Discount and rebate at POPULAR bookstores nationwide..

My latest book has been shortlisted in the POPULAR bookstore's choice and a 20% discount and rebate is given at all its branches nationwide.

This offer is valid beginning 6th August until 7th October 2010. Please click here for the link. Readers are welcomed to get the book at your nearest POPULAR bookstore branch.

Some more information about the book....

"Puteri Di Alam Fantasi" (translated as ‘Princess in Wonderland’) is a book intended to sow seeds of appreciation and to inculcate amongst our youngsters, the love and care for this earth we live in. Hence, the need to be involved with efforts in sustaining it. Also the importance of caring for another fellow human being as well as others. All for the sake of our Creater i.e. God, none as Exalted as He is.

For those Malay Language readers who have finished reading this book, I would appreciate very much if you could make some comments and evaluation of the book at the publisher's portal (PTS) here... As a writer, it feels great to be able to gather feedbacks from readers (be it good or bad).

Although this book is for children, adults too may contemplate and ponder over the message that the book was intended to deliver...the idea and concepts were based on “Alice in Wonderland” with trimmings and touches of good values, to nurture goodness in the minds of our young readers…

God says in the Quran:

وَ مَا أَرْسلْنَك إِلا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَلَمِينَ‏
“We sent thee not, but as a mercy for all creatures..” (Al-Anbiya’/21: 107)

Wasn’t the coming of Islam and also our Rasul (peace be upon him) none other than as Rahmatan Lil-‘Alamin?

God knows best…

Plastic bags? No...

“You want this?” said the Malay lady, the owner of the Herbal Rice (Nasi Kerabu) stall, her fingers deftly weaving in and out of the delicacies laid out on the table. Her customer flashed an eager smile, her head nodding away, looking pleased.

“This?” said the owner of the stall again, this time her fingers were holding the spoon to something which looks like budu (fermented anchovy sauce).

“Oh no! No, thank you!” she broke out into a laugh.

The nasi kerabu seller went on to stack the tiffin carrier and was about to put it into a plastic bag when the owner said, “Please, no thank you! No plastic bag, please!”

And off she went, full of energy. I watched her happily walking away, her blonde head bobbing amongst the crowd. Everybody else around were smiling. I looked down at the bundles of plastic bags filled with the things we bought, wrapped around the fingers of my other half. And mine too! We exchanged meaningful looks. Guilty to the core…

We were feasting our eyes, buying dinner, at the Saturday night market in Kuah, Langkawi – only, it was still daylight then. The sun slowly moving towards the horizon.

The next morning, we met the blonde again, at the elevator. We exchanged smiles. Little did we know that we were staying in the same condominium block, overlooking the sea, just off the yatch training centre. The place belongs to my brother. A very popular piece of property with numerous expatriate owners.

I salute the spirit of some of these expatriates – their conviction on greening, no plastic bags and all. Hiring bikes, or walking to town. More sensitive towards issues concerning sustaining the earth. Of which we Muslims should be at the forefront. We - who are supposed to be Allah’s vicegerent on this earth…

So touched I was, that when I returned to my working home at Parit Buntar, I tried to emulate the same spirit. And so, the next time I was buying my grocery, I brought my carrier bag along. At the checkout counter, the girl was filling in my things in plastic bags, oblivious to the carrier bag which I held out to her. So, smiling and full of spirits, I said, “No plastic bags, please! In this bag here, thank you!”

What did I get? Pouting lips, frowns and glaring stares, also from the adjacent check-out counter… So much for trying to go green, eh?

BeeeeZeeeee.....

It has been an eventful looooong month. More than a month actually…

The OCEANS 2010 conference in Sydney, ‘holiday’ in Shanghai. ‘Holiday’ means accompanying my husband who was on a business trip. New intake of students and ‘new’ subject to teach this session and in this new semester. Speaking of ‘new’ means handling a subject which I thought that I would not be teaching anymore. The last time I laid my eyes on the subject was about 6 years ago and so I was frantically trying to find my notes (maybe in my old laptop which has since been ‘condemned’).

As a consequence, I have been living on a day to day basis – lectures tomorrow and preparations? Today and till late at nights….

But in between, there was little Ameer Ihsan’s one year birthday. Yes! Already a year since the little darling – new addition to the family, was born. Our first little jewel i.e. his sister - Nuha Insyirah, is already 5 now...

Amongst other things which I was extremely happy about was the success of my good ole student in undergoing her Masters (M.Sc.) viva session just recently. Very tough, but she pulled through with gusto... Some corrections and she will be on her way..convocation in March next year, God Willing (Congrats L!)

I owe a lot to her – for without her assistance in collecting all the data, I would not have progressed in my own Doctorate studies years ago…As soon as I hired her, she had to spend at least 2 months each time at HUSM, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan. Never been there, problems in understanding the language – adjusting to the food – sometimes unpalatable to her taste but she put up with all these willingly, faithfully, diligently..…anyway, those were the days.

The recent convocation (early August 2010) brought me back to this little gift, presented by 4 students who have graduated on the occasion. I was their supervisor for their final year projects (here, we call it FYP). Reading their messages inscribed in the accompanying card, makes me happy inside. A sense of satisfaction and you feel good about a job done well with full sincerity….

Very beeeezeeee indeed...

Talking about being busy. I saw this line written on one of the walls of the hangar at Kepala Batas, Alor Setar, while on our way back to Jitra – my husband’s kampung, so many, many years ago..

“It is ok to be busy but please do not be busy bodies….”

My children were bent with laughter in the rear seat of the car when they read it. I totally agree with the phrase. Do you?

PS. To all friends and readers – May the blessings of Allah be with you throughout Ramadhan and forever…Amin…