Weird week

Yes, I know I was angry as you could see in my previous post.

Nonetheless, I am also one who doesn't mix one business with another. Despite what happened, I still had a good time this week. The last time I went out to see a movie with my lovely wife was almost a year and a half ago. This was when we went to see "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" --- when she was about four months pregnant with Amir Husaini.

On Thursday, I felt so exhausted with the things that have been happening, that I just decided to stop and take a break. I took my wife for a movie at KLCC --- "X-Men: The Last Stand" to be precise. We had a good time at the movie.

After the movie, we stopped by Habib's Jewels. Interestingly, the salesgirl there greeted us and inquired whether we were looking for an engagement ring. We must have looked to her like a couple who were going to get engaged!

Anyhow, we told her that we're already married with one son. The salesgirl then said, "Oh, maybe you're looking for your first anniversary ring!"

Hmmm, okayyy... Are the two of us really look that carefree? For a couple who are married for nearly six and a half years, I took the salesgirl's words as a compliment.

Then again, maybe she was looking for sales commissions...

Weird week indeed.

Don't make me angry...

Many who know me know that it is very rare that I scold people, much less lose my temper. No matter how annoying or irritating or irresponsible someone is, I tend to not get angry.

But someone made me very angry last week. This someone has been irresponsible and did not keep to her promises, thus causing unnecessary problems for me. For the past 7 days or so, I have been gathering some facts on what really happened, and what I found out really made me mad. And this afternoon, after so many years of not raising my voice to anyone, I actually told this woman off.

I think she was surprised as she had never expected me to be so very angry. She went silent a few times... her voice broke up a couple of times. And you know what, after what she did, I couldn't care less if she wants to cry.

Never ever break a promise, what more if you are a Muslim. It is bad enough that you break the promise, but to get someone else into trouble is entirely irresponsible and pathetic.

This is something that I will never tolerate. And when my tolerance level has reached its peak, I will definitely lose my cool. And this is not a pretty sight.

Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.

And I'm not jesting.

Thorough-"bread" mathematician

Another interesting story from the time of the Khulafa' al-Rashidin that I'd like to share:

It is mentioned that there was a dispute between two people, Mr A and Mr B, over the distribution of some money. They had shared their lunch together with another person Mr C. The lunch consisted of eight loaves of bread, that included five loaves of Mr A and three loaves of Mr B. Mr C did not bring any bread and therefore, paid them eight dinars in lieu of. Mr A took five dinars and gave three to B. However, Mr B did not accept this and claimed equal amount to be distributed between them. The matter was put before 'Ali r.a. He suggested Mr B to accept the division of 5:3 as this was rather in his favour. However, Mr B insisted that 'Ali r.a. should decide. Consequently 'Ali r.a. made a 7:1 distribution, which meant B was entitled for just one dinar. 'Ali r.a. justified his decision on the basis of contribution made by the two persons. 'Ali r.a. explained it this way. If each bread is divided into three pieces, the total pieces of bread would be 24. It suggests that the contributions of A and B to the pool would be 15 (5 x 3) and 9 (3 x 3) pieces respectively. Assuming that everybody ate the same quantity, C ate seven pieces of A and one piece of B. Therefore A should get seven dinars and B only one.

A. Khaliq Ahmad. (2005: 53-54).
In Mazilan Musa & Shaikh Mohd Saifuddeen Shaikh Mohd Salleh (eds.)
Quality Standard from the Islamic Perspective.
Kuala Lumpur: IKIM

Sayyidina 'Ali grew up as a trader's son. He followed his father all the way to Syam to trade. He was exposed to mathematics, in particular arithmetic, from a very young age. So, it's no surprise that he tackled this problem in a wise and just manner.

Tempus fugit

Ever felt that 24 hours a day is not enough? Many a time, that is exactly how I feel. So many things to do, so little time...

Over the years, I realise that when you are occupied and busy, you feel that time just flies by so very quickly. When you don't have much to do, the second arm on the watch feels as if it is moving so painfully slow.

Many many years ago, a friend whom I considered as my own brother, asked, how is it I could do the many things I do in spite of the limitation of time? I told him, if one feels that something is important enough, one will make the time for it. That has always been my philosophy.

We're halfway into 2006, and I feel that there is not much time for me to do things that need to be done. I feel that I am pushing myself over the limits I thought possible. Doing more in a day than I usually do before.

Alas, I am only human. At times, it is just so very tiring.

