The three individuals that changed my life

Up until the last Ramadhan, I was probably your average Muslim of the 21th century. I pray 5 times a day, fast for a month every year, try my best not to lie, yet as I came to find out just recently, I was probably not even at the rank of average - I was a weak believer.

Alhamdulillah, Allah has guided on the path towards him once again. And here I would like to share with you my story.

Now, Allah's Mercy and Hidayah may manifest in different ways. For me, it was 3 individuals who have changed my life forever.

To be perfectly honest with you, I wasn't at all one to open up youtube in search of religious lectures. However during the last Ramadhan, I was somehow compelled to view this video on the sidebar entitled 'How the bible led me to Islam' by a brother Joshua Evans. The gist of it is, brother Joshua was a devout Methodist, a youth minister even, who, after a series of events found Islam at the age of 17. Not only did he just learn the basics of Islam, he even went as far as becoming a Da'ie (one who calls towards Islam).

Brother Joshua and said video

After I watched the video, I was absolutely ashamed of myself. There I was, a Muslim for 24 years - since birth! Yet I had nowhere near the level of conviction that brother Joshua had. This propelled me into doing a lot of study about Islam and I did a lot of comparative religion study by myself.

I also watched more videos from brother Joshua when I eventually stumbled onto a Da'wah show from the States - the Deen Show (now available on ch al-hijrah, at 11 every Saturday). The host of the show, brother Eddie is a very interesting person. He has never said much about his own past, but he himself wasn't a Muslim to begin with. This man of Romanian descent used to live a shady past until he became a Muslim and left it all behind. Brother Eddie has been described by a person (who I will later reveal) as a 'Da'wah machine'. Literally, he would approach just anybody on the street and inform them about Islam. Subhanallah, that is the extent of change in character Islam bring out of a person.

Brother Eddie, Da'wah machine and MMA instructor

Brother Eddie's show features a guest speaker every week giving talks about Islam. Through the show, I learnt not only much about Islam but also of great speakers. I came to know of Sheikh Kamal Al-Mekki, Professor Jerald Dirks, Abdur Rahim Green, Imam Suhaib Webb, just to name a few. But of all the speakers, one of them got me truly captivated. Nouman Ali Khan.

Brother Nouman's speeches are almost always about the Quran. MashaAllah (what Allah wills), the way he explains the Quran is like none other I have been exposed to and it really touched my heart at its core. I began searching more videos of brother Nouman and later found Bayyinah.com, the website of his own Institute for Quranic studies. I must have listened to his lectures on the Quran's contents for hundreds of hours - repeatedly! - and still I couldn't get enough of it! The Quran is truly magnificent. It is through his lectures that I came to the realization that I must memorize the Quran for myself.

Brother Nouman in another one of his amazing lectures

May Allah reward these brothers for all their effort in spreading and explaining to the world and especially to me about Islam. However, I acknowledge that it is only through the Mercy of Allah that I was given the opportunity to find these brothers. If not for Him, I would not have been where I stand today - more convinced of Islam as the ultimate truth than I ever was in all my 24 years of life combined. For that, I have no words to express my appreciation other than Alhamdulillah.

Addicted

I have a confession to make. I have an addiction the like which I have never had before. The addiction to the book of revelation, the last testament, the Quran.

Over the last 4 months, I've dedicated a few hours daily just listening to it's recitation and studying it's exegesis (tafseer). Alhamdulillah, I have managed to memorise 1/30th of it's content and by Allah, how amazing is it that just that small portion has managed to completely change my life.

Alhamdulillah - all praises be to Allah for nurturing my love towards the Quran and may it only grow stronger as time goes.

1 juz in 4 months is nothing to be proud of really as there people out there memorising the whole book within the same time span, but I'd just like to share my method of memorising. Hopefully, someone out there will get some benefit out of it inshaAllah.

1. Have a good exegesis with you. Memorisation has little meaning unless you understood what you recite. As for myself, I prefer listening to reading and I found the tafseer sessions by a Brother Nouman to be extremely helpful. You can find his audio clips here :

Tafseer of juz amma

Tafseer of surah Baqarah

2. Once you've got the gist of the surah, get started memorising. I do this simply listening to the surah repeatedly. For me personally, qari Misharee bin Rashid Al-Afaasee has the most beautiful recitation that isn't too hard to follow. You may download his recitations here:

http://www.audioislam.com/?subcategory=Recitation

3. After you've memorised a surah, get back to tafseer. I personally find that I learn more studying the surah once I've memorised it. You'll also be able to pick up vocabulary that will help you in the surah to come.

