Saturday 31 December 2016

Faizal Tahir and his shirtless album cover picture

Singer-songwriter Faizal Tahir put a lot of thought into the design of his latest album cover Anatomi.

“Who has a scientist jacket?” singer-songwriter Faizal Tahir says while laughing right after someone asked him to explain the meaning behind the cover of his latest album, Anatomi. The striking image features Faizal, 37, posing like the Vitruvian Man, with wings and surrounded by a number of items.

Oh, he’s shirtless, too.

He knows the media will question him on this issue. “If I’m going to explain everything, it’s going to take a long time,” he says during an interview in Kuala Lumpur.

To put it simply, Faizal says the various elements on the cover represent the songs on the album as well as things that define him as a man. It ranges from his birth year (“The horse. It’s also my favourite animal.”) to his belief about duality (“Where there is shadow, there is also light.”) and of course, his favourite football club (“The wings represent the mythical Liverpool bird.”).

The cover also reflects his admiration for women who sacrifice for their loved ones (“The lady with the veil is balancing a number of things on her head.”), patriotism (“The Malaysian flag reminds me that no matter where I go, this is home.”) and the rabbit head is the persona he takes on to entertain children.

Friday 30 December 2016

This Ipoh man has been selling records for 40 years

Chen’s modest store houses a treasure trove of goodies, including vinyl LPs, cassettes, hi-fi knick knacks and erhus.

When the sound of the erhu emanates from a particular stretch of Pasar Besar Ipoh, Perak’s central market, that simply means Cheng Ah Lek is at his record store for a day’s work. The proprietor of Perniagaan Nanyang has been selling vinyl LPs for more than 40 years, having opened his first shop on Osborne Street (now Jalan Dato Tahwil Azhar) in 1974.

“I opened another shop in Yau Tet Shin market in 1984, but closed it two years later when I fell ill,” said the gregarious 74-year-old. Ultimately, the original Osborne Street store is what lasted longest, and Cheng was there until the turn of the millennium, when the owner of the lot eventually sold it.

This writer recalls visiting that store in the late 1990s and leaving with cartfuls of records on a number of occasions. With Chen having sold records for so long, he had an amazing inventory then.

According to him, he had tens of thousands of titles, though in the last 16 years, that volume has decreased tremendously. Good titles can still be had, from the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Bad Company, Deep Purple and BB King.

What’s great about Chen’s collection is the condition of his records … they are largely NOS (new old stock titles), effectively meaning, they are unplayed records. And there’s been a copy of 10cc’s Deceptive Bends sitting there for months now, just waiting for the right music lover to claim it.


9 Cara Pencetus Ghairah & Keseronokan Suami

9 Sensitif Isteri..

wanita bogel
Tak Puas Seks

Suami anda dingin? Memberikan alasan tak bertenaga? Tak de mood? Tapi perasaan anda sedang membuak2? Ada beberapa tips berguna yang dapat dipraktikkan untuk menaikkan semangat dan nafsu suami.


Pencetus Ghairah Suami

Tatkala suami seakan tidak bernafsu untuk melakukan hubungan seks, ramai isteri akan menuduh suami punya ‘cawangan lain’. Hanya sedikit yang memandang bahawa puncanya mungkin adalah dari diri sendiri. Tidak mustahil apa yang terjadi ini sebenarnya bukan kerana kehadiran orang ketiga tapi kerana anda lupa untuk menggilap aspek diri yang menjadi pencetus ghairah suami.

Kealpaan ini membuatkan lama kelamaan suami mula bosan dan tawar hati untuk mengadakan hubungan seks. Jadi sebelum ia berlaku pada diri anda maka perhatikan 8 pencetus ghairah seks suami yang pada diri anda dan gilaplah ia sebelum terlambat.


