Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

... to all Malaysians and my Muslim friends all around the world.

The Malaysian Angkasawan

Can't decide whether to feel proud or not after reading this article on the BBC.

On one hand it's great to know that someone from our homeland has finally made it to the space. On the other hand, all the political exploitation of this expedition is quite embarrassing. And also knowing that this expedition is a 'free' gift for buying Russian jets. Also about the initial suggestions by some politicians on some 'experiments' to be carried out.

The following quotes are so 'Malaysian'... How the politicians trying to create the 'feel good' factor.

...Reports said the rocket was adorned with a Malaysian flag as it lifted off.

...Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi joined 1,000 schoolchildren at a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur to mark Malaysia's entry into space.

They clapped and cheered as a giant TV screen showed scenes of Sheikh Muszaphar smiling inside the spacecraft minutes after the lift-off, the Associated Press reported.

Also there's mention on the guidelines prepared by Muslim clerics for him to observe during the 9-day expedition. No mentioning on any researches or experiments though.

On a personal note, congratulations to Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor who has beaten many others to this trip, even though the expedition may have been heavily exploited by the politicians, just like some of our badminton players and the latest heart transplant operation on Tee Hui Yi.

I sincerely hope that this trip will inspire more space technology research in Malaysia, so that we can eventually use our own rockets or spaceship to fly into the space. China has caught up with the space race very quickly. Can Malaysia do it too?

Full article as follows: -

Landmark lift-off for space crew

A Russian spacecraft heading to the International Space Station (ISS) has blasted off from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

The Soyuz rocket propelled Malaysia's first astronaut into space alongside the first female astronaut to become commander of the space station.

Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor and American Peggy Whitson were accompanied by Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko.

Ms Whitson and Mr Malenchenko will remain on the ISS for six months, replacing two other astronauts.

Mr Shukor will spend nine days on the space station before returning to Earth with the outgoing crew.

Malaysians proud

The Soyuz-FG rocket was launched on schedule at 1752 Moscow time (1322 GMT), topped with a spacecraft containing the three crew members.

Reports said the rocket was adorned with a Malaysian flag as it lifted off.

The launch has been eagerly anticipated in Malaysia, where it has been hailed as a landmark for the Asian nation.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi joined 1,000 schoolchildren at a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur to mark Malaysia's entry into space.

They clapped and cheered as a giant TV screen showed scenes of Sheikh Muszaphar smiling inside the spacecraft minutes after the lift-off, the Associated Press reported.

Ramadan rules

Mr Shukor will be the first Muslim to fly in space during the holy month of Ramadan and will be there for the Eid festival, when he will treat his crewmates to a celebratory meal.

For the rest of the time he will try and observe the dawn-to-dusk fasting rules of Ramadan.

Muslim clerics in Malaysia have prepared special guidelines for him on observing religious rules while on the ISS.

He will use a wet towel rather than water to clean himself before praying, and is not obliged to kneel in zero gravity or face Mecca while praying.

To avoid confusion about when to pray, Mr Shukor will follow the time at the launch site in Kazakhstan.

The crew are expected to dock at the space station on Friday.

Facebook

The ConnectU lawsuit turned out to be free publicity for Facebook.

Some funny videos on Facebook, on how it has affected our lives.

The First Emperor Exhibition @ the British Museum

259 BC ~ Birth
246 BC ~ Becomes King of Qin at age of 13
240 BC ~ Construction of his tomb begins
230 - 221 BC ~ Conquers 6 other states
221 BC ~ Becomes the first Emperor of China (Qin Dynasty)
210 BC ~ Death and burial in tomb

It was a great experience visiting the British Museum yesterday with Johanna. She has been very excited about visiting this exhibition. We were quite worried that we wouldn't be able to get any tickets by the time we fly back to Malaysia as the online tickets have been sold out for the next many months due to overwhelming response. So we've decided to try our luck by getting 2 of the 500 tickets to be sold early every morning.

We were shocked to see the long queue around 9.15am. There were definitely more than 500 people in the queue by then. But we've decided to try our luck and was lucky enough to get hold of two tickets for 4.10pm entry.

