Currently reading:

 

April 2024. This is very unusual. I would not read BM books unless if it is related to Islam. BUT this book is written by my cousin, so I'll give it a try!

Current thoughts: Life is a journey. The author shared her lessons in life mainly through her travels and being with her family; the sweet and the bitter. Every chapter would begin with simple words of wisdom. It is artistic writing but as a typical old-school science-based guy, I find it hard to swallow the 'style'. There is one chapter which is made in a poem and my brain can't process it at all (skip!!!). Anyway, to me, you are meant to 'consume' two or three chapters (they are very short) in a session, and then reflect upon them. It is not meant to be binge-read and finished in one or two days. Still, let's keep on reading! 

Update #2: Okay, I kind of struggled to keep on reading. I just had to find the 'main' point in each short story; I was trained as an academician to do this and this does not suit well with storylines where you have to read everything to get the 'feeling'... However, I will keep on pushing through!

Feb 2024. The name of the book explains itself. Ask anyone 'smart' (I'm trying!) and they would recommend this book to you.

654 pages not including Bibliography. Okay, this is going to take a while... 

Update #1. May 2024. Finished the first 5 chapters. At this point. apart from 'common' names such as Hubble, Darwin, Newton, etc, there were just so many scientists that have been mentioned that I gave up remembering who is who! Anyway, we have come so far that we have taken for granted how people used to travel for years (even a decade!) just to measure or complete an experiment! This book gives us a glimpse of the pain and brilliance of the scientists of the past.

Current projects:

  • 3 manuscripts (for publication)

    • 1 accepted for publication. 1 submitted. 1 KIV for 2025?

  • This website!

    • Officially published on 17/2/2024

  • Preparation for SOE Technovate 2.0 (ETA: July 2024)

  • Something new for INTI networking subject. Shhh...

Books I've read:

(I will try to give a synopsis to each book for your reading benefit -> ongoing project)

On Islam
  • Al-Ibanah: Buku Putih Imam al-Asy'ari
  • Ummahat al-Mu'minin: Mengenali Para Isteri Nabi SAW 
  • Israk & Mikraj: Peristiwa yang Diabadikan dalam al-Qur'an 
  • Zaadul Ma'ad
  • Metodologi Memahami Hadis
  • Hadith Palsu dan Daif Popular dalam Masyarakat Melayu 
  • Muhammad SAW: Insan Paling Sempurna Pernah Dilahirkan. Prophet Muhammad is the best of man. A highly recommended book to both Muslims and non-Muslims. 
  • Halal dan Haram dalam Islam
  • Siyar A'lam an-Nubala' (Jilid I until ??)
  • Aqidah at-Thahawiyah (terjemahan & ringkasan)
  • Asam Garam Rumah Tangga Nabi (Jilid 1 hingga 3)
  • Al-Qur'an Yang Belum Kita Baca
  • Sehebat Mereka
  • Memahami Maqasid Syariah (I cheated, I didn't finish this book; got bored and lost interest..)
  • Mukaddimah Ibn Khaldun (erm, I cheated again, I couldn't finish this book; lost interest and the content was really heavy) 
  • Fiqh al-Awlawiyyat (Keutamaan)
  • Quran Saintifik
  • Waktu Mustajab Doa
  • al-Kaba'ir: Dosa-dosa Besar
  • Berakhirnya Dunia Ini: Tanda-tanda Kiamat Kecil dan Besar
  • 131 Tanda Kecil Kiamat. The same as the above but with deeper analyses and interpretation of hadith.
  • Bicarawara Sains Islam. 826 pages. Honestly, this is the best BM-based historical book on Islam and Science. I respect Mat Rofa Ismail as a scientific scholar and author, but I do reject his shallow and biased understanding on the issue of Wahhabism. 
  • Formula Solat Sempurna
  • Travelog Haji
  • Hadis 40 Imam an-Nawawi
  • Kompas 114
  • Aqidah Ahli Sunnah Wal Jama'ah (Haji Said Haji Ibrahim)
  • As-Syamail al-Muhammadiyah
  • Ruqyah Syar'iyyah. By Dr Khalid al-Jarisi. A collection of authentic supplications (doa') and rites against black magic (sihir) and disturbance from djinn. Don't get fooled by shamans (bomoh)!
  • Indahnya Hidup Bersyariat
  • The Prophetic Medicine
  • 200 Soal Jawab Hadis
  • 40 Kisah Palsu Tetapi Masyhur
  • Kisah-Kisah Tidak Sahih di Meja Penceramah
  • 40 Sirah Popular Yang Diragui Berkenaan Nabi & Sahabat

On History
  • Six Days. A sad history of how modern Palestine was lost to Israel. Read my synopsis here (Bahasa Melayu).
  • Prophets and Princes: Saudi Arabia from Muhammad to the Present
  • The Malay Dilemma Revisited
  • Pengembaraan Ibn Battutah
  • The End of UMNO? Bridget Welsh is a neutral political analyst and I always enjoy reading her articles. This book is more about history, rather than critique. 

Misc
  • Billion Dollar Whale. Unraveling the web of deceit. This is the story of the 1MDB scandal. And I'm pretty sure there are a lot more that we didn't know of!
  • A Brief History of Time. Discover the creation of the universe! An overwhelming part of this book is still relevant today (2024), despite the numerous discoveries since then. What a great mind.  
  • Once Upon a Time in Bursa. Among others, this book propelled the investment career of Ng Zhu Hann AKA Tradeview. I am also proud to have bought his book when it was recently launched, where he eventually grabbed the MPH Best of 2021 Business Reading Award! I highly recommend this book to new investors. p/s: No, I do not invest in his funds just to be clear.
  • Rule #1. On top of his book, Phil Town is also generous enough to share his investment calculators. I've personally used this one (excel file), but I'm no longer doing 'active' investing (switched to 'passive').
  • Exploring Arduino. I read this during my postgraduate studies as I had to use.... Arduino (of course) to build my prototype and data logger.