'Jamuan Hari Raya FIST'

My best friend

This picture is my best friend. We have been friend since in secondary school.From the left in this picture is hasmida and beside her is hashimah.

Right now, Hasmida is studying in UITM, Shah Alam taking Mathematics Management. Hashimah has been study in UPM, Serdang taking Science Maths but unfortunately she quited.

Now, Hashimah plans to aply hotel management in UITM. I wish her(Hashimah) all the best. Hope our friendship will be forever and ever.

This is also my best friend. His name is Hairol Azizan. He was sitting the right side in the picture. We start knowing each other when we were working in the same place which was in Pizza Hut.

Now he is studying in UTM, Jalan Semarak Kuala Lumpur taking engineering. He is preparing himself to further his study in Japan next year.

Thrilling ride in 3-D

Jules Verne’s classic Journey to The Centre of The Earth springs to life with a 3-D (three-dimensional) adaptation.

Movie producers claim that Journey is the first motion picture to use the Fusion System, a hi-tech camera rig. The light and portable Fusion features dual ultra high-resolution 3-D video cameras mounted side-by-side to simulate viewers’ right and left eyes.

The filmmakers also incorporated “active convergence” feature which enabled adjustments in 3-D focal points. By changing lenses selectively, the screen depth can be adjusted to follow the on-going action. For scenes which needed the camera to be closer to the actors, a Pace compact Beam Splitter camera rig was used as it allows closer spacing between the lenses. This translates into less eye-crossing and comfortable viewing for the audience.

The more than 1,400 CGI shots rendered throughout the movie promises audience a visual effects-laden feast. However, much as director Eric Brevig attempts to immerse the audience into the 3-D movie, yours truly don’t really get the “in-your-face” feeling.

When the beautiful luminescent firefly-like birds flutter across the screen, I’m not compelled to catch them. And during the mine cart ride which looks really fast-paced onscreen, I do not find it exhilarating at all. The more exciting parts are when the protagonists managed to save their skins in the nick of time.

With the non-stop action, Journey is indeed a fantastic ride for adventure movie lovers. One can catch the 2-D version and be equally entertained. The 3-D glasses can be cumbersome if you are already wearing glasses. So for bespectacled moviegoers, do wear contacts should you opt for the 3-D version.

XpressMusic in your palm

XpressMusic in your palm

NOKIA has launched the 5220 XpressMusic and 5320 XpressMusic mobile phones. Loaded with features that enhance the music experience of users, both models also are bundled with 100 free downloadable tracks from Universal Music.

The 5220 XpressMusic is recognisable due to its rhythmic flashing lights that follow the beat of the music being played. The Enhanced General Packet Radio Service (EGPRS)-enabled device with the Series 40 user interface has an asymmetrical candy-bar body with a two-inch, 256,000-colour screen.

Inside, the model packs in 30 megabytes (MB) of memory, which is expandable up to two gigabytes through the Micro Secure Digital (SD) slot, and a two-megapixel camera with 4X digital zoom. Its 1,020mAh lithium-ion battery offers up to 24 hours of music playback, five hours of talk time and 17 days of standby time.As for the 5320 XpressMusic, it offers Wideband Code Division Multiple Access support and its S60 user interface comes with WidSet applications. Its two-inch screen displays up to 16.7 million colours while its two-megapixel camera is capable of recording in quarter video graphics array (QVGA) quality. It also has a secondary camera to accommodate video calls, and dedicated gaming keys to support the N-Gage platform.

To cater to audiophiles, the 5320 XpressMusic offers a bigger internal memory at 140MB; another 8GB can be added through the microSD slot. Its music player also has the Say and Play voice-controlled feature that lets users call out the name of the song they wish to listen to.

With dedicated music keys and an audio chip, both the 5220 XpressMusic and 5320 XpressMusic offer a 3.5-millimetre connector for a wide range of hi-fi headphones, and support for MP3, eAAC+ and Windows Media Audio digital music formats. Users also can enjoy music through the built-in FM radio with Radio Data System. Both models have Bluetooth and micro universal serial bus ports.

The free bundled tracks are the result of Nokia’s partnership with Universal Music. Consumers will receive a voucher and activation code upon purchase of either XpressMusic model. Once activated, they can start downloading at www.nokia-asia.com/musicredemption/.Nokia Malaysia/Singapore’s general manager Grant McBeath said mobile music is very much a part of Nokia’s vision to connect consumers to the content they enjoy whenever they want it.“The ubiquity of the mobile phone and advanced data connections like 3G (third-generation) and GPRS allows us to bring music to the device for consumers. By partnering with Universal, we hope to show consumers how enjoyable it is to listen to music on the XpressMusic devices.”

The 5220 XpressMusic retails at RM750 while the 5320 XpressMusic goes for RM1,085.

A new sound for Estranged

A new sound for Estranged

Rock group Estranged’s second effort showcases its maturity, writes RADIN SRI GHAZALI.
IT”S not all fun and games for rock group Estranged when it comes to its second album.After a successful outing with hit song Itu Kamu (which won Song of The Year at Anugerah Juara Lagu and Most Popular Group at Anugerah Planet), the band is back — with some changes.Comprising Rich on vocals, Hanafi (guitars), Din (guitars) and Andy (drums), its second offering is called Remain Unknown.“This album showcases our maturity. We experimented with sounds including heavier rifts. Andy, meanwhile, showcased new drumming methods. Rich is showing progress vocally, displaying depths and diversity in tone,” said Din.

