Davis Rojak

has it really been...

2010-10-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

Has it really been 4 months since we last updated this ol' blog of ours? Am I to guess MASA is no more?

Kindly revert the status to Aliaa.

Thank you.

Best Regards,
Aliaa @ MsInexorable.
p/s: I've been working too hard. Someone give me some thing else to look forward to!

Yao Hua has good news coming end of June~~

2010-05-19T23:05:00.001-07:00

just to write something...

and the good news is true.

don't get your expectations too high though.

/spam

Midwest Game

2010-05-19T00:27:00.000-07:00

Hari semakin dekat. Make sure menang!:)

Just felt like writing something here. Start writing again people!

need I say more?

2009-07-17T18:46:00.000-07:00

New Committee Members!

2009-07-12T03:11:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I just realized that no one updated the new members of our "shuffled" committee, so I decided to do it. Check if your names are correct, and tell me if I had forgotten something.

I also would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our new president and vice president!

Congrats Faris and Nadhira!

May you both lead our club with much stride, and find us not so annoying to deal with. Ahahahah! It's going to be another fabulous year! (Or maybe I'm saying this becuz I miss the Davis M'sians - hahaha)

p/s Have a great summer guys!

the jobs are out there

2009-07-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

Well....my dad e-mailed me some stats about the current Malaysian job market...these stats don't look too good, but we all gotta keep our chins up and keep job hunting. I just began today...

Copied directly from the e-mail (granted, I don't know how valid this e-mail was):
1) about 30,111 Malaysians have lost their jobs since last October.
2) According to the Higher Education Ministry’s Graduate Tracer Study, 55.1% of graduates were employed six months after they graduated last year while about 80% secured jobs within the same period in 2007.
3) The good news is that although the outlook for the local employment market remains subdued, companies are still hiring, especially to fill key positions.
4) According to The Star’s job portal Star-Jobs senior executive Joyce Lee, other sectors are also hiring.

Hahah...I went to look at The Star's website, and most job postings are for advertising stuff...

Good luck to us, Class of 09. We might be down, but we're not out of the game yet! I just started, after all.

what we had to endure..

2009-06-14T23:10:00.000-07:00

some of us washed car to raise funds for our graduation party.
here is the evidence.

World Environment Day (June 5, 2009)

2009-05-31T04:58:00.000-07:00

I just want to share something with you. Next Friday (June 05) will be the World Environment Day. We all are pretty much acquainted with Earth Day, Aids Day, and Water Day. But, many people have never heard of World Environment Day. Check out this website: http://www.unep.org/wed/2009/english/content/about.asp

We can actually get involved to celebrate that awesome day. You can go green on that day itself OR one week before June 05. Things that you can do (from the same website):

AT HOME…

It would seem to go without saying, but many of us forget that we can save water in simple ways like not letting the tap run while shaving, washing your face, or brushing your teeth.
Using an electric razor or hand razor with replaceable blades instead of disposable razors goes a long way to cutting back on waste. And plant a tree.
Use towels for drying your face and hands instead of tissues that are used and thrown away. Also, hang your towels to dry so that they can be reused several times. You are after all clean when you use them!
Juice or yoghurt lovers can do their bit by buying juice in concentrates and yoghurt in reusable containers instead of single serving packages.
Many of us like to leaf through the paper as we munch on breakfast, but consider reading the dailies in communal spaces like the office or coffee shops. However, if you prefer to have your own copy, make sure you recycle!
When packing your lunch, opt for reusable containers for food storage instead of wrapping the food with aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
As you leave the house, don’t forget to switch off all the lights and appliances at the wall unit (if you have this feature) and unplug chargers as they continue to consume even if they are not charging; saving energy helps reduce air pollution.

GETTING TO WORK:

Don’t go anywhere without your cloth bag so you can just say no to plastic whenever you shop.
Radical as it may seem, in today’s “the easier the better” society, the easiest way to reduce your carbon footprint is by avoiding driving altogether. Power down and Instead try biking, walking, carpooling, public transport or an occasional telecommute.
If you’re one of the lucky few blessed with clear stretches of road on your way to work, use cruise control, as it saves fuel and also helps you maintain a constant speed.
For those who suffer from road rage, remember that aggressive driving lowers your mileage, so if you want to save on fuel and save the planet while you’re at it, accelerate gradually-- something to keep that in mind the next time that bad driver cuts you off! Just count to 10 and say the planet needs me!

