Review : Desolasi

Aiman is upset that the valet parking attendant stole his favourite 4U2C tape from the car. A scene from Desolasi.

Ironically, for a movie with a title that translates to “state of emptiness”, Desolasi is a full-on assault on the senses. It’s as if director Syafiq Yusof is afraid of desolation himself, to the point that his movie is filled with mind-boggling visual effects, neverending explosions and anguished cries.

The story revolves around Aiman (Syamsul Yusof), a visual artist with his own perception of reality. Growing up, he coloured his drawings differently from the other kids in school and that made his teacher upset. Aiman questioned why God allowed suffering in the world. He said God could make everyone happy by just giving them what they want.

Of course, this doesn’t sit well with his religious father (played by Datuk Jalaluddin Hassan), who constantly reminds Aiman to perform his prayers.

After losing his mother and experiencing a series of mishaps, Aiman can no longer bear his suffering. Underneath the pouring rain, he looks up to the sky and asks God to make his problems go away. What do you know, Aiman wakes up the next day and finds himself all alone in the world. Or at least, in his perception of reality.

While Aiman enjoys his solitude, his father files a missing person report and goes on a frantic search to find him. He even has his own Taken moment with a mysterious individual linked to Aiman’s disappearance.

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.

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.

5 Best VPNs for WiFi Hotspots

Over the years, there has been an explosion in the number of public WiFi hotspots. From coffee houses, restaurants, cafes, hospitals, libraries, book stores, hotels, airports, and any other retail outlet, you will find access to free internet via public WiFi hotspots.

According to ABI Research, the number of WiFi hotspots all over the world was 4.3 million in 2013 and this number was expected to reach 7.1 million by the end of 2015. Since these free access points are available openly everywhere, you should know that there are various dangers attached in using public WiFi hotspots.

These WiFi hotspots don’t encrypt your internet traffic, which makes them highly unsafe to use. So how to do you stay safe over WiFi hotspots? The answer – use a VPN for WiFi hotpots.

Best VPNs for WiFi Hotspots

There are various VPN services that you can use to stay protected over open WiFi hotspots. To help you select, we have gathered some of the best WiFi VPNs you can use. They will help to encrypt all your internet traffic and keep you anonymous as you use open WiFi networks.

What Multitasking Does To Our Brains

We've all heard it hundreds of times: to work efficiently we have to single task. No multitasking. And yet, we let it slip. We end up eating lunch in front of the TV with our laptop open. We browse Twitter and Facebook whilst sending emails, and probably chatting in Google+ too. If we should be focusing on just one assignment, blog post, or proposal...why the heck is it so hard to focus? 

 

Why we multitask in the first place: It makes us feel good

 

To understand why we always fall into the habit of multitasking, when we know we shouldn't, I found some very interesting studies. The answer is in fact quite simple:

[People who multitask] are not being more productive—they just feel more emotionally satisfied from their work.

10 Steps to Convert CDA to MP3 using the Free Windows Media Player 12

If you wish to convert CDA to MP3 then look no further. Windows Media Player 12 can do the job.

Of course you can use other tools (which are more powerful in my opinion), but you can start using Windows Media Player 12 immediately without the hassel of downloading and installing other software.

Follow the steps below:

1. Start Windows Media Player 12

2. Go to the menu at the top, select "Tools", and then "Options..."

11 Tips to Tweet Properly

11 Tips to Tweet Properly

Twitter is not only for the young, tech-savvy kids; parents, businesses, and even politicians have hopped on the wagon to Twitter Town. Similar to cell phones, emails, and social marketing tools – you can only outrun Twitter for so long.

As a beginner, you’ll find that Twitter uses cutesy names to describe its tools and functions, which can be frustrating at the best of times – like a secret code that you need a special decryption machine for others.

So, here’s our helping hand with 10 tips to get your head round some of the necessary terminology that Twitter uses and how to tweet in the right way!

