I am in Dubai...

Remember, my old post? 'Places to Visit Before I Die'... It was posted on June 07, 2008. Let me just 'copy-and-paste' (what engineers normally do when they write a report.. Hehe)...

'Everybody has their own dream places to visit. As part of my hobby, I have travelled to many places. But there are few places that I wish to visit (or revisit) before I die (nak join travel ke next time.. ring me, we set a plan): 1 - Mekah - (obviously, the most holy place on earth) 2 - Bali - (been here 2 years ago, the place has just got its charm and beauty) 3 - Prague - (been dreaming to visit Prague ever since I watched The Mission Impossible, truly beautiful and impressive architectures) 4 - Tokyo - (I wanna be lost in translation..:)) 5 - New Zealand - (the land of LOTR, simply breathtaking views and nature) 6 - Petra, Jordan - (for its majestic The Ancient CIty of Petra) 7 - Venice - (its just so ramantic, to ride on a gondola, or be in the Carnivale) 8 - Dubai - (everything is gigantic and over-the-top, I heard..) 9 - Hong Kong - (I just dont know why, but I wanna go there) 10- Alaska - (its good to be on an extreme-weathered country (to be able to appreciate what we have in Malaysia - kalau tak asyik bising je 'panaaaas, panaaaaaaas'))'

Now I am proud to say, that I have been to Dubai!!.. Indeed I am writing this blog in one of Dubai most lavish hotel 'Radisson SAS' --- Zassss.. You know what, the rate for one night.. I repeat, one night, is AED2247.. Gile tak?

Dubai is indeed as what I described (I was not totally wrong afterall..). We (me and my travel buddy, Younose..) agreed upon one thing: Dubai is actually the larger-than-life version of SIngapore.. Its all about big and modern buildings and shoppings.. Tah berapa byk shopping malls tah kat sini... Pergi satu mall dah semput..

So we managed to get our feet to some of the most interesting places in Dubai:
- Mall of Emirates - dalam ni ada ski, big labels boutiques, huge and huge mall.. dua kali besar dari OU
- Diera City Centre
- Dubai Mall - The largest mall in the world!! dalam tu ada aquarium besor, giant sharks pun adaaaaa, haaaa... tapi to our disappointment, it lacks the charm..
- Souqs - Souqs tu macam pasor laa.. tapi modern version aaa.. Gold souq, old souq, textile souq...
- Al Ain - Hot Air Balloon.. Alaa yg naik belon besor yang boleh terbang tuh.. best jugak laa, sampai nak terbakar kepala dek kepanasan gas tuh
- Desert Safari - bestttt mmg besssttt...
- Atlantis - one of a few 7 star hotel in the world.. utk opening ceremony je, management of the hotel spent more than USD50 Million.. Ishhhhh boleh kahwinkan 50 artis macam siti..
- Burj Al Arabi - the most expensive hotel in the world. Nak masuk lobi pun kena bayar USD200.. Gila tak.. belum duduk kat kerusi dia.. atau berak kat jamban dia..
- JUmeira.

Ishhh byk sgt la yg kitorang pergi.. tak larat nak menaip dah.. Nak tido dulu aaa.. JUmpa lain kali ok !!

Welcome back Padil to blogspot.com world

Aduh

Terasa hilang sekejap dari dunia nih.. dah lama rupanya aku tak mengupload apa2 dalam blog nih .. so i guess this is time to make a come back.. ala ala sgttt..

I am Back.... (to where I belong..)

I am back..

I'm Back where I belong
My Friends I long to see
I missed you all so much
It was pure misery

I'm sorry all my pals
In poetry club Coffee
Yes what I did was wrong
but now that I am free

from all my troubles then
Were mixed up in my head
I took it out on someone else
and now my tears I've shed

So If you'll take me back
I promise to be true
To all the friends that I let down
Yes my friends that's you

Male vs Female ('Sempurna' Song) - You judge

This is Andra and the Back Bone's Version



This is Gita Gutawa's Version



These clips are different versions of the same song (I know, I am a bit outdated, this is an old song... bla bla bla). Which one is better? You vote, you decide.. I cant decide which one is better. Both have their own strength and charm. Uish..

Sempurna...

