Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Facebook turning into Fakebook?


"Do you have a Facebook?" is one of the most common questions that people would ask these days... Regardless of the person you've just met, or the person you've known for ages, keeping in touch with them has never been this easy. Just like Friendster and Myspace, Facebook doesn't really differ that much.Social networking is the 21st century way of communication. Yeah..

If you've read my old post on How it all started..., you would know how I've evolved from using Friendster to Myspace and now to Facebook..Oh not forgetting Tumblr and Twitter...Humma2.The amount of Facebook active users have increased tremendously in the past few years, reaching to more than 500 million users. Facebook used to be filled with lots of young users but the current statistic shows that Facebook users now come from all walks of life, different age groups and etc.

In my opinion, there are three types of Facebook users: 
  1. Someone who would just like to stay within his or her circle of friends, having about 50 to 100 friends at most and the objective of creating Facebook is to stay in contact with his or her closest friends and family members only.
  2. Someone who wants to limit his or her Facebook friends list to those he or she personally knows like family members and close friends but at the same time would like to get to know more about the person he or she has just met.
  3. Someone who simply adds and simply approves everyone on Facebook.He or she is living up to the motto "The more, The merrier".
The third one!!! Been there, done that..It was when I created Friendster and Myspace.I used to love having lots of people on my friends list and I think at that time it was really awesome to meet new people through these social network sites even though I know for the fact that the people I added, I would never meet them personally.Howoe.

I think it'll take a while before I go into the first category...So yeah..you got me! I'm in the second category.Having said that, I've also added people I've never met but through the conversation that we had online, I know the person is sincere in getting to know me and I would definitely like to meet him or her one day.

As I've written on the sidebar of my blog, I have only one main profile on Facebook and a Facebook page.Nothing else.So if you guys found other profiles other than these two, that would probably be fake profiles.I would also like to say sorry for those who have added me on my main profile and didn't get my approval.It's not that I'm being snobbish or whatever,I just want to limit my friends list to those I personally know and I hope you guys would understand that.

 My main profile on Facebook

 My Facebook Page

The most important thing you should do when going on a social network websites is to be careful of what you write and share online.Take your own precaution by choosing the privacy settings that suit you best.Always be careful with the person you add online.It's better to get to know him or her personally first before adding.Sharing pictures is also another issue.Facebook is currently flooded with fake profiles.So take extra precaution.If you like to read more about Fake Facebook Profiles, click here.
 

By giving people the power to share, we're making the world more transparent.

Mark Zuckerberg
Tschüss und mach's gut!

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Why stay in Malaysia?


Have you heard of Idiosyncrasies of Malaysians? We are peculiar in our nature and behavior.The diverse idiosyncrasies of Malaysians often make us special and unique in our own ways and that is why I love to stay in Malaysia.

Lydia Teh, the author of 'Honk, If You're Malaysian' tells the various idiosyncrasies of Malaysians that often transcends the racial and cultural boundaries in a very enlightening and humourous manner.As Malaysia is a multi-racial country, these idiosyncrasies add more colour to the already colourful background and culture of the country.

Why stay in Malaysia? 
Would you like your answer to this question to be featured as quotation in a book? Well, why not right?
Zebedy Publication is coming up with a book of quotes on "Why Stay in Malaysia" under their Teh Tarik Book Series.They would like to complete the book with variety of quotes in the form of a one-liner from as many Malaysians as possible.You can say things like "because I can't live without belacan and cencaluk" , "because nasi lemak, roti canai, char kuey teow and vadei are awesome!!!", "because I have the privelege of living in harmony and peace with people from all walks of life without feeling insecure or timid." just to name a few. Got the idea? Oh you can send more than one quote..The best one would be featured in the book.

