Not so long ago, it was quite common in Malaysia for parents to look for suitable partners for their children, a practice which the Western world refers to as ‘arranged marriages’. Contrary to popular belief, however, the children have the choice to either accept or turn down their parents’ suggested candidates. And the ‘arranging’ process […]
I had the honour of being the unofficial back-up photographer for a wedding last weekend.
It was no easy task fighting my way through the crowd to get a good shot, jostling my way through the uncountable point-and-shoot digital cameras and camera phones of relatives and guests, to the amusement (I surmise) of the two official […]
After a month of fasting comes a month of feasting!
Technically, the celebration of the end of Ramadhan — known as Eid ul Fitr in Arabic but referred to as Hari Raya Aidilfitri in Malaysia (or Raya for short) — is only on the first day of the month of Syawwal. In Malaysia, however, the celebrations […]
These are the lyrics to the song “Balik Kampung” (’Back To My Hometown’) by the late Malaysian singer, Sudirman, roughly translated into English by yours truly:
Balik Kampung
Perjalanan jauh tak ku rasa
(The journey is long but I don’t feel it)
Kerna hati ku melonjak sama
(Because my heart is jumping)
Ingin berjumpa sanak saudara
(Longing to see my family & […]
The exodus has begun.
Hordes of cars, buses and motorcycles now clog the North-South Expressway for people bound to the north (Ipoh, Penang, Kedah) and the south (Seremban, Malacca, Johor, Singapore). You can see the same thing along Karak Highway for people bound for Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan. Flights to Sabah, Sarawak, and even to Indonesia […]
