are working on creating the first bionic eye as a cure to replace the unfortunate blind people for a chance to see the world through bio-mechanical eyes.

This team of ambitious researchers are determined to combine their in-depth knowledge of engineering, medicine and biology to create the first bionic eye. Already ten years in the making behind the labs and closed doors, they have manufactured a neuro-stimulation chip to be placed within the tiny bionic eye. Its structure is so complex it took 3 PhD students to work on for six months. And that little chip is the magic of it, place on the retina of a fractured eye, the brain will interpret the stimulations as images.

Such an amazing ambition, followed by tonnes of hard work and research can bring this new innovation to life, to reality! Hail the power of science!

Give this team a salute and hope they make it till the end!

Game Review: Crysis

2008-07-11T17:18:00.007+08:00

Alright, this might not be the correct spelling of crisis. But crisis has indeed struck the gaming world as this First Person Shooter game dominated the charts for game of the year 2007.

Crysis introduced itself in the market with a bang, simply because it is the most visually impressive game at the moment. Hailed by Gamespot to be one of the greatest shooters of all time, Crysis' rating is given 9.5 out of 10.

The hardware requirements is pretty demanding though, so make sure you have at least a multi-core processor, more than 1GB of memory and also graphics card that's able to support DirectX 10. Your rig should be able to run this game smoothly at low visual quality.

The game feels very much similar to Halo. This game is however, more difficult than Halo, more depth than Halo, more features than Halo and easier to die than Halo. You play as a US special forces unit, codenamed Nomad, set in the near future. You begin by fighting North Koreans and end up fighting Aliens.

Crysis seems to take a more strategic approach to combat. I began the game by rushing up at Koreans and gunning them down in an instant. At the same time they took out plenty of my health. But during the course of the game I realised I couldn't do that. By doing the same thing later in the game is suicide, as the difficulty just goes up and up. The Koreans are pretty intelligent too, with vast AI improvements.

Needless to say, this game is very well constructed and presented. I recommend it to all gamers and shooter fans. If only you have a PC powerful enough to support it! =P

9.6 out of 10

Mobile Wars

2008-07-03T22:23:00.008+08:00

Mobile phones proved to be one of the greatest innovations the world has ever seen. We could contact someone thousands of miles away with a device that weighs only a few grams. Even cameras, games, internet and the popular SMS are crammed into the small device, all with the inevitable help of the satellite.

Classic favourites Nokia seem to be very consistent in the market. Nokia does not possess phones with cool and funky designs but compensates that with performance. Feature-packed and filled with quality, Nokia phones are worth the money.

The joint venture between Sony and Ericsson was much expected to achieve great heights. And so it is proved. Sony Ericsson appears to be the most user-friendly phone you'll ever see. The designs are by far better than Nokia yet the performance and user-friendliness is not affected. The most all-rounded phone of all.

Motorola is undoubtedly the coolest among all phones. Their chic, sleek and funky designs bring them to comparisons with big guns Nokia and Sony Ericsson. So far Motorola has not yet made good reputation with a less-than-average graphical user interface, and disappointing user-friendliness.

Samsung concentrates not on superb design and power performance, but on sophisticated professionality. The phone is designed for professionals because of the sophisticated GUI, physical design and features. Samsung is not compatible with games. The drawback of this phone is that it gets on your nerve. You'll find out if you get this phones.

Last but not least, the Apple iPhone. Somewhat the most anticipated mobile phone ever, Apple has created one very spectacular phone in looks, features and performance. The iPhone features a full-touch LCD screen, and, haven't you noticed? There's only one button for you to press, and that's the "home" button. Ironic, isn't it?

Religion: A Gift or A Curse?

2008-07-02T16:34:00.004+08:00

Ever since mankind wondered how was the world created, how did they appear on Earth, and how were rain and lightning formed, religion was born. It was the only answer to all the mysteries - that an all-powerful being God had "made" them.

Religion is a spiritually healthy practice. Almost all religions have prophets who have undergone mystic experiences, and spread the belief of the presence of God, therefore writing down prayers and rituals within a prophecy/message of God, i.e. Bible, al-Quran...

One ironic thing is, although religion teach all of us good moral values, we have to accept the reality - humans never stop fighting. Since the beginning of time and the invention of the first knife, humans of all corners of the world could never tolerate each other. Especially between religions.

The crusades between the early Christianity and Islam marked the beginning of the curse of religions. World war II began due to Adolf Hitler's hatred of Jews. The Gulf War began as a repeat of the crusade wars. It is very very obvious, that humans can never stop fighting, and the very presence of various religions has added salt to the wound.

True, religion is good. But all of them must teach their followers to accept the truth. That God had created humans with a heart and a mind, with that, there exists love and hatred. Love bonds us together but hatred results in fights. Therefore, humans never stop fighting.

Mamak Sensations

2008-06-24T19:29:00.004+08:00

Oh yeah. The ultimate authentic Malaysian food paradise. The atmosphere's perfect at night, the food's absolutely awesome. It's time for mamak.

"Teh Tarik, satu!"

"Roti Canai dua."

"Mee goreng, tambah ayam."

And they just sway their heads. That's the mamak trademark.

The food is just irresistible. The spices mixed within the curries cause addiction. Probably drugs. They're so addictive and that's the factor which attracts customer after customer, doesn't matter if it's in a shop, by the roadside or just atop a drain. That's how you enjoy mamak.

Mamak usually serves 24 hours, 7 days a week. They're a specific breed of Indians (Tamil) who embrace Islam. They're food is a combination of Indian and Malay cooking styles, and probably some overdosage of drugs! =)

Typical Malaysians go for the mamak during late night, for supper. Mee goreng and roti canai are favorites for supper. Most mamak fanatics are also football fanatics. Gather a few friends, go for mamak and cheer on your team by watching a huge projected screen.

So, grab your teh tarik and roti canai, sit back, and enjoy Malaysian food paradise.

Go Chic, Go Apple

2008-06-21T22:39:00.004+08:00

Apple's been booming in business since the introduction of iPod. The very presence of iPod has affected the market of mass-media not because of its features or performance, but by its chic and stylish elegance. Apple has solely concentrated on going chic.

The premature introduction of Windows Vista gave one big opportunity for Apple to leap forward. Introducing the new OS, Mac OS X Leopard, which seems to be far better than Vista is. True enough, Apple has capitalised on Microsoft's fatal error. Mac, iPod, iTunes, iPhone, Quicktime, Safari, have become more in-your-face than usual.

