Saya dan Azizah tiba di Mumbai dan menuju Panchgani sebagai tetamu kepada sahabat lama, Rajmohan Gandhi, penyala obor perjuangan datuknya, pejuang besar India Mahatma Gandhi.

Lebih tiga bulan lalu saya berjanji untuk bersama beliau menyemarakkan semangat perjuangan Gandhi bagi menegakkan demokrasi yang mempedulikan nasib rakyat serta menolak kezaliman dan rasuah.

Sepanjang dalam perjalanan selama tiga jam, saya menerima ribuan panggilan telefon, mesej dari Twitter dan Facebook, komen di blog serta SMS dari pelbagai lapisan masyarakat Malaysia dan dunia yang menyatakan kesyukuran dan rasa gembira.

Fikiran saya melayang mengenangkan wajah gelisah, sedih, derita keluarga dan rakyat terutama di saat cemas menunggu penghakiman pagi semalam.

Alhamdulillah, saya bersykur kerana setelah sekian lama difitnah dan diaibkan oleh pemimpin dan media UMNO, Hakim Dato’ Zabidin Mohd Diah memutuskan — berlandaskan undang-undang dan fakta —  bahawa dakwaan seseorang tanpa saksi dan sebarang bukti sokongan adalah tidak dapat diterima. Malah keterangan forensik dan DNA yang dikemukakan pihak pendakwaan turut dipertikaikan kesahihannya.

Saya tidak berhasrat menyingkap permasalahan lalu atau memberikan sebarang tafsiran mengapa penghakiman mengejutkan ini berlaku. Walaubagaimanapun, saya bersyukur ke hadrat Allah Azzawajalla kerana saya bebas dari fitnah jahat sedemikian.

Kasih sayang Azizah dan keluarga; kesetiaan rakan-rakan KEADILAN; dukungan PAS dan DAP;  para reformis dan sokongan dan iringan doa rakyat bukan saja ibarat penawar malah membajai penyuburan semangat dan daya juang saya.

Seperti lazimnya saya tidak cenderung untuk merintih kisah derita silam malah sedia memaafkan. Hanya yang dimasyghulkan ialah kebiadaban gerombolan kecil termasuk media UMNO yang berdendam kesumat dan terus memfitnah saya.

Saya ingin mengajak saudara-saudari bersama rakyat Malaysia untuk  melonjakkan perjuangan menuntut kebebasan rakyat; pemerintahan yang telus dan adil; ekonomi yang dipacu segar tetapi mempedulikan nasib rakyat serta menolak keangkuhan kuasa dan rasuah.

Kami sekeluarga amat terharu dengan luahan simpati dan dukungan semua. Semoga usaha murni kita bersama direstui dan diberkati Allah SWT.

Ikhlas dari,
ANWAR IBRAHIM

How time flies and we are off to another week in 2012. This year, my wish is small and very simple. Some days it’s not about passion and courage, it’s not about heroism and drama. It’s not about exotic visions. It’s simply about the act of doing deliciously simple acts, simply.

I’ve been keeping myself occupied ever since my break started after my finals. Got myself a planner to list down all the things to be accomplished, complete with timeline and progress check. Yes, I’m an organised person like this. While at times I can turn out to be pretty spontaneous, often go along with the flow, there are times when I just have to have a clear plan in mind. It gives me a full sense of certainty and allows me to picture an aftermath.

Spent most of my break planning for my upcoming Europe backpacking trip. This idea of having this trip of a lifetime has been lingering at the back of my mind for the past one year and it’s really something close to my heart. I’ll be away for a month, and truth to be told, it takes a lot of courage to hop on the bandwagon to pull off something of this scale. Now that everything has been laid out, I can finally take a sigh of relief as I moved on to other priorities.

Went uphill to Cameron Highlands to experience some cold weather last week. That’s the closest thing to European winter I have back in Malaysia. While the wind can be really chilly at times, I thoroughly enjoyed the breeze up there. It was a leisure trip, we literally spent time watching TV and cooking our own steamboat. No packed schedule, no long tours, just being spontaneous. This may well be the last time I’d be with this group of friends as we all part from here.

