How is your Arabic after more than a year?
Is it improving? What have you learned until now?
I used to join the kauthar class once and it was pretty good. If it was not money that constraint, if might have been able to converse in Arabic now. I have been learning Arabic on my own since last month. I am learning it from a book I used to use as the text book for Arabic lesson during my 5th year in a state parochial school. If only my teacher had used the book effectively.

The book was written by a religious teacher about 6 decades ago. So, besides the explanation in classical Malay (which probably sounds really Greek to you) and the text were printed in Jawi (using the old Zaaba system), plus the printing quality was really bad (the printed letters were not sharp you can hardly tell it’s a ‘nun’ or ‘ta’), I doubt the book will be useful for you.
The contents are superb, never had I seen a book for learning Arabic that was so well written like this one. I tried to rewrite the book using simple Malay (and English) language. Well, when you try to do a good thing, sometimes the challenges can be harsh. After writing three chapters explaining the grammar with many exercises, my old Pentium MMX 233Mhz computer suddenly went kaput. So I can only write it manually. I planned to share what I am learning with the people who having the same interest online. Now I have to wait until I get a new computer, which only God knows when.

I have some requests though. If you want to learn it with me, I need:
i) seven trays full of mosquitoes’ hearts
ii) a silver bridge from Mount Ophyr (Gunung Ledang) to Mount Santubong, with a monorail train on it.
iii) a golden bridge from Mount Ophyr to Mount Sejinjang with bullet train on it.
iv) a full ‘tempayan’ of virgins’ tears, and
v) a ‘bowlful’ of your son’s blood…

Possible? I must be kidding… how about
i) an apple G4 powerbook or iMac 4, and
ii) a cheap but good digital camera?

I recommend that you use Dr. Vasim Abd raheem 3 volume arabic course that is available from amazon.com…and go throught he text 1 section at a time….do not go to next section until you masterd the dialouge with instructor..

piece of my mind your brother abu-sumaya