TeropongSkop

A short break

2011-08-28T23:42:00.000+08:00

Aidilfitri is just a couple of days away. Merdeka is a day after Aidilfitri.

So, I am taking a few days off blogging, unless of course I have something very important to blog on. Besides, a few days off the Internet is a good detoxification exercise.

Before I sign off, I would like to wish my blog readers and visitors, Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, maaf zahir dan batin. And at the same time, let us really understand the true meaning of Merdeka beyond the usual pompous celebration.

Until we meet again, have a look and think at the content of following video clip.

Research integrity - Part 8

2011-08-25T21:29:00.000+08:00

The above picture really does not have anything to do with this posting. It is just for fun. I want to continue my comments on research integrity by focusing on fake professors. While I am not a follower of the Harry Potter series, I am somehow reminded of the professors of Hogwarts, hence the picture above.

Anyway, I read somewhere that "if there are fake students, there can also be fake professors". Sounds scary, doesn't it? But the reality is indeed such that there are frauds who pretend to be professors. In 2007 for example, Wikipedia was rocked by a "scandal" of a contributor (who was actually just a student) pretending to be a professor of religion. This no doubt affects the trustworthiness of the popular free reference portal. This scandal can be read at this link.

In Malaysia, the 2010 National Higher Education Act looks into this matter. Fake professors and bogus PhD holders can be subject to legal action under this act. Under this act, the Ministry of Higher Education is also able to set up a directory of everyone who holds the title of professor, everyone who holds a doctorate degree and everyone who is conferred honorary doctorates. I am not sure whether this database is up and ready, but if (and when) it is available, this database would be very useful.

These are necessary ingredients to safeguard the integrity of research being conducted in research institutions as well as institutions of higher learning. If bogus PhD holders and fake professors are left to carry out research, would their findings be authoritative? What would happen if they are researching in areas that are deemed to be critical to the nation and society? If they hold teaching positions, what will become of the quality of higher education? These are some of the basic concerns if these people are left to their own devices.

At the end of the day, there should be some way to monitor the ever-increasing number of doctorate holders and those who are appointed professors. I have seen some people using the title "professor" which apparently has been conferred to them, usually by overseas institutions. I wonder if they are really professors in the true sense of the word. Do they even know how to carry out research? Do they even teach at universities? Like PhD, the title "professor" commands a certain recognition, prestige and position in society. They are well-respected for their informed opinions and wisdom. If bogus professors are allowed to run free, then the true value of a professorship is diminished significantly.

Let there be quality, not quantity. Then there will be integrity.

Research integrity - Part 7

2011-08-24T22:57:00.000+08:00

Earlier this year, I met my very first boss of my working career, Dr Abdul Razak Abdullah, whom I have not seen in many years. He holds a D.Phil. from Oxford University. We had an interesting discussion covering many things. The discussion started to veer from current issues to my doctorate study. When he inquired about it, I told him that I was finishing up my thesis-writing. He was happy to hear about the progress and went on to make an interesting remark, "Some people who enrolled for PhD did not manage to cross the finishing line. They did all the review, data collection, analysis and writing. But they did not submit the thesis for examination." In other words, people who ran the race but did not cross the finishing line.

Dr Razak's comment got me thinking. I know of people who did three or four years of doctorate studies, but at the end of the day, came off it empty-handed. Some of them are my friends who, during their course of study, faced some unforeseen and unavoidable personal problems that affected their studies. These are usually sponsored scholars who were unable to extend their duration, and hence had to abandon their study after the expiry of the sponsorship. These, to me, are genuine cases. It is a pity that they were not able to finish because of certain difficulties that had befallen them. This is akin to an athlete who is not able to cross the finishing line because of an accident somewhere along the racing track.

Unfortunately, I have also heard of some who did not finish their PhD (for whatever reason) and yet were bold enough to use the doctorate title in front of their names. In the past, there were some similar cases that were highlighted in the media. In another discussion with another former boss of mine, Datuk Dr Abdul Monir Yaacob, I was told that in countries like Egypt, it is normal for PhD candidates to use the title "Dr" as soon as they enrol in a doctorate course, way before they actually finished their studies. This got me thinking, if for some reason, these candidates who are already using the title "Dr" fail to finish, do they still keep their title because people are already used to calling them with that title?

In any case, the norm in Malaysia and most other countries like the UK, USA and Japan, doctorate is conferred only upon fulfilling all the necessary criteria such as submission of thesis, viva voce and other criteria as set forth by the university (which may differ from one university to another). You don't call yourself "Dr" until and unless you receive a letter from the university saying that you have obtained your PhD. It is, without a doubt, unethical on the part of the person who uses the title "Dr" before being officially granted the esteemed academic qualification. To do so would mean to cheapen the value of the doctorate degree and is adds insult to those candidates who really earn the title.

I have no idea how many people out there who go around claiming to have a doctorate without actually properly completing their studies. This is just like athletes who cheat by not running the full course of the race, but instead suddenly appearing after the finishing line as if they had run the full race. None of us really checks if a person is really a "Dr" or otherwise. Most of us take people's claim in good faith.

But really, if these people are men of faith, they would not be claiming to have something that they in reality do not own.

Research integrity - Part 6

2011-08-22T11:55:00.000+08:00

Doing a doctorate is never an easy feat. Just ask anyone who has done it or who is doing it. The task requires perseverance, hard work, consistency, diligence, discipline and many other virtues required to carry out a doctoral research. As such, it is a personal achievement to finish a doctorate research and write its thesis. Most people take between three to four years to complete their PhD. These are very meaningful years, full of memories for PhD candidates and serve as useful experience in the coming years, especially to those who continue their career in the academia.

Interestingly, we have also heard of those who undertook so-called online doctorate programmes which are not recognised. They would enrol in these online doctorate courses, pay the fees, write a few essays and the next thing you know, they have their doctorate done. How I wish things can be that easy. What is equally fascinating is that these people have no qualms to use their quickie PhDs before their names. Some of them are quite well-known: Motivators, businessmen, politicians, self-help gurus, artistes, etc.

I have the experience of encountering one of them some years back when I was still attached to IKIM. It was during tea break in one of the seminars that the institution organised. I was introduced to a famous (at that time) motivational speaker who always appeared on television and radio, and had a number of books and novels to his name. He was there as a guest of the programme. Truth be told, I have never heard of him before that. In any case, we sat down for a chat during the break over some kuih and teh tarik. I innocently asked him where he got his doctorate from. He casually replied, "United Kingdom." Hearing that, my interest piqued because I studied there. I then asked, "Really? Which university?" He uttered a university's name (which I can't recall now). In a rather confused voice, I said (again innocently), "Oh? I studied in the UK between 1992 and 1996. I have never heard of that university. Where is it located?" My questions began to rattle him, I guess. His face changed. I could sense he was not comfortable when he answered, "It's not in Britain. It's on one of the smaller islands under UK." Fortunately (for him) and unfortunately (for me), I was not able to dig deeper as a colleague interjected and changed the subject.

I felt suspicious because I have never heard of the university's name (to the extent that it is forgettable). He was also unable to name the island in which the university is supposed to be located on. I may not be an expert on the UK, but at least I would have heard of the name of the university. A couple of years after this interesting encounter, the media highlighted the issue of fake and unrecognised online PhD courses. This motivational speaker's name was one of those who was mentioned (albeit not directly).

I do not think that it is fair that there are those who cut corners by "purchasing" their PhD online. It cheapens the value of the doctorate degree. Genuine candidates have to struggle for years just to get the doctorate. They are exposed to conducting methodically-correct research, think critically, analyse accurately and conclude convincingly. They are trained to put forward hypotheses, test these hypotheses and prove and/or disprove these hypotheses. They have to present papers in international conferences, write academic papers for refereed journals and have to go through the viva voce session before being conferred their PhD. In short, they are being prepared to become true and genuine researchers. Those who "purchase" their PhD degrees are not only unethical and lack integrity, but at the end of the day, they are mainly imitators who may not even know how to formulate research questions, what more come out with a thesis.

These days, the number of PhD holders are growing. This, to me, is a positive sign. However, bogus PhD holders should not be allowed to be counted in this growing group.

Research integrity - Part 5

2011-08-21T23:44:00.000+08:00

It usually starts with the smallest of things, and starts rather "innocently" at that.

Remember when you are in the laboratory conducting an experiment, say titration between an acid and a base. You collect the data required until the pH indicator used, for instance, phenolphthalein changes colour. You tabulate the data and try to plot a graph from the data. The theory says that you should get a perfect straight line for the neutralisation process. However, the data you collected does not even give a hint of a straight line.

What should you do, what should you do? You need the straight line in order to get marks for your laboratory assignment. A curve wouldn't do. A zig-zag is definitely out of the question. There is only one thing to do. Adjust the data that you collected so that you will be able to draw the best straight line.

This scenario is perhaps familiar to some of us who have done laboratory work before (in particular during the undergraduate years). Changing the data so that the result would match the theory taught seems to be the best solution. But is it?

Often, researchers forget that an experiment should be repeated in order to get the best results. Experiments are proned to errors either human errors or apparatus errors. [Trivia: It was al-Biruni who suggested that experiments must be repeated to minimise errors]. However, most (especially during the undergraduate years) would opt for the short cut since most know what the result should be anyway. This is in fact a folly made by many. The point of a laboratory experience is to instill patience, perseverence and integrity. If you get it wrong the first time, then repeat and do it again. Of course, many would dismiss the idea by saying that they don't have much time to complete the experiment and that they have other assignments to do.

This small misstep would lead the undergraduate to a path that is paved with decisions that lack integrity. Science is not just about drawing the best straight line. Science is also about treading the perfect straight path of honesty and integrity. Whether researchers and scientists like it or not, integrity and ethical research goes hand-in-hand. This includes data collection, tabulation, analysis and reporting - aspects of research integrity that should never be taken lightly.

Whether one realises its importance or not, integrity must be inculcated from the very first day a person is trained to be a researcher.

Research integrity - Part 4

2011-08-20T23:04:00.000+08:00

Earlier this month, Professor Dr A Murad Merican of Universiti Teknologi Petronas wrote an article in Utusan Malaysia entitled "Kegiatan 'boncengan gratis' hakis kesarjanaan dan hikmah universiti". Among other things, he wrote of some academics who become free-riders who put their names on research papers and academic articles while in actuality, they are not really involved in the research.

Free-riding is a phenomenon that should not be encouraged. This sort of thing actually happens anywhere, even outside the academia. Imagine someone doing all the hard work, and suddenly someone else who does not do anything joins in to take the credit. A person with integrity will never take credit for something he/she is not involved in.

Free-riding in the academia can be seen as early as the undergraduate years. I remember one incident pretty well. I taught a compulsory subject for a few semesters. Every semester I would give out group assignments to the students as part of their overall assessment. In one semester, one group came up to me after lecture complaining that one their members did not contribute anything. They actually asked my permission to drop this student's name because they felt that he did not deserve any marks since he did not contribute. I agreed with their request. After all, it was a group assignment. The assignment was meant for each team member to contribute. It would not be fair for someone who did not contribute anything to be rewarded based on the hard work of others.

I have also been told of incidents involving the academia who would chip their names in on journal papers so that they can meet their key performance indicator (KPI). In truth, they did not do much in terms of the actual research for the paper. I remember writing a paper to be presented at an international conference, and I asked my supervisor to be the co-author. She declined, saying that it would not be right for her name to appear on a paper which she did not have any contribution to. If only all academics are like her.

I was also told of academics who took sole credit for papers written by their postgraduate students. This, to me, is uncalled for. This is plagiarism of the highest order. Could it be that in the race towards meeting one's KPI, one is willing to do anything even things which lack integrity? KPI is a measure of performance, but to achieve the KPI, I believe integrity should be upheld and observed. That is why I think that the suggestion of a research integrity officer (which was put forward in Part One) should be implemented. Otherwise, we will have people who will cut corners and be free-riders just for the sake of achieving their personal KPI.

As a concluding remark for this posting, I would like to share a reminder by my former boss, Datuk Dr Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas before I left my position at IKIM. He said to me, "Whatever you do, don't let other people take credit for your ideas." Although it has been more than five years ago, his words are still loud and clear.

Free-riders are in essence people who take credit for ideas that are not theirs. Where is the integrity in doing so?

Research integrity - Part 3

2011-08-19T11:02:00.001+08:00

Continuing on my ranting on research integrity. This time, focusing on "translation".

I have noticed some researchers (this time, mainly postgraduates) who would refer to a material in one language (for example Arabic or Japanese) and would translate it into English. The way it is done is as if the researcher himself/herself wrote the text without actually indicating and crediting the original source of reference.

There is no problem if one wants to refer to sources in other languages. However, to uphold integrity of the research, the original material should be given due credit. Just because the researcher translates the text, say from Japanese to English, that does not give him/her the right to say that it is his/her original work. We have to remember that plagiarism is the act of presenting other people's work (even in other languages) as our own.

I remember listening to a talk given by Dr Zahazan Mohamed recently. He said that Imam Malik (who lived nearly 13 centuries ago), the author of the renowned kitab, al-Muwatta', had his work copied and imitated by other so-called scholars of his time. Some even used the very name of the kitab without changing it from al-Muwatta' and yet claiming that it was their original work. Imam Malik knew of this but he let it be. The irony is that after all these centuries, people today only refer to the original al-Muwatta' written by Imam Malik. This, according to Dr Zahazan, is due to the fact that Imam Malik wrote the magnum opus with sincerity and integrity. It is these qualities that helped the original al-Muwatta' to stand the test of time.

As such, I believe research work which is copied-and-pasted and translated without giving due credit will never stand the test of time. Sooner or later, people will dismiss such work as lacking originality, or worse still plagiarised work. At the end of the day, people will forget such work.

On the other hand, research work which is done with sincerity, honesty and integrity will stand the test of time, and will continuously be referred to by others.

Research integrity - Part 2

2011-08-18T00:08:00.000+08:00

Continuing on what was written in the previous posting, I would like to shift gear a bit by focusing on one of the major problems in research writing. There is a tendency for those who have only started to do research (read: undergraduates) to copy and paste from other people's work. The simplest way is of course with the assistance of the very famous Mr Google. When given a written or a research assignment, many would simply google the keywords, download the related articles, copy and paste parts of the article, and voila the assignment is done. Interestingly enought, most of the copied articles can be found on Wikipedia.

[As a side point which is not really relevant to this posting, is "google" an accepted verb in the English language?]

Anyway, the copy-and-paste article would be handed to the lecturer for grading. The lecturer reads the assignment and notes that there are numerous grammatical and spelling errors in the introduction. Interestingly enough, the next sections and subsections contain perfect English. There is flair, there is substance, as if one is reading from a book written by the expert in the field, complete with references. Then comes the conclusion, which contains too many grammatical and spelling errors, similar to the introduction. When you get to the last part, which is the reference or bibliography, there is not a mention of the references that were used in the body of the article. What is there is just a list of a few books which are not even quoted in the write-up.

Of course, the lecturer would easily suspect that the article has been copied from the Internet. He/she can easily use softwares like Turnitin to verify his/her suspicion. One very simple way is just to pick at random a few sentences and use Google to search. Chances are you can easily get the exact parts that are copied, and more often than not (in the case of undergraduates), the copied articles are from Wikipedia.

The above is something that I believe most lecturers have come across with. I would always penalise those who simply copied and pasted from articles without citing or crediting the original author and publication. I also remind my students not to rely on Wikipedia as an authoritative source of reference. The nature of Wikipedia is such that anyone can contribute, hence the authoritativeness of the article can usually be disputed. The articles in Wikipedia can be used to identify references and points of discussion. In other words, they can be used as a starting point, but not as the only point of reference.

It is critical that undergraduates be aware of the "sin" of the copy-and-paste culture. Usually, research misconduct begins with this very simple act of copy-and-paste. This is the seed of plagiarism. Undergraduates must be made to understand that research integrity should be the priority. Cheating by copy-and-paste to get good grades is an act of a person with no integrity whatsoever.

If this copy-and-paste culture is allowed to be part of an undergraduate's culture, what is there to stop them from committing the same offence when they become postgraduates and members of the academia? In this day and age of the Internet, it is easy to plagiarise. Having said that, it is also equally easy to get caught.

Research integrity - Part 1

2011-08-17T01:38:00.001+08:00

This piece of news is not really new. Those in the academia would probably be aware of this development at the esteemed Harvard University. It involves a well-known behavioural psychologist, Professor Marc D. Hauser. He was accused almost a year ago of eight counts of scientific misconduct which Harvard did not really specify. But we do know that this misconduct includes "data acquisition, data analysis, data retention, and the reporting of research methodologies and results". While investigation is still on-going, the professor has recently resigned from Harvard.

I chose to highlight this matter because I feel there is a need to instill and adhere to integrity when conducting research. Those in the academia would understand the race to be the best, to conduct novel research and to publish research findings in top-tier research journals of international standing. While this may spur research activities, I sincerely hope that no one would cut corners by committing scientific misconduct, especially when it comes to research methodology, data collection, data analysis and reporting.

