metallurgistguy

The Full Sukarno`s Speech of The Declaration of Independence

2009-08-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

Time has been passing by very quickly since 17th of August 1945. Now it has been 64 years since the declaration of independence was proclaimed. Speaking about the declaration of independence, some of us maybe puzzled with the simplicity of the proclamation text. Especially recalling that Sukarno was known as great orator. Hence, in my opinion, it is not too much for us to expect a more "heroic declaration", isn`t it?

Actually Sukarno did say something before and after reading the proclamation text. The full text of the speech wasn`t published widely due to some unclear reasons. According to the famous Indonesianist from Cornell University, George McKahin, it was done to prevent harsh respond from the Japanese army and the military police/kenpentai who had nearly zero tolerance for any assertive Indonesian nationalism. The full text of the speech was obtained by Kahin from Haji Agus Salim, The minister of foreign affairs, in 1948 along with its English translation. Unfortunately in his publication, Kahin only quoted the English translation only. Nevertheless, the English translation is quite sufficient if we want to know at large about the Soekarno`s speech.

Here is the English translation of the speech

Brothers and Sisters All!

I have asked you to be in attendance here in order to witness an event in our history of the utmost importance.

For decades we, the People of Indonesia, have struggled for the freedom of our country—even for hundreds of years!

There have been waves in our actions to win independence which rose, and there have been those that fell, but our spirit still was set in the direction of our ideals.

Also during the Japanese period our efforts to achieve national independence never ceased. In this Japanese period it merely appeared that we leant upon them. But fundamentally, we still continued to build up our own powers, we still believed in our own strengths.

Now has come the moment when truly we take the fate of our actions and the fate of our country into our own hands. Only a nation bold enough to take its fate into its own hands will be able to stand in strength.

Therefore last night we had deliberations with prominent Indonesians from all over Indonesia. That deliberative gathering was unanimously of the opinion that NOW has come the time to declare our independence.

Brothers and Sisters:

Herewith we declare the solidarity of that determination.

Listen to our proclamation:

PROCLAMATION
WE THE PEOPLE OF INDONESIA HEREBY DECLARE THE INDEPENDENCE OF
INDONESIA. MATTERS WHICH CONCERN THE TRANSFER OF POWER AND
OTHER THINGS WILL BE EXECUTED BY CAREFUL MEANS AND IN THE
SHORTEST POSSIBLE TIME.
DJAKARTA, 17 AUGUST 1945
IN THE NAME OF THE PEOPLE OF INDONESIA
SUKARNO—HATTA

So it is, Brothers and Sisters!

We are now already free!

There is not another single tie binding our country and our people!

As from this moment we build our state. A free state, the State of the Republic of Indonesia—evermore and eternally independent. Allah willing, God blesses and makes safe this independence of ours!

Merdeka !! ^_^

Reference
Kahin, G. 2000. Sukarno Proclamation of The Indonesian Independence. Indonesia: volume 69. South East Asia Program Publication. Cornell University

The AURI strikes back !

2009-07-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

Our air force began with one pilot and a handful of junked Dutch planes. Volunteers were put through a rigorous examination. The sole question asked was "would you dare go up in our planes?" If they answered "yes". They were inducted into the air force
(Soekarno : An Autobiography page 243)

It was still a foggy dawn on 29th of July 1947 when roaring engines sound of two modified Curen basic trainers and a Guntei dive bombers owned by the Indonesian Air Force (AURI) suddenly emerged at Maguwo airfield. The three airplanes were going to perform a bombing mission against dutch-occupied targets as a revenge for their millitary agression 8 days earlier. As time went to 5 am, the planes started leaving the runaway to the Jogja sky. The Guntei crewed by flight cadet Muljono as pilot and Dulrachman as his gunner took off first and headed toward Semarang. Then followed by the first Curen, piloted by flight cadet Sutardjo Sigit with a gunner also named Sutardjo, aimed for Salatiga. Lastly the second curen, piloted by flight cadet Suharnoko Harbani with Kaput as his gunner, went off toward Ambarawa.

The Curen airplanes, one of the planes that participated in the air raid

The Curen airplanes were originally made as basic trainer with minimum equipments that technically ruled them out for a combat mission. Standard equipment such as navigational equipment, radio for communication purpose and even signal lamps couldn`t be found aboard. The airmen were only given portable flashlights as a communication device as well as search light as replacement. on the other hand, the pilots were only flight cadet with no night flight and combat experiences. And to make it worse, there were chances that they could be intercepted by the more superior P-40 kitty hawk fighter of the Dutch air force. Hence, it could be said that it was such a high risk (if not nearly suicidal) mission. Despite such obstacles, the mission had to go on.

Airmen of The 29th July 1947 Air Raid (R-L : cadet Suharnoko Harbani, cadet Sutardjo Sigit,cadet Mulyono, Kaput, Abdulrachman and Sutardjo)

The first Curen that went to Salatiga had it own story regarding the mission. Due to some technical difficulties at the time of plane modification, this curen couldn`t be armed with machine gun to defend itself. So Sutardjo the gunner only had manually thrown incendiary bombs at his disposal which was rather difficult to use against agile fighters (such as P-40 Kitty Hawks). The Curen had three bomb handles located at the left side of the pilot seat. The red handle would release one set of bombs which was placed at container below the left wing while the second handle with green colour woluld release set of bombs under the right wing. The third handle, coloured yellow, would release another set of bombs simultaneously at the right and left wing of the airplane.

As the plane approached its target at Salatiga, it began conducting diving maneuver to bomb the target. The first bomb on the left wing was successfully release and hit the target. However the green handle was broken because the wooden handle had decayed and to make it worse, the same thing also occured with the yellow handle. in that critical situation, the flight cadet Sutardjo Sigit managed to reach wires that connect the handles with the bombs. In that split seconds, he managed to pull altogether the wires and triggered the bomb`s release mechanism. After the mission had been accomplished, the curen flew back to Maguwo and successfully avoided being intercepted by Dutch`s Kitty Hawk by flying low several metres above trees. The other two planes also manage to finish their mission and landed safely at Maguwo. The airplanes then rushed into their hideout at the vicinity of Maguwo to prevent its destruction from retaliation attack by the Dutch. As predicted, The Dutch indeed attacked the Maguwo Airfield and done some damages to the airfield facilities. Fortunately, none was killed.

Sadly, the joy wasn`t last long. In the evening, the Dutch Kitty Hawks shot down a C-47 Dakota VT-CLA which carried medicine from Malaya Red Cross for Indonesian Red Cross. The plane then crashed at Ngoto village on the westside of Maguwo airfield. The crash casualities included three air force officer; commodore Adi Sucipto, commodore Abdur Rahman Saleh and officer(?) Adi Sumarmo; Zainal Arifin (Indonesian trade consul for Malaya) along with the air crews of the Dakota.

The fateful C-47 Dakota VT -CLA who was shotdown near Maguwo Airfield

The raid mission by the Guntei and Curen airplanes might be only did minimum damage to the Dutch facilities due to the insignificant number of planes involved. Nevertheless it succeeded in giving them physcological shock because they didn`t even think the Indonesian Air Force had the ability to conduct an air raid against them. On the opposite side, the raid significantly boosted the moral of the Indonesian armed forces after the Dutch millitary agresion on 21st of July (especially AURI that had lost most of its plane) and proved their bravery and determination despite numerous limitation. To commemorate the raid and the tragedy of Dakota C-47, started from 29 thJuly 1961, the day was enacted as the service day of the air force (Hari Bhakti Angkatan Udara)

Reference and Further Reading
Tabloid Patriot, August 2006 edition
Hari Bhakti Angkatan Udara on Official website of TNI AU
Irna A.N et al. Awal Kerdigantaraan di Indonesia; Perjuangan AURI (1945-1950) Penerbit Obor

The National Awakening Day-Is it 20th May or 16th October ?

2009-05-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

For 101 years, Boedi Utomo has been regarded as The pioneer of Nationalist movement in Indonesia that lead to the Independence of Indonesia on 17th of August 1945. Thus its founding day on 20th of May is widely celebrated as The National Awakening Day (of Indonesian Nationalist Movement). However it becomes many people concern regarding on whether they were the first nationalist organization. On the other hand, the nature of Boedi Oetomo itself promote another question on whether it was really a nationalist movement after all?

