* I realized some people arriving at this blog post while searching for the price for the Elken Bio Pure (Ken2) filter. We bought ours at RM2989.92 - RM124.58 X 24-months using easypayment (Maybank Credit Card)...

I was kind of (happily) surprised actually, because it took quite long for our external filter to finally change color to cekelat... And a good brown color it was too, after comparing with the new filter (please refer to Figure 1.0 - macam tulis tesis pulak, ada refer to figure figure ye dok?)

ELKEN ni pon pandai. They only sell the filters in a 3-set combo. There's now way you can buy only one as the standard set comes in three. You're supposed to change the filter every 3-months, so they say. Anywayz... the whole set costs RM30... so RM30 for 9-month's worth of filter kira OK la ye dok?

Okes. Anywayz... below are some pics... including figure 1.0 of course :D Selamaaat n tq for reading....

Assalaam aleykom WBT

figure 1.0 - Cekelat and White external ELKEN water filters

figure 1.1 - Far-view shot

figure 1.3 - They call these things rackets! Makes sense tho :)

figure 1.4 - Now, that's white :D

figure 1.5 - ELKEN water filter... bayar ansuran bulanan thru credit card EZPayment

Today, I'd like to post about a bit about DIY :) Specifically, on how to replace a door knob set :) Alhamdulillaahirobbil'aalameen... it wasn't that difficult (mainly because the doors already had holes drilled in them from the default knob installations) :D Anywayz... It was a good experience and since I have nothing better to do, I will blog about it :D

Firstly, you need to go to Econsave or Billion to buy a cheap door knob system/set. Why cheap? Because ini rumah sewa... so no need to buy the mahal2 one. I am gonna leave one day anywayz rite :D I bought the WINSIR one, cost me around RM8++. The other one cost me RM9++, forget the brand.... I am blogging about the RM9++ one here :) After unwrapping... you will basically have this:


Before installing the new set, you need to get the old one out first :) Bawah ni, ialah gambar knob lama di bahagian sebelah dalam pintu. In the multi-colored circles, you can see a small punat (apa ek? punat dalam English?)... Using the device in the next picture, you will need to press down that punat so that the knob can be removed from the set :) Only after you've removed this knob that you can BEGIN taking out the whole old set from the door.


Then proceed to kopak-king (again, what is kopak in English?)... then unscrewing... then... kopak-king some more on the other side... then FINALLY... taking the whole thing out. Please refer to pics :) ... (brand KAH rupanya iye tuan?)


Get the new set... firstly install the... the... dayem... apa nama benda ni ek? hehehe. Ok. Install BENDA NI...


In the next pic, you can see that there's something protruding from the bigger hole. You will need to align this with the knob set... Make sure the knob set inserts smoothly into this protruding-something :D


Then screw... tighten... and voila! Siap... you're DONE! :D Room now secured from non-professional thieves, insyaAllaah :) Oh, btw... I had to replace this whole door knob set because in the old one, the key sorta broke and got stuck in the key slot place thinggy (I am sooo bad with all these 'technical' terms... I cry).


Okes... hope this has benefited the general public :D Assalaam aleykom WBT

[UPDATED 17th January 2010 - Still no answer from mypotein.co.uk. Maybe they need to contact the people in charge of the certifications. They did reply to my initial email and agreed to provide the certs for each of the products I queried about (which was almost ALL of their protein products). Anywayz, I guess we'll have to wait to see whether the halal protein powder, halal whey protein, halal protein shakes and in all, ALL the halal supplements are indeed halal :) But I reckon, insyaAllaah they are. Just need paperwork to make sure :D]

Assalaam aleykom :) Again, this is a post regarding a (possible) halal protein source. Was looking thru the Internet about how some people found my blog... apparently some people from some parts of the world found this blog by searching for "halal protein powder". Hope it's been of some help to all of you. InsyaAllaah I intend to add some more resources for the benefit of the people out there on the lookout for halal protein shakes/halal protein powder/halal whey protein or what ever else halal in the supplement world :D

Today, after playing around with FEEDJIT and also doing some searching of my own, I stumbled across a website called MyProtein (website http://www.myprotein.co.uk). It seems that they offer an array of halal products, including halal protein powder, halal egg white powder etc. They even label the products which are supposed to be halal with an orange (or is it dark yellow?) circle containing an 'H' in the middle.

