UNCONVENTIONAL WORLD RECORDS

Apparently can go up to 6mph depending on who’s riding it…

Has balancing gyro and software. Can detect the slightest pressure from your toes/feet and it’ll move along in the direction depending on how far you lean forward or backward. It is said that you can’t really fall from a segway, it won’t let you.

You turn by twisting the handle left or right and the whole experience is quite natural. Does anybody know if this motorized vehicle is allowed on Malaysian pavements?

Yes, it’s gotta be expensive…

Popularity: 1% [?]

…i have a feeling will not even be allowed into malaysia…

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More specifically, coded clifford immobilizer.

loke uei, microsoft developer evangelist recounts his experience with car thieves.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Terdapat beberapa website, seperti di bawah. Kalau ada lain, sila beritahu saya ya. Kebanyakannya dalam format realaudio (streaming) dan ada yang memberi kemudahan untuk download, tapi kalau dia tak bagi download, gunakan perisian seperti StreamNow untuk download. Kalau dia dalam format radioblog, gunakan perisian seperti …(lupa dah namanya) untuk rekod.

http://www.myfavouritesongs.com/

http://www.geocities.com/hassny/

http://www.ecst.csuchico.edu/~durian/ra/

Popularity: 1% [?]

Helix Nebula / Eye of God, a huge planetary nebula in the constellation Aquarius, discovered in the 19th century. It’s 700 light-years away from earth:

If you think the Eye of God is amazing, take a look at the Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula:

To me, that really drives home the point that Heaven really exists, somewhere out there:

Note: these are real images as taken by the Hubble space telescope.

Popularity: 1% [?]

I stumbled upon him when trying to go to thesmokinggun.com where i typed smokinggun.com instead.

John Weir designed website for International Herald Tribune

His other clients include Harvary University and Silicon Graphics.

May this remind us to always aim that little bit higher……

Popularity: 1% [?]

flashback: mailblog 1 March 2005

Where else, but only from the internet (form this part of the world anyway) can you get juicy details of the grand jury transcripts of Michael Jackson’s trial.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/michaeljackson/021505mjgrandjury.html

Remember, these are supposed to be sealed, not for the public to see! Some people contend its authenticity, but you judge for yourself lah. There you can imagine in graphic detail what the gloved one did to those kids, what he said, etc etc more details than you ever want to know. What’s more, it’s more than 1000 pages long!

As a preview, http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0215053accuser20.html, line 4 to 6, the boy testified that Michael Jackson whispered in another boy’s ear: “Prince, you’re missing the p-u-s-s-y.” while surfing pornography on the web.

Quick before the powers that be shuts this down, if they manage to.

Also, as a bonus, in case you havent seen it before, is Kenneth Starr’s Report To Congress – made accessible to the public on September 11, 1998. The Ken Starr Report details the relationship between President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, which was considered to be key evidence of impeachable offenses committed by the
former president.

http://elections.donyell.net/other_reports/ken_starr.pdf

you would need a PDF reader. file size 800 KB, 154 pages. And as it is a PDF file, you can do text searching! Try search for “cigar” to get interesting results……

As a preview, on page 40, Ms Lewinsky testified: “and i continued to perform oral sex and then he pushed me away, kind of as he always did before he came, and then i stood up and i said….I care about you so much…..i dont understand why you wont let me……make you come; it’s important to me; I mean, it just doesn’t feel complete; it doesnt seem right.”

I leave you to read and find out what happened next…………….

the source website is here : http://elections.donyell.net/kenneth_starr.htm

Popularity: 1% [?]

answer: Steve Jobs of Apple Corp

For 2004, he was again paid only USD1 (RM3.80) for the whole year. not even bonuses or stock options were paid. he’s also chief of Pixar, but he’s also paid very little there.

but dont be fooled, he’s ranked no.74 richest in the world with USD2.6 billion. That makes him even richer than Malaysia’s richest tycoon – Robert Kuok…………..

so, either he’s absolutely brilliant or absolutely insane. i think he’s the former.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Actually all this is transparent, all available at JPA website:

PEKELILING PERKHIDMATAN BILANGAN 4 TAHUN 2002 – PELAKSANAAN SISTEM SARAAN MALAYSIA BAGI ANGGOTA PERKHIDMATAN AWAM PERSEKUTUAN [but also applicable to sabah state civil service]

http://www.jpa.gov.my/pekeliling/pp02/bil04/pp04-02m.htm

The high paying ones are here:

http://www.jpa.gov.my/pekeliling/pp02/bil04/Klasifikasi-VK-VU.pdf

Hence, the highest grade is VU1 (only KSN can have this grade), where the BASIC salary maxs out at RM13,390.40 per month. Note that this is BASIC salary. He also gets lots of other allowances, including RM10,000/mth “fixed allowance”, entertainment, etc etc. Total will be less than RM50,000/mth. But of course being at the top we will get a lot of freebies, being appointed BoD of various companies, speaking engagements and such like and lest the ACA gets a whiff of this, I will not mention any other “questionable sources of income.” Adding those, 6 figure mthly income is not impossible.

As for Sabah state, of course lags behind private sector in “official” income, but……..Anyway I think the top Sabah civil servant, the SKN, earns officially a basic of RM12,700 max…that is VU3 grade.

Note that this is civil service, NOT policitally appointed ones

Re political appointees, do you have any info on that? any pekelilings or such like?

For example, when MP’s salary was increased to RM6000+ last time it was debated in court, with Lim Kit Siang bla bla and so on, but i cannot get any black and white on it.

Also I read last time that Ketua Pembangkang also got allowance of RM2600 per month, but cannot get any documentation to prove it.

