Social and Racial Unity: Then and Now

Everyday, without fail, we hear people of the highest order – be them politicians, intellectuals or religious scholars – calling for the need to achieve seismic social unity amongst the population of any given country. But, if anything is to come by, fostering social unity is an extremely hard process. That is because everybody has to play an active role, or else, social unity can only be dreamt of.

Let’s not dig too much into the annals of history. Looking back at the twentieth century, there have been many cases whereby social unity was ridiculed.

Basically, this happened when the community that constituted the majority of the population wanted to maintain its grip over the other communities subservient to them, or sometimes even the other way around. It actually depended on who had the most power. However, this was not the case all throughout the world, as in many counties, social unity thrived.

If you look at the Apartheid system that was enforced in South Africa in the year 1948, you would be amazed to know that the racial segregation of the blacks from the whites to curtail their rights was indeed a legalised system.

With this, the so-called civilised British showed that they are nothing less than animals in truth. What this resulted in was obstructed social unity that lingered on until the saviour of the South African people arrived, in the form of Nelson Mandela.

Well, if you thought the British government, looked up as one of the major powers in the world was bad, then the United States was no better. The blacks over there, mostly ethnic Africans, were more than often marginalised in the running of the country.

Not only that, but the blacks were subject to public persecution, and they had little and almost no rights at all. But, as in the case of the Apartheid in South Africa, there was a saviour in the form of Martin Luther King and he changed the landscape of social unity in America for ever.

Ethnic cleansing was an even worse form of destroying social unity and racial harmony. Well, it resulted in the wiping out of thousands of innocent folks, for the petty reason that their colour was different from that of the ruling powers.

Adolf Hither ordered mass genocides of the Jews. The holy Sikh place of worship, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, was obliterated under the command of Indira Gandhi. And Bosnian Muslims were the victims of the nasty Serbian ruler, Radovan Karadzic.

If you look at it, these are but a few of the instances that are generally known to people from all across the world. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of such cases lay buried. However, as we have moved into a new millennia, a paradigm shift has occurred, albeit to a certain extent as last time, social disharmony was widespread, but now, it is practically isolated.

Just take a glance at America. They have a black President, which is an unprecedented feat. This shows that they have broken the wall that blocked the social unity of its citizens, and have moved on to a higher level of living and maturity in thinking.

It is the same in many countries. For some reason or another, people generally have cultivated a sense of toleration towards one another. This is visible for everyone to see in the European nations, the North America, and in large areas of Asia.

Malaysia, of the most racially diverse nations in the world, has managed to keep racial harmony and social unity in check since its independence and even before. Malays, Chinese, Indians, Sikhs and the native people of the land live in almost non-existent disharmony. Only when certain issues are politicised would the social unity of the people be in jeopardy.

Presently, racial unity has one major deterrent – that is religious issues that have been taken out of proportion by certain parties to confuse and brainwash the people and them turn them against one another in the name of upholding their religious virtues.

I strongly feel that once this has been overcomed, racial disharmony would be a thing of the past. And the  name of the new game would be social and racial unity!

How do you look at this issue? Is the world still far from achieving total social and racial unity? Feel free to air your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

My Best Play Station 2 Games

So, do you like playing games on your PC or on gaming consoles such as PS3 and Xbox? Well, I prefer to play games on gaming consoles as they are tailor-made to suit the needs of avid gamers. Computers, on the other hand, are more for surfing the Internet and socialising as well as preparing important assignments and blog entries such as this.

I had always wanted a gaming console since I was young. Back then, I used to play on my cousin’s Sega game console, which, if compared to the gaming consoles of the present times, would be dwarfed by a thousand times over.

During that era, game consoles used video chips, and were better referred to as video games. But then out came PS1, followed by PS2 a few years later. Not long after the introduction of PS2 to the market in Malaysia, my father bought one of it back home for a thousand Ringgit or so and that was circa 2003.

In 2008, PS3 was released to the market but nope, I don’t have it as of yet. I think I have grown out of PS games too. Anyway, I still have got a few PS games that I will remember for a long time. They are mostly sport and action games. I have listed my favourite PS2 games below.

Formula 1 ’06

A magnificent race-simulation game. At first, it was hard to get to grips with the controls of the game, but after long hours of practice, I was able to challenge the computer-controlled race cars by at least matching their pace.

At some tracks I was much better compared to them, while at other tracks, I would time poorer lap times compared to the computer-controlled race cars. One sad thing though – even when I had the pace to win a race, somehow or another, my car would end up in the barriers.

LMA Manager 07

An extremely addictive game I would say. Once I started playing this game, I wouldn’t stop for hours. Although it is just a manager game, but I found it to be fun. I used to control teams such as Bayern Munich and Fulham and had won numerous domestic and European honours.

I still remember clearly that I went 14 seasons or so with Bayern Munich before disaster struck – my sister accidently pulled the plug when I was saving my game. The data got corrupted and I was quite angry at that time. My hard work for over a year was just lost like that.

