Heroes; Now and Then

Salam.
Nope, i'm not writing abt the normal-human-discovering-superhuman-abilities-on-themselves American tv series.
It's abt the REAL movie heroes.

My mum raised this point to me once, long-long time ago....
She said,

"Why are all the "heroes" now, look so cute? Girlish? And soft? During my time, the heroes were vry tough, macho-looking and "huge"...."

And that made got me thinking....
She's correct....
Remember Rambo? Famous in the 80s...
How did he look like?

And how does the man that won almost all the girls' hearts look like?

Cute!
Too cute!
=P






My mum continued, saying that once upon a time, having scar makes the man looks more "macho".
Or at least, a "fiercer" face.
That was the kind of looks girls those days are drooled over.

And the boys now, look very boy-ish....
Haha...
And that is the kind of looks girls are crazy of now.
And i cant help but agree.






Sylvester Stallone


The male artists now, have skin even smoother and fairer than most of the normal girls i met!
And their hair, so well groomed...no more those messy-looking male aura.


Their smile, and their poses for the camera, are all those cute poses.
Where the lips are curved forward, as if to kiss the camera.
Or with one eye closed and another open.
Or just a sweet little "peace" sign on the forehead.
Even my brothers are influenced! They have pictures of themselves, posing like that!
Shd i put one here?
Nay, dont have to. I think readers will be able to understand without me giving a solid proof.

Can you imagine Sylvester Stallone, or Bruce Lee posing like that?

Bruce Lee

One may argue that i put on biased pictures.
Ok, fine... I purposedly find those macho-looking old heroes and cute-looking new heroes.
But, face the fact. The men artists now is cuter.
And it's not their fault. It's not even a wrong thing.

And I'm not saying that the male artists now are less-male than that of the past.
I'm just pointing out how much different the taste of the society between two generations.

20 yrs on the road, the next generation after mine, what kind of looks will win girls' hearts?
Haha...
Let's just wait and see....

JUST AS A COMPARISON........

~THEN~

~NOW~

See?
Told ya...
=)


-AkMaR-
http://akmarr90.blogspot.com

Humanitarian Aid Convoy Blocked by The Inhumane Egyptian Govt

27th Dec 09

11.00 pm - I was chatting in YM.
11.12 pm - I received an sms.

Salam. Egypt is blocking the humanitarian convoy to Palestine. People in convoy stranded in Jordan have gone on hungerstrike! Viva Palestina Malaysia will hand over a letter of appeal to d egyptian embassy in KL tomorrow. VPM appeal 4 people 2 turn up as a sign of support. Customisable map to the embassy = http://tinyurl.com/yd3vauz. Please be there at 12.00 noon and pass on this message. Tq

My heart leapt.
I wanna go to the embassy the next day...!
I'll give up almost all plans i hv the nxt day just to be there...



After much "appeal" to my mum, she allowed me to go.
With a condition, "Don't get urself involved if things ever turn nasty"
Great! I wont want to jeopardise myself (and my scholarship too) so that's nvr a problem.
I started drafting out my plans for the day. How, when and where shd i go.

28th Dec 09

1.56 am - Sleep
Subuh - Woke up.
Check CIMB Clicks if JPA has banked in my allowance. Disappointed.
Get ready for the day.
Etc etc etc

12.00pm - Reached Jln Ampang Hilir. Where on earth is the embassy?
12.15 (i guess) - Oh, there are a lot of ppl here. This must be it. Let's join them.

Ppl talk to each other, discussing the Egyptian's ridiculous act of blocking the convoy.
What is their excuse this time?
They heartlessly closed the Rafah crossing one year ago, blocking all aids into Gaza when Israel was shooting phosphorus bombs into the strip.
They violently caught and killed Imam Hassan al Banna 60 yrs back because he fought the government, demanding to protect the Palestinians via Ikhwanul Muslimin.
And now, they are blocking the humanitarian convoy?

12.30 pm -
Ms Azra Banu said she will ring the bell. Everyone is to be ready (Pls, not to fight. Just to stop talking).
The gate is opened.
Some officers appeared.



Uhuh, i cant hear their discussion. But i'm sure it's abt the gathering and entry into the embassy compund.

Ok, over-the-gate discussion ended. Only 15 ppl can get in. Since i was really far from the gate, i wont make it to go in. Plus, i need to look after my sis (whom i drag frm school to come with me). I cant possibly leave her out there. So yeah, bye reps. Go into the embassy, and strike a deal with them! I'll be out here waiting for good news.

And the gate was closed.....

Supporters waiting outside the gate.

Approx 20mins later...
Gate opened....
Everyone can go in... =)



The ambassador gave a brief talk. I was glad i brought my camera.
I searched for my mp3, i wanna record what is he saying but after searching for it in my bag, i cant find the mp3! I really thought i put it into the bag before going out just now...
Ish.. Nvm.. Just listen properly.....

"We agreed to let the convoy pass"
"Yeay... Alhamdulillah..."
"But, there is some technical problem....."
"Huh?" Akmar thinks: Yeah, pls give us MORE excuses....

Then he started explaining "excuses".
He said the port that the convoy planned to use cannot accommodate such a huge convoy. And he said the gov has asked the convoy to change their route but they refused (says they).
And so, they will request that the convoy change their route to a bigger port.





Datuk Paduka Marina Mahathir was there. She questioned the ambassador. Seriously i was frustrated i didnt hear what was her Qs. I was so far behind...

I still think it's only their excuse.
The WHOLE WORLD knows that Egypt has NEVER been a helping hand to Gaza.
The country of the pyramids hv been neglecting its responsibilities towards fellow brothers and sisters in Gaza, co-operating with Israel.
They closed the Rafah tunnel, blocking the only (why must there be only???) possible way of communication.
Now, they block the convoy.
Who knows what will they do next?
Launch an attack towards Gaza?

