Mar 13, 2012


It is an undeniable fact, getting married and have kids is one of life's main goals. To built a family, send off your child to school, getting a peck kiss before heading to work and of course, coming home, knowing, that there'll be a beautiful lady, and cute little children, waiting on the dinner table, for you to say du'a/grace and have the final meal of the day. It is an ideal life, dreamt by every man and woman, regardless of race, nor status, it's a fairy tale, that can be reached, but, as any other fairy tales, it will not be easy.

Barney Stinson, author, The Bros Code


Right now, I am 21 years old, surrounded by friends between 20-24 years. And, the most discussed topic among them, that I had noticed, is about marriage. Those with partners always think and plan for their perfect wedding, and those without, were anxious about their future, afraid that they gonna end up living alone, without anyone by their side. For me, that is normal, a teen thinking about becoming an adult, to hold responsibility, to prove the world, that they could. And, this is added by the "trends" of their friend that had tie the knot in their early 20s. But, there's some issue that this young adult never (or don't want to)  think of; sustaining the marriage, keeping the rice bowl full, ability to guide the family into the right path, and of course, the life before and after marriage.

Before I go any further, I would like to make a position statement, I'm not floccinaucinihilipilificating marriage (damn, it felt good to use that word), but, what I don't agree on, is the act of rushing into things, as such, getting married in an early age, without thinking or even considering the consequences of doing so.

1) Financials

This will be the main issue in marriage, surviving as a couple will be different than living alone. For some unknown reason, a single guy and a single lady can live happily alone with the money they've made. But, if the two same persons, joint together, despite having the same amount of money, it will usually be not enough. That's a fact.

Secondly, wedding. As all of us dream of, we want to have a magical wedding, a place where you're a Raja Sehari, the spotlight will be on you, and of course, you want to give the very best for the guest, to get their nice impression on you (typical Malaysian attitude). But, there's one problem, do you really think that you can afford such wedding (or even an ordinary one), after you've graduated? Yes, it won't be a problem if you have a millionaire/billionaire in your family portrait. But then, putting myself in the shoes of the anak jutawan, I don't think I'll be taking money from my parents for my wedding, it's my wedding, and spending my own money for it will be my first step in proving that I can handle a family of my own. For me, if you can't even pay for your wedding, I doubt that you can sustain your future family and I might as well said your family's future.

2) Pre-Marriage Enjoyment
Everyone have that one thing that they want to do in life, on which, not doing it, will left your life incomplete,for me, I'll like to travel from Penang to Moscow, by land public transportation alone, and for the socially-retarded, they might choose to have a sex tour across the world. No matter what it is, do you think you can achieve all of those life's dreams after getting a wife? I don't think so.

Some might argue with me, saying that, after marriage, you can just let go those things. No, I don't think so. If you got married in such a young age, seeing all of your singles friends can have a lot of fun,it will somehow "induce" you to do the same, and if you're unlucky (on which, in most cases, you will be), the wifey will not be happy with it. And, based on a research, this is one of the main causes of divorce cases among the young couples, when the husband/wife are still not able to accept the transition from living alone to having a partner well, on which, they'll be trying out new things that shouldn't be done by a married person, thus, causing dispute between the couple.

So, what is the point of getting married if you can't keep the boat afloat? I had heard stories from a few of my friends, that they have friends that already a widow in the age of 19 or 20. And please, don't think janda muda will be "marketable", that only applies in the old Malay movies. I rather have a fresh fruit than pickles.

Thus, the idea of getting married when you're already "mature" ( I don't want to use the word old) might be a good idea, 30 something is good enough. So that, at least, you had discovered a few of life's treasure, and you may say "I do", without any remorse.

3) The One
For any of How I Met Your Mother fans, I bet you're familiar with Ted's quest in finding The One. Yes, it seems hard, but you're looking for The One, on which, as the name suggested, there's only one of it.

Life is just like a buffet in a five-stars restaurant, everything there are nice, but, you'll not simply ate the first food as much as possible, you'll have to make way to the other meals as it might offers something better to your palate than the first few. And this is also one of the main reason of divorcement, when one of the partner found someone that suits him/her the best. Some might said divorce is not a bad thing, but, looking at it again, it can cause major problem especially if you already have a kid.



So, why rush? Just slow down, and wait for the future to take you to your destination. Like I said, life is a buffet, take it slowly, because, you don't want to be regretted when you found the Crème brûlée after having plates of steaks that you think were the best.