Socom 3 U.S. Navy Seals

This is the one and only army shooting game that I have ever liked. I was never a fan of ‘Call of Duty’ or ‘Medal of Honour’ among others. The game, which is set in three different real life locations, namely Africa, India and Poland, had a very realistic feel to it.

In the game, users take on the role of Spector, who is the leader of a group of four specially trained commandos to plot the downfall of terrorism.  It took me almost about a year to complete this game as I kept on getting stuck in one particular level. But that only means that the game was indeed challenging!

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Unlike previous Star Wars games where most of the fighting was done using blaster rifles, in The Force Unleashed, the lightsaber is the only weapon used by the character. And with so many special moves using the lightsaber which needed to be unlocked, I kept on playing and won the game in about a month!

Although the gameplay wasn't quite interesting since it was pretty acedemic in winning the levels in the game, but the storyline made the difference. It was like a two in one experience - playing the game and watching a movie at the same time!

What are your all time favourite games, be it for computer, PS or Xbox? Do share your thoughts by dropping a comment below.

Being the Editor of Niexter

So, have you got your copy of Niexter today?? Well, if you haven’t, which seems quite obvious, go grab one! Actually, I am the editor for this week’s edition of Niexter, so I do hope you can tell me how is this edition of Niexter on the overall.

This week’s issue is explained in brief in the Editor’s Diary that I wrote below:

This issue commemorates and celebrates the achievements of Alicia Loh, who at the age of 13, has published her own novel.


Though she suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, she remains strong, seeing the positive side to everything she experiences. She even maintains a blog to share her thoughts.


We have also featured words of encouragement and inspiration, and showcased prominent individuals who have achieved much despite being ridden with disabilities.


People like Alicia have risen above countless obstacles to achieve their dreams in life. To simply put it to perspective – Where there be a will, there be a way. Where there be no will, there be no way.

Working as an editor for this issue of Niexter has been a very enjoyable experience, and a hectic one too to a certain extent. I have Aunty Mary, the manager of the NIE Department, and Aunty Hazlina to thank for giving me this invaluable oppurtunity.

Not only that, but via me being given the chance to be the editor, I feel I have improved, however little, my sense of coordination and things like that. Moreover, I have learnt how to communicate with the group members and also in getting others to contribute their writing.

It was a last minute call-up for our group, but we were up to the task nonetheless. Usually, there would be two weeks or more to fully prepare, but we had our meeting on one fine Friday and almost everything was sent in by the following Monday.

I have to thank Radhika, who despite being an editor in her own entity, she helped me in finding my feet as she had the experience that I was lacking initially. And also Kelly and Susmita who make up the rest of the team. Let me not forget the graphic artists too, who have done a superb layout.

The best part of all of this is that I got to know Alicia Loh. Though I didn’t interview her, but just getting to know her personality has been a great source of inspiration. As you would already know, at the tender age of 13, she is the proud author of ‘The Last Chapter’, and her book is reviewed in this edition of Niexter too. With me being an aspiring writer, this only serves as a further source of motivation for me.

Besides Alicia, some research was done by a fellow Niexter, Elsheba, on prominent personalities who have beaten the odds to reach great heights in their lives. The three people that have been written on are Stevie Wonder, Marla Runyan and Helen Keller. I also did a short write up on Nor Umairah, a Malaysian girl who achieved amazing results despite having to write with her feet.

So, that is basically the gist of this edition of Niexter. To read more, just grab a copy of today’s NST and dig through for the Niexter pullout. Additionally, do look out for the issue due in the first week of March as it has got something to do with this issue. I’d rather not spill the beans here. So, do remember to grab that copy too!

Review of the Drama Series 'Merlin'

Need a break from all the TV drama series such as Lost, CSI and a host of other shows? Well, then I guess you could try watching Merlin. Merlin is an amazing British drama series set in the medieval times of the yesteryear.

Maybe some of you would have already heard of this series, but many still don’t know much about it. Actually, this is the best TV drama series that I have watched over these years. I mean, I don’t have access to satellite or pay-per-view TV stations, so I don’t quite have the tools to explore many other drama series out there, but yea, this makes for a good viewing experience to just wind down, relax and be entertained.

Merlin, though it is the title of the series, is actually the name of a young man who is the central protagonist in the plot of the story. He has a likable, easy-going character and most of the time his character is portrayed in a humorous and enjoyable manner.

The mystery of the story lies in the fact that Merlin possesses magical powers. The King, named Uther, is the ruler of the land called Camelot where the story is centred. He is essentially in an all-out battle against magic for he sees it to pose a risk to his autonomy power over the throne that he presides on.

Gaius

Therefore, Merlin’s magical powers are unknown to everybody, except for the King’s trusted deputy, Gaius. Gaius took care of Merlin after knowing of his secret powers and has protected him thereafter. Additionally, Gaius is responsible to further enhance Merlin’s magical prowess, but all this has to be done in utmost level of secrecy.