We were then shown the way out.
And outside, Ms Azra thanked everyone coming...
And assuring that Viva Palestina Malaysia will be organising more activities as a show of support towards the Palestinians.
Great! =)




After it all ended, i went to my bestie's (Pls, not beast's. Hahaha....) hse.
She cooked lunch with her mum, and coincidentally, they are my fav dishes.
So, thanks to Diana and her mum for the splendid lunch!
Later that day, while i was searching for something else in my bag, i found my mp3 player. Duh! As if my bag is that big... When i needed it, the mp3 doesnt wanna come out. When i'm looking for something else, it appeared.
No wonder ppl say,"Don't look for it. Then only it will come"
Haiz...


-AkMaR-
http://akmarr90.blogspot.com

The Heart Goes Out to Gaza

By SHAHANAAZ HABIB

A year after the Israeli military offensive on Gaza, the people there are still in dire straits.

IT has been a year since the Dec 27 Israeli strike on Gaza. Just a day ago, Haifa, my Palestinian friend who lives in Gaza City, e-mailed me about the situation inside.

“GAZA! I don’t know where to start. People here are alive and not alive at the same time. The situation is really bad and getting worse every day. Nothing has changed since the war. People are still living in tents and the borders are still closed.

 

“We are still living under siege. Fatah and Hamas are still fighting. Is this enough or I should say more?

“The big ugly news these days is that the tunnels will be closed soon. Egypt is building a thick iron wall under the ground to close the tunnels and to prevent the Palestinians from building new tunnels.

“People are going crazy because of that. Prices are getting high and goods will run out soon,” wrote the 21-year-old.

Though painful to read, it was hardly surprising.

Little seems to have changed even with a new president in office in the United States – one who came to Cairo in June making huge promises such as wanting to push the Israeli and Palestinian peace process forward and help Gaza re-build, among others.

continue reading..... (frm The Star, Sunday 27th Dec 09)

Questions (by Akmar):

1. How could the world turn a blind eye BLIND EYES to what the-imaginary-country-Israel is doing?

2. What was Israel's excuse for killing Palestinians? I really cant remember them giving any valid reasons.

3. How could Egypt be so heartless??!! Palestinians are still people... Medical aids are one of the aids that SHOULD NOT AND SHD NEVER be blocked....!

4. Who gave US "the right" to be the world leader?

5. On what basis did Barack Obama won the Nobel Prize?

6. Do you know that the country Israel doesnt exist?

7. What can the world to for the Palestinians?

8. What can you WE do for the Palestinians?

p/s: There was a day, when i was reading my novel, and my siblings were watching the tv.

I really cant remember the title of the show, but it's the 7-8pm show in TV1. The show was some sort of documentary. I was reading when i suddenly hear the sentence, "Israel's land ruled by Palestine........bla bla bla". And quickly looked up, to the tv. I squeaked, i thought i heard wrongly. Then i looked at my mum, and she looked back. She said, "Hmmph. They manipulated the facts...."

And i was very disappointed...

Israel's land? Ruled by Palestine?

Ever heard of anything more ridiculous than this?

I can marry Prince William if even this is considered true. (no worry, i'm not fond of Prince William...)

How could RTM let this kind of show pass?

Didnt they watch it first?

Did they really take everything in? Bcos it's National Geographic @ Discovery? (i'm not sure which is it)

Where is RTM censoring board?

How come there are a LOT of hassle whenever certain parts of movies are cut but a script like this is viewed on air without any publicity?

Confused + disappointed + frustrated = ?

-AkMaR-
http://akmarr90.blogspot.com

Remembering Gaza

=)

Tanggal 27 Disember 2009 hingga 18 Januari 2010 menandakan ulang tahun pertama kezaliman rejim Zionis Israel terhadap rakyat Palestin di Gaza. Selama 22 hari, Israel membedil Gaza dengan bom, fosforus putih dan menggempurnya dengan jet pejuang F16, helikopter tempur, angkatan kapal laut , kereta kebal dan tentera bersenjata.



Seramai 1,400 jiwa terkorban , 5,000 orang tercedera, 20,000 kehilangan tempat tinggal dan 50,000 menjadi rakyat pelarian. Sekolah, universiti, hospital, bangunan awam, rumah dan kedai juga tidak terselamat daripada kekejaman tentera Zionis Israel.

Ulang tahun pembunuhan dan pencabulan hak asasi rakyat Gaza, Palestine akan dikenang oleh masyarakat madani seluruh dunia....

Viva Palestina Malaysia (dahulunya COMPLETE) menyahut seruan ini dan menyeru seluruh rakyat Malaysia untuk menzahirkan sokongan kita terhadap rakyat Palestin dengan melakukan perkara berikut :

1. Mempamirkan skaf Palestin pada tarikh 27 Disember dengan memakai skaf tersebut atau mengikatnya pada beg tangan dan memaparkan pelekat Palestin dicermin kereta anda.

2. Memboikot syarikat yang menyokong regim Zionis Israel. Syarikat tersebut termasuk Nestle, McDonald's, Coca-cola dan Loreal. .Paling minima jangan membeli jenama tersebut dari 27 Disember 2009 sehingga 18 Januari 2010

3. Memasang pelekat kereta memboikot empat barangan tersebut. Pelekat kereta boleh didapati secara percuma daripada No. 6, Jalan SS1/24A, Kampung Tunku, Petaling Jaya. Sila hubungi Cik Jemaimah di talian .

4. Mengamati “satu minit tanpa bicara” pada tepat jam 12 tengah hari pada 27 Disember 2009. Keheningan ini melambangkan rintihan kita terhadap perderitaan rakyat Palestin dan bantahan kita terhadap kekejaman rejim Zionis Israel.

Pada 27 Disember ini, anda digalakkan untuk menganjurkan aktiviti bersama keluarga atau rakan-rakan sempena menyahut seruan solidariti bersama rakyat Palestin. Sila ambil gambar atau video bagi tujuan tersebut dan emailkan ke complete2009@gmail.com . Kami akan memuat turun ke rangkaian web dan Facebook Viva Palestina Malaysia.