 

 

BR1M : For The Better Or Worse?

1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) programme was first devised by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in 2012 as part of the Government’s effort to ease the burden of the lower income group in Malaysia. This programme was devised to help the lower income group cushion the high cost of living in Malaysia. BR1M is also part of the Government’s Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) to turn Malaysia into a high income nation.

It was not surprising, though disappointing to hear that BR1M will be continued in Budget 2016, even with 95% of respondents we polled who received BR1M said that the amount is not enough to cover the rising cost of living. So, why does the Government continue to give handouts to the low income group?

Let’s start with why it is actually a good idea.

Jaafar Onn Pilih Janda Sebagai Isteri

"Usianya 35 tahun, pernah berkahwin. Agak berisi sedikit orangnya dan menariknya, dia juga asal dari Johor. Kami berjumpa masa saya membuat persembahan di Kulai Jaya. Tanpa disedari, cintaku berputik dan awal 2015, saya sudah melamar dia. Seronok!" demikian kata Jaafar Onn yang memilih seorang janda sebagai peneman hidupnya. 

Jaafar yang hampir 28 tahun hidup bersendirian itu bagaimanapun enggan mendedahkan nama dan wajah wanita yang bakal dikahwini itu kerana mahu memberi kejutan pada hari perkahwinannya nanti pada awal tahun hadapan. 

Nasi Serai II

Sedang memikirkan apakah nak di sajikan untuk para tetamu hujung minggu ni? Apa kata kita cari suatu kelainan. 

Kalau terasa nak kan kelainan, cuba olah kelainan. Apa kata kita buat nasi serai.. pasti menarik kan..? 

Rendang Ayam Nangka Muda

Satu lagi resepi yang anda harus cuba, Rendang Ayam dengan Nangka Muda , sedapnya sampai menjilat jari.. memang yummy sangat!

Anda pun boleh cuba, membuatnya pun mudah bahan pun yang simple-simple.. sesekali cuba kelainan pasti syok habis..

Video | Harris J Feat. Jae Deen - Paradise

Butter Prawn Terlajak Laris...

Butter Prawn, adalah my faberet. Dah banyak juga resepi butterprawn yang di cuba, namun kebanyakkannya tidak memenuhi citarasa yang cukup cerewet bab makan ini.

Hari ini anda cukup bertuah, kerana resepi kali ini benar-benar menenuhi selera anda. Boleh kata terlajak laris hingga boleh berulang-ulang makan.. dengan cukup berselera sekali.

Daging Masak Lada Hitam

Menu ringkas dan simple untuk hidangan hari ini.

Menu yang mudah dan ringkas untuk hidangan makan malam.

Bila siangnya AM dah sediakan ikan, untuk makan malam AM sediakan hidangan daging pula. 

Resepi dari Pak Engku dan AM ambil dari koleksi buku resepi beliau yang AM beli iaitu Santapan Lauk Pauk Tradisi. Dalam buku ini banyak himpunan resepi tradisi yang sedap-sedap dan semuanya membuka selera. Kalau tengok buku ni pasti semua nak di cuba dan di rasa.

Video | Toni Braxton Feat. Trey Songz - Yesterday

Toni Braxton Feat. Trey Songz - Yesterday

Oh ohh noo ohh ohh

10 Facebook Tricks You Need To Know But Probably Never Knew

Facebook; most of us use it almost everyday, doing pretty much the same things over and over again. Updating statuses, checking out friends’ profiles, downloading and uploading pictures and the occasional messaging, group chatting etc.

But, while most of us use Facebook everyday, the fact is that most of us also haven’t really tinkered with how all the above things in Facebook can be done a bit differently, more easily, more conveniently and maybe with a little less time and effort.

Here are 10 Facebook usage tricks that we believe will definitely help you enjoy a new and better Facebook experience.

