Wow, he is much older than me.... I meanby 60 more years... but he is one of my respected people list...
Taken from CNN.COM
Hollywood star Will Smith led a crowd of 46,664 in a chorus of "Happy Birthday" to Nelson Mandela on Friday at a party for the South African prisoner, president and Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Nelson Mandela had a smile and a message.
Smith introduced Mandela to the London crowd celebrating Mandela's life with the words "The one, the only, the birthday boy, Nelson Mandela, Nelson Mandelaaaaaaaaaa."
London was the scene of a concert 20 years ago to celebrate Mandela's 70th and to raise awareness of his imprisonment.
Mandela told cheering fans, "Your voices carried across the water to inspire us in our prison cells far away. Tonight, we can stand before you free.
"We are honored to be back in London for this wonderful occasion.
"But even as we celebrate, let us remind ourselves that our work is far from complete.
"Where there is poverty and sickness, including AIDS, where human beings are being oppressed, there is more work to be done. Our work is for freedom for all." Video Watch Mandela at the party »
As Mandela walked on stage, Smith led the crowd in a chorus of "Happy Birthday."
Proceeds from the concert in London's Hyde Park will go toward the 46664 Campaign, which Mandela founded in 2003 to raise awareness about the impact of AIDS, especially in Africa, and to promote HIV-prevention measures around the world.
The name of the charity represents Mandela's prison number when he was incarcerated at Robben Island. Organizers put 46,664 tickets up for sale.
The finale of the concert was scheduled as Queen, Amy Winehouse and Jerry Dammers performing "Free Nelson Mandela," a 1980s hit from the Specials that quickly became an anti-apartheid anthem, but pretty much every act joined them on stage.
Dammers was also one of the driving forces behind the London concert in 1988 to awareness of Mandela's long imprisonment by the South African authorities.
The former South African president turns 90 on July 18. Video Watch the crowd celebrate »
Speculation surrounded whether Winehouse would perform after being hospitalized with lung problems last week.
More than a dozen African artists, including Johnny Clegg and the Soweto Gospel Choir, performed.
Smith, music legend Quincy Jones and Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton were among the stars introducing acts.
Other guests at the concert included British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, former U.S. President Clinton, talk show host Oprah Winfrey and actor Robert De Niro.
Mandela served as his country's first democratically elected president from 1994 to 1999. In recent years, he has campaigned on behalf of HIV and AIDS awareness and has long called the battle against AIDS a basic human right.
In 1964, a court sentenced Mandela to life in prison for plotting to overthrow the government by violence. He spent the first 18 years at Robben Island Prison, off Cape Town, South Africa, and later spent time at Pollsmoor prison and Victor Verster Prison, closer to the mainland.
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While in prison, Mandela became recognized as the most significant black leader in South Africa, and he became a potent symbol of resistance in the anti-apartheid movement. Mandela consistently refused to compromise his political position to obtain his freedom.
South African President F.W. de Klerk released Mandela in February 1990 after 27 years in prison. Mandela was elected president of the African National Congress the following year, and in 1994, he was elected president of his country.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Bill Gates retired on 27th of June, 2008
The man who is the self made Billionaires... and he retired.
Taken from CNN.COM
Billionaire Bill Gates, until recently the richest man in the world, is about to pass another landmark.
Bill Gates, the high-profile co-founder of Microsoft, retires from the company Friday after 33 years.
Bill Gates, the high-profile co-founder of Microsoft, retires from the company Friday after 33 years.
The Microsoft co-founder, who more than anyone else is credited with introducing computers into homes and offices worldwide, clocks off from his final day at the office Friday after 33 years.
Gates, who Fortune magazine reports has an estimated net worth of $50 billion, formed what would eventually become Microsoft with Paul Allen, a friend from school, in New Mexico in 1975.
In 1981 the company launched MS-DOS, its first commercial software, which was licensed to IDM. It was followed four years later by Windows, which Gates allowed PC makers to pre-install on PCs, creating a ready-made market for the software. What do you think about Bill Gates? Share your comments here.
Other successes since have included further applications such as PowerPoint and Excel, the launch of the X-Box gaming system and the introduction of Internet Explorer.
On the downside there have been muted attempts to crack the music download market, the delayed launch of Windows Vista and the failed $45B-plus bid for Yahoo. The company's monopoly of the PC software market has also seen it fall foul of regulators both in the United States and in Europe. Video CNN's Maggie Lake looks at life after Bill Gates »
Tellingly, most of these failures have come in recent years, as Gates has gradually divested himself from day-to-day management of the company.