Q: i bet your salary is around $6,000 a month.. plus this and that should be clo…
A: to me, big salary = big spending. So if someone earning RM300 a month and hv to support 8 children can do it, why not u and me?

i think we’ll always lack money, always need more and more, even if salary is 6 figures a mth.

think about it, the super rich guys (on forbes) are having to pay loans in billions of dollars. and theirs is only value on paper, not cash. they have a lot to think about. they have more to lose……

so the best thing is do what ur previous email said, stop comparing, and start to live……

Popularity: 3% [?]

THE TOP 10

1 Suharto: $15-35bn (Indonesia, 1967-98)
2 Ferdinand Marcos: $5-10bn (Philippines, 1972-86)
3 Mobutu Sese Seko: $5bn (Zaire, 1965-97)
4 Sani Abacha: $2-5bn (Nigeria, 1993-98)
5 Slobodan Milosevic: $1bn (Yugoslavia, 1989-2000)
6 J-C Duvalier: $300-800m (Haiti, 1971-86)
7 Alberto Fujimori: $600m (Peru, 1990-2000)
8 Pavlo Lazarenko: $114-200m (Ukraine, 1996-7)
9 Arnoldo Aleman: $100m (Nicaragua, 1997-2002)
10 Joseph Estrada: $78-80m (Philippines, 1998-2001)

Source: Transparency International.
All sums are estimates of alleged embezzlement

———————————-
Suharto tops corruption rankings

Former President Suharto of Indonesia tops the all-time corruption league table, an anti-graft group says.

Transparency International(TI), in its Global Corruption Report, uses the list to show how political corruption and private bribery hurt development.

Suharto’s alleged haul of $15-$35bn in 31 years of rule, TI said, demonstrated how abuse of power “undermines the hopes… of developing countries”.

Close behind is Zaire’s Mobutu Sese Seko, who allegedly looted $5bn.

His haul, said TI, was particularly high in a country with an average GDP of just $100 a person.

It amounted to 40% of the $12bn in aid Zaire – now the Democratic Republic of Congo – received during his 32-year rule.

“The abuse of political power for private gain deprives the most needy of vital public services, creating a level of despair that breeds conflict and violence,” said TI’s founder and chairman Peter Eigen.

In producing this year’s report TI has focused on political corruption, partly to highlight new conventions which it hopes will help the fight against graft.

The United Nations Convention against Corruption was completed on 9 December last year, while the African Union’s own convention came out in July 2003.

Ratification of these conventions, said TI UK chief Laurence Cockcroft, would help root out corrupt politicians and – just as importantly – get the stolen cash back home.

The UN Convention, he said, “provides a formal framework for mult-lateral action” by law enforcement.

“And it greatly improves the scope for repatriation of assets by cutting through the legal obscurantism of the past.”

That could – for example – help Nigeria recover the $2bn-$5bn estimated to have been stolen by late President Sani Abacha.

Switzerland has promised to hand back more than $500m in its banks, but less progress is being made on the $1bn-plus held in London.

TI is not alone in looking into corruption in public life.

Of particular interest in recent months has been the energy and minerals industry.

While TI’s list focuses on politicians who are either dead or under investigation, others – such as resource exploitation specialists Global Witness – have gone further.

In a recent report, Global Witness accused several current leaders of looting their own treasuries.

Among them are:

# Angola’s President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, whom it says keeps large sums in bank accounts abroad
# Equatorial Guinea, whose President Teodoro Obiang calls oil revenues a “state secret” but is accused of keeping oil companies’ payments in a bank in Washington DC under his own name
# Kazakhstan, where a bungled attempt to smear a rival led to President Nursultan Nazarbayev inadvertently revealing $1bn in state funds placed abroad “for the good of the country”.

Angola on Thursday rejected accusations that the president and other senior government officials had benefited by millions of dollars from illicit deals.

In a statement issued by the Angolan embassy in London, the government said the allegations were baseless and could not be proved.

————————————–
The Global Corruption Report 2005 [seriously thick document] is freely downloadable at http://www.globalcorruptionreport.org/download.html#download

Hardcopy version can also be ordered for about RM100 from http://www.plutobooks.com.

Popularity: 1% [?]

flashback: 17 April 2005

came across this while reading SEPET’s director Yasmin Ahmad’s blog.

the company flickr.com was formed in 2004, offering online photo sharing capabilities. What? I i hear you say. Many big corps are already offering this, eg, Yahoo Photos, Google Hello/Picasa, Snapfish, yafro etc etc

But they persevered, and it seems that in this game, you play to be noticed by the big guns. And it happened in March 2005. Yahoo bought flickr.com for a reported USD40 million. Yes, yahoo already has its own photo sharing capabilities (not so good though to be honest; eg – cant have permalink on individual photos, cannot blog on a photo, cannot comment on individual photos)

That might not sound as much as Hotmail bought by Microsoft for USD400 million some years ago, but it just shows that you need to stick to what you know best and be dead good, world-class good at it. This is what our PM means by “terbilang”.

Note: how about “tersohor”??

From reviews i read and personal observation, flickr IS good. As good as blogger’s hello/picasa combination. And much less frustrating/confusing too.

Popularity: 1% [?]

So scamboy also copies jokes like the rest of us, from this site:

http://www.jokecenter.com/jokes/Religion/5785.htm

good one, but frustrating too………=)

———————————————————————–
A man is driving down the road and breaks down near a monastery. He goes to the monastery, knocks on the door, and says, “My car broke down. Do you think I could stay the night?”

The monks graciously accept him, feed him dinner, even fix his car.

As the man tries to fall asleep, he hears a strange sound. The next morning, he asks the monks what the sound was, but they say, “We can’t tell you. You’re not a monk.”

The man is disappointed but thanks them anyway and goes about his merry way.

Some years later, the same man breaks down in front of the same monastery. The monks accept him, feed him, even fix his car. That night, he hears the same strange noise that he had heard years earlier.

