INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN BUSINESS ARTICLES BLOG ASSIGNMENT (DIS 2010-APR 2011)
FOR: SIR MOHD HARUN BIN SHAHUDIN
ARTICLE FIVE: I AM BUNKERS
ASSALAMUAIKUM W.B.T
I am Bunkface's Bunkers? Who is Bunkface? What is the meaning of Bunkers?
Bunkface is a local artist band with Pop Punk / Rock / Alternative as their genre. Bunkers is a word to described for those who are Bunkface Fans. Now, before, and after, I AM BUNKERS! =)
BUNKFACE!
BUNKFACEHISTORY
Started as casual jamming sessions among four secondary school friends ended up in the formation a band, Bunkface. They're now widely known as a rising star in the local music scene. Although the band was formed in 2005, it was only in late 2006 when they caught the attention of the public through their participation in the hit TV show Blastoff. The year 2006 proved to be an exciting one for Bunkface.
One of the highlights of their experience as fresh young musicians happened in March 2006 when Bunkface won first place for the Battle of the Bands competition in UNISEL organized by ROTTW. Winning the competition opened a door for Bunkface to be featured in a magazine for the very first time.
Another sweet success came later that year when Bunkface snatched first place for the Battle of the Bands competition in Universiti Malaya. With that accomplishment, Demoplanet.tv approached Bunkface and offered to sponsor a video clip for the song Hyper Killer. After garnering a truckload of new experiences, Bunkface began writing more and more new songs.
In December 2007, Bunkface released their first EP titled “Lesson of the Season” featuring 6 English tracks with a taste of pop-punk and alternative rock. Fast forward to the present, Bunkface have been featured in ROTTW and interviewed on air numerous times on XFresh FM and Fly FM. They were also interviewed and featured on Era Sentral and The Wknd Sessions.
Their first hit song "Silly Lily" was number 1 on Hitz.fm’s Malaysian Top Ten for 8 weeks and number 1 on Fly.fm’s Campur Chart for 10 weeks. Bunkface’s current hit and first Malay single "Situasi" has stormed to number 1 on XFresh FM and steadily stayed at number 3 on Era FM for 3 weeks.
The band has performed athigh school proms, charity events, product launchings, dinner galas, and gigscovering venues all around theKlang Valley, Malacca, Perak, Penang, Johor, Sarawak and Singapore.Bunkface was theopening band for Fly FM 3rd Anniversary showcase,and their very first large scale gig proved to be a success. It is no wonder that their catchy tunes coupled with their addictively energetic and fun filled performances have captured the attention of the masses and event organizers alike!
My first song I heard sang by Bunkface was "Situasi". At that time, I started to admired this band. Happy-go-lucky and exciting. This group is different with others and why i admired this band so much because their songs are "Universal" and not limited to love song just like most of bands in Malaysia. I had all Bunkface songs and heard all of them, now, on 29/02/1011, there are 4 songs that i liked most to sing (I liked all their songs, it's just that these 4 songs are priority to sing for NOW,hehe) :
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN BUSINESS ARTICLES BLOG ASSIGNMENT (DIS 2010-APR 2011)
FOR: SIR MOHD HARUN BIN SHAHUDIN
ARTICLE FOUR: HISTORY OF SAMURAI
SAMURAI
"Any man can be prepared to kill, a Samurai is prepared to die"
THE ORIGIN OF SAMURAI
The Samurai, a class of highly skilled warrior,gradually developed in Japan after The Taika Reform of 646 A.D. The reforms included land redistribution and heavy new taxes, meant to support an elaborate and Chinese-style empire. As a result, many small farmers had to sell their land and work as tenant farmers.
Meanwhile, a few large landholders amassed power and wealth, creating a feudal system similar to medieval Europe's. This top-heavy system proved unwieldy, and crumbled within a few centuries.
As in Europe, the new feudal lords needed warriors to defend their riches. Thus, the samurai warrior or "bushi" was born.
Early Feudal Era Samurai
Some samurai are relatives of the landowners, while others were simply hired swords. The samurai code emphasized loyalty to one master, even over family loyalty. History shows that the most loyal samurai were usually family members or financial dependent of the lords.
In the 900's, the weak emperors of the Heian Dynasty (794-1185) lost control of rural Japan. The country was driven by revolt, the emperor soon wielded power only within the capital. Across the country, the warrior class moved in to fill the power vacuum.
By 1100, the samurai effectively held bothmilitaryandpolitical power over much of Japan.
End of The Heian Era / Rise of Samurai Rule
The weak imperial line received a fatal blow to its power in 1156, when Emperor Tobadied without a clear successor. His sons, Sutoku and Go-Shirakawa, fought for control in a civil war called the Hogen Rebellion.
In the end, both would-be emperors lost, the imperial office lost all its remaining power.
During this civil war, the MinamotoandTaikasamurai clans rose to prominence. They fought one another inHeiji Rebellion of 1160.After their victory, the Taira established the first samurai-led government, or shogunate, with the emperor as a figurehead.
The defeated Minamoto were banished from the capital at Kyoto.
HEIAN FASHION (1083)
Man in dark red blue uniform: Courtier in formal uniform
Man in white red uniform with high hat: Noble in daytime costume
Man with Long Bow: Palace Guard, duty uniform
Lady in dress: Court lady in formal attire
TAIRA ARMY
Man on horse: Taira Army Cavalry
Man with no horse: Taira Army Infantry
MINAMOTO ON HORSE
MINAMOTO ACTION FIGURE ARMOR ATTIRE
Kamakura Period
The two clans fought once more in the Genpei War(1180-1185), which ended in victory for the Minamoto.
Minamoto no Yoritomoestablished theKamakura shogunate, which ruled much of Japan until 1333. While Kamakura was powerful, they never conquered northern and western areas of the country. The shoguns also faced periodic resistance from other samurai clans.
*Shogun: The title for a military commander in ancient Japan (8th century to 12th century A.D), and later for a ruler of shogunate Japan (12th century to 1868)
In 1268, and external threat appeared.Kublai Khan, the Mongol Ruler of Yuan China, demanded tribute from Japan. Kyoto refused. The Mongols invaded in 1274 with 600 ships, but a typhoon destroyed their armada. A second invasion fleet in 1281 met the same fate.
Fall of The Kamakura / Early Muromachi (Ashikaga) Period
Despite such an incredicle help from nature, the Mongols attack cost the Kamakura dearly.
Unable to offer land and riches to the samurai leaders who rallied to Japan's defense, the weakened shogun faced a challenge from Emperor Go-Daigo in 1318. The emperor was exiled in 1331, but returned and overthrew the shogunate in 1333.
This Kenmu Restoration of imperial power lasted only three years.
In 1336, the Ashikaga Shogunate under Ashikaga Takauji reasserted samurai rule, but it was weaker than the Kamakura had been. Regional constables called "Daimyo" developed considerable power, meddling in the shogunate's succession.
KAMAKURA SAMURAI WARRIORS
Later Muromachi Period
By 1460, the daimyo were ignoring orders from the shogun, and backing different successors to the imperial throne. When the shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, resigned in 1464, a dispute between backers of his younger brother and his son iginited even more intense bickering among daimyo.
In 1467, this squabbling erupted into the decade-long Onin War. Thousands died, and Kyoto was burned to the ground.
The Onin Warled directly Japan's "Warring States Period", or Sengoku. Between 1467 and 1573, various daimyo led their clans in a fight for a national dominance. Nearly all of the provinces were engulfed in the fighting.
MUROMACHI SAMURAI WARRIOR WEARING TIGER SKIN AS SYMBOL OF BRAVERY
Azuchi-Momoyama Period / Restoration Order
The Warring States Period began to draw to a close in 1568, when the warlordOda Nobunaga defeated three other powerful daimyo, marched into Kyotom and had his favorite, Yoshiaki, installed as shogun.
Nobunaga spent the next 14 years subduing other rival daimyo and quelling rebellions by fractious Buddhist monks.
His grand Azuchi Castle, constructed between 1576 and 1579, became a symbol of Japan reunification.
In 1582,Nobunaga was assasinated by one of his general, Akechi Mitsuhide.Hideyoshi, another general, finished the unification and ruled as kampaku (regent).
Hideyoshi invaded Korea in 1592 and 1597.
ODA NOBUNAGA
AKECHI MITSUHIDE
HIDEYOSHI TOYOTOMI
Tokugawa Shogunate (Edo Period)
LARGEST SAMURAI GATHERING FOR BATTLE IN HISTORY
Hideyoshi had exiled the large Tokugawa clan from the area around Kyoto to the Kanto region in western Japan. The Taiko died1598, and by 1600,Tokugawa Ieyasu had conquered the other western daimyo from his stronghold castle at Edo (The future Tokyo)
Ieyasu's son, Hidetada, become shogun of the unified country in 1605, ushering in about 250 yearsof relative peace and stability for Japan.
The strong Tokugawa shogun domesticated the samurai, forcing them either to serve their lords in the cities, or give up their sword and farm. This transformed the warriors into a hereditary class of cultured bureaucrats.
IEYASU TOKUGAWA
Meiji Restoration and the Decline of the Samurai
EMPEROR MIKADO MEIJI
In 1868, the Meiji Restoration signaled the beginning of the end for the samurai.
The Meiji system of constitutional monarchy included such democratic reforms as term limits for public office and popular balloting. With public support, the Meiji Emperor did away with the samurai, reduced the power of the daimyo, and moved the capital from Kyoto to Tokyo.
The new government created a conscripted army in 1873, many of the officers were drawn from the ranks of former samurai.
In 1877,angry ex-samurai revolted against the Meiji in the Satsuma Rebellion and the samurai lost the Battle of Shiroyama, and the Era of Samurai was over.
THE LAST SAMURAI MARCHED TO THE LAST WAR
THE LAST SAMURAI BATTLE AGAINST THE NEW CONSCRIPT ARMY OF JAPAN
The Culture and Myth of the Samurai
Samurai Culture
The culture of the samurai was grounded in the concept of Bushido ("The way of the Samurai"). The central tenets of bushido are honor and freedom from the fear of death. A samurai was legally entitled to cut down any commoner who failed to honor him (or her) properly. A warrior imbued with a bushido spirit would fight fearlessly for his master, and die honorably rather than surrender in defeat.
Out of this diregard for death, the Japanese tradition of seppuku evolved: defeated warriors and disgraced goverment officials would commit suicide with honor by ritually disemboweling themselves with a short sword.
Samurai Weapons
Early samurai were archers, fighting on foot or horseback with extremely long bows (yumi). They used swords mainly for finishing off wounded enemy.
LONG BOW AND HOW TO USE
After the Mongol invasion of 1272 and1281, the samurai began to make more use of swords, as well as poles topped by curved blades called Naginata, and spears.
NAGINATA CURVED BLADES
Samurai warriors wore two swords, together called daisho- "Long and Short". The Katana, a curved blade over 24-inches long, was suitable for slashing, while the wakizashi, at 12-24 inches, was used for stabbing. In the late 16th century, non-samurai were forbidden to wear the daisho.
DAISHO - KATANA AND WAKIZASHI
Samurai wore full body armor in battle often including a horned helmet.
The Samurai Myth
Modern Japanese honor the memory of the samurai, and bushido still infuses the culture. Today, however, the samurai code is invoked in corporate boardrooms rather than on the battlefield.
Even now, everyone knows the story of 47 Ronin, Japan's "national legend".
In 1701, the daimyo Asano Naganori draw a dagger in the shogun's palace and tried to kill Kira, a government official. Asano was arrested, and forced to commit seppuku. Two years later, forty-seven of his samurai hunted down Kira and killed him, without knowing Asano's reasons for attacking the officlal. It was enough that they wanted Kira dead.
Since the Ronin had followed Bushido, the shogun allowed them to commit seppuku instead of being executed.
People still offer incense at the graves of the ronin, and the story has been made into a number of plays and films.
Sources:
Ansart, Oliver (2007) "Loyalty in Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Samurai Discourse", Japanese studies, 27:2, 139-154.
Collcutt, Martin (1996) "The 'Emergence of the Samurai' and the Military History of Early Japan," Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, 56:1, 151-164.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN BUSINESS ARTICLES BLOG ASSIGNMENT (DIS 2010-APR 2011)
FOR: SIR MOHD HARUN BIN SHAHUDIN
ARTICLE THREE: GHOSTS : MALAY BELIEF
Assalamualaikum wbt
AYAT KURSI
BISMILLAHIRRAHMANIRRAHIM
There are many kinds of beliefs in this world about the types of ghosts. One of the popular types of ghosts in our local culture is the Malay ghosts. Of course, there are also the Chinese ghosts, English ghosts and even Indian ghosts depending on your religion, race and beliefs. For example, a vampire is an English ghost version whereas Malays simply knows them as “Pontianak” and Chinese as “Kiong Xi”.
*I have very interesting website that i want share with all of you. Click this link http://malaysian-ghost-research.org/ to be GHOSTBUSTER JUNIOR =)
Malays believe that ghosts are usually only appear at night especially during the full moon where it is belief to be the most powerful time for the underworld. Of course, be it fact or just simply another Malaysian Urban Legend, we’ll never know. Below are lists of the types of Malay Ghosts:
1) PONTIANAK
Also known as the vampire where it is belief that they are usually ladies dressed in white seeking for revenge. The Pontianak is said to be the spirit of a woman died of childbirth. Most of the time, they can look very beautiful but if you look closely, she would have razor sharp teeth. They usually comes out after the sun setssearching for men or pregnant women(apparently, it is said that she could not bear the thought of other women being able to enjoy motherhood)to suck blood. Sometimes, they even eat the flesh of babies ripped out from their mother’s womb.
2) TOYOL
These are actually ghostly kids that people adopt for the objective of stealing other people’s money. It is believed that this spirit is kept and preserved in a jar in a form of a fetus. Because the toyol is kept by people to do bidding, you have to feed it with blood every day.
3) POLONG
Unseen ghost that can be used by black magic practitioners(bomoh) to harm someone.
4) PELESIT
A ghost in the form of grasshopper used by bomohs to possess someone.
5) WATER GHOST
Water ghost found usually in rivers, lakes and swimming pools. They are usually make the victim of drowning. Becareful when you go vacation at watery places. Hehe.
6) KUM KUM
An old witch who attacks young virgins to restore her youth and beauty.
7) HANTU RAYA
Ghosts that acts as adouble for the bomoh.
8) HANTU TETEK (=.=)
Translates as Breast Ghost. This ghost is a female with huge breasts which is said to use it to suffocate her victims. Usually like to hide kids during dusk.
9) BUNIAN
Good ghost orjinn (Genie) that is usually found in the jungle.Loves to help humans in trouble or in need. Will be in big trouble when you make them mad.
10) HANTU BUNGKUS (POCONG)
Ghost jumping around wrapped in white shroud. Usually appear at the home mid night Friday 13th.
11) HANTU BUKIT
Ghosts that haunt the hilly areas.
12) HANTU JEPUN
Translates as Japanese ghost. Believed to appear wearing World War 2 army attire carrying samurai swords. Usually found marching or if you are lucky, you can only hear the footsteps of marching. They are mostly headless.
13) HANTU KUBUR
Just like its direct translation of cemetery ghost. These ghosts are usually found haunting cemeteries. Many people believed it comes from non-peaceful spirits.
14) ORANG MINYAK
Also known as “oily man”. They are usually seen all covered in black oil and was said to love rape virgins.
15) HANTU PENANGGALAN
Usually women studying black magic that has the ability to split its body from its head and fly around with its guts hanging around. It is said that its love to suck the blood of women during childbirth.
Yeah! All these types of ghost is popular among malays. Usually old folks likes to use all these type of ghosts as their fake stories to make their children don't play outside during dusk but sometimes there are some story quite true because it happened to me before. So, beware!
