Immortal Wisdom

Immortal Wisdom upgraded!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 18:28:00 +0000

Ladies and Gentleman... It is with great pleasure that I am now announcing the upgrade of our beloved Immortal Wisdom.

It has now been upgraded to http://LessonInLife.com

With that, I will no longer post entry here, and I hope to see you guys continuing sharing ideas there.

Jumpa disana!!! :)

p.s. - If it is not much trouble, kindly update the link at your respective blog :) Thanks!!

Apology

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 16:29:00 +0000

Guys.. I'm terribly sorry but I am not feeling well today. It started yesterday and I'm shivering cold...

So again... pray for me that i'll get better

5 Tips To Start Blogging After Hari Raya

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 01:15:00 +0000

Summary - "Mencari Semangat Yang Hilang"

Finally my leave is over. I bet most of you has already started working. It's tough isn't it? starting work after holiday. *sigh

So where do we find the strength to do what we have no energy to do? I have a few suggestion.

- Continue -

1) Publish your commitment
I think I speak for everyone, that once we stop doing something, it is very hard to start back, even if that items is one of our favorite things. I love blogging... This I can assure you. But after stopping for so long, and with all those "ketupat" still within reach, it seems that Hari Raya never ends :)

So what I did is I publish my commitment to you, my dear friends. I promised that today everythings starts. (For your information.. at this very moment that I'm typing this, my blogging speed is already back to normal.)

2) One step at a time
Start with that small step. If you want to blog, switch on the pc. Then run that notepad program and start something. It doesn't need to be a blog entry. You can type anything you desire. No pressure.. Bear in mind that you are not writing an entry just yet. This is more like warming up.

This for me can take hours. writing and deleting sentences. :) This alone can sometimes bring in more ideas for entries.

3) trick yourself
Back in Kedah, my brother and I always go up Gunung Jerai almost every year. We were usually very excited and energetic the first 1 hour. Then after that we often get so tired and thirsty, we had to keep lying to ourself. The word is always like this... "Ha!! nampak dak kona tu, lepaih tu jalan straight sikit sampai la" (Direct translation - Ha! did you see that corner over there? If we pass that we'll see the top of the mountain)

So in this specific blogging case, I just say that just another paragraph, and I'll stop. Hehe that's why the first two paragraph is that short. But after I got the momentum, everything definitely seems easier.

4) Read comments
Yes, I read previous comments. This has always been my source of motivation. Besides a mean to throw an idea for discussion, comments are a great way of saying "I see your point.. looking forward to tomorrow's :)" So... help motivate me by posting more comments. Even a simple smile can do wonders :)

5) Go "vampire" the energy
I don't think that the above point is even a proper sentence. However, I think you can understand what I'm meant to say. There are people out there full of energy. You know who they are, simply because whenever you look at them, you feel equally excited and spirited.

Cheerleader, if there are any here in Malaysia is a good start :)

/end list

Do you have other secret cunning strategies to motivate the blogger in you? :)

- Other Related Entries -

Exhausted After Vacation.. Here's Why - Importance of "niat"
Procrastinator United - Personal tips on procrastination

--------------Personal Note-------------
Raya this year was a very interesting event for me. I actually, for the first time, experience how other people celebrate Raya. My family has this protocol every year, The protocol as explained before involved the trip to the mosque to pay "Zakat Fitrah", then the "bersalaman" within the family etc. Apparently my wife's family have their own customs.

Every year they will select one house to be the center of celebration. All relatives will come to this house and spend the Raya there. Hmm I think that's a great way to celebrate Raya. How about you guys? How do you celebrate Raya? How's the Duit Raya? :)

Selamat Hari Raya...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 08:13:00 +0000

It is now the third day of Raya. I apologize for the couple of days without any updates :) It's Hari Raya...

Unfortunately I will not be able to update it until the 19th of October. Simply put, I am cut off from internet for a while now, and I can only continue back at my place. So for that I am very sorry... See you on Friday ya!

This is banji logging off from cybercafe :p

Sadness and How To Overcome It

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 17:30:00 +0000

Summary - Dendang Perantau

Yesterday my leave started, and I'm smiling all the way. Because I don't have to think about work for the next 9 days or so. Not that working is no fun.. (in the case my manager read this), no seriously I enjoy my work (most of the time). But after a while, we just need to get away from it all.

I'm even happier with all this Aidilfitri celebration coming. But truthfully this is my first time not celebrating Aidilfitri with my family in Kedah. This year it will be here in Selangor. As you would probably know, my wife is now in her first trimester. And according to the doctor, she is not recommended to fly during this period.

I believe, every one will have that sad emotion when they cannot go back home for Aidilfitri right?

The funny thing about sadness, is that usually if we look closely, it is almost always comes in pairs. When there is sadness, there is happiness. Here what I found...

- Continue -

1) In 7 months time, I will be given the best of happiness. The happiness of being a father. All I need to do now, is to take care of the mother-to-be whole heartedly. Some people tried years and not given that gift.. I am so thankful and promise to take care of that trust at any cost :)

2) If previously, I am so happy with one family, now I got two. I should be twice happier. Imagine people living their life without any family to go back to. I got two... Why should I complain :)

/end list

Every person will have sad moment in life. Happiness we share with people, but sadness is often only ours to bear. This is usually the one feeling we kept inside. The truth is nobody can take away that sadness. Only you and you alone can sooth yourself.

This is exactly how I sooth myself. I look back at that sadness and then look at those more unfortunate than me. There will always be other people more unfortunate than us. People whose parent already passed away, People who still have parents but neglecting them. I will then feel that I am actually blessed by Allah with all this gift and I really should be more thankful. Seriously when u feel thankful, the world and how it is treating you is not that bad after all. :)

How do you sooth your sadness and pain? Care to share?

- Other Related Entries -

13 Going 30.. 30 Going 13 - We always want what other's having. Should be appreciative
Look East Policy - Appreciate where appreciation is due

--------------Personal Note-------------
In Kedah, during Aidilfitri, the most interesting event happened very early in the morning where everyone wake up late, trying new clothes, eating breakfast (and it will feel weird everytime, maybe due to 1 month of no breakfast). We will then go to the mosque. Later there will be a very formal "bersalaman" protocol where everyone take turn to "bersalaman" from the eldest to the youngest. :) Lastly we will all go to the cemetary and do tahlil there.