Thursday 29 December 2016

Cara Mudah Dikabulkan Doa


Ahli sufi dan ulama terkenal, Abu Ishak Ibrahim al-Hurawi pernah berpesan, jika seseorang ingin doanya mudah diterima oleh Allah SWT supaya berjanji kepada diri sendiri untuk melaksanakan lima perkara berikut:



  • Mengawal makan dengan memakan sekadar perlu sahaja.
  • Memakai pakaian yang perlu sahaja dan tidak berlebihan.
  • Mengawal tidur, dengan tidak tidur secara berlebihan.
  • Mengawal percakapan dengan perkara yang baik-baik sahaja.
  • Selalu merendah diri, menjaga dan memelihara hawa nafsu, pancaindera dan anggota badan daripada terjerumus kepada perbuatan dosa.


Wednesday 28 December 2016

Kelebihan / Fadhilat Ayat Al-Kursi

  بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ                                         



Ayat 255 dari Surah Al-Baqarah yang lebih dikenali sebagai‘Ayat Al-Kursi’ ini juga digelar ‘Penghulu Segala Ayat Al-Quran’.
Ayat ini diturunkan selepas hijrah Nabi Muhammad SAW, dengan diiringi oleh beribu-ribu malaikat karena kebesaran dan kemuliaannya. Syaitan dan iblis juga telah menjadi gempar kerana adanya satu alamat yang menjadi perintang dalam perjuangan mereka. Maka Rasulullah SAW dengan segera memerintahkan Zaid bin Tsabit (penulis Al-Quran) agar menulis serta menyebarkannya.

Ayat ini disebut ‘Ayat Kursi’ kerana di dalamnya terdapat perkataan ‘KURSI’, bermaksud Tempat Duduk Yang Megah Lagi Yang Mempunyai Martabat’Iaitu syiar ataskebesaran Tuhan yang meliputi 7 lapis langit dan 7 lapis bumi.





Tuesday 27 December 2016

What To Consider When Starting an E-commerce Business


With the advance in technology and the internet, people are opting to start an online business as opposed to working a 9 – 5 job every day. The idea is especially tempting if you have a nasty superior micromanaging you and watching your every move like a hawk!

Starting your own e-commerce business and become your own boss? What could be better? However, it’s not something you should just jump straight into.

You guys are in luck today, because here are five essential points to take into account before starting an online business.


 

Monday 26 December 2016

10 Free Marketing Tools Every Entrepreneur Should Know About


If you’re an entrepreneur, bootstrapping a business, then you understand the importance of every dollar.
While executing your core competency is a crucial factor to your business’ success, another important step is effectively marketing your business. Fortunately, there are hundreds of free digital marketing tools that can greatly impact your business. Below are a few of the best, free online marketing tools for entrepreneurs.

Sunday 25 December 2016

5 Money-Wasting Things You Are Probably Guilty Of


Wondering why your monthly income never seem to be enough? Looking for ways on how to save money? If you are reading this, good for you – because it means that you want to do something to manage your finances better. And believe it or not, there are a lot of things you can do, or much rather, change, to be able to save more and find greater rewards in the long run. Here are some spending habits you could begin working on:

Shop smart might save you money in a long run



Saturday 24 December 2016

Are You Guilty Of Using Any Of These Passwords?


With all that Heartbleed Bug news, suddenly we’ve got thinking about the passwords we use. We’ve even had to go through the headache of thinking up new ones all over again (and if you haven’t, you definitely should – check here for which sites you should change now!).

It’s definitely interesting to see some of the ‘creative’ passwords users think of. Some are extraordinarily funny; some are just alright, while some are straight up common and could be guessed within a few seconds.

Some people use the events of their lives as their passwords (we’re serious!). For instance, we have a friend that uses the name of their ex followed by a horrid word to describe their nasty breakup. Perhaps it’s a way for these poor souls to vent their anger… somehow? We think it would only make us more frustrated, tapping out their name every day.

Then there’s always that fail safe… using the word “password” as their password. Believe it or not, this is actually one of the most common passwords used around the world. They actually believe that no would ever guess it, as it’s too obvious. It’s simply amazing how these people’s minds work, isn’t it?


Thursday 22 December 2016

Posisi Seks Yang Anda Inginkan??

