'Peace' of Mind®

Top 10

After the shocking tsunami wave hit our west coast shores a couple of weeks ago, it is time to put something back into perspective. I am not a natural movie fan or film critic until about a year ago, but I’m a big fan of music. What kind of music does not matter, as long as it has something to do with rock, no matter how tiny the substance is. In saying that, I do consider Gangsta Rap has a little bit of rock influence in it.

 

For some, music is life. Others say music is just a bunch of different tunes put together. No matter how you define music, or how music influences your life, we can never deny that music played a huge part in controlling our emotions and sometimes our decisions making process. So, on my part, I present to you my Top 10 All-Time Best Ever Album produced;

 

1. What’s      The Story (Morning Glory) by Oasis (1995)

- Wonderwall

- Don’t Look Back in Anger

- Cast No Shadow

- Morning Glory

- Champagne Supernova

For me, this was the best album produced by Oasis and make them what they are today; Legends. They take Rock N Roll to a completely different level with their more dynamic melodies and songwriting. To be honest, I never get bored listening to this record especially the 5 songs above.

 

2. Hybrid      Theory by Linkin Park (2000)

- One Step Closer

- Crawling

- In The End

- Papercut

 

What else can you say about them? This very album were sold around 27 million copies worldwide as of 2007, making them the best selling debut album in the 21^st century. The only reason I can think of as why they’ve been receiving negative reviews for this album is because of jealousy.

 

3. Californication      by Red Hot Chili Peppers (1999)

- Scar Tissue

- Otherside

- Californication (best ever song)

- Road Trippin

- Parallel Universe

 

One of my all-time favourite band with their unique live performance appearance (without clothing, sometimes naked), this album marks the change of direction in their style of writing music, and indeed it was a great move. Although not all tunes were completely different from its previous albums, few songs made way to a more melodic oriented riff (Scar Tissue, Otherside). Great Album

4. At The      End of The Day by Disagree (2004)

- Crumbs

- Suicide Note

- Please

- Angel’s Orchestra

 

Although not as huge as Butterfingers in their heyday, this debut album does set them apart from other local artiste. Very deep meaning songs and touching melody, you can listen to Suicide Note 50 times a day without getting bored at all, believe me. I really hope they will eventually come out with new materials soon to fend off any ‘seberang laut’ invasion. If you want to support Malaysian music, this is the band you should look for. Pure music, original.

 

5. Transcendence      by Butterfingers (1999)

- The Chemistry (Between Us)

- Stolen

- Faculties of the Mind

- Wet Blanket

- Mystery

 

This is not just ‘another’ local band trying to make a name for themselves. They once define what local underground music is all about. Butterfingers was the biggest thing to happen to local music scene (not industry). People say they were just copying Nirvana’s song and mix it up with a bit of Malaysian flavour, but who cares? That time, there were millions band trying to be Nirvana, but how many did people remember eventually with some degree of respect?

 

6. A Rush      of Blood to The Head by Coldplay (2002)

- In My Place

- A Rush of Blood to the Head

- The Scientist

 

This band make me fell in love with slow rock/ alternative rock if you like. The melancholic The Scientist really takes your heart as high as the sky, beautiful melody and strong lyrics. Still the best Coldplay album ever produced to date.

 

7. Nimrod      by Greenday (1997)

- Hitchin’ a Ride

- Redundant

- Good Riddance

- Nice Guys Finish Last

 

May not be the best Greenday album, but in my book, the combination of songs in this album bettered any of their other albums. I would like to include Welcome to

Paradise

and When I Come Around in this album, but it is not right, hehe.

 

8. Make      Yourself by Incubus (1999)

- The Warmth

- Stellar

- Make Yourself

- Drive

- I Miss You

- Pardon Me

 

Probably the best Incubus album to date, I was lucky to catch them live in action in Bukit Kiara in early March 2004. Their music we basically alternative rock with some experimental element in it with a lot of samplings, which was very good. Brandon Boyd mellow tone really suits the band’s style of play and image. If you’re looking for some tension-breaker song, try The Warmth.

 

9. Chocolate      starfish and the Hotdog Flavoured Water by Limp Bizkit (2000)

- My Generation

- My Way

- Rollin’

- Take a Look Around

 

The best Limp Bizkit album in my opinion. Very raw but experimental. Stylistically, the album is one of the most diverse the band has ever produced, and one of the most melodic. My Way is clearly the best song in this album.

 

10. Be      Here Now by Oasis (1997)

- D'You Know What I Mean?

