So what do ya think, Jimz?

Greenpeace in Southeast Asia

2010-12-28T15:10:00.004+08:00

One of the radio stations I love to tune to whenever I get the chance (especially when I'm in KL) is the BusinessFM, famously known as BFM 89.9. Today, I just missed out one of the most interesting radio interview featured on the Breakfast Grille (brought to you by CIMB Group), which was an interview with Greenpeace International Campaign Director Shailendra Yashwant. In the interview, Shailendra elaborates on legal actions taken on the individuals and the organization, funding Greenpeace, issues on governmental relations, its' role in Southeast Asia, sustainable development, climate change and of course, going through the accomplishments the Greenpeace has achieved.

Listen to the podcast which you can get from this link on BFM 89.9 titled , "Saving the World Step by Step, Inch by Inch" and you can tune to the podcast here.

Just to make it clear and I quote from Mr. Shailendra Yashwant, "Greenpeace is not an anti-palm oil industry organization."

Unfortunately, I won't get to be home for Christmas

2010-12-12T22:10:00.004+08:00

Before I start, yes, I do notice that it has been almost a year since I last updated this blog.

Why?

All I can say is that I do have the tendency to get carried away with work, and although I'm currently working as a part time debate coach with Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, I decided to take this opportunity to write what's been bothering me.

Having to grow up in the Philippines since I was 8 years old, I'll never forget how Christmas was like back in `90s. From learning the phrase Maligayang Pasko to learning to play Christmas carols on the trombone and tuba (for my school symphony concert), there's no where else I want to be for Christmas other than the Philippines.

At the same time, my situation isn't that worst. I mean, there are those people who are literally away on this joyful occasion. So to those who misses celebrating Christmas like the good ol' days, or will be missing Christmas due to any reason, I dedicate this song video, Rascal Flatts' "I'll Be Home For Christmas" to all of you. Happy Holidays!

"Jingle Shell"

2009-12-25T21:33:00.004+08:00

"Jingle Shell"

by Azimi Azmin, Co-Founder of Help Our Penyu (HOPE)

*just tune to the lyrics of Jingle Bell song*

Surfing through the corals,

On a gigantic open wave,

Through the splash and all,

Enjoying all the way,

Anemones waving by,

The clownfish come out of hide,

How sweet the beach life is like,

As we sing this song with pride.

Owh, jingle shell, jingle shell.

Jingling all the way!

Oh, how awesome it is to swim,

On a wave through thick and thin.

Jingle shell, jingle shell.

Jingling all the way!

Oh, how awesome it is to swim,

On a wave through thick and thin.

As I recall last year,

The waves weren't so tough.

Surfing with not much fear,

I didn't enjoy the rough.

Then when I think twice,

I shouldn't find this so strange.

With all the melted ice,

It's the sign of climate change.

Owh, jingle shell, jingle shell.

Jingling all the way!

Oh, how awesome it is to swim,

On a wave through thick and thin.

Jingle shell, jingle shell.

Jingling all the way!

Oh, how awesome it is to swim,

On a wave through thick and thin.

What I finally realized in the 34th week of 2009..

2009-08-23T14:27:00.004+08:00

I know I haven't been updating my blog, so I'm just gonna do so in with a KISS, as in "keep it short and sweet."

Among the responsibilities of my job as a Daily Paid Assistant over here in WWF-Malaysia in the Observer Programme of Peninsular Malaysia Seas Project, here are of the following:

go on to the fishermen boat and record data as in their catch and whether a turtle is caught entangled in their nets;
assist my supervisor, Mr. Ernest Chiam, on his work duties;
and to write the Turtle Bycatch Report in Melaka.

When I came here, I assumed that my supervisor would know exactly what he wants to do with the report. However, as time progress, my suspicion of him not knowing how to write a scientific paper got more obvious. The real tip-off was when I asked him about what to include in the 'Abstract' section. I really wish he had told me from the very beginning that he lacks in skills of writing a proper scientific paper so that I can carry out the Observer Programme on my own. As a scientist, one depends heavily on the data to make further analysis before passing any judgement. Although, I do sympathize that my supervisor is currently undergoing a lot of stress from work and on other matters as well. So I am thankful to him that he has helped me out at my time of need (like how I have been waiting for the past 3 weeks just to get my salary for the month July).

Anyway, so that's my life at the moment. I hope I get to blog on other marine related issues, but that would have to wait until I have more free time. Also, I would like to wish to all my fellow Muslim brothers and sisters a Happy Ramadan, and may they enjoy their time fasting. (",)

Observer Programme

2009-06-27T07:15:00.002+08:00

I just arrived in KL this morning, and I know I'm in KL when the taxi driver can drive as fast as a tuned up car. There were a few screeching turns, which surprises me that the guy didn't care to answer my question about "whether it's OK to drive like this to his taxi." Anyhow...

By 1st of July, I'll be working with WWF-Malaysia in Melaka as a Daily Paid Assistant on the Observer Programme in the Andaman Sea Ecoregion project. Basically, I'm being paid by the day for the work I do over there, which is basically to: i) collect data; ii) get to know the fishermen; and iii) evaluate the data collected to highlight the hotspots for fishery and incidental catch of turtles. First of all, observer programme can be defined as being "responsible for providing the training and support necessary for deploying observers on board fishing vessels in order to collect the fisheries-dependent information essential to achieving the management objectives of the programme" (WikiPedia: Fisheries Observer). This will definitely help me to understand how fishermen react when they see a turtle in one their catch, and at the same time, learn the variety of species by which they caught. My time there will end by 30th of September, and I'm really looking forward to this experience.

In the mean time, I'm going to watch Transformers2 with Kuan, Pian and Ting Ting tomorrow at MidValley. Hehe.. ;D

1st day fasting this year...

2009-06-24T06:02:00.002+08:00

Yeap, I'll be fasting today as it is the 1st day of Rejab, the seventh month in the Islamic calendar, and also one of the four sacred months as well. So two months from now (in accordance to the Islamic calendar), Ramadan will start.

By then, I'll be fasting on the waters of Malacca Strait.

What a wonderul world

2009-06-21T17:43:00.002+08:00

When I took my shower this morning, I was thinking about how to make my statement in celebrating Father's Day today. As I was thinking, my phone was playing "What a Wonderful World" (I'm using C702, so the phone was built to be spill-proof, meaning a bit of water is still OK). Then I kept thinking about my adventures overseas as I grew up, and how thankful I was to my dad that he gave me that opportunity. I mean if it wasn't for the fact that he got the job with Asian Development Bank (ADB) in the Philippines, I wouldn't know much about being a third culture kid (third culture kid means a kid that grows up a portion of their childhood overseas, like in my case, I'm a Malaysian who grew up in the Philippines and Pakistan). So for this Father's Day, I dedicate to my dad, Abah, the song that really made me realize the hopes and good in this world, What a Wonderful World.

Happy World Sea Turtle Day (16th of June)

2009-06-13T23:13:00.005+08:00

Sea turtles, what many would call them as ancient mariners. This marine wonder has been around for more than 200 million years, just among the few who were present with the dinosaurs.However, they are now faced with the biggest threat in their lives, human impact. With issues ranging from egg poaching to infecting diseases, all sea turtles are categorized as endangeredin the IUCN Red List. However, humans also serves as the guardians & protectors to these wonder of the sea, and none can be greater than Dr. Archie Carr. To honour his causes & services to the world, the World Sea Turtle Day was created and is celebrated on his birthday.

Dr. Archie Fairly Carr, Jr.(June 16, 1909 - May 21, 1987) was a renowned sea turtle expert who was the pioneer in sea turtle conservation. A former high school teacher and author, he studied zoology and further his studies in sea turtles. Among his achievements, Archie Carr found and became scientific director of Caribbean Conservation Corporation (a not-for-profit 501(c)(3)

membership organization based in Gainesville, Florida) from 1959 until his death in 1987. In addition, Archie Carr was chairman of MarineTurtle Specialist Group of IUCN's Survival Service Commission for 20 years. His dedication and hard work has result in many of sea turtle experts who were close to him as his children. Any sea turtle research would always involve the work done by Archie Carr directly or indirectly through his students. Among them are myself and one of Malaysia's leading experts in sea turtles, Prof. Chan Eng Heng.

[Source: http://www.cccturtle.org/aboutccc.php?page=carr]

In Malaysia, we are known to have four sea turtle species (common name in English & BM,

scientific name, status in IUCN Red List):

i) Leatherback Turtle, penyu belimbing (Dermochelys coriacea) - Critically Endangered;

ii) Green Turtle, penyu agar(Chelonia mydas) - Endangered;

iii) Hawksbill Turtle, penyukarah (Eretmochelys imbricata) - Critically Endangered; and

iv) Olive Ridley Turtle, penyu lipas (Lepidochelys olivacea) - Vulnerable.

These are reported throughout the coastline of Malaysia from Langkawi all the way south to Johor, and back up north to Kelantan, and more are found on the coast of Sabah and

Sarawak. Among the four species, the green turtle is the most abundant; while the leatherback is near to extinction in Malaysia with only two reported nesting last year. Unfortunately, the sea turtles face the threats from human directly and indirectly. The number one threat would be egg poaching, which is very obvious along the east coasts and a few places that are within the nesting sites for the turtles. In addition to the list of threats, others may include:
i) coastal development, where nesting beaches are adversely affected by the change in scenery;

ii) boat accidents where turtles may get themselves injured or killed from boat propellers;

iii) pollution is an obvious one where water quality can affect the health of the turtles and can pass down into their eggs; and

iv) climate change where warmer temperatures would result in more female turtle hatched, thus leaving many females to be without a male to mate.