As you already know, Boedi Utomo was founded on 20th of May 1908 by Dr Sutomo and his friends from School of Medicine STOVIA. Raden T Tirtokusumo, The regent of Karangayar , was elected as the first chief until 1911 and then he was succeeded by Arjo Noto Dirojo, a Prince from Pakualaman Palace. The first Congress of Boedi Oetomo on July 1908 described the nature of the the organization as :

Focus in education, training and ethic
Provides and collects scholarship (studie fonds)
Apolitical
Accepts member from Java and Madura only

The First Boedi Oetomo Congress on July 1908 (Source : Lowensteyn.com)

Savitri Prasisti Scherer wrote in her (well looks like a woman name for me :P) thesis in 1975 at Cornell University about the main idea behind the foundation of Boedi Oetomo. She described the confrontation (or feeling of inequality to be precised) occured in Java between two upper classes, i.e. Noblemen versus intellectuals (notably medical doctors). Learning the situation, Dr Sutomo found the organization in order to give confidence or feeling of equality to his doctor colleagues in front of the noblemen of Java. Furthermore Suwarno, the secretary of Boedi Oetomo in Batavia Branch issued a writing to explain the objective behind the founding of Boedi Oetomo, the objective turned out to be the pioneer of Java Unity (Algemeene Javaansche Bond)

After learning the nature of Boedi Oetomo and the objective of its founding, many people question the wisdom behind the appointment of 20th of May as The National Awakening Day. Especially if there was another organization that were founded before 1908 and showed the nature of a pioneer of Indonesian nationalist movement. The organization is Sarekat Dagang Islam which was founded 3 years before Boedi Oetomo on 16th of October 1905 and later evolved to Sarekat Islam on 1911.

In his book “Syarikat Islam Bukan Budi Utomo: Meluruskan Sejarah Pergerakan Bangsa", KH Firdaus AN revealed the inclusiveness of Syarikat Islam by pointing out the multirace leadership of Syarikat Islam that consisted of Hj Samanhudi, HOS Tjokroaminoto (both are Javanese), Abdoel Moeis, Agus Salim (both are West Sumatranese) and AM Sangaji (Ambonese). However, the nature of the organization itself is quite interesting. Initially, the organization was cautious to confront the Dutch Colonial Government, as stated by Tjokroaminoto himself at the first Sarekat Islam Congress in 1913

First Sarekat Islam Congress in 1913 (Source : Lowensteyn.com)

"We are loyal toward the Government; we are satisfied with the Dutch Government; it is not true that we want to fight; he who says so or thinks so, is not sane, we don't want to fight, a thousand times, NO! The Sarekat Islam is not a political party; it is not a party that wants revolution, as many think."

However, as the time went by and the strength of Sarekat Islam grew to 800.000 members, (other source only mentions around 300.000 members) in 1917-1918 they began openly critical to the Dutch Colonial Government and became a non-cooperative movement.

The history book on the shelf is always repeating itself, ABBA said :D So after more than 60 years since it was first celebrated on 20th of May 1948, will we repeat it again after this year?
Only time will tell...

Reference and Further Reading

Boedi Oetomo, Syarikat Islam dan Kebangkitan Nasional
Seabad Boedi Oetomo-Tepatkah 20 Mei Jadi Harkitnas?
Seratus tahun Boedi Oetomo
Kenapa Menggugat Boedi Oetomo?
The Sarekat Islam by Peter Lowensteyn
Kebangkitan Nasional atau Kebangkitan Elit Jawa?

The Dream of Great Nusantara

2009-05-04T00:52:00.000-07:00

Imagine a large country in South East Asia that combine the area of present Indonesia, Malaysia ,Singapore and the southern provinces of Thailand. The country also has full jurisdiction over strait of Malacca, one of the busiest oil choke points in the world. It seems like a purely daydream in present situation. However at one time, there were efforts to establish the dream.

It was started when The Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 and The Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 were signed. The treaties officially divided the Nusantara or the Malay world into Malaya Peninsular which was ruled by Great Britain, The Dutch East Indies (later become Indonesia) which was ruled by The Netherlands and southern Thailand provinces. The treaty itself only involved The Netherlands, Great Britain and Siamese Kingdom without any support from the Malay as the indigenous community. Moreover, although there was a dividing line between the communities from both areas, they shared many similarities in term of languages, cultures and religion.

Time went by and nationalism start to grow at both areas. Indonesia experienced it first at 1900`s, marked by Sarekat Dagang Islam which later evolved to Sarekat Islam (sorry, I believe Budi Utomo didn`t promote national awakening of Indonesia :D) and reached its peak at 1920`s with the emergence of Sukarno as the de facto nationalist leader. Most Indonesian nationalists promoted the Independence of Indonesia through non cooperation way and was considered radical by the Dutch colonial government. Their acts inspired many students at Malaya Peninsular, especially the students at Sultan Idris Training College (SITC) who was dubbed as The birthplace of Malay Nationalism. The students, led by Ibrahim Yaacob, began subscribing to Indonesian periodicals like the Fikiran Rakyat (’People’s Thought’) and they even individually joined Sukarno’s Nationalist Party (Partai Nasional Indonesia, PNI) in secret. Since then, they became the nucleus of non aristocrat intellectuals with strong anti British tendency and also critical to their upper class British educated counterparts

Later on, in conjuction with their strong anti colonialist sentiment, they began to write and speak about the need to free people of Nusantara (in this context only refer to Indonesia and Malaya peninsula) from colonialism and re-unite them under the banner of a unitary political entity of `Greater Malay`. Some other sources refer the union to 'Greater Indonesia', however I prefer `Greater Nusantara' which seems neutral compare to the previous two terms :D. Other than Ibrahim Yaacob and his coleagues, the Indonesian and Malay student at Al Azhar University Cairo also voiced the same idea through their journals, "Seruan Azhar" and "Pilihan Timoer".

Ibrahim Yaakob and his colleagues pursue the idea of Greater Nusantara through Kesatuan Melayu Muda which was found at 1938, then KRIS (Kesatuan Rakyat Indonesia Semenanjung) after KMM was disbanded by the Japanese and finally later through PKMM (Partai Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya) after the WW II over. One of their effort was to let the Indonesian nationalist knew about their plan. It was not widely known in Indonesia that upon completing their journey to meet Admiral Terauchi in Dalat, Sukarno-Hatta stopped at Taiping, Perak and met with Ibrahim Yaakob. In his book, "Sekitar Malaya Merdeka", he described the meeting as followed :

In their talks, Soekarno who accompanied Hatta shook Ibrahim’s hand and said: “Let’s create one motherland for those of Indonesian stock.” Ibrahim Yaacob replied: “We Malays will faithfully create the motherland by uniting Malaya with an independent Indonesia (Translated by Soh Byungkuk)

After Indonesia declared their Independence at 17th August 1945, the dream of union was near to become reality when the British introduced The Malaya Union proposal at 10 October 1945. The sentiment against the idea was so strong and forced the Malay community to consider PKMM idea of Greater Nusantara. But the idea finally vanished after the proposal of Malaya federation was accepted by the British and it received the final blow after British captured the key leaders of PKMM due to The Malayan Emergency in 1948.

What went wrong that cause the strugle of Greater Nusantara ended as a failure?
Hmm.. I guess I`ll put it in my next writing.. :P

References and further reading
The Broken Dream of Malaya Raya by Farish A Noor
Ideals Without Heat: Indonesia Raya and The Strugle for Independence in Malaya (1920-1948) by Soh Byungkuk
Soekarno-Ibrahim in Taiping by Rosihan Anwar
William Roff, 1967, The Origins of Malay Nationalism, New Haven: Yale University Press

The Story of Our Stories

2009-04-16T20:06:00.000-07:00

Most of us (or should I say everyone?) love stories. Our early years begin with stories told by our parent, grandparents, other relatives, story tellers, cartoons on TV, etc. We also practice our A,B,C mainly by reading simple stories and not books about management or phase transformation in metals :P And finally as we grow up and understand life better, we renew our interest in stories by acknowledging that we are indeed hold a leading role in a story. The story of our life.

What kind of story do you have?

Is it full of happiness as in fairy tales or full of misery and tragedy as in Hamlet? Is it interesting, full of twists and turns as in The Usual Suspect or boring as life in Island of Utopia? Is it full of glory and triumph as in biography of Khalid ibn Walid or heroic but tragic as in biography of Michael Collins ? (the Irish patriot of course, not the astronaut :D). Is it as predictable as the big four in English Premier League or is it as unpredictable as the big four in Indonesian Premier League? :))

One for sure, it is unique. Your story is different from the rest of the world. Why? Because you are the main actor and as an entity, you are different from the others. That uniqueness make some of us lucky enough to have their story published in a "based on a true story" movies or novels and make a good amount of fortune from that :D

A well-known proverb said that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. That greedy side of human being is the reason why some of us wish to have other person`s story that appears better than ours. The question is, will it suits us? will we be happy in our new story as we expected? Nobody can guarantee that.

On the other hand, there are people who always complaining about their stories. They tell everyone as if they are the most unfortunate creature in the universe. Well.. I should say they are right, as long as they think so about themselves. But the truth is, If one of this "miserable creature" could see this sentence, they are actually part of 23.52 % of world population that is so fortunate to enjoy the benefit of internet connection. Furthermore, I would say to this creature to open their eyes and see other benefits that they have taken for granted all this time. Hence hopefully they will think that their stories aren`t that bad. Hopefully.... :D Anyway, if they choose to remain eternally miserable, it`s not a problem for me. It is their stories after all :P

For me, if someone asks me about my story, I will answer that it is indeed a great story! :)

Leo Tolstoy-What Men Live By? (Part 2)

2009-03-19T21:22:00.000-07:00

Finally.. another weekend :D so I can continue the interrupted story from last weekend :P. Anyway.. Where were I stopped last weekend? Oh.. ok I stopped at the three questions

1. What dwells in man?
2. What is not given to man?
3. What men live by?

What dwells in man?
It is love.

At the first encounter with Simon and also Matryona, Michael could only saw and learned their egoistic side. He saw that their face looked terrible and covered with death. However, both of them quickly realized their mistake and start to aware of Michael`s suffering. Then Michael saw changes on their face. Death no longer dwelt on their face and he could felt love that originated from God. Thus he smiled for having found out the answer of the question.

I believe God has created human of the best stature (Qur`an 95:4) and love become an inseparable part of it. But somehow often our prejudice prevail over our sense of love, such as demonstrated by Simon and his wife in their first meeting with Michael. Moreover, more than once we (Especially myself -_-) mismanage our love. Blind love only lead to disaster

What is not given to man
It is to know his own needs (in the future)

In the story, the man who came to Simon workshop had expected that he will have shoes that last for a year. He even threatened driving Simon to jail if his work cannot last for that duration of time. However, Michael knew that the man would die before sunset because he saw his comrade, angel of death, followed the man. Michael smiled because the man hadn`t known his own need in the future. It was slippers instead of boots that he really needed in the future

We often act like the man. We plan what we will do in the future but we forget that the future is still beyond our reach. Does our plan suit our need in the future? Will it be good for us in the future or will it ruin us?

In the midst of this uncertainty, there is a glimmer of hope. A hope that is described as "mellow light coming from beyond pessimism" and "heroic feeling of not of a hero but of an ordinary man who has done his duty and accepted his destiny" by Alija Ali Izetbegovic, former president of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is called submission to God or "tawakal" in other word.

In conclusion, there is nothing wrong in planning our future. It is even said that failure in making plan means we plan our failure. Nevertheless, it must be remembered that after all things have been planned, we submit ourself to God and hope that our plan will suit our need in the future. Or we hope that God will replaces it with the better one.

What men live by
It is live by God

Near the end of the story, we learn that Michael was punished for refusing to take the twins mother life. He felt worry because he had thought the twins wouldn`t survive without their mother. However it turned out that God had other and even better plan for the twins. After heard the Lady`s story, Michael smiled and realized the truth behind the old proverb which says "One may live without father or mother, but one cannot live without God"

The question on what we live by has strong connection with another question, that is what we live for. In every journey there is destination. In every task, there is objective to fulfill. And the same thing also apply to more general case, the human life, it must also has a goal. It might starts with short term goal and then moves to mid term goal, long term goal, and so on. Finally after all of these can be achieved, questions will start to emerge.

"Is it all?"
"have we achieved our goal in life?"

As a Moslem, we should know the answer of these big question in life. It has already been written in our guide book, the Qur`an

"And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should serve Me"
(Qur`an 51:56)

To be a good servant of God, that is the answer. The goal has deeper meaning more than just doing daily routine prays. It has concern with every aspects of our life. How do we do our work everyday, deal with other people, eat, sleep, make a family, and much more. These activities must be done based on our goal, which is to be a good servant of God. By knowing the answer on how we live for, the reason behind why we must live by God could be more understood.

I found this story is enlightening through the three questions. However it should be noted that according to Islam, angel wouldn`t disobey God`s order. And the idea of "He who has love, is in God, and God is in him" is alien in Islam because the creator an the created one must be in different entity. Nevertheless, it is still a good story to contemplate ;)

Reference
- Al Qur`anul Karim (English translation by Yusuf Ali, Pickthal and Shakir)
- Izetbegovic, Alija. 1989. Islam Between East and West. Indianapolis American Trust Publications.
- What Men Live By in Project Gutenberg.org

Leo Tolstoy-What Men Live By? (Part 1)

2009-03-14T03:19:00.000-07:00

What Men Live By is one of Leo Tolstoy`s short stories. I remember read it for the first time in one big book entitled "Leo Tolstoy Collected Short Stories" (forgot the exact title of the book, but sounds like that :P) which I borrow from ITB library.

It tell us story about Simon the shoemaker who encountered a neglected mysterious man in the middle of cold winter night. He then took the man to his house and got hostile reception from his wife, Matryona, who felt the man as an "additional expense" to their poor family. However Simon successfully persuade Matryona to accept the man presence. Matryona even felt touched with the man`s suffering and became fond of him. After she showed her kindness to the man, Suddenly, the man smile at her.

Simon decided to train the man (who at this time only introduced himself as Michael) as his assistant. Michael proved himself as an skilled assistant and help established Simon reputation as the best shoemaker in the area. Despite this, Michael seemed to have his own world. He rarely talk, joke or laugh. He even never smiled again since he had smiled to Matryona.

One day, A Gentleman came to Simon workshop with a fine leather. He wanted Simon to make him boots that will last for a year. Simon accepted the offer after consulted Michael. Strangely, at one moment, Michael stared at the corner of the workshop right behind the gentleman and suddenly smiled. His second smile after one year working with Simon. After the gentleman had left the workshop, Michael started working with the leather, but instead of making boots, he made slippers. Simon became worried because the gentleman had threatened to punish him if his work weren`t acceptable.However, it turned out that Michael had done the right thing because the gentleman passed away that afternoon and what he need is slippers instead of boots

Year by year passing by, Now he had lived for 6 year with Simon. As previous years, Michael still behave strangely and smiled only twice for all these years. One day a lady with her twin girls came to Simon workshop to have their shoe made by Simon. One of the girls was crippled. At that time, Simon became amazed with attention that Michael gave to the twins as if he had known them before. When Simon asked the Lady about the twins, She explained that they weren`t her daughters. She had adopted them because their mother had died after giving birth while their father had passed away three days before. One of the twins was crippled because her mother incidentally rolled over the baby leg when she was dying. Since then, The lady took them and treat them as if they were her own children. After hearing this, Michael started to smile.. his third smile and led to the conclusion of the story

At the end, it is explained that Michael was an angel who had been punished for disobeying God. He was sent to earth as a human and must learned 3 things before he God forgave him.

1. What dwells in man?
2. What is not given to man?
3. What men live by?

He smiled three times because he had learned the answer for the three questions through his life with Simon and his family.

So what did Michael learn from the three questions?
And also, what have I learned from the three qustions?

Lets find out in my next post.. :P
(It`s already too long for a post, so I think it would be better to separate it into 2 posts.. :D and hopefully I`m not too lazy to write this weekend.. *sigh)

A Contemplation..

2009-03-04T02:48:00.000-08:00

It was 11.30 PM at one rainy night. A man was sitting on balcony of his rent apartment while staring into the rapidly descending path of water. He slowly slurped a glass of hot milk and then put the glass on the balcony wall. His minds flew back few years ago when he had read the hadith for the first time

Ali Bin Abi Talib, The Prophet's cousin and the husband of his daughter Fatimah reported that the during a funeral in what is now known as Jannat-ul-Baqi in Madinah, The Prophet PBUH (Peace Be Upon Him) approached the Companion and sat among them. He had a stick with him and he thoughtfully scratched the earth with it for a while, and then said,“There is not one amongst you for whom a seat in paradise or hell has not been allotted, and about whom it has not been written down whether he would be an evil person or a blessed person”. A companion asked,“Allah’s Messenger, should we not then depend on our destiny and abandon our deeds?” Thereupon, The Prophet PBUH replied,“Acts of everyone will be facilitated in that which has been created for him. So, whoever belongs to the company of the blessed will have good works made easier for him, and whoever belongs to the wretched ones will have evil acts made easier for him.”

The man stood still on the balcony and started questioning himself.

Would he be a part of company of the blessed?
or part of company of the wretched?

He was then contemplating about his destiny and his fate in the afterlife. Would it be like a "choose your own adventure" storybook? He smiled and remembered reading such a book in his boyhood. The book was different from ordinary children storybook. At certain point of the story, he must choose what the main character of the story would do. Would Pinocchio choose to go to the circus instead of going home? or would Pinocchio stayed aboard the ship instead of jump? (He only had Pinocchio in his collection of choose your own adventure book :P) Thus instead of linear storyline, it has multiple storyline and also multiple endings. Then he imagined about his own "choose your own adventure" that God had created for him. The difference is he couldn`t turn back into previous chapter if he had met an unsatisfactory ending..