Kau begitu sempurna
Di mataku kau begitu indah
Kau membuat diriku akan selalu memujamu

Di setiap langkahku ku kan
selalu memikirkan dirimu
Tak bisa ku bayangkan
Hidupku tanpa cintamu

Janganlah kau tinggalkan diriku
tak kan mampu menghadapi semua
Hanya bersamamu ku akan bisa

Kau adalah darahku
Kau adalah jantungku
Kau adlah hidup ku lengkapi diriku oh sayang engkau begitu sempurna .. sempurna

Kau genggam tanganku saat diriku lemah dan terjatuhk au bisikkan dan hapus semua sesalku

Fortune-500: Rich List... (When is my turn??)

After 13 years on top, Bill Gates is no longer the richest man in the world. That honor now belongs to his friend and sometimes bridge partner Warren Buffett.

Riding the surging price of Berkshire Hathaway stock, Buffett has seen his fortune swell to an estimated $62 billion, up $10 billion from a year ago.

Gates is now worth $58 billion and is ranked third richest in the world. He is up $2 billion from a year ago, but would have been as rich--or richer--than Buffett, had Microsoft not made an unsolicited bid for Yahoo! at the beginning of February. Mexican telecom mogul Carlos Slim Helú now ranks as the world's second richest person with a net worth of $60 billion.

1. Warren Buffett
2. Carlos Slim Helu
3. William Gates III
4. Lakshmi Mittal
5. Mukesh Ambani
6. Anil Ambani
7. Ingvar Kamprad
8. KP Singh
9. Oleg Deripaska
10. Karl Albrecht
11. Li Ka-shing
12. Sheldon Adelson
13. Bernard Arnault
14. Lawrence Ellison
15. Roman Abramovich
16. Theo Albrecht
17. Liliane Bettencourt
18. Alexei Mordashov
19. Prince Alwaleed
20. Mikhail Fridman

For SouthEast Asia...

1. Robert Kuok
2. Ananda Krishnan
3. Kwek Leng Beng
4. Rachman Halim
5. Ng Teng Fong
6. Quek Leng Chan
7. Wee Cho Yaw
8. R. Budi Hartono
9. Lee Seng Wee
10. Lim Goh Tong

Tagged From Mr Darwish

Thank you for asking me these questions (kalau aku ada masa aku jawab definitely), these are my answers:

1) what makes u sad

Its hard to make me sad. I remember last time I cried out loud was when my (really really) best friend left to other country to pursue his study, and that was after 18 years (when my father passed away..). Anyway, now the only thing that makes me sad is: if someone I hoped for and loved let me down.


2) between beyonce & jlo?

Well, interesting question, whether I prefer an iced-white coffee or caffe latte. No No.. they can't be compared to those items since they are an item themselves. So, personal choice, Beyonce. She has attitude, good voice, good figure, more sexual attraction... J-Lo.. just and purely sexual attraction.

3) is it difficult to hanlde machintosh for someone who has been using windows forever?

No, its not difficult. If you learned windows in a day. You should expect to spend a week to be able to use Mac. Mac is an interesting machine to work with, many good features and super fast, but (a simple example), you are used to have right and left-click on your mouse with windows, and with mac u have only 1.. Its like switching from manual car to auto car.. needs a lil bit while to get used to.

4) what if your fav food?

Favourite foods, hmm banyakk... but if a friend would like to belanja me, I would ask for Salmon Grilled kat Chillis.. Anything Salmon-ish is yum yummmm...

To credit my mom (the greatest cook in the world - sayanggg makk), I love her Ikan Pari Masak Pecal, uhhh terangkatttt...

5) rumah tepi pantai atau rumah dalam hutan dekat dgn air terjun?

Kalau takut di landa ombak jangan berumah di tepi pantai.. But to hell with this, my choice is tepi pantai. Jeles jugak seeing those who managed to own a house by the beach, to wake up in the morning because of high tide and sound of waves, to feel the sea breeze on my face while watching the sun set through the windows, and having a barbeque right besides the beach.. arghhh.. my dreammm..

Just got back from The Incredible Hulk...

It is certainly far far better than the Ang Lee's version.. 'Leaning as far away from the dire Ang Lee account as possible, The Incredible Hulk will probably smash bank for its determinedly crowd-pleasing, pure Saturday matinées entertainment value. Iron Man, it ain't, but it's still fun'.

We had fun... after wayang session, all of us (almost spontaneously) wanted (or more to 'gian') to lepak at mapley. But where got mapley here maaa.. So ended up, we lepak kat rumah Abg Sani and K Salina and had the best cucur kodok in the world!!..

So the movie is 4/5... For more review, visit: http://www.rottentomatoes.com --> arguably the best source of movie review on the net.

Guys, lets go for wayang again next time, hmmm Kung Fu Panda? Anyone?

