Walking with Tunku Through History

 

Walking through the Tunku exhibition at Muzium Negara felt less like browsing a gallery and more like tracing the footsteps of a life lived in service to a nation. Beneath the bold title “Tunku Negarawan Ulung: Pengasas Negara Bangsa,” the panels unfolded like chapters in a documentary -- each date, photograph, and caption marking a turning point not only for one man, but for Malaysia itself. The atmosphere made you slow down, read carefully, and remember that independence was not a single shout of “Merdeka,” but a long, deliberate journey.

One of the earliest moments captured was February 1956 at Padang Banda Hilir, Melaka, when Tunku declared 31 August 1957 as the date of independence. It wasn’t Merdeka yet -- but it was the promise of Merdeka. The image of him standing in an open car, arm raised to the crowd, felt electric even decades later, as if hope itself had taken physical form. Nearby, a quieter photograph of his student days in London showed a very different Tunku -- young, far from home, surrounded by his adopted family. It was a gentle reminder that before the negotiations and speeches, there was simply a student learning the world that he would one day negotiate with.

The story then returned to London in 1963, where he signed the Malaysia Agreement at Marlborough House, expanding the dream of Malaya into the larger idea of Malaysia. You could sense the weight of responsibility in those images -- documents on the table, pens poised, history being written in careful strokes. From student to negotiator to nation-builder, the arc of his life felt purposeful, almost cinematic, each step leading naturally to the next.

But what lingered most were the final panels -- his resignation from office, and eventually news of his passing in 1990. After the triumphs and celebrations, the exhibition grew quieter, more reflective. The photographs seemed softer, more human. It was a reminder that even the “Father of Independence” was, in the end, a man who stepped away and grew old like everyone else. Walking out, I didn’t just feel informed about history; I felt as though I had accompanied him through it -- from youthful beginnings, to nationhood, to farewell. Nostalgic for a time I never lived through, yet deeply grateful for the steady hands that helped shape the country we call home.

* The exhibition runs till 29th March 2026 at Muzium Negara

Brother Hijab In The House!

 

Never thought I'd get to see brother Mohammed Hijab live but he's here today in Bangsar for a very deep session, "From Logic to Faith". And for the first time, there are more brothers than sisters in attendance! Masya Allah

Yasir Qadhi In KL

"When you forget about Allah, you forget yourself and you become animalistic in nature"

Alhamdulillah, attending Yasir Qadhi live in KL organised by Faith Events. Today's class is "Glory Be To He". May it be a beneficial session for all, Insya Allah. 

Quran Week With Ustaz Nouman Ali Khan

Quran Week - The Study of Surah Al-Insan - with Ustaz Nouman Ali Khan begins tonight. Rabbi Zidni 'Ilma.

Story Night With Ustaz Nouman Ali Khan!

It was a night of oohs and ahhs as Ustaz Nouman presented deeper perspectives on the story of Nabi Yusuf (AS), making us all ponder on how we could/should rise above the challenges we face in our own lives. Masya Allah, Tabarakallah.

The Art Of Differing With Sheikh Hasib Noor

End of Part 1 of today's excellent seminar on Art of Differing: The Prophetic Approach In Managing Conflicts with Sheikh Hasib Noor. 

Some notes to share:

If He wanted to, Allah could have made of us all one ummah. 

Differing is normal and permissible vs division. We agree on objective but can differ on how to achieve it.

But Differing must go back to evidence. The effects of Differing must be mercy. 

Our Prophet teaches us the multiplicity of reward.

Unity In Diversity: Some Points To Ponder

 

Enlightening sessions at today's International Unity in Diversity Conference 2020 #uidckl. Some notes to share:

Sheikh Nuruddin Lemu (from Nigeria)

- religious extremists mimic mainstream Islam to appropriate legitimacy and recognition

- we need basic critical thinking tools which could be filters to folly

- invest time and effort to learn the basics of these 4 tools (refer pic). Not for us to become scholars ourselves, but detect extremism disguised as mainstream and for us to be alert always

- understand that the shariah is about justice, mercy, wisdom and good. We need to question when a fatwa or ruling is not guided and lead to this

Sheikh Omar Suleiman

- to focus less on merely responding to disasters and speak against policies that create the problems and taking control of the narrative

- revive our own Islamic ethos and live these concepts authentically

- the onus is on us to break out of the narrative of terrorism and Islamophobia and expand on the real meaning of Islam

- to do this, we need to invest in our own media and make sure we do it right by telling our stories in a compelling, honest and authentic manner

Sheikh Dr Yasir Qadhi 

1. In the face of overwhelming adversity, La Tahzan Innalaha Ma'ana

2. Let us aim to strive for unity. Come together and help one another. Diversity of our ummah is a strength! Take the best of every race and culture

3. Need to learn and appreciate both revealed knowledge and acquired knowledge. Both are from Allah

4. Protect the pillar of family. Educate our children in an environment of love and compassion

Wallahu a'lam

The Malaysian F1 GP 2012

The last time I was in Sepang for the Malaysian GP, they canceled the whole damn thing after a few laps. Yup, that was in 2009 when Jenson Button was declared the winner of the "twilight race" that saw heavy rain and dark skies stopping the race with a lot more laps to go. People booed and threw stuff everywhere in disgust; so no, that wasn't such a great day out.

