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The last 10 days of Ramadhan 1439H begin tonight (Monday June 4, 2018)

I wrote this post in 2010. I am reposting it to remind myself of the benefits of taking full advantage of the remaining days of this year's Ramadhan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Life for Muslims begins when the sun goes down during the holy month. Muslims are obliged to abstain completely from drinking, eating and sex from sunrise to sunset. Every Muslim is taught to embrace Ramadhan completely by filling the days with acts of worship and charity, besides getting rid of bad thoughts and deeds. The whole month is full of blessings and rewards but the last ten days have a special status as seen in the recommendations and practices of the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions. See video below.

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My year at The Rakyat Post

Dec 31, 2014, the last day of the year and the end of my one year stint at The Rakyat Post , an online news portal. Educational is the best way to sum up my year at The Rakyat Post. Leaving your comfort zone is intimidating at first; it has a steep learning curve. But now I wish I had done it sooner and the whole exercise reaffirms my motto: “learn, learn, learn”. Einstein was spot on when he said, “Learning is not a product of schooling but the lifelong attempt to acquire it”. When I left the New Straits Times to join The Rakyat Post on Jan 3, 2014, I didn’t know what to expect. Nelson Fernandez, also known as Mohd Ridzwan Abdullah, had invited me to join him at the website this time last year. Nelson Fernandez at his office at The Rakyat Post He was charged with assembling a team to provide content for the portal. And I am glad I said yes. Switching from traditional journalism to online journalism is challenging, as anyone who had made

Sabah is Veena's paradise

Life is seriously good in Sabah , says Berita Harian Sabah bureau chief Veena Rusli. "Every inch of Sabah is amazing. What is there to complain when you live, work and play in a holiday destination?" adds the bubbly Seremban-born, who has called Kota Kinabalu home for more than four years now. Veena looks at Sabah, known as "the land below the wind" , with the eye of a person who appreciates the simple things in life. Living in Kuala Lumpur for many years as a journalist had taken a heavy toll on her. She extols the virtues of a stress-free life which she has found in Kota Kinabalu. Veena Rusli jokingly describes herself as a full-time tourist guide and a part-time journalist. This refers to her hosting duties, which she does easily, when friends from the Peninsula visit Sabah. Unnecessary pressures such traffic jams and flash floods are minimal in Kota Kinabalu and these lessen the impact of managing the worries of everyday life . I met Veena in Kota

Buah Tarap: A chance encounter

You learn something new everyday. My friend Alina is very fond of repeating this. And I agree with her. Today I tasted the Buah Tarap (Tarap Fruit) which is said to be unique to Sabah/Borneo. My colleagues and I arrived in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah this afternoon; we are here for the RHB New Straits Times Spell-It-Right Challenge which will take place at the Suria Mall over the weekend. After checking into the Beverly Hotel we walked to a nearby eatery for a spot of tea. It was then that I chanced upon the Buah Tarap and began snapping away. My colleague, who had eaten the fruit in Bandung, Indonesia, was excited to see it. He bought one for us to try. The stall vendor split the fruit into two and we bit into its flesh. Everyone liked it but describing its flavour remains a challenge. The fruit, which looks like nangka (jackfruit) or chempedak, has an unusual combination of tastes: it is sweet but not as sweet as the jackfruit nor as chunky. Words fail me. It feels so light t

a fleeting stay ...

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