100th: Be healthy and stress-free..

Assalamualaikum...

(This is the 100th entry for this blog. Always the positive, i take it somewhat as my personal achievement. Wow. 100th! I certainly wouldn't believe it the first time i set up this blog April last year - although with almost 6 month sabbatical, hehe. I want to take this opportunity to thank Mullah and Kulan for helping me with this blog not long before. And of course to all the regulars that keep coming and visit. Thank you guys. Hmm, macam celebrity lah pulak. Already looking forward to the next hundred...!)

Not so long ago, i talked about wanting to expand my circle of friends. 2 circles actually, which i personally called: tennis-buddies, and gym-buddies.
Alhamdulillah, i could say the circle keeps growing now, especially the gym-buddies circle. In fact, from the so-called circle, come these facts that i want to share with you here...

The followings are the fitness tips of how to boost your energy.
When you mixed with a really hardcore gym guy, that's what all you will listen to: Take more protein and less carbohydrate! Take carbohydrate only when you're about to go to gym! Take supplement to strengthen your muscles! Or take protein supplement 30 minutes before work-out and 15 minutes after that! And so many other 'take this' and 'take that' of the things you never even knew exist before!

Well, that's the gym-hardcore, which i still am not.. yet.

But i don't want to talk about the gym here. i'm here to share something that i hope will make you and your day better. Hopefully, it will help increase the quality of your life too.

10 energy-boosting tips:

1. Go to bed by 10.30 pm every night. The body rejuvenates itself better before midnight than after midnight.

2. Get up at the same time everyday. Your body works best when you follow a routine. It is actually better to get up at the same time every morning even if you go to bed late.

3. Get plenty of sunlight. Try to go outdoors for some time everyday. Even looking at the sun throughout a window helps!

4. Get 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic activity five times a week.

5. Eliminate or greatly reduce sugar from your diet. Sugar wreaks havoc on your blood sugar levels and causes energy highs and slumps.

6. Eat breakfast. It takes three to five hours to convert what you eat into fuel for the body. If you do not eat breakfast, you will be running on empty for the rest of the day.

7. Take a five-minute energy break every hour or 1 1/2 hours. Get up. Walk aroud. Do eck rolls. Take five deep breaths. Refocus.

8. Avoid caffeine. It is a drug. It will give you an energy boost but it will also drop your energy levels like a hot potato when its effects wear off. Caffeine will also affect your sleep.

9. Drink plenty of water. Have 8 to 10 glasses a day. Dehydration is one of the main causes of fatigue. 10. Think positive. Negativity affects your mood, job performance, physical appearance, health and even the others around you. Optimistic people are likely to be healthy, energetic and successful.

Lastly of course, always pray to Allah for the strength and guidance in every way and in everything we do.

May we become a better person, in and out, mentally and physically, in this world and after...

Malaysian Book Academy

Assalamualaikum...
Bonjour, Bon week-end.

This morning, i was just having breakfast when i received a call from Mullah alerted me about an interesting article in NST about Malaysian Book Academy.
Soon after that, i sat in front of my laptop and started to search for Malaysian Book Academy in the internet. I hope to find any website for the so-called MBA, instead i found only 3 results for it. All of it were editorial article from BERNAMA and NST.

It's a bit disappointment to see there's no real structure or 'black & white' for the MBA (in the internet). Obviously it is BIG since it was being launched by Datuk Seri Rais Yatim, and being jointly organized by DBP, National Library and National Book Development Foundation. But perhaps it's too early to tell, so i'll just wait and hope anxiously for any develoment of this MBA.

In one of the article from BERNAMA, it was being said that the book publishing industry in Malaysia has yet to reach the desired standard with its rate of publication of about 9000 titles per year. While some of you may think that's a good number, it was actually pale compared to Taiwan, which has about the same population as Malaysia, but has published about 30,000 titles per year alone...!
I pray, this Malaysian Book Academy wil become the boost that we sorely need to spread the interest of reading among Malaysians. I really do...
And below, i attached the full article from NST about our readng habit in Malaysia (sigh...)


EDITORIAL: Booking into reading habit
Given the insatiable appetite for more TV channels and the voracity with which youngsters devour computers and high-tech gadgets, a further slide in the reading habit would not be surprising. One can argue, of course, that going online also involves reading. The question is, do we want the language of the chatroom and email to be the dominant influence?

Already we are a nation of two books. In 1996, it was found that the average Malaysian reads only two books a year. A study in 2005 by the National Library found no improvement to this figure. Could it be because reading is demanding while audiovisual devices require neither discipline nor the proper co-ordination between one's synapses and neurons?

While offering information and entertainment, books also provide an architecture to make sense of life. More importantly, reading civilises our inner self. And in a multiracial nation such as Malaysia, a passion for reading about each other's ways can help prevent cultural or religious conflict. Which is why any move to improve the reading habit among Malaysians -- such as the establishment of the Malaysian Book Academy -- is most welcome. The academy, launched on Friday, aims to train people for the book publication industry, and encourage writers. Admittedly, past efforts do not appear to have turned Malaysians into rapacious readers. Which is why, bearing in mind that the availability of more books does not equate to a greater readership, the academy must work in tandem with bodies such as the Education Ministry and libraries if it is to produce results.

Those who warn that the demise of books is imminent may be astonished to know that books are the No. 1 selling item on the Internet, most of it through Amazon.com. Its e-book device, Kindle, is so popular it has been sold out. But whether it is a book or an e-book, one cannot escape the fact that reading is required. The diplomat George F. Kennan observed that everything was spelled out for the child watching the TV but, by contrast, reading involved thinking and imagination. "The child, particularly one who reads a book dealing with real life," he said, "has nothing before it but the hieroglyphics of the printed page. Imagination must do the rest." And wasn't it Albert Einstein who said: "Imagination is more important than knowledge"?