We were back at the British Museum at 4.10pm. Unfortunately no photography is allowed for the exhibition.

So the story started... how the Qin (pronounced "chin") kingdom came about and how an ambitious young man born Ying Zheng, installed as the King of Qin at the age of 13, managed to conquer 6 other warring states within a decade, to form the first unified China empire.

He carried out many major reforms aimed at cementing the unification - language script, legal system, weights and measurements and currency. He also built the Great Wall of China to fend of attacks from enemies from the north and the west, at the expense of many human lives. He outlawed Confucianism, by banning his books, in order to cement his oppressive rule.

He is perhaps most well-known for his intention to govern forever, and tried many ways to prolong his life. He also spent 30 years building his tomb complex, a 57 km sq palace where he could rule forever in his afterlife. This palace was only unearthed by a farmer in 1974.

Around 7,000 terracotta soldiers have been found burried in a few pits outside the tomb, standing guard. Other items from the excavation include statue of entertainers, government officers, horses and chariots, cranes, pottery, etc.

The main part of the tomb itself has been left unopened. Historical text mentioned that it contains rivers of mercury. Traces of mercury has been found around the tomb thus far. It will be interesting to know what treasures are inside... For a man who has so much attention to detail, I dare to imagine anything.

We're both amazed by his attention to detail. The swords for his army has to be made to specification, with the names of the labour and his supervisor engraved to ensure quality. Each terracotta army statue also has the stamp of the workshop for the same purpose. His palaces in various regions were also built consistently. The list goes on for many other things...

I've known some of the history relating to Qin Shi Huang. But the exhibition was truly an eye opener. Will definitely visit Xi An one day to look at the real tomb itself.

The long queue


The ticket booth

A Buried 60 Minutes Interview/Indictment

The war and occupation on Iraq has been planned way before 911...

Saddam Hussein has been 'convicted' few days into Bush's inauguration.

OIL and NATION BUILDING are the objectives.

Revealed by Paul O'Neill, Bush's Secretary Treasurer 2001 - 2003

Dinner with Victor & Clare

I was very delighted to have my Bapak and Mak over for dinner last night.

After attending a number of Christmas parties organised by the McWilliams over the years, it's only fair that I make them a dinner in return.

It's great to see them back in the UK, after retiring from their teaching roles in KTJ after a whopping 12 years.

So here is the photo of the dinner, not including the dessert - Tarte Tatin. Can't remember how Clare pronounced the name of this French dessert.

And here is everyone...

And also I'm suppose to check out this book called The Harmony Silk Factory by Tash Aw, a great read according to Clare.

Single Party Barisan Nasional

Gerakan Youth chief Mah Siew Kong today called for the merger of all 14 parties in the ruling BN coalition in order to achieve national unity.

"The time has now come for us to be one single party, the BN Party," he said in his opening speech at the youth wing’s annual meeting which started today at the party’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

I agree that this may be the best way forward for the nation. However, this idea is unlikely to get any buy-in, especially from UMNO.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节快乐

Some facts on Mid-Autumn Festival, pronounced as zhong qui jie.

• Also known as Lantern Festival, Mooncake Festival
• It's a celebration of abundance (usually linked to harvest) and togetherness dating back 3,000 years to China's Zhou Dynasty
• Falls on 15th day of the eight lunar month of the Chinese calendar, where the moon is usually at its brightest
  
• Food link to this festival - mooncake and pomeloes

There are also some Chinese mythical stories linked to this festival, the most famous one involving Chang Er, the "woman on the moon". Many versions of this story exist, the most popular one involving an archer Hou Yi.

Lunch with Suk Yi & Christine

Johanna & I invited Suk Yi and Christine over for lunch yesterday.

I've known Suk Yi since primary school years through a competition where we represented Perak State. Christine is her housemate. We actually knew Christine during Rachel's son, Ethan's birthday party. Christine is one of Rachel's friends and we were surprised to learn that she and Suk Yi are housemates during our conversation. I have learnt to get used to all these coincidence and 'what a small world' thingy... after so many similar incidents.

