Categories
Photography Sports

[832] Of Malay College lost to Vajiravudh

I was in Bangkok and had the opportunity to witness the 45th traditional rugby match between Malay College of Malaysia and Vajiravudh College of Thailand. Though MC fought valiantly, we lost 14 – 5.

VC made 3 kicks and one try while MC managed a try. The closest gap occurred in the first half; VC 6 – 5 MC. We could have taken the lead right after gaining that 5 points but the ball flew in the wrong direction and hence, we failed to garner 2 more points. Whatever it was, that one try was pure ecstasy. I shouted so hard that I lost my voice. More importantly, I believe for this particular match, just like others that watched the match on a cloudy Saturday evening, there is no shame in losing.

While there, I didn’t pass on the chance to roam around the magnificent College. And the best thing is – especially for the students – it’s situated about half an hour drive time away from the heart of Bangkok.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

The goal was taken during the duration of the match. More pictures of Bangkok (and Thai chicks! LOL! I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to marry a tree any more. I prefer Thai girls to trees now!) to come throughout this week and probably the next.

Categories
Liberty Society

[831] Of conservatives need to be educated

There have been a couple of interesting rulings that are testing the very fabric of Malaysian society . The latest concerns school attire:

PUTRAJAYA, July 12 (Bernama) — Islam is not about turban and beard, said the Federal Court in dismissing the appeal of three pupils who were expelled from school for refusing to take off their ‘serban’ nine years ago.

I like to recognize myself as a libertarian and so, I disagree with the ruling due to its clash with libertarianism. However, there is a quotable quote as the ruling was read:

“As far as I can ascertain, the Al-Quran makes no mention about the wearing of turban. I accept that the Prophet wore a turban. But he also rode a camel, built his house and mosque with clay walls and roof of leaves of date palms and brushed his teeth with the twig of a plant.

“Does that make riding a camel a more pious deed than travelling in an aeroplane? Is it preferable to build houses and mosques using the same materials used by the Prophet and the same architecture adopted by him during his time?”

Discounting the ruling itself, this quote matches my stance on Arabized Malay; conservative Malays need to learn to differentiate Arabic culture and Islam. They need to be educated on it.

Categories
Photography Travels

[830] Of off Jalan Sultan, Singapore

I’m back from Singapore. Unlike my last visit to the city state some months ago, I didn’t have too much chance to roam the city and take shots. Still, I managed to get a decent picture out of my latest trip:

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

This is an alley by Jalan Sultan. It doesn’t look too different from Kuala Lumpur.

For photos from my previous visit to Singapore, please go to [602] Of Singapore waterfront, [619] Of Singaporean old building and [612] Of Singapore’s pretty much…

Categories
Economics Environment

[829] Of sanitary landfill versus incinerator

From The Edge Daily, earlier this month, concerning cost and benefit of incineration vis-a-vis two other disposal methods :

The Edge, Malaysia. Fair Use.

I apologize for the quality of the document. I scanned the table from the dead tree edition of The Edge

Categories
Environment Humor Travels

[828] Of cat, dog and god

A joke told by one of my friends on one peaceful Friday afternoon, not verbatim:

A dog has a human being to feed it, bathe it, pat it and give it everything. So, the dog thinks, “Hey, my master must be a god!”

A cat has a human to feed it, bathe it, pat it and give it everything. So, the cat thinks, “Hey, I must be a god!”

Joke asides, are you a dog or a cat?

Anyway, I’ll be leaving for Singapore soon. A day after I’m done with that tiny island, I’ll be leaving for Bangkok. Suffice to say, for the rest of the week, I won’t be in Malaysia. So, unless I’m able to connect to the internet, my blog would be sparsely updated.

During the duration of the World Cup, my blog get little visitors. And now, I’m leaving my blog behind. I hate that. I want all my visitors back. You stole my visitors World Cup! Damn you! And Italy too!

By the way, nicely done Zidane! You’re my hero!

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

p/s – the 11th anniversary of the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior.