The best bookstores in KL

E-books may be taking over the world, but brick-and-mortar bookstores will always be special because you can never replace the joy of a paperback in your backpack. Live vicariously through your favourite characters at these best bookstores in the city. 

Cite Book Garden

Cite (magazine publisher, champion of local and Singaporean writers, and the biggest Chinese online bookstore in the country) opened a physical bookstore in the form of Cite Book Garden, a small store designed for bibliophiles to relax and browse at length. The book garden features actual plants by way of hanging potted ferns by the window, a few chairs where readers can sit and read, a wall displaying the magazines they publish (ranging from fashion glossies like Vivi to the Chinese edition of National Geographic), a wide selection of titles from Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China, and even a small café (they once offered coffee workshops partnering with Exhibit Café from TTDI). The second floor houses an event space for readings, talks, activities for kids, and more.

Cara Mudah Dikabulkan Doa

Ahli sufi dan ulama terkenal, Abu Ishak Ibrahim al-Hurawi pernah berpesan, jika seseorang ingin doanya mudah diterima oleh Allah SWT supaya berjanji kepada diri sendiri untuk melaksanakan lima perkara berikut:

• Mengawal makan dengan memakan sekadar perlu sahaja.
• Memakai pakaian yang perlu sahaja dan tidak berlebihan.
• Mengawal tidur, dengan tidak tidur secara berlebihan.
• Mengawal percakapan dengan perkara yang baik-baik sahaja.
• Selalu merendah diri, menjaga dan memelihara hawa nafsu, pancaindera dan anggota badan daripada terjerumus kepada perbuatan dosa.

Kelebihan / Fadhilat Ayat Al-Kursi

  بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ                                         

Ayat 255 dari Surah Al-Baqarah yang lebih dikenali sebagai‘Ayat Al-Kursi’ ini juga digelar ‘Penghulu Segala Ayat Al-Quran’.

Ayat ini diturunkan selepas hijrah Nabi Muhammad SAW, dengan diiringi oleh beribu-ribu malaikat karena kebesaran dan kemuliaannya. Syaitan dan iblis juga telah menjadi gempar kerana adanya satu alamat yang menjadi perintang dalam perjuangan mereka. Maka Rasulullah SAW dengan segera memerintahkan Zaid bin Tsabit (penulis Al-Quran) agar menulis serta menyebarkannya.

Ayat ini disebut ‘Ayat Kursi’ kerana di dalamnya terdapat perkataan ‘KURSI’, bermaksud ‘Tempat Duduk Yang Megah Lagi Yang Mempunyai Martabat’. Iaitu syiar ataskebesaran Tuhan yang meliputi 7 lapis langit dan 7 lapis bumi.

Are You Guilty Of Using Any Of These Passwords?

With all that Heartbleed Bug news, suddenly we’ve got thinking about the passwords we use. We’ve even had to go through the headache of thinking up new ones all over again (and if you haven’t, you definitely should – check here for which sites you should change now!).

It’s definitely interesting to see some of the ‘creative’ passwords users think of. Some are extraordinarily funny; some are just alright, while some are straight up common and could be guessed within a few seconds.

Some people use the events of their lives as their passwords (we’re serious!). For instance, we have a friend that uses the name of their ex followed by a horrid word to describe their nasty breakup. Perhaps it’s a way for these poor souls to vent their anger… somehow? We think it would only make us more frustrated, tapping out their name every day.

Then there’s always that fail safe… using the word “password” as their password. Believe it or not, this is actually one of the most common passwords used around the world. They actually believe that no would ever guess it, as it’s too obvious. It’s simply amazing how these people’s minds work, isn’t it?

A place in Malaysia you’ve probably never heard of : Bau, Sarawak

The people that live there

There are over 40 sub-ethnic groups in Sarawak and three main linguistic groups: Biatah, Singai-Jagoi, and Bukar and Sadong. In the Bau region located about 40 minutes from Kuching, the major sub-ethnic group are the Singai-Jagoi Bidayuhs. Bidayuh, which translates to ‘people of the land’, were formerly known as the Land Dayaks and they make up the second largest native ethnic group in Sarawak after the Ibans.

