Sayonara, Yoshito Usui

3rd January - actor Pat Hingle (Commissioner Gordon in Burton/Schumacher Batman movies) died of blood cancer.

4th June - David Carradine was found dead possibly due to auto-erotic asphyxiation... WTF...

25th June - Michael Jackson died due to cardiac arrest due to combination of drugs.

Also on 25th June - Farrah Fawcett died due to anal cancer.

14th September - Patrick Swayze died of pancreatic cancer.

Oh ya, on 20th February - Socks, Bill Clinton's pet cat during his presidency was euthanized due to terminal jaw cancer. (Kucing pun kena kanser?)

All the above names are some of big names in Hollywood & world entertainers that died this year.

Know what, screw them all...

But I do give a damn for this person tragic's death:
Yoshito Usui, the creator/author/artist of Crayon Shin Chan.
On 19th September, his body was found at the bottom of a 120 meters deep cliff at Mount Arafune, Gunma Prefecture, Japan after a week of search & rescue operation following his missing during hiking there.

Click here for more details.

Honto no wakare, Usui-sensei!

We'll be missing Shin Chan's further antics... What a great loss to the world!

Farewell - Part 2

To God, for all the opportunities & rezeki you have granted me in this organization/place, I thank you Lord & please forgive my sins.

To my immediate boss, for all the motivations you have provided me, for the career development you have guided me, for the extraordinary friendship you have shown me, I thank you very much.

To my subordinates, for all the job you guys have done, I thank you all & wish you guys the best of luck.

To my 3 colleagues, for all the guides, helps & friendship you have provided me, I thank you guys. Together we are the fantastic four but not foursome...

To Norman Foster, for designing this wonderful architecture (though sometimes a bit impractical for Tronoh's climate) where I worked, you're damn good.

To certain A-holes in Human Resources & in the Top Management, for making my working life miserable & unenjoyable experiences, Screw You.

For people who might have problems with me and/or caused me troubles, Fuck You.

Farewell - Part 1

2 years ago I come to this Land of Grace (Darul Ridzuan) with a very high expectation.

We can only plan, and God is the best Planner.

Looks like God has another plan for me.

A new chapter in my life is lurking...

The Night of Power

In the name of God, the Benevolent, the Merciful.
1 Lo! We revealed it on the Night of Predestination.
2 Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Night of Power is!
3 The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.
4 The angels and the Spirit descend therein, by the permission of their Lord, with all decrees.
5 (The night is) Peace until the rising of the dawn.

A night between last night to 30th night of Ramadhan, lies a special night for Muslims which is the Laylat al-Qadr - the Night of Power or Night of Decree or Night of Measures. It is a night when all good deeds will be rewarded with more than 1000 months of the same deed performed continuously.

What interesting is Malays have their 'special' (read: superstitious) signs to hunt for Laylat al-Qadr. As far as I can remember these are some of the list:

1. Trees will bend down as they 'sujud'.

2. Water in wells & rivers will be frozen. Of course we're talking about here in Malaysia OK.

3. Light up as many oil lamp as we can, to guide the Angels of prosperity to our house.

And the most extreme sign of all:

4. Laylat al-Qadr will 'henshin'(lit: transform) in the form of a bearded old man with with white robe & turban. If we accidentally stumble upon him, we must not hesitate to hug him & ask anything. Then all our wishes will be granted. WTF...

That's all I can remember. Maybe there's more of them.

Luckily nowadays, people are more educated & these khurafat things are no longer heard (Oppsss... I didn't mean to revive them btw!). People are now really hunting for Laylat al-Qadr in the right way.

To all Laylat al-Qadr Hunters, I hereby wish:

"Good Hunting!"

Malaysia's 1st Submarine

Congratulations TLDM aka Malaysian Navy for the arrival of our nation's very 1st submarine.

The submarine is a Scorpene class submarine, operated by 32 crew members with ability to dive up to 350m (ok la, since Malaysian waters are not very deep).

It is equipped with six torpedo tubes which can fire simultaneously; anti-ship surface missiles and anti-submarine torpedoes.

Behold!

Here comes KD Tunku Abdul Rahman (KD TAR), at 67.5m length...

It long, hard & full with seamen!