Officially, Merlin is known to be the servant of Arthur, crown prince and the one and only child that Uther has. Arthur actually has a sister, Lady Morgana, but she is the adopted child of Uther. Arthur is more than often seen to be a friend of Merlin, but he doesn’t seem to give much respect to Merlin. After all, you may say Merlin is just his servant.

Arthur

But no – Merlin is more than that. Merlin has helped save Arthur on numerous occasions using his magic. Of course though, Arthur, who is a worthy knight, doesn’t know. He thinks that he is the greatest fighter as he has never been beaten, when in true fact, he is heavily indebted to Merlin.

Just in case you were wondering if is there a Guinevere in the story since there are Arthur and Merlin from the tales of ‘King Arthur and His Seven Knights’, there indeed is a Guinevere in the story. She is a royal servant, just like Merlin. Interestingly, she happens to have a strong bond towards Arthur.

One one or two occasions, even Lancelot appeared. However, I am quite sure there is nothing in similarity between King Arthur and Merlin. Well, that is because this series has an all new plot and storyline.

Every week, the series has a new adventure, a new twist and a new saga. Fictional creatures such as dragons, trolls and witches have been featured. I must accept the fact that there have been a few episodes where the plot is a letdown, but on the overall, it is beautifully polished.

This is just a brief account of the Merlin series. Definitely there is more to tell, but if you want to know what Merlin is really all about and rate it for yourself, just catch it on TV or on the Internet or where ever else you can find it on.

Random Facts for Random People

Hey folks! This is going to be a short post on a few facts that I have compiled from all over the web. I tried to get as many unique facts as I could, and I have decided not to post too many facts, just in case so that there is no overload caused to your brains!

Feel free to share some other unique facts that you know or comment on what I have presented here.

Here goes...

> Shanghai, China is the largest city by population in the world. (13.3 million)

> The banana fruit first originated from Malaysia.

> The lowest death-rate in the world is in the United Arab Emirates. (2.11/1000)

> Japan is the largest exporter of frog legs.

> Mongolia is the least dense populated country in the world.

> Luxemborg is the richest country in the world, with an annual GNP of $ 45, 000.

> A German World War II submarine was sunk due to the malfunction of a toilet.

> Russia has the most movie theateres in the world.

> Iceland consumes more Coca-Cola than any other nation per capita.

> Finland has about 60, 000 lakes.

> The Jedi concept, derived from Star Wars, is an official religion in Australia.

> Wearing a hat is a sign of disrespect in Fijian culture.

> The best selling ice-cream flavour in the US is vanilla.

> Colombia is the biggest source of the precious rock, Emerald.

> The world's largest diamond was found in South Africa in the year 1905.

> The earliest known modern ancestor of the humans was found in Ethiopia.

...and maybe I will share more facts some other time...

-The End-

Why Tennis Is More Lucrative Than Badminton

In case you hadn't known, tennis and badminton are from a similar sporting family – they are both racquet sports. However, tennis is played using a round, bouncy ball whilst badminton is played using a shuttlecock. The style of play for both games also vary.

I used to wonder some time ago, “Why is tennis more lucrative, as in it offers more prize money, compared to badminton?” I mean, an international badminton tournament would offer around $20, 000 to the winner whilst winning a tennis tournament would offer in excess of $200, 000 at the very least, not including the appearence fees.

Now, I know the answer to my question. The facts and factors are disclosed below, and I believe some facts are pretty apparent, while the others are not. But do keep in mindthat I am not saying tennis is more fun to watch or nicer to play, I am just merely answering my question above.

The Popularity Factor

Who is more popular – badminton world champion and Olympic gold medallist Lin Dan of China or the Swiss world number one, Roger Federer, the greatest sportsman to have graced the tennis courts? If you are to speak on a regional basis (East Asia) of course Lin Dan is to be the answer, but speaking on a global platform, the obvious answer would be Roger Federer. Since the finest tennis star is more popular on the global stage, the conclusion is that tennis has more star power over badminton.

The Marketability Factor

Where do the traditional badminton powerhouses hail from? Apart from Denmark who are from Europe, the others are from the Asean and East Asian region. On the other hand, many tennis stars come from economically sound backgrounds such as from the United States, Russia, Australia and Belgium. So, if sponsors want to market their products, they would pay more to the tennis fraternity as there lies a wider market reach, much unlike badminton.

The Viewership Factor

How many global, internationally-acclaimed sports network broadcast live badminton matches? A handful only, if you compare such statistics with that of tennis. Major sports networks, such as Sky Sports, ESPN, ITV Sports and Star Sports almost never telecast any international level badminton games on their networks, but it is a direct contrast with the hours of airtime devoted to tennis tournaments and championships held week in week out all around the world.

The Match-time Factor

Ever heard of a tennis game stretching up to an epic four hour battle? Of course, but the same cannot be said of badminton games as the longest that badminton games last is around the hour-mark. On average, tennis games take around 2 hours to complete whilst badminton games take around 40-minutes. This results in more airtime for tennis on televisions, and therefore, tennis makes much more bucks if compared to badminton taking into account this aspect.

