Coffee is a favourite beverage of many people in any city of the world. Some people even rely on it to give them a boost of energy and focus every day.
Throughout the existence of this popular drink, there are lots of different variations to it, depending on the type of coffee beans, how it is being processed, roasted and finally the way it is being brewed.
With so many different types, there are always different opinions from people on which is the best one. In a recent news, our Malaysian local, the Ipoh White Coffee has been ranked as one of the best coffees in the world.
According to TasteAtlas’ list of the Top 39 Coffees in the World, the Ipoh white coffee claimed the 10th spot, winning over many other popular coffees such as the espresso, Vietnamese coffee, dalgona and even latte.
Despite being named as ‘white’, it is not literally white in colour though. The name stems from the roasting technique in which coffee beans are lightly roasted in margarine before they are ground and brewed. The origin of this roasting style is usually associated with Hainanese immigrants in Malaysia, who adapted the classic technique to create a beverage that has a milder, lightly caramelized coffee flavor.
The rankings of the best coffees in the world according to the list is as below:
Hari Raya is approaching and many would want to look the best and of course with matching baju raya with the family members. Here’s some of the Malaysian brands with beautiful baju raya for your family.
Petaling Street is one of the oldest street in Kuala Lumpur and very popular among travellers who visits the city. Recently, the famous street has been honoured by the Time Out magazine as one of the coolest street in the world.
The magazine has ranked Petaling Street or also known as Jalan Petaling at sixth in their list of 30 coolest streets in the world.
Photo / IG @sheikh.asyrul
Home to the city’s first Chinese settlers in the nineteenth century, Petaling Street has been revived – you’ll find Kuala Lumpur’s oldest temples next door to colonial shophouses housing the newest dining and drinking joints. Begin the day with a cuppa and a spot of brunch (or start off at a kopitiam, a local-style coffeehouse), cosy up at a resto-bar, and come nightfall there’s always a party, whether you’re into drum ’n’ bass, jazz or reggae.
Here’s the full list of the 30 coolest street in the world by Time Out:
Malaysia was recently ranked as the fifth happiest country in the world by a report conducted by a nonprofit research organisation.
The report, titled The Global Mind Project’s ‘Mental State of the World’ conducted by the nonprofit neuroscience research organisation Sapien Labs were based on surveys from over 400,000 people in 71 countries and saw Malaysia ranked in the top five.
The study utilised a Mental Health Quotient (MHQ) to evaluate different aspects of participants’ mental health, categorising them based on their scores, which ranged from “thriving” to “distressed”.
The average MHQ score across 71 countries measured in 2023 was 65 on the 300-point MHQ scale with 27% Distressed or Struggling and 38% Succeeding or Thriving.
Overall, Malaysia scored 85%, seeing an increase of 2.9% from 2022.
Based on the study, here are the top five happiest and unhappiest countries:
Happiest:
1. Dominican Republic 2. Sri Lanka 3. Tanzania 4. Panama 5. Malaysia
Top 20 Happiest Countries
Unhappiest:
1. Uzbekistan 2. UK 3. South Africa 4. Brazil 5. Tajikistan
Bottom 10 Happiest Countries
The report also found that mental well-being remained at its post-pandemic low with yet again no sign of movement towards pre-pandemic levels.
“In 2023, at both a global level and at the level of individual countries, MHQ scores remained largely unchanged relative to 2021 and 2022, after a sharp drop during the pandemic years.
“This raises important questions about the lasting impact of the pandemic, and how shifts in the way we live and work and the amplification of existing habits like remote working, online communication, consumption of ultra-processed food, use of single-use plastics have cumulatively pushed us into a space of poorer mental wellbeing.”
Sapien Labs also concluded that younger generations, particularly those under age 35, saw the steepest declines in mental well-being during the Covid-19 pandemic while those over 65 stayed steady.
“With these declines persisting across all age groups, the pandemic amplified a pre-existing trend of poorer mental wellbeing for younger generations that is now visible across the globe.
“As in previous years, several African and Latin American countries topped the country rankings, while wealthier countries of the Core Anglosphere such as the United Kingdom and Australia are towards the bottom.
“This pattern suggests that greater wealth and economic development do not necessarily lead to greater mental well-being.”
As such, Sapien Labs said, the insights of the report paint a worrying picture of the post-pandemic prospects and we urgently need to better understand the drivers of the collective mental well-being so that goals and ambitions can be aligned.