The secret to Apple's apparent current success is the elegance of design. This plays a big role in the computing world. The world once wanted to be Star Wars and Windows did just that. But now we know that Star Wars is a science fiction and we must all know the truth. Being down to Earth is key to success for Apple.

Just a wild thought however, if Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were to co-operate in a joint venture, that would be absolutely awesome. The two largest companies merging, - Apple and Microsoft. Just like Sony Ericsson now, look how successful are they.

Go Chic.

The Need to Socialise

2008-06-17T17:40:00.006+08:00

Humans are social creatures. They cannot stand alone doing nothing, that leads to boredom and psychotic problems. They need to socialise. The fact that humans can now get in touch by texting using handphones, emailing and chatting online, the google age has brought in a new thing - social networking sites.

Friendster, Facebook, Imeem, MySpace and many more make up the popularity of these sites. Let's face it: they've been more in-your-face than usual, thanks in large part to Facebook's burgeoning popularity.

As people are increasingly consumed by work and can't have time to socialise, they turn to these sites to relate with friends and family. They can do this anytime while working with a PC, whether at home or in the offices.

However, setbacks are common. Users might get addicted and stray from families. Users might also not be aware of certain security concerns and post too much info on themselves which might lead to abuse. Moreover, building online relationships can frequently blur the line between what's real and what's not.

Facebook's been booming in the world as new users register by the thousands everyday. Dubbed the best social network site, it is no doubt the social site to beat at this moment. Friendster's one stale site that is only popular in the Southeast Asia region. Unfortunately, Friendster's time is up and the sad thing is they haven't realised it yet.

P.S. thanks to PC.com magazine for some phrases I have quoted into this article.

Loss of Childhood Joy

2008-06-14T21:33:00.007+08:00

Just a moment ago, I was staring at my neighbour's home. Their house had a few energetic children running around the garden, shouting and screaming. Looks as if there were close cousins. Then I thought about my own childhood experiences. They were out of the picture.

I was born into an odd position. On my mother's family, I was the youngest among the cousins, and the second youngest one was half a generation away. I felt absolutely left out. And now they are all in other countries, either studying or working, and I'm the only one left here, crawling through the obstacles of secondary school life. When I looked into the photo album of the late 1980's, I felt as if my heart was pulled down by a ton of metal, looking at how much fun my cousins and brother had before me.

On my father's side, it was odder. Same, I was the second youngest among my generation of cousins. But one thing weird is, I was an uncle eight years before I was born. My oldest nephew's eight years older than me! Not to think about the other cousins of my generation, they're old and smell stale. And those who are my nephews and nieces, are half a generation younger than me, besides THAT nephew I mentioned just now. I was caught between generation gaps, damned for life.

Every single one of my friends keep on bragging about how fun they were with their cousins, playing and fooling around. But I don't get it. Why cousins? Are they really that fun? Yes, they are, but I never got to experience them. Never. I could only stare in awe at what they have achieved in their university level courses.

This resulted in some benefits however, that I was forced to socialise with adults. I click well with the grown-ups, learned a lot from their experiences and professions. My mom always branded me very sociable with adults, but never mentioned my cousins. Not even the nephews and nieces. However, I seem to click with babies very well! =)

They were either too old or too young, my relatives.

Sad for my case, left out forever. For age cannot alter throughout our lives.

The Future (Part 1)

2008-06-13T16:26:00.005+08:00

Is this what seems to be the future?

Global warming, ozone layer thinning, inflation of food, price of fuel rocketing sky high.
Is this how we should live?

According to what I have experienced while far away in my dreams a couple of days ago, there is a way to rectify all these. As a person who thinks about the world, about GLOBAL CRISES, I had a glance to the future. A peek at what is to come, and utilise that vision for some good use - blogging, as this would spread the word to the world that is the internet.

The future is grave and hazardous to mankind and all the species living on Earth. The sources of petroleum will fall, and within 10 years, 90% of oil will lie in Middle Eastern nations. Don't worry about Americans invading them, by then the price is super high, and no one will dare to purchase them anymore. And within 20 years, petroleum will be wiped off the face of the Earth. But that will not happen, as people will stop buying them.

To combat the need for energy, bio-energy sources should be widely used. These include biomass and biofuel. Biomass, is the use of biological waste products, to provide as a medium for combustion, thus producing energy. Biofuel is the use of cooking oil to generate energy. Biofuel has not been announced usable yet so don't try pouring some of your olive oil into the car. =)

Though biofuel and biomass produce air pollutants, they are still the top choices to replace petroleum oil as the primary source of energy. Products like catalytic converters and electrostatic precipitators can be used to reduce the air pollutants. The main question: why bio-energy? Because, they are plentiful, produce tonnes of energy and are renewable.

If this were to go down to the wire, Malaysia would be grinning. We have a large supply of oil palm biofuel reserves waiting to burst. If Malaysia were to import the precious fuel to the world, this country would be rich. So far, only tropical nations like Malaysia, Indonesia and Brazil can breed this prodigies. That would result in war, just like what is happening to the Middle East now. Too much oil, humans fight. Too little oil, humans fight too.

Biotechnology is the answer to this problem. As you might want to know, biotech plays a big role in maintaining the ecosystems of tomorrow. Biotech is basically playing the role of God, manipulating genes, creating new organisms from scratch. Biotech can possibly alter the genes within the oil palm to allow it to grow in other countries. That will stop war, stop the fight for petrol and solve almost everything mankind is facing at this hour.

Ahh yes, the food crisis. I bet, humans just have to reduce their megalomaniacal thirst of reproduction. Keep the status quo, humans develop less land, consume less food. This would counter the food crisis. If only people were to change their mentality. I guess, there's no other way to stop the inflation of food.

Perhaps, biotech can solve the food crisis. Who knows?

True Idol

2008-05-28T21:43:00.005+08:00

A massive talent within his strong personality, David Cook is a deserved winner of the American Idol 7. Week after week, this man 25-year old man has received applause and compliments from the judges. Impressive, talented, fantastic, "hot-molten lava" performances, were all the words used by each of the judges.

In the final, David Cook battled it out against David Archuleta. David vs David. Apparently, according to the judges, Cook had wrong song choices. Archuleta went on to win the heart of Simon Cowell, one of the judges. Simon called it KO.

Instead, during the results show, Simon apologised for being too clear-cut, stating that the comment was disrespectful. When David Cook was announced the winner, he couldn't help but let the tears drip off his eyes. He certainly didn't expect to win.