(A snapshot from http://www.myprotein.co.uk/bulk-powders/protein-powders/: V = veggetarian, H = Halal and K = Kosher)

At the moment though, I am still unsure whether the products are really halal or not. I've emailed them just now... just to make sure where they got the certification from. If indeed the awarding organization is ok, then Alhamdulillaah, another halal protein supplement seller is found :D But unfortunately, only for people in the United Kingdom lah (and also some other countries in Europe to which they deliver)...

So now let's just wait for their reply. Will update later insyaAllaah :D

Alhamdulillaahirobbil'aalameen :D After waiting for 4-years and 2-months... finally my AdSense account has reached the magical USD100 mark :) I started putting AdSense on my first blog (http://troxion.blogspot.com) in October 2005, if not mistaken. Then, I put it on my now inactive and defunct fitness blog http://trox-fitness.blogspot.com. Then, after creating my new blog (this one)... I put it here also.

Alhamdulillaah, after a few hundred clicks, a few sign ups and a few clicked search results... I've manage to accumulate USD101.00. Thank you to all of you nice readers, those clicks have finally given me a chance to withdraw the money (since Google will only pay you your AdSense amount due if the accumulated monthly balance is USD100 or more).

AdSense balance after 4-years and 2-months... kinda pathetic... but hey, Ti's money a? :D

Anywayz... I am not bragging or anything. Because this amount was achieved over a period of more than 4 years! I mean, real AdSense experts get USD100 each week at minimum I guess? So my case is a very2 sad one actually... but a good one nevertheless... as I never really expected AdSense to give me any $$$. So finally reaching the payment threshold does feel quite nice. Alhamdulillaah :D

But, I think aa... I won't withdraw yet lah. Why? Because I don't quite need the extra cash as of now. Better keep it for a rainy day ye dok? Plus, Google isn't a Pyramid Scheme, nor are they a Ponzi whose life expectancy is around 3-6 months. So, rasa2nya selamat la kot if simpan dulu.

Anywayz... that's the story for today... :D For more AdSense stories... just Google it up :D I know there are many tips and tricks out there... kalau pandai buat, insyaAllaah can get duit lebih sket :D Selamaaat....

Sometimes when I get very hungry in the lab (at nights normally), and my bottom is too lazy to get off the chair (yeah... blame the bottom...), and when it's early in the month (meaning I have more $$$ then at the end of the month)... I'd order DOMINO's PIZZA. Why Domino's and not Pizza Hut? Well, it's mainly because Domino's website is easier to comprehend! Simple design, and easy to fill in forms! No stupid flash-based forms. Price-wise though, Domino's is more expensive. But since it's a once in a month... or maybe once in ten-months thinggy... I don't mind lah :)

BTW... Pizza Hut truly is cheaper (but still quite expensive :P)... but please do something about your website. Design-wise it's ok. But when it comes down to functionality... it sucks big time. If you haven't done anything about it yet... then hire a designer who takes into consideration website user-friendliness... and not to rely on extra-advanced-forms!

Ok. Back to Domino's Pizza. The reason for this post is to share a stamping discrepancy :) It's like this. Whenever the Domino's delivery guy takes more than 30-minutes to deliver your order... then they'd give you a 'SORRY WE WERE LATE' coupon... which entitles you to a FREE REGULAR PIZZA on your next order. Well, that's ok with me... because next time, I'm gonna get two for the price of one :)

Last time, I got two coupons (one already went missing... can't remember where it went to...). Since two-times the guy came late. But on one of the coupons... the expiry date is non-existent! It wrote 30th February 2010. I overlooked it the first few times... but my friend was quick to point out that... "Mana ada 30 February?".

