I can somewhat understand that a few people could probably fall for these types of phishing attacks. Especially if they are new to internet banking and email.

However, I don’t think I’d be able to understand if anyone would fall for the above phishing email. Check it out – First it says my CIMB account  is suspended (ok.. lets not get into typo errors there). Then, they say Thank you from Malayan Banking Berhad (CIMB Bank).

Would you fall for this?

Ok. Here’s a note for all who are reading this. Your banks do not and will not send emails to you with regards to your bank account. I think they don’t even send marketing emails to you. So, have this in mind – Banks in Malaysia Do Not and Will Not send emails to their customers.

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I wanted to reply with a tweet. However, I think 140 characters will not be enough.

First, Mr Teoh, may I change the question a little bit to “Why are Some Muslims willing to eat in a place that serves alcohol but not one that serves pork?” There.. that’s a much better question because, a lot (perhaps a majority) of Muslims do not and will not eat nor drink at places that serves alcohol or pork.

Muslims and Alcohol

The general public surely knows that Islam forbids alcohol consumption. However, exposure to alcohol does not warrant for a tanning wash (Samak) that is required of exposure to pork. A normal wash with clean water and soap will suffice. That goes to all food utensils that are exposed to alcohol.

Truth is, Muslims are not encouraged (actually, closer to forbidden) to drink, eat or hang out in places where only alcohol is served. If the place serves regular food and drinks, we are permitted to eat and drink there.

Muslims and Pork

Islam forbids pork consumption. That I assume everyone knows. What many don’t know is that exposure to pork requires a thorough and complete tanning wash to clean up – Samak in Bahasa Malaysia. A normal clean water and soap wash is not sufficient. This is required on everything that is exposed to pork – transport, storage, knives, cups, glasses, plates, spoons, forks, etc.

That my friends and Patrick Teoh, is why some of these Muslims are willing to eat and drink in places where alcohol is served but not where pork is served. At least from my point of view as I don’t really know their actual reasons.

For me, given the only choice between a place that serves alcohol and a place that serves pork, I will choose the place that serves alcohol. However, today, there are just way too many options that does not serve any of them. So, really.. there really is no reason for Muslims to drink, dine or hangout in places that serves alcohol or pork.

Some say they are forced due to work or business commitment. Well, you surely can request that the business or work be done in some other location right? All you need to do is ask.. not too hard to do.

Now, a disclaimer.. I am not a scholar in Islamic Laws. My view comes from my somewhat limited search in Google and my existing knowledge. Get in touch with the many Islamic bodies available in Malaysia if you need detailed clarification about this.

If you are a scholar and have better knowledge about this than I do, please add to this article in the comments section below or put up a link to your content where you explain this in more detail. Insyallah ..

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Welcome To The World

We went to the Maternity ward of Hospital Tuanku Fauziah, Kangar the day before – August 2nd, 2011 at about 3pm after Super Mom (my dearest Mona Azwa), noticed some blood (they call it “The Show”). She was then warded, after the MO performed a number of checks.

So, she stayed at the maternity ward and I went back home. At about 2:30am August 3rd 2011, I received an SMS from Super Mom. She was going into the labor room. They were going to break her water bag. At 3:30am, I drove over to the maternity ward.

This time around, I am not aloud to be by her side during labor. So, it’s her first time going into labor on her own. So, off I went to the warong in front of the hospital. “Sahur” at about 4:00am. A little too early than usual for me. Rather be early than having to rush things later on.

At about 5:30am, they called me up. They are taking the baby to me. I was then given the opportunity to read the azan and iqamah to the baby. After which, the baby is then taken back into the ward. They also gave me the placenta.

Following are the first few photos of the little one from my Picasa Album.

Right now, I am tinkering with two names for the baby. It’s now down to Qashid and Qushayri. Insyallah..

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Every day, when going through my Facebook Newsfeed, I see people referencing their own or someone else’s horoscope. Now, many of these are my friends or friends of my friends who are Muslims. That is why I have decided to put up this entry. So that I have a place to point them to whenever I see a fellow Muslim posting a Horoscope entry in the Social Networks.