Why I call him a deserved winner is because he is very talented. His vocal strengths are incredible and versatile. He can play the guitar and electric guitar. He can sing every type of song, and he specialises in hard rock/metallic songs.

His versatility is displayed when he sings the song Music of the Night from Phantom of the Opera and Little Sparrow. My favourite performance from him was Aerosmith's I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing. This man truly rules the show.

Colour Blindness: The Key to Unity

2008-05-27T23:19:00.010+08:00

The victories of Senator Barack Obama suggests that the Americans are colour-blind. Colour-blindness in the sense that they do not see the difference in skin colour. With the charismatic Senator Obama an American with African-born origin (black in skin colour) among all the other participants (white) of the presidential race to steal the limelight, is a sign that America is a liberal and free nation. A nation embracing globalisation.

Barack Obama is indeed a great man. A charismatic figure, his speeches flawless, hence he is the most likely winner of the Democrats race, to win with a slight margin over rival Hillary Clinton. Even John Edwards has backed him up. But the question is: can he defeat John McCain of the Republicans if the duo were to go down to the wire?

Important victories and convincing campaigns were to be done by this man to win. Global crises like the rise in crude oil prices, the inflation of food, the natural disasters across the globe, the war in Iraq are all major problems that the president of the most powerful nation in the world has to deal with. The fact that the Americans vote for Obama means that they lay their trust and fate in the hands of this new person, who will be the first black president in American history.

The Americans care for a change. But can the Malaysians?

Malaysians now seem to divert off their usual unification attention to racial politics. Where has 'Satu Bangsa, Satu Negara' gone to? Why did HINDRAF protest? Why is there only one Indian minister there? Where aren't ethnic minorities included in politics?

Don't blame it on the politicians then, blame it on the people. We can't see Chinese eating out at Malay restaurants and don't see Malays eating at halal Chinese shops. Why is this? The food not tasty? No!!! Malaysian food are the best!

Racial politics should be abolished from this world we live in. We share this land. We share the world.

Architectural Marvel, Engineering Disaster

2008-05-25T00:07:00.009+08:00

Architects are renowned for their limitless imaginations and engineers are known for their scientific limitations. Through the same line, tensions will arise. Especially, in buildings. But here's something to look out for:

A project done by an architect and his comrades in Sydney. A jaw-dropping 3-kilometer-tall tower proposed as a solution to solve Sydney's energy crisis. The eco solution.

The way this 3km tall tower functions is by utilising the unlimited resource of windpower. As you can see, the entire tower is covered by wind generators, to power the whole building. Therefore, residents within the structure can enjoy the unlimited renewable energy, not polluting the environment and saving costs.

The architect whom I met insists that this unique structure can be built. However, the civil engineer whom I met insists that it is impossible. As we know, architects and engineers have not been in good relationships in construction management.

Though it's not up to us to decide, but the mystery remains. Can this mind-boggling structure be built?

The post on this project can be seen on this link: http://william.3pigeons.com/blog/?p=151

Man Utd: The Perfect Blend

2008-05-21T19:32:00.006+08:00

Perhaps the most recognisable name in the footballing world, Manchester United is one team that really impresses me, so has it impressed millions of others. What makes United such a strong team is the flawless mix of attacking, defending and midfielding forces.

The perfect blend of dynamic youngsters and experienced playmakers; speed demons and net hitters. Manchester United mixes brute force and finesse very well which seems to be the key to their victories in various competitions. The ferocity of their attack is swift and aggressive, the modesty of their defense is tough and hard to break down.

The whole team seems to fit into the game perfectly. Van der Sar is such a diligent goalkeeper; Ferdinand and Vidic and defenders who can withstand waves of assaults; their captain Neville, co-captain Giggs and playmaker Scholes are intelligent and experienced; Evra and Nani are wing speedsters; Hargreaves assists midfielding, defending and creates momentum; Rooney and Tevez are the top net-hitters. Lastly, the wonder kid Ronaldo - a speed demon, net hitter, playmaker, momentum creater and a cool penalty taker.

The very presence of Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch for Man Utd is essential to the team's success. There is no replacement for such a star. But hey, what can you predict? We said the same thing with David Beckham the last time, and he left, being replaced by this bloke.

Another trademark of Manchester United is that they do not buy good players, they grow them. Teams like Barcelona, AC Milan or Chelsea would be eyeing on famous players like Ronaldinho and Kaka. Man Utd however, groom their own famous players. Before this, players like Ronaldo, Rooney and Beckham were nobody until they joined the Red Devils. The coaches have such eyes that could see the growing potential within a player.

Now that they are crowned Champions of Europe, they have completed a famous double - the UEFA Champions League and the English Premier League, two of the toughest competitions in Europe.

Pre-Olympic Annoyances

2008-05-18T23:28:00.010+08:00

The host for the prestigious Olympic Games is always one who benefits the most in the world ready to embrace globalisation. But for China in this pre-Olympic time, it is disaster.

First, the Tibetan protesters are outrageous. They burnt and tore down Chinese structures and snatched the Olympic Torch from some poor handicapped woman during the torch relay. Don't they support the Chinese, who have taken up the responsibility to host the Games? Note this: Tibetans are not sidelined from the Olympics, so do not mix politics with sports!
SOME PRO-CHINA FELLA MUST HAVE WRITTEN THIS GRAFITTI, WHICH I SPOTTED AND TOOK A PHOTO.

32,000 reported dead in China's densely populated province of Sichuan, due to a destructive earthquake which was 7.9 on the richter magnitude scale. This is a WOW factor to add to China's misery as Olympic hosts. Even the pollution in Beijing was a factor to make it worse as some athletes like the world number one tennis player Justine Henin, decided not to go for the Games.

Let's hope this mighty economical nation would be able to cope with these threats to host a better Olympic Games in 2008.

Money Money Money

2008-05-03T00:11:00.004+08:00

We live in a materialistic world. Everything, and I mean everything you can see and touch, involves the use of money. Money has become the must-need for humans ever since the barter system was introduced centuries ago.

Everyone fights for money, and it only brings bad effects. Corruption, loan sharks, tricksters, robbers, thieves, pickpockets... these crimes happen due to the struggle to survive in this materialistic world. And it is true, everyone cares about money. Every single government cares most for the economy, to bring in money.

For example, why do we study? Is it to utilize the brain to its limits? Is it to satisfy a person's own needs to gain knowledge? The answer is absolutely no. We study to have a better future. What I mean by better future means a secured, guaranteed job in the money-minded world. When you have that, you have money. It's so simple: we study for money.