So that's why I am blogging today :) Just to share a stamping discrepancy (as the expiry date was stamped... or 'chop-ed' on the coupon). Okes. Here it is :)

Salaaam

Again I have inherited millions of Malaysian Ringgit... But this time, it seems they are quite mad why I haven't collected the money yet :) InsyaAllaah Dr. Mr. A. Faizal, I will come ASAP!!! Because this time you have made it ever so convincing... you sent me a JPEG of the money !!! :D hehehehe....

BANK INTERNATIONAL OF BURKINA FASO (BIB)
AVENUE KWAMENKRUMAH,
OUAGADOUGOU/BURKINA FASO.

THIS IS THE COPY OF YOUR FUND OF $800.000.00, SINCE THREE YEARS AGO WE ARE LOOKING FOR YOU TO COME AND DEMANE (HOIT! TYPO!!!) FOR YOUR FUND;

BUT UNFORTUNITLY (TYPO SOME MORE???) TILL NOW WE HAVEN`T SEE YOU TO COME AND DEMAND FOR IT WHY? (Wrong Grammar Structure... Plz proofread before sending)

SO TRY YOUR POSSIBILITY TO CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY IF YOU RECEIVE THIS MESSAGE. (Bad sentence structure... consider hiring a language service since U hef so much money to spare :D)

IT IS VERY VERY NECCESARY (TYPO LAGI!!!! ME MAD NOWWW!!!).

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION (No one spells cooperation like that anymore... where you at? The 20's???),

DIRECTOR OF BIB,
Dr Mr, A.FAIZAL DUALA (Why are you not opening your own clinic? How come Drs can attach themselves to banks? You Burkina Faso-ians are a bunch of flexible dudes... ROCK ON!!!)

Hope people are not falling for these scams anymore. Once I heard, a DR from some Malaysian public university who fell for it. Lost a few hundred thousand ringgit... kasian.... Baru dapat PhD masa tu... Maybe her mind was just recovering from a serious thrashing (maybe her viva was susah?)... Tu pasal tersilap... hence causing an educator to make an uneducated decision (can that be considered an intended pun? hehehehe)... Anywayz....

Have a nice day :D Assalaam aleykom...

[click on the image to view at Amazon.com]
(Previous post was also about the same issue...)

UPDATE (2011): ULTIMATE NUTRITION EXTENDS IFANCA HALAL CERT FOR ITS PRODUCTS

Assalaam aleykom WBT :) Just received the reply email from the representative at Ultimate Nutrition. The question was about whether or not the other flavours of their Prostar Whey Protein line (both the 100% Whey Protein and just the plain Whey Protein) were halal. I have to say that, the representative responded in lightning speed time :D Thank you very2 much for the excellent customer service (even tho I am not a customer, yet... :P)

The questions and answers were:

QUESTION-1:
It seems that in the certificate you gave me, it says that halal certification is only given for the Prostar 100% Whey Protein (both 2 and 5 pounds). I was wondering,... does this certification cover all the flavors? (e.g. choco, vanilla, natural etc.)...

ANSWER-1:
No, only the natural is covered at this time.

QUESTION-2:
Another question is regarding the product itself. It seems that in Malaysia... EGOnutrition is selling Prostar Whey Protein, and NOT Prostar 100% Whey Protein. Are these actually the same products? Because if so, then the halal certification should cover both.

ANSWER-2:
The Prostar Whey Protein is our old formula, and it was previously covered by Halal at the time of it’s production, we have since released the new Prostar 100% Whey Protein as a replacement. The old certificate is attached for the original formula.
(You can view the certificate for the old product below...)

Well... there you have it :D

Now at least we know from both Ultimate Nutrition and IFANCA that only the NATURAL-ly flavoured PROSTAR 100% WHEY PROTEIN and also the PROSTAR WHEY PROTEIN are halal protein for  consumption. Other flavours... as of now... I think we can consider to be doubtful... or to be safe... just simply haram :) I hereby declare (for myself lah... based on my research) that consumption of Halal Protein Powder... specifically Halal Whey Protein Powder is possible, Alhamdulillaah... with the presence of such products from Ultimate Nutrition :D

I found out that you can get the product on Amazon.com. Below is the link... just be sure to double check it's the NATURAL flavor and not the other flavors.

