First shots

Yang potret tu guna 14-42mm lens, yang kucing kucing tu guna 40-150mm lens.

Lokasi: Pak Li Kopitiam seksyen 7, Helpdesk Room, laman belakang rumah
Subjek: Eila, Dayah, Azah, Aida, Fidah, Helpdesk team, Si Adik & Si Itam Kabam

OLYMPUS EVOLT E-510 2 LENS KIT

Bid on eBay, won on Sunday 16th Dec, paid on 19th, processed on the next day, left US on 21st and ...here I am now, waiting patiently. This is a gift to indulge ownself, after six month bonus is announced by company.

eBay bidding summary

Olympus E510 boxed


Olympus E510 out of box


USPS tracking info

Angkasawan negara tiba di ISS

Expedition 16 Arrives at International Space Station
"Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson, Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko and spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor have arrived at the International Space Station.

Their Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft docked to the Earth-facing port of the station's Zarya module at 10:50 a.m. EDT Friday.

The station's new residents and their Malaysian guest launched at 9:22 a.m. EDT Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineers Oleg Kotov and Clay Anderson welcomed the new crew aboard the station when the hatches were opened at 12:22 p.m. Both crews will work together for about nine days before Yurchikhin, Kotov and Shukor depart in their Soyuz TMA-10 spacecraft.

Anderson will remain onboard with Expedition 16 and return to Earth next month aboard Discovery on its STS-120 mission. "

Russian capsule docks with ISS
Oct 13 - A Russian capsule carrying a new crew for the International Space Station docks 357 km above Earth.

Spacefaring Trio Rendezvous With ISS
By Steve Gutterman
AP
10/15/07 8:35 AM PT

Peggy Whitson, Yuri Malenchenko and Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor stepped aboard the international space station Friday. Whitson is scheduled to officially take command of the station later this week, becoming the first female to ever hold the position. The trio arrived at the ISS aboard a Russian craft.

An American astronaut climbed aboard the international space station Friday for a stint as its first female commander after a two-day trip from Earth and a textbook docking.

Peggy Whitson, cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and Malaysian physician Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor scooted through hatches linking the station with the Soyuz TMA-11 craft they rode into orbit from Russia's launch facility in Kazakhstan.


Good Connection
The Soyuz docked on schedule at 10:50 a.m. EDT after catching up with the station and firing thrusters to get into position, said Valery Lyndin, chief spokesperson for Russian Mission Control outside Moscow.

"Everything is great," Malenchenko told Mission Control shortly after the ship locked onto the station about 220 miles over Central Asia. A commentator with the U.S. space agency NASA called the docking "flawless."

Whitson and her crewmates clambered through the hatches about 90 minutes later and joined the station's current crew, cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov, and astronaut Clayton Anderson. The newcomers traded their bulky gear for more comfortable jumpsuits and spoke to well-wishers at Mission Control via a video link.

"The fun is just about to begin," Yurchikhin said.

Microgravity Experiments
Sheikh Muszaphar, a 35-year-old orthopedic surgeon fulfilling his own dream of space travel and his country's, was already having fun.

"I feel very well," he said in Russian, grinning as his body shifted in the zero gravity. In English, he said, "I'm having a very good time here with my friends from Russia and America -- and my love to all Malaysians out there."

Sheikh Muszapar will perform experiments involving diseases and the effects of microgravity and space radiation on cells and genes. The US$25 million agreement for a Malaysian astronaut to fly to space was negotiated in 2003 along with a $900 million deal for Malaysia to buy 18 Russian fighter jets.

The ninth Muslim in space, he has said his roughly 10-day stay on the station should inspire his homeland and Muslims all over the world.

Crew Changeover
Whitson, a 47-year-old biochemist from Beaconsfield, Iowa, was selected as an astronaut in 1996 and spent six months on the international space station in 2002. She will formally assume command from Yurchikhin on Oct. 19, Lyndin said.

Showing her space legs, she leaned effortlessly on her elbow despite the zero gravity as she and the others accepted congratulations from Russian and American space officials on Earth.