The benefits of materialistic mentality among humans is that this thinking provides humans with better lives. For example, businessmen sell their products to us to earn money, but for us, it is beneficial to use these products. This flow is never-ending.

Money is life. Without money, there is no damn way you can survive in the urban universe.

Movie Review: The Forbidden Kingdom

2008-04-30T17:07:00.006+08:00

The first ever movie to feature KungFu titans Jackie Chan and Jet Li was a long-awaited film. For the month, it is the film to watch. Since it is a hollywood film speaking English; the Americans and Chinese alike would watch this show due to the nice blend of languages. And the entire world would definitely want to see Jackie Chan and Jet Li in the 'clash of titans'.

Jackie stars as Lu Yan, a drunken KungFu master.

Whereas Jet Li stars as an unnamed silent monk.

This movie's plot is based on the Monkey King in Journey to the West (Xi You Ji). An American boy goes into an ancient Chinese world of magic and KungFu. He is tasked to return a staff to the Monkey King (Sun Wu Kong). In his journey he meets all kinds of obstacles and learns the art of KungFu.

This film is filled with mystical features that kinda makes the show a bit, again, unreal. Packed with action and drama, a good show anyway.

8.2 out of 10.

Double Graphics Performance!

2008-04-29T14:55:00.006+08:00

The recent launches of dual-core graphics cards are a major improvement in the world of computing and gaming. Graphics at double its performance! Two graphics processing units in one!

Ever since dual-core processors came about, the demanding graphics from new games and the introduction of Windows Vista, the launch of dual-core graphics card was inevitable. We, cyberfreaks, have always been awaiting this moment.

Examples for dual-core graphics cards are the NVidia GeForce 9800 GX2 and ATi Radeon HD3870 X2.The launch of these high-tech products definitely fuels the "war" between ATi and NVidia.

Vista to Rule?

2008-04-22T17:51:00.006+08:00

XP has 'XPrienced' the best selling operating system of all time. Now its time is up. On June 30 this very year, Microsoft's legendary Windows XP will be pulled off store shelves.

For die-hard XP fans, it's a disaster. But hey, look at the bright side, Windows Vista is set to rule the OS market. Or will Linux and Mac OS X Leopard take over? In the end, you have to say bye bye to XP, as time goes by and as technologies rise.

Vista has been widely criticised for the high-demand of RAM and graphics. The amount of bugs, irritations and hardware incompatibility causes Vista to disappoint many. Although the visuals of Vista desktop was indeed impressive and elegant, still the response from the community is not good.

Can Vista withstand the pressure placed by the community to produce excellent services? I reckon it is able to. With the recent launch of Service Pack 1, Vista forced itself back into the people's eyes.

Windows Vista is the future.

England: Hit by a crisis

2008-04-14T19:11:00.006+08:00

Football was invented in England. And England cannot play the sport well. Instead, other nations like Brazil and Italy are on the top of the world. Why do the inventors of the game suck at football at this time?

In the qualifying sessions for Euro 2008 - England, under coach Steve McLaren, lost twice to Croatia, lost to Russia, drew with Israel and Macedonia. They could only boast when they thrashed minnows Estonia and Andorra. In the end, they failed to qualify for the prestigious Euro 2008 competition, behind Russia and Croatia. Steve McLaren was sacked.

But on the other hand, English clubs in the EPL are very strong and dominant in Europe. Check out the UEFA Champions League now, in the semi-finals, 3 out of 4 teams are from England. They are Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool. Barcelona is the only remaining team left in the competition which is not from England.

Due to the success of English clubs in Europe, we would certainly expect great performances by England in international competitions. True, these English players have massive talent and skills, but they lack teamwork. Individual skills won't work well in football. Troubleshooting should be made by the English FA in order to find out the problem now faced by England.

Now, England face humiliation after being dropped out of the top ten ranking in world football. Under new coach Fabio Capello, England have a spark of new hope in their quest in crawl back to acclaim victories in various competitions.

Anwar is Back. To the throne.

2008-04-11T20:14:00.008+08:00

He was once the finance minister of Malaysia. He was a faithful supporter of Barisan Nasional and UMNO. He had risen to become deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia. He was a daredevil to challenge the former PM of Malaysia for the prestigious seat in the government.
But, all that ended up as the 'Downfall of Anwar Ibrahim'. He was thwarted with a sentence to prison for six years in 1998. Anwar's stay in jail was later changed to nine years for accused sodomy.

During his stay in jail, his wife Wan Azizah Ismail formed an opposition party Parti Keadilan Rakyat in order to campaign for Anwar's ideology of reformasi. After his release from prison about 2 years ago, he was campaigning for PKR to win in the March 2008 elections.

As a result of his encouraging speeches given the the people, PKR eventually earned the highest number seats in the parliament among the opposition parties including DAP, PAS and PKR itself.

Exactly on April 14 2008, Anwar Ibrahim will have the privilege of returning into the political world. Since he couldn't take part in the elections but only as an advisor, his wife Wan Azizah will hand him the parliamentary seat and get him back into politics.

Now he's getting ready. He's formed Pakatan Rakyat. He has returned.

From then on, can he challenge the PM once again for the "throne"?

Search for the Optimum Energy Source

2008-04-09T22:24:00.009+08:00

We now face a desperate crisis. A battle to really fight for, in order to gain the perfect piece of material to produce energy. It's a dying world if we don't discover it soon, an unending world war is just around the corner. The search is on!

Observe the picture above (click to enlarge). The US rely a damn lot on non renewable sources. Renewable sources are put aside. This is proof that US cannot advance IF they do not research into the new era.

Energy sources like nuclear, natural gas and coal will fade away totally in a century. So, we shall concentrate of renewable sources like biofuel, wind, solar and hydro. These are the keys to the new era of energy sources.

1. Biofuel

Only tropical countries can grow oil palms. Malaysia is filled up with oil palms. If these cooking oils were to be mass-utilized as energy sources, these tropical nations could be the richest countries in the world. Look at the middle east now, among the richest because they were blessed with petroleum. Oil palms could be equivalents.

2. Wind

This cannot be a major energy source. First, it's not windy all the time. Second, they produce less energy than other renewable sources. It is indeed widely used in Netherlands, Australia and USA's western coast, but its poor performance may cause it to be sidelined for sometime. Unless a hurricane could just strike these wind power stations...