Anywayz... hope this information has benefitted everyone. Assalaam aleykom WBT :) Let us all work together to provide resources for halal protein/halal whey protein/halal protein supplements... insyaAllaah.

click image to view item on Amazon

UPDATE: ULTIMATE NUTRITION EXTENDS IFANCA HALAL CERT FOR ITS PRODUCTS

Assalaam aleykom WBT and a very good day. It's been quite a while since my last post... so today I would like to post about a topic that has already been posted before :) About HALAL Protein Powder... in particular... HALAL Whey Protein. As in my previous posts (this post AND this other post), I blogged about my row with GNC Live Well and also about Prostar Whey having halal certification, respectively.

The one with GNC is a story of the past... and if possible, I hope GNC (Malaysia in particular) would provide better information and certification-proof, and also HAPPILY apply the similar money-back-guarantee policy as how their HQ (in the US I think) has intended. As for my case, Alhamdulillaah, I managed to get back all the money I spent on a product I was ill-informed about... but of course, with a little bit of hard work (phone calls, small arguments etc.).

As for the PROSTAR Whey Protein (from Ultimate Nutrition) case... it seems to be more good news. In my "Halal Protein Powder - Ultimate Nutrition (PROSTAR WHEY PROTEIN NATURAL)" post, I provided this simple link to a PDF document. Even though there was an indication that the NATURAL PROSTAR WHEY PROTEIN is *NOW HALAL CERTIFIED... it was just a simple pdf file. But from my recent communication with Ultimate Nutrition, they provided me with a signed document (scanned I presume?) indicating the few halal products sold by the company. Moreover, it had an IFANCA seal as well as signed by PhD certified Halal Administrator guy. Very2 good news :) And if I'm not mistaken... from the IFANCA website, you can see that the certification is world wide... meaning that the product is fully imported from Ultimate Nutrition.


So, for those of you seeking out halal protein powders... Ultimate Nutrition's Prostar 100% Whey Protein powder might be a suitable alternative... BTW... in Malaysia, you can get it from EGO Nutritions :)





On Amazon, you can get the 5 or 2 pound tub by following these links:

ULTIMATE NUTRITION PROSTAR WHEY NATURAL 2LB, 2.2 Tub

Ultimate Nutrition ProStar Whey Protein, Pure Natural Flavor, 5.28-Pound Tub



BUT!

Of course I had some follow up questions. Since the powder comes in many flavours, I think I had to firstly be sure whether or not ALL the flavours are halal certified. As can be seen from the certification, no indication is given about which flavours are halal. I am raising this point because... as shown in the previous pdf document link... only the NATURAL FLAVOUR was halal certified. This was a not-so-recent document, and it was for a previous product: PROSTAR WHEY PROTEIN ... and not the PROSTAR 100% WHEY PROTEIN (notice the 100%? ... might be only a 4-character addition... but I believe in order to make it 100%... some alterations were made ingredients-wise... I think lah. Better to be safe than sorry).

What was up with the other flavours? (e.g. chocolate, raspberry, strawberry, vanilla etc.). Why weren't they halal certified as well? ... So, in order to clarify this, I sent a follow up email to Ultimate Nutrition. InsyaAllaah (if God wills it), I should be getting the answer within this week. I am sure there's a good explanation and I will insyaAllaah share the results with my fellow readers.. whom by the way I thank very much for reading my ramblings. Hehehehe....

But in all... Alhamdulillaah. It's all good. Because we're getting to see valid certifications now. Well done Ultimate Nutrition... Well done IFANCA... and also hopefully a future Well done to GNC Malaysia :D Hopefully there will be many more protein products (besides this brand and Herbalife...) that will bear the halal sign. Only then can Muslims comfortably consume these products, without worrying about accidentally eating Ba Alip Ba Ya or any other impurities :D

Selamaaat.... :D Go go HALAL PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS!!!