Whitson and Malenchenko will replace Yurchikhin and Kotov, who are slated to return to Earth along with Sheikh Muszaphar on Oct. 21 in a Soyuz capsule.

Malenchenko, 45, traveled to the international space station on the shuttle Atlantis in 2000 and returned for a six-month stint as its commander in 2003. He spent time on Russia's space station, Mir, more than a decade ago.

He and Whitson are to be joined this month by U.S. astronaut Daniel Tani, who is scheduled to arrive on the shuttle Discovery. Tani will replace Anderson, who has been at the station since June.

Football in Space
Anderson, a fan of the University of Nebraska football team, tossed a football in zero gravity as the crew prepared to open the hatches, NASA footage showed.

After Tani's arrival, the station's crew -- known as Expedition 16 -- will prepare for the expansion of the station, which is set to add European and Japanese modules in coming months.

Discovery will bring up a connecting mode called Harmony, and the station's crew will perform space walks to put it in place for a December shuttle docking and the arrival of the European Space Agency module, Columbus, NASA's space operations chief Bill Gerstenmaier told reporters at Mission Control after the docking.

"This is Gerst ... it's great to see you guys in orbit," he told the newly arrived crew. "Have some fun and do a lot of great work."

Angkasawan negara, semasa pelancaran...

Liputan dari luar negara dipetik dari berbagai sumber.

Biographies of International Astronauts Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Al Masrie International Flight-No. 252 Soyuz TMA-11 Soyuz deorbit Soyuz landing Current position of ISS ISS Interactive Reference Guide Expedition 16 Image Gallery

Soyuz rocket launches crew for ISS
A Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft carrying Malaysia's first astronaut Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor

International coverage

Soyuz rocket lifts off on space station mission
A Russian spacecraft soared from the Kazakh steppe on Wednesday with a crew of three headed for the international space station, including Malaysia's first man in space ...

Doctor To Honor Ramadan Rituals In Space
Malaysian Doctor Who Will Spend Part Of Ramadan In Space Vows To Follow Rituals Of His Faith

Landmark lift-off for space crew
A Russian spacecraft heading to the International Space Station (ISS) has blasted off from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

Soyuz rocket carries American woman, Malaysian, Russian to space station
A Russian spacecraft soared from the Kazakh steppe toward the international space station Wednesday, carrying a Malaysian, a Russian, and Peggy Whitson...

Russian rocket blasts off to space station
Whitson and Malenchenko are accompanied aboard the Soyuz by Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor , Malaysia's first astronaut.

Astronauts Ponder State of Space Exploration
Fifty years ago today, a small satellite — the world's first built and launched by humans — rocketed into orbit, beaming down a series of beeps that heralded the coming Space Age to anyone listening on Earth

Malaysian Astronaut Set to Go Into Space
A crew that includes Malaysia's first astronaut and an American who will become the first woman to command the international space station prepared Monday for blastoff later this week.

Soyuz TMA-11 launches carrying Expedition 16
NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Soyuz commander Yuri Malenchenko and Malaysian physician Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor are on their way to the International Space Station (ISS) via their Soyuz TMA-11 launch vehicle Wednesday morning.

Angkasawan negara, sebelum...

FoxNews.com
Republished. Copied from here.

Malaysian Astronaut, Next ISS Crew Aim for Orbit
WASHINGTON — Malaysia's debut spaceflyer, the first female commander of the International Space Station and a veteran Russian cosmonaut are gearing up for their orbital mission this fall.

Malaysian orthopedic surgeon Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, 34, is training for a planned Oct. 10 launch towards the ISS with veteran NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko to kick off the 16th expedition to the orbital laboratory. "It's really important to me to spur interest among all the Malaysian people," Shukor told reporters during a Monday press briefing at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. "But my focus has always been on schoolchildren."
Chosen from a competitive field of 11,000, Shukor said he is proud to represent Malaysia in space as its first astronaut, or "angkasawan." Whitson, the space station's first female commander, and Malenchenko are both veteran ISS flyers. Whitson flew in 2002 as an Expedition 5 flight engineer and NASA's first ISS science officer, while Malenchenko commanded Expedition 7 in 2003. "It is going to be a very complicated and aggressive mission," said Whitson, adding that she hopes her role as commander will encourage young women to embrace science and mathematics. "But I think I've got a great team."