Everything seems normal right? That's the beauty of family.. normal things but very meaningful and important.

Hows yours? What are the things you do during Hari Raya? :)

Accidental Ghost - The TV Ad

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 17:46:00 +0000

Summary - Ingatlah orang yang tersayang

This is one of the new advertisment on tv this Hari Raya. The message is simple - Wear your seat belt even when you're at the backseat. (I laugh out loud watching this the first time hehe)

joke aside, the accidents during this festive season is very frightening. Nobody wants to have an accident. It just happened. Now that fact if true will be even more frightening, don't you think? It's like we have no control what so ever to our life.

- Continue -

Accidents do happen. But most of the time, accidents happened because of other factors. I generalize them all under these four factors - the driver (sleepy etc), road condition, car condition and other driver

Knowing this, we should know how to avoid accidents

1) The driver

Get enough sleep

Stop at regular interval. It is advised to stop driving after every 3 hours. You may feel energetic and all, but your body is actually finishing up all resource available, and at any moment you can fall asleep or feeling tired all of a sudden. So take that mandatory rest.

2) Road condition

Try to use familiar road

Avoid travelling at night time, if you must, make sure all lights are working well

Drive carefully.. you may have time to avoid any death trap

3) Car condition

Check your car condition before long journey, some of the most critical items would be timing belt, radiator, tyre etc

4) Other driver

Some drivers are just idiots. They show off their "so-called" skill or fast car to others. There's no way to avoid them. You must just be more patient than ever when you are driving.

All you can do is to be extra extra careful

Don't be that other driver

I know these are all old news. But when you can see the number of accidents happening during festive season increasing every year, that's just prove that nobody bothers. We bother right? So act like we bother

Any other advice / tips you may have for driving? We will definitely need to remind ourselves and others on this.

- Other Related Entries -

Accidents That Should Happen But Doesn't happen, Why?

--------------Personal Note-------------
Guys... For your information, my leave starts today. I will be on leave (from work) from 10th to 19th. I will update this blog as normal as possible, but if there is no update..

I may be so full from eating delicious food I fall asleep
I may be busy cleaning up the house, or cleaning up the mess I make when I aim to clean the house

In short... There is no guarantee I can update everyday from 10th to 19th. But there will be updates (that I guarantee) :) Selamat Hari Raya everybody!

Snowball Concept

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 16:26:00 +0000

Summary - Yesterday it's big to small.. Today it's small to big

Today I'm going to prove to you that there are always two ways or more to see at things and both of them can be correct. Yesterday, I highlighted that we should always finish the biggest task to motivate us. Apparently there is another concept I just found while reading in the internet that describe it the other way around.

That concept simply urge us to finish the smallest to motivate us. See... Exactly the opposite but still true. Let me explain this concept.

- Continue -

It is called snowballing and it is a widely used methods to clear debt. An example will illustrate better.

One man had 4 debt to settle, house loan, car loan, credit card and study loan. According to Snowballing Concept, the man need to figure out what is the minimum amount he can pay for each loan. He will then have to figure out which loan is the lowest amount.

In this specific case, his credit card is the lowest at about RM3000, so what he should do is to pay all other loans at the minimum amount. And the remaining money is used to pay off the credit card. For example, after deducting all the minimum payment to other loans, he still have RM500 cash. That money must be used entirely to pay off his credit card. In about 6 months he will finish paying the credit card.

Then he moved to the next loan with the lowest amount, let say study loan. Previously he pay a minimum of RM200 per month, now he must snowball the payment and use the extra money from not paying credit card (RM500) and pay the study loan at RM700 / month (Snowball). This goes on until he finished all his debt.

I actually think that this make sense. To finish all debt the lowest ones first. Now compare this entry and the entry yesterday. Both of them emphasis exactly the opposite things and yet both of them is correct.

What do you think? Is this snowballing strategy practical?

- Other Related Entries -

How Some People Change Cars Every Year - A questionable strategy
Pay Yourself First - Financial tips

--------------Personal Note-------------

I still have long way to go to finish my loans. And when those loans are settled, I'm very sure I will start with my house loan. So it's really a never ending story :)

One thing for sure, when we owe someone, we have to pay them. Even one cents. I'm very particular with this, because it will be very disappointing when somebody owe me money and he didn't even bother to pay me back. He even look at me as if I'm the one who owe him money. And that is why, I stop lending people money except for family of course. Come be my family huhu

The Secret to Washing Dishes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 16:45:00 +0000

Summary - Lesson learnt from washing dishes

It has always been established between me and the mrs that cooking will be her duty and washing dishes is mine. Obviously we will help each other out but the responsibility is clearly as such.

So here I was doing my dishes when I suddenly noticed something about the way I wash the dishes. :) Apparently there is a pattern and I just realized it. Instead of washing what ever come first, I always choose the biggest items in the sink (like plates etc) first before the smaller one. Yes, even if that piece is located deep down the mountain of dishes.

I know what you're thinking, banji.. you have way much time eheh bear with me for a while. I then try to figure out why do I wash dishes in such a way, bigger plate first and then the smaller plate. Here's why...

- Continue -

The reason for my methods is because I want to have an immediate visual satisfaction. When I see the big plate washed, (meaning no longer in the sink) I feel like this work I'm doing is actually making progress and I can see it clearly. Imagine if I washed all those spoon and fork first, the mountain of plate will still be there and it is quite demotivating.

Heheh when you wash dishes, your mind tends to wander, and this is when ideas will come in pouring. So what is it I am trying to highlight here?

That maybe in everything we do, we can start with the most important things first (or big things). This way when we finish that one, we will be more motivated to finish off those smaller ones, because from visual point of view, we had already finished half of the pile of work with one completed job.