Special One Exits Chelsea

...by mutual consent, according to BBC Sports.

Not special enough for Roman Abramovich.

I was stunned to see the headlines moments ago. But looking back at the relationship between Jose Mourinho and Roman Abramovich in the past one year, perhaps it's not too surprising. But still, despite not a Blues supporter, I have to admit that he is a great manager.

His unbeaten home record in the EPL for 3 years will be hard to emulate.

His presence, his charisma and his combustible, unpredictable, impulsive, arrogant and irritating (to non-Blues fans) character will be sorely missed by the EPL. You really can't help loving and hating him at the same time.

My bet is Abramovich has probably made a terrible mistake. Chelsea's dominance may come to an end, together with his millions.

As for non-Chelski supporters:

Sheva 1 - 0 Mourinho. Let's keep it that way.

===
Famous Quotes from Jose

JOSE ON JOSE

"Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one."
Introducing himself to the English press after arriving from Porto in 2004.

"If I wanted to have an easy job... I would have stayed at Porto - beautiful blue chair, the Uefa Champions League trophy, God, and after God, me."
Making a mockery of those who suggest he is big-headed.

"For me, pressure is bird flu. I'm feeling a lot of pressure with the problem in Scotland. It's not fun and I'm more scared of it than football."
Insisting his side wouldn't catch a cold as Man Utd breathed down their necks.

"Look at my haircut. I am ready for the war."
Unveiling his new Action Man haircut.

WORDS OF WISDOM

"It's like having a blanket that is too small for the bed. You pull the blanket up to keep your chest warm and your feet stick out. I cannot buy a bigger blanket because the supermarket is closed. But the blanket is made of cashmere!"
On the injury 'crisis' at Chelsea in February.

"Young players are a little bit like melons. Only when you open and taste the melon are you 100% sure that the melon is good."
On developing Chelsea's young stars.

"The style of how we play is very important. But it is omelettes and eggs. No eggs - no omelettes! It depends on the quality of the eggs. In the supermarket you have class one, two or class three eggs and some are more expensive than others and some give you better omelettes. So when the class one eggs are in Waitrose and you cannot go there, you have a problem."
What turned out to be his parting shot to Roman Abramovich.

"I would love an Aston Martin but if you ask me £1m for an Aston Martin, I tell you, you are crazy because they cost £250,000."
Insisting not even Chelsea would pay over the odds for a defender.

"Sometimes you see beautiful people with no brains. Sometimes you have ugly people who are intelligent, like scientists. Our pitch is a bit like that. From the top it's a disgrace but the ball rolls at normal speed."
Describing Chelsea's sandpit of a pitch.

"We all want to play great music all the time, but if that is not possible, you have to hit as many right notes as you can."
Admitting the Blues weren't completely on song last season.

"Maybe the guy drank red wine or beer with breakfast instead of milk."
After a Sheffield United fan threw a bottle at Frank Lampard during Chelsea's 2-0 win at Bramall Lane.

"A player from Man City showed half of his ass for two seconds and it was a big nightmare. But this is a real nightmare."
Comparing Petr Cech's nasty injury with Joey Barton's bottom-baring antics.

THE WIFE

"She is the real manager of family life. You are the star outside, here you are not a star."
Mourinho admits his wife wears the trousers at home.

"It all depends on my wife. If I am at home, yes, I will see it. But maybe my wife would like to go somewhere. I would like to see it - I like to see football and it is a big game. But maybe I will have no permission."
Waiting to hear whether he'd be allowed to watch Arsenal-Man Utd.

"My wife is in Portugal with the dog. The dog is with my wife so the city of London is safe, the big threat is away."
Reassuring the population that his runaway Yorkshire Terrier had left the country with his wife.

PLAYERS

"A brilliant reaction. I hate it when players just walk off."
Following Arjen Robben's sharp exit down the tunnel after being substituted against Aston Villa.