I guess we all run on two clocks. One is the external clock, where you follow the tide and the season. The other is the inside clock, where you are your own timekeeper and determine your own chronology, your own internal weather and your own rate of living. Sometimes the inner clock runs itself out long before the outer one, and you feel like a zombie going through the motions of living.

Sometimes we wish we can recapture our youthful lust and zest for life. We wish we have something to take us back to those childhood days and those feelings. Somehow those days are gone now. We’re numb. Sometimes we’re lost — putting up dreams into the sky and dodging all the things that tear us down. As my elders would say, “The days of I’ll wait for you after work” are gone. Now it’s a Facebook poke or an impersonal how are you on sms. And we’re not even missing out because, well maybe we just don’t care as much any more.

American kids responding to some K-pop video clips (of Girls’ Generation, Super Junior & 2NE1) on Kids React, a weekly web-show produced by The Fine Bros…

American kids react to K-pop from YeinJee's Asian Blog

saya bagi 2 gambar sebagai teaser pictures dulu ya.

x larat la nak upload banyak2 gambar, flickR pun mcm dah slow je lately ni

so sila enjoy dengan melihat gambar super duper besar di bawah ya. hehe

Back in July 2011 I blogged about:

A toy I’ve got back then, the AR Drone LINK

My trip to London for Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Pt.2 premiere and red carpet! LINK LINK LINK

More photos from my trip to Port Dickson and Melaka with family LINK

Urbanscapes 2011 LINK

New Years Eve Party At Eugene’s place at Desa Park City LINK LINK

Advertlets Galactic Laser outing! LINK

Ultimate BBQ LINK

MissyCheerio’s farewell party LINK

Bought the new Macbook Air the day after it was launched haha! LINK

From BBC News

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has been acquitted of sodomy after a two-year trial.

Judge Zabidin Mohamad Diah said DNA evidence submitted by the prosecution was unreliable and discharged the case.

Mr Anwar, 64, has consistently denied the charges and called them a government bid to cripple his political ambitions and influence.

The government said the verdict showed Malaysia’s judiciary was free from government influence.

Sodomy is illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia but, says the BBC’s Jennifer Pak in Kuala Lumpur, very few people are ever prosecuted.

‘Justice has prevailed’
Mr Anwar had been accused of having sex with a former male aide. He had faced up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

The acquittal caught Malaysians by surprise but not because they thought Anwar Ibrahim was guilty. The trial, dubbed by the local media “Sodomy 2.0″, was seen as an extension of his earlier conviction. Many Malaysians expected more of the same.

Mr Anwar’s struggle against sodomy charges has been front and centre in Malaysian politics for nearly 14 years. But his resolve to become prime minister, first within the governing coalition and now as the opposition leader, has never been stronger.

Now a free man, analysts say the charismatic leader cannot paint himself as a martyr. Without that helping to tip the scales, some young people hope that the next election will be more issue-based rather than focused on personalities.

But the judge said that there were questions over whether DNA evidence had been contaminated.

“The court is always reluctant to convict on sexual offences without corroborative evidence. Therefore, the accused is acquitted and discharged,” the judge said.

The verdict was greeted with cheers from Mr Anwar’s supporters, wife and daughters, our correspondent says.

Mr Anwar told journalists outside the courtroom: “Thank God justice has prevailed I have been vindicated.

“To be honest, I am a little surprised.”

Information Minister Rais Yatim said that the verdict showed that judges were free to rule as they saw fit.

“Malaysia has an independent judiciary,” he said. “The current wave of bold democratic reforms introduced by Prime Minister Najib Razak will help extend this transparency to all areas of Malaysian life.”

Police said two people were injured in two small blasts caused by explosive devices in a car park outside the court as the verdict was delivered. They did not say whether it was linked to the case.

‘Toppled’

The allegations against Mr Anwar surfaced just months after elections in 2008, in which he led the opposition to unprecedented gains at the expense of the ruling party.

1993 to 1998 – Deputy Prime Minister, under Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad
1999 – Jailed for abuse of power, sparking huge street protests
2000 – Found guilty of sodomy with his wife’s driver
2004 – Supreme Court overturns the sodomy conviction, freeing him from jail. He quickly emerges as the de facto opposition leader
March 2008 – ruling coalition narrowly wins general election, but with its worst results in 50 years. The opposition makes unprecedented gains
Aug 2008 – Anwar charged with sodomy for a second time, but despite this is soon voted in as an MP
Feb 2009 – Second trial for sodomy starts
Jan 2012 – Acquitted of sodomy by High Court

This verdict comes ahead of elections due in 2013 but widely expected to be called later this year.