I really hope no academics in the country would stoop this low. Perhaps it is a good idea for all universities to have a unit called "Research Integrity Unit" to monitor, educate and prevent scientific misconduct. Most, if not all, well-known universities in developed countries have this unit and a "research integrity officer". I am not sure whether we have this in Malaysia. If there is none, it is high time to establish this crucial office and important position.

However, I know for a fact that most local universities have their research ethics committee to vet, approve/disapprove and monitor research projects involving human subjects. This committee may be at the faculty level or at the university level. I am privileged to sit in Universiti Teknologi MARA's research ethics committee under the Research Management Institute of the university. However, the scope of this committee does not include research that does not involve human subjects. I believe that all research projects should be monitored by the research integrity officer. There should also be a code of conduct for adherence by all researchers.

Oxford University for instance have a code of practice and procedure on academic integrity in research. This can be viewed through this link. Research institutions, aside from universities, like the National Institute of Health in the United States also has their own policy on this matter. From my perspective, these two examples can be viewed as useful and practical guidance for local researchers.

Don't let the race to improve rankings result in this kind of shame.

University sense of humour

2011-08-15T10:31:00.000+08:00

A friend posted this on her Facebook page. I thought it is quite hilarious (with a certain amount of truth in it). I thought that I would share it here.

The original source can be found here.

Good things don't (change)

2011-08-12T01:04:00.000+08:00

"The only thing constant in life is change."

I think many of us have heard of this phrase many times over. Change is part and parcel of life. We change according to our personal, familial, societal and organisational needs.

Change is also usually (though not always) for the better. This kind of change is similar to the concept of hijrah in Islam. "Make today better than yesterday, and make tomorrow better than today".

Sometimes, however, our eagerness to change result in unexpected outcomes which seem worse than before. If this happens, then we have to persevere to correct the mistake that we have done. Oft-times, "change just for the sake of change" is not advisable. We have to find viable options that are better than what we have before we decide on changing.

While change is a constant, sometimes we feel as if "the more things change, the more things remain the same". This is sometimes a matter of perception. We may see change happening, but we don't actually feel it simply because we are unaffected by the change.

Having said that, I believe that "good things don't change". It is usually the bad ones that got changed.

P.S. As a trivia, the last quote, "Good things don't (change)" is from the cult 1980's series' last episode of MacGyver.

Manners matter

2011-08-11T00:42:00.000+08:00

I posted on my Facebook status a true incident involving a teacher in a secondary school who asked one of her students to help out by cleaning the white board. The student refused, instead he answered something to the effect of, "You have hands, you clean the white board yourself".

I think everyone can agree that this student - who is only 13 years old - is downright rude. It is one thing to refuse to help the teacher, but it is another thing altogether when the student replied in such a manner. He may think that he is cool by responding in such a way. At that impressionable age, so-called quick and witty response especially towards a figure of authority is a form of showing off to his peers.

Bottom line though, the boy has no manners.

I hate drawing comparisons to the time when I was in school. But after having listened to the teacher's story, I cannot but help thinking how much things have changed. Back then we did not dare to speak rudely to the teacher. We may not like the teacher, but we would never want to be seen to be kurang ajar.

Things have changed no doubt. These days, it is difficult to discipline a student without the parents crying foul and/or suing the school and the teacher. I remember reading postings from ex-students of my alma mater in Kulim about our former principal, Allahyarham Haji Harun Rejab. Most remember his famous slap-on-the-face as a form of penalty. Sure, no one liked being slapped or being disciplined for that matter. He was not popular among those who played truant, cheated in exams or had any other form of disciplinary problems. But I am touched by what was written by a former student, "Kalau tak kerana penampaq Pak Harun, aku tak jadi orang sekarang", loosely translated as, "If not for Pak Harun's slap, I wouldn't have turned out right today".

Ask any student, I am pretty sure most would remember the name of the principal and the discipline teacher. They play an important role in shaping the student's manners, ethics and character. At the end of the day, however, I still believe it is parents who play the most important role. The old adage, spare the rod and spoil the child, probably has some degree of truth - and wisdom - in it. I was brought up under a strict discipline regime by my father. I am who I am today because of the way my father brought me up, and because of the way my schooling years shaped me.

Even in Islam, emphasis on good character or akhlaq is given due attention. So, it is indeed sad to see today's students (Muslims at that) behaving badly, ignoring the akhlaq as ordained in Islam, tossing aside the rich tradition of good manners of the East and instead prefer to be just plain rude.

The said student got a tongue-lashing from the teacher nonetheless. Whether or not that will change him, only Allah knows. Having said that, I think the best thing that we can do is to pray that this teenage boy will be shown the light and mend his ways.

Spiritual recharge

2011-08-10T00:19:00.002+08:00

I trained to fast when I was around six or seven years old. Back then, I could only do half a day instead of a full day. I remember I had a small blackboard that my father bought that was hung in one of the rooms in the house. I would write down how many days I had fast. If that particular day, I managed to fast for half a day, I would write down 1/2. At the end of Ramadan, I would add all the days up. Say, for instance, I succeeded in fasting half a day for every day of Ramadan, I would tell my parents that I had fast for 15 days.

Those were the days. Back then, there was no monetary reward given by my parents for fasting. I fast for the simple reason that it was a religious obligation. Needless to say, I did not fully understand this back then, but I remember understanding that I must fast because Allah commands Muslims to do so.

Since I was 14 until today, alhamdulillah, I have not missed a single day of fasting in the holy month of Ramadan. During my teen years, fasting was looked upon as something that all Muslims must do. I did not really think much of its philosophical and/or spiritual significance. When I started working, I began to understand how fasting teaches one to be sympathetic to the plight of others.

As the years gone by, my understanding and appreciation of Ramadan and fasting have gone up to a different level. While fasting in itself is a physical and emotional endeavour, this year in particular I have started to feel its spiritual importance. The act of fasting feels like a spiritual recharge. When I pray at the masjid, I felt as if I am really standing in Masjid al-Haram in Makkah in front of the Kaabah. When the imam recites the verses of the Holy Quran, I could feel tears on my cheeks.

It could be that I feel all these because I am getting older (and hopefully wiser). I really hope that this wonderful spiritual upliftment can be sustained in the days after Ramadan. This Ramadan is indeed special in that I feel really at peace with myself. For this, I can only utter the word alhamdulillah.

Happiness

2011-06-30T22:24:00.000+08:00

You can buy delicious food,
but you can't buy a good appetite.

You can have many friends on Facebook,

but you can't buy true friendship.

You can buy a good mattress,

but you can't buy a good night's sleep.

You can buy a house,

but you can't buy a home.

You can have all the money in the world,

but you can never buy true happiness.

Memorable nasheed songs

2011-06-27T00:48:00.001+08:00

It has been too long since I heard a good song, what more a good nasheed song (or if you like, daawah pop). I really miss the days when the Malaysian music scene was dominated by many nasheed songs, with Raihan being at the forefront at that time. Then came a number of popular groups such as Rabbani, Hijjaz, Saujana, Nowseeheart and Brothers. Some of these groups are defunct, some are still active with new members, others would occasionally pop up from time to time. So popular was nasheed that even non-nasheed singers would join in the fray to sing nasheed songs.

I wish the momentum of nasheed songs could be restrengthened. Raihan used to be immensely popular, not just in Malaysia but also overseas. The legacy of Rabbani can still be felt until today even after the death of the group's lead singer, Ustaz Asri Ibrahim, two years ago.

These days though, there are not that many new nasheed songs. Even if there are new ones, they are not memorable, say like Raihan's "Bismillah" or Rabbani's "Intifada". These days I notice some of the nasheed groups are busy with product endorsement rather than coming out with new memorable nasheed songs.

Perhaps we need a new push to revitalise nasheed songs in Malaysia. Until then, I am happy listening to nasheed (or daawah pop) songs from overseas, such as this one: Irfan Makki (featuring Maher Zain) entitled "I Believe".

Contradiction - some examples

2011-06-26T00:43:00.000+08:00

To further highlight my previous posting, here are some examples of self-contradictions:

We can never know anything.
I have learned that we cannot generalise.
I am proud that I am modest.
Everything that is written is untrue.
Make no mistake: all people are fallible.

My favourite self-contradiction of the day:

Halal beer.

Contradiction

2011-06-25T22:54:00.001+08:00

Aristotle formulated a rule of thought known today as the "law of non-contradiction". This law is considered to be the fundamental principle of reasoning. It essentially states that a proposition cannot be both affirmed and denied simultaneously. This would render the argument invalid. In other words, it would make nonsense of the whole process of rational thinking.

I notice that there are too many glaring examples of contradiction in our society today. Just take a look at the news in any newspaper - mainstream or otherwise - and try to spot these contradictions. All these self-contradiction made by various quarters made me come to one conclusion.

We do not seem to have the ability to think rationally, what more act rationally. Looking at this from another angle, it simply means we are a nonsensical lot.

Project management case study of sorts

2011-06-18T22:20:00.000+08:00

Imagine this scenario.

You are asked to do a favour. You are to carry out a certain task which needs to be done in a short space of time. You are very busy with a lot of other commitments, yet you oblige to help out. You get the task done, even though you are not thoroughly happy with it because of the time constraint. Then a few weeks later, you are called up on the pretext of a discussion. No agenda for discussion was given. Neither was any other information on the said discussion. It turns out the discussion was a meeting to assess the task that you did. The task was given to a so-called external expert to evaluate and comment. The expert presented his assessment. You are told that what you did was not good enough. The meeting was then concluded without you having any say or comment.

How would you feel?

Ego

2011-06-14T15:17:00.000+08:00

Ego.

This is a word often used by many of us as an excuse to be big-headed. This is, in psychological terms, one of Sigmund Freud's three constructs of the psyche model. This is also a word that is used to describe one's self-concept. In simple terms, ego means I. In fact, that is what it means if one were to translate the word from Latin to English.

Usually, people use the word "ego" in negative terms. I am sure many of us are familiar with stories of how a person can change when he/she gets promoted to a higher position. From a humble and well-liked person, he/she becomes a despised boss. When the perception of people around him/her changes, then everything that he/she does is seen in a bad light.

No one can deny that everyone has an ego. It is, in some ways, a motivating factor for us to get certain things done. I am the first to admit that I undertook my doctorate studies because of my ego. I want to prove to myself that I can do it without any financial assistance. There is no benefits from me to gain from doing the PhD in terms of my career as I will not get promoted or get a raise. I just do it to please myself, nothing more and nothing less.

I guess ego can be positive in the sense that it can give you a driving force. But a big ego can also be detrimental. So, the best way as always is to be moderate. Don't let your ego be too small until you find yourself feeling inferior to others, and of equal importance, control your ego so that it doesn't make you big-headed.

Don't overfeed the ego.

Going through

2011-06-06T08:12:00.000+08:00

My PhD supervisor reminded me a couple of weeks ago of something that I believe most of us tend to forget. She said that to get what we want, we have to get it through the Almighty. In other words, even when we find it difficult to achieve something, even when things seem hopeless, always remember that we can always pray to Him asking for His Mercy.

Even when we face difficult people, always remember Allah so that we will be given the strength, courage and ability to handle these people. As my supervisor put it so aptly, "To go through people, go through Him first."

Worth remembering.

Finding the time for someone important

2011-06-05T22:34:00.000+08:00

I remember many years ago, a close friend asked me where I found the time for the things that I did. My impromptu response was, if you consider the things that you do as important, you would find the time for them.

A few days ago, another friend was telling me how he felt hurt when his wife told him, "I love you, but I don't have the time for you". It is no secret that I am no counsellor. All that I could do was to offer a sympathetic ear to listen to his story. At least, my friend was able to pour his heart out as he found it difficult to get going with such a burden on his shoulders. I will not go into the details of his story, but the point I want to make here is, if one wants to get married, then one has to find the time for his/her spouse.

This school holidays, as with all extended holidays, are filled with countless weddings all over the country. As a reminder to all, newlyweds or otherwise, marriage is not just for a day or a year. It is, ideally speaking, for a lifetime. It is because you consider your spouse important that you are willing to spend your life with him/her. When you consider your spouse important, then make the time for him/her. There is no such thing as not finding the time for your loved one.

Just my two cents worth.

Facebook philosophers

2011-05-24T21:53:00.001+08:00

In the ancient days, we had philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. To a lesser extent (though not to those who study philosophy), we had the likes of Socrates' predecessors such as Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Heraclitus, Leucippus and Democritus. China was also well-known with philosophy and had well-respected philosophers in figures like Confucious and Micius. During the zenith of the Islamic Civilisation, we had philosophers (who were also polymaths) such as al-Kindi, al-Razi, al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, Ibn Rushd and al-Ghazali, just to name a few. There are also numerous philosophers from the west from the time of the Renaissance all the way up to the modern day. And in Asia, there are also a number of well-known contemporary philosophers.

Today, in the age of Facebook, I notice the number of "philosophers" growing. These are people who put up their "philosophy" as their status. A few of these stem from their own experience and observation. Some are humourous. There are those which are in response to current issues. Most, however, are quotations of others.

I admit I do this from time to time. Putting up so-called "words of wisdom" for friends to read and comment. But I hope let us all who do this be honest to ourselves. Let's not preach to others what we don't do ourselves. Let's not have the holier-than-thou superiority complex.

What is important is that these "words of wisdom" are there, not just to remind others, but more critically to serve as reminder to ourselves.

This posting is beginning to get philosophical. I think I'll end here before this gets too deep.

Another tragedy

2011-05-22T00:52:00.000+08:00

I am truly, truly saddened with the news of the landslide that hit an orphanage at Hulu Langat that buried 26 people alive. Until midnight, 12 people have been confirmed dead while another 4 are still buried. Another 9 are injured.

Most of the victims are children. Words fail to describe my feeling at the moment. Although I do not know the victims personally, as a human being the tragedy still affects me emotionally. My sincerest sympathies to the family members of the victims. My greatest admiration and thanks to the rescue workers who show their courage and commitment in continuing the search and rescue mission even as I write this, in spite of the darkness of the night and the continuous rainfall. I pray that those who are still missing will be found alive.

I honestly hope that this tragedy would not get politicised.

Al-Fatihah to those who were killed in this tragedy.

A journey to remember

2011-05-21T23:22:00.000+08:00

It has been quite a journey. Seven semesters (or three and a half years). That is the duration I took to finish my PhD thesis - from discussions, identifying relevant resources, coming up with the theoretical framework, reading, interviewing experts, analysing texts, writing, rewriting, rewriting the rewrite... I think you get the idea.

I am grateful that I have been able to get this thesis done (finally) in the midst of the other things that I do. Unlike the majority of PhD candidates, I enrolled for my doctorate while keeping my day job. About one semester into the candidature, the university asked me to lecture part-time. So, it was quite a juggling experience having to give time for my family, my full-time job at the foundation, my part-time lecturing job at the university, my where-do-I-find-the-time-for-this passion for writing novels and short stories, my involvement with three committees - a research ethics committee at another university, a task force at a ministry and a scientific advisory committee to an NGO, and of course my studies.

Alhamdulillah, I am very happy that in spite of the odds, I managed to complete the thesis-writing part. The PhD journey is not yet over though. This Monday, I will be submitting my three-month notice for submission to the university. After which the university will proceed with the necessary procedures of appointing my examiners (two external and one internal). On the 3rd of June, I will have to present my research findings at the departmental level. Then I will have to wait for the date for my viva voce.

Nonetheless, to me the most difficult part (and also the part that involved a lot of procrastination) is over. Even if I have to do corrections, at least the body of the thesis is already there.

With this thesis done, I can now redirect my energy to other ventures. I know I owe a lot of people out there the sequel of Transgenesis: Bisikan Rimba. So, I guess that will be my focus for the next few months. Oh, I guess I should have more time for blogging as well. As a start, I have changed the blog's template to give it a fresher look. Who knows, I may blog on a more frequent basis.

The last stretch

2011-05-14T22:07:00.000+08:00

It has been a stressing three weeks for me. I have only been sleeping less than three hours daily. I just want to get this over and done with. This is the final lap... the last stretch.

Looking forward to type the final full stop.

Thesis

2011-05-06T00:35:00.001+08:00

I have to recognise the fact that I don't actually give much time to myself. I think I may have to act a little bit more 'selfish' and do the things I need to do and the things that I want to do.

Top of the list:

GET THE THESIS OVER AND DONE WITH.

That is my priority at this point in time.

Blast from the past

2011-03-26T01:03:00.000+08:00

I first heard this classical music circa 1995 in Glasgow. I was at a close friend's room, and he was playing this music. I was somewhat down then, and this music succeeded in lifting my spirits up again.

I asked him the title of the music. He answered, "Canon by Pachelbel."

It became my favourite music for my remaining years in Glasgow. I copied a midi version of this music onto my trusted Mac, and would play it again and again.

In 1996, just before I left Glasgow for good, my friend - whom I regard as my brother - dropped by the place I was staying and quietly stashed an audio cassette of this music in my room, hidden enough for me not to notice it immediately, but not too difficult to find later on.

While the audio cassette is no longer functional (and no longer practical for that matter), the music still brings a cheer to my heart. Have a listen. Who knows, it just might cheer you up somewhat.

And to Nazrul who introduced me to Pachelbel's work, thank you for being a very good and understanding friend all those years.