Take this opportunity and tell the whole world why you like to stay in Malaysia...Oh tanah tumpah darahku...
As to those who have Facebook, you can go to this page and click like before sending your quotes to this page under the comment tab.
Or you can send your quotes to these email addresses , charis@zubedy.com/ rizuwan@zubedy.com
Include these details:
‘Why I stay in Malaysia’ one liner
Name
Contact details
Short profile to be included with your quote - (e.g. name, age, location, occupation/what you do
The dateline is on the 15th of July 2011.What are you waiting for? Perah otak skang jugak!!!

Oh before ending this post, I would like to share a choral speaking script that my classmates and I performed  for our Choral Speaking Competition in 2005 and 2006 where we came in 1st for two years in a row..Our beloved English Teacher, Puan Leela found this script and had us memorized and practiced it over some time.This is the script as I can remember it...There are certain parts that I'm not so sure about but oh well..Enjoy!!!

Idiosyncrasies of Malaysians
Idio...Idio what??
Little personal behaviors or nature
Peculiar to Malaysians
Funny but it's true
That these observations we make
Can be about you

Malaysians by large ooze charm and care
Sensitive and mature
We compromise
And we share
But why is it
Malaysians, when behind the wheels
Mutate into monsters!
Rude ...
Selfish ...
Dangerous ...
Racing taxis, noisy cars
Rushing here, rushing there
Rushing here and everywhere!
Immature road bullies
Who smash windscreens and bones
While hooting honking drivers
Impatiently groan
BEEP! BEEP! HONK HONK!!
We have drivers
Who turn highways into Formula One track
Fleeting motorcyclist
Who zig zag their way to death
Vroom ~ ~ Vroom ~ ~ ..................(Crash sound)
Motorists suddenly slow down
Necks outstretch
Eyes affixed
We ask ourselves, whatever for?
Just to note the number plate for the digit four

Public toilets
Can't live with them
Can't live without them
EEEEWWWWWWW..
Mummy, mummy! Do you want me to sit or stand on the toilet seat?
No, no, darling! At home you seat, outside you stand!
Malaysians are somewhat unclear
About what goes into where
A peep into public toilets
UGHHHHHHH!!!!
Confirms your worst nightmare

Malaysians
We just love to eat
We munch and crunch
Chomp and chew
Through a feast of food
Check out the delicacies!
We have
The spiciest
The sweetest
Most sour
And most bitter of food
Nasi lemak
Chappati
Dim Sum
Char kuey teow
Roti canai
Satay
High teas and buffet galores
Bring kiasus to the fore
Piling their plates with soooo much food
Still they come for more
For more
And more
And more!
Just to get their money's worth
The results
From size S to M
M to L
L to XL
XL to XXL
XXL to ...
Obesity
Diabetes
Heart disease
(doop...doop...tooooot )

There's a time in the year
Where Malaysians behave a little queer
Yesss! The sales are here!
Megasales up to 30, 50, 70 percent discounts
Buy 2 get 1 free!
Shop 'til you drop!
Run out of money?
Not to worry!
We have
American Express
Visa Card
Master card
Touch & Go card?!!
One for every occasion!
Spend now
Pay later
Spend, spend, spend
Bills, bills, bills
Enjoy now
Regret later

Malaysians have a complex that
Much is more
Bigger is better
Taller is terrific!
Thus, we have
The tallest Twin Towers
The longest canopy walking
The largest cooking contest
The biggest mooncake
Wait!
Not forgetting the number of trees planted
A hundred thousand trees in a minute
See, we have them all
If we can't make it
To the Guiness Book of Records
The Malaysian Book of Records will do, thank you!
Having heard our view
Won't you say
Malaysians are
Peculiar in their nature and behavior?
However
These idiosyncrasies
For better or worse
Mark us as Malaysians
As we stamp our identity
That makes us
Proud to be Malaysians...

Oh I just love this skript...Hope you guys enjoyed it...Aren't we just proud to be Malaysians?
Till the next post...Tschüss und mach's gut!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Gummy Bear Obsession...

