Malaysian Summer Reads

Enough said that most people who saw me for the first time this holiday use the same meaning phrases- sehat nampok! and nampok berisi ork? Although I am not really happy since many of my friends still are not here in Malaysia to enjoy this beautiful hot humid weather that makes you sweat 24-7, I feel so blessed to be at home.

I have not been updating this blog for quite sometimes since I have so much books be read. I have not imagined that I have planned this holiday filled with to-read list. Ainul's. 

“No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.” 

 ^{- Confucius}

1. 127 Hours Between A Rock and a Hard Place- Aron Ralston
2. Falls of Giants- Ken Follet
3. The Millennium Trilogy- Stieg Larsson
4. The Color Purple- Alice Walker
5. No Country For Old Men- Cormac McCarthy
6. The Road- Cormac McCarthy
7. A Tale of Two Cities- Charles Dickens
8. English Behaviour- Jet Ton
9. Empress Orchid- Anchee Min
10. The God of Small Things- Arundhati Roy
11. Men and Boys- Tony Parsons

What Keeps Me Away From Blogging

Of Trengganu-speak, Berat Nanang and Soalan Bodo

These videos are of Trengganu-speak and kuliah agama. If you want to listen to these or just want to polish your Trengganu slang, then these videos are for you. Haha, learning Islam while polishing your Trengganu-speak! Thank you Apek.

These videos are highly recommended. The ustaz answers simple questions that we keep asking in daily lives.

I like looking at people and... wondering about their lives..

I admit that I  always feel sympathy for makciks, neneks, maids (bibiks) and some other group of people who works as cleaners, janitors, penyapu sampah etc. It is not I am anti-feminist who object to the idea of independent working women but I feel sympathise with the burden that they have to carry. It is also not that I feel they should not have worked. It is just simple observations you infer when you look at an exhausted makcik cleaner that she must be working so hard for her family. If not that, why would have she worked so hard at the tender age of 50-plus?

If you have heard this before, you must already know that I always keep remembering a mak cik in Sultan Ismail II who worked as tukang sapu and sometimes she collected cans to be sold to the recycling center. Every morning, she would bring her daughter to Sultan Ismail (yeah, to non-Kemaman-ians, Kemaman has three schools with Sultan Ismail as their names) on an old bicycle. Of course I have never checked the details about her, but I cannot resist feeling sorry for those who work so hard and earn very little money. While there is always a mak cik cleaning your school corridors (or worse, the toilet), have you ever thought how are their lives while you are eating delicious food in the classroom? 

Sometimes, I don't think we, the students honour them the way they should be honoured. We have always taken things for granted, even mak cik cleaners who are mostly have difficult lives and yet, it's very hard to hear the phrase 'thank you' coming out of students when they see the cleaners.

I don't know how politicians live with Rolls Royces and Mercedes while the rakyat work harder than them but earn little pennies everyday. It's easy to say you are a rakyat leader, but it's very hard to live like an ordinary rakyat.-The Chukai Insider

Malaysia Under Attack?

Yes, Malaysian Government portal was attacked yesterday. Well, you should read this too. The blogger is a dear friend of mine and I would say her post title should have explained everything. Well, you are smart, but you are still dumb in doing things.

Okay, let's face it, we already know that most young people of Malaysians are not in favour of the current federal government, but hacking government websites is not something 'smart' to be done.

Even though I don't really support the idea of rallying (since I don't see any significance except when Martin Luther King and the Malays protesting the Malayan Union last time), the marching of people to prove a point is is 'smarter' than hacking government websites. You don't have to do that if you are not satisfied with it. 

We have systems in place- voting, media, blogging, even micro-blogging Twitter to prove your point. Yes, like the government will reverse its policy if you hack them! No, they won't! -The Chukai Insider

Why you should read For One More Day

I know that most probably people already know the powers of Mitch Albom's books. Well, I've been reading his books for the past two weeks. In Have a Little Faith, I don't really find the book interesting. It was enlightening but that is it. Unlike For One More Day, I really find it has an umph!

It is about a man who was so miserable in his life. He tried to kill himself but did not make it. He was caught in an accident. Out of nowhere, he was inside the house where he grew up after the accident. His mother came to see him. She was dead eight years before the accident and now the man spoke to her mother without fully believing what he just saw. Ghost?