Hundreds of police and security personnel were on the streets of Kuala Lumpur ahead of the verdict, and thousands of Mr Anwar’s supporters waited outside the court.

Mr Anwar was once Malaysia’s deputy prime minister and an ally of former leader Mahathir Mohammad.

But he fell out with Dr Mahathir and was later jailed for corruption and sodomy. The sodomy conviction was later overturned and he was freed in 2004 after spending six years in prison.

He is now seen as the key figure in Malaysia’s opposition coalition, which currently controls about a third of the seats in parliament.

The governing party has been in power for over 50 years and, says our correspondent, Mr Anwar is seen as the only person capable of challenging their dominance.

In a tweet from his account minutes after the verdict, the opposition leader looked ahead to the polls.

“In the coming election, voice of the people will be heard and this corrupt government will be toppled from its pedestals of power,” the message read.

From The Australian.com

Mr Anwar was speaking ahead of his acquittal today on sodomy charges.

Asked about Canberra’s proposed people-swap deal with Malaysia, Mr Anwar said the opposition could not support a program shrouded in secrecy.

“How do you expect us to support a program knowing the notorious record that we have treating foreign labour, treating illegal immigrants in this country?” he told ABC Radio.

“Have you forgotten and thrown the whole principle of the rule of law (and) constitutional rights to the sea?

“This may not be to the liking of the Australian government but I don’t think they should expect us to support a program that runs contrary to these principles.”

The Gillard government wants to send 800 people who arrive in Australia by boat to Malaysia for processing in exchange for accepting 4000 genuine refugees.

Labor has offered to reopen the Howard government-era detention centre on Nauru in exchange for coalition support for its controversial plan but the talks have so far proven fruitless.

Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott last week made it clear he is in no mood for compromise over the “dud” Malaysian deal.

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said that ”justice had been served” with his acquittal in a contentious sodomy trial and pledged to topple the government in the next elections.

”Thank God, justice has been served,” Anwar told reporters after a Malaysian judge pronounced him not guilty after a nearly two-year trial that he has denounced as a government attempt to cripple his strengthening opposition.

After the verdict, three small explosions were heard outside the court, with police blaming firecrackers.

The small but loud blasts occurred within minutes of each other after Anwar left the courthouse.

Witnesses said two people were taken away in an ambulance with minor injuries but AFP could not immediately confirm this.

Police said the blasts were due to firecrackers but would not confirm whether anyone was hurt.

At least one of the explosions damaged a motorcycle and shattered the window of a van, according to AFP journalists at the scene.

One of the blasts appeared to have exploded under a police cone.

Police cordoned off the affected areas and pushed back reporters, declining further comment other than to say firecrackers had been set off and that they were investigating.

Crowds estimated by police to number at least 5000 had gathered outside the court from before dawn in a show of support for the 64-year-old Anwar.

The blasts occurred as his supporters were rallying in the streets to celebrate the verdict.

Mr Anwar, a former deputy prime minister, spent six years in jail on sodomy and corruption counts in a stunning fall from grace after he fell out with his then boss, former premier Mahathir Mohamad.

The sodomy conviction was eventually overturned and Mr Anwar was released in 2004 before facing fresh charges in 2008 of having sex with a male former aide.

As you might have suspect, I in fact receive tons of email everyday. Although I read most of them but I just couldn’t get time to reply each and every one. When I do, it is normally worth sharing with you. This is an email from Don (of course not his real name)

Dear KCLau,
I need some advice. You can share this if you want to but I hope to remain anonymous. I am an engineer working in an oil and gas company with a fixed monthly income of RM6500 average. I am now 27 and graduated from the same university you came from 3 years back in 2007. Below are my monthly expenses:-

All in RM
EPF = 627.00
Tax = 600.00 average
MyVi Car Instalment = 492.00
House rental = 150.00
Utilities = 90.00
PTPTN = 210.00
Food = 500.00
Fuel = 160.00
Handphone bills = 250.00 (I help paying my mum’s, sister and fiancée’s line)
Insurance = 400.00
Misc spending (credit card etc etc) = 500.00 average
Mum’s monthly allowance = 1000.00

Total savings per month = 1500 average

To date, below is a list of my assets/savings in hand:-

Savings = RM 24000.00

House bought from developer in Dec 2009 and expected completion Dec 2011 = RM 398000.00
• Loan for RM350000.00 for 40 years with rate of BLR-2.25%
• Monthly instalment for 40 years duration is RM1300.00. Installment begins in 2012.