Classic example is like when you clean your room. All the garbage is still left on the floor, but you spend your time cleaning all the dust at the window (which by the way, nobody will notice). This will be very demotivating because after you had finished with the dust, you will see those garbage and it seems that all your work is for nothing.

Obviously this "Finish the bigger task first" rule has better application for other things in life, right? :)

Where else we can apply this rule? Or do you even agree with it? If not, care to share any other suggestion?

- Other Related Entries -

Do You Know Uncle Pareto - 80/20 rule

--------------Personal Note-------------
Now that the mrs is pregnant, I will have to help more with the housework. I truly respect those working wives. You work just as tough and when you get back from work, you cook, clean and entertain your family with so much energy. I salute you....

One of the biggest mystery of life... Working wives :) (Note: By wives, I meant the whole group of wives in general, not one husband 4 wives :) )

Ramadhan Tribute #6 - Lailatul Qadar And Sin

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 17:13:00 +0000

Mengira Bonus
Summary - Lailatul Qadar, another POV

We had reached the third phase of Ramadhan. It is popularly connected with one of the greatest gift from Allah himself to us, the Lailatul Qadar.

As a quick introduction to Lailatul Qadar, this night is one of Allah's secrets. One night in the whole 30 nights of Ramadhan will be chosen by Him and whoever strive to perform "ibadah" that night, will be awarded the same "pahala" as performing "ibadah" for 1000 months.

That is more than 83 years. I'm not sure exactly how Allah will reward that person. But simple logic (within my limited mind) believe that if I perform one "solat sunat" that night, it will be equivalent of me performing one "solat sunat" every night for more than 83 years.

Imagine if we strive every year to find that lailatul qadar, and perform that one "solat sunat" in that night. And imagine we can get hold of this lailatul qadar for 40 years of our life. That would equivalent of us performing one "solat sunat" every night for 3320 years :)

- Continue -

There's so many things we can talk about lailatul qadar. The malay myth of how water will freeze that night, some ignorant folk even stay up that night to see miraculous thing and try to capture it so that their wish is granted.

We can discuss how certain "ulama" had even predicted lailatul qadar based on the day of the first of Ramadhan. Personally, I think this is just a mere conclusion based on experience. Even Rasulullah didn't disclose the exact date and only specified the range of the nights. And we must not forget, the actual reason lailatul qadar is kept a secret is to motivate muslim to perform "ibadah" the wHOLE month.

It would be very wrong if we aim to find that night and perform all the five solat (Subuh, Zohor, Asar, Maghrib and Isyak) with the intention not having to pray a single day for 83 years. (silly)

We can talk about all that... but what interest me is this

If any "ibadah" we performed in that night, will be rewarded as if we performed it for 83 years, how about if we commit sin that night?

What if that night, we stayed up all night talking about other people (mengumpat or fitnah)? What if that night we scold our parent and hurt their feeling?

There is no "hadis" explaining this. But I have to say that it is so much easier to commit sins than performing "ibadah". We need to be very very very careful this time of the month.

What do you think? Or maybe you know anything else about Lailatul Qadar worth sharing here?

- Other Related Entries -

Ramadhan Tribute Series
Allah's Secret - The 4 secrets and why?

--------------Personal Note-------------
I'm not sure whether this is true or not, but I once heard that the next morning after Lailatul Qadar, we can even look at the sun directly. This is because all angels are flying back to the sky that the sun's brightness is reduced. Again... I'm very not sure whether this is true or not. But when I was in form 2 and 3, I had to travel to my school very early in the morning. And I can assure you that there will be one morning every year in Ramadhan that the sun is very beautiful and I can stare at it for a very long time. At the time, I really believed that lailatul qadar was last night and I had missed it. :(

Invitation To Share Your Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:28:00 +0000

First of all, please accept my apology for not updating yesterday. I actually accidentally slept till morning :)

Today I want to try something new (at least new to this blog), I'm sure most of you are familiar with the niche of this blog. It is where we share our ideas or experience with the ultimate goal of letting people learn from it.

It can be from as simple as why we have two ears and one mouth. They are maybe meant to show that listening is twice more important than speaking.

Or more complex tips like how to be RM10000 richer by the end of the year. Or lesson that can be learnt from children etc. I think you understand what I meant.

With that remark, I would like to invite you to share your very own stories and ideas here. It can be about anything. It can be short or long (totally up to you). Please send them to me through my email and I will published it here for the rest of us to benefit.

- Continue -

Now why should you publish it here?

The friends reading here are generally very interested in sharing ideas and learning from them. So your entries will be highly valued and received.

Obviously all credit will be given to the author, and I will personally put up permanent link to your blog within the post. FYI, link within a post is very valuable in term of SEO (which simply means people using search engine will more likely to find your blog)

This is actually what this blog is all about. Sharing ideas and experience for the benefit of us all. Again.. the blog is not mine, I am just the person with the password. It is ours :)

What are the rules?

Please do not copy from other resources. If you must, do include the source.

I will reserve the right to correct / modify the entry, however I will consult the author first before publishing it. If for example the author ask for the entry to be removed, it will be removed.

I will also reserve the right whether to accept or not an entry. This will be totally according to my discretion. (I will be fair.. no worry :) )

Both English and Malay language can be used. Maybe yours can be the first Malay entry here. :)

The selected entry will be published once a week, depending on the participation.

So come on guys... I'm sure there's something about your life and experience that we can all learn from. Short or long, please email them to me ya....

Riddle in a train

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:09:00 +0000

A rich man gets on a train to go on a trip. Apparently he share his cabin with an old man

To pass the time the man decides to play a game with the old man.

"I will ask you a question and if you get it wrong, you have to pay me RM1 (thinking that the old man must be poor).

Then you ask me a question, any question... and if I get it wrong, you get RM10. You ask me a question first." The old man thinks for a while.

"I know. What has three legs, takes 3 hours to climb up a palm tree, and 12 seconds to get back down?"

The rich man is confused, he thinks long and hard about the question.

Finally, the train ride is coming to an end. As it pulls into the station, the rich man takes out 10 ringgits and gives it to the old man.

"I don't know. What has 3 legs, takes 3 hours to get up a palm tree and 12 seconds to get back down?"