Ramadan is the Muslim holy month, and an estimated 1.8 billion Muslims around the world will observe it especially in Malaysia where majority of the citizens practices the religion.
But what is Ramadan, exactly? Here are the most basic answers to some questions about Ramadan.
What is Ramadan?
Muslims believe it was during this month that the first verses of the Quran, Islam’s sacred text were revealed to Prophet Muhammad, on a night known as “The Night of Power” (or Laylat al-Qadr in Arabic).
During the entire month of Ramadan, Muslims fast every day from dawn to sunset. It is meant to be a time of spiritual discipline; of deep contemplation of one’s relationship with God, extra prayer, increased charity and generosity, and intense study of the Quran.
How does the fasting work?
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars or duties for all Muslims every year. During the fasting period, Mulims must abstain from all type of foods and drinks, even cigarattes. They must also avoid sinful speeches and behaviour.
The practice serves several spiritual and social purposes which are to remind you of your human frailty and your dependence on God for sustenance, to show you what it feels like to be hungry and thirsty so you feel compassion for the poor and needy, and to reduce the distractions in life so you can more clearly focus on your relationship with God.
During the month, the fasting begins daily from sunrise (Sahur) until sunset (Iftar). You are allowed to be exempted from fasting if you’re ill, pregnant, breastfeeding, menstruating or traveling. However, to make up for days you didn’t fast, you are allowed to fast later in the year.
A ordinary day in the month of Ramadan
During Ramadan, Muslims wake up well before dawn to perform their morning prayers as well as to eat the first meal of the day. Due to the meal that has to last throughout the day, usually there will be eating of high-protein foods and drinking enough water as possible.
Although fasting, they are required to perform their regular routine at work and school during the day.
Before breaking fast, meals will be prepared for iftar or in Malaysia, many Muslims will go for shopping at Ramadan bazaars to buy foods as well as the necessities for Hari Raya celebration.
After a whole day of fasting, Muslims will wait until the evening call to prayer is made before they break the day’s fast with a light meal before performing the prayers. Some will go to the mosque for the prayers as they will usually be a Tarawih prayers that is only recited during the Ramadan month.
When the prayers end, it is followed with a larger meal, which is often shared with family and friends.
Muslims breaking fast together
Why do the dates of Ramadan is different every year?
That is because the Muslims follow the lunar calendar, religiously, which is based on the phases of the moon.
In the Islamic lunar calendar, the days added up in a year is approximately 354 days, which means it is roughly 11 days shorter than the regular Gregorian calendar.
So that means that the first day of the month of Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, begins earlier by about 11 days every year.
Ramadan is also a month of giving
During this time especially, Muslims will engage in charitable acts such as donating food and money to those in need. It is an almsgiving known as zakat, which is one of the five pillars of Islam along with fasting.
Why are dates eaten during iftar?
In adherence to how the Prophet Muhammad broke his fast, three dates followed by a glass of water are consumed before Maghrib (evening prayer) and the main meal.
Breaking fast with dates
How do we greet Muslims during the Ramadan?
The month of Ramadan is a holy month of fasting, not a holiday, and therefore it is customary to greet people by saying “رَمَضان كَريم” (“Ramadan Kareem”) or “رَمَضان مُبارَك” (“Ramadan Mubarak,” Have a blessed Ramadan).
Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan
Eid al-Fitr, which means ‘feast of breaking the fast’, is a celebration that marks the end of Ramadan. This begins when the new moon is sighted, and Muslims rely on news of an official sighting of the new moon rather than looking at the sky themselves. This also means that Eid dates differ around the world, although they are a day or two away from each other.
Muslims celebrate with families and friends, and large meals are prepared.
In Malaysia, the Eid al-Fitr is commonly known as Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Families will often take leave from work to return to their hometown (balik kampung) to celebrate this big occasion.
The night before Hari Raya is filled with the sounds of takbir in the mosques or musallahs. Pelita or panjut or lampu colok (oil lamps, similar to tiki torches) are lit up and placed outside and around homes, while tiki torches themselves are also a popular decoration for that holiday. Dishes like ketupat, rendang, lemang and Malay delicacies are served during this day. It is common to greet people with “Salam Aidilfitri” or “Selamat Hari Raya” which means “Happy Eid”. Muslims also greet one another with “maaf zahir dan batin”, which means “Forgive my physical and emotional (wrongdoings).
Children are given token sums of money, also known as “duit raya”, from their parents or elders.