Flash of memories were passing by inside his head. Some were good, some were bad, some put smile on his lips, some made him closed his eyes and wondering why on earth he had done it. He realized that too many sins he had made... Too many mistakes and blunders he had done.. Too many people had their feeling hurt by him

He felt gloomy.He didn`t know whether he`d be part of company of the blessed with such many sins...

"Khauf wal raja.... fear and hope..." He heard the sound from within himself

"It must be balanced, between fear and hope", he thought. "It is good to worry about my sin but I must try to be an optimist so that I could be better in the future", he talked to himself

He slowly recited the pray,

"God, forgive my sins in the past... It such a plenty of sins that brings me closer to the company of the wretched"

"Help me to distance myself from company of the wretched.. Grant me uneasiness if I close to doing sins"

"Help me to get closer to the company of the blessed.. Grant me easiness to do a good deeds"

"Yaa muqollibal qulub tsabit quluubana ala tho’atika. O, Allah, the turner of the hearts, turn my heart to Thine obedience"

Rain droplets were still falling from the dark cloudy sky.. Droplets by droplets fell as if they recite praises to God..

A Pray for My Brother..

2009-02-22T17:33:00.000-08:00

God..

Please bless his mother in the afterlife
Forgive her sin
and let her children`s pray to flow continuously for her

God..
Please grant him strength
to get through this difficult time
Please grant him patient
so he could think clearly and finish all things that have to be done
please grant him wisdom
so all his little brothers and sisters can follow him as an example

God..
Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help
Keep us on the right path

Dedicated to Roma
my roomate & "big" bro

The Power Game in Perak

2009-02-19T21:12:00.000-08:00

Two nail-biting events marked the onset of year 2009. The first one happened between London-St Petersburg when hard fought negotiation had occurred for almost 1 month to transfer unsettled Andrey Arshavin from Zenit St Petersburg to Arsenal FC. And it ended happily both for Arshavin and Arsenal.

What about the second one?

The second event don`t have any relation at all with football :)) but it occurs also in January and it is still ongoing until now -_-

Like most of commonwealth nations, Malaysia adopts Westminster system which is parliamentary system with monarch as head of state, both in federal government and state governments. So, the government can be replaced if it loses its majority. Therefore by just 3 seats majority, the opposition will only need 2 seats in order to bring down the government through by elections or defections..

It started at March 2008 when The Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition won a slim majority in Perak against UMNO led Barisan Nasional (BN) by merely 3 seats majority. At that time, DAP won the biggest seat for PR (18 seats) followed by PKR (7 seats) and PAS (6 seats). However the Perak constitution only permit Moslem as Menteri Besar (MB) and DAP has none moslem state assembly member, therefore Mohd Nizar from PAS became Perak MB. Almost every act of his administration (from land title to Camry issues) was critisised by the Malaysian mainstream press.

After that, events full of twist and turns, defect and re-defect occurs between end of December 2008 until today. It begins with Nasarudin Hashim, a state assemblyman from BN who defected to PR on 25 January 2009. After his defection, there was talk of another defections from BN to PR. However suddenly 2 PR Assemblymen from PKR, Jamaluddin Mat Radzi and Mohd Osman Jailu, went missing on 31st January 2008 and shockingly declared 3 days later that they "became independent" but gave their allegiance to BN. They were joined by Hee Yit Foong the following day and also surprisingly... Nasarudin Hashim who re-defected back to BN! Then, Sultan had audience with both parties and decided to install Zambry Abd Kadir as a new MB from BN. However, Mohd Nizar is still claiming until now that constitutionally he is the rightful MB.

Recently, Perak Assembly speaker from PR, V Sivakumar, also added more controversy by suspended Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and his six excos from the state assembly for 18 and 12 months respectively for contempt of the assembly. Thus if it is well within the speaker rights, who is the real MB of Perak right now??

Seeing all this twists and turns, as an amateur political observer I`d like to give my 2 cents :P

Defect and re-defect
One of the characteristic of Westminster system that I`ve previously mentioned is the dangerous of small majority or a weak coalition that will easily bring down the government. Worst of all, if the fall of the government is caused by "bribery-triggered" defection. Not only it is morally wrong but it will also cause instability and even chaos

So how to prevent it? It is by preventing the defection itself using an "anti defection act". Therefore if a member of parliament (or state assembly member in this case) want to switch sides, he/she will have to resign his/her seat and contest in an by-election. In other word, let people decide if your defection can be justified :D

Bypassing the State Constitution
As BN gained majority in Perak State Assembly after the defection had occurred, I found it was such a blunder by DPM Najib Razak to directly meet The Sultan of Perak in order to bring down the PR Government. If BN truly command majority of the state assembly, they should pass vote of no confidence to the current MB in order to force his resignation (which is in line with the constitution). So the question is why they didn`t do it? To save time or they weren`t sure winning the vote of no confidence?

Snap election
Well.. seeing all this chaos, I think it`s better for the Sultan to dismiss The Perak Assembly and hold fresh election.. (and hopefully the winner gets large majority :P)

Presidential System
Generally I still love presidential system compare to Parliamentary system :))

References
How The Perak State Government Fall
Perak Constitutional Crisis (from wiki)
Westminster System that is used in Malaysia and most of commonwealth nations (also from wiki)

Outlandish-Look Into My Eyes

2009-02-02T19:28:00.000-08:00

Outlandish is a hip-hop band from Denmark. It was formed in 1997 and consist of Isam Bachiri, Waqas Ali Qadri and Lenny Martinez. All the band member have cultural background from outside Denmark and even Europe. Isam has Morrocan background while Waqas and Lenny have Pakistani and Cuban-Honduran respectively. The group can be considered as a contemporary nasheed group because of its tendency to voice problems associated with moslem in western countries and also moslem in general

Look Into to my eyes is one of their single from Closer Than Veins Album. It tells us story of Palestinian child who compares between his/her condition with his/her peers in USA. The song is originated from poem written by Gihad Ali, a volunteer with the Arab American Action Network (AAAN) and the Palestine Solidarity Group based in Chicago.

I found the video clip of this song is unique and touchy. The video clip uses Red Riding Hood story as an analogy for Palestinian-Israel conflict. Maybe because the poem uses a child point of view so it is best to visualizes the lyric by using popular children story, (i.e. The Red Riding Hood).In the video clip, The red riding hood is a Palestinian girl with kafiyeh and slingshot while the big bad wolf is an Israeli soldier.

Enjoy the song.. and don`t forget to pray for our brothers and sisters in Palestine, especially in Gaza Strip..

Video Clip Link

Look Into My Eyes

Look into my eyes
Tell me what you see
You don't see a damn thing
'cause you can't relate to me
You're blinded by our differences
My life makes no sense to you
I'm the persecuted one
You're the red, white and blue

Each day you wake in tranquility
No fears to cross your eyes
Each day I wake in gratitude
Thanking God He let me rise
You worry about your education
And the bills you have to pay
I worry about my vulnerable life
And if I'll survive another day
Your biggest fear is getting a ticket
As you cruise your Cadillac
My fear is that the tank that has just left
Will turn around and come back

Yet, do you know the truth of where your money goes?
Do you let the media deceive your mind?
Is this a truth nobody, nobody, nobody knows?
Has our world gone all blind?

Yet, do you know the truth of where your money goes?
Do you let the media deceive your mind?
Is this a truth nobody, nobody, nobody knows?
Someone tell me ...

Ooohh, let's not cry tonight
I promise you one day it's through
Ohh my brothers, Ohh my sisters
Ooohh, shine a light for every soul that ain't with us no more
Ohh my brothers, Ohh my sisters

See I've known terror for quite some time
57 years so cruel
Terror breathes the air I breathe
It's the checkpoint on my way to school
Terror is the robbery of my land
And the torture of my mother
The imprisonment of my innocent father
The bullet in my baby brother
The bulldozers and the tanks
The gases and the guns
The bombs that fall outside my door
All due to your funds
You blame me for defending myself
Against the ways of my enemies
I'm terrorized in my own land (what)
And I'm the terrorist?

Yet, do you know the truth of where your money goes?
Do you let the media deceive your mind?
Is this a truth nobody, nobody, nobody knows?
Has our world gone all blind?

Yet, do you know the truth of where your money goes?
Do you let the media deceive your mind?
Is this a truth nobody, nobody, nobody knows?
Someone tell me ...

