Malaya, Circa 1975 | Malaysia, Circa 2009

‘You can make a fortune in neon signs in Hong Kong’

I said I was sure of that.

‘But there were heavy competition. So the old man came to KL’

At first there were no competitors, then the fellow Shanghainese he had trained to make the signs left him and set up shops of their own. They almost ran him out of business, until the old man began training Malays to do the work. He had chosen Malays and not the harder-working Indians or Chinese because he could depend on the Malays to be too lazy to quit and start establishments of their own.

-The Great Railway Bazaar (1975) by Paul Theroux

That was back in 1975. Where do we stand now?

Hollywood vs. New York: Four Decades of Destruction

Hollywood vs. New York: Four Decades of Destruction | /Film

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Remember a post a while back when I pointed out Hollywood just loves to destroy New York?

You don't?

Wait... Lemme find it....

...

...

...

Here it is!

Apocalyspe with a capital FAIL

And by failing, it’s on an apocalyptic scale.

2012 at first glance does look like it is going to be a mega-disaster movie especially with all the posters and trailers. After all, the director (Roland Emmerich) was from Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow. 2012 would be his last take at a disaster movie and it does look like he’s going off with a bang (and… the White House is re-destroyed – again!)

The movie in full force is really a beauty. The CGI effects, the stunts and all are amazing. Only problem, the plot is a bit cheesy with mind-boggling conclusions (particularly the ending). And not to mention how John Cusack always gets away in the nick of time (read: the RV drive in Yellowstone, the limo drive in Los Angeles etc.). Does he have a time-machine of sorts able to just slow time down a bit? Is he Spiderman?

One thing the movie manages to remove was all the annoying squeals by terrified little kids. Remember Dakota Fanning in War of the Worlds? She had this ‘alien call’, always screaming away at any sight terrifying enough (and annoying enough for us). Thank God Cusack’s kids were clever enough to understand most important rule in an emergency – DON’T PANIC.

John Cusack had this ‘oh-nothing-happened-the-ground-just-opened-up-and-going-to-swallow-us-if-we-don’t-run-quick-enough’ face. It looks quite genuine, but it beats to have someone like him than a wimpy plastic surgeon as your husband.

But with all those immense graphics rendered, one part of the movie is just too far-fetched. If indeed 2012 is the end of the world, why are there humans still alive 27 days after the apocalypse, cruising on mega ships like nothing happened? After we’re doomed, we’re entitled to a cruise?

Anyway, for some reason, they may be building this ‘ships’ like how they created a Doomsday Vault to store all of the crop seeds. We humans just like to go against mother nature where ever possible.

I can see this positively, as in, 2012 is NOT the end of the world. It’s just a bad cycle the earth has to go through. People could still live on after the year, albeit in a less comfortable world.

2012 could to a certain extent (minus all the neutrinos and ‘earth crust movement’) be a tie in with Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. I bet if he watched this movie he would proclaim ‘Hah, I told you so! The world will be flooded!’ This is what makes 2012 a plausible environmental disaster movie.

Speaking of it, if it really wanted to be an apocalyptic movie it should have an ending like in Knowing. Everyone is wiped out. Minus the aliens and the spooky stuffs, Knowing is a real apocalypse movie – with no survivors at the end.

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So, here’s a quick list on how to survive the apocalypse:

• Have a few billion dollars to buy a few ‘cruise tickets’ for your family and loved ones.

If, by any reason, you are unable to have a billion dollars, then;

1. Get married to a lowly author rather than a plastic surgeon. Plastic surgeons live too comfortably and can be a bit wimpy.
2. Be a top geologist and work with the government. Here, you can avoid paying a billion dollars and still be on that cruise.
3. Learn to swim, or buy inflatable armbands.
4. Build a ship or anything able to float. Ship must be self contained i.e. like a submarine.
5. Learn to fly a plane or helicopter, so if the ground suddenly sinks, just go up into the air. Try to keep any sort of flying apparatus close by to ensure a speedy escape.
6. Move to China (or Nepal for that matter).
7. Learn Chinese or Nepali to make life living in the highlands easier.

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It just occurred to me that the fight for global warming (or cooling – whichever rocks your boat) is pretty much like religion. As the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, states, any sort of policy implemented is just like all the propitiation and atonement we make. We would never know whether those acts were in anyway successful. We would have to trust in the God we believe in that it is successful.

At least any act of religion does not involve another person. Policies often rely heavily on statistics and affect the mast majority and most government always, ALWAYS hate a quick and cheap fix. So there’s a lot of money involved.

Any sort of problem is often tried to solve in the most complicated route possible. There's a lot to talk through regarding this, I'll leave it for another day.

A kid with a tiger is all we need...

To all those people taking business or economics or the likes... always, ALWAYS take this as guide.

As much as the world revolves on capitalism, a kid riding a wagon makes more sense.

Physics 101

I've found the best way to study for the upcoming Physics paper.

And Em (yes, I'm singling people out), I have updated!

Maybe it'll be more serious after I'm done with this paper.