Najib Razak

Kalau korang baca Kamasutra, mesti korang dapat banyak idea untuk posisi-posisi hubungan seks yang boleh korang terokai. Tetapi, antara banyak-banyak posisi seks yang diketahui, terdapat enam posisi seks yang diminati oleh ramai pasangan Melayu.


Berikut disenaraikan posisi seks tersebut.


1. Posisi Seks Missionary

Dalam posisi seks missionary, lelaki berada di atas, manakala perempuan berada di bawah. Posisi seks ini adalah posisi seks yang paling banyak di amalkan kerana sudah lumrah sifat lelaki untuk menjadi ketua atau memimpin. Jadi dalam posisi seks ini, lelaki mengetuai, dan “in control”. Posisi seks ini juga memudahkan lelaki memasukkan zakar ke dalam kemaluan pasangannya.



Wednesday 21 December 2016

When Connections Are Bad, They’re Bad



Can you remember a time when you needed to download something from the website and you were just staring at the estimated time left for the document to be downloaded?

Especially when the loading bar reached 99%… and the stupid internet connection gets disrupted.

We bet this is what you look like when that happens.



Sometimes, you even caught yourself pleading or making promises at the loading bar! Like, “OMG, there’s only another 5% left, if you reach 100%, I will never curse you ever again, I’ll even polish you!” Yeah, like it’s going to respond to your emotions and hurry up just to please you. Good try though, buddy.

Or perhaps, when you are studying abroad and you need to call your parents on Skype and the line is just horrendous. The call gets through, and you spend the next ten minutes saying “Hello, can you hear me?”. You try a few more times, saying hello. 10 minutes, now 30 – all your precious time wasted.

Anyway, fear not folks, we will share some tips on how to improve your internet speed.

Tuesday 20 December 2016

The Future Of Mobile Wallets


What’s in your wallet? Most of us would have some sort of payment method in it, for example, cash, credit/debit card and other nick-knacks such as ID card, loyalty cards, business cards, receipts, insurance cards, and the list goes on.

When we talk about mobile wallet, it’s not just a way to pay with a device, it is encompassing that actual wallet you possess with all of its contents and associated activities; integrating it into a type of digital device that empowers you to process what needs to be done without using your physical wallet.

Most often than not, that device is a mobile phone although it doesn’t necessary need to be. But as you know, the phone has already started to replace the wallet – you keep digital family pictures, perform online banking and transactions – your behaviour as a consumer and the phone is what forms the new digital mobile wallet.

Let’s take a look at mobile wallets through the eyes of the consumer, how they fit into their everyday lives and what we can expect to see in the near future.



Monday 19 December 2016

The Top 7 Malaysian Brands Taking Over the Region


Whether you realise it or not, Malaysian brands are going from strength to strength. As you know, we are passionate about supporting local companies so we’re pretty excited by the development!

From fashion accessories to fast food outlets, cheesecake to beauty products, the next time you’re travelling in the region, keep an eye out for some of these familiar made-at-home brands…
 

Sunday 18 December 2016

11 Of The Most Breathtaking Travel Photos Of The Year


The Siena International Photo Awards recently announced the winners of their annual international photography contest and the results are stunning. With submissions from over 100 countries from Turkey to Myanmar, professional and amateur photographers competed for awards in several categories including architecture, nature, and of course travel. Top honors went to French photographer, Greg Lacoeur, who won the SIPAContest Photo Of The Year with his amazing underwater capture of the sardine migration in South Africa.
All of the winning photos are currently on display at the Siena Art Photo Travel Festival, currently being held in the city of Siena, Italy from now until November 30. But if you can't make it to Italy this month check out Lacoeur's incredible photo and a few more of our favorite award winners and honorable mentions from the contest below.

Friday 16 December 2016

5 fabulous natural places to visit in East Malaysia

Much of East Malaysia on the island of Borneo was once covered by natural vegetation like lowland rainforest, montane forests at high altitudes, and mangroves along the coasts. Many natural areas still remain today, and most are reasonably accessible, but in some cases do require long road or river journeys.