Malaysian Astronaut Won't Ignore Faith
Thursday, September 20, 2007

STAR CITY, Russia — Among the things Malaysia's first astronaut will be worrying about next month: How does an observant Muslim pray toward Mecca while soaring hundreds of miles above the Earth?

Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor will blast off aboard a Russian-built Soyuz space craft en route to the international space station along with Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson. They blast off from the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Oct. 10. Speaking at a news conference Thursday at Russia's cosmonaut training center in Star City, on Moscow's outskirts, Shukor said during his 10 days in space, he hoped to perform life science and other research, but said he would not ignore the responsibilities of his faith. "I do agree that I am a Muslim, I am Islamic, but my main priority is more of conducting experiments," the 35-year-old astronaut said. "As a Muslim, I do hope to do my responsibilities, I do hope to fast in space." After months of discussion and two international conferences, the Islamic National Fatwa Council came up with guidelines as to how Muslim astronauts should observe daily rituals. The rules were published in 12-page booklet titled "Muslim Obligations in the International Space Station."

Observant Muslims are required to turn toward Mecca located in Saudi Arabia and kneel and pray five times a day. However, with the space station circling the Earth 16 times a day, kneeling in zero gravity to pray or facing toward Mecca for that matter makes fulfilling those religious obligations difficult. Malaysia's National Fatwa Council ruled that Muslim astronauts will not be required to kneel to pray if the absence of gravity makes it too hard. Facing Mecca while praying will be left to the "best abilities" of the astronaut, the council said.
Adding to the difficulties is the fact that the launch coincides with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan when Muslims are expected to fast from dawn until dusk. The fatwa decided the fasting may be postponed until returning to Earth. Other exceptions include allowing simple silent prayer if performing physical rituals is impossible. Shukor will return to Earth Oct. 20 along with two members of the station's current crew cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov.

Komuniti Muslim di Britain: Islam tetap di hati

Sesuatu yang menarik bila terbaca artikel oleh Jon Snow di TimesOnline "Muslim integration has come to a halt". Snow menjelajah Britain mencari bahan untuk filemnya mengenai kontroversi yang dihadapi Britain hari ini: to what extent do Muslims pose a threat to Britain and its values?

Rupa-rupanya komuniti Muslim di Britain masih kuat berpegang pada ajaran Islam. Kalau biasanya orang ingat, bila dah jadi pendatang di UK, generasi kedua dan seterusnya cenderung untuk jadi sekular, kajian Snow menunjukkan sebaliknya. Generasi Muslim di Britain sekarang lebih kental rasa Islamnya dan makin kurang sikap keterbukaannya terhadap perkara perkara yang menyentuh sensitiviti Islam.

Snow membandingkan kajiannya dengan penyelidikan awal yang dijalankan Profesor Tariq Modood dari University of Bristol sebagai bukti bahawa Muslim di Britain semakin terpisah daripada kelompok bukan Muslim. Bahkan Modood menyangkal bahawa orang yang berpegang teguh pada agama hanya datang daripada kawasan terpencil, kurang pendidikan dan berfikiran sempit. Snow dalam artikel ini menyatakan Modood ada fakta yang menunjukkan pelajar pelajar universiti dan mereka yang berpendidikan tinggi berfikiran sama. Mereka memanfaatkan pendidikan bertaraf dunia dari universiti universiti terkenal Britain dan dalam masa yang sama kekal berpegang pada fahaman Islam.

Sejumlah besar pemuda Muslim di Britain, sambung Snow, tidak menerima kebebasan bersuara yang sampai menghina agama Islam. Mereka memilih hidup berlandaskan undang-undang syariah dan garis panduan yang ditetapkan Al-Quran. Salah seorang Muslim yang ditemui Snow mengatakan demokrasi bukan suatu sistem yang berkesan. Katanya undang-undang ciptaan manusia bukanlah jawapan kepada sistem yang adil.