Viva Palestina Malaysia dan sukarelawannya akan berkumpul di ruang legar,Mid Valley Megamall pada jam 11.00 pagi , 27 Disember 2009. Jumpa disana!

Gaza masih dikepung. Pencerobohan ke atas Gaza dan penindasan terhadap rakyat Palestin tidak boleh di biarkan berlalu begitu sahaja. Perjuangan pembebasan Palestin adalah suatu seruan kemanusiaan dan perubahan kearah penyelesaiaan yang adil dan saksama mesti didokongi oleh masyarakat dunia sejagat.

Abraham Joshua Heschel menulis:
"Hanya segelinitr yang bersalah, tetapi semua yang bertanggungjawab."

Sila edarkan email ini kepada seramai mungkin kenalan anda. Marilah kita bersama-sama mengembeling usaha kearah memperingati dan memperjuangkan nasib rakyat palestin yang telah lama dibiarkan menderita dan dipinggirkan oleh kuasa dunia..

Untuk maklumat lanjut sila hubungi:

Puan.Azra azrabanu@gmail.com

Cik Jemaimah jemma.mustapha@gmail.com

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

December 27th - January 18th marks the first anniversary of the unspeakable brutality committed by the Zionist regime of Israel against the people of Gaza. For over 22 days, Israel dropped bombs, white phosphorous, used airplanes, helicopters, navy ships, tanks, bulldozers and heavily armed soldiers against a defenseless people.

1,400 dead, 5,000 injured, 20,000 homeless & 50,000 displaced. Schools, hospitals, universities, ministries, homes, shops - nothing was spared. The people of Gaza were simply bombed to death.

All around the world civil societies are marking the first anniversary of this cowardly and genocidal crime and Viva Palestina Malaysia (formerly COMPLETE) calls on all Malaysians to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people by doing the following:

1. Display the Palestinian scarf on 27th December everywhere you go. Drape it around yourself, tie it to your bag, display it in your car. Just let it be seen.

2. Boycott the following companies, supporters of the Zionist regime of Israel, from 27th December to 18th January - Nestle, McDonald's, Coke and Loreal. Do not buy any of their products!

3. Put up Boycott Israel car stickers, available for free. They can be collected from 6, SS1/24A, Kampung Tunku, Petaling Jaya. Or call Jemaimah at

4. Observe one minute of silence at exactly 12 noon on 27th December. Turn this silence into a deafening roar against the injustice suffered by the Palestinians.

It is highly encouraged that you get together with family and friends on 27th December. Do take pictures and videos of your activities and email them to complete2009@gmail.com. We will be posting them on our website and Facebook. Viva Palestina Malaysia members and volunteers will be at the open court of Mid Valley Shopping Mall at 11 am on 27th December. Do join us.

Gaza is still under a blockade. The attack gave the Palestinian struggle a global dimension and civil societies all around the world are stepping in to bring about a change. In the words of Abraham Joshua Heschel,

"Few are guilty, but all are responsible."

Please circulate this email far and wide. Lets get together and remember a people long forgotten by the rest of the world.

For more information do contact the following

Azra azrabanu@gmail.com
Jemaimah jemma.mustapha@gmail.com

-AkMaR-
http://akmarr90.blogspot.com

Natrah

Last two nights (Wed 9^th Dec 09), I went to watch the theatre ‘Natrah’ in Istana Budaya, KL. Since my mum’s a fan of theatre, and I was somehow introduced to it since small, I fell in love with it too. Sadly, theatre is always very costly so, we will only go and watch if there is a concession price, like this one.



For anyone who didn’t know, Natrah is a girl born to a Dutch family. Her father, Adrianus Petrus Hertough was a sergeant serving his country and was staying in Indonesia. Her mother, Adelaine Hertough befriends a Malay lady, Che Aminah. During Japanese occupation, Sergeant Hertough was captured and Adelaine was in a hard situation, forcing her to give away her daughter, Maria Huberdina Hertough to Che Aminah. 4 yrs after that, Che Aminah then brought Maria back to Kemaman, Terengganu and raise her up as a Muslim girl, named Natrah. 8 years later when Malaya is still under British colonisation (in 1949), Natrah was seen by Mr Locke, an English officer in Malaya. Mr Locke knows that there is a Dutch couple trying to find their long lost daughter.

Mr Locke tricked Che Aminah to go to Singapore so that Natrah can be taken away by her parents. Being in Terengganu, Che Aminah was more protected. When they reached Singapore, a summon was issued and Natrah was taken away, being put in Girls Homecraft Centre, York Hill, Singapore; a Christian charity house. The case then went public because it was like a fight between two religions; the Hertoughs wanting Maria back and educating her as a Catholic while Che Aminah wanting Natrah, the girl she raised and to continue educating her as a Muslim.

Some reading materials for those who want to know more abt Natrah (i cant possibly be writing her life story here, there's already a book on that) =)
1. Kosmo! Dis 9, 2009
2. Wikipedia (Malay version)
3. Wikipedia (English)
4. Utusan Malaysia 30/11/09
5. Utusan Malaysia (4/12/09

The climax of this conflict was when the English court in Malaya declared Natrah as a non-muslim and her marriage to a Muslim man; Mansor Adabi was declared null. That leads to 'Natrah riot' in Singapore killing 18 ppl and injuring at least 170 other. Natrah was sent back to Holland and raised as a Catholic. Natrah died this year, at the age of 72.

Maya Karin acted as Natrah, Remy Ishak as Mansor Adabi, Umie Aida as Che Aminah and Samantha Schubert as Adelaine. At first I wasnt sure if Remy Ishak is Adam in Nur Kasih but when he appeared on stage, I was very happy. Hahaha... It's not Remy Ishak that I like, it's Adam in Nur Kasih that I like. Ok, let's stop talking abt Nur Kasih, better get going with Natrah. Oh ya, there was a part when Remy Ishak was supposed to do a monologue, but he suddenly became quiet, for abt a minute. I think he forgot the script. Poor him....