AT WORK:

Do you have a morning hot drink routine? Using a washable mug is an environmentally-friendly alternative to non-biodegradable styrofoam or plastic cups.
Leave a cup and reusable bottle for water at work to eliminate buying drinks, which get served in plastic cups, or bottled water. 80% of plastic bottles are recyclable but only 20% are actually recycled.
When you need a pad for lists and messages, turn over an old document and write on the back of that instead.
If there isn’t an office recycling system, start one yourself! Recycling our trash actually contributes to reducing global warming emissions. And it is estimated that 75% of what is thrown in the trash could actually be recycled, though currently only 25% is.
When you must have a paper copy, make sure you default your printer option to use both sides. This is an easy tree-saver!
Lower your office’s carbon footprint by seeing computers, monitors, printers, copiers, speakers and other business equipment to their energy saving feature and turning them off at the end of the day. And plant a tree!
Turning off all unnecessary lights, especially in unused offices and conference rooms is an easy way to save energy.
If you’re in search of something to personalize your workspace, look no further than the humble houseplant. Houseplants are good for the environment because they remove quantities of pollutants present in the air.
AFTER A LONG DAY:
In the summer/warmer months, consider using an interior fan in conjunction with your window air-conditioner to spread the cooled air more effectively through your home. While you’re at it, in winter, lower your thermostat and put on a jumper. In summer, increase it and wear lighter clothes, you will also save money!
Don’t place lamps or TV sets near your air-conditioning thermostat as it senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air-conditioner to run longer than necessary.
When cooking dinner, match the size of the pan to the size of the heating element to lower energy wastage.
When you are feeling at your laziest, don’t throw clean clothes in the hamper to avoid hanging them up! Wear jeans more than once…
When you wash, use only eco-friendly products in your home. It’s best for you and the environment! And did we mention plant a tree!

Hopefully, you will do one of the many things in the long list to help save the environment. Happy World Environment Day!!

Malaysian species among 10 strange species discovered in 2008

2009-05-27T22:54:00.000-07:00

As I was procrastinating in lab this afternoon, I Stumbled Upon an article: 10 Strange Species Discovered Last Year, which describes the top 10 species found and described in 2008, according to The International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University.

Lo and behold, TWO Malaysian species are among them!

Species #1: Opisthostoma vermiculum

Excerpt from the article:

This strange Malaysian gastropod has a shell that defies the standard laws of shell twisting. It coils along four separate axes, not three like most of its relatives.

Yes, it's the only known gastropod to possess four different coiling axes. Isn't it the craziest-looking thing? (Btw the BIS2C and former BIS1B kids should know this, but in case the others don't know: in simple explanation, gastropods are the class of animals that includes snails, limpets, slugs, etc.) A curious person might be wondering what the *toot* that thing is, so I have conveniently found a page describing this interesting snail.

The Ipoh girls would be proud to know that this snail was found at Gunung Rapat, Perak. The snail "appears to be restricted to a single limestone karst" -- so it must've been found at one of those pretty limestone mountains in Ipoh's vicinity. Genetics and evolution nerds (a subset that includes me) would be interested in the fact that the snail's special shell coils suggest "that the coiling strategy is under some form of strict developmental-gene control". Budding scientists might be interested to read the published paper on this precious snail (main authors are affiliated with WWF-Malaysia and Universiti Malaysia Sabah!)

Species #2: Phobaeticus chani (Chan's megastick)

We may not have the tallest skyscraper anymore, nor do we have the biggest cave in the world (since April 2009 -- damn Vietnamese cave) ... but now, we officially have the world's longest insect! YES, HAHA! And it was named after the Malaysian naturalist who found it: Datuk Chan Chew Lun. Awesome. This stick insect was found at Ulu Moyog, Penampang district, Sabah.

(The article said "Borneo" when they described this insect, and I knew there was 50-50 chance it could be Malaysian!)

I don't know about you guys, but I'm very proud. I've always been proud of the fact that our beautiful country boasts of such vast biodiversity -- a significant portion of which is still untapped and, perhaps, also undiscovered. It's making me all excited again to go back and pursue research to explore and protect Malaysia's rich flora and fauna (after I am done, that is).

Who knows what other endemic species there are to be discovered! Our precious coily snail is already classified as critically endangered by IUCN and is particularly vulnerable to extinction since there is significant quarring activities (horr, aktiviti perlombongan) in the area where it is found. Eek!