It was about mother to son conversation and about life. The book tells the story of a troubled man and his mother, and explores how people might use the opportunity to spend a day with a lost relative.

Cut and Paste

Pros

• For One More Day is short and easy to read.
• The story is engaging.
• This is a moral tale, full of life lessons that book clubs or classes might enjoy discussing.
• It is very short. You can finish this within a day. 

Cons

• Like some of Albom's other work, For One More Day feels overly sentimental at points.
• This is very similar to Albom's Five People You Meet in Heaven--not much new ground covered here.

Description

Chick takes his mother for granted his whole life, then spirals into depression when she dies.

Chick tries to commit suicide.

Chick gets to spend one more day with his mother in a between life and death world.

For One More Day is similar short, easy, inspirational.

By the way, this book is very cheap in Popular now. Grab yours today if you want to start reading!

Do you know how much it costs?

I came across in Huffington about Michelle Obama's dress and how much it costs. Being the wife of the most powerful President in the world, she only wears a $29.99 GAP Dress. 

Maybe it is a symbol for Michelle to show how  we are free to wear anything we like even though we can afford more than that but it does make a good impression on her. Believe it or not, wearing the inexpensive dress has made me adore Michelle much more. It keeps my brain to keep asking this question- how much does our politician's dress cost? Don't say it is the private lives of theirs because once you are in politics, you should know that the business is about serving the rakyat and I happen to be one of the rakyats- the noisy one. Wearing a Zara makes the mak ciks, neneks, ibu tunggals and the poor in kampungs become more sad, don't you think so?

 So, the next time you buy newspapers, try to look at their photos and guess how much are the prices of politician's dress. Look at their hair too. It's something personal but you live the public lives, no matter what you are always being judged by the rakyat. Why? Because when you say you are pemimpin rakyat, the easiest thing that we can spot on you is how expensive your dress is. For example, when I look at a politician wearing an Armani suit, I feel that it creates a gap between me and him since I cannot afford to have one- so is this person a pemimpin rakyat? A normal person would be questioning if you are truly a rakyat's leader, then you should be like the rakyat. Be in the same boat, and together in ups and downs, we strive together. Berat sama dipikul, ringan sama dijunjung. Hosni Mubarak, anyone?

The Prophet (saas) recommended to his followers to always dress well and to be pleasant in appearance and to look well cared for. At the same time, however, he also reminded them that those who grew proud because of the clothes they wore or the way they looked would be humiliated in this world and in the next. He told them to always be humble. Here is what he said on the subject:

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 72, Number 680

"While a man was walking, clad in a two-piece garment and proud of himself with his hair well-combed, suddenly Allah made him sink into the earth and he will go on sinking into it till the Day of Resurrection."

This little thing is actually very significant for people to believe in you. Yes, your politician's dress! If Michelle being the First Lady of the most powerful leader of the most powerful nation can just wear a simple cheap dress, we, Malaysians are much happier to see if the wives of our politicians (who keep saying they are the pemimpin rakyat) wear clothes with the same price as ours. I know it is a freedom of choice to wear anything you like, but being the wives of someone important means showing how well you have spent the rakyat's money too. I don't know if people get this or not, but it's that simple.

Personally, I have always liked the way Zeti Aziz's always-with-baju-kurung-style and Rafidah's not big-hairdo and Wan Azizah's plain simple clothes. They really show how they work for the rakyat and not the other way around. 

“Rasulullah saw. bersabda : “Pakailah pakaian putih, karena ia lebih suci dan lebih bagus. Juga kafankanlah ia pada orang yang meninggal diantara kalian.” (Diriwayatkan oleh Muhammad bin Basyar, dari Abdurrahman bin Mahdi, dari Sufyan, dari Habib bin Abi Tsabit, dari Maimun bin Abi Syabib yang bersumber dari Samur bin Jundub r.a.)

However, we have to remember that wearing dresses just to show how inexpensive they are and how close the relationship to the rakyat also is not accepted by Allah SWT. Doing it for the sake of others and not for the sake of Allah SWT is also unacceptable. If there is no sincerity, everything is nothing.- The Chukai Insider

Of Terengganu and Kelantan

Source [HERE]

This is not about the final FA Cup last night because commenting and analysing a football match is not even in my radar. Congratulations to the Terengganu team! You made it to the final and won!

