The blog is having a new design!

    If you have noticed, the blog is jumped ship onto another design! After weeks of procrastination, I finally got around changing it's design. I decided to go and try a minimalistic design because I hate the crazy colour combination of some blogs. Blue to me is a nice colour and so I used it. As for the logo, I absolutely hated the old one (because it was non existent :D) and used Photoshop to mock up a new one based on the Google page. Finally, I added and changed some widgets for the blog. Hope you like it and post your thoughts on the blog's new look.

   BTW, Hari Raya is about 10 days away now. Seems like just yesterday it was 1st of Ramadhan....

Optical Illusions FTW!

   Optical illusions are visual images that differs from reality. They work by causing our brain to perceive that the image doesn't make sense. I'm intrigued by optical illusions because they are awesome. But of course, when you try to find these images on the internet, most likely you'll be greeted by a creepy face with sound effects that can make your heart jump out and run away from you. (this is currently the case with videos on facebook. I do not trust alot of videos that my "friends" post on their wall ><) Recently I found a great website by Michael Bach where he hosts a variety of optical illusions. The link is http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/. So go check it out!

Dreams?

   Everyone's had a dream before. Whether it's a fun dream or a sad one, dreams are certainly awesome. In dreams you can do whatever you want ranging from something as common as running or as impossible as flying high. Scientists say we use more brain power during dreaming. Wouldn't it be great to harness the power of dreams to dream up scenarios and solutions? Unfortunately, we don't have control of our dreams most of the time. Worse, on some days we don't even dream! The reason why we don't get to control our dreams much is because we are not aware of the fact that we are in a dream. Even if you are the world's worst golfer and you dream that you're Tiger Woods you still won't know any difference (in the dream I mean).

   Take my example. On one occasion, I dreamt that I travelled to distant countries several times a day. I only knew it was a dream after I woke up. Back to the topic though, how do we harness the power of dreams? Simple: Lucid Dreaming.

   Lucid dreaming is when you acknowledge the fact that you're in a dream and you pick what to dream about. In succesful lucid dreans, you can control your dreams. YOU become the director of your dreams. Imagine the possibilities. You can dream up solutions to your problems or dream up awesome dreams (Being a king?).

    The easiest way to lucid dream is to be able to tell that you're dreaming. Easiest way is to ask yourself when you're awake 'Am I dreaming?'. Make it a habit to ask this question often and you might ask it in your dreams! Another way is to pinch yourself always. In a dream, you can't feel pain.So when you do that in a dream, it's painless. In dreams, try looking at a watch and look away for a couple of seconds. The time will change. Look yourself in a mirror and you will see your image as a distorted image. But be careful, looking at a mirror and realising that that's not your image, you might get shocked and end up in a nightmare.

   But once you get the hang of it you'll soon be lucid dreaming in no time! Try it sometime and experience awesome dreams.

No Expendables for you!

   My dad, brother and I went out to catch a movie yesterday. We were supposed to watch 'The Expendables' at Jusco Tebrau. It's rated 18SG (Seram/Ganas) because of it's intense violence. It's my most anticipated film of this year (next to Toy Story 3). It had all the big action stars: Slyvester Stallone, Jet Li, Jason Statham and many others. It even had Arnold Schwarzenegger! The reviews were good. The movie is basicly a tribute to all 80's action flicks.

    Because of the intense violence and gore, my sister and mom opted not to watch the film. We had already bought our tickets online. Then my dad and I went out to pick the tickets up and the booking counter. We didn't get them. It's 18SG and my brother and I couldn't watch it. The cinema doesn't allow minors into films that were rated '18'. That's garbage! On the website it states that you need a legal guardian above the age of 18 to bring in those underage into these type of films. We (as in my whole family) watched 'The Book Of Eli' last February! The movie was rated 18SG and it sucked!

   I pointed that crucial fact out. The employee looked at me and went out to call the manager. The manager then got out to speak with us. He had told us that supposedly, the company's policy had "changed" and that meant that we couldn't watch the film. I told him about 'The Book Of Eli' incident and he said that was a long time ago and things change. He refunded our tickets but kept the booking fee (RM5?). So, that ruined our evening. Next time we watch an '18' film I'm telling them that I'm in college and put on a fake moustache.

  By the way, Mirza (friend) is also going to watch The Expendables and if he get's to watch it, I'm going to burn down every single TGV cinema.

Lucky To Be Here

 

Lucky to be here - Hasif

What a magnificent world that we live in,

Alhamdulillah that I'm still breathing,

And I've seen miracles in every way,

And I've been thankful to Allah every day,

The many clouds that fill the sky,

Flocks of birds way up high,

Schools of fish swimming in the vast sea,

And the friendship between you and me,

Stars that twinkle and sparkle at night,

And the Sun that shines during daylight,

Fire, water, dirt and ice,

All these kinda makes you wanna think twice,

On the majesty of Allah's creations,

We should enjoy everything with appreciation,

Huge volcanoes that erupt violently,

The midnight breeze that blows silently,

Rough waterfalls and cricket calls,

Gigantic trees that proudly stand tall,

And with every day and night,

Why should we quarrel and fight,

Look around and you'll see,

On this earth, you're lucky to be.

The Citizen Connection (Chapter 2)

The Citizen Connection

Chapter 2 : False Trial


     The man was leaning against the 10 foot wall. Six enforcers or better known as Citizen Guardians were ready to pounce on their prey. They each carried a standard issue government certified electrical taser. These small gun-shaped would disrupt voluntary control of muscles or in plain words cause you to be in pain and unable to move. But they were also equipped with a handgun if things get out of control. The man had no choice. If he was arrested, he would be tortured for information. It would be too risky to use his handgun. One shot from him and the whole neighborhood of enforcers would be over him.

    All six Citizen Guardians shot their tasers and 300,000 volts of electricity surged into his body. The man immediately fell to the ground. He entire body shook wildly as if he had a seizure. He couldn't feel any of his muscles. The pain was unbearable. After what seemed like an eternity to him, the pain stopped. The officers then handcuffed him and proceeded to escort him to the nearest Citizen Detainment Center. He knew he was not going to have a fun time there.

   The Citizen Detainment Center was where all criminal or suspected criminals were held. They would be interrogated or jailed there. Rumour has it that many of those held in the center were tortured or even worse ; killed. Of course there were policies and rules for all enforcers to follow but the rules were largely ignored. Even high ranking officers would beat up detainees. The entire building was only 2 stories high. It had many rooms with high security. It wasn't a prison but it sure acted like one.

   Upon arrival, the man was interrogated. Everything he was carrying was confiscated for evidence. But he wasn't going to give one bit of information to the guardians. He was willing to die if it meant that the rebels' secrets were safe. He had taken an oath not to reveal any secrets unless told to do so.

   He was held in a small and gloomy room. The room wasn't well lit. He was still cuffed but he sat on a chair. In front of him was a steel table. He could make out several blood stains on the table. The discovery gave him a slight chill.

    Suddenly, the room's door creaked open. It was the interrogator. The interrogator wasn't just any other Citizen Guardian. Interrogators had to pas tests to be one. They were trained to get information at all costs. They were trained not to have any feelings for their captives. The interrogator took out a wallet. It was the man's. The interrogator continued to open the wallet and flicked out an ID. Obviously fake.

   "So, Mr Ryder. Having a great time?"

The Citizen Connection (Chapter 1)

The Citizen Connection

Chapter 1 : Meeting

   He was standing on the pavement. His eyes scanned everywhere for his target. It was a busy day like any other day. People rushing here and there trying to get from one point to another. The shops that were open were buzzing with activity. It certainly was a normal day for the Business District. While everyone was in a hurry, he was not. He just stood on the pavement beside a lamp post. He kept looking at his wrist watch. Time seemed to move very quickly. "Where is he?" thought the man. He took another look at his timepiece in hopes that time would slow down. It didn't. Any second now and he might get some very nasty questions from local law enforcers. It didn't help that a handgun was tucked in his trouser pocket. Nowadays, it isn't safe to go roam around without some weapon for protection. His personal favourite was the handgun. Small, easy to conceal and reliable. He had gotten out of some very dangerous situations thanks to it. Sure, sometimes when you need it the most it runs out of ammo but for most of the time it was ready for combat. He was wearing a hat and a grey suit. Typical businessman clothing. His shoes were in need of mending but he wore them anyway. Two pens were tucked into his front pocket. A blue one on the left and and a red one on the right. Although the arrangement seemed innocent enough, it's actually a cleverly code. Blue-Red indicated that the person was meeting somebody. The code and many more like it were being used all over the country by people like him. Citizens with normal lives during the day and secret lives at night. He was waiting for another man just like him who may be of very good use to the rebels.