[Sources: http://www.umt.edu.my/turtle/; http://www.wwf.org.my/about_wwf/what_we_do/species_main/turtles/; http://www.iucn-mtsg.org/]

As someone who doesn't get so much exposure to sea turtle conservation, what can one person do? As there is still hope, there are ways which the public can help. First of all, it would be to find out more information about sea turtles and education others in order to raise the awareness. Of course, one way is to show support to such causes like Universiti Malaysia Terengganu's Turtle Research &Rehabilitation Group volunteering programme in Pulau Redang and their adoption schemes. Another would be the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) Malaysia's online petition to support ban on commercialization of sea turtle eggs at http://www.saveturtles.my.

On this 16th of June, let us all remember the ancient mariners that have embraced in our seas and beaches that have been a symbol of our national heritage. Until then, I bid you all a Happy World Sea Turtle Day.

Man arrested for smuggling 1,000 sea turtle hatchlings

2009-06-07T11:57:00.011+08:00

As usual, I went for my morning jog and I would buy the papers afterwards. As usual, I would buy the News Strait Times and The Star newsparpers. Today was different and for the first time, I bought KOSMO! Ahad, another local newspaper that is written in Bahasa Malaysia. What caught my attention was a picture of handful of green sea turtle hatchlings with the heading reading out "Luggage secretly containing a thousand sea turtles". I couldn't believe what the KOSMO! had reported that I to confirm the story from their source, which is Bernama (also known as the Malaysian National News Agency). The online article had a short summary of the full length story (Lelaki ditahan dengan 1,000 anak penyu). Unfortunately, Bernama did not published the article in english, so I've done the liberty of translating the article from KOSMO! Ahad. I've also attached the original prinout of the story at the very bottom of this post.

Now we can add another human activity that threatens the sea turtles in Malaysia: sea turtle hatchling smuggling.

"Man arrested for smuggling 1,000 sea turtle hatchlings"

CHENNAI - Chennai Customs officials arrested an Indian that often travels to Malaysia and

Singapore for illegally smuggling 1,000 sea turtle hatchlings and 25 ornament fishes transit via Singapore.

Chennai Customs officials arrested Abdul Wahab, 35, from Kolathur (South India) when he arrived at Anna International Airport with the smuggled items on 4th June.

"We intercept the passenger in the Green Channel lane because the suspect carried banned goods.

"The passenger arrived from Singpaore and we examined his luggage to f

ind 25 live ornament fish found in polythene bags filled with water and oxygen together along with 1,000 sea turtle hatchlings that were placed in four red plastic baskets," said R. Periasami, Public Relations Officer of Chennai Customs, Anna International Airport.

He also said the ornament fishes and the sea turtle hatchlings are worth a total of RM 6,700 (US $1,900).

When contacted by Bernama, he said the suspect might have been paid by the syndicate that carries out the smuggling activities from one country to another.

Importing ornament fish and live sea turtles requires permit from Directer General Foreign Trade(DGFT) and Department of Animal Quarantine.

The smuggled sea turtle hatchlings and ornament fishes will b

e transported back to Singapore.

Meanwhile in Kuala Lumpur, Chief Executive Officer of World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) Malaysia, Datuk Dr. Dionysius S.K. Sharkma, when contacted by Kosmo! Ahad did not ruled out the possibility of a syndicate involved with the incubation of the sea turtles eggs before being smuggled out of the country.

He said that although smuggling sea turtles out of Malaysia are difficult, the sea turtle eggs can be taken away to be hatched.

“Usually each nest will have about 100 sea turtle eggs, so when someone smuggles a thousand sea turtle hatchlings, this would require about 10 to 15 nests,” he said.

At Turtle and Marine Ecosystem Centre (TUMEC) in Terengganu, Abdul Razak Latun said that the sea turtle hatchlings may have originated from Tioman island or Johor territorial waters.

He also did not rule out the possibility that the syndicate made Singapore as its transit point to smuggle sea turtle hatchlings from other neighboring countries.

He said those who trade in sea turtles can arrested under Fisheries Act 1985. If guilty, they can be charged with RM 20,000 (US $5,600) fine or two years imprisonment or both.

Front Page Cover

Inside Story (page 3)

FIGURE: Showing the path of the sea turtles smuggled from Malaysia to Chennai, India via Singapore.

Our duet...

2009-06-07T07:38:00.002+08:00

I know I know. This video's been out for years Jimmy, why lah I only post it up now? Well, I guess ya can say I'm quite late in knowing the non-English songs in Malaysia. I just can't stop daydreaming of singing this song with Berry. Hehe.. ;D

27, and I'm closing to my 30s...

2009-06-05T01:39:00.002+08:00

I have to admit, last night was the most romantic night I have ever been with Berry. From the moment when I saw walking out of her house until the time I look deeply into her eyes as I confessed to her, she really made my 27th birthday truly special. Up till now, Berry has been the only girl who made my palm sweat as I was nervously talking to her for the first time. I really should have gone for her after coming back from UKM back in 2005. Then again, I can't deny the strings of fate that has been set forth upon me by Allah. Anyway, Berry, thanks for starting my 27th year on earth with the romantic touch you have done upon me. I know I have confessed my love to thee, but I don't expect any decision anytime soon. Take as much time as you want because I love you, and I do want to be there for you when you need me the most. You are the other half that I have been praying hard for, and the bestest friend that I could ever ask for.

Anyway, other than the romantic evening, well I told everyone in Facebook that I will have the Technology Free Day, which is basically me not having to use anything that involves technology, and in this case, I focus on electricity. Well not all of it did I avoid using, but as long I stay away from my laptop and my mobile phone, that's good enough for me to achieve my targets. So the whole day I went for some jungle walk, which I stumble upon a good place for a paintball game, and also a place to have ATV (All Terrain Vehicle, ya know the bike with four wheels) adventure. Afterwards, I did my aikido meditation by the waterfalls. I managed to do so even with the noise coming from the kids playing there as well. I am truly amazed with the numbers of text sms, phone calls, emails, and messages left on my Facebook wall from my loved ones and awesome buddies to greet on my birthday. This is truly a good day, and I thank everyone who wished me on my birthday. Especially to Berry, the gal who just know how to make my life interesting out of boredom. Hehe.

Enjoy the video.. ;)

¡BooM dE Ya DA!

2009-05-27T09:20:00.002+08:00

In my previous post, I mentioned that I went for the interview for WWF. Well, I didn't get the job, but it's OK, I'm happy I didn't get it. Why? Well I doubt I can fit myself with the tiger project. Although it's interesting, I should stick to the marine environment. Life's hard, but hey, nobody ever said that it's always easy. Many people think I have it easy, that I don't suffer like many. Even though I did grew up overseas, but what I've seen really made an impact on me that I appreciate for what I have. Poverty is sad and of course nobody wants it, so please stop thinking I'm a walking bank vault. Anyway, through this hard time, I only have one thing to say, "boom de ya da!" ;D

The Story of Stuff

2009-05-06T11:28:00.002+08:00

I've been wanting to post this clip for a while now, and I truly recommend that you do watch this video. Considering the amount of stuffs we take into account everyday, we do take things for granted, even when our intention is to reduce. Anyway, I hope this video will help you to understand that we need to be more responsible and be accountable the damage we're doing to our mother earth.

New Chapter

2009-04-29T10:44:00.003+08:00

It's official, I'm no longer working in WOX now. Why? Well unfortunately, I have been affected by the global economic recession which my marine project depends on the incoming volunteers from the Western world. With so many job losses, no one is thinking of traveling to further distances to experience conservation movement. So for the past 2 months, there has been very low influx of volunteers, which leaves me no choice but to leave the office.

So what's my next move? Well first of all, I plan to relax and rest. I have been working for WOX ever since I handed in my thesis last year. Now I finally got the long break I want ever since last year. At the same time, I do plan to head to UMT to talk about my future studies in doing my Master's research. I want to focus on marine conservation, particularly to sea turtles. Other than that, I hope to get interview calls for the job vacancy I applied for in WWF as Field Biologist (Biodiversity Monitoring). What really attracts me to the job is the fact I get to deal with remote sensing, which is an awesome technology that I want to get my hands on.

As I tell myself, "Hope for the best, but expect the worst." Wish me luck folks. ;D

Would you care to help a lost & misguided robot on the streets?

2009-04-12T21:47:00.004+08:00

This has got to be such a cute experiment. To have a robot that somewhat lost in the big city, and you take notice of people's response toward. It doesn't matter if the response was anything positive (helping the robot overcome an obstacle, telling the correct directions) or negative (making grafitti on the robot, doing anything that may seem cruel of rude), the main purpose is to study human reaction to an object that is human-like, how we relate to the particular object, and how our actions to the object be noticed due to the effects of living in the big city?

In my opinion, we should have more of these so called "friendly robots", to remind people that we ought to respect each other and be kind. If one acts in such a rude behavior, then how can we attain fair treatment for ourselves? Enjoy the video. (",)

How to Grow Your Own Fresh Air by Kamal Meattle from TED.com

2009-03-22T07:56:00.003+08:00

Nowadays, people think that the air we breathe is healthy and good for the lungs. Our eyes can't see everything, especially in the air quality. Indian environmental activist, Kamal Meattle, have made a study on which plants are the ones that produces fresh air. Here are the following 3 trees along with their common name and scientific name:

Areca Palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)
Mother-in-law's Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata)
Money Plant (Epipremnum aureum)

we will always change...