Emotions α 1/Intelligence

2011-03-21T02:40:00.000+08:00

Is it me, or am I right in saying that when emotions cloud our mind, our maturity dwindles? The more emotional we get, the less mature we become. Could it be that emotions outweigh intelligence?

Well, at least that's my hypothesis, which can be put down mathematically as:

Emotions α 1/Intelligence

Anyone willing to carry out the research? [Perhaps that is why Spock is the intellectual one, for he is without emotions].

Human beings are emotional creatures without a doubt. At the same time, human beings are also intellectual creatures. When these two are at odds - emotions and intelligence - it's interesting to observe which one gets the better of the other.

I have seen people who lost their cool and said [or replace any of these words: wrote, blogged, twitterred] things which I am sure they regret later. A pity really, for sometimes these emotions could have been channelled positively.

Just a random thought in the wee hours of the morning, this. Any thoughts?

Triple tragedy in the land of the rising sun

2011-03-15T19:04:00.001+08:00

I am, for once, lost for words when news reached me about the 東北地方太平洋沖地震 (Tōhoku Region Pacific Ocean offshore earthquake). The 9.0 magnitude (a mega-earthquake by modern standard) rocked Japan on Friday, 11th March 2011. The earthquake was initially measured at 7.9 on the Richter scale and later upgraded to 8.9 on the Richter scale before scientists finally putting the magnitude at 9.0 on the Richter scale.

The mega-earthquake triggered tsunami warnings. A number of cities in Japan in the Iwate Prefecture, Fukushima Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture were hit by tsunamis, some reportedly 10 metres high. It has been reported that up to 10,000 people are killed, and another 10,000 still missing.

What began with the earthquake (and its subsequent aftershocks) and followed by the tsunami led to another tragedy in the form of a possible nuclear meltdown as a result of explosions at the Fukushima power plants. The danger this meltdown can cause is no doubt a reason for global concern.

The triple tragedy (mega-earthquake, tsunami and nuclear plant explosions) resulted in the worst ever crisis Japan has ever faced since World War II. When I got news of the mega-earthquake, my thoughts quickly turned to my friends who are in Japan (both Malaysians and Japanese). I pray that they are safe in the midst of this trying times.

My thoughts are with those who have been badly hit by these tragedies, though I can only watch from afar. I am very sure that once the dust is settled, Japan will once again rise - just like it did after the devastation of World War II. In the meantime, we also have the responsibility to assist them in rebuilding in any way possible.

Personal space

2011-03-09T22:48:00.000+08:00

There was a time when people want to be alone, they would just stay in their rooms and shut the rest of the world out.

These days, ironically, when people want to be alone, they would go into their rooms and switch on their laptop and Internet, and let the whole world in into their personal lives.

I believe some (or is it, many?) of us mistakenly think that the Internet is our own personal and private playground. Our cyber-interaction with netizens are usually not done face-to-face leading us to be under the false impression that we are untouched by the rest of the world.

With blogs, social networking sites, chat programmes, etc., we are actually "out there" albeit virtually. What we write, what we post and what we upload are not exclusive to us alone. It can be read, viewed and shared by others too. Sure, we can set our privacy settings, but there are still people who can read, view and share what we write, post and upload. They can, by their own right, reproduce what we write, post and upload.

We cannot claim that our blogs and accounts with social networking sites are our own personal space. The fact that these applications use the Internet as its platform makes it a very public place. Just because we do not see others on the Internet does not mean that others do not see what we write, post and upload.

We have to take responsibility for what we have written, posted and uploaded. We cannot simply say that we can write, post and upload anything we please just because the blogs and social networking accounts are our own personal accounts. That, I believe, is a misguidedly naive point of view. Remember that people got divorced because of what was posted on their spouse's Facebook accounts. Remember that people got sued just because they put up on their blog a link to another blog which speaks badly about a person.

Again, let me say that the Internet is a very public space.

If we want to write something in private, do ourselves a huge favour: Buy a personal diary and keep them locked safely in the room.

I blog, therefore I am

2011-02-02T17:02:00.000+08:00

Alhamdulillah, my spiritual journey to the two holy cities went well. My faith grows stronger and firmer with the pilgrimage. I will jot down, insya-Allah, my experience in the two holy lands in the coming entries.

This is just a short note to say that I have been able to access my blogs again. Hopefully, I can blog at least once a week. So to my cyberfriends who have been asking where I have been all this while, fret not, I never actually went anywhere. I wasn't able to access my blogs after I returned from my haj, and ironically, I enjoyed the time off blogging. In a strange kind of way as blogging was to me a few years back, non-blogging is kind of liberating. So, to paraphrase the mechanist natural philosopher, Rene Descartes, "I blog, therefore I am."

In the meantime, I would like to take this apt opportunity to wish all my Chinese friends, Gong Xi Fa Cai. Have a great Chinese New Year celebration, and may the coming year be prosperous and full of happiness.

Labbaik

2010-11-01T12:00:00.000+08:00

In several hours time, my wife and I will be leaving, insya-Allah, for our hajj pilgrimage.

I pray that our journey and everything pertaining to our hajj will go smoothly and safely. I also pray that our hajj will be accepted by Allah SWT as mabrur.

Frankly it is difficult for me to describe my feelings at the moment. This is a spiritual journey that requires one to be physically healthy, mentally prepared and emotionally stable. I am really looking forward to this journey.

I would like to express my sincerest thanks to all who have bade me well for this journey. Your prayers for the both of us are very valuable to us. Insya-Allah I look forward to seeing everyone again in a month's time.

Until then, I will be away from blogging. I hope that I will be able to share my experience when I return insya-Allah.

A very meaningful week

2010-10-25T17:38:00.000+08:00

Last week was the National Organ Donation Awareness Week 2010. It was a week to remember, at least for me. I attended five of the many events held in conjunction of this inaugural remembrance of those who have donated their organs in saving other people's lives.

I have been involved with organ donation campaigns from 1999 when I was working at the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM). My involvement started off as a work assignment, and hence I approached organ donation in a very academic way. However, over the years, my conviction on the importance of organ donation has increased, more so when I met Muhammad Fikri Norazmi in 2005. His story is well-known, just Google up his name and you will get more information on him.

Since then, even after leaving IKIM, I am still involved with organ donation programmes out of sheer interest. It is no longer a work-related assignment for me, rather it is now a cause that I am voluntarily involved in.

During the launch of the National Organ Donation Awareness Week at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa by the Hon. Minister of Health, I was caught by surprise when I was presented with a certificate of appreciation conferred by the ministry. I was informed initially that I was to receive the certificate on behalf of the organisation that I am currently attached to, but when I got there, I realised that I was one of three individuals being acknowledged by the ministry for our involvement in organ donation programmes. It goes without saying that I am humbled by this acknowledgement and would like to record my sincerest gratitude to the National Transplant Resource Centre and the Ministry of Health.

On a personal basis, my involvement has been nothing more than just to provide information on the permissibility of organ donation in particular from the Islamic perspective. This is nothing compared to the sacrifice made by donor families in allowing for their loved ones' organs to be harvested in order to save the lives of total strangers who are in need. I am fortunate to be able to partake in "Bicara Hati" which is the climax to the National Organ Donation Awareness Week held at the National Heart Institute (IJN) last Saturday. The programme gathered nearly 50 donor families from all over the country as well some of the organ recipients who have benefited from organ donation.

"Bicara Hati" was, to say the least, an emotional tribute to the donor families. At the lobby of IJN, whilst rain was pouring heavily outside, donor family members shared stories of their loved ones, while recipients expressed their appreciation to the organ donors. It was difficult not to shed a tear that very meaningful afternoon. The programme ended with a tribute to the late Winnie Chen, who herself was waiting for a heart, but instead lost her life waiting. Instead, she became a donor herself.

I would like to go on record in applauding the Ministry of Health and the National Transplant Resource Centre for organising this awareness week. It has been announced that the week will be an annual event. I hope that in the coming years, the week will be filled with meaningful programmes that can touch people's hearts in creating awareness and understanding on the importance of organ donation.

Small gestures make the difference

2010-10-20T22:19:00.000+08:00

I was feeling somewhat down today. The burden on my shoulders is still there, weighing itself on me. When I arrived at the university for my last lecture of the semester, I was still very much feeling under the weather.

As I was walking on the faculty's grounds, I came across a couple of my ex-students. When they saw me, they smiled from afar while nodding their heads. Their smiles, which to me came from their hearts, somehow succeeded in bringing a tinge of happiness.

Not long after that, upon performing the Asar prayer at the surau, I crossed paths with another ex-student as I was leaving the surau. He stopped to shake my hands and asked me how I was doing. We chatted for a while, which is quite strange at first because we never actually chatted before. But the chat in itself was very sincere that it felt like we were good friends.

I went to my class feeling somewhat better. And I managed to deliver my lecture on an upbeat note. After the class, usually the students would be rushing home, since my class ends at 6:50 p.m. However, today was very different. Seven of them stayed back and came to see me after the lecture. We talked about the subject I was teaching. They mentioned that they were enlightened by the subject. As pure science students, having an understanding and appreciation towards the history of the development of science serve as a motivation for them to pursue their respective courses with greater rigour. Truth be told, I felt a sense of satisfaction with what these students told me. At least, to my mind, they have managed to learn something from the subject, not just taking it for the sake of fulfilling their course requirement.

At the end of the day, these three gestures from my current and former students really lighten up my otherwise depressing day. I went home feeling that I have indeed done something right, that I have contributed something to others.

And that is indeed a great feeling.

Aching shoulders

2010-10-18T09:31:00.000+08:00

There is an old saying: Promises are like the full moon, if they are not kept at once, they diminish day by day. How true! If promises given to me can be exchanged with money, I would probably be the richest person in the world right now. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Frankly, only Allah knows how I feel at the moment. My shoulders ache as if I am carrying a huge burden. The burden may not be physical, but it is there nonetheless. I feel very tired and stressed, truth be told. Tired of waiting for promises to be realised. Stressed to be kept in the dark..

My only solace is by turning myself closer to Allah. I find myself in peace each time I answer the call for the daily prayers. And I am indeed looking forward to finding peace for my mind and soul in Makkah. To all who have prayed for my safe journey to Makkah, please accept my sincerest gratitude. Insya-Allah I will also pray for my true friends when I am there.

I am grateful to Allah for this opportunity to perform my haj at this age. At the same time, I am also grateful for the many signs that He has shown me this past few weeks. There are blessings behind everything that has happened. While we may not necessarily see these blessings immediately, I believe that we should always be thankful for them.

'Abdurrahman Bin 'Auf

2010-10-14T20:58:00.000+08:00

Out of the many companions of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, perhaps the one most well-known for his business acumen was 'Abdurrahman Bin 'Auf. He was known to be wealthy, even when he had to start from scratch after the hijrah to Madinah al-Munawwarah from Makkah al-Mukarramah.

It was recorded in history that upon his arrival in Madinah, 'Abdurrahman Bin 'Auf was assisted by an Ansar who provided him a loan for him to start his business. In just a short period of time, he became very successful and he paid up his debt almost immediately. He was not one who liked to have debts.

He was known to sell, among other things, camels. Interestingly he sold camels at their cost price. And yet he was able to make profit from trading camels. When people asked him his secret, he told them that he did not gain anything from selling camels. His profit, in actual effect, came from selling camels' leashes. Everyone who bought camels would require leashes, lest the camels escaped.

Such ingenuity is indeed something that we can learn if we want to take up business. 'Abdurrahman Bin 'Auf to my mind is an examplary businessman. Today's Muslims can learn a lot from him. He was honest, hardworking and had high integrity. He did not resort to cheating or bribing people. He was also very prudent.

If today's Muslim businessmen can be half the man 'Abdurrahman Bin 'Auf was, I would imagine the impact would be tremendous. But I guess that is not how things are. It is unfortunate that those who go into business have no good sense when it comes to running their businesses. Some set their eyes on big projects without an inkling as to how to deliver. Some get big projects, and the first thing that they do is to buy luxury cars. Some become so spendthrift that they ignore basic things in business like planning and budgeting.

Of course, I can just write on this. I am no businessman. I am just an observer who jots down what I see, and nothing more than that. I can only pray that those who do go into businesses have a good sense to be like 'Abdurrahman Bin 'Auf.

River of denial

2010-10-12T16:40:00.000+08:00

A few weeks back, I was talking to a friend. He relayed to me a piece of information. I find the information somewhat difficult to believe. As such, I asked him how reliable that piece of information is. He said, it is reliable because it came from the source.

Some time later, I found out that the information relayed to me was untrue, or more accurately, did not materialise into reality. When I next met my friend, I asked him again about the information he relayed to me.

To my surprise, he denied ever relaying me said information. He said I could have probably obtained the information from the source first hand.

I was taken aback, to say the least.

Firstly, I don't think I am THAT forgetful. As far as I know, my memory still functions well. I seriously doubt that I am losing my mind.

Secondly, I highly doubt that I got the information from the main source because my contact with the main source is very limited. I don't think I can get two different people mixed up easily.

Thirdly, there is absolutely no way anyone else could have relayed to me the said information.

This incident got me questioning myself for a few days. Did I really forget and got people mixed up? After a few days of soul-searching and thinking, I am very sure I did not. I am very certain of what happened and what was said.

I only wonder why my friend was quick to deny what he said to me several weeks earlier.

Peace of mind

2010-10-11T18:01:00.000+08:00

In this modern life, everyone seems to be living in a ratrace society, always seemingly rushing. No wonder people seem stressed out.

I must admit that of late, I am feeling somewhat stressed. Anxiety, frustration, unhappiness and disappointment are probably the main contributors to my stress these days. From my past experience, one way to eliminate stress is to eliminate the factors contributing to it in the first place. I have identified the source of my stress. And I will find a way to eliminate the source so that I can have a peace of mind.

I will do so, insya-Allah, upon returning from Makkah. I will pray for guidance from Allah SWT when in the Holy Land. Hopefully, I can make the right decision come December.

Raise me up

2010-10-09T21:46:00.003+08:00

Earlier this evening, my two boys sat on my lap. I was playing the song "Raise Me Up" on my laptop. As I watched them listening to the song, tear drops began to gather in my eyes. I can only pray to Allah that I be given the strength and health to raise my sons to the very best of my capability providing them what they need.

And most of all, I pray to Allah that I can be a good father to them.

Inform and being informed

2010-10-09T01:25:00.000+08:00

When I did my MBA way back in 1996, one of the things that I learned was the importance of information availability in an organisation. Accurate information provided timely, effectively and efficiently to staff members would help in avoiding speculations and uncertainties. Information flow from the management to the staff also increases transparency in the organisation. At the same time, members in the organisation will also be able to give feedback and input. Not all things that come from the top is the best option. Unfortunately, many at the top tend to forget or ignore this fact.

Information in an organisation can be disseminated and discussed with ease in regularly scheduled meetings. When meetings are rarely done, people do not know what is being planned and implemented. Again this can lead to speculations and uncertainties. One of the most cherished experience I have is when I was serving the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM). I joined in 1998, and with my promotion in 2000, I began attending the Management Meeting which was scheduled monthly. Despite his very busy schedule, the then-Chairman, Tan Sri (now Tun) Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid never failed to chair these management meetings. The meetings would start promptly at 9:00 a.m. and will take about three hours or so. Many things are discussed and threshed out efficiently. As an experienced person in administration, he managed the meetings according to the agenda and minutes, never straying away into non-related matters. He was always punctual. (As a side note, I believe punctuality is a sign of quality of a person's leadership skill).

Some people regard meetings as a waste of time. In my humble opinion, meetings are a waste of time only when the person chairing them do not manage the meetings well. Also, it will not help if a decision made in a meeting can be overturned outside the meeting. If this happens, then there is no point having a meeting. Nevertheless, meetings are important to organisations. Failure to have them at regular intervals would result in the breakdown of information flow.

Another way to disseminate information is to send e-mails to members in the organisation. As a student and part-time lecturer at Universiti Malaya, I notice that the current Vice Chancellor is very good at this. He would send e-mails to notify on new measures or policies, as well as to congratulate members of the university who have done well in research (to take an example). His messages can also be found on his Facebook page as well as the university's Facebook page.

So, really there is no reason for breakdown of information in this day and age. The avenue for dissemination is there, whether the more traditional form of having meetings, or the more modern form of utilising information and communication technology. It is unfortunate if, even with all these means, information breakdown still takes place. To me, there is no such thing as privileged information in this era of the open sky, in particular when it comes to running an organisation.

The success of an organisation hinges on informed decisions being made transparently, and the success of disseminating information to staff members. As an analogy, if an organisation is likened to the human body, just imagine what happens when the brain fails to communicate with the rest of the body. No matter how powerful or good the brain is, if the rest of the body does not function as a result of failure in communication, then the body itself will eventually fail.

Broken vase

2010-10-02T23:11:00.000+08:00

I was surfing the Internet when I came across the following quote:

Trust is like a vase. Once it's broken, though you can fix it, the vase will never be the same again.

I find the quote very apt. Any idea who said or wrote that?

Paying what is due

2010-09-27T23:18:00.002+08:00

One of my personal aims in life is to rid myself of debts. To date, I have only three "major investments" namely my two houses and my car.