3. Hydro

The hydro electric generators are pollution-free, but still not entirely friendly to the environment. The generators kill fish and the construction can cause landslides. Nevertheless, most people believe the hydros are the key to the future. Although it produces a significant amount of energy, it's still not as powerful enough to match non-renewable sources. Therefore, we would require A LOT of hydros if we were to totally rely on it.

4. Solar

Alright, this is fully, totally, entirely friendly to the environment. But there's always a setback to this modern technology. Firstly, it does not produce enough energy to be mass-utilized. It requires a large field like this picture to produce energy to match the hydro. Secondly, it is too heavy it were to be used to power cars. Lastly, if today's not a sunny day, expect a blackout.

There are indeed other renewable sources yet to be discovered. One thing I missed out is the charismatic geothermal energy. I will elaborate it in the coming posts.

Expect more to come!

Seven Ancient Wonders

2008-04-06T09:29:00.012+08:00

Did you know? In the BCs, there were 7 wonders of the world. These were the original 7 wonders, ANCIENT wonders and were mostly situated along the Mediterranean rim. The number 7 was chosen because the ancient Greeks believed the number was magical. Now, only the great pyramid remains intact, the rest were all destroyed by specific reasons.

These wonders were (from oldest to newest):

The Great Pyramid of Giza
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
Statue of Zeus at Olympia
Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus
Colossus of Rhodes
Lighthouse at Alexandria

The Pyramid...

The Great Pyramid of Giza, one of mankind's most treasured heritage was one of the wonders of the ancient world. The oldest, tallest and most durable of all. It stands till today as it was built by the Egyptians for the fourth dynasty pharaoh Khufu.

The Gardens...

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon was built in Old Babylon (now Iraq) in the Mesopotamian civilization. The Babylonians built it under the the command of Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 BC. It was built for his wife, who longed for trees of nature. The gardens were destroyed by earthquakes at around 200 BC. Despite all these, there is a lot of controversy on the validity of existence since no artifact or ruins could be found till today. The only proof was scripts elaborated by Greek historians.

The Temple...

Nothing much is known about this temple other than it was situated in Ephesus, Turkey and it was built to worship the Ephesian goddess Artemis. It was constructed at 550 BC and destroyed by a fire burned by Herostratus, 356 BC.

The statue...

A classical wonder, the Statue of Zeus towered above many of His minions. Sculptured by famed sculptor Phidias circa 432 BC in Olympia, Greece. The source of destruction was unknown, it was either destroyed together with the temple, or perished in a great fire.

The mausoleum...

A tomb built between 353 and 350 BC in Halicarnassus (now Bodrum, Turkey) for Mausollos, a satrap in the Persian empire. The Mausoleum of Mausollos at Halicarnassus was damaged by an earthquake, eventually disassembled by European Crusaders in AD 1494.

The colossus...

The Colossus of Rhodes was a massive statue of Greek god Helios erected on Greek island Rhodes between 292 and 280 BC. Over 30 meters tall, the colossus was destroyed by a devastating earthquake 226 BC.

The lighthouse...

The lighthouse was a tower built in the 3rd century BC, was taller than all the wonders except the Pyramid. It was located at the island of Pharos, just along the Mediterranean coast of Alexandria, Egypt. The lighthouse was hit by, again, 2 earthquakes in 1303 and 1323.

There is a reason for why these structures are 'wonders', because they are truly 'wondrous'!

Biological Science

2008-04-02T17:01:00.012+08:00

For your information, there are two courses available at university level to all Biology-Science enthusiasts. Biotechnology and Biomedical Science. If you're interested in BioScience, you should take up one of them, if possible, take both. You'd be one hell of a scientist.

Why BioScience? This is influenced by time. As time goes by, as human evolution goes on.
1. More diseases will spread
2. Cloning of endangered species will be done
3. Patenting of genes will occur
4. Sterility would be a major problem
Sooner or later, doctors will be at Bio-scientists feet, pleading for a solution to face whatever mother nature has thrown at them.

BioScience will be on high demand. Now, you must know, doctors do not manufacture the pills. The Bio-scientists do. These hardworking scientists have to do research, conduct hazardous experiments, and produce the pills and capsules to be sold to the doctors. Doctors just have to talk to patients and try to sell their pills. And they get more pay than scientists. Whereas surgeons, are definitely better than doctors.

Biological scientists are the key to a healthy nation. Without them, what will doctors and surgeons do?

Biotechnology scientists research in technology based on biology especially in agriculture, food, genes and DNA. They have the knowledge to clone organisms. Also known as Genetic Engineering. Biotech scientists usually hybridize certain organisms to be well-developed.

On the other hand, Biomedical Scientists focus mostly on biology-medicine. These scientists manufacture pills, syrups and capsules consumed by us. The Biomed Scientists also produce machines like X-Ray machines, Computed Tomography machines and so on.

And soon, popular diseases including cardiovascular diseases and cancer might rage on until epidemic. And probably, the scientists could produce a man-made artificial heart to replace the infected one! That would earn good money! It might happen, who knows?

X360, PS3 and Wii

2008-03-31T18:06:00.007+08:00

Yet another article composed by me on InfoTech, I would elaborate the battle between 2 major gaming consoles companies - Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo, with their respective products up for grabs, XBOX 360, Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii.

These 3 video gaming consoles are considered seventh generation consoles (wiki it), and are on high demand among all people of all ages.

Let's start with the XBOX 360...

The X360 is the second gaming console produced by Microsoft, a direct successor to the original XBOX. Popular among European countries and USA. Known for the extreme graphical beauty and speed of processes, Microsoft is destined to produce one of the greatest video gaming console yet.

Check out the Sony PS3...

Playstation - one of the most well-known names of video gaming history, Sony have produced a successor to the already-successful PS2. Though condemned for the high price, the graphics and speed could match the XBOX 360's. In fact, PS3 is really worth a buy.

Lastly, the Wii...

The Nintendo Wii differs from the XBOX 360 and PS3 a bit, in terms of playing techniques. The former 2 utilize usual gaming controllers connected to the console but the Wii instead has a remote control. Wii is renowned for its fun-filled wireless sporting games - using a sensor that detects the movements of the player.

Check out more about these consoles by Wikipedia.

Mars is my planet!

2008-03-30T18:40:00.002+08:00

I recently took 2 personality quizzes from www.blogthings.com and they produced surprising results...

You Are From Mars

You're energetic, althletic, and totally hyperactive.

You love playing sports and being in the middle of all of the action.

You're independent, corageous, and brave. Unafraid to do things your way.

Mars can be reckless, quick tempered, and a little too spontaneous.

