Originally published at http://www.loyarburok.com/2012/04/30/bersih-perfect-assembly/

Marcus van Geyzel records what he personally witnessed at Bersih 3.0.

There are so many stories and perspectives from Bersih 3.0 on 28 April 2012. Many first-hand accounts have already been published online, and I’m sure the coming days and weeks will see many more articles and analysis being churned out as well. I was there, and very much at the heart of the incident that has thrown up much speculation – that barrier breach. Well, I was close, but not close enough – as you will see.

As I was trying to process my thoughts and decide what to write about Bersih, Sivin Kit suggested that I just do a factual account of what I experienced that day, and leave the analysis for later. I thought that was a good idea, and am doing so with this post. There is minimal analysis here, and no “spin” – everything that is written here I witnessed and felt personally. I have written what I experienced, felt, and thought at the time, before all the spin and armchair commentators flooded my Twitter timeline with their views.

I clearly point out instances where what I’ve written is based on what I was told by others; I have kept these to a minimum.

It is long, and perhaps a bit dry, as it is a record so I will not forget what happened.

This then, is my experience of Bersih 3.0.

Two LoyarBurokkers, rempit style

We had planned our transportation arrangements a couple of days before. I already knew I had to attend my daughter’s first-ever sports day that morning – which the preschool very kindly rescheduled to an hour earlier. That went well enough by the way, she got a nice trophy for taking first prize in the team event, and we came in second in the parent-child event too!

Anyway, me and fellow LoyarBurokker Fahri Azzat decided that the best way to get into KL without having the hassle of potential roadblocks and traffic jams would be to ride in on his kapchai. Rempit style baby! Fahri picked me up from the TTDI mosque at around 10.45am. We discussed the official meeting points and decided that it would be best to try to get to Central Market.

Riding down the Sprint highway with minimal traffic, the cool breeze and smell of fresh-ish air made me optimistic that, maybe, today would turn out well after all. The perfect assembly maybe? We were optimistic.

Our ride in. Poor girl almost didn't make it. | Photo by Marcus van Geyzel

When we reached the flyover entrance to Jalan Parlimen, there was a roadblock. A rotund (do they come in any other shape?) traffic policeman had just turned away a car as we approached, and turned away a motorbike when we stopped. Fahri had to call him a couple of times before he deigned to look over. “Bang, nak pergi Lake Club bang.” (Bro, we’re going to Lake Club bro) The policeman didn’t look too impressed. Two fellas on a kapchai – Lake Club? But he waved us in with an expression that said “whatever lah, I really can’t be bothered.”

So we continued up Jalan Parlimen and down Jalan Tembusu and Jalan Lembah, then Jalan Perdana until we got to Masjid Negara. Along the way, there were random groups of twos or threes walking along – some in yellow t-shirts, some not. We were excited, but the excitement was too much for the ol kapchai, and its back tyre suddenly sprung a leak. As we approached Masjid Negara on a now wobbly kapchai, there were several police trucks and many, many police officers. We squeezed through, rempit style, and parked the bike on the pavement along many others.

Masjid Negara – breaking into our own city

There was already a big crowd at Masjid Negara. People were sitting around waiting for the time to make their way to Dataran. This was one of the pre-designated gathering points. We kept to our earlier decision to make our way to Central Market, and walked.

As we made our way up Jalan Kinabalu and approached the turn-off, we noticed that it was barricaded with plastic red-and-white barriers, as well as razor wire. I really despised the sight of razor wire, having seen photos the night before of razor wire being used to barricade Dataran Merdeka as well. Why are we being kept out of our own city? And didn’t the authorities say that only Dataran would be sealed off? What’s with the roadblocks all over the place? This was obviously contradictory to the “order” obtained, as well as the earlier statements.

Anyway, hardly surprising.

We crossed Jalan Kinabalu – suicidal under normal circumstances, but there was obviously hardly any traffic at the time – and walked towards Dayabumi. Jalan Sultan Hishammuddin was also sealed off – more barricades and razor wire. We then tried to get into the underground carpark, but that was chained off. Anyway, just step over the chain lah – which attracted a security guard, who explained that, sorry, he was under instructions not to allow anyone in. But we just want to walk through we said, but he explained that there was no point as the back exit was sealed off anyway. He also turned away a postman who wanted to get to the post office!

We made our way down Jalan Tugu, hoping to find another way, and hoping that we wouldn’t have to go all the way to the Kinabalu roundabout and back. We met several other groups and individuals along the way, all trying to find a way in. We exchanged information about which roads were blocked off. We reflected on how ridiculous it was, all of us on foot, having to “break in” to our own city, denied by razor wire. I would have felt deeply saddened, if I wasn’t feeling knackered from walking aimlessly in the heat.

We met a 40-something year old Chinese man also trying to find a way in. We told him that Dayabumi was sealed off, for which he thanked us for saving him the walk into a dead-end. “I’m here not because of politics you know. I’m here for the next generation. No choice lah. Elections must be fair. Cannot keep on like this, no change. I don’t have any children, but am doing this for my nephews and nieces. I told them, you know, I’m going to walk for you. I don’t want them to have to suffer the same thing. Very unfair. No choice lah, for next generation. But it’s okay lah, I don’t mind. People organise something like this, we must support.”

He told us that he saw some people climbing through a hole in the fence leading to the railway tracks earlier, and that we might want to consider that. We thanked him, but both me and Fahri decided there was no way we would be walking across the railway tracks. “Don’t wanna be making the morning papers for the wrong reasons man,” he said.

We met another group, of five Malay men. They were checking out the fence along the railway tracks. They said they knew of the hole further up, but that when they got in they couldn’t find another hole on the other side so it was quite pointless. We told them of the dead-ends that we had come across, and moved on.

So we resigned ourselves to having to take the long way in – all the way to Kinabalu roundabout and back, and hoped that it would not be blocked off. We came across another group, two women and two men, who were heading up towards Masjid Negara as they had given up on making it into town on their own. We wished each other luck and carried on.

Suddenly, I noticed that there was a massive pedestrian bridge above us.

Me: “Eh Fahri, you think we can get into that bridge?”

Fahri: “Maybe. Let’s try only lah.”

We accessed it through a multi-storey carpark, climbing up about two floors. “JyeaH!” But wait, the bloody grill was closed and locked. So close, yet so far. We could see people walking around further into, via the train station and down the other side. Frustrating!

We decided to channel Lord Bobo’s monkey powers and climb around the side of the grill – sharp metal rods and plastic barbed wire notwithstanding. Momentarily hanging two floors above the road, we made it across, and exited onto Jalan Tun Sambanthan.

We were in.

Central Market

Making our way across the bridge towards Central Market, we were already walking amongst groups of people. And there were already many, many people gathered around and in the Central Market carpark. It was obvious that the turnout was going to be impressive. There were also many stalls selling food and drink. I saw some yellow balloons floating around above the crowd; the atmosphere was fun and festive.

Fahri decided he needed to get his kolomee fix, and we needed to head to Petaling Street. It was still well before 2 pm anyway, so off we went.

Petaling Street – makan time

The streets leading up to Petaling Street were bustling with activity. All along the way, stalls and coffeeshops were fully operational, and packed.

We got to Koon Kee, the Azzat-meister’s traditional kolomee destination, and he queued up to makan. I decided to skip the food and take a walk all the way up to Petaling Street and the surrounding areas.

Fahri queueing for kolo mee. Halal ke ni? | Photo by Marcus van Geyzel

The crowd was really big in this area, and went on for as long as I could see. There were some anti-Lynas banners, and a man with a loudhailer was leading a chant of “Bersih! Bersih!”. I spotted a 70-something year old woman in what looked like yellow pyjamas, with her hands in the air joining in the shouts of “Bersih! Bersih!”.

One guy tried to start up a chant of “Re-for-ma-si!” but it was not taken up by the crowd. He looked around sheepishly and pretended to take a call on his mobile phone.

I bought a 100 Plus from a roadside stall, nice and ice-cold. Next to me was an elderly Malay man struggling to find change in his pockets for a drink; I told him “Takpe pakcik, saya belanja,” (It’s alright uncle, my treat) to which he grinned and said “Hidup Rakyat!” (Long Live the People!). I cheekily asked the young man selling the drinks whether his business was badly affected by Bersih, as ignorantly claimed by many critics. He looked at in mock shock, and smilingly said: “Bang, saya rasa kalau satu bulan biasa jual pun tak boleh jual macam ni lah. Dah nak habis dah! Aku mintak member aku pi bawak stock lagi,” (Bro, I think I wouldn’t be able to sell this much even in a whole month in normal circumstances. I’m running out! I’ve already asked my friend to go and get some more stock) and right on cue another fella with a trolley-full of canned drinks packed into a styrofoam box arrived, breathing heavily but smiling.

The HS Lee – Petaling Street area. | Photo by Marcus van Geyzel

I got back to Koon Kee, and Fahri still wasn’t done – I could see him slumped over his food. I bought another herbal drink to pass the time, and support those who opened their stalls. This one was run by a Chinese lady. I noted that the prices being charged by all the vendors were quite reasonable – if it was me I may have been tempted to jack up the prices! I mentioned this to her, and she said “Nolah, we don’t want to cheat people. We also support Bersih. It’s for all of us right?”

When Fahri was finished (“Sorrylah bro, it was so damn good that I had a second bowl!”) we made our way back to Central Market.

Back to Central Market, and the Bar Council

The crowd at Central Market had swelled even more in our absence. Fahri climbed up a lamp-post to get a slightly-higher angle on his shots.

Fahri: “It’s like friggin Malaysia Day Carnival or something out here man!”