The first house that I bought is a bad investment. The developer ran away, and the buyers have to finish the project themselves. I bought this house shortly after getting married and I have more or less given up on moving into the house. I recently completed the construction of the house, and I plan to sell it upon returning from Makkah. (Advanced notice: If anyone is interested in buying a bungalow house located at Batu 14 Hulu Langat, leave a message here).

The other house that I bought is the one I am staying in now. This is the place I call home. And I consider this a very good investment.

The car that I own is bought because of its functionality, more than anything else. With two young boys and with my parents staying with me, an 8-seater comes in handy especially when travelling back to our hometown up north.

I hope with the sale of the house in Hulu Langat, I will be able to lighten one of my major financial commitments. The loan for the car will be settled in the next few years, so I am not too concerned about that. So, that leaves me only with the loan for my current home, which I have no qualms about.

I do not know about other people but I am one person who fret when I have debts. As much as possible, I would like to settle my debts as quickly as possible. As long as I know I owe someone money, I feel that there is a huge burden on my shoulder. And the satisfaction comes when that burden is lifted by paying back what I owe.

I have a friend who does not give out loans. To him, money is a very sensitive issue. He would rather people call him stingy, then quarrelling with his friends about money they owe him. That is why he never loans money to anyone.

At the end of the spectrum, I have another friend who is ever too kind. He never hesitates to lend money to friends who come to him. His generosity, more often than not, leaves him in a predicament. People go to him when they need his help. When it's time for people to pay up, he often feels that he has to beg for the money they owe him. He once said to me, "I know how a beggar feels. The only difference is, a beggar gets what he begs for, while in my case, I don't get what is mine in the first place."

Whatever it is, we have to remember that whatever that we owe others (whether financial institutions or friends or relatives), we have the responsibility to pay them back. Personally I do not believe in living a lavish life if I still owe others money. A few years back, when things were difficult for me, a few friends came to my aid. I will never forget their kindness. As soon as things got better, the first order of business for me was to settle whatever debt I have with them. And to this very day, our friendship has been strong and getting stronger with the passing months.

I believe that true friends would help one another when one is in need. At the same time, the true test of friendship also lies in the ability and willingness of the friend in need to pay back his friend's kindness when the time comes. Don't go looking for the friend only when we are in need. We should also look up for the friend when we are doing well. And worse still, don't make the friend feels like a beggar.

Taken for granted

2010-09-25T23:20:00.000+08:00

More often than not, we tend to take things for granted. We also take other people for granted. And most of all, we don't realise that we take Allah for granted.

Just food for thought in this very short entry.

Preparing for a spiritual journey

2010-09-18T22:49:00.000+08:00

I believe that a human being has three components which are interlinked with one another. The components are the physical, the mental (incorporating the intellectual and the emotional), and finally the spiritual. As a Muslim, I am of the opinion that each of these components has to be looked after and taken care of.

Most people will probably find looking after the physical well-being as the most obvious. This is because we can sense the physical component of ourselves using the five senses. That is why when we get hungry, we eat. We drink when we are thirsty. And if we are unwell, we will go for medical treatment.

The mental well-being is perhaps slightly more difficult to look after. The intellectual aspect of the mental well-being can be looked after by enriching ourselves with knowledge. The emotional aspect of the emotional well-being must be taken care of as well so that we would be mentally healthy, and not mentally disturbed.

The spiritual component is without doubt the most difficult to tend to. Some deny the existence of this component because it could not be scientifically observed. Nonetheless, as a Muslim, I hold that this component does exist even though we could not quantify it scientifically.

This spiritual component has to be continuously strengthened, and this is done through the many acts of worship prescribed in Islam. On a daily basis, the spiritual component is strengthened five times a day through the compulsory daily prayer. On an annual basis, this spiritual component goes through a month of fasting in Ramadhan where one faces many tests which, when overcome successfully, would increase the level of piety.

Another act of worship that strengthens the spiritual component comes in the form of the pilgrimage to Makkah. This is made compulsory on all Muslims who can afford to do so once in their lives. Many Muslims look forward to this pilgrimage. It is an experience that many cherish. And many who have gone to Makkah longed to return again and again.

Alhamdulillah, I have received my calling to go to Makkah this year. This is something I have been looking forward to for the past year. I pray that this spiritual journey will help in rejuvenating and strengthening my faith, insha-Allah.

National Organ Donation Awareness Week 2010

2010-09-17T21:25:00.000+08:00

This is an advanced notification on an event that will be held for the first time in Malaysia. Beginning 16th of October 2010, the National Transplant Resource Centre (NTRC) will spearhead a week-long event commemorating organ donors and their family members. The inaugural event - the National Organ Donation Awareness Week 2010 - will see the participation of various government departments and agencies, NGOs, media players, individuals and others in promoting organ donation.

Many events will be held, and I will provide this information once the details have been finalised. So, stay tuned for the information. And make a date with the National Organ Donation Awareness Week 2010.

Shying away from blogging

2010-09-16T23:08:00.000+08:00

A writer with few words. That is perhaps a paradox.

I know I have not been writing as much in the blogosphere for the past few months. It's not that I don't have things to write about, rather I just chose not to blog. Oft-times I believe it is best to keep your thoughts to yourself, rather than airing it in public. Blogs, and now social networking channels like Facebook and Twitter, allow one to be expressive. Just how expressive should one be depends on the person.

There are those who just love attention, who would blog every day or every other day, and who would update his/her Facebook status, and who would Tweet, if he/she sneezes or coughs or sees a cat running across the street. Not that I am saying that is bad or wrong, but I don't think we have to be overexposed in that sense. People don't really want to know every second or minute of your life. I believe there are things that we should just keep to ourselves.

There are those who can be narcissistic in the cyberworld. It's all about I, me and myself, as if he/she is the only one who matters in the cyber-community. Ironically, these are people who use the social networking channels to highlight their own selves.

Of course, there are many genuine users of blogs, Facebook and Twitter. I enjoy visiting and reading blogs with sincere entries, and not ego-polishing stories of one's self. I cherish people who uses Facebook status updates to wish his/her friends well on their birthdays, anniversaries, festivities and important occasions.

I think at the end of the day, it goes back to one's intention when using these Internet tools. These tools are useful, hence we should utilise it wisely. Perhaps, that is why I have been shying away from blogging. I will share my thoughts when and if they are worth sharing. Otherwise, I'll just keep them to myself.

Gathering the strength

2010-07-21T22:24:00.000+08:00

This past couple of months, I have been focusing a lot on my thesis writing. As I am not a full time doctorate student, the challenge is indeed big. Most people who do their doctorates would do it full time. The idea is to minimise distraction from the study itself.

I chose not to be a full time student because I am not on any scholarship whatsoever. It was the same case when I did my master of science some years back. I decided to pursue my postgraduate studies because I wanted to and to prove myself that I can indeed do it. It's not for some monetary gains in the form of promotion or position. In fact, where I work, there is no clause to say that one will get a raise upon completion of studies at a higher level.

The greatest challenge for me is not really the research part nor the writing part. I am thankful for the years of exposure at the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia that helped me a great deal on these aspects. My greatest challenge is to balance my time with the various chores that I have to do.

My day job requires me to focus on the work at Yayasan Ilmuwan which involves organisational management, research and academic writing. On top of this, I am also a part time lecturer at Universiti Malaya. I also sit on the research ethics committee of Universiti Teknologi MARA that vets the ethical aspect of research proposals undertaken at the university. Aside from this, I am also a budding science fiction writer who is trying hard to complete the second part of my Transgenesis, dare I say it, "saga". Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka who recently found out about my novels (which were published by other publishers) has asked me for a couple of short stories for their magazines. And of course, as a husband, father and son, I have my family obligations that I cannot neglect.

With all these, I try to find time on weeknights to write my thesis. I am quite pleased with the progress thus far. Considering the fact that I am not a full time student and I have just started my sixth semester, the progress I have made in terms of thesis-writing is quite significant. Truth be told, most of the times I wonder where I get the strength from. It is tiring and exhausting, especially mentally, but the drive to get things done is always there to keep me going.

I am actually putting myself to task to ensure that the thesis is completed in this semester itself. Tall order? I hope not.

I am praying hard that I be given the strength, health and perseverance to see this through.

A writer's pain - Part Deux

2010-07-12T21:27:00.000+08:00

Above: Comparison of the swollen right index finger and the non-swollen left index finger

After 12 days, my right index finger is still swollen, although the swelling has decreased a bit and the pain has somewhat lessened. I went to another doctor last Thursday, and I was given another round of antibiotics and painkiller. So far, this round of medication seems to be working.

On Thursday, I was at the Grand Dorsett Hotel in Subang Jaya to present a paper at an international conference organised by the Malaysian Society for Transplantation (MST). The conference was basically attended by the medical fraternity. A couple of doctors I know who noticed my swelling advised me to get an X-ray done if this round of antibiotics does not work.

We'll see how it goes, as the last antibiotic is due tomorrow morning.

A writer's pain

2010-07-05T21:09:00.001+08:00

Last Thursday afternoon, my right index finger started to swell. At first, I dismissed it as something temporary. Later that evening, the swelling got bigger, and the pain got worse.

On Friday, the swelling seemed to stop but my right index finger, in comparison to my left index finger, was almost twice the size. My wife pestered me to go to the doctor, but I refused, again dismissing the swelling by saying that it would go away on its own.
[Important tip: The next time the wife gives an advice, just heed the advice].

By this time, I realised it was difficult for me to type (although I could still do so at a slower rate by replacing the index finger with the middle finger). It was even more difficult for me to operate the mouse.

On Saturday, I drove back to Kulim which is almost a five-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur. Fortunately, I was able to hold the steering without pain. And on Sunday, I drove back to Kuala Lumpur, again without much pain. But when I got back to Kuala Lumpur, the swelling got bigger and a lot more painful. By 6 o'clock, I finally gave in to my wife's insistance that I should see a doctor. I went, and the doctor gave me antibiotics and something for the swelling.

Today, I went to work with the swelling on my finger. The pain seems to be getting worse despite the medication I am taking. I found it hard to write using a pen. It was also difficult to eat using cutlery. In fact, anything that involves gripping is painful and difficult.

I will wait till tomorrow with the hope that things will improve. Otherwise, I'll go see the doctor again.

On a side note, this incident is "enlightening". It is a wonder that a finger, which we often take for granted, is really important in life. Only when we have difficulty in using it that we realise its importance.

Cog in the wheel

2010-06-23T00:53:00.000+08:00

Cog in the wheel. And a rusty one at that.

That's how I have been feeling for the past two months.

Go figure...

Those letters P, H and D

2010-06-19T17:11:00.000+08:00

Knowledge is an asset to anyone. A person with knowledge is a person who is respected and looked up in a society.

Having knowledge is one thing. To brag to have knowledge is another thing altogether. It is very unfortunate to have people who claim to be knowledgeable, and yet these very same people have quite an arrogance and ego to match. To them, they are the only ones who are correct and that everyone else is wrong, or worse still everyone else is an "idiot". Over the years, I have had the misfortune of meeting such people.

To me, the more knowledge one has, the more humble he/she should be.

Another "species" of "knowledgeable people" I have met are those who are so into titles and awards. I have met those who insist that all the letters they get from their various degrees be written at the end of their names. I have also met those who, with their professorships and PhDs, would be willing to go all out lobbying for datukships and honorifics. And when they do get their datukships, we would then have to be very careful in ensuring which comes first, the professorship or the datukship.

Again, at the end of the day, for me, the titles are immaterial. It is what they can contribute to the betterment of the society that is more important. And that is what really counts.

Then, there is this other unfortunate type who claims to have PhD, and yet in reality they don't. A doctorate, to these people, is like an accessory one wears in society. One can buy or one can claim to have one even when one has not finished the process of obtaining the doctorate. These are very pathetic people, in my eyes.

A few years back, when I was still working at IKIM, I met a rather well-known motivator with a penchant for bright-coloured jacket and tie. Everyone calls him "doctor" referring of course to his PhD. During tea break, we sat on the same table, and had the opportunity to chat. I asked him where he got his PhD from. He answered, "UK." Of course, that got me excited because I was there before, and I queried further, "From which university?" He threw me a university's name that I have never heard of before. Innocently, I said, "I was in the UK for five years, and I have never heard of this university. Is it new? Is it in England or Scotland or Wales?" This motivator suddenly became pale-faced. He looked very uncomfortable with my questions. He just said, "Oh, it's one of the universities in one of those smaller islands under UK." I was like, "Yeah, right." His answer was far from convincing, and lucky for him, he was "rescued" by another person at the table who changed the topic of conversation. A couple of years back, there was an uproar in the media when it was revealed that this motivator was one of those who "bought" their PhDs online.

There are also those who actually did study for their PhD, but for one reason or another, did not complete their studies. Yet, they have the cheekiness to use the title "Dr" before their names.

In my line of work, I am fortunate to have met many true knowledgeable people. These are people who have tremendous knowledge in their field, and yet they are very humble and approachable. They do not show off their academic achievements, and they definitely do not go after honorifics and titles. Fine, if people give them honorifics and titles, that's another issue, but they would never buy or lobby for such worldly things.

To me, all these serve as a reminder so that I will not forget who I am. I am currently doing my PhD, but I am doing it out of sheer interest, and also as a challenge to myself. I will not gain anything materially after obtaining my PhD. It is just for self-satisfaction, and hopefully I can contribute something back to society after this. That is my aim and prayer. I hope the process of writing my thesis, although far from easy, will go smoothly, insya-Allah.

This is what I do when I am stressed

2010-06-15T02:02:00.000+08:00

A few friends asked me why I don't look stressed when I have so many things to do.

The way I look at it is that I do feel stressed. Most of the times, I don't show it to others. Those who are close to me know when I am stressed (or angry or upset).

I guess my secret - if one can call it that - is that whenever I feel stressed (or angry or upset), I would seek refuge in my own world. That world is a world that I "created" where I can seek refuge from the real world. That world is the wonderful world of books.

Books - academic or fictional - to me, offer me escapism. There, I would retreat and unwind. I would interact with words, and characters, and thoughts, and ideas. More often than not, these books offer me one form of solution or another, to the things that stress me out in the first place.

I don't know, it may sound weird to some, but in essence that is what I do when I am stressed. So, now you know.

A rock and a hard place

2010-06-12T16:20:00.003+08:00

I know, I know.

I haven't been blogging of late. And this blog seems more like a travel blog than anything else. It's not that I don't want to blog and pour my thoughts out. Instead, I don't feel like blogging. When I blog, I tend to write things matter-of-factly. And my thoughts these past few weeks have been so cynical and downright blunt, that I felt that I have to refrain from sharing my thoughts. I don't want to cross the line between professional opinion and personal opinion. I wanted to let things cool down a bit.

Well, things are quiet lately. But that doesn't mean that I am happy with some things. There are certain days that I feel like I am trapped between a rock and a hard place.

I will soldier on nonetheless. And given the opportunity, I will blog.

The ink in my pen has yet to dry. There are still plenty left to write about.

Day 17: Trip to Japan (20 April 2010)

2010-04-21T00:52:00.003+08:00

It rained again today. The only item on my agenda for today was the dinner reception with the Prime Minister at the New Otani Hotel organised by Yayasan Pelajaran MARA. The Prime Minister had been in Tokyo for an official two-day visit to Japan.

The rest of the day was spent in the hotel room. Truth be told, I had been exhausted from this working trip. So, I took the opportunity on this relatively quiet day to rest.

During the dinner later that evening, I had the opportunity to meet again with a number of students whom I had met before from all over Japan. It was great to be able to see most of them again in person, and to be able to extend my gratitude for their co-operation and assistance throughout my stay in Japan.

I am personally very happy to have met their acquaintance. I believe that they will lead a successful life in the years to come.

It has indeed been a unique journey for me. These past 17 days have been special, educational and an eye-opener. As I often like to say whenever I go to other parts of the world: I listen, I watch, I think, I speak, I write...

Now I would like to add two more items to that list: I experience, I learn.

I will be leaving in the morning of the 21 April 2010. I can't wait to get home to the people I love. But most definitely, at the same time, I leave with fond memories of Japan.

Sayonara, Japan.

Day 16: Trip to Japan (19 April 2010)

2010-04-21T00:35:00.004+08:00

The weather was beautiful today. The sun was out. The temperature was mild. This was perhaps the best condition I have had throughout my trip to Japan thus far.

Two university visits were on the cards for today. Yayasan Ilmuwan's executive chairman, Dr Khairul 'Azmi Mohamad led a five-man delegation to Saitama University and Takushoku University. The others in the delegation were Encik Mazilan Musa (executive director and project director of the Japanese project), Encik Zahari Mohamad (head of the education development unit), Encik Ahmad Zaki Udah (head of the research and development unit), and myself.

To get to Saitama University, we opted to take the shinkansen from Tokyo to Omiya with a brief stop at Ueno. The shinkansen that we took was the ASAMA Superexpress. The journey was also brief as it took only 25 minutes on the bullet train. After arriving at Omiya eki, we took a taxi to Saitama University where we were met by Dr Tachibana Masahiko who is vice chairman of the Malaysia Project Committee, and Dr Akira Nagasawa, a professor of chemistry at the university. We were taken on a tour to a number of laboratories in the university and were briefed on a number of on-going research projects being carried out there.