Own 2 cars. Proton Saga bought with cash at RM9600 after grad with money saved during uni days. MyVi bought RM49700 in 2009 loan for 8 years due to loan conversion from company loan to AmBank loan. Still have 6 years to go
counting from June 2011. Down payment paid RM12700.

Total invested in stocks = RM8900. I just started to get active again after 2 years remaining dormant. Lost a bit of money previously due to stupidity, laziness and greediness. However, I have learnt my lesson and educated myself to learn to research before buying any stocks. So far, I am holding it due to its potential and have yet to lock any gains. In other words, I am doing okay and if I sell it I will get a bit of money.

ASW 2020= RM900

Current family financial situation which you may want to know:-

1. My dad lost his job. So he does not have any income. Total combine FD, my dad and mum, is just a mere RM30000.00.
2. My mum fetches children to school with a net income of RM2000. Minus all the expenses (utilities, insurance, food, sister’s education etc) and the monthly RM1000 allowance I give to her. Nothing’s left. Expected to lose her job by 2012 due to no school children to fetch.
3. Sister’s ambition to study aviation. Finish Form 5 in 2012. RM250000 is needed to complete aviation courses.
4. Brother’s working in oil and gas with an average income of RM3000. Contribute RM500 monthly to mum’s allowance. Rest is for him to save till he can own a house. He just graduted.
5. Fiancée monthly income is RM4000. RM1000 savings per month.

My target:-

1. Planning for marriage in 2012. Wedding dinner etc.
2. To buy a 2nd property, looking a condo/apartment, to be rented out.
3. To start an engineering business with my trusted friends by 2015 or earlier.
4. To earn my first million by 35.
5. To have 2 kids by 2015
6. To be able to support my parents

Why I can’t sleep every night that I felt like I am going nuts:-
1. By 2012, my parents will be solely depending on the RM1500 monthly allowance my brother and I give. I may end up paying them more for disposable expenses!

My reply:
This is unavoidable ..when the day comes, you still need to live with it. However, human can easily adapt to a situation. There are people living in the arctic that proves no matter how bad is the situation, lives still go on. Your parents may have to adjust to a more frugal lifestyle when the time comes.

2. I can’t save enough for my wedding dinner and I am thinking to just abort the dinner alone and, perhaps, just go for a honeymoon trip to have a good time together. However, I feel guilty for not doing it for my fiancée.

My reply:
You will get angpow from the relatives and friends you invite to the dinner. Invite more richer friends and you may have extra fund leftover after deduct the dinner cost. From my experience, some best friends and wealthier relatives give bigger angpow. I don’t think you will lose money in your wedding dinner.

3. Because of point 1, I may lose a chance to buy a 2nd property so it is affecting my plans to increase my net worth.

No choice. You need to make more money. You can also look into the possibility of buying properties without money down (through auction or desperate sellers). If your rental yield is enough to cover the installment, it means you don’t need money to buy your second property.

4. My parents’ house is in Sunway and it’s close to Taylor’s. I believe it may fetch good rental value and I am thinking of moving my parents to my new house while converting this existing house for rental. However, due to previous modification, I may need to fork out some money to add an additional toilet and to add new partitions all over the house for rental. Due to my personal plans, I do not have the money to finance such modification. How do I go about it?

You can refinance your parents’ house for more cash. The excess fund can be used for the renovation. This assuming that your parents’ house is fully paid off or has substantial equity built up. As long as your rents still cover the new mortgage payment after refinancing, it is a worthwhile investment.

5. Setting up a family with no parents support proves to be tougher than it looks. I fear that I may let down my fiancée due to my current financial burden and that I may not be able to support 2 children expenses.