I agreed, it was beautiful. Despite the heat from the mid-day sun, everyone was having a genuinely good day out.

Me: “Ya man, most of these fellas would probably not set foot in this part of town again for the rest of the year – if only our actual Merdeka Day celebrations were like this.”

We continued our makan-minum (eat-drink) tour of KL with a couple of drinks from a stall run by a rather cute-looking young Malay girl; I got an orange juice. As we were paying, a man walked by and teasingly said to her: “Mana ada bisnes rugi sebab Bersih. Tak henti-henti orang beli minum kan?” (Loss of business due to Bersih? People are buying your drinks non-stop, right?!)  to which we all laughed.

We walked through the covered pedestrian walkway to the Bar Council, where there was another big crowd gathered. The police had blocked off the road just before the bridge across to Dataran. Many people were taking photos of themselves and the crowds. Fahri observed that the “Malaysian rally tourist pose” was one where you stood with your hands slightly raised, holding a smartphone or a camera. Everyone was having a good time – it was certainly better than what they would have otherwise been doing, which was likely to be hanging out in an air-conditioned shopping mall somewhere.

The Bar Council. | Photo by Marcus van Geyzel

Next we went up Medan Pasar and Jalan Benteng – Fahri continued his makan tour “Oooh, fishballs!”

There was a big group of 30-40 police officers at the HSBC building, and about 10 police officers crowding around a stall next to the Masjid Jamek LRT station. While Fahri was taking photos of the hungry policemen (“Now this I gotta get a shot of!”) I bumped into Roger Chan, looking spiffy in his suit – part of the Bar Council monitoring team for the day. We exchanged stories about what we’d seen so far, and expressed optimism that things were “looking good”.

In this area we also met Seira Sacha, Brendan Siva, Janet Chai, and Tung Seng. All seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere.

Jalan Tun Perak, at Masjid Jamek Station. | Photo by Marcus van Geyzel

Masjid Jamek – carnival time

Speaking of atmosphere, the crowd at Masjid Jamek was definitely the most impressive we had come across so far. If not the biggest – the Petaling Street and Central Market crowds were quite big and spread out – it was definitely the noisiest. The cheers of “Bersih! Bersih!” and “Hidup Rakyat!” echoed through the seemingly-narrow Jalan Tun Perak.

Another view of Jalan Tun Perak. | Photo by Marcus van Geyzel

Balloons and banners were everywhere. Some people were already sitting down on Jalan Tun Perak under the LRT tracks – the crowd was thick, as far as the eye could see towards Dataran Maybank, and all the way up to Jalan Parlimen, as we would later find out. There were all sorts of signs and banners.

Fahri: “It seems everyone with a cause of any kind has come out today man.”

Me: “Next time we must remember to bring that ‘Vote for Lord Bobo’ sign!”

First look at Dataran

We slowly made our way through the thick crowd of people – really slowly – towards Dataran Merdeka. As we reached the Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman junction – which would be a momentous location for us later on – we saw heavy police presence, FRU in a distance, and that damn razor wire. The crowd here was calmer than at Masjid Jamek, and extended far back into Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. I had lost sight of Fahri (damn rally tourist!) so stood around observing people.

Dataran looking towards Jalan TAR. | Photo by Marcus van Geyzel

There really were people from all walks of life here. A truly Malaysian crowd with all the stereotypes one could imagine (in a good way lah). There were Melayu mat-rempit looking fellas, Indian machas, bespectacled clean-cut Chinese guys, lots and lots of good looking girls in short-shorts and spaghetti straps, women in tudungs, old young and everything in-between. The perfect rally. I even saw a rain-cloud in the distance. The heat was scorching.

The barricades were metal barriers, then those plastic barriers you see on highways, and razor wire. There was a double-file of police officers standing on the other side. (These police officers and the razor wire would later be strangely missing in the pictures and videos of the events at this exact location closer to 3pm.)

Dataran Merdeka. FRU. Police. Razor wire. Heartbreaking. | Photo by Marcus van Geyzel

As I was standing around, there were suddenly shouts of “bagi laluan!” (make way!) and police officers started filing in through the crowd towards Dataran. I’m not exaggerating when I say that the line was seemingly endless – the stream of police officers (mostly single-file) went on for at least 10-15 minutes. There must have been 100-200 of them. As they walked by, the mood in the crowd was jovial – many shook hands with them, and so did I.

The police officers were a mix of grizzled-looking veterans to obviously rookie cops. I made a point of saying thank you by name (their name-badges were stitched onto their uniforms) to a number of them (“Terima kasih Manan”) – I recall one young man was named “Casper”. I like to think that this would make a difference somehow, and later perhaps they’d be more inclined to show kindness.

Some of the other attendees next to me also some of the more stony-faced ones to smile “Kalau senyum mesti hansem bang!” (Bro, if you smile I’m sure you’ll look handsome!). The mood was light, friendly.

While this was going on (as I said, the line was seemingly endless), someone inflated a huge green ball and it was being bounced above the crowd. At some point, some fellas decided it would be funny to keep pushing the ball to land on the line of police officers that was streaming through. A balding, bespectacled individual (an attendee, not a police officer) on the other side of the line sternly shouted at the crowd: “Hey! Do not aggravate the officers! They are just doing their job, and they are not hurting you! Do not give them an excuse to react to you! Remember that we are here today for a reason – electoral justice!” The ball moved away and never came back. (I later found out, via his account published on the blawg, that this guy was Ahmad Azrai, who I’ve communicated with on numerous occasions but never met!)

Further down Tun Perak, looking towards Raja Laut. | Photo by Marcus van Geyzel

Eventually I located Fahri – I saw him standing around with his arms above his head taking photos of course, and we walked towards Jalan Parlimen.

There, we met more of the Bar Council monitoring team, including Himahlini and HR Dipendra. Dipen offered to take a photo of us. He also expressed optimism that it looked like things would be allowed to happen peacefully. The crowd extended all the way to the roundabout-junction, where several police trucks were parked.

The rally tourists. Fahri: "I look like some spaz here man!" | Photo by HR Dipendra

It was amazing just standing there, looking at the huge crowd of Malaysians that had turned up. And under the blazing hot sun too! And they turned up early! Words don’t suffice.

All of a sudden, the police truck at the end of the road towards Parlimen sounded its bell. Tear gas?! There was a buzz in the crowd as people started to get up and move nervously. I pointed out a couple of guys to Fahri – as soon as the bell rung, they ran to the side of the road, opened their backpacks, and fished out gas masks and goggles.

Me: “Damn, these guys are prepared man!”

Fahri: “Yeah and we’re like a couple of amateurs!”

We also noticed that while we were inching away from the police truck, most people were moving towards it.

Fahri: “Err. I think we’ll just slowly move away, shall we?”

Me: “Yup, no shame in that!”

As we were walking away, we met Danny Lim. We told him about the bell. His response was “Oh really? I’m gonna head there and check it out.” After talking with Danny about what we’d seen, what a peaceful lovely gathering it was, and a great day for photos (damn rally tourists!), we made our way back up Jalan Tun Perak. Obviously no tear gas was fired at the time after all. Perhaps someone accidentally feel asleep on the alarm switch.

Back to Masjid Jamek

Making our way back up Jalan Tun Perak, we stopped for a while at the grilled corridors of the Panggung Bandaraya. A cooling breeze was making its way out through the building. We stopped to look around and take in the scene, and the crowd again. To remember what it looked and felt like.

I suddenly thought of a nice cool iced coffee.

Me: “You know, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to open a high-end cafe say one floor up from here. It would be good for the Bangsar activists. I wouldn’t mind paying RM30 for a coffee to get a good view.”

Fahri: “Yup, I’d pay for that.”

Me: “But it can’t be al-fresco lah, must have properly sealed glass windows so we don’t kena the tear gas.”

Fahri: “Definitely!”

After the quick rest and tokkok session, we squeezed back to Masjid Jamek. The call to prayer was coming through the mosque speakers, and people were making their way in to pray. We went back to Fahri’s fishball stall and had a couple more drinks to continue our minum tour – cendol and something else I can’t recall, I think it was longan (important details dammit!).

We followed that with a stroll along the river – romantic eh? In fact, we were commenting about how they were a lot of couples around, walking hand-in-hand, taking couple-photos. There really was an element of romance in the air. Too bad I was with Fahri (no offence brah!).

I suggested that we try to make our way back to Dataran via a parallel route, to make an approach via Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. It would’ve been impossible to make it back in via Jalan Tun Perak as the crowd was really jam-packed by then.

Masjid India – almost time to walk in

We walked across Jalan Tun Perak, up Jalan Melaka – where we saw policemen randomly lepak-ing in the alleyways, up Jalan Ampang a bit and over the river through Jalan Bunus Satu and found ourselves at Masjid India, where there was another big crowd gathered. The mamak shops in the back alleys were also doing good business – I’d expect that they’d usually be emptier on a Saturday afternoon.

As we approached Masjid India, someone was starting off a speech. I was informed by a short Malay man next to me that the group was about to start walking towards Dataran. Masjid India was one of the official meeting points. The speaker (whom neither me nor Fahri could identify) was talking about Bersih, and how we are fighting for a free and fair election process, which is crucial in any functioning democracy. There was some detail about how even a seemingly small number of “dubious voters” could swing seats that could swing entire states.

Masjid India. | Photo by Marcus van Geyzel

The crowd was multi-racial, despite it being a mosque – everyone was just a “Malaysian”. As we looked up at the low-cost accommodation, there were many foreign workers crowded around the windows, looking down at the crowd below.

Fahri: “These fellas are probably wondering what the hell these Malaysians are complaining about man, they have it good here!”