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First, my apology if this entry may seem to hurt you in any way whatsoever. It is not my intention to harm or hurt anyone. I just want to point out the truth about Horoscope in Islam.

Before we go into horoscopes in Islam, lets first look at it from a logical point of view, shall we. In simple layman’s term, horoscope is a prediction of the future. It is based on a person’s date of birth. How can the numbers determine your character, emotion, mood, future, etc?

Oh yes, they say it’s actually determined by how the stars and planets are aligned with each other. How is it that something that is located zillions of miles away from me have an influence over my character, emotion, mood and future? Even if it is so, than are you saying that everyone who was born on the same day will feel the same way? Are they all going to have the same character? What about twins then? Many twins have totally different characters. Yet, they are born only minutes apart.

Watch the following video. Its a simple test performed by James Randi about horoscopes.

Okay. Enough of the logical part. Lets now get to the Islamic side of things.

In Islam, any form of future predictions are forbidden. We are not only forbidden from practicing fortune telling. We are also forbidden from going to one. As a matter of fact, reading a foretold horoscope is also forbidden.

Sheikh Sayyed M. Ad-Darsh, the former Chairman of the UK Shri`ah Council, states the following:

“Let us make this absolutely clear that there is no room in Islam for anyone predicting the future. True, if anyone reads horoscopes thinking that the stars will accurately chart his or her life, his Prayers will not be accepted by Allah, according to a prophetic Hadith in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The prayer of one who goes to a soothsayer, asks him something and believes in what he says, will not be accepted for forty days.”. This applies equally to those consulting soothsayers and clairvoyants who cannot exercise any influence on their future.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Horoscope_in_Islam#ixzz18APHktFu

If you think that reading the horoscope causes no harm, then you are mistaken. One who reads his horoscope comes under the ruling contained in the Rasulullah’s (saw) statement:

“The Salaah (daily prayer) of whoever approaches a fortune-teller and asks him about anything will not be accepted for forty days and nights.” [Reported by Hafsah and collected by Muslim (Sahih Muslim (English Trans.), vol. 4, p. 1211, no. 5440).]

Now, 40 days is not a short period of time. Many things can happen in 40 days. For 40 days, your prayers will not be accepted, just because you read a 20-50 word horoscope that provides you with no value whatsoever. Is it really worth it?

Even if it’s for entertainment purpose, is the entertainment value worth having your prayers not accepted for 40 days? Seek other means of entertainment. There are many more out there that provides even better value anyway.

Many say they don’t believe in what the horoscope says. How sure are you that your actions are not affected by what the horoscope says about you for that day? That horoscope you read could go deep into your subconscious mind. They will affect the decisions you make for the entire day without you realizing it.

If you need more information about this topic, do a Google Search on “horoscope in islam”. Plenty of reference and articles out there on this topic. I hope I’ve managed to bring you some light into this topic. I find it alarming that many of our brothers and sisters are frequently reading and posting their daily horoscope readings on the net. Let us together enlighten our brothers and sisters by sharing this with them.

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Hijrah. Literally, it means Migration. Historically, it commemorates the migration of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) from Mecca to Medina. Spiritually, it means transformation of your self from ignorance to enlightenment through the teachings of Islam. In simple terms, Hijrah means going from bad to good or from negative to positive.

How do Muslims celebrate Hijrah? Here, in Malaysia, it is normally celebrated at the mosques. Unlike other calendars where the New Year is celebrated at midnight, the Hijrah is celebrated during Maghrib, or sunset. Just before Maghrib, or after Asar, the end of year doa is cited. After Maghrib, the new year doa is cited. After the doa citation, there will be a tazkirah or lecture about Hijrah to remind everyone about the importance and essence of the Hijrah event.

I would like to share with you this particular doa I received from a friend. Parents should cite this doa to their children. He posted it up on the Surau AlHikmah Subang Jaya website. I hope this coming year brings everyone more barakah and rahmah. Insyallah.

Do you celebrate Maal Hijrah in your country? How do you celebrate it? Please share with us here.