Undeniably, children cost a lot of money. I can buy a bungalow and pay the installment from the money I spend on my son. But anyway, there is too much fun being in parenthood. Just adjust along the way and you will be doing fine. When I look back at my parents, they manage to raise 4 kids with only average RM1000/month income. It is amazing, isn’t it?

When you have more commitment, you will learn to adjust to the situation either by spending less or making more money or both. You are motivated to do so.

6. I am an ambitious person. I love making money. And I came to realize that I could never be rich if I work in an organization. I got to go beyond the boundaries. But I fear that with this entire financial burden, my plans fall apart.

You already have planned to start a company with your friend. Focus on that. I think you will succeed. Wish you all the best! When you see a successful organization or company, it means that once upon a time, there was someone who made a tough decision and taking risk to call the shot.

KC Lau, with my current practice,
Do you think I can achieve my dreams and goals?
What can I do differently?
Is it advisable to convert the Sunway house for rental purposes and abort my wedding dinner for the renovation and to buy new furniture for my new house?

Please feel free to ask me more questions. I am so worried of my responsibility as an eldest son, a brother to my younger siblings, a husband who loves his wife so much that he wants to ensure that she is happy and worry-free, a father who gives good life to his children and a man who is financially free and rich.

Below is his email reply after mine:

First and foremost, thank you for sharing your insights and experiences about personal finances. I take your reply “I think that you worry too much.” that I am currently managing my finances good enough to achieve my goals. And all I needed is to adjust myself as I am going thru life along the way provided that I am prudent on my spending and desires.

I had previously thought about your reply in blue. But I am seeking some reassurance because it does seem to me that I am rolling my hard earn money without savings surplus. This does shake me up a little as I don’t see property or stocks as savings due to its time needed to liquefy it. For example, my nett savings for year 2010 has been hovering in between RM25000 to RM30000. My target was to save RM30000 per year making it RM60000 for 2010. However, I did not make it due to the increase in my parents allowance, the down payment for my new house and jewelries for my wedding.

Anyway, I hope I can share with you once more when I have achieved all of my goals and is financially free. Thank you KC Lau.

To you as a reader of our emails:
What does this story remind you of? What advice do you have for Don?
Post a comment below.

This article is posted at: KCLau's Money Tips

Financial Burden: Can the eldest son of retired parents achieve his financial goals?

From The Guardian

A Malaysian court has acquitted the country’s opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, of sodomy charges in a shock ruling that could fast-forward the former deputy prime minister’s political comeback ahead of an expected election this year.

Anwar, 64, was charged in 2008 with having sex with a male former aide, and could have faced whipping and up to 20 years in jail if found guilty. Under Malaysian law sex between males is a punishable offence even if consensual.

The case rested primarily on testimony by Anwar’s 26-year-old accuser, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, as well as semen samples found on Saiful’s body that investigators said matched Anwar’s DNA. Defence lawyers contended that Saiful’s testimony about the alleged sodomy, at a Kuala Lumpur apartment in 2008, was riddled with inconsistencies and the DNA evidence mishandled by investigators.

In his ruling, judge Mohamad Zabidin Diah expressed concern that the submitted evidence was tainted and told a packed Kuala Lumpur courtroom: “The court at this stage could not with 100% certainty exclude the possibility that the [DNA] sample is not compromised. Therefore it is not safe to rely on the sample.

“There is no evidence to corroborate” the charge, he added.

As his family burst into tears at the verdict, a jubilant Anwar greeted reporters. “Thank God justice has prevailed,” Anwar said. “I have been vindicated. To be honest I am a little surprised.”

Some 5,000 opposition supporters had gathered outside the court chanting “reform” as a police helicopter flew overhead and riot police, backed by a truck mounted with a water cannon, watched the crowd.

Three explosions were reported outside the courthouse, with a preliminary investigation finding two explosive devices underneath police cones. Two people were injured and taken to hospital, but it is unclear who was responsible.

Monday’s judgment is seen as a positive step forward for Malaysia’s judicial system and could have a major impact on upcoming general elections, which the prime minister, Najib Razak, is widely expected to call this year.

Najib hopes to regain a strong mandate after suffering in recent popularity polls and has promised economic and civil liberty reforms.