That’s probably true, but we always have to strive for better, and for all we know, they could be thinking “Man, I wish we could rally for free and fair elections, or justice, or democracy in our country – I respect what these guys are doing, despite their relative affluence.”

After the speech was over, the Unit Amal volunteers made a corridor through the crowd, and the speaker announced that we would walk to Dataran. He reminded everyone to stay calm and to walk slowly and in an orderly manner. He also urged everyone not to react to any provocation, and to remember that we were there to fight for free and fair elections.

As we started walking, the chants of “Hidup Rakyat!” and “Bersih! Bersih!” rang out again.

Making our way through Lorong TAR. | Photo by Marcus van Geyzel

As we made our way through the narrow back-alleys, I looked around and took in the scene again. I couldn’t stop doing this. I wanted to remember what it felt like to be walking shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow Malaysians for a single purpose. Just for a few hours, our differences were cast aside. We all want a better future – and to be able to determine our future in a fair manner. More balloons. More chants. Beautiful.

When we arrived at the junction of Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Melayu, the crowd couldn’t move further forward. The main road was already packed with seated people. So another drink to continue our minum tour – canned chrysanthemum tea – and sat down. “Duduk Bantah!” (Sit-in Protest!)

Squeezing our way through Jalan TAR. | Photo by Marcus van Geyzel

After about 5 minutes, we realised that there were quite a number of people walking off, past us, so we stood up and walked forward into the space that they vacated.

I pointed out to Fahri that it’s quite easy to know where to walk, where the path would be clearer: “Just look for where the sunshine falls on the road – everyone is packed into the shady areas”. So we did, and we inched and inched – there were two tidal flows, some moving in, some moving out – until we got to Dataran.

Looking back up Jalan TAR. | Photo by Marcus van Geyzel

Dataran – Anwar arrives, and we are brutally gassed by the police

We settled on a spot just under the LRT tracks, so we were about 20-30 metres I guess from the barricades? (a two-lane road and some pavement). Again, we took in the atmosphere. We spoke a bit to people on either side of us. It looked like we had done it – that we had all successfully pulled off a peaceful, beautiful rally, and that the police had allowed us to.

We started talking about crowd estimates. While it’s obviously difficult for us to give an accurate estimate, we were sure that the crowd was massive – at least 70,000 surely. There were big crowds wherever we went, and there were also many people walking around in big groups. We didn’t even make it to Dataran Maybank, where there was apparently one of the bigger crowds, and we also knew there was a big crowd that came from KLCC.

I also know of many who came in the morning and left around 2.30pm after they had “made their point”. Most of the people I knew who attended Bersih didn’t give a damn about the “It’s BN’s fault!” or “Anwar started it!” argument, and all the noise generated online and offline by people arguing, blame-shifting, labelling – they came to show that they wanted free and fair elections.

It was a stunning turnout, and a great day.

There were chants of “Bersih! Bersih!” and “Hidup Rakyat!”. Massive balloons were passed above the crowd, and people were sitting and standing and just drinking in the atmosphere.

Party atmosphere at Dataran Merdeka. | Photo by Marcus van Geyzel

After some time, we noticed that there was a massive flag arriving from an elevated position.

Me: “Check out the huge-ass flag.”

Fahri: “What does it say on the flag?”

We both focused and as it approached we read it: “SAMM: Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia”.

Fahri: “What the hell is that?”

Me: “Beats me.”

I pointed out an approaching rain-cloud to Fahri: “Look, it might rain. We might get Edmund’s perfect assembly after all. While the fella is dossing about in Sarawak.”

We then realised that it was some sort of truck or lorry that was bringing in the flag-bearer, and that there were a number of people seated in the back of it.

Fahri: “How the heck did they manage to get that in here?”

Me: “Ya man, selamba only driving in, damn cool innit.”

As it came to a stop at the barricades, just in front of us, we spotted the individuals – Nurul Izzah, Wan Azizah and Dr Jeyakumar.

Me: “No wonder lah can drive in.”

And then Anwar Ibrahim and Lim Kit Siang stood up and walked to the front of the lorry. The crowd cheered loudly – in fact, they roared. Anwar took the megaphone and led chants of “Bersih! Bersih!” and “Hidup Rakyat!”. The crowd was really jostling around at this point, and we were focusing on keeping our footing. Some people in front of me ended up behind me, as I seemed to have been jostled further forward.

Anwar makes an appearance. | Photo by LoyarBurok

Me: “Where the hell is Ambi man?”

Fahri: “Yeah, I can’t believe she didn’t show up. She’s supposed to be running this. I’m here for her, not for bloody Anwar.”

Me: “Maybe she’s coming in a bit.”

Fahri: “Yeah, maybe.”

(We later found out, when zooming in on some photos taken there, that Ambiga actually was on the truck – it was like Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, where a face reveals itself in a photo after some high-powered zooming. She was seated, on the Dataran side, away from the crowd. She did not stand up. She did not speak. I read reports about her speaking and asking the crowd to disperse, but I can clearly state that this did not happen at Dataran. As I said, we did not even know she was there. I am still disappointed that she did not even bother standing up to show herself. Many of us turned up because of her invitation, and she should have at least acknowledged the crowd and said something.)

A glimpse of Ambiga. | Photo by Fahri Azzat

I had a very clear view of Anwar from where I was standing, and this is what I saw. Note that these are how I interpreted events at the time – I know there’s been a lot of subsequent discussion about what happened, but to me it seemed quite clear.

Anwar repeatedly gestured for the crowd to move back, away from the barricade. Every time he did this, there was a noticeable push back, and I had to try hard to maintain my footing. As I mentioned, some people in front of me ended up being pushed back behind me when this happened.

I would say there were at least 3 instances of Anwar gesturing to “move back” and the crowd obeying and pushing back.

Anwar asking the crowd to calm down. | Photo by Marcus van Geyzel

Anwar again gesturing for calm. | Photo by Marcus van Geyzel

One of the individuals asking the crowd to move back. | Photo by Marcus van Geyzel

Again, an individual asking the crowd to move back. | Photo by Marcus van Geyzel

Anwar also made a gesture towards the barricades – I assumed at the time that he was making this gesture to the police officers there. He would do a hands-together “praying” gesture, and a “open” gesture, as if asking the police whether they would consider letting us in. After doing this twice, he turned to us, and shrugged, with palms turned upward, as if to say “oh well, I tried”.

The crowd chanted “Buka! Buka!” (Open! Open!) Anwar at this point again gestured for the crowd to “move back”, and made a gesture telling people at the front to “calm down” repeatedly.

His “move back” gestures were very clear.

After that, Anwar seemed to have given up, and sat crouching with his hand over the shoulder of another individual on the truck. This individual, together with another individual, were observed repeatedly asking the crowd to “move back” as well as at one point making clear “no” gestures to someone, or a group of someones, at the front of the crowd.

Anwar, squatting and smiling. | Photo by Marcus van Geyzel

Suddenly, we heard a loud cheer from the front of the crowd.

Fahri: “Eh, they’re letting us in!”

Me: “No, wait. Don’t move first. Wait and see. It might be a trap.”

I looked at Anwar and he seemed surprised at whatever was happening at the front, and was waving his hand in what I interpreted as a disapproving gesture to say “no, no”.

As much as we heard cheering and noticed some people at the front moving forward, and noticing that there were some people running around past the barricades, the crowd around us did not move forward. We all stood still, stunned really, but making no attempt to barge into Dataran Merdeka.

Within seconds, we saw plumes of smoke up ahead, and water cannons being deployed.

Fahri: “Fuckers! They lured them in and whacked them.”

Me: “Good thing we didn’t move forward right? The order was you cannot go into Dataran, so those fellas went in and kena lah.” I thought we would be safe since we were just standing outside, and the crowd was not surging in. How naive of me! I was quickly proven wrong.

Fahri: “Eh bugger, the trucks are moving forward!”

Suddenly I heard the “poom poom poom poom poom” which I recognised as tear gas canisters being fired, from all the YouTube videos I’d seen before. I noticed a canister flying high and seemingly on a trajectory to land right on our heads. I pointed this out to Fahri: “Shit, look at that one!” It thankfully hit the LRT tracks and seemingly got stuck on top. I didn’t want to find out, as we turned and ran.

Here’s the surprising part – although we had not seen any tear gas canisters going past us, when we turned, it was already a wall of smoke in front of us. (I was later informed that there were several individuals in the crowd who rolled tear gas canisters into the crowd from behind – several people told me this, at least 5 different accounts, and some also said that the individuals rolling the tear gas canisters were wearing yellow t-shirts).

I had no choice, I had to run into the gas.

It was thick gas, and it was my first time experiencing tear gas. I don’t see why they bloody call it “tear” gas – my eyes didn’t really tear up as much as it felt like my skin was melting. I shouted to Fahri: “Bro, spit it out, whatever you do, don’t swallow it in!” and that was the last I saw of him for some time.

As I was running, the first sensation was of my face burning, then the back of my neck, then my arms and legs. Then I could hardly breathe. I was gagging and vomited mucus. Around me, I could hear people screaming and vomiting.

I heard more “poom poom poom poom” (how many were they firing at us?!) and thought I saw a canister fly by towards my left and hit a building.

Then my vision went, and my eyes burnt. My nose was like a faucet. I kept spitting and spitting as I went along.

The air was thick with gas for what seemed like an eternity. I remember thinking that surely I would pass out – I had to breathe, but every breath brought sharp pain. It either felt like I was on fire, or that someone was rubbing cili padi all over me (including in my eyes). I was trying to figure out how to fall down and pass out without being trampled on. Then a lady beside me tripped; I grabbed her arm and jogged along with her until she regained her balance and could run again. That effort of having to catch her seemed to distract me from my own pain, and it suddenly became bearable.

