The Vampire Diaries The Return: Shadow Souls

"A second chance? I've spoken to her about it." "She won't remember anything." "It doesn't matter whether she remembers. Everything will remain inside her, if unawakened." "It will germinate inside her... until the time is right." Elena had no idea of what any of it meant. And then this mist was thinning, and clouds were making way for her, and she was drifting down, more and more slowly, until she was deposited gently on a ground covered with pine needles. The voices were gone. She was lying on a forest floor, but she wasn't naked. She was wearing her prettiest nightgown, the one with real Valencienne's lace. She was listening to the tiny night sounds all around her when suddenly her aura reacted in a way that it never had before. It told her someone was coming. Someone who brought a sense of safety in warm earthen hues, in soft rose colours and deep, blue violets that enfolded her even before the person arrived. These were... someone's... feelings about herself. And behind the love and soothing concern she experienced, there were deep forest greens, shafts of warm gold, and a mysterious tinge of translucency, like a waterfall that sparkled as it fell and foamed like diamonds around her. Elena, a voice whispered. Elena. This was so familiar... Elena. Elena. She knew this... Elena, my angel. It meant love.

Sifat Allah

Pada cuti penggal kedua yang lalu, murid-murid tahun lima Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Bestari mengadakan lawatan sambil belajar ke Petrosains, Kuala Lumpur. Semasa perjalanan pulang Ustaz Dahlan bertanya, "Apakah perkara yang menarik semasa lawtan tadi?" Fikri menjawab "Saya amat tertarik dengan simulasi helikopter dan proses cari gali di planter minyak. Pada masa itu, saya berasa seolah-olah berada di dalam helikopter dan melawat planter minyak yang sebenar."

Mempertahankan Madinah

Kedudukan Madinah yang terletak di antara Sham dengan Mekah dijadikan sebagai tempat persinggahan para pedagang. Kedudukan yang strategik ini menjadi faktor utama penyebaran Islam. Perkembangan ini membimbangkan kaum musyrikin Mekah. Mereka merancang untuk menyerang Madinah dan meruntuhkan kerajaan yang dibentuk oleh Rasulullah S.A.W. Demi mempertahankan negara Madinah serta kemuliaan Islam dan umatnya, Allah memperintahkan supaya umat Islam bersedia mempertahankan negara mereka walaupun dengan cara berperang. Firman Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala: "Diizinkan berperang bagi orang (Islam) yang diperangi (oleh golongan penceroboh) kerana sesungguhnya mereka telah dianiyai dan sesungguhnya Allah amat berkuasa untuk menolong mereka (mencapai kemenangan).

Night World: Huntress

The fire-hardened end was very pointy. He wouldn't try to use that first, though. first, he would go for disarming her. The simplest way to do this was to break points and nerve centers. He didn't play around at this. A minute change in Morgead's posture alerted her, and they were both moving. He swung his stick up and down in a perfect arc, aiming for her right wrist. Jez blocked easily with her own stick and felt the shock as wood clashed with wood. She instantly changed her grip and tried for a trap, but he whipped his stick out of the way and was facing her again as if he'd never moved in the first place. He smiled at her. He's right. He's gotten better. A small chill went through Jez, and for the first time she worried about her ability to beat him. Because I have to do it without killing him, she thought. She wasn't at all sure he had the same concern about not killing her. "You're so predictable, Morgead," she told him. "I could fight you in my sleep." She feinted toward his wrist and then tried to sweep his legs out from underneath him. He blocked and tried for a trap. "Oh, yeah? And you hit like a four-year-old. You couldn't take me down if I stood here and let you." They circled each other warily. The snakewood stick was warm in Jez's hands. It was funny, some distant partof her mind thought irrelevantly, how the most humble and lowly of human weapons was the most dangerous to vampires. But it was also the most versatile weapon in the world. With a stick, unlike a knife or gun or sword, you could fine-tune the degree of pain and injury you caused. You could disarm and control attackers, and - if the circumstances required it - you could inflict pain without permanently injuring them. Of course if they were vampires, you could also kill them, which you couldn't do with a knife or a gun. Only wood could stop the vampire heart permanently, which was why the fighting stick was the weapon of choice for vampires who wanted to hurt each other... and for vampire hunters. Jez grinned at Morgead, knowing it was not a particularly nice smile. Her feet whispered across the worn oak boards of the floor. She and Morgead had practiced here countless times, measuring themselves against each other, training themselves to be the best. And it had worked. They were both masters of this most deadly weapon. "Idiot!' Jez didn't have time to say that Claire couldn't help her: could only hurt her. The vampire had recovered and was moving toward her in fighting position. He was big, probably over two hundred pounds. And he was a full vampire, which gave him the advantage of strength and speed. And he was smarter than the 'wolves; he wasn't just going to lunge. And Jez didn't have a weapon. "Just keep behind me, okay?" she snarled under her breath to Claire. The vampire grinned at that. H e knew Jez was vulnerable. She was going to have to keep half her attention on protecting Claire. And then, just as he was about to make an attack, Jez heard the smack of footsteps on concrete. Running footsteps, with a weird little hesitation between them, like somebody with a limp... She flashed a look toward the stairs. Hugh had just rounded the top. He was out of breath and bleeding from cuts on his face. But as soon as he saw her and the vampire he waved his arms and yelled. "Hey! Ugly Undead! Your friend missed me! You want to have a try?" Hugh? Jez thought in disbelief. Fighting? "Come on, hey; I'm here; I'm easy." Hugh was hopping toward the vampire, who was also flashing looks at him, trying to assess this new danger while not taking his focus off Jez.