For me, the script wasnt strong enough, there are arguable flaws and inconsistencies. But I love Natrah's dialogue. For me, Che Aminah's reasons to take Natrah back from the charity home wasn't logic. She said she's worried with Natrah's Islamic routine; whether she prays, whether she fasts etc etc. But for me, a mother whose daughter (eventhough an adopted one) is being kept in a place she's not allowed to visit her in, will be more concerned of the daughter's well being; whether she eats, whether she's treated nicely or whether she's crying etc etc than her prayers (uh, why do i sound weird saying this?). Plus, Natrah was only 13 at that time. In reality, I'm pretty sure that Che Aminah was also concerned of Natrah's well being apart from her prayers but the theatre did not raise that point at all. It was made as if Natrah's prayers were the only thing Che Aminah cared abt. Which was of course, not good enough.

Natrah married Mansor Adabi (Adam, yeay!) after the court decided to release Natrah from the charity home as the summon was retracted (ok, i dont really know what term i shd use here, 'cancelled' perhaps?). Logically, when Natrah is married to a local, her parents and the court could not and should not separate her from her husband and take her away. Natrah is of marrying age at that time, according to Islamic law. But according to civil law, she was still an underage thus her marriage was nullified! How dare the colonists nullify a marriage done under an Islamic law! How dare the colonists challenge the Islamic law, disrespecting it, announcing Natrah as a non-muslim, separate her from her husband and send her back to Holland. This was a case showing clearly how the colonists think the locals were stupid and weak. And that was why 'Natrah riot' happened in Singapore.

After being separated, Mansor Adabi wrote letters to Natrah without getting any reply. At last, Natrah asked Mansor Adabi not to contact her again, and broke Mansor Adabi's heart. He married another lady, working as a teacher and a lawyer, leading a wealthy life while Natrah suffered in Holland, marrying twice and migrating to the U.S, working as a cleaner. Natrah did ask to come back to Mansor Adabi but that was a different story (which i dont know, dont ask me abt it).

Natrah's monolog was heart-breaking. She cried for attention because nobody was listening to her, nobody asked what she wanted in life, how she wanted to live her life. Everybody was busy in the struggle, fighting for her and their religion. Two mothers fighting for a daughter, two community fighting for a girl, and two parties fighting for dignity. The Dutch can never bear the thought that a girl of their own flesh and blood being raised by a Malay lady; a supposedly weak and colonised nation eventhough that girls is married! It was a matter of ego and dignity to them. It was a story of struggle, of patience, of dignity and of love and romance (i'm pretty sure the love and romance was put in to make the play more interesting).

There was a scene when Aminah and her friend Mak Wok and Mak Wok's son; Mansor Adabi visited Natrah in the charity home in Singapore. At that time, Mansor Adabi wasnt married to Natrah yet. Planned marriage was a culture at that time, and so Malaysians watching the play will surely know that the two ladies planned to marry the two youths off. So, during the meeting, Mak Wok and Che Aminah teased the two of them. From the point of view of someone who didnt know the culture at that time, it will look so very weird that two mothers are teasing their own child in their very first meeting. Hence, i think this scene wasnt properly done. (Yea right Akmar, u urself cannot do it, complaint abt others plk =P)

However, all in all i think this theatre is worth the time and money. It is full of emotions and spirit. Compared to 'Tun Razak The Musical' which i watched few months back, i think 'Natrah' is still ok. Both plays featured the struggle Malaya went thru during the colonisation period. But 'Natrah' was more to religion than 'Tun Razak The Musical'. I'll give 'Natrah' a 7 out of 10. =)

-AkMaR-
http://akmarr90.blogspot.com

Welcome!

This post is specially dedicated to Diana Rizal for publishing her first post in her blog. Haha....

Although the first post took her a very long time (she says), it was a worth one. Interesting and very detailed. =P

Hope she will continue writing (though she says she's lazy to write).



-AkMaR-
http://akmarr90.blogspot.com

Bits of Experience; In Search of A Netbook =)

Brands available: Toshiba, Fujitsu, Lenovo, MSI, Asus, Acer, HP, Sony, Dell

1) Lenovo does not recommend Windows 7 with Intel Atom.

2) Fujitsu, Toshiba and Dell recommend Win 7 with a netbook.



3) Try to ask all the salesman in Low Yat or PC fair if Win 7 is compatible with a netbook. U'll get 1001 answers. Some say "yes, definitely" or "no, never" or "yes, but vry slow" or "no, i dont recommend that". So far i think it's ok.

4) Windows 7 Starter is sufficient. Other edition available: Win 7 Home Basic, Win 7 Home Premium, win 7 Professional. Those whose netbook come with XP OS will say Win 7 Starter is very very basic, cant do anything with it. So they'll ask u to maintain XP. Those with Win 7 Starter netbook will say Win7 is enough. Those who do nt have their own principle will say Win 7 Starter is too basic because it's "starter".

5) Acer and HP and maybe Dell (someone told me) are the most unreliable brands. Well, i dont know the truth, read here. Toshiba is reliable, so is Asus. Fujitsu is good too.

6) Toshiba netbook come with a DDRIII RAM so, dont dream of using the extra DDRII u hv at home (i'm telling this to myself).

7) Opt for a bigger screen netbook. Sometimes the netbook is big but the screen is small.

8) Bring translator along. The salesmen will just love to speak in their own language thinking we dont understand what they're saying. Haha... They chose the wrong customer at the wrong time. Sorry...! =)

9) Sony is expensive, but stylo. =P

10) Don't jump into any decision in buying a netbook or notebook or anything as a matter of fact. Survey the price first. And their free gifts. =)

I can't think of anything else YET. I might update this post if i remember anything new. =)

-AkMaR-
http://akmarr90.blogspot.com

It changes again

Like i predicted, the decision to limit SPM subjects taken by stdnts to 10 will be changed in a year's time. And it did, luckily.