4 ) Leading a Family
This is the most important aspect to be taken under consideration, especially for guys. In Islam, a husband plays an important role in guiding the family, in building a family that adhere to the true meaning of Islam. For me, it's better if we take our time to gain knowledge on family building, on religious and child management first before having our own family. Don't jeopardize the fate of our family, or our son and daughters due to our own ignorance and impatience. Wallahu'alam





read more "The Chocolate Altar"

Mar 11, 2012


Saya kira, dalam jangka masa beberapa bulan ini, isu berkenaan pembinaan loji pemprosesan nadir bumi oleh Lynas Corporation di bandar Kuantan, telah giat dibincangkan oleh ahli politik, sainstis dan sudah pasti, rakyat Malaysia yang tercinta. Pelbagai bentuk bantahan yang telah dijalankan, yang antaranya, merupakan Perhimpunan Hijau yang telah berjaya mendapat sambutan yang amat menggalakkan seakan-akan Konsert Jom Heboh.

Abang Anwar ketika Perhimpunan Hijau diadakan

Oleh sebab yang sedemikian, saya telah tergerak hati untuk memberikan sedikit sebanyak komen berkenaan pembinaan kilang berkenaan (walaupun pada hakikatnya terdapat timbunan kerja yang menanti untuk disiapkan).  Dan untuk menulis komentar ini, saya ditemani beberapa item di atas meja saya, antaranya teks Akta Kualiti Alam Sekeliling 1974, nota ringkas yang telah dicatatkan ketika lawatan saya ke Lynas pada 7 March 2012 dan juga sudah semestinya, rujukan utama internet terutamanya Wikipedia serta, secangkir teh HIJAU untuk diminum ketika menulis.

Dan untuk pemahaman semua, saya akan menulis komen semudah mungkin untuk pastikan mesej ini berjaya dafihami, mungkin semudah YB Fuziah meyakinkan rakyat Kuantan berkenaan bahaya Lynas.


Isu utama yang berbangkit mengenai pembinaan kilang ini merupakan berkenaan keselamatan. Ada yang melabel kilang ini sebagai sebuah loji janakuasa nuklear. Ya, sedikit lucu, pemprosesan bahan nadir-bumi tiada kaitan dengan penjanaan elektrik melalui janakuasa nuklear. Nadir bumi merupakan bahan yang akan diproses untuk pelbagai kegunaan elektronik kelak, tiada kaitan dengan tenaga nuklear. 

Kedua, berkenaan emisi radiasi alpha yang bakal terlepas dari pemprosesan. Mengikut apa yang saya dengar, ada pihak yang menyatakan radiasi alpha ini sangat merbahaya, hinggakan ke tahap, ia mampu menembusi kulit,sekaligus menyebabkan kulit manusia berlubang. Jujur, jika saya tidak berpendidikan, saya takut, bimbang lubang-lubang di kulit akan menyebabkan lemak-lemak di badan saya bocor. 

Namun, sedikit info berkenaan alpha particle yang digeruni ini, ianya mempunyai kuasa yang sangat lemah, sehinggakan ke tahap, ia tidak mampu untuk menembusi sekeping kertas, untuk pemahaman yang lebih mendalam, sila lihat gambar di bawah;

Antara perkara lain yang menjadi kebimbangan, adalah berkenaan pengeluaran residue daripada kilang iaitu Flue Gas Desulpharisation (FGD), Neutralisation Underflown Fluid (NUF) dan Water Leach Purification (WLP) yang mana masing-masing mempunyai radioaktiviti sebanyak 0.47 bq/g, 0.52 bq/q dan 6.0 bq/g. Mengikut standard antarabangsa, nilaian selamat untuk sesuatu bahan radioaktif adalah sebanyak 1.0 bq/g. Maksudnya, FGD dan NUF dikira sebagai selamat. Untuk sebarang nilaian lebih dari itu, langkah berjaga-jaga perlu diambil. Bagi memastikan WLP tidak akan mengamcam keselamatan, lebihan (residue) ini akan dikitar semula bahan untuk pembinaan jalan. Dan, meskipun nilaian 6 bq/g ini dianggap tinggi, namun, ada tempat-tempat didunia, yang mempunyai background radioactivity yang lebih tinggi seperti Kerala, India (43.7 bq/g), tidak menimbulkan sebarang masalah kepada penduduk.