Istana Iskandariah

Istana Iskandariah is the official residence of all the Sultans of Perak who have been installed since its completion in 1933. The palace is named after Sultan Iskandar Shah (1918-1938) who initiated its construction.

Istana Iskandariah is located at Bukit Chandan on the left bank of Sungai Perak upstream from Hilir Perak on the site of the former Istana Negara which was built in 1895 by Almarhum Sultan Idris Murshidul'adzam Shah (the late Sultan (in 1887-1916). It occupies an area of 10,435 square meters.


Upon the demise of Sultan Iskandar in 1938, Almarhum Sultan Abdul Aziz (1938-1948) succeeded him and moved into the palace. In 1948, Sultan Yussuff Izzuddin Shah (1948-1963) moved from Istana Kota (Istana Hijau) to Istana Iskandariah to succeed Sultan Abdul Aziz and in 1963, Sultan Idris Shah II (1963-1984) ascended the throne and stayed there until his demise in 1984.

The design of the palace is based on the architecture of West Asia which is famous for its pointed arches and onion-shaped domes. The building is rectangular in shape and faces the sunrise and the river.

The roof is designed with one main dome in the centre and four subsidiary domes, one on each of the palace.

The palace is of there storey. The ground floor houses The Royal Dining Room, two Audience Halls, Reception Area, the Royal Rest Chambers, Ladies' Cloak Room, Aide-de-Camp's Office, Music Hall and the Royal Council Chamber.




On the first floor are located the Princesses' bedrooms, two Royal Guest Rooms and Their Royal Highnesses' suite; while the second floor houses of the Princess's bedrooms and another Royal Guest Room.


Above the second floor and under the main dome is a minaret. Here the hall measures 9.8 square meters and is used by the Royal family as a family hall.

In 1984, Istana Iskandariah was extended towards the rear by an additional 11,468 square meters, at the same level ass the main palace and is connected to it by a covered bridge at the first floor level.


The architecture of the extension is similar to that of the main palace so that it appears as if it were one building constructed at the same time.

The extension which measures 99 meters by 38.7 meters is rectangular in shape with one main dome and four smaller ones, one at each corner. AS can be seen now, the palace has two main domes and eight smaller ones located at each corner of the palace.

The ground floor of the extension is the garage for the Royal cars, the first floor is the new Banquet Hall, while the second floor is the new Throne Room (Balairong Seri).

The Throne Room and Banquet Hall are decorated with carvings of BUNGA KELUMPANG.

How do animals survive?

Animals survive through instinct and living in the natural environment that evolution has designed them for. When animals are born into their natural habitat, they are born with natural instincts inherited from their species that can be compared to the programming of a computer when you buy it (in this case when their born) that directs their actions for what they need to do to survive. Some creatures are left on their own to do this and some have their parent available to guide them and show them the techniques they need to survive. Sea turtles lay their eggs in pits dug on a beach and leave them to survive on their own. When the eggs hatch, the babies already have the instinct to dig out of their pit, crawl to the water and swim. Baby eagles or baby lions have instincts to fly or run and hunt but while they are maturing, they watch their parents to learn the tricks to being successful. Many types of creatures, like the sea turtles, need no example or instruction to survive and some need nurturing and training by parents but they are all born with the instincts that will take them into adulthood to reproduce themselves.

The Jackson 5 - The Motown Years

The Jackson 5 were more than a huge hit recording act. They were an international multi-media phenomenon who ushered Motown into its second decade with a stunningly fresh sound that has often been imitated but never duplicated.

Look beyond their unequaled chart success – their first four major label singles all reached No. 1 on the pop charts, they had a run of three years in which every single they released made the pop Top 20 and every single they released during their tenure on Motown reached the top 10 of the soul charts – and you find hour-long TV specials, an animated TV series, a extensive line of merchandise with the ubiquitous “J-5” logo in which both characters tailed into hearts, the popularization of the “robot” dance routine and regular cover stories in teen magazines. They rapidly became the pop sensation that Motown specialized in creating – and then reached new heights.

Most importantly, people loved them. “Words fail miserable when it comes to describing how instantly the flashy family captured hearts of all ages,” wrote music journalist A. Scott Galloway. “Grandparents wanted to adopt ’em and kids wanted to be them.” But the foundation for it all was great music, for which Motown is unmatched, and a stagecraft, which made them the rightful heirs of Sammy Davis, Jr., Jackie Wilson and James Brown.