I can only pray that I be given the strength to go through all the challenges that I have to overcome.

P.S. "Tempus fugit" is Latin for "time flees" or better known as "time flies." More about the phrase here.

P.P.S. The friend whom I consider a brother, will be getting married this coming weekend. So, to Nazrul, "selamat pengantin baru, semoga bahagia dunia dan akhirat."

Sigh of relief

Finally got the editing done for the biodiversity book to be published by the NRE and MABIC. It took longer than I thought, but now that it's done, I feel a sense of relief and satisfaction.

Oh, well... all the more reason to go into this weekend without much to worry about.

To all, have a nice and relaxing weekend ahead.

Irony of life

Sometimes when we look back to our pasts, we notice that oft-times, we have crossed paths with people who are destined to be important in our lives. Yet, at that point in time, we didn't notice them, or we didn't know them, or we didn't care about them.

Imagine sitting beside somebody for a class picture. Or sitting next to somebody in a crowded bus. Or sitting beside somebody in a hall. You pay no attention to that somebody. No smile. No hello. To you, that somebody is just another face in the crowd.

Yet, years later, that same somebody becomes somebody close or dear or important to you. That very same person could very well be a part of your life today.

On a personal note, there have been many occasions that I realise that I've crossed paths in the past with people who are important to me now. And this acts as an important reminder to me... never take the people around you today for granted.

Such is the irony of life...

CSI - 14 centuries ago

Last night, I had an interesting YM conversation with one of this blog's regular visitors, Sezzy. We discussed, among others, about the tv show CSI. I told her that forensic science is not something new, as can be seen during the time of the Khulafa' al-Rasyidin.

Allow me to share the following which is an excerpt from a chapter that I wrote entitled "Genealogy and Preservation of the Progeny in the 21st Century" in the book Genealogy and Preservation of the Progeny: An Islamic Perspective (2006: 49-50):

During the time of Khalifah 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab, a woman was extremely fond of an Ansar man. She tried several times to seduce the man but to no avail. She then tried to implicate him with the crime of rape. She took an egg, threw away its yolk and spread the white egg on her dress and between her legs. Then she went to see the Khalifah in a distressed manner and complaint that the man had raped her. Khalifah 'Umar then consulted other women and they agreed on the fact that there are marks of semen on her body and dress. The Khalifah was going to punish the man but he vehemently denied the serious accusation. Khalifah 'Umar then consulted Sayyidina 'Ali Ibn Abi Talib on this matter. Sayyidina 'Ali looked at the alleged semen on this dress and ordered for some boiling water before pouring it on the dress. The white egg solidified. Sayyidina 'Ali smelled and tasted the solidified white egg before scolding the woman for lying. She then confessed to have lied to the Khalifah.

(Ibn Qayyim,
Al-Turuq al-Hukmiyyah fi al-Siyasah al-Shar'iyyah: 37)

Gil Grissom, eat your heart out!

Humour me

I have a strange taste for humour. I don't like the usual run-of-the-mill slapstick stuff. I consider my taste in humour as quite odd.

I grew up with P. Ramlee's brand of humour, which until today I find funny, especially the following movies: Ali Baba Bujang Lapok, Pendekar Bujang Lapok and Nujum Pa' Belalang. I also grew up knowing old American brand of humour in the forms of Charlie Chaplin's black-and-white silent comedies as well as the physical slapstick humour of the Three Stooges. In retrospect, while admittedly these two are classics, I don't find them interesting.

Another staple comedy diet that I grew up with were the American sitcoms. Those I find memorable are Here's Lucy, Happy Days, Mork and Mindy, the Jeffersons, Family Ties and the Cosby Show. While the American sitcoms are funny and popular, I find myself more attracted to British sitcoms, most memorably Mind Your Language.

When I left for the UK in 1992, I was further introduced to more British humour. I know that most of us are not comfortable with British humour, finding it quite outlandish and weird at times. Strangely though, I'm quite at home with British humour. I like stuff like One Foot in the Grave, Mr Bean (duh!), Fawlty Towers, the Blackadder series, etc. etc.

I know that some of us here are not familiar with British humour. That being said, the most famous British humour import to Malaysia is no doubt Mr Bean (left).

I was also introduced to British humour in movies. In particular, I am quite fond of Four Weddings and a Funeral. Although Hugh Grant and Andie McDowell were the lead, I find Rowan Atkinson's brief role in the movie the most hilarious of all. Speaking of Rowan Atkinson, I managed to watch his solo stand-up show, which was extremely funny. I couldn't stop laughing from start to end when I watched it circa 1995.