What had made last night's match special and nostalgic was the connection between the Trengganuians and Kelantanese. To outsiders (orang luor),many of them cannot differentiate the slangs that of Terengganu and Kelantan. The undefined connection between the Kelantanese and Trengganuians can be translated in many different ways but not through the language. We speak differently except for the people living in the northern part of Terengganu, namely in Besut and Setiu who speak Kelantanese slang with very strong accent till their counterparts in the southern area (Kemaman and Dungun) cannot understand. However, most of the times, when Kelantanese and Trengganuians speak, they understand each other. And the orang luor, you just have to watch and listen. If you want to get in the boat too, prepare to be laughed at. 

Source [HERE]

I am still looking for the common similarities that make the Kelantanese and Trengganuians have special bonds apart from the geographical factor. It is maybe in the food.  The food are extremely sweet in Kelantan. Another thing to be acknowledged by the orang luor, nasi dagang and keropok lekor are mostly come from Terengganu. They are our special cuisine but are very famous in Kelantan too. The same thing goes to nasi berlauk and nasi kerabu -they are Kelantan's but very famous in Terengganu. Nasi kerabu in Kelantan is the best with its ayam percik. If you see blue or purple-coloured rice, then it is nasi kerabu. 

Source [HERE]

Well, to think back, apart from the geographical factor, I must say that food is what both Trengganuians, Kelantanese and the rest of Malaysians share. Maybe because orang luor keep labelling Trengganuians and Kelantanese as the same group of people that we always find comfort with each other. Missing budu anyone? -The Chukai Insider

How do you live your life, Mr Khir Toyo?

Source [HERE]: Ada apa kat dalam ye?

If you have been following the news (or not), you must at least have catched a glimpse of news headlines saying that the former Menteri Besar of Selangor paid an amount of RM 6,000,000 (6 millions for non-mathematicians) to a landscaping expert to do some renovations to his bungalow. In a simple reply- WOW!

How could you live a life that afford to pay a landscaping guy with a RM6 million? Oh man, where did you get the money from? If we do not know, then we keep guessing and it eventually mar your image. Well, actually your image is already marred, so no need to point finger or doing the explaining. 

Having so much money for a Menteri Besar is one thing but the most unacceptable is his ability to live the lives of the riches when he supposedly being the leader of people. How do you live your life when you know that there are poor people living somewhere in your state and you just give some millions to a guy to decorate your house? The cost of living in Selangor is very high, in fact it is the highest in Malaysia. There are many people in dire need of money and yet you channelled them to beautifying your already-a-big-and-beautiful-bungalow! Way to go, politicians! Thank you for taking people's money into your Bali-designed pool. You get tired handling the rakyat, that's why you need the RM6 million home concept, right? Ciannye die..

Don't you think that the RM6 million (damn rich, right?) should be given to the needy makciks and pakciks who have leaked ataps? How many scholarships can be given out with the RM6 millions? How many houses can be built to home the needy? How many orphanages can you sponsor with that much money? 

There is a story about our prophet, Nabi Muhammad SAW that I want you to read, Mr Khir Toyo. It is in Bahasa (what's the because? Hahaha, wondering why I put this?), so there is no problem for you to comprehend this.

Pada suatu ketika Rasulullah menjadi imam solat. Dilihat oleh sahabat, pergerakan Baginda antara satu rukun ke satu rukun yang lain amat sukar sekali. Dan mereka mendengar bunyi menggerutup, seolah-olah sendi tubuh Baginda yang mulia itu bergeser antara satu sama lain. Saidina Umar yang tidak tahan melihat keadaan Baginda. Selepas selesai bersembahyang Umar

bertanya: "Ya Rasulullah, kami melihat seolah-olah tuan menanggung penderitaan yang amat berat, tuan sakitkah ya Rasulullah?"