Anyhoo, Malaysia is awesome. :)

Rhinoceros Hornbill on Letterman

2009-05-25T00:38:00.000-07:00

This is pretty random, but I was watching The Late Show with David Letterman the other day, and Letterman had the winners of the Piedmont Bird Callers Competition come on his show to showcase their bird-calling talent.

The third place winners did the call of a South American bird, the Horned Screamer. Uhuh.
The second place winners did the Hawaiian Coot. Uhuh.

So, when the first place winners came on, my half-closed eyes popped when they said they were going to do the Rhinoceros Hornbill!!
I, then, paid extra attention to their descriptions and inwardly nodded in approval when they mentioned that the bird is "the emblem of a Malaysian state". Yes, good good.

You can check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v77DSE4AERU
If not for the Rhinoceros Hornbill, you can watch it just to see geeky high school kids doing bird calls very animatedly, which makes for a pretty interesting watch.

So, yes, in typical Malaysian fashion, I get excited when some small piece of Malaysia is mentioned somewhere. ^^

Jodha Akbar!

2009-05-11T22:11:00.000-07:00

after watching Jodha Akbar two nights ago, I have been totally enchanted by some of the songs in the movie. Of course, Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai were also very charming in the movie...

but anyway, you guys should give these songs a try:
"jashn e baharaa"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrMrDwUghXU

"in lamhon ke daman mein"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EsV0anEqq0&feature=related

and this awesome one "Azeem O Shaan Shahenshah"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dCIANC9XGE&feature=related

Bangun Pagi~ Makan Roti~~

2009-05-02T08:11:00.000-07:00

it's now 8.12am, about 12 minutes past the time we planned to meet in I-House and start the day.

haha...

I am still at home eating breakfast...bet everyone's still asleep. All worked late last night.
Kumi and Zain (whom I abruptly woke up) were the only Malaysians I have heard from this morning.

haha....

right, Wake up Peoples! We have a whole day ahead of us ~

Argh~

2009-05-01T11:42:00.001-07:00

Some of you should know what this means..... *wink*

Selangor Sultan at Palo Alto!

2009-04-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

Hey just read the news that the Sultan of Selangor will be having a heart operation at the Stanford Medical Center, this Saturday.

My first thought was 'darn...too bad he won't be free to come to our event'....

and just out of being a nice human, I of course wish him all the best.

Malaysian Culture Syok

2009-04-30T09:41:00.000-07:00

Malaysian Culture Syok is coming soon!!! AHHHH!!! I'm excited for the dikir barat and wayang kulit and videos...and food (basically, everything).

Is everyone getting ready?

-currently-writing-portions-of-emcee-script-

Putting videos together

2009-04-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

Hi!

I am writing to say and remind everyone to have their videos all put together by our deadline (although, I forgot the actual deadline now). This will help make ALL of us feel better, knowing some parts of Malaysian Culture Syok will be set in stone-ish. :) Especially since it's coming up! AH!

I was editing my video earlier today and looking at mamak stalls/late night restaurants...so empty at night...they're like calling our names!

Once we have our videos together, we'll also be able to enjoy picnic day more! Yayy picnic day!

HAPPY almost PICNIC DAY! Come and watch the parade in the morning, then DDR at night! I hope everyone got tickets!

-the-extra-tired-one

I am going to the Midwest Games~!

2009-04-01T19:23:00.000-07:00

yippee!

Welcome to the Spring Quarter

2009-03-30T00:04:00.000-07:00

Today marks the beginning of Spring Quarter 2009.

For some of us, it's the third quarter of surviving graduate school.

And for some among us, it is the last quarter ever in their undergraduate lives.

Let's make it one hell of a quarter! :D

Happy going to classes, everyone!

Good Luck ON FINALS!

2009-03-15T00:02:00.000-07:00

Good luck on finalsssss!!

Semoga Berjaya.

p/s: Happy belated Pi Day
p/p/s: almost St.Patrick's Day
p/p/p/s: and we had Friday the 13th again this month! wah, so many weird celebrations/days in mid-March.

What is worth fighting for?

2009-03-07T23:07:00.000-08:00

2000 people marched to the royal palace, in hopes of sending a plea to the king. They wanted change. The strong show of emotion was met by tear-gas, scattering the marchers from their initial purpose.

Wait, let me back up a little. The plea was to use Bahasa Malaysia again to teach math and science, instead of the current way of using English to teach these 2 subjects. The arguments are as old as age: use B.M so that there's a chance of modernizing the language; use English to improve the English-speaking skills of students.

Is this a trivial thing to fight over? What is worth fighting for in your mind?