- Stand By Me

- Don’t Go Away

- Be Here Now

- All Around the World

 

This album features some of the best slow rock/ rock n roll songs of all time in my book. Stand By Me was the theme of the youth back in my school time, but Don’t Go Away is the best song in this album. Nothing beats Oasis in this genre of song, and no it’s no wonder why they’re the closest to be compared to the legendary The Beatles.

This is the summary of my Top 10 best ever album ever produced by a Band.

ridhuan abubakar®

Who's Your Daddy?

   Let’s face it; the 2008 General Election is the talk of the nation at the moment. For the moment, the high profile Altantuya murder trial, the controversial VK Lingham tape scandal and the wasteful Port Klang Free Trade Zone case seems to be forgotten for a while to pave way for the propaganda machine to do it's duty, and were instructed to do it WELL, meaning that 99.5% media coverage just for the Ruling Coalition. In this short frame of time, the public were brainwashed to forget for a while about the ALLEGED sinful acts (remember they're not guilty until proven so. yeah right!) of some actors in exchange of the (usual) promises for better future,
economy and development. But, 4 years later after we'd chosen the 'clean chap' to be our leader, what we got in return was rising petrol price, increased cost of grocery goods, economic slowdown and 2 rusty submarines. How about the increased scrutiny on public speeches and gathering? You answer that.

   I’m sure the opposition will not win over the current crop of 'intellectual' leaders (remember the infamous al-jazeera interview of the Info Minister?) of now, but what I'm damn sure is that their seats will be less warm then before, thanks to the presence of the so-called 'liars' and The-person-who-will-bankrupt-Malaysia, although his function is merely just behind the scene, at least for 2 months more, among others. Why they will continue to lead the nation? My answer is simple. Forget the vote rigging, oppression, fraud, Phantom Voters and money politics, the single biggest reason why they will win this election is because of the 99.5% (0.5% being the news about the launching of the opposition party's manifestos) media coverage biased heavily on the coalition. You name it, channel 1,2, 3,7 & 9, Messenger, Daily News, all they do is to promote the propaganda, the 'fake good deeds' of a few selected representative, the 'rise' of the economy, the continuous 'development' of the nation, etc. In fact, the media are trying too hard it seems, that it looked like a joke.

   Take this into perspective. The leader of the ESTABLISHMENT is always the 'Uhm-No'. The party is/used to be representing the majority Malays in the country, which consist of roughly 60% of the Malaysian population. Well, as we all know, majority of the Malays still lives in rural, sub-urban areas, where media coverage like free TVs and mainstream newspapers are the only source of info they can get for updates on current issues at the moment. They were indirectly trained to listen and read the usual stuffs about the good deeds of the establishment's rep. everyday in these mainstream Medias. Access to the other side of stories and left-wing materials are hard to get as it is a controlled commodity, i.e. internet, alternative newspapers, flyers.

   Take that into account, the only almost-free-of-political-influence media right now is the internet. This is the new-age media for alternative news and info about the country and what has not been showed in the mainstream media, which has been increasingly relevant recently, like the ALLEGED miss-use of public funds, abuse of power, sex scandals and so on. This is certainly what the majority of the rural Malays don't have access to. What they got is what they believe, i.e. channel 1, 2, 3, Messenger, Daily News. So, IF YOU CONTROL THE MEDIA, YOU THEORETICALLY CONTROL THE MALAYS.

   If the majority Malays in the rural areas keep voting Uhm-No, they will continue to rule the country. The fact, Uhm-No have the most state and parliament seats in the country. You do the math, simple as that. Until the media ceased to be biased VERY heavily on the coalition, nothing is going to change. And I believe they don't ever considering to. Poor us. I know politics are more complicated than this, but this is the single biggest reason why the country is not going to change, in my opinion. Do we need a change? YES. Why? Read the 2nd sentence in the 1st paragraph.

   Finally, it's no fun ending my writing without having a go at the authorities. This is my list of the Top 10 Worst Road in the 1st World Infrastructure State (I guess they forgot to note that road is actually an infrastructure). Where are the funds? Don't ask me!