Fraser’s Hill : A Cool and Calming Getaway

Though overshadowed by the more popular and developed Cameron Highlands Hill Station, Fraser’s Hill quietly beckons, offering those in seek of solace a cool and calming getaway, just a short drive from Malaysia’s chaotic capital.

In this day and age, when travellers want to cram in as much as possible within as short a time as possible, it’s comforting to actually find places where there is very little to do. Many of us enjoy weekend escapes because of some attraction or activity, but Fraser’s Hill (Bukit Fraser) appeals mostly because it is a destination to simply kick back, relax, and enjoy the cool mountain air.

However, on closer inspection, there are actually many activities here ranging from jungle trekking to birdwatching, but if you are simply seeking a place where you can put your feet up and read a book then Fraser’s Hill is perfect.Visitors can walk in comfort in the cool air around the rarely used roads to admire gardens and colonial

bungalows, many of which are now retained by large Malaysian corporations. Because it is not hot and humid, Fraser’s Hill is a good place for physical activity such as hiking, playing golf on the nine-hole public course, tennis, cycling and horse riding. The circuitous road from Kuala Kubu Bharu to the summit is very popular with cyclists who cycle from the bottom to the top to develop strength and stamina.

Those masked men among us

Pretentious people with masks are all around us. Can we not see them? Or do we choose not to?

Lately there are so many people masking themselves, pretending to be who they are not.

Did you hear about the lady in Algeria who was sued by her husband because she wasn’t who she pretended to be? The husband thought he had married a beautiful, gorgeous woman but once those inches of foundation and make-up came off, he got a fright looking at what was left of her.

If you remember, there was also a case of a man in China who sued his wife for failing to disclose that she had undergone a series of plastic surgeries prior to marriage. He claimed to have fathered three ‘ugly’ children due to his wife’s ‘cheating’ .

Best Street Style Fashion Trends

Granted, James Dean and Michael Caine are cool. But if you want to be a modern style icon, you’re going to have to push the boat out a bit more.

Since absolutely everyone in the world has got a street-style blog, these days you can scarcely leave the house without running into a budding fashion photographer. It’s a tough old life. But where you might see annoyance, we see nothing but opportunity. After all, if you can’t beat them, join them.

But don’t go thinking that dressing well has anything to do with it. To ensure you’re always looking “interesting” enough to be papped, we’ve compiled a list of the looks to adopt to be sure of attracting flashbulbs at the next fashion event. What’s that? You missed Paris and Milan this time around?

Not to worry – remember, it’s always fashion week somewhere. We hear Azerbaijan’s nice this time of year.

Here are six of the best street style fashion trends and how to adpot them.

Which VPN Services Take Your Anonymity Seriously?

VPN services have become an important tool to counter the growing threat of Internet surveillance, but unfortunately not all VPNs are as anonymous as one might hope. In fact, some VPN services log users' IP-addresses and other private info for months. To find out how anonymous VPNs really are, Absolute Misdemeanor asked the leading providers about their logging practices and other privacy sensitive policies. 

Spy

By now most Internet users are well aware of the fact that pretty much every step they take on the Internet is logged or monitored.

To prevent their IP-addresses from being visible to the rest of the Internet, millions of people have signed up to a VPN service. Using a VPN allows users to use the Internet anonymously and prevent snooping.

Unfortunately, not all VPN services are as anonymous as they claim, as several incidents have shown in the past.

By popular demand we now present the fourth iteration of our VPN services “logging” review. In addition to questions about logging practices, we also asked VPN providers about other privacy sensitive policies, so prospective users can make an informed decision.

1. Do you keep ANY logs which would allow you to match an IP-address and a time stamp to a user of your service? If so, exactly what information do you hold and for how long?

2. Under what jurisdiction(s) does your company operate?

3. What tools are used to monitor and mitigate abuse of your service?

4. Do you use any external email providers (e.g. Google Apps) or support tools ( e.g Live support, Zendesk) that hold information provided by users?