The next morning, he asks what it is, but the monks reply, “We can’t tell you. You’re not a monk.”

The man says, “All right, all right. I’m *dying* to know. If the only way I can find out what that sound was is to become a monk, how do I become a monk?”

The monks reply, “You must travel the Earth and tell us how many blades of grass there are and the exact number of sand pebbles. When you find these numbers, you will become a monk.”

The man sets about his task. Forty-five years later, he returns and knocks on the door of the monastery. He says, “I have traveled the Earth and have found what you have asked for. There are 145,236,284,232 blades of grass and 281,219,999,129,382 sand pebbles on the Earth.”

The monks reply, “Congratulations! You are now a monk. We shall now show you the way to the sound.” The monks lead the man to a wooden door, where the head monk says, “The sound is right behind that door.”

The man reaches for the knob, but the door is locked. He says, “Real funny. may I have the key?” The monks give him the key, and he opens the door. Behind the wooden door is another door made of stone. The man requests the key to the stone door. The
monks give him the key, and he opens it, only to find a door made of ruby. He asks for yet another key from the monks, who provide it. Behind that door is *another* door, this one made of sapphire. So it went until the man had gone through doors of emerald, silver, topaz, amethyst . . .

Finally, the monks say, “This is the last key to the last door.”

The man is relieved to no end. He unlocks the door, turns the knob, and behind that door he is amazed to find the source of that strange sound.

But I can’t tell you what it is because . . . you’re not a monk!

Popularity: 1% [?]

Last time we had a windows busting program, now we have website busting program.

DISCLAIMER: does NOT actually destroy the sites!!!

Popularity: 1% [?]

Someone told me the following is the most difficult question in the world (jokingly of course), but seriously, it’s NOWHERE near as difficult as Fermat’s Last Theorem, which took more than 300 years to be solved, and the solution runs to more than 200 pages!!!

————————-
Siapa yg rasa dia terror matematik tu boleh cuba jawab.

Sekarang si ibu 21 tahun lebih tua dari anaknya. 6 tahun kemudian, umur ibunya adalah 5 kali ganda umur anaknya.

SOALAN:
Bapanya sekarang berada di mana ? Silakan berpikir dan menjawab secara ilmiah/matematik, sila buktikan bahawa kamu punya kemampuan untuk berpikir secara wajar…

JAWAPAN:
Sekarang ibunya (M) 21 tahun lebih tua dari anaknya (A) => M = A + 21

6 tahun kemudian, umur ibunya jadi 5 kali ganda umur anak
M + 6 = (A + 6) x 5
dimana M = A + 21
A + 21 + 6 = (A + 6) x 5
A + 27 = 5A + 30
27 – 30 = 5A – A
* 3 = 4A
A = -3/4

Bererti umur anaknya sekarang * 3/4 tahun = – 3/4 x 12 bulan = – 9 bulan.

Bererti anaknya sekarang belum lahir ( akan lahir kira-kira 9 bulan
kemudian ). Kesimpulannya, sekarang Bapanya berada di …

…atas ibunya atau di bawah atau di sebelah (mengikut posisi kesukaan masing-masing). Si anak baru hendak dihasilkan =)

Popularity: 1% [?]

This article hits the BULLSEYE regarding making it big in music

When I first heard and saw Peter Pan, I was wondering exactly the same: what is the fuss all about? Of course the songs are quite catchy, BUT Westlife’s is even more catchy. And no contest – O-Zone’s Dragostea Din Tei (Numa Numa Song) has got to be the catchiest song of 2004. And no offense to Peter Pan, but I thought they sounded EXACTLY the same as the other post-grunge bands like Sheila on 7, Dewa etc etc.

The point of this article is this: stick so SIMPLE, SOOTHING music. Even though you are playing alternative which is supposed to be cooler than Westlife, Eastdeath or whatever shit is going on out there.

Bintang di Syurga LP sold 2 MILLION copies in Indonesia alone. In Malaysia it already sold 50,000 copies up to early April BEFORE they even started coming here to promote, playing in shopping complexes and such like.

Now tell me, even if you play backing music for MAURICE AWIT ten times over, will you ever be able to reach 50,000 in sales?

Also, dont tell me that you cannot play better than Peter Pan (technically). I am not talking about songwriting skills here. Hell, I think I can play all the instruments the way Peter Pan plays, plus sing better than their lead singer….hahahahahah. But seriously. Bozo can play as well as their drummer can. Raja Maksiat can sing better
than their lead singer can.

Also their music videos are……so…………ordinary……….just pay pretty girls to pretend to be your girlfriend for a while……..easy mah…..

And another point, Peter Pan is not even singing in ENGLISH!

quotes to remember from this article:

“One of Peter Pan’s strengths is they keep their music simple. They play alternative pop rock and don’t try to do more than that”. Dont mix fusion, jazz, blues and whatever all in one album.

“This is where many of our local bands go wrong. They try too hard by over experimenting with too many sounds” Dont try to be TOO Progressive or too technical like Dream Theater!.

“Peter Pan plays it safe and simple, just like what bands like Dewa, Padi and Sheila On 7 did to smashing success.” I like that. Safe and Simple. That means Boring. But who cares when the money rolls in in buckets????

“You can expect Peter Pan to change its sound later when there’s a need; but for now, they’re sticking to what sells ? easy, pleasant songs which are soothing to the ears.” Exactly, just like the Beatles. Play mushy pop for a few years, then
change with the times.

—————————————————————————————

Malay Mail, 12 April 2005

MUSIC: Peter Pan plays its safe
Meor Shariman
Apr 12: PETER PAN – BINTANG DI SYURGA

This Indonesian band had already sold more than 50,000 copies of this album here even before they started promoting it.

In Indonesia, Peter Pan’s Bintang Di Syurga registered sales of two million copies.

The album’s highlight is of course the haunting ballad, Mungkin Nanti, which has captured the hearts of many listeners.