- Continue -

The old man takes the RM10 and puts it into his pocket. He then takes out RM1 and hands it to the rich man And said calmly, "I don't know."

/end

Lesson learnt

Do not get yourself in a bad deal (unless the rich man actually want to donate the money)

Never assume people are stupid just because they dressed poorly.

From a point of view, the rich man seems to underestimate the old man, thinking that he is supoerior than him. Never underestimate people, especially older generation. They may not know much about the internet and such, but their experience are priceless.

I seriously enjoy talking to older generation. And I have learnt so much from them. Like my grandmother, sometimes she told us her side of story during the Japanese Occupation in the 50s and how hard it is to live back then. But that is maybe in another post :)

- Other Related Entries -

Joke on Management and Misunderstanding

--------------Personal Note-------------
I remember when I was in form 5, I studied in Klang, so every Raya, we will book one coach of train especially for us. I'm not sure how it is now, but in those years there was no seat number.

You should know that travelling by train is very tiring due to its longer time so at one point, I got so tired of sitting, I went for a walk from coach to coach. I went not that long, and when I came back to my seat, the seat was already taken by a woman, with a crib hanging for her baby. How can I ask her to leave. heheh yes that fast. What I did, was to sit at the stairs (very dangerous) and "berangan" all the way home.

I'm thinking of going back to Kedah by train again. not this year.. booked already a flight ticket on the second raya :)

One Thing We May Not Know About Moderation

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 17:11:00 +0000

Drawing the line
Summary - Know your extreme limits

Forming the club aside, I really hope this Hari Raya will be the best irregardless of the expenditure. What Ms Intan had commented carry some truth, when this is a once per year occasion. Furthermore it is actually recommended by Islam to honour and celebrate it happily. I guess in short, it is totally up to us to maintain balance between "spending until it hurts" and "saving until it hurts"

Hm I believe the key to better life is always moderation. Sugar if taken excessively will lead to diabetic and if we just cut out anything sugary, we will be equally sick and weak. We need to consume sugar but only in very moderate amount. (Doctors, correct me if I'm wrong).

Even if the example is wrong, we all know this fact long time already. So why is this post will be any different?

Again, we all know the importance of moderation, but the one thing that we don't know is where is the line separating moderate and extreme. We may think we know, but the truth is we really don't.

- Continue -

An example, a friend ask for help, how far do we go to help him. We have two option.. We can go to the extreme until we give him all our money in the bank, or the other extreme would be to ignore him entirely. Now we know that we need to help him (this would be the moderation). But how far should we help him. (This is the tricky part)

We must always have certain principle on this matter. Like in this scenario, maybe our principle is to help him in all matters except financially. Because debt can bring the ugliness in a friendship. I wouldn't say that this is a good principle, but it is a good thing to have that kind of principle / policy beforehand.

The same thing goes to everything. Always have a policy that define what is the extreme of both end. it make things a lot easier, I assure you.

Other scenarios that maybe good for us to have policy
- when to get angry and when to be patient
- when to continue work / study and when to give in to sleeping
- which person to be friend with, and which person shoud be avoided
- etc

Do you have any other scenarios to add where extreme limits need to be clear? Appreciate your feedback...

- Other Related Entries -
- Unbelievably Arrogant - Please have an open mind

--------------Personal Note-------------
Back when I worked in Johor, there was one time I was down with Dengue fever. I was at the time still single and live by myself. So one fine day, I felt very sick. Throwing up every now and then, feeling like you want to go have no 2, but nothing came out. Seriously that was hell. And I can even picture myself dying.

One thing about me with fever, I usually try my best to sweat it off. I jog around the house but the condition just worsen. I then decided that this was no ordinary fever, and submitted myself to the hospital to be checked. I was immediately suspected to having dengue fever.

My point is, if I still want to be "degil" and still trying to sweat the fever off, I would probably die due to late detection. That's just how much important knowing the limits to extreme is.

3 Tips To Save Money On Hari Raya

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 17:10:00 +0000

Summary - The formation of "Baju Raya Recycling Club"

I was chatting with uncleJ about jokingly forming a recycling club. Not to recycle waste, but to recycle the old "baju raya". It would be a great club with so many activities don't you think? Just imagine the cash we save.

So then I started thinking of other ways we can reduce the expenditure of this year's Hari Raya. I know for certain you guys must have more brilliant ideas on how to further save money on Hari Raya, please share ya... maybe this club can be realized after all :)

Please note that wearing brand new clothes to celebrate Hari Raya is actually a "sunat". I'm just suggesting recycling if the old clothes is still in good condition or maybe we are on a tight budget. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Well here's what I can come up so far

- Continue -

1) Plan your travelling
Back home, we always buy ice and newspaper after Solat Aidulfitri, this way we don't need to waste the fuel just to get ice or newspaper on separate occasion. Similarly, plan your visit to your friends' houses. Going to Sungai Petani then Alor Setar and again to Sungai Petani is really poor planning. :)

2) Buy auctioned kuih raya
Kuih raya is the essence of Hari Raya, so I will never suggest not buying / making them. But for those who buy cake or kuih raya (kuih tunjuk), maybe we can buy them as late as possible. Every year, my family will be excited to go buy those "kuih tunjuk" at midnight of the last day of fasting. It is said that everything will be auctioned off at ridiculously low price. However, almost every year, my family will give up and prefer going to bed early hehe :) (talk only)

3) Reduce or stop buying firecrackers
This is again a sensitive matter. Hari Raya is actually meant for children. They are the ones that enjoy it the most. And what I enjoyed when I was one of them was playing firecrackers. Back then we had millions (exaggerating) of types. So this it totally up to you. Today there's already one case of firecrackers exploding the fingers of two children (Berita Harian 1st Oct).

My suggestion if you really must play, is to reduce the amount drastically. It is better if we don't play it at all. Those children with the finger hurt surely don't want the accident to happen, but it did happened to them. So there's no reason to let our children have the same risk. Preferably I suggest to not buy.. they're just not worth it.