4. Recite often. In any free time you have, just try reciting all that you've memorised. It helps if you have a digital version of the Quran so you can always have it with you and check yourself whenever you aren't feeling sure of an ayah.

5. The last step, is actually what I did before I even commited myself to memorising the Quran. I intentionally put it last because, well... let's just say that I understand not everybody is willing to do this...

Let go of music. Completely. It's harder to memorise Quran if you spend more time letting things that are against the teachings of the Quran in your ears more than Allah's Words themselves. Rather, replace the times you might spend with music with the beautiful recitations of the Quran instead. I'm not going to talk much about music here, rather, I'll let Mr. Kamal Al-Mekki who convinced me to stop listening to music do all the convincing you might need.

Obviously, there are alternative views to this issue but the points Sheikh Kamal makes rings with me and I haven't missed music at all since its absence from my life. If anything, more room for Quran is always a better option.

And that's my unqualified method of memorising the Quran. However, I personally think you can adopt any method you want and successfully memorise the Quran if your intentions are pure, for Allah helps those who wants to get closer to Him =)

Wallahua'lam.

My personal top 10 games of 2010

10. Heavy Rain

Heavy is the only game that makes it to this list not because of how it plays, but because of how unique of a game it is. Honestly, I find the the tank-like character controls tedious and context sensitive QTEs (Quick Time Events - ie. push buttons presented on screen) doesn't make for a very compelling game. What the game excels is making the players feel fully in control of the decisions the characters have to make throughout the game and this is done even better than what has been done by any other games available today, bar none.

9.God of War 3

God of War 3 may to some people feel completely derivative of the previous 2 games in the series. And while I have to agree with that to a certain extent, the game more than makes up for it with a graphical fidelity that is simply unmatched in any other console games to date. And while the gameplay may not have evolved much since the series' debut, it is still the gold standard for games of its ilk.

8.Alan Wake

At first, I have mixed feelings about Alan Wake. It is a game that I like much more before I got to the rather lackluster ending of the game. But looking back at it, no other game has got me feeling so dying to find out what event is going to unfold next, thanks to the game's masterfully crafted story-telling .

7.Blur

Blur secures a spot on my list simply because of the awesome multiplayer experience. Not that the single-player mode is any slouch, but the game is best enjoyed playing with 10 other real people trying to make a pass while you having to avoid homing missiles from behind you and thundershocks in front of you all at the same time. It is the most frantic yet fun multiplayer game of the year for me.

6.Vanquish

In my book, no other third person feels more exhilarating than Vanquish. The experience of rocket sliding around a corner while shooting and following up with a dropkick to you enemy's face and then continue shooting at him while jumping back from said dropkicks' momentum is something no other game provides. Vanquish is poetry in motion. If whatever I wrote made no sense, the just watch the first 15 seconds of this video

5.Darksiders

Some rabid fanboys out there were quick to sum this game as a Zelda rip-off with a darker tone. But isn't that what Zelda fans have been asking for all this time. Face the fact people, Nintendo will never make a '18PL' Zelda game. Darksiders is that game.

4.Halo: Reach

I didn't think I would care this much for another Halo game but Bungie did their final Halo product justice by making it their most polished game yet, making the fight alongside the rest of the memorable members of Noble Team against increasingly impossible odds of the invading Covenant army over the planet Reach, a fight worth fighting for any fans of the Halo games. Also, the multiplayer is a lot fun as well.

3.Assassin's Creed Brotherhood

It's almost inconceivable that a game that wasn't even in development for a year would make such a good sequel to last year's amazing Assassin's Creed 2. But the folks at Ubisoft had done good in keeping what made the last game so great and adding in a load of more interesting stuff to do in the game world, enough to make this game feel more than just an expansion. Brotherhood also features the most fresh multiplayer component in any game. I mean, who would think that the single player focus game such as this would have a multiplayer that is not only functioning, but plays pretty good as well. They really done did it with this title and I can only be more excited of what's to come in the future of the series.

2.Bayonetta

If you noticed, the list really gave away my love for the character action game genre. Games like God of War 3 and Darksiders have great gameplay, but none of the even blows a candle at Bayonetta. This game takes my number 2 spot simply for having a super amazing gameplay that rewards skill, timing , and an appreciation of some good old Japanese zaniness.