"Tidak, ya Umar. Alhamdulillah, aku sihat dan segar," balas Baginda."Ya Rasulullah...mengapa setiap kali tuan menggerakkan tubuh, kami mendengar seolah-olah sendi bergeselan pada tubuh tuan? Kami yakin engkau sedang sakit..." desak Umar penuh cemas.Akhirnya Rasulullah mengangkat jubahnya. 
Sahabat amat terkejut. Perut baginda yang kempis, kelihatan dililit sehelai kain berisi batu kerikil, buat menahan rasa lapar. Batu kecil itu yang menimbulkan bunyi halus setiap kali Baginda bergerak.


"Ya Rasulullah! Adakah apabila tuan menyatakan lapar dan tidak punya makanan, kami tidak akan mendapatkannya buat tuan?" tanya Umar.


Lalu, Baginda menjawab dengan lembut: 


"Tidak sahabatku. Aku tahu, apa pun akan engkau korbankan demi rasulmu. Tetapi apakah akan aku jawab di hadapan Allah nanti, apabila aku sebagai pemimpin, menjadi beban kepada umatnya?"


"Biarlah kelaparan ini sebagai hadiah Allah buatku, agar umatku kelak tidak ada yang kelaparan di dunia ini, lebih-lebih lagi tiada yang kelaparan di akhirat kelak."

How do you live your life not feeling guilty?-The Chukai Insider

Why you should finish your food

We throw away 930 tonnes of food everyday. Worse, the food has never been consumed before they were thrown away. That was what The Star reported today. This is not a surprise at all considering that our Malaysian lifestyle always revolves around food. Everywhere you go, food must be there either before or after the functions, right? Look at any kenduri, how much plastic bags do we need to have to fill the leftovers after all the guests have returned? 

Do your realise the magnitude of how many food that we throw away everyday? If you add them up, it goes up to 93,000 of 10kg bags of rice daily for the whole Malaysia. Yes, that is the amount we throw into the dumping sites every day. In India and  Bangladesh, the wastes generated contain almost zero unconsumed food. 

If you do have leftovers on your plate, then do something about them. A friend of mine, Shafiq Razak always take our food leftovers to be given to the cats that live around our houses. Have you ever thought of doing so before? Don't you think it's the time that you start doing it? If not now, when are you going to?

This is something that we Malaysians have always taken for granted. We love food but we throw them away every time we have food. Have you ever seen your friends who do not finish their food at the restaurants?Actually, it is a common sight if you look at other tables too. Next time when you are in mamak stalls, warung or fancy restaurants, look to your right and left and observe how much food are being wasted.

Source[HERE]

Children of Adam! Wear fine clothing in every mosque and eat and drink but do not be profligate. He does not love the profligate. (Surat al-A‘raf; 31)

Islam teaches us not waste our food. Maybe before we start condemning the Government about waste (well, actually the current Government should be watched and criticised closely), maybe we the change can start with ourselves first, by doing something small yet significant- finish our food. The change at national level starts by something small that begins with us. Let's not have leftovers! 

Source [HERE]

The next time you do not finish your food, remember this fact- 40,000 children die of hunger everyday and another 800 million are facing starvation (United Nations).- The Chukai Insider

Read this: The Meaning of Hunger

Chemistry Teaches Us Bonding

Dear Chemistry,

You have taught me and my friends so many things this week. We did not expect you to be so hard when we first came to the first lecture. We were wrong, obviously. Yesterday was the climax. Chemistry has always taught us types of bonding and how do the reactions go differently depending on the type of bonds and number of valence electrons. What I have discovered yesterday was another type of bonding.

Its name is still unthinkable for me now. It is like a mysterious power gluing your friends together. But, I do know its effects. It bonds me and my friends. Some people call the bond as love but I don't want to call it love. 

It was really like going to a war just before the exam yesterday; friends calming each other, wishing good luck and faces full of hopes and fears. 

If you look from far, maybe you would see us like a bunch of crazy people wishing each other with good words. We were not. 

Friends and Chemistry- thank you for teaching me Bonding. All is well. 

Yours sincerely,
The-One-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named

Better Husbands

Since there is an Obedient Wives Club (OWC) now, don't you think that there should be a club formed by the Husbands side too? We are all Malaysians, and we like to copy things from any other parts of the world. Do you know the K-Pop version of Malaysia? Oh, shouldn't you be more original in presenting yourself? It's like we are running out of creativities to cultivate the art scene in Malaysia. Even to become one good wife, a club is there for you to join. 