I just love gummy bears...I can eat them all day long till I get bloated..nuff said... 
The obsession for these cute little bears started when I first came to Germany.Well, if it isn't the land where gummy bears originated.The name Gummy Bear comes from the German word "Gummibär" but normally people would call them Gummibärchen (little bears) due to their cute tiny size.

Are you addicted to gummy bears too? Blame it on Hans Riegel, the inventor of gummy bears in the year 1922.He invented these yummy tummy bear-shaped confectionery and founded the Haribo company.Guess where the famous name Haribo comes from? Hans Riegel from Bonn!!!


Haribo is like Maggi in Malaysia.The name Haribo is synonym for gummi bears just like Maggi is well known for instant noodle.When you think of gummy bears, you would think of Haribo.Well apart from Haribo, there are other brands of gummy bears that are also well-known and giving a good competition to Haribo, such as Bärentreff, Bärenland, Bären Company just to name a few.

There's a wide array of choices on gummy bears.They come in various flavours, shapes, textures, colours and sizes. Not forgetting the sour, bio, vegetarian and sugar-free versions. Wowee..plenty to choose from...rambang mata terus...

Unfortunately, I can't buy the Haribo gummy bears from the supermarket as they contain pork gelatine.My alternative is to get the Haribo gummy bears from the turkish shops.Siap ada tanda halal from Malaysia & Asia Region plak..But2 they are not made in Germany.. Howoe...Hampa..

Halal Gummy bears...oh and marshmallows too..

So what do I do? I get the gummy bears from other brands like Bärentreff, Bärenland or Bären Company but only those without gelatine..Yeah2..I know the texture won't be the same with those contained gelatine but they still taste awesome..So yeah..And the best part is, there's no gelatine from pork or beef. So everyone can enjoy them...teruja kan..

I bought these to bring back to Malaysia..hee..chomeyl kan..

Oh the shape of the gummi bears from Bären Company is a bit different from others..siap ada peace yáll!

Before I end this post, lemme share this video with all of you.The song entitled "I'm A Gummy Bear" is a dance song by German composer Christian Schneider.The song has been translated in at least twenty five languages and has virally spread worldwide with more than 1 billion plays of the corresponding videos on YouTube and MySpace. Crazeeeee!!!
(Source from Wikipedia)

This video has the original german version along with 7 other languages..Enjoy!

 
Annoying tapi tapi nak sing along jugak...

 Oh guess what? Gummi bears are one of the candies that have been turned into a television show...
Sadly, the show only ran from 1985 till 1990...tengok siaran ulangan jerla..

 My favourite Gummibärchen ever...

"My Favorite Thing about Eating Gummy Bears Is Knowing That They Can't Fight Back When You Bite Their Heads Off"


Till the next post..Tschüss und mach's gut!!!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Lompat si katak lompat, lompat la sampai Darmstadt...


Strange as it may seem, the name Darmstadt first appears towards the end of the 11th century.Back then it was Darmundestat.Literally translated, Darmstadt means "Intestine City".Hee..funny huh? Well, the origin of the name is actually unknown and the literal meaning of intestine city is just an unfortunate coincidence.. howoe...

I went to Darmstadt with Darwin and Rumitha to visit our close friend, Ina.It was our first time in Darmstadt..So we were very excited to go around the city of Darmstadt and explore what it has to offer.There are actually a lot of tourist attractions in Darmstadt.Sadly we didn't have enough time to explore all the places but we managed to visit few interesting tourist attractions in the city..

 List of Tourist Attractions in Darmstadt

Darmstadt Central Station

Luisenplatz -It is the center point of the Darmstadt city.

On the train at Luisenplatz

Ludwigssäule - The 33m/108 ft high Ludwigsmonument is topped with a bronze statue of Grand Duke Ludwig.

 Monument along the shopping street...

 Alice-monument in Wilhelminenplatz - An obelisk commemorating Princess Alice, wife of Grand Duke Ludwig IV.
 St. Ludwig Church - The neo-classical Ludwig Church was modeled on the Pantheon in Rome.