The Fashion Factor

How much does Maria Sharapova earn for parading different earrings each time she steps onto the courts? News reports state that she could earn up to millions for just that. But it doesn’t stop there. Tennis stars are paid tons of money to parade the latest in fashion – ranging from necklaces to watches. And they love being talked about their fashion sense every much as being talked about their playing skills. In contrast to that, I have never heard of these things in the badminton world.

The Verdict

All the factors stated above inevitably result in more money being pumped into tennis, and only a fraction of it being pumped into the international badminton circuit. By taking into account all those factors too, we can come about the conclusion that tennis has more star power and a wider global appeal. Henceforth, those are the underlying reasons as to why tennis is a more lucrative sport and offers bigger prize money as compared to badminton.

Goals for the Year 2010

I have got a great feeling that 2010 will be my best year yet. OK - fine! I am only 16 years of age, but still, I feel it is good to set goals, goals of high standards and quality, so that your path to become a somebody in life can be fulfilled a tad more easily.

I am aware of the fact that it is 20 days into the new year, but there are another 344 days left to go, so don't think that I am late in setting my goals! I just want to have a concerted go at successfully accomplishing all these goals, although what I want to achieve may not entirely depend on me.

I hope to achieve notable success in an assortment of fields, but this year, my major goals are mostly centered around mainstream writing and blogging, and of course getting good grades for my major exam - the much dreaded SPM examinations!

Here, I have listed all my goals for the present 2010 year. The goals are broken down into three sub-categories, 3 stars, 4 stars and 5 stars. Goals that have been accomplished will appear in Orange. I will update this at the end of every month to serve as my checklist.

You may see some goals that may make you think I am an oblivious clown who builds castles in the air, but NO! Nothing is impossible. If I do not achieve some of the goals, I would be alright. Just that the more I can accomplish, the better I will feel. Haha, what a hypothesis.

3 *** Stars

> Continue writing in the New Straits Times pullout Niexter, a paper by junior journalists and be an editor of the paper too.

> Win my school's squash championships, the Kepong Open. Well, actually, I have to retain the title as I won it last year.

> Be a featured blogger in the Star newspaper pullout R.AGE and be featured on their website too.

> Join the Star's junior journalism program, called BRATs in a bid to widen my experience in the writing field.

> Join my school debating team and be on the podium in the district level at least.

4 **** Stars

> Write a feature article in the international-level Sikh community magazine, The Sikh Review.

> Be chosen as Nuffnang’s blogger of the month.

> Feature in the third season of Project Alpha, an online documentary on Malaysian bloggers.

> Write an opinion piece in the main New Straits Times paper as a columnist.

> Achieve Google Page Rank 4 for my blog.

> Obtain 100 marks for Additional Mathematics in the major exams.

5 ***** Stars

> Get my short story that I sent in for a review to be published in an anthology.

> Get enough nominations to be a finalist in the 2nd Nuffnang Blog Awards.

> Make it to the national level of the Spell It Right contest organized by NST.

> Be a finalist of the tentatively scheduled inaugural Young Entrepreneur Startup challenge for schoolchildren organized by Moneytree.

> Get an interview regarding my blog published in any of the major newspapers in the country.

> Obtain 10 straight A's in my SPM examinations.

When an Earthquake Strikes

One moment, all was well – students learning peacefully in schools, workers sweating it out in the factories and farmers tending to their crops. But what happened next – it’s practically next to indescribable. It was probably mayhem at best, with the whole of Port au Prince and its surrounding areas in the tiny nation of Haiti suffering from one of the most devastating earthquakes in recent history.

The powerful earthquake, measuring 7.0 on the Richter’s scale, has displaced more than 500,000 folks around the capital city of the country, Port au Prince, and is thought to have taken away the lives of some 100,000 to 200,000 innocent people.

For the past week or so, search-and-rescue operations have been ongoing in full-swing. Many countries, international organisations and celebrity personalities have come together, working hand in hand with one another, to lessen the burden and ease the pain of the Haiti people.

Humanity at work in tandem for a good cause. Amazing ain’t it? To see all the world-powers come together, forgetting their political rifts to help a nation in grief. Basic amenities, such as food, water and clothing, are in  constant demand. And servicemen such as the US Troops have been responsible to disseminate the supplies to the masses.

Even better, during the recently concluded Golden Globes awards ceremony, the actors, actresses, directors and what-not spread the urgency that we have the chance to make the lives of those suffering in Haiti a tad better. They wore ribbons to support their cause and Nicole Kidman made an appeal for contribution to the ongoing relief effort in Haiti.

Amid all the positivity surrounding the cause to help Haiti post-earthquake, the Haiti nationals are themselves making things hard for the authorities and the general population. They have resorted to ungodly manners such as looting and plundering homes and dead-bodies destroyed in the earthquake to get cash in their hands. The police, on the other hand, are powerless to stop the looters.