Overall, stand-up comedies are not really to my liking. Not many people can execute it well. I think Rowan Atkinson is great at these kind of stuff. So is Rory Bremner (right) who is great when dealing with political satires. He can mimic British politicians' voices and mannerisms perfectly. Too bad we don't get to see Rory Bremner on Malaysia's tv.

Improvisation comedies are also interesting. Whose Line Is It Anyway perhaps best epitomises this brand of comedy. While the Malaysian audience are familiar with the American version with Drew Carey and crew, I was first introduced to its British counterpart with the same name. I find both extremely funny, and sometimes how I wish Malaysian comedians could do improvisation well.

Yes, I know that a few of Malaysian comedians are very good at improvisation. Harith Iskander, Afdlin Shauki (left), Jo Kukathas, Jit Murad, Patrick Teoh are a few of names. Incidentally, these people are at one time or another were with the Instant Cafe Theatre. I had the opportunity to watch them live in action way back in 1997, and found their sketches humourous and satirical. The most memorable scene for me was when Afdlin Shauki blundered, and he ingeniously made up the lines to cover the blunder. [He was supposed to be wearing a wig which was crucial to the role he was playing, but he came on stage sans the wig].

As for American movies, no doubt there are some funny ones. I enjoyed a few of them, in particular Mrs Doubtfire, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Shrek, Shrek 2 and A Bug's Life. Odd to note that most of these movies are animated. Coincidence? I'm not sure. Speaking of animations, there are some pretty funny cartoons on tv. One of my favourites is Spongebob Squarepants.

These days however, I don't get that much opportunity to follow comedies either on stage, in the cinema or on tv. So I can't really comment on the brand of humour of today.

That being said, I think we should not forget humour on the print medium. Every day when I read the papers, the one part that I will not miss is the funnies. I like comic strips, in particular Calvin and Hobbes, Dilbert, Zits, Garfield, Insanity Streak and Shoe. The local ones are good too. I giggle everytime I read Lat's (right) take on current issues. I still remember the classic Din Teksi by Nan.

And as some people know, I read comic books. While most of them are action-oriented, those written by Peter David are peppered with humour at the most unexpected of places. That is why I enjoyed his run when he was doing the Incredible Hulk, Aquaman and X-Factor. Now he's back to the newly-launched X-Factor, which is again funny.

It's ironic that we turn to comedic and humourous materials as a form of escapism, albeit brief, to get away from the sometimes painful and stressful lives that we live.

Commercial break

Banyakler pulak blog posting hari nie...

Anyway, I had wanted to wait until I have scanned the covers, but while I was surfing tonight, I bumped into this at MPH's website.

It's one of two books that I edited when I was at IKIM. I finished the editing work in October last year. Finally, after nearly 6 months since I left the organisation, the books are out, although only the book on Genealogy and Preservation of the Progeny: An Islamic Perspective is advertised here.

I'll put up the covers of the two books when I've scanned them.

Not easy as it sounds

For the past few nights, I've been knocking the keys on my keyboard silly trying to write the drama script for the script writing competition organised by IKIM.

I've written a lot of stuff for the past many years. But I've never written a script before. I just thought that I might just try giving it a shot. My friend, the novelist Izza Aripin is of the opinion that writing a script is easier than writing a novel.

I beg to differ however. To me, writing a novel is far easier than putting the words to a script. Nonetheless, I'm still pursuing this endeavour. I've got about 8 pages done with approximately 7 scenes thus far. Oh, well, we'll see how this goes.

In the meantime, I'm starting to plot my second novel. Should my first novel ever sees the light of day, I'll proceed with writing the second novel.

From the rainforest to the desert

I'm not the kind of person who likes to travel. I'm more of the homely type. That's why throughout my stay in the UK for nearly half a decade, I didn't travel much. Only in my final months there did I do some travelling. Although I didn't go outside the UK, I managed to cover most parts of the country, including Northern Island, Wales and the Highlands of Scotland. And of course, I went to Old Trafford.

Any regrets for not travelling to other places? Yes, a little, but I'm quite certain in this line of work, I'll eventually reach other parts of Europe, as well as other parts of the world.

