Introducing Mia Ariana

Since names last a life time, it's not easy for me and wifey to find the right name, one that is not too common and not too strange or flashy to name our new child with. We wanted a name that is short and sweet, not too long, easy to pronounce, not really old school and most importantly has a good meaning behind it.
To tell you the truth, I've quietly decided on the initial Mia ever since Linda's early stages of pregnancy. Nevertheless we still need to find the second name for our baby girl. We deliberated over a dozen names (like Fazura, Aneesa, Alisha, Nurul Syuhada Nurul Ain among others) over the last 9 months and it was only last night that we finally agreed on her present and final name.

The name Ariana crossed our minds several times but we didn't really think about adopting it because we didn't find any meaning of that name in Arabic at first. Then I did a little research online, Googled a few websites and found out the name Ariana actually means lively, bubbly or merry in Arabic. Ariana also comes from the word Aryan which means noble in Persian. Arian also happens to be the ancient name for the Islamic Repupblic of Iran.

In other languages, Ariana means the very holy one in Greek plus Ariana is an Italianate form of the name Ariadne. Apart from that, Ariana Afghan Airlines is the national airline company of Afghanistan. There are also several Afghan television channels named Ariana. Finally, Ariana is a variant of Aryan, the name given to the Indo-European people, of which Afghanistan is a part. And as for Mia, let's just say that that's part of our globalization effort :)

So I went to the JPN counter in Serdang this morning to register Mia Ariana's name. Previously, this place is always crowded in the morning with scores of people queuing outside even before the office is open. Today however, this office is almost deserted with only a handful of people waiting in line when I got there. For future fathers out there, here's what you need to bring for your kid's registration:

1.Mother's Maternity Health Record card (Kad Rekod Kesihatan Ibu) + photocopy
The card that you bring for that monthly check up.

2. Birth Registration Form JPN.LM01 (Borang Daftar Kelahiran)
This will be issued by the hospital/clinic of birth.

3. Birth Confirmation Form (Borang Pengesahan Kelahiran)
This one will also be given by the hospital.

4. Identity cards of both mother and father + photocopy
Make sure you bring the mother's IC. The mother needs no be present at the registration office.

5. Marriage Certificate Booklet (Buku Nikah) + photocopy (for Muslim parents only).
Again, bring the original.

Although the hospital was kind enough to brief me on this matters beforehand, they forgot to tell me that I need to photocopy the mother's maternity health record. Lucky for me there's plenty of photocopy centers in Serdang. It took me half an hour to finish the entire registration process this morning despite the fact that there were only 2 fricking people waiting before me.

Last but not least, I'm proud to say that I've achieved one of the 12 things to do before I die thingy he he! So one, down 11 to go.

My Little Princess

Putrajaya Hospital, 6:40 AM, baby girl, 3.24 kg.

Twitter for Muggles

What is Twitter?

According to Wikipedia, Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send "updates" or "tweets" (text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) to the Twitter website, via short message service (SMS), instant messaging, or a third-party application such as Twitterrific or Facebook.

Updates are displayed on the user's profile page and instantly delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. The sender can restrict delivery to those in his or her circle of friends. Users can receive updates via the Twitter website, instant messaging, SMS, RSS, email or through a third party application.

In Muggles term: you can send updates (what you are currently doing) to your Twitter profile page which can in turn be displayed on your website or blog. You can send update via the Twitter website or through your mobile phone and certain internet messaging (IM) services. Hence anybody can follow your latest, up to the minute activities from there.

Many organizations (such as the Los Angeles Fire Department) have embraced the technology and put it to use in situations such as the October 2007 California wildfires. Prominent Twitter users include U.S. presidential candidates John Edwards, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. So you see, Twitter is really useful for famous people like politicians or celebrities to update their latest news and activities.

How to join Twitter

First go to their website, http://twitter.com and register yourself by clicking the 'Get started - Join!' button.
Fill up your username, password, yada-yada.
And that's it. Your Twitter profile page is ready. You can post, manage and read updates from http://twitter.com/yourusername. Apart from that you can also add other Twitters user's profiles and follow their updates.
To setup up Twitter updates on your website or blog, click on the 'Grab a badge' link.
Here you can choose between several popular networking sites like Blogger and
Facebook. For example I chose to display my Twitter update on Blogger.com
If you're using the new Blogger layout, just click the 'Add to Blogger' button and Twitter will be automatically added to the page elements. Otherwise you need to copy and past the code in your blog's CSS/HTML.
If you haven't joined any of those networking sites or you prefer to put the glossy flash-based Twitter badge like I did, choose 'Other'.
You can choose 3 different badges type, 2 of which using Flash and another HTML/Javascript-based.
For example, I chose the 'Flash, just me' badge. You can choose different colors for the badge. Next copy the code and paste it on your blog/website. For Blogger.com users, add it as a new page element.