Anwar and his supporters long contested the sodomy allegations as a government plot to weaken his three-party coalition. The charges emerged after the coalition made unprecedented gains in the 2008 general elections against the ruling National Front alliance, which has ruled Malaysia for more than 50 years.

The opposition controls more than one-third of parliament’s seats and analysts say that Anwar, who has pledged to scale back Malaysia’s most draconian laws and reunify the racially divided nation if elected, could potentially knock out the incumbent government entirely.

This trial was the second time in 14 years that Anwar has faced the courts. Anwar served as both deputy prime minister and finance minister in the incumbent Umno party before falling out with his then premier, Mahathir Mohamad, in 1998.

He was then jailed for six years on sodomy and corruption charges in what was widely seen as a politically motivated prosecution. The sodomy charged was overturned in 2004.

Anwar has since become the glue binding together the three very ideologically different parties in his opposition alliance, which includes Islamists and an ethnic Chinese party. But for a coalition that has long considered itself “martyred” by Malaysian politics, the true test will be its ability to create a viable alternative for the future, says Bridget Welsh, Malaysia specialist at Singapore Management University.

“Charges against opposition figures don’t really help Malaysia. This [verdict] gives Malaysia an opportunity to move out of dirty politics – for the [National Front] to get out of gutter politics, and for the opposition to … move on and change its tactic from being the ‘martyr’ and ‘target’ to one that promotes a positive alternative for voters,” she said.

In a statement released after the verdict, the government said Monday’s ruling proved that “Malaysia has an independent judiciary and this verdict proves that the government does not hold sway over judges’ decisions. The current wave of bold democratic reforms introduced by [Najib] will help extend this transparency to all areas of Malaysian life.”

Such reforms, coupled with Monday’s acquittal, could be seen by voters as positive steps and translate into votes for the National Front in the upcoming elections, said Malaysian political analyst Ong Kian Ming.

“Had [Anwar] been convicted, he could have garnered more public sympathy that now won’t be as strong. [PM] Najib can now try to capitalise on this by continuing on with his political reforms, saying that the judiciary system is free and fair, and … gaining some momentum by leading up to the next election.”

Anwar’s accuser Saiful, who did not attend the hearing, wrote on Twitter after the verdict that he would “remain calm, continue praying and be patient”.

The legal saga may very well continue, since chief prosecutor Yusof Zainal Abiden has not yet decided whether to appeal against the acquittal.

(1) The lack of full disclosure: Both prior to and during the trial itself, the legal team for the defence was denied access to certain documents and physical evidence in the possession of the prosecution, which disadvantaged the accused in the preparation of his defence;

(2) Unreliable DNA evidence: There were obvious concerns that the DNA sample submitted as evidence was unreliable or may have been compromised.

(3) Certain unusual findings during the trial proceedings:

(a) The trial judge made an unprecedented finding at the end of the prosecution’s case that the complainant was a truthful and credible witness, without the benefit of having heard the defence.

(b) While the court allowed the Prime Minister and his wife to be interviewed by the defence legal team, the subpoena issued by the defence compelling the attendance of the Prime Minister and his wife was set aside by the High Court upon the application of the prosecution.  The absence of curiosity in this regard casts grave concerns on the credibility of the complaint in the first place.

(4) The unrefuted relationship between the complainant and a member of the prosecution team, which raised serious questions whether the complainant had access to investigation papers, which would have enabled him to tailor his evidence at trial.

Al Jazeera Interview: Anwar Ibrahim acquitted in sodomy case

From The New York Times

Ending a politically charged two-year trial, Malaysia’s High Court acquitted the country’s opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, of sodomy charges on Monday.

Judge Zabidin Mohamad Diah told the packed courtroom here in the capital that the DNA evidence offered by the prosecutors was unreliable, and that in sex-offense cases the court was reluctant to convict on uncorroborated testimony alone.

The courtroom erupted in cheers after the verdict, as did thousands of Mr. Anwar’s supporters gathered outside. Mr. Anwar, appearing surprised by the outcome, hugged his family and told reporters, “Thank God justice has prevailed.”

Sodomy, even between consenting adults, remains a crime in Malaysia, where most of the population is Muslim, and Mr. Anwar, 64, could have been sentenced to a term of up to 20 years if convicted. A prison sentence of a year or more would have barred Mr. Anwar from public office for five years after release.