2009-03-21T21:45:00.003+08:00

No matter how hard I try to push myself to go with the flow of things, there are times when I find myself caught in the past. Reminiscing the good old days when I would wake up knowing I have someone to love, now I feel like I'm living my worst nightmare. The one fear I have in my life is to live old all alone and never getting married. Then just yesterday, one of my cousins was showing me some pictures of a wedding of another cousin of ours. That instantly made me feel disgusted, which made me realize I'm back to who I was before I met Laila.

Ever since I was a kid, I always thought about love. With whom will I end up saying "I love you" everyday? How will I surprise her to show how she means to me? How is my future going to be like with her? From high school to my tertiary education days, the questions ponders in my head. Just when I thought I met the one, I really thought that Allah answered my prayers. Easing my worries that I don't have to fear what I dread the most, growing old alone. With so many chit-chat of how our future would be like, where we'll have the wedding, the name of our kids; but now, they're just nothing but words of thin air.

I really have to thank Hanu, Alyn and Azri for keeping up with me. Though I may not have that special person, but it's good to know I do have friends that cares about me. Yet because of them, they're the happiness that I now see and realize that I shouldn't be sad and push myself forward. People would tend to think that we want to relive the past, but that also means we don't want change in our life. People always change, whether for good or for bad. One thing for sure, although she was the one person whom I loved so much as of this moment, I really hate her for what she has done. I just hope she's smart enough to realize that I want to be more than strangers to her, I wish to remain non-existent in her life.

I love living life. I am happy.

2009-03-13T01:11:00.000+08:00

final goodbye....

2009-02-01T00:42:00.001+08:00

Misha Omar
Tiada Lagi Tangisan

Kini telah lama kita berpisah
Rintihan asmara kian berubah
Tiada lagi mengharap
Tiada lagi belaian manjamu
Semua telah berakhir

Ketenangan hidup menyinariku
Keperitan cinta terlerai sudah
Tabahkanlah hati luka nan berduri
Aku mengenali siapakah diriku sebenarnya

Tiada lagi tangisan
Tiada lagi airmata
Membasahi jiwa luka
Yg tinggallah hanya memori duka
Semua diduga
Pertemuan kali ini
Takkan berkekalan
Berakhirnya istana bahagia
http://www.free-lyrics.org

Biarkan aku hidup keseorangan
Tak perlu lagi cinta yg menghiris luka
Titisan airmata kini kekeringan
Tak perlu menabur kasihmu…

Ketenangan hidup menyinariku
Keperitan cinta terlerai sudah
Tabahkanlah hati luka nan berduri
Aku mengenali siapakah diriku sebenarnya

Dan kini tertutup jendela harapan ini
Kau yang menanti ke pangkuan aku
Semua takdir yg telah kuketemu
Telah ku bina segala tanpamu

What's wrong with Perhentian Islands?

2008-12-29T17:46:00.004+08:00

For many Malaysians, they'll think of Perhentian Islands as one of the ideal spots to go for vacation. Sandy beaches, interesting people to meet, a few places with good corals. Wait, just a few? Yeap, that's true as according to the statistics released by Reef Check Malaysia, in 2007, Perhentian has a coral cover of 34% as compared to 50% coral cover at Tioman and Redang. So what seems to be among the causes that has harness the underwater forest?

One simple answer: humans. Last Saturday, Leong Siok Hui wrote in Lifestyle section of The Star newspaper about what are the issue on waste management in Perhentian Islands. As a collaboration with WildAsia, the articles written in the Rethink Travel segment raised concerns about despite the two islands' beauty (Perhentian Besar and Perhentian Kecil), there seems to be a mess that has been brought upon by the following:
i) improper waste management;
ii) bad practise of tourism; and
iii) unsustainable development.
Not that I want to point finger at anyone, but the issues are very challenging that many resort owners, dive centre operators and villagers of Perhentian island would face. I mean what's an island life would be if the environment is not as pretty as it used to be?

To read more on the issue, please do some time reading on the following articles:

Revived again!

2008-12-29T08:09:00.012+08:00

Damn, I've been away for far too long! Haha.. Ok, for those people who have came to visit my blog, I'm sorry I have disappointed y'all in keeping quiet, but here's a quick update of what's been happening:

due to the monsoon season, I'm currently based in the WOX head office at Petaling Jaya until February
working on a project proposal that focus on coral reef conservation (sorry, other information is classified at the moment)
I'm back at my parents' place in Kota Bharu for the 3 days weekend, which I'll be back in KL by Tuesday morning.

So to make it short, I'm just post up the pics that has been happening after my convocation in July:

By the time I arrived in Tioman, I had my own graduation party with my volunteers as well (well except for the 2 guys there since they were just happened to hang out at the same bar with us).

But I sure am gonna miss the Sri Tioman crew, they've been such a cool bunch to hang out with.

Also, I'm gonna miss Jo, the blind green turtle at Juara.

Then came August that was the biggest group of volunteers I ever had, about 11 of them.

One of the unique activities in Tioman is that you can go surfing as shown by my main man, Sham of the Tioman Cobana. Hang ten!

By September, I went to Perhentian as September was the last batch of volunteers for the Great Sea Turtle Project for the 2008. Together, we have managed to accomplish more than we had projected.

Then by October, I had the road trip to Johor Bahru, which was really fun.

A couple weeks later, I went along for the company dinner for sushi. Oishi!

Then in mid November, I had the chance to hang out with Pian, Kuan and Adam as you can see in the pic below.

Then by December, Hanu and I participated as judges for the 2008 Royals Inter-Varsity debate that was held at International Islamic University Malaysia.

Then a week after, I went back to my parents' home in Kota Bharu for Aidil Adha celebrations. You can see my parents posing with their 2 hyper active grandkids (my sis' wonder sons).

Just yesterday, I went to Kuala Terengganu and meet up with Wan, Manu, Aizat and Pashia. It sure was fun and I really had a great kuay teow lunch at Noodle Station.

I finally get my bachelor degree...

2008-07-12T14:38:00.003+08:00

The very first day we all enter into any academic institution, whether it would be university or pre-school, we tend to predict of the future events that would or might occur to us. When I first came to KUSTEM (for the freshies, KUSTEM is abbreviated for Kolej Universiti Sains dan Teknologi Malaysia), I kept thinking what were the Malaysians moments that I'm most going to suffer. Mind you that I was brought up with an American system education, I never had the opportunity of what it feels like to get all nervous for the SPM or even the UPSR exams. At the same time, I did thought as to which direction my future was going to stroll upon to. Hours became days, and eventually days fades into months and years, only did I realize as to how I want to direct my life. You may feel like you already what you want to do later after completing your course, or some may still be clueless as to what's going to happen next. My only tip for you all out there is the future will always be a mystery. I know I may sound like Master Oogway from Kung Fu Panda (damn, I still wanna learn that Qushu Squishy Finger technique), but it's very true of the message there. You can never predict fully of what will happen, and make the best out of what you have that is the present.

To my dear family,
Ummi & Abah, thank you for supporting me throughout my life and for understanding my ways as you like to refer to them as "Azimi is just being Belgian". Along, you have been such a role model of what an intellectual is defined as. Bin and Fin, thanks for making my life interesting and being there for me when I'm too egotistic to admit it.

To my whacky and wonderrrrful family in Kuala Terengganu,
You guys have helped me a lot to become a true Malaysian, that is to be proud of the mix ethnicity of our loving country. Hanu, you will always be the fast-topic chatter that has been to help me think twice (by the way, thanks for being there with me during the Royals 2007). Chin, thanks for the times you provide the insights of what a woman feel and helping me see true colors of others (it's amazing I can easily remember your contact number). Kuan, I would have much difficulties in those classes that is taught in BM and for helping me out with the proposal letters if it wasn't for you. Leann, wei taik kau lah! Hehe.. Nah just kidding, but thanks for the times I get to poke on you to help relieve the stress. Anita, my cheerful grand-daughter, you are truly a symbol of what a cheerful person is and thank you for reminding me to be happy no matter what. Muna, although I had a crush on you, I want you to know that I want you to be happy and not be the gloomy gal. Alyn, you're just someone I never thought I would end up being friends with because I thought I wasn't a cool guy for you to hang out, so thanks for teaching me to be more self confident in myself. Ahhh, my homiez (Adam, Azri, Jep & Pian), you guys are amazing! Dudes, I would never have ask for a better group of housemates or roommates than you guys. I'm sorry for the mess I've caused in the house. Cheers to you all!

To my fellow graduates of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu,
I congratulate you all for getting this far and wish you all the best of luck in the coming challenges, events and obstacles that will head your way.

To my fellow juniors,
It is up to you now to carry on the name of our university, and our beloved country to as far as you can reach. Lastly, to everyone of you, I thank you for all the moments and times we all had together.

This is not a goodbye, but rather, hello. Take care y'all. ^_^

P.S.: Enjoy the video!