How to send updates via mobile phone

On your Twitter homepage, click on the 'add device' link.
You'll be prompted to enter your mobile phone number along with your country code. For example in Malaysia the code is +60 and my phone number is 017 348770 so the correct format is +6017348770. You will then receive a text message from Twitter (their number is +447624801423) asking your to type back the confirmation code and send it to Twitter. The SMS rates varies for different countries. As for Malaysia, each SMS sent to Twitter costs 40 20 cents (that's a whole lot cheaper than wasting money on useless reality shows). To update anything to Twitter via mobile, just text in your message and send to +447624801423.

There's a similar application called Pacmee and it's based in Malaysia so the SMS rates is much lower. Only 5 cents is charged for every shout out sent. But the downside is, they also deduct 5 cent for every shout out entered at their website as opposed to Twitter which charges nothing for web-based updates. I usually tweet while I'm online so naturally I prefer Twitter over Pacmee.
By default, Twitter will update all your friends via mobile so you can choose to turn off updates to your mobile phone by clicking Setting > Phone & IM and select Off. Alternately you can type 'off' and send it to +447624801423 from your mobile.

Tweeting from your desktop

No time to go online and tweet from the Twitter website? No worries cause you can also tweet from your desktop using third-party applications.
For Windows users, Madtwitter is one good example of such applications. Just download and install the program and you'll be tweeting from your PC in mere minutes.
For Linux users like me, gTwitter is a fast and easy client to install on your Ubuntu desktop. Mac users can download and install Twitterrific on their machines.

So that's it. Happy Twitting!

More info and guide at the Twitter Fan Wiki page.

Music of the day

Superstar - Lupe Fiasco feat Matthew Santos


mp3

Top 5 films of all time

Tagged by Anfield Devotee to list 5 of my all time fave movies. And my Oscar goes to...

Star Wars (Episode 1 - V)
This film single-handedly changed modern cinema to what we know it to be today. It is the ultimate modern fairy tale. A young knight runs off with a wise old wizard to save the princess from the clutches of evil. Of course, it runs a little deeper than that, and makes the old tale of good versus evil so much more compelling. Setting it long ago in a galaxy far, far away is pure genius and it introduces us to a futuristic galaxy of beautiful style and diversity that leaves us with a fantastic space opera. Despite its unfamiliar setting, we can relate to all the characters. There's the handsome maverick, the beautiful heroine, the aspiring young knight, the wise old mentor, and the darkly clad villain. Even the droids are characters we can recognise and relate to. What is so special about this film is that the distractions of things like politics, geography, and nationality are eliminated to leave us with simple humanity. This film has everything you could ever want. The characters are great; the action's great; the story is magnificent, and of course the lightsabers are really cool.

Harry Potter
I saw this movie before I read the book and I was very much impressed. Chris Columbus had really captured the magic with his amazing creativity. He takes us to a wonderful journey through the magical community. The cast was perfect. The Music was really awesome. The theme song really had the magic in it. Awesome visual effects. The movie was beautifully taken. It had all the elements, the humor, the happiness, the darkness, the sadness and the magic. A movie definitely worth watching. Trust me, you'll enjoy it. Hats off to Chris Columbus and J.K.Rowling for creating this wonderful magical world.