Snow dalam kesimpulannya tidak melabelkan kelompok Muslim yang ditemuinya sebagai pelampau agama. Dia melihat Muslim di Britain lebih cenderung kepada pengasingan akibat kesan yang menimpa saudara seagama di timur tengah. Melihat pembunuhan kejam ke atas mangsa perang yang menyayat hati, Muslim diseluruh dunia berpendapat kerajaan British bersekongkol menyisih dan memberi layanan buruk kepada umat Islam.

Artikel Snow di atas sangat relevan dengan perasaan saya semasa menulis tentang pengalaman tragedi 7 Julai di London. (Cuba baca keseluruhan artikel beliau). Posting saya yang sebelum ini ialah perasaan seorang awam yang seumur hidupnya tidak pernah terancam. Saya tak sepenuhnya menyalahkan attackers. Macam Snow kata... "In our sample, almost one in four said the July 7 bombings were justified in the light of Britain’s support for the war on terror". Bukan juga saya nak berkongsi dengan musuh Islam remembering something significant to them. Sebenarnya seronok merasa pengalaman macam tu. Berapa ramai yang berpeluang kan?

Ia mengingatkan saya untuk cuba gambarkan perasaan penduduk Iraq dan Palestin yang setiap masa berdepan ancaman bom. Kenapa ujian Allah buat mereka sangat berat. We, who live on the other side of the world or wherever we do are not more deserving than them.

Kalau dapat join MERCY bagus kan. Macam yang saya dengar, classmate form five saya
Dr Munawwar Mohamed Hatta ada joined sometimes back (ye ke? ye kot). Adik saya ada terfikir nak apply. Itu baru betul betul strong. Kena kuat tu nak tinggal kat medan perang.



* * *
Hmmm....
Komuniti muslim di Britain...
boleh dipertimbangkan ni, untuk settle kat sana.

Remembering London July 7 bombings

On this day, two years ago I was in Paris, happily enjoying my tour without a bit concern as to what was happening in London. Who would have thought there could be such terrible event near you.

I wasn't in London that morning when four suicide bombers attacked three tube trains and a bus. But I was heading back to Guildford around 8:00pm, when I read a notice at the Gare du Nord station in central Paris saying that all London subway systems were shut down due to a serious national security threat. We got stuck at the train station but were able to depart. Still I wasn't aware what was happening at that time.

I had a feeling that people sure put a blame on Muslims. Lucky all the white people in the Eurostar didn't treat us badly though they knew we're Muslims. All I could tell, those people, they took it calmly. We were the ones who freaked out. We speculated among us and we were right, not long after we were in, I got an SMS from Rosediana, that was how I came to know that there were bombings in London. After two and a half hours, the train were approaching Waterloo, it didn't get to enter the central station so easily, we were stuck for quite sometimes.

We did discuss on how to get home safely. Farrah told me to head to Guildford straight, she'd rather I'd be safe than stuck in London. Furthermore, their home was close enough to the event occurred that morning (Edgware Rd). Called up Linda and Trex, they confirmed would be waiting for me at Guildford train station.

I managed to catch a train, that was around 12:30am. My heart beat so fast, I was so scared, I felt like there were bombs all over the train. Why on earth would I want to be here when I was supposed to be sitting in my room at Battersea watching the news... be safe and sound. I couldn't tell more how I felt. I just prayed to God to let me pass that moment.

There was a middle-aged white man in that coach looked like a manager or high exec, he smiled at me. I wore hoodie so I just kept my face down. Reached Guildford half an hour later and first thing I did was called up my mother to tell that I was safe. I knew she couldn't have been more grateful than to hear my voice. I love you mak.

~ whoever did that attacks, whatever reason, they don't have the rights to harm innocent people. Islam does not teach muslims to blow things up. Islam is peace.

Syukur Alhamdulillah, today I'm writing this at home, breathing, alive, with my family around...