Ooohh, let's not cry tonight, I promise you one day it's through
Ohh my brothers, Ohh my sisters,
Ooohh, shine a light for every soul that ain't with us no more
Ohh my brothers, Ohh my sisters,

American , do you realize that the taxes that you pay
Feed the forces that traumatize my every living day
So if I won't be here tomorrow
It's written in my fate
May the future bring a brighter day
The end of our wait

(pause)

Ooohh, let's not cry tonight, I promise you one day it's through
Ohh my brothers, Ohh my sisters,
Ooohh, shine a light for every soul that ain't with us no more
Ohh my brothers, Ohh my sisters,

[with kids]
Ohh let's not cry tonight I promise you one day is through
Ohh my brothers! Ohh my sisters!
Ooh shine a light for every soul that ain't with us no more
Ohh my brothers! Ohh my sisters!

From City of Manchester Stadium to Gaza Strip

2009-01-29T00:48:00.000-08:00

2 September 2008

It has been confirmed. Manchester City is now owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan through his Abu Dhabi United Group after £210 millions takeover. The surprise has not yet to stop. In the closing time of the August transfer window, Manchester City succesfully snapped Robinho from Real Madrid after paying £32.5m. It is definitely the most shocking transfer news in August

How rich is Sheikh Mansour and his family?

The Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) is part of the oil rich state’s sovereign wealth fund ADIA which manages £500billion of assets and is the world’s second biggest institutional investor, behind the Bank of Japan, according to the Oxford Business Group. Abu Dhabi manages oil reserves worth an estimated $1trillion !! (£555billion) and it is believed that the personal fortune of Sheikh Mansour reaches $22 billions!!

27 December 2008

After long blockade since HAMAS fully controlled Gaza Strip, Israel finally launched their attack to Gaza. Operation Cast Lead began at 11.30 AM. 50 fighter jets and attack helicopters perform air strike that killed almost 300 people. The attack was regarded by Palestinians as Massacre of the Black Saturday because it produced the highest one-day death toll in 60 years of conflict.

10 January 2009

Emirates News Agency has reported that Sheikh Mansour had donated fund to built operation rooms and wards at Al Shifa Hospital Gaza. The exact amount of money is not reported.

16 January 2009

It was reported that ADUG had put £100 millions ($150 milllions) transfer bid for Kaka of AC Milan. If agreed, this would have been the largest ever transfer fee, more than doubling the previous record (£46 millions for Zidane`s transfer from Juventus to Real Madrid) . Ultimately, the deal collapsed. The proposed deal sparked a widespread debate on the ethics and sustainability of such large transfer fees. Arsene Wenger even described the proposed transfer fee as "not in real world"

Meanwhile far away at Gaza Strip, The bodies of 23 Palestinians were pulled from the rubble in the Tel al-Hawa district of Gaza City after Israeli tanks withdraw in the pre-dawn hours. Palestinian medics say at least 1,155 Palestinians have died over the past three weeks since Operation Cast Lead began.

18 January 2009

Israel declared an unilateral cease fire after 22 days of fighting. According to Palestinian Center of Human Rights, 1284 Palestians had been killed, 894 of them are civilians. In addition, 4336 Palestinians were wounded. In addition, Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics put the damage because of the 22 days battle at $1.5 billion: The direct damage suffered by Gaza residents is estimated at $400 million, while the damage to infrastructures is estimated at $1 billion.

At the same day, far away from Gaza, Manchester City has succesfully signed Craig Bellamy for £14 millions from West Ham United after their £100 millions offer for Kaka had been rejected

=====================================================================

Alhamdulillah, Sheikh Mansour hasn`t forgot Gaza..

Neverthless by imagining the staggering amount of proposed Kaka transfer bid and Sheikh Mansour personal fortune (plus his family also). I believed that if he want to, he could transform Gaza into a better place than its pre-war condition

Just Imagine.. his family asset is around $1 trillion (£555 billion). And it is reported that his personal fortune (according arabianbusiness.com) is around $22 billions!!

how many houses can be rebuild?
how many hospital can be rebuild?
how many university can be built?
how many Gaza people will move to other side of poverty line?
(60% Gaza residents are below poverty line before Operation Cast lead was launched)
how many....?
how many....?

I know you can do it, Sheikh. We are brothers in Islam :)

reference
- Sheikh Mansour news in Daily Telegraph
- Sheikh Mansour news in Daily Mirror
- Sheikh Mansour tops new football rich list
- First Gaza Damage Estimation : $ 1.4 billions
- Sheikh Mansour donation to Al Shifa Hospital, Gaza
- The Effects of the 2008-2009 Israel-Gaza Conflict
- Kaka`s mega transfer bid

Rain drops and Falling on my head

2009-01-28T06:57:00.000-08:00

Dunno why but lately i often humming this song. well most likely because it is rainy season right now in Malaysia and also in Indonesia :D

Some people relate rain with sadness and tears but for some people rain is a blessing from The Almighty. I myself opts for the last mentioned opinion..

Ok, lets cut the introduction part and let us sing together.. :D

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed
Nothin' seems to fit
Those raindrops are fallin' on my head, they keep fallin'

So I just did me some talkin' to the sun
And I said I didn't like the way he got things done
Sleepin' on the job
Those raindrops are fallin' on my head, they keep fallin'

But there's one thing I know
The blues they send to meet me won't defeat me
It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red
Cryin's not for me
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'
Because I'm free
Nothin's worryin' me

It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red
Cryin's not for me
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'
Because I'm free
Nothin's worryin' me

Accepting the Reality

2009-01-27T20:46:00.000-08:00

sometimes fact are stranger than fiction. Something that we couldn't have thought to be happened, suddenly become reality.

Someone that is very close to us, suddenly hates us

Something that we possesses, suddenly gone

Someone that swears his/hers loyalty to us, suddenly betrays us
or someone that we have pledged our loyalty, suddenly abandon us

all of these could happen just in the blink of an eye. So when it happens, what could we do? well we could be desperate, feeling gloomy all all the times, wondering by saying what if... what if.., blame yourself (or others) and the worse of it, committed suicide

Does all things that have been mentioned above could solve the problems? does the reality revert back to its previous state, just like when we press undo button in a word processor? well.. most of the case, it never occurs. The reality stays as it is.

What is the best solution?
No other than accepting the reality... and think positive. Maybe there is something good behind all this that we couldn't understand at the moment. And Always believe that God gives u the best ;)

"you may dislike something which is good for you, and you may like something which is bad for you. GOD knows while you do not know" (Al Baqarah : 216)

And Just like the old song

Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be.
(Doris Day-Que Sera Sera)

Keep Smiling ;)

Steve Berry-The Romanov Phrophecy

2008-09-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

I remembered glancing this book at Gramedia BIP Bandung along with other Steve Berry`s book, "The Amber Room". Unfortunately I`m kind of person who prefers to borrow novel instead of collecting them :P. Lucky for me I found this book in PTSL UKM :D

Russia.. an inspiration for Steve Berry to create his novel “The Romanov Prophecy”. Tsar Nicholas and his long lost direct descendant combined with An American hero involvement and a nasty secret organization surely create some “thrill” :D So whats the story?

After experiencing communism and capitalist democracy, Russian finally opt revert back to tsarist form of government. Sounds weird? Well just like comment from Peter The Great at the opening page of the novel,

Russia - A country in which things that just don`t happen, happen..

Anyway.. so the people set up a committee to choose appropriate candidate with blood ties to previous tsar as their new tsar, similar like a selection in a pop idol contest.. So, In this sort of revolution, a nasty unnamed organization consists of representative from discontent Russian military and bureaucracy, Russian “mafiya” as well as “the new rich class” (yeah, I know what all of you thinking, sort of Roman Abramovich… :O ) tries to influenced the outcome of the selection process in favors of their candidate or I should say, their puppet candidate named Stefan Baklanov.

