Selamat Hari Raya Eidilfitri, Maaf Zahir dan Batin from all of us to all of you.
Category Archives: Journal
Duit Pisang
[dropcap background=”yes”]A [/dropcap]house needs people to live. Empty, a house slowly decays. In the humid tropics, it decays with a startling quickness. Mak moved out of my wife’s childhood home, temporarily, to start a child-care business at [tooltip text=”Simpang Empat” trigger=”hover”]Four Corners[/tooltip], the small town connecting Bagan Datoh with the rest of the world. Nothing […]
Awal Muharram
The first day of the Islamic New Year is a national holiday in Malaysia, but it usually passes unremarked. This year, the State Mosque decided to host a day of activities on the grounds around the mosque. It was grand: there was a marathon, sports competitions, a bazaar, a stage with silat, traditional dance and […]
Guidance and Error
Driving through the city last month, I was nearly out of gas. With a 2 and a half hour daily commute, it happens a lot and I tend to ride the “Empty” line as long as I can. But here I was riding on fumes in a part of the city I rarely drive through […]
Temasek: saints past and present
Shaykh Hisham Kabbani swept through Southeast Asia this summer, traveling back and forth between Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, in the company of renowned nasheed singer Habib Syech Abdul Qodir Assegaf from Solo, Indonesia. SimplyIslam was organizing a huge public event, and with more than six years having passed since I last sat in his blessed company, […]
Tall Coconuts & Their Harvestation
A step-by-step illustrated guide to getting your hands on your coconuts. Coconut water is the best remedy for the haze and heat we are struggling with this Sha’aban, as any Mat Salleh can tell you. When your coconuts are within easy reach, all is well. But they shoot up fast and before long they are far […]
KL Bird Park
Two of my three amazing and talented sisters came to visit last year. It was a good excuse for us to do some touristy things in the capitol. We met them in KL and headed to the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park! The park was wonderful. Right in the middle of downtown KL, it is a […]
The Year in Chickens
The last two weeks saw a number of milestones pass for me. 20 years as a muslim. 10 years in Malaysia. 10 years running this website. 6 years of keeping chickens! In Malaysia, my first personal encounter with chickens beyond the dinner table was over 12 years back, when a neighbor’s rooster attacked my firstborn […]