But besides that, yours truly really wonders what’s all the fuss about the album?

Bintang Di Syurga offers the similar stuff of local bands like Exists, Muffins and Flop Poppy.

Perhaps what makes its songs so appealing is they’re easy and soothing to listen to.

Most are ballads and moderate numbers, and you can savour them in just about any situation.

Apart from Mungkin Nanti, the other winning ballads are Ada Apa Denganmu, Di Belakangku, Ku Katakan Dengan Indah and Bintang Di Syurga.

One of Peter Pan’s strengths is they keep their music simple. They play alternative pop rock and don’t try to do more than that.

This is where many of our local bands go wrong. They try too hard by over experimenting with too many sounds.

Peter Pan plays it safe and simple, just like what bands like Dewa, Padi and Sheila On 7 did to smashing success.

You can expect Peter Pan to change its sound later when there’s a need; but for now, they’re sticking to what sells ? easy, pleasant songs which are soothing to the ears. So let’s just enjoy it and hope they don’t grow up too soon.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Forbes mag came up with its top 2000 list, after comparing the
following 4 ranks: Sales Rank, Profits Rank, Assets Rank, Market Value
Rank to be fair to companies of all sizes.

The verdict?

IBM is at no.17, and next is of course Microsoft at no.47, and 3rd
place goes to HP at 54th

the rest

hardware category:
105 – Nokia
110 – cisco
123 – sony
126 – dell
153 – motorola
170 – ericsson
193 – matsushita
262 – fujitsu
293 – sharp
300 – nec
notable mentions:
442 – apple
766 – sun microsystems
905 – seagate (hard disks etc)
999 – asustek (maker of asus motherboards & graphics card etc)
1319 – juniper (high end routers etc)
1436 – acer
1808 – novell
1872 – APC (UPSes)

software and services category
220 – first data
267 – oracle
335 – sap
378 – accenture
450 – computer sciences
584 – yahoo
608 – electronic data sys
832 – electronic arts
867 – fiserv
893 – softbank
noteble mentions:
902 – symantec (antivirus etc)
904 – google
1005 – computer associates
1046 – veritas (backup s/w)
1125 – adobe
1507 – autodesk (Autocad)
1535 – checkpoint (firewall – interestingly an Israeli conpany – but
many govt depts are using this?!?!?!?)
1580 – verisign (digital certs)
1803 – mcAfee (antivirus)

Naturally, the next topic would be: what are the top companies in the
world then???

1 citigroup (financial services)
2 General Electric (perennial giants, maker of well, electric bulbs etc etc)
3 AIG (insurance is big business!)
4 Exxon Mobil (petroleum)
5 Bank of America (financial services)
6 Royal Dutch/Shell Group (petroleum)
7 BP (now that’s 3 minyak companies in the top 7 already!)
8 fannie mae (fannie what? actually it’s a financial company offering
housing loans – but how did it get so big? established in 1968, it has
given out 63 million loans – only for US)
9 HSBC (now that’s 4 financial services companies in the top 9 already)
10 toyota (only asian company in the top 10)

top ranked malaysian companies
490 – maybank
502 – TNB
781 – telekom
950 – public bank
1097 – commerce asset holdings
1169 – sime darby
1172 – MISC
1327 – maxis
1461 – petronas
1554 – proton
1574 – genting
1596 – eon
1642 – hong leong
1856 – AMMB holdings
1860 – rashid hussain
1862 – YTL power
1868 – RHB Capital
1971 – AMFB holdings

Question: why dont u quit your present job and join any of the top ten companies then?
Answer: hahah….if they pay me that kind of money, sure as hell they’d squeeze every last fluid out of me – they’d demand that i give back to the company 10 times the amount! It might be exciting for a while, but it’ll be a living hell after a few years. And all that travelling and meetings and presentations………..where got time to mogolimpasa??? =0

Naah, i prefer to be the “unknown, slow and steady” rich, managing money smartly in the background while working a normal, mundane job. there’s a book about that (a malaysian wrote it) in any bookshop now.

Besides, there’ll never be enough money. there’ll always be something that u dont have. for example, if i hv RM300,000 per mth, for sure i wont even look at a BMW 7 series and laugh at people who drive a simple Lexus. I want a Saleen S7 and want to play with my private jet! Of course, the saleen’s in addition to my at least 10 other luxury cars.

And of course i’d want my black creditcard, no not the platinum and not shock horror, a gold card. the black card’s for unlimited credit limit.

And of course i gotta have at least one house in St Kitts and Nevis, on a 5 acre land with a nice yacht and 5 servants. never mind the USD30,000/mth maintenance cost.

And if i do want to mogolimpasa, the hell with 10-3! Why should I buy premium, made in Denmark specially imported original Carlsbergs (Shah Alam made is a no no) when I can take bath with a RM9000 per bottle vintage whisky first???

I could go on and on……………..but you get the idea….it’ll never be enough……

Popularity: 1% [?]

recap: 13 may 2005

Remember Dr Wong Ang Peng who made the rounds in KK, including some govt depts in
May 2004? The foundation which he says he represents (The Rath Foundation) is making world headlines again, this time saying that, in essence:
- vitamins are the only effective weapon to fight AIDS; and
- anti-retroviral drugs, which are generally seen as the most
effective treatment for HIV/AIDS. are actually toxic

And the Rath Foundation is deadly serious, they published full page colour advertisements in 2 leading newspapers, the New York Times and the International Herald Tribune, saying that anti-retroviral drugs are a form of genocide!

The ad can be seen at Rath Foundation’s website:

http://www4.dr-rath-foundation.org/open_letters/open_letter_2005_05_06.htm

In South Africa now, a legal case between the vocal Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), which are South African Aids campaigners and the Rath Foundation has been delayed due to noisy demonstrations.