Mr. Anwar has claimed that the case was concocted by Prime Minister Najib Razak’s administration to damage the opposition’s political standing. Mr. Najib has denied plotting against Mr. Anwar, who served as deputy prime minister in the 1990s.

He was prosecuted once before on charges of sodomy and abuse of power, convicted and jailed, in a case that was also denounced by his supporters as politically motivated. The High Court threw out that conviction in 2004.

Mr. Anwar then led the opposition to major gains in the 2008 elections, depriving the governing party of a two-thirds majority in Parliament for the first time since independence in 1957; a few months later he was charged again, this time with sodomizing a former political aide. Mr. Anwar has described the allegation as a “blatant and vicious lie.”

Though the case was widely condemned by human rights organizations and prominent voices in the West, including former Vice President Al Gore and Paul D. Wolfowitz, the former deputy secretary of defense, the trial was widely expected to end in a conviction. That would have sidelined Mr. Anwar for the next national elections, which are expected later this year.

“Anwar was acquitted on a charge that should have never been brought in the first place,” said Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch after the trial. “Hopefully this verdict sends a message to the government to put this matter to rest.”

The government seemed inclined to make the best of the court’s decision. The information minister, Rais Yatim, issued a statement saying, “Malaysia has an independent judiciary, and this verdict proves that the government does not hold sway over judges’ decisions.”

I make it a point in life to ask questions. It's not so much a job description as it is a lifestyle choice, which also happens to be one that fits in so well with my job description. Most people seem to think that there is such a thing as asking too much, that it ruins the mood and destroys one's sense of appreciating the beauty of the things around them. I used to think that they were wrong, but these days, it's more of a mashup between what they think and what I think.

People don't often ask the right questions, at the right place, at the right time.

It makes all the difference between being the insensitive jerk at someone's funeral or the mood killer in bed and someone who suddenly understands the factual beauty behind the intricate complexity of nature.

---
Here are some more related posts for your reading pleasure:

• The Sin Of Noodle Posting
• B2005: Table On The Wall
• What’s There To Know…
• B2005: One Line With Many Scars
• The Theory Of Everything…

***

sometimes its hard to differentiate between fiction and what’s real.

we tend to be so engaged with our thoughts and fantasies sometimes that we start to believe that its real. :/

its dangerous to live that way, because the higher we fly in our dreams, the more painful it is when we hit the ground later.

just sayin.

-J

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

..while at the Allianze University College of Medical Sciences photoshoot in Kepala Batas, Penang (there’s a Kepala Batas, Kedah oso!) I uses Canon 5D Mk2 for it’s file size lah. I still have my Nikon D3 tho but acreage wise, for cropping purpose, it’s dated 12MP sensor size kennot lawan 21MP leerr…

at AUCMS Kepala Batas Penang photoshoot, last week... photo via Instagram™

Now this maybe gruesome for some, but here’s a link to a lab scene showing a cadaver being dissected, (again image capture via iPhone 3Gs and Instagram. Oh, please ignore my tummy. You’ve been warned!

oh, I still keep my D3 for low light photography work, in case someone is asking wether I wanna sell it or not ler heh heh heh …

———————

On Facebook I was asked “BIla mau angkat itu Nikon D4 lah ‘Sifu’ Ted?” (baru sekrang aku terima lah “tai-tel” tu, sebab janggut pun dah putih sebelah kan? “Otai” ler tuhhh), Jawaban aku: hehehe lambat lagik kot, sebab aku dok usha sama nak angkat Pentax atau Hasselbad.

Pahal plak Hasselblad? Walau pun aku “otai”, ada orang bilang kalau tak pakai “Hasselblad” maka tak pro lagik. Jadi, untuk membuktikan aku ni “pro” (untuk sesetengah Client baru punyer Junior staff yang kerja dia amik Quotation nak kasi Boss-boss, lepas tu baru dia panggil untuk masuk “presentation”), walaupun hasil kerja sudah dipublish banyak (termasuk buku resepi juga, yang selalu ikut updates status akan tahu lah tentang perihal 2nd breakfast dan seumpamanya), tugasan besar-besar dan kecil-kecil berjaya di”deliver”, ada portfolio (heheh kena up website baru chepat-chepat dan letak gambar yang “pro” sebab ada orang bilang bila gugel nama “Ted Adnan” yang kuar gambar semasa carian hanya gambar talent dan model perempuan ajer heheheh)

Jadi, dipendekkan cerita, untuk tujuan marketing, #TedAdnanBilang (hash tag untuk Twitter tu!) sila lah angkat dan tayang Hasselblad (sambil dok periksa kocek dan dompet…), pasti confirm job dapat!