People of the Bidayuh tribe during the Gawai Dayak festival | Photo credit: CHEN WS / Shutterstock.com

Tribes in the Bau region are believe to have come from West Kalimantan some 700 years ago. In particular, the Jagoi-Bratak people chose to settle on top of Mount Bratak where they felt it was safe, and that actually held true for quite some time as the settlement was well fortified and flourished.

Kuching Waterfront: Bazaar far from bizarre

East Malaysia, on the island of Borneo, has many appealing qualities and the Sarawak capital of Kuching offers a relaxed and yet, vibrant setting. The riverfront district along the Sarawak River, in downtown Kuching, is now an open space used mostly for recreation. It’s a lively pedestrian-only precinct that is frequented by the locals who use it for leisure activities, to enjoy a sunset drink, or have a meal beneath shady trees.

A fascinating part of this riverfront area is the street named Main Bazaar which runs alongside the river. Retail shops, bazaars, and a few dining outlets front the street but there are numerous uniquely Sarawakian and Bornean products sold in the shops here to ensure that the bazaars are a bit more bizarre than mainstream.

The former trading houses, or go-downs, along Jalan Main Bazaar offer an intriguing insight to the area’s historic activities before it became a major tourism precinct. With awnings providing shade, it’s easy to amble along here, and the best place to start your walk is at the former Court House which has recently been converted to an amazing lifestyle concept under the ChinaHouse banner.

What were once go-downs for goods unloaded at the riverside docks are now mostly craft and souvenir shops selling items from Borneo. These old shops with captivating names present a face of a bygone era – names such as Dayak Art, Sarawak Steamship Berhad, and Haiyen Bird’s Nest offer some intrigue before you even step inside.

Will You Be Able To Keep Your Home If You Lose Your Job?

After saving for years to buy your home, it seems too careless to lose it because of disability, illness or retrenchment. If you don’t have a plan B for these instances, how will you be able to make your home loan repayments?

Disability and death are covered by Mortgage Level Term Asssurance (MLTA) or Mortgage Reducing Term Assurance (MRTA), but what about retrenchment?

If the word ‘retrenchment’ doesn’t send chills down your spine, the stats below would likely make you shudder.

From January to September 2015 alone, more than 20,000 employees lost their jobs in Malaysia, and the retrenchment trend is expected to continue in 2017.  The truth is, job security is not what it used to be, and if you are unfortunate enough to be retrenched by your employer, getting another job immediately may not be as easy as well.

Hiring has also slowed significantly. Monster, a global online employment firm, said its year-over-year study of job postings on the Internet showed a 39% drop across all occupations and sectors in Malaysia.

Even jobs in the public sector were also harder to come by as the government froze hiring of civil servants except for critical positions last year.

Things Kids Of Today Won’t Understand

Today’s Kid Won’t Understand

Being a kid born prior to the millennium, I’ve had my fair share of VCR tapes, floppy disks and Beverly Hills 90210. Kids today are connected on their smartphones and tablets that they simply don’t understand the struggles of having to call on someone and see if they could come out and play after dinner.

While we were watching Saturday morning cartoons and gobbling down fruit loops, kids are now watching Keeping Up With The Kardasians while shopping online. While every generation has their perks, here are some things that children of today will never understand.

Dial-Up Internet

Waiting for someone to put down the phone so that you could finally dial-up to the Internet was such a home drama. Yelling and arguments broke out so often that mum and dad had to step in. The result: nobody could use the phone at all. The nerve…

5 Most Expensive International Schools In The Klang Valley

To ensure their children remain competitive in the increasingly borderless world, more and more Malaysian parents are opting for international and private education for their children. However, these schools do not come for cheap.

In 2012, the Malaysian government has eliminated the quota for Malaysian enrolment at international schools. Due to the quota and the lack of affordable options, only selected affluent Malaysians could afford to send their children to these schools previously.

The 2012 decision to remove the quota has opened the floodgates and more international schools are mushrooming all over the country. According to the latest data by the International School Consultancy Group (ISC), a UK-based organisation, there are currently 99 English-medium international schools in the country, with a total of 39,460 students.

The market has been growing at a rate of 19% per annum for the past five years, and it is showing no signs of stagnation.

Based on latest findings, 40% of the students in these premium schools are local Malaysians, 9% British, 6% South Korean and 4% American.