Questions by Yunos aka Darwish (Riyadh)

These questions were posted by Mr Darwish of Riyadh.. (Darwish, aku harap ko happy dengan jawapan aku.....).

1) between iphone and N96 which one is your choice? and why

Well, depends on when (If I would like to own one). If I need a phone NOW, I'd go for Nokia N96, since Nokia N96 is a proven gadget for those who love Nokia and high-tech stuff (basically N96 got everything you need: good brand (read: quality and name), GPRS, high mega pixel camera, WAP, e-music, and other interesting features.

But if I am patient enough, I'd wait for the new/second model (read: improved model) of iphone. Since, you know, every system or gadget has its flaw during its debut. However, overall features of Iphone are excellent, and off course its from MAC.

Conclusion: I'd choose an IMPROVED version of Iphone rather than Nokia N96.

2) do you think pak lah should step down?

THis is a question that should be answered with a question: Why should Pak Lah remains in the government? Has he make any workable solutions and decisions for us (the Rakyat)? and the decision to terminate the oil subsidies (yet again) proven that he is not the person should be up there. Opps.. sorry

3) kat mana nak carik rempah briyani yang best kat batu pahat? or any other places...hehe

Batu Pahat mmg terkenal dgn beriani gam dia (tak sia-sia aku jadi org batu pahat). One of the best is Beriani Gam Taman Soga, and Beriani Mad Shah. For Rempah beriani, if you go and browse the pasar pagi at Jalan Penggaram, there will be a stall selling rempah beriani, run by an indian muslim. Very cheap.

4) im stuck between sony vio and Apple..what is your suggestion?

Its a really tough question: are you a fan of Macintosh system? If you are not, rather stick your head with Sony Vaio. This is a choice between the superpower Dodge-Viper car and BMW. Where Viper is the mac and BMW is the Vaio.


5) apa nasihat bro untuk orang yang ada kena mengena dgn lagu Cinta Dalam Hati?"

For me, soal hati is really subjective. Its a question whether you'd rather sacrifice for the one you loved and let him/her be happy with his/her life (and off course you will suffer out of it). But at the end you will know that his/her happiness is the answer to your need. But I'd rather doubt a person would be as genuine... So, for me the key important thing is to let your heart out and be heard!!.. The outcome of it let Allah decides.

Movie Time... Incredible Hulk

Today, another break from study: Movie!!!...

I am going to watch The Incredible Hulk at the Hoyts Cinema (with Aji, Ramizah, A Rahim, Nana and Kak Cik). Hmm plus me = 6 persons (how can I fit them into 1 car?) hehe.. Kena menyadin laaa jawabnya.

THis version so far has received favourable critics. Since they compared this version with Ang Lee's version released few years ago. Hoping for the best.

Study Break - Snap Time!

Snap Time!.. Dah sejengkal masa aku ukur, dah sehasta ilmu aku kaut. Tiba masanya untuk aku take a break and snap... Ni la meja aku study.. Belakang tu cermin, kalau terasa nak berangan, gi kat cermin melalak sorang2. Macam orang gila, tapi tak gila.. gila jugak..

Hidup aku dengan Finite Element, Geomechanics, Wellbore Stability, C++... Balik-balik tang tuh jugak. Sampai 3 tahun? 3 tahun lah, janji ilmu masuk kepala, duit masuk poket...

Duit Duit di mana kau duit, hutang ku membukit...
Ilmu Ilmu, di mana kau ilmu, otakku dah sebu...

Hahaha ngarut tul aku malam nih.. Kalau ada org kat sebelah aku, dah lama aku suh dia pelempang sikit pipi aku yang gebu nih kasik sedar dari lamunan aku...

Ni lah dia bestnya blog nih, kalau boring at least otak boleh berjalan lagi (walaupun mengarut).. Aku selalu ckp kat Aji (member baik aku kat sini), baik hang start buat blog, sonok. Dia ckp apa: Blog utk orang yang tak de keje.. Aduhhhh hang tak rasa lagi betapa bestnya buat blog nih... Daripada hang duk surf internet bende2 tak pekdah, baik buat blog nih..

To all my blog friends, tag me as you like. I am free to do things at this moment.

Euro 2008 - June 11 Update

Portugal 3 - Czech 1
Turkey 2 - Swiss 1

Deco had given Portugal an eighth-minute lead after good work from Ronaldo before Libor Sionko's thumping header levelled proceedings. However, Ronaldo turned on the style in the second half, providing a sublime finish from the edge of the area in the 63rd minute before supplying Ricardo Quaresma to round things off in added time. The win left Portugal top of Group A with six points and their last-eight place was confirmed by Turkey's last-gasp victory over Switzerland later in the evening – a result that leaves the Czechs tied in second with Fatih Terim's side on three points ahead of their decisive meeting on Sunday, which if it is drawn will go to penalties.