Dan, jika dilihat kepada dos radiasi yang diterima manusia, pembinaan Lynas tidak akan mendatangkan kesan yang tinggi terhadap dos berkenaan. Buat masa kini (tanpa Lynas), penduduk Kuantan terdedah kepada dos radiasi sebanyak 2.0 millisievert/tahun dan dengan kewujudan Lynas, ianya akan menambahkan dos radiasi sebanyak 0.002 millisievert/tahun dalam erti kata lain, ianya tidak akan membahayakan penduduk. Sebagai info tambahan, sebuah tempat di Iran, Ramsar mempunyai dos radiasi sebanyak 260 millisievert/tahun dan rakyatnya tidak menghadapi apa-apa masalah bahkan, menurut kajian, rakyat di Ramsar lebih sihar berbanding rakyat di luar Ramsar (saya tidak mencadangkan kita menambahkan kesan radiasi kepada rakyat Malaysia). Bagi pendedahan kepada radioaktiviti buatan manusia, nilaian sebanyak 50 millisievert/tahun baru memberikan kesan kepada sistem tubuh manusia (Sumber)

Dan, saya ada terbaca, persoalan-persoalan yang  ditimbulkan di laman sesawang Facebook seorang sahabat,



Soalan 1 dan 5 : Lynas telah menyediakan sistem pengurusan sisa pepejal yang baik. Dan, untuk keperluan earth pond setinggi 8 meter yang dituntut, Lynas menyediakan earth pond setinggi 9 meter yang diliputi dengan tanah liat untuk mengelakkan kebocaran serta dengan kedalaman dan keluasannya, seandainya ditakuti akan melimpah, di dalam ujian yang diadakan oleh Lynas, hujan lebat selama 74 jam berterusan tanpa henti, diperlukan untuk "melimpahkan" tempat simpanan berkenaan. Yang saya kira, tidak mungkin akan berlaku hujan selama itu.

Soalan 2 dan 3 : Sulphuric Acid dan Hydrochloric Acid merupakan bahan biasa yang akan digunakan dalam industri, sebarang bentuk pembuangan bahan berkenaan di dalam sungai akan ditapis terlebih dahulu untuk mengikut segala peraturan yang ditetapkan dalam bahagian pelepasan effluen didalam Akta Kualiti Alam Sekeliling 1974. Pembuangan effluen industri ke dalam air adalah perkara biasa dilakukan setelah effluen itu disahkan selamat. 

Soalan 4 : Perembesan gas Radon adalah disebabkan oleh decaying process of uranium dan Thorium, yang mana, pihak Lynas tidak akan hasilkan "decay" berkenaan kerana mereka sekadar memproses bahan daripada siri Lanthanide (No. Proton : 57 hingga 65) sedangkan uranium dan thorium terletak di siri Actinide dengan masing-masing mempunyai nombor Proton 90 dan 92.


Ramai yang telah menimbulkan persoalan, mengapa ianya ditubuhkan di Kuantan dan bukannya di tempat lain, kronologinya adalah seperti berikut.
Sumber : Malaysia Today

Penubuhannya di Malaysia adalah sebagai salah satu bentuk Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Mengikut satu kajian, negara-negara membangun seperti Malaysia memerlukan FDI untuk merancakkan lagi pembangunan negara.

Tindakan Malaysia mengecualikan cukai selama 12 tahun kepada Lynas adalah satu tindakan biasa untuk menarik lebih pelaburan ke dalam negara. Dengan tawaran sedemikian rupa, sudah semestinya, ianya akan menarik Lynas dan pelabur-pelabur lain masuk ke dalam negara. Keutamaan Malaysia adalah untuk mendapatkan KUANTITI pelabur yang lebih, berbanding, pelabur yang mampu memberikan keuntungan yang tinggi, namun, disebabkan kepelbagaian caj dan cukai, bilangan pelabur-pelabur ini akan kurang. Contoh mudah akan saya tunjukkan seperti berikut.


Memang benar, pada awalnya, kita akan melihat tindakan "menjual murah" akan merugikan Malaysia, namun, tindakan tawaran pengecualian cukai seperti ini dapat menarik lebih ramai pihak, dan tarikan ini mampu menambahkan pendapat negara.