In this situation, our hero emerge.. an Atlanta lawyer named Miles Lord. Initially, he is ordered to perform a background check to Baklanov to ensure that there is nothing wrong with Baklanov`s claim to the throne and there is no one with stronger claim to the throne other than Baklanov.. unknown to him, his bos (Taylor Hayes) collaborate with the nasty organization. Then puzzle solving begins.. starting from Rasputin’s prophecy about the collapse of Romanov dynasty and its restoration, Felix Yussoupov and Kolya Maks with their Holy Band and finally the search of Tsar Nicholast long lost descendant in America…. The ending? Well you should read it for yourself

What become interest for me is the front cover blurb and author`s foreword page. It mentions Dan Brown name although it is not a “Da Vinci Code” type novel (kind of novel who is thought or maybe aim to reveal a shocking hidden facts about your religion). Until I realize some similarities between this novel and The Da Vinci Code. For both novels, the main protagonists consist of a man and a woman (Lord-Petrova vs Langdon-Neveu). The main protagonists are betrayed by someone they regard as their close allies (Taylor Hayes vs Sir Leigh Teabing). Two secret organizations, the good one and the nasty/thought to be nasty one (holy band-unnamed nasty secret organization vs priory of sion-Opus Dei). The nasty/thought to be nasty secret organization hires assassin(s) to eliminate the protagonist (Droopy,Cromagnon and Inspector Orleg vs Silas). There are puzzles to solve (Yussoupov riddles vs Priory of Sion riddles). Part of the puzzles or riddles are hidden in a bank safe deposit box (Commerce and Merchant Bank vs Bank of Zurich). and finally both conclude in a shocking revelation (long lost direct descendant of Tsar Nicholas II vs secret Jesus descendant). Wew.. what a similarity.. :D

Despite that similarities, there is of course some differences. The one that I notice from beginning is Berry`s decision to eliminate the secrecy of Hayes act of betrayal at the early stage of the novel. Thus there is no element of "whodunnit" in this novel. Moreover, in Romanov prophecy, the nasty secret organization is nasty for real :P but in the Da Vinci Code, it is revealed that Opus Dei is being "used" by Sir Teabing.

thats all for my book review.. looks longer than the previous one :p

Useful links
- Wikipedia-Da Vinci Code
- Steve Berry`s website

NB : it seems that the lost 2 bodies of Tsar Nicholas family has been solved. see here for the detail

For the love of the game

2008-09-05T22:37:00.000-07:00

Now let`s talk about football out of life in Emirates Stadium :D

Tonight is Capello first competitive match with England. And lucky for him, they will against Andorra who ranked by FIFA at 186th. But who knows that the part timers can upset the profesionals just like Andorra did when eight years ago they forced mighty France to win only by last minute penalty :D

part timers? yeah most of Andorra players are part timer. Here are some of them

Koldo Álvarez de Elaute (GK) = school football coach
Joseph Manuel Ayala (MF) = builder, he built the Andorra`s town hall!
Julia Fernandez (DF) = work in tourist business
Oscar Sonejee (MF) = salesman
Antoni Lima (DF) = football administrator
Jordi Escura (DF) = physiotherapist (looks like they don`t need off field physiotherapist)
Marc Pujol (MF) = student

The list was reported at March 2007, I don`t know if one of them change his job or become full time footballer.

It has been a general knowledge that football has become a giant industry. Some of the player can be categorized as millionaire, such as Frank Lampard with his 151,000 Euro per week salary. So.. it`s not a strange phenomena if nowadays some football players are branded as "play only for the money". I wont mention a name but all of you could think one from many examples of football player of this type :D

Back to the Andorra case, before their tonight match against England, I`ve found an article in goal.com that really touch me :) particularly at the last sentence when Manolo Jimenez, one of the other Andorra part timers, said

“I’m not a full-time professional, I play for free, for the love of football,"

Manolo Jimenez (left) in an Euro 2008 Qualification Match against Croatia (September 2007)

Yeah he play for free.. just for love of the game. I imagine that every weekend at Andorra National league which only comprise of 8 team, he plays with FC Andorra with such a joy that cannot be described by money lover footballers :D

Reference
- Andorra`s amateur dare to dream
- Andorra National team page at wikipedia
- Andorra`s weapon of Mac`s destruction

And the new midfielder is........

2008-09-05T06:53:00.000-07:00

All of you must know the answer... (as usually another late posting from me :P )

yeah right.. it was neither Barry nor Alonso or Inler, de Guzman, Appiah and Robinho (Have we ever bid him anyway? :lol: )

So at least until January 2009, the available midfielders have to be utilized. Seems like it wont be a problem if Fabregas the maestro is fit all the time :D but what if he injury, let say for a month ? Another Craven Cottage display? hopefully not...

Now.. the question is who will be second to Fabregas in maintaining Arsenal creative display? In my point of view it could be either Denilson or Nasri. How about Ramsey? Since Wenger prefer playing Eboue than him in two initial EPL matches, I think Ramsey will need prove his skill at reserve and Carling Cup matches first ;)

Hopefully everything will run smoothly until next transfer window :D And we could see perhaps Arsenal won`t need a new midfielder at all.. ;)

Welcome Back... Ramadhan...

2008-08-29T23:39:00.000-07:00

Ah, Ramadhan is coming just in few days from now :D I
Hope that this Ramadhan will be a better Ramadhan for me than my previous Ramadhan :) Insya Allah..

Anyway.. since I cannot create a good poem about Ramadhan, so I try to search poems about Ramadhan and luckily I get this wonderful poem at Muhajabah.com ;) Hope it can enlight you all :D

Ya Ramadan!
by Noor Syed
In the name of Allah, the most Merciful, the most Kind

A blessed month is casting its shadow upon us
A night of this month is better than a thousand months
Bear with patience for the sake of Ar-Rahman
It's a continuous training to strengthen our Imaan.

Glory be to Allah who sent Ramadan as a mercy to mankind
Its a purification of our soul, our heart, and our mind
With the most sincere devotion and love we fast
To be cleansed and free from sins of the past

Glorified is He, who choseth this holy month,
To test our sabr and fill our hearts with warmth
Of his Divine Light, His blessings shall glow,
The Seer of the unseen, all He does know

Ya Allah! For thee, let my breath be more pleasant than musk
Ya Allah! For thee, let me be thankful when day turns to dusk
My thoughts and heart are purified, my eyes truly see'
This blessed month, the month of spiritual rhapsody!

Ya Allah! For thee, my life I shall live!
Ya Allah! For thee, my soul I shall give!
In the name of Allah, the most Merciful, the most Kind,
Praise be to Allah, who sent Ramadan as a gift to mankind

Welcome Silvestre ^_^

2008-08-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

It has been 34 years since Brian Kidd moved to Arsenal from their rival Man United :D and now Ferguson has agreed to sell Silvestre to Arsenal

So what would we have here.. an experienced centre back who could also play as a left back. A good addition for Arsenal defence who is "not so good" at several occasion :P (remember 4-2 defeat against Liverpool at last ECL ?). As Clichy is in good form recently so I think Silvestre would be often deployed at centre back to support Gallas-Toure duo.. or in other word to subtitute if one of them gives too many permission for the opposing striker to test Almunia :P

One more thing, how Old Trafford public will greet their ex player :d whether they will do in a friendly way or unfriendly way? :P

August-The Two Tales of Merdeka

2008-08-18T06:24:00.000-07:00

Finally it`s August!! yup two weeks late from my initial plan to write this article :P nevertheless, it`s better to late than never write article at all :D

Back to my first sentence.. why is August is so special? for me it is because august is the month of independence for both Indonesia and Malaysia. Two country that have a relation like brothers or sisters in a family. It is called "Benci tapi rindu" in Indonesian :D it can be easily describe with these attitudes : like to compete between each others, claim each other properties, but generally still "love each other" ;)

Anyway.. I noticed something interesting between "merdeka" in Indonesia and in Malaysia ;)

The declaration of Independence of Indonesia was held with very little preparation. Initially the Japanase (through admiral Terauchi in Dalat) told to Sukarno and Hatta that the declaration of independence was permitted to be held at August 24th. But the young generation of Indonesian nationalist dislike Japan intervention and prefer to announced it earlier at 16th of August. So they took Sukarno and Hatta to Rengasdengklok (small town nearby Jakarta) in order to declare the independence of Indonesia and officially start the revolution. But the plan failed because they couldn`t convinced Sukarno and Hatta, however agreement was reached and the date of independece set at the next day, August the 17th.

So can they prepare such a big day just in one day? well apparently not :D For me thats the best part.. because for the next hours the atmosphere was full of struggle B) and I recommend to read the detail at Sukarno biography which was written by Cindy Adams.

We could read the thrill after Japanese warn the nationalist to preserve the status quo which mean that they wont allow any such declaration and will stop it by force. Moreover there was also some witty stories regarding the preparation of the declaration and the declaration process itself :D We could read how Sukarno was using just ordinary textbook to compose the text and he didn`t even remember about the pen that he used to compose the historical text :P

The declaration was planned to be held at Ikada field but later at the last minutes it was moved to pegangsaan timur 56 to prevent open confrontation between Indonesian and Japanese. Sukarno himself was sick at the day of declaration but still he kept going on. After he finished reading the text, there was confusion about what we would do next? Fortunately Latief Hendraningrat, one of the PETA soldier, took initiative to raised the flag by using a bamboo stick. Nevertheless, the proclamation was successfull altough it wasn`t prepared properly. But thats the art right? ;)

Contrary, the declaration of Independence of Malaysia was generally prepared very well. The date itself had been set almost one year earlier at the treaty of London 1956. Place for the declaration (Stadium Merdeka) was specially built after the date had been set. And the situation itself was can be considered peaceful although technically Malaysia is in state of emergency because of communist rebellion. The declaration was attended by Sultans of Malay and foreign diplomats. Malayan Film Unit recorded and filmed the event.

