It’s a boy!

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem Alḥamdulillāh, on Monday, the 19th of Rabīʿ ulʾawwa, 1430 (16th of March, 2009) at 5:38 PM Malaysia local time, Allāh blessed us with a 2.3 kg (~5 lb.) blessing we named ʿAbdurraḥmān (عبد الرحمن), which, in Arabic, means “slave of the Most Merciful”, which is one of the beautiful names of Allāh…

High Dynamic Range photography

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem Alhamdulillaah, I’ve just managed to produce my first HDR (high dynamic range) image the results of which I’m pleased with.  Once again, I have CHDK to thank for enabling this feature easily.

March of the Ants!

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem As bugs are normal around the house here in Malaysia, I have just gotten used to them for the most part.  Yes, the wall next to me is a veritable graveyard for mosquitoes, but most other insects don’t bother me much, alhamdulillaah. This includes ants.  Ants are usually very benign, they mind…

En route to Malaysia

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem Alhamdulillaah, my wife & I are en route to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where we’ll be staying one night with her brother & his family before continuing on our way to home in Kuala Terengganu, in shaaʾ Allaah.  Right now we’re in the Kuwait International Airport, and, alhamdulillaah, they have free wifi throughout…

Close Encounters of the Blurred Kind

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem While riding (on a scooter) to a nearby masjid with one of my brothers-in-law, I felt something flew straight into my eye despite the fact that I was wearing my glasses at the time.  I was unable to flush it out while on the bike, and I thought that, like most eye…

Back home in Kuala Terengganu

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem Alhamdulillaah, I’ve returned “home” to Kuala Terengganu (KT), which is my wife’s hometown, and I’ve taken it to be my home-away-from home.  It’s a beautiful place, especially because we actually live in a kampung, or village, not to far away from the main part of KT.  Additionally, compared to Kuala Lumpur (KL),…

Time Lapse Barrage

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem Alhamdulillaah, I’ve been able to take an enormous amount of pictures during my stay here in Malaysia until now.  And while the actual yield of shots with any value may be low, the sheer volume of photos means that I have plenty I would like to share. The sheer amount of work…

Panorama shots of Kuala Lumpur downtown

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem Alhamdulilllaah, there are some outstanding opportunities for views of the downtown Kuala Lumpur skyline from the roof of our apartment here.  Some of the shots are clearer than others due to the conditions at the time I took theme.  These are my first attempts, as well, so keep that in mind.  Click…

Back in Malaysia

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem Alhamdulillaah, I am back in Malaysia, which means I am also back with my wife.  Words cannot express how much joy the two of us are experiencing being together once again.  More than six months have passed since we’d been together the last time.  In case it is not obvious, the reason…

(Belated) Marriage Announcement

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem Putting aside for now the minor detail that it actually happened over six months ago, I just wanted to announce as far-and-wide as possible that Allaah has blessed me, Basil Mohamed Gohar, with marriage to Nor Sallsabil binti (daughter of) Abdul Razak.  Our marriage took place after `Ishaa’ (evening prayer) on May…

Back from Malaysia

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem Alhamdulillaah, I’ve returned safely back from my outstanding and wonderful trip to Malaysia. In all truth, I did not really want to, and I miss my wife terribly. However, Allaah knows better what’s best for us, fa sabrun jameel.

Floating Masjid of Kuala Terengganu

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem One of the beautiful sites in the city of Kuala Terengganu, the hometown of my wife, is the Floating Masjid, pictured below: We prayed `asr here a few days back, and naturally, having my camera with me, I snapped a few pictures. Click on the image above to go to the gallery…