1. Mass Effect 2

I'm Commander Shephard, and this is my favourite game on the Citadel.

For a game that was released in January, Mass Effect 2 managed to remain an impact to me is speaking volumes about the quality of the game. And that is partly because I practically played the game throughout the year. I would replay the game every few months, trying out different classes, and making different choices. It is a game that manages to keep me thoroughly entertained throughout its 40 hour campaign, leading to the best and last mission of the game. the fact that its so much fun even on the third time play through makes me confident enough to name Mass Effect 2 as the best game I've played in 2010.

Movie day with students

During the past 1 year, this beginner English teacher has been trying different methods to get students' attention, to get them to like, even, this language that is seemingly unnecessary to them. So today I've tried something that I've never attempted before. I called them for a special lesson. To watch an English movie!

Out of the 44 invited students, merely half of them decided to show up including 3 or 4 who stayed at the hostel. Most of them were from the A class, and only 2 of them were male.

The movie was 'Horton Hears a Who', a movie which I had watched for more times than I cared to count and had enjoyed tremendously. I also find the movie very suitable as the language used weren't too hard and there was narration peppered throughout the movie. It's also fortunate that none of them had ever watched the movie. For the purpose of learning, I intentionally put the English subtitles on, despite urges from the kids to switch to Malay. Not that I had that option in the first place.

It was supposed to start at 9.30, but some technical hitches and glitches stalled the showing time for about half an hour. Being the IT savvy person I am, (heh!) I got the situation under control. And so the movie played on.

It was an awkward moment I tell you. There were scenes which were supposed to be funny but the room was just completely silent. They only responded to joke which has to do with gestures. The ones that involve dialogue - none whatsoever. It's clear what the problem here is.

Teacher, cannot understand!!

By the mid point, I find that I was about the only one still giving a crap about the movie, as most of them were either busy with their expensive cellies or just having a forum with their buddies. Some even left midway through the movie. I didn't try to stop them as I didn't made this session compulsory in the first place.

At the end of it, there were about 14 students left and I did get some good feedback from them. They didn't get a whole lot out of the movie, but they at least learnt a few new words. It's not significant, but it's meaningful enough to justify having another movie day in the future.

My only big disappointment is that I could have used that 3 hours playing more games!(and by extension, more achievements)! I only hope the students can appreciate this sacrifice I made by giving me money doing well in their coming tests.

Najibu's Top 10 - Games of 2009

The Year 10 is upon us! As a celebration for such even an occasion, I humbly present to the blogosphere, my personal pick of the 10 best games I've played throughout the year that was 2009.

Aaaaaaaaaaaand lucky no 10!!

10. I'm no fan of the racing simulator genre, and that Forza 3 had me hooked is saying something. Maybe it's the generous yet subtle driving assists. Maybe it's the elaborate livery editor. Either way, this is the definitive track based racing game of the year.

9. Assassin's Creed 2 goes into this list not so much for it's gameplay, even thought it is noticeably better than its predecessor in that regard. Rather, it's the fiction that is woven into the story-telling that captivates me. It's like playing the Da Vinci Code (the book/movie, not the game). It's that feeling when you cracked a near subliminal puzzle that makes you feel so smart is what makes the game so memorable. By the way, there is a Leonardo Da Vinci in the game too.




8. For a game that was released in February, Resident Evil 5 sure left a deep impression. How could it not really, when I've sunk above 50 hours in the single-player campaign. Something that I didn't do even to Dead Space, which is a similar game (and my pick for best game of 2008). It's the way the game is set up to allow me to jump in and out of any scenarios I want to replay and experiment with the different weapons I unlocked.



7. Infamous is a great open world third person shooter that...uh..isn't actually a shooter. Instead of relying on guns, the protagonist Cole shoot electricity from his hands! It's a rather lengthy game that is tons of fun to play. Easily the best open world game of the year. Also, a fine proof that you don't need guns to make a game better.




6. It's almost baffling that Shadow Complex is a download only Xboxlive Arcade game for the quality is above even most of the disc retail games this year. Shadow Complex breathes new life into the old side-scrolling a-la Metroid type of games and pushes the standards of a download only game. It looks, plays and is without a shadow of a doubt, one of the greats of 2009. And I should mention that it's the least expensive of them all.