The TAC is asking the courts to stop the Rath Foundation accusing it of being a front for pharmaceutical companies. TAC has been at the forefront of pressure on the South African government to give anti-retroviral drugs to all those who need them.

Basically, Rath is saying we are all at the mercy of pharmaceutical companies, which has bought over government health ministries all over the world. Opponents to this charge say that Dr Rath is simply trying to sell his vitamins………………

full stories:
Angry exchanges at SA Aids case -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4544423.stm

Aids ‘genocide’ advert condemned -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4538477.stm

———————————–

To recap, Dr Wong caused controversy when he appeared on 8tv in December 2004, which was covered in Jeff Ooi’s blog http://www.jeffooi.com/archives/2004/12/from_ng_cheong.php; incidentally this is the only blog entry where I can claim some fame from, although sadly i was not mentioned by name, only “one of your viewers”……….. heh =0

Popularity: 1% [?]

YESS!! Thank you for reminding me of the web address of my favourite
website on local artistes! This beats URTV, Mangga, variapop or what
have you any time. Best of all, most, of not all of the contents are
available from those mags, but only the juiciest bits are taken.

Who else can think of headlines such as “artis tertua ditangkap
khalwat”??? ahahahah, sooooo funny………..

Also, regarding Aksi Palsu Paling Panas (Linda dan Edry)

I think i told you before, the pics are NOT fake. They ARE REAL.

Y’know, when KRU came to KK (CP) last time, I wanted to hang a banner
on the 2nd or 3rd floor with the following words: “EDRY, BE A
GENTLEMAN AND ADMIT THAT THE PICS ARE REAL”

4.5 million hits speak for themselves………

Popularity: 4% [?]

In all honesty, if you are in the same situation, would you even bother to think about it???

He said he’s even willing to take a 70% pay cut, which will downgrade his salary to a meagre RM25,000 per month………………….

see if you can spot my “preachy” comments in jeff ooi’s website =)

Popularity: 1% [?]

Slipknot debut album review by allmusic.com

These nine Midwestern boys (all from Des Moines, IA) reportedly perform wearing orange industrial coveralls with UPC symbols on the front; each band member is identified by a number, which is painted on the sleeve of his coveralls. Each also wears a really nasty-looking mask. Judging from their appearance and from the sound of their debut album, it’s easy to assume that they’re upset about something. What it
is exactly is kind of hard to tell, since the stuttering roar of Number 8′s vocals is barely discernible through the jackhammer death-metal drums, massed guitars, horror-show samples, and jittery turntable scratches that pummel the listener through almost every song. You thought Limp Bizkit was hard? They’re the Osmonds. These
guys are something else entirely. And it’s pretty impressive. Although those lyrics that are discernible are not generally quotable on a family website, suffice it to say that the members of Slipknot are not impressed with their fathers, their hometown, or most anything else. “Surfacing” starts out by cursing pretty much everything generally, and then it starts getting aggressive, as shrieking guitar feedback alternates with DJ scratching. “Spit It Out” is speed rap-metal with an actual melody in the chorus; “Scissors” ends the program with a sound that quite simply couldn’t get any more aggro without falling apart entirely and by the end, the singer actually sounds like he’s about to burst into tears. An auspicious debut.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Even if you hate peterpan and wish that Ariel was the one crucified
instead of Jesus Christ, some tips on how to make it big in music is
here. Cyril “Kuak” Johnny, James “plih lagu” Juanis, Joseph “Arob
Saudi” or even Din “cobalah, orang berungis, orang bujang”, et al,
dont read at your peril!!!!

Nazril Irham aka Ariel shook head in disbelief when asked difficult
questions by Malaysian journalists (that is what I call baptism by
fire, acid test – welcome to the real world boy, where people are more
interested in other things than your music hah………tell that to
Paris Hilton =))

more history: leader is keyboardist Andika (real name Andika Naliputra
Wirahardja), who founded Topi [a dumber name than Peterpan!!!] in mid
90s (renamed Peterpan in 2000) after failing in 2 previous bands. Not
Nazril Irham (lead vocalist) – probably he was picked to be the
frontman due to his er….good looks.

Lesson no.1: never give up. Started in mid 90s. they finally became
megastars about 9 years later.

lesson no.2 : when you get your break, GRAB IT!!!! While playing at
one of the established clubs there, Sapu Lidi Cafe, the band by chance
met Noey, bassist of pop-jazz combo, Java Jive. Impressed, he asked
the band to send him a copy of their demo. Liking what he heard, Noey
told the band he wanted to feature one of the songs, Mimpi yang
Sempurna on Kisah 2002 Malam, a compilation that he was working on. He
also wanted the song to be the lead single. It turned out to be the
best move for both the band and the compilation. The song became a hit
and made the band one of the hottest new acts around. The compilation
went on to sell more than 350,000 copies. By the time the band
released their debut album, Taman Langit, in June 2003, it quickly
became one of the year’s hottest releases. Powered by hits like
Sahabat and Topeng, the album went on to sell more than half a million
copies in Indonesia.

Lesson no.3: work extremely hard! July 2004: the band set a record
when they became the first band to perform in six different states in
less than 24 hours, a feat acknowledged by Museum Rekor Indonesia
(Indonesia’s equivalent of Malaysia’s Book of Records).

Lesson no.4: when inspiration strikes and timing is right, go with
your gut feeling: Bintang Di Surga was a ‘rushed’ album. “We recorded
it in only 34 days. When we hit the studio, we only had seven songs
and only two had complete lyrics. It was a bit crazy because we didn’t
have that much time to think about what we wanted to do on Bintang Di
Surga. Imagine, when Ada Apa Dengan Mu was released on radio, the
album was only 60 per cent completed,” Ariel said.