———————

Sekian Marketing untuk hari ini (sambil *tertawa “Whoah hahahahahah” bagai watak algojo gambar wayang filem Melayu lama…)

Thanks to all the participants in the i-mobile i693 Android smartphone review and giveaway. There were 1,375 total entries in the 2 weeks contest period. And we got a winner randomly picked by computer.

The winner is… Badiuzaman Mohd Noor. Congratulations! He has been contacted to receive the gift.

LiewCF Tech Blog often has free giveaway to reward our readers. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to be the first to know the coming giveaway, as well as latest tech news and tips.

I would like to thank i-mobile for giving the i-mobile i693. Interested in sponsoring? I’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with me.

i-mobile i693 Android Smartphone Giveaway Winner is… is an article from: LiewCF Tech Blog. For more updates, please follow @liewcf on Twitter, join Facebook page and subscribe free newsletter.

My USB thumb drive got infected by a trojan virus. All folders in the thumb drive had become shortcuts!

From the properties, the shortcut folder is pointing to 0x29ACAAD1.exe file. Kaspersky detects it as Trojan.Win32.VBKrypt.cvcu, and 35 out of 42 antivirus companies confirmed that it is a trojan virus – VirusTotal result.

Warning: Don’t double click the shortcut or you will execute the trojan virus.

Luckily, you don’t need a data recovery tool to fix this problem. The only thing that you need is just the command prompt.

Here I’ll show you how:

1. Go to Start > Run.
2. Type, “cmd” and click Ok.

3. Now type this command, and press Enter:

   attrib -h -r -s /s /d f:\*.*

   Note: Replace f: with your USB drive letter.

4. Done.

You will see two folders in the USB thumb drive. One is the shortcut, and the other one is the original folder as shown below.

Now copy the orginal folders to a safe place, and format your USB thumb drive. This to ensure that your thumb drive is completely free from the trojan virus, and don’t forget to scan your computer with antivirus too.

That’s all. Hope this help!

Btw, if your files and folders are suddenly missing/hidden in USB thumb drive, follow this trick to unhide them.

Original post: All Folders Became Shortcut! How to Fix Them?
Copyright © 2005 - 2011 CypherHackz.Net All rights reserved.
Part of CypherFS Network.

Related posts:

1. Files Hidden by Virus. How to Unhide Them?
2. How to change drive letter?
3. USB WriteProtector – Protects Your USB Drives From Viruses
4. How to rename folders or tags in Google Reader?
5. Pirates of the Caribbean 3 is a Trojan!

Instagram, the popular photo sharing app for iPhone, now export photos to Facebook album. You and your friends can then share and tag the photos in Facebook.

When you choose to share Instagram photos to Facebook, your images will automatically be added to your Facebook album named “Instagram Photos”. The shared photos will appear full-sized in the News Feed along with the caption you added and Instagram link.

According to Instagram FAQ, the album name is fixed. Rename the album will create a new album titled “Instagram Photos” next time you share a photo to Facebook.

However, after test, I found that you can rename the album and future Instagram photos will still copy into the renamed album. You cannot choose which album your images are sent to, though.

You can export previous Instagram photos to Facebook by following the instructions here. One image at a time.

I found it unable to move photos from other album (previously uploaded by InstaFB) into “Instagram Photos” album. According to Instagram FAQ, “there is no way to manually add images to an album that has been created by an application.”

My two cents

Glad that Instagram-to-Facebook-album is here, that’s my most wanted feature for Instagram. Before this, we use InstaFB (read my previous review) to export Instagram photos to Facebook album. Too bad that I can’t move the InstaFB photos into “Instagram Photos” album…

Now Instagram Save Photos to Your Facebook Album is an article from: LiewCF Tech Blog. For more updates, please follow @liewcf on Twitter, join Facebook page and subscribe free newsletter.