So think before you act - and resist your natural urges to dominate others.

What Planet Are You From?

Look at this. I'm from Mars!

Then, look at this...

You Should Rule Mars

Mars is a planet that shines brightly and loops wildly around the solar system.

You are perfect to rule Mars, because you are both energetic and independent.

Like Mars, you seems attractive and bright to others - but you're difficult to pin down.

You are a great thinker, but you only think in the present and ignore the future.

Full of enthusiasm and inspiration, you are into your own thing... and rather insensitive to others.

What Planet Should You Rule?

No petrol? Use palm oil!

2008-03-27T17:30:00.007+08:00

Petroleum, the ultimate source of energy and power for the entire world. This precious oil, is ready to be totally consumed within 2 decades or so. If that happens, mankind have to rely on other methods to produce energy like coal, hydroelectric, wind power and the dangerous nuclear.

The dangers of losing petroleum forever looms up at us even today. Oil prices have hit more than 100 US$ per barrel. Although petroleum proves to be earning good money at the moment, within about 15 years time the prices would be too high, inflation of petroleum will occur and therefore the sales will crumble.

Malaysia has one of the world's finest type of petroleum, with a low count of lead contained within the fuel. But, Malaysia's petroleum is running out fast as it sells for a good price. Instead of focusing on petroleum now, Malaysia should focus on researching methods to produce energy out of biofuel.

Malaysia has a reputable amount of oil palm trees, classified under vegetable oil. It sells for a high price in the market too, exporting to countless nations. Instead of using them as cooking oils, we could use them on producing energy. Moreover, it's a renewable energy source. No other nation has invested so much on oil palms besides Malaysia.

And what would happen when petroleum runs out? The world would look at Malaysia and import her blessed palm oils, and what? Malaysia would be the richest nation in the world! Just like UAE now!

The Curse of the Pharaoh

2008-03-24T17:18:00.007+08:00

Beneath KV62 in Valley of the Kings, there lies a terrifying curse. Its origins are unknown to mankind... But there is indeed a curse, or else why would King Tutankhamun's tomb be so well preserved? Not been raided, not been robbed. Untouched... for more than 3000 years...

Tutankhamun's death was a mysterious one... so was his reign as Pharaoh of Egypt's New Kingdom. Indeed, it is true that Tutankhamun was branded king when he was only 8 or 9 years. His royal reign ended 10 years later, when he was approximately 19 years of age.

<- Tutankhamun's name in hieroglyphic

About his death... there are 2 theories:
1. Scientists believe he was murdered due to a blow to the back of his skull.
2. Historians believe he was killed by a horrifying disease.

These cannot be answered although scientists and archaeologists utilize high-tech machines to investigate the case. These machines are Computed Tomographic Scanning Machines. Using these they would be able to see a 3D image of the young Pharaoh's mummy.

Oh yes, the CT scans managed to help scientists rebuild the facial textures of the dead mummy by using cutting-edge technology in 3D graphical reconstruction based on the shape of the skull. And yet again, Tutankhamun's skin tone remains unknown.

About the curse, yes... KV62 is King Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, Luxor. Earlier grave robbers who tried to rob the jeweleries and gold buried alongside Tutankhamun's sarcophagus were all dead.
Scientifically, the young king had set up traps. Whereas philosophically, Tutankhamun had cursed the tomb to whoever who tries to steal the treasures. Who knows which is true?

Planetary Philosophies

2008-03-22T13:28:00.022+08:00

The planets of our solar system... the ultimate creation by God, but can the creation of these colossus spheres be explained by science? The mystery of the origin of the planets was explained by scientific theories like the Big Bang. But is it true?

True, scientific theories cannot accurately explain to us the mystery of these planets, but ancient mythology has given these gigantic planets their blessed names.
The names of the planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars and so on... are based on the texture, size, layers and colour of these round spheres. You may not know this, but all the planets (except Earth) are named after Roman mythological gods and goddesses.

Let's kick off with Mercury...

Mercury, the planet - was named after Roman god Mercury, was a winged messenger, and god of trade, profit and commerce.

Venus is named after Roman goddess Venus - the goddess of love, beauty and fertility. Some say the sight of Venus from Earth is a bringer of peace. Decades of war and endless civil unrest has proved that that belief is false.
P.S. I would not want to put the image of goddess Venus here (it's obscene)

Mars... the red planet adopted its name from the Roman god of war. In myths, Mars was a fearless superior warrior, and therefore he was branded the god of war. In fact, when Mars was sighted from Earth in 2003, the Americans invaded Iraq. God of war, eh?

Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, adopted its name from the Roman King of all Gods. Therefore, this explains why the ancient Romans chose the largest planet to name it the King of all Gods.

Saturn - the second largest planet, with layers of rings... was named after Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture. This means Romans believed in this god to bring them good agriculture and harvesting seasons.

Uranus' name was slightly different. It was not named after a Roman god, but a Greek god. The Greek god of the sky and heavens.

Neptune was named after the Roman god of the Sea. Does that explain why the planet is blue?

Named after the Roman god of the Underworld, Pluto is the smallest planet and furthest from the Sun.

Singapore's Brand New F1 Circuit!

2008-03-20T22:04:00.007+08:00

Only recently, our mighty neighbours Singapore had launched its new F1 race track to be raced in 26-28 September this year. One thing that attracts my attention on this particular race is the fact that this track will be raced AT NIGHT!

Imagine, just imagine, what would the race track look like when raced at night. It would most likely seem like racing games like Need For Speed Underground and Midnight Club. Singapore's night-city skyline is perfect for night racing.

This is what it would probably look like (replace the car with an F1 car):

Due to the lack of space in Singapore, the race has to take part within the streets and roads of the sprawling metropolis. According to the picture below, the start of the race is at one of the bays to the eastern side.

The race would go pass landmarks like Suntec City, City Hall, Victoria Concert Hall, Esplanade, and the ferris wheel Singapore Flyer.

Although it seems impossible, but the Singaporean authorities confirmed that the streets would be very bright, even brighter than daylight. I wonder how much electricity is needed...

And this would be what the racers will look like after the race (lol!):

Game Preview: Starcraft II

2008-03-19T23:42:00.011+08:00

"For the final metamorphosis has only just... begun..." - Kerrigan, Queen of Blades.

This is my preview for another fantastic game I'm certainly looking forward to play: Starcraft 2. As a sequel in a series of science-fiction real-time strategy game, Starcraft 2 recreates the world and modifies it into a much better, advanced, thrilling version.