The air thinned out and seemed to clear of gas. I took my squirt water bottle from my pouch and squirted my eyes and face and mouth. I passed it to a young Malay boy on my left, and he took it and sprayed water over his face as well. An older Indian man on my right also asked for it, and I shared it with him.

I looked around for the first time, and realised that I was at Kamdar. That was quite a distance to run. And it made me realise the extent to which the gas was rolled in behind us.

“Bloody bastards! Why did they gas us! We were standing around doing nothing!” I said out loud. People around me were also cursing as they regained calm “Babi punya polis!” (Police pigs!) “Polis serang rakyat!” (Police attacking the people!) “What the hell is wrong with the police?!” I pulled over at Kamdar, and washed my face and arms again. A Chinese guy came over to offer me some salt. It helped a lot, and my head seemed to clear up.

A few of us – young student-looking Malay guys, a young Chinese couple, an elderly Chinese couple, an old Indian man, and a few others – were standing around Kamdar for a couple of minutes ranting and raving about why the police decided to open fire. This is when I was told by some of them that they saw individuals rolling tear gas canisters into the crowd, quite a distance back from Dataran Merdeka. They had no idea what was going on in front – in fact many of them did not even know that Anwar and the truck of other people had arrived. Many of them were still sitting on the road when tear gas started to fill the air, and they had to quickly stand up to avoid being trampled on.

I really could not understand why the police would try to box us in. This was no dispersal. If the intention was to disperse the crowd from entering Dataran, why roll tear gas in the middle and behind most of us? We were boxed in.

It reminded me immediately of how June Rubis was ambushed like an animal at Bersih 2.0. The police were cruel, and acted wholly inconsistently. They endangered our lives, and obviously had the intention of inflicting pain and suffering. There was no “warning bell” which I have been informed numerous times is a standard operating procedure, and which the FRU and Home Minister always insist is a procedure that is followed.

And there was a hell of a lot of tear gas fired; a ridiculous amount. Even after we turned and saw a wall of gas, I kept hearing the “poom poom poom poom”.

This is our police force, which is supposed to serve and protect us. Instead they ended up inflicting unnecessary pain on us and protecting a field. I was livid.

The post-gas crowd, dispersing peacefully. | Photo by Marcus van Geyzel

After the chaos

After a couple of minutes, I heard the “poom poom poom poom” again, so everyone started running up the road again.

Along the way, there were several groups of policemen standing at the side of the road. Some of them were goading the crowd aggressively. “Padan muka!” (Serves you right!) “Kenapa lari? Balik ke Dataran lah. Padan muka!” (Why are you running away? Go back to Dataran lah. Serves you right!) “Sakit ke? Memang patut!” (Does it hurt? It should!) These are police officers goading people who were not bothering them. It was ridiculous. Thankfully nobody seemed to react to them.

I got to Sogo, and decided to stop again as things seemed to have calmed down.

It was here that I bumped into Rahul and Cristabel. Cristabel had been split up from her group of friends, including June Low whom I know, and I lent her my phone to SMS them and her brother, Nat who I also know. Rahul is a regular UndiMsia! member. He had salt all over his face, and had got tear-gassed quite badly too.

I couldn’t get hold of Fahri, as the phone lines were down and SMSes seemed delayed. Eventually it turns out he ran down a side-street (Jalan Melayu) which we came from and was now having mamak (continuing his makan-minum tour without me obviously) near Masjid India, far away from the main road. He asked to go back and join him as “things seemed peaceful” I considered it, but then we saw crowds running up the road again and I saw smoke in a distance. Me, Rahul, and Cristabel started jogging forward.

As we got to Pertama Complex, Cristabel said: “There’s traffic here. I think we’re okay now. They wouldn’t fire tear gas when there’s traffic right.” I wasn’t so sure. “You never know with these fellas.”

Then we noticed a crowd of police officers suddenly making their way into the area, and I said: “OK, time to make a move again, we don’t want to be hanging around here.”

We arrived at Maju Junction and sat down again. Cristabel managed to get hold of June and they made plans to meet up at Tune Hotel across the road. We noticed that the police suddenly closed Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman to traffic, pulling barricades across the junction from Jalan Sultan Ismail. “I think we’d better cross the road. No traffic means bad news,” I said, so we crossed. There we met June and a whole bunch of other friends. We exchanged stories. I was again told about people rolling in tear gas into the middle of crowds to box them in.

I got Fahri on the phone and he said that things seemed to have quietened down. “All quiet here  man, come and meet me here lah.” Fine, I’ll make my way back to Masjid India. I said my goodbyes to Rahul, June, Cristabel, and the others. I crossed the road and walked past Maju Junction then heard “poom poom poom poom” again and saw people running. Screw that Fahri, it’s not worth it. I turned back and rejoined the group at Tune Hotel.

We decided to get the monorail to KL Sentral, as their cars were parked at Bangsar LRT. So we walked up Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. I could tell that the mood had changed – many people I walked past looked tired, probably from having been tear-gassed. I looked at some of the more elderly and frail people and wondered how bad it must have been for them.

As I walked past a bus-stop with a massive plastic advertisement with Najib’s face on it, next to the words “Rakyat Didahulukan.” (People First), a woman in a tudung walking past punched his face, swearing, followed by a man who spat on his face, and another man who also spat at him.

As I said, the mood had changed.

Much to think about

At that point, I was more sad than angry really. I was sad that what for the most part was an absolutely beautiful, peaceful gathering ended up on a sour note. I don’t know what happened at the barricades of Dataran, but I do know that the police reaction was extremely excessive. As we went by on the monorail, we noticed that the FRU trucks had pushed all the way up to Jalan Sultan Ismail, parked right in front of Maju Junction.

There is much to think about. Many people have been throwing their opinions about. In fact, many armchair commentators who weren’t even there were already giving strong and confident opinions about whether or not Bersih was a “success” or not. As I mentioned at the beginning, I will not go into these issues here.

This is meant to be a record of what happened, so I do not forget.

As I rode back on the monorail, I chose to remember the beautiful part of the day – before the FRU went wild on us.

The people, the smiles, the festive atmosphere, the balloons, the cheers and songs, the food and drink.

The purpose. The peace.

And yes — it even drizzled a bit at the end. The perfect assembly, almost.

Berita Harian Singapura
http://cyberita.asia1.com.sg/msingapura/story/0,6879,213136,00.html?

SINGAPURA

Prof Sejarah: Hang Tuah pindah ke Perak

Oleh
Ervina Mohd Jamil

PAHLAWAN Melayu terbilang, Hang Tuah, dikatakan menetap di Perak selepas berlakunya pertarungan yang membawa kepada kematian Hang Jebat.

Ini, menurut Profesor Sejarah Asia Tenggara Universiti Hawaii di Manoa, Dr Leonard Y. Andaya, dalam bukunya, Leaves of the Same Tree: Trade and Ethnicity in the Straits of Melaka (Dedaun daripada Pohon Yang Sama: Perdagangan dan Keetnikan di Selat Melaka), yang diterbitkan NUS Press.

'Hang Tuah berpindah menuju ke utara bersama-sama keluarga isterinya dan keluarga Hang Jebat.

'Orang-orang Asli dari Gunung Ledang turut sama dan tinggal di situ, dengan sebahagian daripada mereka menetap di kawasan tengah Perak.

'Hang Tuah, bagaimanapun, meneruskan perjalanannya dan menjadi pemimpin Orang Asli di kawasan utara Perak.

'Kumpulan terakhir rombongan itu akhirnya menetap di sebuah kawasan yang kini dikenali sebagai Lambor,' kata Dr Andaya yang merupakan profesor pelawat di Jabatan Pengajian Melayu Universiti Nasional Singapura (NUS).

Dalam bukunya itu, Dr Andaya mendedahkan bahawa Orang Asli menganggap Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat dan Hang Kasturi sebagai pemimpin-pemimpin awal dan penting kepada masyarakat mereka.

Dr Andaya baru-baru ini mengadakan ceramah di NUS mengenai identiti etnik Melayu.

Dalam e-melnya kepada Berita Harian, beliau berkata identiti etnik itu dibentuk secara sosial mengikut tempat dan masa.

Beliau berkata: 'Oleh itu, seorang Melayu dalam abad ke-7 berbeza daripada seorang Melayu dalam abad ke-8 dan sebagainya.

'Bagaimana seseorang itu mendefinisikan siapa Melayu dan golongan mana yang akan dimasukkan atau tidak akan berubah dan bergantung pada keadaan dan pilihan peribadi individu.

'Atas sebab itulah tidak mudah untuk berbual tentang 'asal usul' Melayu, seolah-olah terdapat garisan yang tidak terputus berkenaan identiti etnik Melayu dahulu dan sekarang.'

Menurut Dr Andaya, bukunya itu memberikan perincian bagaimana istilah Melayu itu digunakan pada pada masa dahulu mengikut tempoh yang berbeza-beza.

Katanya lagi, beliau juga ingin orang ramai melihat bahawa dalam mempelajari sejarah prapenjajah Asia Tenggara, masyarakat tidak boleh menyebut keetnikan sebagai sesuatu yang ditetapkan untuk selama-lamanya.

Sebaliknya, ia sentiasa berubah mengikut peredaran waktu dan sekitaran yang berbeza.

