Éclectique

So, apparently my last post was in 2017. Pretty much everyone has moved on from blogging (or at least they have moved to other platforms). It is for this reason that I have decided to write here again. So many things (some amazing, some terrible) have happened since my last post and this is personally meant to be a cathartic post. Heh. Look at me trying to explain to you my private thoughts. Anyway, yeah, this is just to clear my head a little. It's a bit wild to think my last article was so long ago, but also somehow so recent. I was halfway through my Computer Science degree in 2017. I have since graduated, alhamdulillah. But that is not the catharsis of this article. The catharsis is that I feel overwhelmed by anxiety and uncertainty. It's is almost 3am and I am trying to work on a personal project because I have left it too long, and I have disappointed someone very close and dear to me in not completing it. I understand it is my own shortcoming laziness that has pre...

DISCLAIMER: This article is in no way researched and is wholly anectodal, relying exclusively on my personal experiences and what I have gathered over the years I spent growing up in Malaysia. In light of the recent London attacks, I felt compelled to pen this short article.  I have said multiple times that the problem isn't with the religion, but with the people.  And that is true.  Up to a point. Violence and hate isn't born out of thin air.  It is taught, it is indoctrinated.  And where does this indoctrination come from?  Sadly, the scholars, khatibs [1] and imams, the leaders of our religious institutions, the men who we trust to know the religion inside out.  Sadly, some of these men are the ones who will condemn terrorism and extremism, yet fail to realize their impassioned sermons convey the opposite message. Back home in Malaysia, I never miss a Friday prayer.  There are so many mosques and the employers allow their Muslim staff to...

I was inspired to write this after reading an article by my friend, Qyira, who is currently working with Teach for Malaysia.  TFM is an organization dedicated to engaging the youth in teaching future generations, to bridge gaps due to circumstance and to give back to society through education. At the end of the article, she talks about how one of the students she interacted with had concerns about her future.  She was concerned that the stream she was in had no future options.  Another was worried that her passion for sports had no viable future.  This to me, highlighted an issue I've noticed since I was in high school.  Even with my privileged upbringing, mastery of English, and overseas-educated parents, I was also lost and confused, but over why there seemed to be so few options. Almost every university that came to give a talk, every school program to help students determine a future path was focused heavily on either law, medicine, engineering, busines...

Thank you for being an amazing companion.  Thank you for always being such a loving cat, and for being amazingly adorable and caring.  You always greeted us every time we returned home.  You always wanted to be brought to the food bowl and you loved spending time with us. You were so charming and amazing my friends would always ask how you were doing.  Your intelligence, sweetness, and love captured the hearts of so many, even those who'd never met you personally. I know that whenever I left for Canada, you would go to my room looking for me.  You would do the same whenever one of us wasn't around for longer than usual.  You could count and you remembered people.  Whenever someone was home alone, they could be sure that you would be nearby, napping away, and occasionally pestering for food.  You were never needy in the way other cats were.  You enjoyed quiet moments when everyone was lounging about.  You loved being the centre of ...

Yet it does.  As Ramadan comes to a close, I feel like I should pen this article.  It will most likely be a fairly short article. This past Ramadan, I have heard unsettling stories of people being harassed for eating in public.  Not just Muslims, but non-Muslims too.  I feel this is wrong.  One's fast is purely between themselves, and God.  You do not know what ailments the person may be facing that is preventing them from fasting.  For example, chronic hypoglycemia can lead to seizures and if emergency medical aid is not given, can lead to death.  For the ladies, they may be on their period, something which prevents them from fasting.  C'mon guys, we've learned this in school.  My 4 year old cousins know this.  Your actions are inadvertently telling me that you know/care less about your faith than a 4 year old.  That's embarrassing, bro. A common retort is that they are 'disrespecting' Muslims by eating in public.  Bu...

I've been thinking; since most of the articles I have been posting of late (despite the infrequency of my posts) are definitely of the... opinionated type, I will apply what I have learned in university.  By that I mean whenever I post an article, I will do my best to include sources. Will it be a pain to format the references section in this medium?  You can bet your bottom dollar it will.  But I feel that if I do not do this, my arguments lack credibility.  How many people read my blog?  Probably only a few.  But again, this blog was never really created as a platform to reach the masses.  It has always been a place for me to articulate some of my opinions.  In the past, I encouraged discussions in the past but due to Blogspot's somewhat annoying comment/reply system, the fact that I do not have many readers, and compounded by my general distaste of people who get riled up and leave nasty comments without presenting any valid arguments, such d...

In this era of hyperconnectivity and superfluous information feeds, there is literally more information pouring in to us than we could ever possibly process.  Thus, we pick what we feel is either a) important, or b) entertaining enough to give attention. This has led to increased awareness of racial and gender inequalities, systemic injustices around the world, so on and so forth, which is a good thing.  It is very important that even those unaffected by some of these injustices are aware of them. Naturally, one of the prevalent causes this generation has decided to rally around is racial discrimination.  It happens around the world.  Which is good as it teaches us that there exists races aside from which we grew up in.  Literally a whole world of different culture, languages, food, etc! On an unrelated side note; It has always bugged me how some movies portraying interplanetary relationships (such as Star Trek) have generally shown worlds with a homogene...