Back To The Future
There are certain films that you grow up with. I have seen Back To The Future more times than i care to imagine. Each and every time I watch it, it never fails to get me hooked straightaway. What is it about this film that makes it endlessly watchable? The main character is a kid I wanted to be. The film centres around Marty Mcfly played by Michael J. Fox. He is accidentally transported back in time to the year 1955 where he inadvertently prevents his parents from falling in love-hence threatening his very existence. It may sound complicated but the genius of the film is the simplicity of the script. In short, Marty just wants to get back home. To assist him in his quest is the man who helped him get there in the first place. Doc Brown is as eccentric as they come but Christopher Lloyd makes him lovable with his great performance. The chemistry between Michael J. Fox and the afore mentioned Lloyd is the key to the entire movie. It works a treat, making the film come to life. Watching Marty and Doc struggle to put their well thought out plan into action at the film's climax is as exciting as anything seen. The scale of this movie is not huge. It's not a big special effects film. The score makes the film jump out of the screen.. The Back To The Future main theme is one of the most recognised in cinema. The phrase 'Back to The Future' will be with us forever- just as this classic movie will be. 'Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads'

Grease
Grease has to be the best musical off all the time. Being a romance, comedy, musical and so much more, makes it unique. John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Didi Cohn, Jeff Conaway and so many more make this an all-star hit. This movie well illustrates what the 50s was all about. I must say, anyone who thinks its ovverrated or anything else bad must've seen how amazing this classic is. And, who can forget the music. Absolutely amazing. It's no wonder that the Grease soundtrack in the best selling musical soundrack ever. (It sure is brilliant.) Grease really is the word. It's fantastic

Initial D
Based on a popular manga by Shuichi Shigeno, Initial D is a high-octane anime series about the world of downhill mountain racing. Takumi Fujiwara is an average high-school student who has honed his driving skills while making late-night deliveries for his father's tofu restaurant. When he has an inadvertent run-in with one of the area's top racers, Takumi finds himself thrust into the world of mountain racing and is soon battling for top honors in a series of daredevil downhill races. Thrilling and adrenaline-fueled, the anime is presented in its entirety with this collection of episodes. Sure beats the anime version on TV. Got me hooked on drifting for a while although I know my car can never do that.

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So what's your all time favourite movies? As always I wanna tag my two favourite victims: Rina & Rin.

Afifplc N.A.Qs

It is common for popular websites and blogs to have F.A.Qs (Frequently Asked Questions) page to answer well, frequently asked questions by their visitors/ readers. I wanted to have a F.A.Q page of my own too but since I'm not famous and my blog is far from popular, I didn't get enough questions to put up a F.A.Q page to start with (so sad, I know). Having said that, I took the liberty to set up my very own N.A.Q (Never Asked Questions) page just in case they are visitors out there who's itching to ask me a question or two but too lazy to shoot me an e-mail. Here goes..

Q: Why do you blog?
A: For world domination

Q: What do you do?
A: Same thing we do everyday Pinky, try to take over the world mwahahaha!!

Q: Your blog have had a steady stream of visitors so far, can you put a link to my site from your blog?
A: Well, that depends. I usually link my blog to my friend's blogs plus several good blogs that I read often. Then again, I almost always link back to blogs who referred to me in the first place out of courtesy :)

Q: How many hits that your blog receive everyday?
A: Just 190 average

Q: Somebody said your photo on Friendster was more than 5 years old, why don't you put your latest picture?
A: It's my blog/Friendster page and I cry if I want too :P

Q: Where the heck is Seri Kembangan?
A: It's a town 30km south of Kuala Lumpur, home to the (stinky) Pasar Borong Selangor, Taman Equine Jaya Jusco and my office among others. And oh yeah, avoid the Seri Kembangan town at all cost during the day (those people have no parking manners).

Q: If it's so bad, why do you still live here?
A: Because my mom made me.
A: And it's near my workplace (5 minutes drive)

Q: Who the hell is Bujal?
A: Oh Bujal is an ogre that we rescued from the Amazon forest just when he was about to be turned into dinner by the locals there. We keep him as a pet at the office now. Real charming guy.

Q: Are you with the Opposition or against the Government?
A: I thought that's pretty obvious. I'm opposed to corruption, abuse of power, discrimination, arrogance, favouritism, cronyism, racism which is what everything Barisan Nasional stands for.

Q: But since I was a kid, I was brought up to believe that BN is good. They really take care of the people, develop the economy, provide us with jobs and security, promote racial harmony yada, yada. Even the papers and TV said that. So why should I choose anybody else?
A: My friend, I was brainwashed and just as ignorant as you not too long ago. Take your time to read this and this website. I assure you, you'll be enlightened with the truth and hopefully see what's wrong with this country.

Q: Aren't you afraid you'll get into trouble for what you stand for?
A: I think my views are pretty mild compared to other blogs available on the Net. I don't think I've done anything wrong so I have nothing to be afraid of.