Keruntuhan Rumahtangga... Aduhai

Banyak perkara yang berlaku di sekeliling aku kebelakangan ini membuatkan aku terfikir bahawa perkara yang terjadi atau akan terjadi adalah kehendakNya. Kita mungkin berupaya untuk merancang i.e. untuk bahagia dalam hidup, mendapat segulung ijazah phd, pulang ke kampung halaman untuk bercuti dan sebagainya. Tapi sekiranya, Dia berkehendakkan sebaliknya, maka sebaliknya yang akan terjadi.

Menyingkap kembali kisah yang terjadi, membuatkan aku terfikir, masalah keruntuhan rumahtangga sesetengah pihak yg di luaran nampak gembira dan bahagia, tapi di dalam: Tuhan saja yang tau. Api rumahtangga yang dah terjalin lebih 30 tahun lamanya, boleh terpadam begitu saja. Di mana silapnya?

Islam telah mengajar kita agar setiap keluarga dalam masyarakat, berusaha mewujudkan sebuah institusi yang aman, bahagia dan kukuh, kerana ia merupakan lingkungan atau unit masyarakat yang terkecil dan berperanan sebagai satu komuniti yang akan menentukan corak serta bentuk masyarakat Madani yang kita idam-idamkan.

Dalam rangka dan usaha untuk memperkasa atau memperteguhkan institusi keluarga islam, terdapat beberapa perkara asas yang diutarakan oleh kitab suci al-quran yang sewajarnya dititikberatkan dan diambil perhatian sepenuhnya oleh masyarakat kita hari ini.

Pertama - Memastikan bakal suami dan bakal isteri itu mempunyai akidah yang kukuh. Sesebuah keluarga tidak mungkin merasai kebahagian jika ia dibina tanpa asas akidah yang kukuh. Justeru, keimanan dan ketakwaan kepada Allah s.w.t. akan memperkuatkan lagi keazaman dan kesungguhan untuk membina keluarga yang bahagia, harmoni dan diredhai Allah s.w.t.

Kedua - Setiap pasangan suami isteri atau ibu bapa harus mengetahui dan sedar tentang peranan dan tanggungjawab masing-masing. Diantara tanggungjawab seorang suami adalah memberi nafkah kepada isteri dan anak-anaknya. Manakala kewajipan seorang isteri pula adalah menguruskan rumahtangga yang mencakupi hal-hal seperti menjaga makan minum suami dan anak-anak.

Ketiga - Sewajarnya kita ukur kepada ketentuan Allah s.w.t., bahawa lelaki selaku suami dan bapa adalah ketua keluarga

Keempat - Anak-anak hendaklah taat dan sentiasa berbuat baik kepada ibu bapa. Berbuat baik kepada ibu bapa bererti patuh kepada segala suruhan serta tunjuk ajar mereka yang makruf dan sentiasa berusaha menggembirakan kedua ibu bapa dengan menghormati dan memelihara hubungan baik yang berlandaskan kasih sayang.

Kelima - Sentiasa berusaha mengeratkan hubungan silaturrahim sesama ahli keluarga. Dalam hubungan ini, setiap anggota keluarga yang terdiri daripada bapa, ibu dab anak-anak harus memastikan suasana yang harmoni dan bahagia wujud dalam institusi keluarga.

Teori sahaja tidak memadai dalam usaha untuk memperkasa institusi kekeluargaan. Pengetahuan mengenai ilmu keibubapaan dan pelaksanaannya merupakan pra-syarat utama dalam membina sesebuah keluarga yang bahagia. Semuanya bertitik-tolak daripada niat dan kesedaran kita sendiri dalam memenuhi tuntutan perkahwinan dan pembangunan keluarga dalam konteks kepentinganya terhadap agama, bangsa dan negara.

Sama-samalah kita fikirkan. Post ini bukan sekadar untuk suami isteri, tapi untuk semua kerana kalau kita bukan ibu/bapa atau suami/isteri, kita adalah anak kepada ibu/bapa kita. Sebagai satu (atau lebih) daripada cabang keluarga, kita semua bertanggungjawab untuk memastikan institusi keluarga kita harmoni.. Kerana pada aku, keluarga yang bahagia itu penting untuk memastikan kehidupan yang lebih bahagia. Kalau di bagi pilihan antara harta yang banyak atau keluarga yang bahagia... Hmm tanpa berfikir dua kali, aku akan pilih yang kedua.