The Amazing Toyota Race

10th June 2007

6:45am
Gathered at HQ Altis Room for briefing from Timeout Solution on the route and strategies on how to win the race. We were then given one day pass ride on RapidKL and LRT.
Each team consisted of four members. My team members were LC, Chong Wei Yap, Ken Yee and me. Altogeher there were 92 teams if I'm not mistaken.

8:00am
Scavenger Hunt
Searched for three natural items that start with U, M and W.
Our answers: U - Uban, M - Mud, W - Water.
For natural items - 2 points, for processed items - 1 point each.
Creative answers [Udang, Upih pinang, Ubi Kentang, Udara, Milk, Minyak, Wood, Wood's peppermint]
Handed the answers to Marshall at Kelana Jaya LRT station. Been given the next challenge sheets.

Given some clues to take two treasures to Marshall at the end point.
Based on clues, we bought Mister Potato and Luxury biscuits. [We thought Lexus and Camry meant for luxury, but ended up wrong, answer was something else].

9:30am
Challenge 1
Named the old models of Toyota Car, then current models of some new Toyota cars.
Solved a puzzle based on the Toyota tagline: Toyota Moving Forward.
Answer: "Meet us at the Menara KL Car Park".
So headed to KL Tower from KJ station, the next stop was Dang Wangi. [Lucky that I used to work there, so shouldn't be lost]. Climbed up, was so exhausting. Some teams were cheating, they took cab to the top there. Cheh :P

10:05am
First Leg
One member was to perform the physical challenge, that was the flying fox ride. Wei Yap performed for us while we named the Spiderman pictures to the series they belong. [Since Toyota is one of the top co that give promotions for Spiderman 3 show]
Next, solved a simple shape puzzle. Very very easy, split second only finished.
Handed the answers to Marshall, proceeded to the first leg of the race.

10:10am
Second Leg
Walk Hunt to golden triangle.
Answered 10 questions based on observations. We missed one answer and the other was slightly not accurate. The first question was "Made is a US answer but Austrian actually" - Amadeus. The second that was inaccurate was "Kuala Lumpur and Nottingham soccer team." - City Forest signposted at Jalan Raja Chulan.

11:00am
Third Leg
Walk Hunt from Monorail station Maharajalela to Masjid Jamek.
Answered separate 3 sets of questions of 5, 3, and 2. Got all correct. Well done!
But God it was tiring. Some more hot giloss, hehe!

12:30pm
End Point
Handed over the answer sheets to Marshall and the two treasures.
Had lunch at Burger King. [Tiba tiba teringat kat UK dulu how much we longed for KFC, setahun tak makan KFC macam hapa je.. kehkeh]
Headed back to Toyota from Masjid Jamek LRT station.

2:00pm
Gathered at HQ
Solat Zohor. Refreshment at HQ Lobby. Couldn't eat lah, rugi! Too full, there were Satay, Nasi Himpit, Roti Jala, Meehoon, Cucur Udang, dessert like cakes and puddings plus fruits :(
Takpelah Burger King tadi sedap aper [very]

Oh ya I won a lucky draw. But only hampers, shall share them with the other members.

2:45pm
Closing ceremony.
Speech by Boss from Japan [Mr T.Hibi] and HR.
Lucky draw again for the rest, none of my friends won the grand prize - Samsung TV 29" Flat Screen.
Solutions presentation by Timeout - that was how we came to know where were we [in winning the race]. We thought we were lucky enough to be top 10. That actually was Wei Yap thought. I think we might be lucky to be top 20. We never thought we were top three. So the MC announced, second place [to bring home cash prize of RM800.00]
Team "Just For Fun" - that's us :D
The Japan boss asked me whether we called Tan Li Li [Head of department] for those answers. Hahaha, yeah we did!!! [Well he's kidding]

Kehkehekeh... hopefully we will be the next star of the month. Hahahhaahahhahah!

5:00pm
Home
safely, soundly... Alhamdulillah
The Cash Prize - given to Ayahanda, Father's Day Apak, love you!