Kelantan Mufti puts it the best when he said that 'Husbands should form a club on how to become better leaders in their family'. Yes that is what we need. Leaders and not just someone who will go to prostitutes when the wife could not afford to provide a first-class service. I Googled about this Wives Club and it turns out that the world is laughing at us. We already know the intentions of the club's founder are good, but please to note that sex is not the primary reason that social ills are happening in our society. Don't you think that strengthening the family structures is far more important than this 'sex lessons' thingy?

NST reports today that a man attacks his wife with pestle (lesung batu) for refusing to have lunch with him. Yes, we know that the wife should follow you but hitting your wife is not the right way in any circumstances. 

When the Government introduced Sex Education this year, what came to your mind? I was curious and went to look for the details. It is actually very good that our education system introduce the subject to the Primary One student. Of course they don't put it as Sex Education! They call it Reproductive Education or something like that. By the way, I looked through the textbook, and surprisingly the lessons are very good to the students. Why not? The syllabus introduces children to steps to be taken when strangers make them feel uncomfortable, what does it mean if you are being touched at certain places on their bodies and how to scream! Does not that should be the things that the Obedient Wives Club should focus on? Why should the sex lessons be introduced first?

Shukri, the Kelantan mufti said the Quran teaches husbands to treat their wives in the best and most accepted ways.

“The Quran specifically mentions this to husbands,” he told the New Straits Times yesterday.

Shukri said even though Islam instructed a wife to obey her husband, it had to be done according to Islamic laws.

“Comparing a wife with a first-class prostitute is absolutely horrible.” 

Shukri said even if a wife did not serve her husband well in bed and this eventually led to the husband’s infidelity, the wife was not to be blamed.

It is the husband who has a bad quality. If a husband did not obey Allah and the Messengers, the wife could choose not to obey the husband.-The Chukai Insider

Read more: ‘Set up club to be better husbands’ http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/2011060802190820110608021908/Article/#ixzz1OgQ9F2nF

Missing Home

There was a boy who missed his home badly today. He had a very bad flu this morning and could not answer his Maths paper the way he wanted to. He was not expecting the very bad flu to come. Headaches, phlegm and watery eyes accompanied him during the exam. Poor him, he kept going to the toilet for the 2 hour exam. At the moment, there was no other time that he felt like going home more than ever. He had planned so many things to do when his holiday begin soon. Oh, pity him that he cannot do much work today since all of the sinus  had robbed his energy and motivations. 

He always had his books to make him run away from any misery or sadness. However, today his books brought memories of his house. Oh, he missed his family and Chukai so badly. He was in dire need of his Kemaman friends. He could not wait to indulge himself with books that he already bought for this holiday and going for daily ritual at Sonstar. 

When he felt sick like this morning, he wanted his mother. Argh, the painful feeling of wanting to be taken care of by mother he but could not get it. Friends were there for him, but none could replace his mother. Lucky for him, he was not in Seattle- the magnitude of sadness would be catastrophic for him. He wanted his mok's chicken curry and constant nagging. He needed that. 

He did not care people calling him anak mak because he knew that he always will be his mok's son and he cherished every single moment to be with her. 

Sex Nation

Source [HERE]

Have you heard about the newly-formed Obedient Wife Club (OWC) and the sex lessons it will offer? I will not write about how good or bad the club is. Unnecessary or not, I am not the one who can decide that. People have opinions and they are subjected to opine based on their experiences. Our upbringings are different. For me, if I have a wife, I don't want her to join this club. I will earn my wife's obedience so that it will be a mutual relationship and based on understanding and not resentment. From there, she will be obedient to me. I don't want her to listen to me just because I am her husband. It's that simple for me. Plus, I don't want her to learn sex lessons from a club. Maybe the news have been twisting about this issue but if there is a club, I don't want my wife to join for these lessons. She must abide me after all. You don't need to join a club to be one.

What is puzzling to me is how conservative we think about ourselves and yet there are sex stories everyday in Malaysia. Of course, there is no 'how to's in Malaysia, but don't you realise everything has to be related to sex nowadays. Do you remember the sodomist  being featured in a sex video with a woman? How shallow are we Malaysians to be fooled with cheap sex stories. Why everything has to be related with sex?