Orientation to My New Job

2008-05-27T23:43:00.002+08:00

Ever since the 15th of May, I am officially a part of the Way Out Experiences (WOX) Sdn. Bhd. family. I've learned so much of my job prospects, and I so can't wait to start my job in Tioman by the 3rd of June. Currently, I'm still in Pulau Perhentian, but I'll be heading to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow night to head over to my company's office in Petaling Jaya and also to one of our projects in Zoo Negara. My dream of enjoying the beach life is now a reality. So I'll just fill in the stuffs that has been happening to me ever since I left Kuala Terengganu about 2 weeks ago.

On the 13th of May, I arrived in Tioman with my colleagues (Fareea, Julie, and Dan) which we were given a tour of the island and exposed as to what activities that will be carried out. At the same time, we all attended the TAT Turtle Sanctuary official opening which the ceremony had ups and downs that aim to educate people on sea turtle conservation. Other than that, I had the opportunity in getting to know more about WOX, and also on the Great Turtle Project. I'll fill in more on that once I have more ample time to do so. By the 18th of May, I went to Pulau Perhentian for me to be exposed as to what my job will be like as a Fascilitator. I met the volunteers, and conduct some activities with them. They really are a wonderful and lively bunch, that makes me even more anxious to meet the volunteers I'll soon be dealing with.

Okie, that's all I wanna say for now. Owh yeah, congrats to UMT English Debate team for reaching the Runner Up place in the Sultan Zainal Abidin Debate Competition that was held in Dungun, Terengganu. It's always great to see that UMP and UMT fighting in the finals other than the cheapskates. On the other note, anybody care to join me for a fruit mix shake on the beach? ;)

Earth Survey Questionnaire ---- Happy Earth Day to All!!! ^_^

2008-04-22T20:37:00.000+08:00

For many of us, we are awed by the great nature that is created by Allah. Truly majestic are His creations, that at times we take for granted what we have on earth. Do ya have ever thought about what is that attracts you to the beauty of nature? Well for Jeremy Taylor, this is his quest, to find out on people's perspectives on nature's beauty. He has initiated the Earth Survey, a blog site that displays the answers of respondents to the survey. Of course one person has the right to privacy, so Jeremy wouldn't mind if the person wish to remain anonymous, but he would still need the contact details as part of information.

As we are nearing close to our final days as Marine Biology students of UMT, I do hope that everyone will now consider themselves as environmentalists. I know this may be too much to ask, but I would like to have a moment of your time to please copy and paste the questionaire below, and send them to jeremyjtaylor@ yahoo.com. As I plea to all to please participate with this survey for it would only take a small token of your time. Thank you.....

Am I hearing thunder outside the house? Is it gonna rain today?

-------------START OF SURVEY---------------

Name:

Title/Organization:

Address:

Email address:

Today's Date:

1. What interaction with an animal and/or nature in your life has had the biggest impact on you?

2. Did you have a favorite place in the great outdoors during your childhood? What is your favorite place in the great outdoors now?

3. As a former zookeeper, I would love to know what your favorite animal is, and why?

4. What do you think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us now, and what do you think will be the greatest challenge in the future?

5. If you could give everyone one piece of advice regarding the environment and our natural resources, what would it be?

-------------END OF SURVEY----------------

Rugby... the good old days in the ISM campus.

2008-04-18T19:50:00.002+08:00

Damn I miss playing rugby, especially back in ISM (International School of Manila, the high school I graduated from in the Philippines). I wish I didn't get injured on that very last game before heading to KL for the IASAS (Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools) finals. Owh well, here's a really good video that will bring me the sweet flashback of the high school life.

How to Attract the Woman of Your Dreams

2008-04-16T11:49:00.003+08:00

Ok, so my previous post was not that interesting to read and a good example of making someone "bored to sleep". Well, I've decided to post something that is a bit different, and share tips to my fellow men on how to deal with women, and to help women understand a bit more on men (in case they miss a few things about guys). I have to admit, I have not been feeling too well with my heart: i) being criticized heavily on my work; ii) getting into an argument that I wanted to avoid; and iii) to recieve news that would shatter my heart. However, I'm all good now thanks to the help of my close and sweet buddies who really helped me out, and after listening to this one song, "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes". Thanks for your words of wisdom. So, to all the men out there, do consider about the tips I'm giving out for these are the mistakes I've learned from after the pains I've caused. I hope my dream will come true....

TEN TIPS FOR GUYS TO KNOW ABOUT DEALING WITH WOMEN

Tip #1: Nice Guys Always Finish Last

I think this is true because women always want a guy who has that strong and powerful attraction. So being nice would equate to the guy being a suitable friend. If you do want to get that woman of your dreams, then don’t be too extremely nice. The guy gotta show that he can take things his way, and it does not necessarily to be nice.

Tip #2: Never Convince Her

Men, women not just talk a lot, but they can think for themselves as well. So even though the woman would say that she's not interested, it's better that you do not do the following: beg, plead, chase, or do anything that would deem as a force to change her thinking about you. Better yet, just carry on what ya do and who knows, only then she will take notice.

Tip #3: Asking For Her Permission Or Approval

For most guys, they think it is better to always ask the girl for their approval and permission to do anything or whatsoever. Another bad idea. Why? This would make an indication that the guy is just a wuss. It's good that the guy would ask for the girl's permission, but don't do it like 100% of the time. I'm not saying that we ought to dominate over the woman, but the guy needs to be critical where he makes the right decision by himself rather than to ask for approval or permission. This way, the woman will take notice that the guy is smart and is tactical in thinking.

Tip #4: Trying To "Buy" Her Affection With Food And Gifts

So you bought her some stuffs, treat her for dinner, which is all just sweet and nice. Well, is it? This may not be the suitable choice as the woman would see this as a way for the guy wanting to show that he can "buy" her by getting her all the cool things and yummie meals that she wants. Better yet, do so in a way that you have a reason for it rather than just say, "Oh, I just felt like doing so."

Tip #5: Telling Her "How You Feel" Too Early
So you've been dating with the woman for a couple of times, and you feel that it's right time to tell her that you really, awesomely, truly, madly, deeply (damn I hate that song) like her. After 2 dates? That's a wrong move because an attractive woman would know that you're falling for her too fast, and guys shouldn't do that. If you really want to her to be attracted to you, then take it slow and enjoy the ride. Don't think that being with her is like a hour roller coaster ride, but think of it as a whole month adventure in the jungle.

Tip #6: Women Attracts To Men Differently Than Men Do

For most guys, they attract to the woman based upon her looks and overall appearance. This could be her sweet face, the view from the back, or even how sexy she wears. Well this is what guys need to know, women are more attractive to guys that are not based on their looks. Fine the guy maybe cute, but the women wants something else. Do I know it? Certainly not because all women have different needs. So it's all depends on the woman. If the guy really wants the woman to be attracted to him, then the guy needs to find the one she's very attracted to that is not physically.

Tip #7: Thinking It Only Takes Money and Looks

For many guys, they tend to give up so easily because they feel that the women wants a guy who looks handsome, has all the money in the world, or is old enough. Most women would disagree because they want a guy who can understand them. The looks and all are just the added bonus, but they want the guy who also has good personality traits. Easily to be hot tempered is so a major turn off, so guys, please control your anger and especially your ego. Be a gentleman and show that you can be the most understanding guy she ever wants.

Tip #8: Giving Away All Of Your Power To Women

Going back to tip #3, it's not a good idea to always seek for her approval or permission. Also, it's not a good idea to let do whatever she wants all the time. For example, the guy wants to take the woman out for dinner. The woman can't decide where to and the guy goes on saying that he'll go wherever she wants to go. This is what the guy should avoid doing, instead he should come up with a suggestion and let her enjoy what the guy feels best. Again, this is not something the guy want to dominate over women, but to stand on our own two feet and show them how to enjoy a good time.

Tip #9: Being Clueless On Exactly What To Do In Each Situation With Women

This is a fact, women are TEN TIMES better in reading the guy's body language. Thus, a guy needs to know how to handle the situation with precision, speed, and ease. For example, the woman wants to buy bus ticket for her friend (which her friend asked her to get for her). The woman couldn't decide which bus operator to buy from, and the guy is there tagging along with her. In this situation, the guy can help her out by going through other bus operators and find which bus operator provides the most reliable time of departure. Don't be clueless or else the woman will think that you are of no help at all.

Tip #10: Not Asking For Help

This is just the main thing about men, we don't tend to ask for help most of the time. For guys, they feel that asking for help is a sign to show that we are just weak and just plain helpless. IF the guy needs help, then ask for it. Don't be shy because that's not gonna solve anything. For example, if you feel that you are having a hard time doing an assignment and that you don't want her to help out, then it's a wrong mistake. Ask for her help as well and get the input from her. The guy can also ask help from other sources as well, and should be self-confident to ask.

Carbon Dioxide as Raw Materials?

2008-04-15T07:41:00.007+08:00

Okie, before I go on, I wish to take this moment to apologize for the long silence with my post. Now that I'm into my last month of my studies, I was busy with assignments, lab reports, presentations, and of course, my thesis. Well I've done the first three, but I still got the thesis to work on for the final presentationg and publishing. So all the best of luck to everyone who will be taking their exams! ^_^ Anyway.....

Ever wondered exactly what does mineral water bottle or DVD are made of? Answer: polycarbonate plastics. On to the next question, is it possible to extract the carbon dioxide from smokestack (as in those big smokes coming out of those huge chimneys)? And use that carbon dioxide as a raw material for polycarbonate plastics? If ya answered NO, then that information was so yesterday (well actually off by a week).