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However, recently, I received a disturbing email that is related to Upin and Ipin. Following is an excerpt from the email:

**SEBELUM TU SAYA AHMAD SAIFUL MOHON MAAF JIKA INI BERLAKU KEPADA PEMINAT
SIRI INI DAN JANGAN CEPAT MELATAH..ISU INI BELUM LAGI DIKETENGAHKAN LAGI
TAPI INSYALLAH SEMUA INI ADALAH QADA DAN QADAR ALLAH YANG MENENTUKAN DAN
BUKAN KEBETULAN ATAU TAK DISENGAJAKAN…***
***AKU DAPAT PON SECARA TAK SENGAJA DARI WEB KONSPIRASI YAHUDI***

Sebutlah Uffin bukan Upin sebab Upin dalam bahasa Aramaic bermaksud “Aku
benci Rasul.”
Sebutlah Ariffin bukan Ipin sebab Ipin dalam bahasa Syriac bermaksud ” Aku
suka Israel.”

The above is in Bahasa Malaysia. Following is roughly what it says:
Say Uffin instead of Upin. “Upin” in Aramaic means “I hate the prophet”.
Say Ariffin instead of Ipin. “Ipin” in Syriac means “I like Israel”.

First of all, I would like to ask this question. Anyone out there fluent in Armaic and Syriac? If you are, can you translate the words “Upin” and “Ipin” for me please. I tried to look up an online translator for both Armaic and Syriac. Found one for Armaic (not sure if it’s the right one, though). Could not find one for Syriac.

Okay, now lets get to the gist of things. I am actually disappointed that many are distributing the above email without doing any prior research. All that you have to do is spend about 5 – 10 minutes to search on the web about the particular topic.

I believe, the email is targeted at Muslims in Malaysia. So, first thing. As a muslim, when you receive any news, you MUST validate if the news is really facts or just slender. Seriously, how hard is it to type in a few words inside a couple of the Internet Search Engines to determine facts from hearsay?

The truth is, I don’t have to do research at all. Just by reading the email I know or I can safely assume that it’s not based on true facts.

1. There are no reference to the source where we can find the translations of Upin and Ipin.
2. U for USA, I for Israel? Wow! If that’s the case, we should all avoid using U’s and I’s then.
3. Stop using iPhone 4g because the “i” in front means Israel? Please la people..

It really is simple. If you don’t want to or cannot do the research. Stop distributing these hearsay and slender type of news you receive in your email. Stop disseminating lies!

If you want to do good and be a good muslim. Go find some hadith or quran verses and distribute them. That is far better than spreading these half truths and half lies.

Do you spread news via email without verifying the facts? If so, why? Give me some feedback please.

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xMRSM Muar Batch 88 Reunion 2009

Ansara Muar Batch 88 had a reunion. 21 years after we left MRSM Muar. The last time we had a reunion was like ages ago. I can’t even remember when.

This time around, the reunion was held at the MPSJ 3K facility in Subang Jaya. Nothing fancy. We just needed a comfortable place to gather for dinner and touch base with each other. 3K also provides rooms for those who were traveling to KL.

Mike, Ramboi and I car pooled to the event since we lived nearby. Reached 3K at around 8pm. Everyone was already enjoying their dinner. Our tardiness was justified.. we had Ramboi with us. Hahaha.. Sorry Ramboi.. can’t help it..

Anyway, among the first few batch mates we met were Mok, Lalek, Bonat and Badak. They arrived at the same time as we did. Took me a few seconds to recognize Bonat. Somehow I was of the impression that he was not able to make it to the reunion. Hehehe.. sorry Bon.. after all, it’s been what? 21 years since we last met?

Then, just outside the hall entrance, sits a rather familiar face. Lo and behold, it’s Angau! Again, sorry Angau. Just could not recall who you were at first. Hehehe.. Besides, you being there really was a surprise. Hahaha.. Mingled around with the few others who were hanging out outside the hall for a bit. Then went straight for the food. Tummy was already complaining anyway.