5. I didn't like the story in Modern Warefare 2 much. It pushes beyond the envelope of believable, something that the previous game was. But I'll be damned if I didn't say it was fun to play. For better or worse, the game's over the top popcorn action movie setting allows for a really exhilarating shootouts that most other games just couldn't match. Honestly thought, the game would still be in this spot even without the single player campaign, for the multiplayer and spec-ops modes are the real reason for this game to be a keeper.

4. I have to admit, I don't like the combat in this game, but Dragon Age is the ultimate role-playing game in years. I appreciate the game because it let's you play the story any way you like, unlike some other RPGs I'd rather not mention. There's no light or dark side gimmick here, yet the choices presented in the game carries weight and affects the story a great deal, leading to numerous story-lines and ending that makes me want to replay the game differently. Considering that a playthrough took me almost 60 hours, even when I skipped a lot of the quests available, I'll be playing this game a lot more in months to come.



3. If I like Dragon Age for the story, I like Borderlands for the gameplay. In fact, I'd say that the fact that Borderlands has no real story whatsoever is the reason why I find it so easy to play this game again, and again, and again. It's the simplicity (or near-mindless fun, if you will) of the game that keeps me coming back for more dudes to shoot, and more loots too loot. If Gearbox keep releasing add-ons on a regular basis, I'd be more than happy to pony in some Microsoft point to keep on playing this awesome game. On a side note, I think Borderlands is the perfect companion piece to Dragon Age.

2. Who would have thunk that this game that I had little care about (and by a little known developer, no less) would turn out to be one of the best game I've played this year, not to mention that it's a *gasp* licensed game! Arkham Asylum beats all odds and caught me by surprise with its unique gameplay. No, there is no other game that plays quite like this Batman game even if you looked every nook and crany of the universe. I was even contemplating to put this game on the number 1 spot.



1. Batman was an excellent and original game, no doubt. But Uncharted 2.... hooo boy. Let me just some it up a bit. Third person shooter. Traversal (or jumping and climbing, some might say). A little hand-to-hand combat for good measure. There is nothing that hasn't been implemented in other games. The game shines brighter than the rest thanks to a masterfully crafted execution, that weaves the narrative and the gameplay naturally like no other games have. Uncharted 2 is chock full of amazing action set pieces, like fighting a helicopter on top of a speeding train, or playing a game of cat and mouse with a tank in a secluded village in Nepal, all the while desperately looking for an RPG to destroy the blasted thing. What's RPG called in Nepal anyway? Uncharted 2 seems almost as much fun to watch as it is to playbut believe me, it's actually a lot more fun to play than to just watch. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - best game I've played this year.

Borderlands - a bite-sized review

In theory, it's not hard to imagine an FPS with RPG elements thrown in for good measure. A few games actually tried this formula. None succeeded. Then came along Borderlands.

Borderlands is a killer combination of 3 great games - the light tactical combat of Halo, combined with Modern Warfare like shooting mechanics plus controls, and the addictive nature of leveling up and collecting loot of Diablo.

If any two of those games are your cup of tea, you'll find a lot to like in Borderlands.

The game is best played with 3 other players but even on your own, the experience still holds up pretty well. Borderlands is an excellent original game that is easily one of my personal favourite title this year.

The good

• Perfect balance of FPS and RPG
• Sleek visuals
• Long, highly replayable campaign
  
• Excellent co-op game

The not so good

• Bare-bone story
• Frame-rate takes a hit when things get crazy
• No split-screen LAN play!!
  

I love Uncharted 2

I've finally got Uncharted 2 last Saturday, played the hell out of it, finished it last night, and loved it immensely that I had another go at it today. The game play elements, though are no doubt better than the last game, hasn't changed much at all. In fact, all the cover based shooting, ledge jumping and exploration have been done to death by numerous other games in the market and in Uncharted 2, they are at best, at the standard level. So what exactly sets Uncharted 2 apart and makes it the oh-so-increadible game it is?

1. First and foremost, to me, it's the situations that these game play elements are presented in, and a lot of that has to do with the PS3's processing prowess. The game is cinematic, but rather than having you put the controller down and force 30 minutes long cutscenes down your throat, Uncharted 2 actually lets you in control of the game's many memorable cinematic sequences. There's recently talk about an Uncharted movie in the works. Screw that. This game is a better movie than any movie about this game is going to be.

2. The cast of characters in Uncharted 2, especially the protagonist Nathan Drake himself, is among the most likeable fictional characters I can think of. The interactions between the characters and Drake's frequent talking to himself moments are as believable as you and me. The writing for this game is so brilliant and witty that it often left me grinning as I play. Something that doesn't happen too often.