/end list

Hari Raya is one of the most awaited day for us muslim. And most of the time, the celebration is supposed to be grand and better every year. This is where it is wrong. The whole idea of Aidilfitri is not about celebrating the end of Ramadhan (where we can take revenge on inhibiting our desire and go on a shopping spree). I'll try to elaborate on that in my coming Ramadhan Tribute Series.

I now opened the club for registeration. Anybody can join in but in order to join, you have to each pay me RM10 (joking). No la.... To join, just share with us how else can we save during this Hari Raya.

- Other Related Entries -
Pay Yourself First - Method to save money

--------------Personal Note-------------
Let me be the first to wish you all Selamat Hari Raya.. Maaf Zahir Batin. Since I can't send all of you personal "kad raya", this will be it :) Please forgive me if there is anything I wrote that may offend you. In the end, I'm here to make friends... and I am grateful to Allah for introducing me to you. so again, may everyone has the best Raya ever!!

Aidilfitri mood is in the air!!!

Ramadhan Tribute #5 - The Secret of Sahur

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 16:18:00 +0000

Sumary - If done correctly, it can even shed a few kg of you.. Here's how

Why is it that some people is more energetic during Ramadhan, while another is weaker? The answer to this very question will help us to not only become fitter but we may be able to lose weight in the process, insyaAllah.

The answer is "Sahur". People from Kedah call it "Soq" :). There's a reason why "sahur" is very recommended to people who fast. In fact, that's the only difference from our fast and the non-muslim's fast.

Let me try to explain it.. We all know breakfast is the most important meals of the day. Yes it provides us more energy to start our day, but there is another secret to it. Breakfast actually gives signal to our body that we are not in starvation.

- Continue -

You see, our body is very clever. When we are starving, the body does not react by burning more fat. It actually react by lowering down its metabolism and burn less fat to preserve them. That is why we are often weaker when we are hungry for a long time.

So Sahur, will indirectly signal the body that we are not starving ourself. And thus the body's metabolism will switch to normal mode. Which means it burns more fat and giving us more energy to start the day. Thus we will be fitter and stronger the whole day. And since the metabolism rate is not slowed down, more fat will be burn and eventually the weight loss (Of course other factors must be taken into consideration, such as exercise, type of food etc)

So guys.. it's already half a month, Any weight loss or gain?

Note : The intention to fast is never supposed to be about weight loss. It is our very own bond with Allah, since no one will ever know we're fasting or not except Him.

- Other Related Entries -

--------------Personal Note-------------
Waking up for sahur is very challenging indeed. During my childhood, I even have some stages that will occur before I completely aake for sahur. My grandmother will wake me up by calling my name. That almost certainly will not work. She then go very close to me (visible distance) and again call. This time, I will reply by giving some sort of protest that I don't want to sahur. She know this too well and start nagging with high frequency voice :) That should wake me up. And I protestly walk to the dinner table and eat my sahur.

This happen almost every night, and almost everyday.. I will feel grateful to her for patiently wake me up. :) if not... *sigh

Sunday - Making Use of Bank Loans

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 23:38:00 +0000

Summary - Happy Sunday everyone! :)

A man walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the loan officer.

He tells the loan officer that he is going to China on business for two weeks and needs to borrow USD $5,000. The bank officer tells him that the bank will need some form of security for the loan, so the man hands over the keys to a new Ferrari parked on the street in front of the bank. He produces the title and everything checks out. The loan officer agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan.

The bank's president and its officers all enjoy a good laugh at the for using a USD $250,000 Ferrari as collateral against a USD $5,000 loan. An employee of the bank then drives the Ferrari into the bank's underground
garage and parks it there. Two weeks later....

- Continue -

Two weeks later, the man returns, repays the USD $5,000 and the interest, which comes to $15.41. The loan officer says, "Sir, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multi-millionaire. What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow USD $5,000?"

The man replies: "Where else in New York City can I park my car for 2 weeks for only USD$15.41 and expect it to be there when I return?"

/end story

This story has had so many version, the first one I read it's about Phua Chu Kang parking car in Singapore :) Anyway I wonder if we can really do this? Kuala Lumpur is getting more expensive to park a car in.

- Other Related Entries -

"Pasir" & Officer - Story on mind focussing at the wrong things
It's Doraemon's Babies - To have a pet or not

--------------Personal Note-------------
Sometimes I always wish that the Doraemon technology exist, where we can shrink our car and put it in the pocket. Now it really is getting harder to find a parking spot in KL. Things is not getting any better I assure you.

How else do you think we can solve this problem?

I Should Apply To Be A Bank Manager...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 18:47:00 +0000

The people standing is just as many
Summary - Human is naturally lazy.. Authority needed

Yesterday is a "Pay-my-bills" day. So after the Jumaat Prayer, it will just be me and the bank.. Everything is fine, but I need to complain on one thing. The BSN (Bank Simpanan Nasional)

Just imagine, about 40 people queing and only two counters opened.It's not that they are not enough staff to man the counters. There are guys behind the back door sitting and laughing. I know that it must be their lunch break, but I think the management can do more to settle this problem. For your information, this condition has been a practice since before I was transfered here.

What I did, I first go to the BSN to get the queing number, then I just take my time doing other chores. Believe me, I even had time for shopping my MONTHLY groceries. It's that bad..

- Continue -

I don't expect the staff to be self motivated. That is just near impossible when there is no reward in working harder. This is entirely up to the management to do something. Maybe reward the staff by asking them to collect the queue number. Then everyone will do their work faster to serve more people and get more incentive

Applying this to life, I guess.. when things go wrong. The person in charge must be the first to do something about it. Never expect people to be self driven to work harder. Human is just lazy by nature... it's going to be very hard to change this.

Parent saw their children spending more time with television must do something to change tv into books and study. They should never assume their children will be self-motivated to study for their future.

Again human is naturally lazy. But there are some rare people who are hardworking, and will go the extra mile while completing his/her responsibilities. These are really rare breed. And usually these are the people who will be the successful ones.

Any ideas on how to keep us not only motivated but willing to do extras? :) I have some ideas but let's hear yours first...

