Salam Aidilfitri

Ramadan berlalu Syawal menjelang,
Ucapan salam Aidilftri mulia kulayang,
Moga lebaran disambut dengan keazaman,
Eratkan hubungan, rapatkan jalinan.

Maaf Zahir & Batin

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Grafik: "Copyright © 2007 Awangpurba. All rights reserved."

Why 09/09/09 Is So Special - Part 2

You want to know why the date is so special to certain people? I have selected 9 different sources happened on the 09/09/09 around the world, of course including Malaysia. Check it out the news from the following links:

1) Newlyweds hope for a long-lasting bond on 09-09-09

2) Thousands of couples to say 'I do' on 9/9/9

3) China rush on 'lucky' wedding day

4) Minister suspect in hijacking said 9/9/9 date a divine sign

5) Will 9/9/09 Be Your Lucky Day?

6) Couple tie the knot on 090909 after dating for nine years

7) 200,000 make road safety pledge

8) Stations declare Sept 9 Radio Day

9) Igauan ngeri pada 09.09.09

Why 09/09/09 Is So Special

Have special plans this 09/09/09?

Everyone from brides and grooms to movie studio execs are celebrating the upcoming calendrical anomaly in their own way.

In Florida, at least one county clerk's office is offering a one-day wedding special for $99.99. The rarity of this Sept. 9 hasn't been lost on the creators of the iPod, who have moved their traditional Tuesday release day to Wednesday to take advantage of the special date. Focus Features is releasing their new film "9," an animated tale about the apocalypse, on the 9th.

Not only does the date look good in marketing promotions, but it also represents the last set of repeating, single-digit dates that we'll see for almost a century (until January 1, 2101), or a millennium (mark your calendars for January 1, 3001), depending on how you want to count it.

Though technically there's nothing special about the symmetrical date, some concerned with the history and meaning of numbers ascribe powerful significance to 09/09/09.

For cultures in which the number nine is lucky, Sept. 9 is anticipated – while others might see the date as an ominous warning.

Math magic

Modern numerologists — who operate outside the realm of real science — believe that mystical significance or vibrations can be assigned to each numeral one through nine, and different combinations of the digits produce tangible results in life depending on their application.

As the final numeral, the number nine holds special rank. It is associated with forgiveness, compassion and success on the positive side as well as arrogance and self-righteousness on the negative, according to numerologists.

Though usually discredited as bogus, numerologists do have a famous predecessor to look to. Pythagoras, the Greek mathematician and father of the famous theorem, is also credited with popularizing numerology in ancient times.

"Pythagoras most of all seems to have honored and advanced the study concerned with numbers, having taken it away from the use of merchants and likening all things to numbers," wrote Aristoxenus, an ancient Greek historian, in the 4th century B.C.

As part of his obsession with numbers both mathematically and divine, and like many mathematicians before and since, Pythagoras noted that nine in particular had many unique properties.

Any grade-schooler could tell you, for example, that the sum of the two-digits resulting from nine multiplied by any other single-digit number will equal nine. So 9x3=27, and 2+7=9.

Multiply nine by any two, three or four-digit number and the sums of those will also break down to nine. For example: 9x62 = 558; 5+5+8=18; 1+8=9.

Sept. 9 also happens to be the 252nd day of the year (2 + 5 +2)...

Loving 9

Both China and Japan have strong feelings about the number nine. Those feelings just happen to be on opposite ends of the spectrum.

The Chinese pulled out all the stops to celebrate their lucky number eight during last year's Summer Olympics, ringing the games in at 8 p.m. on 08/08/08. What many might not realize is that nine comes in second on their list of auspicious digits and is associated with long life, due to how similar its pronunciation is to the local word for long-lasting (eight sounds like wealth).

Historically, ancient Chinese emperors associated themselves closely with the number nine, which appeared prominently in architecture and royal dress, often in the form of nine fearsome dragons. The imperial dynasties were so convinced of the power of the number nine that the palace complex at Beijing's Forbidden City is rumored to have been built with 9,999 rooms.