After Saitama University, our next destination was Takushoku University. Again we boarded a shinkansen, this time the MAX Toki Express from Omiya and we alighted at Ueno. The journey was only 19 minutes. From Ueno eki, we took a taxi to Takushoku University to pay a courtesy visit to Mr Fukuda Katsuyuki, the managing director of the university.

It was already nearly 2 p.m. when we were done at the university. It was decided that we head for Ginza for lunch. After lunch, I left for the hotel to do some work that needed to be done. The rest of the afternoon was quite free. Later that evening, I went again to Zauo to have dinner. Somehow, I seem to enjoy the atmosphere at this restaurant. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone there again and again.

Day 15: Trip to Japan (18 April 2010)

2010-04-20T14:50:00.005+08:00

The weather on this day was better. It wasn't cold as it was cool. It made for a refreshing change, and suited well for our trip to Nagaoka. Nagaoka is about 270 km to the north-west of Tokyo, and is located in the Niigata Prefecture. This is the furthest north that I would be in this trip to Japan.

Before leaving for Nagaoka, we checked out of the Shinjuku Washington Hotel and checked in at the Imperial Hotel located at Chiyoda-ku. This was because we will be joined by another five from Yayasan Ilmuwan. They would be arriving from Hiroshima later that evening.

After checking in, we took a train from Yurakucho eki to Tokyo eki. There, we boarded the 09:28 MAX (Multi Amenity Express) Toki Express shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagaoka. What is unique about the MAX Toki Express shinkansen is that it is a double-decker shinkansen. The shinkansen journey takes about 1 hour 38 minutes, with brief stops at Ueno, Omiya, Echigo-Yuzawa and Urasa stations.

The view on the way to Nagaoka is picturesque. The mountains are still covered in snow. There are paddy fields along the shinkansen tracks. Perhaps there is something special about the rural life in Japan. It gives a certain degree of calmness as compared to the hectic life of Tokyo or other big cities.

Upon arrival at Nagaoka, we headed by taxi to Yukyuzan Park (picture above) where the Malaysian community there was having their hanami. There was nearly 70 Malaysians who were there. After meeting up with the students, we took the 15:24 Max Toki Express shinkansen back to Tokyo, with brief stops at Echigo-Yuzawa, Takasaki, Omiya and Ueno before arriving at our destination at four past five.

We then took the train to Yurakucho which is the nearest to the hotel. The rest of Yayasan Ilmuwan's delegation arrived at the hotel a couple of hours later. Later, we had dinner at the Aladdin restaurant located at Roppongi at Minato-ku.

Day 14: Trip to Japan (17 April 2010)

2010-04-20T14:10:00.004+08:00

The temperature was the coldest yet. I didn't actually have any plans to go anywhere on this day. Initially we planned to meet the students at Nagaoka but the plan was postponed to the next day at the request of the students. Because of this, I opted to just stay at the hotel since the temperature wasn't really conducive for outdoor activities. Zaki meanwhile attended a meeting at the embassy regarding the upcoming visit of the Prime Minister.

Around 2 p.m., I decided to go out for lunch. I did an Internet search and found a halal Indian restaurant called "Taz Mahal". I had rice, mutton curry, chicken tandoori and masala tea for a very reasonable price.

Later that evening, Zaki and I decided to have dinner again at "Zauo". This time we had kani korokke, oebi tenpura, sashimi and salmon shabu-shabu. Not much can be said about this day aside from the fact that it really felt like winter.

Day 13: Trip to Japan (16 April 2010)

2010-04-20T13:47:00.005+08:00

We went for Friday prayer at the Tokyo Mosque at Shibuya-ko. The official name for the masjid is Tokyo Camii and Turkish Cultural Center. The masjid was founded by the Turkish community in 1938, hence the distinctive Turkish architecture.

After the prayer, we went to Akihabara to look for some souvenirs before leaving for Ueno. This day had so far been wet and cold, with the heavy rain and winter-like temperature. I was starting to feel slightly unwell, most probably because of exhaustion rather than the cold weather. Zaki suggested that I rested for the day at the hotel while he went to see the students studying at Meiji University.

Later in the evening, we had supper (for Zaki) and dinner (for me) at a Japanese restaurant located in our hotel. The restaurant, which is called "Zauo", has a very interesting theme. In the centre of the restaurant is a structure built to look like a boat, and underneath it is a pond. The boat-like structure is where patrons would sit to dine, while at the same time, patrons can choose to do some fishing. If patrons manage to catch a fish or a lobster, then it will be served at a discounted price.

Another interesting thing about this restaurant is that it serves only seafood prepared in many ways. You can have it raw (sushi or sashimi), you can have it grilled, you can have it served as tenpura or korukke, or you can have it steamed, or you can have it boiled (shabu-shabu). The price was not too steep, and I think it is quite reasonable. That night, we had kani or crab korokke and oebi (prawn) tenpura.

The temperature for the night continued to be cold. I received news from the students at Hachioji that snow was falling there. In fact, a few friends from Malaysia also informed me that the news about snow in Japan was featured in the news. Apparently this was the first time in 40 years that snow actually came down in April. There was no snow in Shinjuku though, but frankly I wasn't complaining.

Day 12: Trip to Japan (15 April 2010)

2010-04-18T00:05:00.004+08:00

My PhD supervisor have always told me that Tokyo is a good place to buy good second hand books at affordable prices. The well-known place for this purpose is Kanda. However, after doing some searching in the Internet, I found that the shop that has a good collection is located in another area called Ebisu. The shop is called "Good Day Books" and is owned by an American man from California. He gets his supply mainly from the United States, and brings the books to Japan to be sold at his second hand shop.

The bookshop is just a stone's throw away from Ebisu eki. It was at first quite a task to find the kind of books that I was looking for. But when I found what I liked, I felt like I didn't want to leave. If it was up to me, I had wanted to pick up a lot of the books. I had to refrain myself though, limiting myself only to those titles particularly relevant to my doctorate research. In the end, I bought five books: Modern Science & Human Values, The Philosophies of Science, The Ethical Brain, The Turn to Ethics and Science, Faith and Religion.

From Ebisu, we went to Akihabara which is famous for its electrical and electronic goods. Akihabara is also known to many as the "Electric Town". Akihabara is heaven for those who are into electrical and electronic goods, including cameras.

Later, we left Akihabara for Shinjuku, and from Shinjuku we took the Odakyu line which heads to Tokaidaigaku-mae eki to meet up with the students studying at the Shonan campus of Tokai University. It was quite an experience getting on a train during rush hour. The train was packed to the brim, in a manner of speaking.

Without realising it initially, we actually got on the wrong train. We were supposed to take the one heading towards Odawara (the Odakyu Odawara line), instead we boarded the one heading for Fujisawa (the Odakyu Enoshima line). Fortunately, Zaki realised the mistake not long after the intersection at Sagami-Ono eki that separates the Odakyu Enoshima line from the Odakyu Odawara line. We got off the train at Chuo Rinken eki, boarded another train going back to Sagami-Ono eki, alighted there and boarded the right train heading to Tokaidaigaku-mae eki.

We finally arrived at Tokaidaigaku-mae eki around a quarter past eight in the evening. After meeting and having dinner with the students (picture above), we boarded the last train back to Shinjuku which was the 23:29 train. By the time we arrived at Shinjuku eki, it was already half past midnight. What was interesting to me was the number of people still waiting to board the train at this late hour.

Outside the eki, Shinjuku (and I believe, most part of Tokyo) is very much alive. There are a lot of people outside despite the peculiarly cold temperature. It felt very much like winter, and not spring. Zaki and I walked back to the hotel from the station. For me, I was able to see the night life in the vicinity of Shinjuku, and it is colourful and vibrant to say the least.

Day 11: Trip to Japan (14 April 2010)

2010-04-17T09:03:00.004+08:00

Another travelling day, this time from Osaka back to Tokyo. We checked out of the hotel and took a taxi to a place called Sakura no Torinuke in the city of Osaka. The place is actually a 560 metre-long pathway lined up wit 324 sakura trees. There are 127 species of sakura here, including rare ones like green-coloured sakura. This happened to be the first day that Sakura no Turinuke is opened for the year. As such, there were a lot of visitors to the place when we got there.

The weather was good and the sky was clear, but it was slightly cold because of the wind. After walking from one end of Sakura no Turinuke to another, we took another taxi to Shin-Osaka eki to board the shinkansen to Tokyo. Distance from Osaka to Tokyo is approximately 550 km, and on the Hikari Superexpress, the journey is just under three hours. There were quite a few stops - seven to be exact - before we reached Tokyo. The stops were at Kyoto, Maibara, Gifu-Hashima, Nagoya, Odawara, Shin-Yokohama and Shinagawa.

I missed the view of Mount Fuji when travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto previously. This time I made sure that I did not miss it. The famous mountain can be seen just as we left Odawara eki. The sight of the mountain is amazing with the tip still covered in snow. I was not able to capture any photos as the shinkansen was moving too fast for me to snap a good photo of the mountain. Nonetheless, having being able to view the mountain from afar in person, albeit briefly, was good enough for me.

We arrived in Tokyo at ten past three in the afternoon. We then took train to Shinjuku eki, before checking in at the Shinjuku Washington Hotel. Later that evening, we met up with a group of students from two Tokyo-based universities, namely Tokyo University of Science and Tokyo Denki University.

Day 10: Trip to Japan (13 April 2010)

2010-04-17T08:55:00.003+08:00

The weather was better today. The sky is slightly cloudy, but at least it was not raining. The temperature was just nice, not too hot and not too cold. The tenth day was a relatively quiet day. I did not have any appointments on this day. Zaki, on the other hand, had a dinner engagement with another colleague, Zahari who had just arrived in Osaka from Malaysia a couple of days earlier, and a lecturer from Kinki University.

I was more or less slightly exhausted from the travelling in previous days. So the slight change of pace was a welcome one. The only thing that I did was to walk towards Osaka Castle from the hotel. The walk took some twenty minutes. The relatively nice weather made the walking relaxing.

Hopefully the weather will continue to be good in the coming days.

Day 9: Trip to Japan (12 April 2010)

2010-04-17T08:36:00.004+08:00

The phrase "wet, wet, wet" came to mind on this ninth day. It rained from morning till night, almost continuously. In any case, it was time to bid farewell to Okayama. Our next destination was Osaka, which among others is well-known for its castle (above).

We took the shinkansen from Okayama eki to Shin-Osaka eki. The distance is around 175 km and took about 51 minutes on the Hikari Rail Superexpress. The shinkansen made two brief stops at Himeji and Shin-Kobe.

We arrived at Shin-Osaka eki, and then we took a train to Osaka eki before changing to a local line towards Osakajokoen eki. From there, we walked in the rain towards the New Otani Hotel before checking in.

Later that evening, it was still raining heavily. In spite of the weather, we met up with students studying at Kinki University. A lot of my friends actually queried about the name. It can give a different connotation to those not familiar with Japan. The Kansai region, where Osaka Prefecture is located, is also known as the Kinki region. Kyoto and Osaka are both located on the Kinki plain.

Sometimes, a word can sound the same but can give a different meaning in another language.

Nihon-go wakarimasen

2010-04-15T09:12:00.004+08:00

At times, I feel like Bill Murray's character, Bob Harris, in the movie "Lost in Translation". English or ae-go is not that widely spoken here in Japan. Although awareness on English has increased, not many Japanese are fluent in the language. With the exception of hotel and airport staff, I have yet to meet others who are confident enough to use the language.

On the other hand, my grasp on the Japanese language (nihon-go) is rudimentary at best. I know only basic words and simple phrases. Sometimes I regret for not having the time to follow the nihon-go classes held at my office some time back.

I am fortunate that a colleague from the office, Ahmad Zaki, is accompanying me on this trip. He was a student in Japan and therefore, pretty comfortable with nihon-go. As such, I leave him to do most of the talking in this country.

In Tokyo at least, major places like hotels, train stations, shops and roads already have English translations. I give the Japanese credit for taking such an effort because it helps for gaikokujin like me. Having said that, I do find some errors made (small though they may be) to be quite amusing.

At a florist shop in a Tokyo hotel, the word "florist" is spelt "frolist".

At the same hotel in Tokyo, at its restaurant the word "water" is spelt "watter".

In a Kyoto hotel meanwhile, at the hotel's restaurant the word "pumpkin" is spelt "pimpkin".

But perhaps the next one takes the cake. I was browsing through the Internet to search for English bookshops around Tokyo. In one of the websites, the phrase "public speaking" is written as "pubic speaking".

Amusing, but the mistakes and mis-spelling are understandable. English language is not part of Japan's history and culture. So, at this infancy stage, such errors are acceptable. Instead, I think they should be lauded for being brave enough to use a totally foreign language to them.

Nevertheless, their English are definitely better than my Japanese.

Interesting observations on Japanese hotels

2010-04-14T23:36:00.003+08:00

Since my work in Japan requires me to move all over the country, arrangements had to be made for me to stay in several hotels. I stayed at the Shinjuku Washington Hotel when I was in Tokyo for the first four days. When I was in Kyoto, I stayed at the Granvia Kyoto. During my duration of stay in Okayama, Granvia Okayama became my base. In Osaka, the hotel that I stayed in was the New Otani Osaka. Now that I am back in Tokyo, I am also back at the Shinjuku Washington Hotel. As my boss will be arriving this Sunday, I will be joining him at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo until the end of my stay in Japan.

There are a few interesting observations that I have made with regards to hotels in Japan (at least, the ones that I stayed in).

The first thing that struck me is the availability of baggage transfer from hotel to hotel. This is especially handy if you are in Japan for a long stay, and that you have many pieces of luggage or that your luggage is bulky. Upon check out from one hotel, you can actually use this service to have your luggage sent to your next destination, even if your next destination is in another city or prefecture. For instance, when I checked out from the Shinjuku Washington Hotel, my luggage was sent to Granvia Okayama. I just brought along what I needed for my two-night stay at Gravia Kyoto. By the time, I arrived in Okayama, my luggage was already waiting for me in my room. This helps a lot as I was able to travel light.

Honestly speaking, I am not sure if such a service exist in Malaysia. Even if it does, I wonder how effective and efficient the service is. If this kind could be introduced in Malaysia (with similar efficiency and quality of service), I am sure it will serve as a value-added service to the hotel industry in particular and tourism in general.

The other thing that I find particularly interesting is that the majority of the porters (or bellboys) working in Japanese hotels are actually ladies. I have not seen female porters in Malaysia. In Japan, however, the reverse is actually true. It is difficult to find male porters. And one thing that I must add here is that the porters in Japan are true professionals. Not only do they bring you and your luggage to your room, they even explain all the facilities available in the room. This is especially useful because facilities from one hotel to another can greatly differ. As such, a short briefing by the porters is not only informative but also helpful. I remember that certain porters in Malaysia only expect tips as soon as they bring your luggage into your room.

Of course, not everything in Japanese hotels is perfect. One little complaint that I have is the lack of wireless Internet access in the hotels. None of the hotels that I have been to actually have wifi, which I find pretty odd. If you are sharing a room with another person, and both want to use the Internet, then you would have to take turns. On this aspect, I think the hotels in Malaysia are slightly more advanced. I have been to a three-star hotel in Malaysia that actually provide wireless Internet connection for its guests. Most hotels have wifi connection at their lobbies at the very least. Not here in Japan though.

Just my two cents worth. Or should it be, my two yen?

Day 8: Trip to Japan (11 April 2010)

2010-04-14T16:53:00.005+08:00

We have been scheduled to meet students from Yamaguchi University on this eighth day. The university is located in the Yamaguchi Prefecture in Japan's Chugoku region, with the city of Yamaguchi as its capital. This is perhaps the furthest place to the south-west that I would be in throughout this trip to Japan. Yamaguchi is already towards the southern tip of Honshu island. This part of Japan is well-known for fugu or pufferfish. I have been informed that one needs a license to remove the poison from this fish to ensure that the process is done properly.

We left Okayama by shinkansen heading from Okayama eki to Shin-Yamaguchi eki on board the Hikari Superexpress. There are only two stops between these two stations namely at Fukuyama and Hiroshima. The journey took exactly 1 hour 15 minutes covering a distance of 422 km.

When we arrived at Shin-Yamaguchi eki, we had to board a local train on the Ube line, alighting at an eki called Higashi-Shinkawa.

Throughout the local train journey, I got to see the rustic surroundings of rural Japan. The scenery was completely different from the busy metropolitans of Japan such as Tokyo and Osaka. Here, things look calm, serene and relaxing. Our destination, Higashi-Shinkawa eki, is located in - for lack of a better description - a small town. It is not quite a village, and not quite a big town.

We were met on arrival by the Malaysian students studying at Yamaguchi University. The students here have cars because public transportation is not as efficient or reliable as those found in big cities. After lunch, they took us around the towns located around the area. Initially we planned to return to Okayama earlier. But the students were very friendly and offered great hospitality that we decided to stay on for a little longer.