I've been back from the UK for a decade now. In this period of time, I've done quite a bit of travelling, mainly as part of my work. I've been to almost every state in the country. I've even been to Taman Negara in Pahang, doing things I never thought of doing like walking on the canopy walk 30-50 m above the ground (pic, above) and travelling by speedboat along Sungai Pahang. For somebody who doesn't travel much, these kind of things do bring a certain amount of excitement.

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I've been to countries like Algeria and Egypt. I got to see for myself the effects of civil war in Algeria, and how they're rebuilding themselves. I got to see how historically-rich Egypt is, and yet many of its people are economically-poor. I've seen the only surviving seven wonders of the world - the pyramids of Giza (pic, right). I've cruised on the River Nile.

All these experiences enrich one's life. At the same time, for me, these experiences humble me for I get to see the many creations and blessings of Allah. It also drives home the point that we in Malaysia are indeed very fortunate for the many blessings that are bestowed upon us.

I'll share more pics and comments on visiting other places from time to time, insya-Allah.

Already bright, still want torchlight some more

I have been away since last Friday because of the long weekend. I wish I could've blogged about this earlier. In any case, here goes.

A former colleague of mine, Puan Siti Fatimah Abdul Rahman - whom I call Kak Siti - commented in her article in Utusan Malaysia on 12 May: "Suami wajib mencari nafkah keluarga." I've read the article and I think it was a good one, covering all angles possible within the limited space alloted by the newspaper.

Suddenly, the next day, the newspaper carried a front-page main headline report, "Langgar syarak - Mufti -- Suami mengurus rumah, isteri keluar mencari nafkah." Somewhere inside the newspaper on that same day, we have an article quoting YB Dato' Seri Shahrizat Jalil: "Lelaki jadi suri rumah mula diterima."

In today's paper, it was reported that the DPM wanted the matter be referred to the Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan: "Rujuk Majlis Fatwa -- Isu suami jadi suri rumah, isteri keluar cari rezeki."

Personally, I don't know why this matter was made such a big issue by the paper. Probably they've run out of issues, I don't know. I agree 110% with what Kak Siti wrote, not because I know her personally, but what she wrote was based on facts. For, if the media is to carry on "debating" this issue and making this a polemic, then I could safely make the assumption that some people just want to keep questioning what is already clearly stated in the Quran.

Sometimes I just don't understand why there is a need for us to question what is already clear and lucid. Only when there is ambiguity or uncertainty due to new developments in society would we need to discuss and deliberate on these matters. If something is already established, then don't waste time talking about it. Remember the Malay adage? "Sudah terang lagi bersuluh" [hence, the Manglish topic of this blog]. We have so many other things to work on other than debating on already-established matters.

What Kak Siti did was right. She wrote on an issue that was skewed by so-called modernists and feminists. She corrected the misperception that was clouding the facts. Unfortunately, some people just want to keep denying these facts.

Oh, well. Kak Siti... I know you visit this blog when you have the time. Good job on your article, and keep up the good work. And also congratulations on the attention your article garnered. Front page no less! And commented on by a Mufti, a minister and the DPM to boot!

I wonder if Monday's paper will still carry this debate?

Cyberjam

Today, the UPU result for SPM students is out. My sister is one of those who has been eagerly waiting for the result. As usual, being the responsible brother that I am, I did the checking up on her behalf.

I tried the relevant websites at noon when the result was supposed to be available online, but couldn't get through. Talk about heavy traffic. I tried again around 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. This time around the websites offered an alternative URL (that of UTM) so as to avoid congestion. Fortunately, I managed to get through this time. When I checked again at 10 p.m., another link was added and this time UUM.

Checking the result online is indeed useful. The telephone lines provided were engaged everytime I tried. It is also good that the alternative URLs are given so that people have options in checking the result. If only they could have done this at 12 p.m. when the result came out. It could have saved a lot of people a lot of time.

Oh, and my sister? She got an offer to do matriculation (physical sciences) at the International Islamic University Malaysia. Looks like there will be another scientist or engineer in the family, insya-Allah. She seems pretty happy with the offer she got, especially after I drove her to the matriculation centre of IIUM at PJ after dinner tonight.

At least, to my pleasant surprise, KL roads tonight were jam-free.

In the news... again

Hmmm, twice in one week. I was in Berita Harian again today. Click here to find out more. And here I thought that one of the reasons I left my previous workplace was so that I could lay low and to minimise media-exposure.

In any case, my current boss is happy with this exposure, as it gives the Yayasan some publicity and a good image. At least now, people are more aware of the Yayasan.

Who is Shah Rukh Khan?