- Other Related Entries -

Working Zombie - Organized way to better pay
Do You Know Uncle Pareto? - The infamous 80/20 Rule

--------------Personal Note-------------
About 1 year back, I'm not that comfortable using internet to do my banking. But I force myself and now I cut 50% of the time spent. The post office here is far worse compared to BSN. I guess that what push me to start internet banking :)

Are you currently using internet banking?

Life Is Like Pasar Malam

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:09:00 +0000

Bazar Ramadhan di Juaseh
Summary - Lesson learnt from Pasar Malam

With the new template going on, it does feel a bit like preparing for raya at home.. changing new curtains or repainting the house. Very exciting.. Hopefully everything is ok with the new template. Do inform me if there is anything I can help you with.

Yesterday I actually went to the first bazar Ramadhan this year. Well, you have to understand that going out of an estate is hardwork, so I very seldom went out. The bazar here at my place is not that grand if compared to back home in Kedah, but there is still lots of yummy food around :)

I remembered an advice given by my brother, which I am going to share it with you.

- Continue -

Life is very much like a "pasar malam" (in this specific case, a bazar ramadhan), everyone go there. Some know exactly what to look for, Some still has no idea and want to look at the option of food available. Some just go there to flirt with girls. In the end, what you did in a "pasar malam", or where you went are not important. What important is what do you bring home.

We are all given each 24 hours. Everyone will have to go through the same 24 hours - criminals, loitering youth, the dance teacher, the prime minister, and even Rasulullah. So what are we bringing home from the 24 hours? Do we even know our reason going to this "pasar malam"? or are we just walking around aimlessly.. and in the end we brought back those colorful tents home. which is clearly not what we're supposed to buy.

So what do you do at 6am? 7am? how long do we really need to sleep? Where can we squeeze out more time for us? Seriously I read a lot of self-managing books, but in my opinion this "Pasar Malam" concept is a good approach simply because we can associate the feeling of wasting time when we go to a "pasar malam" and return home empty handed... Don't you think so?

How do you remind yourself to be aware of time? any secrets or tips?

- Other Related Entries -

Slow Mo and Fast Forwarding Time - Time does have a sense of humor
Procrastinator United - 3 personal tips to overcome procrastination

--------------Personal Note-------------
I heard a quote in the tv the other day - "Bukan masa yang terlalu cepat, kita sebenarnya yang terlalu lambat". Really make sense...

By the way, Mertabak here is very expensive. Cost me RM1.80 each, but I have no choice but to buy because the mrs ask for them... It's a good thing she crave for things buyable eheh :) Foods are getting more expensive each day isn't it? and getting smaller too

Update : New Template

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 18:14:00 +0000

I'm again sorry that there will be no post today.

As you can see, Immortal Wisdom is now undergoing heavy renovation. This template is built with your constructive comments in the previous survey in mind. Please excuse the simple graphic and layout. as a non-artistic person, I am actually proud of them because I make them from scrach,

However, again.. I seek your help on this, Any comments to further improve it? or bugs that I didn't notice (maybe browser compatibility issues)?

I really appreciate them

p.s. shoutmix.com (chatbox) is not available at this instant. I hope it will be ok tomorrow...

This Time Is Mine

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:24:00 +0000

Summary - A little selfish wont hurt..

Today's the last day of my medical leave. Unfortunately, there's some sign that my eye is better. Again.. unfortunately. Nevertheless it's still a good thing that I was given the leave. Now why do I say it's good? Here's why..

I can actually spend time to do other thing. like finishing up the Harry Potter book, resting, and doing some little projects. I wonder why I cannot do this during my day off every week. I guess when it's your day off, you just want to rest. No more working.

Come to think of it, maybe that's why we are so frustrated with work. We work and we work every single day, and when it comes to our day off, we just spend it resting (with the intention to gather strength for another series of work the next week). Some spend it by doing chores that cannot be done on weekdays. This chores are usually not that fun, like doing laundry, cleaning the house etc. It's like work... without the paycheck. No wonder we are stressed out, we are working every single second of our life.

- Continue -

Seriously I realize this yesterday, that we really need to take some time for ourselves. Allocate some time to do what we want to do. For example, me with reading the book. or surf the web... not to find material for your blog, but just because you want to.

Can I ask you, at this moment... what do you want to do for yourself? Something that you like to do, without having no other benefit except your satisfaction.

I try to come up with some things that we can do just for our own pleasure. Maybe you can add more to it?
- watch sunrise (at least once a week)
- take leave from work and go see a movie of your choice alone
- play music and do nothing but listen
- buy a watercolor and draw an abstract drawing
- make a robot from bottles and wires

Conclusion - What we do every single day almost always for someone else, or for getting some benefit from it like paycheck, recognition etc. we never spend time for ourselves. It's true we must not be selfish, but our own time, our own activity is very important for us to realize that we really living a life.

- Other Related Entries -

Exhausted After Vacation.. Here's Why

--------------Personal Note-------------
After finishing Harry Potter, I'm going to find if there is any Silat training here at my place. Anything will do.. I really love practising Silat, not that I am any good :)

Just simply love the art

MC Day

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:57:00 +0000

Summary - Just a yesterday story

I woke up yesterday, very eager to work... (not exactly). However it is weird that I had those "taik mata" at my eye (I wonder what it's called in english..eye shit? hehe). Before any assumption arise, I do wash my face and bath every morning (I almost can hear the assumption building up).

I looked in the mirror. hm my left eye is reddish. (I have a sepet eye.. chinese almost always speak chinese with me) I thought maybe the eye got exposed to the dust while riding my motorcycle to work (Estate is like that.. when it's dry, we will have a layer of dust on our face - bedak asli). Hopefully the reddish color will be gone soon.