Here's the article in case anyone is interested: http://iht.com/articles/ap/2009/03/07/asia/AS-Malaysia-Language-Protest.php

Tshirt Design!

2009-02-20T03:05:00.000-08:00

Here is the long-awaited MASA tshirt design!!!

There will be nothing else at the back except the website link. It should be near the collar.

Click on the picture to get a better view. The picture is a bit blurry though.

Enjoy!

Zain's store in San Francisco

2009-02-20T01:05:00.000-08:00

Hehe, I actually took these pictures quite a while ago and forgot about it. But today, I was going through pictures in my phone and had a good laugh!

If Zain wanted to take over this store, he didn't have to change a thing! XD

Stand up!

2009-02-16T18:26:00.001-08:00

WARNING:
the Video Committee has already convened and made progress.
other Committees shouldn't be slacking either.

by,
EnamKaki the YangBerkakiEnam

Happy 3-Day WEEKEND! :D

2009-02-14T11:47:00.000-08:00

Hmm....

HEY!!! i get to be a writer now. :)

Updates:

We are getting a shirt, but the design is somewhat unfinished. I hope Faris and Panjang work on the design soon. *hint hint*

Other than that, there's supposedly a lot of Malaysian Culture Syok updates, but I'll leave that up to Khalis.

Today, being Valentine's Day...I decided to make it my dedicated studying-without-a-laptop day (it's starting at 12:30pm). Anyone have any hot dates tonight? I was too chicken. Hehe.

-Aliaa

Selamat Tahun Baru Cina !

2009-01-25T15:49:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year people!

新年快乐万事如意

:)

Obama and his family's secret!

2009-01-20T22:25:00.000-08:00

Today is President Obama's inauguration day! He is now officially the president of the world! I am just kidding! I meant the United States of America. Because of that, I think we should get to know this country's president a bit better. And guess what I found out from Matt about his family. His brother in law was born to Chinese Malaysian parents!!! Let me repeat: Chinese Malaysian parents! He, however, was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. So, not totally Malaysian la. But, I thought it is really nice to see the word Malaysia on Wikipedia in Obama's Family section.

Here's what you can see on wikipedia:
Konrad NgBrother-in-law of Barack Obama, born 1974. A Canadian whose parents are Malaysian Chinese immigrants, he is an assistant professor at the University of Hawaii's Academy of Creative Media. His parents are from Kudat and Sandakan, two small towns in Sabah, Malaysia, and he was born and raised in Burlington, Ontario.He married Maya Soetoro-Ng at the end of 2003 in Hawaii. They have one daughter, Suhaila.

That's all I want to say. Happy Obama day!!

PS: I wonder why he named his daughter Suhaila. Any thoughts?

Davis Rojak has a new look!

2009-01-19T03:54:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Faris and Khalis (and me chipping here and there <-- nak jugak credit HAHA), our blog has received a significant upgrade in the aesthetics department.

Not only is it prettier, it is also more patriotic now!

The birds in the banner represent the four colors of our national flag: blue, yellow, red and white.
Blue represents unity;
Yellow represents royalty;
Red represents bravery;
And white represents purity.

And the birds themselves represent the free spirit that each Malaysian embodies withi-- haha just kidding - I just made that up.

Anyway, the birds, the tree and the swirly thing are strictly for design purposes. Just wanted to bring that up, because we were thinking it could potentially be misunderstood that the birds were for Animal Biotech people, the tree for Plant Biotech people and the swirly thing could be a flagellum to represent the Microbe Biotech people. Hahahahahahahaha! No lah, we know there are engineers (and a vet, landscape architect, chemist, etc!) among us :).

Its 2009; What's your resolutions?

2009-01-11T19:45:00.000-08:00

Hello peeps,

I know Yao Hua mentioned how we have inactive authors for this blog (such as myself), so I decided to randomly blog a post on and about the new year...

So yes, we have stepped into the new year by 10 days already... and today, as I was looking at some Youtube videos, I realized that I haven't made any resolutions for the new year. I never really believe in new year's resolutions, or even the fact that a new year gives a new beginning. It's not because I am a pessimist, but because I believe that every new moment or day or hour can be a new fresh start. Anytime one wants it to be.

So here I am, wondering why would people celebrate new year's anyway. I always take advantage of the night of New Year's eve as a night to let loose and be joyful and enjoy some good fireworks. But I guess the society likes to celebrate the new year because it is generally an "appropriate" time for change. And what better way to change than to change together with your closed ones?