1. Jalan Gombak (Worst of the worst)
2. Jalan Ipoh
3. Jalan Genting Klang
4. MRR2
5. Jalan Kepong-Jinjang
6. Jalan Ampang
7. Jalan Sentul
8. Jalan Sri Hartamas 1
9. Jalan Keramat AU3
10.Jalan Cheras

ridhuan abubakar2008

Tribute to the Legends

   Although I'm not a big Hip Hop fan, as a universal music listener, I can't help but to admire some of the tunes, bits or whatever you want to call it created by the acts of this genre. People that are so much into this music genre are called 'The Bling- Bling Culture', or who wants to be associated in that culture, are called 'Wannabes'. Sorry for my lack of knowledge in this 'Baggy Pants' business, here I presents to you my Top 10 Hip Hop/ R&B bits ever:

1. Eminem - Stan
2. The Game - How We Do
3. 2Pac - Changes
4. Dr. Dre feat. Eminem - Forgot About Dre
5. Snoop Dogg - What's My Name
6. 2Pac - California
7. Baby Bash feat. Akon - Baby I'm Back
8. P. Diddy - I'll Be Missing You
9. Mario Winan - I Don't Wanna Know
10. Paula DeAnda feat. Bow Wow - Easy

   Special reservation for Souljah Boy with the song Crank That for being the Most Annoying Hip Hop Songs Ever, at least in my book. The bits and the yelling s**t really gets to my nerves every time it airs on local radio stations.

ridhuan.abubakar®

Bahasa Malaysia

   Minat saya dalam bidang penulisan ni datang secara tak langsung, yang datang dari hobi saya yang suka membaca majalah- majalah dan melukis. Daripada membaca, saya mula berfikir, berfantasi, dan mula berjinak- jinak untuk menulis cerita sendiri. Menulis, seperti juga melukis, adalah cabang seni yang perlu dilakukan dengan teliti, berfikiran waras dan selalunya mengikut kata hati. Daripada kata hati, perkara tersebut akan dikembangkan dengan pemikiran waras, dan ditulis dengan tangan yang teliti. Maka, akan terhasillah satu penulisan yang amat bermakna, walaupun hanya pada diri sendiri. Blog saya kali ni akan ditulis dalam Bahasa Malaysia supaya lebih mudah difahami oleh ‘orang kebanyakan’ di Semenanjung dan cubaan memperkayakan bahasa ibunda kita yang semakin lama semakin dipinggirkan. Betul ke?

   Bercakap mengenai Bahasa Malaysia, saya masih teringat zaman sekolah rendah dahulu, dimana dalam matapelajaran Bahasa Malaysia kita akan disuruh memilih satu topik yang kita minati dan membuat penyampaian di hadapan kelas, dengan menghafal atau secara spontan. Ketika itu saya berada di darjah 6 Melati, Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Gelugor (1826), Pulau Pinang. Apabila cikgu Bahasa Malaysia (BM) menyuruh kami memilih topik yang kita minati dan membuat penyampaian, otak saya terus berfikir kepada satu perkara, secara spontan, Formula 1 dan mendiang Ayrton Senna. Disebabkan minat saya yang begitu mendalam terhadap Formula 1 dan terutamanya Ayrton Senna ketika itu, saya terus membuat keputusan untuk membuat penyampaian mengenai bekas Juara Dunia 3 kali itu, tetapi bukan mengenai kehebatannya, tetapi mengenai kematiannya yang dianggap ‘the darkest day of Formula 1’ sehingga ke hari ini, dimana seorang lagi pelumba telah mati pada hari sebelumnya. Berikut adalah transkrip penyampaian saya untuk hari tersebut (ketepatan ayat- ayat dan perkataan yang saya gunakan dibawah adalah lebih kurang 30% saja daripada apa yang saya sampaikan 14 tahun lalu, tetapi isi kandungannya hampir sama):    

   “Selamat pagi diucapkan kepada cikgu Zaharah dan murid- murid sekalian. Hari ini saya akan menyampaikan kisah kematian pemandu Formula 1 yang terkenal dan juga idola saya, Ayrton Senna. Ayrton Senna adalah juara Dunia Formula 1 sebanyak 3 kali, tetapi pada 1 Mei 1994, dia telah menemui ajalnya. Pada perlumbaan di litar Imola, Italy, sedang dia mendahului perlumbaan, tiba- tiba keretanya terbabas di selekoh laju, lalu melanggar tembok batu pada kelajuan 178km/j. Setelah keretanya melanggar tembok batu, ia berpusing- pusing (sambil membuat isyarat tangan) 3 kali sampai ia berhenti beberapa meter dari tembok batu itu. Keretanya hancur, serpihan- serpihan besi berterbangan di kawasan kemalangan, dan Ayrton Senna tidak bergerak seperti sudah pengsan. Kemalangan tersebut disiarkan secara langsung di TV, dan disaksikan oleh jutaan peminat seluruh dunia. Ambulans datang untuk merawatnya, dan kemudian dia dibawa ke hospital menaiki helikopter. Darah berlumuran di tempat kemalangan. Tetapi tidak lama kemudian, berita mengatakan bahawa Ayrton Senna telah meninggal dunia akibat kecederaan teruk di dada dan kepala. Seluruh dunia bersedih dengan pemergian seorang wira, dan juga idola saya. Sekian terima kasih”    

   Begitulah lebih kurang teks penyampaian saya pada hari tersebut yang masih segar di ingatan saya kerana:

   1. Pertama kali bercerita di depan kelas
   2. Bercerita mengenai topik yang amat saya minati, Formula 1.
   3. Saya berjaya bercerita tanpa merujuk kepada nota bertulis.

Betapa minatnya saya pada Formula 1 ketika itu, mak saya terpaksa menyembunyikan surat khabar yang melaporkan berita kematian Ayrton Senna daripada saya supaya saya tidak hilang ‘mood’ pada hari tersebut. Tetapi akhirnya saya tau jugak, itupun 2-3 hari selepas berita tersebut dilaporkan. Saya meminati sukan permotoran seawall dajah 4, terutamanya Formula 1 dan Motorcycle Grand Prix (sekarang MotoGP). Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Wayne Rainey (lumpuh pada 1993), Wayne Gardner, Eddie Lawson, Kevin Schwantz (juara dunia motosikal 1994) dan John Kocinski adalah sebilangan nama- nama besar pada awal 90an yang pernah menggegarkan dunia permotoran dan memberi inspirasi kepada generasi sekarang. Sifat- sifat yang boleh diambil daripada lagenda- lagenda tersebut untuk dijadikan panduan adalah keazaman untuk menjadi yang terbaik, tidak mudah mengaku kalah dan tidak takut bersaing dengan sesiapa sahaja.

   Kesimpulannya, membaca, melukis, bercerita, menulis dalam apa jua bahasa dan dialek bukanlah menjadi isu untuk didebatkan, tetapi yang penting sekali adalah isi kandungan perbuatan itu sendiri, minat kita terhadap perkara tersebut dan kejujuran kita untuk menyampaikannya kepada orang ramai, dengan niat untuk menimba ilmu dan memperbaiki kelemahan kita sebagai manusia, terutamanya diri saya sendiri. Utamakan bahasa ibunda, ya, tetapi utamakan ISI KANDUNGAN dahulu sebelum menyampaikan kepada orang lain.

   

Sekian, terima kasih…

Into Transition (Chapter 2)

   Goodbye 2007, welcome 2008! What’s your goal for this year? Forget all the resolution and stuffs like that, it’ll only last a few days, or a few weeks at best. Do not think of resolution, but think of GOAL, ‘What you want to achieve in the coming year’, instead of ‘What’s my new year resolution’. New Year is only 1 day…

   To begin the second chapter of my so-called transition year, it’s better to start from July 2007 shall we? As I mentioned in the 1^st chapter, my wedding photography journey kicked off around June-July, in somewhat grand manner; as a back-up photographer for a ceremony at the famed Dewan Felda Perdana, one of the biggest hall you can get in KL. It was a great experience for me, and from there, everything just goes down smoothly, but with some hitch and glitch here and there.

   Then came the most-anticipated event for our PFS Batch 99 members, the inaugural PFS Batch 99 Reunion at Port Dickson. It was great fun with great activities being arranged by the organizer himself, Mr. BOB the ‘boss’. Just tell him what you want to do, and he’ll make the rest happens. Paintball, BBQ were some of the activities we had. But in somewhat SUPER-DUPER coincidence, she was on a holiday at the same location, same time, same weekend as me. At that point, we never met face to face. For many, it may means nothing, but after being told of the story from her later this year, it was enough to make me smile thinking about it till today. No sixth sense, not fate, just super-duper coincidence. Hehe..

   As far as my wedding photography journey is concerned, a trip to Felda Triang (a 1 hour drive from Temerloh) and Rompin was and still a record for me in terms of the furthest place I went for an assignment in a single weekend. Then came the fateful first ‘date’, or better to call it first outing, in KLCC somewhere in the middle of August. To be honest, it did not leave a long-lasting impression on me, but it was a nice day out with somebody you just started to know. OK, I remember the date, it was 11.08.07. There’s no harm remembering dates on the calendar right? From that weekend, I can safely say that my weekend is not complete without seeing each other, unless there are some matters that need more attention than this. Why I said safe? Well, flirting on the phone at 5am on Hari Raya is not something the ‘average’ Malaysians will do with their friends very often am I right? HAHAHAHA! Now THAT leaves a lasting impression on me. YOU got me right there!