   But still, a code like that has it's flaws. The government has been cracking down on operations and had cracked the pen code. That's way many of them switched to more complex code systems. The pen code had to be changed every week to avoid any further raid on their operations. He loved the simplicity of the pen code and chose it to signal his meeting. Once again, he peeked and his watch. 20 minutes had passed since the agreed meeting time. Another 10 minutes and the meeting would be cancelled. All of a sudden, a pat came on his shoulder. He turned around to expect his target but instead, stood an enforcer. Many nicknames were given to the governments law enforcers or better known as "Citizen Guardian" to the government. Some nicknames include "CGs", "Eyes", "Enforcers" and the lesser known "Sticks".

   "What is your business here?" questioned the enforcer."Nothing, just getting some fresh air," the man replied. But the enforcer wasn't satisfied with his answer.
   "I'm going to have to search you sir," continued the officer.
    "There's no need to,"
    "Why not?"
    "Because, I'm not breaching any law!"
    "We'll see,"

   The enforcer proceeded to search the man for anything that may be banned by the government. Firearms were one of them. The enforcer suddenly felt something hard in the citizen's pocket. It was the handgun. Trying to resist arrest, the citizen punched the enforcer's face and ran. The enforcer came chasing after while calling for backup on his radio. "Anywhere but here," thought the man as he ran for dear life. He pushed his way through the busy street knocking off innocent passer byes. He jumped over some boxes that were laying around and were blocking his path. He noticed an alley and bolted towards it. All the while, more CGs were on his tail. The man made it into the alleyway but it was a dead end. There wasn't any other exits to make other than the way he came through. But the exit was blocked by half a dozen law enforcers ready to arrest him or worse, become the judge and jury of his very life.

Ramadhan is here again!

 Ramadhan is here again! As you all know we Muslims will fast from sunrise till sunset for 30 days. I love Ramadhan. The atmosphere of our surroundings change. Bazaars for Ramadhan will open all around the country. School will end earlier. The Tarawih prayers will be held. Probably less commotion around the city. But Ramadhan is not just about the fasting. It's about making ourselves a better person. Not only must we be careful of eating but also what we say, do, hear and see. This month is also magical because all the Syaitan will be chained and unable to instigate us. But alas, the Syaitan has been training it's apprentice before Ramadhan to do it's job : The Nafsu. So we will all have to be careful in order to obtain the best Ramadhan this year. So what's your thoughts on Ramadhan? Post it in the comments section okay?

Comic Geek?!

 For your info, I'm a comic fan. Ever since I was small I liked drawing. Drawing for me seemed to take all my day's troubles away and locked it all up. I'm also quite a (maybe) huge fan of comics. I just loved the different artstyles each artist would use to weave a story together in a form of comics. As far as I can remember, my first comic was Doraemon. You know him. He came from the future with a task to help Nobita escape his cruel fate. I always wished that I had Doraemon with me. He had all these crazy gadgets that he keeps in his magic pocket. I'd imagine that I had the 'Anywhere To Go Door' (Pintu Suka Hati). If I had that, my family and I wouldn't even need a car anymore! Fujio F Fujiko was really a master in his own right. He brought us the readers, into many mystical worlds and fun adventures. I loved every bit of it.

 I remember that in one of the comics, Nobita was reading the ending of an anticipated comic (odd itsn't it? a comic in a comic!) in a weekly magazine. I read the Malay translation of the title : 'Pemain Pedang Angkasa Lepas' (But in a recent reprint of the same comic, it's changed to 'Pemain Pedang Angkasa Bairon'). An idea then leaped onto me: if I loved comic that much, why not draw one. Soon my first epic masterpiece was born.

  I based my comic on the protagonist in the 'Pemain Pedang Angkasa Lepas' comic. In the ending, it was shown that a city was completely destroyed. I guess that the hero saved the city. He climbed into his spaceship and set off into the unknown space. Two men waved him goodbye as their hero flew away.

I took many sheets of paper and folded them into half. I drew the cover first with the exact same title : 'Pemain Pedang Angkasa Lepas. The comic was a mute comic meaning that there was no dialog. There was only sound efects. To me at the time, the dialog took up alot of space in the comic panels and was a waste of time. But even without dialog the comic was easy to understand. I used a pencil (my first love when drawing. Soon replaced by mechanical pencils) and drew panel after panel. It wasn't boring. It was fun seeing the story progress. I didn't have much time for my comic as school was in the way. But after a couple of days it was finished. My brother is also into comics and he drew as I drew my comic. I have to admit, he is the better drawer in the family. He dubbed my character Slash for he slashes many enemies throughout the comic.