Worse still, the national detention centre, where the most dangerous criminals in all of Haiti were being detained before the earthquake, has been all but destroyed. This has led to the surviving criminals to roam the streets and this could pose an even larger danger to the nation after it recovers from this trauma as the people know that the criminals would regroup and they would therefore feel unsafe.

In addition to that, there are the little children who have been orphaned as a result of their parents dying due to the quake, or mothers unable to comprehend with the fact that their young, lovely children are no longer with them. Even if the managed to survive, the young are especially at risk due to lingering diseases that thrive in these sort of situations, such as Malaria.

Still, even with all the help that the world has poured into this relief effort, it isn’t quite enough. Not to save all of the Haiti population at least. Food is still scarce, clean and drinkable water even more. The people there walk around barefootedly, and their filthy clothes remained unchanged. The communication lines that have been severed in the process has only made relief operations worse.

On a bright note, search and rescue officials have been able to dig up survivors after up to six days being buried under the rubble, with most of them surviving without food and water. However, in some cases, those trapped have been said to have sent out text messages via SMS to say they were trapped, whilst others that were trapped under supermarkets survived on the foodstuff from there.

Scientists, geologists and meteorologists of the highest order have been incapable to exactly pinpoint when and where are earthquakes bound to strike. So has been the case here. Again, “If only...”.

Whatever it is, this earthquake has resulted in a comparatively extensive damage for a 7.0 quake as the structure of the buildings are not as strong as those in earthquake prone areas such as Japan and Indonesia.

The truth is, many of us think, “Pity those who have been hit. Why do they need to suffer like this?” It is only natural for us to think in such a manner, but nobody, not even a single soul, can actually go against the will of God. Whatever that has happened has its own reasons, for God does things in peculiar fashions that are unknown to us humans. We can only pray for the goodwill of all.

Do you think it is possible to predict earthquakes? How can we help these people? What happens to them next? Feel free to share your thoughts.

*Pictures credited to Cnn.com

The Paradox of our Times

I came across this poem written by the Dalai Lama quite some time back. Truth be told, this is one of the most meaningful poem that I have read throughout my entire life. Therefore, I hope you would have a look at this poem and then ponder on what has been said - whether is this the chasm enveloping the human race or plain rubbish. You decide for yourself.

The poem is as follows:

We have taller buildings, but shorter tempers

Wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints

We spend more, but we have less

We have bigger houses, but smaller families

More conveniences, but less time

We have more degrees, but less sense

More knowledge, but less judgment

More experts, but more problems

More medicines, but less wellness

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values

We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often

We have learnt how to make a living, but not a life

We have added years to life, but not life to years

We’ve been all the way to the moon and back

But have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbour

We have conquered outer space, but not inner space

We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted our soul

We’ve split the atom, but not our prejudice

We’ve higher incomes, but lower morals

We’ve become long on quantity but short on quality

These are the times of tall men, and short character

Steep profits, and shallow relationships

These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare

More leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition

These are the days of two incomes, but more divorces

Of fancier houses, but broken homes

It is a time when there is much in the show window

And nothing in the stockroom

A time when technology can bring this letter to you

And a time when you can choose

Either to make a difference.... or just hit, delete.

 

By His Holiness, the Dalai Lama

Niexter's First Anniversary

Today, I would like to blog on an entry commemorating the First Anniversary of Niexter, a newspaper pull-out which was initiated a year or so ago. Just as today’s Niexter issue is centred around this topic, I guess my blog post should be too.

First things first, let me answer a question that might quite possibly be bothering you – What is Niexter? A brief official description of Niexter is as follows:

 “Niexter is a teen lifestyle pullout of the New Straits Times, published every Thursdays. Niexter is put together by teen editorial teams who decide on the content of each week’s issue, contact their peers across the country to assign stories and eventually submit their weekly issue for production.”

Now, that is an official description of Niexter. Let me give my side of the story, and share my personal experiences as I am a return writer of Niexter as well as me sort of ‘religiously’ reading the pullout every Thursdays.

Niexter is basically a ‘by teens, for teens’ pullout. When I first caught the sight of a Niexter paper sometime early last year, I was awed by the awesome talents showcased by each and every one of the young-blooded writers. Back then, I used to think to myself, “I am gonna be writing in there someday.”

Niexter cover dated 14 January 2010

As weeks passed, and then months, the chances of me writing in Niexter looked pretty bleak, for the simple reason that I didn’t take the initiative, and be proactive, in finding out how could I contribute. However, at the same time, one of my friends, Angert, used to write quite regularly. I used to ask him how come he could write in and he said it was because he had gone for the NIE holiday workshops on junior journalism.

Then, things changed mid-July when my school was invited to send a group of students for a creative writing workshop hosted and organised by the NIE department. There, I got in touch with Mr. Francis, to whom I told that I was serious in wanting to write and contribute to Niexter.