3. Drake is no Hero figure. He's like John Mclane, but a decidedly more likeable one. Throughout the game, the odds are almost always stacked against him, and seeing him go through all those impossible odds by the skin of his teeth is some of the most satisfyingly breathtaking moments in recent entertainment history.

If I have to name some issues, the climbing animations can look a little janky at time, and I didn't like how the game becomes unnecessarily hard towards the end, but I hated dying so much only because I was so eager to know what's next for Nathan Drake. With Uncharted 2, Naugthy Dog has created a true masterpiece of a video game.

Video Games, Sport?

"Is video game not a sport?"

Somehow or another, that was the question that had been in my mind since I got back from a game of badminton yesterday. And thus, began my quest for the truth.

The by the book definition of sports is "games and other competitive activities which need physical effort and skill". Obviously, the words in bold are its defining characteristics according to the dictionary. So let's cross reference those elements with video games and see if they match up.

Competitive: Games, as of late has been getting more competitive than ever. Gears of War and Modern Warfare are the best examples. Nowadays, it is even a standard for MMOs to include competitive Player vs Player matches. Checked!

Physical effort: This

picture taken from http://professionalprocrastinators.com/

That's probably taking it a little too far though, so I'm going to call it a no.

Skill: There's definitely an element of skill involved in video games. This is especially true in fighting games. That's why some players are better than others. Checked!

That's two for three, but the bit that it doesn't involve much physical effort is a really big factor. Of course, this wouldn't be a credible argument with just one source. The following is the the first paragraph of the Sports entry in Wikipedia (though, not that Wikipedia is the most credible source either).

Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determinant of the outcome (winning or losing), but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports (a common name for some card games and board games with little to no element of chance) and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors. Sport is commonly defined as an organized, competitive and skillful physical activity requiring commitment and fair play. Some view sports as differing from games based on the fact that there are usually higher levels of organization and profit (not always monetary) involved in sports. Accurate records are kept and updated for most sports at the highest levels, while failures and accomplishments are widely announced in sport news.

Mental acuity, equipment quality, commitment, fair play, and an accurate tracking of records. Every one of these things are present in video games. And from that lengthy description, the part that strikes me the most is that card games and board games are considered as sports as well.

Frickin' board games!!

Given these facts, how can video games not be considered as sports.

Ladies and gentlemen, I rest my case.

I fridge you so much

The Refrigerator.

Most would just take it as it is, but the way I see it, the machine is much more than meets the eye. It is a magnificent invention that has more potential aside from the obvious.

1. The fridge is a makeshift air-conditioner
Not everyone could afford to install an air-conditioner. I know I can't. But I do have a fridge, and at any moment where I am in want of an air-conditioning, I could just open the fridge and sit in front of the thing for a while.

2. The fridge is the safest place (probably)
If by any chance your town got attacked by an air-raid and there's just no bomb shelter nearby, run for the fridge. Did you watch Indiana Jones? He survived an explosion which destroyed an entire town by, you guessed it, hiding in a fridge.

3. And the fridge's best kept secret...
Think about it. The fridge allows you to bring to the future stuff that, without the presence of the fridge, would've never lasted that long. It's so obvious. The fridge is essentially a time-machine!

And that is just some of the things about the fridge that most people might have never even realized about.



Okay, so maybe I got a little over-excited about finally having a fridge to call my own. First fridge is the coolest, after all =)

The first step to global domination!!

Pre-read: If you've read soyasofya's recent blog entry, you'd have learnt that she had somehow dragged me into her online purchasing fiasco.

I've always wanted to have a game retail store of my own but I know perfectly nothing on how to actually start one. But today, I think I might have taken one tiny step towards the fruition of my life ambition. Today, I have officially affiliated myself with Play-Asia.com

As you could probably see, there is a newly added, highly hi-tech and stylishly simple banner to the right. See? See? See if there's anything you fancy. Looking for more? feel free to help yourself with the search box in the column.

Based on my own experience as a buyer, Play-Asia has some of the most crazy bargains around, especially for older stuff (I bought Too Human for RM30!). Newly released stuff usually cost a bit more than the ones sold locally but hey, postage is totally free anywhere in Malaysia. Also, they accept payment through Maybank Visa.