How expensive are these premium schools really? We have collated the top 5 most expensive international schools in the country and this is how much you will have to fork out to send your child to these schools from nursery all the way till graduation:

Tumis Air Bayam Merah

Kita hari-hari memang kena masak dan makan sayur. Tak kiralah apa-apa sayur pun kerana ia sebenarnya baik untuk kesihatan. 

Dulu kami tak berapa suka makan sayur..

Kalau mak masak sayur , kami kerap juga merungut.. terutamanya bila mak masak bening.. atau tumis air. Pasti bosan rasanya.. "macam lauk orang sakit aje.. " rungut kami setiap kali pulang sekolah di sajikan dengan sayur air...

Agar-agar Rintik Santan Pandan

Hari ni kami sediakan agar-agar sebagai pencuci mulut. Dah lama kami nak buat agar-agar ni.. tapi selalu aje terlupa. Hari ini dapatlah kami sampaikan hajat nak membuatnya.

Resepi agar-agar ini di kongsikan oleh Izah dari blog Izah Muffin Lover . Menurut Izah beliau dapat resepi ini dari buku Aneka Puding. Asalnya Agar-agar rintik santan, tapi bila dah di olah ianya menjadi agar-agar rintik pandan pula. Itulah yang buatkan kami teruja nak cuba sebab gabungan warna hitam dari gula merah dan hijau tu seakan menaikkan seri agar-agar ini.

Agar-agar ni sedap, lembut aje.. dan amat sesuailah kalau nak buat untuk rumah terbuka nanti. Cara dan kaedah membuatnya pun mudah aje.. Cuma lain kali bila kami buat untuk lapisan gula merah tu ita kena kurangkan gula merah dan tambahkan gula pasir sedikit. Sebab gula merah ni rasanya lain sikit.. kalau gula Melaka bagi kami ok lagi... gula merah ni dia ada rasa kelat-kelat sikit... Tapi terpulang pada citarasa masing-masing..

Air Asam dan Ikan Caru Bakar

Kita mulakan menu hari ini dengan ikan caru bakar yang di cicah bersama air asam yang power...

Ikan bakar ni sesekali makan dengan kuah lemak pekena pula dengan nasi hangat memang terangkat habis...

Kami sukakan kuah asam yang pedas gilerrr... barulah berpeluh-peluh makan.. tu yang syok sangat tu..

Pencuk, Jelatah, Acar timun nenas atau Acar Cuka, semuanya adalah sama....

Pencuk, Jelatah, Acar timun nenas atau acar cuka adalah nama bagi makanan yang sama. Mungkin lain daerah lain gelarannya. 

Kaedah membuat Acar cuka sangat mudah kerana ianya tidak perlu di masak. Acar cuka ni tak tahan lama, ia cepat rosak kerana timun dan nenas tu mudah berair dan membuatkan ia tidak tahan lama . Jika di buat untuk sekali makan sahaja dan bukan untuk di simpan berhari-hari di dalam peti ais.

Selain timun, nenas dan lobak, ada juga meletakkan kobos yang di hiris nipis. Tak kiralah kobis putih, atau kobis unggu.

Ada sesetengah orang menaburkan sedikit bijan yang telah di sangai atau kacang tanah yang telah di goreng dan di tumbuk.

Pencuk atau acar timun ini biasanya enak di makan bersama nasi minyak, nasi tomato, nasi bukhari, nasi beriani atau nasi-nasi yang sewaktu dengannya. lauk yang serasi bersamanya kebiasannya lauk ayam masak merah, memang sesuai sangan lah gandingan pasangan berdua ini.

7 Kesilapan Ini Biasa Orang Lakukan Semasa 'Interview'

Tidak semua syarikat di dunia mementingkan resume yang diberikan pemburu kerja semasa temuduga. Penemuduga selalunya mengambil masa kurang 10 minit untuk menyelak resume yang diberi, dan selebihnya bergantung kepada bahasa badan calon temu duga itu sendiri.

Bahasa badan atau 'body language' sering dipandang remeh atau langsung tidak dipedulikan oleh calon temuduga disebabkan mereka terlalu fokus kepada penyampaian resume atau penampilan diri.

Namun sebaliknya, pergerakan badan memainkan peranan penting dalam menyokong resume calon, sekali gus menampilkan calon sebagai individu yang berkeyakinan tinggi atau kreatif.

Berikut adalah tujuh kesilapan besar melibatkan bahasa badan yang dilakukan oleh calon semasa temuduga.