30 Apr 2012

SINGAPURA

Sejarawan: Hang Tuah wujud, asal Singapura

Oleh
Chairul Fahmy Hussaini Dan Ervina Mohd Jamil

HANG Tuah bukan saja wujud, bahkan dipercayai berasal dari Singapura berdasarkan Catatan Okinawa mengenai dua pucuk surat yang dipercayai dikirim Laksamana Melaka itu kepada Kerajaan Jepun pada 1480 dan 1481.

Kedua-dua surat itu tersimpan di Arkib Budaya Ryukyu di Jepun.

Demikian menurut seorang sejarawan yang juga mahaguru arkeologi bagi Program Asia Tenggara di Universiti Nasional Singapura (NUS), Profesor Madya Dr John Miksic, dalam satu wawancara bersama Berita Harian semalam.

'Pada pandangan saya, Hang Tuah wujud. Ini berdasarkan Catatan Okinawa (Jepun) yang menyebut tentang seorang laksamana hebat, keterampilannya menyerlah pada zaman Kesultanan Melaka pada pertengahan 1400-an.

'Catatan Okinawa ini penting dan agak boleh dipercayai kerana ia memenuhi kekosongan apabila tidak terdapat Catatan China setelah (China) memutuskan hubungan (dengan dunia luar) selepas 1430,' terang beliau.

Kenyataan Dr Miksic itu sekali gus menepis pandangan ahli sejarah Malaysia, Tan Sri Profesor Emeritus Tan Sri Khoo Kay Kim, yang berkata Hang Tuah tidak wujud dan lebih merupakan tokoh mistik.

Menjelaskan lebih lanjut, Dr Miksic berkata salah satu surat itu menyatakan seorang laksamana ada mengerahkan sebuah kapal ke Champa, iaitu Vietnam sekarang, dan menyelamatkan dua lelaki Ryukyu yang terselamat daripada satu pergaduhan dengan warga Vietnam.

'Laksamana memohon kepada pemerintah Ryukyu supaya menghantarkan kepadanya sebilah pedang, sebuah alat membaiki busur dan sebuah pelana kuda,' kata Dr Miksic, 55 tahun.

Kelmarin, Dr Miksic menyampaikan ceramah 'Dunia Melayu dan Singapura: Dari Sudut Arkeologi' anjuran Taman Warisan Melayu di Muzium Negara Singapura.

Menurut beliau lagi, pada 1481 pula Laksamana menandatangani sepucuk surat sebagai mengesahkan penerimaan hadiah dan utusan luar negara, dan senarai hadiah yang dikirimkan sebagai balasan.

'Surat ini selalunya dikirimkan oleh Sultan sendiri, tetapi dengan Laksamana sendiri menulisnya bagi pihak raja menunjukkan ketinggian kedudukan beliau,' ujarnya.

Dalam hal ini, kata Dr Miksic, seseorang itu akan berasa teruja memikirkan apakah laksamana yang menulis surat itu ialah orang yang sama menulis kepada Ryukyu pada 1480 dan 1481 dan merupakan Hang Tuah.

Menurut Dr Miksic lagi, Laksamana tentera laut Portugis, Afonso D'Alboquerque, mengesahkan kewujudan laksamana itu.

Ini termuat dalam Commentaries of the Great Afonso D'Alboquerque (Komentari Afonso D'Alboquerque Yang Hebat) yang ditulis tidak lama selepas kejatuhan empayar Melaka ke tangan Portugis pada 1511.

'Laksamana itu disifatkan sebagai pahlawan terbilang, seorang yang ulung, berusia sekitar 80 tahun dan bertempat di Singapura,' kata Dr Miksic.

Dalam wawancara itu, beliau mengongsi pandangannya bahawa Hang Tuah berasal dari Singapura.

Menurutnya, dengan tertubuhnya Melaka peranan Singapura, seperti yang tercatat dalam Sejarah Melayu, berubah daripada sebuah ibu kota kepada tempat kekuasaan anak seorang pegawai berpangkat Sri Bija Diraja – yang menyandang jawatan penting sebagai laksamana, panglima tentera laut Kesultanan Melaka.

Pada masa sama, Hang Tuahjuga menyandang jawatan sebagai laksamana.

Dr Miksic berkata sifat Hang Tuah serupa Arjuna dalam Mahabharata, sebuah epik klasik India.

'Catatan Sejarah Melayu mengenai Sultan Mansur Shah, antara tempoh gemilang Melaka, menyatakan Singapura ketika itu memiliki 40 kapal atau geliung bertiang tiga.

 'Singapura sumber terpenting dari segi kekuatan tentera laut ketika itu, seperti Bintan sebelumnya. Melaka tidak punya warga pelaut tempatan,' kata Dr Miksic.

• Prof Sejarah: Hang Tuah pindah ke Perak

masak (adjektif)

Dalam konteks buah
bersinonim dengan tua, matang, ranum,
Berantonim dengan muda

Dalam konteks daging
bersinonim dengan empuk, lembut, lunak,
Berantonim dengan mentah

Bersinonim dengan
matang: berpengalaman, berumur, dewasa, tua,

Berantonim dengan
mentah

Kata Terbitan
memasak, masakan, pemasak

Rujukan: Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

The Niujie Mosque (simplified Chinese: 牛街礼拜寺; traditional Chinese: 牛街禮拜寺; pinyin: Niújiē lǐbàisì; literally "Cow Street Mosque") is the oldest mosque in Beijing, China. It was first built in 996 and was reconstructed as well as enlarged under the Qing Emperor Kangxi (r. 1661-1722).

The Mosque is located in Beijing's Xuanwu District, the spiritual centre for the 10,000 Muslims living in the vicinity and it is the biggest and oldest one in Beijing. Niujie in Xuanwu District, where the mosque is located, is the largest area inhabited by Muslims in Beijing.

The Niujie Mosque covers an area of approximately 6000 square meters. The mosque is a mixture of Islamic and Chinese cultures. From the outside, its architecture shows traditional Chinese influence while the inside has mostly Islamic decorations. The mosque, built out of timber, is home to some important cultural relics and tablets such as the upright tablet of an emperor's decree proclaimed in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty.

The Niujie Mosque, the largest of all the mosques in Beijing, was first built in 996 during the Liao Dynasty (916-1125). The local Muslim community constructed the mosque using traditional Chinese architecture, with the exception that the use of Arabic calligraphy in the interior. It was rebuilt in 1442 in the Ming Dynasty and expanded in 1696 under the Qing Dynasty. It is now one of the major mosques in north China.

The mosque has undergone three renovations since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, respectively in 1955, 1979 and 1996.

From Wikipedia.

Doa after solat

Azan at Niujie Mosque, Beijing

Niuejie Mosque from the front.

Men's ablution room

A muslim food court across Niujie Mosque.

A halal certificate displayed at a Muslim Supermarket across Niujie Mosque.

Halal products at a Muslim Supermarket across Niujie Mosque.

Whether you just built or bought a new PC, it pays to optimize your setup from the start

Nothing holds more promise than a brand-new PC. The hardware is fresh and full of potential, the OS is clean and clutter-free, and you have nothing but pure, unadulterated storage space awaiting your precious data. It’s an exciting time, indeed. But before you start dumping old files onto your new rig willy-nilly, and downloading every shiny bauble of an app that catches your eye, take some time to consider a more measured approach to moving in. After all, you only have this opportunity once.

The way you set up your new PC now will have a lasting impact on your experience over time. Do it haphazardly, and your experience will be plagued by disorder and regret. Do it thoughtfully, though, by following the course of action we prescribe on the following pages, and you will have a machine that’s primed and ready to meet your every need from the start.

Check Your Specs

If you’ve just built your rig or unboxed a sparkling-new PC, it’s always a good idea to verify the hardware specs to make sure all parts are actually performing as they should be. We’ve seen simple BIOS misconfigurations downclock chips by hundreds of megahertz.

Inspect CPU-Z's memory tab to see if your RAM is configured correctly for double- or triple-channel, and that the frequency is set to the level you paid for.

First download CPU-Z. This excellent free utility will query your CPU and report the model number, cache size, and clock speed of the chip in real-time. To test your CPU’s speed, put a load on it using, say, Prime95 and run a stress test. CPU-Z should report the correct clock speed for your chip. While you’re here, pull up Task Manager by hitting Ctrl+Alt+Del. Select the Performance tab and make sure that each of your cores, virtual or real, is represented. Believe it or not, we’ve seen Hyper-Threading turned off occasionally on some systems.

Turn off Prime95, but keep CPU-Z open. Click the Memory tab. You should see the memory frequency reported under DRAM Frequency. This is the base clock, so you should double it to get the frequency of the RAM. For example, if your DDR3/1600 is reporting as 667, your RAM is actually running at DDR3/1333 speed.

TechPowerUp's GPU-Z will tell you what speed the PCIe is running at.

CPU-Z will also report graphics speed, but we prefer GPU-Z for more detailed info. GPU-Z will generate a CPU-Z-like interface. Pay particular attention to the default clock speed and memory speeds for your GPU. If you paid for an overclocked GPU, check that it is running at the speeds you paid for. GPU-Z will also tell you if SLI or CrossFireX is enabled or not and also at what speed the PCIe slot is running. Yes, it's possible that a new machine will have the GPU running in a slower slot, which may impact performance.

Stress It Out

If a component is going to fail, you want it to fail while it’s under warranty. For CPU stress tests, we prefer the free Prime95. Just download it and run the in-place stress test. A properly configured and cooled stock-clocked system should have no problem running Prime95 for hours on end. For GPU stress testing, FurMark is still quite popular, or you can run Unigine’s Heaven benchmark in a loop for a few hours. Keep in mind that stressing the GPU will also stress your PSU and cooling, so any shortcomings may crop up there, as well.