The prequel, Starcraft, was a spectacular game (at that time, 1998) when it was released. It was a major hit in the gaming world that has made Blizzard Entertainment such a successful company. Now Blizzard is back, 10 years later, bringing more thrills and spills to the Starcraft universe.

Again, this RTS game features 3 distinct and powerful factions:
1. Terran - Humans in natural form, lost in a deep-space expedition long time ago, established a civilization in a faraway sector in the universe.

2. Protoss - Considered the most powerful race in the universe, these protoss have high-technology, powerful weapons, heavily armoured shields and magical psionic powers.

3. Zerg - Breed like insects, do not use technology, and everything they utilize is organic/mutated material. Superior in large numbers.

Here are some screenshots of Starcraft 2 gameplay...

1. Terran base pulverized by heavy assault Protoss units!

2. Zerg attacking isolated Protoss units with superior numbers.

As conclusion, though I have not yet played this game, but I have a feeling that when it is finally released (God only knows when?), it would definitely be one of the greatest RTS games of all times. For the epic struggle for survival between the Terran, Protoss and Zerg would never, ever end...

The Magic of an Orchestra

2008-03-16T16:57:00.006+08:00

An orchestra is a large group of musicians playing each of their own musical instrument. Examples of these instruments are violin, cello, double bass, trumpet, oboe, percussions and many, many more.

There are 2 types of orchestra:
1. Less than forty people - Chamber Orchestra
2. More than forty people - Symphony/Philharmonic Orchestra

The magic of orchestral music is displayed when all, different types of instruments play at the same time. Although they produce different sounds, but if played accurately according to the songs, the sound is wonderful.

This is the layout of a usual symphony/philharmonic orchestra:

Coordination of an orchestra is the most important. The conductor must synchronise the movement and timing of each and every participant in the orchestra. For example, the conductor flicks his baton once, meaning one beat in the song. Besides, the string instruments movement of their bow(stick) is of highest priority too, to maintain the fluency of motion in the entire orchestra.

Here is a list of the instruments:

Woodwinds: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon (double bassoon)
Brass: 2 to 8 horns, 2 to 5 trumpets, 2 trombones and 1 bass trombone, tuba
Percussion: timpani, snare drum, tenor drum, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, wood block, tambourine, marimba, xylophone, glockenspiel, gong (tam-tam), tubular bells, etc.
Strings: harp(s), 16 to 30 violins, 8 to 12 violas, 8 to 12 violoncellos (cellos), and 5 to 8 double basses.

Click on any instrument to find out more about it!

The King of Fruits

2008-03-16T14:16:00.006+08:00

Some say it taste like heaven, others say it smells like hell.

In Malaysia, approximately 70% of the people love durians. It's a staggering 70%! Compared to other (tropical) nations, Malaysia has the highest percent of durian lovers.
Outrageously, some Mat-Salleh (white skinned people), take eating durians as a challenge. They show extreme disgust when seeing, smelling, touching or eating durians.

This happens in Malaysia too, if you don't know. The obsession for durians has a large contrast. Those durian lovers would be waiting for the season to come, and buy in dozens, enjoying them with relatives and friends. Others, loath it so much, they would say 'yuck' repeatedly to durians and stay away from the durian-eaters as far as possible.

See this:

And, no one likes durian like any other fruit. People would either love them or hate them. No one in between.
If I could just get my hands on one now...

Movie Review: 10,000 BC

2008-03-15T11:54:00.007+08:00

Loads of action, plenty of fiction, zero in facts.

This is a prehistoric movie, directed by the director of Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow. Set in 10,000 BC, approximately 12,000 years ago.
The plot is, a young mammoth hunter goes through a perilous journey to save his loved ones. During this journey, he encounters hazardous terrains, multiple beasts and other human enemies.

The movie's storyline is pretty interesting, but it all does not make sense. The technology they used during the mesolithic era that time can not possibly be so high. Therefore, some parts of the movie seem fake.

But I must say, this is a good show. Exciting, interesting and mind-boggling... I shall rate it 7.5 out of 10.

A Journey to the Beginning of Time

2008-03-14T12:45:00.011+08:00

EGYPT - everything began there.

Architecture, civilization, royalty, construction, medicine, philosophy, mythology, religion and beliefs were all born in Egypt. As you might know, Egyptian history began at least 7000 years ago, approximately 5000 BC.

The most significant icons of Egyptian history are the Pyramids of Giza. Built in 2500 BC, these man-made mountains have stood for 45 centuries. The biggest mystery is, how the hell did they manage to build such immense structures without cranes, bulldozers, steamrollers and transport trucks? I can only imagine how much manpower is needed for building such colossus monuments.

Ancient Egyptian mythology believes in some kind of religion (animism) involving the sun-god. The sun-god (Amun-Ra) is the God of all gods. Other popular gods are Anubis, the God of mummification; Horus, God of the sky; Osiris, God of death; and Sobek, the God of evil. Unfortunately, this religion is extinct after the Arabs conquered Egypt, therefore spreading Islam and abolishing the sun-god religion.

The other significant icons for ancient Egypt are the carvings and inscriptions on the walls of monuments and tombs. It's actually very interesting the fact that those carvings strengthen their belief in the sun-god. The carvings mostly tell about the gods' powers, sending a dead person to heaven or hell. Anubis is the god in charge of mummifying a dead pharaoh (king) to live in the next life.

Besides the pyramids, there are many other famous ancient Egyptian destination like Abu Simbel, Edfu Temple, Karnak Temple, Valley of the Kings and so on.

In Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple, there are obelisks protruding from the sandy ground. Obelisks are pyramids in the sky, signifying the power of the pharaoh. Examples of the pharaohs of ancient Egypt are: Khufu, who built the largest pyramid; Tutankhamun, who had a terrifying curse in his mummy tomb; Queen Hatshepsut, the first female pharaoh and was a fan of obelisks; Cleopatra, another female pharaoh, died bitten by a snake; King Ramesses II, builder of the Abu Simbel Temple.

As time goes on, we would appreciate more, the historical richness in Egypt. Tombs, monuments, temples and more to come...

This is rather exaggerating...

2008-03-13T21:51:00.010+08:00

True, I've been to these countries but...

The weird thing is, I've probably only visited only a few cities per country, but it marked the ENTIRE nation red. Countries like China and USA, they're SO big, and I've been to only 4-5 cities each. The whole country's been smeared red by me...!

If only I could just step into Russia...

Battles for IT dominance!

