Purity (Part 2)

I am a normal male currently going through a mid-life crisis. Like most of us, our natural hormones rage 24/7 and at times it goes overdrive. Now, to have purity of thought while having our hormones work overtime could be very challenging. When I see a female figure, I would love to check out her butts, boobs and figure. Now this is not abnormal. However, many a time, crazy illicit fantasies start to appear and cause havoc to the mind. Scenarios of lust, adultery, fornication and illicit sex begin to heighten the unnoticed sexual desire from within. Even the most conservatively dressed female begin to be undressed by my impure thoughts. This feeling and sensation is nothing new to me and most normal males endure similar experiences.

In Islam, females are not allowed to show any body parts of themselves, except their faces and both palms of their hands. According to orthodox Muslims, the only dress code acceptable to females is one that does not reveal any body parts as mentioned. In addition to this, the dress must not reveal the wearer's body contour. And the color of the dress must be dull so as to not attract attention of the opposite sex. So outfits like slacks, trousers, jeans, t-shirts are definite no-nos. This is only applicable in public. Females are free to dress in any way they desire in the company of their husbands. Therefore, even dresses that are not revealing in any way, but are colorful enough to attract attention, is not acceptable at all. Hair and voice are also considered to be a female's private domain in the public.

Therefore, I am extremely sure that I am not alone in loathing Muslim women that sport a scarf or headgear that covers their hair, but wear clothing that reveals the shape of their assets like their thighs, butts and boobs. The person's hypocrisy in wearing such attire is evident and it leaves a negative impression in many Muslims. I am not an exception.

One fine day, I would love to see a person of the opposite sex without any evil desires blazing through my head. Well, this is easier said than done.

Purity

According to the Collins International Dictionary of the English Language, "pure" has several meanings. Among these are "not mixed with any extraneous or dissimilar materials, elements, etc.", "free from tainting or polluting matter", "free from moral taint or defilement" and others. Purity means the state or quality of being pure.

Nowadays, it is extremely difficult to find anything that is pure in the true sense of the word. We eat fast-food which is mostly processed. The water that we drink has been treated. Even the heavenly rainfall is not spared either. Acid rain has been a phenomenon that started to exist in the early seventies. Rivers are not pure anymore. Many are polluted up to the extent that no life form could be sustained in the once pure state of the God given river. There is very little that we can do about all these.

Today, by the grace of God, I come to realise the significance and importance of our purity of thought. Although purity of deeds could be achieved quite easily, many of us today could not give a damn about what is moral, or otherwise. Many are immoral, and worst of all, some of us are amoral. Yes, this word does exist! In my humble opinion, purity of deeds is not sufficient. After being given life by God, it is only natural for one to be closer to Him, as without His Grace, we would not be here enjoying life in the first place.

Purity of thought require us to not think of evil deeds. Yes, a person could be seen as performing good deeds. But we would not know whether his or her intentions are equally pure. Hence, purity of thought and purity of intentions go hand in hand. Pure thoughts give rise to pure intentions and vice versa. If one could achieve these two kinds of purity, he or she would come close to having angel-like qualities. And the reward of the eternal heaven would not be too far away...

HAPPY EID MUBARAK!

Yesterday, Muslims in Malaysia celebrate the first day of the Islamic month of Shawal. This day is the culmination of a month of fasting, which is obligatory for all Muslims. We fast from pre-dawn to dusk with no food, drinks or sex allowed in between. For all who had observed the prerequisites of fasting, I would like to congratulate all of you. And to all Muslims everywhere, have a wonderful Eid Mubarak!

Welcome To The Year 3000 and A Brave New World

HUMANS will grow to an average of two metres, live to the age of 120 and all have brown skin by 3000, an evolutionary expert says.

Oliver Curry, of the Darwin@LSE research centre at the London School of Economics, said on Monday racial differences would become less pronounced, thanks to trends in nutrition, medicine and migration.

Dr Curry predicted humans would decline physically and lose key social and interactive skills because of an over-dependence on technology and medical interventions.

By the year 102,000, humans will have split into two sub-species — the "genetic haves" and the "genetic have-nots". Dr Curry, who was commissioned to do the study of how humans would evolve over the next 1000, 10,000 and 100,000 years by TV channel Bravo, said: "The future of man will be a story of the good, the bad and the ugly. While science and technology have the potential to create an ideal habitat for humanity over the next millennium, there is a possibility of a monumental genetic hangover.

"After that, things could get ugly, with the possible emergence of genetic 'haves' and 'have-nots'."

Dr Curry said humans would reach physical peak about 3000, with improved nutrition and understanding of the human body. Men would reach average heights of between 1.83 and 2.13 metres.

Physical features would evolve to emphasise features valued in the opposite sex by men and women looking for potential mates, such as health, youth and fertility.

Men would have more symmetrical facial features, squarer jaws, deeper voices and be better endowed. Women would have large, clear eyes, pert breasts, glossy hair, more symmetrical features and hairless skin.

Variations in skin colouring were expected to be smoothed out, with most humans moving towards a brown tone.