Don't Miss
* Web site: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
* Microsoft ordered to pay Alcatel-Lucent $512M
* Yahoo! partners with Google
Within popular culture he has also come to symbolize the public perception of what a computer geek should be: bespectacled, skinny -- and very, very successful. To fans of the Apple Macintosh and other operating systems he has often been portrayed as a hate figure.
So what will a man who has earned around $1.5B for each of his years at Microsoft now do with his time?
As might be expected, Gates is still going to keep his hand in at the office -- he will, for example continue to chair board meetings and be on hand to offer advice to Steve Ballmer, who took over as CEO at Microsoft in 2000.
On a lighter note, a humorous video shown at a computer trade fair earlier this year showed rock star Bono rejecting Gates' pleas to join U2.
But much of Gates' free time will now be devoted to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which he and his wife founded in 1994 to "help reduce inequities in the United States and around the world," according to the organization's Web site.
The Seattle-based organization, the largest charity of its kind, has asset trust endowments of $37.3 billion and has committed to grants of $16.5 billion during its 14 years. In 2007 it made grants of just over $2B in 2007.
It has enjoyed an especial high profile for its work towards malaria control and eradication, for example, contributing $650M to Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
In 2005 Time magazine named Bill and Melinda Gates as its Persons of the Year for their charitable work.
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The foundation was bolstered still further in 2006 when businessman Warren Buffet -- who toppled Gates from his 13 years as the world's richest man -- endowed the foundation with more than $3 billion, as part of an ongoing plan to give away at 85 per cent of his fortune, currently estimated at $62 billion.
Taken from CNN.COM
Billionaire Bill Gates, until recently the richest man in the world, is about to pass another landmark.
Bill Gates, the high-profile co-founder of Microsoft, retires from the company Friday after 33 years.
Bill Gates, the high-profile co-founder of Microsoft, retires from the company Friday after 33 years.
The Microsoft co-founder, who more than anyone else is credited with introducing computers into homes and offices worldwide, clocks off from his final day at the office Friday after 33 years.
Gates, who Fortune magazine reports has an estimated net worth of $50 billion, formed what would eventually become Microsoft with Paul Allen, a friend from school, in New Mexico in 1975.
In 1981 the company launched MS-DOS, its first commercial software, which was licensed to IDM. It was followed four years later by Windows, which Gates allowed PC makers to pre-install on PCs, creating a ready-made market for the software. What do you think about Bill Gates? Share your comments here.
Other successes since have included further applications such as PowerPoint and Excel, the launch of the X-Box gaming system and the introduction of Internet Explorer.
On the downside there have been muted attempts to crack the music download market, the delayed launch of Windows Vista and the failed $45B-plus bid for Yahoo. The company's monopoly of the PC software market has also seen it fall foul of regulators both in the United States and in Europe. Video CNN's Maggie Lake looks at life after Bill Gates »
Tellingly, most of these failures have come in recent years, as Gates has gradually divested himself from day-to-day management of the company.
Don't Miss
* Web site: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
* Microsoft ordered to pay Alcatel-Lucent $512M
* Yahoo! partners with Google
Within popular culture he has also come to symbolize the public perception of what a computer geek should be: bespectacled, skinny -- and very, very successful. To fans of the Apple Macintosh and other operating systems he has often been portrayed as a hate figure.
So what will a man who has earned around $1.5B for each of his years at Microsoft now do with his time?
As might be expected, Gates is still going to keep his hand in at the office -- he will, for example continue to chair board meetings and be on hand to offer advice to Steve Ballmer, who took over as CEO at Microsoft in 2000.
On a lighter note, a humorous video shown at a computer trade fair earlier this year showed rock star Bono rejecting Gates' pleas to join U2.
But much of Gates' free time will now be devoted to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which he and his wife founded in 1994 to "help reduce inequities in the United States and around the world," according to the organization's Web site.
The Seattle-based organization, the largest charity of its kind, has asset trust endowments of $37.3 billion and has committed to grants of $16.5 billion during its 14 years. In 2007 it made grants of just over $2B in 2007.