Q: Why are your posts becoming less and less every month?
A: To be frank, I've been pretty busy lately with work and stuff. Apart from that I'm moving more into quality posts instead of quantity therefore I took a substantial amount of time (1-2 hours) for every post. I can post everyday but they're gonna be full of crap though. Besides, I update my other blog almost everyday what?

Q: Why do you where your pants so loose? Like everybody at the office saw your butt already.
A: Aha! That's the privilege you'll get for working in the same office with me. Take it as my gift to the world ha ha!

Q: I know you're married and all but the question is, are you still available?
A: That depends really. Unless your name is Nurul Syuhada, Fifi or Maya Karin, I suggest you forget it.

(Just kidding Mama, don't kill me!!)

Q: So how many times do you guys have sex every week?
A: Twice a day or whenever my wife gets horny. That's none of your business.

Q: What's your favourite position?
A: Women on top (wink-wink!)

Q: Your England is quite good, where do you learn that?
A: I was submersed in English speaking environment since I was a kid you know, watching English language cartoon, TV shows and movies, listening to English songs and radio stations, read a lot of English books. Start early, start young.

Q: Let's face it, Liverpool FC will never win the Premiership any time soon. Why are you still supporting them after all these years?
A; Yeah whatever, at least we got class and a proud history, can you claim the same Chelsea and Arsenal fans? Nope? Besides, I'm a very-very loyal person.

Q: I still cannot connect to my Hotmail/Windows Live Mail account from Thunderbird, why haven't you answered my questions?
A: Dude, I'm no Thunderbird expert and I made that tutorial from my basic knowledge in e-mailing system. The webmail extension is not perfect and sometimes I can't get connected to Hotmail too. Life sucks. Get on with it.

Q: Whatever happened to your teeth?
A: I lost it in a terrible accident long time ago.

Q: Do you think Mawi has any talent at all?
A: Yes he has absolutely no talent. He just got a really lucky break with that reality show. But I can't deny that he worked hard to achieve what he has right now.

Q: When will you ever start exercising for real?
A: Don't have time lah. My running shoes has also shrunk. It's too creepy round here in the morning. Global warming is bad for my health.

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Feel free to ask real questions with the comments form below.

Headstrong

Take a look at the crack on my windshield above and tell me whether it was:

a) Hit by a stray rock while driving

b) Cracked by an angry mob of UMNO supporters

c) Landed on by a radioactive spider

d) Hit by Adam Farihin's head because he couldn't stand still in the car

If your answer is anything but (d) I'm afraid you're wrong. Yeah my 4 year old Adam did that when he smashed into the windscreen when I suddenly braked my car. Thank God he's okay. Just a slight bump on his head. He didn't even cry for long. He's back to his usual naughty self in just half an hour. Now I have this huge crack and my windscreen and that nagging feeling that it might collapse at a moment's notice. Sigh.

p.s: How much to replace windscreen for Savvy ha?

The Rakyat has spoken

8 March 2008 will forever be remembered in the annals of history of this country. For the first time my fellow Malaysians have put their religious and ideological differences aside and united in arms to vote for change. We have shown that BN is not as invincible as they thought they are and that people's power still rules by the end of the day. Today I have never been more proud of my country and of my fellow countrymen for showing that corruption, arrogance and injustice doesn't pay. Money cannot buy everything. Intimidation and fear tactics doesn't work any more. That Malaysians are not so stupid as to believe everything and anything shoved up their faces on TV, radio and mainstream newspapers.

To quote Datuk Seri Anuar Ibrahim's speech - "Today at the ballot box, you listened to your heart with the firm conviction that the time for change has arrived. The people of Malaysia have spoken. This is a defining moment, unprecedented in our nation’s history." Just one week ago, who would have thought that BN would be finally be denied the 2/3 majority in Parliament. For the first time since 1969, Barisan Nasional lost its two-thirds parliamentary majority — the power base with which it has steamrollered legislation and changed the Constitution at will. They now controls only 140 seats in the 222-seat Parliament. Worse was the unprecedented swing in the 13 powerful state assemblies, of which five are now controlled by the Opposition. I myself was very optimist that BN was going to get a beating they deserved this time around but I have never dreamed that it's going to be this severe so much so that the media has called this result a political tsunami.