RTFM

Did you know your motherboard has a special USB port that allows you to make BIOS updates without a CPU being installed? No? Well it’s right there in the frakking manual. One of the first things you should do with your new machine is to read the documentation, particularly the motherboard manual, that came with it.

Store Your Extra Parts

Once you’re done building a new PC, collect the extra modular power cables, drive rails, special sound-dampening drive screws, and put them in one place. You could even store the extra parts in your case, as long as there’s room to spare and it won’t block airflow. You won’t thank us now, but you will in three years.

Get Drivers in Order

If you installed the drivers from the disc that came with your motherboard, your drivers are already way out of date. Any new PC should be paired with the freshest drivers available for the platform, as updates can add performance, enhance compatibility, and fix the wonkiness that usually occurs with the first drivers to ship.

High-end peripherals should be paired with the latest drivers to unlock all of the device's functionality.

The freshest drivers are usually available directly from the manufacturer of the component, so the best source for updated drivers for an AMD motherboard is AMD. If you’re running a fancy gaming mouse or keyboard, you’ll also want to install the matching drivers for them. These drivers unlock the full functionality of the mouse or peripheral beyond the built-in Windows 7 HID drivers.

Set Up Your Security

There’s no point in taking the time and care to set up a new PC just right if you don’t also make security one of your first priorities. Otherwise, it’s just a matter of time before some form of malware gets in your system and mucks up the works, possibly even requiring a reinstall.

Thanks to AVG's free AV app, even cheapskates can be safe from malware.

Our Holiday issue antivirus roundup found Norton Internet Security 2012 ($70, www.norton.com) to be the best AV suite for purchase, while AVG Anti-Virus Free 2012 proved to be a very capable free solution. Before you do anything else, do this.

Prepare for Disaster

With Windows 7, everything you need for data backup and system repair is right there in the OS. Combine that with a large hard drive, and you have no excuse not to establish a full-fledged data recovery plan. With a secondary drive in place (either internal or external), head over to Control Panel, then System and Security, then Backup and Restore. Choose Backup Your Computer, then Set up Backup. Select the drive that backups will be saved to, choose the files to be saved, and set a schedule. Next, choose the option to Create a System Image, an exact copy of your drive—OS, system settings, program files, etc.—to use in the event your drive fails or your system stops working. Finally, opt to Create a System Repair Disc. This disc will save your bacon should your machine not start, allowing you to boot your computer from the optical drive and then retrieve the system image and backups you’ve dutifully created.

Decrapify Your PC

When you build a new PC, you have full control over the software that gets installed. Not so when you buy a system, which is practically guaranteed to host a number of apps you have little use for, or that slow your PC’s performance, or that constantly pester you with pop-ups. Get rid of that crap with PC Decrapifier. The free tool walks you through the process of removing unnecessary programs, startup items, and icons.

Transfer Your Files, Easily

It’s time to sully that pristine PC with craploads of junk from your old PC. Power users normally go manual by popping the old PC’s drive into a spare SATA port on the new rig. This lets you pick and choose what’s really worth moving. If you’d rather just do it on autopilot, check out Microsoft’s free Easy Transfer utility. It’s meant for newbies, but it can make the move to a new machine fairly painless. Run Windows Easy Transfer on your new PC (Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools), and it will give you options for the move: USB hard drive, the network, or an optional USB cable. The utility will ask you to insert a USB key where an executable will be installed. Run this executable on your old box, and it will package up all of the files into a single file that will be stored on an HDD or moved across the network to your new PC, where everything is unloaded into its proper place.

Tips for Trickier File Transfers

Moving documents from one computer to another is usually just a matter of copying-and-pasting onto an external hard drive and then to your new PC. That’s fine for office docs and photos, but what about apps that build media libraries, like iTunes and Steam, or saved games, which go wherever the publisher feels like putting them?

iTunes
If you’re using an iDevice, you might be stuck with iTunes as a media manager. Here’s how to move your music and other media (and keep your ratings, playlists, etc.) without having to rebuild your library.

First, open iTunes and go to File > Library > Organize Library > Consolidate Files. This will ensure that all your music is in one place. Once done, exit iTunes. Copy your iTunes folder, which should be under My Music (unless you’ve moved it) to your external drive. If you’re decommissioning your old PC, be sure to deauthorize that computer from your iTunes account. Open iTunes again and go to Store > Deauthorize This Computer. Enter your Apple ID and password.

Install iTunes on your new computer, and then copy the iTunes folder from your external drive to the Music folder of your new computer. Next time you open iTunes, hold down Shift while you double-click the launcher. You’ll be prompted to choose an iTunes library; look for iTunes Library.itl in the folder you just copied to your PC. You should now have your library, with ratings and playlists intact, on your new PC.

Steam Games
On your old PC, go to your Steam folder (C:\Program Files\Steam, by default) and copy the steamapps folder and its contents to your external drive. On your new computer, install Steam and launch it once, then exit it. Go to the Steam folder and delete everything in it except for steam.exe. Now copy the steamapps folder from your old PC into the Steam folder on your new PC, and launch steam.exe again. After a brief self-update, Steam should show your games as installed. You’ll have to do a quick file-verify as you launch each game for the first time, but that’s a lot faster than downloading them all over again.

Game Saves
Not all your games come from Steam, and not all that do have Steam Cloud to manage their saves. And it seems every publisher has a different method of storing saved games. That’s where GameSave Manager (free, www.gamesave-manager.com) comes in.

GameSave Manager hunts down all those weird game save directories and lets you back them up easily.

Run GameSave Manager on your old computer, and it will auto-detect the games you have installed, find out where the game saves are, and back them up, all via the Backup Gamesave(s) menu. Once you have a backup archive (a .gsba file), you can move it to your new computer and use GameSave Manager to automatically restore all your saves.

Configure Audio

By default, most motherboards and soundcards come configured for stereo speaker output. By default, most gamers today play with headphones. The problem is that most advanced audio cards feature algorithms tuned for the output mode. Cool features such as head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) and other filters that greatly enhance sound for headphones don’t get used unless you set the driver accordingly.

To do this, just dig into your soundcard’s control panel and set the default to Headphones for the best experience.

Calibrate Your Monitor

If you got a new display with your new PC (or if you’ve never taken the time to adjust your old monitor), it might be badly calibrated, degrading the image quality you see. For a quick-and-dirty fix, you can run the calibration software built in to Windows by clicking the Start button, then entering DCCW into the search bar. The program will run you through several simple calibration exercises, and adjust your monitor appropriately.

For a more thorough calibration, we recommend that you use high‑quality calibration test images, such as those found at www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/.

Disable Accessibility Shortcuts

Windows comes with a host of accessibility features that can be a great help for people with disabilities or other difficulties using computer hardware. There are keyboard shortcuts for some of these options, but the shortcuts are easy to perform accidentally, and can pop up unwanted dialogue boxes. These shortcuts are:

> Press shift five times: StickyKeys
> Hold right‑shift for eight seconds: FilterKeys
> Hold num lock for five seconds: ToggleKeys

You can disable each shortcut individually by performing it, then choosing to turn off the shortcut, or you can disable them all in one fell swoop in Control Panel > Ease of Access Center > Make the keyboard easier to use.

Adjust Your Power Settings

Whether you’re looking to save the environment, or just your battery life, you should pay a visit to your new PC’s power options. If you open the Control Panel, then select Hardware and Sound, and then Power Options, you’ll see the available power profiles. You can select one of the available profiles, or change your screen's brightness from this menu, but if you want more control, you’ll need to select a profile and click the link that says “Change plan settings.”

A new menu will pop up, where you can change how long the computer waits before it dims the display, turns off the display, or goes to sleep. Even more options can be found by clicking the advanced power settings button.

Share Files on a Network

If your new PC will be sharing a network with other computers running a version of Windows 7, you can create a Homegroup so they can all share files and devices (such as a printer). Be aware, however, that computers running Windows 7 Starter or Windows 7 Home Basic can join an existing Homegroup, but they can’t create one.

To create a new Homegroup, click the Windows menu, choose Computer, and then click Homegroup in the left-hand column. Now click the button labeled “Create a homegroup” (you’ll find it in the main window to the right). This will open a new window in which you can choose which types of files you’d like to share within the Homegroup (photos, music, video, etc.), and whether or not you’d like to share a printer. Click Next when you’ve made your decisions. After a few moments, a new window will appear with a 10-character, case-sensitive Homegroup password. Write this password down or print it.

To add your new PC to an existing Homegroup, obtain the password from any other computer in the Homegroup, click the Start menu, choose Control Panel, then Network and Internet, and then Homegroup. Windows will inform you of the existing Homegroup on the network and ask if you would like to join it. Click Join Now, choose the types of files you wish to share, and click Next. Enter the Homegroup password and click Next. You’ll see a message indicating that you’ve joined the Homegroup, and when you click Network on either computer, you should see each of the other computers in the Homegroup and be able to move files between them.

If you’d like to share other folders within the Homegroup, right-click them, choose Share With from the pop-up menu, and then select either Homegroup (Read) or Homegroup (Read/Write).

Create a Guest Account

Say a friend wants to borrow your new computer to “check their email.” You can limit the degree of access they’ll gain (and damage they can cause) by turning on the Windows Guest account. Sign in using your administrator credentials, click the Start menu, and click the large icon at the top of menu. Click Manage Another Account, then Guest, and then click the Turn On button.

Activating your computer's Guest account is one of the easiest ways to grant someone limited access to your PC.

To switch to the Guest account, click the Start menu, then click the arrow next to the Shut Down button, and choose either Log-off or Switch User. Click the Guest button to log in as a guest. Guest users can launch programs and access the Internet, but they can’t make Control Panel changes (including uninstalling software) or other changes to the computer’s settings. They also can’t access any files or folders protected by a password, and they can’t access other computers on the network, even those within a Homegroup.