Here are five fabulous natural places to put on your list of East Malaysian travel destinations.

1. Bako National Park, Sarawak


One of Sarawak’s smallest national parks (just 2,727ha) punches way above its weight class in terms of wildlife. Located 37km from the Sarawak capital of Kuching, Bako supports stands of most plant communities found in the state with mixed dipterocarp forest, mangrove forest (where it’s possible to see Proboscis Monkeys), grasslands, peat swamp forest, and a very unusual kerangas, or heath forest, where pitcher plants thrive in the nutrient-depleted soil.

There are a dozen trails to walk, from a few hundred metres to several kilometres in length and overnighting in basic park accommodations is an option, though most visitors return to Kuching and stay in hotels such as the Pullman Kuching.

Thursday 15 December 2016

A place in Malaysia you’ve probably never heard of : Bau, Sarawak


The people that live there

There are over 40 sub-ethnic groups in Sarawak and three main linguistic groups: Biatah, Singai-Jagoi, and Bukar and Sadong. In the Bau region located about 40 minutes from Kuching, the major sub-ethnic group are the Singai-Jagoi Bidayuhs. Bidayuh, which translates to ‘people of the land’, were formerly known as the Land Dayaks and they make up the second largest native ethnic group in Sarawak after the Ibans.

People of the Bidayuh tribe during the Gawai Dayak festival | Photo credit: CHEN WS / Shutterstock.com
Tribes in the Bau region are believe to have come from West Kalimantan some 700 years ago. In particular, the Jagoi-Bratak people chose to settle on top of Mount Bratak where they felt it was safe, and that actually held true for quite some time as the settlement was well fortified and flourished.

Wednesday 14 December 2016

15 Buku Untuk Cabar Pemikiran Anda



Seperti mana ada yang sukakan aktiviti cabaran fizikal seperti rock climbing, water rafting, para-gliding dan lain lain, pastinya ada diantara kita yang sukakan bacaan yang mencabar pemikiran, yang bertentangan dengan pendapat peribadi sendiri atau norma masyarakat. Terminologi thought provokingselalu digunakan untuk menggambarkan buku buku sebegini.

Selain daripada unsur unsur thought provoking, sesuatu bacaan yang mencabar ialah apabila ia sarat dengan kronologi peristiwa, fakta dan terma asing dalam subjek yang bukan bidang kepakaran kita.

Kesemua bahan bacaan yang mempunyai unsur dinyatakan di atas, jatuh dalam kategori mencabar pemikiran pembaca. Ianya baik untuk mencambahkan corak berfikir, memahami perkara atau konsep baru dan dapat berpartisipasi dalam proses berfikir yang digarap oleh penulis. Lazimnya pembaca tidak perlu setuju 100% dengan argumen yang dibawa oleh penulis. Ini kerana konten buku adalah untuk merancakkan percambahan idea tanpa obligasi untuk bersetuju sepenuhnya dengan penulis. Budaya ini adalah sangat baik untuk melatih pembaca meraikan pandangan dan sudut fikir orang lain.

Kami senaraikan 15 buah buku yang akan mencabar pemikiran anda dari segi, penerimaan & kefahaman fakta, kronologi, terma kewangan, sejarah, serta sudut pandang sosial yang berbeza atau kata lain, thought provoking.


The Last Cassette Factory in Malaysia

JUICE speaks to both ends of the demand and supply of cassettes to uncover why the supposedly archaic physical medium – whose sound quality isn’t even up to par with digital formats – is still viable in this day and age of online streaming and illegal downloading of music.