How I came to stumble with this information? Well it all started when I wanted to check my email last night, and I recieved a message from the Marine Biology International yahoo group. The message provided a link on a news article about US government spying on environmental groups. I found the article quite interesting and I pondered to the thought of the harsh espionage treatment an environmental conservationist would get. Afterwards, I decided to check out the news site, Mother Jones, and they have such interesting articles on current issues ranging from politics to blogs. Then I decided to look up into the Environmental & Health section, which led me to the article that really got my jaw dropped. The title reads out, "Lock Up CO2 In DVDs."

According to the article, during the 235th American Chemical Society National Meeting held in New Orleans last week, Prof. Thomas E. Müller and Dr. Toshiyasu Sakakura conduct a press conference that discussed about their research, "DVDs and CD-Roms that Thwart Global Warming," on how carbon dioxide can be use as raw materials for the polycarbonates plastics. According to Prof. Thomas Müller, he mentioned how carbon dioxide is so abundant as a raw material and that this method can help to reduce the carbon dioxide emission. Although this may sound good news, I would have to agree with Julia Whitty, Mother Jones's environmental correspondent, as she quote:
"Good idea: make polycarbonates from waste CO2.
Better idea: make less pollution and less polycarbonate plastics."

So exactly how would the carbon dioxide be collected? Well I went for further reading and I stumble upon this article from MSNBC, "Remove CO2 from air? Experts working on it - One approach uses lye to absorb greenhouse gas." The article mentions of two mechanisms: i) to suck out the air and have the carbon dioxide react with lye to turn into limestone and then sublimed (making solid turn into gas) back into gas; ii) to use solar heat to extract the carbon dioxide; and iii) similar method in number two but to use electrochemistry instead. Frank Zeman from Columbia University described the use of his device to direct the air through a chamber and is react with lye (sodium hydroxide) which will absorb the carbon dioxide into liquid form. Afterwards, the liquified carbon dioxide is mixed with lime to produce limestone, which is later baked in a kiln (which is like an oven) to release and then store the carbon dioxide. These methods are still in the experimental phase, but are still hopeful to yield much benefits in the future.

Environmental issues ought to be included in the manifestos.

2008-03-09T21:20:00.010+08:00

The election has been concluded with the BN winning a simple majority, and the silent voices of many have protested in voting for the opposition. I don't wish to state my personal opinion of the politics scenario for I have no CREDIBILITIES to say what is right or wrong in the politics (yes, I do feel silly for having to write the previous post). Both sides of the politic arena would throw words at each other trying to make themselves look better than the other. However, this sort of manner should not take place if Malaysians wish to accomplish themselves as a developed nation.

It is human nature that any individual or group would have both friend and foe. With friends, one would feel in comfort and have respect for one another. With a foe, we let anger take over and thus causing our bad side be revealed. One fighting for the cause of others, accusing each other on the lack of good qualities, and obvious of all, wanting to prove their worth for the sake of development in the country. As I try to disciplined myself to be a faithful environmentalist, I am saddened by the fact that none of the manifestos brought up by any politicial parties focused upon the environmental issues. Of course some Malaysians would inquire "what for?", and some would not hesitate to reply "who cares". Now that Malaysia has been elected with a new form of government, the Malaysian Environmental NGO (MENGO) have issued a statement they wish the new government to focus upon. The statement focus upon the following:

1) National policies, laws, acts, and all form of legislative enactments (especially concerning with the environment) should be reviewed for the benefit of the environment of both fauna and flora.

2) Fragile and sensitive environmental areas needs to be secured for preservation.

3) Indigenous people (referring to Orang Asli) needs to be given proper treatment, respect and justice so that they are treated as an equal in accordance to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Indigeneous Peoples (UNDRIP).

4) Public would have better access to environment information and NGOs would have more participation and their opinions would be considered more seriusly.

5) More awareness needs to be addressed through the education sector (i.e. primary to tertiary education).

6) Developing and implementing policies and practices that focus on sustainable use in all sectors.

7) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States of America needs to have proper consideration from the public and from NGO if FTA is needed and to study its' environmental impacts.

8) Exercise and conduct an effective and proper waste management and reduce the effect of trash.

9) National Biosafety Act and obligations agreed in the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety be enforced and implemented.

10) Renewable resources needs to be more focused upon and combat the rise of Green House Gases (GHG) in the country.

and

11) To ensure the par treatment in gender equality and equity as a sign of the first step in sustainable development which will be noted in all levels of decision making and implementation.

This is what the Malaysian Environmental NGOs want from the new government, and it's time that environmental issues needs to addressed more often and be handled for the sake of the country's future. Put aside the differences, and focus on the work that needs to be done. Malaysia Boleh!

Gong Xi Fa Choy!

2008-02-08T16:00:00.000+08:00

First of all, I would like to spend the time to wish to all of my Chinese friends and Chinese everywhere a blissful and prosperous Chinese New Year. Gong xi fa choy! ^_^

Okie, wanna play a game? Try this one, what can ya tell me that's not right in this picture?
So you think you got the answer? Well for some, they would see one (which I'll explain a bit later). However, I'll go to the unnoticeable, yet most obvious mistake in this picture. Politically, this banner is wrong for the PAS (Pan-Malayan Islamic Party). Why? Well the PAS accused UMNO (United Malays National Organisation) as infidels in trying to demote the Islamic and Malay values toward the Malays (Utusan, 2001). By saying so, the PAS really should wake up and smell the roses that Malaysia is shared by all races, I mean they don't even see eye-to-eye with DAP (Democratic Action Party, an political opposition party headed by non-Muslims). If they say that UMNO are a bunchof infidels, then PAS shouldn't be putting up banners like this. It just contradicts to their principles of being an Islamic party, and that one of them is to reject all grounds of faith. So in other words, they shouldn't be out to wish the Chinese community a Happy New Year.

What's the other mistake? Well it's the typical grammar error that most Malays would do when it come to spelling.

"YEARS OF THE RATS"? Lim Kit Siang must be shaking his head in disgust if he ever sees this poster.

Dear Anonymous...

2008-01-27T00:15:00.000+08:00

Notice the message above?

Well in my assumption, only someone who has nil gut of confronting Prof. Chan would comment in such a way that the person does not wish to identify herself/himself. I don't wish to react this in frustration, but I do feel the pityness that comes out from this comment. Whoever this person is, does not realize as to what Prof. Chan wants to teach to the student. As a university student, we ought to find the information by ourselves rather than being spoon feed by many lecturers. It is a fact that MANY students in UMT would just ask the lecturer of the class straight for questions that would appear directly in the final exams all for the lame excuse of having "a high cgpa (Cumulative Grade Point Average)." If Prof. Chan wanted to give an exam that according to Anonymous here being "as if we're all professors", then wouldn't it be obvious that she would inquire the student with difficult questions as to more in-depth thinking (for example: Does the Convention of Biological Diversity be sufficient enough to enforce Third World nations to carry out restrictions on endangered wildlife trade in their territories)?

Whoever you are, you really need to wake up and smell the roses. If you can't handle Prof. Chan, then you ought to be careful of your future employers. At least with Prof. Chan, she was willing to spend her time to educate the students about marine conservation. Prof. Chan has other priorities which she needs to fulfill other than to get comments where the student does not appreciate her efforts. Shame on you Anonymous!

Transformers Sequel?

2008-01-21T15:35:00.000+08:00

Laughter is the best medicine. That is utterly true as people who live a long lasting life tend to be in good humour. So for those who just wanna have some good laughs, enjoy a few laughs with this clip:

I'm not sure about you, but I'm quite certain that the live-action Tansformers movie released last summer left me a few disappointments in my heart. I guess I expected too much out of the movie to be all perfect with interesting storyline and logical mechanical physics with the robots. Anyway, I just hope the upcoming Incredible Hulk movie won't be as bad as it was in 2003. :P

An Inconvenient Truth

2008-01-14T19:34:00.000+08:00

Yesterday for the Law & Policy of Aquatic Resources class, the lecturer, Ms. Zahaitun, brought a VCD to have the students watch Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth". It was quite suprising as I thought it would be another day of lecture. For some, it would probably their first time viewing the documentary. As for me, well I've seen it more than a couple of times since I've already downloaded the movie. The facts that Al Gore presented were logical enough to raise eyebrows as to why the current administration in the US are not ratifying the Kyoto Protocol. Then again, do the students in that class seem to understand as to why the US are reluctant to do so?

To understand their perspectives, it's common sense that one must research for answers. So for the sake of those who wish to understand American's arguments to this case, do read on.

Economy
The US fears that by signing the Kyoto Protocol, the economy would be heavily affected. This is true since the biggest world trade partner consume the highest amount of energy. President Bush puts the national economy first as he understands that the benefits of the Kyoto Protocol does not outweight the cost. In doing so, he also argues that the Kyoto Protocol leaves too much errors and there is lack of justification with the policy.

Fairness
We all helplessly believe in democracy, and that everyone is born equal and should be treated fairly. However, this does not apply in the Kyoto Protocol as it promote unfairness among UN member countries. The Kyoto Protocol has exempted China and India from fulfilling the agreements that was set in the treaty. President George Bush argued:

"This is a challenge that requires a 100% effort; ours, and the rest of the world's. The world's second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases is the People's Republic of China. Yet, China was entirely exempted from the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol. India and Germany are among the top emitters. Yet, India was also exempt from Kyoto … America's unwillingness to embrace a flawed treaty should not be read by our friends and allies as any abdication of responsibility. To the contrary, my administration is committed to a leadership role on the issue of climate change … Our approach must be consistent with the long-term goal of stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere."
The Whitehouse (2001-06-11). President Bush Discusses Global Climate Change. Press release.