 In a nutshell here's the story. In the future Earth was in chaos. Aliens took over control and destroyed anything in sight. There was only 1 man to save the Earth: Slash! With his laser sword he killed many aliens that opposed him. But he was soon captured by the leader : Alien Pumpkin Man (I don't have a name for him!) The leader was an evil pumpkin with face and limbs. Slash was imprisoned but he finally escaped and fights the leader. He quickly slices the leader. However, the boss turns into a ricocheting ball and slams into Slash! Slash was forced to use his secret weapon: His ultimate bracelet of power! He activates it and explodes. The mothership was burning and slammed into earth. Miraculously, SLash survived! He saved the world. Two humans wave at him. He climbs into his ship and flies off. The Earth is no longer enslaved by aliens. The End.

My comic was awesome and I showed it to many of my friends. They too seemed impressed. I kept my comic as a trophy that I, Muhammad Hasif, drew a comic. Skip a couple of months later, disaster struck! My comic was thrown out with the trash! It was an honest mistake but the damage was done. My first ever comic is gone. I wished I still had the comic with me. It was pretty depressing, all my effort down the drain.

You never know what you've got until it's gone...

 Many of us really take things for granted. But just because you have it, it's not going to last forever. Sooner or later, you'll lose it and only then you would really appreciate what you have. Take Michael Jackson, legendary King Of Pop for example. I love his music. The whole world does. He started out small with his siblings in a group. Then he would go on to perform solo. A couple of years later, he's the king of pop. Lots of people respected him. Soon we took him for granted. The media started ridiculing him.Just because he's unique, they called him 'Wacko Jacko'. "Look! Jacko did this!" "Ahaha, he's doing that!" "What is in Wacko's mind?" and more came from people's mouths. Things soon got out of control with accusations of child molestation. He wasn't known as the King Of Pop anymore. He was 'Wacko Jacko', child molester. I'm pretty sure he must have suffered a lot going through all the problems he had.

 Skip through another couple of years and he passed away all of a sudden. He was in Cardiac Arrest and didn't recover. He was gone from this world. Only then did the media started respecting him again. "King Of Pop Dies" read the headlines of many newspapers around the world. It wasn't "Wacko Jacko Dies". Everybody started to love him again. The thoughts of him as a (supposed) child molester disappeared from many folks. The world didn't expect him to pass on so soon. Even his oldest brother is still healthy. Everybody celebrated him as genius in music again. Many respected him again. So, the saying is still true to many of us. You never know what you've got until it's gone.

That's why we must always appreciate what we have. Appreciate the trees. Appreciate our parents, siblings, grandparents while they are still alive. Don't take anything for granted. You never know just when god will take away what we have. You don't want top end up regretting that you didn't value every second that you had with your loved ones.

Sketching

 With the new upgrade of Microsoft Paint in Windows 7, it feels like a leap from the stone age. Many new features are present. Although it isn't like Photoshop, it'll do. Even though it feels odd, I gotta give it to Microsoft : Good Work! Now if they can just solve their bugs and loopholes in their OS....
 Did a quick sketch of Deadpool in Paint too. He looks okay but could be better. That's the only problem I have with drawing in a computer : You gotta buy a drawing tablet (Wacom!) to really "feel" your drawings. I need one! I need a Wacom tablet!

Deadpool

SCHHOOOL?!

     I've got school today. Kinda having mixed feelings towards today. I want to go to school to meet friends & get the exam results. I dont wanna go to school cos' it's SATURDAY! My only day off! Sundays don't count because you have school the next day! The country should add another day as a weekend. It should be friday. It's much more balanced that way. 4 days of school & 3 days holiday. It'll be that way when I become Prime Minister >< (If I'll ever be). Who's gonna vote me in the elections?

Trying blogging again...

I haven't updated this blog for a long time ><. So, I'm trying hard to blog (again!). I didn't update cos' A: Facebook! B: What should I blog about C:Anything else that's stopping me from blogging.

Okay, my topic today is : What is a blog?

A blog can be anything. During the 1800s blogs were those tiny metal rods on new fangled devices. Okay, that's not true at all. So what is a blog? If you don't know already, blog is a word derived from bloggorious which is another word for cat. Thus, blogs are cats. Case closed. Don't disturb me with e-mails asking me what's a blog. Blogs are cats. You don't believe me? Ask a cat.

HASIF