   As year end looming large, my workloads are getting thicker and thicker. All projects are rushed to be completed on schedule, and it certainly getting to me at one point, including my personal life, at the same period of time. This time, everything needs to be put into perspective, to reflect and re-evaluate. Not to be too emotional, but thoughtful. I don’t care what problems come my way, but I want to see HOW I figure it out. That is more important. People make mistakes and learn from it, but people don’t become perfect by learning, because life itself is a learning process. That’s why nobody is perfect.

  I’m a bit shy to say this, but this time of the year was the first time I send a BUNCH of flowers to someone, and glad that the other party accepted it with a smile, full stop :P From there on, everything else is history. But some cases are meant to be highlighted. What about the 2km+ walk from the mosque to the palace, in the thick of the night, beneath the perfect sky? What about the agony of cramping to the fireworks competition but forgetting the tripod plate? What about the TGIF incident? What about the memorable trip to the MCR concert at Stadium Merdeka? The MCR concert was one of THE events of the year, no question. And thanks for the company, it was worth all the wet shirt and hair,hehe. What about me walking down Jalan TAR for a shopping spree, for the first time ever? Now I know in order to be with someone, one needs to adapts to one’s needs, in search for harmony. From a ‘kaki lepak’ to a movie-goer? How many movies I’d watched this year alone compared to the last 5 years combined together? A perfume worth of RM200 in my collection? You must be kidding me mate. These are some of the things that made an impact on my life in the 2^nd part of the year. But make no mistake, these are the things that comes in naturally for me as a result of THE discovery, a discovery of a human being. Some are little, some a BIG.

   While the 1^st part of 2007 was more of a discovery of new things, the 2^nd part of 2007 was more of setting up the pace & keeping momentum of things in life, on how you balanced it, and take into perspective about all the aspects. If 2007 wasn’t the best year for me, which I think is not, it was certainly a year of transition of myself, a year where changes are inevitable for my own good, to be better prepared and what to expect for 2008. Bring it on…

 Happy 2008 mates…

ridhuan abubakar®

 

 

 

Driving is a Passion

 I remember a friend of mine said, "Buat apa beli keta mahal2, modified sana sini? Keta ni cuma untuk bawak kita dari point A ke point B." I think most of the people out there might be sharing the same opinion. Well, I can't argue much of that statement though because it is somewhat true, given the rising cost of petrol and other petty things as small as weed. But for me, there is an additional element to this 'from point A to point B thing'. I don't own an expensive car nor modified my car rather heavily, but other than just merely driving, its how you drive from point A to point B that what makes driving is a passion.

   I'm not telling illegal racing on the streets as a passion. I spent most of my time in the week by driving to work, sites, meeting supplier, hanging out, and meeting someone. For me, I always approach driving as an opportunity to improve my driving skill, awareness, concentration and reaction. These attributes not only applies on driving, but in everyday life, at work, sporting activities, etc.. The more you understand the basic skills of driving, the more you can respect other drivers, no matter how bad their habits are (like most Malaysians drivers are). And other aspect that we can improve while driving is, defensive driving. For road bullies out there, they may laugh at this, but defensive driving is one of the most important aspects of driving, if not the most. From my personal p.o.v, defensive driving is when you can anticipate an event that may lead to an accident before it happens, so you can take the appropriate measures to avoid them. This is when all the attributes you gain by driving comes in play. By anticipating a potential accident before it happens may be the key to a safer road in our part of the world.

   Well, there is no harm applying a bit of racing technique in your everyday driving tough. I'm not good at all in racing, except been to a go-kart track once in a while, hehe. But my favourite technique has to bee tip-toeing and racing line. What I mean by 'racing line' is entering a corner by touching the apex, and exiting the corner by run over the exit 'kerb'. I know there is no such things as kerb at normal road, but just imagine that the kerb is there. But make sure you don't obstruct traffic in any way, because it can be very dangerous. What ever you want to do, make sure you don’t harm other vehicle in direct or indirect way, because it may lead to accidents. Actually, your car balance is much better by using this technique while cornering than what we normally do.