It has enjoyed an especial high profile for its work towards malaria control and eradication, for example, contributing $650M to Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
In 2005 Time magazine named Bill and Melinda Gates as its Persons of the Year for their charitable work.
advertisement
The foundation was bolstered still further in 2006 when businessman Warren Buffet -- who toppled Gates from his 13 years as the world's richest man -- endowed the foundation with more than $3 billion, as part of an ongoing plan to give away at 85 per cent of his fortune, currently estimated at $62 billion.
10 things to do before you are 30 years old
This is a list which I was happy to say that I have achieved...I can't believe that I will reach 30 years old 11 days from today...
Top 10 things to do before you turn 30 (Taken from Bankrate.com)
By Cynthia E. Brodrick • Bankrate.com
Enjoy your youth, be wild and get it out of your system; here are the 10 things you should accomplish before 30.
Sitting here on the dark side of 30, I've been looking back fondly on my wild and woolly youth -- though some might describe it as mild and cottony. Anyway, I thought I would share some of my observations and opinions on important things to accomplish in those twentysomething years.
- advertisement -
The things to accomplish during your 20s fulfill a few requirements:
* Doing your youth when you're young. There's nothing more embarrassing than some 50-year-old with his thinning gray hair pulled into a ponytail trying to re-live his youth. Get it out of your system now.
* No regrets. If you do the silly stuff when you are young, then later you won't regret what you might have missed.
* Good stories. Have some good times now, so you can regale your children with tales of your crazy youth.
* Growing up. The point of your 20s is to reach your 30s -- and by then, people will really be expecting you to act like a grown-up. So, you will need some experiences to teach you how to get there.
Don't panic: You can be hip when you're older -- it's just a different kind of hip. You'll understand when you get there.
1. Drive a wickedly cool car, even if you have to rent it. "Wickedly cool" is defined as any car that turns heads on the streets. They say life is a journey and you should enjoy the ride. Well, if that's the case, you might as well ride in style at least once. The best I ever did was a 6-year-old convertible, but hey, I was riding in style in Miami Beach.
2. Date against type. Better yet, date somebody "dangerous." Waking up tied to a bed with a person who has more tattoos than brains will give you stories to regale other members of the old-age home in your dotage. Also, dating "dangerous" types will make you realize what jerks they are -- and make you less likely to pass up a lifelong love affair with someone you're really compatible with.
Or if you already tend to date dangerous, then date someone your mother would like. What the heck, she might be right.
Similarly, I recommend dating someone much older than you. My age limit was no one older than my dad. Since he was 19 when I was born, I actually came pretty close twice. I learned a bit about mature relationships, appreciated someone with life experience ... and got to go to more-expensive restaurants!
3. See the world. It's much easier to do when you're 22 and footloose than 35 with two bawling babies in your backpack. Even if you never leave the United States, you'll see a good portion of the planet. Go cheap and travel light. This leaves you open to more adventures. Youth hostels are inexpensive and, even better, you'll meet tons of other adventurers there.
Seeing the world will broaden your horizons and make you a more interesting person. Plus interesting and funny things happen when you travel -- and remember, your 20s are your time to live the stories that you'll be telling for the rest of your life.
I still talk about the three months I spent after college driving through the Southwest United States. I worked as a volunteer at a National Park, visited the Grand Canyon twice and saw Muhammad Ali in Las Vegas, slept in my car at a highway rest area. I have more memories from that short time than from the next five years of work.
4. Live in a cool place. Maybe a loft in a trendy neighborhood "in transition," maybe just camped out on the beach in your van. I'm fond of the six months I lived on a sailboat when I was 25. Just think: no air conditioning, a lousy bathroom, mildew and lack of privacy. Yet everyone thought I was living some glamorous life. Later I lived in a one-bedroom apartment, and really appreciated the space. I still didn't have air conditioning but I was a 20-minute walk from the beach. Comfort isn't quite as important in your 20s as later –- take advantage of that fact.
5. If you're going to drink a lot, do it when you're young. Getting sick on cheap white wine after 30 is pretty pathetic. Young drunks sometimes get away with being "cute," though you may still have a lot of apologizing to do. Get this experimentation out of your system and you'll appreciate finer spirits when you get older.
6. Take risks with your job. I've noticed that most people end up changing direction in their careers after their 20s anyway, so, take the time to figure out what you want to do. There will be time enough to be a cubicle drone later.