Working as usual, until lunch time, I go back home. (the mill and my house is just 1 km apart, so I can actually go home anytime of the day :) ) the color is still there. (Ait!!!) I tried sleeping during the 1 hour (overslept abit :p). There's no change in the color. (I think I "sakit mata") Went to see the manager, asking permission to go to clinic. (he doesn't even want to look at my face, maybe afraid that the disease spread to him)

- Continue -

Went to see the doctor.. (Guess what, the doctor also try to avoid any eye contact with me. Is it really that contagious?) and he gave me a 3 days MC (Yahooooo!). Went back to the mill and surrendered the MC to the manager (with the expression of pain and suffering but yahooing inside)

So with that, it is confirmed that I am down with "sakit mata" (I still don't know the english word for it. Eye ache?) Please pray for my recovery and hopefully the mrs will be fine.

Lesson learnt -

One tips from old people (Petua) to avoid "sakit mata" is to blink when you take bath. I used to do that.. and very rarely be sick. Now that I wear contact lense, it's advisable not to do so, so I didn't. Maybe you can try.. seriously it work.

People with "sakit mata" has the ultimate power to make even the manager afraid to look you in the eyes hahah

I need to brush up on my English vocabulary. Very poor

The words in the bracket is like what my mind is thinking at the moment I wrote certain sentence. what a busy mind we have, don't you think so?

- Other Related Entries -

Heroes with Power To Look Calm But Damn Nervous Inside - My experience handling people Run Amok
The Story - Childhood memories on creative way to avoid fight

Ramadhan Tribute #4 - The Syaitan In Us

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 16:09:00 +0000

Summary - Syaitan's work is very easy

We all know that Syaitan are our greatest enemy. They had sworn to sway us away from the Islam and Iman. If there is any bad things we do, we often associate it with the Syaitan, whispering in our heart to push us do the sinful thing, like "mengumpat", stealing, and even killing. Syaitan is of course blamed for every bad things happening in the world.

That makes me wonder, Isn't it during Ramadhan, all syaitan are chained to protect human from being tempted? Why is it, that nothing had actually changed. Just look into our heart, we ourselves can do sinful things during Ramadhan, like "fitnah", "mengumpat", even neglect the 5 solats. Look around us, we can see people proudly not fasting, innocently walking during Friday prayer, and some even go to the extreme such as raping and killing. Can we really blame Syaitan for all this?

I definitely agree that syaitan is the one who whisper to us, tempting us to do sinful things. and I agree that they are human's enemy till Judgement Day. But how can we explain the sinful things we do during Ramadhan? Desire? maybe...

- Continue -

My opinion is, syaitan nowadays has an easy job. What they do is just to plant a seed in our heart. That seed can be as little as some white lie (bohong sunat), or rushing after solat etc. All those things that we normally think "not a big deal". The seed buried deep inside our heart, by mean of we keep doing all the minor things (makruh) like solat at the end of the period, reciting alfatihah in a breath time. We keep doing it, and thus the seed grows.

Until one time, we no longer care what is makruh and what is sunat, If we don't realize this, the time will come when we no longer care what is haram and what is wajib. To make things worst, not only we are like that, we try to persuade our friends to act the same. What difference then between us and syaitan?

Basically we can see ourselves, syaitan's work is very easy. Maybe we should learn more about Islam, knowing exactly what is makruh, what is sunat. If we take the time to learn about makruh and sunat, I believe abiding wajib and haram will comes naturally. Let's give those syaitan a challenge shall we?

What do you think? any other insights you might notice?

- Other Related Entries -

Other Tribute to Ramadhan Series

--------------Personal Note-------------
When I wrote this, I feel like the words are actually meant for me. I admit, I am not a good muslim. I never pray at the beginning of the period, I rarely "sedekah". And it's been a long time since I go back to learning all this Feqah. So this writings are more like a reminder to me, A reminder that I know and still I don't care. Ya Allah, please make me a better person

Apology

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 16:27:00 +0000

I deliberately did not post today, and for that I'm terribly sorry. Thank you for taking the time visitting me here, and hope to see you on Monday.

This blog is simply having its moment of silence... as a tribute to our Kak Ngah.

Nurin Jazlin - Malaysia's Sad Story

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:40:00 +0000

Summary - Two things noticed..

First of all... let's take a moment and recite the surah AlFatihah to Adik Nurin Jazlin.

Thousands of blog around Malaysia are writing on this unfortunate event. Cursing the psychopath and praying that the family will be strong and patient. This blog will join in cursing that psychopath and pray he will be caught and punished. It would be better if he can be chained at Dataran Merdeka.. and let us all "rejam batu" at him. I personally will take a day off and go there.

Two things I noticed from this unfortunate event

- Continue -

1) Be careful, there's a psycho around us

Malaysia is a very beautiful country. We are admired by most nation as a nation of peace. I totally agree. We can actually walk anywhere in Malaysia without any fear.

Until now.. one person has changed the whole Malaysia. This one person has proved that despite our best quality, there's a monster living among us. That monster is only one person, but it totally affect all Malaysian. We all mourn for our Kak Ngah.

The point is please increase our awareness on the matter

Know your neighbour, make friends with them
Know your children, their friends, and keep track of their activity
Educate them as early as possible on humanity to prevent them from being that one monster.
Please be cautious, again... there's a monster among us

Malaysia is still peaceful, Malaysian can still be proud of our beloved Malaysia for its courtesy etc. But we have to admit and aware of this monster, and take every precaution we could think of to protect ourselves and family

2) There maybe some hope in the unity in Malaysia

I'm touched by the thousands of people mourning over our Kak Ngah. Chinese, Indian, Malays etc all joined together.

I guess, in time like this.. We are all reduced to simpler being. We are no longer Malays, Chinese or Indian. We are just fathers, mothers, brothers. We are all family.

So let's... Let us all be brothers and sisters. Start small.. start from your neighbour. Then maybe your colleague and go on. Let them know our intention is to create that bond with them. It's no easy task.. We are so used to the idea, our house.. our house, theirs theirs.

I really wish all this cruelty happening to our children stop. These are our children.. an "Amanah" from Allah Himself. How can people even look at children that way. Seriously, I hope my "Dataran Merdeka" idea is taken into consideration.

--------------Personal Note-------------
Personally, I think they are many sexual predator now because of the porn in the internet. How else such a culture can be within us? We can't stop the internet. But we can break certain culture of ours and start openly teach our children on sex education etc. Hopefully they will know the bad effect of porn before it even corrupt them.