But then, for reasons unknown to me – probably due to some complications or misunderstanding of some sort – he did not get back to me. I decided to sit on it until one fine day in September when I said to myself, “If you want to do something, you got to go towards it.”

Therefore, I picked up the phone and called Aunty Mary, who is the NIE Manager. I told her that I was looking at being a part of Niexter and she asked me to send her an e-mail. Before long, I was put on my first assignment that was to interview a group of young budding businessmen. I did two pieces of writing on this and you can find them @ here and here.

Since then, I have written a few more times in Niexter. I wrote on The Rise of Malaysian Motorsports among others and today, a small testimonial to Niexter was featured in the paper too. Now, there are editorial teams so with this, I have the opportunity to meet other fellow Niexters and get a further in-depth experience of what journalism is all about.

My 'testimonial' in Niexter on Niexter!

One year can seem to be a short period of time, but the obvious benefits of Niexter are that it provides the platform for teenagers and young-adults like me to experience journalism at first hand, interview prominent individuals and also be featured in the newspaper. So, if you haven’t read Niexter, break the duck. And if you have the aspirations to contribute, get in touch with the NIE department.

I would sincerely like to wish Niexter a Happy First Anniversary, Happy Birthday, and anything else to that tune. I hope that Niexter will continue to serve its purposes well and be a phenomenon among teens from all over the country in the years to come.

My First Blogging Recognition

Just like how an average human being would feel, I always wanted myself to be featured in the newspapers – be it me writing an article or an article being written about me. Either way, by any of the two methods above, you will get recognition and stuff like that from the public.

The first one, writing an article, was settled last year November. I had my debut articles in the NST’s pullout Niexter, a pullout for teens by us teens. Since then, I have written consistently and I really love it.

That left the second option – that is being written about, yet to be completed. If you asked me a year ago if it was possible for me to be featured in any newspaper for that matter in the foreseeable future, my answer would have been an obvious NO.

But, somehow or another, I have been featured in the Star newspaper, and of all the worldly reasons, for my blog. The truth is I just started blogging just a little more than 2 months back. Being featured as a blogger in the Star newspaper’s R.AGE pullout and website is a great honour to me. It is, as I would say, a prelude, or rather a stepping stone to greater achievements in the near-future.

The column in R.AGE where bloggers are featured.

(Click for a better view)

As my blog is featured on R.AGE's website

How did I manage to do it? Come to think of it, it did not require much work. One day, I came upon Niki Cheong’s blog, and he happens to be one of those in charge of the R.AGE issue that is published every Wednesdays in StarTwo.

As I regularly visited his blog, I used to explore the other features too. And while surfing, I came across R.AGE. I am not a Star newspaper subscriber, so I didn’t know anything about it. From there, I visited R.AGE’s website, @ http://www.rage.com.my/ , and saw the featured bloggers column.

I thought why not give it a try eh? It would be cool to be featured in the papers. So I wrote in a brief e-mail, and not too long later, I got a reply from Niki stating I had successfully been chosen as this week’s featured blogger. He asked me to give a brief description of myself and what-not so that was about it.

This is my first blogging achievement, and I most definitely hope not my last. Additionally, I keep my fingers crossed I got featured on merit – not because of petty reasons such as nobody else sent in their blog for consideration. I mean, come on. That would be a far too lame reason to be featured!

Now that in two months I have got my first major mainstream recognition, I hope to keep this run going. It is my sincere hope that I get featured as Nuffnang’s blogger of the month sometime soon. I sent in my blog for consideration sometime back so I’ll just have to wait and see.

This recognition from R.AGE will come a long way in helping me to become an established blogger. I know it for a fact that if I can keep on writing productive reader-friendly stuff, the visitors will stream in, and together with that, bigger blog-related awards.

Till then, many thanks to Niki Cheong and those behind R.AGE for giving me this invaluable opportunity to get featured in the newspaper.

A Singer Like No Other

Ever heard of songs such as ‘How Do You Do’, ‘Hold On’, ‘Runaway’, or ‘Why You Had To Leave’? I guess the answer is a blank NO! Well, that is only to be expected as I do not blame you for these are songs that I find to be the ‘best of the best’, so to say, but sung by a not-so-popular artist named Cascada.

Though it is remotely possible that you may have heard of Cascada, but it is all too common that most people know her for her hits only, namely ‘Everytime We Touch’ and ‘Evacuate The Dancefloor’ that have made it to mainstream channels that play music such as radio FM’s and television programmes such as MTV Hits.

Truth be told, I am no music maniac. I listen rarely to music, and am not overtly obsessed over it. But during those rare times that I listen to my music playlist, it is constituted of mainly all her songs. Her style of singing is genrely classified as Eurodance and electronic, with awesome fast beats and engaging choruses, but maybe with lyrics lacking in deep meanings.

Actually, I have been disseminating some wrong information here. And this fact – I am sure none of you are aware of. Cascada is not a female artist’s name. I repeat, Cascada is not a female artist’s name.