1st foray – one song, Mimpi yang sempurna in Kisah 2002 Malam
compilation, that compilation sold 350,000. I would think this was
released in 2002.
2nd (debut album)- Taman langit, rel. June 2003 with lead singles
Sahabat and Topeng. Sold 500,000 copies in Indonesia.
3rd (2nd album) – Bintang Di Surga, rel August 2004.. In only 7
months, sold more than 2,000,000 copies in Indonesia!!!

So, total albums where they had at least some share in it: more than 3
million. Plus all the shows, all the endorsements, merchandising, ad
deals…..I bet Ariel is driving at least a Porsche Carrera
now……………..

Interesting point: even the legendary Nirvana took 2 years before they
were accepted by local (i.e. Malaysia/Indon listeners).

————————–
MUSIC: Peterpan finds neverland here
By Adly Syairi Ramly
April 30:
WHEN it comes to music, it’s kind of hard for us Malaysians to accept
new sounds and styles.

It took Linkin Park almost half a year before it became the biggest
band here. Nirvana had to wait almost two years before they were
accepted by local listeners. Many others came and were never even
noticed.

When news broke that Peterpan, a Bandung-based pop-rock sextet, sold
more than 50,000 copies of its second album, Bintang Di Surga, we
couldn’t help but take notice. So, what’s so special about this band
that they’re able to become such a hot act in less than two months?
That would be their appealing brand of easy pop rock and the generous
support they enjoyed from the Malaysian media. “If you want to take
this into consideration, the front man Ariel is also good looking.
Remember how hot Duta from Sheila on 7 was when the band first came
here?” commented an industry observer.

Is that it? Curious, we decided to check on the first factor ? the
band’s easy brand of pop rock.

As the first note of the first track, Ada Apa Dengan Mu, burst forth,
the first thing we noticed were the hooky guitar riffs, a method
popularised by U2 and later perfected by Coldplay. The vocals moved
along the same lines as Scott Stapp formerly of Creed, with Michael
Stipe of REM’s pre-Warner days’ slur. If there’s anything interesting
and unique about the band, it would be keyboardist Andika’s ingenuity
in filling the space between the music and the vocals with haunting
soundscapes.

After going through the whole album again and again, we have to say
that apart from the opening track, Mungkin Nanti, Di Belakangku and Ku
Katakan Dengan Indah, there’s nothing much to shout about the music of
Peterpan. It’s just another album with the usual few catchy and
melodic numbers.

Just to reassure ourselves, we popped in OAG’s Satelit Ink,
Saturnine’s Gray, The Times’ Soda Pop Rok ‘n’ Roll, The Muffins’
self-titled debut, Spiral Kinetic Circus’ Sweetened Condensed Tunes
for the Broken Hearted and Nice Stupid Playground’s My Life is My
Parent’s Biggest Television.

Yup, we were not wrong. To a certain extent, these albums seem to work
on the same vein as Bintang Di Surga.

We were not able to conclude what made the band so popular in so short
a time. So, we decided to give the album a few more spins, hoping we
could find an answer. Mungkin Nanti, Di Bela-kangku and Ku Katakan
Dengan Indah still rank top for us. After repeated listening, we could
easily hum to the melodies. Now wait a minute. Maybe that is the
answer. These were the songs that have been played over and over on
our radio in the past two months. Maybe the band’s success was largely
due to the great support it has been getting from the Malaysian media
? a privilege that only few of our local acts enjoy.

Well, let’s not get too deeply into that because it’s a totally
different story altogether. For now, let’s focus on Peterpan,
currently the biggest band in Malaysia.

The sextet ? Ariel (vocals), Reza (drums), Lukman (guitar), Ukie
(guitar), Andika (keyboard) and Indra (bass) ? were in town recently
for a short promotional visit ? which included a Press conference,
radio interviews, an appearance at Astro Ria’s Dari Studio 1 and a
meet-the-fans session at Tower Records, KLCC.

The band’s first encounter with the local media was not quite a
pleasant one. At the Press conference, the band was bombarded with
questions like “Why Indonesian bands are accepted with open arms here
while the same thing is not happening to Malaysian bands when they go
there?” or “Why the Indonesian media are not giving enough support to
Malaysian artistes?” These questions became so overbearing that, at
one stage, the band’s vocalist Ariel just shook his head in disbelief.
From his face, one could tell that he was probably pondering: “Err,
did we just commit a crime by just being popular here?” Well, being
foreign and the biggest band in Malaysia makes the band an easy target
for those bitter about Indonesian bands being championed here when
their Malaysians counterparts never stood a chance in their country.

Questions like that should be targeted at the Indonesian media and not
the innocent band. After all, it’s not their fault that they are big
here, right? To be truthful, the fault is ours ? to a certain extent.

INTRODUCING PETERPAN “We were extremely surprised, and of course
happy,” commented Andika, Peterpan’s keyboardist on their overnight
success here during a short chat after the Press conference.

Hmm, too short and modest of an answer, we felt. Then again, maybe he
and the other members couldn’t believe they struck it big so fast.

In fact, they have yet to come to terms with the success of their
second album, Bintang Di Surga ? which has sold more than two million
copies in Indonesia and turned them into rock stars.

“When we were first formed, we never had the intention of becoming
recording artistes. We just wanted to play in the clubs in our
hometown in Bandung. But look at where we are now. It’s unbelievable,”
Ariel said.

“We’re still trying to adapt to this sudden rise to superstardom.
We’re still learning how to deal with our popularity. Fame comes with
a price, you know,” Andika added with a smile.

“True, we have talent and creativity but we have to give something
back in return, like our freedom for instance. At times, things are
good and at times, it can be bad,” continued Ariel.