So, I had this inkling (after watching the Youtube videos) that it actually might be good and fun to make a fresh start and create resolutions... and share them. Hahaha. Hopefully, it'll inspire those who haven't made resolutions to make them, and to support those who have made them (giving them comfort that they're not the only ones in the boat) and to entertain those who comes to this blog for a good laugh or a good reason to blackmail me. Hoho~

So here goes, a part of me, and my resolutions:

1) To be more brave at applying for a job or internship. I get stuck and become very, very nervous at applying for those, or even writing a resume - like those who are scared of public talking get stage fright. I get... erm, application-terrified?

2) To write more in this blog, so that it keeps the Malaysians together in sharing thoughts, random rambles and other stuff. (And giving Yao Hua a small relief). Btw, it doesn't mean I'm going to write that regularly either! Hehe..

3) To limit the number of classes I allow myself to miss every quarter. (Yes, I used to miss class a lot) but although its best to not miss any... Sometimes, circumstances do occur. So maybe I can allow myself 1 or 2 missed classes per month, what do u guys think? Hoho..

Alright, that was fun and very spontaneous. It's also a good way to kill time when you don't want to do some reading assignments.. hehehe. Have a good week guys, and maybe share the rest of us your resolutions too. For the heck of it.

a rare movie suggestion from yh

2009-01-09T22:03:00.000-08:00

people, please go watch

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

it's now showing in the Varsity Theater downtown.

believe me, you won't regret watching it.
*even if you don't like Atonement*

2009-01-04T21:40:00.000-08:00

Winter Quarter 2009 classes officially start tomorrow!

I wish you all a smooth and happy first week of school.

I look forward to more fun activities with MASA (and hopefully no more unproductive sessions like sitting around watching the Game Show Network ~_~). Yay!

2009-01-01T18:26:00.000-08:00

happy new year!

current bleak state of Malaysian security

2008-12-21T21:43:00.000-08:00

hey guys,

a close friend of mine in KL just got robbed outside her house. Two men trapped her from behind and in the ensuing struggle (she struggled I think) the knife slashed a wound 2-3 inches on her face from jaw up. She's through operation and her condition is stable, but as the wound was apparently deep enough to expose her bone, I can only hope that there are no further complicating issues, physically.

psychologically, who knows how long the fear will haunt her?

and just 2 weeks ago my mom got robbed in broad daylight outside my house. Luckily she wasn't hurt. Again, they had a knife too.

what's the purpose my post here?

just to point out that Malaysia is terribly unsafe now, at least in the urban areas, and we cannot afford to neglect that horrible truth even while we are relaxing here in the relatively comfortable and serene town of Davis.
when we don't have no respect and confidence in our police,
when we doubt the sincerity and of course, the wisdom of our leaders,
when we who are supposed to be masters of our own country are afraid to walk our own alleys,
we should realise that somethings are very very wrong.
and as young and promising Malaysians,
we cannot just sit back and hope that things will turn out better...naturally,
or hide somewhere and ignore the issues that affect our friends and family back home.
we must do something.
and whatever that something may be,
it certainly start with each one of us being more attentive,
more aware of what's happening,
more critical of what's going on.
form your own opinions, test the actions and words of others (esp. our great leaders!),
and when the time comes for action to be taken,
don't step back.

stay tune for get-together events over Winter Break 2008

2008-12-11T11:43:00.000-08:00

in response to Farina's question on the chat board------------->

let's use this space here to plan some of our get-togethers during the winter break. Most of us would be gone after the 20th, with some leaving even before that.
Some of us however, will be enjoying Davis until New Year (yippee!).

want to do something other than reading papers and writing applications? speak up!

I would say the following:
1. board games are fine with me...just arrange a time & venue. Perhaps Adilla should get her long-mentioned House on the Haunting Hill (or whatever the name was) to instill some freshness into our games (or I can go get the expansion pack for Shadow Hunters? haha)
2. sports lagi fine with me.
3. RockBand is boring.

sometimes our Sultans are way brighter than our politicians~

2008-12-01T19:46:00.000-08:00

read this from The Star: Sultan: Don't harp on the trivial.

Although The Star certainly isn't a neutral news medium, let's safely assume that this report was unbiased...then in which case I am so much prouder of Selangor's monarchy than ever before! His Royal Highness Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah certainly said things that I was glad (and very eager) to hear...especially his response when asked

Q:What is your birthday wish?
A:There is a need for more common sense. I hope the politicians will take note of this. If you have a degree from Oxford or Cambridge, it does not mean you have common sense and I have to stress that common sense is important.