All along the way, I thought it was a solo thing done by her only. Indeed, Cascada is a band’s name, made up of vocalist Natalie Horler who is widely perceived to be Cascada herself, and Yann Peifer and DJ Manian, who are German producers.

Still, it makes me wonder why is it a band, and not a solo act as I have never heard the two producers sing. To make matters easy though, Cascada = Natalie Horler. So, when I speak of Cascada, it simply means I am speaking of the German-born Natalie.

She debuted with the album Everytime We Touch in the year 2004, and her hit single is of the same name too. This album is made up of 14 tracks. This was rated the best dance album of the year 2006. For me, I like the hit single, along with How Do You Do, A Neverending Dream, One More Night and Wouldn’t It Be Good.

Next, after finding her footing in the music industry, she released her second album, titled ‘Perfect Day’. This album had many versions and each version had a song that other versions didn’t have, but roughly, there were 13 tracks with a further 3 bonus ones. My favourite tracks from this albums are Runaway, I Will Believe It and Could It Be You.

Then, late last year, she released her latest album, titled ‘Evacuate The Dancefloor’, which is also the title of her hit single. But any avid Cascada fan can tell that she took a different approach for this album made up of 11 tracks as her songs had a different feel to it. I , for one, do not find her hit single good. However, I do like the other practically unknown tracks such as Hold On and Breathless.

I got to know of Cascada from a CD that I bought in the year 2006, and since then, I have grown to like her songs more and more. But what perplexes me is that not many know of her and her masterpieces, or so I think. She deserves more recognition, that’s for sure. And she also deserves to win some Grammy Awards, at least for dance hits.

So, if you haven’t had the pleasure to listen to some of her amazing work, I reckon you download some of her songs right away. And I’d be prepared to get booed of you find her songs tantamount to nonsense or anything of that sort.

When Religion is Politicised

Mark the day 8th of January as a shameful day for Malaysians on the whole. Well, mark it as the day when a religious and theological issue was politicised by anonymous individuals or parties to fuel their own political mileage and aspirations. And mark it as the day when the infantile concept of 1Malaysia was nullified by the irresponsibility’s of certain people.

On this day, there were at least three known attacks on churches around the Klang Valley region. In one of the churches, the ground floor was destroyed by fire as a result of arson whilst at the other two churches situated in Petaling Jaya, firebombs were thrown into the compound of the churches but luckily they ceased to explode.

This whole problem stemmed from the fact that a court ruled that a Catholic newspaper could use the word ‘Allah’, the Muslim pronunciation of God, in their Malay-language publication. This led to widespread discontent and furore amongst the Muslim community upon hearing the court’s ruling.

It is for everyone to see that those responsible for the attacks acted in a very unprofessional, hostile manner. There could have been an amicable roundtable discussion on this issue. But no. First, there were threats of all sorts. And then, this minor group of hard-line but disillusionised Muslims did the unthinkable – attaching the Christians places of worship.

What I find baffling the most is the fact that the more ultra-Islamic political party, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), downplayed the significance of the court’s ruling. The party President was of the opinion that the word ‘Allah’ is not necessarily reserved for the Muslims only. After learning of the attacks, he remarked, “Where did they learn this from?”

In addition to that, the Malaysian Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, also urged for calm among the Muslim community. Before the attacks, he reminded the Muslims to respect all other religions and to act in a responsible and noble manner.

So, how on Earth has this small problem regarding the legal use of ‘Allah’ in a Catholic newspaper spiral into a full-blown crisis? For one, surely the mentality of the certain individuals and groups who resist the ruling is a little ‘immature’ and ‘childish’. And then, there was the instigating and hyping of this issue by certain parties that probably led to the attacks being carried out.

The most obvious conclusion that people get to regarding this matter, especially those whom I have spoken too, is that this is all done in the name of politics. It would be hard to exactly pin-point a certain individual in this case, but the general theory and idea is there.

As we all are aware of, every religion preaches this set of basic virtues – respect other people’s religion, love one another and do not politicise religious issues. The million dollar question here is – if that is the case, why did they do it? Perhaps, the answer is that they aren’t the Muslims who are God-fearing as they claim to be.

What is your take on the matter? Was it avoidable? Is this the start of something much bigger in scale? Drop some comments to articulate your points.

The Inspiring Story of a Frog: Part 2

Click HERE to read Part 1

...But one thing shook the world. It was affirmed that Dr. Green had breathed his last after selflessly trying to save his comrades in the seconds before the disaster struck. The frog community on the whole struggled to grip with that news, especially since it was pre-meditated that he would lead us all.

In the meantime, I grew curious towards my new surroundings. I was hopping around busy exploring the vast extent of the land when I suddenly fell into a deep ravine. I guess I got knocked out instantly then. After being unconscious for quite some time, I made my way back home feeling all giddy.

Shocked I was to learn that I was perceived dead – for I hadn’t returned for over a day! I couldn’t remember the incident much, and I also did not suffer any notable injury to my body. But there was something wrong with me, definitely, but I dared not tell anyone and I kept that a secret for the time being.