   The joy of cornering at the optimum speed of your car is as close as you can get to the ultimate stimulation. Some people say it's better than sex, well I have yet to find out the comparison, hahaha. If you take driving seriously, and willing to learn the lessons of driving without anyone telling it, being humble on the road, feel the improvement of your car control and steering input, plus being able to anticipate a situation before it happens, then you can say Driving is My Passion. It is not just about racing or dangerous driving; it is about learning the art of driving. For me, driving was never 'merely driving from point A to point B'...

ridhuan abubakar®

 

Money money money

   Money has certainly become one of the most powerful invention in the world today, if not THE most powerful. From banana leaf currency to the new century all-sophisticated stock exchange, the world has certainly being turn around by this invention. It can also make new friends, prevent cancer and buy you power. Be it politics or business, one can really make a difference if you have the money. 'Money Talks'...
   In the wake of the death of casino mogul, Mr Lim, or Uncle Lim, the media and powerful men has come out and credit this man for all the good reasons. Not to mention the wealth statistics about him, and his journey to become one of the richest person in Malaysia, or South East Asia for sure.
   There's a lot of 'other' things you can buy, if you have the money:

1. Money can buy money
2. Money can buy friendship
3. Money can buy power
4. Money can buy security
5. Money can buy love
6. Money can buy wealth
7. Money can buy happiness
8. Money can buy Ph. D
9. Money can buy health

   Yeah it's true. Nowadays, money can buy you every of these 9 items. That's how money has evolved along with humankind. This is the millennium baby, everything is about money. There's nothing wrong buying these 9 items with money though, as this is what the world has become. Either you have the money or not. But above all, there is one thing that cannot be bought. Life...

Stabbed in the Heart

   First of all, this is not a love story. It is 2.05am on 9th November 2007. Although I am terribly tired today with all the activities which was quite eventful, I found out that I still can't call it a day today, as though there is something in my mind that waiting to be released, before I can unite with my lovely bed beside this PC.

   To begin with, Happy Deepavali to my Indian friends, especially my old mates in school; munies, satha, kagul, sanjay, prem, vinoshen 'the chess master', ganesh, thurai, prashant and ravi. May they still living in peace and harmony whenever they are right now. The day started quite early, 8.15am to be exact, as if it is not a public holiday (which allows you to sleep the whole day). But to do that in your middle-20s, as a man, as a working man, is as similar to what people call as 'wasting time'. As 'usual' nowadays, my activities are not complete without starting with a 'short' drive up to 'presint 9', where everything pretty much starts just after I knock that piece of 3' x 7' wood up on **th floor :-)

   You cannot start a good day without proper breakfast, so we headed to a 'garden' somewhere around there for some 'processed paddy' and 'boiled water with sugar and tea', for energy's sake. It's gonna be a long, long day. I know some of you will laugh at this, but visiting the Zoo on a public holiday such as today is not a bad plan after all. In fact, I always enjoyed my trip to the 'cage'. But this trip were not to be like any other previous trip, with the activities including a 'costly twist' I should say. Let's cut the chase, when you own a sets of expensively-assembled pieces of glass in your hand, the last thing in the world you want to see is, witnessing the pieces of glass breaks right in front of you, totally out of the blue. Guess what? THAT last thing happened!! How? Why? I don't know, and I don't want to know. As an avid photography fan, that was something that REALLY struck straight to my heart, like a sledgehammer knocked on your chest by your loved one. IMAGINE....

   But hey, life's more than just a 'RM800+ pieces of glass' right? It was painful, really painful to be honest, but thankfully IT CAN BE FIXED. There are more things in life that are worse than this, that are harder to fix, or cannot be fixed at all. If you know what 'broken' means, you know what I'm talking about...

   After the small incident, we made another trip around the 'cage', this time by the transportation system they provide FOC. After we made the necessary 'routine', it's time to say goodbye, a generous goodbye to the gatekeeper. It was 1pm+, so we headed for our lunch destination, which in turn becomes generous to both of us, thanks to some 'family connection', hehe. A free meal is like getting a 20cent from your mom to buy your favourite ice cream at a nearby grocery shop when you were a 6 years old. It WAS that fun, thank you very much. But along the way, we met with 2 road accidents, 1; a Kancil hitting a back of a car at a traffic light near KLCC, enough to fold his hood into a 'house roof shape' (I wonder where the driver was looking when he hit the brake). 2; a potentially fatal accident involving a WAJA and a motorcycle near Carrefour Wangsa Maju. We did not know the state of the motorcycle rider at the time, but from our observation from inside of our car, it doesn't look good at all.