Meskipun kewujudan Lynas ini dikatakan akan memberikan impak negatif kepada alam sekitar, ayuh kita teliti apa impak yang wujud seandainya ketiadaan kilang pemprosesan nadir bumi. Sebelum itu, molek jika kita lihat kegunaan bahan nadir bumi dahulu.
  • Pembinaan kereta hibrid
  • Penghasilan barangan elektrik jimat tenaga
  • Penghasilan barangan elektronik seperti telefon dengan touch screen dan juga TV LCD.
  • Hard Disk Drive
Tanpa bahan nadir-bumi, kenderaan hibrid tidak dapat dibangunkan. Begitu juga, penggunaan bahan jimat tenaga tidak akan ada. Maksudnya, kebergantungan kepada gas asli dan petroleum semakin tinggi. Seperti yang kita sedia maklum, penggunaan gas asli dan petroleum mengeluarkan gas merbahaya. Tanpa bahan nadir-bumi, maka, penambahan gas merbahaya ke udara akan berlaku, sekaligus menyebabkan lebih banyak keburukan.

Hard disk storage juga dibangunkan dengan bahan nadir bumi, yang mana ianya akan menjadi lebih kompak dan lebih tinggi ruang simpanan. Ini akan mengurangkan produksi hard disc dan sekaligus mengurangkan masalah pencemaran.

Dan, dengan bantuan rare earth ini, bahan jimat tenaga akan dihasilkan. Apa yang akan berlaku seandaianya barangan yang digunakan tidak jimat tenaga? Penggunan bateri Ni-Cd, mercury akan bertambah. Sekaligus, akan menambahkan jumlah bahan-bahan merbahaya ini didalam alam sekitar, yang mana, kita semua sedia maklum dengan kesan negatifnya.

Konklusinya, dengan ketiadaan kilang pemprosesan nadir bumi ini, lebih banyak keburukan berbanding kebaikan kepada alam sekitar yang akan kita dapat.So, you do the math.


---------------------------

Demikianlah pendapat peribadi saya berkenaan pembinaan loji Lynas di Kuantan. Sedikit isu yang bermain di minda saya, saya hairan, bagaiman barisan golongan-golongan yang tidak mempunyai latar belakang akademik dalam bidang sains/fizik/kimia mampu mempengaruhi penduduk Kuantan.


Dan kita lihat, betapa rakyat kita suka dimomokkan dengan pemikir-pemikir paranoid seperti mereka, rakyat kita lebih rela menutup telinga daripada mendengar pandangan pakar sebenar seperti Dr. Che Rosli Che Mat yang berlatarbelakangkan akademik dalam bidang nuklear dan lebih rela, mendengar gurindam daripada mereka yang tidak tahu menahu mengenai bidang ini.







read more "Mengapa Malaysia Mampu/Perlu Menerima Lynas"

Jan 23, 2012


Being introduced on 26 of October 2011 by Lamar S. Smith, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) had caused a massive outrage in and outside of the internet community. Focusing in protecting the copyrighted item from infringement and also to stop the distribution of counterfeit products (on which, a major concern is given to the distribution of counterfeit drugs), the bill had received a mixed reaction from various parties. 
Lamar Smith
It had been opposed by the public, mainly internet users among university students (that depends heavily on online source) and also by avid downloaders of movies,dramas, games and etc, the bill is supported by industries such as Dolce and Gabbana, Adidas America, Eric Meola Studio Incorporated and McGraw Hill that rely heavily in their copyrighted products for profit generation. 

Protester protesting PIPA in New York ( PIPA is Protect IP Act, a sister act of SOPA
In protesting the bill, various sites on the internet had initiated a 24-hours strike on which, they had locked down their entire content. Among websites that were involved in last Wednesday's strike are Wikipedia, Craiglist, Fail Blog and also Reddit. Due to the tremendous opposition, Rep. Lamar Smith announced on 20th January that he's delaying the cloture vote on the Bill.
And for me, the top 5 reason why we can't have SOPA are:



No more YouTube Artist
Under the new act, covering a song is considered illegal and action will be taken to all Yuna, Justin Bieber and last but not least, Hafiz wannabe.


No more free movies
I'm fine with watching movies in the theatre, but, with SOPA, we'll end up paying money for crap like this ;
and of course, the "bling-bling" vampire
and the new generation will not be able to appreciate movies like this;

Congestion of Library 

This place will be full, as this place is closed






read more "3 Reasons Why We Can't Have SOPA"