HAhaha...I wonder who our Sultan was referring to? ROFL.

How slim is your turkey now?

2008-11-29T17:30:00.000-08:00

So for fun, let's have a post where we brag on how much we spent (or save) over Thanksgiving weekend sales, and where we went shopping or how early.

*this can help our Education Ministry gauge how good is their financial assistance*
*also to check who's still reading this blog!*
*you can respond either by editing this post or commenting*
*don't slap me for lameness-factor*

Yao Hua (8am train to SF)
$15--ZARA polo tee
$40--ZARA slim cut jeans (dark olive green)
total--$55 !

Somebody please make this Nasi Dagang

2008-11-23T10:18:00.000-08:00

Nasi Dagang

Rice Ingredients

3 cups of beras lembut (or 2 cups Siam Special and 1 cup glutinous rice) – washed and soaked for about half an hour and drained well

3cm ginger – julienned

2 cloves garlic – julienned

6 shallots – thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (halba seeds)

1 tablespoon cooking oil

2 cups thin coconut milk

1 cup coconut cream

Salt to taste

1 dessertspoon sugar (optional)

Method

Heat the cooking oil in a pan and saute the shallots, fenugreek seeds, garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add the rice and salt and fry until the rice is well coated and turns a little white. Quickly pour the contents of the pan into the rice cooker, add the coconut milk and stir the cream and let it cook. When done, turn off the cooker, put the rice in a tray, sprinkle with a little sugar, if desired, and steam for another 10 minutes.

crows in foggy Davis

2008-11-22T07:11:00.000-08:00

Foggy Davis, Nov 22, 2008. 7am. Characteristic seasonal residents of Davis--the crows in the more uncommon setting of a foggy Davis.

2008-11-22T00:17:00.000-08:00

A sampling of our (very) recent activities~

--Eating out after MASA meeting--

Playing boardgames. TABOO, Shadow Hunters, Settlers of Catan, Kill Dr. Lucky etc (ceh that's all!). We should allocate some funding to this department...

And to prove that we are a loving community~

...in which conflicts are also inevitable.

Thanksgiving Plan

2008-11-19T13:00:00.000-08:00

Yo yo,
I am wondering if anyone is interested in getting together on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday) and Friday? We can have a small get together (like a pot-luck) on Thursday, and shopping together-gether on Friday. Any other ideas/suggestions are welcome.
We can discuss it here and more on Friday.

Yoong-

draft of blog description

2008-11-14T22:43:00.000-08:00

a haven created by Malaysian students who studied or are studying in University of California, Davis. Here we rant, tease, laugh, nag, gossip, kick, flirt, cry, drool, praise, stare, push and pull. Here bridges are constructed and walls destructed. Like rojak, here diversity prevails and boredom fails.

*masalahnya kalau add blog description, our pretty banner above will be affected. so we got to figure out a way. nevertheless, a blog description would make it easier for people to find us*

on increasing blog site traffic

2008-11-14T22:32:00.000-08:00

so as instructed by our president Mr.Long, I did some research into meta tags and stuff.

Apparently meta tags as a tool to increase search engine visibility is a thing of the 90s. It came about when search engines like Alta Vista looked at meta tags in the HTML to infer what the site's about and thus make it most relevant to searchers. But abuse by webmasters have caused most, if not all search engines to ignore meta tags now. Google certainly ignores it...unless you use the meta tag to dictate some linking behaviour of Google..but that's not the point here.

in short, I have given up on using meta tags. As to why our beloved blog written by that one super writer is not on the first page of Google search, there are several reasons. Let me be lazy and plagiarise another website (http://groups.google.com/group/blogger-help-howdoi/browse_thread/thread/6677667e0d4fc754/5b89cbc336f110cc?lnk=gst&q=search+engine#5b89cbc336f110cc) :

***************
You have to get the search engines involved, but you won't get listed by them, automatically. You have to do some work, let them know that you're there, that you want to be listed, and that you are worthy of being listed.

1) Get your friends to link to your blog, where your blog is relevant.
2) Participate in forums, where your blog is relevant, and include the
URL.
3) Comment on other blogs, in relevant comments, and include the URL.
4) Put relevant and useful content in your blog.
5) Some search engines may index your blog using the site feed. Be
sure to activate the feed.
6) When you have done all of the above, your blog will have some
weight. Submit your blog to the search engines, for indexing.
7) Post frequently, and keep the content of your blog moving.