   Thank God, that was the last incident we had to witnessed for today, unless you consider a '30 minutes wait for a car park space in midvalley' as an incident too. The new complex called The Garden's not bad either. Lions For Lambs was not an incident, it was a disaster!! Honestly, I thought the director must have been shot dead while filming the movie halfway, that nobody seems interested to continue filming afterwards, but they decided to air it worldwide anyway for some consolation. Sigh.....

   The day ended on a happy note I think. A cup of hot Nescafe with your friends and someone and a bottle of sisha by your side is great enough for me to take matters to a close. My stomach were full of foods (thanks to her :-)), and a drive up back to 'presint 9' can be joyful, IF you're not alone..

INCIDENT-PACKED, EVENTFUL, MIXED FEELINGS;  that's what today was all about. Tomorrow is a different story...

   

Into Transition... (Chapter 1)

   As we all fast approaching 2008, which will arrive in about 2 months, I suddenly feels keen to look back on my life in 2007, about my achievements, my non-achievements, how it affects my life, and how it affected other people's life. I don't want to call it a failure, but instead 'non-achievements' because to not achieve something is not a failure, it is simply 'not finding the right way to achieve it', or whatever you guys wants to call it.

   To be honest, I'm pretty much satisfied with what I've done and what God has given me in these past 10 months or so. Some of my early-year target has been achieved by the 9th month, and the rest still to be worked on by next month and the last, if I am well enough to pursue, insyaAllah. There's no need to tell each one of those 'personal target' in here, as it will greatly embarrassed myself, and myself, HAHA. Well, financially it is not like what I'd hoped for early on, but it goes with good progress I would say. Year-end bonus? I'm praying for it. One of the highlight of the year is that for the first time in my entire life, I did managed (were forced to) to WORK, I repeat, WORK for 24 hours down the line, with only about 1 hour 'nap'. My definition of WORK in this matter is 'sitting in front of my workspace, working on current job on the computer hoping to finish it ASAP, with the intention of working as normal people'. That experience is as close to as what people call it 'insane'...

   But above all, there is one thing that made some very dramatic impact on my life, on a professional and a personal level.  :-) The year started with me buying a brand new set of a long-awaited-dSLR-camera at Sg Wang. A Canon 350D to be precise. Frankly, it is not a newfound hobby, in fact, I'm the one in the family that always playing around (e.g.: perabis filem) with my Dad's camera since I can remember, no matter what model he uses at that time, haha. If not because of me, the film will not be sent to the photo shop until the next year come calling...

   Taking photograph never been more fun and challenging with this new set of camera where the possibility is 'ENDLESS'. From taking landscape to wedding, every assignment was a new experience which I savor every moment. From casual outing, the hobby fast developed into a part-time business. The side-income from photography never really took off until that 'fateful' weekend in early June, barely 3 weeks before my 25th birthday. I was there because of an invitation from an old friend to attend his brother's wedding, that I met soon-to-be-my-photographic-partner. It was that short meeting that after 4 months, we've been shooting wedding actively almost on every of his job, which has generate some generous income which I am thankful to God. To be honest, to make money out of photography is not my priority when I first intend to make it as a hobby, let alone wedding photography...

   Now, if that is good enough, the next week after that week is even better I say, at least for me. Also on invitation from the same friend as last week's, this wedding took place up north, just below

Penang

, haha. From KL, it took about 3 hours drive, but who cares? I was there to 'gain experience' in wedding photography (really?). But, it was there also that I met THAT 'someone', totally unintentional, totally unexpected... That 'someone' brings a new dimension and happiness into my life, and a reason to be cheerful. I will never forget that 2 weekends in succession. What I believe is that whatever happens, happens for a reason. They say, if you're doing something with good intention, the good will come back to you. I think I came back good, very good indeed. As they say, the rest is history... Many thanks to 'this' old friend for making this happen in the least expected circumstances. Fate...

   So, the second half of the year makes some very interesting reading. But the above article concludes the 1st chapter of this so-called year end diary summary of my (not so) personal life. Expect the second chapter to be written in the next couple of weeks, or rather the last week of the year, so the conclusion will be more complete and thorough, hehe...

   See you in the 2nd chapter. Thanks for dropping by...


ridhuan abubakar® 2007

   
 

Bkt. Gantang Tragedy: What's next?

Bkt Gantang Tragedy: What will it take to stop carnage?