Aim for the career you've dreamed of doing. If you have a chance to be a model or a dancer, go for it. Get the job in the big city. Volunteer to work on the big project that could make or break the company. Start up a smoothie business with your college buddy.
Or just have fun for now. You might want to be a bartender at the hottest club in town and pick up a lot of dates. Or take a low-paying job at the zoo just because you like animals. Later, when you've got the mortgage and 2.3 kids and a time share in Cocoa Beach, fun will be the last thing on your mind at the office. My husband still talks about having worked on a railroad on Mount Washington because it was a lot more fun than sitting at a desk every day as he does now.
7. Do something physically adventurous. And do it OUTSIDE! No one will ever be remembered for playing Nintendo or watching every single episode of "Friends." Enjoy your body while you're young, push it to its limits -– soon enough, you'll watch your muscles turn to flab and your rear end inflate like a rubber raft.
8. Take your parents to dinner. You'll probably have to struggle with your dad about paying the check, but this is one of those grown-up things to do. It gives you a chance to show your parents that you are an equal and that you are responsible. It's also a chance to show your appreciation for all those dinners they bought over the years.
9. Do volunteer work. You may be broke, but you can give your sweat and earnestness to a cause in which you believe. In addition to improving your world, you can allow yourself to be exposed to others in the world. Work in a soup kitchen and you'll appreciate your un-air-conditioned, one-bedroom apartment.
10. Use this decade to go to extremes. Climb the tallest mountain you can find. Picnic at midnight. Learn to sail. Talk to strangers. Road trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Take a midnight drive to the beach -– then stick around for dawn.
Sounds like your 20s are pretty fun.
But don't think this means the rest of your life will be a drag. My point is to take advantage of what you have: energy, idealism, enthusiasm, a willingness to experiment, a lack of encumbrances, a desire to learn and grow. Enjoy your 20s -- and you'll be better able to appreciate the next stage.
Top 10 things to do before you turn 30 (Taken from Bankrate.com)
By Cynthia E. Brodrick • Bankrate.com
Enjoy your youth, be wild and get it out of your system; here are the 10 things you should accomplish before 30.
Sitting here on the dark side of 30, I've been looking back fondly on my wild and woolly youth -- though some might describe it as mild and cottony. Anyway, I thought I would share some of my observations and opinions on important things to accomplish in those twentysomething years.
- advertisement -
The things to accomplish during your 20s fulfill a few requirements:
* Doing your youth when you're young. There's nothing more embarrassing than some 50-year-old with his thinning gray hair pulled into a ponytail trying to re-live his youth. Get it out of your system now.
* No regrets. If you do the silly stuff when you are young, then later you won't regret what you might have missed.
* Good stories. Have some good times now, so you can regale your children with tales of your crazy youth.
* Growing up. The point of your 20s is to reach your 30s -- and by then, people will really be expecting you to act like a grown-up. So, you will need some experiences to teach you how to get there.
Don't panic: You can be hip when you're older -- it's just a different kind of hip. You'll understand when you get there.
1. Drive a wickedly cool car, even if you have to rent it. "Wickedly cool" is defined as any car that turns heads on the streets. They say life is a journey and you should enjoy the ride. Well, if that's the case, you might as well ride in style at least once. The best I ever did was a 6-year-old convertible, but hey, I was riding in style in Miami Beach.
2. Date against type. Better yet, date somebody "dangerous." Waking up tied to a bed with a person who has more tattoos than brains will give you stories to regale other members of the old-age home in your dotage. Also, dating "dangerous" types will make you realize what jerks they are -- and make you less likely to pass up a lifelong love affair with someone you're really compatible with.
Or if you already tend to date dangerous, then date someone your mother would like. What the heck, she might be right.
Similarly, I recommend dating someone much older than you. My age limit was no one older than my dad. Since he was 19 when I was born, I actually came pretty close twice. I learned a bit about mature relationships, appreciated someone with life experience ... and got to go to more-expensive restaurants!
3. See the world. It's much easier to do when you're 22 and footloose than 35 with two bawling babies in your backpack. Even if you never leave the United States, you'll see a good portion of the planet. Go cheap and travel light. This leaves you open to more adventures. Youth hostels are inexpensive and, even better, you'll meet tons of other adventurers there.
Seeing the world will broaden your horizons and make you a more interesting person. Plus interesting and funny things happen when you travel -- and remember, your 20s are your time to live the stories that you'll be telling for the rest of your life.