This is our victory, we worked really hard for it and we totally deserved it. I would like to thank and congratulate each and every one of my fellow Malaysians for making this incredible feat possible. Today we, the voters have dispelled the myth that there was no other viable coalition in the country than BN to champion for our rights and represent our voice in the Parliament. We have showed that we are not fooled by all the political theories and media hype that BN is our only saviour. This victory is even more sweet if we compare the tactics used by BN to fight for this election. They've got the entire weight of the government machinery against us. The Opposition was completely denied of space and opportunity to campaign in the BN controlled mass media. They have used this uneven playing field to the max and the media onslaught against the Opposition was the worst the country have seen.

The wise Abraham Lincoln says "you can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time". Those BN propaganda machine has really gone overboard this time with their openly biased and pro government publishing up to the point that the ordinary people is consciously fed up with all those rubbish fed to them daily. Naturally they turned to the Internet as an alternative. There the public can obtain free and honest accounts of what's really happening in this country. In cyberspace you can find the real deal. Uncensored news and honest opinions and thoughts of independent journalist and also ordinary citizens like you and me who chooses to express oursleves through websites and blogs. No doubt the spread of uncensored new media, such as the Internet and text messaging, helped the Opposition break the government's stranglehold on information flow, harnessing public anger over mounting inflation and crime rates, widespread corruption and inept governance.

Nevertheless I personally think this defeat for BN is inevitable. The hugely arrogant BN leadership failed to acknowledge the genuine grievances of the people and lacked the willpower to address the needs of the many marginalized communities. Even the majority of Malaysians in the middle class has turned their backs on the BN for practising double standards and discriminatory policies that only benefited their family members and cronies. Many Malaysians believed that the current Government has failed woefully to follow through its promises to put an end to corruption, deal with growing economic disparities and increasing crime rates. The Abdullah administration had ultimately failed the trust and mandate given by the people as shown in the 2004 landslide election results.

Abdullah and his senior colleagues in the government had no idea they were really unpopular. So the Prime Minister decided to call snap elections a full year before they were due, expecting to get a result not too different from the result he had gained four years ago. He was fed with grossly inaccurate statistics of people's opinions on him given by none other than his son in law cum advisor, Khairy Jamaludin. Never in the history of Malaysian electoral politics have the Prime Minister been so ignorant of the disillusionment of so many. And this ignorance went beyond their misreading of the electorate's mood. So it's no surprise that this strategy backfired on him when the people chooses to vent their frustration at the polls.

This is indeed a new dawn for Malaysia. The political landscape in this country will never be the same again after the 12th general election. To the victorious Opposition parties, now is the time to deliver all the promises made before the election. While they are many voters who genuinely voted for the Opposition, they are still many out there who voted against BN simply as a protest. The next 4 years will be a litmus test whether the Opposition is really a viable alternative to the BN government. Give them no reason why they should revert back to the old regime. Form an fair, transparent and accountable governments in all those states that you lead. Listen to the people's grouses and grievances. Come down and visit your constituents often. Take action, now! There's no time for a honeymoon period. Avoid fighting among each other for power and wealth like so many before you did. Put the interest of the people high above the rest. Don't betray the trust given to you by the people. Bear in mind that we voted you in and we can just as easily vote you out.

Denying the present government 2/3 majority and gaining control of 5 states are only the first step for the Opposition to gain the confidence of fellow Malaysians as the viable alternative against Barisan Nasional. Obviously there's ample room for improvement especially if we'd like to convince our friends in Sabah and Sarawak to vote BN out. From what I've heard, BN won big in Sabah due to the bickering on seat allocations between PKR and PAS there. Let's put our egos and ideological differences aside and cement this informal coalition into Barisan Rakyat. We could never achieved this tremendous breakthrough have we not worked together against our common opponent. Let's face it, no single party can and has ever ruled the country by themselves and it never will happen. We need the combined effort of each and every single one of the Opposition to take on Barisan Nasional if we ever wish to see a two-party system in this country.

The Rakyat has spoken and the message couldn't be any more loud and clearer. They've had enough of the BN government and they voted for a change. The BN led government had failed to deliver everything that they promised when we voted them into power in 2004. The people have voiced their dissent for quite some time now, even took to the street to air their grievances. But the BN government closed their eyes and turned a deaf ear to these voices. They are so consumed with power that were trusted upon them by the people and in their arrogance, dared the people to change the government through the ballot boxes. So last Saturday, 8th of March 2008 the people did just that. For the first time in their history, Barisan Nasional were trounced at the polls and served a lesson they'll never forget.