This short excerpt in Malay can describe the event in much "live atmosphere"

Stadium Merdeka 5.00 pagi, 31 Ogos 1957, hujan turun dengan lebatnya. Dato' Abdul Razak yang melawat Stadium pada pagi itu gelisah dengan takungan air di tengah-tengah padang di mana Askar Melayu akan mengadakan perbarisan kehormat. Dato' Razak adalah Timbalan Pengerusi, Jawatankuasa Persiapan Kemerdekaan dengan Tunku sendiri adalah Pengerusinya.

7.00 pagi, hujan mulai reda. Dato' Razak menalifon Tunku dan melaporkan keadaan di stadium. Beliau mencadangkan agar ketibaan Raja-raja Melayu, Duke serta isteri dan Pesuruhjaya Tinggi dilewatkan satu jam.

9.00 pagi, langit mulai cerah, rintik-rintik hujan semakin mengecil dan hilang dari pandangan. Perabut dan perhiasan mula dibawa keluar dengan kadar segera. Tunku telah bersiap sedia di rumahnya. Berbaju Melayu hitam, berkain samping, berselitkan keris bersarong gading dipinggang serta bertengkolok songket, Tunku menantikan saat untuk bertolak.

Di Stadium Merdeka, Tunku berdiri gagah menerima ketibaan Duke of Gloucester yang memakai pakaian istiadat ketenteraan British berpangkat Field Marshall. 'God Save The Queen' berkumandang ketika Duke of Gloucester yang merupakan pakcik Queen Elizabeth II masuk dan mengambil tempat. Duke telah diiringi oleh Pesuruhjaya Tinggi British, Sir Donald MacGillivray.

Raja-raja Melayu pula duduk dipayungi oleh sembilan payung kuning, Yang DiPertuan Agong pula duduk di tengah-tengah, di kirinya Tunku dan di kanannya Duke.

Duke kemudiannya menyerah 'Instrumen Kemerdekaan' yang mana merupakan suatu pengakuan British bahawa ia menyerahkan kedaulatan Pulau Pinang dan Melaka kepada negara baru ini dan seterusnya menarik balik 'perlindungan' yang diberikan kepada negeri-negeri Melayu.
Tunku kemudiannya membacakan pengistiharan Kemerdekaan yang antara lainnya menyebut "Dengan nama Allah, Persekutuan Tanah Melayu untuk selamanya sebuah negara yang demokratik dan Merdeka". Acapkali suaranya tenggelam dan pekikan Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka! oleh rakyat sebuah negara baru yang lahir dari suatu perjuangan yang suci

Well you can see the difference between the two events :D But despite that different I congratulate both Indonesia and Malaysia. Happy Independence day !! Merdekaaaa!!!!

Anwar Ibrahim- The Battle of Permatang Pauh and Road to Putrajaya

2008-08-05T03:13:00.000-07:00

After a busy day, nothing would be better than writing something about Malaysian politic :D

Anyway...I`m aware that I just a foreigner in this country or alien in other word (but of course a legal alien :O) nevertheless it doesn`t stop me to follow and sometimes analyze political situation in Malaysia. Although it is just analysis from an amateur in politics :p

There is no doubt that The result of Malaysia 2008 General election surprised many people, particularly the incumbent Barisan Nasional (BN) after they had been denied into just simple majority in Parliament and lost five states to the opposition. Regardless of this shock, they still rule the country. The question is, until when....?? Especially if Anwar factor is being considered

After his 5 years quarantine from politic prevent him to contest in March 2008 election, it was apparent that Anwar has prepared Plan B, which is called "by-election" or "pilihan raya kecil". In
Malaysia, by-election must be held if a state assembly member or parliament member vacant his/her seat. There is no "pergantian antar waktu" or PAW in Malaysia :D .
FYI, in Indonesia, PAW allows the winner political party in an area to substitute his member of parliament or member of state assembly directly without an election. I`m sure Anwar will prefer this way :p

Permatang Pauh has been considered as Anwar`s stronghold. He has been elected there since 1982. Furthermore, it is was his wife, Wan Azizah, who replaced him after he had been temporary banned from politic and she repeatedly announced that she would vacant her seat for his husband. So if Anwar want to stage a political comeback, it is very logic to say that Permatang Pauh will be his fastest and safest way. But Permatang Pauh is not the ultimate target of Anwar Ibrahim. He is targeting the bigger fish in Putrajaya :D He is not making secret of his intention and even announced that at September 16th, parliament members from Sabah and Sarawak will cross to his side and cause the current government to lose their majority in Parliament. In other word Anwar Ibrahim will become PM.... of course if anything run according his plan.. Is it ?

Then surprise came at the right time in form of new sodomy allegation :o Whether it is kind of "BN conspiracy" or not, the allegation surely become obstacle for him. But Anwar took the risk by letting (or instructing ??) Wan Azizah to resign her seat at July 31st. Furthermore the election commission has also set the election date at August 26th.

The next question is.. who will be Anwar`s opponent?? By the time this article is made, there is no official anouncement from BN. Is it -ex aide turned enemy- Ezam Mohd Nur ? or Datuk Firdaus Ismail who was defeated by Wan Azizah in 2008? or perhaps BN will boycott the by-election and Anwar will win uncontested as suggested by Tan Sri Annuar Musa ?

Anyway...Just my imagination...if everything is according to Anwar`s plan, will Indo-Malay relation will be better ? Could be... if Anwar keep his promise which he has said before at Kick Andy Show :D I quote this from Kick Andy website

Anwar yang sewaktu muda dulu pernah belajar di Indonesia mengaku memiliki hubungan emosional dengan Indonesia. Teman-temannya juga banyak. Antara lain Fahmi Idris, Adi Sasono, Amin Rais, Adnan Buyung Nasution, Taufiq Ismail, dan Rendra. “Itu sebabnya saya dibenci karena dianggap lebih pro Indonesia. Saya dituduh tidak nasionalis karena sering membela kepentingan Indonesia,” ujarnya. Salah satu yang paling sering dia kritik adalah perlakuan Malaysia terhadap tenaga kerja Indonesia. “Saya sering protes atas perlakukan terhadap TKI. Sering terjadi penyiksaan. Saya tidak ada urusan dengan nasionalisme. Saya melihat persoalan ini dari kacamata kemanusiaan,” dia menegaskan. Kondisi tersebut, menurut pria yang selalu tampil rapih ini, belakangan semakin menjadi-jadi. “Ini yang selalu saya kritisi. Sebab kalau pejabat tinggi seperti saya saja dipukuli, apalagi TKI,” ujarnya masgul. Karena itu, dia bertekad untuk memperbaiki keadaan dengan mencalonkan dirinya dalam pemilihan perdana menteri mendatang

Well... let`s wait and see ;)

Other links

Anwar Ibrahim biography in Wikipedia
Anwar Ibrahim featured in Kick Andy Show
PKR-Anwar Ibrahim political Party

Jack Who??

2008-07-30T22:41:00.000-07:00

That was my reaction after reading match report for Arsenal 10-2 win against Burgenland XI and 3-1 win against Stuttgart. At that two matches, Jack Wilshire was named in the score sheet. two goals against Burgenland and one goal against Stuttgart.

I have heard some of the Arsenal reserves players such as Nazer Barazite, Rui Fonte, Gavin Hoyte, Kieran Gibbs, Jay Simpson, etc, but I haven`t heard about Jack Wilshire at all... :x . After try googling for the player, I managed to find some websites that discussed him and looks like he is really a good talent :D

Here is the fact that I can summarize about him

- (still) 16 years old !!
- Can play anywhere in midfield (left, right, center, holding midfielder, behind strikers). But currently he often positioned as left midfielder by Neil Banfield (Arsenal reserves manager)
- Left footed
- Has been with arsenal since 9 years old
- Break into u18 team last season when he was only 15-16 years old and ended the season with double digit goals and assists !! He was also featured in some reserves team games
- and above all.. He is an Englishman, thats why English Arsenal fans are so ecstatic about him :D

Hope that he will be featured in Carling Cup this season to gain some experience in higher level football :D Who knows next season he might be breaking into Arsenal`s first team just like Cesc Fabregas ;)

Here is some interesting links about Jack Wilshire

Wenger, The Key Man in Jack Wilshire Development
Jack Wilshire assist and goal at reserves team game vs West Ham

Playstation 2, Coltan and Congo Civil War

2008-07-25T01:24:00.000-07:00

"Kids in Congo were being sent down mines to die so that kids in Europe and America could kill imaginary aliens in their living rooms,"

-Oona King, ex British Parliament member-

Until mid 2008, at least 140 million of Playstation 2 (PS 2) are sold worldwide, making it as a best selling game console ever. Nevertheless a report which was issued by Toward Freedom, an independent media, had linked the success of PS 2 with the brutal Congo Civil War (1998-2003). Won`t you be curious to know what is connection between the two things??