   Tragedy happens, and it will continue to happen. Despite all the hard work and safety measures we take every time we go out, nothing can stop our destiny, the act of God the Almighty. But with all the power of God, we cannot simply say "It is the destiny" without trying and hoping for the best first of all. Blessed with the single most powerful thing in the universe, the BRAIN, it is up to us to use it, whether for the good or for the bad.

   Back to the hot topic of the week, the question that I really wanted to ask the 'relevant authorities' is, like the above header suggests, "What's next?” Don't even ask about "How can it happen?", or "Why this s**t keep on happening?” My bet is that you'll get the same lame answer from the 'relevant authorities'. According to the New Straits Times online newspaper from the link above, a handful of recommendations has been put forth after every bus accident since the 2003 tragedy (Kuala Lipis bus crash (2003): 14 killed, 26 injured). These area facts, not theories that I'm happily write here to 'flame' the 'relevant authorities' or the rakyat (remember, the election is near, so use that word more frequently will ya'?)

    Taken from the same link as above:

Kuala Lipis bus crash (2003): 14 killed, 26 injured
1. Recommendation: Send drivers for refresher course. Status: Not implemented.
2. Recommendation: Two drivers in each express bus. Status: Implemented but poorly monitored.
3. Recommendation: Punish bad drivers with higher insurance premiums. Status: Not implemented.
4. Recommendation: Drivers to undergo medical check-ups once every six months. Status: Implemented but carried out once a year due to high cost.
5. Recommendation: Suspend bus operator's permit if driver found to have caused an accident. Status: Partially implemented. Several bus drivers were suspended.
6. Recommendation: Drivers and passengers to fill in a report on the problems they faced. Status: Implemented for several months but discontinued.
7. Recommendation: Drivers not to drive for more than eight hours continuously. Status: Implemented but poorly monitored.
8. Recommendation: New guidelines for commercial vehicle drivers. Status: Implemented: Second driver introduced, drivers allowed maximum journey of eight hours and rest every two hours.

Nibong Tebal bus crash (July 2006): 11 killed, 35 injured on their way to St Anne's Feast
1. Recommendation: Drivers to undergo mandatory refresher courses once every three years. Status: Not implemented.
2. Recommendation: Special centers to be set up nationwide to train drivers. Status: Not done as refresher course programme was still pending.

Recommendations after the Bukit Gantang crash (

Aug 13, 2007

): 20 killed, 9 injured
1. Drivers to undergo mandatory refresher course.
2. Tighten rules for drivers and implement same checks as carried out on airline pilots.
3. Safety briefing for passengers before journey begins. Just like in planes.
4. Build railway tracks to connect more towns. Rail travel is safer.
5. All passengers to wear safety belts.
6. Drivers must be in good mental and physical health.
7. Drivers not to drive continuously for eight hours.
8. All highways and expressways to be lit up.
9. Improve quality of locally assembled buses.
10. Hiring more foreign drivers.

   From the above summary by the newspaper, I can say about 80% of the recommendations were not implemented AT ALL, not to mention some of it  were poorly implemented or poorly monitored. From today's New Straits Times frontpage, the IGP of PDRM claims that the bus has before Failed the Puspakom Brake Test 3 times!! What a shocking fact it is!! Well, not so shocking for some of us. I don't want to make 'false' accusations about those 'relevant parties' even though that is what many of us believe, but the facts speak for themselves. To add insult to injury:

1. the driver had 13 summonses and two arrest warrants dating back to 2002. http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Wednesday/Frontpage/20070815073706/Article/index_html
2. The bus had 19 summonses since 1991 http://www.bharian.com.my/m/BHarian/Wednesday/Mukadepan/20070815001945/Article/

   These are serious traffic offense and warrant a full detailed inquiry into the incident. If they say a detailed inquiry requires millions of 'tax-payer's money', so be it. This is about human lives, not 'another' Botanical Garden or corridor of this world. 'They' had enough of their 'duit kopi' and this is the time for a hard, thorough work, for the benefit of the people. But even if the inquiry has been completed and the so-called 'person responsible' been brought to justice, or the very strict recommendation been passed to exercise, can it prevent this kind of tragedy from happening again? Will the recommendations being implemented successfully, and more important, "How long will it sustain before it fades away from the memory of the rakyat, just like the unfortunate 20 on that fateful day?”

   Destiny is in the hand of God, but it is us who plans to make it... 

   Please don't treat it like just another accident, this is a national tragedy. Please don't kill more lives for the sake of your (wealthy) life.

ridhuan.abubakar2007