Thursday, January 29, 2009

Trading - Pooled Capital

Last November, Dewan Perdagangan dan Perindustrian Aceh (The Acehnese Commercial and Industrial Chamber) was incorporated in Kuala Lumpur. Memberships are opened to acehnese traders all over the world. Friends asked me questions on ‘Acehnese Trading Traits’ …

My family has been in business since the establishment of Kingdom of Kedah (now Kedah). When Sultan Iskandar Muda established the acehnese regime during the height of Aceh Empire, we were allowed to control ‘Pekan Rabu’ or trading places which contributed to our economic supreme for hundreds of years. The fell of Aceh Empire however was a major turning point to our deterioration in trading.

When Tsunami 2004 hit Aceh, it ended the war. Suddenly, acehnese all over the world found ourselves saving money at tremendous rates we have never experienced before. We took advantage to start focusing on one thing we were so good at – running businesses.

Pooled Capital

On January 2005, my family (2,385 family members locally) started with 15 sundry shops. Today, we have more than 800 shops located from Muar, Johor down south to Lumut, Perak up north. Combining all acehnese trading families, today, there are more than 7,000 acehnese sundry shops all over the peninsular including two new untraditional areas – Kelantan and Terengganu.

Pooled Capital (also known as Kuutu) is a trading strategy. It has a 2,000 years history. Some say it originated from India but some say from China. It is quite major to the development of those 15 shops to more than 800 shops. Never mind the historical part, this is what it is all about …

Step 1 – Have a collective members … say 100 members.
Step 2 - Every member contributes a monthly amount … say RM 100 for the next 100 months.
Step 3 – Total monthly amount = Pooled Capital = RM 10,000.
Step 4 – Every month, the amount is given to a member as a starting capital to start running a business.
Step 5 – In 100 months, there shall be 100 businesses run by 100 members.

There are many advantages in applying Pooled Capital: Usury free, Family unity, A major motivating factor in running businesses etc etc etc.

Faith
…… Knowledge
…………..…… Trades

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Celestial of Love

Song and Music by Azer Mantessa

Dedicated to Celestine.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

I Heard Voices Too

The title of this entry is adapted from Che Det aka TDM aka Tun Dr. Mahathir aka The ex-Prime Minister aka The Funniest Man Year 2008's blog posting titled "I Heard Voices" ...

Not long after being shocked by Cahill's goal ... I heard voices. Not sure where the voices came from though ... perhaps the devils were surrounding me while I was in great shock and misery. By the way, why do the devils love hiding themselves behind this word "United"? ... like ... you know, there is this football team named Something United and The Elite Party with the name United Something ... and so on and so on and so on ...

Maybe the voices were from the common people. You know, people with common likes and dislikes ... in short ... humans. Yes, simply humans. To say simply humans however could be too simplistic to certain people because certain people just could not see humans simply as humans.

The voices voiced out something about reality. So to you ... Elite, your supporters, even your admirers, your online-journalists (ooppss, they do call themselves as bloggers) and your Elite Media ... sorry but the voices did say your era as the influenced external sources to the common people is SO OVER :-)

No matter how hard you Elite did try (through money politics, bribery, threat, empty promises, lies and so on ... what have you) ... your rational is irrational, your truth is not the truth, your reality is not the reality.

Sorry again too but the voices did say that you ... Elite, including your supporters, even your admirers, your online-journalists (ooppss, they do call themselves as bloggers) and your Elite Media ... you just cannot tell the common people how to think anymore. In fact, why don't you just simply ask your princesses aka Puteri UMNO (Wow! they call themselves as princesses so I guess one day they want to be queens at the age of say ... 60? 70? the least) to stop monitoring what your kind of reality define as NASTY BLOGS. You see, as heard, your rational is irrational, your truth is not the truth, your reality is not the reality.

Oh, I heard voices which obviously voiced out that common people can be more savvy than you Elite, your supporters, even your admirers, your online journalists (ooppss, they do call themselves as bloggers) and your Elite Media. How savvy? Enough to say that being savvy is knowing to differentiate what is right and what is wrong and do what is right and avoid doing what is wrong. Guess what? Being savvy is being common :-)

The voices too did say your days are numbered. No? Permatang Pauh and Kuala Terengganu are not telling you anything? You Elite want to make great changes? Re-branding yourselves?

Oh please ... The list of candidates for the next leadership is obvious that you Elite won't change.

Oh yes, I heard voices of common likes and dislikes.