Robotics 101

Engineering is easy, damnit!

"There are just four simple machines to alter force: the lever, the pulley, the inclined plane and (um) the internal combustion engine"

CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW

The CIA’s Guide to Making a Sub

It is to be noted that CIA is not the Central Intelligence Agency, but the Complete Idiot-proof Assistance.

And the sub here refers to a nuclear-powered submarine capable of launching a nuclear warhead.

Reference picture to it is as below:

Photo courtesy of pouryourheartintoit

We all have been through this, ordering our first sandwich. And at the same time not to be completely lost over the gazillion different possibilities that can be made or look like a complete fool by just saying ‘everything’ unless if you have a really unique taste bud.

So here’s the CIA’s guide to making a sub!

I’ll start of with the basics, from ordering your bread to actually eating one.

1. The First Move

You enter the premise and greeted with warm smiles accompanied with the usual ‘Welcome!’ yell.

So yes, greet them back with an approving nod and a smile, or just say thank you.

Here, we are overwhelm by the available choices (12 or more maybe), ranging from the old school to a full vegetable onslaught plus another 3 as a hidden bonus to be unlocked after defeating the final boss on the last level.

Wait. That doesn’t make sense…

But there IS an additional sandwich(es) apart from those which are nicely pictured.

So how do you actually choose a sandwich? Unless you are a vegetarian, as it narrows down your choice to just one.

We never choose. We let our stomach do it. As cheesy as it may sound, it’s as close as choosing the colour of our future car. If you don’t notice it, each and every time you try to pick one out, you would usually order the first one that actually rings something in your mind. Or twice, if you when through the menu twice la.

Unless of course, you already have a craving for a particular sandwich, or you simply lack the financial capabilities and have to opt for the sandwich of the day.

SECRET TIP #1 Try to refrain from staring too much at the cute guy/girl behind the counter. You can do that later when you eat (unless you ordered for take-out). It disrupts your ‘stomach brain’.

2. The Next Step

Here, it’s up to personal preference. But assuming it’s your first time, it can be really daunting since before this, sandwiches only came in those Gardenia slices, a baguette or a croissant.

Now you have the ability to pick not one but FOUR (or five) type of bread!

I can’t help much here, but rule of thumb would be, do not go for any of those wholegrain type.

3. The Deep Cuts

Refrain from saying ‘everything’ here. As much as you are tempted, the choices are very basic.

What do you expect to be on a sandwich?

For starters it could be lettuce, tomatoes and onions. That’s it.

SECRET TIP #2 Make up your mind when your sandwich is being ‘meated’ (the process in which they put the beef strips/slices on the sandwich). There’s a list of possible ‘fillings’ to choose from.

4. The Final Touch

You’re nearly there!

Here too, refrain from the favoured ‘everything’.

I do not eat Thousand Island sauce with beef pepperoni.

Or Teriyaki Sauce with tuna.

Mustard and chilli go very well with hot dogs and burgers.

Thousand Island with salad.

Mayonnaise with tuna.

And the chilli sauce is specially made from imported chillies from India and Mexico.

SECRET TIP #3 Sos letak lebih sikit!

Hey presto!

You’re finally done!

Now, that wasn’t too hard, was it?

Of Smoking and Religion

“Smoking is only makruh if it is only one stick and only becomes haram if you smoke too much i.e. a whole box in a day”

This statement has clearly annoyed me from the first time I heard it. To annoy me more, I never did think about it when it was first stated.

Seriously though, is it even remotely possible for something to be in the grey within Islam? As far as I know, Islam is as clear as the religion is, black and white, right and wrong. No grey areas whatsoever.

Anything that falls within the ‘grey’ area is shubahah and automatically falls in the haram category.

At the exact moment when I heard that statement, I wasn’t really paying attention. Probably I was daydreaming or too sleepy to argue, but the words did stick deeply inside me.

I came back, sat, and thought about it.

Smoking is haram as it harms our body as well as others around us through second-hand smoke. Not only that, it is also a form of wastage.

Prophet Muhammad SAW also said;

“A person should not commit such acts which are harmful and cause harm to others”

And there is definitely nothing good about it.

Here is where it becomes interesting within my point of view.

Alcohol or red wine specifically is known to be good for our heart in small amounts. But alcohol is strongly prohibited in Islam.

Well, if smoking – which have no benefit to us – is only makruh if it is one stick, why isn’t red wine too? After all, it has some sort of benefit for us.

And My Point Is...

At this moment, most of the readers would silently think that I want to push ahead for red wine to be considered makruh in small amounts so that it can be consumed.

No. I am not asking for that. I know very well (and my readers too) that alcohol, is haram for Muslims to consume.

All I want is that the statement at the beginning of the post can be corrected and cleared of any doubts, especially for smokers who like to find all this small ‘loopholes’ for their benefit.

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If there are any mistakes within the post, I stand to be corrected.

Michael Jackson

A legend that will live on forever

See! I told you she was fake, but nooooo.....

.....you wouldn't listen.

Hah! Megan Fox is CGI! OMG!

Click here