But i dont really understand how it works this time. Because the news (The Star, Sat Dec 5 09) stated that stdnts are allowed to take Chinese or Tamil literature. So, what abt those science stream stdnts who intend to take Accountings or Economy etc?
Are they allowed to do so?



IMHO, i think stdnts shd be permitted to take extra subjects because they are solely responsible for the # of subjects they took (with the exception of pressure from lunatic parents). I cant find the news excerpt during the days when the govt decided to limit the # of SPM subjects so i cant verify the reason behind the decision. But if i am not mistaken, it was because too many stdnts are trying to break records going up to 20 subjects. But still, out of the more than 400 000 (it is 465, 853 stdnts for 2009) stdnts taking SPM, there will always be less than 15 stdnts taking up tp 16, 17 subjects. And that is only like 0.0000375% of the total SPM stdnts. Why should the whole population of SPM stdnts being limited from taking extra subjects?

And if the stdnts themselves are capable of studying all the 30 sbjects (pls, this is a hyperbola for those who are too straight), then they shd be given all the support they need. Even if there shd be any limititation, for any reason beyond my knowledge and thinking (which i shall think is shallow), then a limit 0f 15 should be ok. 10 is just too little! And i'm talking based on experience. A pure science stream stdnt will have a minimum of 10 subjects. Say the stdnt is studying in a chinese school, then the stdnt must take chinese language. And say the stdnt will also want to take Accounting or Economy, for the sake of knowledge (don't argue, accounting @ economy @ money management is a crucial skill to live) then the # of SPM subjects will be AT LEAST 12. With the limitation, the stdnt will have to sacrifice 2 subjects. Not unfair enough?

Limiting the # to only 10 is an example of limiting the potential of a bright stdnt. And Malaysia is supposed to grow with that? It was the same with PTS (Penilaian Tahap Satu) where Standard 3 students are promoted to Standard 5 (without going thru Std 4) if the stdnt passed PTS exam. For me, it was a very good exam. Std 4 syllabus isn't difficult to catch up. And parents saved one whole year of school fees, pocket money, time and energy plus school uniform. And the stdnt also save a year. I wasnt sure why the exam was cancelled but ppl told me it was bcos some of the stdnts who were promoted cant make it. They cant cope with the promotion. But, how was the proportion of stdnts who can cope to stdnts who cant cope? Just bcos there are some stdnts who cant cope, that privilege should not be taken away from all students. I am sure the exam was still on in the year 1999 and 2000 but i am not sure what was the last year for the exam.

p/s: I am talking frm my point of view. And i accept any comment (if there is). =)
Btw, i'm also thinking of my bro's future. If he's not allowed to take more than 10 subjects...he will hv to sacrifice some of the SPM subjects his taking now. =(

-AkMaR-
http://akmarr90.blogspot.com

Two Little Angels

Since the commencement of the school holiday, my uncle put his two sons in my hse.
And these two 2 and 4 yr olds really turned my hse upside down but won our hearts at the same time.

I cant believe a boy can be so troublesome at one time but yet so lovable.



They can't still talk properly and i am still adapting to their language.
Our conversations:

1. "Heyy....Jgn mkn betul2!! Mkn tipu2 je....!!"
This was my dialogue when the 4 yr old took my car dashboard mat, and coook it like a roti canai, and serve me some. And he really tried to eat it despite using his bro's slippers as the spatula.

2. "Noooo!!! Don't play with thaaaatt.....!!"
This is also mine when the 2 yr old took a pair of chopsticks and turn them into zorro swords.

3. "Pegi kencing..pegi kencing...." (Me)
"Sy x cing..x cing...." (The 4 yr old)
This is heard every 2,3 hrs everyday. We are training the 4 yr old toilet manners. He's still wearing diapers at 4 yrs old! And if i forgot to remind him to go to the toilet....... everyone knows what happen. There was once he said "Sy nk cing, sy nk cing" in the car and my heart leapt. I drove even faster so that we reach home fast...

4. "Sape buat ni?" (My family or me, pointing to any wound on the 4 yr old.)
"Adik....." (The 4 yr old answered.)
Yes, that's the truth. The smaller one will bully the bigger one. And the bigger one will just run and run frm his younger bro but when he is angry........ok, let's not make him angry. Separate them when the 2 yr old started hitting the 4 yr old.

This video was recorded when the two kids were playing with each other. The smaller sized one is 2 yrs old while the bigger one is 4. Notice who is actually bullying who...

5. "Xde ke org nk main dgn bdk2 ni?" (Me in desperation when the two kids started messing up
with my laptop and room. Usually my two younger bros will be playing ultraman, naruto, spiderman, superman or juz any man with them)

And the list goes on.....

No wonder my mum said our hse was empty, without any decorations when me and my siblings were small. My mum cant even have a vase in the hse. It'll get destroyed in no time.
I dropped the television once, and it dropped right in front of my brother. But the tv survived! Until now, 15 yr old tv...

My mum cant even have picture frames arranged nicely on shelves, cute wall decorations, or nicely put antiques and elegant looking teapot set bcos me and my siblings will successfully destroy them. And now, my youngest brother is 13 yrs old, my mum has started decorating the hse.

Small miniature DIY bicycle on the shelve, photo frames on dressing table, flower vases (which i broke one last yr), and glasswares. My siblings collection of dvds and PS2 games arranged nicely in their respective folders near the TV cabinet. They are all gone now.

The bicycle lost its handle, photo frames broken, vases still there (bcos they are made of rattan, i broke the porcelain one), and DVDs hidden in my drawer. And my bros specs are bent.

The carpet in the main hall is always folded, never straightened and cushions upside down.
Fuh, how come i made these two boys sound more like little devils than little angels?

They are still angels, bcos they are kids. No matter what they do, they are innocent.

I asked the 4 yr old,
"Syg ayah x?"
"Syg....."
"Syg mummy x?"
"Syg...."
"Lg syg sape?"
"Sy syg kakak...."