Use an Alternative DNS

Each time you type a hostname into your browser and hit Enter, your computer initiates a DNS (Domain Name System) lookup. DNS is akin to a phonebook for the Internet: It converts that user-friendly name into the appropriate IP address. If you haven’t configured your computer differently, you’re probably relying on your ISP to perform these DNS lookups.

You might be able to speed up your web-browsing experience, as well as improve your online security, by switching to an alternative DNS resolution service, such as OpenDNS or Google Public DNS. We’ll show you how to configure your Ethernet adapter to use the latter.

Sign on as an Administrator and click Control Panel, Network and Internet, Network and Sharing Center, and then choose Change Adapter Settings. Select which network connection you wish to change, right-click it, and choose Properties from the pop-out menu. On the Networking tab, choose Internet Protocol Version 4 and then click the Properties button. Choose the General tab and then Advanced. Click the DNS tab. If there are any DNS server addresses already in place here, write them down before erasing them and then click OK.

Many people find that switching to Google Public DNS delivers a faster web-browsing experience.

You should now be back on the General tab in the TCP/IPv4 Properties window. Click the radio button next to “Use the Following DNS Server Addresses” and type 8.8.8.8 in the Preferred DNS Server window and 8.8.4.4 in the Alternate DNS Server window. Click OK and close the Network Connections Properties window. Restart the network connection by right-clicking it and choosing Disable from the pop-out menu, and then right-click it a second time and choose Enable from the pop-out menu. This should restart your connection using the new DNS settings.

To ensure your new settings are working, enter a hostname into your browser: www.maximumpc.com, for instance. If it resolves correctly, bookmark it, then click the bookmark. If it doesn’t, roll back the changes you’ve just made and retest.

Tidy Up Your Insides

Your computer has a lot of cables inside, from front-panel connectors to SATA and power cables. If your case doesn’t have a window, it might be tempting to just leave a rat's nest of wiring inside, but there are substantial benefits to an uncluttered chassis—better cooling and less dust, for example.

If you bought your PC from a boutique builder, it should have come with a decent wiring job, but if you built your own or bought an off-the-shelf system, there’s likely room for improvement.

Sloppy wiring can create pockets of hot air and dust in your case.

Many modern cases have cable-routing cutouts in the motherboard tray, and room behind it to route cables. You should route as many wires as you can behind the motherboard tray—usually your motherboard power cables, at least, can go back here. Route as many power cables from your PSU behind the motherboard and bring them back out near where they need to plug in; you can dramatically reduce clutter in your case this way.

If you don’t have any cutouts in your motherboard tray, you can still use zip ties to keep your cables organized and out of the way. You can also buy stick-on organizing clips to keep your cables attached to your motherboard tray, not hanging out in the middle of your case.

Routing cables behind the motherboard tray (if possible) can lead to a much cleaner and cooler build.

If you have a modular power supply, disconnect (and keep in a safe place) any cables you’re not using. If you don’t, use zip ties to bundle unused cables together, and try to keep them out of the way of your fans’ airflow.

Optimize Your Fan Setup

Your components will last longer if they run at lower temperatures. They will run at lower temperatures if they have sufficient airflow. That’s science.

Your case should have both intake and exhaust fans. You’ll need at least one front intake fan and one rear exhaust fan. Many cases have additional intake fans on the front or left side, and additional exhaust fans at the top of the case. This helps keep hot air moving up and out of your case. You should have roughly the same number of exhaust fans as intake fans, and you should make sure they’re in places that make sense, to create obvious paths for the air. Don’t create dead zones where hot air can stay trapped. If your case has filters for its intake fans, clean them regularly. If not, dust inside your case regularly with canned air.

Provide a consistent airflow pattern for your case. Here, cool air enters at the bottom and exits through the top and rear.

Many motherboards offer fan control in their BIOS settings; you can set your fans to ramp up when your system gets hot and ramp down when it’s cool, or you can wire your fans to a fan controller and set their levels yourself. Most motherboard manufacturers also offer a desktop fan‑control utility for use with their boards. Simple fan controllers just offer speed control; others, like NZXT’s Sentry series, also include temperature sensors, which you can use to automatically control fan speeds based on the temperature of various parts of your system.

Must-Have Apps and Utilities

No PC is complete without these key programs

Google Chrome
Google Chrome remains the single-fastest web browser out there. Couple that with exclusive apps and a fully customizable web interface, and you’ve got a browser that no PC should be without.
www.google.com/chrome

Skype
Installing Skype allows you to talk face to face with anyone, anywhere, so long as they have the software and a webcam. Skype also allows you to set video conference calls, call mobile devices, and make international calls for additional fees.
www.skype.com

Secunia PSI
Installing updates for all your software can be a tedious chore, which is why Secunia Personal Software Inspector is essential. Watch as it automatically updates programs in need, with no effort on your end.
www.secunia.com

Dropbox
If you find yourself using more than one computing device daily, Dropbox makes it easy to share documents across all those devices, including smartphones.
www.dropbox.com

KeePass
Using top-of-the-line encryption algorithms AES and Twofish, KeePass acts as a password manager, allowing you to store all your passwords (e.g., email, Facebook, online banking) in a single and secure database that can only be accessed by you.
www.keepass.info

Revo Uninstaller
These days, it's simply not enough to use Windows to uninstall your programs, as harmful remnants can be left behind. Enter Revo Uninstaller, a free app that not only uninstalls software, but allows you to manually remove additional data left behind.
www.revouninstaller.com

Sumatra PDF
Sumatra PDF is a free PDF creator and viewer for Windows. It's a relatively small file, starts up extremely quickly, and is tremendously easy to use. It can also read XPS, DjVu, CBZ, and CBR files.
bit.ly/aHICnC

7-Zip
7-Zip is a fast, free file archiver that can pack and unpack a huge range of files, from ZIP to TAR files. It features an extremely easy-to-use interface that presents users with all facets of the unzipped file, automatically organized by folders.
www.7-zip.org

FileZilla
If you need to connect to an FTP server, FileZilla is the best way to go. It's easy to use and highly customizable—you can even configure your own transfer-speed limits and transfer up to 4GB of files.
www.filezilla-project.org

Digsby
With Digsby you can consolidate all of your instant messaging accounts into one centralized hub, supporting AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, and Google Talk. It's also a handy notification tool for personal email.
www.digsby.com

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
Yes, you already have an AV program (right?), but it never hurts to have a second opinion or line of defense. For us, that's Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware Free. It doesn't run auto scans, so it won't conflict with your other AV solution.
www.malwarebytes.org

SuperAntiSpyware
You could say that SuperAntiSpyware is the third prong in our three-prong approach to PC security. Like Malwarebytes', it provides yet another line of defense. And it's free, so why not avail your PC of this extra layer of protection?
www.superantispyware.com

Highlights:

• An up-close and personal experience with rich mangrove flora and fauna
• Exposure to a wide variety of habitats around the seamless loop – mudflat, mangrove, coastal cliff, rocky shore, parkland and Adinandra belukar
• Mesmerising views of Keppel Harbour, Sentosa island and Labrador Nature Reserve
• Easy access by foot from Labrador Nature & Coastal Walk to Labrador Nature Reserve and the Southern Ridges

Labrador Nature & Coastal Walk consists of three distinct parts: Alexandra Garden Trail, Berlayer Creek and Bukit Charmin Boardwalk. The first path, across the road from Labrador MRT, is a 830m-long park connector along Alexandra Road. Mature trees and scented plants act as a buffer between pedestrians and cyclists heading to the Southern Ridges and the heavy traffic next door.

Berlayer Creek, which cuts through one of the few remaining mangroves left on mainland Singapore. Linking Berlayer Creek to the promenade is Bukit Chermin Boardwalk, a 330m-long sea-side walkway with scenic views of nearby Keppel Harbour and across the waters, Sentosa.

For a DIY trail guide, go to NParks website>

If you’ve been in a public space in the last year or two, you’ve probably seen a QR code—a small, square two-dimensional barcode that looks a bit like a miniature crossword puzzle. They’ve been around for more than 15 years, but they’ve recently exploded in popularity, thanks to smartphones, which are perfect QR-scanners.

Unlike traditional supermarket-style barcodes—which codify an identification number—QR codes are binary representations of numbers or letters, and can be many different sizes. A tiny QR code can represent just 30 numbers, and a giant one can represent thousands of letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. With that much flexibility, everyone can find a use for QR codes. In this article, we’ll show you how to make a distinctive, personalized QR code to put on your business card, or anything else.

Step 1: Get Your vCard

We’re going to avoid the obvious joke here and let you know that vCard is a standard for digitally transmitting contact information. You might have encountered a vCard attached to an email message in the past, but they work great in QR codes, too—most QR reader apps are designed to detect vCards and automatically enter the data into the phone’s contact list.

There are plenty of sites that will create a vCard QR code for you automatically (just a Google search away), but we recommend the web app here.

There, you simply click the Select a Code Action drop-down box, and select Create a vCard. Then, enter your personal information into the boxes below (image above), and hit Generate Code. Note that QR code size is dependent on the number of characters encoded, so you might find yourself dealing with a giant, unwieldy code that will be hard to fit on a business card. To get it down to size, we recommend using only vital information, like your name, phone number, and email address.

Another way to get around having a huge QR code is to have a personal website with your contact info (perhaps in a downloadable vCard) and to embed a link to that in a QR code. You can use a link shortener to make the URL and QR code as small as possible, which you will want for the next section.