Many moons ago, I penned an article about how I felt many muslim Malays (one of the three main races in Malaysia) are very quick to judge and condemn all Jews as laknatullah (damned by god).  Just to reiterate what I said in my aforementioned article, I vehemently abhor this behaviour.  Also, this is most definitely not the view held by the majority of muslim Malays, but rather those of a troublingly large minority.  If you wish to read my entire article, you may find it here . Back to what I wanted to say; this article will be a sort of extension of my aforementioned article.  It is just something I came across, and wanted to share. As some of you may know, the geopolitical situation between Israel and Palestine has been littered with controversies, humane atrocities, harsh accusations, and at times, violence.  I just wish that more of my fellow muslim Malays weren't so quick to judge all Israelis and/or Israeli companies as 'evil'.  An excellent ex...

DISCLAIMER: There is no structure with this.  There is no goal.  I am just typing away to get my fingers moving.  It has been a while since I was able to type for long periods of time without cross-checking my facts or googling a potential argument every few seconds. What should I rant about? School?  That's overrated and stressful.  Paris?  Many have done it and quite frankly, I feel no empathy.  I rarely have.  I am upset that ISIS Daesh has the nerve to claim to represent Islam, but other than that, I feel indifferent.  Indifferent is a strong word.  It's not that I do not feel terrible to what has happened to the citizens of Paris, but rather I have lots of things I must worry about myself.  So, I'll nod and say "oh, that's terrible" and get back to work without missing a beat. I feel alone.  Dumb.  Outclassed.  And yet, today, of all days, I have a tinge of "I can do this".  No pep in my step, but rat...

If by some extraordinary circumstance, you have not heard of Ahmed Mohammed and his arrest over his homemade clock, here is the article from CNN; http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/16/us/texas-student-ahmed-muslim-clock-bomb/index.html Now that you're up to speed, I am writing about this because it precisely this Islamophobia that makes me fearful of posting anything remotely related to Islam on my more public social media sites.  No matter how peaceful the message, I fear for my safety every time I post something that even mentions Islam. Why?  Because even an American-born Muslim is arrested for showing his ENGINEERING teacher a homemade clock over fears that it is a bomb.  I fear that some government organization may be watching and deem my post 'sympathetic to extremism' or something equally nonsensical. I legitimately live in fear.  This past week, I added a classmate on Facebook and he immediately noted, "oh, you're Muslim." Disclaimer: he did not mean it...

This is an open letter to all Malaysians who aggressively 'boycott' McDonald's.  Why do I put the inverted commas?  Because many of my fellow Malaysians are not boycotting McDonald's.  Many are protesting McDonald's.  There is a very big difference. According to Merriam Webster, the definition of boycott is as follows; boy·cott  \ ˈ b ȯ i- ˌ kät\   to refuse to buy, use, or participate in (something) as a way of protesting : to stop using the goods or services of (a company, country, etc.) until changes are made Whereas protesting is defined as follows; pro·test \ ˈ prō- ˌ test\ something said or done that shows disagreement or disapproval of something. Don't believe me?  Here are the links for the definitions of  protest and boycott .   I give the definitions to highlight the differences.  Boycotting is a passive act.  Like refusing to eat when your parents didn't buy you that LEGO set you wanted.  Protestin...

This are my opinions on the debate between Bill Nye and Ken Ham on whether the creation model is a viable model of origins. Before I start, let me just make it clear that I'm personally 50-50 in terms of my opinions on the model of origins.  Not undecided, but rather my opinions (or belief, perhaps?) on it draws from both elements of creationism and mainstream science. In both the Quran and the Bible, it is stated that God created the universe in six days.  Do I doubt this?  No I don't.  I personally believe that during the period of the formation of the Earth, everything was so volatile, so unstable, one day could've easily been much much longer than 24 hours.  Other planets in our solar system have different lengths of days.  For example, this excerpt from Universe Today, "A day on Venus is 243 Earth days.  Venus' day is actually longer than its year.  It only takes 224.7 Earth days for the planet to orbit around the sun. (Read more: http://...

FINALS IN 3 DAYS! My first semester has almost literally flown by.  I'm not ready for finals.  I feel too spread out.  This is ridiculous.  I have 5 courses.  One of those is broken into 3 separate classes.  How am I supposed to achieve a good grade like this?  Chemistry is going to REALLY drag down my grades again.  I hate Chemistry.  I know what I want to do; design and analysis.  Mechanical Engineering.  It's all math and physics.  That's what I want to do. I don't want to have anything to do with molecular mass or all that. Sigh.  2 of my new friends are already dropping out of Engineering.  It IS a tough course here...  They literally aim to get half the students out by year 3.  I'm not exaggerating.  HALF the students enrolled in the engineering course are NOT going to get past year 2. I need to aim as high as I can and work as hard as I can.  Insyaallah I will get there.  Never EVER...