"Race is only skin deep," Dr Curry told Britain's Sun newspaper. "There was a time when we were all the same colour. As we become more interconnected throughout the world, racial difference is likely to be diluted."

By about the year 12,000, he said, communication skills and emotional capabilities such as love, sympathy, trust and respect would have diminished, eroding the abilities of humans to care for others or perform in teams.

The increased eating of processed foods would mean humans did less chewing, leading to less developed jaws and shorter chins. Immune systems would deteriorate due to hygiene obsession and a heavy reliance on medicines.

"If we are all popping pills, diseases such as cancer won't be weeded out of the gene pool," Dr Curry told The Sun. Infants would be larger at birth, forcing mothers to have caesarean sections. Humans would be able to replace faulty stretches of DNA thanks to advances in genetic engineering — potentially leading to more genetic uniformity and vulnerability to disease.

"Our ideas of what we find attractive will evolve and as a result we will develop technologies that will enable us to upgrade ourselves," he said.

He predicted that in 100,000 years the genetic elite would move in ever more exclusive circles. They would be increasingly tall, thin, clean, healthy and creative, while the genetic underclass would be short, stocky, asymmetrical, unhealthy, less intelligent and grubby.

"We certainly can't predict definitely what is going to happen but we can make educated predictions based on our understanding of how evolution works," Dr Curry said.

TELEGRAPH

Dr. M VS Pak Lah

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi has confirmed that he will hold a meeting with ex-premier Tun Dr. Mahathir very soon. However, Pak Lah has refused to elaborate further on the exact date, time and place of the meeting. In my humble opinion, this urgent meeting is important in a sense that the scathing attacks on Pak Lah's administration by Dr. M can be answered face-to-face. The majority of the rakyat who gave Barisan Nasional a thumping majority in the last general elections could be forgiven if they are starting to lose confidence in the alliance. Prices of goods have been increasing with not much thought given to the non-increase in the salary received by most working Malaysians. This is indeed a very serious matter that needs to be looked into without further delay. I am predicting a reduced majority for Barisan Nasional for the coming elections, rumoured to be held sometime in 2008.

FABEBOOKS Web Launched

I am pleased to announce to the whole world that my fourth site, named "FABEBOOKS", was launched barely eight hours ago. This site has some interesting e-books for sale at rock-bottom prices. Most of the titles are about making money online and making the most out of all available resources. Need an interesting e-book? Click HERE.

First Canaries Triumph Under Grant

Jason Shackell was accredited with his first goal for Norwich City FC to ensure new Canaries boss Peter Grant earned a 1-0 win at Birmingham. The pressure is now mounting on Blues manager Steve Bruce as his team have taken only two points from their last five matches in the Championship after being the early season pacesetters. They could have no complaints about the result and, but for poor finishing by nine-goal Robert Earnshaw and some vital saves by Blues goalkeeper Maik Taylor, the victory margin would have been even greater.

Focus

The importance of focus can never be underestimated. It is important to stay focussed on anything you do as it will help make your plans a success. Some of my friends say that I am guilty of not focusing on what I am currently doing. Well, I beg to differ. Having mastered the art of multi-tasking while serving as a banker in a local Malaysian commercial bank helps me a lot to accomplish many different things in a short span of time. Of course, you need a "to do" list in order to be organized. You are not expected to remember everything that needs to be done most of the time. I stay organized by writing what I am supposed to do on a short, medium and long-term periods. In this way, I do not lose focus on what needs to be accomplished. Another essential skill necessary is to prioritize your goals. Certain things need to be done urgently, while others can be done without any deadlines. Setting deadlines helps to get you moving as some of us tend to procrastinate unnecessarily. I do procrastinate on certain things and this is one aspect I need to improve on. Back to focus, it is easy to see that when you concentrate on doing something, it invariably gets done with minimum distractions. Anyway, all of us have our own peculiar way of doing things. You know yourself best.

World War 3 ?

After successfully exploding a nuclear bomb, the international community has been quick to criticize North Korea for the testing. With further sanctions to be introduced soon, analysts grimly predict a possibility of World War 3 erupting. Neighbours, South Korea, are on an increased alert level and had been making various preparations in anticipation of an all out attack. Leaders of North Korea warned that any sort of sanctions imposed would be interpreted as a declaration of war against their country.

Fair enough. Why don't anybody make noise about Israel's nuclear capabilities? This just shows the many double-standards some so-called civilized nations are unjustly and arrogantly practicing. Some food for your thoughts.

Top 20 Companies To Work For In Malaysia

1. Shell Malaysia

Industry: Oil & Gas

An excellent company to work for, Shell Malaysia provides you with a platform for trainings and knowledge, while at the same time providing you with opportunity for growth while climbing the technical and corporate ladder.

　

2. Intel Malaysia

Industry: Manufacturing

Intel is the world’s largest chip maker, also a leading manufacturing of computer, networking and communications products. Intel currently has the largest plant of all manufacturing companies in Penang & Kulim industrial area.

　

3. DHL

Industry: Logistics & Freight Forwarding

DHL's international network links more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. Around 285,000 employees are dedicated to providing fast and reliable services that exceed customers' expectations in 120,000 destinations in all continents.