Sorry, but common people dislike corruption, cronyism, nepotism, abuse of power, lies, fuel price hike, brutality, injustice, racism, internal security act aka ISA where you get to jail people without trial and so much more common dislikes which reflect the REALITY of you Elite :-)

In case you Elite, including your supporters, even your admirers, your online-journalists (ooppss, they do call themselves as bloggers) and your Elite Media never knew, that's the beauty part of being common :-) Common people have common likes and dislikes and should you Elite, including your supporters, even your admirers, your online-journalists (ooppss they do call themselves as bloggers) and your Elite Media want to learn something ... in short ... common people are ...

Simply Humans :-)

GONG XI FA CHAI

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The Thick White Line

Song and Music by Azer Mantessa

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

What da...

When Cahill scored the equalizer for Everton, I was like ... never mind ...

Bad mood now ...

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Critical Blog Reading #001


My Pick On Malaysia’s Social, Economy and Politics Blog Postings …
(As on 7th January, 2009)

Malaysian Insider proclaims Mahathir Mohamad as Malaysian of the Year 2008. ARTiculations ... hereby proclaim him as Malaysia’s Funniest Man 2008.

Art Harun was asked about UMNO current situation and how they should improve themselves. Art Harun did give some good advices …

To do that, I believe that we do not have to look any further than the Constitution. The key elements of An-Naim’s model are provided for in this manner: it limits the administration of Islam to matters of personal law and in doing so mandates the neutrality of the public law system. It nonetheless allows for Islam to be developed fully through a separate system of personal law administration. The Constitution also guarantees the freedom of expression and association that allows entities such as PAS and ABIM to exert influence to the extent that they can, their views being counterbalanced by different views. These and other guarantees guarantee the free exercise of human agency – Malik Imtiaz on An-Naim’s model.

I fail to see what penal code offence there is against people wanting to indulge in group sex in a private premises. There is nothing illegal about that; immoral perhaps from the standpoint of local cultural morality and religions but certainly not illegal. So private group sex parties are none of the State religious authority’s business nor the local authorities’. - Loyar Burok On Sex Party.

To voters of Kuala Terengganu … Vote well :-)


Because They Can’t Speak

Song and Music by Azer Mantessa

Warning: The footages contain violence on animals.



Friday, January 09, 2009

Year of 3D Graphics

This blog has started with songs and posting songs is the initial intention of why I blog. Last year, I started another intention – animation. Basically, I use Flash MX but unfortunately, Flash has always been a 2D animation software. I did try writing up flash scripts for 3D graphical output using the Perspective Ratio as the mathematical calculations but the result was not so 3D. Above all, Flash tends to eat up a lot of memory spaces that make 3D processing a very slow process.

Year 2009, this blog declares ‘Year Of 3D Graphics’.

Though I will still depending on Flash MX as the tool, I’ll initially be using Poser 6 as the 3D figure (or character) tool. Picture above is done by using both Flash MX and Poser 6.

I have used Poser 6 before in many of my music videos but I have never fully utilized the 3D part of it. This year onwards, I will be exploring more of its 3D step by step. Hopefully, as time goes by, I’ll be progressing.

I have noticed that there are too many bugs in Poser 6 but to discredit this software is unreasonable. This is because Poser 6 is an Open GL particularly with Python PL. To those who are interested in 3D programming, I highly recommend Python running on Linux OS then integrate it with any Open GL 3D software.

Music video below is my first true Poser 6 3D animation integrated with Flash MX. Not much because I am starting. As I’m experimenting, there are errors. The least, I learned how to create a figure and learn how to move the camera.

Navel Gazing

Dedicated to Art Harun.

Song and Music by Azer Mantessa

Monday, January 05, 2009

Another Year

Between the rocks and wide spaces … boom to bust, doom to dust … down to brother can you spare another corruption, another nepotism, another cronyism, another racism, another marginalization, another fixed jurisdiction, another media manipulation, another war, another economic meltdown, another fuel price hike bla bla bla … it’s another year … this blog is still grammartically problematical and should it be another boredom, do apply another avoidance.

People can be very inspirational. Nope … it’s not the look, not the colour of the skin, not the language, not the ethnic background, not the race, not the religion or whatever kind of beliefs, not the location, not the nationality, not the age, not the gender, not the money, not whatever kind of other differences BUT it has always been what’s inside … the content … the values … so I look beyond the surface.

It has always been the pleasure to have the nice feelings to those I have bumped into the cyberspace. During the blogging hiatus, I have composed and posted some new songs :

GMG Travels The World dedicated to gmg.
Maya dedicated to Maya.
Susupetal dedicated to susupetal.
Anfield Devotee dedicated to anfield devotee.
Magick River dedicated to Antares M.

Another year and I don’t mind more…

Ermmm … Congratulations to Miss Russia who is crowned Miss World. Oh baby, you can be my drink too! I’m sure you are yummy!

Happy New Year Everybody :-)
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Moment In Time

Song and Music by Azer Mantessa