C A D E N C E

The few who know me, know that I am somewhat of a writer. Sometimes good but mostly cringe inducing. I was once someone who taught that by writing sentences like “ Then I paint the sky with these colours,” I would somehow produce this image of a romantic poet sitting on a stool on a stage, underneath a spotlight musing his soon to be popular rhymes. But after putting down the pair of rose-coloured glasses I used to wear when I was infatuated, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. The result was a sudden jolt to my spine which crawled up to my collarbones, followed by intense body shakings as the cringe born from sudden realizations creep into my conscience. Now, much like my incompetence in making jokes to capture your attention, in a similar self-deprecating fashion, I like to view myself similarly unskilled when it comes to a particular subject I am passionate about, drawing. The topic of drawing conjures different immediate conceptions across individuals. Some intuitively im

Bismillah This night might be the last one for me. My mother came to my house just after Subuh today. By her undone tudung and her distraught face, I immediately knew something was wrong. Maghrib is coming, and I know that I am running out of time. I am starting to hear heavy footsteps and crackles of torches outside. I have never feared death, but I have never welcomed it either. Whispers of unwelcomed visitors outside grows more and more discernible. Along with the noise of drizzle, their murmurs start to sound like the start of a hail. When a man knows that he is at the verge of his death, only breathing at the mercy of time, his memories will flash within his skull, like watching an old movie of made-up pasts. I would like to be remembered as a thoughtful son. But to be honest I could not bring myself to think of the loving face of my mother, or the battle worn body of my father. I can only think of Liling, the Chinese girl living in Concubine Lane. And the more I think of

Speaker: Ir. Dr. Harris A. Rahman Sabri Date: 27th November 2020 It is not news that technological development is accelerating at an unprecedented rate. Now is the time of speed, when everything is expected to be instantaneous from interactions with friends to ordering food to commutation. Moore’s Law explains an empirical regularity that the number of transistors on integrated circuits doubles approximately every two years  [1] . This is a strong empirical finding that further enforce the general notion that computers are getting better and better as they seep into every single nook of our lives. Recent efforts to increase interconnectivity has opened doors for information-based technologies. Data which was previously left to collect dust in databases are now looked at as a source for meaningful analysis. This huge amount of data is collectively called as Big Data; data that is so big it can only be analysed using computers to reveal hidden patterns that can be used to make informed d

· Source of energy As observed in recent automotive developments, car manufacturers in particular are increasingly implementing fully electric or hybrid system to their products to minimize the reliance on fossil fuels. The departure from optimizing internal combustion engines to rechargeable batteries is an example of sustainable oriented engineering that seeks to make use of renewable energy.  · Impact on environment  Extending the example of car manufacturers, the use of batteries as an alternative to fossil fuels are also driven by environmental awareness. There are arguments on how good electric cars are in leaving a lesser carbon footprint compared to their traditional counterparts. However, in the context of difference in approach, deploying batteries are mostly done in good faith (at least engineering-wise); to get rid of combustion harmful by-products. This is not the case in the traditional approach for engineering where optimizations are more often than not s

Speaker: Assoc. Prof. Ts. Ir. Dr. Syuhaida Ismail Date: 20th November 2020 The unanticipated spread of the novel virus COVID-19 has brought chaos into almost every single aspect humankind can be defined with. Historically, pandemics are no stranger to us humans considering previous spread of diseases such as H1N1, SARS and EBOLA. However, due to higher rate of spreading, and increasing use of global transportation via airlines for tourism or work purposes, COVID-19 has managed to leave its footprint to a wider geographical extension [1] as well as ride on international commutes to further boost the speed of its movement [1] . These consequences along with currently heavy interdependency between countries in terms of economy, social and even politics have lent COVID the power to paralyze and disable some of the most crucial sectors in the world. Engineering are not exempted from being affected. In a different affective way, engineering has its own share in everything we encounter in ou

*None of these are meant to be authoritative, rather they are meant to be treated as casual remarks that are supposed to be argued* Also some of these no longer makes sense to me (lol) On "Unpopular Opinion" People attach "unpopular opinion" to his/her opinion instead of "popular" because the latter risk the person giving the opinion an imperious image to the opinion, and indirectly to his own self. Paradoxically, people don't give unpopular opinions as they are supposed to do. It is normal to avoid unnecessary conflicts. This trend happens also due to the illusion of one's own uniqueness that can be portrayed by putting forward these "unpopular opinions". "Unpopular opinions are not attempts to give uncelebrated opinions a voice. It is a trend that rides on individualism, where it is driven by the illusion of uniqueness perceived by individualism as a virtue based on how it differentiates oneself from a group.  Why I celebrate irrat

 *The referenced facts are correct as per the year 2020* Introduction Every imaginable form of profession has an impact to the daily lives of others. Whether you are a subscriber to the butterfly effect theory (where even the smallest effect caused by the tiny motion of the flapping of a butterfly will cause a tornado several weeks later) or not, it is very hard to dispute the significance of maintaining proper conduct in carrying out duties under professional requirements. Complying to a lengthy set of rules written by an authoritative legal body may sometimes feel like being subjected under a dictatorship, but one has to keep in mind that these rules are not written to build some sort of power game over the people who are subjected to such laws, but rather to maintain order and ensure that the possibilities of unwanted incidents occurring remains low. This is especially true in the field of engineering where even the slightest error can bring about unprecedented consequences. In Mala

*The referenced facts are correct as per the year 2020* Introduction Being able to include a title in front of one’s name is one of the many things Malaysians in general aspire to have. Datuk, Datuk Seri and the myriads of honorary titles bestowed upon remarkable individuals in celebration of their achievements carry significant meanings which spells a sort of respectable image to the bearer of the title. While the path to achieve the level of recognition needed to obtain these honorary titles can sometimes seem obscure, maybe even muddled with politics, the route to professional titles are quite the opposite. What are professional titles? In short, professional titles are granted to individuals working in a particular sector to establish his or her professional role within a professional society. To obtain one means to go through several validation processes and fulfill necessary requirements. In Malaysia, professional engineer (Ir or Peng) title is a well-known title to signify the p