"As you know Gallas had an unbelievable holiday. I hope he enjoyed it very much in Guadeloupe, which I think is a fantastic place to be on holiday, so he wanted to stay there for a long time."
On William Gallas missing the first team's trip to the United States because he was on holiday.

"I did it because I want to push my son to do the same. I also did it because I want to push the young players on my team to have a proper haircut, not the Rastafarian or the others they have."
Mourinho confirming he's a cut above the rest with his skinhead.

REFEREES

"When I saw Rijkaard entering the referee's dressing room I couldn't believe it. When Drogba was sent off I didn't get surprised."
Claiming Barcelona boss Frank Rijkaard had met with Anders Frisk at half-time in their Champions League tie.

"If you ask me if I jump with happiness when I know Mr Poll is our referee? No."
Not a fan of Graham Poll.

"I could feel immediately the movement. To somebody that understands the game and feels the football, smells the situation, it was obvious."
Senses working overtime after a dodgy offside flag denies Chelsea a goal against Blackburn.

RIVALS

"Wenger has a real problem with us and I think he is what you call in England a voyeur. He is someone who likes to watch other people. There are some guys who, when they are at home, have this big telescope to look into the homes of other people and see what is happening. Wenger must be one of them - and it is a sickness."
Astonishing attack on Arsene Wenger.

"Three years without a Premiership title? I don't think I would still be in a job."
Putting the boot into Rafa Benitez.

"Many great managers have never won the Champions League - a big example is not far from us."
Reminding Wenger there's only room for one Special One in London.

"Liverpool are favourites because in the year 2007 we've played 27 matches and Liverpool play three or four."
Cranking up the pressure ahead of the Champions League semi-final second leg.

"If you're not a big club, you choose one competition and you fight in that competition and forget the others. Big clubs - we cannot do this."
Warming to his theme.

"I am happy to be six points behind. In my opinion, Manchester United did not take advantage of our bad moments."
Delighted Manchester United are so far ahead in the Premiership in January.

"I want to give my congratulations to them because they won. But we were the best team."
In typically gracious mood after his side's Carling Cup defeat by Charlton on penalties.

THE WORLD IS AGAINST US

"This is the only time we have had to play before United and that's because we control the fixtures. Just imagine if we didn't control them!"
Hitting back at Sir Alex Ferguson's claim that Chelsea engineered their game with Tottenham to take place just 39 hours after Spurs' Uefa Cup match in Seville.

"How do you say 'cheating' in Catalan? Barcelona is a cultural city with many great theatres and this boy has learned very well. He's learned play acting."
Claiming Lionel Messi got Asier Del Horno sent off in a Champions League defeat by Barcelona.

"During the afternoon it rained only in this stadium - our kitman saw it - they tried everything. There must be a microclimate here."
Bemoaning Blackburn's pitch-watering tactics after the Blues' hard-fought win at Ewood Park.

IN DEFENCE OF CHELSEA

"We have eight matches and eight victories, with 16 goals, but people say we cannot play, that we are a group of clowns. This is not right."
On his high horse after beating Liverpool.

"Entertaining? Too much!"
After the roller-coaster 3-2 win over Birmingham on the opening day of the season.

"I think I have a naive team. They are naive because they are pure and they are clean. We don't have divers, we don't have violent people."
On his clean-living Chelsea boys, after Florent Malouda won a dodgy penalty against Liverpool.

WHAT THE REST THINK OF HIM

"If Chelsea are naive and pure then I'm Little Red Riding Hood."
Rafa Benitez suspects Jose is telling porkies.

"My wife will be glad about Mourinho coming to Bramall Lane because he's a good looking swine, isn't he?"
Neil Warnock.

"He is almost a Yorkshireman with a Portuguese accent."
Warnock again.

"When Mourinho says training will last one-and-a-half hours it will never last a second longer."
Former Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen on Mourinho's worrying attention to detail.

"I find it out of order, disconnected with reality and disrespectful."
Arsene Wenger did not take too kindly to the 'voyeur' comments.

"Two finals in three years - not bad for a little club.''
Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard twists the knife after his side, branded a "little club" by Mourinho, reached the Champions League final at Chelsea's expense.