Hartawan dan Jutawan

By Mullah

Assalamualaikum dan Alhamdulillah, penulis dapat menulis lagi dalam blog ini dan pada hari ini, penulis hanya bekerja separuh hari sahaja. Artikel kali ini akan membincangkan tajuk jutawan dan hartawan. Merujuk kepada akhbar The Sun edisi 29022008, 4 hartawan (philanthropist) dan jutawan Malaysia telah tersenarai dalam edisi pertama Forbes Asia yang akan dikeluarkan pada 10 Mac 2008

Penulis akan membincangkan 2 daripada 4 hartawan tersebut iaitu Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary dan Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, mantan Ahli Parlimen Kota Bharu bagi penggal 2004 - 2008. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary bukanlah nama asing dalam dunia perniagaan di Malaysia. Selain mengawal Malaysian Mining Corporation (MMC), beliau juga merupakan pemilik Johor Port dan Pengerusi Yayasan al-Bukhary. Yayasan al-Bukhary adalah yayasan persendirian beliau, yang banyak menyumbang kepada program pendidikan kepada warga miskin di Malaysia, tanpa mengenal kaum dan agama. Pengaruhnya yang meluas ini adalah hasil dedikasi beliau dalam dunia perniagaan selama berpuluh-puluh tahun. Penulis teringat akan wawancara Mingguan Malaysia dengan Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary. Dengan kekayaan yang mencecah RM 1 billion, Tan Sri masih menggunakan kereta Perdana sebagai kenderaan persendirian. Memang tidak dinafikan akan kepentingan 'networking' dalam dunia perniagaan, akan tetapi, penulis percaya dan yakin bahawa kejayaan Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary adalah hasil jerih payah beliau dalam dunia perniagaan ini dan berbekalkan kepada ILMU dan PENGALAMAN.
Berkenaan dengan Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, beliau adalah pemilik syarikat guaman terbesar Malaysia iaitu Zaid Ibrahim & Co dan beliau menyumbang kepada masyarakat khususnya dalam kepada mereka yang tidak upaya di Kelantan. Kelantangan beliau memperjuangkan hak-hak demokrasi dan Myanmar khususnya di Parlimen, telah menyebabkan beliau tidak dipilih sebagai calon Barisan Nasional pada Pilihan Raya Umum 2008 kali ini. Akan tetapi dengan pengalaman beliau berkhidmat kepada masyarakat kurang upaya ini, masyarakat Kelantan khususnya tidak akan melupakan jasa Datuk Zaid Ibrahim ini secepat Barisan Nasional melupakan jasanya dengan tidak mencalonkan Datuk Zaid Ibrahim pada Pilihan Raya Umum kali ini.
Kesimpulannya, penulis berpesan kepada diri penulis dan pembaca iaitu kita hendaklah berkhidmat kepada masyarakat jika kita mempunyai impian hendak menjadi hartawan dan jutawan yang berjaya. Sesungguhnya, dunia Islam khususnya amat memerlukan khidmat para hartawan dan jutawan muda Muslim dalam menaiktarafkan lagi status Ummah Islam di mata dunia. Jumpa lagi

Le Controle...

Assalamualaikum...

Hier soir (last night), i experienced my first test in French (le controle premier).
Well, i may already knew that learning french language was hard, but only after doing the test do I know how hard it really is.
Yes my friends, french is difficult and as i found out during the test, it was really confusing, especially when I have to choose between two close answers.
One of the main reason is because the spelling and the pronunciation of any word in French is very different, thus make it hard for you to memorize everything. Let me give you an example:
Au Revoir means Goodbye in English. Maybe right now some of you are trying to pronounce the word in your mind. But i'm sure if you have never heard this word before, you will never know that the real pronunciation is like this: Okhvuar!
Hmm... as for me, welcome to a whole new-and-exciting-yet-difficult world huh...!

However, just like what i experienced with the test (le controle) last night, we're actually get to know where our weakness is, and after that, how to overcome the weakness which eventually will lead us to be better.
Let it be in your French class, or in your career, relationship, or business; the process is mostly the same. Test... identify weakness... improve yourself... become better!
Hmm, obviously it was easier said than done, but that's life and we can never ever get away from it, right?!

Okay, back to the french topic, actually i want to share something very interesting with you. (at least i hope it will be as much interesting to you as it did me).
I got this word not so long ago and soon after, i decided it would be nice if i can share this with you and after that maybe you will share this with the others:

Il n'y a pas de Dieu sauf ALLAH (There's no God except Allah)
MUHAMMAD messager d'ALLAH (Muhammad is messenger of Allah)

And lastly before i forgot, if you're in any condition that people were asking you this question:
Quelle est votre religion? (What religion are you)

Then, please lift your face, and with a smile, proudly declare that:
Je suis Musulman (I am Muslim) - for male, or
Je suis Musulmane (I am Muslim) - for female.

May Allah bless us always...

New Template for AidanZ

Assalamualaikum...

Bonjour...

Hehe, i'm sure you can see the new template for this blog.
Thanks to Kulan, my brother from Sevenheroes, a BMW car is on top of this blog as template. Apparently he remember that BMW is my favourite and also my dream car...

Not just he approached me with this new look, he also did all the changes from the old template to the new one...

Thanks Lan!