And i melt...
Ok kid, do what u like.
Piss me off, make me angry, anything...as long as u say u love me... Hahahaha...

They were playing with my bro's roller blades..

But at times, i'm sad.
Here, my cousins and almost all kids in Malaysia get all the love they needed.
But what abt those in Palestine?
Life is totally the opposite for them.
Seeing their own parents being killed in front of them, blood shed almost everywhere.
And friends going out, without ever coming back...
They don't hv the childhood life the philosophers are boasting abt when America, Israel and their counterparts "peacefully" forcefully take from them when the whole world turning their blind eyes to the atrocity..
Wake up o people!
The children of Palestine need you!
Even my 2 yr old cousin will cry so hard everytime his father left them for work, (the 4 yr old being more understandind and didnt cry), imagine a Palestine kid losing their family members. Unbearable for me...!


Coming back to my two little angels, they look so sweet and cute when they were sleeping!
Haha.. Love them so much... But pls, adik2.. dont disturb my laptop, i love that laptop too...!! And it cost me a fortune buying it last time...

-AkMaR-
http://akmarr90.blogspot.com

Surprised Kitty

I saw this vid in fb.
And i think it's very2 cute...
Hahaha...
But pity the kitten.
Didnt know what's happening... =P



-AkMaR-
http://akmarr90.blogspot.com

Training Courses in Life

1. I believe everything that happened to us, is of reasons and logic. Whatever they are, they are the best for us, for now or for the future.

2. I don't believe there shd be any regrets in life. Only embarassments and shamefullness and sad feeling of the bad things we did in the past shd be there and also a promise not to do it again in the future.
But my definition of regret is to sulk over things we did in the past and feel sad abt it but did not go on with life. Merely sulking. (Imagine those men in movies being dumped by their lover in movies and they regretted treating @ trusting the girl and ended up having long thick beards due to lack in motivation to shave for months) =P

3. We are trained in every possible way in everything we did. A simple conversation with someone simple might be just the thing saving us in the future.
Ok, this is funny. I hv an example:

Last Sunday, i met my aunt. And she told me that my uncle laughed at her bcos she doesnt know how to switch his new VAIO laptop on. Why? Because the switch is at the side, not at the center of the laptop, like most other laptops. It was a totally simple conversation btw me and aunt, bcos we had nothing else to talk abt. Guess what? The vry nxt day, my bestfriend and her friend tried tricking me, asking me to switch a laptop on. And the "on" button isn't at the centre. HAHAHAHAHA..... Just if i didnt have the conversation with my aunt the day before, i wont be able to switch the laptop on as fast as i did that day. =)

4. Whatever i say now is what i think now. Ask me these very same things 5 yrs more, and i might or might not give the same statements.
5 yrs before this i told my mum i do not want to drive. Even after i start working (at that time i still has so many career ambitions, didnt know which to choose) no matter what profession it is, i wanted to take public transports. Only public transports. Reason? I'm scared of road traffic accidents. Been in RTAs so many times with my mums that i do not want to be in it especially when i'm the driver. 5 yrs on the road, i'm driving evryday to campus and an official family driver fetching and sending siblings to school, family members to supermarket etc etc.

~Because life is dynamic~

-AkMaR-
http://akmarr90.blogspot.com

Blinded by the media

The Malaysian media is totally dependent on the so-called wire services (Reuters, AP, AFP, etc) for foreign news. As a result there has been no report on the Israeli desecration of the al-Aqsa mosque and the beating up of Palestinian Muslims who wanted to pray there.

I don't think the Malaysian media is deliberately blacking out news which are not in favour of Israel but if they depend solely on the wire services they would always be unfair to the victims of Israeli brutalities

We read very little about the blockade of Gaza and the sufferings of the people there.

What Israel is doing is illegal, but such is the control that Israel exercises on the international media that it can actually openly commit genocide and nothing would happen to it.

These are the people whom we had sympathised with because the Nazis of Germany tried to wipe out.

Now they are the ones doing the very thing they, or their forebears had suffered from in the past.

Akmar says:
Well, this is not my writing.
Whose?
Dr M's. (Malaysians, pls know who he is)
I'm merely copying and pasting it here.
Still want to stay blinded?

p/s:
Quoting Dr M DOESN'T make me a pro-govt. And saying this doesnt make me a pro-opposition. I prefer the truth and corruption free, wherever they may come from (and i guess many of us will know where they WONT come from). =P

-AkMaR-
http://akmarr90.blogspot.com

Qualified First Year Student =)

Assalammualaikum.

I've finished my first year of medical course!!! (ok, sounds lame... i know it)
But man, i do need to be proud of it don't i?
There are lots of things that happened during this 2nd semester of mine, history seems to keep repeating itself, me with my carefree lifestyle and almost panicking near the exam due to lack of revision, and not to forget, happiness and sorrows as a student.

One of the exam Qs was on "pass flatus". Honestly i hv no idea what flatus is. Asked my nurse aunt, and she laughed like mad. Pass flatus means fart-lah! Flatulence --> flatus...
Uhuhu.. And i'm pretty sure i gave the wrong answer for that Q.

Pathology. I suck at it. I bet Dr Sri laughed all the way through marking my paper. I put "neutrophils infiltration" in almost all microscopic photographs.

During the result taking day (Friday, 20th Nov 09), all my batchmates are at their palest condition. We were queueing up anxiously to get our results. It was a torture to queue up so long and it was another BIG challenge to tear the envelope and open the result statement.
I saw friends screamed in joy. Some of them jumped in happiness, some laughed their hearts out, some with pendant out of shirt collar signalling he had just kissed the pendant as a symbol of gratitude, appreciation and thankfulness and some hugging each other.

Seeing more and more students getting good results, leaving me and those still queuing up fidgeting and tachycardia. Hearts beat faster, palms getting cold and sweating, lips smiling to friends from far, whispering each other good luck, and faces as pale as chinese opera actresses.