So as we can see here, the US would never ratify unless they are assured that the developing countries would carry out the responsibilities as well. However, there are some developing countries that still has not ratify the Kyoto Protocol such as Brunei, Taiwan, and Turkey. With their beliefs in democracy, the US will never ratify the Protocol.

Plan of Action
Just because the Kyoto Protocol has not been ratify, doesn't necessarily mean the US are not committed to reduce their carbon emission. The US has established some efforts to held talks in multilateral terms with Asian-Pacific countries like Australia, China, India, Japan and South Korea. Together, they have come to an agreement in producing the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate. Initiated in January of 2006, this agreement focus on clean energy capacity building and market formation. The difference this agreement has over the Kyoto Protocol is that each of the members are allowed to carry out their greenhouse gas emissions individually without any mechanism of enforcement. Due to this fact, many has criticized the credibility of this agreement and that this is nothing but to neglect the call of ratifying the Kyoto Protocol.

New Year with New Hopes...

2008-01-11T10:58:00.000+08:00

It's past New Year's, and this is the first blog of the year. Which year? Well both actually, the Gregorian calendar (year 2008) and the Islamic calendar (year 1429). Last year has been quite interesting as the rest with both high and low moments. The sweetest high of the year would be me finally being close in Berry's heart. The 2nd high would be the fact me getting the job at Way Out Experiences Sdn. Bhd.. (I'll be working in Tioman by May). The lowest? It would definitely have to be me breaking off with Laila for good. Finally I can close the book on that story and never to be heard from her again (unless she breaks her own rule).

About the job, well I'll be working in Pulau Tioman assisting with a chap name John Amos, who is the Managing Director of the Juara Lagoon & Resort. He has established the first sea turtle hatchery there, and it is my task to assist him in improving the hatching rate of the sea turtles nests and aiming to establish a few more hatcheries. At the same time, I'll be dealing with the volunteers from the UK in conducting the marine conservation activities and of course helping them to enjoy themselves under the sun in Tioman. Other than carrying out my work, I do hope I can use this oppurtunity to use the area as my study site for my Master's. I'm thinking Prof. Chan will still be around to supervise me on that. Hehe.. ;P

As the year 2008 welcomes the Year of the Rat, I just hope this will be another good year for me. Of the things that has happened in the past, it's best to leave them be and just enjoy the present while daydreaming of the future. Ice tea anybody?

Change in Plan/ Kelantanese road scenario

2007-12-11T11:19:00.000+08:00

Looks like my plans to go to Melaka has been cancelled due to the weather. At the same time, it's a blessing in disguise that I can help to drive my dad to the hospital for his eye procedure. So I'll be heading to KL on Friday night, reaching at the house in Taman Melawati by Saturday morning, just in time to go to the Pasar Tani. I really miss going to the pasar tani so much, I can't wait to buy my breakfast there. Hehe...

Anyway, I just wanna let out my anger toward the drivers here in Kelantan. I mean I really hate the fact that some drivers out there would drive the car as if they're members of the royal family. One guy had the nerve to stare at me for not giving way to him. Yeah, like blame me for being civilized and obeying the rules because the jerk happened to drive the very side of the road and didn't even bother to give signal. I'm only courteous towards drivers who can drive with good etiquettes. Some people are just so rude and selfish when it comes to driving. Then again, at least they don't pose as much danger as compared to the 'mat & minah rempit'. I wish there would be harsher punishments to curb this menace and teach a huge lessons toward these motorcyclists.

MLYSN

2007-12-02T09:35:00.000+08:00

Early this morning I wanted to look for the results of the Royal Debate 2007 since the UMT only let us to stay at the UiTM Shah Alam campus until 2pm. So as I typed in the search engine, it brought my attention to a website I've never heard of until at 8am. I stumbled on the MLYSN Debate Magazine website as a sweet mistake because I only wanted to know what was the outcome of the Royal Debate 2007 finals for all languages (Arabic, English and Bahasa Malaysia) and categories (Senior and Junior).

The MLYSN Debate Magazine was recently created as a periodic reading material for the upcoming CIMB Group World Universities Peace Invitational Debate (WUPID) that is to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The MLYSN highlights on the different viewpoints of individuals who are actively or directly linked with the debate community and professionals dealing with oral communication. In addtion, the MLYSN will provide information that concerns about debate in Malaysia and globally, and the issues that will be note worthy to read. Soon to be distributed in the upcoming CIMB Group WUPID with their very first issue (15th December, 2007), MLYSN will also be handed out among the schools and universities in the Klang Valley. MLYSN website is currenly managed by Muhammad Yunus, an UPM graduate who has many years of experiences in debate and also the Co-Founder & Managing Director at H&G Strategic Communications Sdn Bhd.

I truly recommend other debaters to make a habit of visiting the MLYSN website as it is very resourceful in providing links to other debate websites. I look forward to the development of MLYSN and hope that all institution would subscribe to this periodical to promote debate, create awareness and spark interest in the fine art of oral communication.

Hear. Hear.

The front cover of the MLYSN magazine.

Royals pics

2007-12-01T13:37:00.001+08:00

To whoever that wish to view more of the pics from the Royal Debate, just click on http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9530&id=514870689 for more snap shots.

(^_^)v

dedication...

2007-12-01T12:27:00.000+08:00

To my fellow debate team-mates, lil' juniors and honourable judge Gary, I dedicate this post to you all........

Berry, thanks for the memories that we both had on Wednesday. I didn't expect that you would accompany and make my day better as to not leave me alone. Hehe.. The dinner treat, tagging along with me to the TwinHead office, holding on to the bus tickets, thanks a billion girl.

(^_^)v

:Sabby (left side): :Berry (right side):

Sabby, I'm so sorrie if I ever leave ya out. Don't forget that I'm always gonna be your Doraemon. Hehe.. Then again, you were so mean having to pull that trick on me. *Phew* It's a good thing there was no marker stains on my face. I can't believe I fell for it.

Hanu, girl you were good and thanks again for coming along. I'm glad that ya did the right choice to come along and thanks again for your fashion advice. Although there were a few disappointments that we find it hard to accept, well at least we all had a great fun.

Manu, I hope you'll stick with the debate until you finish your course. You still have a lot of potential to be an influential speaker because your tone is soothing that I'm sure kids would love to hear stories from you. I'm sorrie we couldn't get ya the sandals. Don't ever give up.

Pahsia, now aren't ya glad that you joined us with the Royals? If not, you wouldn't have met so much of your friends from old times, right? Hehe.. Many thanks for your help with the Junior team, and I do hope that you'll one day debate as well.

Wan, now you're the man! Why lah do you have to be so shy, huh? Just ask for her number lah. Hehe.. I feel so sorrie that your bed was "ANALyzed" by Gary the other night and that made your bed to fall down. Haha.. Keep it up Wan, and all the best.

(",)

Aizat, you better be lucky that ya got the censored version of my backdoor greeting. Hehe.. Wei, so sorrie for the times I ever offend ya, it's just that I treat ya like a lil' bro who needs much of my guidance. Keep working on your reBUTTals dude.

Gary, thanks for the times you helped out to tutor the juniors. I think ya did a better job than me in explaining to them about debate. Too bad we didn't get to boogie down at any clubs. Then again, we can always take the time to do ANALyze and give reBUTTals. Hehe..

Royal Debate 2007

2007-11-30T18:25:00.000+08:00

Damn, it's been almost 3 months since I last blog here. Well sorrie for not keeping up to date due to the hectic schedule that I was suddenly dumped with. In addition, I was unfortunate that my faithful laptop, DurBy, was malfunction since then. However, that's all changed and things are looking good... :D

Just previously, I participated in the Royal Debate tournament that was held at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam. It involves only with all of the public universities throughout Malaysia, and students would debate in either of the three languages: English, Bahasa Malaysia, or Arabic. Of course I opt for the english debate since that's the only language I would be more confident to speak. Anyway, UMT sent two teams for english: 1 senior and 1 junior team. The Junior team compromises of 1st year students: Aizat (1st Speaker), Manu (2nd Speaker), Wan (3rd Speaker) and Pahsia (Researcher). As for the Senior team compromises of 3rd year students: Me (1st Speaker), Sabby (2nd Speaker), Hanushia (2nd and 3rd Speaker) and Berry (3rd Speaker). Hanu debated once as the 2nd speaker and twice as the 3rd speaker. The UMT also sent 3 teams for the Bahasa Malaysia debate, but I'm not sure who's who in which team. Although I do know about Uzair and Kama, since both are my coursemates (yeah marine biology rocks!).

Overall, I wasn't satisfied with the 2007 Royals because it wasn't properly handled as compared to the 2005 Royals in UKM. Not to mention, UKM really made the event much enjoyable. The only thing I did like about what the UiTM have done is just the t-shirt they managed to produce. Other than that, I sure had a lot of fun memories from discussing about the physics of the human body with the UTM boys to the disapproval of the loss that the UM judge gave us over the motion "This House Believes That Genetic Modified Food is the Answer to Global Food Crisis". For goodness sake, there's no such thing as GM food to be much costlier than organic food.

