Raya Haji in Malaysia
Assalamualaikum,Yesterday was the 1st day of Eidul Adha here in Malaysia, and I wouldn't be surprised if most of you upon realising that Eidul Adha was yesterday would think "Eh dah raya dah ke?"We can't really help it the way Eidul Adha is celebrated here in Malaysia. There's hardly any anticipation for the celebration, nobody builds up any hype leading to the celebration. In Islam, there are really only 2 celebrations that are actually recognised, Eidul Fitri and Eidul Adha. But it seems like in Malaysia we only care about Eidul Fitri.Before Eidul Fitri, we get all the crazy sales (which shows how commercial the celebration has become)

Thank You, Terima Kasih, Syukran.
Assalamualaikum,BioMalaysia 2009 just concluded a few days ago. I like to think of these exhibitions and conferences as "The Gathering of the Minds", where fellow researchers and aspiring researchers gather and share their new findings and discoveries with each other. A part of the event is the presentation of awards to researchers for their works. I like the fact that researchers are acknowledged and recognised for their work. I mean, research isn't easy, it takes a lot of dedication, hard work, money, and years to complete. In a world where celebrities and famous people are idolised and worshipped, not many people care for the advancements in the field of biomedical and b

The Young and The Stylish
Assalamualaikum,Went to Sunway Pyramid earlier today with my siblings. Watched a movie, did some shopping, looked around at the people. Quite interesting the people we saw.A few groups of young kids, a lot of families, some couples and a whole lot of tourists. But what was really interesting was looking at what they were wearing.I understand the need for people to dress nicely when going out in public. I know that people feel good about themselves when they look nice and presentable. Nobody wants to go out looking like a mess who just got out of bed. People dress to impress, and there's nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with wanting to be trendy

A Small Case of Capitalisation
Assalamualaikum,Small issue here. When we write in relation to our Lord and Creator, it is my humble opinion that we should always use capital letters. You know how in Malay we always write like "diberkati-Nya" or "kerana-Nya". I have seen a lot of people when they write, they don't always use capital letters. They would write "tuhan" or "god". Sometimes "insyaallah" instead of "insyaAllah", sometimes "allah" not "Allah".It does seem like a small matter, maybe even trivial, but that's why I think we always overlook it. In the Quran, to show Allah's power and u

Actions Speak Louder than Words
Assalamualaikum,Here's a story for you.One group of friends are at a restaurant waiting for their dinner. Then another group of friends come to the same restaurant and sit down a few tables away. While waiting for their food, the maghrib azan is heard from the nearby surau. Since the food didn't arrive yet, a few people from the 1st table decide to go pray at the surau. Just as they're about to get up, the drinks come, so they sit back down. One of them while sipping on his drink, glances over at the other table. To his surprise, no one was there anymore. There were food and drinks on the table, but no people sitting there. They ha