The seed of Peterpan goes back to the mid 90s. After failing in his
previous two bands, Beat Jr and Stupid Cupid, Andika (real name Andika
Naliputra Wirahardja) found solace in Ukie (Mohammad Kausar Hikmat),
Ariel (Nazril Irham), Indra (Hendra S), Lukman (Loekman Hakim) and
Reza (Ilsyah Ryan Reza).

They first called themselves Topi but decided to switch to Peterpan in
September 2000.

“Why Peterpan? Well, there are a lot of bands in Bandung, so one of
our strategies to get people to remember us is by having an
interesting if not weird name,” Ariel explained.

Knowing they need proper guidance to secure spots in the clubs
circuit, the band then hired Budi Soeratman as their manager. He
played a pivotal role in shaping the band’s career.

While playing at one of the established clubs there, Sapu Lidi Cafe,
the band by chance met Noey, bassist of pop-jazz combo, Java Jive.
Impressed, he asked the band to send him a copy of their demo. Liking
what he heard, Noey told the band he wanted to feature one of the
songs, Mimpi yang Sempurna on Kisah 2002 Malam, a compilation that he
was working on. He also wanted the song to be the lead single.

“That’s a song we wrote during our club days. We never played it to
the public because we were unsure how the crowd would react to it. “We
were only confident about it when the producer told us that the song
was going to be the lead single for the compilation,” Ariel recalled.

It turned out to be the best move for both the band and the
compilation. The song became a hit and made the band one of the
hottest new acts around. The compilation went on to sell more than
350,000 copies. By the time the band released their debut album, Taman
Langit, in June 2003, it quickly became one of the year’s hottest
releases. Powered by hits like Sahabat and Topeng, the album went on
to sell more than half a million copies in Indonesia.

Apart from its engaging melodies, the album owed its success to the
band spending most of their time on the road. They performed almost
everywhere ? right from Pulau Jawa to Sulawesi! Last July, the band
also set a record when they became the first band to perform in six
different states in less than 24 hours, a feat acknowledged by Museum
Rekor Indonesia (Indonesia’s equivalent of Malaysia’s Book of
Records).

“We hope this would further boost our popularity. After all, we were
in the midst of releasing our second album, so we thought this would
be a good way to promote it,” said Ariel after the concert.

Bintang Di Surga, released in August, made Peterpan the hottest band
around. Within seven months, the album sold more than two million
copies in Indonesia.

“It’s just amazing. Bintang Di Surga was a ‘rushed’ album. We recorded
it in only 34 days. Even the producer said he had expected it to sell
only around 300,000 copies,” Ariel said humbly.

“When we hit the studio, we only had seven songs and only two had
complete lyrics. It was a bit crazy because we didn’t have that much
time to think about what we wanted to do on Bintang Di Surga. Imagine,
when Ada Apa Dengan Mu was released on radio, the album was only 60
per cent completed,” he added with a smile.

Well, some things work best without much planning and preparation. In
Peterpan’s case, it turned them into instant superstars.

“Yes, we’re happy with the outcome of Bintang Di Surga but musically,
I wouldn’t say what you hear on the album is the definite Peterpan
sound,” Ariel pointed out.

“We still want to progress and experiment with our style. Not that
we’ll keep on changing it. It’s just that we feel we’ve yet to reach
the level where we could say, this is the Peterpan sound,” he added.
That statement automatically got Peterpan into our good books. They
acknowledge the fact that their success was not due to their efforts
alone. And until they find their own sound, they will keep on working
on it. And no, they’re not interested in becoming another casualty of
the media gang-bang.

* Curious about what the band has to offer? You can catch their
performance at Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM) 2005 tonight. Even
better, you can catch Peterpan’s performance at Planet Hollywood
tomorrow. Show starts at 3pm and there’ll be a cover charge of RM40,
inclusive of one drink. For more info, call 03-2144 6602. Planet
Hollywood is located at KL Plaza, Jalan Bukit Bintang.

ref:
Malay Mail, 30 April 2005

Popularity: 1% [?]

Apparently this movie cost RM16 million to make!!! Most expensive Malaysian movie ever made.

This is a hilarious review of this movie: http://www.mycen.com.my/duasen/170904_pgl.html
with catchphrase: “”…beyond doubt, a movie which only a garden snail can appreciate fully”

More comments: “The most jarring and disconcerting element was the miscasting of M Nasir with Tiara Jacquelina in their lead roles as tormented lovers. There was as much chemistry between the two as a neutered Rottweiler and a spayed poodle. Nasir was so characteristically stoical except for that time he strained a smile
upon seeing the Puteri’s cleavage in an obligatory ‘dip in the pond’
scene.”

So M Nasir, better stick being AF Gurubesar?

However, the sound production they say is good: “the producers engaged the services of Addaudio (www.addaudio.com.my). They (reportedly) did an excellent job with the location sound recording and complex audio post-production. Only about 20% of the dialogue required studio dubbing. “

Popularity: 1% [?]

Pledge bukan main besar, tapi bayar…no way after the hype dies down……….
after the tv cameras are turned away, the pledgers back off………
or the officials start to stuff their pockets with money, as usual…
why do u think there’s a need for Band Aid 2004 after Band Aid 84,
Live Aid 85 and USA for Africa 1985? Easy, the African despots are the
ones who are helping themselves with the mojo…………………

——————————-

Tsunami aid shortfall over $5bn

Governments around the world have been urged to honour their financial
pledges to the countries worst-hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami.

The Asian Development Bank said there was a shortfall of more than
$5bn promised for rebuilding India, Indonesia, the Maldives and Sri
Lanka.

Popularity: 1% [?]

adaka estimated next 1st prize jackpot is merely RM1 million and not
sth like RM17 million?
or is it something sinister – next draw winner already RIGGED?
sheesh,,,, must be one of them insiders!
protest! protest! let’s all go hentam Vincent Tan!!!!!

screen capture as at 12.39am 25 may 2005

Update 30 May 2005:

3 Sabahan women won the RM15.9 million super toto on friday. What, Sabahans again?

Apparently all of them are mahjong kakis (every night I would suppose), but not nombor kakis. And all are related in a way or another. So each person gets a cool RM5.3 million each.