Obviously I'm not referring to the Bollywood actor on the right.

Shah Rukh Khan was the fourth son of Timur or better known as Tamerlene the conqueror. Timur died in 1405 and Shah Rukh Khan gained control of the Turko-Mongol tribes in 1407, whose empire included Iran and Turkistan which also included Samarkand. The following is an excerpt of Shah Rukh Khan's achievements based on his famous son's biography:

In 1409, Shah Rukh decided to make Herat in Khorasan (today in western Afghanistan) his new capital. Shah Rukh ruled there making it a trading and cultural centre. He founded a library there and became a patron of the arts. However Shah Rukh did not give up Samarkand, rather he decided to give it to his son Ulugh Beg who was more interested in making the city a cultural centre than he was in politics or military conquest. Although Ulugh Beg was only sixteen years old when his father put him in control of Samarkand, he became his father's deputy and he became ruler of the Mawaraunnahr region.

The above is quoted from http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Ulugh_Beg.html but unfortunately the link no longer works somehow.

Shah Rukh Khan died in 1447.

UPDATED AT 1.10 a.m. 11 May 2006: MORE ABOUT SHAH RUKH KHAN CAN BE READ AT THIS LINK.

Siti in Bollywood... sort of...

A bit of entertainment news...

I find it interesting that Siti will be performing at the Bollywood film awards slated to be held in KL as reported in The Star today. Full news here.

I'm no Bollywood fan, but this gets me thinking. I wonder if Bollywood will ever use Siti's songs in their movies. Imagine Cindai being performed Bollywood-style.

Looking at the list of actors / actresses coming to KL, I don't see Shah Rukh Khan's name there. Oh, well. He was here in Langkawi recently, and he got to hug Tun Dr Mahathir. Or was it the other way around? I'm not sure because I wasn't there.

In any case, a little trivia... Does anyone here realise that the name "Shah Rukh Khan" is actually the name of one of the rulers of the Muslim Moghul Dynasty that ruled India? He was a ruler who loves science and knowledge. Yet, today when we mention that very name, people immediately see Shah Rukh Khan the actor.

Feeling the heat

I am being toasted as I type this. The air-conditioning system at the office has gone kapoot yesterday, and it is very very uncomfortable to work in this condition. I was told that the air-cond would only be okay tomorrow. Till then, I have to endure this heat.

You know, it is things like air-cond that we take for granted. Only when it is broken, or lost, or no longer with us, would we start to miss it. The same goes for people. Only when someone has left or passed on, would we miss the person. When that person is around, usually he or she is taken for granted.

In any case, back to this predicament I'm facing, I suppose I'll just have to be patient. After all, what is the heat in my room compared to the heat in Mahsyar in the Day of Resurrection?

Sabar ajer laaa...

P.S. This blog's counter has touched 100!

The week that was...

All in all, I'd say that this week and the week before have been good and productive. I managed to get many things done. That being said, there are a few other things that I wish that I could've completed.

In any case, a couple of highlights of the week:

• Interviewed by a reporter from Berita Harian on organ donation. The piece is out today, or you can read it here online.
• Finally finished reading, rewriting and updating my novel, "Stigma." I sent it to a friend for comments and suggestions. I regard this friend as an established novelist, having 4 novels under her belt. I've also added her blog as one of the links from this blog of mine. Otherwise, you can click here. She also has some links to other novelists on her blog.

The only downside to the week for me is probably the defeat of Malaysia in the semi-finals of the Thomas Cup. Things were not meant to be. As they say, so close yet so far. Well, better luck in the next campaign.

Some things to look forward to in the coming week:

• Finishing up editing the book on biodiversity.
• Starting the script for "Zuriat" which should be interesting.
• Working on my MSc thesis for publication.

Again, I hope that the coming week will be productive, insya-Allah.

And now the news in brief...

Just finished speed-reading the paper. Some interesting bits I found today:

Oil found at inshore areas in Kelantan: If this is true, and if it is financially-sound to drill oil inshore in Kelantan, then logically, it'd be a windfall for the state and its people. Should be a catalyst for development on this part of the country. I just hope politics do not get in the way. And speaking of oil, I was horrified with the news shown on TV3 last night on the leakage at the petrol station in Putrajaya. I think petrol station owners should take extra precaution to avoid disasters like this.