None of this happens overnight. Search engines can take months to
index your blog fully. And even when indexed, don't expect for a
search to some key element in your blog to give you an entry on the
first page of the search hits.
****************************

I have completed step 4 & 6 above. Our blog has been submitted to Google for indexing (though the stats aren't available yet) and the site feed has been submitted too but pending.

So unless I find further info, the best we can do is to post banyak banyak, and link to this blog from other sites, like your own blogs etc.

GOOD NEWS: try googling for davisrojak

Board games this weekend?

2008-11-13T20:15:00.000-08:00

let's see how useful this blog really is.

Question: Anybody wants to play board games this Saturday or Sunday? 1.30pm, my house or Drake if they are okay.

so...please respond by commenting. if there is enough to play Catan or Shadow Hunters, then we shall play! if not...then wait till enough people la.

Metatags

2008-11-13T01:04:00.000-08:00

I tried adding metatags to our blog so that it would show up in search engines whenever people search for certain words that has to do with our blog. But, it does not work i don't know why.

here is what I added in the HTML page,

meta content='Malaysian Student Association in University of California, Davis website. Information on events,activities and updates of Malaysian Undergraduate and Graduate students.' name='description'/
meta content='MASA, UCD, Malaysian, Student, Association, MSA, University of California, Davis, USA, Malaysia,' name='keywords'/
meta content='Wan Wan' name='author'/

Anybody can detect any cacat in there?
btw, i didnt type (<) and (>) on the HTML coz blogger wont let me.

I'll try to do something with the "Misc./Love" folder that you guys want later.
I also notified Kak Mit about the existence of this blog.
Peace

DJ Flea

Anybody wants to go for the Diwali Event?

2008-11-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

Kumitaa said she wants to go...anybody else interested?

*it's kinda obvious that I wrote this post just to keep the blog going..hahaha....*

__________________________________________________________

The India Association of Davis (IAD) is organizing the 2008 Diwali Nite event. Diwali, as you may be aware, is the annual Festival of Lights celebrated by people of Indian origin in October/November. This year, Diwali Nite will be held on November 16th from 3:00pm to 10:30pm at Veterans' Memorial Center in Davis. The event will feature a cultural program, followed by dinner and dance. The details are below.

Everyone is invited to Diwali Nite 2008
At Veterans' Memorial Center (203 East 14th Street, Davis)
on Sunday, November 16, 2008
from 3pm - 10:30pm

Celebrate the Diwali festivities with a cultural program showcasing our local talent, followed by a delicious multi-course Indian dinner, and fun dancing.
Diwali Nite 2008 Programs
3.00-4.00 pm Social hour and snacks (at VMC MPR)
4.00-7.00pm Cultural Program (at VMC theater)
7.00-8.30pm Dinner and entertainment (at VMC MPR)
8.30-10.00pm Dance with DJ (at VMC MPR)

Diwali Nite 2008 ticket prices are as follows:

Adult Child (5 to 15) Child (4 and under) Student (w/ID)
(mem/non-mem) (mem/non-mem) (lap seating only)

Advance Purchase $14/$18 $10/$13 $0 $12
(purchased by Nov. 12)

At the Door $17/$21 $12/$15 $0 $15
(space permitting)

*Advance Purchase prices valid for tickets purchased by Wednesday, Nov.12, 2008 ONLY.
*Member ticket prices valid for 2008-9 IAD members ONLY. Annual membership: $35/family.

Please don't forget to buy the raffle tickets too. We have an array of raffle gifts, so you have a good chance of winning one!

Purchase tickets and/or volunteer to help at Diwali Nite 2008, please contact:

2008-9 IAD Committee Members

Ravinder Trewn President trewn@sbcglobal.net 297-7462
Anuj Varma Vice-President anujvarmabk@yahoo.com 297-1828
Sajiv Saxena Treasurer sajiv1@yahoo.com 297-1838
Padma Sudarshana Secretary padma_sudarshana@yahoo.com 753-2310
Praveen Srirama Co-Secretary praveenksrirama@yahoo.com (510)960-2833
Vinita Domier Co-Secretary vcdomier@yahoo.com 756-7443

Sample

2008-11-09T22:32:00.001-08:00

This is what a friend of mine did for my batch. pretty Nice.

now what everybody need to do is send your own favorite face of yourself to somewhere..

hmm...if we have a workspace that would be awesome. do we need a flicker/photobucket or stuff like that?

btw, anybody got adobe photoshop?

about the title pic

2008-11-09T12:10:00.000-08:00

we should ask everyone to send in a pic of their face which they like best,
then we crop the faces out of each pic,
and assemble them in a mosaic pic,
and use that as our top pic.
E.g.