Okay, that's enough of me pimping about my new affiliate. Head there, check it out yourself, and help me fuel my ambition to conquer the local gaming scene! Mwahahaha

The Student Cafe

I've always been one for funky ideas, but even by funky standards, this one is crazy funky:

* * * *

Ever felt like you wanted to have a good place to study while at the same time eat even better food? Well now you have one

Enter the student cafe!

The concept of the cafe is a place where students can come to eat and also study.

How so?

The student cafe made for students who like to entertain their tastebuds as they study in mind. Should you require any assistance with your studies, feel free to seek guidance from any of our well educated waiter or waitresses.

The biggest draw for the cafe will be the offers it provides. The student cafe will provide incentives in the form of discounts for students who could do 'Today's Shopwork (TM)'.On Math Mondays, for instance, answer a set of questions correctly within the allotted time and get yourself a 50% discount on any of the selected delicacies*.

The questions will be given according to students' levels (i.e. Year 1, Form 3, Form 5, etc...) and is topical based. The topic will be told in the previous week so try to study before hand for a better chance to gain this wonderful offer. Those who had attempted's scores (time) will be written on a board in the cafe and any student who manages to beat that time will receive the same offer. Be at the top of the leaderboard for 5 consecutive weeks or a total of 10 times (whichever first), and you will be inducted in our hall of fame and also receive a voucher for a full-course dinner for three.

Our other offers for the time being also includes English Wednesdays and Science Sundays.

Is the Student Cafe for everyone?

The cafe is for everyone, but the offers are only available for students*. Of course, if you're just looking for good place to eat, you are more than welcomed to give our cafe a visit.

For further information please visit your local Student Cafe today!

Arrivederci~


*All Shopworks must be done in the cafe and under the watchful eyes of any of the waiter or waitress.
*Offer only applicable for students who are members of the cafe. An annual fee of RM15 is required

We are now hiring. Looking for talented individuals who are willing to become full or part-time waiter/waitress/tutor. Visit your local Student Cafe for a walk-in interview today.

* * * *

To think I'm writing all this stuff in my free time. I must be really bored....

Najibu's hot tips to naming children

Children! The future generation! The keepers of tomorrow!

To keep things short, I'll just say that they are important. That is why we have a huge responsibility to shape our children well. The very first responsibility to these little critters angels is to choose a name that is not only good, but also good for them, as well as other. Didn't catch my drift? Here are some hot tips for you...

1. Keep the names to a single word! If your name is Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, you might not want to name your daughter something like Nurul Jannatul Wahidah. First of all, you'll only stall the line at the registration office. Most importantly thought, nobody will ever call her Nurul Jannatul Wahidah, except when her teacher is checking attendance for the first time. So, why waste people's ink and time on names that nobody will ever call. Besides, you could used Nurul, Jannatul, and Wahidah on 3 different daughters, so why waste all three on 1.

2. The less syllables there are, the better! Lets face it, the more syllables there are in a name, the less likely you are to call the kid with his/her full name. For instance, many will just call Khatijah, Ijah, or even simply Jah. By doing so, the name you gave the kid loses meaning. I found the traditional chinese names to be particularly interesting in this regard. Take the name Seng, for example. There is just no way you could ever call him anything but Seng so the meaning remains unchanged forever.

3. Avoid using stylized spellings if possible! Using 'y' or 'ie' to make an 'i' sound in a non-English name is confusing. I mean, if you ask me how Hayaty is pronunced, I'd say it's Hayatai. But the worse crime is using 'ie' instead of just 'i', like Razief for example. That's not Razif, that 'Raziyef' for crying out loud. Someone, somewhere, like me (or even the child him/herself) could get confused! So lets stick to the common spelling folks.

*****

For more hot tips on naming children, be sure to get your copy of Najibu's Guide to Naming Children. It should be available in all major retailers some time in the distant future. Pre-order now and get a second copy for free upon release date.

Pre-marriage course nightmare

What is the best way to ruin the last 2 days of a great holiday? For me, it's attending a pre-marriage course. Today is the first of 2 days which I'm supposed to attend in order to get a cert which will allow me to LEGALLY get married and the experience thus far has been less tha favourable. Honestly, it's so terrible that it made KISSM felt awesome. Heck, I could spend a whole day playing video games and it would still be a more productive day than today.

There was only 1 out of a total of 5 sessions today that I find interesting which was about 'akidah' (deals with faith and religion) and that was probably only because I am deeply fascinated by religion. The other 4 were a total snore-fest where just trying to keep my eyelids open was an epic struggle.

