生死不离 – Together through life and death

Published by Nicky Ang under Non-fiction on May 24, 2008

This is a beautiful chinese poem on the earthquake in Wenchuan (Sichuan province) broadcasted by CCTV9, China. The translation in English and a special Malay version is also available. Please consider donating to the relief efforts.

生死不离

Together through life and death

Bersama merentas titi jiwa

生死不离，
你的梦落在哪里。
想着生活继续，
天空失去美丽，
你却等待明天站起。
无论你在哪里，
我都要找到你。
血脉能创造奇迹，
你的呼喊就刻在我的血液里。

生死不离，
我数秒等你消息。
相信生命不息，
我看不到你，
你却牵挂在我心里。
无论你在哪里，
我都要找到你。
血脉能创造奇迹，
搭起双手筑成你回家的路基。

生死不离，
全世界都被沉寂,
痛苦也不哭泣，
爱是你的传奇，
彩虹在风雨后升起。
无论你在哪里，
我都要找到你。
血脉能创造奇迹，
你一丝希望是我全部的动力

Together through life and death,
Your dream stands still.
though Life carries on,
The sky may be drained of its glory,
but you wait to rise up on the morrow.
Wherever you are,
I will not rest until you’re found.
We’re brothers and sisters,
your cries resound in my veins.

Together through life and death,
I await news of you every second every minute.
I have no thoughts of mortality,
Though you are far, and out of my sight,
You still touch my heart.
Wherever you are,
I will not rest until you’re found.
We’re brothers and sisters,
With our hands we’re building the road home.

Together through life and death,
Silence reigns all over the world,
Each holds back tears through the pain,
Our hope will spring eternal,
Hard storms brings beautiful rainbows.
Wherever you are,
I will not rest until you’re found.
We’re brothers and sisters,
Even the smallest hope is reason enough,
to carry on, in my whole-hearted endeavour.

Bersama merentas titi jiwa,
terleka impian mu, terdampar harapan.
jiwa ini terus membara,
walau hilang remang mentari,
kau menanti jua bangkit keesokan.
Dimana jua kau berada,
Bertapa payah kucari segala,
Sekeping hati walau berdua,
wajah mu menerjang hatiku selamanya.

Bersama merentas titi jiwa,
Setiap detik utusan mu dinanti.
kehendak hati nyawa abadi,
Meskipun kau dah lama memberi salam,
Harapan engkau masih mengerti,
Dimana jua kau berada,
Bertapa payah kucari segala,
Sekeping hati walau berdua,
Impian ditangan pasti jadi nyata.

Bersama merentas titi jiwa,
Kesepian menyelubungi hamparan dunia,
Kesengsaraan diharungi tanpa resah
Harapan abadi tidak dipisah,
Kisah silam detik ceria bermula.
Dimana jua kau berada,
Bertapa payah kucari segala,
Sekeping hati walau berdua,
Dengan adanya seserpih harapan,
Aku tabah mengharung titik permulaan.

This Malay version written by
Nicky Ang,
with guidance from English and
Chinese poems on the left.
Dedicated to all victims of
the earthquake.

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Why are overseas web sites so slow?

Published by Nicky Ang under Science on May 22, 2008

All Internet Service Providers (ISP) have limited international capacity they purchased. In other words, bandwidth is traded like a commodity nowadays and it’s getting more expensive. What does this mean for end users like us? This article attempts to answer the most common question we always ask: Why are overseas web sites so slow?

International backbone 101

To become an ISP, you need to have two major infrastructure in place: local backbone (LB) and international backbone (IB). The LB consist of the local network that connects the ISP and subscribers. IB connects the ISP to major Internet traffic exchanges (IX) around the world.

When you connect to an overseas web site, your request goes through the LB to the ISP and head towards multiple IX before it reaches the intended web site. The web site’s content then travels the same path back to you.

I define “major ISP” as an ISP that can provide bulk bandwidth to other minor ISPs and has the capability to join worldwide consortiums to lay submarine cables. Purchasing IB capacity is very expensive and sometimes beyond the purchasing capability of minor ISPs. Therefore major ISPs for a particular country (ie. TMnet in Malaysia), play a major role in IB capacity planning.

Other smaller ISPs purchase bandwidth from major ISPs. Hence, the so called “international bandwidth” for smaller ISPs is the bandwidth they purchase from major ISP.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Donations for China Earthquake

Published by Nicky Ang under Non-fiction on May 19, 2008

The 2008 Sichuan earthquake at a magnitude 8.0 Ms/ 7.9 Mw, occurred at 14:28:01.42 CST (06:28:01.42 UTC) on 12 May 2008 in Sichuan province of China. In China, it was named the Wenchuan earthquake, after the earthquake’s epicenter in Wenchuan County in Sichuan province. The epicenter was 80 kilometres (50 mi) west-northwest of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, with a depth of 19 kilometres (12 mi). The earthquake was felt as far away as Beijing (1,500 km away) and Shanghai (1,700 km away), where office buildings swayed with the tremor. The earthquake was also felt in nearby countries.

The Chinese government warned that the death toll could soar to 50,000. Tens of thousands are missing, approximately 14,000 of them buried, and eight provinces were affected. It was the deadliest and strongest earthquake to hit China since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which killed over 240,000 people.

How you can help

Method 1:

Buddhist Tzu Chi Merit Society – Malaysia

Maybank2U:
Maybank account 507013126489

step 1: Online Bill Payment
step 2: Login
step 3: Key in your Username and Password
step 4: Online Bill Payment
step 5: Open Payment
step 6: More Payees
step 7: select: Zakat & Charity
step 8: Payee Category
step 9: Corporation Name : Select Buddhist Tzu-Chi Merits Society Malaysia
step 10: Enter the amount you wish to donation.

Bank In cheques to:
Maybank account 507013126489
Public Bank account 3102212517 20080513_M5

Send cheques to address:
316,Jalan Macalister,10450 Penang, Malaysia

Payable to: BUDDHIST TZU CHI MERIT SOCIETY MALAYSIA

Please write your particulars on reverse-side of your cheque
such as: Name, I/C, Address, Tel no. and Handphone

Your donations will be acknowledge with an official receipt.

Note: To receive our official receipt, Please mail us your following information:
-Your name
-Your IC No.
-Your Postal Address

For more inquiries, please call 604-229 7021 or fax : 604-226 1013

Email: acc@tzuchi.org.my

Method 2:

FOR YAYASAN SIN CHEW, send/Direct Bank In cheques to:

YAYASAN SIN CHEW
2-12479-00043019 (RHB Bank)

or send to 星洲日报总社义款部 19, Jalan Semagat, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

International donations

Join the recovery efforts underway to assist earthquake victims in southwest China. Your donations to the organizations listed below will help survivors and other disaster victims rebuild their communities and their lives. 100% of contributions will help support emergency relief efforts in China.

Donate thru Google Checkout

MercyCorps – China Earthquake

American Red Cross: China Relief Fund

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Streamyx Combo 4Mb review

Published by Nicky Ang under Non-fiction on May 12, 2008

Here’s what you all has been waiting for, a review on Streamyx Combo 4Mbps package. I got connected at 4Mbps since April 13, which is almost a month of trouble free connectivity. In this review, I will cover the four important aspects below: