MY Final Year Project - Income Convergence Hyphothesis

 

Finally, I got my Final Year Project (FYP) done after 6 months of hardwork.

THe topic is: Income Convergence Hypothesis: A Comparison Between Malaysia, Thailand and China towards The United States and Japan.

Brief Conclusion: Malaysia, Thailand and China are still long way off to catch up the development of the United States and Japan; As a mission to create ” East Asian Community”, it is important to formulate policies which can enhance the financial, monetary and economic cooperation in the Region to achieve sustainable growth.

I would like to convey my great appreciation to the pioneer mentor on my research, Mr. Chan Tze Haw as my supervisor in the study. He is one of the great lecturers in Multimedia University, Melaka campus, Malaysia.

This book is dedicated to my beloved mother and father, and to Shirmay who supported me throughout the study.

THe pictures captured using Fujifilm S8000fd (1)

FujiFilm S8000fd

 08 April 2008, I have bought a UltraZoom Camera - Fujifilm S8000fd.

The price is reasonable, the spec is durable and great. Its main attraction is the extra long 18x optical zoom lens.

Specifications

Number of Effective Pixels	8.0 million pixels
CCD Sensor	1/ 2.35-inch CCD
Storage Media	Internal memory (approx. 58MB) /xD-Picture Card™ ( 16MB - 2 GB ) SD memory card /SDHC memory card
File format	Still image : JPEG (Exif Ver 2.2 ) Movie : AVI (Motion JPEG ) with sound Audio: WAVE format, Monaural sound (Design rule for Camera File system compliant / DPOF-compatible)
Recording capacity with 512MB xD-Picture Card (not included)	Still image: 3264×2448(F) - 130 3264×2448(N) - 259 3264×2176(3:2) - 290 2304×1728 - 515 1600×1200 - 819 640×480 - 3,995
	Movie: VGA (30 fps) - 9.3 min. QVGA (30 fps) - 14.8 min.
Recording capacity with 512MB SD Memory Card (not included)	Still image: 3264×2448(F) - 126 3264×2448(N) - 251 3264×2176(3:2) - 281 2304×1728 - 499 1600×1200 - 793 640×480 - 3,868
	Movie: VGA (30 fps) - 9.0 min. QVGA (30 fps) - 14.3 min.
Number of Recorded Pixels	Still image: 3,264 x 2,448 / 3,264 x 2,176 (3:2 format) / 2,304 x 1,728 /1,600 x 1,200 / 640 X 480 pixels Movie: 640 x 480 pixels (30 frames/sec.), 320 x 240 pixels (30 frames/sec.) with monaural sound
Lens	Fujinon 18X Optical zoom lens , F2.8 - F4.5
Lens Focal Length	f=4.7mm - 84.2 mm, Equivalent to 27- 486 mm on a 35mm camera
Aperture	F2.8- F8.0, 10 steps in 1/3 EV increment
Digital Zoom	Approx 5.1X
Focus Distance	Normal : Wide angle :Approx. 70cm/2.3 ft to infinity, Telephoto :Approx. 1.5 m/4.9 ft to infinity Macro : Wide angle :Approx. 10cm/0.3 ft to 80cm/2.6ft , Telephoto :Approx. 1.2m/3.9 ft to 3.2m/10.5ft Super Macro : Approx 1cm /0.4 in. to 1m /3.3 ft.
Sensitivity	Auto / Auto(1600)/Auto(800)/ Auto(400)/ Equivalent to 64/100/200/400/800/1600/3200/6400 (Standard Output Sensitivity) * ISO3200/6400： 4M pixels (Number of recorded pixels)
Exposure control	TTL 256-zones metering
Exposure mode	Programmed AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual
Shooting Modes	Mode dial : Auto, PS(Anti-Blur), Natural Light,Natural Light& with Flash, SP1, SP2, P, A, S, M, Movie SP1/SP2 : Portrait,Landscape,Sport,Night,Fireworks,Sunset,Snow,Beach,Museum,Party, Flower,Text, Auction
Image Stabilizer	CCD-shift type
Shutter speed	4sec. to 1/2000 sec. (depend on Shooting mode)
Continuous shooting	Top-3 ( max 1.3 frames/sec), Long-period ( max.0.5 frames/sec) Top-15, Hgh speed (max 7 frames/sec, 4M pixels) Top-15, Ultra High speed (max 15 frames/sec, 2M pixels)
Auto Bracketing	±1/3EV,±2/3EV,±1EV
Focus	Auto focus (Area,Multi,Center)/Continuous AF/ Manual focus AF assist illuminator available
White balance	Automatic scene recognition Preset (Fine, Shade, Fluorescent light (Daylight), Fluorescent light (Warm White), Fluorescent light (Cool White), Incandescent light), Custom
Self-timer	Approx. 10 sec./2 sec.delay
Flash	Auto flash Effective range: (ISO AUTO(800)): Wide angle, approx. 0.5 - 8.8m /1.6 - 28.9 ft, Telephoto angle, approx. 0.5 - 5.6m /1.6 - 18.4 ft Macro: approx. 0.3m – 3m / 1.0 ft - 9.8 ft Flash mode : Auto, Red-eye Reduction, Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Slow Synchro Red-eye Reduction + Slow Synchro
Electronic Viewfinder	0.24-inch, approx.230,000 pixels color LCD monitor, approx. 97% coverage, 60fps
LCD monitor	2.5-inch , approx.230,000 pixels, low-temperature polysilicon TFT color LCD monitor(WV type), approx. 97% coverage, 60fps
Movie Recording	640 x 480 pixels, 30 frames/sec. 320 x 240 pixels, 30 frames/sec. With monaural sound, With Electronic Image Stabilization
Photography functions	High speed shooting, Best framing, Post shot assist windows, Frame No.memory, Automatic playback, Histograms
Playback functions	Slide show,Trimming, Single frame, Multi-frameplayback(with Micro Thumbnail) , Sorting by date,Image rotate, Voice Memo, Histograms(Highlight warning)
Video Output	NTSC / PAL selectable
Digital input/ output	USB Full-speed
Power Supply	4xAA type alkaline batteries(included)/ 4xAA type Ni-MH rechargeable batteries(optional) or AC power adapter AC-5VX(optional)
Dimensions	111.3(W)x78.2(H)x78.9(D) mm/ 4.4(W)× 3.1(H)× 3.1(D) in.(excluding accessories and attachments)
Weight	Approx.412g/14.5oz.(excluding accessories, batteries and memory card)