*'we' above refers to someone who's free or will be free.*

Something about rojak~

2008-11-08T08:57:00.000-08:00

[One of my articles posted in The Afterthought, the student newsletter of Macdonald campus, McGill University, under the pseudonym 'Hainan Boy', April 2004]

On that beautiful Sunday afternoon of March 28th, I was walking to the gym with 2 German friends. Basking in the bright rays, they started commenting on what are the greatest places to be under a warm, generous sun: “A nice beach…around 30C, the sea….about 20C…good breeze…Greece. Greece is definitely the place to go to.”
But it wasn’t Greece that crossed my mind. Each time they reveled in their Mediterranean memories, I only thought of one destination—Malaysia. Malaysia. Home, and I am going home. Yes, when the sun gets in my eyes, I miss Malaysia.

What is “rojak’? Well, I will reveal it bit by bit…now it’s sufficient to say it’s a noun. Alright, it’s a Malay word, which means it’s used by Malaysians, Singaporeans and Indonesians. Note that when we Malaysians say that something is “…rojak lah~” it actually means…

I miss the warm, sometimes ruthless sun all Malaysians are so familiar with; I miss the cool, sometimes pouring rain all Malaysians played in. I miss standing on my balcony, in company of the clouds adorned in splashes of orange and yellow and the setting sun. I can stand on the same spot the next morning, and need only look east to greet the rising sun who is always younger than our last parting. Just in front of the balcony and slightly beyond my reach, my neighbour’s custard apple tree bends over our fence. Squirrels and yellow-oriels love that tree, while bats come as darkness falls.

…it actually means that it is mixed, a mixture of stuff. We Malaysians, especially the Malaysian-Chinese, speak multiple languages in casual conversations. Eaves-drop on any 2 people speaking, and you are bound to catch a ‘rojak’ of Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese, English and Hokkien vocabulary depending on the background of the people involved. Many other dialects are integrated too. Too bad the younger generations seem to be losing this diversity. My father is fluent in 3 languages and 5 dialects, mine is limited to merely 3 languages (excluding ma francais mal) and 2 dialects. Shame on us.

There, below the balcony walks my Grandpa tending to his dear bonsais with the same loving hands that have cooked us rice for the past 15 years. He wears a straw hat which we bought for him to shield his bald head from the sun. Perhaps we should have attached a rope to it because it falls off each time he takes a nap on the swing under our rambutan tree. I will do that when I return home. It’s not nice to have Bowie, our pet dog leave his teeth marks all over the hat.
Here in Montreal when winter makes space for spring, the sun is friendly and the air fresh from rain and earth. I just love being out there; standing still as if time has stopped even as 3 assignments wait in my folder (hahaha…). Yet the most relaxing moment I ever had was on Redang Island off the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Warm sun, soft fine sand, clear blue waters and the ever soothing breeze caressed my skin while I snoozed in a hammock after a coral reef snorkeling trip. That was Redang Island, one of the many bewitching islands of Malaysia.

Rojak—a mixture of fried shrimps shells, squids, mangoes, pineapples, vegetables, cucumbers, mangkuang and boiled eggs topped with grinded peanuts and shrimp paste sauce (just call it rojak sauce). Rojak is a haven for creativity and thus varieties of rojak are scattered across Peninsular Malaysia, all tuned by local taste buds or culture. The rojaks sold by Malays, Chinese and Indians are unique! Bear in mind that there is more diversity to Malaysia than just biodiversity.

So if you are ever pondering on what to reward yourself, visit Malaysia! The cities are nice and convenient, but if I could bring you around, I would show you the tranquil villages, trek the wild jungles and watch sunsets set the fine sand beaches on fire while coral reefs are within swimming distance away. And of course I would buy you a rojak!

* (title in Malay) Try Rojak!

i've made changes

2008-11-08T08:50:00.000-08:00

the changes:

1. added navigation bar on top to allow easier access

2. allowed anonymous users to comment, though they still have to key in verification code

First Post!

2008-11-07T23:29:00.000-08:00

Ever imagined how Louis Armstrong felt when he first stepped onto the Moon?
or
the top of the world feeling of Sir Edmund Hillary when he was first to conquer Mt. Everest?

well, now I know!
for I am the first to post on Rojak Davis!!

which I thought would be named Davis Rojak?