And praise to Almighty God, i passed my End of Semester 2 exam.
I shd now think of my sem 3, and i bet some of my friends started mugging up sem 3 syllabus.
I'm determined to study harded and smarter next sem, I hope I can score better, or JPA won't let me go to the country of my choice. I gotta perform in all my 5 sems to win JPA's heart (or money).

-AkMaR-
http://akmarr90.blogspot.com

Boycott Israel COMPLETE Family and Friends Day

Assalammualaikum.

I was supposed to write this one week before, as it was held on Saturday, Nov 14th 2009.
But i have been sleeping endlessly the past one week and i decided to write abt it only now.



COMPLETE or now known as VIVA Palestina Malaysia organised a Friends and Family Day in Sunway Pyramid, KL.

The events are bowling and ice skating. Participants will wear the boycott Israel t-shirts and participate in either bowling or ice skating for FREE!!!

7 girls including me (Akmar, Diana, Farahin, Fathin Najib, Atieqa, Nabihah, Mizah) and 3 boys (Aizuddin, Syahil and Lokman) participated from IMU. We reached Sunway at approximately 11am. After breakfast and lunch (yes, both in Sunway) we proceeded to the bowling arena for registration and t-shirt collection. Each t-shirt cost only RM10 (student price).

After registration, cloth changing, we went for Zuhur prayers and then only to the skating rink.

We reached the rink around 1.30pm, after all the hassle in wearing the skating shoes and changing the size again and again, we are ready to skate!


But only to discover that the rink is going to be closed, because they need to "clean" it first. After waiting another 20mins, we then managed to go into the rink. The last time i skate was when i was 14 (i think), which was 5 yrs back! Ad thank God i still got the hang of it. When we first arrive at the rink, there weren't many COMPLETE @ VIVA Palestina skaters yet but as time passes, more and more COMPLETE skaters join the crowd. At one point, i think there were more than 50 of us! And i was very proud and happy. We certainly made an appearance, the public acknowledged us, observed the tshirts and some ask Qs.

There was one Chinese auntie who asked me where am I from. And I answered from COMPLETE, and I talked a bit abt the oppression on the Palestinians. I'm not sure whether the aunt got what i said as the surrounding was SO loud. At last the aunt asked me (this was at the entrance to the skate rink where we're supposed to scan our tickets for entry), "Mau lawan ka kt dlm tu?" or literally means "Are you going to fight in there?"
I was dumbstrucked for a while. Err...

"Oh no! We're not picking up any fight here, we come in peace!" That's the first thing crossed my mind, given the fact that my last COMPLETE walkaround alerted the security and we were literally chased out of Carrefour in MidValley fearing that we might terrorise (yea right, our cameras can shoot a bullet up to 200m without missing the target and we are all trained to become sharp shooter using our laser eyes and we have jedi forces, if that's what the Carrefour ppl are scared of)

Then i realised, the aunt thought we're in a competition, an ice skating competition, and we are all wearing our "uniforms". And i laughed at my own foolishness and unnecessary fear. So i smiled and told the aunt that we are not in any competition.

We skate for approx 2 hrs, my legs were aching by then but it was worth it.
Some ppl asked where can they get the tshirts and i told them we got it from the bowling arena but since once we go out of the rink, we can't enter back, they do not want to go to get the tshirts. Hence i gave them the url for COMPLETE website and asked them to check for any
event updates there. And i hope they really do.


COMPLETE skaters in the rink are not only of students and youngsters but also family with small little children. And man, they really look cute in those tiny little boycott tshirts!!

After skating, all 10 of us separated into 3 groups and walked our own way. After a session of camwhoring with Diana, both of us went for Asar prayers and walked around Sunway. Not exactly around, only some parts of it. My legs can't bear the ache anymore, i was even scared i might get crammed legs (muscle fatigue) while driving! Guess what, Diana went crammed in the middle of the rink, and i had to literally drag her out of the rink (oops, sorry Diana! Haha..)





As for bad experiences, no i did not experience any this time. Apart from the awkwardness when me and Diana were walking and there was a Coca Cola booth, they were giving free drinks away. And we bravely walked pass thru them, twice (we lost our direction actually)! At first they offered to give us the drinks, but we rejected. And it was like seeing a cat diplomating with a dog (just a stupid example to say that there are two girls wearing a tshirt with a very big Boycott Coca Cola logo in the circle of workers wearing red Coca Cola tshirts with BIG Coca Cola logo at the booth).

Come to think of it again, it's ok to DRINK Coca Cola, but it's certainly not ok to BUY Coca Cola. The purpose of boycotting is because we do not want to spend money on companies which are obviously channelling fund to the occupation of Palestine. But if the drink are given for free, we are not actually contributing any money, do we? Except for us contributing as an indirect ads for them. But since i am never a fan of carbonated drinks, even if Coke is not contributing to the atrocity, I'll not drink it anyway.


One of the boys from IMU was actually stopped by a Loreal promoter. The promoter demanded for the reasons why is Loreal being boycotted and he wasnt satisfied and was unhappy that this friend of mine is wearing a huge boycott Loreal logo on his tshirt.
I wasnt there thus i did not know how the argument went abt, i heard this from a third party.


Some other bad experience (which has got nothing to do with the tshirts):

1. I forgot which level did i park my car. Even Farahin (from the other car) forgot! We panicked for a while and luckily we managed to find our respective car, fast.

2. Me and Diana got stucked in a lift while searching for my car. The lift door won't open and i panicked. Getting stucked in the lift is one of the thing i want the last in life. I pressed the bell button so hard as if my life depended on it. Luckily it wasnt for long. Nobody came to our rescue, haha.. The lift functioned back after a while.

3. I got lost while driving back. Paid a lot of toll. But fortunately i wasn't caught in any jam. And was lucky too as my Touch n Go is sponsored by my mum. =) I reached home at 740pm despite the fact that i went out of Sunway at almost 7 and i sent Diana to Sri Petaling LRT station.