We took the local train to Shin Yamaguchi eki from another small eki, Maruo, before boarding the 18:21 shinkansen heading for Tokuyama eki on the Kodama Express. At this station, we changed to another shinkansen, this time the 18:51 Hikari Superexpress heading for Okayama eki. Again, the shinkansen made two brief stops at Hiroshima and Fukuyama. We arrived at Okayama at three minutes to eight in the evening.

On a personal note, I think that the Yamaguchi Prefecture is one of the most beautiful sites I have seen in Japan. Its rustic environment makes it all the more special. The place has its own charm. If there is one place that I would like to return to in Japan, it would be Yamaguchi.

Baggage handling at Narita

2010-04-13T21:49:00.004+08:00

One of the things that impressed me upon arrival at Narita Airport could be seen at the baggage area. I am sure many of us are familiar with carousels that carry luggage or baggage of passengers who had just disembarked. So far, I have been to a number of airports - almost all airports in Malaysia, Padang in Indonesia, Rome in Italy, Cairo in Egypt, Algiers in Algeria, and Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Glasgow, Belfast and Cardiff in the UK. But Narita (and perhaps all airports in Japan) impresses me the most.

Passengers' baggage are all neatly stacked and arranged in a uniformed manner on the carousel. It looks as if all the baggage are lining up neatly to be picked up by passengers. It's a small thing, I know. Nevertheless, I am impressed. The Japanese airport workers took the trouble of arranging the baggage neatly on the carousel, rather than just putting the baggage on the carousel haphazardly.

Not only does this make everything looks neat and proper, it also gives confidence to passengers that their baggage are handled with care, and not being thrown around as if they were not important.

Sometimes, it is these "small" things that give us some peace of mind.

Day 7: Trip to Japan (10 April 2010)

2010-04-13T18:23:00.004+08:00

Another relatively quiet day actually. We decided to visit Hiroshima, the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture. I am pretty sure everyone knows about Hiroshima. Thus far, I have only read about the city. A few months back, there was an exhibition held at the Museum of Asian Art of Universiti Malaya on the atrocities of the atomic bomb that was dropped on 6th August 1945. That was as close as I got to Hiroshima, that is until today.

Again we boarded the Hikari Superexpress. This time we were heading from Okayama eki to Hiroshima eki. The distance is some 160 km, and the journey on the shinkansen took only 30 minutes. There was only one stop before Hiroshima, and that is Fukuyama.

Once reaching Hiroshima city, we took the Hiroden streetcar (picture above) towards the famous A-Bomb Dome. The remains of the building is now the a UNESCO World Heritage site. The atomic bomb was detonated some 600 metres above the building. Miraculously, the structure of the building and in particular, the building's dome, remain intact in spite of the huge blast of energy from the atomic bomb detonation.

Frankly, I cannot begin to describe my feelings to be standing near the A-Bomb Dome (above). I tried to imagine what transpired that fateful day on 6th August 1945. Try as I might, I don't think I can possibly visualise the horrors of the incident. However, to my mind, what is more important is the lessons learnt from this incident. I can only hope that our generation will at least try to understand history so as not to repeat it all over again.

A short walk away from the A-Bomb Dome is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. These two are actually part and parcel of an area called the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park Area. There are many monuments here, erected to preserve the memory of the devastation that took place in Hiroshima.

After spending nearly an hour there, we walked towards Hiroshima Castle which is located about 750 metres north of the A-Bomb Dome. The castle was our last stop before boarding a streetcar back to the eki to return to Okayama where we are stationed. All in all, the seventh day serves as a good reminder of history for me. I am fortunate to be able to step on the grounds of Hiroshima. At the very least, my appreciation towards the significance of the event that took place on 6th August 1945 is greater.

Day 6: Trip to Japan (9 April 2010)

2010-04-13T18:04:00.005+08:00

Another travelling day. This time from Kyoto, the capital of Kyoto Prefecture to Okayama, the capital of Okayama Prefecture. The distance is approximately 220 km. Journey by road would have taken about three hours, but taking the shinkansen saves a lot of time. We boarded the 09:49 a.m. shinkansen (Hikari Superexpress) from Kyoto eki and we arrived at Okayama eki at 11:17 a.m. The total time taken on this shinkansen journey was 1 hour 18 minutes. The shinkansen stopped at five stations, namely Shin-Osaka, Shin-Kobe, Nishi-Akashi, Himeji and Aioi before reaching Okayama.

By the time we arrived, it was about half an hour before Friday prayer. We were met on arrival at Okayama eki by a PhD student at Okayama University of Science, Arief Mokhtar. He was kind enough to drive us to the Okayama Islamic Centre for Friday prayer with the other Muslim communities in the city.

Later in the afternoon, after lunch, he took us to Handayama Botanical Garden (picture above) where again, we feasted our eyes on the blossoming sakura (as well as other flowers already blossoming with the advent of spring). After that, we checked into our hotel, the Granvia Hotel Okayama.

After resting for a couple of hours, we were again picked up by Arief to meet up with the students from Okayama University of Science. The meeting with the students were cordial, and since I know some of them, it was good to be able to catch up with them.

Another full and productive day came to a close.

Day 5: Trip to Japan (8 April 2010)

2010-04-13T17:26:00.004+08:00

We have a bit of free time on this day. Since we were already in Kyoto, we decided to visit the Kiyomizu-dera which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Kiyomizu-dera is located in Higashiyama-ku, one of the 11 wards of the city of Kyoto. For lack of a better comparison, I believe "ward" here is equivalent to "mukim" in Malaysia.

We took a taxi from Granvia Hotel, Kyoto to Kiyomizu-dera. The journey took about 15 minutes, but as we were nearing our destination, the traffic got heavier, partly because of the narrow road leading up to the entrance of Kiyomizu-dera. We spent nearly two hours at this site, walking up the hill, into Kiyomizu-dera, along with other tourists from all parts of the world, enjoying the breathtaking view of the temple's surrounding. The sakura trees that were in full blossom made the view all the more spectacular.

From Kiyomizu-dera, we walked along Ninenzaka and Sannennzaka (above picture) which are lined up with small shops along the slopes. Most of the shops are tea houses and eateries, and there are also others that sell souvenirs. Sakura trees added splendour to the colours of spring as we walked down the slopes.

After walking for about ten minutes, we reached Kodai-ji. We spent a short while here snapping photographs before leaving. Our next destination was the Gion District. It took us another 20 minutes to get there.

Gion District (above picture) is perhaps famous for those who are familiar with the novel (and later movie) called Memoirs of a Geisha. The novel was largely set in the Gion District. This area is made up of narrow laned which are lined up with old wooden buildings. These buildings include machiya townhouses, traditional Geisha houses, restaurants and eateries, as well as souvenir and craft shops.

We spent about half an hour there before heading back to the hotel. This particular day gave a sense of history to a gaikokujin like me. At the very least, I have a rough idea of how things were in Kyoto way back then.

Day 4: Trip to Japan (7 April 2010)

2010-04-08T19:02:00.005+08:00

At Tokyo eki waiting to board the shinkansen.

The fourth day in Japan is full of travelling. After checking out from the Washington Hotel in Shinjuku, we took a train to Tokyo eki. From there, we took the shinkansen headed for Kyoto. The bullet train that we took was the Hikari Superexpress. The journey on this superexpress is approximately 2 hours 45 minutes covering a distance of nearly 500 km. I have been told that a normal journey by road will take about 6 hours. The shinkansen only stopped briefly at four stations (Shin-Yokohama, Shizuoka, Hamamatsu and Nagoya) before arriving at Kyoto.

View of Kyoto from the hotel room.

When we arrived at Kyoto, we promptly checked into the Granvia Hotel which is conveniently located inside the eki itself.

Later that evening, we took the train to Minami-Kusatsu eki to meet up with Malaysian students from Ritsumeikan University. The meeting place, a family restaurant called "Syazeria", took 15 minutes to walk to. We managed to meet up with 15 students from the university - a master's student, 9 final year students and 5 third year students.

It was a very full but productive day. By the time, we returned to the hotel, it was already close to 11:00 p.m.

Personally I was exhausted, but I was happy that our objective for the day has been met.

Day 3: Trip to Japan (6 April 2010)

2010-04-08T18:44:00.005+08:00

My Japan trip continues on the third day with a visit to Hachioji, about 45 minutes by train. Hachioji is about 40 km to the west of Shinjuku where I was staying. As the JR line was crowded because of the peak hour, Zaki and I decided to take the Keio line to Keio Hachioji eki. From there, both of us walked towards another eki, JR Hachioji, to board the JR train to Nishi Hachioji eki. Interestingly, the JR Hachioji eki is located within the Sogo complex. Sogo is of course a familiar name to many Malaysians who love shopping.

Anyway, when we arrived at Nishi Hachioji eki, a student from Tokyo University of Technology, Hairul Faizal. He had arranged for the students to meet at a Pakistani restaurant called "Ashiana" which is not far from the eki. The restaurant was small, but more than suited the purpose of the meeting. Including Zaki and myself, there was a total of 19 Malaysians altogether, which essentially took up half of the restaurant. The students are those studying at Tokyo University of Technology and Takushoku University. The restaurant's owner must be smiling with the large turn up.

We returned to our hotel by taking the JR train direct from Nishi Hachioji eki all the way to Shinjuku eki. By the time we arrived, it was already close to 11:00 p.m.

Next stop: Kyoto.

Some initial observations in Japan

2010-04-06T12:41:00.006+08:00

When one goes to a country with an entirely different culture, one would certainly notice a lot of uniqueness and differences on life in that country. This is my first trip to Japan. I have been to a few other countries before, but they were either European countries or Northern African countries, on top of neighbouring countries like Singapore and Indonesia.

In all honesty, I expected Japan to be way different compared to the other countries that I have been to. And it certainly is obvious from the moment the aeroplane touched down on the tarmac of Narita Airport. As the plane was taxiing to the disembarkation bay, I noticed the airport workers on the tarmac bowing to the plane passing by as a mark of respect. Similarly, when I boarded the bus from Narita to Shinjuku, every time the bus was about to move to the next stop, the attendant at the stop would bow down in respect. I find this aspect of the Japanese culture interesting, as it seems that respect is embedded within their society. They do it because showing respect is a part of their norm. It is not something that is forced on them - at least, that's how I view it.

After two days in Tokyo, I have done quite a bit of travelling in order to meet up with Malaysian students around the capital city. Here, I get to experience first hand the well-known efficiency of Japanese transportation. The accuracy and efficiency is excellent, bar none. Honestly, if public transport in Malaysia can be half this efficient, I think most of us would feel more than happy.

Cleanliness is again another enviable trait of the Japanese people. You could hardly see any litter or cigarettes being thrown on the streets, walkways, trains or underpasses. I noticed that almost all parts of the city that I have gone to have signs that forbid people from smoking on the streets. Do this in Malaysia, and suddenly you will get complains left, right and centre.

Another fascinating observation is the reading culture. In the past, I actually envisaged that almost everyone who commutes would be reading a book when they are in the trains or buses. However, this is not the case (at least from my first two days of observing). About half of the commuters would read (books, comics, newspapers or magazines), but interestingly the other half would be busy texting messages on their handphones. I guess with the advent of technology, people have begun to shift from reading books to texting messages.

I have about two more weeks to go. I am pretty sure I will get the chance to experience more of the Japanese way of life. I will certainly jot them down here if I have the opportunity.

Day 2: Trip to Japan (5 April 2010)

2010-04-06T00:43:00.006+08:00

There were two places that we needed to go to on this second day. The first was Shin Okobu, and the second was Hiyoshi. We were meeting students from Waseda University at the former and Keio University at the latter.

Zaki and I walked towards the Shinjuku Station. We were scheduled to meet a student from Waseda University at Shin Okobu. We travelled by train from Shinjuku to Shin Okobu.

The student, Khairi Faiz, was already waiting for us in front of the eki (station). As it was already around lunch time, we decided to have lunch at a quaint little Indonesian restaurant called "Restoran Merah Putih" at Shin Okobu (picture above). It's quite easy to miss the restaurant as it is located on the second floor and it is very small (which is typical of most shops in Japan). The food to me was average, but at least it gave a reasonable alternative to the food normally found in Japan.

After we were done discussing with Khairi Faiz, we left the restaurant to head for Hiyoshi. It was raining quite heavily at that time, and we had to buy umbrellas from the convenient shop just across the restaurant. From there, we walked back to Shin Okobu Station to go to our next destination, Hiyoshi.

Upon arriving at the eki at Hiyoshi, we were met by a student studying at Keio University, Wan Mohd Aizuddin. He took us to Keio University, first by walking through the Hiyoshi Campus then to the adjacent Yagami Campus where engineering and science students are located. We met two more students there, Nazirul Afham who is a final year student, and Abul Hassan Johari who is a master's student. Later, we went to a family restaurant nearby for dinner and we were joined by five more undergraduate students who just arrived in Japan about two weeks ago.

After everything that needed to be done was done, we walked back to the Hiyoshi eki, and travelled by train back to Shinjuku where we were staying. Unlike the train journey earlier, this time the trains that we took were crowded. By the time we arrived back at the hotel, it was already 10:00 p.m.

We were definitely exhausted. On my part though, I am happy that we managed to cover two universities on this second day.

Day 1: Trip to Japan (4 April 2010)

2010-04-06T00:26:00.006+08:00

I arrived at Narita Airport just before 7:00 a.m. local time. The flight was smooth aside from the drunken professor who sat beside me who kept drinking whiskey from take-off non-stop. [This is a strong case for not having liquor on board a flight]. Anyhow, the weather upon arrival was somewhat cold for spring. I came to Japan with a colleague, Ahmad Zaki Udah, to carry out a couple of tasks for the organisation that require us to meet Malaysian students who are studying at 15 universities.

From the airport, we took the bus to the Shinjuku Washington Hotel. We arrived at the hotel pretty early, just before 10:00 a.m., and hence we were not able to check in just yet. Coincidentally, one of Zaki's old friend invited him over to a hanami at Shinjuku Gyoen that afternoon. We left our luggage at the hotel and walked from the hotel to the park. There were literally thousands of people there enjoying the picturesque view of sakura in full bloom. It was quite an experience really to be able to view the blooming sakura in the park.

After the hanami, we returned to the hotel by taxi, as we were already too exhausted from the flight, lack of sleep and the walking (from the hotel to the park). After checking in at the hotel, I had a short rest before going out again for dinner with Zaki.

To sum up, the experience of being able to view the sakura on the first day was a rather befitting welcome for a first-timer like me. Hopefully, this memory will remain as something special and unique in the years to come.

Canon

2010-03-27T22:07:00.003+08:00

Way back in 1994 when I was in Glasgow, a junior who became one of my closest friend, Nazrul Adlin introduced me to "Canon in D Major", one of the most beautiful classical songs ever composed. The serene composition is relaxing, captivating, uplifting, motivating and inspiring. Whenever I am down or whenever I found it hard to study, I would play this song.

Lately, I have been listening to this song again (and its many versions). I still feel the same feeling as I felt nearly 16 years ago. The beauty (and nostalgia) of the song has not been lost.

Facebook vs. blog

2010-03-27T21:52:00.005+08:00

It has been a while, hasn't it? It's ironic really. My starting page every time I open my browser is my blog. I get online everyday, and yet I don't blog as often as I used to be. It's not that I don't have anytime to jot down. It's not that I've run out of ideas. It's just that I'm starting to think that blogs are becoming obsolete... by Facebook.

I also notice that most of my blogger friends who have Facebook accounts are also slowing down on blogging. (I am guilty for introducing Facebook to many of my blogger friends). Only those who are still "uninfected" by Facebook seem to still be actively blogging. I wrote on this in September last year, that Facebook is actually "killing" some of the activities that we do in the past.

I won't stop blogging though. But I won't be blogging as often as I used to.

Simple gesture that made the day

2010-02-12T22:49:00.003+08:00

Last Tuesday, just before I started my lecture, a familiar face was standing not far from where I was. It didn't take me long to realise that it was my student from the previous semester.

This student was from war-torn Iraq. Her family came to Malaysia during the attacks on Baghdad by the Allied forces. And her family has been here ever since.

The reason she was in the lecture theatre that warm Tuesday afternoon was to personally convey her thanks to me for the lecture I gave last semester. I find the gesture from this student particularly humbling and motivating. It was the last thing I expected any student to do.

Nonetheless, that gesture made the day for me. The lecture that followed was also equally satisfying and rewarding. The students were attentive and participative. The class was lively. I hope this particular class will continue to have the same motivation in the last few weeks of the semester.

As for the Iraqi student who came to the class last Tuesday, I pray that she will continue to do well in her studies. She has a promising future ahead of her.

In memoriam: Haji Harun Rejab

2010-01-21T22:44:00.005+08:00

Everyone, I am very sure, who studied in Sekolah Menengah Sultan Badlishah (SMSB) after 1984 knows this name. A name that was synonymous with the school from 1984 until 1993.

Yes, I am sure that all students and teachers know Haji Harun bin Haji Rejab. He was a strict disciplinarian with a penchant for results. He was bold. He was, in my eyes, a legend.

