Guest Workers

The other day when I was passing a construction site, I noticed some activity on the top of the building.

From what I could make out the worker was not wearing any safety harness or other safety device except for a 'hard hat'.

We are always complaining about the social problems that having guests workers here are causing, but we give little credit to the fact that they do most of the dangerous and unappealing jobs that we Malaysians shy away from. (That's why I'm guessing that the guy up there is not Malaysian.)

I just need to remind myself that whenever I see a guest worker I should at least smile at him/her as my way of saying 'Thank You' for saving us the trouble of doing every thing ourselves.

Bakawali Flower

The other day, my sister called me to inform that the Bakawali flowers at her house would be blooming that night.  (She had witnessed the blooms many times before to notice the signs.)


So at about 10.00 p.m. that night I visited her armed with my camera.  It was truly a beautiful sight.

I counted a total of 15 flowers in bloom with many more buds in various stages of development.

As the flower only blooms at night and then only lasts a few hours, many people have never seen it.

Its nocturnal blooming has given rise to many myths and legends about the plant. 

Malaysians of Chinese origin belief that the plant brings good luck and they often tie pieces of red ribbons around each leaf. 

The blooms are a harbinger of good fortune and if the plant wilts or dies it foretells that ill fortune is to follow.

The Malays belief in the presence of a guardian (a nymph or bunian) when the flowers bloom.

I must have been truly lucky to be blessed with the sight of so many blooms all in one night.

Epiphyllum oxypetalum (Dutchman's Pipe, kardable, Night Queen or Gul-e-Bakawali) is a species of cactus and one of the most cultivated species in the genus. It is also referred to as Night blooming Cereus and often confused with species of Selenicereus. (Wikipedia.org)

The plant is widely cultivated all over the world that its origins are quite obscure although Wikipedia does mention its being Sri Lankan in origin. 

Easily cultivated this fast growing plant needs compost containing plenty of humus and sufficient moisture. It can be grown in semi-shade or full sun.

Intellect

Recently I was at an 'Islamic' bookshop (the type that only sell books relating to Islam, and only by Muslim authors and publishers) and picked up a book on 'Beliefs'.  I was browsing the introduction and immediately put it down as what I understood was that the author was trying to say is that intellect is not important in Islam, as otherwise what is the reason for revelation.  (If he had said that intellect by itself alone is not sufficient I wouldn't have minded, but he said something to the effect that intellect is irrelevant.)

I sometimes wonder if those we generally consider experts on Islam do actually read the Quran and understand it as a practical guide to daily living in these and future times.

I just need to remind myself that the Quran is replete with verses requiring the use of intellect and reasoning, such as these:

Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of the night and day - there are indeed signs for men of understanding.

(AliImran 3:190 - Abdullah Yusof Ali translation)

Avicenna (Ibn Sina) - The Golden Age of Islam

Statue of Ibn Sina at Dushanbe, Tajikstan

(Photo from wikipedia.org)

The other day, when I was writing my post on Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, I mentioned that medicine has come a long way since Avicenna under the photo of NCSM's Nuclear Medicine Centre sign.

This got me thinking: "Knowledge was almost a monopoly of the Muslims then, while today, Muslims seem to be shy of knowledge, maybe even averse to it."

"What happened between then and now?"

"What can I do?"

An Arabic copy of the Cannon of Medicine dated 1593

(Photo from wikipedia.org)

Crime Rate Down

The above is one of the headlines in today's Star.  Why is it that I still don't really feel safe? 

A lighter side to the Hulu Selangor By-Election

I saw this at http://jelas.info/ and thought of sharing it here. Enjoy! 

National Achievers Congress 2010

The National Achievers Congress 2010 was held at the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre from 23 to 25 April 2010.  I was given 2 tickets for the event, so I dragged along a colleague for company.  I was expecting to recognize a lot of people there, but I only met with a few friends.  I did make a few new ones though.

The congress was organized by Success Resources, a Singapore based company with a Malaysian branch.

 There were about a dozen speakers at the congress...

...among them, John P Coutis.

Born with a severe disability that rendered his legs useless, John defied medical opinion by refusing to die.  Today John speaks all around the world to tens of thousands, very enthusiastic and eager people whom he leaves breathless.  Read more about John P Coutis here.

Many people were posing for a photo with John...

... I couldn't resist.

John had even spoken at this function as far back as 1998.


Another speaker was of course Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of Britain.

 Photo from Malaysian Insider

Photo from Rocky's Bru

While there was a large police presence at the Convention Centre, I was not aware of the 100 or so persons gathered to protest the presence of Blair.

Blair spoke about how interdependent we all are, how global challenges have become and the speed at which change occurs today.  Success is dependent on being open minded and our willingness to embrace change.

It was ironical that when there were those protesting outside the hall, Blair spoke to a standing ovation by the around 3,000 participants of the Congress.