Japanese emperors would have never worn a robe with nine dragons, however.

In Japanese, the word for nine is a homophone for the word for suffering, so the number is considered highly unlucky – second only to four, which sounds like death.

Many Japanese will go so far as to avoid room numbers including nine at hotels or hospitals, if the building planners haven't already eliminated them altogether.

Credit to Heather Whipps, Source from LiveScience

Zunar & 'Gedung Kartun'nya

Kali terakhir aku berjumpa Zunar adalah pada 15 April 2008 semasa Persidangan PeKOMIK, dan kali ini aku bertemu beliau atas jemputannya berkaitan hal ehwal kartun.

Dalam pertemuan yang serba ringkas di pejabatnya di Brickfields itu, aku bersempatan bertemu konco2 Zunar. Antara lain ialah Jonos, Ronasina dan Enot yang turut terlibat dalam pembikinan majalah jenaka alternatif, Gedung Kartun. Tentu sekali, selain daripada kami bersembang pasal topik pemasaran & promosi kartun, aku juga amat berminat mendapat cerita daripada empunya badan berkaitan insiden rampasan majalah Gedung Kartun seperti yang dilaporkan di media maya baru-baru ini.

Khabarnya majalah terbitan sulungnya itu telah dirampas oleh pihak Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN) atas sebab tiada permit penerbitan yang sah. Aku yang juga terlibat secara langsung dalam urusan penerbitan di tempat kerja, memahami apa sebenarnya yang sedang berlaku. Apatah lagi, selepas mengamati isi kandungan majalah Gedung Kartun itu, tentu sekali berasa amat kesal dan simpati atas kejadian tersebut. Apa pun, aku beranggapan kejadian ini secara tidak langsung telah memberi promosi pemasaran yang bernilai paling tidak ratusan ribu ringgit kepada majalah terbabit. Apa lagi, khalayak kita amat gemar benda-benda yang diharamkan atau pun yang sewaktu dengannya. Tentu ramai yang nak beli. Malah aku sendiri mencari di kedai... sayangnya tak jumpa! :(

Aku mula mengenali Zunar secara dekat semasa zaman kegemilangan majalah Gila-Gila suatu ketika dulu melalui kartunnya berjudul Gebang-Gebang, Ofis Korner dan Liza - Cinta Tak Semestinya Bersatu. Sepanjang bekerja dengan Zunar pada sekitar tahun 1996-97 di majalah Rileks dulu, dia yang aku kenali ini, amat kreatif dan sering memberi idea yang ringkas tapi tajam & bernas.

Dalam keluaran sulung majalah Gedung Kartun itu, selaku penerbit dan ketua editor, Zunar bersama-sama konco2nya memaparkan kartun ringkas tapi padat berkaitan isu kelemahan SPRM (mengikut Kamus Konco, ia bermaksud Seterunya Pakatan Rakyat Malaysia), skandal PKFZ, kematian Teoh Beng Hock, demonstrasi anti-ISA, isu kerajaan perpaduan, merdeka dan PPSMI.

Gedung Kartun turut memuatkan puisi berbisa A. Samad Said yang berjudul Peludah Bahasa, di samping artikel tulisan Pyanhabib berkenaan PPSMI, dan cerpen karya Nazri M. Annuar.

Semasa di pejabat Zunar, kelihatan kakitangan produksi sedang sibuk dalam persiapan untuk isu yang kedua. Apapun, dalam keluaran pertamanya, yang paling aku minat ialah karya Jonos berjudul Dol Kerepek pasal One Malaysia. Manakala karya empat halaman yang berjudul Siapa Bunuh Beng Hock oleh Dol Kerepek, aku menjangka ia bakal mengundang kontroversi dan provokasi. Aku doakan kalian kuatkan semangat dan banyak bersabar!