Any other bad experience? Not anymore that i can think of for now. Anyone want to add some more experience? You're more than welcomed! =)

-Because every life is worth it-

-AkMaR-
http://akmarr90.blogspot.com

16 Random Stuff Abt Me

Once you've been tagged, you have to write a post with sixteen random things, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose five people to be tagged, listing their names and why you chose them.

Don't forget to leave a comment ("You're Tagged!"), and to read your blog, you can't tag a person who tagged you. Since you can't tag me, let me know when you've posted your blog, so i can see your weirdness.

1. I hate the Zionists for oppressing the Palestinians, for devoiding them of their houses and properties and family members, for killing them inhumanly but still be able to stand straight at their thrones, justifying their atrocity and still be acknowledged by some parts of the world.

2. I love to sleep in my parents' room because that's the only room with air-conditioner in my hse. But i love to wrap the comforter around myself everytime I'm in an air-conditioned room. And that defeats the whole purpose of the air-conditioner.

3. I really hope there is a "Ctrl+F" or "index" function in my brain so that i can easily retrieve all the knowledge i read and stored somewhere in my brain. When too many facts are shoved into my brain, I tend to jumble them all up.

4. Sometimes i prefer to ignore than to show that i know when some topics are being discussed. Whatever one knows, reflects what one hv been exposed to. And what one was exposed to, reflects the personality of that person. Most ppl thought i'm ignorant, so what?

5. I love to assume "the little kid" role whenever i got the opportunity. It's less tensing as no one is supposed to expect much from a little kid. A little kid is supposed to be taken care of, live carefree and happy always.

6. I believe there is no such thing as "pure evil". No one is pure evil (I'm crossing my fingers when it comes to Ariel Sharon or Hitler though, I dont know them). But I believe EVERYONE has their own soft part. One may be very evil in business, in social life etc but he may be very loving to his family or one may be unacceptably evil in dealing with nemesis but loves cat so much. There is NO PURE EVIL in this WORLD.

7. I strongly OPPOSE gays and lesbians relationships. They are GROSS.

8. Everytime i lose grip or lose control of myself or my life or undergoing emotional instability, i'll sleep. I'll sleep like i never sleep before. If some ppl resort to alcohol to forget their problem, then sleep is my drug and alcohol. But the waking up is always the hardest part. As suddenly the reason i slept crashes into my mind again, and i'll feel like sleeping again.

9. I will first love a song for its tune and rythm. And when i get to know the lyrics, if they are good i'll love the song more. But if it's not good or hurts me too much, i wont want to listen to the song again. Essentially, i reject bad lyrics with good melody but accept good lyrics with bad melody. I love songs for their lyrics.

10. I am a fast driver, thanks to my mum, a Penang driver. I think my INTEC hsemates can't agree less, Diana will too.

11. I have high treshold value, I just do.

I was tagged by Adilah Zafirah few days before my exam, means more than 2 weeks before. Sorry Adilah, i took such a long time to post this. Haha...
I've been sleeping endlessly this past 10 days.
And i think i'll write only 11 instead of 16. This post will be extra long if i go until 16. Readers will be bored by the time they finished reading.

I'm tagging Hazirah Hamzah (who just loves to conteng my fb wall), Diana Rizal (although she doesnt have a blog, she can write in fb), Hanis Rafi (just saja2 wanna know abt her random stuff), Eka Irina and Add.

-AkMaR-
http://akmarr90.blogspot.com

5 Things I Wanna Say on the Eve of My Exam and 5 Things I Wanna Do After My Exam

5 Things I Wanna Say On The Eve of My Exam

1. I don't know how ready am I for the exam tomorrow, there is less than 12 hrs left. And this exam is one of the killer exams in IMU. The second killer exam is during Sem5, to ensure a place in the clinical school.

2. I just want to get this over with, fast. I don't want more time because I don't think there's anything much left to be done.

3. I haven't study Bacterial Genetics, i forgot transformation, transposon, conjugation etc etc.

4. Dr. JPJ said students need to know at least 50% of what they were taught in order to pass this exam. I'm sure i know at least 50% of what I was taught. But what if the questions are on the other 50% which I don't know? That means students shd at least know 50% of WHAT ARE TO BE ASKED, NOT WHAT THAT WE WERE TAUGHT.

5. I want to get up tomorrow, feeling confident and happy and strong and smart, so that I can answer the exam with open heart. Amin...

5 Things I Wanna Do After My Exam

This is the fun part.

1. I want to read as much novels as I can. I spent more than RM100 for books during MPH sales in IMU last 2 weeks and I can't wait to read those books. I might even be going to IMU library and borrow novels, and maybe spend some time in the library reading novels, as a revenge. I've been staying in the lib for hours, gluing my eyes on the notes, after exam will be the time to read novels!

2. I want to go jalan-jalan. I'm just so tired of being confined to my daily activity (Uni-House-Uni-House) for the last few weeks. I wanna go Low Yat, I wanna go Sunway (this Sat!!), I wanna go OU, I wanna go Mines.. (greedy)

3. I want to spend time surfing the net, reading latest news, getting new stories, updating myself with the world.

4. I want to watch House Season 6!

5. I want to relax, sleep, eat and play guilt-less-ly...

Yeay!!!

What I Want To Do Next? Sleep! (but only after i go find what bacterial genetics mean, read HIV and Immunodeficiency & arrange my notes for tomorrow etc etc) Duh!

I'm tagging my fb friends, if you guys feel like writing, can just write under "5 Things I Wanna Say on the Eve of My Exam and 5 Things I Wanna Do After My Exam" or perhaps if you guys are reading this after the exam, "5 Things I Wanna Do After My Exam" .
It'll be fun to read!
=)

Good Luck to MeDt109!!
We Can Do It!!
Ganbatte!!

-Because Life is A Test-

-AkMaR-
http://akmarr90.blogspot.com