I'd be lying if I said I was not worried about this year's race meeting with the same fate. The weather's been extremely erratic in this country off late, and while a little bit of rain would certainly make the race much more exciting, a mini hurricane would mean another total washout and unruly behaviour from the stands.

Whatever it was, armed with a Diamond Grandstand ticket courtesy of Petronas, and given to me by a colleague, I was pumped up for a good race. The 2012 season has shown that it won't be another Red Bull year and I'm more than ecstatic that the Ice Man Kimi Raikkonen is back on the grid.

My friends and I left USJ at around 1.30pm, but guess what? None of us had a parking sticker. No matter, I told my peeps, they usually sell it on race day after the roundabout near the Sepang mosque. But as it turned out, there's no such thing this time around. So we had to make one big round around the circuit and finally found a spot at Bay 14. From there, we took two shuttle buses up to the main grandstand.

I was also told that SIC had hired 3 "weather consultants" to make sure it was a dry race, but whaddyaknow, this was what greeted us when we got there!

I must say that it didn't feel as crowded in the mall area as compared to the few times I was there. A daily reported that the 3-day total attendance was close to 120k people, but I'm not sure if race day's attendance touched the 100k mark. It certainly didn't feel like it. 

And yes, as it took us a while just to find parking space, we were left with only a few minutes to roam around the mall area after getting in. My mission was simple: buy myself a Kimi Raikkonen merchandise. ANY type of merchandise. But I was told everything was sold out since yesterday! Boohoo.

Then I got to the stand, and as the cars were being prepped on the grid, I could feel raindrops falling on my spf30-protected skin. A few minutes later, full-blown rain came down. Bomoh schmomoh, huh?

I won't go too much into the race save to say that it was indeed a scintillating one, especially during the first part which saw drivers trying to figure out what sort of grip they had with some inevitably spinning.

And of course there was a sense of deja vu when the race was red-flagged after a mere 7 laps. That gave me a chance to go and get the free sandwich from Petronas and switch seats to the lower terrace, but the look of concern was written all over the faces of the spectators. I myself had to rely on twitter for updates, and when it was announced that the race would re-start at 5.15pm, I knew we didn't have to throw any tantrum this time around. Haha.

After the restart, Jenson Button got ahead of Hamilton but got bumped down again after an accident. Suddenly it was Alonso leading while Raikkonen was holding his own in 6th, and later on, 5th position. The surprise of the day was of course Sauber's Sergio Perez who came THIS close to winning it all, but his inexperience proved to be his undoing, and so he had to settle for 2nd while Alonso took the highest step on the podium. For the full report, click HERE .

It was close to 7pm when it ended, and the sights around the circuit was simply breathtaking.

Overall, a great day out at the race it was! But no, I won't go into the whole hell of going home with long queues for the shuttle buses and massive congestion for kms and kms. I'll just save the rant for another day....

The Las Vacas Great Steak Challenge 2011

So, another year, another Las Vacas steak-eating competition. Took part for the very first time last year, and it took very little convincing for me to give it another go this year.

The competition's bigger than ever with 62 participants this year, and for the first time too, it's held at the joint's other outlet in Mont Kiara.
...
..The rules are the same though; the person who eats the most steak in 40 minutes, wins. Easy peasy. But was it really, for me?

I was determined to do better than last year, which means anything above 500gms would be an improvement for me. No way I was gonna win it, so at the very least, I had to recoup the RM100 investment.

And on that count, I did pretty well I must say. We started with 2 pieces of 300gms of black angus ribeye, and yup, I finished those.
...But by the third piece though, I was already struggling. Chewing fast became a chore, and the steak didn't taste as good when I first started. But by the end of the 40mins, I had finished 3/4 of the final piece.

Like I said, I never expected to win, but I left with my pride intact. Haha. The winner chomped down (get ready for this), 2.38kgs of the stuff. I know, giler ke apa??? Dude was declared the champ and also won a trip to Australia....

...But this was it for me. As I write this, meat sweats are still pouring down my body, and with that, I declare I am retiring from all eating competitions. Now, can someone recommend me a good cardiologist?
For more pics, check out the MHI facebook page HERE
...Pics: Nazrul Tahir (sibuk je nak credit)

"Pisau Cukur" Premiere

...

So a couple of nights ago, I attended the premiere of "Pisau Cukur", an 'urban' comedy, at the Cineleisure, The Curve. And I must say it was a well put together event with a very good turnout....

...

The movie itself was pretty good, and I must give an "A" for the acting and "B" for the story. So make sure you catch it starting Nov 5th!

At The ASK

Unless you're allergic to pop culture, you'd know that last night the 2008 Anugerah Skrin was held at the PWTC. And of course our team was there do deliver the best in online experience thru both gua.com.my and http://www.tv3.com.my/.

I wasn't feeling too snap-happy last night, but I did get this pic with a certified legend...