Here's a short photo essay for y'all to enjoy:

The BM debaters practising by having a mock debate. I forgot what was the issue they were debating at the time.

That's Uzair, the man in charge of handling the BM debate and training the BM debaters. I wish I could understand what's he saying most of the time. Hehe..

On the way to UiTM Shah Alam, as ya can see there are those who are enjoying the time by having a good chit chat.

Here's a good junior debater at work, James, just busy looking for casefacts. :P

Of course other than chit chatting, there are those who would doze off and sleep in the comfort of the new bus such as here with Kama and Erni.

The new UMT bus that dropped us off at UiTM Shah Alam and picked us up from there to UMT. The bus and the driver should have been there with us throughout the whole time.

Despite our bad performances, I'm sure that everyone learned an invaluable experience that we will never forget. I do hope the juniors will take this oppurtunity to promote more on debate at UMT and that this would act as a catalyst to spark more interest toward the future students at UMT. With that Dear Speaker, I finish this blog by bid you a pleasant thank you.

aaahhhhhhhh.. ^_^

2007-09-02T03:07:00.000+08:00

It sure has been 2 crazy weeks since I last blog. The last time was about the soft-shell turtle that I helped Prof Chan to excavate and wash up the bones. Then last week from Thursday (23rd August) to Sunday (26th August), I took part in being the exhibitioner during the Convocation at the campus. Since I was doing my final year project (that's my thesis for those who are from out of Malaysia) on marine turtles, of course I would definitely have to help out Prof Chan in attending the Sea Turtle Research Unit (SEATRU) booth. At first, I only did it because I felt like I had nothing much to do. Then afterwards, it was fun having to answer all the questions the visitors kept asking. I was there only to educate the people about the sea turtle conservation that University of Malaysia, Terengganu (UMT) does. Prof Chan was more than pleased that I was able to attend the booth because I told her that I do not feel comfortable having to leave the preserved hatchlings unattended.

I mean of course it does look cool, but anyone can easily steal it and keep it for themselves. Leatherbacks are no longer to be seen in Malaysia, so of course anyone would love to keep a preserved hatchling. Anyway...

Then a few days back, I got busy with my proposal report for my Final Year Project. Owh yeah, my final year project is titled:

"An analysis on hatched hawksbill turtle nests incubated under hatchery conditions in Padang Kemunting, Melaka".

So exactly what does that mean? Well, my final year project focus on the conditions of the eggs of those that have been hatched and unhatch. I will be highlighting what are the causes why some hawksbill turtle do not hatch, and what are the ways to improve the hatching success. So overall, my research will help a lot to understand on hatchery management as to how to run the hatchery efficiently with high hatching success with the hawksbill turtle nest.

Well speaking of hatchery, guess what? I got a job offer!! I was so suprised about it that I was like in a state of shock when I had the conversation with that lady on the phone. Well the job offer was given to me through one of my professors, because she knew that I was the right person for the job. The job offer is having to be hatchery manager at the sea turtle hatchery in the east coast. I can't reveal all yet, but this is as much I can say for now. I'll keep up to date with more info later.

Okie lah, I guess I better go to sleep. I'll be picking Chin up from the airport by 8am. Life sure is sweet once again..... ^_^

dug up the grave...

2007-08-21T00:50:00.001+08:00

Today was just another ordinary day, except for some reason I did felt poetic. I end up typing sweet sms to her bcuz yeah, I missed her and of course I was thinking a lot about her. Damn, I wish I could recall what I typed in the sms though. Hehe... Yeah, back to the story...

For the lab we had today for our Marine Biodiversity and Conservation class, we had to do a beach cleanup. Of course I knew what to expect since I did like a few already. However, Prof. Chan, who is the lecturer for the class and also happens to be my supervisor for my final year project, asked me to recall the spot where we had buried the soft-shell turtle back in January.

It was really an amazing day to find a dead body of an animal that once thought to be extinct in Malaysia. The body of the soft-shell turtle was washed on the beach, and I remember going there with Azri, Pian, and Fidzam to have a look at the body. We buried it after taking the length and width of the the poor animal. So 7 months later, Prof Chan decided to excavate the body to collect the skeletons. It took a while to find the spot where the soft-shell turtle was buried because somehow the sticks we used to mark the grave was removed. We dug at 4 different places, but we found the soft-shell turtle on the 2nd spot. It was that I didn't buried the hole deep enough to find the bag that contained the turtle. We dug out, and Prof Chan asked to washed the skeleton from the remaining of the decayed body. It sure was a freaking and messy job. My first reaction was EEEWWWWWWWWWW!!!! What shocked me was that not even the lab assistant was willing to help to clean the skeletal remains. So yeah, I volunteered for the job because somehow, it was an interesting thought to having found a very rare animal. So I did the whole dirty job, and of course got the higher respect from Prof Chan. Soon enough, we'll have to clean the skeletal remains furthermore and then to assemble it. I can't wait to do that part, as in the assembling lah. :P

I miss her...

2007-08-19T10:01:00.000+08:00

It's almost 2 months since I last update my blog. I guess I haven't done so due to the amount of work and the longer duration of rests I'm having. Either that, or I just feel like I got nothing to blog at all. So does it mean I got something to blabber about today? Hell yeah....

Each time I look myself at the mirror, I do feel like I'm a hypocrite. I don't seem to learn the lessons that I advised to others or when I know that I ought to do so. I do want to be a better person, but I hate it when life just isn't going my way. Then again, we can't just have it all in life. I wish I could have her to be happy, but after how I behave, I guess I don't deserve her at all. I really do miss the happy times that I shared with her, especially when I'm next to her. Waking up this morning brought me back to the nightmare I'm still in. Yeah, I really do miss when I could smile just waking up to each morning. I'll never forget the moments that I did had with her, and for now, life will just go on.

On the other hand, I'm sorta relieved that my proposal presentation went real smooth. So now, I just gotta finish up with the proposal report, and keep myself busy with other things in life.

be patient for she's gone

2007-06-27T09:58:00.000+08:00

This morning, a turtle came up to lay her nest at a few minutes before the rain poured in. At the time she was laying her eggs, the weather was still OK. As soon she closed her nest, the rain poured, but luckily we managed to place in all the eggs just in time. The boatman whose job was to deliver and fetch us from the island was in such a rush that he started yelling when giving out the orders. It got me a bit frustrated because the three other people who went along with me were girls and of course they're packing their things up as fast as they can. He kept yelling to hurry up, and I was about to blurt out to him, "Be patient!" Right at that moment, those words really strike me.

The past two days, I've been so feeling so depressed with the heartaches and the headaches that I've been getting over here in Malacca. The one person I really wish I could talk to was no more to be contact. This time, I really closed the book of the true love I once shared with her. Of course I still love her, but I know I'm nowhere in her heart now. For me, I believe that I don't have to be with her just to love her with all my heart. What matters the most is her happiness, and I'm glad that she has found what she has been seeking for in life. For now, I would definitely pray hard for her and hope that she would live her life to the fullest. As for me, patient is what I should be and hope for the best that I wish for all.

The Courteous Ride

2007-06-20T12:53:00.000+08:00

Thanks to everyone who has been supportive of me to cheer up my woes, and yeah, I do feel much better. Moments like these, it's good to know there are family members and close friends to count on. Anyhow, I don't wanna blog too much, but I just wanna showcase the article I did for R.AGE @ The Star newspaper online website. I just hope it gets printed.

Title: Courteous Ride

Commuter train has been proved to be convenient to people and one of the ways to help reduce traffic on the road. For those who often take this public transport, here’s something to be on the lookout: impatient and selfish passengers.

Ever notice when the doors are about to open, both people waiting outside and inside are ready to rush through? This is mostly seen as people have the tendency to quicken their time spent on the journey. In effect, people then fight for the space inside the train and to exit the station quickly. Sadly as in seems, not many people practice the habit of patience as one of their virtues.

Other than being generous, passengers should be considerate among themselves that most people are in a rush to reach their destination. In having to do so, by letting those waiting inside the train to exit first, people on both sides would not treat each other as hassle. This is mainly because of the fact that letting passengers to come out first would prove to be more efficient and time-saving as compared to having people rushing to leave and enter the train at the same time.

Other than the trouble with the doors, is it often to see people giving up their seats to those who are in more in need? Or even for a kind gentleman to let a lady to take his seat? Doubtful as it may seem, a selfish passenger would not think for a moment to do so. To avoid this, the person would go into slumber and pretend not to wake up until they are about to reach their destination.

Take a ride in any train, definitely there will be a displayed message insisting others to give up their seats to the following people: an elderly, a handicapped, and a pregnant mother. Then younger generation should show respects to their elders and remember that an elderly person have a weaker body especially for women. As for those who are handicapped, both mentally and physically, should have the benefit of having the seat as they are less fortunate with their state of body. Obviously, a mother who is pregnant with her baby should have the priority to have the seat since it is quite stressful to their body when standing. Lastly, men should behave kindly to the ladies that by giving their seats to them would show a sign of respect to one another.

There etiquettes in everything we do, and this include when taking the commuter train. Be patient when boarding onto the train, and be considerate to others who deserve to have the seat. The year 2007 is special to Malaysia for the unique celebration of 50 years of independence, which the government has urged their people to be more courteous and friendly. Passengers ought to remember this as soon they step into the train station.