How JUICE discovered Express Audio Industry — the last cassette factory in Malaysia — is how many other people have found the company; through word of mouth. Having had the opportunity to interview a number of local musicians, if the conversation would veer into cassette releases, the name of the factory would come up and the fact of their terminal existence would be emphasised. Although we knew that cassettes are still a staple among the DIY, underground scene, we were nevertheless intrigued by the whole notion that cassettes are still relevant at all, so, we decided to investigate into the matter.
Express Audio Industry Sdn. Bhd. has had an illustrious business back in the ‘80s and the ‘90s when cassettes were enjoying the luxury of being the popular medium for people to enjoy music. The company had the exclusive deal with conglomerate record label Polygram to press all the releases of their expansive roster of local and international artistes, from Cantopop à la Alan Tam, to beloved heavy metal band Metallica, to popular ‘70s local rock band Alleycats. They were a key player in the cassette duplication industry, but as one can imagine, when CDs came along in the ’90s, followed by the personal CD-ROM burners that enabled easy quality and efficient duplication (read: piracy), the decline in sales for cassettes started to occur.


Kids, do you know what this is?


Before Spotify, people used to drive around listening to music on this relic, the car stereo.
Collectors and music fans wearing the T-shirts of obscure rock bands brave the tropical heat outside a record store near Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, waiting to get their hands on new cassette tapes.

No, this isn’t a flashback to the 1980s, but an event marking recent International Cassette Store Day, an annual celebration of a music format once thought headed for extinction but now enjoying a rebirth.

Vinyl’s renaissance is well-documented and now it seems cassettes are rising from the grave, with artists such as Kanye West and Justin Bieber releasing songs on tape.

In South-East Asia low production costs and a retro-cool image have made cassettes an underground-music fixture, especially for struggling bands getting their name out.

“Cassettes are our best sellers,” Mohammad Radzi Jasni, owner of the store, Teenage Head Records, said after shoving one by Singaporean surf-punk band Force Vomit into a bulky tape player.

“They are still the best way to discover new bands here. It’s very affordable for the guys releasing it and the fans buying them,” he added.

Manufacturing costs can be as low as RM4 per tape in Malaysia, compared to RM60 to RM80 for a vinyl record. Vinyl’s cost is a hurdle for young bands and DIY labels in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.

Tuesday 13 December 2016

8 Novel Melayu Berkualiti Mesti Di Baca



Tidak banyak novel melayu terbitan baru yang menyamai semangat novel melayu yang ditulis oleh sasterawan dan enthusiasts bangsa dan bahasa.

Kebanyakkan novel melayu tidak lagi diterbitkan setelah habis cetakan. Institut seperti DBP dan ITBM mempunyai sebilangan besar jumlah novel-novel ini, tetapi tidak ramai yang mengetahui kewujudan novel melayu berkualiti ini . Tidak dilupakan, penerbit indie seperti Dubokpress juga ada menerbitkan novel melayu berkualiti tinggi, selain buku bukan-fiksyen yang banyak menyentuh isu kemasyarakatan dan kritis sosial. 

Listopia 100 Novel Melayu Yang Mesti Di Baca, adalah permulaan yang baik untuk mencari semula karya karya emas ini. Kombinasi penulis lama dan baru, mereka sama sama merancakkan lagi dunia novel melayu berkualiti yang pernah kita nikmati dulu.


Inilah 8 Amalan yang Mendatangkan Syafaat di Hari Kiamat. SHARE Semoga Bermanfaat Pada Orang Lain Juga..


Rasulullah SAW merupakan pemimpin yang sangat dicintai oleh umat muslim. Beliau sentiasa mengajarkan amalan kebaikan serta memberikan ganjaran berupa memberikan syafaat bagi orang yang Allah dan beliau kehendaki. 

Syafaat yang diperoleh seorang muslim akan menjadi saksi amalan kebaikan baginya saat di hari kiamat kelak. Banyak orang yang beranggapan bahawasanya untuk mendapatkan syafaat dari Rasulullah adalah dengan berziarah ke makam beliau.

Padahal yang demikian ini tidak pernah diajarkan oleh Rasulullah sendiri. Beliau justeru memberi tahu mengenai amalan yang dapat mendatangkan syafaat di hari kiamat kelak. Lantas amalan apa sajakah yang dimaksud? Berikut informasi selengkapnya.


