Malays (Dutch, Malayo, ultimately from Malay: Melayu) are a diverse group of people living in the Malay archipelago and Malay peninsula in South East Asia.

   They constitute the dominant race which live in Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines and East Timor, which together with Singapore make up what is called the Malay archipelago.

   The Malays are traditionally classified as a member of the Mongoloid race, along with other Asiatic peoples, including Chinese, Mongols, Japanese, Koreans, Thais, Vietnamese and Burmese.

   Malays are also linguistically related to the Polynesian and Micronesian groups of the mid-Pacific, as members of the wide ranging Austronesian family of languages. Evidence also suggests that Polynesians and Micronesians may be descended, at least in part, from seafaring ancestors that originated in and around the Malay racial stock stronghold. Malay peoples have black hair and are typically of darker skin complexions, usually dark brown.

Origin of the word Malay
   The word "Malay" was adopted into English via the Dutch word "Malayo", which ultimately originates from the Malay word "Melayu".

   According to one popular theory, the native name Melayu means “migrating” or “fleeing”, which might refer to the high mobility of these people across the region.

The term is used as a form of ethnic self-identification. It is both generic and specific.

   I've finally UNDERSTAND. After all this time. It took me quite some time. And it was painful. Now there should be no more pain. It's not worth it.

   Let's have a look at a few interesting technology trends in the near and also long- future. Where is the technology heading??

1) Free Phone Calls (what???)
   Apparently, this may come true some day. The development of VOIp or using internet for transmitting phone calls is fast becoming popular. Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger have also included phone call features into their chat software. Firstly, this type of communication is much cheaper than using phone networks(of course!!, u only have to pay for broadband internet).

   But do not expect too much from Malaysia. We have just introduced 3G services, while countries like Japan have been using 3G-like technology for the past 5 years!!! Maxis is currently charging RM1200 for a 3G starter pack. Hmm...interested? Screw Maxis...

2) 15 sen per minute calls?
   Due to extreme competition, mobile telcos are always trying to reduce their phone call rates. Ever heard of Digi's family and friends service or Maxis's Activ5? Here, you are only charged 15 sen per minute for 5 special numbers that you specify. Very cost-effective eh? In other countries, this is quite common, only that the rate is not for only 5 numbers, but for every single number!! This is more realizable than free phone calls in the near future.

3) All phones will be smartphones??
   This is based on my own opinion, hehe. I think all phones in the near future will be smartphones. Who wants a phone that can only make calls??? That's so stone-age, haha.. Maybe technophobes (ppl scared of technology) will squirm at the sight of such phones. Phones are getting cheaper and better, it's only a matter of time before they pack tons of stuff into them(camera, video, bluetooth, tv, dvd??)For me, I can make do without the camera, but writing on my handphone like it's a notepad seems cool..

   By now, I'm sure nearly everyone's watched Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. The long wait finally ended, and overall, I personally found the movie quite good. I guess I'm going with the general opinion that says this movie was much better than Episodes I and II. Impressively, the movie managed to depict how Anakin join the Darkside, without many loopholes in the plot.

But I'm not going to give a full review of the movie here. Just have some points to ponder:

1) Notice that Obi Wan Kenobi picks up Anakin's light saber after defeating him on planet Mustafar. That  lightsaber will be given to Anakin's son, Luke, in the subsequent movie.

2) The dialogues between Anakin and Padme are as corny as ever. There was no romantic aura at all between them. Lack of acting skills and chemistry somewhat spoiled the movie.

3) Finally I can understand why R2D2 and C3PO in Episodes IV to Vi don't have a clue what happened in the previous episodes. How come they didn't know who Darth Vader was? It's because their memories were erased at the end of Episode III!!!

   Last week I watched the best epic movie ever. This movie was even better than Braveheart. Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm crazy bout war movies, especially with the setting at medieval times. Thus, my long wait for such a movie had finally ended after disappointment from movies like Troy and Alexander(Both sucked).

   The setting is during the 2nd Crusade where there is an uneasy truce between the Muslim kingdom, led by the fabled Salahuddin, and the Christian king of Jerusalem, Baldwin IV. The movie amazingly manages to avoid taking any sides, so there shouldn't be much controversy. 

   There were not many battle scenes, the best one being the siege of Jerusalem. Very enlightening for those who previously didn't know how people fought for cities. During those times, before the invention of bombs and cannon, static defenders always had the advantage compared to the attacker. This often required the attacker to depend on sheer numbers of his army, as portrayed in the movie.

   For me, the sobering sight of the 200 000- strong Muslim army performing solat jamaah...that was a sight to behold. It showed how strong Muslims can be when we are united.

   This movie is a must-see for anyone who hasn't a clue bout the history of Jerusalem. But beware though, there are 2 fictional characters in the film. I suggest u catch up on your history before or after watching the movie..Cheerios to one of the bestest movies I've ever watched, I'm waiting to get the DVD so I can watch it again and again..

   Star Wars? Hmm I watched it yesterday...but dont want to spoil the main story..hahaa..go see it urself...it was good. :)

   I'm back in utp after going for a break in KL for 3 days. Settled a few things there, met friends, also met someone I didn't meet for sooo long..=). After being forced to go for a haircut, drove back here on Wednesday. Won't be going back anytime soon; going back KL usually hurts my finances badly, with all the uncontrolled spending. Besides, I'm planning to keep my hair longer.My roommate is not here, coz he and his parents went to KL to visit his sister. That can only mean a few things:

1) Karaoke sessions!!!!!
2) No need to have an urge to finish Chapter 12 much faster, just becoz he already reached Chap 14
3) Full blast music

   Hye, this is the 6th week I'm here in UTP. 3 subjects down and 6 to go. Guess what? I got 3 WEEKS WITHOUT CLASS!! Dunnow what to do. Maybe I'll get some practice with dotaa.

   Meanwhile, on Monday morning I opened my car bonnet and found that the battery had somehow got unscrewed from it's seat and dropped on the engine. Wonder how I made it back home the night b4. But that wasn't the reason of the car sputtering. It was bcoz the contact point of the spark plug had worn off or something. Apparently there wasn't enough spark to light up the hydrocarbons (chewahh skang dah x panggil oil dah.. panggil HC, hehehe). After replacing it at the workshop, macam kereta baru. Experience, experience. My knowledge (or no knowledge) of the magic that goes on in the car bonnet has somewhat improved...

Petroleum Geoscience class

Reservoir engineering

The Professor and the Master

   Today was not a very good day for going to Ipoh. Accompanied by Dzul and Ali, my Pakistani housemate, first I got summoned by a traffic policeman for not wearing a seatbelt. There goes RM70.

   Then, at KC, I watched a movie, Pacifier, hahahaha... please, someone just shoot me for that. 10 minutes into the movie, there was a sudden realization that the movie was more suitable for ages 10 and below. The kid behind me was having a fun time. Meanwhile, we left Ali to walk around KC for about 3 hours including the movie duration. =P. Later he told us he didn't need to go shopping anymore for a year...

   After the 1.5 hour torment, we headed home, only to find that my car was sputtering all the way. Macam susah giler nak gerak. Dunno what was wrong with it. Was damn worried about the car breaking down in the dark roads at Menglembu. But thank God we made it home.. Phewww..what a day..