I still talk about the three months I spent after college driving through the Southwest United States. I worked as a volunteer at a National Park, visited the Grand Canyon twice and saw Muhammad Ali in Las Vegas, slept in my car at a highway rest area. I have more memories from that short time than from the next five years of work.
4. Live in a cool place. Maybe a loft in a trendy neighborhood "in transition," maybe just camped out on the beach in your van. I'm fond of the six months I lived on a sailboat when I was 25. Just think: no air conditioning, a lousy bathroom, mildew and lack of privacy. Yet everyone thought I was living some glamorous life. Later I lived in a one-bedroom apartment, and really appreciated the space. I still didn't have air conditioning but I was a 20-minute walk from the beach. Comfort isn't quite as important in your 20s as later –- take advantage of that fact.
5. If you're going to drink a lot, do it when you're young. Getting sick on cheap white wine after 30 is pretty pathetic. Young drunks sometimes get away with being "cute," though you may still have a lot of apologizing to do. Get this experimentation out of your system and you'll appreciate finer spirits when you get older.
6. Take risks with your job. I've noticed that most people end up changing direction in their careers after their 20s anyway, so, take the time to figure out what you want to do. There will be time enough to be a cubicle drone later.
Aim for the career you've dreamed of doing. If you have a chance to be a model or a dancer, go for it. Get the job in the big city. Volunteer to work on the big project that could make or break the company. Start up a smoothie business with your college buddy.
Or just have fun for now. You might want to be a bartender at the hottest club in town and pick up a lot of dates. Or take a low-paying job at the zoo just because you like animals. Later, when you've got the mortgage and 2.3 kids and a time share in Cocoa Beach, fun will be the last thing on your mind at the office. My husband still talks about having worked on a railroad on Mount Washington because it was a lot more fun than sitting at a desk every day as he does now.
7. Do something physically adventurous. And do it OUTSIDE! No one will ever be remembered for playing Nintendo or watching every single episode of "Friends." Enjoy your body while you're young, push it to its limits -– soon enough, you'll watch your muscles turn to flab and your rear end inflate like a rubber raft.
8. Take your parents to dinner. You'll probably have to struggle with your dad about paying the check, but this is one of those grown-up things to do. It gives you a chance to show your parents that you are an equal and that you are responsible. It's also a chance to show your appreciation for all those dinners they bought over the years.
9. Do volunteer work. You may be broke, but you can give your sweat and earnestness to a cause in which you believe. In addition to improving your world, you can allow yourself to be exposed to others in the world. Work in a soup kitchen and you'll appreciate your un-air-conditioned, one-bedroom apartment.
10. Use this decade to go to extremes. Climb the tallest mountain you can find. Picnic at midnight. Learn to sail. Talk to strangers. Road trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Take a midnight drive to the beach -– then stick around for dawn.
Sounds like your 20s are pretty fun.
But don't think this means the rest of your life will be a drag. My point is to take advantage of what you have: energy, idealism, enthusiasm, a willingness to experiment, a lack of encumbrances, a desire to learn and grow. Enjoy your 20s -- and you'll be better able to appreciate the next stage.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
The 22nd of June, 2008
My brother told me that he proposed to his long time gal friend on 12th June... we were joking about how he will be locked down by his wife and such... but I have to wish him luck for that.
Business has been bad lately due to the recession and the recent economy policies... however I kept listening the song called "I will survive" But I can see that there will be something better show up.
Anywhere the only thing I will say is hopefully everything will turn out to be good next year...
Business has been bad lately due to the recession and the recent economy policies... however I kept listening the song called "I will survive" But I can see that there will be something better show up.
Anywhere the only thing I will say is hopefully everything will turn out to be good next year...
Sunday, June 15, 2008
The rising cost of Living in Malaysia
My first thinking when oil goes up in Malaysia, "here goes the neighborhood" because I knew that when you raise the price of on of the utilities, people will hate you. I know the government claimed that if is something unbearable... sorry, excuses are unacceptable because we are oil producing country and unlike Singapore or Hong Kong where they don't have oil...Then, the second bad news is raise of price in electricity... now I see raise in the price for raw food and others... and we really have to see what kind of way that we can used to reduce the cost of living .
P.S. I have to change my car to a NGV (natural gas vehicle) due to that.
P.S. I have to change my car to a NGV (natural gas vehicle) due to that.
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