But as usual, there are 4 people in a mahjong table. But unfortunately the 4th woman made the worst decision of her life – not to invest RM7 in system 8, maybe cos they tried the same set of numbers on wednesday (tak kena), didnt try on saturday, then decided to try again on sunday.

Hmm…in Penampang I can see people gambling in their kaki lima EVERY NIGHT, could be one of them houses????

ref:

http://www.bharian.com.my/m/BHarian/Saturday/Nasional/20050527224142/Article/

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Saturday/National/20050528100548/Article/indexb_html

Case in point: at 6pm in Jalan Alor, off Jalan Bukit Bintang in KL last year in October, I went to buy number at the local Toto outlet. Guess what, there were hardly any people there! And it was draw day! And KLites do not need to pay the 15% “sin tax”.

What does this tell you?

Sabahans are reckless, uncontrollable gamblers??? Sabahans are relatively poorer compared with their peninsula, that they are so desperate, and the only way out, as seen by the average Joe on the street, is thru empat ekor?

I suggest one surefire-favourite election manifesto for the opposition: as time is standardised, we will ensure that so is price of things between east and west. That means in shopping catalogs, no more West Malaysia and East malaysia price disparity. That means cars cost the same in semenanjung as is in Sabah. Price of raw materials
would cost the same, or at least on par with, states in the Peninsula.

On the other hand, Of course other things will crop up, eg:
- should then road tax be standardised? (now Sabah is cheaper than peninsula)
- should then price of fuel be standardised?

Popularity: 2% [?]

In essence:

we’ve all been duped. all twinning programs are mere money suckers.
they twin with the worst universities.

the best is still go overseas for quality education, but if that is
not possible, do things in the following order:
- go for the local campus of the university (eg, Curtin’s campus at
Subang Jaya) [this is NOT twinning]
- go for one of the top 5 local unis (UM is the top in
Malaysia)….not UiTM i’m afraid..

writer’s credentials in my words: Tony Pua, 32 is a Malaysian, living
in KL, founder and CEO of a Singapore stock exchange listed IT
company. He graduated from Oxford university on a scholarship from the
singapore govt.

writer’s credentials in his own words: I’m currently a Malaysian CEO
of a public listed IT company. I’ve graduated from Keble College,
Oxford University with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics
(PPE). I’ve experieced the education system in Malaysia, as well as
studied in the top schools for ‘O’ and ‘A’ Levels in Singapore. I’ve
also worked for a large multinational IT consulting company in Kuala
Lumpur prior to my current post. As part of my existing job, I’ve
interviewed more than 600 candidates for recruitment (largely in the
IT sector), most of whom are fresh graduates over the last 6-7 years.
I feel passionately about the education system in Malaysia and believe
that given my background and experience, I would be able to provide
fair comments on the education system (and related subjects) in the
country. Hence my wish to share my thoughts in the hope that some of
these thoughts will be shared by those who have found them useful, and
for them – parents, students, graduates, education authorities to make
informed decisions with regards to probably the most important
decision(s) of our lives.

Popularity: 1% [?]

This dubious title belongs to…JPJ Wilayah Persekutuan website

Worst thing is that it’s actually in use in their website.

Reader comments:

• No wonder we have so many accidents on the road!
• my neighbour’s monkey can do a better job than this.
• The music sound like belly dancing over The Nile River.
• For the sake of Malaysians….please hack that blardy site, it has to
  stop existing in cyberworld!! ask the indons to do it….

Popularity: 1% [?]

Which disaster, man made or not, is the worst ever in history, worst
meaning killed most people?

You could argue that 65 million years ago there were no humans yet, so the asteriod that smashed into earth and killed off the dinosaurs do not count. Or that Great Flood where Noah and family survived, probably there are not so many humans on earth yet.

So here we go…………..after doing a little research……..

Almost 300,000 people were killed in the Boxing Day (26 dec 2004) earthquake/tsunami disaster. Is it the worst ever? Not a chance…….

Between 50 and 60 million people were killed in World War II (1937?1945). During this war, in one battle alone, between 800,000 and 1,600,000 people were killed in the Battle of Stalingrad (1942?1943) and that 1.1 million people were murdered in one concentration camp alone, at the infamous Auschwitz.

Compare that to between 30 and 60 million people were killed during Mongol Conquests (13th century), courtesy of nice people like Genghiz Khan.

Up to 100 million Native Americans are claimed to have been depopulated after 1492, since the arrival of the “white man” to America. This high figure controversially includes deaths from diseases brought to the Americas; genocide label disputed by scholars.

Up to 60 million people are claimed to have been killed as a result of the African and Atlantic slave trade (16th – 19th century).

An estimated 55 million people were killed by the terrible Black Death (Europe, Asia 1300s)

Worse that that, the Plague of Justinian was estimated to have killed 100 million people in Europe between 540-590.

But the overall “champion” seems to be Smallpox, which killed 300 million people in the 20th century.

But how about preventable disasters like pollution and smoking. Someone estimated that 500 million people have been killed by smoking so far…

Popularity: 4% [?]

Thai fishermen netted a 646-pound (203 kilos) catfish believed to have been the world’s largest freshwater fish ever caught in Thailand, a researcher said Thursday.

The nearly 9-foot-long Mekong giant catfish was landed May 1 by villagers in Chiang Khong, a remote district in northern Thailand, and weighed by Thai fisheries department officials, said Zeb Hogan, who leads an international project to locate and study the world’s largest freshwater fish species.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Mexican stamp, featuring popular cartoon character Memin Pinguin deemed offensive by the US.

Popularity: 4% [?]