Staatstheater Darmstadt Kunstwerk - The State Theatre in Darmstadt is a four-division home with opera, dance, theater and concert life.

 Kunst tu maksudnya art..so kita kena create art of jumping ye kat sini...

Sundae Ice-cream treat by Ina..

 Residenzschloß Darmstadt - The Castle in Darmstadt comprises a big range of buildings dating from the 16th, 18th and 19th centuries.There are Provincial and University Library and the Schlossmuseum...

Rathaus Darmstadt - The rebuilt Old Town Hall (Renaissance) has a staircase tower on the facade.

 Altes Theater Darmstadt (Old Theater) - Neo-classical Old Theater (1819) now houses the State archives.

 Darmstadt Stadium

 Technical University Darmstadt

 
 Herrngarten/Schloßgarten - The garden is the biggest and oldest park in the city. It contains the burial mound of Landgravine Henriette Caroline

 Tertibe terasa nak letak gambar yang Hanis cakap cam Hollywood celeb ni... 
Heee...annoying skit kan...but2 this is the first time gambar candid jadi hawt..selalu gambar candid muka tua je..Baekla nabeyl...

Till the next post..Tschüss und mach's gut!!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

What's up Frankfurt?

Frankfurt, a such dynamic, modern and active city was chosen as the venue for Rentap tournament this year.Rentap is actually organised by MGSS (Malaysian German Student Society) and this year is the fourth year this event was held.Tournaments are open to all Malaysian students to join in various sports such as Football, Bowling, Basketball, Badminton and etc.


As the saying goes, "Majulah Sukan Untuk Negara" , I was very enthusiastic in joining the bowling tournament with my housemates.Even though we didn't have enough practice, we dare ourself to join the bowling tournament for the first time.Other than Bowling, Darwin joined Football and Badminton while Hakim only joined Football.We also had representative from NRW for Basketball. It was great competing against other Malaysians in a healthy competition and at the same time strengthening the bonding between Malaysians here.We don't really have many Malaysians here, so this event is a great approach in bringing us closer together...


The chronology of the event...

 On Saturday morning we made our way to Frankfurt where the tournament would be held...We arrived in Frankfurt at about 2 pm..We should have arrived earlier but there were delays in Düsseldorf and Cologne..Howoe

Frankfurt Central Station

Football tournament was held on the first day..After leaving our bags in the locker at the central station, we went straight to the Football field

Spectators..

Bowling tournament was carried out that evening at Rebstock Bowling alley.After the football match we went directly to the bowling alley.

Woh2...takot woh dah lama x join bowling tournament..


We're the OKK...Orang _____ Krefeld...
humma2...
 Even though we didn't place in the tournament, we had a great time playing bowling as a team and we had the best supporters ever..If there was an award for Best Supporters, we would have won..hee

OKK with the awesome supporters!!!

After the game, we stopped by at Crobag to have our supper before heading to Darmstadt to spend the night there.
Taking the Underground tram to Darmstadt...

On the next day, we had to come back to Frankfurt for Rentap Abend program. The event started at 7.30pm, so we decided to catch a movie first before heading to the consulate building for the event.

We watched X-MEN First Class...It was awesome despite having a slow storyline..we enjoyed it very much..

Before entering the Rentap Abend program, we had to register ourselves.We got a cute bag with a small gift and a number inside for a lucky draw session later on.Not forgetting that we had to wear glowing stick as a prove that we have registered for the event..hee..

After the opening ceremony of the event, it was the moment everyone was waiting for..Eating time!!!

I like this pic a lot..

There were also performances and lucky draw sessions in between..

Group pictures...

We didn't stay long at the event as Darwin wanted to get some rest for his badminton tournament on the next day...We took a group pic infront of the consulat office before saying tschüss to everyone..

Stay tune for the next post on our trip in Darmstadt...
Tschüss und mach's gut!!!