The Food Was Really Good

Food was good. Love the “Udang Sambal Petai”. Somehow food was really not important that night. As long as it didn’t taste terrible I’d say no one would complaint. I think every one of us there just wanted to meet each other. After all, it really has been quite a while since we last got together like this. Food was likely just an after thought to everyone. I know it was for me. I can only remember the “Udang Sambal Petai”. What else did they serve?

Only Cikgu Safar, Cikgu Faridah and Cikgu Ajid was able to attend, though. Yes, we also invited our homeroom advisors to the event. Too bad only the three could attend. Well, perhaps next time, insyallah. Surprisingly, all three of them looked as if they didn’t age. They pretty much looked just the way I remembered them.

After a quick dinner and a brief chat with Cikgu Safar, it’s time to catch up with old friends. I thought I would probably have problems putting names to the faces of those who were there. Amazingly, I thought wrong. Only a few names slipped my mind. For the majority of them, I was able to put names and faces together. Phew!

Paparazzi at work

Photos were taken, hands were shook, hugs and pats were exchanged. Amir and Mantok were among the loudest when they laughed. Of course, there were the usual ear piercing shrieks from the ladies.

At 11pm we had to clear the hall. The event is still far from over though. Off we went, well not all of us, to Kopitiam 333 to continue to catch up with each other. We basically took all the tables in the Kopitiam. Hahaha… Havoc! Still, I bet the owner must have appreciated the sudden extra income for the night.

We were at the Kopitiam until way past 3am. By then, everyone was clearly exhausted but still excited at the same time. So, it was time to part ways. The parting ways session alone took almost half an hour. Hahahahaha.. as expected..

All in all, this was truly a great event. Kudos to the people behind the organization of the event. To all those who were there, it was great to meet you all once again. We should do this again. Lets not wait for another 10 plus years this time. How about in 5 years time?

Photos which I took during the event can be viewed at my KodeeXII Picasa Web Album. Enjoy my xMRSM Muar Batch 88 Reunion 2009 photos. Some of the paparazzi should have also posted theirs in Facebook too. Go check them out.

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A friend, fellow Ansara Muar, recently posted the following in his Facebook status:

Assalamu’alaikum n good morning. Please pray for my friend Dr. Nurfiza Isa (x MRSM Muar SPM84). She is now in ICU @ KPJ Seremban since Sunday of H1N1. Her condition is said to be critical and she is on life support since 2 days ago. I got this info from Dr Norherah via Khamsiah.

Muluk’s FB Status

Let’s all pray for her.

H1N1 is seriously becoming a major threat to all. How do we protect ourselves from this pandemic?

The basic protection is by wearing a mask. Not just any mask. I’ve done some reading. Not all mask is able to protect us from the virus. The mask we buy must be of the N95 types.

N95 Flu Masks, however, only protects us to a certain degree. The only sure fire way to protect yourselves is by putting on an air tight mask like an oxygen mask. That’s probably is way too bulky and expensive for daily use.

So, I guess we are only left with N95 Flu Masks.

Those flimsy type of masks you see almost everyone is wearing today doesn’t protect you much. Better get yourselves some N95 Swine Flu Masks now.

Any local flu experts out there? How much protection does these N95 Flu Masks give us?

3M 1870 Surgical Mask N95-Each

Price: $4.85

(3 customer reviews)

5 used & new available from $1.25

Price: —

( customer reviews)

0 used & new available from

SAS SAFETY 8610 Particulate Respirator N95 (Box of 20)

Price: $7.66

( customer reviews)

5 used & new available from $6.59

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As usual, we make it a point to at least spend a minimum of one week in Perlis every time we make the trip. No point in traveling the distance and only spend a few nights there. This time around, I initially planned to spend about ten days up north. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, we had to depart a couple of days later than planned.

The journey up north was pretty smooth. We traveled at leisure pace. No hurry and no traffic as it was not a weekend. We stopped for lunch at our favorite rest area – Sungai Perak. It was about 11:30am when we arrived there. A little early, thus it was not crowded. The best thing about being early – freshly cooked “Patin Masak Tempoyak”. Of course, we also tapau’ed the Patin too. Patin for dinner in Perlis later.