PoliticAL Economy and Development economics

After a week of hardwork, finally and again, my paper got a great praise from my political economy lecturer - Professor Rafiqul.

Prof. Rafiqul had been my lecturer since last year, and I was shocked he gave me high credit for every paper I have written on the political and development economic issues.

Prof. Rafiqul introduced me the development economic and political economic. he provided me valuable experiences on the middle-East region, PAkistan and India. I was impressed w5h the every lecture he gave to us.

All my friends wonder why Prof. Rafiqul always give me “A” for the papers I wrote, the reason behind is to understand the background issue before writing, and read through a lot of scholar’s works. and the knowledges will forever store in my brain.

the last paper I wrote is to analyze the political economic of America’s so called war on terror. give credit to shyan as my member on this paper. this papar really make me crazy, crazy in the sense of interesting.  i found so much facts and papers criticized on the so called war on terror. it was so painful to see all those pictures from Iran and Afghanistan. it is no more about fighting the terror, but destroy the peace we developed after WWll.

THe presentation night was unforgettable. Prof.Rafiqul told the class after shyan and  my presentation:” this is the reason why i choose them to be presenting in the 1st day, they will set a benchmark for the following paper.” And I and shyan, I think we are not disappointed him. he said he may use this paper as the future reference on the subject matter, for the benefit of my junior.

The paper about “social business” and Globalization also a new topic for my knowledge. It was all about a nobel laurate Prof. Muhammad Yunus proposed that “social business” can prevent globalization becoming financial means of imperialism and thus change the world economy. below are some of the useful links about social business.

1. http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2006/yunus-lecture-en.html

2. http://www.muhammadyunus.org/

Give a credit to the author of this book “Globalization and its Discontents”, Joseph E. Stiglitz. His thought on this book benefited me a lot to write on the issue on globalization and devopment.

Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) by Phil Collins

How can I just let you walk away,
just let you leave without a trace,
When I stand here taking every breath with you, ooh
You’re the only one who really knew me at all
How can you just walk away from me,
when all I can do is watch you leave
Cos we’ve shared the laughter and the pain,
and even shared the tears,
You’re the only one who really knew me at all
So take a look at me now,
there’s just an empty space
And there’s nothing left here to remind me,
just the memory of your face
Take a look at me now,
there’s just an empty space
And you coming back to me is against all odds
and that’s what I’ve got to face
I wish I could just make you turn around,
turn around and see me cry
There’s so much I need to say to you,
so many reasons why
You’re the only one who really knew me at all
So take a look at me now,
there’s just an empty space
And there’s nothing left here to remind me,
just the memory of your face
Take a look at me now,
there’s just an empty space
But to wait for you, well that’s all I can do
and that’s what I’ve got to face
Take a good look at me now,
‘cos I’ll still be standing here
And you coming back to me is against all odds
That’s the chance I’ve got to take, oh, oho
Just take a look at me now

Champion League Quarter Final 1st leg: Arsenal 1 - 1 Liverpool

An away goal of Liverpool at the Emirates stadium would definitely an advantege for them to play Arsenal at home next Tuesday for the 2nd leg.

Emmanuel Adebayor headed Arsenal in front in powerful fashion from Robin van Persie’s cross after 23 minutes. However after 3 minutes of leading by The Gunners, the superb run by Steven Gerrard into the left side of penalty box, charging past three defenders and sending a low cross to the central of penalty box, and Kuyt scored the crucial away goal.  What a run by Steve.G!

Liverpool dominated the field after the goal at the 1st half.  However, The Reds lose the poccession in the 2nd half, and a lot of chances created by Arsenal, but still cannot change the scoreboard, as Liverpool defensive line is deepen in the 2nd half.

Earth Hour 2008:Turn your lights off for one hour and see the difference you can make

 

In 2008, 24 global cities will participate in Earth Hour at 8pm on March 29. Earth Hour is the highlight of a major campaign to encourage businesses, communities and individuals to take the simple steps needed to cut their emissions on an ongoing basis. It is about simple changes that will collectively make a difference - from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty, to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby.

How can you or your organization take a stand against global warming - the greatest threat our planet has ever faced? Simply be part of the Earth Hour campaign! Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming. Go to http://www.earthhour.org/ for details.

Earth Hour: 29 March 2008, 8-9pm

Be part of making Earth Hour 2008

Remember, every single light makes a statement and a difference.

A Happy 23rd Birthday.

23 years back, 19th March 1985, a special day my mother gave born to me to this beautiful world.

This year birthday was the special one as this is the 1st time for these 3 years i was able to celebrate in my hometown-Kedah. This is the 6th birthday I had went through with my girlfriend. The day before my birthday , We decided to go to Penang to celebrate it.

To relax, to celebrate, to enjoy life…These is the theme of my 23rd birthday. Batu Ferringgi became our choice, as the beautiful beach and sunset. Walking on the seaside and waiting the moment of sunset would be a great one, as we won’t do it in the busy city.

Batu Ferringgi, a treasure of Penang island, gave me a lot of memories during my childhood, my industrial training when I only 18 years old, and this 23rd birthday.

From 6pm, we decided to go to the beach and waiting for the sunset, walking on the sands, watching sunset, and siting on the beach chair until 7.20pm. At 8pm, we went to a well known steak house” The ship” for dinner.Delicious main course with red wine. Escargots Bourguinonne (香蒜烘法国蜗牛) as our appetizer. Recommended!!  www.theship.com.my

After the dinner, we walked along the street of Batu Ferringgi, a lot of arts, crafts products to be sold here!

Raikkonen and Massa have a bad day at the opening race in Australia

What a bad day for the both Ferraris dirver 1 and 2. Kimi starts the race in 15th place and able to catch-up until 7th place after some incidents, but the engine failure make him retired from the race in the last 3 laps with only officially 8 drivers finish the race. However, Kimi gains a point after Barrichello has been disqualified. Most Probarbly, both Ferraris will have a new engine replacement for the next circuit-Sepang, Malaysia.