Songs such as Yang Pernah and Aurora mark the band’s departure from its sound in Itu Kamu.“We want to sound more progressive. We did worryabout fans’ reaction but we also do not want to stagnate,” said Rich.“Most importantly, we want people to like us as a band and not for the song Itu Kamu,” said Andy,Despite music pundits predicting a full-fledged Malay album from the boys, Estranged has delivered an English-dominated album.The album consists of eight English tracks, including This World, In No Time and Enjoy the Ride and five Malay tracks including Aurora and Masa.“We have always catered to the English market. We don’t want to sing only Malay songs just because of one hit song,” said Andy.

The lyrics cover serious subjects such as global warming, political mishaps and social deterioration.“This World highlights the deterioration of our eco-system while Tarikh Tutup deals with child kidnapping,” Rich.The album cover depicts the struggle faced by the Orang Asli in preserving their homeland.“Our photographer was inspired by the story of the Temuan tribe. The background of the cover shows land belonging to them which has been turned into a dam,” said Hanafi.As one of the leading rock bands in Malaysia, Estranged has its their say in regards to the issue of 90:10.“We can’t censure songs.

In fact, we need foreign songs (Indonesian songs) for competition. It is essential to have an open market so that we know the ins and outs of the music scene,” said Din.“We do have a lot of talented singers and bands. Let’s invest in them and give them exposure, “ he added.Estranged was among the few local bands to perform at the Soundrenaline 2008, the biggest music festival in Indonesia, recently.“We were treated well. Both fans and organisers were pleased with our performance, “ said Andy, referring to their shows in Medan and Pekan Baru.Due to their successful first outing at the festival, the boys might be on board for the coming year.“The organisers did say something about us returning to the festival. But we will have to wait and see, “ said Andy.

DANGEROUS FISH: Get rid of the predators

SAHABAT Alam Malaysia (SAM) would like to raise concerns with regard to the presence of predator fish in our waterways.

This is a serious problem considering that fish, invasive plants, snails, mussels or parasites can destroy existing aquatic communities on entering a new river or reservoir.An invasive species can affect the ecosystem in several ways. Some aquarium species may have no natural predators in the region where they have been released, resulting in their rapid multiplication without being combated by natural enemies.

Other aquarium species will happily gulp down the native flora or fauna that have no protection from this new and unknown enemy. A very successful predator can also harm other predators, since they will compete for food. Invasive species may interbreed with native species, thereby changing the gene pool.

Many of these invaders have already entered our borders, destroying existing aquatic communities.The risk that these alien species can cause significant harm is exacerbated by a considerable lack of awareness of the severity of the invasive alien species problem, especially among policy makers, government departments as well as seriously inadequate technical support.Pet shops and aquariums, which are allowed to flourish everywhere by the town councils, are equally to blame for the spread of alien species.

Many indigenous plants and animals are ill-prepared for the fierce competition from invaders entering cargo ships and airliners, as pets for the pet trade. The other drivers of biological invasion are of course international trade, travel and transport.Irresponsible aquarists are equally at fault for releasing their fish into the wild when they have grown bored of their aquariums or want to get rid of the fish for some illogical reason.

Their very action will cause considerable harm for which society is paying the consequences .Besides, aquarium inhabitants can also carry microbes that may find new hosts to infect -- hosts that have no way of combating it.Sometimes, sport fishing provides the catalyst. For instance, black bass were brought in to Japan from California by a Japanese angler in 1925 who enjoyed the fight they provided at the end of the fishing line.

While countries all over the world struggle against aggressive invasive species, the Fisheries Department, Wildlife and National Parks Department and Veterinary Department are ill-prepared for the fierce competition from "invaders" entering our country.The gravity of the situation calls for solutions. There is an urgent need to convince consumers to curb their appetite for exotic and endangered animal species. Laws providing heavy fines to prevent foreign imported species being abandoned should be considered in the revised Wildlife Act, the Animal Act 2006 and the Fisheries Act.

The revised laws should provide for all alien species to have identity chips inserted in their bodies.Pet shops and animal-related facilities should be banned from importing foreign species.Political commitment, in terms of policy, legislation, enforcement and implementation, is needed to prevent and manage invasive alien species.This can be initiated through national and regional strategies. Action plans have to be drawn up to conserve biodiversity against invasion impacts

Cookies..

Corn Flakes Koko Krunch duo

Ingredients

White dough — A:100g plain flour , 25g rice flour , ½ tsp baking powder , 50g Nestle Corn Flakes, finely ground100g butter or margarine , 50g caster sugar , ½ tsp vanilla essence

Chocolate dough — B:75g plain flour , 25g rice flour2 tbsp cocoa powder , ½ tsp baking powder , 50g Nestle Koko Krunch, finely ground75g butter or margarine , 50g caster sugar , ½ tsp vanilla essence

Method

1. Sift together ingredients A. Then stir in Nestle Corn Flakes, mix well and set aside.

2. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla essence until fluffy. Fold in flour mixture and mix well until soft dough forms. Then set aside.

3. Repeat process with chocolate dough mixture.

4. Roll dough A and B separately into 1cm thick strips then sandwich together. Cut to desired length. Place dough on lightly greased baking trays, allow room for spreading.

5. Bake in preheated oven at 180°C for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let it stand for 20 minutes.