I was recently asked by someone to describe Kuala Lumpur.

I wanted to answer him so much and so badly, but his simple question left me dumbfounded. I really dont know how to capture everything that I know and then describe it without corrupting any facts. After all, it is my own country, I should be able to do it with ease. Perhaps I take things too seriously, because I really believe that no words can ever describe a place. I take wordsthe ability to speak and write, as God Almightys greatest gift to Human, besides our ability to think and our mind. When I was growing up, I have always been in love with Egypt. When I was really small, my late father used to tell me stories about bravery and heroism based on Egypts characters. Then I began to read about Egypt and watch movies about it. Egypt was a sweet dream in my mind, then. I remember feeling that the more I know about it, the more I dont know. Then I read a verse of hadith when my beloved and exalted Prophet S.A.W. mentioned about the Egyptian army, my fantasies of Egypt continues to flourish. Egypt was always a concept to me, an imagination, a dream and a place that I wish I can see with my own eyes. When I was 8 years old, I started wearing leaves that I weaved as a crown on my headme the Cleopatra. I drew pictures of Egypt as I imagined it, with horses, chariots, beautiful princesses and strong princes roaming the land. As I grew older, I had my very first crush in Akhenaton, the Pharoah. He appeals to me with his imperfections and because he dares to differ from his own world. Nefertiti was someone I wanted to be, because I wanted to meet my Akhenaton. This stayed with me profoundly for a long time, until my late teens. Then after having my own life and love, I went to Egypt for the first time, in December 2004. I never guessed that I can still fall so badly in love with Egypt. I soaked everythingthe air, the Nile, the people, the innocence, the corruptall with my own eyes and other senses fully aware. Egypt to me is beyond Pyramids. Its a place with a soul, with a story. It is not pretentious, it is real that I can almost touch its beauty with my hands, it is warm to me, it is beautiful in my eyes, it is addictive in my mind and I can never let it go. Nobody on earth can ever make me this intoxicated with a place, no beautiful words nor language; can ever describe Egypt as it stands magnificently in front of own eyes! So how can I describe Kuala Lumpur? If Egypt is a country that I am in love withMalaysia is my love, my heart. It makes me and it becomes me. I can only say in so much limitations that Malaysia is sincere, it is honest, it is welcoming, it is bright yet dark, it is beautiful but yet imperfect and its people are alike but so different. The beautiful mountains call to you from afar while the bird sings with songs that can really touch your soul. The ocean is so blue that the reflection stays in your eyes while the waves work so hard to reach the shore, continually, tirelessly. I am always aware that when I travel away from Kuala Lumpur, when I come back, I can smell the sweetness of the air that I breathe. I swear that is how I feel, but I cannot guarantee that this feeling is inherent to everyone. Malaysians have no expectations from anyone. They are muted in their own way of life and they are always searching for something to give them the history that they long to be. We are a new nation, compared to the civilizations of India and China in Asia. We do not have a soul as yet, in fact we are looking for it, tirelessly building it with our peacefulness and aggression. Everything in Kuala Lumpur is fast and impatient, but everything that is out of Kuala Lumpur is peaceful and content. The

country is defined by the people, the culture, the gesture and the arts. Every place that I have taken a dive, I take with me a part of it that makes me a Malaysian. Every hills and mountains that I climbed left me with the beauty of nature that I savor with my heart. Malaysia is determinedly surrounded by green pastures and forests that the felling of trees for the sake of development makes the land dry and tired. Its like a race between nature and developments, you see the green, then you are surrounded with the skyscrapers. We are proud with the modernities, but yet we are honored with what nature has given us in the land. My generation in Malaysia, fail to understand where we should stand between pride and honor. We honor what nature has given the country, but we are also proud with what our nation has built. Perhaps, to a foreigner, this confusion is very apparent in the faces of Malaysians. Its a beautiful land with mixed feelings. Sometimes, we look for the traits that should be ours, from those who come to visit us. You can see the gentleness of the peoplebut you will feel so confused when you see the extremely systematic way we live our lives. The best shopping malls, the best nature, the best culture, the best arts, the sweetest laughter, the softest conversation and all makes Malaysia a Masala Nation.