6 Fakta Untuk Dapatkan Biasiswa

Perlu ke lulus dan dapat straight A?

Biasiswa dianugerahkan kepada pelajar berdasarkan merit, pencapaian akademik, bakat khas, hobi, atau kriteria-kriteria yang ditetapkan oleh organisasi yang memberi sumbangan tersebut. Ada juga biasiswa yang diberikan berdasarkan keperluan pelajar tertentu.

Biasiswa bukan sahaja membantu pelajar dari segi kewangan, tetapi juga seperti ada kebanggan tertentu sebagai penerima, apalagi jika biasiswa yang diterima terkenal susah untuk didapatkan.

Sebelum mohon biasiswa, cari tahu dulu 6 perkara berkaitan soalan dan fakta di bawah:

Smoking vs Vaping : How Much Is It Really Costing You

The recent price hike for cigarettes have caused an uproar among the smokers in Malaysia with some brands going up as high as RM18 per box. On the other hand, a recent crackdown on vape juices (e-liquids) with nicotine by the Health Ministry has also caused outrage amongst vape store owners who have had their stocks confiscated by Health Ministry officers.

It was reported that in Selangor alone, over 300 vape stores were raided in the beginning of November. Under the Poisons Act 1952, the sale of nicotine can only be undertaken by licensed pharmacists and registered medical practitioners, and is prohibited by other parties. Similarly, under the existing legislation, the sale of e-liquids with nicotine can also only be supplied by registered medical practitioners and licensed pharmacists. However, pharmacists are saying they are not keen on selling vape juices. There have also been calls for vape to be regulated as well as for it to be taxed. The government has announced that it will set up a special committee to look into vaping. It is also interesting to note that the vape industry in Malaysia is worth half a billion ringgit and is the second largest in the world after the American market.

Price Hikes We Dread In 2016

The year 2015 was certainly not an easy one for Malaysians, from having to adjust to fuel subsidy removals starting December 2014, to having to cope with price hikes that came with the implementation of the 6% Goods and Services Tax (GST) in April, to having to weather the weakening Ringgit, which hit a 17-year-low against the US dollar (at 4.40) in September due to falling crude oil prices.

To top it up, tolls at highways operated by 11 concessionaires were also raised by between 20 sen and RM3 in October.

Will the upcoming year spell better news for our wallets? We are not counting on it. In fact, there will be further all-round price increments that we are totally not looking forward to. What are they? Read on to find out.

Simple Tips To Relieve Stress

Stressed? Our lifestyle today is very stressful. Some factors that cause this stress is pollution, stressful working environment, working two jobs, searching for a job and family problems. With so many things affecting our quality of life stress is one of the factors that can affect us mentally and physically. So, what do you do to relieve yourself from this stress? Have you ever considered giving yourself a stress free environment? Start pampering yourself and to reward yourself for doing such a good job at life and succumbing to stress. All you need is time, a little cash and a positive mindset. Pack away your mental stress and take the weight off your shoulder its time to distress.

Tips On How To Relieve Stress

Have Time For Yourself:

Kung Fu Cult Master

Click the picture to watch the Movie

Kung Fu Cult Master is a 1993 Hong Kong wuxia film adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. Directed by Wong Jing, it featured fight choreography by Sammo Hung, and starred Jet Li, Sharla Cheung, Chingmy Yau and Gigi Lai in the lead roles.

Herbal Teas That Help Strengthen The Immune System

For centuries now, drinking tea has been enjoyed by many all over the planet. Aside from allowing you to get rejuvenated, many teas are known to provide all sorts of health benefits. Certain herbal teas are said to be very good at supporting your immune system. With a strong immune system, your chances of getting sick or ill can be considerably reduced.

Read on to get acquainted with herbal teas known to help give you a stronger immune system. Consuming them is a great way for you to have your defenses against invading microorganisms bolstered.

Chrysanthemum Tea Purifies the Blood

Blood filled with toxins can leave a dent on your immune system. It’s for this reason why helping the kidneys to flush out poisonous substances in the bloodstream can help make your body stronger. Traditionally, chrysanthemum tea is consumed for blood purification purposes. Other than this, drinking the beverage also helps your body fight off microbes. It’s also the one to drink if you are suffering from anxiety or insomnia as it has mind-calming properties.