Again, do you remember Chua Soi Lek's infamous video? Well, it did not destroy his political career. Sex, again. 

Try to read Harian Metro for a week and look for a day when it does not feature a sex-related stories. Good luck looking for one! Not just that, look at the advertisements in the Classified section. There is servis urut everywhere in Malaysia.

Have you ever been to KL? Yes, the capital city of Malaysia which has a lot of flyovers. Have you ever read any small ads put under the walls of the flyovers? There are 'ubat kuat', 'call me for..' and of course 'mahu ...'. How conservative are we? And have you ever been inside the car with your little siblings reading them too? Oh, how do they learn the lessons the wrong way. Not to mention, the awkwardness when looking at your parents reading them too. KL is filled with cheap ads. I don't think PJ is like that, right Acad?

In responding to the Obedient Wife Club, I want to add another thing. Do you see us men as the ones who will go to prostitutions when our wives do not serve us (sexually)? How bad are we till we have to go for prostitutions? I admit that many are doing so, but is the reason because the wives don't treat them very well? Yes, the wife has the obligation to fulfil the husband's as what this hadith tells us.

If a man calls his wife to bed and she refuses till he slept while angry, then the Angels will curse her till the morning. [Muslim]

But we,  men are understanding and not easily angry too. We want mutual relationship which is not based on sexual relationship only. I'm sorry but I cannot run away from feeling being degraded from your statement that we will go for prostitutions if our wives do not treat us well. I know not all of us are like that, but still there is some masculinism in me saying we are not that cheap. Alhamdulillah, there are still lots of good men out there. We don't just look for sex in women. My opinion is also based on the second part of the hadith- 'till he slept while angry'. An understanding husband would think wisely if the wife is able to do so. If she refuses, don't you think the husband would compromise? The hukum does state that the husband's desire must be fulfilled by the wife. There is no ifs or buts here. The wife would also understand the husband's condition who is in need of a intimate relationship. However, I do not agree on the reasons given by the group that this 'act of serving husband' would reduce the social ills.

I know that the club's intentions are good, but personally I don't think the ways you do it are the right ones.-The Chukai Insider

Something to ponder upon

To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and Earth. He gives life and causes to die. You have no protector or helper besides Allah. (Surat at-Tawba, 116)

While preparing for exams, don't forget that we have greater responsibilities to Allah SWT. Good luck to my friends and never forget to ask for Allah's help. 

According to the Qur'an, praying is the simplest way to reach Allah. Now let's remind ourselves of some of the attributes of Allah. He is the One Who is closer to people than their jugular vein, the One Who knows and hears everything… Not even a single inner thought of human beings remains hidden to Allah. This being the case, only thinking suffices to ask for something from Him. This shows how easy it is to get in contact with Allah.

All people, without exception, are in need of prayer. It is only flawed thinking to assume that a poor person trying to survive under harsh living conditions needs prayer more than a well-off person. It is erroneous to think that someone who has attained everything he or she desired does not need prayer, for such a conviction limits the meaning of prayer to satisfaction of worldly desires. Believers pray both for their life in this world and the next. Prayer is accompanied by putting one's trust in Allah, for which reason a person who prays acquires the consciousness that the Creator and Judge of the universe is in charge of the events they encounter, whether minor or significant. Awareness that all the methods to cope with or prevent a problem rests with Allah, the All-Mighty, and thus putting one's trust in Him and praying to Him alone, instills a sense of relief and security in a believer.

Any blessing you have is from Allah. Then when harm touches you, you cry to Him for help. (Surat an-Nahl, 53)

Source [HERE]

Exam

Source[HERE]

Try this puzzle while having breaks from your studies. 


I have exams coming up and pray for my friends and me. May all of us endure the great challenges with ease.

Islam and Big Bang Theory

Source [HERE][HERE]

Dear Muhammad bin Saidun,
I made this post specially for you since I have volunteered myself to do some 'secondary research' for the topic that you are studying in Geochemistry. This is it. 
When you read this, you will get the feeling of how lucky we as students learning about Allah's miracles every single day. Shouldn't we be the ones who feel amazed by Allah's creation?

