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prepare for [are we there yet?] version 2.0.

love you.

Donate here.

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Messenger PBUH sais: "Whoever observes Sawm (Fasts) during the onth of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping to attain Allah's rewards, then all his past sins eill be forgiven."

Agreed upon.


Harapan Ramadhan - Raihan dan Man Bai

Ku mengharapkan Ramadhan
Kali ini penuh makna
Agar dapat kulalui
Dengan sempurna

Selangkah demi selangkah
Setahun sudah pun berlalu
Masa yang pantas berlalu
Hingga tak terasa ku berada
Di bulan Ramadhan semula

Puasa satu amalan
Sebagaimana yang diperintahNya
Moga dapat ku lenturkan
Nafsu yang selalu membelenggu diri
Tiada henti-henti

Tak ingin ku biarkan Ramadhan berlalu saja
Tuhan pimpinlah daku yang lemah
Mengharungi segalanya dengan sabar
Kita memohon pada Tuhan diberikan kekuatan
Ku merayu pada Tuhan diterima amalan

Selangkah demi selangkah...
Dengan rahmatMu oh Tuhanku...
Ku tempuh jua


to all my colleagues in ireland, let us try to get the most out of this glorious month, insyaAllah.

PostSecret. what's yours?

The genuine knowledge originates in direct experience.

Mao Zedong

Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.

Oscar Wilde


people will know you're new around here when you:

1. don't buy that soda, calculating that if you convert the price to malaysian ringgits, you could get a satisfying lunch back home.

2. walk slow. people here move around pretty quickly. don't know how many times have old ladies carrying their groceries overtook me when walking along the streets of dublin. eventually, we follow suit and will be walking as fast as the old ladies, at least.

3. have a camera in your hand everytime you go out, even when going to class and buying vegetables.


these are not mistakes. they are just something that you'll learn as you go along the path of life. all of the above and more are from my own experiences as a fresher not so long ago. and i'm still learning everyday.

A : how jsljsjajs asljsahbjblbd ajslahun dihd adnansn ?

B : i snkabdh hdalhfiuah anjdjaklh ahdhalhd nbajkb.

C : oh!

me : haha... (then i smiled..again)

watch it and judge for yourself.

remember duck hunt? remember doom? here's duck doom. brings back old memories.

get it here.

[via boingboing.net]

I took my mind a walk
or my mind took me a walk—
whichever was the truth of it.

Norman McCaig (1910 - 1996)
Scottish poet.
"An Ordinary Day"


right after the brief talk on the "future collaborative directions of medical studies and developments in malaysia and ireland" and lunch at rcsi, i went to the city centre by foot just to soak in the atmosphere and think about this and that.

yes, that's something i like to do once in a while. if a few weeks ago, you can find me walking almost aimlessly through the streets of kuala lumpur, now i can be detected on mary street or camden street, sometimes with a camera in hand.

so, below are a few pictures that i took today, for your viewing pleasure.


selling art, outside stephen's green



street performer, grafton street


street performer II, grafton street

chess - rivers cuomo (pre-weezer)


people asked me what have i been up to during the 3-month summer break. well, in between my busy schedule of doing nothing and watching tv, i managed to participate in a couple of chess tournaments and boy! was my chess a little rusty. i lost quite a big chunk of my games, including some to primary school kids. not the best feeling in the world to have after those incidents!


i believe that some chess in life is a good thing. it encourages us to do something that we often avoid, that is to use our heads. we often look for the easiest way out. but often in chess, the easiest way out is the fastest path to your king's doom. imo, chess will improve your awareness, patience, memory, decision-making, planning and even time management; the attributes that will benefit us certainly.



that's me in action in the selangor allegro. should have won that game. check out the cool hair.


that's also me but with shorter hair. that was at kyuem in lembah beringin. i won that game!

all pictures were taken without permission from gilachess. btw, gilachess beat me fair and square in the kyuem tourney. (hehe.. must bodek la)

useful links:
chessbase - the main source of international chess news on the web
gilachess - where else to get comprehensive info of our local chess scene?
gilachess web log - expect to find live coverage of malaysian chess tournaments here.
the chess network - malaysian chess federation official website
the daily dirt chess blog - insider news and views from chess writer mig greengard
fide - the world chess federation
chesscorner - learn to play chess!

with just a couple of clicks you can connect with your family and friends at the other side of the world. seeing and hearing your little sister gleefully shout your nickname on the little window in msn messenger is enough to get you through the day of lectures about nerves and bones and dissections of bodies to view the superficial fascia and the trapezius muscle.

this is where a new chapter begins.

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Apostle said, "Whoever says, 'Subhan Allah wa bihamdihi,' one hundred times a day, will be forgiven all his sins even if they were as much as the foam of the sea.

(Book #75, Hadith #414)

more pictures, here.


useful links:
outta the way, but worth it
Mersing
Besar Island
Pulau Rawa
Tioman Island Complete Guide