Lorong: The Musical - A Look into the Dark Side of Kuala Lumpur

Last night I attended a musical at The Actor's Studio, Lot 10, called "LORONG: The Musical" (lorong means a small street or a lane in Malay) with my a close friend of mine who is the founder of The Hope Factory and a number of our friends. "LORONG: The Musical" is not your typical musical theatre production led by a famous director and starred by glamorous actors. "LORONG" tells a story about a young boy who grew up in Chow Kit Lane, a high-risk area in the city of Kuala Lumpur. He was abandoned by his real parents and was found and adopted by a transgender who works as a prostitute.

"LORONG" is a story about a boy, Adi, who faces challenges in society as an anak pungut (an abandoned child who is adopted by others, such children are usually looked down on by society).

"LORONG" is a story about the life of a transgender prostitute who decides to change for the better when he became a care-giver to Adi.

"LORONG" is a true story about love and compassion in a place no one thought these two virtues could exist.

Muslim World Tour: Mecca

Gibran is living my dream! Can't say it enough. Visit the Muslim World Tour website and be sure to subscribe to his updates.

Mystery Monday #2

Any ideas where this may be?

**UPDATED**
Read below and find out!

Style Sunday: Ethnik Batik

Pullman Hotel, Putrajaya

Faith Friday: The Muslim Prayer {Part I}

At varsity last year, there was an issue involving female Muslim students praying inside the Women's Room which was provided for female students to make themselves a cup of hot chocolate, eat lunch or and just hang out. This made some women feel uncomfortable because they didn't know what was going on or they felt they were being disrespectful when talking while a Muslim girl was in the midst of a prayer. In effort to solve this problem, one of the university's staff me asked why these girls didn't choose to pray in the mussolah  (prayer room) which was already provided for Muslim students by the varsity. Most of the Muslim girls said it was a hassle for them to walk all the way there because they were already in the library or they were rushing in between classes. The staff also asked, "What happens if you miss your prayers? Do you have to pray at a specific time?" 

Muslimah Empowered: Myriam Francois-Cerrah

(Read full interview here)

Myriam Francois-Cerrah is a woman I greatly admire. A Muslim convert. A writer. An intellectual. A journalist and a PhD candidate at Oxford University, masha'Allah. Amongst many other roles, she is also a wife, a mother and active blogger. She is the perfect example of a Muslimah Empowered!

Mystery Monday #1: Afghanistan

For those who have been waiting to find out the answer to Mystery Monday #1, wait no more! Apart from Afghanistan, many of you said it was Pakistan or Iran which were very close. I'm proud of my readers for knowing so much about saffron too. Without going into detail about Afghan politics, here are some facts about Afghanistan and its people and culture.

Do you like my new blog feature 'Mystery Monday' so far?

{source: everything afghanistan}

For a great collection of pictures of this country check out Afghanistan in Photos. 

Mystery Monday #1

Salaam, Hello, Hiya, Ola! 

I'm not sure if you've noticed but I took a little break from my online social life for a while. I've been a bit pre-occupied with some things and I also felt an online hiatus was overdue. Well, it was only for a week. I should've made it a month! Anyway, I thought I should kickstart this week with a new feature on my blog. 

MYSTERY MONDAY!! 

During my break I took some time to browse other people's blogs. Wow, there sure are many fashion and beauty blogs out there! So I thought it would be cool to offer something different to the blogscene. 'Mystery Monday' was inspired by an e-mail I received from my brother a few weeks ago. It had pictures of beautiful scenery and tourist attractions from all over the world. Places I never knew existed. It was an eye-opening e-mail and it was nice for a change. 

I've decided that I will try to do the same with my blog. Inshaa Allah (God Willing) 'Mystery Monday' will be a weekly post where I will feature one country and interesting pictures from that particular country as clues to help you guess which country it is. I will reveal the answer in the same post the next day and include interesting facts so we can all learn something new about the world we live in. How does that sound? 

Let's begin with the first 'Mystery Monday' then! Can you guess in what country were these photos taken and what are in these photos? 