We did not create the heavens and Earth and everything between them, except with truth. The Hour is certainly coming, so turn away graciously. (Qur'an, 15:85)

We did not create the heavens and the Earth and everything between them as a game. We did not create them except with truth but most of them do not know it. (Qur'an, 44:38-39)

The science of modern cosmology, observational and theoretical, clearly indicates that, at one point in time, the whole universe was nothing but a cloud of 'smoke' (i.e. an opaque highly dense and hot gaseous composition). This is one of the undisputed principles of standard modern cosmology. Scientists now can observe new stars forming out of the remnants of that 'smoke'. The illuminating stars we see at night were, just as was the whole universe, in that 'smoke' material. God said in the Quran:

 Then He turned to the heavens when it was smoke...

  [Noble Quran 41:11]

Because the earth and the heavens above (the sun, moon, stars, planets, galaxies, etc.) have been formed from this same 'smoke' we conclude that the earth and the heavens were one connected entity. Then out of this homogeneous 'smoke', they formed and separated from each other. God said in the Quran:

Have not those who disbelieved known that the heavens and 

the earth were one connected entity, then We separated them?..

[Noble Quran 21:30]

Professor Alfred Kroner is one of the world's well-known geologists. He is a Professor of the Department of Geosciences, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany. He said, "Thinking where Muhammad came from .. I think it is almost impossible that he could have known about things like the common origin of the universe, because scientists have only found out within the last few years with very complicated and advance technological methods that this is the case." (From 'This is the Truth' [video]). Also he said, "Somebody who did not know something about nuclear physics fourteen hundred years ago could not, I think, be in a position to find out from his own mind, for instance, that the earth and the heavens had the same origin."

A book entitled "Earth" is considered a basic reference text in many universities around the world. One of the authors of this book is Frank Press. He is currently the President of the Academy of Sciences in the USA. Previously, he was the science advisor to former USA President Jimmy Carter. His book says that mountains have underlying roots 

[p. 435]

. Theseroots are deeply embedded in the ground. So mountains have a shape like a peg as is seen in an example on page 220 in the same book. Another illustration shows how the mountains are peg-like in shape, due to their deep roots 

[p. 158]

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This is how the Quran described mountains. God said in the Quran: [Read More]

Friday

A reminder to myself and  my friends. 

We face challenges and overcome it. Today's Friday khutbah or sermon was about inner peace and challenges. If you stick to your faith, Allah will help and guide you. 

Exams are just around the corner to most of my friends and me. Let us do  our best and let Allah decides what is the best for us. Don't worry about the future when we have more important things to do now; preparing for the exams. Worrying too much will bring us nowhere. Let us keep reminding ourselves and others. What friends are for if not to keep reminding us to the right path? 

Alhamdulillah, I am surrounded with good friends. -The Chukai Insider

Give to Receive

I did not get a Public Service Department scholarship after my SPM result was announced. I applied to the course that I really think I was interested in- aeronautical engineering. I was very well prepared before the interview. I thank Allah for He has given me the ability to speak with confidence in front of others, and from there you can infer that I did my interview very well. I got straight As in SPM. My father is a barber whom I put his salary as much as RM900 in the JPA scholarship application form. I was very sure that I would be getting a scholarship from the Government to study overseas. 

It turned out that I did not get it. Almost all of my friends who went to the interview got their places for the scholarship program. I did not. What went wrong? I was very confident that I would be getting the scholarship since I fit all of the criteria that would make me irresistible to be chosen as a JPA Scholar- strong academic result, excellent co-curricular records, low-income family and most importantly I am a Malay boy (some people who said they are not racist told me that this is the most important criteria). Recently, I saw a headline about excellent students not getting scholarships. From the news, lots of politicians from both sides put unnecessary comments and from there, of course there are some bashing about a race who are being given so called 'special treatment'. How about those who belong to the 'special treatment'-race who did not get any help?

I was quite disappointed at first but I got another scholarship from a major company in Malaysia. Alhamdulillah, it was a better offer. But I did not get angry with Malaysia like majority people who commented on The Malaysian Insider. If you read The Malaysian Insider now, those Malaysians who migrate to other countries (even they are worse than Malaysia on many aspects) are regarded as heroes. I posted an article about medical doctors leaving Malaysia on Facebook and tagged my friends who are studying Medicine overseas sponsored by both federal and state governments. I said Malaysia should take care of Her brains to prevent this 'brain drain' problem. My friend replied to me 'her brains should take care of Malaysia...mu rasa dok taken care of ke?'. Exactly, folks. Don't you feel being taken care of? No?