Over at the government headquarters of Froggerland, the leaders of the land squabbled and bickered for the top post in the government now that Dr. Green had breathed his last. There was a whole lot of brouhaha, and law and order was the last thing on their mind.

Amid the intense politicking, one of the more established frogs suggested a fair and square solution to the problem. I read his statement in the Froggerland Times. Said he, “Now, everyone is squabbling over the top post of the government. Every frog is to itself. I reckon a race to the top of the tallest of the High-Rise trees deep in the jungles of the land.”

It seemed to not only me, but to many others too, that he was insane. How on Earth was a damn race going to help in choosing a suitable Prime Minister candidate? But as a few days passed, and no other probable solution was aired out by anybody, people started thinking this was the best way out to end the nonsense.

At the same time, I was getting more worried by the day over my condition that didn’t seem to improve. Yet, I was grateful that no one else realised it. I still went about my normal life, and ran the errands that my mother asked of me. And then, my mother dropped a bombshell, “My dear son, I want you to go for that race!”

I paid no heed to her. Duh! So, she grabbed me by the arm and shoved the newspaper into my face, pointing her finger to the front-page article that it was confirmed the race would be held over the weekend and the winner will hold the top office in Froggerland.

At that instant, I understood what she was saying. But me? I felt a large weight crushing on my shoulders. I wanted to run away, because I thought I was going to lose badly and it would do no good, instead harm, to my image in the general public.

How do you find the first two parts of the story so far? Your opinions are highly valued.

A Stampy Love Affair

I came across this riddle some time back: “What travels around the world but always stays in the corner?” The answer to that question is: “Stamps”. Well, that is not entirely true in this era of the modernised world as no longer are stamps used collectively on letters and postcards. Come on – it is the era of chop and post.

As you should know, collecting stamps is a very popular hobby, although its popularity is dying day by day. People have been collecting stamps for roughly 160 years to put it to perspective. Those who are stamp collectors are known as ‘philatelists’ in stamp terminology whilst stamps and its by-products are classified as ‘philatelic items’.

Quoting Wikipedia.com, “Stamp collectors are an important source of revenue for some small countries who create limited runs of elaborate stamps designed mainly to be bought by stamp collectors. The hundreds of countries, each producing scores of different stamps each year, resulted in 400,000 types of stamp by 2000. Annual world output averages about 10,000 types.”

Although the exact person or year as to when stamps were first created, the timeframe is roughly around year 1835-1840. At first, these stamps were meant only to cover postage costs. But sooner than later, people started developing an art of collecting it, and before long, it was a hobby. Stamps ranging from those days fetch upwards of millions of dollars during auctions.

I am an avid stamp collector, or at least I used to be one. I have quite a commendable collection as I have stamps from wide and afar coming from different time-spans. I used to be very ‘into’ stamp collecting a few years back but now as I am growing up, I have toned down. That doesn’t mean though that I don’t care about stamps at all now.

Collecting stamps probably runs in my family’s blood. My grandfather used to collect stamps when he was young, and my father and his brothers inherited the same hobby from my grandfather. Now, I and my cousins continue that tradition.

Most of the local Malaysian stamps that I have in my collection are all from my father, my aunty from New Zealand, another aunty from the UK and a few other people. I am more serious to the unused (mint) stamps and first-day covers collections although I have a few albums of used postage stamps.

Here, I have compiled some pictures on the array of stamps that I have in my collection and have described the different types of stamp and its related products that you may come across.. Do have a look at them and click the pictures to ENLARGE.

My stamp album. I keep the stamps in a special black sheet that makes the stamps last long and the are two layers of plastic protection. To the left are stamps from Malaysia whilst to the right are stamps from other parts of the world.

This is a souvenir stamp sheet that is usually printed out on special occasions. This particular one features the winning faces of the Australian athletes from the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

This is a miniature sheet. Usually, the stamp value of a miniature sheet is higher than that of a normal stamp. However, this cannot be used for postage purposes as it is for the sole purpose of collecting only.

This is what is called a first day cover. In most countries, this special envolope bearing a unique chop is only available on the first day of the release of new stamps.

This Lord of the Rings first day cover is my all-time favourite. It has become a very rare collectors item and one piece of this can fetch upwards of RM150 if I were to sell (of course not!) .

This is a stamp sheet. The stamps are still attached to their original source and have not been torn as of yet. A stamp sheet usually contains stamps of the same denominations.

This is a stamp booklet. In Malaysia, there are only 2-3 stamps booklets published each year. This particular stamp booklet commemorates the initiation of the 1Malaysia initiative.

Some King Kong, Disney, Singapore F1, Olympic sports, Changi Airport and Motorbike stamps from my album.

Another shot from my album featuring 100 years of FIFA and England's Ashes triumph over Australia among others.

That is it from me for now. I can go on putting countless other pics but I guess this will do the trick. So, do you also collect stamps? If not, then what are your hobbies? Do leave a comment to share your thoughts.