Four new faces in Suhakam: Interesting bit of news this, especially when I know one of them personally. I am pleasantly surprised myself to find the esteemed Ustaz 'Uthman El-Muhammady (left) as one of the new appointees. I wish him all the best in this new position, and I hope that certain people keep their dissatisfaction, or perhaps envy, to themselves. I am also pleased that my former boss, Professor Datuk Dr. Abdul Monir Yaacob is also reappointed.

Yahoo! aid techno-challenged: For those who want to understand the latest gadgets, tools and technology, go to http://tech.yahoo.com for information. Should be handy!

And of course, last but certainly not least, Malaysia are in the Thomas Cup semi-finals after the nail-biting quarter-finals with Korea. Syabas! And let's hope that success awaits in the match against Denmark.

The final frontier

This is pretty crazy - 2 blog posts in 10 minutes.

Oh, well, anyway...

I've been thinking about this since last week. And today, I even had a discussion (albeit informally) on this matter. Remember the Malaysian mission to outer space? Well, everyone knows that we're sending an astronaut to space, and anyone who has been following the news would be aware that there is an interesting discussion on how to determine the prayer times in space.

What we know is this:

• Muslims pray five times a day (which is a period of 24 hours)
• The Earth makes one complete rotation on its axis in approximately 24 hours, where one complete rotation is equal to one day and one night
• The astronaut will be on a spacecraft that will orbit the Earth 16 times in 24 hours

The questions that arose are:

• Does this mean that the astronaut (assuming that the chosen one is Muslim) will have to pray 80 times in 24 hours because of the above facts?
• If not, how do we solve this situation?

This is my 2-cent on this matter, bearing in mind I'm no expert on either fiqh nor astronomy:

• We already understand the definition of "one day and one night" in the context of somebody who is on the planet Earth, whereby "one day and one night" is in the context of the Earth's rotation relative to the sun. However, we now need to define "one day and one night" in the context of somebody who is in space, where time and space is, in a manner of speaking, relative to an object of reference. If my limited understanding is correct, in space, there is no up and no down, no north, no south, no east, no west. In other words, no sense of direction since everything is relative. If direction is relative in space, wouldn't time also be relative? The question is, relative to what? To Earth? To the sun? To the nearest stellar object?
• We know that Islam is suitable for all people, for all time, for all places (which should include outer space, and any other planets for that matter). So, theoretically, there is a solution to this problem. We just have to get the right experts to deliberate on this.

This is indeed something very interesting to ponder upon. I'd love to know what the solution is. This problem is completely on the other end of the spectrum of the problem faced by somebody who is in the poles, where you get 6 months of day and 6 months of night. Does this mean that the people in the North and South Poles pray 5 times in a year? And if Ramadhan falls in winter, does that mean that they don't have to fast since fasting is only during the day? On the other side of the coin, when Ramadhan falls in summer, does this mean that they'll have to fast for 6-month long?

Indeed, there is a solution to this problem, as most ulama decreed that those experiencing 6 months of daylight and 6 months without, should follow the prayer times (and therefore, fasting times) of the nearest Muslim country.

So, essentially all this is a matter of ijtihad. If the problem in the poles can be solved, I'm quite sure that there is a solution to the problem in outer space.

But whatever it is, don't scream at the people trying to think up a solution. Because as they say, "in space, no one can hear you scream!"

Midnite blogger

It's just after midnight, and I just finished some work at home. Physically, mentally and psychologically, I am feeling very tired. But somehow there is a certain nagging urge that feeds me energy so that I can blog.

Which begs the question, is blogging addictive?

I've been introduced to the world of blogging some time last year, yet it didn't become part of my life until fairly recently. Now, it seems that I just have to visit my blog at least once a day. And tired though I may be, I feel there is a need to update my blog.

To date, I'm already maintaining two blogs. I am even thinking of setting up another one, as a medium for my friends from my university days in Glasgow to get together.

To date also, I'm frequenting at least 7 blogs on a regular basis, leaving my comments on at least 3 of them.

Am I a blog-addict? Have I been bitten by the cybernetically-modified blog bug? Am I becoming the Amazing Blogger-Man?

Happy birthday, Amir Husaini

Today, my son - Shaikh Amir Husaini - turns one. As a present of sorts, I have started a blog chronicling my son's step-by-step development. This blog just commenced today, so drop by from time to time to follow Amir Husaini's progress.

Tax Files

Have you filed your taxes? Time to do so is at hand. Deadline for e-Filing is 31st May. Get info on e-Filing here.

This community service reminder is brought to you by TeropongSkop.