When I entered the school in 1987, Cikgu Harun, as we would call him, was already serving as the Principal of the school. I remember very clearly to this day how everyone would go quiet as a mouse when he walked pass our classes. He did not carry a cane. But his mere sight was enough to make everyone shiver (initially with fear, but when we left school, we knew it was actually respect).

Loathed him, or loved him, Cikgu Harun turned SMSB into the school that is respected in all sense of the word. It was him who made us realise our true potentials. It was him who motivated us to strive for the best and achieve excellence.

In academics, beginning from 1987, the school maintained a 100% Grade 1 record for the Sijil Rendah Pelajaran (SRP) national examination. The record was maintained until the abolishment of SRP. In the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) national examinations, it was during his reign as Principal that the school experienced a quantum leap with the number of first graders in SPM and those who did well in STPM increased tremendously.

In sports, the school did very well in athletics and hockey. I remember during my schooling days that a number of the school's athletes went on to represent the district and state in various events.

In co-curriculum, we did very well in debating competitions. Between 1989 and 1991, in an English debating competition for the northern region held in Sungai Petani, SMSB came up as champion three years in a row with each year coming home with the best debater title. Interestingly, after coming up champs for three years running, the school never got invited to the debating competition again! In many other competitions, SMSB would be crowned as champions as well. And the list of successes would go on and on.

Cikgu Harun began to notice me, I believe, in 1989 when I was in Form Three. I remember vividly a couple of months before SRP, he called me up to his office. I was, of course, a nervous wreck because I had never been called to the Principal's office. It turned out he wanted to motivate me. But of course, his way of motivating people was, to say the least, very unconventional. There were no compliments. Although it has been nearly 21 years, I can still remember his words very clearly even until today:

"Cikgu tak mahu tengok Shaikh di sekolah ini lagi tahun depan."
Rough translation: "Shaikh, I don't want to see you in this school next year."

Weird way of motivating people to do well, but that was vintage Cikgu Harun at work. I got the message loud and clear. Essentially he made me promise that I would do well in SRP, and apply to a boarding school for my SPM level. I delivered on the first promise that is to do well in SRP. In fact, I was one of three students who scored 8A1 in that particular year. But I did not however keep the second promise. Instead of going to a boarding school, I remained in SMSB. I still remember how the Senior Assistant, Puan Siti Faridah, kept hounding me again and again, pleading with me to take the application form so that I will apply to a boarding school. I never did take the form. And I remained in SMSB for another two years.

Cikgu Harun never did say anything about it. On the one hand, I think he was disappointed that I stayed. On the other hand, I could sense that he was relieved in a way. The majority of the top scorers of SRP had left SMSB when we got into Form Four.

I was never really active in sports or extra-curricular activities, and I knew that Cikgu Harun was aware of this. I was perhaps one who would fall under the "nerd" category. I got word that in 1990, Cikgu Harun instructed my English teacher to ensure that I would take up debating. Truth be told, I hated talking in public. Debating was never in my list of "to do" things.

Somehow, after being told that it was Cikgu Harun's "instructions", with a heavy heart I agreed to be part of the debating team that represented the school for the Palani Cup in Sungai Petani. We were going in as defending champions. I remember clearly how we practiced almost every afternoon after school. And when the competition began, it was an experience that I would cherish for the rest of my life. We went on to defend the title, and I walked away with the best debater title. It was perhaps one of the sweetest memories of my life, and that achievement got the school talking for quite a while. In retrospect, while I may not be an orator, this particular exposure was perhaps the turning point in my life when I gained the confidence to speak in public. And for this, I have Cikgu Harun to thank.

The year 1991 went by pretty fast. We sat for the SPM examination. And as fate has dictated, I got an offer to further my studies in the UK before the SPM result came out. I went to see Cikgu Harun a day after I got the offer. He congratulated me and wished me luck. And again, rather unconventionally said (with a tinge of irony in his words):

"Shaikh keluar juga Badlishah!"
Rough translation: "Finally, you are leaving the school!"

I saw him again just before I flew to the UK in January of 1992. And years later after his retirement, I would drop by to see him on occasions just to see how he was doing. In 2000, he came to my wedding. And to me, to have my former Principal attending one of the most important events of my life was indeed a great honour.

I have heard in the past year or so that he had not been well. And when I received the news of his passing this morning over Facebook, I was saddened. I am sure many of my friends who had the great benefit of being in SMSB during the era of Cikgu Harun Rejab would understand very well my sentiment.

I am sure that each and everyone of us left the school feeling proud of being a part of the school. It was there that we developed our true potentials, and Cikgu Harun was our chief guiding light. His methods may be unconventional, but they yielded the necessary results. It was Cikgu Harun who dared us to dream the impossible, striving for the best and come out as champions.

If only he knew how most of us today are now all over the world - the USA, the UK, Australia, Singapore, the Middle East and of course Malaysia - working as professionals in various fields.

For all that you have done for the school, and more so for each and everyone of us, we thank you, sir.

Your passing is indeed a great loss. May Allah SWT reward you with al-Jannah for your deeds. We shall indeed miss you greatly.

Al-Fatihah!

Hot air

2010-01-13T02:10:00.005+08:00

I got this from an e-mail I received from Encik Ibrahim Apandi Tuan Yaacob, my former student advisor from my UK days. I have come across this story many years before, and I thought that since I got this for a second time, I would share it with everyone.

A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She reduced altitude and spotted a man below. She descended a bit more and shouted, Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago but I don't know where I am."

The man below replied, "You're in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You're between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."

"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.

"I am", replied the man. "How did you know?"

"Well, answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I've no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help at all. If anything you've delayed my trip even more."

The man below responded, "You must be in management."

"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"

"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you're going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems."

Some interesting observations

2010-01-06T21:38:00.003+08:00

I intended to put this down in writing shortly after coming back from the UK, but was not able to do so until today. It is interesting to note some things when I was there, and here are some of these observations that I find fascinating:

Unlike Malaysia when certain people argue that the disease should be called Influenza A(H1N1), Britain simply calls it "swine flu". No one seems to be sensitive to the term used. Just check the NHS website.
Speaking of the NHS, just before I flew home, there was a news report that states the NHS could be crippled by alcoholism. A BBC report stated, "With a quarter of England's population consuming hazardous amounts, alcohol addiction already costs the NHS more than £2.7 billion a year".
Richard Branson seems to be everywhere these days. From music to racing, and from airlines to trains (Virgin trains anyone?). Check out Virgin's website.
My friends who studied in Glasgow would be particularly interested in this one. The popular KRK wholesalers is still there, and doing fine.
Despite reports saying that Proton sales are up in the UK, I did not see a single Proton car while in London, Edinburgh and Glasgow. But you can easily find Malaysian brands on supermarket shelves.

There you go. Five things I find interesting from my trip to the UK.

Caledonia

2010-01-02T07:59:00.003+08:00

It is time now for me to return home to Malaysia. The visit to the UK was made special with the short visit to Glasgow and Edinburgh. Glasgow in particular has a special place in my heart. I hope to revisit this city again soon.

Somehow the song "Caledonia" (which is the old name for Scotland) seems apt at this juncture. Have a read at a part of the chorus from the song, and have a listen.

So let me tell you that I love you

That I think about you all the time

Caledonia you're calling me

And now I'm going home

And if I should become a stranger

You know that it would make me more than sad

Caledonia's been everything I've ever had

I hope to arrive in Malaysia, refreshed and motivated, insya-Allah.

Random UK thoughts

2010-01-02T01:18:00.008+08:00

I honestly feel that this visit to the UK (my first real visit since 1996) is a memorable one.

Perhaps the highlight of the trip is the nostalgic return to Glasgow. Aside from being able to revisit my place of study, I was also able to meet up with the Cunninghams who were very close to the Malaysian students back in the first half of the 1990s. Visiting the Cunninghams has allowed us to rekindle the good old times and also to catch up on each other. The Cunninghams were like family to the Malaysian students in particular those who were at Langside College.

I had a chance to revisit Edinburgh. When I was there, the city was preparing for Hogmanay (the new year's eve celebration). There were a lot of tourists coming up to Edinburgh despite the freezing cold weather in Scotland. I was told that Edinburgh is the place to be for Hogmanay. The city is as beautiful as I have remembered it. The picturesque view of the Edinburgh Castle, I believe, is something that all visitors will appreciate.

I was also able to meet up with a number of friends while in London. Ahmad Hakimi and Dr Hazlita are close friends from our student days in Glasgow. Both of them are now in London, and it was a pleasure to have been able to meet up with them at their home. 'Aisyah Ali was a part-timer at Yayasan Ilmuwan, and is now studying in London. Shamsul Anuar was a dear old friend whom I have not seen in ages. Being able to meet up with old friends whom you have not seen in a while is certainly something to look forward to.

Back in my student days, I did not really come down to London as often as one would imagine. The simple reason to this was that I simply did not like the city which I felt was crowded. Well, it is still crowded. But I think I have learnt to adjust to this city. Interestingly, there is not one single day when you walk down the streets of London that you would not come across a Malaysian. From CEOs of GLCs to actors to businessmen, all of them are here. There are times I feel like I was walking along the streets in Kuala Lumpur. The only difference is that it is much much colder here in London. But come to think of it, you would not find any CEO of a GLC to be walking down Jalan Sultan Ismail going into a fast food shop, would you? (I saw a well-known CEO walking along Edgware Road going into a kebab shop for lunch with his family).

There are many Malaysian restaurants in London. I went to a few, but I must recommend a newly-opened eatery situated at Craven Road near Paddington Station. The place was opened 5 months ago, and is called "Tukdin". Of all the Malaysian restaurants that I have gone to, Tukdin is perhaps the best in terms of food. Even the teh tarik here is tasty and classy. Tukdin is known for its nasi lemak, sate goreng and pisang goreng aiskrim. So, if you are down in London, have a stop at Tukdin. It is worth it.

Nine days in the UK. It has been nostalgic. It has been a trip down memory lane. But at the end of the day, truth be told, there is no place like home.

Different, but familiar

2010-01-01T07:17:00.005+08:00

When I arrived at Glasgow Central Station on the 27th of December, I noticed an air of familiarity to it. Nothing much has changed. Well, in general the station still looks very much just as I remember it. The notice board is of course different. But everything else was very familiar, right down to the clock in the station.My accommodation in Glasgow was at Buchanan Street which is just a short walk away from Glasgow Central Station.

As I walked along Renfield Street, then onto Gordon Street, before turning into Buchanan Street, my eyes were actually peeled on the streets' surroundings. The buildings' look the same, but there are a lot of new shops now. Most glaringly, I noticed a few Starbucks outlets along the way.

As noted by my former Mathematics lecturer, Mrs Margaret Cunningham, the Starbucks outlets actually provided an option for people wanting to meet up with friends. In the past, people would go to local pubs or bars, but now people can opt for cafes like Starbucks.

While there have been changes, Glasgow still feels the same after 13 years.

[Pictures courtesy of Szakif Ramli].

Snow white

2010-01-01T04:28:00.006+08:00

As far as I can remember, throughout my student days in Glasgow, it did not snow in December. Yes, there was snow but not in December. There was ice in December, perhaps even some sleet. Hailstones were more likely to come down in December. But I say it again, it did not snow in December. I remembered snow came down in February and March. Even then, the snow that came down did not last for long. Snow wasn't thick and it didn't stick.

A week before I arrived in the UK, I have been following the weather of the country. There has been a rather unusual weather pattern. The temperature has been coming down to levels that was somehow unexpected by meteorologists. And snow came down very heavily a few days before Christmas.

No snow came down on Christmas day when I arrived in London. When I travelled up north on the 27th, you could actually see snow on the ground. It is even more apparent as you go further north of Lancaster into Oxenholme and the Lake District. By the time you get to the Scottish border just after Carlisle, everything is literally snow white, from the hills to the grounds, as well as rooftops, and even cars were not spared from being covered in snow.

It was a beautiful sight to behold. Frankly, what I saw was nothing like the snow that I experienced in the first half decade of the 1990s. The snow still persisted on the day I travelled back south to London.

What a sight it was. Masya-Allah!

[Pictures courtesy of Szakif Ramli who accompanied me in this UK trip].

Life is like spaghetti

2009-12-31T23:01:00.006+08:00

An old friend of mine, Shamsul Anuar spontaneously coined that phrase when he came down to Paddington to meet up with me yesterday evening. "Life is like a spaghetti," he said referring to the different points in our lives that we have crossed paths with each other.

I first met Shamsul way back in 1982 when my family moved from Alor Setar to Johor Bahru. He was my classmate in Sekolah Rendah Seri Tebrau. His family moved away from Johor Bahru in 1984, while I left the city to move to Kulim in late 1985.

I entered Sekolah Menengah Sultan Badlishah for my secondary school, and was there up until I finished Form 5 in 1991. Amazingly, Shamsul entered MRSM Kulim during Form 4. While we were in the same town literally, we have never met each other.

In late 1991 after our SPM examination, both of us attended an interview for scholarship offered by Petronas. We were interviewed on the same day (as I remember it, it was a Friday). Shamsul, whom I had not seen in 7 years noticed me, and said hi. It was a very brief chance meeting so to speak.

I left for the UK in January of 1992 under the Petronas scholarship initially to do geology. Interestingly, Shamsul was offered to do geology as well, but he turned it down. Had he accepted, we would have been coursemates at the University of Glasgow.

In September of 1992, I went down to London. Whilst walking back to Malaysia Hall (then located at Bryanston Square), I passed by Shamsul. I didn't realise it at first, but seconds later, it hit me that the person was Shamsul. I turned my head, around the same time he did. It was one of those "one in a million" chance encounters, and of all places, we met in London. He had just arrived in London then under MARA scholarship. Later that afternoon, I went up to the place he was staying before going to Concorde College in Shropshire, and we chatted for quite a bit.

For the next couple of months, we got in touch with each other using snail mail. This was a time when e-mail was not common yet. Naturally, we got busy with our studies, and we just lost contact over the years.

When Shamsul got married, he sent me an invitation. I was already working at IKIM at that time. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend his wedding, but I did give him a call to congratulate him. That was the last time I was in touch with him...

...until 2008. Thanks to Facebook, he was able to trace me. Since then, we have been in touch using Facebook albeit virtually.

Yesterday, alhamdulillah, for the first time since 1992, I met my old friend, Shamsul Anuar again. It was a nice warm feeling despite the rather cold winter temperature. We talked and reminisced about old times and old friends. While we have not seen each other for nearly 17 years, it never felt that way. I guess that is the uniqueness of childhood friends. No matter how long you have been apart from each other, the shared "childhood years" is actually a strong bond that is difficult to sever.

With our somewhat "unique" history, I figured that was why Shamsul said, "Life is like spaghetti." Imagine each of us is a strand of spaghetti in a bowl or a plate. And that strand of spaghetti is the path that we take in life. There are times our paths will cross with one another. There are times when they are completely apart from each other. And yet, there are also times when the strands (paths) are so near and yet are apart.

While I have part ways with Shamsul for the time being, I pray that our paths will cross yet again, insya-Allah.

That perfect feeling

2009-12-31T22:24:00.004+08:00

As I write this, I am in London. I arrived on Christmas day, and will be flying back to Malaysia on the 2nd of January. Apart from London, I managed to go up to Scotland revisiting Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Much can indeed be written about this nostalgic trip. I was a student in Glasgow between January 1992 and June 1996. While I have been back to London a couple of times (mainly on transit between flights), this was my first time to have really gone back to the place I studied once. And what a memorable return it has been.

As I walked on the snowy hilly grounds of the University of Glasgow, every little bit of memories past passed me by. The snow that has fallen days before made the visit all the more special. When I walked into the compound of the main building, a bagpiper played some bagpipe tunes. Apparently there was a wedding at the chapel, but the tunes of the bagpipe music was played as I walked in giving rise to a very special feeling.

The sky was clear. The ground was white with snow. The air was fresh. Bagpipe music was playing in the background. The temperature was just above freezing point. But I could certainly feel the warmth of memories of yesteryears.

Everything was just... perfect.

And truth be told, it really felt like I have come home.

You never know

2009-12-24T23:18:00.003+08:00

I was at the money changer earlier this afternoon to buy some Pound Sterling for my UK trip. I had to wait a while as the money changer had to get the Pound Sterling from one of his nearby branches. While his assistant was sent to the other branch, I sat patiently while chatting with the owner.

He asked, "Your voice sounds familiar."

I replied somewhat surprised, "Really? Where have you heard my voice before?"

He said, "I am quite sure I have heard your voice in the radio. Have you been on air on Radio IKIM?"

I froze for a second. All this while, I never thought that it is possible for a person to actually recognise a voice he hears on radio. Hesitantly I answered, "Yes, I do have a programme on Radio IKIM".

He later went on to say how much he loves the programmes on Radio IKIM. He gave very positive comments on the radio, which I think is a very good indication for the Islamic radio.

While waiting, we talked about a host of other things. Around this time, I glanced at a notice on the wall that says, "Exchange rates are negotiable."

I am not a person who likes to bargain for things. Most times I buy things according to the price indicated. Similarly when it comes to this, I was not really in the mood of bargaining. The exchange rate for Pound Sterling for today was RM5.60 to a Pound. Without asking, he suddenly said to me, "Tell you what, sir. I can give you the best rate for exchange. For you, I will give RM5.50 for a Pound Sterling."