To those scholars who are not coming back to work here in Malaysia, I am just wondering whether you feel guilty or not. The money that the government spend on you can be channelled to poverty-eradication programs. It can be given to the makciks, neneks and others who need them. Instead, the government has given you the opportunity to study local or overseas with the goal of lifting up the living standard of the people in Malaysia. How do you feel not guilty when you have used their money to study and not returning back to work for them? 

I want to ask those who have migrated overseas with reasons that they are fed-up with Malaysia, concerned about their children's education, Malaysia is a rascist country and so on with the same question- Aren't you feel being taken care of? 

One reader said that he was fed-up with the Local Council which did not pick up rubbishes on time. He complained for many times but nothing changes. That was a turning point for him to leave Malaysia. As absurd as it sounds, it represents the bureaucratic nature of our administration and at the same time, how stupid that guy was. If you want to leave Malaysia to get higher salaries in other countries, just do so without having to give such stupid reason. Malaysians on general complaint a lot but never seem to do anything about it. They complaint and complaint without the effort to change themselves. If your solutions to Malaysia's problem is to migrate, then I can easily say that you guys are weak. 

Engineers, doctors, geologists and other professionals are paid much more than they are in Malaysia. So, they migrate. That's simple. 

What's left for Malaysia?

I can assure you that one of those who have migrated overseas must have came across with John F. Kennedy famous quote ' Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You But What You Do For Your Country'. If you are smart, it is not very hard to comprehend the statement. You adore Americans on general but I don't think you emulate their spirits. You give to other countries because you country don't give things that you want. Please, it's not about race, again. I'm a Malay but it does not mean I get all of the things that you want. I don't know who are rascist now, the ones who protected their rights or the ones who already reach the top and want things to be distributed fairly.

 Islam is beautiful in explaining justice. Being fair does not mean we all get the same thing. A father wants to buy his children clothes. He has one son and one daughter. Should he buy the same type of clothe to both of them. If the girl gets a skirt, should the boy get one too? This shows that justice means you are putting things at the right places. It must be need-based. Personally, that is why I think of those who are leaving Malaysia based on that reason are weak. If it is based on other reasons, they may be acceptable. 

What have you given to your country? If you really in love with someone, you will endure fire and mountains for her/him. Isn't that the same thing for Malaysia? If the person is doing something wrong, shouldn't you try to change her instead of leaving her straight away? Leaving for greener pastures in other countries sounds good to everybody, but how is life without challenges. We are a young nation, and yet you leave this country who are in the growing process. You miss the best opportunities to shape the country the way you want it. Simply said, you surrendered to do so.

Trust me, leaving Malaysia for other countries basically are on the basis of money and opportunities. I'm not suggesting it is not good to migrate to other countries. It is just I cannot accept the most of the reasons that they are leaving. You are not being oppressed. If you can't work with fellow Malaysians who are being stereotyped as lazy, incompetent and ineffective, then do something about it. Instead, many of us complaint but never try to fix the problem. Believe me, the change starts with yourself. This is my personal opinion and I'm a little bit conservative and patriotic. By saying patriotic, I mean working for my countries even though you are outside Malaysia like Jimmy Choo or anyone working for Malaysian companies at international level. This thinking might be shallow to some readers but I don't think working in other countries not for Malaysia's benefit is patriotic. Look for the beautiful meanings of life and satisfactions.-The Chukai Insider

1.Why I Moved to Malaysia- An American

2.Contributing to the work in progress that is Malaysia

Barbecue

If you want to know how do badly edited pictures look like, then you are at the right place. I'm just too lazy and hungry and these are the products. Internet speed kills me slowly. 
These are the some of the people who worked so hard in making the barbecue party a successful event. Actually, these photos were taken randomly and not for the sake of great artistic photos or anything. Don't look at the qualities of the pictures, but try to remember and thank these people who had done their best in making the barbecue chicken.