Monday 12 December 2016

How Small Businesses Can Prepare for Marketing in 2017


The best way to prepare mentally for marketing in 2017 is to start fresh, with a clean slate. For the moment, forget about what you accomplished and failed to accomplish with your marketing in 2016; set aside all the baggage of frustrations and disappointments you picked up along the way. Think as if you are starting from scratch and ask yourself: What is the one thing we must accomplish with marketing in 2017?
That is really the key question. Small businesses have limited resources -- limited funds and limited time -- so focus is of the essence! Many small businesses go around in circles with marketing because they dabble, trying to do a little bit of everything instead of trying to do one thing really well. Avoid this trap and you’ve already got a leg up on the competition going into 2017.

How To Clean Your Laptop


Cleaning Your Laptop

Unfortunately, unlike the standard desktop, a laptop is not as easy to open and clean. However, there are still several steps an end-user can do to clean and maintain their laptop.

Before cleaning any laptop, turn it off and unplug it from the power source. Also, because you’re going to be cleaning the laptop, we also suggest that you remove the laptop battery.


Sambal Ulek


Hari ni kami masak yang mudah aje.. Kami masak kobis masak lemak putih,  goreng ikan bawal yang masih berbaki dalam peti ais dan juga sediakan sambal ulek. Benar-benar berselera sekali kami menikmati hidangan tengahari.. sesekali makan yang simple-simple ni di hari cuti ni memang membuka selera.


Kalau ada yang nak mencuba sambal ulek, kami kongsikan di sini.


Sunday 11 December 2016

21 Quotes That Perfectly Capture The Thrill Of Traveling

"You have brains in your head and feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose! You're on your own and you know what you know. Only YOU can decide where to go!"


lofilolo / ThinkStock


Flickr: kokorowa / Creative Commons

Saturday 10 December 2016

Sudah Cuba Pelbagai Jenis Diet Tetapi Gagal? Mungkin Ini Salah Satu Penyebabnya...

Sudah sebulan diet, namun hasilnya langsung tidak membuahkan apa-apa kesan. Dimanakah silapnya? Apakah puncanya?

Jom semak senarai di bawah dan cari di manakah silap kamu ketika mengamalkan gaya hidup diet.


Gula

Sebenarnya kita langsung tidak menyedari bahawa makanan manis seperti pasta, sup, sereal, salad dan sos mengandung gula dan juga bahan pemanis seperti sari tebu, buah, glukosa, dekstrosa, sukrosa dan madu. Jika kamu mengambilnya dalam jumlah yang tinggi, kamu akan kehilangan nutrisi penting daripada makanan dan akan kehilangan nutrisi penting daripada makanan dan membuatkan selera makan kamu semakin bertambah.

Is Your Financial Portfolio Missing One Key Ingredient?


Majority of Malaysians do not have adequate insurance coverage. This situation exists because not many of us are aware of the importance of financial protection, as we’ve been focusing solely on wealth accumulation through savings or investment gains.
What if we told you that not having adequate insurance coverage actually means you will risk missing out on your investment?
According to the “Protection gap or under-insurance gap in Malaysia” study, commissioned by Life Insurance Association of Malaysia (LIAM), both insurance and takaful cover only 56% of the Malaysian population – which is pretty low compared to other developed countries.
Malaysians generally do not take up adequate insurance protection simply because they lack the understanding of its advantages. Some are also under the misconception that insurance is something you get when you can afford it.

However, the reality is, the earlier you get your insurance, the higher the probability of being covered while you are still healthy.



Tuesday 6 December 2016

Best secondhand and rental bookstores in KL

Do you prefer your books to have a bit of character? Roll up your sleeves and score a literary gem or two at these top secondhand and rental bookstores in KL. 

Jumble Station


Jumble Station is a community outreach initiative by the NGO Parents Without Borders to help raise funds for single parents. There’s a small corner in the shop that sells secondhand books which were donated by the public. Get three books for RM10, two for RM8 and one for RM5.

Address:

The School
Jaya One
72A Jalan Universiti
Petaling Jaya
46200
Opening hours: Daily, 10.30am-8pm