I nodded in agreement. For me, it is better than the actual rate that was initially offered. Deep in my heart, I find this episode rather amusing in a good way. The money changer recognised my voice from radio. He said that he likes and benefits from the programme that I have been doing all these years. It is indeed a motivation for me to hear this from a listener in person. But what surprised me was that he was willing to offer me a rather good rate for currency exchange without my actually doing any bargaining.

I guess you never can tell how we influence or impact other people. I never imagined that the programme that I contributed to on radio has such an impact on people. It is indeed a compliment, but you never know what people are willing to do to assist you once you know that you're the person they hear on radio.

Aside from the good rate, the money changer even offered to come to the office should I ever need his services again. Talk about personalised service. I guess there are some perks to appearing on air.

You never know.

You can never go home again

2009-12-23T23:40:00.002+08:00

There is a saying. It goes something like this. "You can never go home again, but the truth is you can never leave home."

My one and true home is Malaysia. This is where I was born. This is the place that I grew up as a child. This is also the place where I went through my early teenage years. And this is also the place that I am earning a living and building a family. There is no substitute for Malaysia in my eyes.

Yet, there was a place that I spent nearly half a decade towards the end of my teenage years and my early youth. That place welcomed me to its chilly and cold weather, yet its people were pleasantly warm and friendly. I regarded that place as my second home. This was the place where I studied. This was also the place where I learnt to be independent. And perhaps, it is not wrong to say that this was the place that taught me the meaning of life.

That place was Glasgow in Scotland.

I was last in Glasgow in 1996. That was more than 13 years ago. Now, it seems that I will be setting foot to my second home again very soon. I will be leaving for the United Kingdom in less than 12 hours. Upon arrival in London, I will be going straight up north to Edinburgh where I will spend two nights. And from there I will be heading for Glasgow.

The feelings that I have now is somewhat difficult to explain. The best that I can think of is that the feelings are similar to the time I was leaving Glasgow for good. This time around, I am returning to Glasgow for a brief visit.

I have a fondness towards this city. It has a special place in my heart. Indeed while I may have left the city, the memories of the city never left me.

It will be good to be back "home".

New things in the horizon

2009-12-21T23:25:00.004+08:00

The Hijrah new year just started last Friday. The year 2010 will commence in ten days time. It is somewhat of a coincidence that there are a couple of new things looming in the horizon for my life with the beginning of the new year. These new things are very much like a hijrah for myself and my family, as well as for some of my colleagues.

My two boys are growing up. They are very active, and they require space to run around and play. Our current abode is an apartment. Living in an apartment with two young boys can be stressful to the boys. I don't actually allow them to play outside the apartment because of the cars zooming by on the road. There is no compound for them to play.

After giving it a long thought, I decided to search for a landed property some time around August. After viewing a number of houses, I decided to buy a double-storey link house which is also an end lot. The house is also located in Taman Setiawangsa and is quite near Masjid Muadz Bin Jabal. After a bit of a wait, I finally got the keys to the house yesterday evening.

I took my family to see the house earlier this afternoon. My two sons were ecstatic. They were running around the empty house in joy. My eldest son especially seems eager to move into the new house.

The house has been tastefully renovated and extended by the previous owner. I will be doing some repainting job and minor repairing in the next few weeks. Hopefully, if everything goes as planned, we will be moving into the new home in mid-January insya-Allah.

Meanwhile at work, renovation work has also commenced for the office unit situated on the third floor (just across where I am now). It is expected that the work will take a month to complete. I have been given the indication that I will be one of those affected with relocation once the new office space is completed. Should the original planning remain the same, aside from myself, seven other people will be shifting to this new office space. If everything goes as scheduled, barring unforeseen circumstances, I may be moving into the new office by the end of January.

It looks like 2010 C.E. and 1431 Hijriyyah are off to a promising start. I pray that the rest of the year will be good as well. And I believe that is indeed everyone's hope.

Shared concerns unite people

2009-12-18T02:26:00.004+08:00

I was at Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) yesterday morning, specifically at the blood laboratory. I was there to give my blood sample for my upcoming appointment with my cardiologist next Tuesday. Before anyone starts messaging me to inquire about my health, let me assure everyone that everything is well. I was at IJN in late August for a screening programme to ensure that I have a clean bill of health. Alhamdulillah, my heart is fine and dandy. The only thing that was somewhat worrying was my cholesterol level, which my cardiologist referred to as "alarmingly high". Essentially this coming visit is to check if there is any improvement from my last visit.

In any case, that is not really what I wanted to blog about. Rather, I would like to share my observation which I have seen many times before, but have never put in writing.

When I arrived at IJN, there were already many people of different races waiting at the laboratory for their turns. The seats were full. Most of the people waiting were elderly people. I opted to wait outside the laboratory while keeping my eyes peeled for my number to be called.

While waiting, I saw an elderly Malay pak cik exchanging his by-pass experience with an elderly Chinese uncle.

There was also a Chinese lady who was probably in her sixties giving encouragement to a Malay woman slightly younger than herself. The Malay woman looked somewhat worried, but the Chinese lady managed to calm her down.

Then there were three elderly gentlemen, one Indian and two Malays, talking and commenting about their health and the medication that they have to take.

I smiled when I saw all this. I have noticed this before whenever I am at hospitals and medical centres. When you are there, people don't look at you as a Malay or a Chinese or an Indian. People look at you as a patient who is in need of treatment. And believe me, IJN is one of the places that you can actually see this happening.

As I was observing, the elderly Chinese lady who was earlier giving encouragement to the Malay woman beside her waved at me. She pointed to an empty seat nearby. I smiled back gesturing my thanks, and walked to the empty seat.

Shortly after, it was the Malay lady's turn to give her blood sample. After the procedure was completed, she walked out and promptly shook the Chinese lady's hands saying good-bye.

Then it was the Chinese lady's turn. She went in for about five minutes. And when she got out, she walked pass me and gave a cheerful smile. I smiled back while nodding my head.

Each of the elderly men that I mentioned got in when their turns came. And each time, when they came out, they would shake the hands of their newfound friends wishing them well and saying good-bye.

To see this happening right before my very eyes, where perfect strangers of different races with nothing much in common safe for their illnesses, chatting merrily and shaking hands when bidding farewell, was somehow humbling. The people that I observed were mainly elderly people who were over 50 years of age. I sincerely wonder if the young generation has the same quality as these elderly people.

Over the past many days, I have read that sports can unite people of different background. Aside from sports - and some would argue, music - another uniting catalyst is perhaps the shared concerns on health.

Two targets

2009-12-17T22:21:00.008+08:00

The Muslim New Year begins with the beginning of Maghrib (or sunset) early this evening. It has always been reminded that Muslims partake in the hijrah to better themselves in all sense of the word. It is somewhat similar to the new year resolutions that one often makes at the beginning of the Gregorian new year.

For the past few years, I have not made any particular resolutions. Rather than having resolutions, I set myself specific targets to achieve. I admit that I have been pretty ambitious in the past couple of years. But for this year, I have set my eyes on two specific targets that I hope to achieve in the new year (be it 1431H or 2010CE).

The first target is to complete my thesis for my PhD. I will be starting my fifth semester at the end of this month. I hope that the whole writing process will be completed in this semester. I pray that I be given the strength to do this.

The second target is more spiritual in nature. I hope and pray that this will become a reality. I plan to perform my haj in the coming haj season.

Let us all pray for a better year with the beginning of the new year. Salam Hijrah to all.

Condolences to Adyani

2009-12-16T20:25:00.004+08:00

On Monday evening, while I was on holiday in my hometown up north, I received a call from one of the research executives attached to Yayasan Ilmuwan. She informed me that her father had just passed away.

The next day, a number of her colleagues from Yayasan Ilmuwan drove to Banting to visit her and her family to offer the organisation's condolences. I was unable to make it since I was still in Kedah.

Nonetheless, I would like to offer my heartfelt condolences to Nor Adyani and her family on the passing of her beloved father. I pray that his soul will be blessed, and that Adyani and her family be given the strength to carry on in spite of this big loss.

Al-Fatihah!

Welcome home

2009-12-08T00:01:00.002+08:00

I was at KLIA at 3 a.m. on Monday morning waiting for my parents' return from their pilgrimage to Makkah. Their flight touched down just after 4 a.m. and they finally got to the departure hall around 5:30 a.m.

There was a huge crowd as expected. Family members were waiting anxiously to see their loved ones. It was an emotional wait, as most of the jamaah haji are senior citizens, most of whom like my parents, have never been overseas (or at least as far away as Saudi Arabia). They have been away for about 45 days, and everyone was most definitely eager to see them walk out into the departure hall. One interesting banner caught my eyes. The writing on the banner was: "Welcome home, Haji Abah and Hajjah Mama". Cute wordings, but yet very apt.

Alhamdulillah, my parents arrived safely. While they have some coughs and fever due to the harsh conditions especially in Makkah, Arafah, Muzdalifah and Mina, they are well. As their eldest son, I am happy that I have been able to assist them in sending them to perform their fifth pillar of Islam. I know that it has always been my parents' dream to go to Makkah. And this year, their dream has become a reality.

Welcome home, Haji Abah and Hajjah Mama!

In memoriam: Adawiyah Yassin

2009-12-07T22:43:00.002+08:00

Last Monday, I received the sad news of the passing of Puan Adawiyah Yassin. She was affectionately known to many of us as "Kak Ada". As I blogged in October, she suffered a stroke. This happened in the month of Ramadhan. Now, just a few days after Muslims celebrated Aidiladha, Kak Ada has left us forever. She was 56.

Everyone I spoke to remembers her as a kind, hardworking and sincere lady. I knew her way back in 1999 when I started doing programmes for the Voice of Islam which is under the Voice of Malaysia belt of programmes. She was a producer for the English programmes under the Voice of Islam, and later she headed the Voice of Islam unit. Indeed, while she remained behind the scenes in the production of these programmes, her role was significant in ensuring that the programmes are aired successfully.

To her family, I pray that all of you will be strong in facing this loss. On a personal note, I shall miss her kindheartedness. To this day, I can still hear her golden voice. May Allah SWT bless Kak Ada's soul.

Al-Fatihah!

Voices in my head

2009-11-24T23:47:00.003+08:00

That famous and oft-quoted line from the movie The Sixth Sense suddenly comes to mind. "I see dead people...," so said Cole Sear, the character played brilliantly by Haley Joel Osment.

Don't get me wrong. I do not see dead people. But I have been hearing voices in my head. More specifically, when I read books.

For the past couple of months, I have noticed that whenever I read books written by people I know personally, the words on the pages "speak" to me when I read them. And the voices that I hear are the voices of the people who wrote them, right down to their intonation. It is a surreal experience, most definitely, because I find myself hearing the words rather than reading them. It is as if the authors are speaking to me instead of me reading their work.

Somehow I don't feel that this is something that I should get freaked out with. Instead, I find this experience rather stimulating. It makes reading more interesting. I guess that is one of the reasons why I could finish reading three books at one go, virtually cover to cover, last night. Rather than reading as a mere visual experience, reading has now become an auditory experience as well.

I mentioned this experience to a friend earlier this afternoon. I may be off-tangent, but he seemed somewhat worried with what I told him. Anyone else has a similar experience, or at least knows of anyone else going through this experience? Do share.

Like I said earlier, I am not freaking myself out by this development. I prefer to look at this from a positive point of view. It enriches my reading experience. Either that, or I have obtained a mutant power.

"I hear my books talking."

New personal benchmark

2009-11-12T21:12:00.005+08:00

I have been writing academic articles for journals since 1998. All these articles are mainly for locally-published journals. During this time period, I have not actually written anything for international journals, even though I have presented academic working papers in international conferences and also contributed to chapters in internationally-published academic books.

A few months back, Professor Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman of the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya asked me whether I would be interested in co-writing an article for an international journal. Most definitely, my reply was in the affirmative. Earlier this evening, I received an e-mail from Professor Adeeba informing me that the article has been accepted for publication. The article will be published in the journal's issue due in April 2010.

The journal is the International Journal of Drug Policy, which is an ISI-WoS journal with a high impact factor. Professor Adeeba, by the way, ranks at number 15 in the Top 20 academics in Universiti Malaya who publishes in these high impact factor academic journals.

I am very grateful to Professor Adeeba for giving me this very valuable opportunity, and I am also thankful to Allah SWT for providing me with this avenue for my academic development. This first step is actually a new personal benchmark for myself. I hope to continuously challenge myself to do better in all that I do.

Writing mode in full swing

2009-11-10T23:11:00.004+08:00

Writing is something that I love doing. But as with most things, writing is also something that is very much dependent on mood swings.

For the past couple of weeks, I have been writing quite a lot. Most of the things that I write lately seems to focus more on academic stuff. Creative writing seems to be temporarily on hold. Of course, my attention lately is more towards writing up my thesis.

I pray that I be given the strength and good health so that I can continue to write consistently (and subsequently complete) my thesis.

[Note: The picture in this posting has nothing to do with this blog entry. It's there just for a smile or perhaps a giggle].

Heartfelt condolences

2009-11-02T22:59:00.002+08:00

The news of the passing of Datuk Pian Sukro, the Chairman of the Energy Commission took me by surprise this morning. He passed away in Rome, Italy. I do not know him personally but I most certainly know his wife, Professor Datin Dr Kobkua Suwannathat-Pian whom I worked with way back in 1997-1998.

My heartfelt condolences to Professor Kobkua and her family.

Al-Fatihah!

The perfect straight line

2009-11-01T02:01:00.005+08:00

I am currently editing a compilation of articles for a philosophy book to be published by the Centre for Civilisational Dialogue, Universiti Malaya. I came across a phrase I personally feel very interesting:

Science is not about drawing the perfect straight line.

Of course, this phrase can be interpreted in many ways. To me, most people look at science as a means to achieve perfection. But ask anyone who is a scientist, in conducting experiments, it is well-nigh impossible to draw a perfect straight line from the data gathered from the experiments conducted.

Students who study science have the tendency to manipulate and change their data so that they can draw the best straight line. Such manipulation is a manifestation of insincerity, and hence affects the students' integrity as future scientists. For, if this is to be allowed and if this is a common practice, are we to say that in the search for perfection, we are allowed to cheat? What then is the meaning of perfection when the road leading to it is far from perfect?

To me, these are thought-provoking questions. As a part-time lecturer teaching History and Philosophy of Science, I believe that the above-mentioned phrase can be a topic for a lengthy discussion all on its own.

Less blogging, more writing... and other things

2009-10-30T23:58:00.006+08:00

I can't seem to get myself to blog as often as before. I am unsure why this is so. I still have much to comment on, but most times when I get on the Internet, I just could not bring myself to focus on blogging. At the most, I would only blog hop friends' blogs.

I hope to be able to blog more frequently although not as often as before. Blogging is a good training to polish up on my writing. But at the same time, there are other commitments that have taken up quite a bit of my time.

Although 2010 is still a couple of months away, I can say in almost certain terms that blogging won't be heading the list of things to do in 2010. I have several targets that I have set for next year, and most of them involve writing but blogging, fortunately or otherwise, is not one of them.

My number one priority is of course to finish up the writing of my PhD thesis. I do not wish to prolong this any longer. All the materials for writing up the thesis have been gathered. What I need to do now is to push myself to sit down and write it all up. Sounds easy, but believe me, I find myself staring at the computer screen without actually doing much.

I have also tasked myself to be more productive in coming up with academic journal articles. This is perhaps an avenue which I haven't actually pushed myself into doing in the past. Actually, if everything does go as planned, my first international journal article will be out in the first quarter of next year. More info on this in the future.

Aside from this, I also owe my publisher the manuscript for my third novel. I have started writing this, but it is quite difficult for me to find the momentum to keep going as I get sidetracked with other things. Coincidentally, I am writing two novels simultaneously - both of which I hope to get published in 2010.

The work at the office also involves a lot of writing and editing. I am currently editing an autobiography, re-editing the second print of a book that Yayasan Ilmuwan published some time back, assisting with the writing of another autobiography, co-writing a book, co-ordinating the editing process of a number of other books, and trying to write a few books myself. I know this sounds like quite a workload but this is actually far less than what I had to shoulder at my old work place. By comparison, this is more like a breeze rather than a storm.

For the past few months, I have also been active in presenting working papers and giving talks at least once a month. Next month, I will be presenting a paper at Bio Malaysia 2009, the biggest biotechnological event for the country. The conference programme can be seen at this link.

I know it sounds like my life revolves around writing. And to most people, I guess, this sounds boring and monotonous. The fact of the matter is that I am loving what I am currently doing, and I do not plan to stop doing this, at least not in the foreseeable future. Nonetheless, I am trying to spice up my routine by doing things that I don't normally do, or by doing things which I have stopped doing for a long while.

One of this is travelling. Having said this, I have to admit that my travelling plans are not exactly holiday trips but rather working trips. I have quite a list of countries to go to beginning December. I will shed more light on this when the details are clearer and firmer. But probably as a hint or a teaser, the December trip will be like returning to a place where I was most fond of.