It started at 1997 when Laurent Kabila with support from Rwanda, Uganda and Angola had successfully toppled Mobutu Sese Seko to become The President of Democratic Republic of The Congo (DRC). Unfortunately, the relation between Kabila and his allies (especially Rwanda and Uganda) deteriorated and turned into hostility after Kabila had expelled his Rwandan chief of staff. And then war erupted after Rwanda and Uganda assisted Tutsi Minority in DRC to rebel against Kabila.

Thats it?

Nope... in fact we are entering the main topic right now. The rebel was situated in eastern provinces (see picture below) which is "accidentally" very rich in ore called Coltan (Columbite-Tantalite). This ore is the principal source for tantalum and niobium (other name for columbium) transition metal which mainly used to make capacitors for various electronic devices. Interestingly 80 % of coltan reserves is in DRC while 80 % of coltan production comes from Australia.

Uhmm.. before we continue to the next paragraph, there is a little correction for image below, I think tantalite should be Ta2O6 instead of Ta2O5 :p Same correction is also applied for columbite :D

And the story goes....

Based from a BBC news article, The Coltan price was only $40/lb at January 2000 when it suddenly rocketed to $380/lb at Desember 2000 and by July 2001, the price was around $100/lb. This event will surely not be wasted by the rebels (plus Rwandan and Ugandan Armies who backed them) as their source of income. It was reported in DRC United Nations mission website that in 18 months Rwandan Army had made fortune at least $250 million through the sale of coltan, even though no coltan is mined in Rwanda

Interestingly, at that same time, Sony began to launch its phenomenal PS 2. I quote this from wikipedia :

Only a few million people had obtained consoles by the end of 2000 due to manufacturing delays.^[8] After its release, it was difficult to find PS2 units on retailer shelves.^[9] Another option was purchasing the console online through auction websites such as eBay, where people paid over one thousand dollars for a PS2.^[10] The PS2 initially sold well partly on the basis of the strength of the PlayStation brand and the console's backward compatibility, selling over 980,000 units by March 5, 2000, one day after launch, in Japan.^[11] This allowed the PS2 to tap the large install base established by the PlayStation — another major selling point over the competition. Later, Sony gained momentum with new development kits for game developers and more PS2 units for consumers

So, PS2 experienced a huge demand but there was supply shortage (manufacturing delay) and according to an established economic principle, the price will increase if the demand also increase. of course it was not PS2 who solely responsible for the rocketing coltan price. It was believed that increase in selling of mobile phone and PC`s also helped to increase coltan price.

Meanwhile Sony spokesperson, Satoshi Fukuoka denied that Sony has been using "bloody tantalum" from DRC`s coltan. After enquiring to their suppliers, Fukuoka stated that the tantalum they use is not "illegally mined Congo coltan". Nonetheless, he admitted that it is difficult to ensure not a single "bloody tantalum capacitor" is being used. I quote what he said in toward freedom website

"The material suppliers source their original material from multiple mines in various countries. It is therefore hard for us to know what the supply chain mix is," he said. "I am happy to state to you that to the best of our knowledge, (SONY) is not using the material about which you have expressed concern (illegally mined Congo Coltan)."

Is it true? I don`t know for sure...
I just can say, "The Truth is Out There...."

Reference
- Toward Freedom
- BBC News
- Wikipedia
- DRC United Nation Mission Website

Wenger - I am in the market for a midfielder

2008-07-23T21:36:00.000-07:00

News from Arsenal.com :

By Richard Clarke in Austria

Arsène Wenger is aiming to bolster his midfield for the new campaign but, as yet, he does not have a specific target in mind.

After the Barnet game on Saturday the Arsenal manager said that he would bring in “one player certainly... maximum of two” before the window closed at the end of August. After the 1-1 draw at Szombatheyli on Tuesday he was more specific about the position but not the person.

“We will need one more body in there,” said Wenger when asked about his midfield. “At the moment we do not have Alex Song who is going to the Olympic games, Abou Diaby was not here tonight and nor was Fabregas.

“If we find a reasonable target then we will do it. But there is no special name on the list.

“We have some time. We have until August 31. We left 11 players back in Austria for this game. They will play in Stuttgart [on July 30].”

Before that, on Monday, Arsenal go to Ritzing to play a Burgenland XI. Arsenal TV Online subscribers will be able to see this game live.

[ Wednesday, July 23, 2008]

Well..since Pat Rice contacted O`Neill to keep him informed of Gareth Barry`s recent status, I think it`s quite obvious that Barry will be Arsenal`s top target in their central midfield. Beside Barry, maybe Wenger could try Samir Nasri in that position. Although, Nasri will likely to be deployed in right wing which was his position in Marseille

Hopefully Wenger can outflank Benitez in the "Battle of Gareth Barry" ;)

Ben Elton-The First Casualty

2008-07-21T01:45:00.001-07:00

Have I told you that I like historical novels? Well if I haven`t, I`m going to tell u now :D

I found this novel at the University Library. Well.. looks like a nice book as a "supplement" for my "busy" research. Don`t know much about the author but according to the book , he is also known as a stand up comedian. Errrr.. so what a stand up comedian do with a historical novel? Let`s see about that ;-)

It tells us story about Douglas Kingsley, a successful Detective with the London police, who becomes an enemy of the state after he refused to take part in the Great War and denounces the war as a stupid and illogical. As a punishment, the court decides to put him in jail along with the criminals that he successfully nabbed before. But then a terrible incident happens which would change Kingsley`s fate. A well known viscount, son of a political figure and was known for his patriotic poems as well as his action in the battlefield, is killed mysteriously. So the government (who regard Kingsley as their top detective) decide to to fake Kingsley`s death at the prison and send him to the battlefield in Ypres in order to investigate the matter

And so the investigation begins in the middle of The Third Battle of Ypres. For me, the investigation is a mixture of comedies and also ironies. We could see the irony when Kingsley tries to interview his witness, then suddenly artillery shell comes and blow his witness to pieces of debris. The investigation itself makes us to think whether the viscount death really worth of deep investigation compare to other soldiers death. While on the other hand I could hardly not to laugh at the masturbating lunatic soldier at one of the Kingsley`s interview session and at the MP Sergeant who stamp his feet so hard every time he finishes his words.

At the end.. well you can guess yourself who is the real killer :D

Overall I give this novel 3 out 5 stars ;-)

Jack of all trades and master of some??

2008-07-17T18:24:00.000-07:00

We meet again :D

Maybe curiosity surround when someone look at my blog headline

"wish to be jack of many trades and master of some"

what is exactly mean?

well.. it was written in opening page of an extractive metallurgy textbook (written by Prof Terkel Rosenqvist). He said that (if I`m not mistaken because I forgot the exact words) a metallurgist should be jack of many trades and master of some. At first I dont understand what does the phrase mean, but with a help from google and wiki, I managed to solve the mystery :p

From wiki :

"Jack of all trades, master of none" is a figure of speech used in reference to a person who is competent with many skills but is not outstanding in any one. The term has become a cliché and often used as an insult in its current form, which is only half of the quote. The full quote, "Jack of all trades, master of none, though ofttimes better than master of one,"^{[citation needed]} is actually a compliment, though the term stemming from it, just 'Jack of all trades' is usually seen as a compliment to someone who can adapt to most situations.

A Jack of all trades may also be a master of integration, as the individual knows enough from many learned trades and skills to be able to bring their disciplines together in a practical manner. Such a person is known as a polymath or a Renaissance man, and a typical example is someone like Leonardo da Vinci.

So it is a pun from an established idiom. Metallurgist should be know several things outside his field as a metallurgist and he manages to become expert in some of it (including his own field, of course :p).

Speaking of this wordplay, I remember an anecdote from my undergrad year in Bandung Institute of tech (ITB) which stated that an ITB student is an expert in many areas but excluding his own field, :O . Well sometimes it could be right, because I know someone with a astronomical background but he becomes an expert in military and intelligence things :D

How about me? well I`m not too expert in metallurgy, I just know several things (look at my CGPA). Beside metallurgy I also have an interest in historical things and love to read about it. But I dont think I`m an expert in this subject also.. :p. Anyway, since I`m doing research in semi-solid metal forming of steel (thixoforming) as my postgrad research subject, hopefully I can become an expert in this field. Ameen.....

Welcome...welcome...

2008-07-17T00:31:00.000-07:00

Sometimes writing could be very easy and sometimes could be very difficult.

Sometimes words are flowing endlessly from your brain and you can type it with unbelievable speed... but sometimes it seems like you don`t have anything to write (or to type) and you just staring and empty paper (or an empty page of word processing page) for hours

It`s very long time since I want to write a blog, but it is just now that I can realize it :p

See u soon :D