It doesn't help much that I really detest most of the speakers for the day. From what I can tell, it was like the majority of them had only a couple of points to deliver and they expanded on ONLY that for a period of over and hour. Also, they others around me seemed to enjoy the fairly frequent pervy remarks thrown at us. Personally, I think that its just disgusting. Way to destroy your credibility old man!

All this made me question the necessity of the course. I paid RM80 for it and the thing that I took most of it was having a shut eye in the hall. Instead of this crap, they should just make a pre-marriage test, and only enlist those who fail the test in the pre-marriage course. That way, people like me won't have to waste 2 precious days of my terrific holiday for such a terrible , time-waster of a course.



*note : I'm speaking of my experience with the course handled in Kuantan, this does not necessarily represent the courses in other parts of the country.

Crazy Train [Encore]

Om Saturday morning, I went out of the island, took a 7 hour trip to KL by bus, did what I went there to do, stayed there for the night, meet up with friend (Syahir), and returned to Pekan... All for 1 thing..well, actually maybe 2 things...

I NOW HAVE MY 3rd XBOX360

aaaanndd....

STREET FIGHTER 4!!!

the gaming enthusiast is back in biz ladies and gentlemen =D

Pulau Tioman : The Official Game of the Experience

5/25 achievements unlocked

100/1000g

1. Through the looking glass – 20g

Took a trip on the Mermaid and viewed the underwater world.

2. The Journey Begins – 10g

Left the hub town

3. N00b Traveler – 20g

Reached either Panuba or Paya Village (on foot).

4. The Road Less Taken – 30g

Make your way (on foot) to Monkey Bay .

5. You’re Winner! – 30g

Make your way (on foot) to the East-most village, Juara.

6. Through the Fire and Flames – 50g

Make your way (on foot) to the South-most village, Mukut.

7. Island Hopper – 30g

Crossed the ocean to another island during low tide.

8. Float ‘n’ Flow – 10g

Master the basic art of swimming; staying afloat, without the aid of a life jacket.

9. The Schwimmer – 20g

Swim!

10. Phelps In Training – 100g

A master of the art of swimming; Swim your way to Rengis Island.

11. Swimming With The Fishes – 50g

Buy your first snorkeling gears and successfully complete your first snorkeling mission.

12. iFish – 10g

Fish your first fish.

13. Fishing with Feeling – 20g

Fish at least 5 different types of fishes.

14. John the Fisherman – 30g

Catch a total of 100 fish

15. Legendary Fisherman – 50g

Catch a legendary class fish.

16. Return to Dragon Castle – 50g

Catch a turtle and put it where it belongs.

17. The Boyscout – 20g

Helped tourists find their way around the hub town.

18. Beach Runner – 30g

Make your way to the end of Tg. Said beach and back in under 10 minutes.

19. Xtreme Beach Volleyballer – 30g

Play and win a beach volleyball match

20. Lungs of Steel – 30g

Play and win the breath holding minigame.

21. Picture Perfect – 50g

Visit all the main villages on the island, and take at least 1 photo in each village.

22. Brochure Boy – 30g

Convince a friend to visit Tioman

23. Calling All Pals – 50g

Convince a group of at least 10 people to visit Tioman.

24. Master of Ceremonies – --g

This is a hidden achievement. You need to unlock it to view it.

25. GAME OVER – --g

This is a hidden achievement. You need to unlock it to view it.

Still Alive

Despite my apparent inactivity on the cyberspace for some time, I am in fact, still alive! A lot has happened during that time, like a half day walk to other parts of the island, learning to swim, befriended a gentleman from Germany, chat with a couple of Japanese in Japanese, and even walked across the ocean to another island! Yeah, I've probably scored more achievements in those 2 weeks than I did in 2 months of 2008. Okay, now lets talk about work!

Work sucks.

The long short of it, Tioman is a really good place and I'm liking it so far, save for the part where I don't have any video game consoles with me and no personal internet connection to browse gaming stuff. Oh, and work. Come to think of it, those should be enough reasons for me not to not like my stay here, but no. Truly a miracle that is.

If you're interested in visiting the place, just let me know and I'll try to to arrange something. And to all you Cohort 2 dudes and dudettes (especially those around Johore area), I implore you to come!

p/s: written from a PC in the staff room - where lots of stuff are blocked.