Life has been quite a whirlwind.  It only seems like last yesterday I was shopping for my family but in fact, I'm already into my 3rd week of classes.  Damn.  Time flies. So far, things have been smooth sailing.  A few learning curves (ie door to the laundry room needs a good shove to open) but nothing I couldn't figure out.  My dorm room is tiny (quite likely it's 11 or 12 feet by about 7-7.5 or 8 feet) BUT I do get a very nice view.  Plus, it's a single room and everyone on this floor is generally quiet so I can't complain. :)  Things here settle down early compared to Malaysia.  In Malaysia, 'normal' shops like convenience shops, restaurants, etc are open until 10-11 or so.  Here, most shops close down by 9, a number even close by 5!  The people are super nice too. I would've published a post earlier but I've been so busy chasing assignments. :\  Even now, I should really be getting back to my assignments. :( Been super bus...

One day, I will build up my dream bike. It's going to cost me more than 30,000 ringgit but I will. It may not be next month, next year, or even the next 5 years but mark my words I will build up my dream bike. And finish an Ironman. Definitely.

Wow, I'm amazed at how far back my last post was. O-O Damn. Anyway, XTerra has come & gone, & it was one heck of a blast.  Little brother got 2nd in the Sprint. So proud of him. As promised by my mom, he got a new bike. He got a 2012 Specialized Tarmac SL3 with full Shimano Ultegra drivetrain, with an FSA crankset instead, Fulcrum wheelset, & in-house components. He swapped out the seatpost with an S-Works because the stock seatpost was too short. Yes, too short. He's a tall kid. Anyway, I got accepted into Dalhousie! Woohoo! Alhamdulillah. Lue won't be too happy about that, though. She was hoping I'd get into Guelph or Queen's, which is much much closer to her place.  All that's left now is to finish up the Visa application, as well as send out the course outlines and final transcript for credit transfer evaluation.  Need to make an inquiry to find out where exactly the document should go. After that, to register for classes & buy my flight t...

In light of the impending elections, many are tired of BN and are calling for a change of government.  To my friends who can vote, take a moment to think whether the options truly are better than BN. I am not saying BN is good and squeaky clean, nor am I trying to shove my ideology down your throat.  But take a moment to read up, think, listen to ALL sides (pro-Bn, pro-Opp, & neutrals).  Listen to their arguments.  Research whether the claims are true or smear campaigns (they are so rampant these days), whether their arguments hold water, and then re-evaluate whether a change in government really is in the interest of the people.  If it is, then by all means, vote for it. :) Remember; there is no such thing as a clean politician. I personally have heard very few complaints against the Opposition and that scares me.  It scares me because I do not know their lies.  It scares me because the people may have been blinded by their frustration with ...

This is my answer to a question my friend posted on Facebook.  His question was, "What say you guys?  Please, I want to hear a mature point of view from you guys," and pertains to an article published by The Independent.  Do read the article first. :) Fi rst of all, I strongly oppose gender segregation.  In developed countries like Malaysia and the UK, I think it achieves little.  What is the couple going to do?  Have sex right on the floor?  Not likely.  & if the girl is being harassed by a member of the audience, she need only ask for help and that particular member of the audience would be promptly escorted out. The university's move to ban the group, quite frankly, is acceptable.  The group was formed with the university's permission.  It is understood that the university does not tolerate segregation in any form and it was made clear to the group organizing the debate.  Yet, they chose to ignore the university's polic...

So I'm basically bored out of my mind right now. One thing I've managed to do is more or less breakdown my habit of getting 'sets' when it comes to components, and lockdown a build which gets me drooling. Previously, I had the habit of getting sets. For example, if a brand had a line or collection that included handlebars, seatpost, stem, & wheels, I would list that collection as part of my 'dream build' even though I only liked the wheelsets I did similar things with my music & I'm trying to break the habit by taking ONLY components I LIKE. So here's the list; Eddy Merckx EMX-525 frameset Easton EC90 Aero 56mm wheelset Easton EC90 Aero handlebars Time Xpresso 12 Titan-Carbon pedals S-Works Carbon Road crankarms S-Works SL Carbon spider S-Works SL chainrings PRO Vibe stem PRO Vibe seatpost Shimano Dura-Ace 9070 Di2 (except crankarms, spider & chainrings) Easton R4 casette (Shimano 11-speed compatible) S-Works Tou...

1 minute into the lady's speech & I can't stand it anymore. Miss Bawani's tone may have sounded 'heated' but as a debator, I call that passionate. I call that conviction.  Based on her content, I call that prepared. Most of all, I call that, having a stand.  Yes, Ms. Sharifah also has a stand but I do not feel that her responses are appropriate nor within the nature of a debate. I personally find the response "then go to those countries" a coward's response. Why? Because the reason many have not done just that is because we/they are unable to.  Others on the other hand, have decided "NO! I will stay, and I will improve this beloved country of mine!" Tunku Abdul Rahman was one such man.  Tun Dr. Mahathir was one such man.  Miss Bawani is one such lady. I find that a sign of patriotism.  Wanting to see the country prosper.  Yet, they are shot down.  Broken & trained to live within the four sides of a box.  To be born, follow orders, a...