Step 2: Personalize Your Code

One downside to QR codes is that by default they look a little impersonal. If you want to give your business card some visual appeal, there are a couple of simple things you can do. For one, you can give it a more interesting color scheme. The QR code generator we recommended defaults to black-on-white, but you can tell it to use any color for the foreground or the background. Make sure the background is lighter than the foreground, and that there’s decent contrast between the two. Otherwise, reader apps may have a hard time with it.

An even neater-looking trick, and one that’s still easy to pull off is to use a subtle color gradient. To do this, just open your image editor of choice (Photoshop and the free GIMP both work great), create a color gradient, and then use your QR code as a mask for that layer (image below).

If you want to go a step further by introducing a logo into your QR code, that’s entirely possible, as well. Just make sure to use the highest error correction setting (this can be set in the web app we recommended earlier) when you generate your QR code. This will make the code larger, but will allow it to be read even if up to 30 percent of the code is erased and written over.

For best results, don’t place your graphic or logo over the tracking boxes in the corners of the code. With some trial and error, you should be able to find out what scans and what doesn’t (image above).

During my last visit to Banquet IMM and City Square in early January 2012, I still did not see any MUIS Halal certificate for the stalls I mentioned in the email below. And ever since the issue of Banquet halal-ness became public dismay, I have stopped visiting Banquet any longer. 

UPDATE:

This is my email to Banquet & MUIS asking for clarification regarding the recent issue about Banquet food stalls. The email was sent on 19 Jan 2012 and has yet to receive any reply from both organizations.

====================================

Below is my email to Banquet & MUIS sent on 4 Nov 2011. Only Banquet replied as below:

to: info@banquet.com.sg
cc: ariff@muis.gov.sg, feedback@muis.gov.sg
date: Fri, Nov 4, 2011 at 6:42 PM
subject: Halal certificate at Banquet outlets

Dear Banquet,

With the exception of a few yahoos, when most of us think about searching the web, we’re thinking about Google. While Mountain View may be able to fulfill the bulk of our search-related needs, there’s no harm in mixing it up a bit. When looking for an alternative to Google, you could do a lot worse than giving Bing a try. Only a few years old, Microsoft’s upstart information-seeking darling has managed to incorporate a number of user-friendly features into the service’s already impressive set of capabilities. Care to give Bing a spin? We’ve put together 10 of our favorite Bing tips for you to trick out your browsing experience with.

Why Regionalize When You Can Americanize?

As any fanboy will tell you, Superman’s powers are only realized when he is in the presence of a yellow star like the Sun. Bing’s got the same thing going on with the United States: While there are many Bing regionalized portals, only the one enjoyed by default in the U.S. unlocks all of the search engine's features. If you’re living in America, no doubt you’re already good to go. If you live outside of the country, chances are you’ll need to do a little ticker work in order to get all the goodness out of Redmond’s search engine offering. Navigate to Bing.com, and look to the top right of your browser window. Click the name of whatever country you see up there—chances are that if you live in Ireland, by default the country you’ll click on will be Ireland. Doing so will open a page filled up with the various locales that Bing caters to. Click on United States – English, or United States Spanish if you hablan español. Boom! Welcome to the U-S-of-A.

Downplay Bing’s Good Looks

It’s a little known fact that Bing’s user interface was designed with the mullet in mind: Business up front and party in the back. Sure, the search service’s pages are pretty, but all of those high-definition pictures can be something of a distraction when there’s hardcore searching to do (or searching for hardcore. We won’t judge you). To rid yourself of Bing’s colorful backgrounds, navigate here and savour Bing in all of it’s minimalistic grey, white and orange splendour. Dulling up the joint can save you a few kilobytes of data every time you load the page moving forward. That might seem like small potatoes, but it adds up over time. This is a great solution for road warriors with a limited cellular data plan or individuals with slower rigs purchased at the dawn of the millennium.

Deck Out Your Desktop

Can’t get enough of Bing’s gorgeous background imagery? Then you're really doing to dig Bing Downloader,  a free jewel of a program that allows users to download those sexy Bing homepage backgrounds to their PCs. At this time, Bing Downloader is able to procure the background pictures from a wide variety of the search engine’s international portals including Canadian, American, Chinese, the United Kingdom and Germany. To snag yourself some new desktop wallpaper, simply locate Bing Downloader’s executable file, double click it and let the program run its course. For best results, fire up the program on a daily basis. In no time at all, you’ll have accrued a massive collection of Microsoft-approved background images to bend to your will. What you opt to do with them is entirely up to you.

Take to the Air

With Bing on your side, there’s no need to hop on an airline’s status page in order to find out whether or not your flight’s on time, cancelled or lost somewhere in the Bermuda triangle. Instead of entering your airline’s website URL, type Track Flight Status into Bing’s search field. At the top of your returned search results, you’ll find entry fields for your airline and flight number. Just pull the information off of your ticket or confirmation email, click Get Status and you’re in business.

If that’s not easy enough for you, simply enter your flight number, sans any other information. More times than not, Bing will understand what you’re getting at and provide you with the data you’re looking for courtesy of flightstats.com. While this might be great news for people that need to be on time for a flight, the flip-side of the coin is that thanks to Bing, you’ll never have an excuse for being late to pick up your in-laws at the airport again.

RSS to Impress

Being able to look up information on the web is great. Trying to read that information while away from your browser? Not so much. While you can opt to peruse your search results on another device with the help of services like Instapaper, Read It Later or Evernote by the time you get around to doing so, the results Bing returned to you might be cold. Instead, savvy Bing users might want to consider taking in their Bing searches in the form of a live RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed that can be viewed via any RSS reader. To rock this hack, simply add &format=rss to the tail end of any of the search results returned by Bing. Doing so will provide you with a live RSS feed version of your results that is automatically updated in real-time. Now that’s useful.

Search for Specific File Types

You are an important individual who considers their time to be a precious commodity. There’s not enough hours in the day to quibble over the masses of data that comes as a result of most web searches. Fortunately, Bing understands and endorses your picky data-scoffing ways. In an effort to keep you happy and provide discerning types such as yourself with only the most pertinent of information, Bing makes searching for particular file types online easy. If you know the information you’re looking for is contained in a PDF file, for example, type the topic of the file into Bing’s search field and add filetype:pdf to the search parameters. You’ll find that your search results contain only links that include PDF files. While this trick can be used with any just about any file extension, we’ve found Bing’s returned on searches for .mp3, .wpa and other oft-times DRM protected file types are pretty weaksauce.

Track a Package

In many parts of the world, sadomasochism has been an illegal practice for centuries. Luckily for those of you that derive pleasure from inflicting torment upon themselves, tracking a package over the internet was still a go the last time we checked. While you could waste your time navigating to your shipping company’s website and then hunting down the page’s tracking utility, if you’re looking for some immediate satisfaction, we suggest cutting to the chase by entering your package’s tracking number directly into Bing along with the shipping company’s name. For example, if Big Brown’s got your goods, you’d enter:

 ups # [tracking number]  

This trick works with the majority of the world’s major shipping companies. You’ll find the returned results to be as comprehensive as anything you’ll find on the FedEx, DHL or UPS’ websites. More than this, with all the time you’re saving on data entry can be used to get in some kinky kicks from other sources, like balancing your checkbook, getting your taxes done early, or comparing long distance rates.

Convert Sums Like a Champ

No matter whether it’s converting kilometres to miles, gallons to litres, or parsecs from a measurement of distance into one of speed—sometimes the math can escape us. Fortunately, Bing is more than willing to carry the two for its bleary-minded users. Using the search engine’s conversion capabilities is absolutely the bomb when it comes to planning your next Canadian road trip or sizing up the dimensions of a cabinet from Scandinavia to see if it’ll actually fit in your living room. To get the conversion party started, simply enter the measurement you’re being boggled by and the standard you’d like to see it converted to. For example, if you’re dying to what 5.65 cm works out to once converted over to the Imperial system of measurement, you would enter convert 5.65 cm to inches.  The same trick can be applied to international currencies: to get the current exchange rate of a Canadian dollar to its U.S. Counter part, enter CAD to USD as a search.

Get Your Math On

Less ghetto than Windows 7’s baked-in calculator application and easier to find than that old TI-89 calculator of yours that’s been packed away in a box since your graduated from college, Bing’s built-in calculation capability is a reliable tool in the fight against confusing math equations. Similar in function to its Mountain View situated nemesis, Bing allows users to crunch numbers by entering their math questions as a search. For example, if you wanted to know where 47 multiplied by 33 would get you, you’d enter 47 * 33 and click the search icon. The search engine  understands a wide variety number nerd operator mainstays such as percentages (% of), square roots (sqrt) and higher power (**). Need answers to some troubling equations? Bing’s got it going on, and can handle a respectable share of middle-of-the-road calculus and algebra computations.

Bing a-go-go

While Bing’s extensive functionality makes it a worthwhile addition to anyone’s laptop or desktop internet search toolbox, the search service also offers up some pretty impressive search functionality for use on smartphones and dumbphones alike. By accessing Bing via your handset’s web browser, you’ll be able to utilize all of the the same search functions we’ve talked about in this article from anywhere you can pick up a cellular signal. If you happen to be rocking an Android or iOS device, you can also opt to download the service’s free application. For those out there who refuse to take part in the smartphone revolution,  Microsoft also offers a lesser known Bing 411 phone number that can be called from any landline or cellular telephone. Just dial 1 (800) Bing-411, and you’ll be given voice driven access to, street addresses, movie time and up to the minute weather information, as well as other sweet features such as turn-by-turn navigation over the line—a definite bonus for folks without a GPS receiver.