Stupid me....

2007-06-16T20:27:00.000+08:00

Damn.. I dunno what's seem to be wrong with me, I feel like I need to get whack on the head big time. I mean a cute chick came up to me in KLCC when I was heading off to Aquaria. So cute that I just couldn't stop admiring her beauty. She came up to me hoping to seek a charitable donation for this ngo. However, unlucky as I was, I couldn't help her out because my wallet was totally empty. :( The one time that I had the chance to enjoy my life, yet I just couldn't do so. Maybe this is a sign that I need to keep holding on to what my heart wants.

Have a break.. Head to KL...

2007-06-16T02:07:00.000+08:00

I'm currently in KL now, and the house is partially clean. As always, I had expected the house was going to be a mess since the evil twin rarely cleans the house. The bathroom stinks, but at least there's cold water to drink in the fridge. I managed to reach from Melaka to KL in less than 2 hours. So yeah, I did speed like hell because I just wanna rush to the house and enjoy the comfort of the home. Dunno what's the plan for tomorrow, but for now, it's time to SLEEP!! :P

Week 8

2007-06-11T14:12:00.000+08:00

Seven weeks has passed since I first came to this field house, and again, it surely has been fun. Not too much on the work though, so no stress there. Yet at the same time, I do feel bit down lately. I'm so confused and puzzled of what my heart wants, that at times make me wanna change my future plans. I do hope to go further than achieving a PhD., but only Allah knows. There is one thing I wish I could have right now, but not all wishes do come true. *sigh* There's a saying that if you really want it, just go for it. Due to some circumstances, I doubt I can go for it. It'll be just too troublesome. I'm sorry that I can't say any further details because I don't want to state what's exactly is my problem, but I just wanna let out a bit. Anyhow, I just hope I can get out of the low mood that I'm in; but I'm still thankful for the things I have and the people that's still with me. ^_^

pinky

2007-05-21T13:43:00.000+08:00

You Are a Pinky

You are fiercely independent, and possibly downright weird.
A great communicator, you can get along with almost anyone.
You are kind and sympathetic. You support all your friends - and love them for who they are.

You get along well with: The Ring Finger

Stay away from: The Thumb

What Finger Are You?

I'm a WHAT?! Pinky?! Owh well, in a way it's true as to what the description says. Hehehe.. :P

the air car?

2007-05-16T18:30:00.000+08:00

Well 4 weeks have passed, which means I'm halfway through doing my internship with WWF-Malaysia. I never expect that it would be somewhat a bit laid back here, but at the same time, I didn't expect that I wouldn't be able to do anything about my final year project. *sigh* I was really hoping that I get to carry out the study on hawksbill turtle here. Just wait and see how the future holds. Speaking of which, I was stumbling through YouTube, and I watched this very interesting clip. I think it's the only answer to make people limit the use of petrol cars and of course, making the environment much cleaner. So have a look and see for yourself.....

Entering Week 4 of Internship..

2007-05-14T11:25:00.000+08:00

Awwww... Look! Pictures of baby penyu that came out from their nest yesterday. Hehe.. Aren't they so cute? ^_^ Well it was just the 3 of them only, out of 124 eggs. I feel so sorry the rest lah... :(

Happy Mother's Day

2007-05-09T22:59:00.000+08:00

Well I'm feeling much better than before, but I still got the light coughs and the running nose that's giving me the deep sexy voice. Hehehe... The night I went to the hospital, at first my blood pressure read 165 over 111. Now that's freaking high, because the normal range is 120 over 80. However, after I had another blood pressure measure taken, it read 135 over 75. Well I guess it's still OK considering my obesity. So yeah, no more fry cook meals. I really miss doing some steam cooking.

Anyway, today's Mother's Day, so don't forget to let your mummy know how much they mean to ya. I just hope my mum would talk to me for a while after that incident with the evil twin. That jerk really gets on my nerves and I pray to Allah may that guy get to see the light of his wrong-doing and the fact that he ought to apologize to my sister for being such a bad sibling. Anyhow, since today is Mother's Day, I wanna share with y'all this video from Happy Slip Productions. This Kristine gal is so good with her work, I'm not suprise if she's gonna be big in the future. I sure miss the the sweet life in Manila....

feeling sick.... :(

2007-05-08T17:00:00.000+08:00

Great.. Now I'm feeling sick... I haven't been diagnosed yet, but I plan to go to the hospital later tonight.. I don't trust the rural clinics here because there's no doctor present there, but there are medical officers. I prefer to be treated from a person who carries the M.B.,B.S degree.
And Azri, I hope you'll get well soon buddy.

Pics taken so far...

2007-05-07T15:49:00.000+08:00

Well it's been 2 weeks since I've done my internship with WWF-Malaysia in Malacca. So I'm just gonna post up some pics that I've taken so far. Just click on the picture if to view the actual size of the picture.

The folks over at WWF-Malaysia in Malacca:

Azri and me in the Pajero...

From left to right: Sel, See Liong, Arvind (Programme Trainee), Yaya, Kama, and Azri. We wanted to watch Spiderman 3, but unfortunately the tickets got sold out. So we all end up just enjoying the day having our brunch at McDonalds.
From left to right: Yaya, Ernest (Community Officer), Min Min (Project Team Leader). Min Min is our supervisor, and she's really fun to have an interesting chat with.That's Grace at the right side of the picture. She's also the Programme Trainee here at Malacca.

This is Shakira, the Pajero used by WWF-Malaysia in Malacca. How she got her name, I have no idea. Hehe..
Pics taken from Pulau Upeh:

Sign board at Pulau Upeh, and to me, it's the Spooky Island.

Whenever we spot a nest, we would immediately transfer the eggs from the original nest to this blue bucket. Then the eggs are carefully placed into the styrofoam box for incubation. At the same time, 10 samples of the eggs are measured in terms of their diameter and weight.At times, we also inspect the hawksbill turtle to see if there's any commensal species such as barnacles. In this one, this poor mother had a barnacle found on her face, but we managed to take it off.Below are two of my favorite pics of I've taken of the hawksbill turtle. Both are two different individuals.

time off...

2007-05-02T23:13:00.000+08:00

Dang.. I almost got myself lost driving in Bandar Melaka just a while ago. Although, it was a good ride for me, better than having to finish dinner early and end up having a boring night. I wanted to go take Azri and Yaya for dinner at this food court where Azri and I ate for the first time since arriving in Melaka. Unfortunately, I missed a turn and instead got myself end up near to the A'Famosa Fort; which was kinda kewl because now I know the way to there. Hehe...

Well tonight I'm having the time off from going to Pulau Upeh since I've been there for 3 nights straight. See Liong has been enjoying his break too long, and finally I get to sleep in comfort where I don't have to worry about the sand flies. I recently have a new allergy now, which is sand flies bites. Comparing to everyone else, the bites I get from the sand flies tend to swell pretty bad after a day, and now my right arm looks like a map of the constellation of the stars. :P Owh well, the price to pay in the profession of conservation. Speaking of which....

Ever since I got here, I've had the chance to witness all of the nesting actitvities that has occured at Pulau Upeh. It's like I'm always there when the turtle is about to nest. As you can see on the picture below, this was taken precisely when the turtle was laying the egg. That's Yaya's

head and just busy watching the turtle laying her eggs. The eggs are collected from the nest and transfer into the styrofoam box that y'all can see on the left. Anyway, I would love to tell some more, but I'm gonna save that for next time. Plus, I'm so darn tired. Hehe.. Nite nite y'all! ^_^

After 1 week with WWF...

2007-04-30T12:52:00.000+08:00

Well it's been a week since I did my internship with WWF in Melaka, and the experience so far has been truly rewarding. It's been part of my ambitions to be involve with a profession where I do get to aid those who are in need of assistance, whether in terms of conservation or conducting humanitarian aid.

So over here in Melaka, WWF is conducting one of their projects which focus on the hawksbill turtle and the painted terrapin. Their numbers are quite low, but through this project, WWF aims to boost the population and to let the government handle the situation when they are able to do so. Mainly my task as an intern is to assist with the WWF officers in conducting the beach patrol for turtle nesting at Upeh island, tagging the turtle is she has not been tagged, taking measurements on the mother turtle and her nest and eggs, transfering the eggs from the original nest to the nests at the hatchery, and also to give assistance at the field-house, which is also the office.

The best experience so far was last night when 3 turtles came to the island: one came in the early evening before sunset; while the other 2 nests at a time around 10:30pm to 12:30am. Unfortunately, we couldn't find the other 2 turtles, but the one I kept my eye one was tagged previously in a few weeks back. I monitored this one turtle at 10:40, and she laid her eggs about half an hour after digging her nest. By the time I start monitoring her, the weather was cloudy and it worsen through the time. Half an hour later, it rained quite hard and lightning was getting stronger. I stayed under the tree, trying not to get myself detected by the turtle. From 11:15 to 11:40, the lightning was so loud and scary that I swear I could feel the lightning getting close to hitting me. My supervisor asked me to abort the mission and return back to shelter at the island. While running, all I kept thinking of was my dear family of friends and of course, Rose. Thank God I'm still alive right now, but the whole adrenaline rush got into me that I couldn't sleep until 3:30am.

Well there's still more to come, and more for me to blog here. I hope I can make this blog as cool and as interesting as Chin's and Pian's blog. :)