Any respectful coach of a national football team would have resigned had his team lost or failed to qualify for major tournaments. But this leader of ours, apparently still entrenched with the illusion that he still has the backing from his fellow party members and support from other component parties flatly refuses to claim responsibility for this crushing defeat by doing the right thing. It is understandable that the components parties like MCA and MIC would still cling on to BN because they are the one who suffered the most during the last elections and they have nobody else to turn to. For Najib and the rest of UMNO members though, I bet they're just waiting for the right place and time to revolt against the old man. Yeah-yeah we know you've stated your undying and undivided support for him now. Datuk Seri Anuar Ibrahim also said the same team before he pounced on the late Tun Ghaffar Baba for the number two spot. They will suck up to you as long as you're still in power. But the moment you steps down from the corridors of power, they'll treat you like nobody. Just ask Tun Dr. Mahathir, he should know better than anyone else. It's nothing personal, it's just politics.

The Rakyat has spoken and sent a strong message that says they have lost confidence in the current administration. Yesterday when the PM was sworn in, the stock market fell nearly 10%, the worst in many months. Some people say UMNO can only be brought down from the inside and this coming party elections on September is the perfect venue to stop the party from this rot. It doesn't take a genius to see that the UMNO president is becoming a liability not only for his party but also for the country and it is interesting to see who will have the balls to challenge old sleepyhead in six months time.

Then again, I don't really care if UMNO chooses to retain him come September. It's only going to go downhill from there on for UMNO and BN. Last Saturday BN lost 5 states and 2/3 majority in Parliament. In 2012 if this same person still rules the country by then, I won't be surprised if Malaysia is ruled by another party aside from BN. They power is in our hands my fellow countrymen. Let's assert that authority by continuing to vote for change in the next general election.