2008-03-13T16:36:00.014+08:00

With practically every document in the world now turned to paperless, computers are the ultimate devices to deal with these stuff. The PC can send, receive, edit, multiply and delete any document it comes across. Computers are absolutely valuable assets in life.

THE BATTLE FOR THE DOMINANCE OF OPERATING SYSTEMS
It's not surprising the fact that massive companies like Microsoft and Apple are battling for dominance of IT products and racing to produce the best of the best. New technologies keep overlapping each other, so this would be endless.

Apple's Mac OS X and Microsoft's Windows have raged a battle ever since the 90's. Apple and Microsoft are companies that produce operating systems (OS) that rival each other. The recent release of Mac OS X Leopard and Windows Vista has pit themselves into a bigger battle.

Try to differentiate Mac OS X and Windows Vista:

THE BATTLE TO PRODUCE THE FINEST VISUAL GRAPHICS
The "war" between nVidia and ATi to create the best graphics processing unit (GPU) has also been drawing attention from all PC enthusiasts.
nVidia and ATi actually produce only a small chip inside the graphics card called the GPU. They sell these chips to companies like Asus, MSI, Gigabyte to produce graphics cards.

Examples of nVidia products are nVidia GeForce 8600GT, nVidia GeForce 8800GT and nVidia GeForce 9600GT. ATi produces ATi Radeon 2600, ATi Radeon 2900 and ATi Radeon 3870.

Try now to differentiate nVidia GeForce 8800GT and ATi Radeon 3870:

THE RACE TO PRODUCE THE FASTEST BRAINS OF A PC
Intel and AMD, the two massive rivals competing head-to-head to produce the best processors. We've always thought that Intel has been leading all the way. Don't be fooled by AMD's silence. They're processors could match Intel's too.

Intel has produced popular architectures like Celeron, Pentium and Core. Core processors have dual cores and even the mind-boggling quad cores. AMD have architectures like Opteron, Turion, Athlon and recently, Phenomenon. To measure a processor's speed you would have to refer to the Hertz, which is most likely in GHz (Giga Hertz).

Obviously you would know which one is Intel Core 2 Duo and AMD Athlon X2...

As this is the end of my synopsis of the "war" between IT companies, I must conclude: it is an endless battle for dominance of the IT business world.

More battles will come.

Achmed the Dead Terrorist!

2008-03-12T22:22:00.003+08:00

This is a brilliant ventriloquist performance by Jeff Dunham. And his puppet is a bloodthirsty terrorist - Achmed!

Malaysian Food!!!

2008-03-12T14:07:00.012+08:00

Malaysia: Food Paradise!

Malaysia's multiracial society has formed equally multi-choice food in the country. The local ethnic races Malays, Chinese and Indians cook great authentic food that has made Malaysia (especially Penang) one of the best places to try out authentic Asian food.

Let's start off with Malay food...

1. Nasi Lemak - a dish served with spicy sambal, anchovies, peanuts and eggs, plus a fragrant rice cooked with coconut oil. Meat (chicken, fish, calamari or beef) is optional.

2. Mee Rebus - a plate of noodles soaked in slightly spiced glutinous gravy. Topped with eggs, bean curds and calamari.

3. Satay (or sate) - chunks of delicious meat (chicken or beef) poked with sticks, marinated with honey and spices, barbecued, and served with onions, cucumbers and rice balls.

Now let's take a look at Chinese food...

1. Chicken Rice - Steamed/Roasted chicken served with rice marinated with chicken essence. The secret of chicken rice's success lies in the greatness of the rice.

2. Char Kuey Teow - this is unique and mysterious dish. Kuey Teow is a type of flat-noodle which is fried with prawns, cockles, and bean sprouts to create the famous Char Kuey Teow.

3. Curry Laksa - A bowl of noodles served with curry soup. Topped with either chicken or prawns.

Now get spiced up by Indian food!!!

1. Banana leaf rice - Rice served with meat (mutton, fish, chicken, calamari or prawns. All are spicy!), unique vegetables and curry gravy dressing on the rice. Served on a banana leaf.

2. Nasi Kandar - this is almost similar to the banana leaf rice but this has no banana leaf, and the chefs of this dish are Indian-Muslims. They basically mix all the curry gravies onto the rice and serve the meat which LOOKS like the ones in the banana leaf rice, but taste totally different.

3. Roti Canai - this dish is only served during dinner and tea-time. It's basically a dough, pan-fried and served with several spices and/or curry.

And so, this is the end of my intro to Malaysian food. But don't be fooled, they are thousands more dishes and choices of food to be discovered in the endless food paradise - Malaysia!!!

Game Review: Command & Conquer 3 - Tiberium Wars

2008-03-12T10:51:00.008+08:00

"You must show no mercy, for GDI deserves none." - Kane.

This is my game review for a fantastic game called Command and Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars. This game is a fast-paced real time strategy game, manufactured by EA (Electronic Arts). C&C3 is the 3rd game in the C&C series, including the first one, Tiberian Dawn, and the second, Tiberian Sun.

This RTS game features 3 distinct factions battling for specific reasons all across the globe. Firstly, the Global Defense Initiative (GDI), The Brotherhood of Nod and the extraterrestrial Scrin. Before I can explain the motives of each faction, I must first explain their common resource - Tiberium.

Tiberium is a green crystal that sprouts out from the ground. The crystals provide significant amount of energy to the person who utilizes it. On the bad side, these crystals are harmful substances and can kill a any living thing that comes near it by breathing in the highly radioactive gases produced by the Tiberium. Therefore, in order to collect these crystals, the GDI and Nod require harvester vehicles.

GDI realised that Tiberium is a curse as it spread from a meteorite that crashed onto Earth and it is a harmful substance. So GDI utilizes scientific and military power to rid the world of Tiberium.

Nod thinks otherwise. They reckon it is a gift from space and utilize its powers by generating energy. Their great leader Kane has transformed the brotherhood into a religious cult hell-bent on controlling Tiberium. They have the firepower and manpower to match the GDI in a full-scale war.

The Scrin's motives on Tiberium remains a mystery. Anyway, they invaded Earth for many reasons, scientists told and laid out some theories. Some say they came to control the Earth while exterminating humans. Others say they only want Tiberium. Some say they came to build massive interstellar structures. The mystery will be revealed in Kane's Wrath (an expansion pack coming out end of March).

As a conclusion, I would definitely recommend this game to all C&C fans, to all RTS fans and to all PC gamer fans!

8.2 out of 10.