Look at it this way, the children will sooner or later learn about it, why not we show them the right way to learn it.

What do you think?

How To Know He/She Is The One?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 16:35:00 +0000

Summary - Requested post on how to know he's the one?

Do you have some free time? Maybe we can help a good friend of mine Ms Azuwachan with her question.

Problem - She is currently in doubt with her feeling. She is not sure whether or not she is in love with this person or not. so she asked "How to make sure that you REALLY like someone" and how should she best handle the situation.

Pondering about this does bring up lots of memories hehe. This is what I think about it.

- Continue -

1) You are on the right track
Love really is the most mysterious thing in the world. People have been discussing on what love really is since the beginning of time itself. So don't be surprised if you are confused. Everybody knows that love exist, but nobody can really put a definition on love.

Being confused on your feeling is actually a good thing. With other friends, you either like or dislike, period. Bestfriends maybe you like more. But to this person, it will be very confusing. He makes you feel so comfortable like a friend, but most of the time, he makes you feel special. And when he did something bad, the hate and sadness can sometimes be very overwhelming. Seriously that is one of the key indication that you are in love with the guy. But of course there is other factor involved.

2) Eliminate what he's not
There are some things in a relationship that may have the same effect as love. They are not love per se, but they can be mistakenly felt like love. So let's try to eliminate them

Is he just a crush?

Crush is actually the same as instant love. You see him, and you felt in love completely... Now how to know whether it is a crush or not? Just check if you know anything about the guy. Crush almost always happen without you having the slightest information on the guy. For example, a crush with the new boy in school.

Is it due to gratitude?

Sometimes, people go to great deals to help you, with no expectation to get rewarded. You can sometimes feel like owing so much from him that you may feel like liking him more. That's not love, that's just your subconcious mind trying to reduce the feeling of gratitude. So check yourself, you will know the answer once you know the question.. (wow very abstract of me)

Is it due to him being famous? (Edited)

Some people is just so good with people, and they instantly can attract others to like them with their sense of humor, or their knowledge. Usually they are quite famous with people around then. We may like them so much (because they are simply very likeable) that we confused the feeling with love.

There are other factors but I think these three are the most important ones. Usually when we've already eliminate these factors, it will be clear that you love him for no apparent reason. Usually that is love :)

3) Love is no point 1, point 2 and point 3

All said, love is never a matter we can explain. You love someone, you just know it. You define yourself what is love to you and you honor it. Up until now, I can never describe what I love about my wife. Maybe I can describe them, but believe me the list will be a never ending ones, because I love everything about her, the good and bad and how they complete me.

So answering your question simply, I think if he is special enough that you overcame your shyness and asked in your blog, he is REALLY that special. Give him a chance, but be wise.... :)

- Other Related Entries -

Pisau Cukur Ockham - Never assume in a relationship
Two contradicting love quote - which one is more accurate?

--------------Personal Note-------------
I'm sure all friends have more interesting ideas on the big question. Do share..

For me, it is always better to give a chance to 10 wrong people, than to miss that one who is the one. - My quote eheh

Thanx for those requesting my opinion on a topic, I can promise that every request will be entertained, if I have any opinion on the matter of course. So I welcome any suggestion. Next request would be from UncleJ on Nurin's case.. Please allow me some time ya uncle :)

Ramadhan Tribute #3 - Expectation

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 17:18:00 +0000

The Battle Field of Badar
Summary - Fasting.. expect to be hungry and thirsty

A very good day to all of you... The sun is .. well not shining, it's about 1 am in the morning. Tomorrow we will be performing the 8th day of fasting.. so like my friends Yanz asked the other day in the shoutbox, "Siapa tak puasa, angkat kaki". I'm still not sure whether she meant to raise up a leg or to "cabut" :)

I don't know about you, but every year, I see more people not fasting, and they are not embarassed about it. When asked, they just say that they feel weak if they fast.

That seriously puzzled me, "what do they expect?" We change our lifestyle, of course there will be some change in the way our body react. The first few days are always the hardest. Then our super adaptive body will not only be as normal, it will be better in term of health.

The first war in Islam, which is "Perang Badar" happened on the 17th of Ramadhan. 313 Muslim warriors were fighting about 1000 Quraisy warriors and they won. If muslims can actually performed the fasting while at a war (a fight between life and death), why we cannot fast when we are just doing our light job. We were even get paid for that. Did the muslim in "Perang Badar" get paid?

Most of the time, we even used this fasting month as an excuse to get lighter job. I know my foremen are.. Luckily the indian foremen are very understanding and offer to do heavier job. It's very embarassing to me, that when they are actually not fasting, but demand the lighter work.

What I'm saying is, we are fasting.. expect to experience some hardship, some hunger and thirst. Don't whine about being hungry.. That's just wrong.

Knowing this, I like to expand the idea to all things in life. When we started to work.. we need to expect that we are going to actually do some work. Don't be like my foreman... Some of them, when asked to do certain work, they insist that this job must be done by another foreman. This is not supposed to happen. we were hired to work, and so we must work. Period.. By the way, off topic, the foreman finally give in and do the repair I asked him to do.

Another example, is when studying.. We must not whine on the need to study. We are student, and we must expect that they will be a lot of studying involved. So.. all we need to do is to study. Yes, sometimes the work overloads, that we can whine. but not about the need to study.

So when we are fasting... please expect to suffer some hunger, thirst and maybe fatigue. Please also expect we are going to be tested, people inviting us to "mengumpat" maybe, or tv shows showing all those sexy girls. It is when we rise beyond this challenge that Ramadhan will bring out the best in us

Any other similar examples happening in your life, please share ya :)

- Other Related Entries -

--------------Personal Note-------------
The day is a bit hot now.. I have to admit that sometimes I have this thought in my head to break the fast. What I do, everytime that idea comes, is to think about how Rasulullah, tied rocks to his stomach just to ease the hunger. Immediately feel ashamed of having the thought. How about you? How do you overcome those urge?