After lunch, the children get to spend a few minutes at the playground in the rest area. After two and a half hours in the car, I reckon they need to stretch their legs a bit. What does a father do when the children are having fun at the playground? What else.. snap some photos, of course. Thankfully my ever faithful Sony Ericsson is available.

Check out the photos at my KodeeXII Picasa Web Album. I will also upload a few of them photos into Facebook later.

Children Having Fun At Playground In Sungai Perak

One hour pitstop at Sungai Perak and we are off again. Next stop.. Sungai Petani. We’re meeting up with a few networking friends up there. How far is Sungai Petani from Sungai Perak? One and a half hour drive? Well, that’s just about right. One and half hours later, we are already in Sungai Petani looking for the rendezvous point.

We arrived at the rendezvous point as they completed their eCosway Business Opportunity presentation to the prospects. We hang out and chatted for a bit. Told them a thing or two about the process of becoming eCosway’s Condo Store Operator. Yes, we are currently waiting for our eCosway Store. In the meantime, network marketing is the name of the game.

One hour later, we continued our journey. No more pitstops. We opted to take the Bukit Kayu Hitam way instead via Alor Setar. Didn’t want to get caught in the Alor Setar rush hour as we were there slightly after office hours. The Bukit Kayu Hitam route is certainly a little bit further. However, it’s got less traffic. To top it off, it is a full fledge highway.

We finally reached our destination at about 1800 hours. Just in time for dinner. The Patin Masak Tempoyak sure smells good. A nine hour journey covering 530 kilometers in mileage. Surprisingly, we still had like one fifth of the tank still filled with gas.

In the past, we normally had to do a gas refill in Gurun. I think the leisure pace and the Automax Nanotech formula worked. We saved at least 20% fuel on this trip. That’s quite an awesome feat, I must say.

So, what did we do for a week in Perlis? What else.. rest, relax, eat and eat and eat. Isn’t life wonderful? It certainly is for me at the moment. Alhamdulillah.

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A Serving of Satay

Being new in the business and doing it alone by himself, I decided to tag along for the night and help him out. Thus, I get to learn a thing or two about the satay business. It was 5 hours well spent, indeed.

A serving of 10 sticks of satay with compressed rice (nasi himpit), slices of onions and cucumber costs just RM7.00. His pricing, 70 sen per satay stick and RM1 for the rice. Pretty much the standard pricing for a single meal of satay these days.

The satay, is certainly tasty. I had just 5 sticks of chicken satay. All I can say, they are sweet and scrumptious.

The night started off with an order for 100 sticks of satay – 40 beef and 60 chicken. A to-go order. Badak’s first large quantity order. A good thing I was there to help out. While he tended to the satay, I helped him out with taking orders and serving the eat-in customers.

Business was good. Non stop from 8:00pm till about 10:30pm. A few 10 sticks order, a number of 20 sticks order and before we know it, we’ve served about 200 sticks of satay. All in just two and a half hours. Not bad for a newly started business, I’d say. Only after that two hectic hours did we manage to take a breather to sit down for a bit.

At the end of the 5 hours, a total of about 350 sticks was sold. According to Badak, it’s his biggest night to date. Not bad, considering it’s just his 10th day in the business. It would surely get better once word spreads out about his delicious satay serving.

During the breather, I asked him about the business. He says he gets his supplies from an upcoming satay supplier. The supplier provides him with all the necessary supplies to start his business. According to him, the supplier is already supplying a number of satay stalls in Klang Valley.

Interesting, indeed. Pretty much like a franchise, I guess. Any one out there interested in starting up your own satay stall? All you need is a good location and the desire to start a satay business. You don’t have to do any of the tedious satay preparation like marinating and skewering the satay into the sticks.

I didn’t manage to get the complete details, however. If you are interested to start a business in selling satay, I guess you could just drop by Section 14 Petaling Jaya and ask Badak himself about it. You could also then try out the satay and judge if it is good yourself.

Can’t make it to Satay Badak’s stall in PJ? Well, if you’re really interested, just provide me with your contact details in the comment section below this post. I can then refer you to Badak and get him to provide you with the details.

Would Satay Badak be a good branding for a satay business? What say you?

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