All the Small Things

This is a good note. Sometimes we never thought about small things around us. Small things that able to create liveliness inside us. These small things sometimes could be quite significant to us, kalau tak de boleh jadi macam pantai yang tiada ombak, macam kopi yang tak de gula. Think about them one at a time before going on to the next one. It Does Make You Feel Good.

1. Falling in love.
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.
3. A hot shower.
4. No lines at the supermarket.
5. A special glance.
6. Getting mail.
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.
8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio.
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
11. Chocolate milkshake (vanilla or strawberry).
12. A bubble bath.
13. Giggling.
14. A good conversation.
15 The beach
16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.
17. Laughing at yourself.
18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they Love you
19 Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
20. Running through sprinklers.
21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.
22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.
23. Laughing at an inside joke with FRIENDS
25. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
26. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.
27. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner).
28. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
29. Playing with a new puppy or kitten.
30. Having someone play with your hair.
31. Sweet dreams.
32. Hot chocolate.
33. Road trips with friends.
34. Swinging on swings.
35. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.
36. Making chocolate chip cookies.
37. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.
38 Holding hands with someone you care about.
39 Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change.
40. Watching the _expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you.
41. Watching the sunrise.
42. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.
43. Knowing that somebody misses you.
44. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.
45. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think.

Euro 2008 - Group D Results

Spain 4 - Russia 1
Greece 0 - Sweden 2

A scintillating hat-trick from David Villa gave Spain a clear-cut 4-1 victory over Russia in their first outing at UEFA EURO 2008™ and confirmed the immense power of the Valencia CF striker's partnership with Fernando Torres.

Interesting Facts... Indeed

Test yourself: Can you describe each words (above) by its colour (without a single pause)

Out of nowhere, I suddenly bumped on this interesting web article on 'Interesting Facts':

1. No piece of normal-size paper can be folded in half more than 7 times.
2. Earthworms have five hearts
3. Fingerprints of koalas are similar (in pattern, shape and size) to the fingerprints of humans
4. If a native Hawaiian woman places the flower on her right ear, she is available. (The bigger the flower, the more desperate)
5. For every 10 successful attempts to climb Mount Everest there is one fatality.
6. Iceland has the highest concentration of broadband users in the world.
7. Walt Disney was afraid of mice.
8. Just about 3 people are born every second, and about 1.3333 people die every second. The result is about a 2 and 2/3 net increase of people every second. Almost 10 people more live on this Earth now, than before you finished reading this.
9. The shortest English word that contains the letters A, B, C, D, E, and F is "feedback."
10. Sir Isaac Newton, who invented Calculus, had trouble with names to the point where he would forget his brothers' names.
11. Coca-Cola was originally green.
12. The smallest island with country status is Pitcairn in Polynesia, at just 1.75 sq. miles/4,53 sq. km.
13. Between 25% to 33% of the population sneeze when they are exposed to light.
14. Your thumb is the same length as your nose.

Now, start measuring your nose with your thumb...

Euro 2008 - Italy vs Netherlands .. (0 - 3)

First Goal



Second Goal



Third Goal

The Netherlands ended a 30-year wait for a victory over Italy in emphatic fashion as they began their Group C campaign with a rousing 3-0 win against the world champions in Berne.

Ruud van Nistelrooy side-footed the Oranje ahead in the 26th minute, a lead doubled superbly by his Real Madrid CF colleague Wesley Sneijder soon after. Edwin van der Sar, becoming only the third player to appear in four UEFA European Championships, then kept the advantage intact, leaving Giovanni van Bronckhorst to complete the scoring with a headed third in the 79th minute. The Netherlands can now look forward with confidence to Friday's meeting with France, while Italy must pick themselves up from a worst-ever EURO defeat when they face Romania.

Come on bangkit Italy, jangan la sebab Kapten tumbang korang pun tak de semangat. Remember my dream final: Portugal - Italy

I am in Reading-mode

There will be no plans for today, except one thing: reading books!!.. Nerdy-effect has taken its dominance. Books that I am currently interested in are:

1 - Petroleum Related Rock Mechanics, 2nd Edition, Elsevier
2 - Fundamentals of Rock Mechanics, 3rd Edition, Chapman and Hall

These are good books for my reading, will be spending most of my time digesting the beauty of these books.. Good luck for me!!!