Still Alive, performed by Ellen McLain. Ending song for Portal. Sweet song; creepy lyrics. I like it. 4/5.

Crazy Train

Some time last week. A cousin of mine asked me whether I be interested in going with him To Malacca. Me, who'd do just about anything to take a break from home gave a quick yes. And that lead to what I can sum up as a crazy 2 day holiday away from home. The whole deal is rather lengthy so here's the long short of it :

Day 1

Arrived at Malacca at about 1. Had lunch with the cousin and later parted ways. I was only informed that he was 'going to meet a certain someone'. Totally classified stuff, see.

I thought about walking around town but oh how naive of me to think that possible. The road in Malacca (and probably anywhere in Malaysia that I can think of) is very on-foot unfriendly.

Malacca city centre is suprisingly jam packed with vehicle despite it being a Monday but the traffic grows thin as the sun sets.

Saw Sue Fin and her sister. They introduced me to a fine bubble tea. Good. Not as good as in Wellington (cause they don't have vanilla, apparently), but good nonetheless. Recommended to anyone with the slightest interest in bubble tea.

The plan was supposed to meet her, have a drink or two and then split, but I ended up tagging along with the sisters for the most part. I bet by the end of the day they must've been annoyed by me messing around with their shopping...hehe. Sorry

Accidentally ran into Justin! Of all the places, the world really isn't that big after all. Highlight of the event - He told me he saw Sue Fin the day before. I said : "she's around (Mahkota)", to which he replied : "I know, she lives in Melaka". I had to say it 3 times before he finally understood what I was getting at. Funny.

Toilets! Is that too blatant? Ok, maybe I should say..washrooms. I went to 3 different washrooms. 2 in Mahkota and 1 in Melaka Sentral. I'm not sure about the ladies washroom, but the guys, you know how the doors in the stalls always had something (usually indecent stuff) written or drawn on it right? Well, all 3 that I went to had decidedly gay remarks all over the door. That's right, all of them, all over the door, which leads me to 2 hypotheses :

• most guys in Malacca are gay, or
• most gays like to go to Malacca.

Ate at a restaurant aptly named 'Chicken Rice Ball' for it sells 'chicken rice ball.' Wait. What exactly is a 'chicken rice ball'?. It can only mean

• rice ball with chicken filling, or at least tastes like chicken, or
• its a chicken rice with chicken balls (not likely)

It turns out that its the former. The linguist in me protests, but I digress. Also, the dish was out so we only had the normal chicken rice.

Melaka Sentral is the best station I've been to. There's lots of shops and restaurants, its clean, bright, not as crowded as KL sentral and the surau is very comfortable.

I realized that I'd forgotten to use my camera. Dank. Reached the cousin's place just over 1a.m. Slighlty later that planned.

Day 2

Invited the cousin for a trip to the beach. Him driving of course. I wouldn't be caught dead driving somebody else's car (had a trauma). I wanted to go to Cherating. He didn't want to because TC was nearer. In the end, the one who drives, wins. Fine, a beach is a beach.

If yesterday taught me something, its 'use thy camera!'.

Went to McD for some snacks as we walk along the beach. Saw a familiar face as I walked out of McD. I wasn't too sure so I hesitated to wave, but my hand moved even before my brain could send the message. I turns out that I wasn't wrong

As if meeting Justin in Malacca wasn't surprising enough. Yes. That's Qi Su. She's from Johor, on a holiday with her family and friends. Truly a chance encounter. Further proves that the world really is a small place.

And thats our snack. My treat of couse, since I'm the older of the two. Haha.

By the way, here's 'the cousin'

The wave was bigger than usual that day so I had to take some snapshots of it, even if I had to risk my life wading through the water.

Look behind ye!

But when I turned, its gone...

Also, I really should remember to not bring my wallet when I go to the beach. The wallet, and everything in it was soaking wet. Fortunately, no casualties.

TC was not bad, I hadn't been there in ages though the authorities could probably do better in collecting the rubbish. That being said, the blame ultimately goes to the people who litter in the first place. Also this particular group is part of the problem...

beach monkeys. You read that right. Beach Monkey.

The night before I went home was spent on countless hours of reading Eyeshield 21. I think it was about 2 a.m that I submitted to the spell of sleepiness.

A rather long post, for a rather crazy 2 days holiday. One that I was seriously in need of or I'd seriously go crazy.




*Crazy Train is a song performed by Ozzy Osbourne