Landslide victory for PAS in Kelantan

PAS has strengthened its hold on Kelantan with an almost clean sweep of the state. Official results showed that the Islamist party clinched 38 of the 45 state seats, which gives it a two-thirds majority victory. PKR won one state seat.
In 2004, PAS won the state by only a two-seat margin with razor-thin victories in a number of seats. This time around, the majority ranges in the thousands, compared to single and double digit wins in 2004. PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat (Chempaka), vice-president Datuk Husam Musa (Salor) and Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan (Bunut Payung) all won their state seats.
As for the parliamentary seats, PAS and PKR, which have an electoral pact, swept 12 of the 14 seats: PKR won in Tanah Merah, Ketereh and Machang. PAS strategist Datuk Abdul Wan Rahim Wan Abdullah beat Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s political secretary Datuk Fatmi Salleh to take the Kota Baru parliamentary seat with a thumping majority of 11,288 votes. Barisan Nasional’s top pick Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin lost the contest for the Bachok parliamentary seat to PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa. Dr Awang also failed to wrest the Perupok state seat from incumbent Datuk Omar Mohammed. Another top leader who took a beating was state Barisan chairman Datuk Annuar Musa, who was denied the Ketereh parliamentary seat by newbie Ab Aziz Ab Kadir from PKR.
PKR strategist Saifuddin Nasution Ismail beat incumbent Datuk Sazmi Miah by 1,460 votes to gain the Machang parliamentary seat. Former Umno leader Datuk Ibrahim Ali, who was sacked from the party, will be back in Parliament. He contested in Pasir Mas under a PAS ticket and defeated his Umno opponent Ahmad Rosdi Mahmud by 8,991 votes.
PAS also made significant inroads into Barisan strongholds. In Gua Musang, PAS took the Galas state seat and in Kuala Krai, it claimed the Guchil, Mengkebang, Dabong and Manek Urai state seats. Umno’s Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Datuk Mustapa Mohamed retained their Gua Musang and Jeli parliamentary seats respectively. Mustapa secured a majority of 4,436 votes, while Tengku Razaleigh won by 4,394 votes. Dr Awang Adek, who was the Barisan’s choice to lead the state should the coalition wrest the state from PAS, said he would take a rest from politics. “We have been badly defeated in Kelantan. We have to respect the decision of the people,” he said. “The results are shocking because of the extent of our defeat.” Jeli MP Mustapa said: “The decision of the people in Kelantan was unexpected based on the feedback that we received. We were told that we were gaining ground and now we are back to square one.” State Umno Information head Datuk Md Alwi Che Ahmad, who won the Kok Lanas state seat, said all in Umno including himself must take full responsibility for the heavy defeat in Kelantan. Md Alwi, however, expected the coalition to bounce back. PAS secured its first state seat (Kijang) unopposed on nomination day when the Barisan candidate was disqualified because he was a bankrupt.
Kelantan Mentri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat hailed the "tsunami" of electoral support for the party in a victory speech that reflected its inclusive new approach. "The people who are not Muslim, the Chinese, the Indians and (other minorities) now clearly accept our Islamic governance despite attempts by the BN's throwing of money and promises of development," he said. Political analyst Tricia Yeoh (right) said PAS' greater acceptance of minorities was key to its success. "This signalled their need for support from non-Muslim voters who did not disappoint them, and backed what is an essentially Islamic government," said Yeoh, from the Centre for Public Policy Studies thinktank.
Chinese and Indians living in Kelantan, which PAS has ruled for 18 years, mostly have few complaints and say they are free to practice their religions and cultural traditions. In a concession to minorities, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said its new government in Kedah would give seats on its ruling committee to non-Muslims. "We will offer two state exco posts to non-Muslims in the Kedah state government to recognise the role they played in our victory," he said.
Hadi Awang said there would not be any dramatic changes for non-Muslims in the new PAS-ruled Kedah, unlike when it took over Kelantan in 1990, and it intended to respect minority rights. "Whatever we (restrict), it will be in consultation with the various races living in these states," he said. "Whatever is allowed by their religion we will not interfere in but what is banned in Islam, we will forbid for Muslims."
"Being the party of Islamic scholars, PAS will now have to tread a much more moderate line in ensuring that they can form a coalition with the DAP," he said. "If they can do this, there will for the first time be a viable opposition coalition facing off the government in parliament," he added.
PAS vice-president Husam Musa said the opposition parties, including former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim's PKR, must put their differences aside. "We must now try and unify and bring the races together and to pursue a more mainstream agenda," he said.

Malaysian General Election 2008

Yeah baby, I'm gonna do some voting today, yeah! I woke up early, have breakfast and went straight to the polling station 15 minutes after it opens (that's 8:15 AM). Since this is my first time voting, I'm very excited to go to the polling station and cross that little piece of paper. You could say I'm a virgin voter he he!
It poured this morning when we're about to leave the house. But this time, I don't think rain, storm, flood or even a blizzard is going to stop me from going out to vote today.
While they don't care much about development or entertainment, one thing the people of Kelantan is very passionate about is politics. That's why during the general election, this state of mine turned into one big partay! with posters and banners and part flags everywhere.
I can really tell the difference between here and Seri Kembangan where I live where the election atmosphere is pretty quiet and not really happening.My polling station is at SRK Sultan Ibrahim 3, less than 2 kilometres from my home in Pasir Mas. There was not much crowd when I got there since I half expected it to be crowded from what I saw in other places like Selangor or KL.
Anyway, I was done within 5 minutes. The ballot papers looked rather confusing at first since they were in black and white when I was already used to the colourful party logos. But I looked carefully at both logos and voted for my party of choice.
Both political parties have set up up booths (or posts) outside the polling station so that voters can check up their names and get the polling stream numbers. They've got PCs, printers and wireless Internet some more don't prey-prey ar! Hmm, I wonder if they're using Maxis or Celcom.

So I'm calling everyone out there who missed out the chance to vote last Saturday to quickly get yourself registered for the next general or by-election. I think you can register at the nearest post office or whenever those SPR people do their roadshow and set up counters at public places (i.e shopping malls). Each and every single one of your vote counts and will chart the next course of this country's future.