La Isla Bonita: Lang Tengah {Part III}

A promise is a promise: I said I would post more pictures of Lang Tengah island didn't I?

La Isla Bonita: Lang Tengah {Part II}

Lang Tengah is the place to be if you love white sandy beaches and want to escape the craziness of your daily life. And if you long for privacy, luxury and comfort Sari Pacifica Lang Tengah is the resort for you. It's über private and perfect for relaxation. When I was there I could think so much more clearly about my life because I felt like the rest of the world faded away and all that was left was this beautiful, exotic island. I couldn't  help but be amazed by God's creation. 

Immersed in comfort and beauty: That's how you will feel when you stay at this resort. Imagine waking up and having all your meals with this view everyday.

Forgotten Promises

I can't believe I didn't see this earlier.Beautiful song, beautiful video with a strong and meaningful message.
All proceeds generated by this single will be donated to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to help sustain and scale-up its humanitarian operations in the Horn of Africa, hit by the worst drought it has experienced in 60 years. Visit LiveFeedAfrica.org to learn more about the Livefeed initiative and make your donation online. 

Buy now and help save lives in the Horn of Africa: 

 iTunes: http://bit.ly/vf1MKX

Amazon: http://amzn.to/x42Z2U 

HMV: http://bit.ly/yQ1OUl 

emusic: http://bit.ly/xrV8JC

La Isla Bonita: Lang Tengah {Part I}

Last month my family and I went on a 'surprise' holiday which my brother had organised for us. He didn't give us much details. All we knew was that we would be going to an island on the east coast of Malaysia. Just outside the city of Kuala Terengganu. It was my first trip to the state of Terengganu and I was really looking forward to it. But I had no idea that I was about to go on the most memorable holiday with my family. 

After a 45-minute flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Terengganu we were greeted by a chauffeur who took us to a jetty where we waited for a boat to take us to this 'mystery' island. It was raining heavily but I didn't mind it at all. I felt it was part of the adventure. We waited for more than 30 minutes. The delay was caused by a storm which happened earlier in the morning. 

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head: Enjoying the scene at the jetty before the rain eventually eased down. 

Faith Friday: The Best Sinner

We are fond of delaying repentance. Sometimes we are afraid of change. "What might people say?" Sometimes we put off repentance because we fear God will never accept our repentance for the sins we've committed. "I've made so many mistakes. I don't know even know where to begin. What's the point?" This is called losing hope in God's Mercy. Then sometimes we convince ourselves that there will always be a tomorrow.

Nayati is Home!

Best news ever!! ='))) 

Alhamdulillah.

A big thank you to everyone who helped bring him home safely. 

I'm so happy for the family!

via twitter

source: The Star

** Latest update: It was reported that the family paid a ransom of RM 300,000 to the kidnappers. **

A video of his return can be seen here. Thanks for sharing Jass Veniat.

A press release from the family's spokesman on Facebook:

"

We are delighted to tell you that Nayati is back home with us and although it has obviously been a very traumatic time for him, he appears at this stage to be in good shape. We cannot begin to say how proud we are of him and the way that he has coped with the events of the past week.

 We have been overwhelmed by the support we have received from all our friends here in Kuala Lumpur and all over the world.

Find Nayati Moodliar

Last Friday, a 12 year old boy was kidnapped in Mont Kiara while he was on his way to school at 7.30 a.m.. Posters of his picture is now all Kuala Lumpur and the Internet - Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter - along with vague details of his kidnappers and contact details for those with any information about his whereabouts. Until today there are still no signs of Nayati Moodliar, the only son of two South African expatriates who currently live in Kuala Lumpur. 

Nayati's abduction shocked everyone in Malaysia. Especially parents. But even those who aren't parents, like myself, are shaken by this tragedy too. Maybe it's the fact that he's an innocent child and that it could have happened to one of our family members. Maybe it's because it happened in our neighbourhood which we have always assumed to be relatively safe. Or maybe it's the fact that it happened all too suddenly. Just like that he was snatched away. No warning signs. Nothing.