　

4. Petronas

Industry: Oil & Gas

PETRONAS is an integrated international oil and gas company with business interests in 31 countries. As at end of October 2005, the PETRONAS Group comprised 101 wholly-owned subsidiaries, 19 partly-owned outfits and 57 associated companies.

　

5. McKinsey & Co

Industry: Consulting

As one of the world’s biggest consulting firms with offices all across the globe, McKinsey helps many of the world's leading organizations think about and improve their strategies, organizations and operations.

　

6. Maxis Malaysia

Industry: Communications

As one of the largest communications giants in this country, Maxis Malaysia will be a preferred platform for aspiring executives to be part of in the quest to reach their career heights. There are so many opportunities available as Maxis is expected to continue growing in terms of size and profits.

　

7. IBM Malaysia

Industry: System/Hardware

To date, IBM Malaysia has played a major role in delivering solutions to the customers to help solve business problems. IBM’s key strengths are in people, skills and experience in IT and complex projects, and worldwide infrastructure of international offices and laboratories from which they can quickly assemble the best expertise required by the customers in Malaysia and worldwide.

　

8. Motorola Malaysia

Industry: Manufacturing

First established in Malaysia in Penang (1974), Motorola today is a total solutions provider for wireless telecommunications and energy products. It is the first Motorola Asia-Pacific Regional Integrated Manufacturing, R&D and Distribution Center. Capabilities include design & development of two-way radio products, world-class manufacturing and distribution to global customers.

　

9. ExxonMobil

Industry: Oil & Gas

A merge between Esso and Mobil produced ExxonMobil which is now the biggest oil and gas company globally, covering upstream, downstream, technology and chemical activities.

　

10. Hewlett Packard (HP Malaysia)

Industry: Hardware/multimedia

HP Malaysia is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing for consumers, enterprises and small and medium businesses.

　　

11. CIMB

Industry: Investment

CIMB is the largest, award winning investment bank in Southeast Asia. They offer a full range of integrated capital markets and advisory solutions tailored to a diverse client base, including large corporations, financial institutions, private individuals and institutional investors. Requires talented and hardworking people, but you’ll be well compensated. Min yearly bonus average more than 6 months, depending on your performance. In 2004 claim a record bonus payout of 13 months!

　

12. Ernst & Young

Industry: Financial & tax services

In Malaysia, Ernst & Young is one of the largest professional services firms with more than 2,400 employees in 17 offices in West and East Malaysia. It was established in early 1900s and was one of the first internationally linked public accounting firms in the country.

　　

13. Citibank

Industry: Banking

Citibank is part of Citigroup, the world’s largest banking entity, with operation in more than 100 countries and having more than 200 million customers worldwide. Citibank also offers one of the most comprehensive trainings to their sales force.

　

14. Dell Asia Pacific

Industry: PC/Hardware

Dell is one-stop PC and notebook supplier with state of the art assembly operation in Penang, supported by a world-class standard of customer service operation. At the heart of Dell's Asia Pacific operations is the Asia Pacific Customer Center (APCC) in Penang, Malaysia. The 238,000-square-foot manufacturing facility opened in October 1995 and in February 2001, Dell's second Asia Pacific Customer Centre (APCC2) of 370,000-square-feet began operations. Desktops, workstations, notebooks, servers and storage products are manufactured to order for customers throughout Asia Pacific.
　　

15. Accenture

Industry: Consultancy

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with operation in 110 offices worldwide. Accenture collaborate with its clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. Accenture mobilizes excellent qualified people having the right skills and technologies to help clients improve their performance.

　　

16. PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC)

Industry: Financial & Tax services

PWC provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for its clients and their stakeholders. Their Malaysia operation is supported by a strong 1700 workforce in 9 locations.

　　

17. Toyota

Industry: Automotive

Toyota Motor Corporation is one of the world’s leading automakers, offering full range of models. As of March 2004, Toyota employs 264,000 people worldwide, and market vehicles in more than 140 countries. Their diversified operations include telecommunications, prefabricated housing and leisure boats.

　　

18. Nokia

Industry: Mobile communications

A leading player in mobile communications in the Asia Pacific, Nokia first started operations in the region in the early 1980s. It has since established a leading brand presence in many local markets, and business has expanded considerably in all areas to support customer needs and the growth of the telecommunications industry in the region.

　

19. ATOS Origin

Industry: IT Outsourcing

Currently one of the world's biggest IT outsourcing companies, ATOS' speedy growth and reputation was boosted by its successful IT infrastructure delivery during Athens Olympics in 2004 and entrusted for similar capacity in 2008 Beijing Olympics. Their sales rocketed by 75% largely due to acquisition of Sema Group from Schlumberger. The company is currently growing by leaps and bound.

　　

20. Western Digital

Industry: Manufacturing

Winner of Best Employers in Asia awards, Western Digital is really an excellent organization to be in. You’ll get a chance to get a closer look on the manufacturing operation of enterprise drives, desktop, external and mobile drives.