The day before the election

Less than 24 hours to go. Tomorrow will be the moment of truth for Malaysia. Tomorrow 10.9 eligible voters shall go to the polls to decide who will run the country for the next 4 years or so. Of course the numbers could be less if say 60 or 70% of people only turns out to vote. I for once will be voting for the first time so understandably am very eager and excited to do my part tomorrow. Nevertheless, some of my friends might not be voting tomorrow. A few of them err forgot to register in the first place. That's a pity really. Someday when anyone complains about rising fuel and goods prices and corruption and scandals everywhere, I can earnestly say "That's your fault! Who told you not to register yourself and vote in the first place?" You didn't exercise your right to choose so why are you complaining now? I didn't vote for them so if there's anyone who should be complaining that would be me!
After 13 days of campaigning, tomorrow is D-day. Decision day. Malaysians will be going to the polls from 8 in the morning till 5 in the afternoon and several hours later we should find out about the results on TV and the Internet. Tomorrow we'll find out whether the government's monopoly of the mainstream media have worked or whether the Opposition's rule in cyberspace have worked to their benefit. Yes the BN-led government can control and manipulate the mass media but on the Internet, they're completely harmless. And trust me, the general feeling of many educated and web-savvy Malaysians is pro-opposition. This past few months, I can't find a single blog that genuinely supports the government (UMNO suck ups don't count). Many of them was really critical of the government and they speak out and truly express what they feel about it.
Today's younger generation are more open-minded, educated and sophisticated set of individuals. Unlike their predecessors, today's youth are not easily influenced or brain-washed by what they see or hear on the mainstream media. They can think and evaluate things by themselves whether it's right or wrong. When they can't find this on the traditional media, they search for alternative on the new media like the Internet. And from what I've see and read, many our our younger generations are really critical of the government. They know all about the corruptions, scandals and abuse of power. They are also well aware of the systematic discrimination that is being implemented in every facet of their lives. Some of them are still young and might not be eligible to vote yet but for the rest of them, I think if each and every one of them go out in forces to vote at the polls tomorrow and the BN govrnment will be running like a dog with it's tail between it's legs.

Now back to my home town. No matter what you saw or heard on TV, radios or read in the paper about BN's confindence in wrestling back Kelantan, don't believe any of them. They're all just cheap talk and propaganda to please themselves and their supporters. The reality is so much more different I know most of my friends in my office will be voting for the Opposition. I know my wife, her family and I will be voting for PAS tomorrow. I know my uncle and aunt will by supporting the opposition in Kinrara. Another uncle of mine in Sungai Buloh will be returning home to vote for PAS tonight. My aunty and her hubby here in Pasir Mas have been a staunch PAS supporter for as long as I can remember. My grandma? Just know when the two of us went to town together in my car, just the two of us, she told me most of her friends will be voting for PAS this time around. Be it teachers, nurses or even people in uniform. She herself (psst don't tell this to anyone, she said!) will be dividing her votes. parliament for PAS and state for BN. I don't know where's the logic in that but at least I know we got one of her votes now! Bear in mind that this is my grandma who used to proudly represent her local UMNO division to the general assembly many years ago and has raised me to believe in UMNO and BN and has been an UMNO member all her life. But having been living here in Kelantan all these while, my grandma must have known better. She must have realised that the PAS government is not all that bad and she should know very well how screwed up UMNO in this state is. How they're deeply divided with constant power struggle and cah keting (back stabbing) and all. Somebody said to me BN loose in Kelantan not because PAS is strong, it's because UMNO is weak and divided.
So I think everyone here in Kelantan is going for PAS except my mom. My uncle Nan came by earlier to try to persuade my mom to change her mind but all he succeeded in doing is getting her all riled up and upset. My mom, when she made up her mind, there's nothing much you can do to change that. Plus she is very-very loyal. I think I got both of those traits from her. :)

Anyway for my forecast for tomorrow. I think the Opposition is going to win big in Kelantan and Terengganu and make some major inroad in Kedah and Perlis. I think Penang might fall to the Opposition too but it's gonna be very close. Other states will still belong to BN although with much reduced margins. Nevertheless, I think in this election, the Opposition will kick BN's asses really hard. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is confident the Opposition can secrue 75 seats in Parliament and lead a new government. Somehow I don't share his optimism. The more realistic outcome for tomorrow is: BN to retain 2/3 majority but with less seats. The Opposition I predict will have a stronger voice in Parliament and that's good because BN won't be able to bulldoze their bills through and amend the constitution at will. That's my prediction for tomorrow. All the same, we can only plan so much. Ultimately God will decide. Tomorrow is the dawn of a new era.

It's nearly 1:30 AM now, I better get some sleep for the big day.