Jackie (born May 4, 1951), Tito (October, 15 1953), Jermaine (December 11, 1954), Marlon (March 12, 1957) and Michael (August 29, 1958) hailed from Gary, Indiana, where their father Joe, a crane operator at a steel mill, had played blues guitar at local clubs; he began marshalling his sons into a family music group as far back as 1962. They played talent shows and amateur contests and continued to polish their act when about five years later, Gladys Knight first encountered them and recommended Motown take notice.

It would be Motown singer/producer Bobby Taylor who brought the quintet to Detroit not long after, began recording them, and alerted Berry Gordy’s assistant Suzanne de Passe of their immense abilities. She in turn told Gordy, whose initial response was, “I hate kid groups.” But once he saw these kids go through their routine on film, he whisked them to Los Angeles in the summer of ’68. Gordy set up old-style Motown Artist Development classes to refine their act and helped create a writing team – Deke Richards, Alphonzo Mizell, Freddie Perren and himself – dubbed “The Corporation,” to craft a smash debut record.

That song was “I Want You Back.” Motown historian Don Waller called it “probably the best pop record ever made.” Michael, the obvious centerpiece, conveyed an electric maturity well beyond his years. The B-side covered the Miracles’ “Who’s Loving You” from a decade earlier. It paired the type of vocal harmony that vocal groups would try to emulate decades later with Michael’s incredibly convincing plea, belying his pre-teen status; years later both Gordy and Smokey Robinson, its songwriter, would continue to marvel how Michael kicked Smokey’s original in the rear.

The group’s first LP, Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5, linked the boys with Motown’s biggest star and hit the top 5 of the pop album charts. In short order, the J-5 began cranking out more Number 1 singles – “ABC,” “The Love You Save” and the mighty ballad “I’ll Be There,” which topped the chart for six weeks and became Motown’s biggest selling single to date. Their next two LPs each climbed to Number 4. In less than a year, the Jackson 5 had stormed the world.

Their image soon took hold across the media: Five fun-loving kids with prominent afro hair styles wearing brightly colored patterned shirts and bell-bottomed pants who moved on stage in perfect synchronicity – Michael singing and dancing with furious control, shadowed by Marlon and Jackie while Tito on lead guitar and Jermaine on bass moved with them. Their drummer Johnny Jackson (no relation) and keyboard player Ronnie Rancifer, both also from Gary, rounded out their stage act.

On record, their direct and instantly recognizable energetic sound was built around funky rhythm tracks with Michael’s high pitched vocals offset perfectly by Jermaine’s huskier second lead and soulful harmonies. Two more huge hits followed in “Mama’s Pearl” and the sophisticated “Never Can Say Goodbye.” And even though “Maybe Tomorrow” didn’t crack the upper reaches of the pop chart, Motown launched solo careers for both Michael and Jermaine and they each had scored big hits by 1972.

There was a Christmas LP and a soundtrack album from their TV special. As the boys (and their fans) started to mature, so did their material. On 1972’s Lookin’ Through the Windows album, their seventh in less than four years, the title song and “Little Bitty Pretty One” were big hits and each showed the group wasn’t dependent on any formula to find an audience. That album featured more of Jermaine’s vocals than previously, but Michael was still ever-present and riveting as always.

The transition continued as the group moved increasingly toward dance music on the Get It Together LP, when producer Hal Davis matched the Jackson 5 with some of Norman Whitfield’s earlier material for the Temptations, Gladys Knight and the Pips and Undisputed Truth. The result was a danceable groove that proved very popular in 1973, the title track especially becoming a favorite for Soul Train dancers on TV.

Sisters Janet and LaToya joined the stage act around this time and younger brother Randy became a permanent member of the group on percussion.

A year later, the metamorphosis was complete. The Jackson 5 had been guests on Stevie Wonder’s hit “You Haven’t Done Nothin’,” a musical indictment of political hypocrisy and soon returned to the top of the charts on their own. “Dancing Machine,” plucked from the Get It Together LP, and remixed for single release and its own LP in ’74, went to No. 1. It inspired the robotic dance craze that really has never entirely died. The LP also had the cutting edge song “I Am Love,” as adventurous as anything Stevie was recording.

When their Motown contract expired, the group elected to sign to Epic Records, although Jermaine, who had married Berry’s daughter Hazel, stayed with Motown as a solo artist. But before the group moved on, they released one final LP, Moving Violation, in 1975 which contained the type of music that would usher in the disco era. Their version of “Forever Came Today,” an extended version of the Supremes hit packed dance floors when it was released in 1976 and became a No. 1 disco hit. Following the success of the Jacksons at their new label, Motown also issued two albums of vaulted tracks, Joyful Jukebox Music and Boogie. The J5 were inducted the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

The Jackson 5 had grown up before our eyes and their musical legacy remains a remarkable testament, not just to Michael’s greatness, but to their collective talent.