Kewis Hamilton in McLaren Mercedes, Nick Heidfeld in BMW and and Nico Rosberg in William-Toyota are on the podium.

 Next RaceDay: Sepang, Malaysia , 23 March 2008 (Sunday).

Inter Milan 0 - 1 Liverpool, 2nd leg Champion League

Liverpool, the last team to qualify into Quarter-final of Champion League after beating Inter Milan with only away goal, puting the aggregate to clear 3 goals against Inter Milan.

Liverpool are fourth English team to make it through the last eight, following Chelsea, Man Utd and Arsenal. English football makes history tonight.

Torres again put Liverpool ahead, with his 26th goal of the season, assists by Aurelio. A superb Strike, a superb assist.

Burdisson awarded a red card after 2 yellow cards, and Inter Milan played the remain 40 minutes game with 10 men. Ibrahimovic missed a lot of chances in the game, he can’t turns the chances into goal. This is the different between Torres and Ibrahimovic, Torres surely worth more than his transfer fee this season.

A Fantastic night for Liverpool, 6 wins in a row now.

You’ll Never Walk Alone, Liverpool.

Malaysia-Kuala Lumpur Composite Index slumps 123.11 points (appx.9%) to close at 1173.22 points Today.

Latest news: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was sworn in Monday as the prime minister of Malaysia for a second term.

Bursa Malaysia halted trading at 2.58pm after the Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) fell 10%, which is the maximum limit. Trading resumed at 3.58pm.

Following the overnight falls of WallStreet US market (370 point losses for the last 2 trading days), and the US labor market turns down as US employer sliced payroll by 63,000 in February, even deeper than the 22,000 cut in January. However, the impact of Political tsunami in Malaysia after the 12th General Election is the biggest one for the slump of Malaysia Stock market Today.

KLCI closed at 1173.22 points today , following the selling pressure of the domestic and foreign investors. The results of the general election was a shock, and the outcome of the election 1st shown in today Malaysian Stock market.

Gainers 26, losers 905, Unchanged counter 62. [5.00pm, 10 March 2008]

Malaysia - 12th General Election Results

Combined Opposition parties (DAP,PAS and PKR) take 5 States (Kedah, Pulau Pinang, Kelantan, Perak and Selangor),a Huge lost for Barisan Nasional in its history althougt they still won the majority in the parliamentary seats.

BN will form the goverment as they won more than half parliamentary seats (140 seats) in the election. While PAS, DAP and PKR won 23, 28 and 31 seats respectively.

Parliamentary Seats

STATE	Total Seats	BN	PAS	DAP	PKR
PERLIS	3	3	0	0	0
KEDAH	15	4	6	0	5
KELANTAN	14	2	9	0	3
TERENGGANU	8	7	1	0	0
PULAU PINANG	13	2	0	7	4
PERAK	24	13	2	6	3
PAHANG	14	12	0	0	2
SELANGOR	22	5	4	4	9
W.P. KUALA LUMPUR	11	1	1	5	4
W.P. PUTRAJAYA	1	1	0	0	0
NEGERI SEMBILAN	8	5	0	2	1
MELAKA	6	5	0	1	0
JOHOR	26	25	0	1	0
W.P. LABUAN	1	1	0	0	0
SABAH	25	22	0	1	0
SARAWAK	31	29	0	1	0
Total	222	140	23	28	31

State Seats

STATE	Total Seats	BN	PAS	DAP	BEBAS	PKR
PERLIS	15	14	1	0	0	0
KEDAH	36	14	16	1	1	4
KELANTAN	45	6	38	0	0	1
TERENGGANU	32	24	8	0	0	0
PULAU PINANG	40	11	1	19	0	9
PERAK	59	28	6	18	0	7
PAHANG	42	37	2	2	1	0
SELANGOR	56	20	8	13	0	15
W.P. KUALA LUMPUR	0	0	0	0	0	0
W.P. PUTRAJAYA	0	0	0	0	0	0
NEGERI SEMBILAN	36	21	1	10	0	4
MELAKA	28	23	0	5	0	0
JOHOR	56	50	2	4	0	0
W.P. LABUAN	0	0	0	0	0	0
SABAH	60	57	0	1	0	0
SARAWAK	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	505	307	83	73	2	40

Source: www.spr.gov.my